cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computation of the mean residence time of water in the hydration shells of biomolecules

An algorithm is presented within the context of the calculation of the time-relaxation behavior of the hydration shells around atomic sites in biomolecules. We report a calculation of the time-relaxation behavior of the first and second hydration shells of polar, hydrophobic, and charged groups in a protein, crambin. The water mean residence times around protein groups are obtained from averages over configurations sampled during a 325-ps molecular dynamics simulation of crambin in solution. A convolution arising in the calculation of the mean relaxation time is implemented using a parallel prefix operator. A new characterization is given of the parallel prefix operator as a linear transformation, and this formulation enables us to derive efficient factorization of the convolution as a product of two parallel prefix operations. The parallel prefix operations are implemented in logarithmic time. © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Changes of Collagen Content in Skin, Femur and Uterus of 17β-Estradiol Benzoate-Treated Rats

The collagen concentration and the total amount of collagen per tissue were determined in the uterus, skin and femurs of intact female rats and in the skin and femurs of intact male rats which had received specific quantities of 17β-estradiol benzoate for 14 days (1.8, 3.6 and 14 μg/100 g body wt daily and 50 and 100 μg/ 100 g body wt every 2nd day) and in similar untreated male and female animals. In the estradiol benzoate-treated rats, the collagen from the 3 tissues showed contrasting changes. Although the mg of collagen/uterus of the rats treated with 1.8, 3.6 and 14 μg of estradiol benzoate/100 g body wt daily were increased significantly (p <0.01, 0.01, 0.05), the per cent collagen in the dry fat-free uterus was decreased in each group of steroid-treated animals (decrease significant at p<0.05 for 1.8 μg/100 g body wt daily and p <0.01 for other dosages). A significant decrease (p <0.05, 0.01, 0.05, 0.05) in g of collagen/total skin was observed with female rats at estradiol benzoate dosages of 1.8 ...
An Exploration of Boundaries and Solidarity in Counseling Relationships

This article explores the boundaries between clinicians and clients in light of the construct of solidarity. A universal conception of boundaries is critiqued and a culturally congruent view of boundaries is examined, rooted in the concept of solidarity. The article includes case illustrations of the connection between boundaries and solidarity and concludes with suggestions for mental health professionals.
Maternal Depression, Assessment Methods, and Physical Symptoms Affect Estimates of Depressive Symptomatology Among Children with Cancer

Investigated the incidence of depressive symptoms and their covariates in a sample of 99 children undergoing treatment for cancer and their mothers. Although the prevalence of depressive symptoms falling within the clinical range was low (7 to 8%), classification of these children was highly dependent upon the informant and instrument used. Interrater reliabilities did not differ from chance levels. Separate multiple regression analyses of the mother's and nurse's ratings of the child's level of depression, the child's self-report on the Child Depression Inventory, and the mother's responses to the Child Behavior Checklist depression scales revealed different statistical models for each method of assessment. However, increased severity of the mother's self-report of depressive symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory, which was predicted by low perceived social support and hospitalization of her child, was associated with higher levels of child depression on all child- and parent-report measures. Parental adjustment, sociodemographic, and medical factors as well as methods of assessment must be addressed by models explaining the etiology of depressive symptoms among pediatric oncology patients.
THB reliability models and life prediction for intermittently-powered nonhermetic components

Results of temperature-humidity-bias (THB) acceleration experiments are often expressed in terms of a power-law function of relative humidity and an Arrhenius temperature dependence (Peck's model). For steady-state operation, we show how to calculate the effect of power dissipation on service life (or its reciprocal, acceleration). We derive an interesting inequality involving Peck model parameters which determines whether a moisture-related mechanism is accelerated or decelerated by increased power dissipation. For intermittently-powered components the steady-state acceleration is multiplied by a time-on factor (TOF). We introduce a new, broadly applicable, formula for the TOF. The formula involves thermodynamic properties of the molding compound encapsulating the die. The formula applies to most plastic encapsulated devices under typical "use" conditions. >
Should model-based inverse inputs be used as feedforward under plant uncertainty?

Bounds on the size of the plant uncertainties are found such that the use of the inversion-based feedforward input improves the output-tracking performance when compared to the use of feedback alone. The output-tracking error is normalized by the size of the desired output and used as a measure of the output tracking performance. The worst-case performance is compared for two cases: (1) with the use of feedback alone and (2) with the addition of the feedforward input. It is shown that inversion-based feedforward controllers can lead to performance improvements at frequencies w where the uncertainty /spl Delta/ (jw) in the nominal plant is smaller than the size of the nominal plant G/sub 0/(jw) divided by its condition number K/sub G0/ (jw), i.e., /spl par//spl Delta/(jw)/spl par//sub 2/ < /spl par/G/sub 0/(jw) /spl par//sub 2//k/sub G0/ (jw). A modified feedforward input is proposed that only uses the model information in frequency regions where plant uncertainty is sufficiently small. The use of this modified inverse with (any) feedback results in improvement of the output tracking performance, when compared to the use of the feedback alone.
Evolutionary approach for finding the atomic structure of steps on stable crystal surfaces

The problem addressed here can be concisely formulated as follows: Given a stable surface orientation with a known reconstruction and given a direction in the plane of this surface, find the atomic structure of the steps oriented along that direction. We report a robust and generally applicable variable-number genetic algorithm for determining the atomic configuration of crystallographic steps, and exemplify it by finding structures for several types of monatomic steps on Si(114)-2×1. We show that the location of the step edge with respect to the terrace reconstructions, the step width (number of atoms), and the positions of the atoms in the step region can all be simultaneously determined.
Apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in human chondrocytes following exposure to lidocaine, bupivacaine, and ropivacaine.

Background:Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain toxicity of local anesthetics to chondrocytes, including the blockade of potassium channels and mitochondrial injury. The purposes of this investigation were to study the effects of lidocaine, bupivacaine, and ropivacaine on human chondrocy
Public Sector Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Trade Policy

This article argues that a sudden and sustained increase in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) notified to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) during the 1990s may be reflective of innovation by political and policy making entrepreneurs seeking to overcome increasing costs associated with participation in multilateral trade negotiations conducted under the auspices of the GATT/WTO. Analysis of data from the WTO suggests that the increase in RTA notifications may reveal entrepreneurial innovation.
Multiple phase noise correction for OFDM/SDMA

It has been proposed in the literature that phase noise causes severe performance degradation of OFDM systems and therefore need to be corrected . A combined OFDM/SDMA approach has been proposed in the literature allowing simultaneous transmitted user terminals which give rise to multiple phase noise. Conventional correction methods proposed in the literature are targeted for single phase noise and do not apply for multiple phase noise. We therefore propose a new multiple phase noise correction (MPNC) scheme which takes advantage of spatial diversity and mitigates the effects of multiple phase noise on the OFDM/SDMA receiver performance. The MPNC scheme presents quite good performance with few pilots involved per user. Numerical results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme for an uplink OFDM/SDMA system.
Thrombin-like Enzymes from Snake Venoms: An Updated Inventory On behalf of the Scientific and Standardization Committee’s Registry of Exogenous Hemostatic Factors

As in the previous inventory, the term“thrombin-like”, continues to mean direct “fibrinogen-clotting”. The present tabulation adds 32 publications to the earlier one and focuses mainly on biochemical properties. Broader treatment of these enzymes, such as medical and other biological applications, can be found in a number of review articles and chapters....
Vampires, Slashers, Or Zombies: Opening Weekends Favorite Box Office Monster

This paper examines the determinants of opening weekend box office revenue of movies from the horror genre. The sample consists of 225 films released during 1978-2010. Regression results indicate the primary determinants of opening weekend box office revenue for horror movies are number of theatres showing the movie during the opening weekend of release, holiday release, critical rating, sequels, restricted rating, production budget, and theme. Specific results include the observation that within the horror movie genre, the vampire and slasher themes add approximately four to eleven million dollars to opening weekend box office revenue, while the comedic theme stalls at the box office with earnings totaling as much as four million dollars less than other movies in the genre. Nudity and the zombie theme are not statistically significant determinants.
Energy and water use of a small-scale raft aquaponics system in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract Aquaponics is a form of aquaculture that integrates hydroponics to raise edible plants and fish. There is growing interest in aquaponics because it can be practiced in non-traditional locations for agriculture such as inside warehouses and on marginal lands, and it can provide locally grown products without using synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or antibiotics. Yet questions remain about the ecological and economic sustainability of aquaponics. The objective of this study was to describe the operating conditions, inputs (energy, water, and fish feed) and outputs (edible crops and fish) and their relationship over two years for a small-scale raft aquaponics operation in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The system had roughly 1% water loss per day and used an average of 35,950 L for replenishment per year. Predicted values suggest rainfall could completely replace the existing water needs. The average energy use was 19,526 kWh for propane and electricity per year at a cost of $2055 US dollars. The largest uses of electricity were in-tank water heaters. Comparing inputs to outputs, 104 L of water, 0.5 kg feed, and 56 kWh energy ($6 in energy costs) were needed to produce 1 kg of crops; and 292 L of water, 1.3 kg feed, and 159 kWh of energy ($12 in energy costs) were needed to produce a 1 kg increase in tilapia. Raising tilapia was a net loss, while raising crops was a net gain when comparing market prices to energy costs. Understanding energy, water, and feed use in aquaponic systems is essential to inform farm business plans. These data can serve as a point of comparison to other small-scale aquaponic systems, and inform future work on life cycle assessments of aquaponics.
MOTHER-INFANT TOUCH, NEUROCHEMISTRY, AND POSTPARTUM ANXIETY

How infant touch influences maternal emotional state has been somewhat neglected. Considering that a positive maternal emotional state is requisite for adequate maternal motivation and subsequent care of infants, this is a topic of tremendous importance. Infants' ability to use somatosensation as a means of regulating their mother's emotional state is only one context in which touch contributes to positive mood. Not surprisingly, parturient women also benefit from positive touch coming from another adult, and the anxiolytic benefits of massage have been reported for children, and the elderly. Furthermore, the benefits of positive physical contact are not only psychological, but also physiological. Given the importance of infant touch on maternal emotional state, it is possible that natural differences in sensitivity to somatosensory inputs contribute to healthy or unhealthy emotional states in women. Sensitivity of the skin on and surrounding the nipples and breasts, and the somatosensory cortex representation of this region, increases after giving birth and declines as lactation progresses. The surface area of the areola also increases within days after giving birth. These changes in sensitivity are probably a consequence of fluctuating ovarian hormones affecting sensory receptor density and responsiveness, and may be specific to this region of the body, because such changes do not occur in other areas, including the very sensitive fingertips. In animals, somatosensory thresholds are also altered by parturition and contact with infants, although the direction of change reported has been inconsistent. Women that are hyposensitive to suckling and other somatosensory cues from their infants may be somewhat immune to the potentially positive effects of these cues on anxiety. Conversely, women that are hypersensitive may even find such inputs aversive or painful. A woman's level of anxiety might eventually be found to be a cause, effect, or both, of her differential sensitivity to infant tactile cues. Investigation into these possibilities would greatly contribute to the understanding of how infants regulate maternal emotional state, as well as other processes influenced by somatosensory communication between infants and their mothers, such as the onset or duration of breastfeeding or postpartum amenorrhea.
Creation and analysis of atomic structures for CdTe bi-crystal interfaces by the grain boundary genie

Grain boundaries (GB) in poly-CdTe solar cells play an important role in species diffusion, segregation, defect formation, and carrier recombination. While the creation of specific high-symmetry interfaces can be straight forward, the creation of general GB structures in many material systems is difficult if periodic boundary conditions are to be enforced. Here we describe a novel algorithm and implementation to generate initial general GB structures for CdTe in an automated way, and we investigate some of these structures using density functional theory (DFT). Example structures include those with bi-crystals already fabricated for comparison, and those planning to be investigated in the future.
SSX antigens as cancer vaccines

Expression of SSX genes in adult human tissues shows a very restricted distribution being mainly found in testis. However, ectopic expression of SSX genes is detectable in variable proportions of tumors of different histological types. This expression pattern is typical of the so-called cancer/testis antigens (CTA) group to which the SSX gene family belongs. Similarly to other CTA, SSX promoter activity is methylation sensitive, indicating that SSX gene expression in cancer could be at least partially due to genome-wide demethylation. In addition, expression of SSX genes can occur as a result of the chromosomal translocations t(X;18)(p11.2;q11.2) commonly found in synovial sarcoma. The predicted SSX gene products are 188 amino acids long proteins localized in the cell nucleus and sharing 70 to 90% homology. To date, little is known about their normal biological functions. Several lines of evidence, however, point at their role as modulators of gene transcription. Together, the current information about expression and activity of the SSX gene products converges towards an important role played by these molecules in cancer and supports their interest as targets for cancer immunotherapy. As part of a larger project aimed at the development of SSX-based immunotherapy in cancer patients, we have undertaken the assessment of natural CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell responses to the SSX antigens in melanoma patients bearing antigen-expressing tumors. My presentation will summarize our findings up to date and discuss their implications for the development of SSX-based vaccines. This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.
Empathy vs. Fidelity to Law: What Values Should We Look for in a Judge?

The recent debate over the nomination and confirmation of Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor centered on the question of judicial values. Liberals, including President Obama, argued that judges ought to be empathetic. Conservatives argued that empathy would violate the more important value of fidelity to law. Predictably, both sides argued that their position was most consistent with the rule of law. This argument is emblematic of a larger debate over the place of judges in a rule-of-law system. Both sides correctly assume that the rule of law requires judges to have certain values. However, neither side focuses on the precise values necessary for the rule of law. Empathy is not sufficiently centered on the meaning of the law. On the other hand, fidelity to law is too general to be helpful. The judicial value most necessary to uphold the rule of law is indeed a feeling of being bound by law. This can involve an attitude of formalistic rule-following or a more nuanced attitude of good-faith obligation. Debates over judges, as well as the judicial nomination and confirmation process, should focus on specific indicators of whether a judge possesses these attitudes. These indicators include evidence of a pattern of socialization whereby judges internalize the proper feeling of legal obligation through the influence of the legal-judicial community, the constitutive effect of legal language, and the inculcation of traditional judicial virtues.
Infusions, Pressors, and RSI

When in a resuscitation, this will be your go-to in a pressure situation for emergent boluses and drips.
Optimal Transportation and the Falsifiability of Incompletely Specified Economic Models. Part I: Parametric Restrictions on Latent Variables

A general framework is given to analyze the falsifiability of economic models based on a sample of their observable components. It is shown that, when the restrictions implied by the economic model are insufficient to identify the unknown quantities of the model, the duality of optimal transportation with zero-one cost function delivers interpretable and operational formulations of the hypothesis of model correctness from which tests can be constructed to falsify the model.
Aortic Valve Replacement without Annular Enlargement in Patients with Small Aortic Roots

Use of small prostheses for aortic valve replacement eliminates the need for annular enlargement but may impair symptomatic resolution and long-term patient survival. We reviewed our experience with 105 consecutive patients who had isolated aortic valve replacement with small mechanical prostheses or bioprostheses (14 to 21 mm) without concurrent annular enlargement between August 1976 and November 1992. The mean age was 72 ± 10 years and 82% of patients were female. Valvular disease was primarily aortic stenosis in 61%, aortic regurgitation in 7%, and mixed aortic disease was present in 32% of patients. Mean preoperative ejection fraction was 64% ± 17% and the aortic valve area was 0.5 ± 0.2 cm2. Prior to surgery, 82% of patients were in New York Heart Association functional class III or IV. The mean duration of follow-up was 8.1 years. There were 7 early and 14 late deaths giving an overall survival of 80% and a 10-year Kaplan-Meier survival rate of 77%. Five patients developed thromboembolic complicati...
A Framework for Assessing the Reliability of Software Project Status Reports

AbstractIn this article, we propose a probabilistic model that accounts for project manager fallibility in determining project status, and the tendency of project managers to slant the status to be better than that actually perceived. We call the fallibility in determining status error, the tendency to slant perceived status bias, and the combined effect distortion. The results indicate that distortion can produce very large differences between true and reported status. In addition, the results indicate that the magnitude of this distortion is heavily influenced by the level of bias applied by the project manager. This investigation supports the notion that the reliability of status reports is not only dependent upon the skills of the project manager, but also on the culture of the organization. The model also provides a framework for further investigating status report reliability through empirical studies to determine error and bias estimates.
Abstract 266: Trusted Third Party for Medication Adherence

Background: Humana currently sends messages to members as a reminder to remain adherent with their medication. Since some members may view insurance companies skeptically, we wanted to see if similar messaging reminders from trusted third parties would be more effective than messaging that came from their health insurance plans. The third parties included a celebrity (Florence Henderson), a pharmacist, and the member’s primary care physician (PCP). Objective: The primary purpose of this research was to test the relative impact of medication adherence messages emanating from different sources. Methods: In this prospective, randomized control study, 17,771 members were randomized to five treatment arms and two control arms. The study sample was comprised of MAPD members who had a baseline PDC between .60 and .85 in at least one of the following medication groups: hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Each study member received two communications from their trusted third party: a postcard and a pre-recorded phone call. Generally, the postcard and phone call would be from the same source; in one “combination” treatment arm, the postcard came from the pharmacist and the phone call came from the celebrity. The postcards were mailed in November 2014 and the pre-recorded calls were completed in December 2014. The main outcomes of interest were changes in PDC scores between November 2014 and May 2015. Results: Overall, the pharmacist-celebrity combination, pharmacist- only, and PCP treatments yielded the best results. The Pharmacist-celebrity treatment increased PDC scores by .037, the Pharmacist-only treatment increased PDC scores by .042, and the PCP treatment increased PDC scores by .033 over control (all significant at p=.05). All messages increased PDC scores for women, however only the pharmacist-celebrity treatment was statistically significant, with a PDC increase of .043 (p=.05). For men, the pharmacist-only, PCP, and pharmacist-celebrity treatments increased PDC scores by .079, .071, and .029, respectively, at p=.05. For the patients on hypertension medications, the pharmacist-only, PCP, and pharmacist-celebrity treatments increased PDC scores by .045, .043, and .041, respectively, at p=.05. Conclusion: There were statistically-significant improvements in adherence to hypertension medications for the pharmacist-only, PCP, and pharmacist-celebrity treatment arms. Men and women responded to third parties differently. Based on the results, we would like further test messages delivered from third parties to understand when and how sources induce different responses.
Receptor-Stimulated Phospholipase A2 Liberates Arachidonic Acid and Regulates Neuronal Excitability Through Protein Kinase C

Type B photoreceptors in Hermissendaexhibit increased excitability (e.g., elevated membrane resistance and lowered spike thresholds) consequent to the temporal coincidence of a light-induced intrac...
Melanoma Metastasizing to the Small Intestine: A Case Report Illustrating Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Involvement

Symptomatic gastrointestinal (GI) involvement of melanoma is rare, however, it is a frequent autopsy finding in patients with primary cutaneous melanoma. We present a case of metastatic cutaneous melanoma with initial asymptomatic jejunal involvement as found on a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, with subsequent duodenal perforation. A 69-year-old man presented to the hospital with a three-week history of worsening headache, dizziness, and vomiting with a history of Clark level III malignant melanoma that was completely excised from the right flank three years ago at the hospital. A magnetic resonance image of his brain revealed a subacute right-sided cerebellar hemorrhage adjacent to a 1-cm nodule. He underwent a right suboccipital craniomy with resection; the biopsy of which revealed metastatic malignant melanoma. A staging positron emission tomography (PET) scan revealed areas of increased uptake of fludeoxyglucose (FDG) in the left lower lung and left upper quadrant of the abdomen abutting the small bowel. Subsequent enteroscopy revealed a 40-mm cratered jejunal ulcer with heaped edges; the biopsy of which also revealed malignant melanoma. Since he had widespread disease, abdominal surgery was deferred, and treatment with ipilimumab and radiotherapy to the brain was initiated. He presented three months later with acute abdominal pain and diarrhea. A computed tomography scan of his abdomen revealed free peritoneal air, and an exploratory laparotomy revealed a mass at the antimesenteric border of the duodenum with a biopsy consistent with melanoma. The perforated area was resected and an end-to-end anastomosis was performed. Unfortunately, our patient had a postoperative intracranial hemorrhage and was referred to palliative care. Our case portrays how malignant melanoma may metastasize insidiously and widely and present as a catastrophe. Melanoma involvement in the GI tract is a poor prognostic marker. Our case offers a unique illustration of both the occult and manifest gastrointestinal involvement of melanoma and underscores the importance of clinical suspicion in patients with a history of melanoma who present with unexplained GI symptoms.
Investigation of Drinking Water Quality and Water-Borne Diseases in Minghang District of shanghai

[Objective]To investigate the hygienic quality of drinking water in urban area and the situation of both incidence and death causes of water-borne disease.[Methods]51 monitoring points including finished water,tap water and secondary water supply which were selected from the representative water plant in Minhang district were detected.Data of patients and death causes of water-borne gastrointestinal disease were collected from 2 general secondary hospitals,2 elementary schools and 2 kindergartens separately.The drinking water quality and the epidemiological characteristics of water-borne diseases were analyzed.[Results]The total qualified rate of all kinds of drinking water was above 91%,the main unqualified indicators were COD and ammonia nitrogen,and the qualified rate in wet seasons is higher than in dry seasons.The water-borne diseases mainly included bacterial dysentery,other infectious diarrhea and hepatitis,which accounted for 94.01% of total monitoring cases.The epidemiological characteristics showed that the incidence rate increased in summer and autumn and decreased in winter and spring.1020 death cases caused by tumor or chronic non-infective diseases were detected.5 cases of bacterial dysentery and 72 cases of hepatitis were found from clinics for infectious diseases in designated hospitals.In kindergartens and elementary schools,502 students either had gastrointestinal syndrome or were absent from school because of illness,but no water-borne diseases was detected.[Conclusion]The organic pollution was serious in source water of Minhang district,and the raw water of municipal water supply should be protected.The investigation indicated that the incidence of water-borne diseases accorded with certain epidemiological characteristics.
Personalized multimodal computer interfaces for the motor impaired

Severe motor disorders such as LIS and ALS are characterized by an inability to move or communicate effectively. Though it is essential to provide assistance to these groups, motor and cognitive function within these groups varies so widely that one static design cannot serve the group as a whole. Despite this variety, eye movements and brain functions are often under conscious control and can potentially be exploited for communication. We believe that to provide the most effective communication systems for individuals with progressive neurological disorders, it will be essential to create adaptive eye and biosignal computer interfaces that dynamically fit the changing abilities of the user as inexpensively as possible.
Rules and tools: The impact of policy and consensus statements on sternal infection

From the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NewYork University–LangoneMedical Center, NewYork, NY; and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch–Galveston, Galveston, Tex. Disclosures: Authors have nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication Jan 28, 2016; accepted for publication Jan 28, 2016. Address for reprints: Leora B. Balsam, MD, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, NYU–Langone Medical Center, 530 First Ave, Suite 9V, New York, NY 10016 (E-mail: leora.balsam@nyumc.org). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2016;-:1-2 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2016 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.01.041 Leora B. Balsam, MD, and Abe DeAnda, Jr, MD
Duplex ultrasound criteria for in-stent restenosis of mesenteric arteries

Abstract Objective Duplex ultrasound (DUS) criteria are well defined for evaluating high-grade stenosis (≥70%) of the native superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and celiac artery (CA). It has been shown that native vessel criteria overestimate the degree of in-stent restenosis (ISR) and that velocity criteria for SMA and CA ISR are not well established. The objective of this study was to define DUS velocity criteria for high-grade ISR of the SMA and CA. Methods A retrospective review of all patients who underwent SMA or CA stenting from a single institution was performed from 2004 to 2013. Patients were excluded if they did not have a DUS examination Results There were 103 paired DUS scans and angiograms analyzed: 66 SMA studies and 37 CA studies. The average peak systolic velocity (PSV) for SMAs was 367 cm/s with Conclusions Increasing PSV correlates with an increasing degree of ISR for both the SMA and CA. Stented vessels have increased PSV, and therefore native PSV criteria are unreliable for the determination of ISR. The PSV criteria for ≥70% stenosis are higher for ISR than for native visceral vessel stenosis. The proposed new velocity criteria define ≥70% ISR as ≥445 cm/s in stented SMAs and ≥289 cm/s in stented CAs.
Deep convolutional neural networks for detecting secondary structures in protein density maps from cryo-electron microscopy

The detection of secondary structure of proteins using three dimensional (3D) cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) images is still a challenging task when the spatial resolution of cryo-EM images is at medium level (5–10A). Prior researches focused on the usage of local features that may not capture the global information of image objects. In this study, we propose to use deep learning methods to extract high representative global features and then automatically detect secondary structures of proteins. In particular, we build a convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier that predicts the probability of label for every individual voxel in 3D cryo-EM image with respect to the secondary structure elements of proteins such as α-helix, β-sheet and background. To effectively incorporate the 3D spatial information in protein structures, we propose to perform 3D convolutions in the convolutional layers of CNNs. We show that the proposed CNN classifier can outperform existing SVM method on identifying the secondary structure elements of proteins from 3D cryo-EM medium resolution images.
Disorders of Calcium and Magnesium Metabolism

Hereditary disorders of calcium and magnesium homeostasis comprise a highly heterogeneous group of diseases that commonly affect the renal conservation of these divalent cations. Whereas calcium metabolism is under the tight control of parathyroid hormone and vitamin D, magnesium metabolism appears to be primarily influenced by renal tubular reabsorption processes. Over the past decades, molecular genetic studies in patients with rare monogenic disorders helped to elucidate critical components of tubular divalent cation transport at the molecular level. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the different transport pathways for calcium and magnesium along the kidney tubule and summarizes the current knowledge on hereditary as well as acquired disturbances of renal calcium and magnesium handling.
Laparoscopic redo fundoplication improves disease-specific and global quality of life following failed laparoscopic or open fundoplication.

Laparoscopic fundoplication is associated with failure rates of up to 30% and redo operation rates of 5–8%. Redo fundoplication improves patient symptoms, but its impact on patient quality of life remains unclear. We hypothesized that laparoscopic redo fundoplication improves disease-specific and global quality of life in patients with recurrent symptoms following failed laparoscopic or open fundoplication. Data for all patients undergoing a redo fundoplication between August 2009 and June 2014 were collected prospectively. Reflux symptoms and quality of life were assessed using the Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptom Scale (GERSS), the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Health-Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQL), and the global quality of life Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaires obtained at 4 weeks and 16 months post-operatively. Forty-six patients underwent laparoscopic redo fundoplication during the study period for symptomatic hernia (n = 11), GERD (n = 18), or dysphagia (n = 17). GERSS improved from 41 at baseline to 9 at late follow-up (p < 0.001), and GERD-HRQL scores improved from 30 at baseline to 7 at late follow-up (p < 0.001). Median dysphagia scores decreased from 4.5 to 1 (p = 0.035). SF-36 scores demonstrated a significant improvement in general health (p = 0.016) and emotional well-being (p = 0.036) and a trend toward improved physical function (p = 0.068) in the post-operative period, but these improvements were not statistically significant at longer-term follow-up. Overall, 82% of patients reported satisfaction with their operation, and 96% reported that they would have the operation performed again given the benefit of hindsight. While associated with long operative times and significant complications, laparoscopic redo fundoplication produces a durable improvement in reflux symptoms and disease-specific quality of life. These procedures also improve global quality of life in the short term and are associated with high patient satisfaction.
Ibero-American Music and the Music History Curriculum: Reform, Revolution and the Pragmatics of Change

In the fall of 2015, the Ibero-American Music Study Group hosted a roundtable panel at the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society. Titled “Strategies and Opportunities for Greater Inclusion of Ibero-American Music in the Curriculum” the roundtable was organized as a response to discussions about the future of the core curriculum for both the undergraduate music major and the graduate musicology student that took place at the 2014 AMS/SMT national meeting. The roundtable, and this resulting collection of essays, addresses the challenges and benefits of incorporating Latin American and Iberian musics across the undergraduate and graduate curriculum and considers best practices for their inclusion. The introductory essay to this collection contextualizes this conversation within a longer history of advocacy for increased engagement with Ibero-American musical cultures and repertories, noting that there has been far from universal agreement on what this change would look like and what its ultimate goals would be. This collection emerged in a period of particular political ferment, and the essay considers the individual authors’ contributions at a moment when the connections between epistemology, politics, and power seem especially relevant.
Resisting the Devil: The Case of Edward Dynham (1626) and Options for English Protestant Dispossession

ABSTRACTTo the displeasure of many puritans, the Church of England canons of 1604 restricted the casting out of Devils to prayer and fasting. Yet after that date not all possession cases disappeared, nor were all dismissed as false. This article explores ways that long-standing general Protestant as well as puritan theology and practices (especially related to ‘resisting the Devil’) informed post-1604 anti-demonic activity. With a clear biblical basis, and primarily as an individual rather than collective practice, resisting the Devil was embraced by people from a wide range of religious positions and remained unrestricted by the religious establishment. There was variation; not everyone approved of how resisting the Devil was applied in particular cases. Yet ample evidence suggests that dispossessions led by lay people, and by means other than prayer and fasting, did in fact have a place within (and influenced the development of) Protestantism in early-modern England.
Epidemiology of Heart Failure

The “epidemic” of heart failure (HF), first recognized in the 1980s and 1990s, observed a steady rise in hospitalizations for heart failure. Many factors underlay this epidemic including an aging population, better survival from myocardial infarction, increased risk associated with diabetes, hypertension, and other factors. And a greater sensitivity and ability to detect the condition was evidenced by a growing number of outpatient diagnoses at an earlier and milder stage. The incidence or new cases of heart failure have remained stable or even fallen slightly in recent years. Nonetheless with better detection and survival, prevalence or the number of cases in the population has steadily increased. This resulted in a rise in hospitalizations and more patients with increased severity.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and a rare case of an atrial myxoma causing an atrial septal defect

A 40 year-old athletic woman presented with worsening dyspnea on exertion over the preceding several months. Chest radiograph showed borderline cardiomegaly and subsequent echocardiography demonstrated a 5.0-cm left atrial mass as well as left-to-right interatrial shunting through a patent foramen ovale. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed, which demonstrated signal characteristics consistent with an atrial myxoma. The patient then underwent urgent surgical treatment with good technical and clinical outcome. Histologic examination confirmed an atrial myxoma. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was valuable in characterizing the nature of the atrial mass and patent foramen ovale, helping guide the surgical approach.
Complement factor H in AMD: Bridging genetic associations and pathobiology.

Abstract Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a complex multifactorial disease characterized in its early stages by lipoprotein accumulations in Bruch's Membrane (BrM), seen on fundoscopic exam as drusen, and in its late forms by neovascularization (“wet”) or geographic atrophy of the Retinal Pigmented Epithelial (RPE) cell layer (“dry”). Genetic studies have strongly supported a relationship between the alternative complement cascade, in particular the common H402 variant in Complement Factor H (CFH) and development of AMD. However, the functional significance of the CFH Y402H polymorphism remains elusive. In this article, we critically review the literature surrounding the functional significance of this polymorphism. Furthermore, based on our group's studies we propose a model in which CFH H402 affects CFH binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans leading to accelerated lipoprotein accumulation in BrM and drusen progression. We also review the literature on the role of other complement components in AMD pathobiologies, including C3a, C5a and the membrane attack complex (MAC), and on transgenic mouse models developed to interrogate in vivo the effects of the CFH Y402H polymorphism.
Effects of e-Cigarette Advertisements on Adolescents’ Perceptions of Cigarettes

This study examined the effect of exposure to “cigalike” (products resembling cigarettes) e-cigarette advertisements on adolescents’ perceptions of cigarettes. A nationally representative sample of...
Entanglement features of random Hamiltonian dynamics

We introduce the concept of entanglement features of unitary gates, as a collection of exponentiated entanglement entropies over all bipartitions of input and output channels. We obtained the general formula for time-dependent $n\mathrm{th}$-R\'enyi entanglement features for unitary gates generated by random Hamiltonian. In particular, we propose an Ising formulation for the second R\'enyi entanglement features of random Hamiltonian dynamics, which admits a holographic tensor network interpretation. As a general description of entanglement properties, we show that the entanglement features can be applied to several dynamical measures of thermalization, including the out-of-time-order correlation and the entanglement growth after a quantum quench. We also analyze the Yoshida-Kitaev probabilistic protocol for random Hamiltonian dynamics.
RNA Methylation in ncRNA: Classes, Detection, and Molecular Associations

Nearly all classes of coding and non-coding RNA undergo post-transcriptional modification, as more than 150 distinct modification types have been reported. Since RNA modifications were first described over 50 years ago, our understanding of their functional relevance in cellular control mechanisms and phenotypes has truly progressed only in the last 15 years due to advancements in detection and experimental techniques. Specifically, the phenomenon of RNA methylation in the context of ncRNA has emerged as a novel process in the arena of epitranscriptomics. Methylated ncRNA molecules may indeed contribute to a potentially vast functional panorama, from regulation of post-transcriptional gene expression to adaptive cellular responses. Recent discoveries have uncovered novel dynamic mechanisms and new layers of complexity, paving the way to a greater understanding of the role of such phenomena within the broader molecular cellular context of human disease.
Custody Planning with HIV-Affected Families: Considerations for Child Welfare Workers.

Most of the literature on permanency planning is based on the assumption that HIV-infected parents have custody of their children. A growing number of children entering child protective services, however, have an HIV-infected parent. Whether reunification or adoption is the permanency goal, these parents are concerned about their children's future after the parents' death. This article is drawn from research on custody planning with HIV-infected parents, from clinical literature and experience, and from a training curriculum for child welfare workers developed and implemented by the author. The lessons learned about custody planning with HIV-involved families are applied to practice with families who are involved with the state because of abuse or neglect of their children.
Fortran, Physics, and Human Nature

During the late 1950s and 1960s, bubble chambers buried physicists. At first thousands, soon tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands, and at last millions of photographs issued from the cameras at the massive chambers of the largest particle physics laboratories in the world: Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (LRL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the Center for European Nuclear Research (CERN) along with a host of other laboratories including Dubna (in the Soviet Union), and Rutherford Laboratory (in the U.K.). Together, these sites produced data on new particles that transformed the discipline intellectually through a much-deepened understanding of symmetry principles and nuclear forces. It did so at a cost. Already inflated by construction outlays, the price of doing particle physics surged further as “armies” of technicians and scanners joined physicists in sorting through the endless stream of 70 mm negatives. But the burden of photographic plenitude was not simply economic: physicists struggled to define the right relation between scientist and data, between physicist and technician, and between human and machine. At stake, the physicists argued, was not simply a matter of new technologies — each solution to the picture problem was at one and the same time an argument about the boundary of what it meant to be a physicist, a scientist, and a human being.1
Deep Harmonization of Inconsistent MR Data for Consistent Volume Segmentation

Magnetic resonance image analysis is often hampered by inconsistent data due to upgrades or changes to the scanner platform or modification of scanning protocols. These changes can manifest in three main sources of image inconsistency: contrast, resolution, and noise. Modern analysis techniques that use supervised machine learning can be especially susceptible to these inconsistencies, as existing training data may not be valid after an upgrade or protocol change. In previous work, differences in contrast and resolution have been addressed in isolation. We propose a novel method of image intensity harmonization that addresses each of the three sources of inconsistency. We formulate our method around a multi-planar, multi-contrast U-net, where all of the available contrasts are used as input channels in a single modified U-Net to produce all of the output contrasts simultaneously. The multi-contrast nature of the deep network allows for harmonization of contrast as information can be shared between contrasts. In addition, coherent, biological features are highlighted and matched to the target, while noise, which differs between matched inputs and outputs, is not reinforced. This process also normalizes small differences in resolution due to the influence of the high resolution channels. To combat larger differences in resolution, which would not be recovered by the neural network alone, we use self super-resolution (SSR) on all images with thick (>2 mm) slices before harmonization. To generate consistent images, the target images are also processed in a similar manner so that all resulting images have consistent qualities. Our harmonization process eliminates significant volume bias of multiple brain compartments and lesion estimation. In addition, absolute volume difference and Dice similarity of segmentation volumes were significantly improved (\(p<0.005\)). SSR alone did not affect the statistical significance of the difference, even though the absolute volume difference was reduced.