cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of Ranolazine in the Prevention and Treatment of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Objective: To determine the evidence for use of ranolazine for treatment and prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Data Sources: A literature search of MEDLINE (1946 to January 2014) was conducted, using the search terms ranolazine, atrial fibrillation, and cardiac surgery. A search of reference citations was conducted to identify additional references. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Clinical trials investigating the use of ranolazine for POAF were included in the review. Data Synthesis: Three clinical trials were reviewed; 2 trials, 1 retrospective and 1 prospective, compared ranolazine with amiodarone or usual care for prevention of POAF and demonstrated a significant decrease in the incidence of POAF without increasing the incidence of postoperative complications. A third prospective trial used ranolazine in combination with amiodarone for the treatment of POAF and demonstrated a significant reduction in the time required to convert patient...
Rhythm in the Greenland glacial anticyclone

The German and the British Greenland expeditions of 1930–31 gave to the world the first continuous records of meteorological conditions within the cold interior region of the Greenland glacial anticyclone [see 1 of “References” at end of paper]. Of the two expeditions the former was much the more important, for the reason that its station was manned by experienced and very competent meteorologists who were provided with some aerological equipment, and it was in operation [2] continuously for slightly more than a year (August 1, 1930, to August 8, 1931).
Comparison of product failure rate to the component soft error rates in a multi-core digital signal processor

The paper presents an approach to characterize soft error rates (SER) for an advanced 0.13 /spl mu/m, multi-core, voice-over-packet digital signal processor (DSP) system in accelerated alpha-particle and neutron environments. In both cases, we observed a close correlation when we compared the SER data of the DSP product memory to the stand-alone SRAM test chip SER data. Our embedded memory SER data is independent of frequency and memory block size, indicating that cell SER is the dominant component of the memory SER. We highlight the importance of the logic SER contribution to the overall chip-level SER. We also discovered a strong data state dependence for latches in the alpha environment, but not in the neutron environment. This discovery illustrates the nature of charge collection processes in these two environments, and lays the foundation for modeling logic SER. We characterized the failure rate of the DSP as it ran a representative end user application, allowing validation of the standard component SER testing methods.
Reanalysis of refractive growth in pediatric pseudophakia and aphakia

Background The current model of refractive growth in children (RRG2) is calculated as the slope of aphakic refraction at the spectacle plane versus the logarithm of adjusted age. However, this model fails in infants because of the optical effect of vertex distance of a spectacle lens on the effective power at the cornea. In this study, we developed a new model of refractive growth (RRG3) that eliminates the optical effect of vertex distance on the RRG2 model. Methods We calculated RRG3 values for pseudophakic and aphakic eyes previously analyzed for RRG2. Inclusion criteria were age ≤10 years at the time of cataract surgery and follow-up time between measured refractions of at least 3.6 years and at least the age at first refraction plus 0.6 years. For both pseudophakic and aphakic eyes, we compared RRG3 values in children who had cataract surgery before age 6 months with those in children aged 6 months or older. Results A total of 78 pseudophakic and 70 aphakic eyes met the inclusion criteria. Ages at surgery ranged from 0.25 to 9 years, with a 9.5-year mean follow-up time. The mean RRG3 value was not significantly different between the surgical age groups for both pseudophakic eyes ( P = 0.053) and aphakic eyes ( P = 0.59). Conclusions The RRG3 values were not significantly different between the surgical age groups for both pseudophakic and aphakic eyes. Consequently, RRG3 is theoretically applicable even in the small eyes of infants having surgery before 6 months of age.
Salivary biomarker development using genomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches

The use of saliva as a diagnostic sample provides a non-invasive, cost-efficient method of sample collection for disease screening without the need for highly trained professionals. Saliva collection is far more practical and safe compared with invasive methods of sample collection, because of the infection risk from contaminated needles during, for example, blood sampling. Furthermore, the use of saliva could increase the availability of accurate diagnostics for remote and impoverished regions. However, the development of salivary diagnostics has required technical innovation to allow stabilization and detection of analytes in the complex molecular mixture that is saliva. The recent development of cost-effective room temperature analyte stabilization methods, nucleic acid pre-amplification techniques and direct saliva transcriptomic analysis have allowed accurate detection and quantification of transcripts found in saliva. Novel protein stabilization methods have also facilitated improved proteomic analyses. Although candidate biomarkers have been discovered using epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches, transcriptomic analyses have so far achieved the most progress in terms of sensitivity and specificity, and progress towards clinical implementation. Here, we review recent developments in salivary diagnostics that have been accomplished using genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches.
Digital manufacturing market: a semantic web-based framework for agile supply chain deployment

Manufacturing Market is a market in which manufacturing process capacity is the object of trade. In a market, units of capacity, represented as manufacturing services, can be acquired as needed and when needed, thus making supply chains more responsive to fluctuations in supply and demand. Although Manufacturing Market can be built physically as a spot market, its benefits can be better realized in a web-based framework. We refer to the web-based version of Manufacturing Market as Digital Manufacturing Market (DMM). The major challenges in deployment of a virtual market for manufacturing services include standard representation of manufacturing needs and capabilities, incorporation of intelligent supplier search and evaluation mechanism, and automation of supply chain configuration process. This paper introduces DMM through its major components including a multi-agent framework, a formal ontology for representation of manufacturing services as well as a matchmaking methodology used for connecting buyers and sellers of manufacturing services based on their semantic similarities. The ultimate goal of the proposed framework is to enable autonomous deployment of manufacturing supply chains based on the specific technological requirements defined by particular work orders.
Ethno-Religiosity in Orthodox Christianity: A Source of Solidarity & Multiculturalism in American Society

This study will analyze the processes of community organization implemented by Eastern Orthodox Christian ethno-religious groups, and Greek Orthodox Christian communities in particular, to establish themselves in American civil society. It will be argued that the symbiotic relationship formed between ethnicity and religion in this tradition, as well as the democratized grassroots mode of community organization that American civil society fosters, contributes to a strong sense of belonging amongst members of the ethno-religious Orthodox Christian congregations. In turn, this sense of belonging has produced a multi-layered mechanism for solidarity-building in these communities. It will then be suggested that in addition to contributing to America’s religious diversity, the preservation of ethno-linguistic heritage by the various Orthodox Christian churches simultaneously contributes to America’s poly-ethnicity and linguistic diversity as well. Last, it will be argued that the continued survival of ethno-religiosity in American Orthodoxy can either lead to further isolation amongst the separate ethnic congregations, or it can alternatively open avenues for the cultivation of a form of Orthodox Christian multiculturalism that supports neither homogeneity nor isolationism.
Chronic Rhinosinusitis: More Than Just “Asthma of the Upper Airway”

Traditionally, rhinosinusitis (RS) was divided into three distinct conditions according to duration, with chronic RS (CRS) defined as disease present for longer than 12 weeks. In addition, whereas acute and subacute sinusitis were defined as infectious processes driven by pyogenic organisms such as Streptococcus, Haemophilus, and Moraxella, CRS was contrasted by the presence of anaerobic, gram-negative, and Staphylococcus infections. Although more acute forms of RS are still primarily considered to be infectious diseases (although now they are most commonly recognized as being caused by respiratory viruses), there has been a comprehensive rethinking of the role of infection in the pathogenesis of CRS. Although bacteria are present and influential in exacerbating the presence and severity of sinus inflammation, CRS is no longer considered to be primarily an infectious disease but, instead, is a disease of chronic, endogenously driven inflammation. What has been enigmatic, however, is the nature of that inflammation.
User experience and accessibility: an analysis of county web portals

Website usability reinforces trust in e-government, but at the local level, e-government tends to have usability and accessibility problems. Web portals should be usable, accessible, well coded, and mobile-device-ready. This study applies usability heuristics and automated analyses to assess a state-wide population of county web portals and examines whether population, per capita income, or median household income are related to usability, accessibility, and coding practices. To assess usability, we applied a 14-point usability heuristic to each site's homepage. To study accessibility and coding, we examined each homepage with an accessibility checker and with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) HTML validator. We also examined the HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) of each site to check for mobile-device readiness and to better understand coding problems the automated tools identified. This study found that portal adoption is associated with each of the demographics above and that accessibility has a weak inverse relationship to per-capita income. Many of the sites we examined met some basic usability standards, but few met all the standards used, and most sites did not pass a basic accessibility analysis. About 58% of the counties we examined used a centralized county web portal (not including county commission sites), which is better than a 2006 study that found a 56% portal adoption at the national level. Resulting recommendations include best-practice suggestions for design and for using automated tools to identify problems, as well as a call to usability professionals to aid in county web portal development.
The Politics of Female Reproductive Rights in Democratic Transitions: Advances and Setbacks in the Pursuit of Female Reproductive Rights in Mexico

Democratizing processes in Latin America are giving way to new citizen demands. As the political process opens, more actors find access to the public sphere. This paper analyzes the growing demands for female reproductive rights in Mexico, a pending issue in policy processes. Through a comparative analysis, the paper takes on the issue of reproductive rights across states in the federal entity. The case of Mexico stands out in Latin America as there is wide variation in policymaking around this issue. Despite social demands and liberalized international standards, there is an uneven outcome in the regulation of female reproductive rights across states, resulting in varying degrees of liberalization and enforcement of policies. The lack of uniformity in moral policy leads to a detriment in the lives of many women and has important implications for the redefinition of citizenship and gender across Latin America. The varying degrees of enforcement also have important implications for expressions and the exercise of sexuality rights. This paper explores the policy process asking: Why is there such a variation in policymaking? What are some of the conditions present in liberalization contexts that are lacking in those with more stringent policies? Could enhancing representation alleviate some of the problems women face in more closed environments? This paper explores the new challenges for women in democratizing contexts, as a new set of policies affect the social construction of gender roles.
Identifying sustainable designs using preferences over sustainability attributes

We consider the problem of assessing the sustainability of alternative designs (e.g., for an urban environment) that are assembled from multiple components (e.g., water supply, transportation system, shopping centers, commercial spaces, parks). We model the sustainability of a design in terms of a set of sustainability attributes. Given the (qualitative) preferences and tradeoffs of decision makers over the sustainability attributes, we formulate the problem of identifying sustainable designs as the problem of finding the most preferred designs with respect to those preferences. We show how techniques for representing and reasoning with qualitative preferences can be used to identify the most preferred designs based on the decision maker’s stated preferences and tradeoffs.
Presidential Control of the Senior Civil Service: Assessing the Strategies of the Nixon Years

Modern presidents must be attentive to influences of the federal bureaucracy on their policy initiatives and all attempt some measure of bureaucratic control. This article assesses the extent of President Nixon's success in gaining some degree of management control over the bureaucracy through the manipulation of the civil service personnel system. We find that Republicans were, in fact, more likely to be selected to top career positions during the Nixon years. We find also that career executives calling themselves Independents were more likely during the Nixon years than before to resemble Republican executives in their support of Nixon's policies and goals. This is significant to presidential control because of the large number of bureaucrats calling themselves Independents. We conclude that Independent career executives may provide a president with a considerable reservoir of bureaucratic support.
An Inductive Proof for Extremal Simplexes

Among the triangles that circumscribe a given circle, the one with minimum area adopts a particularly balanced position: It touches the circle at the midpoints of its sides. This is not surprising, and one may think that it is true due to the symmetry in the circle. It is not! For example, take the circle with its minimal circumscribing triangle and look at their shadow on the wall. Circle turns into an ellipse, the sides of the triangle change size, but they still touch the ellipse at their midpoints. In fact the above proposition remains valid if the circle is replaced by any convex figure. The key element in the proposition is the minimization of the area function, and as such it is reminiscent of extrema problems of calculus. However, if the student routinely rushes to do the problem using the techniques of calculus he or she will soon recognize that the problem is far from being routine. If the convex figure is not smooth, then the usual techniques of calculus that require differentiability of functions will not apply. Using continuity arguments and affine transformations Chakerian and Lange gave an elementary proof of the proposition in this MAGAZINE [2]. Day has proved a generalization of the problem to higher dimensions. He shows that if a polyhedron circumscribes a convex body but does not touch it at the centroid of one of its faces, then there is a polyhedron of smaller volume that also circumscribes the body [3]. The proof involves analysis in space and is not elementary. The reader will find some other, closely related results on this topic in the articles by Bailey [1] and Lange [7, 8]. In this note we will use elementary geometric transformations and "cutting and pasting" to prove the proposition, and then we will generalize it to n-dimensions by induction. Propositions will be formulated in terms of a convex body, which is a closed and bounded convex set with an interior point in n-dimensional Euclidean space, n > 2.
Impact dynamics of colloidal quantum dot solids.

We use aerosol techniques to investigate the cohesive and granular properties of solids composed of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dot solids). We form spherical agglomerates of nano...
Ideology and the Tax Revolt: Florida's Amendment 1

A number of researchers have concluded that the tax revolt is motivated by an aintigovernment ideology which is distributed diffusely in the mass public. However, public opinion on Florida's Amendment I was fragmented into a number of separate issue publics, with different sets of voters expressing different concerns. The implication of this finding is that prevailing interpretations of the tax revolt have overestimated the role of ideology. Lance deHaven-Smith is Associate Director, Joint Center for Environmental and Urban Problems, Florida Atlantic University/Florida International University, Boca Raton, Florida. Public Opinion Quarterly Vol 49 3(N-309 i by the Trustees of Columbia University Published by Elsevier Science Publishing Co . Inc (X)33-362X/85A(X)49-3()/$2 50 This content downloaded from 207.46.13.114 on Thu, 26 May 2016 06:44:05 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms IDEOLOGY AND THE TAX REVOLT 301 be that theory underestimates the cognitive abilities of mass publics. Several researchers have argued that mass belief systems are organized around dimensions that prevailing theory and associated observation methods fail to capture (Lane, 1962; Key, 1966; RePass, 1971; and Pomper, 1972). Second, the role of ideology in the tax revolt may be smaller than analysts have realized. Although most researchers have concluded that antitax sentiments are rationally grounded in economic and political self-interest, a few have suggested that the tax revolt may be irrational and misdirected (Citrin, 1979; Ladd et al., 1979; Peretz, 1982). A third possibility is that voters have an ideology about taxes even though they are not ideological on other issues. Research indicates that ideological conceptualization in public opinion is more common on local than national issues (Luttbeg, 1968), and that it increases when controversial issues arise and elites become polarized (Field and Anderson, 1969; Bennett, 1973; Nie and Andersen, 1974). In part, the role of ideology in the tax revolt remains unclear because of the nature of the fiscal limitations that have thus far been proposed. Even the most restrictive ones have had (or would have had) only modest impacts on the level of public services because either they have not reduced taxes or spending, or they have left governments with alternative revenue sources, or both. Their main effect has been in leading governments to shift away from taxes and toward user-charges (Cline and Shannon, 1982; Colman, 1983; McCarney, 1983; Susskind and Horan, 1983). Many voters have accurately predicted that limitations of this sort will not require reductions in services. However, like a stopped clock that tells the correct time twice each day, the apparent accuracy of their predictions could stem from a fortuitous match between uninformed attitudes and the few types of limits proposed, rather than from a rational insight into the dynamics of government finance.
Relating heat strain in the chemical defense ensemble to the ambient environment.

Management of military personnel in chemical protective clothing (CPC) is difficult. The purpose of this study was to test a 10 degrees C wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) adjustment for CPC. Five male subjects walked for 1 hour at 400 kcal/hour twice in a U.S. military CPC at a WBGT = 20 degrees C, and once without protective clothing (NoPC) in a WBGT = 30 degrees C followed by a 45 minute seated recovery. No significant differences (p > 0.1) were observed between CPC trials, nor between the mean of the CPC trials and NoPC for heart rate, sweat rate, or change in rectal or mean skin temperatures during the work or recovery phases. Correlations between mean CPC and NoPC were all greater than 0.68. These results suggest minimal differences in responses between CPC and NoPC when the WBGT difference equaled 10 degrees C.
The Hünkâr İskelessi Peace, Russophobia, and a Middle Eastern Arms Race

The Russians embarked their troops the day after the Hunkar Treaty was signed; on 10 July the squadron weighed anchor from Buyuk-dere.5 Russian efficiency impressed Mate William Mends, later admiral commanding Royal Navy transport during the Crimean War. As he observed the loading from HMS Acteon-26, Mends took copious notes: ... most excellent and expeditious they seemed to be, the whole force of 22 000 men with all their stores and belongings being on board before 6 p.m., the embarkation having been commenced at 6 a.m. The Russian naval commander was Admiral Lazareff, who had been trained in the British service, and was in some of the ships of Nelson’s fleet at the battle of Trafalgar. He was a strict disciplinar-ian, and his ships were in a high state of efficiency.6
Evaluating Rightness as Fairness

We are now in a position to evaluate Rightness as Fairness using the seven principles of theory selection defended in Chapter 1. This chapter argues that there are general reasons to believe that Rightness as Fairness has significant advantages on these principles over other moral theories. Although I will offer broad rather than detailed comparisons (given space constraints), I believe the arguments I provide in favor of Rightness as Fairness justify serious consideration of the theory in future philosophical work.
Explicitly Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in a History Course.

Critical thinking skills are often assessed via student beliefs in non-scientific ways of thinking, (e.g, pseudoscience). Courses aimed at reducing such beliefs have been studied in the STEM fields with the most successful focusing on skeptical thinking. However, critical thinking is not unique to the sciences; it is crucial in the humanities and to historical thinking and analysis. We investigated the effects of a history course on epistemically unwarranted beliefs in two class sections. Beliefs were measured pre- and post-semester. Beliefs declined for history students compared to a control class and the effect was strongest for the honors section. This study provides evidence that a humanities education engenders critical thinking. Further, there may be individual differences in ability or preparedness in developing such skills, suggesting different foci for critical thinking coursework.
The Chicago School of Arrhythmology: revisited.

The Chicago School of Arrhythmology (Katz, Langendorf and Pick) dominated the field of arrhythmias for at least 20 years until the advent of intracardiac electrophysiology in the late sixties. Thereafter they still played a fundamental role. Whereas other arrhythmologists also made contributions, they did not develop “schools” in the classical Platonic sense. The Chicago School's intuitive, deductive and inductive contributions to the understanding of multiple electrophysiological mechanisms were well appreciated, recognized and corroborated by basic and clinical electrophysiologists. Less known was their ability to propagate this knowledge in semi-tutorial courses which were so unique in explaining complex arrhythmic concepts that it is still used today by those who inherited their prominent position in the ever expanding world of invasive electrophysiology.
Säuren und Basen – der pH-Wert macht den Unterschied

Sauren, Basen und Salze sind allgegenwartig (Abb. 10.1). So wurzen wir unsere Salate mit Essig (Essigsaure), schutzen uns mit Vitamin C (Ascorbinsaure) aus Sudfruchten vor Erkaltungen und ohne Milchsaure gabe es keinen Joghurt. Magensaure (0,5 %ige Salzsaure) hilft nicht nur bei der Verdauung, sondern auch beim Abtoten von Krankheitserregern in der Nahrung. Ameisen, Quallen und Brennnessel schutzen sich mit Ameisensaure vor allzu zudringlichen Zeitgenossen. Ohne Batteriesaure (Schwefelsaure) in Bleiakkumulatoren, kein bequemer Start von Verbrennungsmotoren. Fruchtsauren wie Zitronensaure, Weinsaure und Apfelsaure verleihen den entsprechenden Fruchten ihren einzigartigen Geschmack. Saure Kalkreiniger losen unansehnliche Kalkflecken auf Fliesen, Armaturen und Sanitarkeramik auf und fuhren diese in leicht abspulbare, wasserlosliche Salze uber.
Mobilizing the Nursing Workforce with Data and Analytics at the Point of Care

Mobile apps for nurses are beginning to be seen as critical components of providing effective and efficient patient-centered care and assisting in the transformation to value-based care delivery. Mobile apps work to augment the data and processes in the electronic health record (EHR) and assist in care coordination across the continuum; providing anytime, anywhere access to patient information and the plan of care in all venues—acute, long term, community and home. Mobile enables a new way to care for patients: not digitizing an existing process, but designing an end-to-end experience that allows nurses to have access to data and analytics to make the right decisions and execute tasks at the point of care. New mobile capabilities allow nurses to rise above the fragmentation that exists today and focus on the patient, using the best practice and the latest evidence. This chapter describes how mobile not only changes the way nurses work, but the way they think and communicate with other clinicians and with patients.
Building Programs Focused on Daily Living and Adult Independence

Daily living skills are those skills required for day-to-day living. While most individuals have little difficulty acquiring these skills, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; with or without intellectual disability) may struggle to learn and generalize these responses. Because of this failure to learn through experience with their parents or caregivers at home, these skills frequently become targets for instruction in individualized education programs in school contexts. This chapter is designed to help educators of individuals with ASD build instructional programs to increase daily living skills and, ultimately, increase adult independence. Providing educators the skills to understand the scope of daily living skills and how they relate to post-school opportunities, identify the different needs of students on an individual basis through ecological inventories, structure a student’s program to enhance generalization and maintenance, and know what to consider from commercially available curricula and assessments is key in planning appropriately. The chapter is organized with an initial discussion of daily living skills and what they are, followed by a section detailing assessment of the individual’s skill level and the environment and how these lead to program development. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of a sampling of packaged curricula with considerations for program implementation.
New fragmenting bullet leads to unexpected injury pattern: A case report involving the Radically Invasive Projectile:

New developments in bullet technology are challenging what is commonly known about penetrating injuries from gunshot wounds. The so-called ‘bullet-rule’ posits the number of wounds and projectiles ...
Constitutions and women’s rights advocacy: strategic uses of gender provisions in Argentina, Chile, Botswana, and South Africa

We examine gender provisions in national constitutions and their significance for women’s rights advocacy in Latin America and southern Africa. There is considerable debate about whether constituti...
The Role of University Technology Transfer

Abstract Many of the great inventions and companies have been spun out of research universities. A key step in the process is the transfer of technology, IP and know how out of the university and into the marketplace either via a new company or a license to IP. Excellence in this process will increase the odds of success in the marketplace.
Abstract 3494: Downregulation of SREBPs inhibited colon cancer cell growth and tumor initiation by alteration of metabolism

Sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) belong to a family of transcription factors that regulate the expression of genes required for the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol. There are three SREBP isoforms, SREBP1a, SREBP1c and SREBP2, have been identified in mammalian cells. SREBP1a and SREBP1c are derived from a single gene through the use of alternative transcription start sites. Increasing evidence suggests that increased lipogenesis is needed for cancer cells to accommodate high rates of proliferation. Activation of SREBP1 and enhanced expression of its target genes have been observed in different types of human cancers. However, the functional importance of SREBPs in colon cancer remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the role of SREBP-mediated lipid biosynthesis in promoting tumor growth and initiation by regulating cellular metabolism in colon cancer. Knockdown of SREBP-1 or SREBP-2 decreased the expression of target genes required for lipid biosynthesis and levels of fatty acids and triacylglycerides in colon cancer cells. Bioenergetic analysis using Seahorse XF96 Extracelluar Flux Analyzer revealed that silencing SREBP-1 or SREBP-2 expression reduced the mitochondrial respiration, glycolysis, as well as fatty acid oxidation suggesting an inhibition of cellular metabolism. As a result, the rate of cell proliferation and the ability of cancer cells to form tumor spheroids in suspension were decreased. Similar results were obtained in colon cancer cells in which SCAP, an upstream protease responsible for activating SREBP-1 and SREBP-2, was silenced. Mechanistically, downregulation of SREBPs inhibited the activation of AMPK and Akt signaling. Furthermore, knockdown of SREBP-1 or SREBP-2 inhibited xenograft tumor growth in vivo and significantly decreased the expression of genes associated cancer stem cells. Taken together, our findings establish the molecular basis of SREBPs-dependent metabolic regulation and provide a rationale for targeting fatty acid synthesis as a promising approach in colon cancer treatment. Citation Format: Yang-an Wen, Xiaopeng Xiong, Yekaterina Zaytseva1, Tianyan Gao. Downregulation of SREBPs inhibited colon cancer cell growth and tumor initiation by alteration of metabolism [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3494.
Analysis of Two-Dimensional Stochastic Systems by the Weighted Integral Method

In this paper, the weighted integral method is extended to calculate the response variability of two-dimensional stochastic systems in conjunction with the stochastic finite element method. Plane stress and plane strain problems are examined using the constant stress/strain triangular element. The stochastic stiffness matrix of the structure is calculated in terms of integrals of the stochastic field describing the random material property over the area of each element. These integrals are random variables called weighted integrals. The covariance matrix of these weighted integrals is calculated numerically using Gaussian quadrature formulas. As a consequence, the method is considerably more accurate than the conventional stochastic finite element method that uses the midpoint method to reduce the stochastic field involved in the problem to a series of random variables. Then, a Taylor series expansion is used to calculate the response variability of the response displacements and stresses. Finally, a numerical example involving a stochastic circular plate is examined.
Absent End-Diastolic Velocity in the Umbilical Artery and Its Clinical Significance

It is apparent from cumulative experience that the end-diagnostic component of the umbilical arterial Doppler waveform is of crucial importance for fetal prognostication. AREDV is known to be associated with an unusually adverse perinatal outcome. Most remarkably, these infants suffer from high perinatal mortality and morbidity rates and demonstrate an increased frequency of malformations and chromosomal abnormalities, with a predominance of trisomies 13, 18, and 21. Most infants with AREDV require intensive care. Furthermore, the risk of cerebral hemorrhage, anemia, and hypoglycemia is increased. It has been observed, however, that absent end-diastolic flow may improve, although often only transiently, and that weeks or more may elapse before the fetus shows additional evidence of compromise. Obviously, the presence of absent end-diastolic flow should warn the physician of significantly increased fetal risk. Appropriate surveillance measures should be immediately undertaken. If the pregnancy is significantly preterm, consideration for delivery should include additional signs of fetal compromise. A more aggressive approach should be taken to ensure fetal maturity. If fetal anomalies are present or AEDV cannot be explained by pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, then fetal karyotype should also be determined to rule out lethal aneuploidies. Although the benefits of emergency delivery for this phenomenon remain controversial, randomized clinical trials have shown improved outcome from intervention in pregnancies with absent end-diastolic velocity. This subject is discussed comprehensively in Chap. 26.
The influence of sediment redox chemistry on chemically active forms of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and zinc in estuarine sediment

Abstract Kinetics and chemical fractionation procedures were used to quantify the effect of the sediment redox (Eh) condition on the behavior of As, Cd, Cr, and Zn in the bottom sediment collected from a Louisiana coastal site receiving produced water discharge. Sediment samples were incubated in microcosms in which Eh-pH conditions were controlled. Sediment was sequentially extracted to determine metals in various chemical fractions (water soluble, exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to iron and manganese oxides, bound to insoluble organic and sulfides) and the chemical inactive fraction (mineral residue). Under oxidizing conditions, As, Zn, and Cr behavior was governed by redox chemistry of Fe(III) and Mn(IV) oxides. Cd transformations were controlled by both Fe(III) and Mn(IV) oxides and carbonates. Under a reducing condition, the behaviors of Zn and Cr were controlled primarily by insoluble large molecular humic material and sulfides; the behavior of Cd was controlled by carbonates. When sediment redox potential increased, the affinity between Fe(III) and Mn(IV) oxides and As, Cd, Cr, and Zn increased. When sediment redox potential decreased, the affinity between carbonates and Cd and Zn increased; the affinity between insoluble sulfides, large molecular humic matter and As, Cd, Cr, and Zn increased; the soluble Cd and Zn decreased; the soluble As and Cr remaine d constant. Results suggest reducing sediment conditions would reduce Cd and Zn toxicity. Under reducing or anaerobic conditions, the solibilization rate constants (mg kg −1 d −1 ) for As, Cr, Cd, and Zn bound to Fe(III) and Mn(IV) oxides were −0.88, −0.32, −0.01, and −6.5, respectively; the rate constants (mg kg −1 d −1 ) for dissolved Cd and Zn were −0.09 and −1.78, respectively.
Encircling endocardial ventriculotomy for refractory ischemic ventricular tachycardia: I. Electrophysiological effects

The direct endocardial surgical techniques introduced for the treatment of refractory ischemic ventricular tachyarrhythmias have resulted in decreased surgical mortality rates and increased success rates in comparison to previous indirect techniques. Since the mechanism of action of one of these new techniques, the encircling endocardial ventriculotomy (EEV), is unknown, the present study was designed to clarify the electrophysiological effects of this procedure. Epicardial and intramural electrophysiology was studied in 18 dogs before and after undergoing an EEV. In the absence of induced myocardial ischemia, the procedure caused an epicardial conduction delay of 23 +/- 3 msec (p less than 0.0001) across the boundaries of the incision. When the EEV enriched acutely ischemic myocardium, it was capable in certain instances of isolating spontaneous ventricular electrical activity to the myocardium encompassed by the incision and thereby protecting the remainder of the heart from the arrhythmia. The EEV resulted in total ablation of all (2 Mv/msec) electrical activity at 20 of 48 (42%) subendocardial electrode sites and at 12 of 44 (27%) subepicardial sites monitored within the encompassed myocardium. These data suggest that although the EEV may be capable of isolating ischemic ventricular tachyarrhythmias to the encompassed myocardium, it most commonly ablates the anatomic-electrophysiological substrate necessary for the genesis and perpetuation of these arrhythmias.
Ankle Dorsiflexion displacement is associated with hip and knee kinematics in females following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between ankle dorsiflexion (ankle-DF) displacement and knee and hip kinematics and kinetics during a jump-landing task in females following ant...
Integrated, multi-process approach to total nutrient recovery from stored urine

This study investigated an integrated, multi-process approach of using struvite precipitation, ammonia stripping–acid absorption, and evaporation to recover phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and potassium (K), respectively, from stored urine. The process produces separate nutrient products that can then be recombined to produce customized fertilizers of any NPK ratio. Bench-scale experiments were conducted using three stored urine solutions: synthetic urine, synthetic urine with six endogenous metabolites, and real urine. For struvite precipitation, MgCl2·6H2O, MgCO3, and MgO were tested and dosed at a molar ratio of 1.1 : 1 Mg : P. There was a statistically significant difference between total phosphate (TP) recovered by each magnesium (Mg) source and urine solution; MgCl2·6H2O (91–94% TP recovered) > MgCO3 (55–77%) > MgO (52–66%) and real urine > synthetic urine with six endogenous metabolites > synthetic urine. For ammonia stripping–acid absorption, there was a statistically significant difference between TAN recovery and experimental stripping conditions where increasing both the pH and temperature recovered a higher percent of TAN compared to solely increasing the pH or temperature of the solution. In real urine, consumed cost for stripping increased as follows: control condition of pH 9.2, 22 °C < elevated pH condition of pH 10.5, 22 °C < elevated temperature condition of pH 9.2, 70 °C. There was no statistically significant difference between the Mg source and TAN recovery in real urine and synthetic urine with metabolites but there was in synthetic urine. Furthermore, the amount of TAN recovered in real urine and synthetic urine with metabolites was consistently greater than or approximately equal to synthetic urine. This suggests that using synthetic urine as a proxy for real urine is not suitable for N recovery. For evaporation, there was a statistically significant difference between the urine solution and conditions for N recovery (i.e., temperature and/or pH) on K recovery and product purity. As the pH was increased, the purity of the final K product, potash, decreased due to sodium from NaOH. Results from this study show that an integrated, multi-process approach to urine treatment can achieve approximately 99% N, 91% P, and 80% K recovery as fertilizer products.
What Is the Optimal Resuscitation of the Patient with a Gastrointestinal Bleed

Hemodynamic resuscitation is a critical component of early management for patients presenting with GI bleeding. Resuscitation includes intravenous crystalloid fluid or blood products. Unstable patients require multiple blood products, and protocols established in trauma literature for massive transfusion can be applied for patients with severe GI bleeds.
High-resolution IR-based imaging with third-order sum-frequency generation microscopy (Conference Presentation)

We studied the use of vibrationally resonant, third-order sum-frequency generation (TSFG) for imaging of biological samples. We found that laser-scanning TSFG provides vibrationally sensitive imaging capabilities of lipid droplets and structures in sectioned tissue samples. Although the contrast is based on the infrared-activity of molecular modes, TSFG images exhibit a high lateral resolution of 0.5 μm or better. We observed that the imaging properties of TSFG resemble the imaging properties of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy, offering a nonlinear infrared alternative to coherent Raman methods. TSFG microscopy holds promise as a high-resolution imaging technique in the fingerprint region where coherent Raman techniques often provide insufficient sensitivity.
Practice Approaches with Older Clients

This chapter will provide an overview of empirical practice approaches with older adults. Due to the diversity of practice issues in work with older clients, various approaches focus on different practice outcomes. Certain interventions have prevention objectives, with goals of keeping older adults as physically, socially, and psychologically healthy as possible. Other intervention approaches are remedial, with the goal of restoring functioning after the onset of a certain type of problematic condition (e.g., death of a spouse, onset of chronic health problem). Finally, some approaches provide support in progressive and irreversible situations such as dementia care or terminal illness. Intervention approaches discussed in this chapter are practice with individual clients, groups and families of older adults, and community prevention programs.
The Residual Ionization in Air at New High Pressures, and its Relation to the Cosmic Penetrating Radiation

Measurements of the residual ionization in air were made with a new spherical chamber of 13.8 liters capacity at pressures up to 170 atm., at an altitude of 5400 ft. Lead and water shields were used. The slopes of the ionization-pressure curves continued to decrease at the higher pressures, becoming zero in the neighborhood of 130 to 140 atm. The ionization-pressure relation and the effects of shielding are explained on the basis of the production of ions solely by secondary radiations excited in the walls of the vessel by the cosmic penetrating radiation. The theoretical consequences of such an assumption are discussed.
Sustained stimulation? Characteristics of modified release and immediate release stimulant exposures reported to the national poison data system.

Objective: We sought to examine ADHD modified release (MR) and immediate release (IR) stimulant ingestion exposures reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS) to characterize the nature of ...
Right-to-Left Shunt Through Iatrogenic Atrial Septal Defect After MitraClip Procedure

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, characteristics, hemodynamic conditions, and clinical significance of right-to-left (R-L) shunt through an iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD) after the MitraClip procedure. Background R-L shunt through an iASD after the MitraClip procedure has not been well investigated. Methods From 2014 to 2017, 385 consecutive patients with mitral regurgitation underwent the MitraClip procedure. iASD was assessed using intraprocedural transesophageal echocardiography. Right and left heart catheterization was used to assess the hemodynamic status of patients. All patients provided written informed consent for the procedure. All data for this study were collected from an established interventional cardiology laboratory database approved by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Institutional Review Board. Results R-L shunt was observed in 20 patients (5%). In 7 of these patients (35%), R-L shunt was accompanied by acute deoxygenation. Prevalence of severe tricuspid regurgitation (55% vs. 20%; p = 0.001), serum B-type natriuretic peptide (664 pg/ml [434 to 1,169 pg/ml] vs. 400 pg/ml [195 to 699 pg/ml]; p = 0.006), mean pulmonary artery pressure (38 mm Hg [34 to 45 mm Hg] vs. 29 mm Hg [22 to 37 mm Hg]; p Conclusions R-L shunt through an iASD was observed in 5% of patients who underwent the MitraClip procedure and in one-third of patients with R-L shunt presented acute deoxygenation. Elevated right atrial pressure concomitant with pulmonary hypertension and significant reduction in left atrial pressure after MitraClip deployment were associated with R-L shunt.
Traffic Prediction for Connected Vehicles on a Signalized Arterial

A distinctive feature of intelligent transportation systems is that vehicles with communication capabilities are able to exchange information with other connected vehicles (CVs), It is also possible for CVs to receive Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) information at a signalized intersection. Such newly available information offers a great opportunity for predicting future traffic conditions. Traffic prediction has a significant amount of potential in many applications, such as eco-driving, traffic signal control, traffic safety enhancement, among many others. With SPaT information becoming available, prediction is expected to achieve a higher degree of accuracy, particularly in the vicinity of intersections. In this article, we propose a new method for vehicle speed prediction in the next several seconds. The traffic prediction framework is developed based on the well-known second-order Payne-Whitham (PW) model, which is capable of handling mixed traffic in the presence of CVs and legacy vehicles (LVs). By modifying the equilibrium speed appearing in the PW model, it is possible to capture the impact of traffic lights on vehicular flow, resulting in significant improvements on traffic prediction, especially when vehicles approach the intersection. The CVs provide partial measurements of the traffic states, whilst the unknown traffic states are estimated using an unscented Kalman filter (UKF). Future traffic states are obtained by propagating the PW model forward in time. The proposed prediction method is carefully evaluated with real-world traffic data collected on Hwy 55 in Minnesota. Numerical results show that traffic prediction errors are reduced by up to 41.19% with appropriate modifications to the equilibrium speed term of the PW model.
Label-Free Dielectric Detection of DNA Hybridization with Nanogap Junctions

A label-free dielectric detection of DNA hybridization with a nanogap junction is described. Nanogap junctions are fabricated with a novel spacer process technology and the change in capacitance of DNA within the nanogap after hybridization is measured. The 70% change of capacitance after hybridization is accomplished at 100 Hz for 10-5 mol/L concentrations of target DNA.