cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization on the viscoelastic property of PDMS in the frequency domain

A key issue in using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based micropillars as cellular force transducers is obtaining an accurate characterization of mechanical properties. The Young’s modulus of PDMS has been extended from a constant in the ideal elastic case to a time-dependent function in the viscoelastic case. However, the frequency domain information is of more practical interest in interpreting the complex cell contraction behavior. In this paper, we reevaluated the Young’s relaxation modulus in the time domain by using more robust fitting algorithms than previous reports, and investigated the storage and loss moduli in the frequency domain using the Fourier transform technique. With the use of the frequency domain modulus and the deflection of micropillars in the Fourier series, the force calculation can be much simplified by converting a convolution in the time domain to a multiplication in the frequency domain.
Novel high-throughput electrochemiluminescent assay for identification of human tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase (Tdp1) inhibitors and characterization of furamidine (NSC 305831) as an inhibitor of Tdp1

By enzymatically hydrolyzing the terminal phosphodiester bond at the 3'-ends of DNA breaks, tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase (Tdp1) repairs topoisomerase-DNA covalent complexes and processes the DNA ends for DNA repair. To identify novel Tdp1 inhibitors, we developed a high-throughput assay that uses electrochemiluminescent (ECL) substrates. Subsequent to screening of 1981 compounds from the 'diversity set' of the NCI-Developmental Therapeutics Program, here we report that furamidine inhibits Tdp1 at low micromolar concentrations. Inhibition of Tdp1 by furamidine is effective both with single- and double-stranded substrates but is slightly stronger with the duplex DNA. Surface plasmon resonance studies show that furamidine binds both single- and double-stranded DNA, though more weakly with the single-stranded substrate DNA. Thus, the inhibition of Tdp1 activity could in part be due to the binding of furamidine to DNA. However, the inhibition of Tdp1 by furamidine is independent of the substrate DNA sequence. The kinetics of Tdp1 inhibition by furamidine was influenced by the drug to enzyme ratio and duration of the reaction. Comparison with related dications shows that furamidine inhibits Tdp1 more effectively than berenil, while pentamidine was inactive. Thus, furamidine represents the most potent Tdp1 inhibitor reported to date.
A performance bound for prediction of MIMO channels

Knowledge of future channel conditions can increase the performance of many types of wireless systems. This is especially true for radio channels with multiple transmit and receive antennas, i.e., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. This paper derives a performance bound for MIMO channel prediction. It is assumed that prediction is based upon estimating a model for the channel and then extrapolating that model to predict future values of the channel. A vector formulation of the Crame/spl acute/r-Rao bound for functions of parameters is used to find a lower bound on the prediction error. Numerical evaluation of this bound shows that substantially longer prediction lengths are possible for MIMO channels than for single antenna channels. An intuitive interpretation of this result is that more of the channel structure is revealed when using multiple antennas at both ends. Finally, the longer prediction lengths for MIMO channels are confirmed by numerical results obtained by implementing a MIMO extension of a single-antenna prediction scheme.
The Influence of Hitchhiking and Deleterious Mutation Upon Asexual Mutation Rates

The question of how natural selection affects asexual mutation rates has been considered since the 1930s, yet our understanding continues to deepen. The distribution of mutation rates observed in natural bacteria remains unexplained. It is well known that environmental constancy can favor minimal mutation rates. In contrast, environmental fluctuation (e.g., at period T) can create indirect selective pressure for stronger mutators: genes modifying mutation rate may “hitchhike” to greater frequency along with environmentally favored mutations they produce. This article extends a well-known model of Leigh to consider fitness genes with multiple mutable sites (call the number of such sites α). The phenotypic effect of such a gene is enabled if all sites are in a certain state and disabled otherwise. The effects of multiple deleterious loci are also included (call the number of such loci γ). The analysis calculates the indirect selective effects experienced by a gene inducing various mutation rates for given values of α, γ, and T. Finite-population simulations validate these results and let us examine the interaction of drift with hitchhiking selection. We close by commenting on the importance of other factors, such as spatiotemporal variation, and on the origin of variation in mutation rates.
Protective Action of Methylprednisolone on the Myocardium during Experimental Myocardial Ischemia in the Cat

Cats subjected to coronary artery occlusion were used to study the effect of methylprednisolone on the release of lysosomal acid hydrolases and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) from ischemic myocardial tissue. Plasma CPK activity was increased significantly 2 hours after occlusion and increased eightfold 5 hours after ligation in vehicle-treated cats. Intravenous administration of methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) 30 minutes before or 60 minutes after occlusion significantly limited the increases in plasma CPK activity to values only slightly greater than those observed in sham-operated cats. Plasma activities of the lysosomal hydrolases, β-glucuronidase and cathepsin D, were comparable in all groups of cats and did not change during the 5-hour observation period. Nevertheless, cathepsin D and β-glucuronidase activities were reduced 41% and 33%, respectively, in the ischemic portion of the myocardium of untreated cats subjected to coronary artery ligation. The CPK activity of the ischemic myocardium was reduced 43% in these cats. Pre- or posttreatment of cats with methylprednisolone prevented the decline in CPK and lysosomal hydrolase activity of ischemic myocardium. These data indicate that lysosomal disruption is a consequence of myocardial ischemia and that pre- or posttreatment with methylprednisolone prevents the leakage of myocardial lysosomal and cellular enzymes. Moreover, the methylprednisolone-induced stabilization of myocardial membranes appears to be related to the ability of glucocorticoid to limit infarct size following myocardial ischemia.
Learning in and Through Practice: A Case Study of a Design-Based Residency Program

This chapter is a case study report of program data related to our secondary social studies education program, the experiences of those involved, as well as considerations for program design moving forward. Here I describe the secondary social studies teacher education program and school partnerships supporting a design-based residency program. Conclusions are drawn from systematic data analysis of teacher candidate interviews, course observations, course materials, teacher candidate work samples, and from observations of teacher candidates in the residency program. As a result of this work I argue that teacher education programs that value learning in and through practice are beneficial for all stakeholders – they prepare pre-service teachers for licensure, they provide good professional development for in-service teachers, and student needs can be addressed more efficiently and productively.
The Shape of the Data

Look out a window close to where you are right now. Wouldn’t it be dull if all the people you see were the same size, or if all the cars were the same size, or if all the trees were the same size? Virtually everything around us is subject to variability. Sometimes variability is good, as in sizes of people, and sometimes it is not so good, as in the diameter of the cylinders in the engine of your car. Since variability is always with us, we must learn to describe it and work with it, rather than ignore it. How can we adequately describe the important features of variable measurements? That is a key question in statistics and the focus of this activity.
Expanding Civic Worldviews: Teaching for Citizenship in an Alternative School Setting

The case study featured in this chapter investigated changes to pre-service teachers’ views on citizenship as they participated in a field-based experience designed to assist students in an alternative high school to conduct global action projects. Findings suggest that participants did alter their views and perspectives of teaching for citizenship. Central themes emerging from the data include: surprise at student capacity, awareness of differing worldviews between themselves and participants, and recognition of citizenship education as a tool for cultural relevance. This chapter informs teacher educators about a variety of ways to engage pre-service teachers in opportunities to reflect on teaching citizenship in diverse settings. Findings also attest to the importance of well-structured field experiences and building partnerships between university programs and local area schools.
The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Signaling in Prostate Cancer Development and Progression

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway plays a critical role in the development and progression of multiple human malignancies, but the data are particularly compelling for a role in prostate cancer. IGF ligands and the insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGF-IR) signal through multiple pathways, including the MAPK, PI-3K, and androgen receptor (AR). In this chapter, we review some of the published data on the mechanisms of IGF-IR signaling with a focus on IGF-IR and AR interaction and present new evidence that IGF-IR signaling may modulate AR localization and thus alter AR activity in prostate cancer cells. Multiple fully humanized antibodies targeting the IGF-IR are now in clinical trials, and this review is intended to reveal the mechanisms of potential therapeutic effects of these antibodies on prostate cancer. Targeting IGF and the IGF1-R holds significant promise for improving treatment for men with prostate cancer.
Feasibility study of micro-dose total-body dynamic PET imaging using the EXPLORER scanner

269 Objectives Current PET scanners have an axial FOV of 15-30 cm, and a typical 18F-FDG PET whole-body scan requires an injected activity of 200-400 MBq. The EXPLORER project (EXtreme Performance Long REsearch scanneR) aims to build a 2-meter long total-body PET scanner, which provides massively increased sensitivity and possesses a range of capabilities currently unavailable for whole-body dynamic imaging especially at very low radiation doses with high temporal resolution. Here we study the feasibility of micro-dose dynamic total-body PET imaging using EXPLORER. Methods We conducted a computer simulation using the SimSET Monte-Carlo toolkit. The simulated EXPLORER system consisted of 36 axial rings with a diameter of 80 cm, each formed by 48 block detectors. Each detector consisted of a 15×15 array of 3.42×3.42×20 mm3 LYSO crystals. The axial FOV of the scanner was 196 cm. The simulated TOF resolution was 530 ps. We employed the XCAT anthropomorphic male phantom with 14 major organs and tissues. We modeled an injected activity of 10 MBq. Dynamic PET data were generated using the two-tissue compartment model with kinetic parameters taken from either the literature or clinical 18F-FDG PET patient images. Data were binned into 22 frames: 10×30s, 5×60s, 4×300s, and 3×600s; each frame was then reconstructed using the 3D TOF list-mode OS-EM algorithm and a newly developed kernel method. In this study, only true coincidences were used in the reconstruction. Finally, the kinetic parameters of major organs and tissues were estimated by nonlinear least squares fitting. Results We obtained good image quality for all the frames, including the early 30s frames. The image quality was significantly improved by using the kernel method. The estimated kinetic parameters from the micro-dose dynamic scan showed good agreement with ground truth values. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the EXPLORER can perform total-body dynamic PET imaging at very low radiation doses with an injected activity ~20-40 fold less than that required by current protocols. Research Support This work was carried out under the EXPLORER consortium and was funded by NIH R01 CA170874 and a UC Davis RISE award.
Growth, intake, and health of Holstein heifer calves fed an enhanced preweaning diet with or without postweaning exogenous estrogen.

Abstract Research has shown that changes in nutrition both before and after weaning can affect mammary development. Additionally, estrogen is known to be a potent mammogenic stimulant. Our objectives were to determine effects of altered preweaning feeding and exogenous estradiol postweaning on growth, intake, and health. Thirty-six Holstein heifer calves were reared on (1) a restricted milk replacer (MR) diet fed at 0.44kg powder dry matter (DM)/day [R; 20.9% crude protein (CP), 19.8% fat, DM basis], or (2) an enhanced MR fed at 1.08kg powder DM/d (EH; 28.9% CP, 26.2% fat, DM basis). The MR feeding was reduced 50% during wk 8 to prepare for weaning. Starter was offered after wk 4 but balanced between treatments. Body weight and frame were measured weekly with intakes and health monitored daily. At weaning, a subset of calves were slaughtered (n=6/diet). Enhanced-fed calves had greater carcass, thymus, liver, spleen, and mammary gland (parenchyma and mammary fat pad) weights. The EH calves also had greater average daily gain (ADG) starting during wk 1 (0.36 vs. −0.06kg/d) and lasting through wk 7 (1.00 vs. 0.41kg/d). Remaining calves received estrogen implants or placebo and were slaughtered at the end of wk 10, creating 4 treatments: (1) R, (2) R + estrogen (R-E2), (3) EH, and (4) EH + estrogen (EH-E2). Postweaning ADG was similar between R, EH, and EH-E2 calves, but greater in R-E2 calves than E calves. The EH-E2 calves had the heaviest mammary glands, and R-E2 calves had heavier mammary glands than R calves. The EH calves consumed more MR DM, CP, and fat preweaning. The R-fed calves consumed more starter DM preweaning. Fecal score was greater for EH calves (1.74 vs. 1.50) preweaning, but days medicated did not differ. Fecal scores were lower for R-E2 calves postweaning. Improved preweaning feeding of calves increased body weights and frame measures. Differences in body weights remained postweaning. Enhanced-fed calves showed greater ADG during the preweaning period but not postweaning. Exogenous estrogen may elicit diet-dependent growth responses. Analysis of collected samples will allow determination of cellular and molecular processes responsible for the marked differences in mammary development observed.
Carboxylate-Free MnIII2LnIII2 (Ln = Lanthanide) and MnIII2YIII2 Complexes from the Use of (2-Hydroxymethyl)pyridine: Analysis of Spin Frustration Effects

The initial employment of 2-(hydroxymethyl)pyridine for the synthesis of Mn/Ln (Ln = lanthanide) and Mn/Y clusters, in the absence of an ancillary organic ligand, has afforded a family of tetranuclear [MnIII2MIII2(OH)2(NO3)4(hmp)4(H2O)4](NO3)2 (M = Dy, 1; Tb, 2; Gd, 3; Y; 4) anionic compounds. 1–4 possess a planar butterfly (or rhombus) core and are rare examples of carboxylate-free Mn/Ln and Mn/Y clusters. Variable-temperature dc and ac studies established that 1 and 2, which contain highly anisotropic LnIII atoms, exhibit slow relaxation of their magnetization vector. Fitting of the obtained magnetization (M) versus field (H) and temperature (T) data for 3 by matrix diagonalization and including only axial anisotropy (zero-field splitting, ZFS) showed the ground state to be S = 3. Complex 4 has an S = 0 ground state. Fitting of the magnetic susceptibility data collected in the 5–300 K range for 3 and 4 to the appropriate van Vleck equations revealed, as expected, extremely weak antiferromagnetic interac...
RT-14TIME TO RADIATION THERAPY IN GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME: IS SOONER BETTER?

INTRODUCTION: Optimal post-surgical treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) includes concurrent radiation therapy and temozolomide. However, there is conflicting data regarding the ideal timing of radiation. Proponents of early therapy cite the rapid proliferation rate of WHO grade IV tumors and advocate treatment with minimal delays. Others believe extra time allows the surgical cavity to collapse and tempers the risk of infection, minimizing complications from radiation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of 97 patients with a pathologic diagnosis of GBM at our institution who underwent postoperative treatment with at least 6 weeks of radiation according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group guidelines and concurrent temozolomide therapy. Demographic, clinical, radiographic and operative data were reviewed. Analysis of variance(ANOVA) was used to identify differences between surgical and demographic subgroups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate overall(OS) and progression free survival(PFS). Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the effect of radiation timing on survival. RESULTS: 49 male and 47 female patients had a median age at surgery of 57 years (range 18-77). Sixteen patients underwent biopsy, 64 had a subtotal resection(STR) and 16 had a gross total resection(GTR). One year OS and PFS were 70% and 16%, respectively. The median time to radiation(TTR) was 26 days (range 9-51 days). TTR was significantly longer in patients with resection compared to biopsy (p < 0.001). TTR did not significantly affect OS (p = 0.732) or PFS (p = 0.699) of the entire cohort or the subgroup treated with resection (OS, p = 0.809; PFS, p = 0.812). CONCLUSIONS: The precise timing of radiation initiation does not appear to affect survival of patients with GBM who are optimally treated with radiation and temozolomide. Therefore practitioners may allow extra time within the recommended 6 week window for optimal medical stabilization and wound healing without fear that this may adversely affect patient outcomes.
Reply to "Letter to the Editor: Atrioventricular plane displacement is not the sole mechanism of atrial and ventricular refill".

i am very thankful to the authors, specialists in the field, for their letter ([2][1]) and their extensive analysis and critique of my paper ([1][2]). The opponents have differing opinions on the mechanisms of cardiac refill. They concurrently reject my arguments in favor of atrioventricular (AV)
Determination of lead in whole blood by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

[Objective]To develop a simple,rapid and accurate method to determine lead in the whole blood with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry(GFAAS).[Methods]Taking palladium chloride as matrix modifiers,after the protein in whole blood was removed by 4% nitric acid and centrifugal separation,D2 lamp was used for background correction,the whole blood lead was determined by GFAAS.[Results] The standard curve was linear in the range of 0-80 μg/L;correlation coefficient was 0.999 9;RSD were 1.17-6.46%;the recoveries were 86.0%-98.8%;detection limit was 0.5 μg/L.[Conclusion]This method is characterized by good accuracy and precision,no digestion process and little pollution.It is a simple,fast and feasible method for determination of lead in whole blood.
Persistence of human multilineage, self-renewing lymphohematopoietic stem cells in chimeric sheep.

We have previously reported the ability of uncharacterized human bone marrow (BM) cells to engraft into preimmune fetal sheep, thereby creating sheep-human chimera suitable for in vivo examination of the properties of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Adult human bone marrow CD34+ HLA-DR- cells have been extensively characterized in vitro and have been demonstrated to contain a number of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells (PHPC). However, the capacity of such highly purified populations of human marrow CD34+ HLA-DR- cells to undergo in vivo self-renewal and multipotential lymphohematopoietic differentiation has not been previously demonstrated. To achieve that, human CD34+ HLA-DR- cells were transplanted in utero into immunoincompetent fetal sheep to investigate the BM-populating potential of these cells. Long-term chimerism, sustained human hematopoiesis, and expression of human cells belonging to all human blood cell lineages were demonstrated in two animals for more than 7 months9 posttransplantation. Chimeric BM contained erythroid, granulocytic/monocytic, and megakaryocytic hematopoietic progenitor cells, as well as the primitive high proliferative potential colony- forming cell (HPP-CFC). Under a variety of in vitro experimental conditions, chimeric BM cells gave rise to human T cells expressing T- lymphocyte-specific markers, human natural killer (NK) cells, and human IgG-producing B cells. In vivo expansion and possibly self-renewal of transplanted PHPC was confirmed by the detection in chimeric BM 130 days9 posttransplantation of CD34+ HLA-DR- cells, the phenotype of human cells constituting the stem-cell graft. These studies demonstrate not only the BM-populating capacity, multipotential differentiation, and most likely self-renewal capabilities of human CD34+ HLA-DR- cells, but also that this BM population contains human HSC. Furthermore, it appears that this animal model of xenogeneic stem-cell transplantation is extremely useful for in vivo examination of human hematopoiesis and the behavioral and functional characteristics of human HSC.
Summary of the second high-altitude, supersonic flight dynamics test for the LDSD project

NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator Project is developing and testing the next generation of supersonic aerodynamic decelerators for planetary entry. A key element of that development is the testing of full-scale articles in conditions relevant to their intended use, primarily in the tenuous Mars atmosphere. To achieve this testing, the LDSD project developed a new test architecture for the qualification of their supersonic parachute. A large, helium filled scientific balloon is used to hoist a 4.7 m blunt body test vehicle to an altitude of approximately 32 kilometers. The test vehicle is released from the balloon, spun up for gyroscopic stability, and accelerated to over four times the speed of sound and an altitude of 50 kilometers using a large solid rocket motor. Once at those conditions, the vehicle is despun and the test period begins. The second flight of this architecture occurred on June 8th, 2015. This flight sought to build on the very successful shakeout test of 2014 by testing an updated design of a new 30.5 meter nominal diameter supersonic parachute that applied lessons learned from the first flight. Two other supersonic decelerators were also tested: a 6 m diameter Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SIAD), and a 4.4 m diameter trailing ballute. This paper summarizes the results from that test.
Isotopic behavior during the aragonite-calcite transition: Implications for sample preparation and proxy interpretation

Abstract At the Earth's surface, aragonite, a polymorph of calcium carbonate, is thermodynamically unstable, and readily converts to calcite, a process accelerated by heating and mechanical stress. This study has investigated the behavior of the 13C/12C, 18O/16O ratios, and the clumped isotope temperature proxy (∆47) during this mineral transition. Aragonite samples were partially or completely converted to calcite in an oven (normal atmospheric composition and pressure) or in a sealed tube in the presence of a vacuum or pure CO2 of varying isotopic compositions. Other samples were converted from aragonite to calcite using a drill. These experiments demonstrate a relationship between the δ13C and δ18O values and percent transition from aragonite to calcite. The ∆47 value of the aragonite changed independently from the mineral transition at temperatures as low as 125 °C and was accompanied by a 0.5‰ decrease in the δ18O value. This change occurred irrespective of the presence of CO2 suggesting that water trapped in the mineral may facilitate some of this alteration. Results show that sampling techniques, such as drilling, produce sufficient heat to convert aragonite to calcite and can considerably alter ∆47. Even small degrees of conversion (~ 10%) can increase clumped isotope derived paleotemperature estimates by nearly 10 °C.
A further evaluation of the San Jon site, New Mexico

Le site de San Jon est situe dans la bassin d'un lac assseche (360 m de profondeur), ou playa, dans les plaines du comte de Quay, Nouveau Mexique. Les fouilles de 1941 avaient fourni les temoins d'une occupation de chasseurs paleoindiens et archaiques recents peut-etre attires par les bisons, ainsi que les elemnets de phases ceramiques. Les recherches recentes (1993, 1994, 1995), et une nouvelle analyse du materiel de San Jose, ont produit de nouvelles donnees sur la chronologie culturelle du site, et sur l'histoire complexe de sa formation
Modeling the Morphometric Evolution of the Maize Shoot Apical Meristem

The maize (Zea mays subsp. mays L.) shoot apical meristem (SAM) is a self-replenishing pool of stem cells that produces the above-ground plant. Improvements in image acquisition and processing techniques have allowed high-throughput, quantitative genetic analyses of SAM morphology. As with other large-scale phenotyping efforts, meaningful descriptions of genetic architecture depend on the collection of relevant measures. In this study, we tested two quantitative image processing methods to describe SAM morphology within the genus Zea, represented by 33 wild relatives of maize and 841 lines from a domesticated maize by wild teosinte progenitor (MxT) backcross population, along with previously-reported data from several hundred diverse maize inbred lines. Approximating the MxT SAM as a paraboloid derived eight parabolic estimators of SAM morphology that identified highly-overlapping QTL on eight chromosomes, which implicated previously-identified SAM morphology candidate genes along with new QTL for SAM morphological variation. Using a Fourier-transform related method of comprehensive shape analysis, we detected cryptic SAM shape variation that identified QTL on six chromosomes. We found that Fourier transform shape descriptors and parabolic estimation measures are highly correlated and identified similar QTL. Analysis of shoot apex contours from 73 anciently-diverged plant taxa further suggested that parabolic shape may be a universal feature of plant SAMs, regardless of evolutionary clade. Future high-throughput examinations of SAM morphology may benefit from the ease of acquisition and phenotypic fidelity of modeling the SAM as a paraboloid.
A regional assessment of chemicals of concern in surface waters of four Midwestern United States national parks.

Abstract Anthropogenic chemicals and their potential for adverse biological effects raise concern for aquatic ecosystem health in protected areas. During 2013–15, surface waters of four Midwestern United States national parks were sampled and analyzed for wastewater indicators, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides. More chemicals and higher concentrations were detected at the two parks with greater urban influences (Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore) than at the two more remote parks (Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and Isle Royale National Park). Atrazine (10–15 ng/L) and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (16–120 ng/L) were the only chemicals detected in inland lakes of a remote island national park (Isle Royale National Park). Bisphenol A and organophosphate flame retardants were commonly detected at the other sampled parks. Gabapentin and simazine had the highest observed concentrations (> 1000 ng/L) in three and two samples, respectively. At the two parks with urban influences, metolachlor and simazine concentrations were similar to those reported for other major urban rivers in the United States. Environmental concentrations of detected chemicals were often orders of magnitude less than standards or reference values with three exceptions: (1) hydrochlorothiazide exceeded a human health-based screening value in seven samples, (2) estrone exceeded a predicted critical environmental concentration for fish pharmacological effects in one sample, and (3) simazine was approaching the 4000 ng/L Maximum Contaminant Level in one sample even though this concentration is not expected to reflect peak pesticide use. Although few environmental concentrations were approaching or exceeded standards or reference values, concentrations were often in ranges reported to elicit effects in aquatic biota. Data from this study will assist in establishing a baseline for chemicals of concern in Midwestern national parks and highlight the need to better understand the sources, pathways, and potential adverse effects to aquatic systems in national parks.
Perioperative Major Adverse Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events Associated With Noncardiac Surgery.

Importance Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) are a significant source of perioperative morbidity and mortality following noncardiac surgery. Objective To evaluate national trends in perioperative cardiovascular outcomes and mortality after major noncardiac surgery and to identify surgical subtypes associated with cardiovascular events using a large administrative database of United States hospital admissions. Design, Setting, Participants Patients who underwent major noncardiac surgery from January 2004 to December 2013 were identified using the National Inpatient Sample. Main Outcomes and Measures Perioperative MACCE (primary outcome), defined as in-hospital, all-cause death, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or acute ischemic stroke, were evaluated over time. Results Among 10 581 621 hospitalizations (mean [SD] patient age, 65.74 [12.32] years; 5 975 798 female patients 56.60%]) for major noncardiac surgery, perioperative MACCE occurred in 317 479 hospitalizations (3.0%), corresponding to an annual incidence of approximately 150 000 events after applying sample weights. Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events occurred most frequently in patients undergoing vascular (7.7%), thoracic (6.5%), and transplant surgery (6.3%). Between 2004 and 2013, the frequency of MACCE declined from 3.1% to 2.6% ( P for trend P for trend Conclusions and Relevance Perioperative MACCE occurs in 1 of every 33 hospitalizations for noncardiac surgery. Despite reductions in the rate of death and AMI among patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery in the United States, perioperative ischemic stroke increased over time. Additional efforts are necessary to improve cardiovascular care in the perioperative period of patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.
Association Between Facial Rejuvenation and Observer Ratings of Youth, Attractiveness, Success, and Health.

ImportanceSurgical procedures for the aging face—including face-lift, blepharoplasty, and brow-lift—consistently rank among the most popular cosmetic services sought by patients. Although these sur...
Mistrustful and Misunderstood: A Review of Paranoid Personality Disorder.

Paranoid personality disorder (PPD) has historically been neglected by science out of proportion to its prevalence or its association with negative clinical outcomes. This review provides an update on what is known about PPD regarding its prevalence, demographics, comorbidity, biological mechanism, risk factors, and relationship to psychotic disorders. PPD has long been the subject of a rich and prescient theoretical literature which has provided a surprisingly coherent account of the psychological mechanism of non-delusional paranoia. Available data indicate that PPD has a close relationship with childhood trauma and social stress. Descriptive data on a sample of 115 individuals with paranoid personality disorder is examined in comparison with a group of individuals with borderline personality disorder. The descriptive data largely confirm previously identified relationships between paranoid personality disorder and childhood trauma, violence, and race. We identify important similarities to and differences from borderline personality disorder. PPD continues to be an important construct in the clinic and the laboratory. Available data lead to a reconsideration of the disorder as more closely related to trauma than to schizophrenia.
Spin Hall driven domain wall motion in magnetic bilayers coupled by a magnetic oxide interlayer

mCell, previously proposed by our group, is a four-terminal magnetoresistive device with isolated write- and read-paths for all-spin logic and memory applications. A mCell requires an electric-insulating magnetic layer to couple the spin Hall driven write-path to the magnetic free layer of the read-path. Both paths are magnetic layers with perpendicular anisotropy and their perpendicularly oriented magnetization needs to be maintained with this insertion layer. We have developed a magnetic oxide (FeOx) insertion layer to serve for these purposes. We show that the FeOx insertion layer provides sufficient magnetic coupling between adjacent perpendicular magnetic layers. Resistance measurement shows that this magnetic oxide layer can act as an electric-insulating layer. In addition, spin Hall driven domain wall motion in magnetic bi-layers coupled by the FeOx insertion layer is significantly enhanced compared to that in magnetic single layer; it also requires low voltage threshold that poses possibility for ...
Response Behavior of Entrepreneurs in a Mail Survey

As research in new and small businesses increases there is a need for increasing rigor in the area. In an effort to provide a basis for some improvement, an examination of item response rates and r...
Targeting the Plasticity of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory condition found in 1-2% of the population. The greatest advances in psoriasis treatment have occurred in patients with severe psoriasis, moving from systemic small molecules including methotrexate, cyclosporine, and retinoids to targeted agents against psoriasis-associated cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-12, IL-23, and IL-17. Although the new biologics do not have the same adverse effects as the systemic drugs, they do predispose to systemic infections (and perhaps cancer), and they are extremely expensive. The focus on biologic therapies has been accompanied by a relative neglect of small molecules, which can be used either topically or systemically. No small molecule has been able to compete significantly with topical glucocorticoids, the mainstay of treatment for mild to moderate psoriasis for more than half a century.
Coaching Athletes With Hidden Disabilities: Using Universal Design for Learning to Effectively Coach all Athletes

The coach serves an integral role in shaping the youth sport experience. For athletes with hidden disabilities (HD), participation in sports may be a negative experience because their coach may mis...
Detection of lung injury with conventional and neural network-based analysis of continuous data.

Objective. To test if analysis of pressure and flow waveform patterns with an artificial intelligence neural network could distinguish between normal and injured lungs. Methods. Acute lung injury was induced in ten healthy anesthetized, mechanically ventilated dogs with repeated injections of oleic acid, until arterial blood oxyhemoglobin saturation reached 85% breathing room air. Airway pressure, esophageal pressure, airway flow, and arterial and mixed venous saturation signals were stored at 2 min intervals. Hemodynamic and blood gas data were collected every 10 min. Back-propagation neural networks were trained with normalized airway pressure and flow waveforms from normal and fully injured lungs. Results. The networks scored lung injury on a continuous scale from +1 (normal) to −1 (injured). Network scores unequivocally distinguished between normal and fully injured lungs and suggested a gradual transition from normal to injury pattern. However, the response of the network was slow compared to compliance, resistance and venous admixture. Conclusions. Normal and fully injured lungs display distinct flow and pressure waveform patterns which are independent of changes in calculated pulmonary mechanics variables. These patterns can be recognized by a neural network. Further research is needed to determine the full potential of automated pattern recognition for lung monitoring.
Multiple Identities and the Science self

Children make meaning of their lives by telling stories. Using the characters, plots, and settings embedded in the worlds that are familiar to them, they construct narratives about themselves, about who they are and who they want to become. When listening to the stories that young children tell about their lives, we hear what is important to them and may be surprised by the unexpected connections they make between real and imagined worlds, between worlds inside and outside of school, and with the world of science.
Forced to bowl alone

The state of civic participation in the U.S. is the subject of much hand-wringing. The lament is generally that citizens are withdrawn - that civic life is less vibrant than it once was and should be. This book review welcomes Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined its Citizens and Privatized its Public, by Matthew Crenson & Benjamin Ginsburg (2002), as an alternative to the tendency to blame citizens for the current malaise. Crenson & Ginsburg make the case that the government itself has disinvited civic participation in several key ways. The author observes that, notwithstanding this lack of invitation, citizens can and should still take on themselves the responsibility for civic action - not just in traditional political spheres, but in the myriad venues of our everyday lives.
The threshold of an excitable system serves as a control mechanism for noise filtering during chemotaxis

Chemotaxis, the migration of cells in the direction of a chemical gradient, is of utmost importance in various biological processes. In recent years, research has demonstrated that the underlying mechanism that controls cell migration is an excitable network. One of the properties that characterizes excitability is the presence of a threshold for activation. Here, we show that excitable systems possess noise filtering capabilities that enable faster and more efficient directed migration compared to other systems that also include a threshold, such as ultrasensitive switches. We demonstrate that this filtering ability is a consequence of the varying responses of excitable systems to step and pulse stimuli. Whereas the response to step inputs is determined solely by the magnitude of the stimulus, for pulse stimuli, the response depends on both the magnitude and duration of the stimulus. We then show that these two forms of threshold behavior can be decoupled from one another, allowing finer control in chemotaxis. Finally, we use a simple model of chemotaxis to demonstrate that cells that rely on an excitable system display faster and more effective directed migration that a hypothetical cell guided by an ultra-sensitive switch.
Incremental health care resource utilization and expenditures associated with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Purpose Incremental health care resource utilization and expenditures associated with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) were estimated. Methods Study data were from a large administrative claims database. Individuals aged 18 years or older enrolled in tracked health plans for 12 months from April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2012, and with an International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code for "polycystic kidney, autosomal dominant" (753.13) or for "polycystic kidney, unspecified type" (753.12) were identified as having ADPKD, and linked one-to-one with individuals without ADPKD based on age and gender. Zero-inflated negative binomial models estimated incremental health care resource utilization and expenditures, adjusting for risk factors. Results A total of 3,844 individuals with ADPKD who satisfied selection criteria were linked one-to-one with 3,844 individuals without ADPKD. Multivariate, regression models adjusting for risk factors revealed incremental mean (standard error) resource use associated with ADPKD of 0.68 (0.090) hospital days, equal to 68 additional hospital days per 100 ADPKD patients, and 6.9 (0.28) outpatient visits, equal to 690 additional visits per 100 ADPKD patients. Mean (standard error) incremental total expenditures associated with ADPKD were US$8,639 ($470). Mean incremental expenditures were largest for outpatient expenditures at US$4,918 ($198), followed by mean incremental hospital expenditures of US$2,603 ($263), and mean incremental medication expenditures of US$1,589 ($77). Based on sub-group analysis, mean incremental total expenditures were US$2,944 ($417) among ADPKD patients without end-stage renal disease and US$38,962 ($6,181) for those with end-stage renal disease. Conclusion ADPKD was associated with considerable incremental health care resource utilization and expenditures. Significant illness burden was found even before patients reached end-stage renal disease.
Dexrazoxane Use in Pediatric Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic or Myeloid Leukemia: Analysis of a National Cohort of Patients in the Pediatric Health Information Systems Database From 1999 to 2009

Abstract 4242 Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) account for approximately 26% of all pediatric cancers. Anthracyclines are critical in the treatment of ALL and AML; however, their use is limited by cardiotoxicity. Dexrazoxane (DZX) is an FDA-approved cardioprotective agent that chelates intracellular free iron and iron bound to anthracyclines. Evidence for the efficacy of DZX as a cardioprotectant in children is limited, but available data support a short term cardioprotective effect in patients with ALL. The frequency of DZX use in pediatric cancer patients at high risk of developing cardiac toxicity is unknown. Objective: We sought to describe patterns of DZX use between 1999 and 2009 in a retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients diagnosed with ALL or AML in 43 pediatric hospitals across the United States in the Pediatric Health Information Systems (PHIS) database. Methods: Patients previously identified and validated as having de novo ALL and AML at these PHIS hospitals were included. Demographic data, as well as chemotherapy and DZX use were obtained from PHIS. Results: Of 8733 patients with de novo ALL and 2556 with de novo AML, 207 and 52 received DZX, respectively. The proportion of patients receiving DZX was higher in older children with ALL or AML and in African-Americans and males with ALL (Table 1). There was no trend in the proportion of patients receiving DZX per year in either group (Figure 1). DZX use varied by region in ALL, with 55% of the patients receiving DZX being treated in the northeast, but was not significantly different in AML. There was substantial variability in prescribing practices across institutions (Figure 2). Most patients with ALL and AML received the first dose of DZX in the first 30 days (67% and 31%, respectively) or >360 days from their first leukemia admission (23.5% and 31%, respectively). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the only description of DZX use in patients with ALL and AML using national, population-based data. Older children and those treated in the Northeastern U.S. were more likely to have received DZX, with the first dose being given either early or late in the study period. In general, DZX administration was relatively rare and was driven by only a few institutions, especially in ALL patients. This lack of universal acceptance of DZX is likely multi-factorial, including concerns about acute and long-term side effects, impact on the antitumor effect of anthracyclines, and risk for secondary malignant neoplasm. Work is ongoing to substantiate or refute these concerns using PHIS data. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Makeshift information constructions: information flow and undercover police

This dissertation presents the social virtual interface (SVI) model, which was born out of a need to develop a viable model of the complex interactions, information flow and information seeking behaviors among undercover officers. The SVI model was created from a combination of various philosophies and models in the literature of information seeking, communication and philosophy. The questions this research paper answers are as follows: (1) Can we make use of models and concepts familiar to or drawn from Information Science to construct a model of undercover police work that effectively represents the large number of entities and relationships? and (2) Will undercover police officers recognize this model as realistic? This study used a descriptive qualitative research method to examine the research questions. An online survey and hard copy survey were distributed to police officers who had worked in an undercover capacity. In addition groups of officers were interviewed about their opinion of the SVI model. The data gathered was analyzed and the model was validated by the results of the survey and interviews.
Cochlear implantation in patients with Meniere's disease: A systematic review.

Abstract Background Meniere's disease (MD) is an idiopathic disorder of the inner ear, which manifests as cochleo-vestibular dysfunction. Hearing loss will progress to a profound levelin a subset of patients with MD, and vestibular interventions can independently cause loss of hearing. The aim of this study was to systematically review the published literature describing the safety and efficacy of CI in patients with MD. Materials and methods A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance PRISMA guidelines to identify articles that assessed at least one functional outcome in patients with MD who underwent CI. Demographic information, disease history, MD symptoms, outcomes measures, and complications related to CI were extracted from included studies. Results In total, 17 studies were included, and 182 patients with MD underwent CI. The weighted-mean age was 61.9 years (range 27–85). Study objective and methodology varied, and there was significant heterogeneity in CI outcome measures reported. In total, 179 (98.3%) of 182 patients reported objective improvements in at least one hearing metric after CI. A total of 69 patients (37.9%) reported vertigo or severe dizziness prior to CI, compared to 22 patients (15.4%) postoperatively. Two studies reported significant reductions in postoperative Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score (THI). Quality of life assessments varied between studies. Complications rates were low with only nine patients (4.9%) reporting a serious CI-related complication. Conclusions This systematic review evaluated 17 studies describing the safety and efficacy of CI in patients with MD and encountered many challenges due to small sample sizes, and heterogeneity in study design and outcomes measured. Despite these limitations, this study of 182 patients is to the best of our knowledge the largest systematic review evaluating the safety and efficacy of CI in MD. The results of this study support the need for a standardized approach to evaluating outcomes of CI in patients with MD in future studies.