cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute identification of cranial burst fracture: comparison between CT and MR imaging findings.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Scalp swelling associated with cranial burst fracture, a widely diastatic skull fracture of infants associated with dural laceration and acute cerebral extrusion, may be confused with that of a simple subgaleal hematoma. Both conditions can also be associated with hemorrhagic shock. We sought to improve the early evaluation of infants believed to have sustained cranial burst fracture by including MR imaging, since this study clearly delineates the dural-cortical interface, the site of injury. METHODS: Seven infants aged 1 through 11 months who sustained cranial burst fractures, all initially imaged with skull radiography and CT, were studied or treated from 1992 through 1996. MR imaging was obtained after resuscitation and stabilization. RESULTS: Surgery or autopsy confirmed MR findings (dural laceration and extracalvarial cerebral tissue) in all seven infants. CONCLUSION: MR imaging allows early diagnosis of skull fracture associated with acute cerebral extrusion.
Stability and Function of JC Virus Large T Antigen and T′ Proteins Are Altered by Mutation of Their Phosphorylated Threonine 125 Residues

JC virus (JCV), a human polyomavirus, exhibits oncogenic activity in rodents and primates. The large tumor antigens (TAgs) of the polyomaviruses play key roles in viral replication and oncogenic transformation. Analyses of JCV TAg phosphorylation mutants indicated that the amino-terminal phosphorylation site at threonine 125 (T125) is critical to TAg replication function. This site is also conserved in the TAg splice variants T′135, T′136, and T′165. By constructing stable cell lines expressing JCV T125A and T125D mutants, we show that mutation of this phosphorylation site to alanine generates an unstable TAg; however, the stability of the three T′ proteins is unaffected. JCV T125A mutant proteins bind the retinoblastoma protein (RB) family members p107 and p130 with slightly reduced efficiencies and fail to induce the release of transcriptionally active E2F from RB-E2F complexes. On the other hand, cell lines expressing JCV T125D mutant proteins produce stable TAg and T′ proteins which bind p107 and p130 more efficiently than do the wild-type proteins. In addition, T125D mutant proteins efficiently induce the release of E2F from RB-E2F complexes. T125D mutant cell lines, unlike the T125A mutant lines, continue to grow under conditions of low serum concentration and anchorage independence. Finally, both T125A and T125D mutant viruses are replication defective. Phosphorylation of the T125 site is likely mediated by a cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinase, suggesting that JCV TAg and T′ protein functions that mediate viral replication and oncogenic transformation events are regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner.
Proteomic analysis of rat striatal synaptosomes during acrylamide intoxication at a low dose rate.

We have hypothesized that acrylamide (ACR) intoxication causes cumulative nerve terminal damage by forming adducts with nucleophilic cysteine sulfhydryl groups on critical presynaptic proteins. To determine the cumulative effects of ACR on the cysteine-containing proteome of nerve terminal, we employed cleavable isotope-coded affinity tagging (ICAT) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. ICAT analysis uses a sulfhydryl-specific tag to identify and quantitate cysteine-containing proteins. Synaptosomes were prepared from striatum of ACR-intoxicated rats (21 mg/kg/day × 7, 14, or 21 days) and their age-matched controls. The synaptosomal proteins of each experimental group were labeled with either light ( 12 C 9 —control) or heavy ( 13 C 9 —ACR) ICAT reagent. Results show that ACR intoxication caused a progressive reduction in the ICAT labeling of many nerve terminal proteins. A label-free mass spectrometric approach (multidimensional protein identification) was used to show that the observed reductions in ICAT incorporation were not due to general changes in protein abundance and that ACR formed adducts with cysteine residues on peptides which also exhibited reduced ICAT incorporation. The decrease in labeling was temporally correlated to the development of neurological toxicity and confirmed previous findings that cysteine adducts of ACR accumulate as a function of exposure. The accumulation of adduct is consistent with the cumulative neurotoxicity induced by ACR and suggests that cysteine adduct formation is a necessary neuropathogenic step. Furthermore, our analyses identified specific proteins (e.g., v-ATPase, dopamine transporter, N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor) that were progressively and significantly adducted by ACR and might, therefore, be neurotoxicologically relevant targets.
Structural basis for thermostability and identification of potential active site residues for adenylate kinases from the archaeal genus Methanococcus.

Sequence comparisons of highly related archaeal adenylate kinases (AKs) from the mesophilic Methanococcus voltae, the moderate thermophile Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus, and two extreme thermophiles Methanococcus igneus and Methanococcus jannaschii, allow identification of interactions responsible for the large variation in temperatures for optimal catalytic activity and thermostabilities observed for these proteins. The tertiary structures of the methanococcal AKs have been predicted by using homology modeling to further investigate the potential role of specific interactions on thermal stability and activity. The alignments for the methanococcal AKs have been generated by using an energy-based sequence–structure threading procedure against high-resolution crystal structures of eukaryotic, eubacterial, and mitochondrial adenylate and uridylate (UK) kinases. From these alignments, full atomic model structures have been produced using the program MODELLER. The final structures allow identification of potential active site interactions and place a polyproline region near the active site, both of which are unique to the archaeal AKs. Based on these model structures, the additional polar residues present in the thermophiles could contribute four additional salt bridges and a higher negative surface charge. Since only one of these possible salt bridges is interior, they do not appear significantly to the thermal stability. Instead, our model structures indicate that a larger and more hydrophobic core, due to a specific increase in aliphatic amino acid content and aliphatic side chain volume, in the thermophilic AKs is responsible for increased thermal stability. © 1997 Wiley-Liss Inc.
British Mercantile Houses in Buenos Aires, 1810–1880

1. A Perspective 2. Risk and Opportunity in Argentine Trade 3. Politics and Society in Buenos Aires 4. The Organization and Operation of the British Mercantile House 5. Operating in Argentina 6. Merchants, British Investment, and the Economic Development of Argentina 7. British Merchants as Entrepreneurs Notes Bibliography Index
Sorption and diffusion in multicomponent polymers

The solution, diffusion, and permeation of low molecular weight substances in polymeric materials are governed by the relative chemical compositions and physical structures of the penetrant molecule and the polymer. Those factors determine the chain segmental mobility, defect structures, and interactions which control the sorption magnitude and penetrant molecular mobility within the polymer. The transport of relatively noninteracting penetrant molecules in a polymer almost always follows the classical behavior predicted by Fick's law relationships with a constant (or nearly so) diffusion coefficient. An increase in generalized interactions (van der Waals, etc.) leads to increased sorption of the penetrant, with consequent increase in plasticization of the polymer, such that the diffusion process often becomes concentration-dependent. Then, depending upon the relative rates of polymer relaxation processes concurrent with the sorption-diffusion process, the overall transport process may exhibit Fickian behavior with a simple concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient or it may deviate significantly from that behavior due to complicating relaxation effects. Systems in which there may be more specific interactions (hydrogen-bonding, polar, ionic) often show a pronounced dependence of transport behavior on compositional, temporal, and spatial parameters which relate to changes in sorption modes. In these present investigations, we have used copolymer systems, prepared under controlled conditions, to gain some further insight into the dependence of polymer structure on variations in composition and how these variations affect or are reflected by transport and relaxation properties.
Development of a remote monitoring satisfaction survey and its use in a clinical trial with lung transplant recipients.

We developed an instrument to measure the satisfaction of lung transplant recipients with home monitoring. The survey comprised 15 items, each scored on a five-point Likert-type scale (from strongly disagree to strongly agree). Three additional free-text items enabled subjects to provide comments. The survey had a scoring range of 15–75. In a test group of 43 patients, the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.93 overall for all questions. The intra-class correlation for scores from the same 27 patients approximately 2.5 months apart was 0.77 for the total score. The survey was used to evaluate subject satisfaction in a randomized controlled trial of a computerized algorithm for triaging lung transplant recipients. Surveys were mailed to 50 study subjects and were returned by 32 (64% return rate). Ninety percent of respondents were satisfied with the home monitoring programme and would recommend it to other patients.
Spectrum analysis of cardiovascular time series

The demand for noninvasive assessment of cardiovascular control parameters has promoted the use of spectrum analysis. These techniques have been applied on a broad basis; however, because of the abstract mathematical approach, spectrum analysis in physiology is still not fully accepted by some circles in the scientific community. Thus it is the goal of the following review to focus on the rationale for applying spectrum analysis in different fields of circulation research, which range from determining arterial baroreceptor reflex sensitivity to the early detection of heart allograft rejection. Within this scope, major findings regarding the physiological and pathophysiological regulation of the cardiovascular system are discussed. In addition, inherent limitations of these methods are made clear. Toward the end of this survey, a perspective is provided for the general readership.
Computadores en las escuelas Y desempeño cognitivo: un resumen de la investigación

Este resumen de la investigacion describe lo que sabemos acerca de la relacion entre uso de computadores por parte de los alumnos en la escuela y los puntajes que estos obtienen en pruebas cognitivas. Tambien discute brevemente la utilidad de impartir alfabetizacion computacional en las escuelas. Mientras el acceso a los computadores es una condicion necesaria para su utilizacion, el acceso no garantiza que los estudiantes los usaran, y que ellos los usen no garantiza que lo haran de maneras que mejoren su rendimiento cognitivo. Cuando los estudiantes utilizan computadores en la escuela, generalmente lo hacen para realizar busquedas en internet, trabajar en proyectos, o para hacer tareas accediendo a internet. La investigacion muestra que los programas destinados a aumentar la cantidad de computadores en los establecimientos educacionales han tenido pocas repercusiones en los puntajes de los alumnos. Sin embargo, un conjunto creciente de investigaciones sugiere que cuando los computadores se usan para entregar instruccion, los puntajes en matematicas y lectura mejoran. En la mayoria de los paises, este tipo de instruccion no es muy comun, e incluso en los Estados Unidos es muy poco frecuente que las escuelas usen en forma rutinaria la instruccion por computador
Comparison of the physical, chemical and electrical properties of ALD Al2O3 on c‐ and m‐ plane GaN

This study compares the physical, chemical and electrical properties of Al2O3 thin films deposited on gallium polar c- and nonpolar m -plane GaN substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Correlations were sought between the film's structure, composition, and electrical properties. The thickness of the Al2O3 films was 19.2 nm as determined from a Si witness sample by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The gate dielectric was slightly aluminum-rich (Al:O=1:1.3) as measured from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profile, and the oxide-semiconductor interface carbon concentration was lower on c -plane GaN. The oxide's surface morphology was similar on both substrates, but was smoothest on c -plane GaN as determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Circular capacitors (50-300 μm diameter) with Ni/Au (20/100 nm) metal contacts on top of the oxide were created by standard photolithography and e-beam evaporation methods to form metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs). The alumina deposited on c -plane GaN showed less hysteresis (0.15 V) than on m -plane GaN (0.24 V) in capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics, consistent with its better quality of this dielectric as evidenced by negligible carbon contamination and smooth oxide surface. These results demonstrate the promising potential of ALD Al2O3 on c -plane GaN, but further optimization of ALD is required to realize the best properties of Al2O3 on m -plane GaN. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effect of adhesion on the fracture toughness of calcium carbonate–filled polypropylene

The effect of adhesion on the strain energy release rate (Gc) and Charpy notched impact strength (NIS) of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)-filled polypropylene (PP) at room temperature is investigated over a wide interval of particulate filler volume fractions. The concentration dependence of Gc and NIS are discussed in terms of competition between the effects of increasing stiffness, decreasing effective matrix cross section, and the transition from a plane strain to a plane stress mode of failure. In all cases the plane stress and plane strain limits of the critical strain energy release rate for initiation of cracks were not affected by the presence of the filler and are the same as those for neat matrix. In the case of no adhesion between components, the size of the crack tip plastic zone increases with increasing filler volume fraction (vf) because of the reduction of the material yield strength. In the region 0 < vf < 0.12, there is a mixed mode of failure, and the measured value of Gc for crack initiation increases steadily as the sample cross section approaches a fully plane stress state. The reduction in yield strength also results in the increase in Gc for crack propagation as reflected by an increase in NIS. Above vf= 0.12, the specimen cross section is in a fully plane stress state, and further increase in filler volume fraction (decrease in matrix effective cross section) has the net effect of reducing both Gc and NIS. In the case of “perfect” adhesion, the yield strength increases only slightly with vf. In the region 0 < yr < 0.05 there is also a mixed mode of failure, but the increase in Gc is much less than that for the no-adhesion case since the size of the plastic zone in front of the crack is much smaller. Above vf= 0.05, the combined effects of increasing stiffness, reduction of the size of the plastic zone, and decreasing matrix cross section dominate the behavior, causing a steady reduction in both Gc and NIS. Good agreement was found between experimental data and calculations based on fracture mechanics principles.
Childhood obesity and adult morbidities

The prevalence and severity of obesity have increased in recent years, likely the result of complex interactions between genes, dietary intake, physical activity, and the environment. The expression of genes favoring the storage of excess calories as fat, which have been selected for over many millennia and are relatively static, has become maladaptive in a rapidly changing environment that minimizes opportunities for energy expenditure and maximizes opportunities for energy intake. The consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity include earlier puberty and menarche in girls, type 2 diabetes and increased incidence of the metabolic syndrome in youth and adults, and obesity in adulthood. These changes are associated with cardiovascular disease as well as with several cancers in adults, likely through insulin resistance and production of inflammatory cytokines. Although concerns have arisen regarding environmental exposures, there have been no formal expert recommendations. Currently, the most important factors underlying the obesity epidemic are the current opportunities for energy intake coupled with limited energy expenditure.
Surface Analysis During the Growth of Ge and GexSi1-x Alloys on Si by Reflection Electron Energy Loss Spectrometry

Using a conventional 30 keV reflection high energy electron diffraction gun on a custom built molecular beam epitaxy system together with an energy loss analyser, we have combined in situ measurements of inelastically scattered electrons from Si L2,3 (99 eV) and Ge L2,3 (1217 eV) core losses with reflection electron diffraction data in order to study the initial stages of Ge heteroepitaxy on Si (001). Diffraction data indicate Stranski-Krastanov growth mode and indicate islanding for Ge thicknesses greater than 0.3 nm. The normalized core loss intensities from electron energy loss data are consistent with a simple model based on grazing incidence electron scattering from the growing Ge film. Additional experiments designed to determine the surface composition sensitivity from Si K (1840 eV) and Ge L2,3 ionization cross-sections reveal that accurate values of composition for a dilute GexSi1-x alloy (x=0.02) can be obtained from raw data when compared with Rutherford Backscattering and Transmission Electron Microscopy/X-ray microanalysis measurements.
Repairing Breaches with Rules: Maintaining Institutions in the Face of Everyday Disruptions

This study reveals the institutional work required to maintain taken-for-granted beliefs about roles in the face of everyday breaches of role expectations. Through a comparative qualitative study of hospital-employed patient advocates in teaching and Veterans Health Administration hospitals, I demonstrate that patient advocates repair breaches in the taken-for-granted beliefs about the patient, family, and staff roles in hospitals. My research shows that patient advocates skillfully used rules—or formal policies and procedures—to restore, clarify, or initiate organizational changes in rules, all to maintain institutionalized role expectations. This analysis expands our understanding of the work of maintaining institutions by specifying how constellations of roles are maintained in the face of breaches of role expectations and across different institutional contexts. It highlights the roles of pressure specialists and furthers theorizing on individual agency by specifying how rules can be source of individ...
Left ventricular mass in patients with a cardiomyopathy after treatment with anthracyclines.

We aimed to describe the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) findings and determine the prognostic variables in patients with a cardiomyopathy after treatment with anthracyclines. CMR imaging was performed in 91 patients (58% men, mean age 43 ± 18 years, and mean anthracycline dose of 276 ± 82 mg/m 2 ) with a reduced ejection fraction after anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Major adverse cardiovascular events were defined as cardiovascular death, appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy, and admission for decompensated heart failure. Patients presented a median of 88 months (interquartile range 37 to 138) after chemotherapy and were followed for 27 months (interquartile range 22 to 38). Late gadolinium enhancement was an uncommon finding (5 patients, 6%) despite a reduced ejection fraction (36 ± 8%). An inverse association was found between the anthracycline dose and the indexed left ventricular (LV) mass by CMR (r = −0.67, p
High Content Imaging (HCI) on Miniaturized Three-Dimensional (3D) Cell Cultures

High content imaging (HCI) is a multiplexed cell staining assay developed for better understanding of complex biological functions and mechanisms of drug action, and it has become an important tool for toxicity and efficacy screening of drug candidates. Conventional HCI assays have been carried out on two-dimensional (2D) cell monolayer cultures, which in turn limit predictability of drug toxicity/efficacy in vivo; thus, there has been an urgent need to perform HCI assays on three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures. Although 3D cell cultures better mimic in vivo microenvironments of human tissues and provide an in-depth understanding of the morphological and functional features of tissues, they are also limited by having relatively low throughput and thus are not amenable to high-throughput screening (HTS). One attempt of making 3D cell culture amenable for HTS is to utilize miniaturized cell culture platforms. This review aims to highlight miniaturized 3D cell culture platforms compatible with current HCI technology.
Radiotherapy-induced hemichorea.

A 76-year-old woman presented with 8 years of progressive right hand tremor. Initial examination demonstrated mild head tremor, voice tremor, right arm mild rest tremor, and moderate postural and kinetic tremor exacerbated by writing, and left hand mild postural tremor with no rest or kinetic components. Fahn-Tolosa-Marin (FTM) score was 35. Multiple medication trials, including β-blocker, primidone, and topiramate, were ineffective or associated with adverse effects. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) was offered, but the patient felt it was too invasive. She elected to undergo stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), receiving 14,500 cGy to the left ventral intermediate (VIM) thalamic nucleus via linear accelerator-based SRS.
Self-help or public housing? Lessons from co-managed slum upgrading via participatory budget

Abstract What can the Participatory Budget (PB) teach us about slum upgrading in the cities of the Global South? This article describes the process of slum upgrading via PB in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Participatory budgeting _PB is a renowned mechanism of resource allocation that transfers decision-making power over the capital expenditure portion of the municipal budget from the City Council to public assemblies. However, the impact of PB on municipal service delivery in general and housing in particular is understudied. Ethnographic findings are based on slum upgrading process via PB in an informal settlement in the East District of Porto Alegre. Fieldwork included 16 interviews with residents who had been PB delegates, PB councilors, municipal architects, lawyers, and the social worker involved in the slum upgrading project of Vila Radiante, East District. Furthermore, analysis of district-level expenditures on public works required for slum upgrading as well as analysis of site plans informed the conclusions. The Porto Alegre PB demonstrates that slum dwellers' involvement in all stages of the slum upgrading process, from resource allocation to service delivery, contributed to the effective distribution of housing and basic infrastructure. Slum dwellers are a heterogeneous group with diverse housing needs. Housing via PB addresses this diversity and provides an alternative to the dichotomist debate in international planning between, on one hand, slum clearance followed by public housing projects and, on the other, the promotion of assisted self-help housing through programs of land tenure and basic infrastructure provision.
Host defenses against respiratory infection

The respiratory tract is protected from infection by its formidable mechanical and cellular defenses, supplemented when necessary by inflammatory and immune responses. Impairments in these defenses develop as a result of underlying disease and therapeutic interventions. Specific defects in host defenses often predispose to infection with particular etiologic agents. New opportunities for the therapeutic augmentation of defenses are emerging that may be particularly helpful in the care of immunocompromised patients.
Effect of Dietary Monosodium L-Glutamate on Some Brain and Liver Metabolites in Rats:

SummaryRats in each group receiving MSG exhibited hyperirritability. While levels of glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, DNA, protein, and GAD in brain remained relatively constant, a significant decrease in GABA levels was noted along with a significant increase in succinate levels. Analysis of liver indicated no effect of dietary MSG on protein, RNA-P, DNA-P, glutamate, lactate, malate, or α-GPO4. Aspartate levels were significantly increased. The decrease in brain GABA levels may be related to the observed increased irritability.
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet-and its thorns would hurt as much.

In this issue of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Mariano et al1 and Antonakakis et al2 both conclude that more work is needed to place their ultrasound-guided posterior approaches to the interscalene block in true perspective. We are eagerly awaiting these further reports, but I suspect they
Preventive effects of topiramate,phenobarbital and valproate sodium on repetitive febrile convulsion-induced brain damage in animals

AIM:To explore whether topiramate(TPM),phenobarbital(PB) and valproate sodium(VPA)have protection or improvement on febrile convulsion-induced brain damage in animals,and compare the variances in them. METHODS:Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into TPM,PB,VPA,NS and normal groups. Febrile convulsions were induced with hyperthermal bath at 45℃ every other day at the same time of oral administration. Manifestation of convulsions and differences were observed in all these groups. After nine convulsions were induced,the ultrastructural changes of the hippocampal neurons were observed under the electron microscope,and the level of neuron-special enolase(NSE)in blood serum was detected. By a water maze test,latencies to escape onto the platform were recorded to observe the learning ability. RESULTS:The level of NSE in blood serum was significantly heightened more in rats in TPM [(2.0±0.26) mg/L,P0.05],PB [(2.5±0.35) mg/L,P0.01] and VPA [(2.3±0.24) mg/L,P0.01] groups than in the normal group[(1.52±0.24) mg/L],but was significantly lower than in NS group[(3.30±0.31) mg/L,P0.01]. In water-maze lab,significant difference in latencies to escape onto the platform was observed between NS group [(53.0±35.0) s] and other groups(P0.05 or 0.01),and the same was observed between VPA or PB group and normal group [(12.1±12.6) s,P0.05 or 0.01]. No significant difference was observed between TPM group [(22.8±29.0) s] and the normal group(P0.05). In the hippocampal CA1 and hile neurons of NS group rats,some mitochondria swelled,the ridge obscured or disappeared,and nucleus swelled moderately to heavily. Necrosis was also observed in neurons. In the hippocampal CA1 and hile neurons of drug-intervention rats,the matrix distributed well,nucleus swelled mildly to moderately,little mitochondria swelled or the ridge was obscured. CONCLUSION:Continuous administration of 3 antiepilepsy drugs is effective in the protection of brain injuries,and can improve seizure-induced brain damage by febrile convulsion. Among these drugs,TPM is likely the best.
Performance comparison of transfer switch topologies in switched-doubly-fed machine drives

Switched doubly-fed machines (DFM) creates variable speed drives with reduced power electronics requirements compared to shaft power, and with the additional benefit of controllable stator power factor. A solid-state transfer switch is a critical component of a switched-DFM drive that not only allows seamless shaft control across the full speed range but also permits effective grid interaction. This paper presents and compares two transfer switch topologies—twelve-thyristor-based and eight-thyristor-based that reconfigures the DFM connections on-the-fly with different shaft torque-speed demands. Reducing the number of thyristors allows the operation of the DFM with lesser commutation constraints. Appropriate control input is derived that maximizes the damping of the stator flux during the mode transition.
The role of surfaces, chemical interfaces, and disorder on plutonium incorporation in pyrochlores

Pyrochlores, a class of complex oxides with formula A2B2O7, are one of the candidates for nuclear waste encapsulation, due to the natural occurrence of actinide-bearing pyrochlore minerals and laboratory observations of high radiation tolerance. In this work, we use atomistic simulations to determine the role of surfaces, chemical interfaces, and cation disorder on the plutonium immobilization properties of pyrochlores as a function of pyrochlore chemistry. We find that both Pu3+ and Pu4+ segregate to the surface for the four low-index pyrochlore surfaces considered, and that the segregation energy varies with the chemistry of the compound. We also find that pyrochlore/pyrochlore bicrystals A2B2O7/A2′B2′O7 can be used to immobilize Pu3+ and Pu4+ either in the same or separate phases of the compound, depending on the chemistry of the material. Finally, we find that Pu4+ segregates to the disordered phase of an order/disorder bicrystal, driven by the occurrence of local oxygen-rich environments. However, Pu3+ is weakly sensitive to the oxygen environment, and therefore only slightly favors the disordered phase. This behavior suggests that, at some concentration, Pu incorporation can destabilize the pyrochlore structure. Together, these results provide new insight into the ability of pyrochlore compounds to encapsulate Pu and suggest new considerations in the development of waste forms based on pyrochlores. In particular, the phase structure of a multi-phase pyrochlore composite can be used to independently getter decay products based on their valence and size.
Botulinum Toxin-A Dosing Trends for Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia at a Single Institution Over 10 Years.

Summary Objectives This study aimed to identify the changes in dosing of botulinum toxin-A for adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) over a prolonged period. Study Design This is a retrospective chart review. Methods One hundred thirteen subjects treated for ADSD from 2003 to 2013 were identified from a clinical database. Subject age, gender, and total injection dose amount were all recorded for all subjects who had at least 10 injections. Results Fifty-four subjects met criteria for inclusion. There were no age or gender differences in the starting dose for subjects. Dosing decreased significantly compared with the second dose (5.05 ± 1.623 Units), by the sixth dose (4.26 ± 1.698 Units), and continued through the 10th dose (4.08 ± 2.019 Units) ( P Conclusions Botulinum toxin-A dosing for ADSD decreases consistently over subsequent injections after the initial two dose titrations.
Intermittent Granular Dynamics at a Seismogenic Plate Boundary

Earthquakes at seismogenic plate boundaries are a response to the differential motions of tectonic blocks embedded within a geometrically complex network of branching and coalescing faults. Elastic strain is accumulated at a slow strain rate on the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}15}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, and released intermittently at intervals $g100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{yr}$, in the form of rapid (seconds to minutes) coseismic ruptures. The development of macroscopic models of quasistatic planar tectonic dynamics at these plate boundaries has remained challenging due to uncertainty with regard to the spatial and kinematic complexity of fault system behaviors. The characteristic length scale of kinematically distinct tectonic structures is particularly poorly constrained. Here, we analyze fluctuations in Global Positioning System observations of interseismic motion from the southern California plate boundary, identifying heavy-tailed scaling behavior. Namely, we show that, consistent with findings for slowly sheared granular media, the distribution of velocity fluctuations deviates from a Gaussian, exhibiting broad tails, and the correlation function decays as a stretched exponential. This suggests that the plate boundary can be understood as a densely packed granular medium, predicting a characteristic tectonic length scale of $91\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}20\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}$, here representing the characteristic size of tectonic blocks in the southern California fault network, and relating the characteristic duration and recurrence interval of earthquakes, with the observed sheared strain rate, and the nanosecond value for the crack tip evolution time scale. Within a granular description, fault and blocks systems may rapidly rearrange the distribution of forces within them, driving a mixture of transient and intermittent fault slip behaviors over tectonic time scales.
Racial and ethnic differences in pulmonary arterial hypertension

This study explores the racial and ethnic differences in presentation, severity, and treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a large multicenter registry. African American and Hispanic patients are more likely to present with associated PAH compared to non-Hispanic whites. Hispanic patients with PAH were less likely to be treated with PAH-specific medications compared to non-Hispanic whites.
Conditioning and Habit Formation, Psychology of

Pavlovian conditioned responses and operant habits furnish organisms with adaptations to changeable aspects of their niche. In Pavlovian conditioning, cues that precede biologically significant stimuli come to elicit species-typical behavior. In operant conditioning, behavior is modified by its environmental consequences: low frequency responses are increased by reinforcing consequences or high frequency responses are decreased by punishing consequences. Pavlovian conditioning is generally most rapid when cues are promptly and reliably followed by stimuli, and operant consequences are most effective when they closely and reliably follow responses. Species characteristics constrain the kinds of behavior that develop from particular kinds of stimulus cues, reinforcers, or punishers; however, despite innate differences in organisms' behavioral inventories and sensitivities to stimuli, the principles of conditioning tend to apply without exception. The understanding of these principles has led to many valuable applications in medicine, industry, and education.
The induction of intestinal neoplasms in rats with the glycoside cycasin and its aglycone

Experiments are described dealing with the carcinogenic effects of (1) the crude cycad seed material, (2) the glycoside, cycasin, aβ-D-glucosyloxyazoxymethane, isolated from the crude material, and (3) the first metabolic breakdown product of cycasin, the aglycone of cycasin or methylazoxymethanol, on the intestinal tract of rats. While the crude material and cycasin produced tumors exclusively located in the large intestine, the aglycone when injected intraperitoneally, resulted in neoplasms of the small intestine as well. Supportive experiments in germfree animals are cited which indicate that cycasinper se, whether present in the intestinal tract or absorbed and excreted, is innocuous. Apparently, the glycoside is converted in conventional rats into the highly toxic aglycone through aβ-glucosidase of bacterial origin. Hence, it would seem likely that the carcinogenicity of the crude cycad material and of cycasin depends on a bacterial flora capable of providing the enzyme necessary for the liberation of the aglycone.
Kurt Goldstein and Recovery of Function

In the first half of this century, Kurt Goldstein developed a holistic or organismic model of cerebral functioning that has important implications for conceptions of recovery. The term “holistic” is frequently used rather casually, so it needs some clarification. It refers to the fundamental assumption that it is impossible to consider a biological phenomenon in isolation; it must be considered in the context of the biological system, the environment, and the history of the whole organism. For Goldstein, holism was a specific response to the epistemological problem of what one can usefully discover about biology through the process of “taking apart” the organism to generate “a multitude of isolated facts” (Goldstein, 1939, p. 7). Goldstein acknowledged that analysis through isolation is the necessary first step in the scientific study of living organisms, but dissatisfaction with the usefulness of the results of this procedure for medical practice led him to his holistic approach (Goldstein, 1939, p. 8; 1942, p. 11). The dangers of drawing unwarranted conclusions based on reductionistic approaches, analysis of phenomena in isolation, or “decomposition” were also emphasized by other neurologists of the time, notably Henry Head (1926).
The Devil is in the Dose: Complexity of Receptor Systems and Responses

Through evolutionary history the primary mechanism by which the cells or tissues of most organisms sense their environment has been the heptahelical G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR). This prototypic receptive entity has its origins in the earliest forms of life and often comprises up to 5% of the genome of most unicellular and multicellular life forms. The GPCR system has adapted to perceive almost all forms of environmental entities, for example, photons, odorants, lipids, carbohydrates, peptides, and nucleic acids. The GPCR system has also likely adapted to the presence of exogenous compounds that may at some doses be deleterious but at lower levels may indeed possess beneficial actions. Therefore, with respect to the evolutionary pressure of diverse environments, it would be an extreme advantage for an organism to adapt multiple components of its primary receptive system to take advantage of any beneficial effects of agents present in harsh or damaging environments.
Adverse impact of polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication use in newly diagnosed, elderly lymphoma patients.

6562Background: Survival outcomes for elderly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients are disproportionally inferior to those of younger patients. While their tumor biology may differ, elderly patien...
Annual survey of organometallic metal cluster chemistry for the year 2000

The synthetic, mechanistic, and structural chemistry of organometallic metal cluster compounds is reviewed for the year 2000.
SEQUENTIAL GAME NETWORK (SEGANE) WITH APPLICATION TO ONLINE DATA SANITIZATION

This paper proposes SEquential GAme NEtwork (SEGANE), a novel deep neural network (DNN) architecture for optimizing the performance of machine learning applications with multiple competing objectives. Specifically, SEGANE is evaluated in the context of data sanitization which aims to remove any pre-specified private information from the data in real time while keeping the relevant information used to improve the inference accuracy about the non-private information. In some settings, preserving private information and improving inference performance about non-private information are competing objectives. In such cases, SEGANE provides a sequential game framework and algorithmic tools to implement data sanitization schemes with flexible trade-off between these two objectives. We use two datasets: MNIST (hand-written digits) and IMDB (gender and age) to evaluate SEGANE. For MNIST, even numbers are considered private while numbers larger than 10 are considered non-private. For IMDB, in one setting, gender is considered private while age is non-private, and vice versa in another setting. Our experimental results on these datasets show that SEGANE is highly effective in removing private information from the dataset while allowing non-private data to be mined effectively.
Left ventricular distension and venting strategies for patients on venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) is an established method of short-term mechanical support for patients in cardiogenic shock, but can create left ventricular (LV) distension. This paper analyzes the physiologic basis of this phenomenon and treatment methods. This is a retrospective review of the existing literature on VA ECMO and LV distension. We undertook a PubMed review of all peer-reviewed papers focusing on VA ECMO, LV distension, and LV venting. We reviewed these papers and synthesized our findings. We also will discuss the various methods of LV venting and venting strategies we use at Columbia. LV distension is becoming an increasingly appreciated aspect of caring for patients on VA ECMO support. The literature demonstrates that the consequences of failing to anticipate, recognize, and treat LV distension are grave, and will worsen an already distended and hypocontractile LV. Myocardial recovery will be hindered, and LV thrombus formation more likely. Early recognition and aggressive management of LV distension is paramount in helping care for this critically ill patient population.
Energy Ablative Techniques in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cross-sectional imaging has led to a significant increase in the incidence of small renal masses, particularly in the older population. Given the heterogeneous nature of these tumors and the lack of molecular markers to predict disease progression, early intervention or close observation may be warranted. Partial nephrectomy is the treatment of choice for small renal cell carcinomas. Minimally invasive nephron-sparing ablation therapies have yielded satisfactory oncologic outcomes for selected patients who may not be suitable surgical candidates. Radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation are most commonly used technologies for ablation of small renal cell carcinomas. This chapter reviews the range of ablation technologies that are currently being used experimentally and clinically. The clinical approaches to radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation of small renal cell carcinomas are outlined, and the merits, limitations, and controversies surrounding these two ablation modalities are discussed. Validation of ablation therapy with long-term follow-up data is required, however, before its role is solidified in the management of renal cell carcinomas.
Financing Diabetes Care in the U.S. Health System: Payment Innovations for Addressing the Medical and Social Determinants of Health.

Review innovations in health care financing promoting health system investments in addressing medical and social determinants of health (SDH) for patients with diabetes. Particular payment models implemented in the public and private sectors increasingly offer flexibility in health care organizations (HCOs) to allocate resources towards helping patients with diabetes overcome the medical and socio-economic problems driving poor population and individual health. The barriers imposed by the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) payment model to incorporating SDH into health care delivery across the health system are being overcome with new payment approaches rewarding the quality of care provided rather than strictly the volume of health services rendered. Evidence suggests health care financing changes will facilitate the realization of health reform goals to provide the right care to the right people at the right time through the expansion of the role of integrated care teams that can address patients’ medical and health-related social needs.
Solving Elliptic Interface Problems with Jump Conditions on Cartesian Grids

Abstract We present a simple numerical algorithm for solving elliptic equations where the diffusion coefficient, the source term, the solution and its flux are discontinuous across an irregular interface. The algorithm produces second-order accurate solutions and first-order accurate gradients in the L ∞ -norm on Cartesian grids. The condition number is bounded, regardless of the ratio of the diffusion constant and scales like that of the standard 5-point stencil approximation on a rectangular grid with no interface. Numerical examples are given in two and three spatial dimensions.
Low incidence of maxillary hypoplasia in isolated cleft palate

The cause of maxillary growth restriction in patients with cleft lip and palate remains controversial. While studies have investigated the effects surgical technique and timing have on maxillary growth, few focus on patients with isolated cleft palate (ICP). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact palate repair and its associated complications may have on maxillary growth. A retrospective chart review of ICP patients who underwent palatoplasty from 1962 to 1999 at Akron Children’s Hospital was performed. Patient demographics, Veau type, age at primary repair, closure technique, presence of fistula or velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI), number of palatal operations, maxillary hypoplasia (MH) frequency, and follow-up were recorded. Exclusion criteria included patients with cleft lip, submucous cleft, or syndromes. Twenty-nine non-syndromic ICP patients were identified; 62% (n = 18) had Veau type 1 and 38% (n = 11) had Veau type 2. All patients underwent 2-flap or Furlow palatoplasty with mobilization of mucoperiosteal flaps. Vomerine flaps were used in all Veau 2 cleft palate closures. Palatoplasty was performed at a mean age of 19.9 ± 8.2 months. Average follow-up was 209 ± 66.5 months. The rate of VPI was 59% (n = 17) and the rate of oronasal fistula was 14% (n = 4). There was a low incidence of MH despite complications after initial palate closure. Our results seem to suggest that age at palate closure, type of cleft palate, and type of surgical technique may not be associated with MH. Additionally, subsequent procedures and complications after primary palatoplasty such as VPI and palatal fistula may not restrict maxillary growth.
Ex vivo comparison of the bursting strength of an equine ventral midline celiotomy covered by two standard abdominal bandages.

OBJECTIVE To determine the compressive effect of abdominal bandages after ventral midline celiotomy closure in horses. STUDY DESIGN Ex vivo, experimental study. ANIMALS Equine cadavers (n = 18), six per group. METHODS A 20-cm ventral midline celiotomy was created in each of 18 equine cadavers. A 200-L inflatable bladder was placed in the abdomen, and the linea alba was apposed. Horses were randomly assigned to no bandage (C), elastic (E), or Velcro inelastic (I) bandage groups for testing. Circumferential bandages were placed with a subbandage pressure monitoring system over the incision. The bladder was insufflated until construct failure, which was determined by a decrease in pressure reading. Bursting pressure, location of body wall or bandage failure, and subbandage pressures were recorded. RESULTS Maximum bursting pressure was different between groups E and C (P = .004), with no difference between groups E and I (P = .146) or I and C (P = .085). Group I achieved higher subbandage pressure compared with group E (P = .036). Abdominal compliance was not different between groups (P = .099). Location of failure differed between groups (P = .011), with failure at the diaphragm more common in group I (6/6, 100%) compared with groups E (3/6 [50%]) and C (1/6 [16.7%]). CONCLUSION Elastic abdominal bandages had higher abdominal bursting pressures compared with unbandaged incisions.