cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Live Imaging of Disseminated Candidiasis in Zebrafish Reveals Role of Phagocyte Oxidase in Limiting Filamentous Growth

Received 9 February 2011/Accepted 26 April 2011 Candida albicans is a human commensal and a clinically important fungal pathogen that grows in both yeast and hyphal forms during human infection. Although Candida can cause cutaneous and mucosal disease, systemic infections cause the greatest mortality in hospitals. Candidemia occurs primarily in immunocompromised patients, for whom the innate immune system plays a paramount role in immunity. We have developed a novel transparent vertebrate model of candidemia to probe the molecular nature of Candida-innate immune system interactions in an intact host. Our zebrafish infection model results in a lethal disseminated disease that shares important traits with disseminated candidiasis in mammals, including dimorphic fungal growth, dependence on hyphal growth for virulence, and dependence on the phagocyte NADPH oxidase for immunity. Dual imaging of fluorescently marked immune cells and fungi revealed that phagocytosed yeast cells can remain viable and even divide within macrophages without germinating. Similarly, although we observed apparently killed yeast cells within neutrophils, most yeast cells within these innate immune cells were viable. Exploiting this model, we combined intravital imaging with gene knockdown to show for the first time that NADPH oxidase is required for regulation of C. albicans filamentation in vivo. The transparent and easily manipulated larval zebrafish model promises to provide a unique tool for dissecting the molecular basis of phagocyte NADPH oxidase-mediated limitation of filamentous growth in vivo. Candida albicans is a human commensal that causes lifethreatening invasive infections in immunocompromised patients. Disseminated candidiasis is the 4th leading infection in hospitalized patients in the United States, and despite antifungal therapy, the mortality associated with candidemia can reach 30 to 40% (62). Innate immunity is a key mediator of resistance to disseminated infection in both mice and humans, and defects in professional innate immune cells predispose individuals to invasive candidemia (5, 26, 68).
The Role of Motivation for Treatment Success

Learning during skills-based psychosocial treatments for schizophrenia is influenced by the motivating properties of the treatment context and the motivational orientation of the client. Given that motivational impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia with significant functional implications, intervention strategies emphasizing extrinsic and/or intrinsic goals may be prescribed to enhance skill learning and treatment outcomes. The purpose of this article is to consider the role that motivation plays in treatment success by evaluating the relationship between motivation and learning during cognitive remediation for schizophrenia. As intrinsic motivation (IM) is most often associated with learning, we will integrate research findings which address 3 main questions: (1) is IM in schizophrenia static or dynamic, (2) is it possible to manipulate the state of being intrinsically motivated and if so do manipulations of IM affect learning? and (3) can motivation theory be translated into clinical practice? This knowledge can facilitate treatment strategies to address the low base rate of IM that is characteristic of schizophrenia and can be applied to cognitive remediation as well as other psychosocial interventions which require learning for treatment success.
Clinical patterns and natural history of asthma

Childhood asthma typically begins in infancy with a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Although the majority of infants become infected with RSV, lower respiratory illness develops in only about 20%. About 25% to 50% of those subsequently experience recurrent acute asthma from viral respiratory infections (VRI). Children younger than 5 years have a high frequency of VRI and have the highest frequency of hospitalization for asthma of any age group. In a 35-year study of the natural history of asthma, 20% of 7-year-old children were found to have asthma, but most had only episodic illness with VRI. The majority of those children improved with age, but a substantial minority continued to have recurrent episodes as adults, generally induced by VRI or exercise. Persistent asthma developed in only a few. Children who had symptoms of asthma without VRI were more likely to continue having frequent episodic or chronic asthma as adults. Despite generally suboptimal treatment during the 35 years of the study, forced expiratory volume at one second did not deteriorate over time; it remained normal in children who had only episodic asthma, and it was consistently low in the children with severe, persistent asthma.
Changes in network activity with the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with abnormal activity in spatially distributed neural systems mediating the motor and cognitive manifestations of this disorder. Metabolic PET studies have demonstrated that this illness is characterized by a set of reproducible functional brain networks that correlate with these clinical features.The time at which these abnormalities appear is unknown, as is their relationship to concurrent clinical and dopaminergic indices of disease progression. In this longitudinal study, 15 early stage PD patients (age 58.0 � 10.2 years; Hoehn and Yahr Stage 1.2 � 0.3) were enrolled within 2 years of diagnosis. The subjects underwent multitracer PET imaging at baseline, 24 and 48 months. At each timepoint they were scanned with ( 18 F)-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to assess longitudinal changes in regional glucose utilization and in the expression of the PD-related motor (PDRP) and cognitive metabolic covariance patterns (PDCP). At each timepoint the subjects also underwent PET imaging with ( 18 F)-fluoropropyl CIT (FP-CIT) to quantify longitudinal changes in caudate and putamen dopamine transpor- ter (DAT) binding. Regional metabolic changes across the three timepoints were localized using statistical para- metric mapping (SPM). Longitudinal changes in regional metabolism and network activity, caudate/putamen DAT binding, and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor ratings were assessed using repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA). Relationships between these measures of disease progression were assessed by computing within-subject correlation coefficients. We found that disease progression was associated with increasing metabolism in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and internal globus pallidus (GPi) (P50.001), as well as in the dorsal pons and primary motor cortex (P50.0001). Advancing disease was also associated with declining metabolism in the prefrontal and inferior parietal regions (P50.001). PDRP expression was elevated at baseline relative to healthy control subjects (P50.04), and increased progressively over time (P50.0001). PDCP activity also increased with time (P50.0001). However, these changes in network activity were slower than for the PDRP (P50.04), reaching abnormal levels only at the final timepoint. Changes in PDRP activity, but not PDCP activity, correlated with concurrent declines in striatal DAT binding (P50.01) and increases in motor ratings (P50.005). Significant within-subject correlations (P50.01) were also evident between the latter two progression indices. The early stages of PD are associated with progressive increases and decreases in regional metabolism at key nodes of the motor and cognitive networks that characterize the illness. Potential disease-modifying therapies may alter the time course of one or both of these abnormal networks.
CHASM: Optimal State Assignment for Asynchronous FSM’s

This chapter presents the first contribution of this book, namely, CHASM (Coding for Hazard-free Asynchronous State Machines), the first general and systematic method for optimal state assignment of asynchronous state machines. Given an asynchronous FSM, Chasm chooses a state assignment for which the logic, after state encoding, is optimal under some cost function. Because Chasm operates on asynchronous machines, it must also ensure that the resulting machine implementation is both critical race-free and hazard-free.
Production of 103Pd by proton irradiation of silver

Brachytherapy with 103Pd (t1/2= 16.97 d) has shown significant success in treating prostate cancer. We have investigated a new high-energy accelerator route with the Ag(p, 2pxn)103Pd reaction. Natural Ag foils were irradiated at energies from 75 to 140 MeV at the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer (BLIP). Radiochemical separation of Pd from the Ag target utilized chromatography with Chelex-100TM. A thick target (0.63cm) irradiation at 140 MeV, (45_A current, 24d) produced 751GBq of 103Pd and 259 GBq of 100Pd at EOB and useful quantities of 95mTc (3.3 GBq) and 97Ru (377 GBq). A 20d decay time is required to reduce the 100Pd (t1/2 = 3.6 d) and its daughter 100Rh (t1/2 = 20.8h) to less than 2%. The radiochemical process gave a Pd chemical recovery of ∼99%, specific activity at EOB 514MBq/_g, but some Rh isotope remained. Practical production of 850 GBq per run will be possible with thick targets.
A game-theoretic approach to transfer pricing in a vertically integrated supply chain

We study the problem of setting transfer prices in a vertically integrated supply chain, in which the divisions share technology and transactions costs. We develop a cooperative game that provides transfer prices for the intermediate products in the supply chain. This model is applied both when the market prices for these products are known and also when their valuations differ. We provide a solution that is fair and acceptable to all divisions. In the perfect information case, the Shapley value generates the transfer prices, while in the asymmetric case we obtain transfer prices from the solution to a linear program.
A simple manifold-based construction of surfaces of arbitrary smoothness

We present a smooth surface construction based on the manifold approach of Grimm and Hughes. We demonstrate how this approach can relatively easily produce a number of desirable properties which are hard to achieve simultaneously with polynomial patches, subdivision or variational surfaces. Our surfaces are C∞-continuous with explicit nonsingular C∞ parameterizations, high-order flexible at control vertices, depend linearly on control points, have fixed-size local support for basis functions, and have good visual quality.
Osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and growth on polyelectrolyte complex-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites

In this work, we have investigated osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and differentiation on nanocomposites of chitosan, polygalacturonic acid (PgA) and hydroxyapatite. These studies were done on both two- and three-dimensional (scaffold) samples. Atomic force microscopy experiments showed nanostructuring of film samples. Scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying methods. The mechanical response and porosity of the scaffolds were also determined. The compressive elastic modulus and compressive strength were determined to be around 0.9 and 0.023 MPa, respectively, and the porosity of these scaffolds was found to be around 97 per cent. Human osteoblast cells were used to study their adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Optical images were collected after different intervals of time of seeding cells. This study indicated that chitosan/PgA/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite films and scaffolds promote cellular adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. The formation of bone-like nodules was observed after 7 days of seeding cells. The nodule size continues to increase with time, and after 20 days the size of some nodules was around 735mm. Scanning electron microscope images of nodules showed the presence of extracellular matrix. The alizarin red S staining technique was used to confirm mineralization of these nodules.
Water Vapor Absorption into Amorphous Hydrophobic Drug/Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) Dispersions

Water vapor absorption isotherms were measured for three amorphous hydrophobic drug/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) dispersions in the concentration range 10-90% w/w PVP. Experimental isotherms were compared to predicted isotherms calculated using each individual component isotherm multiplied by its weight fraction. Indomethacin (IMC)/PVP, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)/PVP and indapamide (IDP)/PVP amorphous dispersions all exhibited experimental isotherms reduced relative to predicted isotherms indicating that dispersion formation altered the water vapor absorption properties of the individual components. For all three drug/PVP systems, deviation from predicted water uptake was greatest close to the 1:1 drug:PVP monomer composition, indicating that intermolecular interaction in amorphous dispersions affects the water uptake properties of the individual components. Using dry glass transition temperature (T(g)) data, the extent of drug/PVP interaction was shown to be greatest in the IDP/PVP system, which could explain why the largest reduction in water vapor absorption was found in this system. The plasticizing effect of absorbed water varied according to dry dispersion PVP content in all systems and the resulting nonideal changes in free volume, calculated using the Vrentas model, were greatest close to the 1:1 drug:PVP monomer composition. A three-component Flory-Huggins model successfully predicted isotherms for IMC/PVP compositions from 60 to 90% w/w PVP and identified an IMC-PVP interaction parameter chi in the range 1.27-1.49, values that suggest poor homogeneity of mixing in the dry system. These data indicate that amorphous dispersion formation causes both chemical and physical changes in the individual amorphous components that can have a significant effect on their water vapor absorption properties.
Bacterial Populations of Broiler Carcasses Washed in Mixtures of Potassium Hydroxide and Lauric Acid

The bactericidal effect of mixtures of KOH and lauric acid (LA) on the microflora of broiler carcasses was examined. Carcasses were washed by shaking in KOH-LA for 1 min on a mechanical shaker. In one set of experiments, the population of bacteria recovered from carcasses following each of 3 successive washes in 1.0% KOH-2.0% LA or in distilled water (control) was enumerated. The number of total plate count bacteria, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli in aliquots of whole-carcass-rinses of the washed carcasses was determined. Results indicated that fewer bacteria were generally recovered from carcasses after each successive wash in KOH-LA or distilled water, but significantly fewer bacteria were recovered from carcasses washed in KOH-LA than from carcasses washed in distilled water. Bacteria recovered from carcasses after the first and third wash in KOH-LA were identified using the MIDI Sherlock Microbial Identification System. Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were identified in the bacterial flora of carcasses washed once in KOH-LA; however, only gram-positive cocci were identified in the bacterial flora of carcasses washed 3 times in KOH-LA. Additional experiments were performed to compare the number of bacteria recovered from carcasses washed 2 times in 0.25% KOH-0.5% LA, 0.5% KOH-1.0% LA, or 1.0% KOH-2.0% LA or in distilled water (control). Results indicated that significantly fewer bacteria were recovered from carcasses washed in higher concentrations of KOH-LA than from carcasses washed in lower concentrations of KOH-LA. Findings from these experiments show that washing carcasses in KOH-LA can reduce carcass contamination by bacteria responsible for human foodborne diseases and spoilage of fresh poultry.
Sin, Sex, and Democracy: Antigay Rhetoric and the Christian Right . By Cynthia Burack. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2008. 224p. $74.50 cloth, $21.95 paper.

Review of Sin, Sex, and Democracy: Antigay Rhetoric and the Christian Right. By Cynthia Burack. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2008. 224p. $74.50 cloth, $21.95 paper.
Combined endovascular and microsurgical management of giant and complex unruptured aneurysms.

Object. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and describe the technical features of combined endovascular and microsurgical treatments for complex and giant unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Methods. A prospectively maintained database was reviewed to identify all patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms who were treated with combined techniques. Twenty-one lesions were treated in as many patients: six lesions involved the posterior cerebral artery (PCA); seven the cavernous portion of the internal carotid artery (ICA); two the basilar apex; two the basilar trunk; and one each the anterior communicating artery, anterior cerebral artery, petrous ICA, and cervical ICA. Aneurysms were treated with combined extracranial–intracranial bypass procedures and parent-vessel occlusion, flow redirection, or arterial transposition. Aneurysm occlusion was achieved in 20 patients. In the remaining patient the aneurysm recurred, requiring stentassisted repeated coil placement. Three patients suffered permanent neurological deficits related to treatment, and three died, two of whom had basilar trunk aneurysms. Conclusions. Certain complex aneurysms may be treated optimally by combining endovascular and surgical procedures. A low incidence of complications follows treatment of anterior circulation aneurysms. Treatment of complex posterior circulation aneurysms is associated with a higher incidence of complications, although this likely reflects the more complex nature of these lesions. The risks of this combined treatment strategy are likely lower than the risks associated with the natural history of this subset of aneurysms.
Development of a pharmacokinetic-guided dose individualization strategy for hydroxyurea treatment in children with sickle cell anaemia.

AIMS Hydroxyurea has emerged as the primary disease-modifying therapy for patients with sickle cell anaemia (SCA). The laboratory and clinical benefits of hydroxyurea are optimal at maximum tolerated dose (MTD), but the current empirical dose escalation process often takes up to 12 months. The purpose of this study was to develop a pharmacokinetic-guided dosing strategy to reduce the time required to reach hydroxyurea MTD in children with SCA. Methods Pharmacokinetic (PK) data from the HUSTLE trial (NCT00305175) were used to develop a population PK model using non-linear mixed effects modelling (nonmem 7.2). A D-optimal sampling strategy was developed to estimate individual PK and hydroxyurea exposure (area under the concentration–time curve (AUC)). The initial AUC target was derived from HUSTLE clinical data and defined as the mean AUC at MTD. Results PK profiles were best described by a one compartment with Michaelis–Menten elimination and a transit absorption model. Body weight and cystatin C were identified as significant predictors of hydroxyurea clearance. The following clinically feasible sampling times are included in a new prospective protocol: pre-dose (baseline), 15–20 min, 50–60 min and 3 h after an initial 20 mg kg–1 oral dose. The mean target AUC(0,∞) for initial dose titration was 115 mg l–1 h. Conclusion We developed a PK model-based individualized dosing strategy for the prospective Therapeutic Response Evaluation and Adherence Trial (TREAT, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02286154). This approach has the potential to optimize the dose titration of hydroxyurea therapy for children with SCA, such that the clinical benefits at MTD are achieved more quickly.
Trustworthy Data Management in Pervasive Environments

An era of computing is rapidly emerging where mobile agents autonomously retrieve and process information from various anchored and mobile sources from a pervasive environment. Limitations in individual capabilities subject to prevalent physical and energy constraints in the surrounding environment and the need to enhance them, necessitate collaborative interactions amongst peer devices. They do so by dynamically establishing peer-to-peer relationships to perform complex tasks leveraging available resources either shared amongst the peers or those present in the surrounding environment. However, mobile wireless devices lack the conventional protections afforded to their wired counterparts. Most of the conventional security paradigms and protection mechanisms available in wired networks are unsuitable or inapplicable in these open, mobile, and wireless environments. This thesis presents a systematic investigation of how devices can cope with the freedom of others, and mitigate risks by taking an approach of proactive vigilance in monitoring the environment and maintaining reputations.
Optical Conveyors: A Class of Active Tractor Beams

We experimentally demonstrate a class of tractor beams created by coherently superposing coaxial Bessel beams. These optical conveyors have periodic intensity variations along their axes that act as highly effective optical traps for micrometer-scale objects. Trapped objects can be moved selectively upstream or downstream along the conveyor by appropriately changing the Bessel beams' relative phase. The same methods used to project a single optical conveyor can project arrays of independent optical conveyors, allowing bidirectional transport in three dimensions.
The Prodigal Integral

(1977). The Prodigal Integral. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 84, No. 3, pp. 162-167.
Weight of Mouse Embryos 10-18 Days After Conception, a Logarithmic Function of Embryo Age.:

The following methods were adopted in the endeavor to provide the optimum developmental conditions and to reduce the variability of the mouse embryos as far as possible. The mothers were self-colored, intense, brown-agoutis, F1 hybrids between two highly inbred, pedigreed strains, the females from the Bagg albino and the males from the Storrs-Little, characterized by pink-eyed dilute brown self-color. The albino grandmothers at conception were over ten weeks old and had not nursed young for at least three weeks; the mothers were nursed in litters that had been cut down to six at birth; they were weaned at four weeks and held in large mating boxes, not more than six to a box, until over three months old before mating was first permitted. The fathers of the embryos weighed came from the inbred line 89,-self-colored, intense, brownagouti; they were kept individually in small boxes. This type of mating gives embryos that may be called triple hybrids; they bear the maximum heterozygosity and hence show the min...
Spatiotemporal model of Kīlauea's summit magmatic system inferred from InSAR time series and geometry‐free time‐dependent source inversion

Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi Island, has a complex magmatic system including summit reservoirs and rift zones. Kinematic models of the summit reservoir have so far been limited to first-order analytical solutions with pre-determined geometry. To explore the complex geometry and kinematics of the summit reservoir, we apply a multitrack wavelet-based InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) algorithm and a novel geometry-free time-dependent modeling scheme. To map spatiotemporally distributed surface deformation signals over Kīlauea's summit, we process SAR data sets from two overlapping tracks of the Envisat satellite, including 100 images during the period 2003-2010. Following validation against Global Positioning System (GPS) data, we invert the surface deformation time series to constrain the spatiotemporal evolution of the magmatic system without any prior knowledge of the source geometry. The optimum model is characterized by a spheroidal and a tube-like zone of volume change beneath the summit and the southwest rift zone at 2-3 km depth, respectively. To reduce the model dimension, we apply a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) scheme, which allows for the identification of independent reservoirs. The first 3 PCs, explaining 99% (63.8%, 28.5%, and 6.6%, respectively) of the model, include six independent reservoirs with a complex interaction suggested by temporal analysis. The data and model presented here, in agreement with earlier studies, improve the understanding of Kīlauea's plumbing system through enhancing the knowledge of temporally variable magma supply, storage, and transport beneath the summit, and verify the link between summit magmatic activity, seismicity and rift intrusions.
Power and Global Economic Institutions

What is the relationship between states' economic power and their formal political power in multilateral economic institutions? Why do we see variation in states' formal political power across economic institutions of the same era? In this book, Ayse Kaya examines these crucial under-explored questions, drawing on multiple theoretical traditions within international relations to advance a new approach of 'adjusted power'. She explains how the economic shifts of our time, marked by the rise of Brazil, Russia, India, China and other emerging economies, have affected and will impact key multilateral economic institutions. Through detailed contemporary and historical analyses of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the G20, and the International Trade Organization, Kaya shows that the institutional setting mediates the significance of the underlying distribution of economic power across states. The book presents both case studies and key statistics.
SU-F-T-247: Collision Risks in a Modern Radiation Oncology Department: An Efficient Approach to Failure Modes and Effects Analysis

Purpose: Collisions between treatment equipment and patients are potentially catastrophic. Modern technology now commonly involves automated remote motion during imaging and treatment, yet a systematic assessment to identify and mitigate collision risks has yet to be performed. Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a method of risk assessment that has been increasingly used in healthcare, yet can be resource intensive. This work presents an efficient approach to FMEA to identify collision risks and implement practical interventions within a modern radiation therapy department. Methods: Potential collisions (e.g. failure modes) were assessed for all treatment and simulation rooms by teams consisting of physicists, therapists, and radiation oncologists. Failure modes were grouped into classes according to similar characteristics. A single group meeting was held to identify implementable interventions for the highest priority classes of failure modes. Results: A total of 60 unique failure modes were identified by 6 different teams of physicists, therapists, and radiation oncologists. Failure modes were grouped into four main classes: specific patient setups, automated equipment motion, manual equipment motion, and actions in QA or service mode. Two of these classes, unusual patient setups and automated machine motion, were identified as being high priority in terms severity of consequence and addressability by interventions. The two highest risk classes consisted of 33 failure modes (55% of the total). In a single one hour group meeting, 6 interventions were identified. Those interventions addressed 100% of the high risk classes of failure modes (55% of all failure modes identified). Conclusion: A class-based approach to FMEA was developed to efficiently identify collision risks and implement interventions in a modern radiation oncology department. Failure modes and interventions will be listed, and a comparison of this approach against traditional FMEA methods will be presented.
Small- x Asymptotics of the Quark Helicity Distribution

We construct a numerical solution of the small-x evolution equations derived in our recent work [J. High Energy Phys. 01 (2016) 072.JHEPFG1029-847910.1007/JHEP01(2016)072] for the (anti)quark transverse momentum dependent helicity TMDs and parton distribution functions (PDFs) as well as the g_{1} structure function. We focus on the case of large N_{c}, where one finds a closed set of equations. Employing the extracted intercept, we are able to predict directly from theory the behavior of the quark helicity PDFs at small x, which should have important phenomenological consequences. We also give an estimate of how much of the proton's spin carried by the quarks may be at small x and what impact this has on the spin puzzle.
From Theory to Practice: The Collaborative Model for Investing in Innovation and Energy

Innovation and Energy are likely to be two of the most attractive investment themes in the coming years. The world is moving to an increasingly technical and digital age, and the search for renewable sources of energy intensifies as the detrimental impacts of climate change increase in frequency and magnitude. There are, however, structural deficiencies with existing market mechanisms that constrain large, long-term investors from looking to invest in these areas. The ‘Collaborative Model’ has emerged as a distinct model of institutional investment management that aims to re-orientate long-term investment capital more efficiently into long-term investments such as innovative companies and energy infrastructure. The Collaborative model requires an organizational mindset shift towards the long-term and centers around the importance of institutional investors to develop their social capital. We believe this can help build organizational capacity, improve knowledge sharing and ultimately form innovative, efficient vehicles for investing into the assets. From the implementation of the Collaborative model at the University of California Office of the Chief Investment Officer of the Regents, we illustrate how beneficiary organizations can leverage their unique organizational competitive advantages for finding the most efficient access points for investments in innovation and energy. We also show that through working together, having disciplined decision-making processes and thinking innovatively, the collaborative model is not restricted just to the largest and most sophisticated institutional investors.
Networking Behavior and Sales Performance: Examining Potential Gender Differences

Although networking is generally believed to be important in sales, relatively little research has addressed the benefits of networking. The research reported here specifically examines potential differences in the benefits of networking for male and female salespeople. The results show that different forms of networking are related to sales performance, but that the impacts are different for men and women. Men benefit more from customer networking, while women benefit more from professional networking.
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as a Potential Biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease (PD)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to serve as a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the type or types of biomarker it could provide remain to be determined. At this time there is not sufficient sensitivity or specificity for MRI to serve as an early diagnostic biomarker, i.e., it is unproven in its ability to determine if a single individual is normal, has mild PD, or has some other forms of degenerative parkinsonism. However there is accumulating evidence that MRI may be useful in staging and monitoring disease progression (staging biomarker), and also possibly as a means to monitor pathophysiological aspects of disease and associated response to treatments, i.e., theranostic marker. As there are increasing numbers of manuscripts that are dedicated to diffusion- and neuromelanin-based imaging methods, this review will focus on these topics cursorily and will delve into pharmacodynamic imaging as a means to get at theranostic aspects of PD.
Interdicting layered physical and information flow networks

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the problem of interdicting layered networks that involve a physical flow network and an information flow network. There exist dependencies between these networks since components of the physical flow network are only operational should their counterparts in the information flow network receive enough demand. This leads to a network interdiction problem over these layered networks. The objective of the defender is to send the maximum amount of flow through its physical flow network. The objective of the attacker is to interdict components within the layered networks to minimize this maximum flow. For the case where the information supply arcs are uncapacitated, we apply a novel multi-step, dual-based reformulation technique. We apply this reformulation technique to two applications in order to provide policy-driven analysis: law enforcement efforts against illegal drug trafficking networks and cyber vulnerability analysis of infrastructure and supply chain networks. The com...
On Strong Shoulders Words of Wisdom from a Trailblazer

(2007). On Strong Shoulders Words of Wisdom from a Trailblazer. Math Horizons: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 26-27.
Improving Door to Groin Puncture Time for Mechanical Thrombectomy via Iterative Quality Protocol Interventions.

INTRODUCTION Delays in door to groin puncture time (DGPT) for patients with ischemic stroke caused by acute large vessel occlusions (LVO) are associated with worse clinical outcomes. We present the results of a quality improvement protocol for endovascular stroke treatment at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) that aimed to minimize DGPT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our stroke team implemented a series of quality improvement measures to decrease DGPT, with a target of 90 minutes or less. Sixty-three patients treated at our center were retrospectively divided into three groups based on the date of their intervention as a proxy for the implementation of process improvement protocols: 23 patients treated from July to December 2015, 24 patients treated from January to July 2016, and 16 patients treated from July 2016 to December 2016. Multivariate log-linear and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the predictors of prolonged DGPT and compliance with target DGPT (<90 min), respectively. RESULTS Date of intervention-a proxy for the implementation of process improvement protocols-was predictive of compliance with target DGPT. Patients treated from July 2016 to December 2016-after the full implementation of process improvements-were 3.2 times more likely to meet or exceed the target DGPT compared to patients treated from July 2015 to December 2015 (p=0.011). When adjusting for potential confounders in a multivariate analysis, patients in the final cohort were associated with shorter DGPT (Exp(B)=0.61, p=0.013) and remained significantly more likely to achieve the DGPT goal (OR=14.2, p=0.007). CONCLUSION An iterative quality improvement process can significantly improve DGPT. This analysis demonstrates the utility of a formal quality improvement system at an academic comprehensive stroke center.
Nuclear Counterproliferation Intelligence

Spying on nuclear weapons programs can be particularly challenging for the international community. A wide range of sophisticated technologies need to be employed to gather information, while analyzing complex technical programs isn’t without its own challenges. From the review of the US intelligence efforts on the Iraqi, Iranian, Syrian, and North Korean program, it is found that responses from states to apparent violations of the NPT are not always rooted in accurate intelligence analysis. Furthermore, responses are often counterproductive and embolden a state’s resolve to pursue nuclear weapons. Lastly, intelligence agencies can have distorted views of programs due to a range of political, cultural, bureaucratic, or organizational factors. This goes to demonstrate that technologies cannot reduce the reliance on sound analyses and that the ‘human-in-the-loop’ will always maintain a crucial role in the investigation of these types of programs.
Cardiac Profile of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy in Children: A Single-Institution Experience

Abstract Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells targeting CD19 for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has demonstrated significant efficacy. The principle toxicity is cytokine release syndrome with resultant hypotension. However, the spectrum of cardiovascular effects associated with CAR T cell therapy has not been systematically evaluated. We reviewed all patients who received CD19-directed CAR T cells at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia between April 2012 and September 2016. The primary endpoint was hypotension-requiring inotropic support. Secondary endpoints included echocardiographic dysfunction at discharge and 6-month follow-up. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed, and 98 encounters were included (55% male patients; mean age, 11.8 years [range, 1.7 to 27.1]); 98% had B-ALL. Before infusion 10 had cardiomyopathy and 1 had single-ventricle physiology. Primary endpoint occurred in 24 patients with mean onset 4.6 days (range, 1 to 9) after CAR T cell infusion, including 6 patients receiving milrinone. Worsened systolic function occurred in 10 patients; there were no cardiac-related deaths. Pretreatment factors associated with primary endpoint included higher pretreatment blast percentage on bone marrow biopsy (blast > 25%: odds ratio, 15.5; 95% confidence interval, 5.1 to 47.1; P 25% or pre-existing cardiac dysfunction increased the risk for hypotension-requiring inotropic support; these patients may warrant close observation.
Low-Power Quadrature Oscillator Design Using BAW Resonators

Aggressive silicon technology scaling, combined with immense unexplored MEMS potential, leads to new advancements in the field of low-power, high-performance RF-MEMS codesigned architectures. This chapter introduces the approach, theory, and design of an important block in RF transceivers: a quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator (QVCO) stabilized with bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators. A new time-varying source degeneration coupling mechanism has been used to quadrature-couple the two oscillator cores for I/Q signal generation, reducing the required headroom of the series coupling transistors. The phase accuracy of the quadrature outputs determines the image rejection capability of integrated RF front ends. To improve phase error in the presence of process mismatch, we introduce a self-calibration loop for phase control of quadrature oscillators. Design concerns like temperature stability of BAW-tuned oscillators are addressed. Side-by-side comparisons of the BAW- and LC-based oscillators are made, and assembly challenges are discussed.
Near infrared spectroscopy-guided exercise training for claudication in peripheral arterial disease.

RationaleSupervised treadmill exercise for claudication in peripheral arterial disease is effective but poorly tolerated because of ischemic leg pain. Near infrared spectroscopy allows non-invasive...
Digital Integrated Circuits: Analysis and Design

Exponential improvement in functionality and performance of digital integrated circuits has revolutionized the way we live and work. The continued scaling down of MOS transistors has broadened the scope of use for circuit technology to the point that texts on the topic are generally lacking after a few years. The second edition of Digital Integrated Circuits: Analysis and Design focuses on timeless principles with a modern interdisciplinary view that will serve integrated circuits engineers from all disciplines for years to come. Providing a revised instructional reference for engineers involved with Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit design and fabrication, this book delves into the dramatic advances in the field, including new applications and changes in the physics of operation made possible by relentless miniaturization. This book was conceived in the versatile spirit of the field to bridge a void that had existed between books on transistor electronics and those covering VLSI design and fabrication as a separate topic. Like the first edition, this volume is a crucial link for integrated circuit engineers and those studying the field, supplying the cross-disciplinary connections they require for guidance in more advanced work. For pedagogical reasons, the author uses SPICE level 1 computer simulation models but introduces BSIM models that are indispensable for VLSI design. This enables users to develop a strong and intuitive sense of device and circuit design by drawing direct connections between the hand analysis and the SPICE models. With four new chapters, more than 200 new illustrations, numerous worked examples, case studies, and support provided on a dynamic website, this text significantly expands concepts presented in the first edition.
Tree Inference: Response time in Multinomial Processing Trees, representation and uniqueness of parameters

Abstract Multinomial Processing Trees are widely used in Psychology to model probabilities of responses in classes such as correct and incorrect. Some models include an additional measure such as response time, but predictions can become complex. Here we develop testable predictions using a method traditional for response times: manipulating experimental factors that selectively influence processes. In a Multinomial Processing Tree, each vertex represents a process, such as memory retrieval. An arc descending from a vertex represents a possible process outcome; for example, success or failure. Each arc has associated with it the probability the outcome it represents will occur. We assume that also associated with each arc is the time required for the outcome to occur. A factor that changes parameter values on arcs descending from a single vertex selectively influences that vertex. Suppose each of two factors selectively influences a different vertex in a Multinomial Processing Tree. There are only two ways the two vertices can be arranged. Either there is a path from one vertex to the other, and parameters on some arc on this path are changed by a factor, or there is not. Here we consider two Multinomial Processing Trees, important representatives of the two vertex arrangements. For each we develop testable necessary and sufficient conditions. Parameter values in the Multinomial Processing Trees may not be unique. If two sets of parameter values both lead to the same predictions, the values are related by admissible transformations, which we derive along with degrees of freedom.
Autologous fat grafting in breast reconstruction: implications for follow-up and surveillance

The procedural volume of autologous fat grafting (AFG) has risen over the past several years, specifically in the setting of breast reconstruction, despite controversy surrounding its oncologic safety. While some in vitro and animal models have cast doubt on the oncologic safety of AFG, there is no clinical evidence that AFG in breast reconstruction is associated with an increased risk of cancer development or recurrence or an inability to adequately assess changes in the breast. That being said, recommendations regarding surveillance and follow-up after AFG in breast reconstruction are largely surgeon directed and differ across practices. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current literature and provide evidence-based recommendations.
Abortion in South Asia, 1860–1947: A medico-legal history

In the progression of stages toward unintended lives, the two stops on either side of abortion—contraception and infanticide—have been studied extensively by historians of South Asia. We know much less about abortion, particularly during the colonial period. Drawing upon published judgments, unpublished case records, forensic toxicology reports, and treatises on Indian medical jurisprudence, this article suggests that anti-abortion law was generally enforced in colonial India only when women died as a result of illegal abortions. This approach was contrary to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized most abortions even when the women survived. The pattern was a continuation of the pre-IPC approach in India. This article explores possible explanations for the lax enforcement of anti-abortion law in South Asia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, considering abortion as experienced by South Asian and British women alike. It proposes as contributing factors: challenges in detection, the social movement for the protection of Hindu widows, colonial anxieties about false allegations of abortion among South Asians, the common phenomenon of imperial (British) husbands and wives living apart, and physicians’ desire to protect doctor–patient confidentiality. The article focuses on two key cases involving abortion: the Whittaker-Templeton case from Hyderabad (1896–1902) in which a British woman died following an abortion; and the Parsi matrimonial case of T. v. T. from Bombay (1927), in which a Zoroastrian woman alleged that her pharmacist husband had forced her to terminate three pregnancies by ingesting drugs.
Cold war assemblages: Decolonization to digital: By Bhakti Shringarpure. New York: Routledge, 2019. 206 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0-367-19694-3: Hardback. USD 124.00

In Cold War Assemblages Bhakti Shringarpure moves from paradox to provocative paradox, mapping, stacking, decoding and recoding, to assemble an alternative history of the Cold War as read through t...
Comparative Effectiveness of Heart Rate Control Medications for the Treatment of Sepsis-Associated Atrial Fibrillation.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) with rapid ventricular response frequently complicates the management of critically ill patients with sepsis and may necessitate the initiation of medication to avoid hemodynamic compromise. However, the optimal medication to achieve rate control for AF with rapid ventricular response in sepsis is unclear. Research Question What is the comparative effectiveness of frequently used AF medications (β-blockers, calcium channel blockers, amiodarone, and digoxin) on heart rate (HR) reduction among critically ill patients with sepsis and AF with rapid ventricular response? Study Design and Methods We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study among patients with sepsis and AF with rapid ventricular response (HR > 110 beats/min). We compared the rate control effectiveness of β-blockers to calcium channel blockers, amiodarone, and digoxin using multivariate-adjusted, time-varying exposures in competing risk models (for death and addition of another AF medication), adjusting for fixed and time-varying confounders. Results Among 666 included patients, 50.6% initially received amiodarone, 10.1% received a β-blocker, 33.8% received a calcium channel blocker, and 5.6% received digoxin. The adjusted hazard ratio for HR of Interpretation In a large cohort of patients with sepsis and AF with rapid ventricular response, a β-blocker treatment strategy was associated with improved HR control at 1 h, but generally similar HR control at 6 h compared with amiodarone, calcium channel blocker, or digoxin.
Looking to the Middle of the Qualitative-Quantitative Spectrum for Integrated Mixed Methods:

Substantially advancing the study of teams will require a new research paradigm complete with methods capable of capturing the complex, dynamic process of teamwork. In this paper, we suggest studyi...