cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Geographic access to high capability severe acute respiratory failure centers in the United States.

Objective Optimal care of adults with severe acute respiratory failure requires specific resources and expertise. We sought to measure geographic access to these centers in the United States. Design Cross-sectional analysis of geographic access to high capability severe acute respiratory failure centers in the United States. We defined high capability centers using two criteria: (1) provision of adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), based on either 2008–2013 Extracorporeal Life Support Organization reporting or provision of ECMO to 2010 Medicare beneficiaries; or (2) high annual hospital mechanical ventilation volume, based 2010 Medicare claims. Setting Nonfederal acute care hospitals in the United States. Measurements and Main Results We defined geographic access as the percentage of the state, region and national population with either direct or hospital-transferred access within one or two hours by air or ground transport. Of 4,822 acute care hospitals, 148 hospitals met our ECMO criteria and 447 hospitals met our mechanical ventilation criteria. Geographic access varied substantially across states and regions in the United States, depending on center criteria. Without interhospital transfer, an estimated 58.5% of the national adult population had geographic access to hospitals performing ECMO and 79.0% had geographic access to hospitals performing a high annual volume of mechanical ventilation. With interhospital transfer and under ideal circumstances, an estimated 96.4% of the national adult population had geographic access to hospitals performing ECMO and 98.6% had geographic access to hospitals performing a high annual volume of mechanical ventilation. However, this degree of geographic access required substantial interhospital transfer of patients, including up to two hours by air. Conclusions Geographic access to high capability severe acute respiratory failure centers varies widely across states and regions in the United States. Adequate referral center access in the case of disasters and pandemics will depend highly on local and regional care coordination across political boundaries.
Distributed parallel processing in the vestibulo-oculomotor system

The mechanisms of eye-movement control are among the best understood in motor neurophysiology. Detailed anatomical and physiological data have paved the way for theoretical models that have unified existing knowledge and suggested further experiments. These models have generally taken the form of black-box diagrams (for example, Robinson 1981) representing the flow of hypothetical signals between idealized signal-processing blocks. They approximate overall oculomotor behavior but indicate little about how real eye-movement signals would be carried and processed by real neural networks. Neurons that combine and transmit oculomotor signals, such as those in the vestibular nucleus (VN), actually do so in a diverse, seemingly random way that would be impossible to predict from a block diagram. The purpose of this study is to use a neural-network learning scheme (Rumelhart et al. 1986) to construct parallel, distributed models of the vestibulo-oculomotor system that simulate the diversity of responses recorded experimentally from VN neurons.
Measurement of the Apparent Dissociation Constants of Some Betaine Salts by Spectropolarimetry

It is shown that spectropolarimetry can be used to measure dissociation constants in the same manner as spectrophotometry when the rotations of the species involved in the equilibrium differ sufficiently. The salts of N-decyl-N, N-dimethyl alanine (betaines) have a pKa' of approximately 1.75 at 25° in an ionic strength of 0.10.
The Social Capital of Opinion Leaders

Opinion leaders are more precisely opinion brokers who carry information across the social boundaries between groups. They are not people at the top of things so much as people at the edge of things, not leaders within groups so much as brokers between groups. The familiar two-step flow of communication is a compound of two very different network mechanisms: contagion by cohesion through opinion leaders gets information into a group, and contagion by equivalence generates adoptions within the group. Opinion leaders as brokers bear a striking resemblance to network entrepreneurs in social capital research. The complementary content of diffusion and social capital research makes the analogy productive. Diffusion research describes how opinion leaders play their role of brokering information between groups, and social capital research describes the benefits that accrue to brokers.
Anemia prevalence in a home visit geriatric population.

Objectives Ascertain anemia prevalence in the home visit geriatric population. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting A geriatric home visit program of a community-based teaching hospital. Participants Non-institutionalized elderly patients referred to the geriatric home visit program from March 1, 2003, through October 1, 2006. Measurements Demographic, diagnostic, and hemoglobin data were abstracted. Anemia was defined using the WHO criteria of hemoglobin (Hb) less than 13 g/dL in men and less than 12 g/dL in women. Results The cohort consisted of 244 patients, predominantly white (88%), women (77%), and with a median age of 85 years. Anemia prevalence was 39.6% (95% CI: 32.6–46.9): 44.7% (95% CI: 30.2–59.9) in the men and 37.9% (95% CI: 30.0–46.4%) in the women. There was no statistically significant difference in anemia prevalence by race, known diagnosis of dementia, or by any other comorbidity. Majorities (86.8%) of the anemias were normocytic, 10.5% were microcytic, and 2.6% had macrocytosis. About 36.4% had nutrient deficiencies, 13.6% had anemia of chronic disease, 9.1% had myelodysplastic syndrome, and the etiology remained unknown for 40.9%. Conclusion Anemia prevalence in the homebound geriatric population is high, about 4 times the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) estimate for the free-living, community-dwelling elderly. It mirrors the high prevalence in the nursing home population.
Brachial Plexus Entrapment of Interscalene Nerve Catheter after Uncomplicated Ultrasound-Guided Placement

We report on the case of an entrapped interscalene nerve catheter in a 46-year-old male undergoing left shoulder arthroscopic lysis of adhesions for a frozen shoulder. The catheter was placed under ultrasound guidance without any apparent complications. The continuous interscalene nerve block was successfully used as the primary anesthetic and for postoperative pain management. Upon attempted catheter removal, the patient experienced severe pain and paresthesias. Fluoroscopy revealed possible brachial plexus involvement, and surgery was performed to extract the catheter, which had become hooked and entrapped around the C5 nerve root and sheath.
Scheduling to minimise penalties for a non-dedicated supplier in integrated supply chains

We consider a scheduling problem faced by a supplier in an integrated supply-chain relationship simultaneously with two or more customers. Each customer demands multiple lots of products to be delivered each day. Late deliveries are subject to penalties. The supplier's problem is to schedule the day's production, given fixed resources, to minimise the penalties. We propose three heuristics - Earliest Delivery Time Next (EDT), Earliest Loading Time Next (ELT) and Penalty-Based Improvement (PBI) heuristic. Empirical results show that PBI heuristic performs significantly better than the other two heuristics, saving as much as 53% compared to EDT heuristic.
Are ecology and evolutionary biology "soft" sciences?

Research in ecology and evolutionary biology (evo-eco) often tries to emulate the "hard" sciences such as physics and chemistry, but to many of its practitioners feels more like the "soft" sciences of psychology and sociology. I argue that this schizophrenic attitude is the result of lack of appreciation of the full consequences of the peculiarity of the evo-eco sciences as lying in between a-historical disciplines such as physics and completely historical ones as like paleontology. Furthermore, evo-eco researchers have gotten stuck on mathematically appealing but philosophically simplistic concepts such as null hypotheses and p-values defined according to the frequentist approach in statistics, with the consequence of having been unable to fully embrace the complexity and subtlety of the problems with which ecologists and evolutionary biologists deal with. I review and discuss some literature in ecology, philosophy of science and psychology to show that a more critical methodological attitude can be liberating for the evo-eco scientist and can lead to a more fecund and enjoyable practice of ecology and evolutionary biology. With this aim, I briefly cover concepts such as the method of multiple hypotheses, Bayesian analysis, and strong inference.
Low-temperature alteration and magnetic changes of variably altered pillow basalts

SUMMARY Pillow basalt fragments from the East Pacific Rise, dredged during the Phoenix expedition, often show discoloured rims due to alteration. A suite of nine pillow basalts with such discoloured rims and ranging in age between 200 and 820 ka has been characterized in terms of their Fe‐Ti-oxide mineralogy and rock magnetic properties. These large pillow fragments show relatively unaltered grey interiors, surrounded by darker, concentric halos, which vary in thickness as measured from glassy pillow rims and surfaces caused by large cracks penetrating into the original pillow interior. The discoloured zones are characterized by precipitation of abundant secondary minerals, such as Fe 3+ -rich clays that filled vesicle spaces. Fe‐Ti oxides in subsamples from discoloured rims and grey interiors have been investigated with electron microscopy and rock magnetic techniques. The subsamples come from traverses that are parallel to the outer glassy pillow rims, allowing us to study the low-temperature alteration effects and rock magnetic properties without having to take variable grain size into account. Not surprisingly, titanomaghemites in discoloured rims are, in a general sense, oxidized to a higher degree (z typically >0.55) than those in the relatively unaltered grey interior (z typically 0.6 within 200 000 yr. The difference between the oxidation states of titanomaghemite within the grey pillow interior and the discoloured rims gradually diminishes with increasing age, so that for samples with ages of 800 ka the oxidation state of titanomaghemites in the grey interior approaches that of the discoloured rim. Our study demonstrates that visible discolouration of pillow basalts is not a suitable proxy for z. Because average Ti content can vary from sample to sample, Curie temperatures are also inaccurate proxies for z .I fone wants to study possible correlations between z and rock magnetic parameters, the best technique is to determine z for each subsample by using trans° )
Affect regulation in depressed and nondepressed children and young adolescents

The present !tudy examined children's reported frequency and efficacy of strategies for regulating their negative affect in respoll.le to a description of a particuJar affwative (fight with a friend) or achievement (loss at a game) !ituation. The 275 children were in kindergarten through cil;hth grade; they completed the Chilw-en's Dep;ession Inventory and either the "Fight" c; ''Game" version of the Child Affect Qucstiono.aire (CAQ-F or CAQ-G). Children who endorsed higher levels of depressive symptom! generally reported using affect regulation strategiC3 significantly less often than did nondepres!ed children, and they ruted these responses a! significantly less effC'Ctive in altering their negative mood. Depressed girls rated mother-initiated affect regulation strategies ao! less effective than did nondepressed girls. Younger children rated both self- and mother-initiated strategies as more effective than did older children. Several directions for future research arc suggested.
Altered cleavage site preference of a proteolytic antibody light chain induced by denaturation

A recombinant antibody light chain (L chain) maintained under non-denaturing conditions displayed preferential cleavage of synthetic peptides conjugated to methylcoumarinamide (MCA) on the C-terminal side of Arg and Lys residues. The same L chain renatured from a denaturing solvent (guanidine hydrochloride) acquired the capability of cleaving Tyr-MCA and Leu-MCA bonds, and its ability to cleave MCA linked to basic residues was decreased. The altered cleavage preference was accompanied by a conformational transition in the protein, evident from the fluorescence emission spectra. These observations suggest the feasibility of redirecting the cleavage specificity via alterations in the conformation of proteolytic antibody combining sites.
Orientation of Onchocerca lienalis stiles (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae) microfilariae to black fly saliva.

Abstract Black flies (Simulium spp.) are intermediate hosts and vectors of parasitic nematodes belonging to the genus Onchocerca (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae). Infection and subsequent transmission of infective third-stage larvae occur at the vertebrate host–skin interface. Experimental evidence presented here demonstrates that Onchocerca lienalis Stiles microfilariae orient to one or more components (microfilarial orientation factor[s]; MOF) in black fly saliva. MOFs may serve as a means for microfilariae to find and infect black flies during the act of blood-feeding. Directed movement through the host’s skin to the bite site is necessary because Onchocerca spp. microfilariae do not circulate in the blood. The substance directing microfilarial orientation appears to be a salivary protein, but it is not the Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt erythema protein (SVEP) described from New World Simulium spp. These results support earlier field observations that associated increased numbers of cutaneous microfilariae...
Introduction to Helium Ion Microscopy

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) has become the most widely used high-performance microscope. However because of the fundamental limitations of electron beams the new technology of ion beam microscopy is being developed
When State Constitutional Arguments Fail: Challenging School Finance Inequities under the Illinois Civil Rights Act

Illinois, like many states, has a lengthy history of school funding litigation. Since the earliest funding case filed decades ago, courts have uniformly found that school finance issues are of concern to the legislature, not the judiciary. Repeatedly sent to the General Assembly, funding plaintiffs have faced a frustrating legislative non-response. Illinois legislators know that education is under-funded and recognize that there are wide discrepancies in district per-pupil funding levels. Absent a judicial mandate, however, the legislature has done little to address school finance concerns. However, an ongoing case, Chicago Urban League v. Illinois (hereafter CUL) may hold the promise of a different outcome for funding reform advocates. This article reviews this pending litigation in light of previous funding litigation and legislation. Section one of the article discusses funding plaintiffs’ historical reliance on state constitutional language in school finance case law in both Illinois and elsewhere. In section two, the three-tiered Illinois school foundation funding program is outlined. Section three focuses on race, funding and student outcomes in the state. Section four discusses previous funding litigation in Illinois and section five reviews the state Education Funding Advisory Board’s role in setting the state foundation level. Section six discusses the ongoing CUL case and the paper concludes with a discussion of challenges CUL plaintiffs may face in light of trends in previous finance litigation.
Organization men and women: making managers at Bell Canada from the 1940s to the 1960s

The development of management as an occupation in post-World War II Canada is a topic that has received some attention from historians, but it is still an aspect of work and labor history that merits closer attention. This article seeks to reveal something about the nature of management work in Canada in the postwar decades by looking at how managers at Bell Canada were trained from the late 1940s to the late 1960s. This includes examining management theories that were prevalent at that time, the international aspects of them, and how they were used in Bell’s corporate training programs. This analysis shows that, in the case of one of Canada’s largest companies, management training was as much a process of adapting people to the methods and beliefs of the organization as it was about educating them to perform management functions.
The Cellular Basis of IgA Deficiency in Humans

Isolated deficiency of IgA is by far the most commonly identified defect of the immune system in humans. It occurs in individuals who are otherwise entirely healthy, but has also been frequently associated with such diverse disease states as congenital viral or parasitic infection, chromosomal abnormalities, and autoimmune diseases. Family studies have suggested that this condition may be inherited either as an autosomal dominant or recessive trait.
Osteochondral lesions of the talus: change in MRI findings over time in talar lesions without operative intervention and implications for staging systems.

Background: MRI findings are used in several staging systems to help determine appropriate treatment. The purposes of this study were to evaluate longitudinal changes in MRI characteristics of osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) and to evaluate published staging systems in a cohort of nonoperatively treated patients. Methods: Twenty-nine patients were identified; MR images were reviewed for location, size, and interface signal of OLT as well as cysts, marrow edema and osteoarthritis. Lesions were classified as unchanged, progressed, or improved based on changes in size or interface signal. Each lesion was assigned a stage based on four different staging systems. Results: Of the 29 lesions, 13 progressed, seven improved, and nine were unchanged over an average followup of 13.7 months. In the 13 that progressed, marrow edema remained present in ten and developed in two. Four had persistent cysts and four developed new cysts. Two had progression of osteoarthritis and two developed it anew. In the seven ...
Anti-Human Trafficking Interagency Collaboration in the State of Michigan: An Exploratory Study

ABTRACTIn recent years, there has been increased recognition that public, private, and nongovernmental agencies must work collaboratively to effectively respond to the crime of human trafficking. Despite this recognition, limited empirical research exists that examines the topic of anti-human-trafficking interagency collaboration. This study examines (a) the types of agencies engaged in anti-human-trafficking interagency collaborative efforts, and (b) the characteristics of such interagency collaborative activities in the state of Michigan. The results show that many agencies in criminal justice, human/social services, victim services, and allied agencies do not participate in interagency collaboration related to human trafficking. For those that do, the types of formal collaborative activities engaged in are severely limited and tend to be concentrated in just a few areas. Future research directions and policy implications are discussed.
Changes in β2-glycoprotein I antigenicity induced by phospholipid binding

β 2 -glycoprotein I (β 2 GPI) or apolipoprotein H has been described as a necessary cofactor for antiphospholipid antibody (aPA) binding in ELISA. Some investigators disagree with the β 2 -GPI requirement whereas data from other laboratories indicate that β 2 GPI, not phospholipid (PL), is the antigen for aPA. To investigate the cofactor we have produced three IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to human β 2 GPI; 3G9, IBW and 3D11. Western blot analyses showed the mAb to bind human β 2 GPI (40 kDa), but no reactivity was observed with adult or fetal bovine sera
HPV vaccination: Clinical potential, implementation challenges, and future directions

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes an estimated 700,000 cancer cases worldwide, including 530,000 cervical cancers, 22,000 oropharyngeal cancers, 24,000 anal, 21,000 vulvar and vaginal, and 11,000 p...
Observations of Steinernema Nematode and Tachinid Fly Parasites in Horned Passalus Beetles, Odontotaenius disjunctus, from Georgia, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT: This report describes a series of observations made on 2 parasite species infecting a collection of horned passalus beetles (Odontotaenius disjunctus, n = 135), from Georgia, U.S.A., that were collected as larvae in the wild and were reared to metamorphosis in captivity. Tachinid fly maggots emerged from 15 beetle larvae (11%) and, when they completed their development into adults, we identified them as Zelia vertebrata, a known but little-studied parasitoid of O. disjunctus. We also observed infections by Steinernema nematodes (n = 11 cases, or 8%), which killed and consumed the carcasses and which produced thousands of infective juveniles in the rearing containers. Based on morphological measurements of infective juvenile and adult worms, these nematodes were consistent with Steinernema carpocapsae, members of which infest the surface of soils and which infect a wide range of insects. This report is the first to describe Steinernema infections in O. disjunctus, and our observations of Z. vert...
24 GHz low-noise amplifier in 0.18 [micro sign]m CMOS technology

A 24 GHz monolithic low-noise amplifier (LNA) is implemented in a standard 0.18 µm CMOS technology. Measurements show a gain of 12.86 dB and a noise figure of 5.6 dB at 23.5 GHz. The input and output return losses are better than 11 dB and 22 dB across the 22–29 GHz span, respectively. The operation frequency of 24 GHz is believed to be the highest reported for LNA in a standard CMOS technology.
Abstract 4394: Selective accumulation and specific tumor damage by folate receptor-targeted CA-4 prodrug as part of a combination of photodynamic therapy and site-specific chemotherapy

A non-invasive or minimally invasive tumor ablation regimen is an attractive tool with which to control tumors. This approach is complementary to primary treatment options without causing systemic side effects or severe physical burdens from the treatment itself. Clinically approved photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one such regimen. In PDT, photosensitizers are activated by visible and near IR light to destroy tumors. However, the therapeutic efficacy of PDT is limited due to the spatial and temporal restrictions of the effector of PDT, singlet oxygen. We have been developing a new prodrug strategy that can overcome these limits by using a unique combination of PDT and site-specific chemotherapy. The prodrug is composed of photosensitizer and anticancer drug via a singlet oxygen-cleavable linker. Upon illumination, the prodrugs cause PDT damage and simultaneously release anticancer drugs only at the illuminated target area. In our previous publications, we reported 1) the design and synthesis of prodrugs of combretastatin A-4, 2) visible/ near IR light-controlled release of the drug from the prodrug, 3) bystander effects from the released anticancer drug, and 4) the superior antitumor effect of the prodrug compared to a simple combination of PDT and chemotherapy. Recently, a more advanced CA-4 prodrug was developed to achieve selective delivery to tumors via folate receptors (FRs) overexpressed in numerous cancer cell lines. The targeted prodrug showed FR-mediated uptake to FR-expressing cancer cells (colon 26 cells) in vitro and to FR-expressing tumors in vivo. Notably, the targeted CA-4 prodrug effectively ablated the tumors without causing collateral damage to the surrounding skin. Citation Format: Nkepang Gregory, Moses Bio, Pallavi Rajaptura, Samuel G. Awuah, Youngjae You. Selective accumulation and specific tumor damage by folate receptor-targeted CA-4 prodrug as part of a combination of photodynamic therapy and site-specific chemotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4394. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4394
Shaking Off Shakespeare: A White Teacher, Urban Students, and the Mediating Powers of a Canonical Counter-Curriculum

While a wealth of scholarship has investigated White teachers’ abilities to realize the aims of culturally responsive teaching in urban secondary English classrooms, studies that query the canonically-specific challenges teachers face when attempting to actualize equity-driven instruction are less frequently forwarded. To that end, this ethnographic case study tells the story of Sam Winters, a White teacher of British literature, who negotiated multiple forms of Whiteness—both his own and his required curriculum’s—to effect participatory realities for his urban students. Data, which were collected over five months, were treated with layers of deductive and inductive codes. Findings reveal obstructions to culturally responsive canonical instruction, such as sociocultural tensions between privileged and marginalized persons and texts, including canonically-specific incongruences between the curriculum and Sam’s students; fear of punitive fallout and time likewise constrained his efforts. Yet, buttressed by his dialogic classroom community, Sam delivered a canonical counter-curriculum that cultivated students’ sociopolitical consciousness and provided them with multimodal opportunities to restory themselves into and against required British literature texts. Implications, including the transformative powers of implementing canonical counter-curricula, and the value of leveraging teachers’ multi-dimensional sociocultural identities as cultural assets that position them to effect culturally responsive instruction, are discussed.
Abstract 2690: MK2 pathway blockade inhibits inflammatory cytokine production and colorectal cancer growth and invasion

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy diagnosed for both men and women in the United States of America. High levels of inflammatory cytokines in colorectal tumors cause increased growth and invasion and carry a higher risk of metastasis. Identifying new targets to control inflammation is important for developing improved treatment approaches. Mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) is a regulator of pro-inflammatory cytokines that may promote colorectal tumor progression. MK2 signaling is known to induce IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α production. These pro-inflammatory cytokines are associated with CRC development, invasion, and metastasis. We hypothesized that the MK2 pathway could be an important component of CRC growth, invasion and tumor regrowth. Methods: To investigate this pathway, CT26 CRC cells were examined. Cells were flank-injected into Balb/c mice with and without MK2 inhibitor treatment. At day 19 after tumor injection, tumors were harvested and measured using calipers. Cytokines were quantitated by multiplex bead array in organ culture supernatants and in supernatants from tumor cells plated in fibronectin coated wells. In culture, tumor cell invasion was measured in scratch wound assays containing matrigel. Results: Treating CT26 cells with MK2 inhibitors markedly reduced tumor growth in mice by a mean of 60% compared to vehicle control treated cells. Inflammatory cytokines were also dramatically decreased with MK2 inhibition compared to controls by up to 80%. Cytokines affected included both known MK2 downstream cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α) and also chemokines such as MIP-1α and MCP-1 in both supernatants from cultured tumor cells and in organ culture supernatants. MK2 inhibition also decreased invasion of tumor cells in a cytokine dependent manner. Conclusions: The MK2 pathway regulates production of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines in colorectal tumors, including several previously unreported chemokines. Inhibition of this pathway markedly decreases tumor growth and invasion. Thus, MK2 may be a promising tumor target to prevent colorectal cancer progression. Citation Format: Anita L. Ray, Amanda S. Peretti, Wade Johnson, Gregory Gan, Ellen J. Beswick. MK2 pathway blockade inhibits inflammatory cytokine production and colorectal cancer growth and invasion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2690. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2690
History of Laser Lithotripsy

The application of lasers for use in the treatment of kidney stones is among the most important developments in the specialty of urology in the last 50 years. As kidney stone prevalence continues to rise from an estimated 5.2% in 1994 to 8.8% in 2012, the importance of the development and evolution of laser technology cannot be understated [1]. Laser applications in urology have given us the ability to treat urinary stones in a minimally invasive manner without requiring an open surgical approach. In this chapter, we report on the origin and evolution of laser technology in the field of urology.
Endogenous Cholesterol Excretion Is Negatively Associated With Carotid Intima–Media Thickness in Humans

Objective— Epidemiological studies strongly suggest that lipid factors independent of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol contribute significantly to cardiovascular disease risk. Because circulating lipoproteins comprise only a small fraction of total body cholesterol, the mobilization and excretion of cholesterol from plasma and tissue pools may be an important determinant of cardiovascular disease risk. Our hypothesis is that fecal excretion of endogenous cholesterol is protective against atherosclerosis. Approach and Results— Cholesterol metabolism and carotid intima–media thickness were quantitated in 86 nondiabetic adults. Plasma cholesterol was labeled by intravenous infusion of cholesterol-d 7 solubilized in a lipid emulsion and dietary cholesterol by cholesterol-d 5 and the nonabsorbable stool marker sitostanol-d 4 . Plasma and stool samples were collected while subjects consumed a cholesterol- and phytosterol-controlled metabolic kitchen diet and were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Carotid intima–media thickness was negatively correlated with fecal excretion of endogenous cholesterol ( r =−0.426; P r =−0.472; P ≤0.0001), and daily percent excretion of cholesterol from the rapidly mixing cholesterol pool ( r =−0.343; P =0.0012) and was positively correlated with percent cholesterol absorption ( r =+0.279; P =0.0092). In a linear regression model controlling for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and statin drug use, fecal excretion of endogenous cholesterol remained significant ( P =0.0008). Conclusions— Excretion of endogenous cholesterol is strongly, independently, and negatively associated with carotid intima–media thickness. The reverse cholesterol transport pathway comprising the intestine and the rapidly mixing plasma, and tissue cholesterol pool could be an unrecognized determinant of cardiovascular disease risk not reflected in circulating lipoproteins. Further work is needed to relate measures of reverse cholesterol transport to atherosclerotic disease. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01603758
Treatment With JAK Inhibitors in Myelofibrosis Patients Nullifies the Prognostic Impact of Unfavorable Cytogenetics

Abstract Introduction In the era before Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, cytogenetic information was used to predict survival in myelofibrosis patients. However, the prognostic value of cytogenetics in the setting of JAK inhibitor therapy remains unknown. Patients and Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 180 patients with bone marrow biopsy–proven myelofibrosis from 3 US academic medical centers. We fit Cox proportional hazards models for overall survival and transformation-free survival on the bases of 3 factors: JAK inhibitor therapy as a time-dependent covariate, dichotomized cytogenetic status (favorable vs. unfavorable), and statistical interaction between the two. The median follow-up time was 37.1 months. Results Among patients treated with best available therapy, unfavorable cytogenetic status was associated with decreased survival (hazard ratio = 2.31; P = .025). At initiation of JAK inhibitor therapy, unfavorable cytogenetics was (nonsignificantly) associated with increased survival compared to favorable cytogenetics (hazard ratio = 0.292; P = .172). The ratio of hazard ratios was 0.126 (P = .034). These findings were similar after adjusting for standard clinical prognostic factors as well as when measured against transformation-free survival. Conclusion The initiation of JAK inhibitor therapy appears to change the association between cytogenetics and overall survival. There was little difference in survival between treatment types in patients with favorable cytogenetics. However, the use of JAK inhibitor therapy among patients with unfavorable cytogenetics was not associated with worse survival compared to favorable cytogenetics. Our analyses suggest that initiation of JAK inhibitor therapy nullifies the negative prognostic implication of unfavorable cytogenetics established in the pre–JAK inhibitor therapy era.
Benign Spinal Tumors

Benign neoplasms account for approximately one third of all spinal tumors (Conti et al. 2004). Their frequency is increased in patients with neurofibromatosis Type 1 or 2. These lesions may be restricted to the thecal sac, the extra-thecal portions of the nerve sheath, or some combination of these locations (Celli et al. 2005). Benign spinal tumors typically present with a constellation of weakness, pain and/or sensory disturbance (Cherqui et al. 2007; Conti et al. 2004). Gross total resection is the standard of care for benign spinal tumors and complete removal rates are in excess of 95% in most neurosurgical experiences (Conti et al. 2004; Lot and Bernard 1997; Seppala et al. 1995a, b). Surgical cure, however, may require sacrifice of one or more nerve roots (Celli 2002; Celli et al. 2005; Kim et al. 1989; Safavi-Abbasi et al. 2008; Seppala et al. 1995a). Surgical intervention, moreover, may exacerbate underlying neurological symptoms or produce new, permanent deficits (Conti et al. 2004; Levy et al. 1986; Lot and Bernard 1997; Safavi-Abbasi et al. 2008; Seppala et al. 1995a, b). Subtotal tumor removal in an attempt to avoid neurological morbidity may result in tumor regrowth (Levy et al. 1986; Lot and Bernard 1997; Seppala et al. 1995b; Chang 1998). Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been demonstrated safe and effective for a variety of benign intracranial tumors. By extension, a similar radiotherapeutic approach should prove efficacious for spinal tumors of similar histology.
The Initial Complication Rate of Phacoemulsification in India

Purpose. This study was designed to investigate the feasibility of teaching experienced surgeons to perform phacoemulsification in India, a cataract-endemic area. Complications occurring during surgery and the first postoperative day were documented and evaluated. Methods. During a 1-month period, at the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India, the first 100 consecutive cataract operations performed by each of three experienced surgeons (a total of 300 cases), using phacoemulsification were prospectively evaluated. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with intraoperative and postoperative complications. Results. The mean age of patients was 57.4 ± 9.3 years. The median best corrected preoperative visual acuity was 20/80. Mean surgical and phacoemulsification times were 15.8 ± 3.7 minutes and 2.2 ±1.5 minutes, respectively. Complications occurred in 65 (21.7%) eyes. The most common was a rent in the posterior capsule, occurring in 40 (13.3%) eyes. There were significant variations in complication rate and in surgical time among the surgeons. The risk of experiencing a complication decreased as the number of phacoemulsifications performed increased. An increased risk of complications was associated with worse preoperative visual acuity and increasing patient age. Conclusions. With each successive case, the chances of experiencing a complication decreased 1%. Acceptable results were obtained within 1 month of performing the first phacoemulsification. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1997;38:2331-2337.
“Optics-Free” FEL oscillators

Abstract There is obvious need for an “optics-free” FEL oscillator. While SASE FELs demonstrated the capability of providing very high gain and short pulses of radiation, the spectra of SASE FELs is rather wide (∼1%) compared with typical short wavelengths FEL-oscillators (0.01% − 0.0003% in OK-4 FEL). Absence of good optics in VUV and X-ray ranges makes traditional oscillator schemes either very complex or impossible. In this paper, we present a concept of “optics-free” FEL oscillator and discuss main limiting factors and its feasibility. PACS codes: 41.60.Cr, 29.20D, 78.66, 52.75
Residual Stresses in Cu/Ni Multilayer Thin Films Measured Using the Sin 2 ψ Method

Residual stresses in multilayer thin films are of substantial importance to the service life of advanced engineering systems. In this investigation, the residual stresses in magnetron sputtered Cu/Ni multilayer thin films were characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the sin2ψ method. The influence of layer thickness on residual stress was explored for films with alternating Ni and Cu layers with equal layer thicknesses ranging from 10 nm to 100 nm. To address peak broadening and overlapping, the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm were employed, and the peak position was determined using the Center of Gravity (CoG) method. Results showed tensile residual stress in both the Cu and Ni layers and a prominent layer thickness dependence. The stress in the Ni layers increased from roughly 880 MPa to 1550 MPa with decreasing layer thickness from 100 nm to 10 nm. In the Cu layers, the stress remained relatively constant at ~250 MPa and then substantially decreased for the 10 nm thickness. The findings confirm that the XRD-based approach can be applied for residual stress measurement in nanoscale multilayer thin films, provided that peak broadening and overlapping issues are addressed. Furthermore, the residual stress in metal multilayers is strongly dependent on layer thickness.
The Development of Health Lifestyles in Families Experiencing Disability

The family system is an important contributor to one’s development of health lifestyles or the patterns of health behaviors one engages in. Research has yet to explore how health lifestyles develop...
Abstract P278: Patterns of Eating Associated With Sleep Duration, Insomnia, Daytime Sleepiness, and Overall Sleep Quality Among Individuals of Mexican Descent at the US-Mexico Border

Introduction: Previous studies have linked sleep to risk of diabetes and obesity, at least partially via alterations in food intake. Diabetes and obesity are common among Hispanics/Latinos, and stu...
ICAT: a numerical scheme to minimize numerical diffusion in advection-dispersion modeling and its application in identifying flow channeling.

A bstract The advection-dispersion equation for scalar transport is essential for the numerical modeling of many fluid dynamics problems. However, solutions from numerical schemes always suffer from numerical diffusion and/or oscillation. In this study, we develop an Intra-Cell Advection Tracking (ICAT) scheme to minimize numerical diffusion and preserve monotonicity for advection-dispersion modeling. The key idea is to introduce “queues” in each discretized cell, and using a sequential transport rule and a flow distribution mechanism to track the scalar transport in these queues temporally and spatially. The capability and limitations of ICAT are first investigated through three test cases. Compared with the results obtained from other numerical schemes, the results from ICAT show substantially reduced numerical diffusion and agree better with analytical solutions. We also employ ICAT to simulate the transport process of a conservative tracer in a fracture with a highly heterogeneous aperture distribution. Discrete flow channels in the fracture are better discerned by ICAT than by other numerical schemes, indicating the suitability of ICAT for modeling tracer transport in channelized flow fields.
The katalytic speedometer

As a unit for enzyme activity, the katal is enigmatic but struggles to find widespread acceptance. Soumitra Athavale tells its story.
Metal artifacts of hip arthroplasty implants at 1.5-T and 3.0-T: a closer look into the B1 effects

To evaluate the effect of circular polarization (CP) and elliptical polarization (EP) of the B1 field on metal implant-induced artifacts of titanium (Ti) and cobalt-chromium (CoCr) hip arthroplasty implants at 1.5-T and 3.0-T field strengths. In vitro Ti and CoCr total hip arthroplasty implants were evaluated using high transmit and receive bandwidth turbo spin echo (HBW-TSE) and slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC) metal artifact reduction techniques. Each technique was implemented at 1.5-T, which only allows for CP of B1 field as the system default, as well as 3.0-T, which permitted CP and EP. Manual segmentation quantified the size of the metal artifacts at the level of the acetabular cup, femoral neck, and femoral shaft. In the acetabular cup and femoral neck, 1.5-T CP achieved smaller artifact sizes than 3.0-T CP (28–29% on HBW-TSE, p = 0.002–0.005; 17–34% on SEMAC, p = 0.019–0.102) and 3.0-T EP (25–28% on HBW-TSE, p = 0.010–0.011; 14–36% on SEMAC, p = 0.058–0.135) techniques. In the femoral stem region, 3.0-T EP achieved more efficient artifact suppression than 3.0-T CP (HBW-TSE 44–45%, p < 0.001–0.022; SEMAC 76–104%, p < 0.001–0.022) and 1.5-T CP (HBW-TSE 76–96%, p < 0.001–0.003; SEMAC 138–173%, p = 0.003–0.005) techniques. Despite slightly superior metal reduction ability of the 1.5-T in the region of the acetabular cup and prosthesis neck, 3.0-T MRI of hip arthroplasty implants using elliptically polarized RF pulses may overall be more effective in reducing metal artifacts than the current standard 1.5-T MRI techniques, which by default implements circularly polarized RF pulses.
Achieving Life Milestones in Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy: A Retrospective Analysis.

Objective To understand the milestones achieved in the transition from childhood to adulthood for patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD). Methods We performed a retrospective chart review on patients aged 15 years or older with a clinical diagnosis of DMD/BMD who received care from January 1, 2008, to January 1, 2018 at the University of Kansas Medical Center and the University of Rochester Medical Center. Participants were identified using local Muscular Dystrophy Asssociation-funded clinic lists, neuromuscular research databases, and electronic medical record review. Data were abstracted using a uniform template on education, employment, community resources, relationships, and end-of-life discussions and is presented as mean, median, or frequency with associated 95% confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 109 patients were identified: patients ranged in age from 15 to 56 years with a median of 24, and covered a 5-state region and Ontario, Canada. Seventy-eight percent of patients had DMD and were, on average, 8.5 years younger than patients with BMD. Over half (56.9%, 95% CI 47.6–66.2) were high school graduates or beyond. Sixteen percent did not have their highest level of education documented. Only 20.0% had an occupation (95% CI 12.7–27.7), most frequently in education and administrative support (34%). The majority were still living with parents (80.7%, 95% CI 73.3–88.1). A minority reported having end-of-life discussions (17.4%, 95% CI 10.3–24.6). Conclusions Psychosocial elements reflecting the transition to adulthood are inconsistently reported in clinical documentation. A prospective study will further elucidate this transition.
A Review of Deformation Microstructures

Microstructural geology is playing an ever more important role in structural geology, yet it is only slowly being incorporated into structural geology courses because of the difficulties in demonstrating the great variety of deformation processes. We have found that the combination of a video program showing real-time formation of microscopic deformation features in rock analogues and lectures on deformation is a good way of introducing this material. Our method introduces students to an atomistic view of dislocations and related deformation mechanisms such as twinning, kinking, and glide. Development of these features is shown to be related to the development of crystallographic preferred orientations. On the microscopic level, dislocation motion manifests itself as subgrain formation and recrystallization. The video shows how S-C structures can be used to determine the sense of movement along shear zones in metamorphic rocks. Furthermore, students are introduced to the concept of grain-boundary sliding ...
Bijective projection in a shell

We introduce an algorithm to convert a self-intersection free, orientable, and manifold triangle mesh T into a generalized prismatic shell equipped with a bijective projection operator to map T to a class of discrete surfaces contained within the shell whose normals satisfy a simple local condition. Properties can be robustly and efficiently transferred between these surfaces using the prismatic layer as a common parametrization domain. The combination of the prismatic shell construction and corresponding projection operator is a robust building block readily usable in many downstream applications, including the solution of PDEs, displacement maps synthesis, Boolean operations, tetrahedral meshing, geometric textures, and nested cages.
Identification of an 11-Autophagy-Related-Gene Signature as Promising Prognostic Biomarker for Bladder Cancer Patients

Background: Survival rates for highly invasive bladder cancer (BC) patients have been very low, with a 5-year survival rate of 6%. Accurate prediction of tumor progression and survival is important for diagnosis and therapeutic decisions for BC patients. Our study aims to develop an autophagy-related-gene (ARG) signature that helps to predict the survival of BC patients. Methods: RNA-seq data of 403 BC patients were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma (TCGA-BLCA) database. Univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify overall survival (OS)-related ARGs. The Lasso Cox regression model was applied to establish an ARG signature in the TCGA training cohort (N = 203). The performance of the 11-gene ARG signature was further evaluated in a training cohort and an independent validation cohort (N = 200) using Kaplan-Meier OS curve analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, as well as univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results: Our study identified an 11-gene ARG signature that is significantly associated with OS, including APOL1, ATG4B, BAG1, CASP3, DRAM1, ITGA3, KLHL24, P4HB, PRKCD, ULK2, and WDR45. The ARGs-derived high-risk bladder cancer patients exhibited significantly poor OS in both training and validation cohorts. The prognostic model showed good predictive efficacy, with the area under the ROC curve (AUCs) for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival of 0.702 (0.695), 0.744 (0.640), and 0.794 (0.658) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. A prognostic nomogram, which included the ARGs-derived risk factor, age and stage for eventual clinical translation, was established. Conclusion: We identified a novel ARG signature for risk-stratification and robust prediction of overall survival for BC patients.