cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Postscripts from the Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Graft trial: the sustained benefit of more aggressive cholesterol lowering and the enigma of low-dose anticoagulation.

The addition of a postscript to a letter usually indicates that the writer has additional important information to impart. The new information may either reinforce the original message or contradict it and produce a quandary. The postscript from the Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Graft trial (Post-CABG) reported in this issue does both.1 At the end of the trial, after 4.3 years of treatment, it was previously reported that patients whose LDL cholesterol level had been lowered to 93 to 97 mg/dL had significantly less progression of saphenous vein bypass graft narrowing than did those who had a level of 132 to 136 mg/dL.2 The postscript demonstrates that this angiographic outcome has clinical relevance: over the next 3 years, the difference in clinical events between the groups widened dramatically, such that over the entire 7.5-year follow-up period, cardiovascular death or nonfatal infarction was reduced from 20.3% to 15.1% ( P =0.03) and coronary revascularization procedures from 27.3% to 19.2% ( P =0.0006) in patients with the lower LDL cholesterol levels. The other part of the postscript provides a surprise. Low-dose anticoagulation with warfarin had no visible effect on the progression of vein graft disease and no statistically significant effect on clinical events during the trial.2 However, by 7.5 years, total mortality was reduced by 35% ( P =0.008) and death or myocardial infarction by 31% ( P =0.003) in the warfarin group. These findings raise interesting questions that will be addressed in this editorial. Properly designed and executed clinical trials provide the foundation for the evidence-based practice of cardiology. The key features of clinical trials that ensure their validity are randomization and blinding and, to a lesser degree, predefined end points, adherence to assigned therapy, careful follow-up and ascertainment of events, and a sufficient number of end point events. The level of certainty …
Hemoglobin adducts in workers exposed to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate.

We investigated the utility of 1,6-hexamethylene diamine (HDA) hemoglobin adducts as biomarkers of exposure to 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) monomer. Blood samples from 15 spray painters applying HDI-containing paint were analyzed for hemoglobin HDA (HDA-Hb) and N-acetyl-1,6-hexamethylene diamine (monoacetyl-HDA-Hb) by GC-MS. HDA-Hb was detected in the majority of workers (≤1.2–37 ng/g Hb), whereas monoacetyl-HDA-Hb was detected in one worker (0.06 ng/g Hb). The stronger, positive association between HDA-Hb and cumulative HDI exposure (r2 = 0.3, p < 0.06) than same day exposure (p ≥ 0.13) indicates long-term elimination kinetics for HDA-Hb adducts. This association demonstrates the suitability of HDA-Hb adducts for further validation as a biomarker of HDI exposure.
Novel regulatory mechanisms for the Dbl family guanine nucleotide exchange factor Cool‐2/α‐Pix

The Cool-2 (cloned-out of library-2) protein (identical to α-Pix for Pak-interactive exchange factor) has been implicated in various biological responses including chemoattractant signaling and in certain forms of mental retardation. We show that when Cool-2 exists as a dimer, it functions as a Rac-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF). Dimerization of Cool-2 enables its Dbl (diffuse B-cell lymphoma) and pleckstrin homology domains to work together (in trans) to bind specifically to Rac-GDP. Dissociation of dimeric Cool-2 into its monomeric form allows it to act as a GEF for Cdc42 as well as for Rac. The binding of either PAK (p21-activated kinase) or Cbl (Casitas B-lymphoma) to the SH3 domain of monomeric Cool-2 is necessary for the functional interactions between GDP-bound Cdc42 or Rac and the Cool-2 monomer. The βγ subunit complex of large GTP-binding proteins, by interacting with PAK, stimulates the dissociation of the Cool-2 dimer and activates its GEF activity for Cdc42. Overall, these findings highlight novel mechanisms by which extracellular signals can direct the specific activation of Rac versus Cdc42 by Cool-2/α-Pix.
Relevance Feedback Query Refinement for PDF Medical Journal Articles

This paper addresses relevance feedback as an alternative to keyword-based search engines for sifting through large PDF document collections and extracting the most relevant documents (especially for literature review purposes). Until now, relevance feedback has only been used in content-based image and video retrieval due to the inability to query those media types without keywords. Since PDF journal articles contain many valuable non-keyword features such as structure and formatting information as well as embedded figures, they would benefit from relevance feedback. Stripping a PDF into "full-text" for indexing purposes disregards these important features. We discuss how they can be used to our advantage and look to integrate the wealth of knowledge from relevance feedback text-based information retrieval. We argue for the benefits of placing the burden of relevance judgement on the user rather than the retrieval system and present alternative document views that quickly allow the user to deem relevance.
Book Review: Culture and Disability: Providing Culturally Competent Services

Editor: John H. Stone Reviewer: Katherine T. Ratliffe Publisher: Sage, 2005 Paper, ISBN: 9870-7619-3084-6, 272 pages Cost: $39.95, USD
Image Processing for Art Investigation

Recent advances in digital image acquisition methods and the wide range of imaging modalities currently available have triggered museums to digitize their painting collections. Not only is this crucial for archival or dissemination purposes but it also enabled the digital analysis of the painting through its digital image counterpart. It also set in motion a cross-disciplinary collaboration between image analysis specialists, mathematicians, statisticians and art historians that have the common goal to develop algorithms and build a digital toolbox in support of art scholarship. Computer processing of digital images of paintings has become a fast growing and challenging field of research during the last few years. Our contribution to this research domain consists of a set of tools that are based on dimensionality reduction methods, sparse representations and dictionary learning techniques. These tools are used to assist in art related matters such as restoration, conservation, art history, material and structure characterization, authentication, dating and even style analysis. Since paintings are complex structures the analysis of all pictorial layers and the support requires a multimodal set of high-resolution image acquisitions. The presented research can broadly be subdivided into three main fields. The first one is the digital enhancement of painting acquisitions in order to assist the art specialist in his professional assessment of the painting. The second main field of research is the automated detection of cracks within the Ghent Altarpiece, which is meant to help in the delicate matter of the conservation of this exceptional masterpiece but also as guidance during its current campaign of restoration. The last field consists of a set of methods that can be deployed in art forensics. These methods consist of the characterization of canvas, the analysis of multispectral imagery of a painting and even the objective quantification of the style of a particular artist.
Single-handed helical wrapping of single-walled carbon nanotubes by chiral, ionic, semiconducting polymers.

We establish the requisite design for aryleneethynylene polymers that give rise to single-handed helical wrapping of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Highly charged semiconducting polymers that utilize either an (R)- or (S)-1,1′-bi-2-naphthol component in their respective conjugated backbones manifest HRTEM and AFM images of single-chain-wrapped SWNTs that reveal significant preferences for the anticipated helical wrapping handedness; statistical analysis of these images, however, indicates that ∼20% of the helical structures are formed with the “unexpected” handedness. CD spectroscopic data, coupled with TDDFT-based computational studies that correlate the spectral signatures of semiconducting polymer-wrapped SWNT assemblies with the structural properties of the chiral 1,1′-binaphthyl unit, suggest strongly that two distinct binaphthalene SWNT binding modes, cisoid-facial and cisoid-side, are possible for these polymers, with the latter mode responsible for inversion of helical chirality and the p...
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Survival and Function Are Regulated by the Transcription Factor Nrf2

Tumor-induced myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) contribute to immune suppression in tumor-bearing individuals and are a major obstacle to effective immunotherapy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are one of the mechanisms used by MDSC to suppress T cell activation. Although ROS are toxic to most cells, MDSC survive despite their elevated content and release of ROS. NF erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that regulates a battery of genes that attenuate oxidative stress. Therefore, we hypothesized that MDSC resistance to ROS may be regulated by Nrf2. To test this hypothesis, we used Nrf2(+/+)and Nrf2(-/-)BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice bearing 4T1 mammary carcinoma and MC38 colon carcinoma, respectively. Nrf2 enhanced MDSC suppressive activity by increasing MDSC production of H2O2, and it increased the quantity of tumor-infiltrating MDSC by reducing their oxidative stress and rate of apoptosis. Nrf2 did not affect circulating levels of MDSC in tumor-bearing mice because the decreased apoptotic rate of tumor-infiltrating MDSC was balanced by a decreased rate of differentiation from bone marrow progenitor cells. These results demonstrate that Nrf2 regulates the generation, survival, and suppressive potency of MDSC, and that a feedback homeostatic mechanism maintains a steady-state level of circulating MDSC in tumor-bearing individuals.
Multiple differentiation potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells

Objective:To study the differentiation potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into osteogenic,adipogenic,myocardiogenic and endothelial cells.Methods:The human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were cultured and differentiated in the osteogenic,adipogenic,cardiomyogenic and endothelial medium.At the end of the culture,the cells were stained with Von Kossa or Oil red-O solution to reveal osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation.Immunocytochemistry and immunofluorescence were performed to investigate differentiation of the cells to cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells.Results:The human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were positive for Von Kossa staining and have the ability to accumulate different amounts of lipid vacuoles after cultured in osteogenic and adipogenic medium.Immunocytochemistry showed that differentiated cells were strongly stained with cardiac sarcomeric α-actin and cardiac myosin after 5-azacytidine treatment.Immunofluorescence studies confirmed their endothelial phenotype with expression of known endothelial cell markers including CD31 and CD34 after VEGF treatment.Conclusion:Our results demonstrated that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to differentiate into osteogenic,adipogenic,myocardiogenic and endothelial cells.
The Design and Implementation of Intrusion Detection System Model

As a proactive network security technology,Intrusion Detection System dynamically monitor network state and send out alert once find intrusion behavior.This paper first introduce common architecture of Intrusion Detection System,then introduce two major in trusion detection analysis technology,finally design and implement a full Intrusion Detection System mode which can be actually applied.
Antecedent sympathetic stimulation alters time course of chronotropic response to vagal stimulation in dogs.

We determined the influence of antecedent sympathetic stimulation on the chronotropic responses of the heart to 10-s strains of vagal stimulation in anesthetized dogs. We used the reciprocal of the...
EnGaze: Designing Behavior Visualizations with and for Behavioral Scientists

Joint attention is widely recognized as an important developmental milestone for children, and experts consider a lack of joint attention a defining characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). While clinicians and researchers agree on the importance of joint attention, their definitions and methods for assessing joint attention vary. In this paper, we present the design process and the evaluation of EnGaze, a visualization-based Web tool for dyadic communicative behavior that highlights commonly discussed features of joint attention. While such visualization styles are not yet the norm in the clinical practices of behavioral and developmental psychology, we argue they should be and find that the introduction of these visual artifacts helped clinicians and researchers conceptualize their personal joint attention rules. Researchers envisioned a number of uses for EnGaze in their personal workflow, including identifying atypical communication patterns and providing a visual record for tracking behavior. The contributions of this paper are 1) an interactive visualization for exploring joint attention, 2) the documentation of an iterative design process for a clinical visualization tool, 3) illustrations of EnGaze use cases with active practitioners in the behavioral sciences, and (4) the discussions surrounding the implications of introducing such visualizations in behavioral science communities.
O-028 endovascular treatment of ruptured blister-like aneurysms: a systematic review and meta-analysis with focus on deconstructive versus reconstructive and flow diverter treatments

Background and purpose Various endovascular techniques have been applied to treat Blister-Like Aneurysms (BLA). We performed a systematic review to evaluate endovascular treatment for ruptured BLAs. Materials and methods We performed a comprehensive literature search and subgroup analyzes to compare deconstructive versus reconstructive techniques and flow diversion versus other reconstructive options. Results 31 studies with 265 procedures for ruptured BLA were included. Endovascular treatment was associated with a 72.8% (95% CI = 64.2–81.5) long-term occlusion rate and a 19.3% (95% CI = 13.6–25.1) retreatment rate. Long-term neurological outcome was good in 76.2% (95% CI = 68.9–8.4) of patients. 240 procedures (90.6%) were reconstructive techniques (coiling, stent-assisted coiling, overlapped stenting, flow diversion) and 25 treatments (9.4%) were deconstructive. Deconstructive techniques had higher rates of initial complete occlusion than reconstructive techniques (77.3% vs. 33.0%, P = 0.0003) but a higher risk for perioperative stroke (29.1% vs. 5.0%, P = 0.04). There was no difference in good long-term neurological outcome between groups with 76.0% for the reconstructive group versus 82.8% for the deconstructive group (P = 0.27). Of 240 reconstructive procedures, 62 (25.8%) involved flow-diverter stents, with higher rates of long-term complete occlusion than other reconstructive techniques (90.8% vs. 67.9%, P = 0.03) and a lower rate of retreatment (6.6% vs. 30.7%, P Conclusions Endovascular treatment of ruptured BLAs is associated with high rates of complete occlusion and good long-term neurological outcomes in most patients. Deconstructive techniques are associated with higher occlusion rates, but higher risk of peri-operative ischemic stroke. In the reconstructive group, flow diversion carries higher level of complete occlusion and similar clinical outcomes. Disclosures A. Rouchaud: None. W. Brinjikji: None. H. Cloft: None. D. Kallmes: None.
Bilateral renal cell carcinoma.

AbstractBilateral renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed simultaneously in 6 patients and sequentially in 4 patients, 3 to 14 years after the first tumor had been removed by nephrectomy. Four patients treated conservatively with incomplete excision of the malignant disease are alive 18 months to 14 years after diagnosis. Our experience suggests that a radical excision, requiring renal dialysis or transplantation, is seldom warranted.
Immunogenetics of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease manifested by muscle weakness and fatiguability. The primary pathology in MG is antibody and complement-mediated destruction of muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Like other autoimmune diseases, MG is associated with certain HLA antigens, particularly HLA-B8 and DR3 in Caucasians. Also, certain GM antigens and complotypes are associated with MG. Therefore, it is crucial to study the immunogenetic aspect of MG in animal models to evaluate disease etiopathogenesis and eventual strategy for specific therapy. In the introduction of this review article, I focus on the association of HLA and GM antigens in MG and emphasize the mouse model of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) as an ideal model to study the immunogenetic aspect of MG. The following sections deal with the role of (1) major histocompatibility complex (MHC), (2) immune response gene, (3) the IA molecule, (4) the Igl locus, (5) the complement genes, and (6) non-MHC genes on EAMG pathogenesis. The review concludes with future immunogenetic analysis and eventual strategy for specific therapy from an immunogeneticist's point of view.
Gyration and Permittivity of Ethylenediammonium Sulfate Crystals.

Ethylenediammonium sulfate (EDS) crystals were grown from aqueous solution and cleaved into thin (100-500 micron) plates. The 422 point group of EDS was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The constitutive relations of EDS crystals were determined through generalized ellipsometry with an instrument that uses four photoelastic modulators (4PEM). The optical rotation at 500 nm, for example, was + 22.9°/mm along the optic axis and - 12.1°/mm perpendicular to the optic axis for the P41 21 2 crystals. Enantiomorphous twins frequently form across the (001) plane. Mirrored halves must be separated by cleavage in advance of optical measurements. Chirality 28:460-465, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Social media network behavior

Excitement may not be sufficient to motivate content creation and sharing in social media.Excitement facilitates social media use in the context of a meaningful event.Passion for an activity directly influences content creation and sharing in social media.Passion for an activity is a condition favorable for social media engagement. Social media technologies are described as an ensemble IS artefact composed of technical, informational and relational subsystems that interact distinctly according to the context of use. With an emphasis on these dimensions, we build a conceptual framework to examine the influence of user affect and passion for an activity on social media networks, specifically Facebook and Twitter. The research model is based on Affective Events Theory and tested using the responses of 328 attendees of a National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) event. The results indicate that excitement may not be sufficient to motivate content creation and sharing activities in social media. However, in the context of a meaningful event, excitement interacts with user passion to facilitate social media use. One strategic insight is the knowledge that user (or customer) passion is a condition favorable for social media engagement, representing a lucrative opportunity for organizations to meaningfully engage with consumers.
Batholith-Volcano Coupling in the Metallogeny of Porphyry Copper Deposits

In the course of our study of the porphyry copper deposits of Mexico, the author became aware of the vast extent of the composite batholiths of Sonora and Sinaloa. We observed that the mineralized porphyritic plutons intrude the pene contemporaneous batholith and are associated with dominantly andesitic volcanism. An explanation of this phenomenon is provided by the phenomenon of dome-in-dome structures observed by Ramberg (1981) in centrifuge model experiments where less dense material is overlain by material of greater density. I have applied this concept to the case of a cooling batholith. The interior of a batholith is inherently unstable gravitationally with respect to the more rapidly cooling upper part which is in contact with the country rock. As a consequence, the upper reaches cool faster, begin crystallizing sooner, and eventually become denser than the lower reaches. Thus, the interior of the batholith becomes buoyant and intrudes the upper part. The early batholith forms a broad, gentle dome intruded by later domes. The process is repeated with buoyant upwelling of the interior of the intrusive domes forming cupolas, some of which breach the surface and form cones or stratovolcanos.
Action classification in polarimetric infrared imagery via diffusion maps

This work explores the application of a nonlinear dimensionality reduction technique known as diffusion maps for performing action classification in polarimetric infrared video sequences. The diffusion maps algorithm has been used successfully in a variety of applications involving the extraction of low-dimensional embeddings from high-dimensional data. Our dataset is composed of eight subjects each performing three basic actions: walking, walking while carrying an object in one hand, and running. The actions were captured with a polarized microgrid sensor operating in the longwave portion of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum with a temporal resolution of 24 Hz, yielding the Stokes traditional intensity (S0) and linearly polarized (S1, S2) components of data. Our work includes the use of diffusion maps as an unsupervised dimensionality reduction step prior to action classification with three conventional classifiers: the linear perceptron algorithm, the k nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm, and the kernel-based support vector machine (SVM). We present classification results using both the low-dimensional principal components via PCA and the low-dimensional diffusion map embedding coordinates of the data for each class. Results indicate that the diffusion map lower-dimensional embeddings provide a salient feature space for action classification, yielding an increase of overall classification accuracy by ~40% compared to PCA. Additionally, we examine the utility that the polarimetric sensor may provide by concurrently performing these analyses in the polarimetric feature spaces.
Nanoscale toughening of carbon fiber reinforced/epoxy polymer composites (CFRPs) using a triblock copolymer

Abstract This work explored the incorporation of a triblock copolymer in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy polymer composites (CFRPs) to improve their mode-I fracture toughness, G Ic (J/m 2 ). The triblock copolymer poly (styrene)-block-poly (butadiene)-block-poly (methylmethacrylate) (SBM) was used to modify the CFRP matrix at 5, 10 and 15 phr concentrations, respectively. CFRPs were manufactured using an in-house sizing tower system, prepregger, vacuum bag and autoclave method. Mode-I fracture toughness testing revealed a 290% increase in G Ic by incorporation of the reactive sizing on the fibers and 10 phr SBM in the matrix. Scanning electron microscopy of the SBM modified CFRP fracture surfaces showed that well distributed, sub 100 nm spherical micelles of SBM underwent cavitation and induced void growth and shear yielding toughening mechanisms to absorb fracture energy. It is noteworthy that longitudinal and transverse composite three point flexural testing showed that the SBM modified matrix did not decrease CFRP strength and stiffness up to 10 phr additive. Further, dynamic mechanical analysis revealed that SBM at 10 phr decreased the glass transition temperature (T g ) of CFRPs by only 2.9 °C; the T g was then recovered at 15 phr SBM. Finally, the SBM modified CFRP G Ic was compared to the neat matrix G Ic at 0, 5, 10 and 15 phr SBM to develop a ‘transfer factor’ for SBM modified composites. It was found that only 10% of the increased matrix toughness was transferred from the SBM modified epoxy to the CFRPs. The presence of the rigid carbon fibers constrains plastic deformation of the modified epoxy and limits the toughness transfer in the composite.
How necessary are the stripes of a tiger? Diagnostic and characteristic features in an fMRI study of word meaning.

Abstract This study contrasted two approaches to word meaning: the statistically determined role of high-contribution features like striped in the meaning of complex nouns like “tiger” typically used in studies of semantic memory, and the contribution of diagnostic features like parent's brother that play a critical role in the meaning of nominal kinds like “uncle.” fMRI monitored regional brain activity while participants read complex noun descriptions consisting of statistically high-contribution and low-contribution features; and nominal kind descriptions consisting of diagnostic and characteristic features. We found different patterns of activation depending on the type of noun and the type of feature contributing to the noun. Complex nouns recruited significantly greater bilateral superior temporal and left prefrontal activation compared to nominal kind nouns, while nominal kind nouns activated bilateral medial parietal and right inferior parietal regions more than complex nouns. Moreover, features making a statistically high contribution to complex noun meaning activated right inferior frontal cortex relative to low-contribution features, while diagnostic features of nominal kinds activated left dorsolateral prefrontal and right parietal regions more than characteristic features. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that at least two different neural mechanisms appear to support word meaning: one driven by a statistically determined approach to feature knowledge, and the other sensitive to the qualitatively critical role that a specific diagnostic feature plays in word meaning.
History of Hypertension, but Not Measured Blood Pressure, Is Associated with Cortical Volume and White Matter Integrity in Middle-Aged Women with HIV (P1.097)

Objective: To determine the association of various measures of hypertension with brain volume and white matter integrity in middle-aged women with (and without) HIV Background: Only a few studies have investigated the effects of hypertension on MRI in middle-aged adults; none of these studies included persons infected with HIV. Methods/Design: Women were recruited from the Brooklyn site of the Womens Interagency HIV study as part of a study of cognition and vascular disease. rom 2012-2014. A complete dataset of usable MRIs, retinal photographs, and Doppler vascular measures were available on 54 age-matched women (34 HIV-infected and 20 HIV-uninfected). 3T MRIs were analyzed at the Stebbins lab at Rush University. The relationship between predictors (history of hypertension or measured blood pressures) retinal vascular measures) and outcomes (quantitative MRI measures) were analyzed with partial correlation analyses controlling for intracranial volume and age. Results: Mean age of the women was 45.6 (7.3) years; 18 were classified as hypertensive, 35 were not. Sixteen of the 18 classified as hypertensive were on medication to control blood pressure. HIV-infection was not significantly associated with any of the structural measures. Hypertension was significantly associated with axial diffusivity (R = 0.33,.02), mean diffusivity (0.44,.001), radial diffusivity (.51,. < 0.001), WM hyperintensities (0.29,.04), cortical volume (0.40,.004), and total gray volume (-.37,.008), but not with mean hippocampal, thalamic, caudate, putamen, or central corpus callosum volume. Systolic, diastolic, and MAP were significantly associated with white matter hyperintensities (0.37,.009,.30,.03,.37,.008), but with no other structures or measures. Pulse pressure was not associated with any of the measures. Conclusion: History of hypertension, but not measured blood pressure, is associated with cortical volume and white matter integrity in middle-aged women with HIV Disclosure: Dr. Stebbins has nothing to disclose. Dr. Holman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gustafson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cabassa has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rojas-Soto has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lui has nothing to disclose. Dr. Crystal has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for emedicine.
Utopian Discourse and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis: Andrew Ross Sorkin’s and Curtis Hanson’s Too Big to Fail , and Antonio Muñoz Molina’s Todo lo que era sólido

Badica traces the utopian impulse in the public discourses surrounding the 2008 financial crises in the United States and in Spain. Her contribution explores the ramifications of the financial market at a historical turning point and the ensuing social movements as performance. She concludes that through similar techniques, Sorkin’s Too Big to Fail (2009), the homonymous movie directed by Hanson (2011), and Munoz Molina’s Todo lo que era solido [All that was solid] (2013) succeed in clearly communicating the main issues of the complex financial crisis without questioning the individual and/or familial utopian impulse for economic self-improvement.
Higher head accelerations observed in female athletes than in male athletes across age

Objective To compare linear and rotational acceleration across age and gender in controlled purposeful soccer heading. Design Prospective study. Setting Biomechanics laboratory. Participants One-hundred soccer players (42 male, 58 female, 17.1±3.5 years, 168.5±20.3 cm, 61.5±13.7 kg) classified as collegiate, high school (HS), or youth (12–14 years) male (MS) or female (FS) soccer players. Exclusionary criteria history of neurologic disorder, cervical spine injury, or head injury in the past 6 months. Interventions We implemented a unique soccer heading paradigm that allows for precise control of head impact magnitude, direction, and frequency to model repetitive head impacts in sport. This model consists of controlled soccer heading (12 headers at 11.2 m/s from a JUGS machine) while measuring linear and rotational accelerations using a triaxial accelerometer and gyroscope affixed to the back of the head. Linear accelerations were transformed to the head center-of-gravity using 3D motion capture data and standard rigid body dynamics equations. Outcome measures Linear and rotational accelerations at the head center-of-gravity. Main results [Average±Standard Deviation (95% Confidence Interval)] Collegiate [42.4±11.5 g (36.8–47.9); 3.35±0.87 krad/s 2 (2.9–3.8)], HS [38.5±13.1 g (32.2–44.8); 3.16±1.01 krad/s 2 (2.7–3.7)], and youth [40.5±14.9 g(33.1–47.9); 3.20±1.24 krad/s 2 (2.6–3.8)] FS produced higher linear and rotational accelerations than both the collegiate [26.1±9.5 g(21.7–30.6); 2.13±1.07 krad/s 2 (1.6–2.6)] (linear: p 2 (2.0–2.4)] (linear: p=0.002, p=0.045, p?= 0.012; rotational: p=0.011, p=0.052, p=0.040, respectively) MS. Conclusions Collegiate and HS FS have higher head accelerations than their male counterparts, but at the youth level, there are no differences across gender. These data suggest that FS may be exposed to greater cumulative head accelerations from repeated heading of a soccer ball over a career than MS. Competing interests None.
Once a Rebel, Now Settled

Seeing the stark contrast in realities from distant worldsA foot in both and not knowing how to settle themA voice in the wilderness rebelling against inequalityA soul torn apartSettling in the mid...
Blueprint for scaling advance care planning conversations to medical practices

Summary Establishment of the Community Conversations initiative in Schenectady County, New York began as a response to pleas from palliative care professionals who recognized the absence or paucity of Advance Directives (AD) in the medical records of referred patients. The palliative care physicians responsible for cases of the critically ill or those with diminished or no decisional capacity often faced the challenging task of locating a previously prepared AD, if any, identifying a healthcare proxy or agent who could speak on behalf of the patient (in terms of best interests or substituted judgment), or identifying clear and convincing evidence as to what, if any, life-sustaining treatment was expressed prior to illness. Practitioners and patients, both in the US and France, have historically avoided the confrontation and “the conversation.” Similarly, examination of shared decision making training programs evidenced wide variations in how and what they deliver. More importantly, evidence of their effectiveness was sparse. Studies on shared decision making programs suggest there is a need for international consensus on ways to address the variability in patient-centered programs concerning “the conversation” surrounding Advance Care Planning (ACP).
TEAMS (Tele-Exercise and Multiple Sclerosis), a Tailored Telerehabilitation mHealth App: Participant-Centered Development and Usability Study.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis face varying levels of disability and symptoms, thus requiring highly trained therapists and/or exercise trainers to design personalized exercise programs. However, for people living in geographically isolated communities, access to such trained professionals can be challenging due to a number of barriers associated with cost, access to transportation, and travel distance. Generic mobile health exercise apps often fall short of what people with multiple sclerosis need to become physically active (ie, exercise content that has been adapted to accommodate a wide range of functional limitations). Objective: This usability study describes the development process of the TEAMS (Tele-Exercise and Multiple Sclerosis) app, which is being used by people with multiple sclerosis in a large randomized controlled trial to engage in home-based telerehabilitation. Methods: Twenty-one participants with disabilities (10 people with multiple sclerosis) were involved in the double iterative design, which included the simultaneous development of the app features and exercise content (exercise videos and articles). Framed within a user-centered design approach, the development process included 2 stages: ground-level creation (focus group followed by early stage evaluations and developments), and proof of concept through 2 usability tests. Usability (effectiveness, usefulness, and satisfaction) was evaluated using a mixed-methods approach. Results: During testing of the app’s effectiveness, the second usability test resulted in an average of 1 problem per participant, a decrease of 53% compared to the initial usability test. Five themes were constructed from the qualitative data that related to app usefulness and satisfaction, namely: high perceived confidence for app usability, positive perceptions of exercise videos, viable exercise option at home, orientation and familiarity required for successful participation, and app issues. Participants acknowledged that the final app was ready to be delivered to the public after minor revisions. After including these revisions, the project team released the final app that is being used in the randomized controlled trial. Conclusions: A multi-level user-centered development process resulted in the development of an inclusive exercise program for people with multiple sclerosis operated through an easy-to-use app. The promotion of exercise through self-regulated mHealth programs requires a stakeholder-driven approach to app development. This ensures that app and content match the preferences and functional abilities of the end user (ie, people with varying levels of multiple sclerosis).
Radar and ultrasound hybrid system for human computer interaction

Touchless hand gesture is one emerging technology for human computer interaction. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of a hybrid system using frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar and ultrasound sensors with one transmitter and one receiver to detect hand movement for controlling a computer. Ultrasound will be used for near range application (1 cm to 30 cm) based on range estimation. FMCW radar, on the other hand, will be used for far range application (30 cm to 120 cm) based on range, velocity, and angle of arrival estimation. Leveraging these advantages of combining both ultrasound and FMCW radar will facilitate human hand for interacting computer with better performance.
MEASURING PHASE OF VIBRATION OF SPHERES IN A VISCOELASTIC MEDIUM USING VIBROMETRY

Vibro-acoustography is a method that uses ultrasound radiation force at low frequency as an excitation mechanism to create images of the acoustic response of an object. At certain frequencies the magnitude image of an object consisting of materials of different densities may not provide sufficient contrast to distinguish each of the materials from one another so the phase of vibration is assessed as another modality for contrast. An experiment is described to address the efficacy of using the phase of vibration relative to the magnitude of vibration to assess mass density. Experimental data are compared with theoretical simulations. The authors discuss the usefulness of the phase images compared with the magnitude images. Possibilities for obtaining better contrast of materials of different density in a viscoelastic medium are explored
Unbiased review of digital diagnostic images in practice: informatics prototype and pilot study.

Rationale and Objectives Clinical and contextual information associated with images may influence how radiologists draw diagnostic inferences, highlighting the need to control multiple sources of bias in the methodologic design of investigations involving radiologic interpretation. In the past, manual control methods to mask review films presented in practice have been used to reduce potential interpretive bias associated with differences between viewing images for patient care and reviewing images for the purposes of research, education, and quality improvement. These manual precedents from the film era raise the question whether similar methods to reduce bias can be implemented in the modern digital environment. Materials and Methods A prototype application, CreateAPatient, was built for masking review case presentations within one institution’s production radiology information system and picture archiving and communication system. To test whether CreateAPatient could be used to mask review images presented in practice, six board-certified radiologists participated in a pilot study. During pilot testing, seven digital chest radiographs, known to contain lung nodules and associated with fictitious patient identifiers, were mixed into the routine workloads of the participating radiologists while they covered general evening call shifts. The aim was to test whether it was possible to mask the presentation of these review cases, both by probing the interpreting radiologists to report detection and by conducting a forced-choice experiment on a separate cohort of 20 radiologists and information technology professionals. Results None of the participating radiologists reported awareness of review activity, and forced-choice detection was less than predicted at chance, suggesting that radiologists were effectively blinded. In addition, no evidence was identified of review reports unsafely propagating beyond their intended scope or otherwise interfering with patient care, despite integration of these records within production electronic work flow systems. Conclusions Information technology can facilitate the design of unbiased methods involving professional review of digital diagnostic images.
Responses of E. coli to DNA Damage and Stress

Exposure of Escherichia coli to agents that damage DNA or interfere with DNA replication results in the induction of the SOS response. A number of chromosomal genes that are repressed by the LexA protein are transcribed at higher levels and various lysogenic bacteriophage are induced. The RecA protein becomes activated by binding to some intracellular inducing signal, probably single-stranded DNA and then mediates proteolytic cleavage of LexA and bacteriophage repressors by facilitating an otherwise latent capacity of these molecules to autodigest. The products of the SOS-regulated operon umuDC axe required for most UV and chemical mutagenesis. We have shown that the UmuD protein shares homology with the carboxyl-terminal domains of LexA and several bacteriophage repressors and is activated for its role in mutagenesis by a RecA-mediated proteolytic event. Thus the regulation of umuD involves a transcriptional derepression and a posttranslational activation that are mechanistically and evolutionary related. A set of missense mutants of umuD was isolated and shown to encode mutant UmuD proteins that are deficient in RecA-mediated cleavage in vivo but which can be partially cleaved at a higher UV dose. Most of these mutations are dominant to umuD* with respect to UV mutagenesis yet do not interfere with SOS induction. Although both UmuD and UmuD’ form homodimers, we have found evidence that they preferentially form heterodimers. These studies of umuD have suggested a role for intact UmuD in the modulation of SOS mutagenesis. Other genetic studies have indicated that the RecA protein plays a third role in mutagenesis besides mediating the cleavage of LexA and UmuD. In addition, we have observed that efficiency of UV mutagenesis is greatly reduced by mutations affecting the groESand groEL heat-shockgenes. These genes encode proteins that function as molecular chaperones which mediate protein folding and protein-protein interaction. It seems possible that they may play a role in the proper assembly of a protein complex required for SOS mutagenesis.
Optical Properties and Morphology of Particulate Carbon: Variation with Air/Fuel Ratio

The specific optical extinction, composition, and morphology of diesel particulate emissions vary strongly with engine operating conditions such as air/fuel ratio. Particles produced at low air/fuel ratios are highly agglomerated, consist primarily of elemental carbon, and have large values of specific optical extinction; at high air/fuel ratios particles are less agglomerated, contain considerable volatile organic material, and have decreased specific extinction. Calculations based on Mie theory and the Rayleigh approximation for spheroids show that the variation in optical properties depends primarily on particle shape (i.e., morphology), but that composition also plays a role.
Distracting Interlude: Explosion of Print

Rankine’s response1 to Clausius’ first paper was a [characteristically forthright and generous] “Fifth section” adjoined to his own first paper: (40.) Carnot was the first to assert the law, that the ratio of the maximum mechanical effect, to the whole heat expended in an expansive machine, is a function solely of the two temperatures at which the heat is respectively received and emitted, and is independent of the nature of the working substance. But his investigations not being based on the principle of the dynamical convertibility of heat, involve the fallacy that power can be produced out of nothing.
Rapid measurements of 235 U fission product isotope ratios using an online, high-pressure ion chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry protocol with comparison to isotopic depletion models

An automated online separation–direct analysis method, RAPID (rapid analysis of post-irradiation debris), has been developed for the measurement of the concentration and isotopic composition of over 40 elements down to the low-picogram level. Here we discuss the application of RAPID to irradiated highly-enriched uranium, demonstrating that it has the sensitivity required to achieve precise, low-level analyses of non-natural isotopes, even in the presence of a bulk uranium matrix. Isotopic ratios have been successfully measured at the low-picogram level, and the accuracy of these ratios was confirmed using an isotopic depletion and decay modeling software to within 1–2%.
Non-inflammatory Bowel Disease Colitis

This chapter discusses a wide array of non-inflammatory bowel disease-type colitides, and includes both distinctive patterns of inflammation and injury, as well as etiologically specific entities. Histologic overlap between these entities requires careful consideration of clinical setting and the use of special stains when appropriate. The goal of assessment and reporting should be to either indicate an etiology or enable the clinician further investigate the multiple differential diagnoses based on the histology. Histologic evaluation should always be performed with the understanding that in certain unusual cases, a pattern resembling “colitis” may mask an underlying neoplastic condition.
Pneuxels: a platform for physically manifesting object-based crowd interactions in large scales

We often perceive other peoples' presence implicitly, through the traces of their interactions with physical objects. What if our urban environments could mediate these traces allowing remotely located people perceive each other's presence collectively? We developed Pneuxels, a network of programmable inflatables, placed at remote sites, that allow visitors in one site to perceive the presence of visitors in other sites, promoting thereby a sense of collective awareness and place-making. Pneuxels (Pneumatic Pixels) are pneumatically actuated pixels, connected through a web-socket platform, that change their physical state based on input from other Pneuxels, from the environment, or from users. We discuss our experiences in designing, prototyping, and testing Pneuxels, and we report our results from preliminary user studies.
Comparative Study of Offline Detection Methods of Static Eccentricity for Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine

This paper proposes and compares detection methods for the presence of static eccentricity in Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (IPMSM). Three methods are proposed. The first method is based on commanded voltages that uses shift in the voltages in d-q plane to detect fault. The second method is based on the incremental inductance that uses shift in peak of the curve for fault detection. The third method uses the combined information present both in current and voltage harmonics to detect the fault. This makes the detection scheme robust with respect to current controller bandwidth. It is shown that all three methods are capable of detecting presence of static eccentricity. For all three methods the machine was tested at healthy, 25% and 50% static eccentricity levels. The machine was controlled using Field Oriented Control (FOC) using Real Time LABVIEW. Two dimensional (2-D) Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to model and simulate the machine under healthy and faulty conditions to evaluate the results from experiments.