cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety of externally stimulated intracranial electrodes during functional MRI at 1.5 T

Abstract Surgical resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is a potential cure for medically refractory focal epilepsy. Proper identification of the EZ is essential for such resection. Synergistic application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) simultaneously with stimulation of a single externalized intracranial stereotactic EEG (SEEG) electrode has the potential to improve identification of the EZ. While most EEG-fMRI studies use the electrodes passively to record electrical activity, it is possible to stimulate the brain using the electrodes by connecting them with conducting cables to the stimulation hardware. In this study, we investigated the effect of MRI-induced heating on a single SEEG electrode and its sensitivity to geometry, configuration, and associated connections required for the stimulation. The temperature increase of a single electrode embedded within a gel phantom and connected to an external stimulation system was measured during 1.5 T MRI scans using adjacent fluoroptic temperature sensors. A receive-only split-array head coil and a transmit-receive head coil were used for testing. Sequences included a standard localizer, T1-weighted axial fast low-angle shot (FLASH), gradient echo-planar imaging (GE-EPI) axial fMRI, and a high specific absorption rate T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (TSE) axial scan. Variations of the electrode location and connecting cable configuration were tested. No unacceptable heating was observed with the standard sequences used for evaluation of the EZ. Considerable heating (up to 14 °C) was observed with the TSE sequence, which is not used clinically. The temperature increase was insignificant (
Bismuth-Based Transient Liquid Phase (TLP) Bonding as High-Temperature Lead-Free Solder Alternatives

Predominant high melting point solders for high temperature electronics contain lead (Pb), which will soon be banned by environmental regulations as in most of consumer electronics. In an effort to replace the Pb-based solders with a new high-temperature capable material, we developed a transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding of bismuth (Bi) and nickel (Ni). A molten Bi (m.p. of 271°C) strongly reacts with Ni to form a Bi3Ni or BiNi intermetallic layer, both of which can withstand over 400°C. To study microstructural developments and their influences on reliability performance, the die attached coupons were assembled using Bi-Ni TLP bonds. It was shown that Bi3Ni is the first phase to form, after which the diffusion of Bi controls the growth kinetics of this intermetallic phase with the activation energy of 65.5 kJ/mol for the temperature range from 160 to 240°C. The solid-state transformation of Bi3Ni to BiNi follows, which is a slower process and only occurs at a long-term aging (activation energy of 17.8 kJ/mol, for the temperature range from 260 to 300°C). When tested at high temperatures (up to 350°C) or exposed under long-term storage at 200°C over 1000 hours, such bonds showed no degradation in die shear strength. It indicates the potential of the Bi-Ni TLB bonds as a Pb-free alternative to replace high-Pb solders for high temperature electronics that operate at 200°C or higher.
The discovery of the spider genus Putaoa (Araneae, Pimoidae) in Taiwan with the description of a new species, including its web architecture.

We report for the first time the occurrence of pimoids (Araneoidea, Pimoidae) in Taiwan, describe Putaoa seediq new species, revise the genus diagnosis accordingly, and illustrate for the first time the web architecture of Putaoa based on field photographs. Males of Putaoa species differ from other pimoids in having distinctively large macrosetae on the pedipalpal tibia and/or cymbium and by the absence of typical cuspules, such as those found in Pimoa and Weintrauboa . In addition, Putaoa species lack a median apophysis and have a relatively short and non-filiform embolus. In Putaoa the metatarsus I is unmodified, while sinuous in the males of most Weintrauboa species. Females of Putaoa are diagnosed by their relatively flat epigynum with lateral openings, relatively short copulatory ducts and medial fertilization ducts.
Internal Hydrogen-induced Embrittlement in Iron Single Crystals

A thermodynamic model for internal hydrogen-induced embrittlement (HIE) in single crystals is proposed. The model is based on the assumption that the ductile versus brittle transition is controlled by the competition between dislocation emission from the crack tip and cleavage decohesion of the lattice. Embrittlement in single crystals is induced by segregation of hydrogen in solid solution to the crack tip and/or the fracture surfaces during separation, which reduces the cohesive energy of the lattice. This process will occur when the mobility of hydrogen atoms is high so that a surface excess of hydrogen can be built up during separation. The model predictions for hydrogen induced cleavage in iron single crystals are presented.
Safety of transcranial focused ultrasound for human neuromodulation

Background: Low intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is a new method of non-invasive neuromodulation that uses acoustic energy to affect neuronal excitability. tFUS offers high spatial resolution and adjustable focal lengths for precise neuromodulation of discrete regions in the human brain. Before the full potential of low intensity ultrasound for research and clinical application can be investigated, data on the safety of this technique is indicated. Objective/Hypothesis: To provide an initial evaluation of the safety of tFUS for human neuromodulation through participant report and neurological assessment surrounding pilot investigation of tFUS for neuromodulation. Methods: Participants (N = 120) that were enrolled in one of seven human ultrasound neuromodulation studies at the University of Minnesota (2015 to 2017) were queried to complete a follow-up Participant Report of Symptoms questionnaire assessing their self-reported experience and tolerance to participation in tFUS research and the perceived relation of symptoms to tFUS. Results: A total of 64/120 participant (53%) responded to follow-up requests to complete the Participant Report of Symptoms questionnaire. During the conduct of the seven studies in this report, none of the participants experienced serious adverse effects. From the post hoc assessment of safety using the questionnaire, 7/64 reported mild to moderate symptoms, that were perceived as possibly or probably related to participation in tFUS experiments. These reports included neck pain, problems with attention, muscle twitches and anxiety. The most common unrelated symptoms included sleepiness and neck pain. There were initial transient reports of mild neck pain, scalp tingling and headache that were extinguished upon follow-up. No new symptoms were reported upon follow up out to 1 month. Conclusions(s): To date, in the literature and including this report, no serious adverse events have been reported as a result of low intensity tFUS for human neuromodulation. Here, we report new data on minor transient events. As currently employed with the parameters used in the studies in this report, tFUS looks to be a safe form of transient neuromodulation in humans.
Ethnic polarization and the limits of democratic practice

While several scholars have speculated that ethnic bipolarity, as a particular type of diversity, is related to the weakness of democracy in multiethnic states there exist few studies that test thi...
Cost-effectiveness analysis: Educational interventions that reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS infection in Kenyan teenagers

Abstract This paper demonstrates a comprehensive and thorough application of an education cost-effectiveness analysis. Two interventions implemented in Western Kenya aimed to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS contraction in middle school girls. The cost-effectiveness of each intervention is assessed, ex post facto, by combining the results of the two programs’ evaluations with their costs. As few education evaluations consider cost, this article highlights a sound and disciplined method to use when detailed cost information is both readily available and unavailable. An analysis such as this has policy implications for a more efficient use of educational resources, reduction in the costs of achieving specific objectives, and expansion on what can be accomplished for a budget or another type of constraint, especially in a low-income to lower-middle income economy context.
The Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steel Castings at 4 K

The limited use of stainless steel castings for 4-K service is partially due to the limited data available on their mechanical properties at 4 K.1 The most significant 4-K data available on the tensile and fracture toughness properties of stainless steel castings came from a series of CF8 centrifugal castings with varying delta-ferrite contents.1,2 There were six heats from three different vendors with delta-ferrite contents ranging from 0 to 14.5 percent. The results generally showed an increase in strength and a decrease in fracture toughness with increasing ferrite content.
A Molecular Dynamics Study of the Mechanical Properties of Twisted Bilayer Graphene.

Graphene is one of the most important nanomaterials. The twisted bilayer graphene shows superior electronic properties compared to graphene. Here, we demonstrate via molecular dynamics simulations that twisted bilayer graphene possesses outstanding mechanical properties. We find that the mechanical strain rate and the presence of cracks have negligible effects on the linear elastic properties, but not the nonlinear mechanical properties, including fracture toughness. The “two-peak” pattern in the stress-strain curves of the bilayer composites of defective and pristine graphene indicates a sequential failure of the two layers. Our study provides a safe-guide for the design and applications of multilayer grapheme-based nanoelectronic devices.
Why UBI Experiments Cannot Resolve Much of the Public Disagreement About UBI

This chapter explains why Universal Basic Income (UBI) experiments cannot resolve the public disagreement about UBI. It argues not only that experiments make a small contribution to the large body of available evidence, but also that the discussion turns less on remaining unknowns about UBI’s effects than on the ethical desirability of UBI’s known effects.
What Is New in Contraception?: Best Articles From the Past Year.

This month we focus on current research in contraception. Dr. Resnik discusses five recent publications, which are concluded with a “bottom-line” that is the take-home message. A complete reference for each can be found on Box 1 on this page along with direct links to abstracts.
Densities and drivers of sea turtle populations across Pacific coral reef ecosystems

Sea turtle populations are often assessed at the regional to sub-basin scale from discrete indices of nesting abundance. While this may be practical and sometimes effective, widespread in-water surveys may enhance assessments by including additional demographics, locations, and revealing emerging population trends. Here, we describe sea turtle observations from 13 years of towed-diver surveys across 53 coral islands, atolls, and reefs in the Central, West, and South Pacific. These surveys covered more than 7,300 linear km, and observed more than 3,400 green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) sea turtles. From these data, we estimated sea turtle densities, described trends across space and time, and modelled the influence of environmental and anthropogenic drivers. Both species were patchily distributed across spatial scales, and green turtles were 11 times more abundant than hawksbills. The Pacific Remote Island Areas had the highest densities of greens (3.62 turtles km-1, Jarvis Island), while American Samoa had the most hawksbills (0.12 turtles km-1, Ta’u Island). The Hawaiian Islands had the lowest turtle densities (island ave = 0.07 turtles km-1) yet the highest annual population growth (μ = 0.08, σ = 0.22), suggesting extensive management protections can yield positive conservation results. Densities peaked at 27.5°C SST, in areas of high productivity and low human impact, and were consistent with patterns of historic overexploitation. Though such intensive surveys have great value, they are logistically demanding and therefore have an uncertain budget and programmatic future. We hope the methods we described here may be applied to future comparatively low-cost surveys either with autonomous vehicles or with environmental DNA.
Speech and language processing for assessing child–adult interaction based on diarization and location

Understanding and assessing child verbal communication patterns is critical in facilitating effective language development. Typically speaker diarization is performed to explore children’s verbal engagement. Understanding which activity areas stimulate verbal communication can help promote more efficient language development. In this study, we present a two-stage children vocal engagement prediction system that consists of (1) a near to real-time, noise robust system that measures the duration of child-to-adult and child-to-child conversations, and tracks the number of conversational turn-takings, (2) a novel child location tracking strategy, that determines in which activity areas a child spends most/least of their time. A proposed child–adult turn-taking solution relies exclusively on vocal cues observed during the interaction between a child and other children, and/or classroom teachers. By employing a threshold optimized speech activity detection using a linear combination of voicing measures, it is possible to achieve effective speech/non-speech segment detection prior to conversion assessment. This TO-COMBO-SAD reduces classification error rates for adult-child audio by 21.34% and 27.3% compared to a baseline i-Vector and standard Bayesian Information Criterion diarization systems, respectively. In addition, this study presents a unique location tracking system adult-child that helps determine the quantity of child–adult communication in specific activity areas, and which activities stimulate voice communication engagement in a child–adult education space. We observe that our proposed location tracking solution offers unique opportunities to assess speech and language interaction for children, and quantify the location context which would contribute to improve verbal communication.
Machine Perfusion of Liver Grafts With Implantable Oxygen Biosensors: Proof of Concept Study in a Rodent Model.

Background Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is emerging as a novel preservation strategy in liver transplantation, but the optimal methods for assessing liver grafts during this period have not been determined. The aim of this study was to investigate whether implantable oxygen biosensors can be used to monitor tissue oxygen tension in liver grafts undergoing NMP. Methods Implantable phosphorescence-based oxygen sensors were tested in 3 different experimental groups: (1) in vivo during laparotomy, (2) during NMP of liver grafts with an acellular perfusate (NMP-acellular), and (3) during NMP with perfusate containing red blood cells (NMP-RBC). During in vivo experiments, intrahepatic oxygen tension was measured before and after occlusion of the portal vein (PV). In NMP experiments, intrahepatic oxygen tension was measured as a function of different PV pressure settings (3 vs 5 vs 8 mm Hg) and inflow oxygen concentration (95% O2 vs 6% O2). Results In vivo, intrahepatic oxygen tension decreased significantly within 2 minutes of clamping the PV (P < 0.05). In NMP experiments, intrahepatic oxygen tension correlated directly with PV pressure when high inflow oxygen concentration (95%) was used. Intrahepatic oxygen tension was significantly higher in the NMP-RBC group compared with the NMP-acellular group for all conditions tested (P < 0.05). Conclusions Implantable oxygen biosensors have potential utility as a tool for real-time monitoring of intrahepatic oxygen tension during NMP of liver grafts. Further investigation is required to determine how intrahepatic oxygen tension during NMP correlates with posttransplant graft function.
Deep learning reveals untapped information for local white-matter fiber reconstruction in diffusion-weighted MRI

Abstract Purpose Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) is of critical importance for characterizing in-vivo white matter. Models relating microarchitecture to observed DW-MRI signals as a function of diffusion sensitization are the lens through which DW-MRI data are interpreted. Numerous modern approaches offer opportunities to assess more complex intra-voxel structures. Nevertheless, there remains a substantial gap between intra-voxel estimated structures and ground truth captured by 3-D histology. Methods Herein, we propose a novel data-driven approach to model the non-linear mapping between observed DW-MRI signals and ground truth structures using a sequential deep neural network regression using residual block deep neural network (ResDNN). Training was performed on two 3-D histology datasets of squirrel monkey brains and validated on a third. A second validation was performed using scan-rescan datasets of 12 subjects from Human Connectome Project. The ResDNN was compared with multiple micro-structure reconstruction methods and super resolved-constrained spherical deconvolution (sCSD) in particular as baseline for both the validations. Results Angular correlation coefficient (ACC) is a correlation/similarity measure and can be interpreted as accuracy when compared with a ground truth. The median ACC of ResDNN is 0.82 and median ACC's of different variants of CSD are 0.75, 0.77, 0.79. The mean, median and std. of ResDNN & sCSD ACC across 12 subjects from HCP are 0.74, 0.88, 0.31 and 0.61, 0.71, 0.31 respectively. Conclusion This work highlights the ability of deep learning to capture linkages between ex-vivo ground truth data with feasible MRI sequences. The data-driven approach is applicable to human in-vivo data and results in intriguingly high reproducibility of orientation structure.
Uncheatable Machine Learning Inference.

Classification-as-a-Service (CaaS) is widely deployed today in machine intelligence stacks for a vastly diverse set of applications including anything from medical prognosis to computer vision tasks to natural language processing to identity fraud detection. The computing power required for training complex models on large datasets to perform inference to solve these problems can be very resource-intensive. A CaaS provider may cheat a customer by fraudulently bypassing expensive training procedures in favor of weaker, less computationally-intensive algorithms which yield results of reduced quality. Given a classification service supplier $S$, intermediary CaaS provider $P$ claiming to use $S$ as a classification backend, and customer $C$, our work addresses the following questions: (i) how can $P$'s claim to be using $S$ be verified by $C$? (ii) how might $S$ make performance guarantees that may be verified by $C$? and (iii) how might one design a decentralized system that incentivizes service proofing and accountability? To this end, we propose a variety of methods for $C$ to evaluate the service claims made by $P$ using probabilistic performance metrics, instance seeding, and steganography. We also propose a method of measuring the robustness of a model using a blackbox adversarial procedure, which may then be used as a benchmark or comparison to a claim made by $S$. Finally, we propose the design of a smart contract-based decentralized system that incentivizes service accountability to serve as a trusted Quality of Service (QoS) auditor.
Computed tomography (CT) in the evaluation of bladder and ureteral trauma: indications, technique, and diagnosis

Trauma to the genitourinary system includes blunt and penetrating injuries to bladder and ureters. These are rare injuries and are overlooked as other abdominal and pelvic injuries often take priority. Delayed diagnosis can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Computed tomography has taken a central role in the imaging of the ureters and bladder. This article reviews the anatomic relationships, mechanisms of injury, and clinical presentation to help physicians determine when bladder and ureteral injuries should be suspected and further imaging should be pursued. Radiologic evaluation of bladder and ureteral injury with CT cystography and CT urography, respectively, will be reviewed. CT cystography and CT urography are effective tools in identifying potentially serious injuries to the genitourinary system. Timely recognition of these injuries can be crucial for the overall management and prognosis.
Calculating Risk for Poor Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Objective To outline the tools available to help understand the risk of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and the gaps in knowledge regarding TAVR risk estimation. Methods Review of the literature. Results Two models developed and validated by the American College of Cardiology can be used to estimate the risk of short-term mortality, a 6-variable in-hospital model designed for clinical use and a 41-variable 30- day model designed primarily for site comparisons and quality improvement. Importantly, neither model should be used to inform the choice of TAVR versus surgical aortic valve replacement. Regarding long-term outcomes, a risk model to estimate risk of dying or having a persistently poor quality of life at 1 year after TAVR has been developed and validated. Factors that most significantly increase a patient's risk for poor outcomes are very poor functional status prior to TAVR, requiring home oxygen, chronic renal insufficiency, atrial fibrillation, dependencies in activities of daily living, and dementia. If a patient has ≥ 2 or 3 major risk factors for a poor outcome, this risk and the uncertainty about the degree of recovery expected after TAVR should be discussed with the patient (and family). Conclusion It is important to understand the patient factors that most strongly drive risk of poor outcomes after TAVR and use this information to set appropriate expectations for recovery.
Conceptual Framework of Impulse Self-Gifting Behavior

As self-gifting behavior has been increasing, the study on self-gifting is regarded as important. Self-gifting is characterized by emotion-driven so is impulse buying. The study is to construct conceptual framework for studying antecedents and consequences of impulse self-gifting in the light of the empirical approach. Based on Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R), the proposed conceptual framework indicates that internal (i.e., hedonic motive and impulsivity) and external antecedents (i.e., retail environment and marketing promotions) affect consumers' emotional responses, which in turn influence impulse self-gifting behavior. Furthermore, moderating effects of self-control may attenuate the effects of emotional responses on impulse self-gifting behavior. The findings of the study will offer beneficial insights for marketers to understand consumers' internal motivations and external marketing and retail features that may ultimately influence impulse self-gifting behavior.
Niels Brügger. The Archived Web: Doing History in the Digital Age . Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2018. 200p. Hardcover, $30.00 (ISBN: 978-0-26203-902-4).

Visit the Internet Archive’s “Wayback Machine,” and you will find an invitation at the top of the page to view hundreds of billions of archived web pages—384 billion at present. Impressive as that number is, more impressive still is the fact that the Internet Archive has been preserving web pages since 1996, or, in other words, since more or less the beginning of the web. This was a prescient act indeed. If the rush of historical change, whatever the matter may be, is liable to confuse us in the short term—to be characterized by, as Fernand Braudel once said in On History (Sarah Matthews, trans., University of Chicago Press, 1980, 28), “our illusions” and “our hasty awareness”—then the Internet Archive certainly managed to bring a measure of clarity and reflection to the early days of the web. And now, more than 20 years later, it is no coincidence that the Internet Archive itself is touched on in the excellent book under review here, Niels Brugger’s The Archived Web: Doing History in the Digital Age . Brugger, Professor and Head of NetLab and of the Center for Internet Studies, Aarhus University, takes the measure of the web as a valid and independent repository of raw material for history—as “a historical source in its own right,” despite not yet being widely seen as such (12). He leverages the passage of time deftly and with numerous insights on the first quarter century of the web’s existence. He writes for an audience of historians and other scholars who would seek to use web archives in their research, but the result is a work that proves richly instructive and valuable for librarians and archivists too.
Effect of Bio-Oils on Binder and Mix Properties with High RAP Binder Content

AbstractThe use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has significantly increased in construction and rehabilitation of flexible pavements to ensure proper use of limited natural resources. Bio-oils ...
Fetal Growth of Beef Calves. I. Efffect of Prepartum Dietary Crude Protein on Birth Weight, Blood Metabolites and Steroid Hormone Concentrations

Fifty-nine crossbred heifers (427 kg) bred to one Hereford sire were randomly assigned at 75 d prepartum to two diets. Heifers were individually fed, and diets were isocaloric but contained either a low (LP = 81% NRC, .56 kg/d) or high (HP = 141% NRC, .98 kg/d) level of crude protein. Jugular vein cannulae were inserted into 16 LP and 16 HP heifers at 10 prepartum. Daily preprandial blood samples that were collected until parturition were analyzed for serum estradiol-17 beta (E2), progesterone (P4), glucose (G) and urea nitrogen (UN). Heifers fed LP gained slower than HP-fed heifers before calving (.73 vs 1.02 kg/d; P less than .01); immediate post-calving weights and condition scores were 418 vs 444 kg (P less than .01) and 5.4 vs 6.1 (P less than .01; LP vs HP, respectively). Calf birth weights (35.3 vs 36.1 kg), average calving difficulty score (1.6 vs 1.6) and percent assisted births (35.5 vs 35.7%) did not differ (P greater than .10; LP vs HP, respectively). Prepartum concentrations of UN (6.2 vs 13.5 mg/dl) and G (52.9 vs 58.2 mg/dl) were lower (P less than .05) and P4 (5.94 vs 4.26 ng/ml) was higher (P approximately equal to .07) in LP heifers. Prepartum concentration profiles were related to calving difficulty score (CD, 1 = no assistance to 3 = hard pull) for E2 (CD1 vs CD2 + CD3, P less than .01; CD2 vs CD3, P approximately equal to .01), P4 (CD1 vs CD2 + CD3, P less than .05), G (CD1 vs CD2 + CD3, P less than .05) and UN (CD2 vs CD3, P less than .05). After calving, all dams were maintained together on pasture and supplemented with alfalfa hay and grain mix until adequate range forage was available to maintain weight gains. Dams that were fed LP prepartum gained faster than HP dams during this period (.49 vs .15 kg/d; P less than .01). Prebreeding weights (443 vs 453 kg; LP vs HP) and condition scores (5.1 vs 5.1) did not differ, nor was the postpartum interval affected (44 vs 40 d; LP vs HP). There was no effect of dietary protein on dystocia or postpartum interval, although there were diet-induced differences in body weight and condition of the dams at calving. Results indicate that differences in prepartum profiles of serum steroid hormones and metabolites may be related to dystocia, in addition to relative fetal oversize.
Antimicrobial resistance in long-term-care facilities

During the last quarter century, numerous reports have indicated that antimicrobial resistance commonly is encountered in long-term-care facilities (LTCFs). Gram-negative uropathogens resistant to penicillin, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, or fluoroquinolone antibiotics and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus have received the greatest attention, but other reports have described the occurrence of multiply-resistant strains of Haemophilus influenzae and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in this setting. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria may enter LTCFs with colonized patients transferred from the hospital, or they may arise in the facility as a result of mutation or gene transfer. Once present, resistant strains tend to persist and become endemic. Rapid dissemination also has been documented in some facilities. Person-to-person transmission via the hands of healthcare workers appears to be the most important means of spread. The LTCF patients most commonly affected are those with serious underlying disease, poor functional status, wounds such as pressure sores, invasive devices such as urinary catheters, and prior antimicrobial therapy. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in LTCFs has serious consequences not only for residents but also for LTCFs and hospitals. Experience with control strategies for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in LTCFs is limited; however, strategies used in hospitals often are inapplicable. Six recommendations for controlling antimicrobial resistance in LTCFs are offered, and four priorities for future research are identified.
Improving Oral Health and Modulating the Oral Microbiome to Reduce Bloodstream Infections from Oral Organisms in Pediatric and Young Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Bloodstream infections (BSIs) from oral organisms are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. There are no proven strategies to decrease BSIs from oral organisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of daily xylitol wipes in improving oral health, decreasing BSI from oral organisms, and modulating the oral microbiome in pediatric HSCT recipients. This was a single-center 1:1 randomized controlled trial in pediatric HSCT recipients age >2 years. Age-matched healthy children were enrolled to compare the oral microbiome. The oral hygiene standard of care (SOC) group continued to receive the standard oral hygiene regimen. The xylitol group received daily oral xylitol wipes (with .7 g xylitol) in addition to the SOC. The intervention started from the beginning of the transplantation chemotherapy regimen and extended to 28 days following transplantation. The primary outcome was oral health at interval time points, and secondary outcomes included BSIs from oral organisms in the first 30 days following transplantation, oral microbiome abundance, and diversity and oral pathogenic organism abundance. The study was closed early due to efficacy after an interim analysis of the first 30 HSCT recipients was performed (SOC group, n = 16; xylitol group, n = 14). The xylitol group had a significantly lower rate of gingivitis at days 7, 14, and 28 following transplantation (P = .031, .0039, and .0005, respectively); oral plaque at days 7 and 14 (P = .045 and .0023, respectively); and oral ulcers >10 mm at day 14 (P = .049) compared with the SOC group. The xylitol group had no BSI from oral organisms compared with the SOC group, which had 4 (P = .04). The xylitol group had significantly lower abundance of potential BSI pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus (P = .036), Klebsiella pneumoniae (P = .033), and Streptococcus spp (P = .011) at the day after transplantation compared with the SOC group. Healthy children and young adults had significantly increased oral microbiome diversity compared with all HSCT recipients (P
Anesthesia Consideration for Flexible Bronchoscopy

Patients presenting for bronchoscopy require planning and teamwork to assure adequate oxygenation and hemodynamics, including the avoidance of adverse events. Preoperative preparation, intraoperative management, and postoperative recovery are discussed. Additionally, individual medication benefits and risks are reviewed.
High-Impact Clinical Studies That Fomented New Developments in Anesthesia: History of Achievements, 1966–2015

The aim of this work is to identify the most influential initial clinical studies that fomented important developments in anesthesiology over the past 50 years. Studies fomenting new development can be selected using vastly different approaches and, therefore, might provide diverse outcomes. In the present work, two basic aspects of study assessments - the stage of development (eg, generation of idea, preclinical studies, clinical trials) and the method of selection (eg, committee vote, various types of citation analysis, method of finding the invention disclosure) - were chosen according to the following model. The stage of development: the initial clinical studies demonstrating the basic advantage of an innovation for providing anesthesia. The method: a combination of two factors - the study priority in terms of the time of its publication and the degree of its acknowledgement in the form of citation impact; the time of study publication was regarded as a primary factor, but only if the study's citation count was =/>20. The initial high-impact studies were selected for 16 drug-related topics (ketamine, isoflurane, etomidate, propofol, midazolam in anesthesia, vecuronium, alfentanil, atracurium, sevoflurane, sufentanil, rocuronium, desflurane, ropivacaine, remifentanil, dexmedetomidine in anesthesia, and sugammadex), and 9 technique-related topics (ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block, capnography in anesthesia, target-controlled intravenous anesthesia, pulse oximetry in anesthesia, total intravenous anesthesia, transesophageal echocardiography in anesthesia, combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, and bispectral index). Twenty-five studies were designated the first high-impact studies (one for each topic); 16 are drug-related and 9 are technique-related. Half of the first high-impact studies had a citation count of =/>100, (range: 100 to 555). The citation count of the other half of high-impact studies did not reach the 100-citation threshold (range: 41 to 97). If a selected first high-impact study had a citation count 100 was also selected; (range: 100 to 344). The present results show that an initial high-impact clinical study on a new development in anesthesiology can be determined and that related citations usually vary from one hundred to five hundred.
Scholarly motivations to conduct interdisciplinary climate change research

Understanding and responding to today’s complex environmental problems requires collaboration that bridges disciplinary boundaries. As the barriers to interdisciplinary research are formidable, promoting interdisciplinary environmental research requires understanding what motivates researchers to embark upon such challenging research. This article draws upon research on problem choice and interdisciplinary research practice to investigate motivators and barriers to interdisciplinary climate change (IDCC) research. Results from a survey on the motivations of 526 Ph.D.-holding, early- to mid-career, self-identified IDCC scholars indicate how those scholars make decisions regarding their research choices including the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and the barriers arising from the nature of interdisciplinary research and institutional structures. Climate change was not the main motivation for most respondents to become scholars, yet the majority began to study the issue because they could not ignore the problem. Respondents’ decisions to conduct IDCC research are driven by personal motivations, including personal interest, the importance of IDCC research to society, and enjoyment of interdisciplinary collaborations. Two thirds of respondents reported having encountered challenges in communication across disciplines, longer timelines while conducting interdisciplinary work, and a lack of peer support. Nonetheless, most respondents plan to conduct IDCC research in the future and will choose their next research project based on its societal benefits and the opportunity to work with specific collaborators. We conclude that focused attention to supporting intrinsic motivations, as well as removing institutional barriers, can facilitate future IDCC research.
International Tax Evasion and Tax Fraud: Typical Schemes and the Legal Issues Raised by Their Detection and Prosecution

During the latter half of the 1970's, the Federal Government began allocating increased amounts of resources for the investigation and prosecution of white collar crime.1 In response to the increased attention that these offenses received, legal writers began devoting attention to the legal issues raised by these types of offenses.2 One category which received attention was the crime of tax fraud. Most articles, however, discussed issues in a domestic fraud case. The peculiar issues that arise when tax evasion takes on an international char-
Seasonal variation in adenosine triphosphate and nicotinamide adenosine dinucleotide in normal term placenta

Abstract Tissue levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nicotinamide dinucleotide diphosphate (NAD) were determined by an orcinol colorimetric procedure in pooled samples representing 250 human term placentas collected during one calendar year. All concentrations were expressed as micromoles per gram of wet tissue weight and the mean monthly levels calculated and compared for seasonal variation. Seasonal changes were observed in the mean monthly values of both metabolites during the spring and fall months of the year.
A comparative study of vesicovaginal fistulas following delivery

Abstract This survey of records from the Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital and the Los Angeles County Hospital is a comparative analysis of the incidence of vesicovaginal fistulas following delivery. Emphasis is placed on the fistula incidence as it is related to the duration of labor and the method of delivery. The value of thorough obstetrical training of physicians is stressed in addition to the desirability of lay education regarding prenatal care and early hospitalization for labor and delivery. Suggestions are made for the management of vesicovaginal fistulas which follow delivery.
A new simplified procedure for C1 inhibitor purification. A novel use for jacalin-agarose.

Abstract C1 inhibitor (C1-INH), the major regulatory protein of the classical pathway of complement activation, is also involved in the regulation of several other plasma proteolytic systems including the coagulation, fibrinolytic and contact systems. All the previously published methods for the purification of C1-INH are time-consuming and some do not yield highly pure protein. Recently, it was reported that Jack fruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) lectin, also called jacalin, binds C1-INH. Since jacalin binds only a small number of human serum proteins it appeared that jacalin-agarose affinity chromatography would constitute a very selective early step for the purification of C1-INH. Consequently we have designed a new, simplified three-step procedure for the purification of C1-INH which includes PEG fractionation, jacalin-agarose chromatography and hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose which takes advantage of the marked hydrophilicity of the inhibitor. This procedure has three major advantages over those which have been the most frequently used. Firstly, it includes only two fast chromatographic steps. Secondly, because the C1-INH pool is cleanly and predictably separated from the unwanted proteins by differential elution conditions in both chromatographic steps, no antigenic or functional assays are required to define the desired peaks. Thirdly, only the final product is dialyzed while all other methods required several buffer changes. For these reasons this procedure is much faster and simpler than the previously published methods. About 10–12 mg of highly purified and fully active C1-INH can be obtained within 1 day from 120 ml of plasma giving an average yield of 40–45%. This method may thus be highly adaptable to bulk purification for clinical use or for preparation of genetically or pathologically altered C1-INH from clinical specimens.
Decision-Making in Dependency Court: Heuristics, Cognitive Biases, and Accountability

On tens of thousands of occasions each year, state court judges wrongly separate children from their families and place them in foster care. And while a child is in foster care, judges are called on to render hundreds of decisions affecting every aspect of the child’s life. This Article uses insights from social psychology research to analyze the environment of dependency court and to recommend changes that will improve decisions. Research indicates that decision makers aware at the time they make a decision that they will be called upon later to explain it may engage in a systematic, deliberate decision-making process. On the other hand, decision makers given an opportunity to justify a decision after making it reflexively may defend the decision, ignoring or distorting information that would undercut its rationale. This Article argues that decisions in dependency court are harmed by a shortage of predecisional accountability and an abundance of post-decisional opportunities to self-defensively bolster decisions previously made. The Article draws from social psychology research to recommend concrete changes to promote effective decisionmaking processes in dependency court. Recommendations include opening dependency courts, expanding appeal rights, dispersing decision making authority from a single judge to multiple judges, and using “case rounds,” drawn from medical school and law school clinical education programs, to provide judges with diverse perspectives on decisions with which they are faced. Finally, I recommend directions for empirical research in the unique environment of dependency court.
Developing summary scores of health-related quality of life for a population-based survey

Objective Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important indicator of public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) includes nine HRQOL items that can be used to monitor the health status of the nation. The objective of this study was to examine the numerical relationships among these HRQOL items to develop summary scores by combining items. Methods Using 2001 and 2002 BRFSS data from states that included all nine HRQOL questions, factor analyses were performed to determine whether the items would group together into multi-item scales. Results Two factors emerged, corresponding conceptually to a physical health construct and a mental health construct. The resulting scales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and ability to distinguish between population subgroups known to differ on HRQOL. Conclusions This study provides support for condensing the BRFSS core and optional HRQOL questions into two scales. These scales provide more complete information about physical and mental HRQOL than is available from single items, while limiting the number of individual variables required for a given analysis. However, the four core HRQOL questions focus primarily on physical health. Thus, the five supplemental questions should be included when measuring mental health is of interest.
Optimization: What Is the Best...?

This chapter focuses on optimization, the search for the optimum or best outcome to a problem and emphasizes on making the best decision when voting for candidates and choosing among alternatives. It reviews several well-founded techniques, including calculus, linear programming (LP), and geometric programming (GP). It is particularly important to recognize that any search for an optimum solution is to some extent “biased” or influenced by the way the question is framed. This is most evident in the discussion of voting and the expression of preferences, but it is also the case in the more “rigorous” calculus- and programming based approaches. The choice of the cheapest design or product is usually based on money as the metric, not the design's esthetics or the product's effects on the environment. To be sure, such externals can be taken into account, but the means for so doing are neither rigorous nor entirely objective. While linear programming is a very valuable tool and an important part of operations research, there are many other optimization techniques, including nonlinear, integer, dynamic, and geometric programming..
Expression of antisense RNA against initiation factor eIF-4E mRNA in HeLa cells results in lengthened cell division times, diminished translation rates, and reduced levels of both eIF-4E and the p220 component of eIF-4F.

HeLacells were transformed toexpressantisense RNA against initiation factor eIF-4EmRNA froman inducible promoter. Intheabsence ofinducer, these cells (AScells) were morphologically similar tocontrol cells butgrew four- tosevenfold more slowly. Induction ofantisense RNA production was lethal. BotheIF-4E mRNA andprotein levels were reduced inproportion tothedegree ofantisense RNA expression, as were the ratesofprotein synthesis invivoandinvitro. Polysomes were disaggregated witha concomitant increase in ribosomal subunits. Translation invitro was restored byaddition oftheinitiation factor complex eIF-4F but notbyeIF-4E alone. Immunological analysis revealed thatthep220componentofeIF-4F was decreased in extracts ofAScells andundetectable inAScellstreated withinducer, suggesting thatp220andeIF-4E levels arecoordinately regulated. eIF-4A, another component ofeIF-4F, was unaltered.
Racial disparities in heterotaxy syndrome

Background Heterotaxy syndrome (HTX) is a constellation of defects including abnormal organ lateralization and often including congenital heart defects. HTX has widely divergent population-based estimates of prevalence, racial and ethnic predominance, and mortality in current literature. Methods The objective of this study was to use a population-based registry to investigate potential racial and ethnic disparities in HTX. Using the Texas Birth Defects Registry, we described clinical features and mortality of HTX among infants delivered from 1999 to 2006. We calculated birth prevalence and crude prevalence (cPR) ratios for infant sex, maternal diabetes, and sociodemographic factors. Results A total of 353 HTX cases were identified from 2,993,604 births (prevalence ratio = 1.18 per 10,000 live births. HTX prevalence was approximately 70% higher among infants of Hispanic and non-Hispanic black mothers and 28% higher among female infants (cPR = 1.28; 95% confidence interval,1.04–1.59). There was a twofold higher female preponderance for infants of mothers who were non-Hispanic white or black. Mothers with diabetes were three times more likely to have a child with HTX compared with nondiabetics (cPR = 3.13; 95% confidence interval, 2.12–4.45). Among nondiabetics, HTX cases were 86% more likely to have a Hispanic mother and 72% a non-Hispanic black mother. First-year mortality for live born children with HTX was 30.9%. Conclusion This study represents one of the largest population-based studies of HTX to date, with a novel finding of higher rates of HTX among Hispanic infants of mostly Mexican origin, as well as among female infants of only non-Hispanic white and black mothers. These findings warrant further investigation.Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.