cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Difficult Diagnosis of Temporomandibular Joint Arthritis

Arthritis of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a long-recognized feature of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The consequences of longstanding TMJ inflammation — severe micrognathia and retrognathism — were mentioned in the original description of Sir Frederic Still1. Growth problems are common in JIA, but the extent of growth failure seen in the mandible of children with TMJ arthritis by far exceeds arthritis-related growth complications of other locations. They are caused by unique properties of the mandible: in contrast to what one would assume, the mandible does not grow at the chin. The teeth-bearing body of the mandible undergoes only minimal growth during childhood, while the majority of new bone formation takes place on the mandibular ramus and condyle2. In fact, the majority of mandibular growth originates from chondrocytes immediately adjacent to the TMJ joint space. Because of this close proximity, the inflammatory cytokines in the synovial fluid may have a direct effect on condylar growth very early on in the event of arthritis3. Further, the total growth of the mandible during childhood is considerable, and thus also the potential effect size of disturbed growth of this bone. Another unique factor of TMJ arthritis in JIA is the absence of clinical signs and symptoms in most patients. In the study of Twilt, et al 4, only 12% of patients had TMJ pain; Billiau, et al found 22% with muscle or joint tenderness5, and Argyropoulou, et al found 5%−8% with pain or chewing discomfort6. Also, clinical examination is not able to reveal early signs of active TMJ arthritis, even when performed by skilled examiners; whether they are pediatric rheumatologists or orthodontists, they will reliably find only the signs of … Address correspondence to Dr. Saurenmann; E-mail: traudel.saurenmann{at}kispi.uzh.ch
Cost allocation strategies for wide-area control of power systems using Nash Bargaining Solution

In this paper we present a novel game-theoretic strategy that guarantees fair cost allocation incurred by communication links in wide-area control for electric power systems. The underlying transmission network topology results in vastly diverse requirements for inter-area feedback for operating areas owned by different utility companies. Thus, it is unfair to divide the total communication cost equally among all companies. Our objective is to quantify these requirements and incorporate them into a fair cost distribution scheme. We formulate the wide-area control problem as a state-feedback based LQR minimization problem and cast it as a cooperative game with companies acting as game-players. We first apply sparsity-promoting optimization algorithms to construct the feedback gain matrix such that its off-diagonal blocks that characterize the inter-area feedback are as sparse as possible under a desired energy constraint. Assigning a fixed cost to every non-zero element in these off-diagonal blocks, we apply the Nash Bargaining Solution (NBS) to fairly allocate the total cost among the various game-players. Resulting insights into the wide-area communication requirements for different areas over a range of energy constraints are discussed.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in heart failure: new strategies justified by recent clinical trials

New information suggests that heart failure treatment strategies should change. Indeed, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors now should be considered first-line therapy in some instances. It is important, therefore, to review results of recently completed mortality end-point trials of ACE inhibitors in patients with congestive heart failure and asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. In the Treatment Trial of Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD), addition of enalapril to baseline therapy significantly improved prognosis in patients with mild to moderate heart failure. These results extend the findings of the Cooperative North Scandinavian Enalapril Survival Study (CONSENSUS), and indicate that ACE inhibition is beneficial to patients with all grades of overt congestive heart failure. In the Prevention Trial of SOLVD, and the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement Study (SAVE), therapy with enalapril or captopril improved prognosis among patients with, generally, asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. In particular, the risk of development of overt heart failure was reduced. Importantly, a marked anti-ischaemic effect of ACE inhibition was identified in both the SOLVD and SAVE trials. Clinical data amassed in nearly 9000 patients identify a substantial role for ACE inhibition in patients with all grades of symptomatic heart failure as well as in those with asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction (such as often follows a myocardial infarction). Data support early intervention with ACE inhibitor therapy alone in asymptomatic cardiac failure and triple combination therapy (ACE inhibitor, diuretic, digoxin) in patients with symptomatic congestive heart failure.
Computer modeling of transpupillary thermotherapy for choroidal neovascularization

Thermal effects of visible and near-infrared laser pulses were modeled in order to guide future pre-clinical and clinical studies for transpupillary thermotherapy for choroidal neovascularization (CNV). A finite-difference, thermophysical model of the native fundus was developed, and contributions were added to consider the effects of incident visible and near-infrared laser irradiation, natural pigment heterogeneity, an absorptive CNV complex, as well as subretinal and sub-RPE blood. Calculations were performed with and without choroidal convective cooling. A 70 mW green pulse generated a nearly identical tissue temperature response when compared with a 500 mW, 810 nm pulse. With efficient choroidal convection, a maximum temperature rise at 60 seconds of 12 C is calculated. Without convection, the temperature rise is ∼25 C. In the presence of an additional absorptive layer corresponding to CNV, there was a very small temperature increase in response to green light. At 810 nm, a marked increase in maximum temperature change is provoked in the presence of an additional absorptive layer or increased pigmentation. The maximum calculated temperature change is less sensitive to pigmentation variability for green when compared with infrared laser irradiation. Blood attenuates green light more than infrared; a significant effect was seen for 500 μm but not 200 μm thick layers of blood. Green laser may generate an equivalent thermal response, while limiting the potential for large variability in tissue temperature in the setting of natural pigment heterogeneity or an absorptive CNV complex. These studies will help to guide future pre-clinical and clinical studies of TTT.
Pharmacologic Development of Male Hormonal Contraceptive Agents

The world population continues to increase dramatically despite the existence of contraceptive technology. The use of male hormonal contraception may help in preventing unintended pregnancies and managing future population growth. Male hormonal contraception relies on the administration of exogenous hormones to suppress spermatogenesis. Clinical trials have tested several regimens using testosterone, alone or in combination with a progestin. These regimens were shown to be >90% effective in preventing conception and were not associated with serious adverse events.
The Vision for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Development of a SOFC APU for the Transportation Industry

Delphi Corporation is developing Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology for applications in the transportation and residential markets. Delphi is developing this technology for the automotive and heavy duty trucking markets primarily as an on-board Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). In the first application of this program, the APU will be used to power “hotel loads” i.e. an electric air conditioning system without the need for operating the vehicle’s engine.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Fast communication: Convergence analysis of sparse LMS algorithms with l1-norm penalty based on white input signal

The zero-attracting LMS (ZA-LMS) algorithm is one of the recently published sparse LMS algorithms. It usesan l"1-norm penalty in the standard LMS cost function. In this paper, we perform convergence analysis of the ZA-LMS algorithm based on white input signals. The stability condition is examined and the steady-state mean square deviation (MSD) is derived in terms of the system sparsity, system response length, and filter parameters (step size and zero-attractor controller). In addition, we propose a criterion for parameter selection such that the ZA-LMS algorithm outperforms the standard LMS algorithm. The results are demonstrated through computer simulations.
Association of polymorphisms in TGFB1 and prostate cancer prognosis.

Purpose: Because of the role of TGFB1 in prostate cancer and progression, we hypothesized that polymorphisms of TGFB1 at C-509T may be associated with prostate cancer risk and/or more aggressive tumors.Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study. Controls consisted of male volunteers 40 years old or older with a normal digital rectal examination and prostate specific antigen 2.5 ng/ml or less. Cases consisted of men with biopsy proven prostate cancer. High grade prostate cancer included all cancers of Gleason sum 7 or greater. Poor prognosis in cases was defined as any stage with Gleason sum 8–10, pT3A (if Gleason sum was greater than 7), pT3B or higher (all Gleason sums), any N1 or higher, any M1 or higher, or any documented PSA recurrence (biochemical failure). Single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using allelic discrimination assays. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the OR with the corresponding 95% CI for individual racial/ethnic groups. Allelic frequency across ethnic...
Application of thermal infrared imagery to canal leakage detection

Abstract The North Unit Irrigation District of central Oregon is an area of limited water availability. Because of the limited water resource, close monitoring of water conveyance, application, and drainage are required. An HRB Singer AN/AAS 14 optical-electronic thermal infrared scanning system was used to test its utility for monitoring one aspect of the water management scheme, the conveyance or canal system. Thermal infrared imagery, sensed in the 8–14 μm portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, was found to be an economical and practical method of detecting conveyance system leakage sites.
Biradicals by triplet recombination of radical ion pairs.

Radical ion pairs generated by photoinduced electron transfer may undergo return electron transfer (RET) in pairs of singlet or triplet multiplicity. RET efficiencies are determined by the free energy of RET and the topologies of the potential surfaces of parent molecule, radical ion and triplet state. If radical ion geometries are different from the corresponding triplet states, RET occurs either with cleavage (“dissociative” RET; 1,2-diphenylcyclopropane radical cations) or formation of C–C bonds (“associative” RET; norbornadiene radical cation). Radical ions of some strained ring compounds spontaneously undergo ring-opening; RET to such species form ring-opened triplets without major geometry changes. CIDNP spectroscopy offers unique insights into triplet RET.
Dimensional reduction of nonlinear delay differential equations with periodic coefficients using Chebyshev spectral collocation

A technique for dimensional reduction of nonlinear delay differential equations (DDEs) with time-periodic coefficients is presented. The DDEs considered here have a canonical form with at most cubic nonlinearities and periodic coefficients. The nonlinear terms are multiplied by a perturbation parameter. Perturbation expansion converts the nonlinear response problem into solutions of a series of nonhomogeneous linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with time-periodic coefficients. One set of linear nonhomogeneous ODEs is solved for each power of the perturbation parameter. Each ODE is solved by a Chebyshev spectral collocation method. Thus we compute a finite approximation to the nonlinear infinite-dimensional map for the DDE. The linear part of the map is the monodromy operator whose eigenvalues characterize stability. Dimensional reduction on the map is then carried out. In the case of critical eigenvalues, this corresponds to center manifold reduction, while for the noncritical case resonance conditions are derived. The accuracy of the nonlinear Chebyshev collocation map is demonstrated by finding the solution of a nonlinear delayed Mathieu equation and then a milling model via the method of steps. Center manifold reduction is illustrated via a single inverted pendulum including both a periodic retarded follower force and a nonlinear restoring force. In this example, the amplitude of the limit cycle associated with a flip bifurcation is found analytically and compared to that obtained from direct numerical simulation. The method of this paper is shown by example to be applicable to systems with strong parametric excitations.
Modification of the He3 Phase Diagram by Anisotropic Disorder

Motivated by the recent prediction that uniaxially compressed aerogel can stabilize the anisotropic $A$ phase over the isotropic $B$ phase, we measure the pressure dependent superfluid fraction of $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ entrained in 10% axially compressed, 98% porous aerogel. We observe that a broad region of the temperature-pressure phase diagram is occupied by the metastable $A$ phase. The reappearance of the $A$ phase on warming from the $B$ phase, before superfluidity is extinguished at ${T}_{c}$, is in contrast to its absence in uncompressed aerogel. The phase diagram is modified from that of pure $^{3}\mathrm{He}$, with the disappearance of the polycritical point (PCP) and the appearance of a region of $A$ phase extending below the PCP of bulk $^{3}\mathrm{He}$, even in zero applied magnetic field. The expected alignment of the $A$ phase texture by compression is not observed.
Correlates of damage to residences following the Northridge earthquake, as reported in a population-based survey of Los Angeles county residents

Abstract Damage to residential structures as a result of earthquakes can be viewed from the perspective of geologic and engineering sciences and from the perspective of the social sciences. Utilizing data collected from a population‐based survey, this paper concludes that the distribution of damage, the types of damage, the dollar amount of damage, whether or not homes were inspected and the results of those inspections following the Northridge earthquake correlate with measures of intensity of the earthquake, as well as with characteristics of the building and with characteristics of the household. Interestingly, pga is generally a better predictor of damage than MMI, newer homes suffered more damage than older ones, and higher income households were more affected than lower income households.
Simulation as a methodology for assessing the performance of healthcare professionals working in the delivery room

Formal evaluation of healthcare professionals has been accomplished primarily through assessment of the ability to recall content knowledge despite the fact that cognitive, technical and behavioral skills are all important aspects of human performance in this domain. In addition human performance is also influenced by elements that are extrinsic to the human being including the systems and subsystems with which they must interact. Rigorous assessment of human and system performance in the actual healthcare environment is extremely challenging for a number of reasons. Simulation provides a methodology by which this performance can be objectively assessed, thereby facilitating the delivery of effective, safe and efficient patient care.
Descemet membrane detachment with hemorrhage after alkali burn to the cornea.

Abstract Purpose To report two cases of Descemet membrane detachment associated with hemorrhage after alkali burn to the cornea. Design Observational case reports. Methods We describe two patients with detachment of Descemet membrane associated with hemorrhage after alkali burns to the cornea. Results Patient 1 received a splash of caustic soda to the face. Descemet membrane detachment with hemorrhage was present. An attempt at reattachment using intraocular gases failed. Patient 2 sustained a chemical burn secondary to an airbag injury. A thickened, detached Descemet membrane associated with a hyphema was evident. Conclusions Detachments of Descemet membrane associated with alkali burns are often accompanied by irreversible endothelial cell damage.
Gross and microscopic anatomy of the eighth cranial nerve in relationship to the solitary schwannoma

Surgical advances over the past two decades, allowing the discovery of smaller solitary schwannomas of the VIIIth cranial nerve and their extirpation with preservation of the VIIth cranial nerve, have lead to attempts to resect the tumor without completely resecting its nerve of origin. This paper reports the macroscopic and microscopic observations of 22 solitary schwannomas of the VIIIth cranial nerve as they relate to the nerve of origin. Nine tumors were removed, en bloc with the VIIIth nerve, transversely subserially sectioned and studied by light microscopy. Four of the en bloc cases and 13 additional cases were studied by biopsying the VIIIth nerve branches, lateral, and the VIIIth nerve trunk medial to the tumor. The results suggest that the VIIIth nerve is involved throughout the extent of the tumor and, in some cases, beyond the tumor limits with intraneural invasion by tumor cells. There is an immediate dispersion of VIIIth nerve fibers to extremely small aggregates dispersed peripherally about the tumor surface. These fiber aggregates are not surgically dissectable from the tumor because of the difficulty in identifying the fibers and because of tumor infiltration of normal appearing nerves. The pure tone threshold average of 500-2,000 Hz. tends to correlate more closely with the number of cochlear fibers present, lateral to the tumor, than do other auditory tests. The percent of unilateral vestibular weakness does not correlate with the number of fibers present in the superior vestibular nerve. In summary, these histologic data suggest that complete tumor resection from VIIIth nerve fibers may be beyond our present technological capabilities. They further suggest severe limits to accurate identification of candidates for this conservation surgery.
Contact reactions in atopy

Abstract 1.1. Contact tests were performed with oil-free preparations of sixteen common allergens, including foods as well as inhalants. 2.2. One or more positive contact reactions were obtained in 75 per cent of the atopic children with asthma, in 75 per cent with vernal catarrh, in 62.5 per cent with eczema and neurodermatitis, and in 60 per cent with hay fever. 3.3. Silkworm and feathers gave the highest number of positive contact reactions with almost equal frequency among the various atopic illnesses. Reactions to pollens tended to occur more frequently among patients with hay fever and vernal catarrh than among those with other allergic conditions. Allergenic foods rarely gave positive contact reactions. 4.4. The high incidence of contact reactions in vernal catarrh is suggestive evidence of the atopic nature of this illness.
Fluocinolone Acetonide 0.01% in Peanut Oil: Safety and Efficacy Data in the Treatment of Childhood Atopic Dermatitis in Infants as Young as 3 Months of Age

Fluocinolone acetonide 0.01% in a blend of refined peanut and mineral oils has been established as effective and safe treatment for atopic dermatitis in patients 2 years and older, including those with peanut sensitivity, for several years. We sought to study the safety of fluocinolone acetonide 0.01% oil and its potential for adrenal axis suppression in infants as young as 3 months of age. A controlled, open-label study was performed in children aged 3 months to 2 years with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis at two academic pediatric dermatology centers. Patients received topical fluocinolone acetonide 0.01% oil twice daily to affected areas involving a minimum of 20% body surface ratio for 4 weeks. Cortisol stimulation testing was performed at baseline and at the end of the treatment phase. Patients were monitored for medication use and adverse events. Efficacy was assessed using the Investigator Global Severity and Response scales. Thirty-two patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis were recruited into the study and 30 were evaluated with the Physician's Global Improvement Assessment tool. The mean body surface ratio treated for all age groups was 48%. Eighty-three percent of patients had marked or better improvement scores by week 2 and 96% by week 4, with 40% completely cleared. No adrenal suppression occurred in the 24 patients that met inclusion criteria for hypothalamus-pituitary axis (HPA) axis analysis. No relevant adverse events occurred. Results of this study support the safety and efficacy of fluocinolone acetonide 0.01% in refined peanut oil vehicle, for infants as young as 3 months of age with atopic dermatitis. No evidence of adrenal suppression or adverse local effects was demonstrated after 4 weeks of twice daily treatment.
A Programming Model for Spatio-temporal Data Streaming Applications

In this paper, we describe a programming model to enable reasoning about spatio-temporal data streams. A spatio-temporal data stream is one where each datum is related to a point in space and time. For example, sensors in a plane record airspeeds (va) during a given flight. Similarly, GPS units record an airplane’s flight path over the ground including ground speeds (vg) at di erent locations. An aircraft’s airspeed and ground speed are related by the following mathematical formula: vg = p v 2 + 2va vw cos( a w) + v 2, where va and a are the aircraft airspeed and heading, and vw and w are the wind speed and direction. Wind speeds and directions are typically forecast in 3,000-foot height intervals over discretely located fix points in 6-12 hour ranges. Modeling the relationship between these spatio-temporal data streams allows us to estimate with high probability the likelihood of sensor failures and consequent erroneous data. Tragic airplane accidents (such as Air France’s Flight 447 on June 1st, 2009 killing all 216 passengers and 12 aircrew aboard) could have been avoided by giving pilots better information which can be derived from inferring stochastic knowledge about spatio-temporal data streams. This work is a first step in this direction.
Classification of images using spatial random trees

In this paper a new methodology for constructing hierarchical stochastic image models called spatial random trees (SRTs) is described. The models are stochastic processes on trees with each leaf corresponding to a single pixel. The key innovation is that the tree structure itself is random and is generated by a probabilistic grammar. Important application of this method is its wide usage in natural language processing
Limits of fusion and depth judgment in stereoscopic color displays

The effective use of stereoscopic display systems is dependent, in part, on reliable data describing binocular fusion limits and the accuracy of depth discrimination for such visual display devices. These issues were addressed in three experiments, as were the effects of interocular cross talk. Results showed that limits of fusion were approximately 27.0 min arc for crossed disparity and 24.0 min arc for uncrossed disparity. Subjects were extremely accurate in distinguishing the relative distance among four groups of stimuli, were able to identify a pair of stimuli colocated at the same depth plane within each group, and were fairly accurate in scaling stimuli along the depth dimension. The mean error in using disparity as a depth cue was approximately 2.2 min arc. Interocular cross talk had little effect on fusion limits for 200-ms stimulus presentations but significantly affected fusion for longer (2 s) presentations that enabled vergence responses to be executed. Depth discrimination performance was essentially unaffected by interocular cross talk; however, cross talk significantly influenced subjective ratings of image quality and visual comfort.
Culture in Animals: The Case of a Non-human Primate Culture of Low Aggression and High Affiliation

In this article the A. considers what the term culture means to animal behaviorists, and theories about how cultural transmission can occur in other species. He then reviews some of the most striking examples of non-human culture. Most of the examples to be discussed are narrow in focus, concerning a single feature of tool use, food acquisition or consumption, or communication. He then expands the focus, considering cases of non-human social culture. By this term he means where a particular style of sociability permeats an array of behaviours, with this assemblage of traits fulfilling the criteria for culture. The A. examines in some detail a recent study presenting the most detailed case of transmission of a social culture in a non-human species, one involving a group of primates with a multi-generational culture of low rates of aggression and high rates of affiliative behaviours (such as social grooming, play or sitting in contact). Finally, he suggests that this peaceable non-human primate culture may be relevant to the human condition
Low-Temperature Hetero-Epitaxial Growth of Ge on Si by High Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

Demand for integration of optoelectronic functionality (e.g., optical interconnects) with silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology has for many years motivated the investigation of low temperature (∼ 450°C) germanium deposition processes that may be integrated in to the back-end CMOS process flow. A common challenge to improving the germanium quality is the thermal budget of the in-situ bake, which is used to reduce defect forming oxygen and carbon surface residues. Typical cleaning temperatures to remove significant concentrations of oxygen and carbon have been reported to be approximately 750°C for thermal hydrogen bakes in standard chemical vapor deposition chambers. Germanium device performance using lower peak in-situ cleans (i.e., ∼450°C) has been hampered by additional crystal defectivity, although epitaxy is possible with out complete removal of oxygen and carbon at lower temperatures. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is used to reduce the processing temperature. Hydrogen plasma assisted in-situ surface preparation of epitaxy has been shown to reduce both carbon and oxygen concentrations and enable epitaxial growth at temperatures as low as ∼150°C. The hydrogen is believed to help produce volatile Si-O and H2O species in the removal of oxygen, although typically this is not reported to occur rapidly enough to completely clear the surface of all oxygen until ∼550°C. In this paper, we describe the use of an in-situ argon/germane high density plasma to help initiate germanium epitaxy on silicon using a peak temperature of approximately 460°C. Germanium is believed to readily break Si-O bonds to form more volatile Ge-O, therefore, argon/germane plasmas offer the potential to reduce the necessary in-situ clean temperature while obtaining similar results as hydrogen in-situ cleans. To the authors knowledge this report is also the first demonstration of germanium epitaxy on silicon using this commercially available high density plasma chamber configuration instead of, for example, remote or electron cyclotron resonance configurations.
Healthcare provider perceptions of clinical prediction rules

Objectives To examine internal medicine and emergency medicine healthcare provider perceptions of usefulness of specific clinical prediction rules. Setting The study took place in two academic medical centres. A web-based survey was distributed and completed by participants between 1 January and 31 May 2013. Participants Medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy or nurse practitioners employed in the internal medicine or emergency medicine departments at either institution. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was to identify the clinical prediction rules perceived as most useful by healthcare providers specialising in internal medicine and emergency medicine. Secondary outcomes included comparing usefulness scores of specific clinical prediction rules based on provider specialty, and evaluating associations between usefulness scores and perceived characteristics of these clinical prediction rules. Results Of the 401 healthcare providers asked to participate, a total of 263 (66%), completed the survey. The CHADS2 score was chosen by most internal medicine providers (72%), and Pulmonary Embolism Rule-Out Criteria (PERC) score by most emergency medicine providers (45%), as one of the top three most useful from a list of 24 clinical prediction rules. Emergency medicine providers rated their top three significantly more positively, compared with internal medicine providers, as having a better fit into their workflow (p=0.004), helping more with decision-making (p=0.037), better fitting into their thought process when diagnosing patients (p=0.001) and overall, on a 10-point scale, more useful (p=0.009). For all providers, the perceived qualities of useful at point of care, helps with decision making, saves time diagnosing, fits into thought process, and should be the standard of clinical care correlated highly (≥0.65) with overall 10-point usefulness scores. Conclusions Healthcare providers describe clear preferences for certain clinical prediction rules, based on medical specialty.
Sulindac is not renal sparing in man.

We investigated the claimed renal-sparing effect of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor sulindac. Fifteen normal women following a diet of 50 mEq salt a day were randomly assigned to 5 days of either placebo, sulindac, 200 mg b.i.d., or indomethacin, 25 mg q.i.d., after first serving as their own controls. Renal effects were assessed by the excretion rate of prostaglandin (PG) E2 (an index of renal PG synthesis), sodium balance, plasma renin activity (PRA), and the response to furosemide. Systemic effects were assessed by collagen-induced platelet aggregation and thromboxane B2 formation and by the urinary excretion of a systemically formed metabolite of PGF2α (PGF-M). Both sulindac and indomethacin resulted in a positive sodium balance and a reduction in 24-hour urinary PGE2 excretion (range −49% to −86%). Basal PRA was decreased by indomethacin only, but the increases in PRA and in urinary PGE2 excretion in response to furosemide were inhibited by both sulindac and indomethacin. Sulindac reduced the natriuresis induced by furosemide, and indomethacin reduced the rise in inulin clearance after furosemide. Thus the two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had similar effects on the kidney. Indomethacin had a greater effect than sulindac on the inhibition of collagen-induced platelet aggregation and thromboxane synthesis and the two drugs had equivalent effects on the reduction of PGF-M excretion. Peak plasma drug concentrations of indomethacin (1.9 ± 0.4 µg/ml) and sulindac sulfide (7.7 ± 1.9 µg/ml) were those associated with clinical efficacy. We conclude that sulindac has renal effects qualitatively comparable to those of indomethacin. Therefore, caution should continue to be exercised with the use of sulindac, as with other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in clinical situations in which cyclooxygenase inhibitors have been associated with deterioration of renal function. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1985) 38, 258–265; doi:10.1038/clpt.1985.168
An inferential framework for biological network hypothesis tests

Networks are ubiquitous in modern cell biology and physiology. A large literature exists for inferring/proposing biological pathways/networks using statistical or machine learning algorithms. Despite these advances a formal testing procedure for analyzing network-level observations is in need of further development. Comparing the behaviour of a pharmacologically altered pathway to its canonical form is an example of a salient one-sample comparison. Locating which pathways differentiate disease from no-disease phenotype may be recast as a two-sample network inference problem. We outline an inferential method for performing one- and two-sample hypothesis tests where the sampling unit is a network and the hypotheses are stated via network model(s). We propose a dissimilarity measure that incorporates nearby neighbour information to contrast one or more networks in a statistical test. We demonstrate and explore the utility of our approach with both simulated and microarray data; random graphs and weighted (partial) correlation networks are used to form network models. Using both a well-known diabetes dataset and an ovarian cancer dataset, the methods outlined here could better elucidate co-regulation changes for one or more pathways between two clinically relevant phenotypes. Formal hypothesis tests for gene- or protein-based networks are a logical progression from existing gene-based and gene-set tests for differential expression. Commensurate with the growing appreciation and development of systems biology, the dissimilarity-based testing methods presented here may allow us to improve our understanding of pathways and other complex regulatory systems. The benefit of our method was illustrated under select scenarios.
Hyphema after laser in situ keratomileusis using the femtosecond laser

A 50-year-old man developed active anterior chamber bleeding immediately following uneventful myopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) using the femtosecond laser. Although the mechanism of this patient's hyphema is not entirely clear, we postulate that decentration of the suction ring led to episcleral vessel damage in the area of the peripheral flap pocket. Presumably, the blood passed from the pocket in a retrograde fashion through Schlemm canal and the trabecular meshwork into the anterior chamber. Financial Disclosure Neither author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Influence of iloprost on hemorheology of congenital heart disease with pulmonary hypertension in children

Objective To determine the change in hemorheology index with or without inhalation of iloprost for children with pulmonary hypertension secondary to congenital heart disease. Methods Altogether 10 children with pulmonary hypertension secondary to congenital heart disease who did not receive the iloprost inhalation treatment and 10 children with the same condition who received the ilporost inhalation treatment were randomly selected for our study.Children aged from 0 to 14.Hemorheology instrument was used to measure the change in hemorheology index in 2 groups. Results Compared with children without inhalation of iloprost,erythrocyte aggregation and blood yield stress decreased significantly,erythrocyte deformation index increased significantly 24 hours after children inhalated iloprost.There was no significant difference in hemorheology index between the non-inhalation groups at the point when children went into ICU and 24 h later. Conclusion Inhalation of iloprost can obviously improve the hemorheology properties in children with pulmonary hypertension secondary to congenital heart disease.
Agricultural land-use history causes persistent loss of plant phylogenetic diversity

Intensive land use activities, such as agriculture, are a leading cause of biodiversity loss and can have lasting impacts on ecological systems. Yet, few studies have investigated how land-use legacies impact phylogenetic diversity (the total amount of evolutionary history in a community) or how restoration activities might mitigate legacy effects on biodiversity. We studied ground-layer plant communities in 27 pairs of Remnant (no agricultural history) and Post-agricultural (agriculture abandoned >60 yr ago) longleaf pine savannas, half of which we restored by thinning trees to reinstate open savanna conditions. We found that agricultural history had no impact on species richness, but did alter community composition and reduce phylogenetic diversity by 566 million years/1,000 m2. This loss of phylogenetic diversity in post-agricultural savannas was due to, in part, a reduction in the average evolutionary distance between pairs of closely related species, that is, increased phylogenetic clustering. Habitat restoration increased species richness by 27% and phylogenetic diversity by 914 million years but did not eliminate the effects of agricultural land use on community composition and phylogenetic structure. These results demonstrate the persistence of agricultural legacies, even in the face of intensive restoration efforts, and the importance of considering biodiversity broadly when evaluating human impacts on ecosystems.
Self-perceived balance disability/handicap in the presence of bilateral peripheral vestibular system impairment

The purpose of this report was to characterize the self-perceived balance disability/handicap of patients with bilateral reductions and bilateral complete losses of peripheral vestibular system function. Data from 72 patients whose electronystagmography and rotational examinations suggested normal, unilateral, or bilateral reductions in peripheral vestibular system function were used in the first investigation. Patients also completed a Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI). Results demonstrated significant group differences for DHI total and physical subscale scores. There were significant differences between normal and bilateral weakness groups for the total DHI score and between normal and unilateral and normal and bilateral weakness groups for the physical subscale score. In a second investigation, an item analysis of the DHI is presented for five patients with bilateral complete losses of peripheral vestibular system function. Results show that, predictably, these patients have difficulty engaging in activities requiring an intact vestibulocular reflex (e.g., physical activities such as sports, household chores).
Critical Thresholds and Conditional Stability for Euler Equations and Related Models

We are concerned with time regularity of the velocity field for a class of so-called restricted flows, where the velocity field, u, is governed by the Newtonian law, $$ {{\partial }_{t}}u + u \cdot \nabla u = F,\quad x \in I{{R}^{n}}, $$ (1) which shows up in different contexts dictated by the different modeling of F’s, where F stands for a general forcing acting on the flow. The examples range from Euler/Navier-Stokes equations to Euler-Poisson equations. There has been an enormous amount of papers related to the study of global behavior of solutions to (1) with possible associated laws (say, conservation of mass, energy etc). For the question of global behavior of strong solutions the choice of the initial data and/or damping forces is decisive. The classical methods of analysis include energy method (for small initial perturbations due to the nonlinearity) and the singularity prediction ( the finite life span is often due to a global condition of large enough initial (generalized) energy, staying outside a critical threshold ball).
Development and Experimental Validation of Thermally Stable Unimorph SMP Actuators Incorporating Transverse Curvature

Shape memory polymers (SMP) have the potential to be utilized as a lightweight, solid state actuator in modern reconfigurable structures including as deployment systems for satellite solar panels or morphing aircraft wings. This paper is predominantly focused on the use of Veriflex-S®, a thermally activated SMP, and bi-directional carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) in a flexural unimorph actuator configuration. The disadvantage of a unimorph composite actuator (UCA) as opposed to an actuator with a SMP matrix or a SMP composite sandwich structure is that UCA behaves like a bimaterial strip when heated or cooled. This means that large temperature swings, like those seen in space environments, will result in large out-of-plane curvature. These deformations can greatly affect the effectiveness of reconfigurable structures. This paper explains the development and experimental validation of a closed-form solution for a thermally stable unimorph actuator which exhibits minimal out-of-plane deformation when subjected to a thermal stimulus. A closed-form solution of the SMP actuator was developed and a set of UCA actuators were experimentally evaluated utilizing digital image correlation (DIC) to validate the conceptual model created. The experimental results indicate that the closed-form solution appears to be accurate as the maximum out-of-plane deformations for several non-ideal thermally stable actuators were less than 0.6 mm for a 65 °C temperature change.
Model development of proppant transport through hydraulic fracture network and parametric study

Abstract A model capable of simulating proppant transport through hydraulic fracture network is developed and summarized in this paper. The proppant transport model (PTM) is able to capture multiple proppant transport patterns, including suspension, saltation and creeping. These patterns are first identified, and then quantified to establish proppant transport equations. The governing equations are programed into a three-dimensional, finite-difference model to simulate the proppant transport process. The PTM is coupled to a previously developed hydraulic fracture network propagation model, which updates essential input parameters such as fracture geometry, velocity distribution and pressure profile for each step. In every step, the proppant transport model extracts values for these parameters and solves the mass transport equations for all three patterns. Finally, the PTM generates proppant concentration, fracture conductivity and distribution throughout the created fracture network and predicts, at the end of the designed treatment the propped stimulated reservoir volume (PSRV) – a critical indicator of long-term stimulation effectiveness for hydraulically fractured oil/gas reservoirs. Parametric Studies of several important treatment, operational, reservoir, and geomechanical parameters are done in this paper to illustrate the impact of each factor on the PSRV.
Platelet Activating Factor

Platelet activating factor (PAF) is an endogenous phospholipid involved in platelet activation and aggregation after antigen challenge. PAF affects a variety of organs and cell types including liver, bowel, pancreas, heart, and lung …
Integrability Conditions in Nonlinear Beam Kinematics

In order to develop an active nonlinear beam model, the beam’s kinematics is examined by employing the kinematic assumption of a rigid cross section during deformation. As a mathematical tool, the moving frame method, developed by Elie Cartan (1869–1951) on differentiable manifolds, is utilized by treating a beam as a frame bundle on a deforming centroidal curve. As a result, three new integrability conditions are obtained, which play critical roles in the derivation of beam equations of motion. They also serve a role in a geometrically-exact finite-element implementation of beam models. These integrability conditions enable the derivation of beam models starting from the three-dimensional Hamilton’s principle and the d’Alembert principle of virtual work. Finally, the reconstruction scheme for rotation matrices for given angular velocity at each time is presented.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
When patient-physician confidentiality conflicts with the law.

Physicians are bound in most states to report treating injuries they suspect are violence related. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Quantitative microvascular analysis of retinal venous occlusions by spectral domain optical coherence tomography angiography

Purpose To quantitatively evaluate the retinal microvasculature in human subjects with retinal venous occlusions (RVO) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Design Retrospective, cross-sectional, observational case series. Participants Sixty subjects (84 eyes) were included (20 BRVO, 14 CRVO, 24 unaffected fellow eyes, and 26 controls). Methods OCTA was performed on a prototype, spectral domain-OCTA system in the 3x3mm central macular region. Custom software was used to quantify morphology and density of retinal capillaries using four quantitative parameters. The vasculature of the segmented retinal layers and nonsegmented whole retina were analyzed. Main outcome measures Fractal dimension (FD), vessel density (VD), skeletal density (SD), and vessel diameter index (VDI) within the segmented retinal layers and nonsegmented whole retina vasculature. Results Nonsegmented analysis of RVO eyes demonstrated significantly lower FD (1.64±0.01 vs 1.715±0.002; p<0.001), VD (0.32±0.01 vs 0.432±0.002; p<0.001), and SD (0.073±0.004 vs 0.099±0.001; p<0.001) compared to controls. Compared to the fellow eye, FD, VD and SD were lower (p<0.001), and VDI was higher (p<0.001). FD, VD, and SD progressively decreased as the extent (or type) of RVO increased (control vs BRVO vs CRVO; p<0.001). In the unaffected fellow eye FD, VD and SD showed significant differences when compared to control eyes or affected RVO eyes (p<0.001). Conclusions Quantitative OCTA of the central 3x3mm macular region demonstrates significant differences in capillary density and morphology among subjects with BRVO and CRVO compared to controls or unaffected fellow eyes in all vascular layers. The unaffected fellow eyes also demonstrate significant differences when compared to controls. OCTA allows for noninvasive, layer-specific, quantitative evaluation of RVO-associated microvascular changes.
Nonlinear inverse heat conduction: Digitally filtered space marching with phase-plane and cross-correlation analyses

ABSTRACTThis paper utilizes concepts extracted from phase-plane and cross-correlation analyses for estimating the optimal regularization parameter required by a nonlinear space marching inverse heat conduction method. The regularization parameter for this approach is based on the cut-off frequency used in a low-pass Gauss digital filter for preprocessing the in-depth temperature data. The simulation uses two in-depth thermocouples which are representative of a physical experiment. Numerical results indicate a high level of robustness as the best prediction is extracted from the prediction space over the spectrum of cut-off frequencies. The feasibility and effectiveness of phase-plane and cross-correlation analyses are discussed.
Mechanical strain to maxillary incisors during direct laryngoscopy.

While most Direct laryngoscopy leads to dental injury in 25–39% of cases. Dental injury occurs when the forces and impacts applied to the teeth exceed the ability of the structures to dissipate energy and stress. The purpose of this study was to measure strain, (which is the change produced in the length of the tooth by a force applied to the tooth) strain rate, and strain-time integral to the maxillary incisors and determine if they varied by experience, type of blade, or use of an alcohol protective pad (APP). A mannequin head designed to teach and test intubation was instrumented with eight single axis strain gauges placed on the four maxillary incisors: four on the facial or front surface of the incisors and four on the lingual or back, near the insertion of the incisor in the gums to measure bending strain as well as compression. Anesthesiology faculty, residents, and certified registered nurse anesthetists intubated with Macintosh and Miller blades with and without APP. Using strain-time curves, the maximum strain, strain rate, and strain time integral were calculated. Across the 92 subjects, strain varied 8–12 fold between the 25th and 75th percentiles for all four techniques, but little by experience, while strain rate and strain integral varied 6–13 fold and 15–26 fold, respectively, for the same percentiles. Intubators who had high strain values with one blade tended to have high strains with the other blade with and without the APP (all pairwise correlation rho = 0.42–0.63). Strain varies widely by intubator and that the use of the APP reduces strain rate which may decrease the risk of or the severity of dental injury.