cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of home exercise programs for patients with non-specific or specific neck pain: a systematic review of the literature

Study design Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCT). Objectives To examine the effects of a therapeutic home exercise program (HEP) for patients with neck pain (associated with whiplash, non-specific, or specific neck pain, with or without radiculopathy, or cervicogenic headache) on pain, function, and disability. Our secondary aim was to describe the design, dosage, and adherence of the prescribed HEPs. Background Neck pain is a leading cause of disability that affects 22-70% of the population. Different techniques have been found effective for the treatment of neck pain. However, there is conflicting evidence to support the role of a therapeutic HEP to reduce pain, disability, and improve function and quality of life (QOL). Methods A systematic review in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement for reporting systematic reviews. The full-text review utilized the Maastricht-Amsterdam assessment tool to assess quality among RCTs. Results A total of 1927 subjects included within seven full-text articles met our specific search strategy. It was found that HEPs with a focus on strength and endurance-training exercises, as well as self- mobilization, have a positive effect when used in combination with other conservative treatments or alone. Conclusions Home exercise programs that utilize either self-mobilizations within an augmented HEP to address specific spinal levels, or strengthening, and/or endurance exercise are effective at reducing neck pain, function, and disability and improving QOL. The benefit of HEPs in combination with other conservative interventions yields some benefit with a range of effect sizes.
Biomechanics of the Human Anterior Lens Capsule

The primary function of the lens of the eye, termed accommodation, is to precisely focus light onto the retina by changing curvature and corresponding refractive power. Investigators have long sought to understand the mechanism of accommodation in terms of interactions of the constituent tissues, which recently has been aided by biomechanical modeling. Such models depend heavily on accurate measurements of tissue mechanical properties and seek to predict stresses and strains. A critical component of the accommodative apparatus is the lens capsule, a bag-like membrane that encapsulates the lens nucleus and cortex and mediates tractions imposed onto this structure by the ciliary body. In addition to this physiologic process during normalcy, the lens capsule also plays a fundamental role in cataract surgery; a procedure that involves three basic steps: a quarter of the anterior lens capsule is removed via the introduction of a continuous circular capsulorhexis (CCC), the lens is broken up and suctioned out, and an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) is placed within the remnant capsular bag. Although novel IOL designs have decreased post-surgical complications, they currently lack the important feature of accommodation. Therefore, mechanical analysis of the lens capsule will allow for an understanding of its interaction with an implant that may further assist in the design of future accommodating IOLs (AIOLs). Here, we report a novel experimental approach to study in situ the regional, multiaxial mechanical behavior of both normal and diabetic human anterior lens capsules. Furthermore, we use these data to calculate material parameters in a nonlinear stress-strain relation via a custom sub-domain inverse finite element method (FEM). These parameters are then used to predict capsular stresses in response to imposed loads using a forward FEM model.© 2008 ASME
Abstract 1656: Mouse embryonic fibroblasts null for krüppel-like factor 4 show reduced autophagy and elevated mTOR activity.

Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc-finger transcription factor named for its homology to the Drosophila protein Kruppel. KLF4 negatively regulates cell-cycle progression and, cell proliferation, and is a known tumor suppressor in certain cancers. Autophagy, or self-eating, is a process through which intracellular aggregates can be degraded and their components recycled. The role of autophagy in cancer appears to be context dependent. In pre-cancerous tissue, autophagy may serve a protective purpose, removing cytotoxic aggregates and promoting a healthy intracellular environment. In cancerous tissue, however, autophagy may allow cancer cell survival. Previous studies examining gene expression in WT (KLF4+/+) and KLF4 null (KLF4-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) revealed autophagy related gene expression to be downregulated in KLF4-/- MEFs. In order to evaluate whether KLF4 is important in autophagy, we examined microtubule associated protein-1 light chain 3 protein (LC3, a marker of autophagy) and a downstream target of mTOR (p70S6K, a marker of autophagy inhibition) in KLF4+/+ and KLF4-/- MEFs. Our results show that levels of LC3 are reduced and levels of p70S6K are elevated in both KLF4-/- MEFs and MEFs in which KLF4 has been transiently silenced. Rapamycin treatment, which inhibits mTOR activity, fails to restore autophagy in KLF4 null MEFs. Collectively, these findings suggest that KLF4 may negatively regulate mTOR activity and that KLF4 may also be necessary for induction of autophagy either downstream or entirely independent of mTOR. Citation Format: Hagos Engda, Elise DeRoo. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts null for kruppel-like factor 4 show reduced autophagy and elevated mTOR activity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1656. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1656 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.
Failure to demonstrate skin groups analogous to blood groups using human skin cultures.

SummarySkin cultures from human donors of blood Groups A and B after treatment with respective antisera showed no detectable morphologic changes under the microscope. Skin explants from donors of blood groups A or B, grown with their respective antisera as nutrients likwise showed no detectable morphologic differences from control cultures.
Extracranial aneurysms of the carotid artery. Report of seven cases.

Excision with restoration of arterial continuity has become the treatment of choice for extracranial carotid aneurysms. Three of the seven cases reported here involved the common carotid artery, and four the internal carotid artery. Technics included excision and primary repair, excision and graft, temporary external or internal shunts, and permanent bypass graft. The one patient who died had congenital absence of a portion of the circle of Willis. The other six patients recovered without neurologic sequelae.
Epidural, intrathecal, and patient-controlled analgesic use in a university medical center.

OBJECTIVE To determine the number and profile of surgical patients receiving epidural, intrathecal, and patient-controlled analgesia. DESIGN Two-month audit of epidural, intrathecal, and patient-controlled analgesia. SETTING A 300-bed, tertiary care, university medical center. PATIENTS All patients undergoing surgery and receiving epidural, intrathecal, or patient-controlled analgesia. RESULTS Of 1123 operations performed during the two-month audit, 185 patients (16 percent) received one of the three forms of analgesia studied. Sixty-three percent of the 185 patients received patient-controlled analgesia and 33 percent received epidural injections for pain control. The most common types of surgery associated with the use of these specialized pain-control techniques were obstetric/gynecologic, orthopedic, general, urologic, and cardiothoracic. CONCLUSIONS Specialized forms of analgesia are becoming increasingly common. Our audit defined the number of patients receiving such therapies according to type of surgery. Collection of such information by other institutions should allow for targeted evaluations of cost-effectiveness (e.g., drug use evaluations).
Hematoporphyrin Derivative Photochemotherapy of Experimental Bladder Tumors

AbstractRecent studies have shown that disruption of tumor blood flow is a major consequence of hematoporphyrin derivative photochemotherapy. A series of experiments was undertaken on the transplantable N-(4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl)-formamide induced urothelial tumor in Fischer 344 rats to determine a dose response for both hematoporphyrin derivative and light. Tumor blood flow was used as the biologic criteria of response. Hematoporphyrin derivative doses of 10μg./gm. body weight or above were necessary to cause a significant decrease in tumor blood flow when the tumors were illuminated with 360joules/cm.2 of noncoherent red light (>590nm.). With a constant hematoporphyrin derivative dose of 20μg./gm. body weight, significantly lower tumor blood flows were observed with fluences of 240joules/cm.2 and above.In order to correlate dose response to tumor regression, experiments were done in which tumor dry weights were determined 3 weeks after completion of photochemotherapy (360joules/cm.2). Hematopor...
WE-AB-209-02: A New Inverse Planning Framework with Principle-Based Modeling of Inter-Structural Dosimetric Tradeoffs

Purpose: Traditional radiotherapy inverse planning relies on the weighting factors to phenomenologically balance the conflicting criteria for different structures. The resulting manual trial-and-error determination of the weights has long been recognized as the most time-consuming part of treatment planning. The purpose of this work is to develop an inverse planning framework that parameterizes the inter-structural dosimetric tradeoff among with physically more meaningful quantities to simplify the search for a clinically sensible plan. Methods: A permissible dosimetric uncertainty is introduced for each of the structures to balance their conflicting dosimetric requirements. The inverse planning is then formulated as a convex feasibility problem, which aims to generate plans with acceptable dosimetric uncertainties. A sequential procedure (SP) is derived to decompose the model into three submodels to constrain the uncertainty in the planning target volume (PTV), the critical structures, and all other structures to spare, sequentially. The proposed technique is applied to plan a liver case and a head-and-neck case and compared with a conventional approach. Results: Our results show that the strategy is able to generate clinically sensible plans with little trial-and-error. In the case of liver IMRT, the fractional volumes to liver and heart above 20Gy are found to be 22% and 10%, respectively, which are 15.1% and 33.3% lower than that of the counterpart conventional plan while maintaining the same PTV coverage. The planning of the head and neck IMRT show the same level of success, with the DVHs for all organs at risk and PTV very competitive to a counterpart plan. Conclusion: A new inverse planning framework has been established. With physically more meaningful modeling of the inter-structural tradeoff, the technique enables us to substantially reduce the need for trial-and-error adjustment of the model parameters and opens new opportunities of incorporating prior knowledge to facilitate the treatment planning process.
Analog circuit for real-time optimization of constrained control

This paper proposes a fast analog circuit implementation for naturally occurring optimization problems in constrained control. This class of problems may be expressed as the feedback interconnection of static nonlinearities and a feedback gain, and has recently received significant interest. The circuit is shown to be globally convergent and stable for a large class of feedback gains which generalizes existing results to cases where the feedback gain may be asymmetric. The proposed implementation is practical and can be realized directly with passive components and operational amplifiers or with a field programmable analog array (FPAA). Examples including MATLAB and Orcad PSpice simulations are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the solution.
Ligand-Driven T Cell Receptor Selection in Celiac Disease

Recognition of antigens by T cell receptors (TCRs) underlies cellular immunity. By comparing how different TCRs recognize the key antigens associated with celiac disease, Petersen et al. (2016), in this issue of Structure, show how celiac antigen properties select immunologically distinct yet structurally and physically compatible TCRs, ultimately driving autoimmunity.
Identification and quantification of oxidized organic aerosol compounds using derivatization, liquid chromatography, and chemical ionization mass spectrometry

ABSTRACTA systematic approach for identifying and quantifying molecular components of complex organic aerosol mixtures is presented. The approach combines methods developed previously for derivatizing carbonyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, and ester functional groups, which are commonly present in oxidized organic aerosol, with liquid chromatography, UV detection, and chemical ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry. The original derivatization-spectrophotometric methods were modified for compatibility with liquid chromatography and then evaluated by analyzing a variety of standard compounds that contain one or more functional groups. Detection limits for carbonyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, and ester analysis are approximately 0.003, 0.02, 0.01, and 1 nmole, respectively. Mass spectral analysis of derivatives using isobutane and ammonia as reagent gases for chemical ionization can be used to determine compound molecular weight, and characteristic fragmentation patterns provide structural information for use in compound id...
Automated classification of extremist Twitter accounts using content-based and network-based features

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a extremist militant group in the Middle East known to employ social media for propaganda and recruiting purposes. In particular, the social media website Twitter is well known to be exploited by ISIS supporters. To this end, we devise an effective and scalable classification scheme to filter out ISIS propaganda accounts from the rest of the Twitter accounts covering the general population in specific geographic regions. We take a data-driven approach to train and test a classifier using a combination of both content-based and network-based features on a large-scale dataset consisting of 10% random sample of all public Twitter posts in 2014. Such a dataset contains a total of 4,820 confirmed ISIS propaganda accounts and a large collection of general user accounts originated in nearby Egypt and Saudi Arabia regions. We show that high precision and specificity is obtained with the proposed classifier through cross-validation. In addition, we demonstrate that the use of network-based features derived from the Twitter @mention network is crucial on accurte classification of ISIS propaganda accounts.
Correlates of overweight and obesity in 5529 adolescents with type 1 diabetes: The T1D Exchange Clinic Registry

Aims To describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and to examine the associations among socio-demographic, clinical, and self-management factors by weight status.
Multilateral Contracts in Information Security Outsourcing

Coordinating the efforts of contractual parties in information security outsourcing is challenging given that a managed security service provider (MSSP) and its contractual partners cannot perfectly observe or verify each other's investment. This study examines the use of multilateral contracts in addressing the double moral hazard problem for managed security services. We present a comprehensive investigation of multilateral contracts, and analyze the influence of externalities and breach probabilities on contingent payments. The results show that a normalized externality, the ratio between a firm's externality and its investment efficiency, dictates the levels of contingent payments in multilateral contracts. We further demonstrate the flexibility of designing multilateral contracts, and discuss three contract types: the equal-refund contract, the externality contract, and the risk-free contract. Each contract type brings different benefits to the contractual parties and can be chosen based on their security management preferences. At last, we show how to extend these contract types when the number of firms increases.
Chapter 21 – Gene therapy

During the last 10 years, gene therapy for brain tumors has known peaks and valleys. The first attempts to induce therapeutic effect, using retrovirus to transduce the HSV-TK gene and adenovirus to transfer wild-type p53 cDNA, failed significantly to improve the survival of the patients. In both cases, the failure was attributed to vector deficiencies, also termed the ‘vector gap’. To address the problem of delivery, investigators have moved from replication-deficient vectors to replication-competent, tumor-selective viruses. These viruses are currently being tested in the clinical setting. In this review, we discuss the progress made with herpes simplex viruses (G207), reoviruses that naturally target Ras pathways, adenoviruses targeted to the p53 pathway (ONYX-015), and third-generation adenovirus targeted to the Rb pathway (Delta-24-RGD). Because cancer frequently requires multiple therapies for curative effect, we also comment on the combination of oncolytic viruses with conventional therapies. Specifically, we mention the combined used of oncolytic viruses and chemotherapy as well as the potential manipulation of the DNA repair machinery to enhance virus replication, virus potency, and antiglioma effect. In the future, oncolytic viruses will be administered to patients in combination with other biological agents such as antibodies and cancer vaccines.
P033 Cryopreserved donor cell crossmatches: Can we believe the results?

Aim In order to facilitate rapid turnaround, exchange programs such as the NKR require preliminary flow cytometric crossmatching (FCXM) using frozen cells. However, we’ve found that questionable FCXM results occur more often with frozen cells compared to results obtained with fresh donor lymphocytes. In this study, we investigated the frequency of such discrepant results. We compared 17 donor/recipient pairs who were crossmatched using both frozen and fresh donor cells. Methods Fresh lymphocytes were isolated using EasySep™ (StemCell Technologies). Frozen cells were thawed following a validated protocol (ASHI Laboratory Manual). All cells were treated with pronase. FCXM were performed using a rapid protocol (Liwski, et al., H.I. 72, 2011). In all cases, a screening FCXM was performed with frozen cells and a final FCXM was performed with fresh donor cells. For final FCXM, one specimen tested in the initial screening FCXM was included. Donor specific antibodies (DSA) were analyzed using multiple solid phase platforms. Results Six out of the 17 FCXM comparisons were discrepant. Among the discrepant FCXM, 4/6 were T & B cell positive using frozen cells and negative using fresh cells; 1/6 had elevated, but within negative range, MCS using frozen cells and clearly negative MCS ( Conclusions The problem with unreliable frozen cell crossmatches is that false positive results can lead to unnecessary donor denial and false negative results can bring about last minute exchange failure. When a recipient clearly has no DSA, a positive FCXM using frozen cells is not typically problematic and most often a repeat FCXM using fresh cells is negative. On the other hand, for patients with DSA, the intent of an exploratory FCXM with frozen cells is to rapidly evaluate whether or not DSA strength is at an acceptable level. However, in order to be clinically informative, it is important that FCXM results using frozen cells correlate with fresh cells. Download : Download high-res image (279KB) Download : Download full-size image
Black Counter-Gazes in a White Room

The author teaches philosophy, a discipline that is dominated by whiteness at a university that is also overwhelmingly white. In his courses, he calls into question both the way in which good philosophy is allegedly the kind of philosophy that is done from a neutral, universalizable perspective as if we were simply thinking things without bodies and the ability of philosophy’s whiteness to pass as both normative and hidden. Classrooms are too often sites in which people of color, Black persons specifically, remain trapped under the white gaze, which is both the lens and action through which whites view Black persons. It filters that view so that the default way of seeing Black persons is as ignorant or threatening. The stories below describe situations in which this gaze is projected back onto white subjectivity, rendering it into crisis.
Palladium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Conjugated Allenynes via Decarboxylative Coupling

A new strategy to access conjugated allenynes via a decarboxylative coupling of propargyl esters of propiolates has been developed. In this process, allenyl-palladium intermediates are coupled with acetylides that are generated in situ to form the conjugated allenynes. Finally, the coupling is demonstrated to be highly stereospecific, providing a route to enantioenriched allenes.
Cross-Border Spillovers from Mutual Fund Activity (Presentation Slides)

Presentation with emphasis on the potential role of mutual funds in international contagion through financial markets.
Revealing Accessibility of Cryptic Protein Binding Sites within the Functional Collagen Fibril

Fibrillar collagens are the most abundant proteins in the extracellular matrix. Not only do they provide structural integrity to all of the connective tissues in the human body, but also their interactions with multiple cell receptors and other matrix molecules are essential to cell functions, such as growth, repair, and cell adhesion. Although specific binding sequences of several receptors have been determined along the collagen monomer, processes by which collagen binding partners recognize their binding sites in the collagen fibril, and the critical driving interactions, are poorly understood. The complex molecular assembly of bundled triple helices within the collagen fibril makes essential ligand binding sites cryptic or hidden from the molecular surface. Yet, critical biological processes that require collagen ligands to have access to interaction sites still occur. In this contribution, we will discuss the molecular packing of the collagen I fibril from the perspective of how collagen ligands access their known binding regions within the fibril, and we will present our analysis of binding site accessibility from the fibril surface. Understanding the basis of these interactions at the atomic level sets the stage for developing drug targets against debilitating collagen diseases and using collagen as drug delivery systems and new biomaterials.
Towards the development of training tools for face recognition

Distinctiveness plays an important role in face recognition, i.e., a distinctive face is usually easier to remember than a typical face. This distinctiveness effect explains why caricatures are recognized faster and more accurately than unexaggerated (i.e., veridical) faces. Furthermore, using caricatures during training can facilitate recognition of a person’s face at a later time. The objective of this dissertation is to determine the extent to which photorealistic computer-generated caricatures may be used in training tools to improve recognition of faces by humans. To pursue this objective, we developed a caricaturization procedure for three-dimensional (3D) face models, and characterized face recognition performance through a series of perceptual studies. The first study tested whether exposure to caricatures during an initial familiarization phase would aid in the recognition of their veridical counterparts at a later time. Results indicate that people are more accurate at recognizing unaltered faces if they are first familiarized with caricatures of the faces, rather than with the unaltered faces. In the second study, we sought to determine the extent to which familiarization with caricaturized faces could also be used to reduce other-race effects. Caucasian participants were first familiarized with faces from multiple races, and then asked to recognize those faces among a set of confounders. Participants who were familiarized with and then asked to recognize veridical versions of the faces showed a significant other-race effect on Indian faces. In contrast, participants who were familiarized with caricaturized versions of the same faces, and then asked to recognize their veridical versions, showed no other-race effects on Indian faces. The final experiment sought to determine whether 3D reconstructions from 2D frontal images could be used for the same purpose. Participants who were familiarized with reconstructed faces and then asked to recognize the ground truth versions of the faces showed a significant reduction in performance. In addition, participants who were familiarized with caricatures of reconstructed versions, and then asked to recognize their corresponding ground truth versions, showed a larger reduction in performance. These results are critical for the development of training tools based on computer-generated photorealistic caricatures from “mug shot” images.
Advanced Sulfur-Silicon Full Cell Architecture for Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are crucial to the future of energy storage. However, the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries is insufficient for future applications. Sulfur cathodes and silicon anodes have garnered a lot of attention in the field due their high capacity potential. Although recent developments in sulfur and silicon electrodes show exciting results in half cell formats, neither electrode can act as a lithium source when put together into a full cell format. Current methods toward incorporating lithium in sulfur-silicon full cells involves prelithiating silicon or using lithium sulfide. These methods however, complicate material processing and creates safety hazards. Herein, we present a novel full cell battery architecture that bypasses the issues associated with current methods. This battery architecture gradually integrates controlled amounts of pure lithium into the system by allowing lithium the access to external circuit. A high specific energy density of 350 Wh/kg after 250 cycles at C/10 was achieved using this method. This work should pave the way for future researches into sulfur-silicon full cells.
Regulation der Genexpression bei Eukaryonten

Wir wissen viel uber die Regulation der Genexpression bei Prokaryonten, aber relativ wenig daruber bei Eukaryonten. Wie wir sehen werden, ist das Operonsystem der Genregulation bei Eukaryonten nicht anwendbar. Eukaryonten sind bezuglich der Organisation ihrer Zellen komplexer gebaut als Prokaryonten. Ihre Zellen sind durch viele Membransysteme in Kompartimente unterteilt. Von besonderem Interesse ist der Zellkern, der die Hauptmasse des genetischen Materials enthalt. Diese Kompartimentierung hat Folgen fur die Regulation der Genexpression. Wir wollen im folgenden die Wirkorte zusammenfassen, an denen Regulation eingreifen kann oder konnte, um die Enzymsynthese in tierischen Zellen zu kontrollieren.
Detection of under deposit corrosion in a CO2 environment by using electrochemical noise and recurrence quantification analysis

Abstract In this study, the corrosion of carbon steel immersed in CO2 saturated aqueous solutions, in the presence and absence of sand deposits, were investigated by electrochemical noise measurement and recurrence quantification analysis. Uniform corrosion occurred at samples without sand deposit, while localized corrosion took place at the sand-covered steel samples. These two different corrosion types can be accurately predicted by random forest and principal component models based on recurrence quantification analysis of either electrochemical potential or current noise data, regardless of threshold values. The study provides a potential automated online corrosion monitoring scheme to ensure the integrity of pipelines.
Factors affecting the number and type of student research products for chemistry and physics students at primarily undergraduate institutions: A case study.

For undergraduate students, involvement in authentic research represents scholarship that is consistent with disciplinary quality standards and provides an integrative learning experience. In conjunction with performing research, the communication of the results via presentations or publications is a measure of the level of scientific engagement. The empirical study presented here uses generalized linear mixed models with hierarchical bootstrapping to examine the factors that impact the means of dissemination of undergraduate research results. Focusing on the research experiences in physics and chemistry of undergraduates at four Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) from 2004–2013, statistical analysis indicates that the gender of the student does not impact the number and type of research products. However, in chemistry, the rank of the faculty advisor and the venue of the presentation do impact the number of research products by undergraduate student, whereas in physics, gender match between student and advisor has an effect on the number of undergraduate research products. This study provides a baseline for future studies of discipline-based bibliometrics and factors that affect the number of research products of undergraduate students.
Management of Subdural Hematomas: Part II. Surgical Management of Subdural Hematomas.

Management of patients with subdural hematomas starts with Emergency Neurological Life Support guidelines. Patients with acute or chronic subdural hematomas (SDHs) associated with rapidly deteriorating neurologic exam, unilaterally or bilaterally dilated nonreactive pupils, and extensor posturing are considered imminently surgical; likewise, SDHs more than 10 mm in size or those associated with more than 5-mm midline shift are deemed operative. While twist drill craniostomy and placement of subdural evacuating vport system (SEPS) are quick, bedside procedures completed under local anesthesia and appropriate for patients with chronic SDH or patients that cannot tolerate anesthesia, these techniques are not optimal for patients with acute SDH or chronic SDH with septations. Burr hole SDH evacuation under conscious sedation or general anesthesia is an analogous technique; however, it requires basic surgical equipment and operating room staff, with a focus on a closed system with burr hole followed by rapid drain placement to avoid introduction of air into the subdural space, or multiple burr holes with extensive irrigation to reduce pneumocephalus and continue SDH evacuation via drain for several days. Acute SDH associated with significant mass effect and cerebral edema requires aggressive decompression via craniotomy with clot evacuation and frequently a craniectomy. Chronic SDHs that fail conservative management and progress clinically or radiographically are addressed with craniotomy with or without membranectomy. Surgical SDH management is variable depending on its characteristics and etiology, patient’s functional status, comorbidities, goals of care, institutional preferences, and availability of specialized surgical equipment and adjunct therapies. Rapid access to surgical suites and trained staff to address surgical hemorrhages in a timely manner, with appropriate post-operative care by a specialized team including neurosurgeons and neurointensivists, is of paramount importance for successful patient outcomes. Here, we review various aspects of surgical SDH management.
Medical Uses of Acoustical Holography

Early investigation of the potential of acoustical holography as a new modality for soft tissue diagnosis has suggested a number of possible medical applications. At the same time this work has revealed a lack of basic understanding of ultrasonics and soft tissue interactive effects using through transmission imaging.
What the Practitioner Knows Versus What the Client is Told

This article revisits the question, pursued in an interchange between Thomas (1978) and Gambrill and Barth (1980), on whether conflicts exist between service goals and research goals in the use of single-system experimental designs (SSDs) for practice evaluation. The authors approach the issue through an analysis of how informed consent is handled in one widely used textbook promoting the SSD model of practice evaluation. They argue that the text’s suggestions for what to tell the client about reasons for using SSDs ignore knowledge acquisition goals emphasized elsewhere in the text, thus obscuring possible conflicts between the needs of the client and the requirements of SSD methodology. These failures of informed consent reveal largely neglected conflicts between practice and evaluation goals within the SSD model commonly taught to social work students.
Evaluation of Ready, Set, BABY: A prenatal breastfeeding education and counseling approach.

BACKGROUND Comprehensive prenatal education on infant feeding is recommended by many United States health organizations because of the need to maximize maternal preparedness for managing lactation physiology. Ready, Set, BABY (RSB) is a curriculum developed for counseling women about breastfeeding benefits and management including education on optimal maternity care practices. We hypothesized that RSB would be acceptable to mothers and that mothers' strength of breastfeeding intentions would increase, and their comfort with the idea of formula feeding would decrease after educational counseling using the materials. We also hypothesized that mothers' knowledge of optimal maternity care practices would increase after participation. METHODS Materials were sent to a total of seven sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. Local health care practitioners completed training before counseling mothers with the curriculum. A pre- and postintervention questionnaire was administered to participants. Statistical analysis of results included paired t tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and McNemar's tests. RESULTS Four hundred and sixteen expectant women participated. In the pre- and postintervention comparison, maternal participation in RSB significantly improved Infant Feeding Intentions Scale scores (P < 0.001) and knowledge of Baby-Friendly recommended maternity care practices (P < 0.001), while significantly decreasing comfort with the idea of formula feeding (P < 0.001). The education materials were positively rated by participants. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that the approach of using RSB in prenatal counseling group classes or individual sessions improves breastfeeding intentions. Future testing is needed to determine the effectiveness of the materials for impacting breastfeeding outcomes.
The scratch collapse test: A systematic review

The diagnosis of nerve compression relies on collecting diagnostic clues from the history, physical examination, imaging and diagnostic testing. There are several provocative tests to aid in the diagnosis of nerve compression. The 'Scratch Collapse Test' (SCT) has emerged as a new provocative test to assist in the localisation of peripheral nerve compression. This study aims to perform a systematic review of literature to assess the data on the reliability of the SCT as a diagnostic test for entrapment neuropathy. Ten articles were reviewed. Five articles had sufficient numerical data for analysis, and in these five articles, the positive predictive values and specificity were high, i.e. between 0.71 and 0.99 and 0.6 and 0.99, respectively, whereas other values were very variable, i.e. individual negative predictive values ranged from 0.15 to 0.92 and the sensitivity values ranged from 0.24 to 0.77. Another main finding was the versatility of the test in that it can be used for various nerve entrapments and to localise the exact level of compression. Literature suggests that SCT has potential to be used as a clinical diagnostic tool for entrapment neuropathy. However, wide variations in early literature suggest that SCT should not be used as a sole diagnostic tool but as an adjunct to a surgeon's diagnostic repertoire.
An Analog Technique to Improve Storm Wind Speed Prediction Using a Dual NWP Model Approach

AbstractThis study presents a new implementation of the analog ensemble method (AnEn) to improve the prediction of wind speed for 146 storms that have impacted the northeast United States in the pe...
Association of Back Pain with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Older Women: a Cohort Study

The impact of back pain on disability in older women is well-understood, but the influence of back pain on mortality is unclear. To examine whether back pain was associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older women and mediation of this association by disability. Prospective cohort study. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Women aged 65 or older. Our primary outcome, time to death, was assessed using all-cause and cause-specific adjusted Cox models. We used a four-category back pain exposure (no back pain, non-persistent, infrequent persistent, or frequent persistent back pain) that combined back pain frequency and persistence across baseline (1986–1988) and first follow-up (1989–1990) interviews. Disability measures (limitations of instrumental activities of daily living [IADL], slow chair stand time, and slow walking speed) from 1991 were considered a priori potential mediators. Of 8321 women (mean age 71.5, SD = 5.1), 4975 (56%) died over a median follow-up of 14.1 years. A higher proportion of women with frequent persistent back pain died (65.8%) than those with no back pain (53.5%). In the fully adjusted model, women with frequent persistent back pain had higher hazard of all-cause (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.24 [95% CI, 1.11–1.39]), cardiovascular (HR = 1.34 [CI, 1.12–1.62]), and cancer (HR = 1.33, [CI 1.03–1.71]) mortality. No association with mortality was observed for other back pain categories. In mediation analyses, IADL limitations explained 47% of the effect of persistent frequent back pain on all-cause mortality, slow chair stand time, and walking speed, explained 27% and 24% (all significant, p < 0.001), respectively. Only white women were included. Frequent persistent back pain was associated with increased mortality in older women. Much of this association was mediated by disability.
Left atrial pressure is associated with iatrogenic atrial septal defect after mitral valve clip.

Objectives Mitral valve (MV) clip procedure requires interatrial trans-septal puncture to access the left atrium (LA). Iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) is not uncommon and may remain for a while. However, haemodynamic and echocardiographic determinants of persistent iASD are not well investigated. We sought to find haemodynamic and echocardiographic determinants of iASD after MV clip. Methods A total of 131 patients with grades 3 to 4+ mitral regurgitation who underwent MitraClip and completed invasive haemodynamic measurement, baseline, 1 month and approximately 12 months of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) follow-up were retrospectively reviewed. Results TTE at 1 month showed persistent iASD in 57% (1M-iASD). Mean LA pressure after clip was significantly higher in patients with 1M-iASD than patients without 1M-iASD (17±6 mm Hg vs 15±5 mm Hg, p=0.01). Among patients with 1M-iASD, 24 patients (35%) had persistent iASD at 12 months (12M-iASD). Mean LA pressure after clip was significantly higher in patients with 12M-iASD than patients without 12M-iASD (19±6 mm Hg vs 16±6 mm Hg, p=0.04). Patients with 12M-iASD did not significantly differ from patients without 12M-iASD in terms of right heart enlargement, estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure, New York Heart Association functional class and brain natriuretic peptide at 12 months. Logistic regression analysis, however, showed that mean LA pressure after clip was significantly associated with persistent iASD at 12 months in patients with 1M-iASD even after adjustment for cardiac index after clip and the prevalence of mitral regurgitation ≥3+ at 12 months (OR 1.10 per 1 mm Hg, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.21, p=0.04). Conclusions Elevated LA pressure after MV clip was associated with persistent iASD.
Liquid-Phase Synthesis of Oligonucleotides

This review will summarize recent progress of liquid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis and also briefly introduce the challenge to develop a process that applies our original liquid-phase synthesis technology for practical use.
A Quality and Lean Foundation for "Cancer's Newest Miracle Cure"

Analysis of Problem CAR T Cell Therapy Logic Model for Program Design Methodology A quality and lean strategy approach was utilized in program design. The assembly of working group, core operations teams and executive committees for the advancement of program goals and barrier removal was utilized in creation and implementation of the CAR T Cell Therapy Program. Use of full life cycle of service perspective in the decision-making process prompted utilization of all involved members working together at the top of their license. Waste identification occurred at the point of design requirements and features; allowing a process to be created that minimizes waste and reduces risk of process defects. Key tools were utilized to support the planning and implementation process; these included the use of: a Logic Model, Project Timeline, Process Maps, Standard Operating Procedures, Risk Assessment and Dashboard. The dashboard evaluated process, satisfaction and outcomes measure for program creation and continuous process improvement opportunities. CAR T Cell Therapy Program Design Methodology Recommendation and Design Details Through evaluation of primary and support service 5 primary process maps were completed along with 12 sub processes being mapped. Risk was assessed utilizing hazard vulnerability assessment tools, in correlation with identified processes. Risks were identified to allow for preparedness of multidisciplinary cross functional responses. A dashboard was created to track process measures for achieving vendor certification, patient readiness, and patient service volume predication during the program design phase. The full dashboard measures process, satisfaction and the outcomes. Follow up Implementation occurred using communication, implementation and project timeline planning. Sustainment and handoff with continuous improvement cycles occurs with the utilization of process maps with the whole team providing comment regarding Plus/ Delta review, resolutions, and escalation of identified barriers or process defects. Process waste and defect analysis are completed with the use of dashboard, risk assessment and process map guided facilitation.
‘Connecting the unconnected’: a critical assessment of US satellite Internet services:

An estimated 4 billion people worldwide still lack reliable access to the Internet, with the majority concentrated in developing countries. It is within this context that a significant expansion of...
Development of a Nonradioactive Platelet Serotonin Uptake and Release Assay by Micro-Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry Using Minimal Blood Volume.

OBJECTIVES Analysis of platelet functional responses to stimuli is presently quite limited with respect to measurement of dense granule secretion. We sought to develop a nonradioactive assay of stimulated serotonin release using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). METHODS Citrated whole blood (200 μL) was incubated with deuterated serotonin (d45-HT). Following uptake by platelets, blood was diluted 10-fold and aliquots were incubated with platelet stimuli. Following stimulation, blood was further diluted, centrifuged, and supernatant was assayed for released d45-HT by micro-LC-MS/MS. RESULTS This study demonstrated a broad linear range of 50 to 2,000 pg/mL d45-HT, with a total precision of less than 15.0% coefficient of variation at all quality control levels and a limit of quantitation of 50 pg/mL. CONCLUSIONS Quantification of d45-HT by micro-LC-MS/MS assay offers a highly sensitive, nonradioactive methodology for quantitating platelet serotonin uptake and dense granule secretion, requiring only small volumes of patient blood.
Nonperturbative renormalization of staple-shaped Wilson line operators in lattice QCD

Quark bilinear operators with staple-shaped Wilson lines are used to study transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMDPDFs) from lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Here, the renormalization factors for the isovector operators, including all mixings between operators with different Dirac structures, are computed nonperturbatively in the regularization-independent momentum subtraction scheme for the first time. This study is undertaken in quenched QCD with three different lattice spacings. With Wilson flow applied to the gauge fields in the calculations, the operator mixing pattern due to chiral symmetry breaking with the lattice regularization is found to be significantly different from that predicted by one-loop lattice perturbation theory calculations. These results constitute a critical step toward the systematic extraction of TMDPDFs from lattice QCD.
Small Bowel Diverticulosis: Pathogenesis, Clinical Management, and New Concepts.

Small bowel diverticulosis is a well-known clinical entity whose diagnosis and management has evolved in recent years. This review covers pathophysiology, incidence, and prevalence, and it also provides an update on modern diagnosis and management. Meckel’s diverticula are covered elsewhere in this volume. CT scan and MRI have largely supplanted barium follow-through for diagnosis. No intervention is needed in asymptomatic individuals. Endoscopic management is playing an increasing role for both bleeding and resection of intraduodenal diverticula, but surgical intervention remains the only definitive intervention for other complications like diverticulitis and small bowel obstruction. Small bowel diverticulosis is an uncommon condition which is associated with numerous possible complications. While endoscopy is playing an increasingly large role in management, surgical resection remains the treatment of choice for most complications. A high index of suspicion is needed in order to diagnose this entity.
Lower Limb Joint Kinetics During Walking in Middle-Aged Runners With Low or High Lifetime Running Exposure.

Aging is associated with a distal-to-proximal shift in joint kinetics during walking. This plasticity of gait is amplified rather than attenuated in old adults with high physical capacity. Because running is associated with greater kinetic demands at the ankle, older individuals with more versus less lifetime running exposure may retain a larger proportion of their ankle kinetics. The purpose of the study was to compare lower-extremity joint kinetics during walking between middle-aged runners with high and low lifetime running exposure. Eighteen middle-aged runners (9 per group) participated. Joint kinetics were calculated from kinematic and ground reaction force data during overground walking at 1.3 m·s-1 and compared between groups. High exposure runners produced 50% greater positive hip work (P = .03; Cohen d = 1.02) during walking compared with low exposure runners, but ankle kinetics were not different between groups. No other differences in joint kinetics or kinematics were observed between groups. These findings suggest that the age-related increase in hip joint kinetics during walking could be a compensatory gait strategy that is not attenuated by lifetime running exposure alone. Finally, the amount of lifetime running exposure did not affect ankle kinetics during walking in middle-aged runners.