cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Matrigel as a Basement Membrane: A Feasibility Study

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs, affects approximately 8 million people in the United States alone. This is a chronic disease that is negatively impacted by damage due to unavoidable treatment, such as balloon angioplasty and atherectomy. The use of drugs combined with these treatments is becoming the gold standard of clinical treatment as they lengthen time between restenosis, or the repeated accumulation of buildup (Fig. 1). To date, very few studies have been performed to create an in vitro model that can be used to assess the effects of damaging treatments on drug delivery and retention following clinical standard of care. Therefore, we propose to take steps in the development and advancement of a benchtop 3-D structure in which cells can be grown to mimic an occluded artery (Fig 1.). This model can then be used to allow for the visualization and quantification of drug adhesion and transport and provide a platform to quantify biological changes. This will allow for the best conditions for optimizing drug delivery to be determined. The goal of this study is to establish a protocol that can be used to prevent the degradation of Matrigel, a basement membrane matrix, by crosslinking it with glutaraldehyde in order to grow smooth muscle cells (SMCs) into a 3-D structure, which can then be built upon with the addition of macrophages, collagen, fibrin, and calcification to form an in vitro model of an occluded artery. The preliminary results indicate the crosslinking of glutaraldehyde with the Matrigel is effective in prolonging the lifespan of Matrigel, with an increased amount of glutaraldehyde resulting in a slower rate of degradation.
Vasoactive intracavernous pharmacotherapy.

SUMMARY The use of vasoactive intracavernous pharmacotherapy for the treatment of impotence is rapidly expanding because of its effectiveness and the rarity of short-term complications. To minimize complications, careful selection of candidates, cautious dosage determination, and thorough instruction on injection technique are mandatory. Sustained erection should be treated with alpha-adrenergic agents after 4 to 6 hours. Frequent follow-up is mandatory after home injection begins to detect the development of penile abnormalities. Longer follow-up and additional studies are required to determine the types and incidences of long-term adverse effects of the technique.
Adult respiratory distress syndrome as a complication of acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis

Eighteen patients with acute pancreatitis(AP) were studied prospectively with a clinical analysis of 34 patients with ARDS caused by AHP. Ten of the 18 AP patients had lung damage demonstrated by PaO2 and P (A-a) O2, in which the elevation of the blood and alveolar levels of FFA and PLA also contributed to the pathogenesis of lung damage and ARDS. The 34 ARDS patients could be divided into 3 groups according to the speed with which ARDS developed, i.e. rapid, postoperatively rapid, and delayed occurring. It was also found that the mortality rate of ARDS was closely related to the number of organs involved in AHP. We suggested 8 risk factors of ARDS in AHP cases and discussed the etiology of ARDS, its early diagnosis, prophylaxis, and management.
Inferred Correlations and Reliability Measures

This chapter discusses inferred correlations and reliability measures. The chapter presents the biserial correlation coefficient ( r bis ). If the two points marking the two classes of the dichotomous variable in the r DI coefficient are two levels of some continuous variable and if this continuous variable is assumed to be normally distributed in the population from which sample has been drawn, then one can predict or estimate the new increased correlation between a new interval scale measure of this variable and the other variable previously measured in that fashion. The coefficient that permits one to do this is called the biserial correlation coefficient r bis . As a result of prior selection of cases on one of the two variables to be correlated, the resulting correlation coefficient may become either spuriously high or spuriously low relative to the value obtained by using the entire sample. Another common type of spurious correlation occurs when a part is correlated with the whole to which it belongs, for example, when an item is correlated with a test score, or a judge with the average of a group of judges to which he or she belongs.
Emergency Department Use in a Cohort of Older Homeless Adults: Results From the HOPE HOME Study.

Objective The median age of single homeless adults is over 50, yet little is known about their emergency department (ED) use. We describe use of and factors associated with ED use in a sample of homeless adults 50 and older. Methods We recruited 350 participants who were homeless and 50 or older in Oakland, California. We interviewed participants about residential history in the prior 6 months, health status, health-related behaviors, and health services use and assessed cognition and mobility. Our primary outcome was the number of ED visits in the prior 6 months based on medical record review. We used negative binomial regression to examine factors associated with ED use. Results In the 6 months prior to enrollment, 46.3% of participants spent the majority of their time unsheltered; 25.1% cycled through multiple institutions including shelters, hospitals, and jails; 16.3% primarily stayed with family or friends; and 12.3% had become homeless recently after spending much of the prior 6 months housed. Half (49.7%) of participants made at least one ED visit in the past 6 months; 6.6% of participants accounted for 49.9% of all visits. Most (71.8%) identified a regular non-ED source of healthcare; 7.3% of visits resulted in hospitalization. In multivariate models, study participants who used multiple institutions (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 2.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08 to 4.77) and who were unsheltered (IRR = 2.29; 95% CI = 1.17 to 4.48) had higher ED use rates than participants who had been housed for most of the prior 6 months. In addition, having health insurance/coverage (IRR = 2.6; CI = 1.5 to 4.4), a history of psychiatric hospitalization (IRR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.09 to 2.99), and severe pain (IRR = 1.72; 95% CI = 1.07 to 2.76) were associated with higher ED visit rates. Conclusions A sample of adults aged 50 and older who were homeless at study entry had higher rates of ED use in the prior 6 months than the general U.S. age-matched population. Within the sample, ED use rates varied based on individuals’ residential histories, suggesting that individuals’ ED use is related to exposure to homelessness.
Essays in the measurement of consumer preferences in experimental auction markets

This thesis applies a relatively new technique, laboratory experimental auctions, to examine consumer preferences for food products which have not yet reached the market. The auction used is a second-price (Vickrey) auction in which the highest bidder pays an amount equal to the second-highest bid. This auction has been shown to accurately reveal preferences because it eliminates the incentive to underbid true value which is present in a first-price auction;The experimental auction is used to examine preferences for two products; milk from cows treated with bovine somatotropin, and pork treated with irradiation. The applications feature real products, real money, and an explicit obligation to consume a food product. These features provide for elicitation of preferences in a non-hypothetical setting; the idea is to replicate the consumers decision environment when first faced with these new products in the grocery store;The three papers use experimental auctions to examine: (1) the relationship between preferences for irradiated pork as revealed in a hypothetical survey and those revealed in the non-hypothetical experimental auction, (2) the impact of favorable and unfavorable descriptions of food irradiation on preferences for irradiated pork, and (3) regional differences in preferences for milk produced with or without bovine somatotropin, and the impact of a detailed description of bovine somatotropin on preferences.
Left Ventricular Retraining and Double Switch in Patients With Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries

Purpose:Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CC-TGA) is a complex form of congenital heart defect with numerous anatomic subgroups. The majority of patients with CC-TGA are e...
Current Concepts in the Diagnosis and Management of Traumatic, Anterior Glenohumeral Subluxations:

Traumatic anterior glenohumeral subluxations comprise the majority of glenohumeral instability events and are endemic in young athletes. Unlike the definitive complete dislocation event, subluxation events may often be more subtle in presentation and, therefore, may be overlooked by clinicians. Glenohumeral subluxation events are associated with a high rate of labral tears as well as humeral head defects. While less is known of the natural history of these injuries, young athletes are at risk for recurrent instability events if not properly diagnosed and treated. While reports of surgical treatment outcomes isolated to subluxation events are limited, arthroscopic and open Bankart repair have been shown to result in excellent outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to review the etiology and pathoanatomy of traumatic anterior glenohumeral subluxations as well as to review the appropriate evaluation and management of patients with this injury.
Investigating failures in information seeking episodes

Purpose People face barriers and failures in various kinds of information seeking experiences. These are often attributed to either the information seeker or the system/service they use. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why individuals fail to fulfill their information needs in all contexts and situations. It addresses the limitations of existing studies in examining the context of the task and information seeker’s strategy and seeks to gain a holistic understanding of information seeking barriers and failures. Design/methodology/approach The primary method used for this investigation is a qualitative survey, in which 63 participants provided 208 real life examples of failures in information seeking. After analyzing the survey data, ten semi-structured interviews with another group of participants were conducted to further examine the survey findings. Data were analyzed using various theoretical frameworks of tasks, strategies, and barriers. Findings A careful examination of aspects of tasks, barriers, and strategies identified from the examples revealed that a wide range of external and internal factors caused people’s failures. These factors were also caused or affected by multiple aspects of information seekers’ tasks and strategies. People’s information needs were often too contextual and specific to be fulfilled by the information retrieved. Other barriers, such as time constraint and institutional restrictions, also intensified the problem. Originality/value This paper highlights the importance of considering the information seeking episodes in which individuals fail to fulfill their needs in a holistic approach by analyzing their tasks, information needs, strategies, and obstacles. The modified theoretical frameworks and the coding methods used could also be instrumental for future research.
Acceleration and Averaging in Stochastic Descent Dynamics

We formulate and study a general family of (continuous-time) stochastic dynamics for accelerated first-order minimization of smooth convex functions. Building on an averaging formulation of accelerated mirror descent, we propose a stochastic variant in which the gradient is contaminated by noise, and study the resulting stochastic differential equation. We prove a bound on the rate of change of an energy function associated with the problem, then use it to derive estimates of convergence rates of the function values (almost surely and in expectation), both for persistent and asymptotically vanishing noise. We discuss the interaction between the parameters of the dynamics (learning rate and averaging rates) and the covariation of the noise process. In particular, we show how the asymptotic rate of covariation affects the choice of parameters and, ultimately, the convergence rate.
"What's the right thing to do?" Correctional healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes and experiences caring for transgender inmates.

Abstract Rational Incarcerated transgender individuals may need to access physical and mental health services to meet their general and gender-affirming (e.g., hormones, surgery) medical needs while incarcerated. Objective This study sought to examine correctional healthcare providers’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and experiences providing care to transgender inmates. Method In 2016, 20 correctional healthcare providers (e.g., physicians, social workers, psychologists, mental health counselors) from New England participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews examining their experiences caring for transgender inmates. The interview guide drew on healthcare-related interviews with recently incarcerated transgender women and key informant interviews with correctional healthcare providers and administrators. Data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory framework and thematic analysis. Results Findings revealed that transgender inmates do not consistently receive adequate or gender-affirming care while incarcerated. Factors at the structural level (i.e., lack of training, restrictive healthcare policies, limited budget, and an unsupportive prison culture); interpersonal level (i.e., custody staff bias); and individual level (i.e., lack of transgender cultural and clinical competence) impede correctional healthcare providers’ ability to provide gender-affirming care to transgender patients. These factors result in negative health consequences for incarcerated transgender patients. Conclusions Results call for transgender-specific healthcare policy changes and the implementation of transgender competency trainings for both correctional healthcare providers and custody staff (e.g., officers, lieutenants, wardens).
Human pericytes adopt myofibroblast properties in the microenvironment of the IPF lung

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal disease of unknown etiology characterized by a compositionally and mechanically altered extracellular matrix. Poor understanding of the origin of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expressing myofibroblasts has hindered curative therapies. Though proposed as a source of myofibroblasts in mammalian tissues, identification of microvascular pericytes (PC) as contributors to α-SMA-expressing populations in human IPF and the mechanisms driving this accumulation remain unexplored. Here, we demonstrate enhanced detection of α-SMA+ cells coexpressing the PC marker neural/glial antigen 2 in the human IPF lung. Isolated human PC cultured on decellularized IPF lung matrices adopt expression of α-SMA, demonstrating that these cells undergo phenotypic transition in response to direct contact with the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the fibrotic human lung. Using potentially novel human lung-conjugated hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties, we decoupled PC responses to matrix composition and stiffness to show that α-SMA+ PC accumulate in a mechanosensitive manner independent of matrix composition. PC activated with TGF-β1 remodel the normal lung matrix, increasing tissue stiffness to facilitate the emergence of α-SMA+ PC via MKL-1/MTRFA mechanotranduction. Nintedanib, a tyrosine-kinase inhibitor approved for IPF treatment, restores the elastic modulus of fibrotic lung matrices to reverse the α-SMA+ phenotype. This work furthers our understanding of the role that microvascular PC play in the evolution of IPF, describes the creation of an ex vivo platform that advances the study of fibrosis, and presents a potentially novel mode of action for a commonly used antifibrotic therapy that has great relevance for human disease.
Faculty development to help preservice educators model the integration of technology in the classroom: perspectives from an action research case study

Introduction Dissertation Organization Epiphany #1 Epiphany #2 Epiphany #3 Importance of This Research References Modeling Technology in Preservice Classrooms: A Literature Review An Historical Perspective of Technology and Teacher Education How Faculty Best Learn to Model Technology Integration into Their Classrooms Barriers to Technology Utilization in the Classroom Time Relative Advantage Core Values Recommendations for Technology Acceptance and Integration Rewards/Incentives Ownership Strategies for Training Technology Tools Versus Pedagogy Change Theory What Other Colleges and Universities are Doing to Help Their Faculties Learn How to Model Technology Integration in Their Classrooms Rewards Technology Course for Preservice Teachers Modeling Mentoring One-on-One Training Workshops Other Strategies Conclusions References Cycles of Action Research in Faculty Development to Help Preservice Educators Model the Integration of Technology in the Classroom Introduction The Problem The Proposed Solution Research Method Validity vi
POGIL Activities for Computer Organization and Architecture: (Abstract Only)

Research shows that active learning can increase student performance and engagement, but access to materials is a notable barrier to using research-based instruction strategies in CS and Engineering. We present results of a project-in-progress that aims to create, pilot, revise, and disseminate POGIL activities for Computer Organization and Architecture. POGIL is a research-based instruction strategy that comprises self-managed teams, guided inquiry (or, exploration), and development of process skills, such as critical thinking and assessment. The strategy has been shown to improve student performance and engagement in courses in scientific disciplines and, more recently, CS. This poster presents how we have applied the methodology for POGIL activities to Computer Organization and Architecture and highlights one activity in depth. From 2 pilots with 36 and 70 students we produced revisions and timings for 6 activities. We also discuss lessons learned in a) facilitation, such as the importance of roles and the tradeoffs of class-level synchrony and b) authorship, such as the appropriate choice of model (or, subject of inquiry) and level of guidance in the exploration phase of an activity. The intended outcome of this project is to make these activities publicly available on cspogil.org.
The Promise of Personalized Medicine

There is substantial potential for the human intestinal microbiota to be mined for its therapeutic potential. Absent exogenous perturbations, the intestinal microbiota tends to be highly stable throughout adult life, and it appears to be associated with a variety of rheumatic diseases. Furthermore, the microbiota can influence the metabolism of many medicines used to treat inflammatory diseases, thus potentially playing a role in the disease process even in the absence of specific abnormalities in its composition. We have multiple tools at hand to alter the microbiota, and the future may hold targeted approaches to remove specific bacteria associated with a particular condition. Finally, there is evidence that an individual’s baseline microbiota might predict his or her response to dietary therapy, thus ushering in an era of individualized medicine targeting the human intestinal microbiota.
Minimal Dissection, Small Incision Ptosis Correction

Small-incision, minimal-dissection external levator advancement results in less disruption of the eyelid retractors. Preserving many of the levator aponeurosis attachments to the tarsus results in reduced operative time and less advancement of the levator needed to achieve satisfactory results.
The Contribution of DIAMOND and Multinational Studies to Epidemiological Research

Epidemiology is, by definition, the study of epidemics. We study the differences in the frequency of a disease in a defined population in relationship to time, place, geography and the characteristics of the population. Identification of an epidemic then leads to specific analytical studies to determine the “causes of the epidemic” and, subsequently, and most importantly, the best methods for prevention of disease.
Superposition of Precipitation-hardening Mechanisms

ABSTRACT Precipitation-hardening of Ni-base γ/γ′ alloys can occur by order hardening and/or coherency hardening. In many γ/γ′ alloys, both mechanisms ought to contribute simultaneously to the overall strengthening. However, no significant progress has been made on how this can be predicted, especially for alloys aged to near the peak-strength condition. This paper describes the results of some calculations of the force on an initially straight pure edge dislocation exerted by three ordered misfitting spherical precipitates. The shape of the dislocation as a function of the applied force was obtained from the solution of a nonlinear differential equation, assuming isotropic elasticity and allowing for the variation of the line tension with curvature. The interaction between the arms of the bowing dislocation was neglected. The calculations were evaluated using values of the relevant parameters characteristic of γ′(Ni 3 A) precipitates in Ni-A alloys at room temperature, and are compared with the results of the straight dislocation approximation. Several unexpected results have emerged, both associated with larger (stronger) particles for which the straight dislocation approximation is bad. The results of these calculations are described in this paper and their implications discussed in the light of recent work on this problem.
Second- and third-order nonlinear-optic devices in ultracompact heterogeneous integrated photonics on silicon (Conference Presentation)

Silicon photonics, based on silicon-on-insulator waveguides, has been successful in establishing itself as a reliable solution for datacom optical transceivers. However, due to the centrosymmetry of silicon’s crystalline structure and the omnipresence of nonlinear absorptions, conventional silicon photonics has not been as successful for second- and third-order nonlinear integrated-optic applications, respectively. Traditionally, second-order nonlinear integrated optics, X(2) effects, have been pursed in waveguides out of materials such as lithium niobate. However, these devices have their own downsides, such as low optical confinement and bulkiness. A solution is heterogeneously integrating ultrathin layers of such noncentrosymmetric materials on silicon substrates, in order to simultaneously achieve efficient X(2) effects and high optical confinement/compactness, as well as partial or full compatibility with silicon foundry processing. Similarly, researchers have for the most part migrated to heterogeneous integration of materials with high third-order nonlinearity, X(3) effects, but negligible nonlinear loss. Recent efforts typically focus on ultracompactness, reduced loss and dispersion engineering for fairly sophisticated integrated chips and advanced nonlinear functionalities, such as supercontinuum generation and optical comb generation. Progress in second-order nonlinear integrated photonic devices heterogeneously on silicon are reviewed. Demonstrations of second-harmonic generation and spontaneous parametric down-conversion, based on ultracompact lithium niobate photonics on silicon, are presented. Also reviewed are heterogeneous third-order nonlinear devices on silicon, and more interestingly, approaches for integration of second- and third-order devices on the same chip. Example demonstrations will be octave-spanning supercontinuum generation on chalcogenide waveguides on silicon and their seamless integration with lithium niobate devices.
Tricuspid Valve Imaging and Intervention in Pediatric and Adult Patients With Congenital Heart Disease.

Abstract Tricuspid valve abnormalities in congenital heart disease comprise a wide spectrum, with the most common being Ebstein anomaly and tricuspid valve dysplasia. Tricuspid valve dysfunction may also be secondary to other types of congenital heart disease, including functional tricuspid regurgitation seen in right heart volume overload conditions, such as atrial septal defect and repaired tetralogy of Fallot with severe pulmonary valve regurgitation. Congenitally corrected transposition and Mustard and Senning procedures maintain the right ventricle as the systemic ventricle, and the tricuspid valve is subject to unique hemodynamic stress not typically seen in normal circulation. Surgical treatment of tricuspid valve disease remains the mainstay of therapy; primary catheter-based interventions are uncommon. However, once a tricuspid valve has been replaced with a bioprosthesis, the patient may be a candidate for tricuspid valve-in-valve catheter-based replacement.
Measuring Global Spatial Autocorrelation with Data Reliability Information

Assessing spatial autocorrelation (SA) of statistical estimates such as means is a common practice in spatial analysis and statistics. Popular SA statistics implicitly assume that the reliability o...
P-016 The last frontier in endovascular coil embolization: the middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysms

Introduction Middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms have conventionally been considered better suited for clipping rather than coiling. We evaluated occlusion and complication rates from treating MCA aneurysms with endovascular methods and compared our recent experience to an earlier time period. Methods 124 patients with 126 MCA aneurysms treated endovascularly at our institution from April 2009 – May of 2017 were retrospectively studied. Patient demographics, details of the endovascular treatment, angiographic outcome, and all adverse events were recorded. The patients were split into two cohorts, one spanning form April 2009 to December 31, 2013 and one from January 1 2014 to May 2017. Results Overall, 42 (33%) of the treated aneurysms were ruptured. Unassisted coiling was possible in 36 cases (29%) while adjuncts for coil embolization were employed in 90 of the cases (71%). Raymond 1oc and 2oc clusion was achieved in 94% of patients at 6–12 month follow up angiogram. Complication rates improved over time for both major complications (stroke/permanent neurologic deficit) and minor complications (TIAs or asymptomatic intraprocedural thrombus). Patients treated prior to 2014 resulted in 8 (11%) major complications and 9 (12%) minor complications. Patients treated after to 2014 resulted in 3 (6%) major complications and 4 (8%) minor complications. Conclusions Endovascular treatment of MCA aneurysms remains challenging but has progressed over the last few years with improvement in devices and better understanding the unique anatomical challenges. Although high occlusion rates were achieved throughout the period reviewed, safety issues during early experience resulted in higher than expected rate of intraprocedural thrombus formation, TIAs and permanent neurologic deficits. Our more recent results demonstrate improved safety profiles are achievable by identifying risk factors for thrombus formation, early use of adjunctive devices for complication avoidance, and recent development of more suitable devices for these aneurysms. These results match publications reported for large clipping cohorts. Disclosures R. Kellogg: None. I. Chaudry: None. A. Turk: None. R. Turner: None. A. Spiotta: None.
Yield Uncertainty and Strategic Formation of Supply Chain Networks.

How does supply uncertainty affect the structure of supply chain networks? To answer this question we consider a setting where retailers and suppliers must establish a costly relationship with each other prior to engaging in trade. Suppliers, with uncertain yield, announce wholesale prices, while retailers must decide which suppliers to link to based on their wholesale prices. Subsequently, retailers compete with each other in Cournot fashion to sell the acquired supply to consumers. We find that in equilibrium retailers concentrate their links among too few suppliers, i.e., there is insufficient diversification of the supply base. We find that either reduction of supply variance or increase of mean supply, increases a supplier's profit. However, these two ways of improving service have qualitatively different effects on welfare: improvement of the expected supply by a supplier makes everyone better off, whereas improvement of supply variance lowers consumer surplus.
Decentralized Minimum-Energy Coverage Control for Time-Varying Density Functions

This paper introduces a minimum-energy approach to the problem of time-varying coverage control. The coverage objective, encoded by a locational cost, is reformulated as a constrained optimization problem that can be solved in a decentralized fashion. This allows the robots to achieve a centroidal Voronoi tessellation by running a decentralized controller even in case of a time-varying density function. We demonstrate that this approach makes no assumptions on the rate of change of the density function and performs the computations in an approximation-free manner. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated in simulation as well as on a team of mobile robots.
Multivariable PID Synthesis Via a Static Output Feedback LMI

This paper proposes a new methodology to design PID controllers for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) linear time-invariant systems. First the PID control design is written as a static output feedback problem. Then, building on recent advances in static output feedback, the PID gains are obtained through a two-step procedure: solution of an algebraic Riccati equation followed by the solution of a semidefinite program, i.e, an optimization program with a linear objective function and Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) constraints. Several examples show that the method works well in practice.
Long-Term Follow-up of Patients with Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treated with Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections

Purpose To determine the long-term visual outcomes and intravitreal injection burden of patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with intravitreal anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections. Design Retrospective cohort study. Participants Patients with exudative AMD treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections with annual office visits for at least 7 years. Methods Snellen visual acuity was measured at baseline and then annually until the last year of follow-up. The number of injections was recorded on an annual basis during each year of follow-up. Main Outcome Measures The change in the frequency of injections over time along with the change in visual acuity each year from the baseline visit through 7 years. Results During this period, 533 eyes of 429 patients were treated for exudative AMD. Of these, 391 eyes (73%) met the inclusion criteria of annual office visits and received a mean of 5.8 ± 2.5 intravitreal injections per year. The baseline mean visual acuity was 0.6 ± 0.5 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR; Snellen equivalent, 20/80), and the 7-year visual acuity was 0.8 ± 0.6 logMAR (Snellen equivalent, 20/126; P Conclusions In a real-world setting, eyes that maintained consistent, long-term follow-up received significantly more intravitreal injections per year than eyes with inconsistent follow-up. Eyes with 20/40 or better vision at study conclusion received more injections per year than eyes with worse than 20/40 vision.
IgA negative immunofluorescence in diagnoses of adult-onset Henoch-Schönlein purpura

We describe two cases of young adult men presenting with diffuse petechial rash and gastrointestinal disturbances. They were found to have leukocytoclastic vasculitis without immunoglobulin A findings under direct immunofluorescence on skin biopsy histopathology performed over a week after the appearance of lesions. Henoch Schonlein purpura (HSP) was diagnosed based upon the clinical presentation as well as the leukocytoclastic vasculitis biopsy findings.
Electronic health records and clinician burnout: A story of three eras

Objective The study sought to provide physicians, informaticians, and institutional policymakers with an introductory tutorial about the history of medical documentation, sources of clinician burnout, and opportunities to improve electronic health records (EHRs). We now have unprecedented opportunities in health care, with the promise of new cures, improved equity, greater sensitivity to social and behavioral determinants of health, and data-driven precision medicine all on the horizon. EHRs have succeeded in making many aspects of care safer and more reliable. Unfortunately, current limitations in EHR usability and problems with clinician burnout distract from these successes. A complex interplay of technology, policy, and healthcare delivery has contributed to our current frustrations with EHRs. Fortunately, there are opportunities to improve the EHR and health system. A stronger emphasis on improving the clinician's experience through close collaboration by informaticians, clinicians, and vendors can combine with specific policy changes to address the causes of burnout. Target audience This tutorial is intended for clinicians, informaticians, policymakers, and regulators, who are essential participants in discussions focused on improving clinician burnout. Learners in biomedicine, regardless of clinical discipline, also may benefit from this primer and review. Scope We include (1) an overview of medical documentation from a historical perspective; (2) a summary of the forces converging over the past 20 years to develop and disseminate the modern EHR; and (3) future opportunities to improve EHR structure, function, user base, and time required to collect and extract information.
Fourier decompositions of graphs with symmetries and equitable partitions

Abstract We show that equitable partitions, which are generalizations of graph symmetries, and Fourier transforms are fundamentally related. For a partition of a graph's vertices we define a Fourier similarity transform of the graph's adjacency matrix built from the matrices used to carryout discrete Fourier transformations. We show that the matrix (graph) decomposes into a number of smaller matrices (graphs) under this transformation if and only if the partition is an equitable partition. To extend this result to directed graphs we define two new types of equitable partitions, equitable receiving and equitable transmitting partitions, and show that if a partition of a directed graph is both, then the graph's adjacency matrix will similarly decomposes under this transformation. Since the transformation we use is a similarity transform the collective eigenvalues of the resulting matrices (graphs) are the same as the eigenvalues of the original untransformed matrix (graph).
Conceiving the Gothic; or, “A New Species of Romance”

This introductory chapter outlines the relationship between embryology and the Gothic mode beginning with Horace Walpole’s use of embryological metaphors in an early poem. The chapter provides a brief overview of the history of embryology, including Aristotelian embryology, preformation, preexistence, and epigenesis. The focus is on the key differences between preformation and epigenesis as expressed by their most famous proponents of the eighteenth-century, including Charles Bonnet, Albrecht von Haller, Georges-Louis Leclerc Buffon, J. F. Blumenbach, and C. F. Wolff. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the ways in which the Gothic embeds key signifiers of these debates, including internal sources of identity, monstrosity, hybridity, and the capacity for an infinite number of forms. These features manifest themselves in the most representative Gothic texts of the period, which are the subjects of the subsequent chapters.
The Section 83(B) Election for Restricted Stock: A Joint Tax Perspective

In the wake of the Financial Accounting Standard Board's decision to require firms that grant employee stock options (ESOs) to treat such options as an expense, many large and sophisticated firms are switching from ESOs to restricted stock. Restricted stock - stock granted to an employee as part of her compensation and subject to the condition that if she leaves the firm within a period of time (often 3 years) she forfeits the stock - appears to be on its way to becoming the dominant form of equity-based pay in the United States. Yet, in spite of its prominence, little attention has been paid to how employers should design their restricted stock programs in light of tax considerations. The tax consequences to both the employee and the employer of a grant of restricted stock are deferred until the restriction lapses and the stock vests. There is however an exception to that general rule: If, within 30 days of receiving the stock, the employee makes what is called the Section 83(b) election, then both the employer and the employee are taxed at the time of grant.Employing a joint tax perspective that looks at the tax consequences to both the employer and the employee, this paper attempts to answer several compensation design issues raised by the use of restricted stock. Specifically, I address the question under what circumstances should the employer charge the employee explicitly for her restricted shares and when should the employer charge implicitly for the restricted stock through a lower salary. I also look at the desirability to the employee, the employer, and the employee and employer together of the employee making the Section 83(b) election. Finally, I look at the value to the employee and cost to the employer of the employee's option to wait 30 days until making the Section 83(b) election.
Medical Wisdom in the Twenty-First Century

This book is intended to help physicians achieve their full potential - to become wise physicians and to be able to apply wisdom in their daily practice - much like the doctor described above by LaCombe.
Bioprinting of Cardiac Tissues

Abstract Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the world. Cardiac and heart valve tissue engineering in the past decade have made progress to recapitulate the native properties of the heart for cardiac regeneration and repair using a myriad of strategies, including concepts of biomaterials, micro- and nanotechnologies, and decellularization. However, one main obstacle for tissue engineering cardiac tissue is incorporating the complex, heterogeneous micro- and macro-cardiac tissue structures for different cell types to adhere, proliferate, and ultimately repair and remodel damaged tissue. 3D bioprinting has emerged as a strategy to address this challenge by providing the technology to fabricate high-resolution scaffolds with heterogeneous biochemical and mechanical properties. This chapter gives an overview of current strategies and limitations for cardiac and heart valve tissue engineering and the advances made in 3D bioprinting for cardiac repair.
Modelling hepatitis C virus kinetics: the relationship between the infected cell loss rate and the final slope of viral decay.

BackgroundPatients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who respond to treatment with interferon-α plus ribavirin exhibit biphasic or triphasic viral load decreases. While the rapid first phase is...
Determinants of the ARM Share of FHA and Conventional Lending

Loan-choice research has generally examined the determinants of fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) versus ARM lending in the single-family conventional market. Little attention has been paid to the significant differences in ARM lending between the GSE conforming and jumbo markets, as well as differences in the FHA market. For example, the ARM share of jumbo originations is generally two to three times that of the conforming market. This article extends past analysis by examining the determinants of ARM market share in the conventional conforming, jumbo, and FHA markets. Mortgage-pricing variables and the slope of the Treasury yield curve, a proxy for expectations of the time path of ARM indexes, were generally found to be significant. Further, the geographic shift in FHA lending toward the California market since 1992 was found to explain a significant part of the increase in the ARM share of FHA originations during the mid-1990s.
The Synthesis and Pharmacological Properties of 4-Decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressin, 5-Decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressin, and Their 1-Deamino Analogues

Analogues of 8-lysine-vasopressin in which the carboxamide groups on the glutamine and asparagine residues at positions 4 and 5 are replaced individually by hydrogen have been synthesized by the p-nitrophenyl ester method of peptide synthesis and tested for some of the pharmacological activities characteristic of this pressor-antidiuretic hormone of the posterior pituitary gland. The 4-decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressin ([4-α-aminobutyric acid]-8-lysine-vasopressin) has an antidiuretic potency of approximately 700 units per mg, nearly 3 times the potency of 8-lysine-vasopressin. It also possesses approximately 25% of the avian vasodepressor activity, 20% of the oxytocic activity, and 4% of the pressor activity of 8-lysine-vasopressin, whereas 5-decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressin ([5-alanine]-8-lysine-vasopressin) does not exhibit an appreciable degree of any of these activities. Thus the carboxamide group of the asparagine residue at position 5 of 8-lysine-vasopressin appears to play an important role in determining the pharmacological effects of the hormone. The corresponding 1-deamino analogues of the 4- and 5-decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressins, in which the free amino group on the half-cystine residue at position 1 is replaced by hydrogen, have also been synthesized. 1-Deamino-4-decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressin possesses extremely high antidiuretic activity (730 units per mg), low pressor activity (3.5 units per mg), and the same oxytocic and avian vasodepressor activities as 4-decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressin, whereas 1-deamino-5-decarboxamido-8-lysine-vasopressin is practically inactive. The successive replacement of the carboxamide and amino groups on the glutamine and half-cystine residues at positions 4 and 1, respectively, of 8-lysine-vasopressin thus results in a striking enhancement of antidiuretic activity coupled with a marked decrease in pressor activity.
Getting to the Root Causes of a Phenomenon: Testing Interaction Effects Using Structural Equation Modeling

When trying to get to the root-causes of a phenomenon, testing a single factor can hardly result in adequately explaining away the cause of the phenomenon under study. Business research suggested a diverse range of fields such as management, marketing, psychology, education, health, information systems and insurance used structural equation modeling to unravel the true causes of facts being observed. This discussion examined the benefits of such an approach even if using it presented some complexity. The review assessed implications future directions and limitations of discussion, underscoring the substantial gain for various stakeholders of having interactions effects modeled.
Interactions between patients, providers, and health systems and technical quality of care.

Objectives Prior studies have established disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) in the kind, quantity, and technical quality of SLE care and outcomes. In this study we evaluate whether disparities exist in assessments of interactions with health care providers and health plans and whether such interactions affect the technical quality of SLE care.
THE UNIQUE FETAL RED CELL AND ITS FUNCTION E. Mead Johnson Award Address

The red blood cells of the human fetus differ in many major respects from the red cells of the normal adult. These differences appear admirably suited for the acquisition, transport, and release of oxygen in the low oxygen atmosphere of intrauterine existence. These same differences appear to confer a handicap to the cell in the extrauterine environment, particularly under conditions of hypoxic stress. The rapid replacement of these cells by artificial means, such as early exchange transfusion, may offer an advantage to the newborn infant in certain clinical situations.
The Future of Financial Engineering

Convergence of financial theory and practice heralded by the seminal and fundamental economic research by Arrow and Debreu in the early 1950’s has led in the hands of financial engineers to an extraordinary financial innovation in the 70’s and ever since. The theoretical ability to price future assets has led to an explosive growth of financial trading, liquidity and to the growth of finance and its citadels. Options and credit derivative markets, securitization of non or partially liquid assets have provided extraordinary opportunities to “unearth” frozen assets for trade and profit. The 2007-2009 financial crisis has evoked a greater awareness that traditional financial dogma is based on assumptions that have become increasingly difficult to justify. Globalization, the growth of "Too Big To Fail" (TBTF) firms, insiders trading, information and power asymmetries and the growth of regulation have, among other factors, conspired to render the assumption of complete markets to be unsustainable. Deviant behaviors in financial markets, non-transparency of transactions, complexity and dependence on a global scale have created a fragile and contagious global economy, where systemic risks are no longer an exception but a permanent threat. By the same token, the explosive growth of information and data fueled by the internet and social media as well as an IT has created far greater dependence of financial systems and institutions on Information Technology (IT) emphasizing information as assets they seek to use for both financial management and competitive advantage. Technology, engineering and financial trends and developments have combined to yield an extraordinary growth of complexity, regulation and globalization, providing new opportunities and risks and undermine the traditional model based approaches to finance.The purposes of this paper are to outline a number of factors, economic or otherwise that undermine the finance’s fundamental theories, their practice, regulation and their implications to the future of finance. In particular, we emphasize a strategic and multi-polar finance, beset by complexity, chaos and countervailing forces leading a multi-agent finance, computational and financial data-analytics driven rather than simple risk models of uncertainty.A number of pricing models based on a strategic finance and a micro-matching of economic and financial states are also summarized and their practical implications drawn. In addition, topics such as Big Data finance and multi-agent financial modeling are outlined to provide elements for future theoretical and practical developments. This paper is a work in progress and therefore its intent is to attract greater attention to some elements (however selective and partial) that would contribute to potential transformations of a financial engineering future.