cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anthropogenic CO2 uptake in a warming ocean

Stabilization of future atmospheric CO 2 by regula- atmospheric CO 2 fixed at its preindustrial level, tion of emissions requires predicting the response after which the atmospheric CO 2 is increased at a of the ocean carbon sink. The 1994 report of the prescribed rate, from observations up to 1990 and IPCC provided a scientific basis for international in a manner consistent with the IS92a scenario policy decisions, under the assumption that the thereafter. The biological pump is initialized with ocean circulation and biology will remain constant the upward supply and downward export of through time (Houghton et al., 1995). From a carbon in balance, such as to reproduce the coupled atmosphere‐ocean simulation with time- observed distribution of surface phosphate, and dependent radiative forcing for 1765 to 2065 the new production is held fixed thereafter except (Haywood et al., 1997), it appears possible that where phosphate runs out (Sarmiento and
A feature extraction technique for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sea ice imagery

A feature extraction technique is presented that extracts ice floes from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sea ice imagery. The authors investigate two types of floe: 1) independent ice floes that collide and meet, and 2) component ice floes that melt and consolidate to form an independent ice floe. To detect independent ice floes, the authors consider two kinds of edges: 1) clear edges, and 2) blurred edges. They use a spatial enhancement technique combined with thresholding to obtain the clear edges. To detect the blurred edges, they make use of "corners" which are pixels where a considerable change in direction of a floe boundary occurs. To connect the corners appropriately, they incorporate both their geometric and semantic properties into heuristics that choose which pair of corners to connect. To investigate component ice floes, they have developed a technique that combines thresholding, correlation, morphological cleaning, and structural growing. The technique has been tested successfully on a large number of SAR images, including data from ERS-1. >
Improved side-chain modeling for protein-protein docking.

Success in high-resolution protein–protein docking requires accurate modeling of side-chain conformations at the interface. Most current methods either leave side chains fixed in the conformations observed in the unbound protein structures or allow the side chains to sample a set of discrete rotamer conformations. Here we describe a rapid and efficient method for sampling off-rotamer side-chain conformations by torsion space minimization during protein–protein docking starting from discrete rotamer libraries supplemented with side-chain conformations taken from the unbound structures, and show that the new method improves side-chain modeling and increases the energetic discrimination between good and bad models. Analysis of the distribution of side-chain interaction energies within and between the two protein partners shows that the new method leads to more native-like distributions of interaction energies and that the neglect of side-chain entropy produces a small but measurable increase in the number of residues whose interaction energy cannot compensate for the entropic cost of side-chain freezing at the interface. The power of the method is highlighted by a number of predictions of unprecedented accuracy in the recent CAPRI (Critical Assessment of PRedicted Interactions) blind test of protein–protein docking methods.
Caffeinated beverage intake and the risk of heart disease mortality in the elderly: a prospective analysis

Background: Motivated by the possibility that caffeine could ameliorate the effect of postprandial hypotension on a high risk of coronary events and mortality in aging, we hypothesized that caffeinated beverage consumption decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the elderly. Objective: The objective of the study was to use prospective cohort study data to test whether the consumption of caffeinated beverages exhibits this protective effect. Design: Cox regression analyses were conducted for 426 CVD deaths that occurred during an 8.8-y follow-up in the prospective first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. The analysis involved 6594 participants aged 32-86 y with no history of CVD at baseline. Results: Participants aged ≥65 y with higher caffeinated beverage intake exhibited lower relative risk of CVD and heart disease mortality than did participants with lower caffeinated beverage intake. It was a dose-response protective effect: the relative risk (95% CI) for heart disease mortality was 1.00 (referent), 0.77 (0.54, 1.10), 0.68 (0.49, 0.94), and 0.47 (0.32, 0.69) for <0.5, 0.5-2, 2-4, and ≥4 servings/d, respectively (P for trend = 0.003). A similar protective effect was found for caffeine intake in mg/d. The protective effective was found only in participants who were not severely hypertensive. No significant protective effect was found in participants aged <65 y or in cerebrovascular disease mortality for those aged ≥65 y. Conclusion: Habitual intake of caffeinated beverages provided protection against the risk of heart disease mortality among elderly participants in this prospective epidemiologic analysis.
Pathogenetic studies of infection of the bovine fetus with bovine viral diarrhea virus. II. Ocular lesions.

Twenty-three susceptible pregnant heifers were inoculated with bovine viral diarrhea virus at 150±1 days of gestation. Seven additional heifers were inoculated between 65 and 115 days of gestation....
Current Perspectives on Physician Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening

Background: Despite reports of rising mammography utilization, breast cancer screening rates still lag behind national recommendations and goals, particularly for older women. This study explores current modifiable physician barriers to screening. Methods: Family physicians and internists on the staff of 10 Long Island community hospitals were surveyed during three successive waves (1988, 1990, 1995) about breast cancer screening behavior. The final survey also assessed current attitudes and level of confidence in screening abilities and beliefs relating to cancer risk and screening of the elderly. Results: The proportion of physicians reporting regularly referring all women aged 50 to 75 years for mammography increased significantly from 37 percent (1988) to 64 percent (1995), while the proportion reporting regularly performing clinical breast examinations remained stable at 56 percent. More than 25 percent of respondents to the 1995 survey were not aware that breast cancer risk increases with aging, and more than one half did not recognize that breast cancer detection by mammography is enhanced in older postmenopausal women. Some physicians reported lack of confidence in aspects of patient counseling, examination, and use of office systems to promote screening. Conclusion: Continuing medical education programs addressing knowledge deficits and perceived physician needs for enhancement of clinical breast examination skills are needed to promote continued improvement in inadequate mammography screening rates.
Immunological and Biochemical Analysis of Glycosylated Surface Antigens and Lipophosphoglycan of Tritrichomonas Foetus

Immunoaffinity-purified TF1.17 adhesin antigen was compared biochemically and antigenically to Tritrichomonas foetus (TF) lipophosphoglycan (LPG) and a soluble glycosylated antigen (SGA) released from T. foetus and implicated in pathogenesis and immunity. The monoclonal antibodies (Mabs TF1.15 and TF1.17) specific for a glycosylated TF1.17 antigen were previously shown to prevent adhesion of the T. foetus parasites to bovine vaginal epithelial cells and to mediate killing by bovine complement. SGA was isolated from T. foetus–conditioned buffer and purified by octyl-Sepharose hydrophobic column chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of SGA showed a major SGA1 component (approximately 190 kDa) and a minor SGA2 component (50–70 kDa), which migrated close to TF-LPG and TF1.17. The carbohydrate and lipid compositional analyses of affinity-purified TF1.17 and SGA2 by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas–liquid chromatography revealed the presence of m...
Bored and Busy: Sociology of Knowledge of Clerical Workers

This article uses a sociology of knowledge approach to discuss the reproduction of inequality within the sociocultural world of clerical workers. A model of a semiotic square is used to analyze the experiences of bored and busy work. Through this analysis of bored and busy work, the author discovered clerical workers' perceptions and activities which were both subordinating and empowering. Clerical workers participate in the process of subordination through bored/busy work. However, they also participate in empowering strategies through not-bored/not-busy work. This sociology of knowledge approach shows that people are not automatons and strengthens our understanding of the social reproduction of inequality as a multi-faceted phenomenon.
Computationally Guided Assembly of Oriented Nanocubes by Modulating Grafted Polymer−Surface Interactions

The bottom-up fabrication of ordered and oriented colloidal nanoparticle assemblies is critical for engineering functional nanomaterials beyond conventional polymer-particle composites. Here, we probe the influence of polymer surface ligands on the self-orientation of shaped metal nanoparticles for the formation of nanojunctions. We examine how polymer graft-surface interactions dictate Ag nanocube orientation into either edge-edge or face-face nanojunctions. Specifically, we investigate the effect of end-functionalized polymer grafts on nanocube assembly outcomes, such as interparticle angle and interparticle distance. Our assembly results can be directly mapped onto our theoretical phase diagrams for nanocube orientation, enabling correlation of experimental variables (such as graft length and metal binding strength) with computational parameters. These results represent an important step toward unifying modeling and experimental approaches to understanding nanoparticle-polymer self-assembly.
Making #BlackLivesMatter Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and the Specters of Black Life—Toward a Hauntology of Blackness

This article situates the loss of Michael Brown and Eric Garner within the affective resonance of the Transatlantic Slave Trade’s afterlife. Building upon critical theories of performance and memor...
Genetic Dissociation of Daily Sleep and Sleep Following Thermogenetic Sleep Deprivation in Drosophila.

Study objectives Sleep rebound-the increase in sleep that follows sleep deprivation-is a hallmark of homeostatic sleep regulation that is conserved across the animal kingdom. However, both the mechanisms that underlie sleep rebound and its relationship to habitual daily sleep remain unclear. To address this, we developed an efficient thermogenetic method of inducing sleep deprivation in Drosophila that produces a substantial rebound, and applied the newly developed method to assess sleep rebound in a screen of 1,741 mutated lines. We used data generated by this screen to identify lines with reduced sleep rebound following thermogenetic sleep deprivation, and to probe the relationship between habitual sleep amount and sleep following thermogenetic sleep deprivation in Drosophila. Methods To develop a thermogenetic method of sleep deprivation suitable for screening, we thermogenetically stimulated different populations of wake-promoting neurons labeled by Gal4 drivers. Sleep rebound following thermogenetically-induced wakefulness varies across the different sets of wake-promoting neurons that were stimulated, from very little to quite substantial. Thermogenetic activation of neurons marked by the c584-Gal4 driver produces both strong sleep loss and a substantial rebound that is more consistent within genotypes than rebound following mechanical or caffeine-induced sleep deprivation. We therefore used this driver to induce sleep deprivation in a screen of 1,741 mutagenized lines generated by the Drosophila Gene Disruption Project. Flies were subjected to 9 h of sleep deprivation during the dark period and released from sleep deprivation 3 h before lights-on. Recovery was measured over the 15 h following sleep deprivation. Following identification of lines with reduced sleep rebound, we characterized baseline sleep and sleep depth before and after sleep deprivation for these hits. Results We identified two lines that consistently exhibit a blunted increase in the duration and depth of sleep after thermogenetic sleep deprivation. Neither of the two genotypes has reduced total baseline sleep. Statistical analysis across all screened lines shows that genotype is a strong predictor of recovery sleep, independent from effects of genotype on baseline sleep. Conclusions Our data show that rebound sleep following thermogenetic sleep deprivation can be genetically separated from sleep at baseline. This suggests that genetically controlled mechanisms of sleep regulation not manifest under undisturbed conditions contribute to sleep rebound following thermogenetic sleep deprivation.
Etiology of pre-eclampsia-eclampsia. VI. Sodium, potassium, nitrogen, and water content of muscle and skin in pre-eclampsia.

In the normal pregnant patient when compared with the nonpregnant, the following significant changes are noted: Muscle: The water content is unchanged. Sodium is increased. Potassium remains unchanged. The Na:K ratio is increased. The nitrogen content is unchanged. Skin: Sodium and water are increased. Potassium is unchanged. The Na:K ratio is unchanged. Nitrogen is slightly lower in wet tissue. In the patient with pre-eclampsia or hypertensive disease when compared with normal pregnancy the following significant changes are noted: Muscle: Water is unchanged. Sodium is decreased in pre-eclampsia and hypertensive disease (similar to nonpregnancy values). Potassium is unchanged. The Na:K ratio is less in pre-eclampsia than in hypertensive disease. Nitrogen content is unchanged. Skin: Water is unchanged. Sodium is decreased in pre-eclampsia and hypertensive disease (similar to nonpregnancy values). Potassium is unchanged. The Na:K ratio is unchanged. Nitrogen in wet tissue is higher from the hypertensive patient than from the normal pregnant or pre-eclamptic patient. These results on the sodium content of rectus muscle in pre-eclampsia-eclampsia and hypertensive disease were at variance with published reports and were surprising to us since a hypernatremic muscle offered more opportunity for theorizing. Three separate groups of analysis confirmed this finding. The explanation awaits further studies. The clinical application was illustrated by three eclamptic patients, each of whom was made markedly worse by the wrong solution and the injudicious administration of excessive fluids. Our studies indicate that in pre-eclampsia and hypertensive disease there is a significant decrease in the sodium ion concentration of voluntary muscle with a resultant alteration in the sodium-potassium ratio when compared with those of tissues obtained from normal pregnant patients. The fact that the values are essentially those of the nonpregnant woman does not detract from their abnormality.
THE STROH FORMALISM AND CERTAIN INVARIANCES IN TWO-DIMESIONAL ANISOTROPIC ELASTICITY

The Stroh formalism for two-dimensional deformations of an aniso-tropic elastic body is reviewed briefly. The formalism is mathematically elegant and technically powerful. Recent advances in the formalism allow us to simplify existing complex form solutions to real form ones and to solve heretofore unsolved problems. As a result many interesting and physically unexpected phenomena have been discovered. For instance, for the anisotropic bimaterial with the interface containing the x3-axis subject to a line force and a line dislocation along the x3-axis, the surface traction on any radial plane containing the x3-axis is invariant with respect to the radial planes. Moreover the stresses at any fixed point are independent of the location of the interface.Other invariance properties discovered include the image force in the bi-materials, the stress singularities at the interface crack, the oscillation of the interface crack surface, and certain invariant stresses and displacements in the homogeneous infinite medium with the presence of a finite crack, an elliptic hole, or a rigid elliptic inclusion. Many of these invariance properties defy a physical interpretation. In the real form solutions, the Barnett-Lothe tensors appear frequently. Certain combinations of the components of these tensors are invariant under rotations about the x3-axis. They arc derived and presented here.Finally we identify some anisotropic elastic materials for which the Barnett-Lothe tensors are invariant, i.e., all components of the tensors are invariant under rotations about the x3-axis.
A Composite Hysteresis Model in Self-Sensing Feedback Control of Fully Integrated $\mathrm{VO_2}$ Microactuators

In this paper, a composite hysteresis model is proposed for self-sensing feedback control of vanadium dioxide ( $\mathrm{VO_2}$ )-integrated microactuators. The deflection of the microactuator is estimated with the resistance measurement through the proposed model. To capture the complicated hysteresis between the resistance and the deflection, we exploit the physical understanding that both the resistance and the deflection are determined by hysteretic relationships with the temperature. Since direct temperature measurement is not available, the concept of temperature surrogate, representing the constant current value in Joule heating that would result in a given temperature at the steady state, is explored in the modeling. In particular, the hysteresis between the deflection and the temperature surrogate and the hysteresis between the resistance and the temperature surrogate are captured with a generalized Prandtl–Ishlinskii (GPI) model and an extended GPI (EGPI) model, respectively. The composite self-sensing model is obtained by cascading the EGPI model with the inverse GPI model. For comparison purposes, two algorithms, based on a Preisach model and an EGPI model, respectively, are also used to estimate the deflection based on the resistance measurement directly. The proposed self-sensing scheme is evaluated with proportional-integral control of the microactuator under step and sinusoidal references, and its superiority over the other schemes is demonstrated by experimental results.
Aging Effects on Behavioural Estimates of Suppression with Short Suppressors.

Auditory two-tone suppression is a nearly instantaneous reduction in the response of the basilar membrane to a tone or noise when a second tone or noise is presented simultaneously. Previous behavioural studies provide conflicting evidence on whether suppression changes with increasing age, and aging effects may depend on whether a suppressor above (high-side) or below (low-side) the signal frequency is used. Most previous studies have measured suppression using stimuli long enough to elicit the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR), a sound-elicited reflex that reduces cochlear amplification or gain. It has a ˵sluggish˶ onset of approximately 25 ms. There is physiological evidence that suppression may be reduced or altered by elicitation of the MOCR. In the present study, suppression was measured behaviourally in younger adults and older adults using a forward-masking paradigm with 20-ms and 70-ms maskers and suppressors. In experiment 1, gain was estimated by comparing on-frequency (2 kHz) and off-frequency (1.2 kHz) masker thresholds for a short, fixed-level 2-kHz signal. In experiment 2, the fixed-level signal was preceded by an off-frequency suppressor (1.2 or 2.4 kHz) presented simultaneously with the on-frequency masker. A suppressor level was chosen that did not produce any forward masking of the signal. Suppression was measured as the difference in on-frequency masker threshold with and without the suppressor present. The effects of age on gain and suppression estimates will be discussed.
Book Review: Democracy, Islam & Secularism in Turkey, Ahmet T. Kuru & Alfred Stepan

Review of the book Democracy, Islam & Secularism by the editors Ahmet T. Kuru and Alfred Stepan.
Combined Positron Emission Tomography–Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The combined collection of both anatomical and functional imaging data provides a corner stone of modern imaging in both clinical and preclinical settings. Positron emission tomography–magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) allows the combination of the picomolar sensitivity of PET with the excellent soft tissue contrast of MRI. Applications can range from combining functional PET with MRI anatomy achieving excellent co-registration, to rich data collection using various PET tracers and functional MRI and parallel monitoring of dynamic processes in PET and MRI. This article introduces current PET/MRI design concepts and addresses the challenges of combined PET/MRI system development as well as potential applications.
Deformation mechanisms of magnesium alloys

Abstract: This chapter discusses the deformation mechanisms responsible for the complex mechanical behaviors exhibited by Mg and its alloys. The use of new experimental (e.g. electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and in situ neutron diffraction) and computational (e.g. crystal plasticity, molecular dynamics, and electron density functional theory) approaches has recently provided a wealth of new understanding. These findings are enumerated for each of the basal and non-basal dislocation slip mechanisms as well as deformation twinning and kink banding. The impacts of alloy and microstructure design strategies to improve strength, ductility, formability, and tolerance for dynamic loading are discussed for the individual mechanisms.
LSD1—a pivotal epigenetic regulator of brown and beige fat differentiation and homeostasis

In this issue of Genes & Development, Zeng and colleagues (pp. 1822-1836) identify lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) as a pivotal regulator of whole-body energy expenditure by controlling the oxidative and thermogenic activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT). They show that LSD1 interacts with PRDM16 to repress select white adipose tissue (WAT) genes but also represses hydroxysteroid 11-β-dehydrogenase 1 (HSD11B1) independently of PRDM16 to prevent production of glucocorticoids that impair BAT functions. Their study provides important insight into epigenetic mechanisms regulating the function of BAT.
Intent aware shared control in off-nominal situations

We propose a new shared control technique that takes into account the operator's intent to quickly relinquish control to the operator in off-nominal conditions. Human-machine shared control is an emerging area of research in which the autonomous control is utilized to augment the operator's performance. Existing work has established that shared control can improve cycle times in nominal conditions, that is, when the operating environment satisfies the assumptions made in the design of the optimal augmenting controller. However, these methods can be too slow to relinquish control in off-nominal cases, when the operator needs to deviate from the nominally optimal trajectory due to unforeseen obstacles or other uncertainties. In this paper, we attempt to address this gap by mathematically quantifying operator intent. The resulting technique provides autonomous control augmentation to the operator when they are attempting to drive the system along the suggested optimal trajectory, but offers little hindrance to the operator when they are attempting to deal with off-nominal conditions. Theoretical results show that the performance of the presented intent aware shared control technique is at least as good as existing techniques, and that it results in improved obstacle reaction time. Human interaction experiments on the Zermelo's navigation problem in the presence of a random pop-up obstacle show a significant reduction in obstacle collision with our method when compared to existing work.
Effects of surgical side and site on psychological symptoms following epilepsy surgery in adults

This retrospective study examined the potential role of side and site of surgery in psychological symptom change after epilepsy surgery and determined the base rate of psychological change at the individual level. Two-hundred twenty-eight adults completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) before and after temporal (TLR; n=190) or frontal lobe resection (FLR; n=38). Repeated measures ANOVAs with bootstrapping examined differences in psychological outcome as a function of surgical site separately in patients who underwent left- versus right-sided resections. Individual's PAI score changes were then used to determine the prevalence of clinically meaningful postoperative symptom change. Following left-sided resections, there were significant group-by-time interactions on Somatic Complaints, Anxiety, and Anxiety Related Disorders. There was also a trend in this direction on the Depression scale. TLR patients endorsed greater preoperative symptoms than FLR patients on all of these scales, except the Somatic Complaints scale. After surgery, TLR patients reported symptom improvement on all four scales, while scores of FLR patients remained relatively stable over time. Endorsement of Mania-related symptoms increased in both TLR and FLR groups from pre-to post-surgical testing. Following right-sided resections, both groups endorsed symptom improvements on Somatic Complaints, Anxiety, and Depression scales following surgery. In addition, the TLR group endorsed more Mania-related symptoms than the FLR group regardless of time. Patterns of meaningful change in individual patients were generally consistent with group findings, with the most frequent improvements observed following TLR. However, there were a small subset of patients who reported symptom exacerbation after surgery. Our results suggest that surgical lateralization and localization are important factors in postoperative psychological outcome and highlight the importance of considering psychological change at the individual patient level. Further research is needed to identify potential risk factors for symptom exacerbation to aid in preoperative counseling and identify those patients most in need of postoperative psychological surveillance.
Reduced bimolecular recombination in blade-coated, high-efficiency, small-molecule solar cells

Realization of the full promise of solution deposited photovoltaic devices requires processes compatible with high-speed manufacturing. We report the performance and morphology of blade-coated bulk heterojunction devices based on the small molecule donor p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 when treated with a post-deposition solvent vapor annealing (SVA) process. SVA with tetrahydrofuran improves the device performance of blade-coated films more than solvent additive processing (SA) with 1,8-diiodooctane. In spin-coating, SA and SVA achieve similar device performance. Our optimized, blade coated, SVA devices achieve power conversion efficiencies over 8% and maintain high efficiencies in films up to ≈250 nm thickness, providing valuable resilience to small process variations in high-speed manufacturing. Using impedance spectroscopy, we show that this advantageous behavior originates from highly suppressed bimolecular recombination in the SVA-treated films. Electron microscopy and grazing-incidence X-ray scattering experiments show that SA and SVA both produce highly crystalline donor domains, but SVA films have a radically smaller domain size compared to SA films. We attribute the different behavior to variations in initial nucleation density and relative ability of SVA and SA to control subsequent crystal growth.
Abstract 234: Participation in a Virtual Community and Its Impact on Quality of Life and Perceived Support

Background: Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke can experience poor outcomes, including poor quality of life (QOL). Support of CVD and stroke patients is often associated with imp...
OCT Angiography and Ellipsoid Zone Mapping of Macular Telangiectasia Type 2 From the AVATAR Study.

Purpose To evaluate alterations on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) and quantitatively assess alterations in the ellipsoid zone (EZ) in eyes with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel type 2). Methods The Observational Assessment of Visualizing and Analyzing Vessels With Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Retinal Diseases study is an institutional review board-approved prospective, observational study investigating OCT-A in macular disease. Patients underwent spectral-domain (SD)-OCT and OCT-A imaging at a single visit. SD-OCT data were analyzed using a novel OCT EZ-mapping software to obtain linear, area, and volumetric measurements of the EZ-retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) complex across the macular cube. OCT-A retinal capillary density was measured using the Optovue Avanti split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography algorithm. EZ-RPE parameters were compared to age-matched, sex-matched controls. Results Fourteen eyes of seven patients (mean age, 59 ± 6.5 years) were analyzed. Mean visual acuity was 20/45 (range, 20/20-20/150). EZ-RPE central foveal mean thickness was 27.8 ± 6.7 μm, EZ-RPE central foveal thickness was 22.1 ± 21.6 μm, EZ-RPE central foveal area was 0.17 ± 0.04 mm2, and EZ-RPE central subfield volume was 0.017 ± 0.012 mm3. Each of these measurements was significantly inversely correlated with visual acuity (P < 0.02). In addition, all of these measurements were significantly reduced compared to controls (all P ≤ 0.005). OCT-A showed a reduced parafoveal vessel density of 50.8% temporally compared to 53.8% nasally (P = 0.01) in the superficial vascular plexus. In the deep vascular plexus, similar findings were noted with a parafoveal vessel density of 56.7% temporally and 58.8% nasally (P = 0.01). Conclusions Abnormalities in EZ-RPE thickness, area, and volume are correlated with visual acuity in MacTel type 2, and may provide quantitative markers to measure disease progression and treatment response. OCT-A was a useful adjunct for determining disease severity.
METACOGNITIVE DECISION MAKING IN OIL SPILL RESPONSE-BEHAVIORAL BIAS IN RELATION TO PERCEIVED RISK

ABSTRACT 2017-205 Catastrophic events like Deepwater Horizon, Exxon Valdez, major hurricanes, and other such anomalies have a tendency to overwhelm the initial crisis management leadership due to t...
Electrowinning rare-earth and uranium metals from their oxides

A discussion of the technique developed by the Federal Bureau of Mines: the electrolysis of a fluoride melt containing the oxide of the metal in question, depositing the molten metal at the cathode, and evolving carbon monoxide at the anode.
Trends in phototherapy utilization among Medicare beneficiaries in the United States, 2000 to 2015

Background Phototherapy is a cost-effective treatment for many dermatoses, yet the emergence of alternative therapies such as biologics led many to think that phototherapy utilization was declining. Objective To characterize national, historical phototherapy utilization and costs among Medicare beneficiaries. Methods Longitudinal analysis of the Medicare Part B National Summary Data File from 2000 to 2015 for phototherapy billing codes. Geographic distribution of clinics and provider type obtained from the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data for 2012 to 2015. Results The overall volume of phototherapy services billed to Medicare from 2000 to 2015 increased by 5% annually, from 334,670 to 692,093. Ultraviolet B therapy comprised 77% of phototherapy volume, utilization of psoralen plus ultraviolet A therapy declined by 9% annually, and excimer laser services grew by 29% annually. The number of phototherapy clinics is increasing but remains concentrated in only 11% of US counties. Between 2012 and 2015, dermatologists accounted for 92% of phototherapy volume. Limitations Commercial payers and institutional claims (hospital-based physicians) are excluded. Clinical indications for phototherapy use are not reported in this database. Conclusion Phototherapy utilization has grown, though the service mix has shifted toward ultraviolet B and laser excimer therapy and away from psoralen plus ultraviolet A therapy. Dermatologists manage most phototherapy. Uneven geographic distribution of phototherapy clinics limits access in nonurban areas, and further evaluation is needed to determine its impact on rural communities.
Hemostatic profile and safety of pooled cryoprecipitate up to 120 hours after thawing.

BACKGROUND AABB standards state that cryoprecipitate should be transfused within 4 to 6 hours after thawing. We evaluated coagulation factor levels and sterility of thawed pooled cryoprecipitate to assess whether shelf life can be safely extended. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Donor cryoprecipitate pools (n = 20, 10 group A, 10 group O) were held at ambient temperature and sampled at 0, 4, 8, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours post-thawing for fibrinogen, Factor (F)VIII, and von Willebrand factor (vWF) levels. Samples were tested at 0 and 120 hours for sterility (BacT/Alert system). Sixty additional cryoprecipitate pools were evaluated after 72 hours. Longitudinal differences in component levels were determined by linear fixed-effects regression. RESULTS Group O cryoprecipitate had significantly lower FVIII (p = 0.002) and vWF activity (p = 0.006) compared to group A at 0 hours, but were not statistically different in fibrinogen levels (p = 0.33). Fibrinogen levels were stable over 5 days: 501 ± 81 mg/unit (mean ± standard deviation) at 0 hours to 506 ± 102 mg/unit at 120 hours (p = 0.73). Similarly, there was no decline in vWF activity: 200 ± 53 IU/unit at 0 hours to 209 ± 57 IU/unit at 120 hours (p = 0.084). The FVIII activity significantly declined on average by 9.6 IU (95% confidence interval, 5.5-13.8) between 0 hours (111 ± 33 IU/unit) and 120 hours post-thaw (101 ± 33) (p < 0.001). No organisms were detected when cryoprecipitate pools were cultured at 0 hours, but at 120 hours Staphylococcus epidermidis was identified from one pool, potentially a contaminant introduced during repeated sampling. No cultures were positive among the 60 additional cryoprecipitate pools assessed at 72 hours. CONCLUSION Extended cryoprecipitate storage at ambient temperature did not affect fibrinogen levels over 120 hours. Sterility of products held at ambient temperature for an extended period of time could be assessed by secondary culture.
Effect of dendritic cells (DC) transduced with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) on CAR T-cell cytotoxicity.

144Background: T cells interacting DC could be superior in T cell cytotoxicity. CD141+/Cleg9a+ intra-tumoral DC play a critical role in tumor cytotoxicity. Therefore, combining intra-tumoral DC in ...
Micafungin Versus Posaconazole Prophylaxis in Acute Leukemia or Myelodysplastic Syndrome: A Randomized Study

Summary Objectives To compare the effectiveness and tolerability of micafungin versus posaconazole during chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in acute leukemia (AL) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Methods Patients with AL or MDS undergoing chemotherapy were randomized to open-label micafungin 100 mg intravenously daily or posaconazole suspension 400 mg orally twice daily until neutrophil recovery, up to 28 days. Patients were followed for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was prophylaxis failure (premature discontinuation due to infection, intolerance, adverse event, or death). Time to failure and survival were calculated by Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results From March 2011 to May 2016, 113 patients who received at least 2 doses of prophylaxis were analyzed (58 patients randomized to micafungin and 55 to posaconazole). Prophylaxis failure occurred in 34.5% and 52.7% of patients on micafungin and posaconazole, respectively (P = 0.0118). The median number of days on prophylaxis was 16 [interquartile range (IQR) 12–20] for micafungin and 13 [IQR 6–16] for posaconazole (P = 0.01). Micafungin failures were largely due to antifungal treatment; posaconazole failures were mostly due to gastrointestinal intolerance or adverse effects. IFI incidence and survival were similar between study arms. Conclusions Our data support micafungin as alternative antifungal prophylaxis in patients with AL and MDS.
Vulnerability in the Art Room: Explorations of Visual Journals and Risks in the Creation of a Psychologically Safe Environment

Thinking back to my first years of teaching high school, there are many things I would change. During those years, I saw my students try new techniques that led to successful art pieces, but I also...
Pre-operative Antibiotics

It is common practice to administer broad-spectrum antibiotics before a laparotomy for an acute surgical condition or trauma. In this situation, antibiotics are either therapeutic or prophylactic. Therapeutic antibiotics are given for an already established, tissue invasive, infection (e.g. perforated appendicitis). Prophylaxis involves the administration of these agents in the absence of infection, with the objective of reducing the anticipated incidence of infections which result from existing (e.g. penetrating injury of the colon) or potential (e.g. gastrotomy to suture a bleeding ulcer) contamination during the operative procedure. It is very important to distinguish between contamination and infection (chapter 10) as only the latter requires postoperative antibiotic administration, a topic to be discussed in the postoperative section (chapter 32). Therapeutic antibiotics assist the surgeon and the natural peritoneal defenses to eradicate an established infection. Prophylactic antibiotics prevent postoperative infections of the laparotomy wound; they are neither meant to prevent pulmonary or urinary infections nor the occurrence of intra-abdominal abscesses. Even dummies know that antibiotics are only an adjunct to the proper surgical management of contamination and infection (chapter 10).
What’s hard work got to do with it? Diversity course impact on meritocracy beliefs and dialogue about race

Abstract Objectives Diversity courses aim to help students navigate a pluralistic society, and meritocracy beliefs are thought to be central to this effort. The purpose of this study was thus to explore the impact of diversity course enrollment on both meritocracy beliefs and interracial dialogue attitudes. Methods Both at the beginning and end of the semester, quantitative survey data were collected from 435 student respondents: 274 were enrolled in one of two non-diversity courses, 147 participated in one section of an Intercultural Communication course, and 14 were cross-enrolled. The survey included measures of prescriptive and descriptive meritocracy, as well as two measures of dialogue assessed in relation to testimonies of social suffering provided by two African-American students: speaker trust and imagined dialogue receptivity. Results Data confirmed that, among racial outgroup participants, descriptive and prescriptive meritocracy are connected to racial dialogue measures in antagonistic ways. In addition, the diversity class succeeded in decreasing student beliefs in descriptive meritocracy, increasing meritocracy discrepancy, expanding speaker trust, and engendering greater dialogue receptivity relative to the control classes. Lastly, changes in both meritocracy discrepancy and diversity course enrollment independently predicted changes in the racial dialogue measures. Conclusion Meritocracy is a multidimensional, ideological belief that appears linked to racial dialogue engagement in its prescriptive form and avoidance in its descriptive form. Findings underscore the need to distinguish between these forms of meritocracy, encourage the use of meritocracy discrepancy scores, and confirm the promise of diversity course enrollment.
Chapter 15 - Nutrient–Response: A “Top Down” Approach to Metabolic Control

The chapter discusses a “top down” approach to metabolic control with reference to nutrient- responses. Nutrient-response curves contain information concerning the metabolic fate of the nutrient involved. The chapter describes an alternative that is the mathematical analysis of the nutrient-response curve in terms of the metabolic fate of the nutrient, and the integration of the analysis with the established principles developed in metabolic control theory and biochemical systems theory. It is important to recognize the essential relationship between the concepts of sensitivity and identifiability in mathematical modeling in nutrition. If the sensitivity is not readily identifiable, conditions must be sought to render the sensitivity identifiable. However, if the sensitivity is not identifiable readily, it is incumbent on the investigator to recognize the possible effect of such sensitivity. The metabolic pools defined in the denominator of the nutrient-response equation can be viewed as intermediate metabolites. Thus, the logarithmic derivative of each metabolic pool with respect to nutrient intake provides an estimate of the sensitivity of the pool to nutrient intake.
Influence of baroclinic vorticity production on unsteady drag coefficient in shock–particle interaction

The influence of baroclinic vorticity production on the unsteady drag coefficient in shock–particle interaction is numerically studied. Numerical simulations are performed for shock–particle interaction utilizing a high–resolution axisymmetric solver for the Euler equations that allows for multi-material interface and shock propagation in both the particle and surrounding medium. We consider an aluminum particle in nitromethane and allow for particle deformation. We compute the vorticity production and unsteady drag coefficient as a function of time to explain the complex physical mechanisms that occur during shock–particle interaction. We observe baroclinic vorticity production as the shock propagates over the particle and find that the vorticity is primarily generated at the surface of the particle. After the passage of the shock over the particle, the generated vortex traverses downstream, thus creating a sharpened particle edge and low pressure on the downstream side of the particle, followed by the trapping of the vortex at the particle edge. These mechanisms lead to the generation of a quasi-steady drag force even after the passage of the shock, thus suggesting the importance of baroclinic vorticity production to the unsteady drag coefficient. Finally, we compute the unsteady drag coefficient for various shock Mach numbers and particle ellipticities.The influence of baroclinic vorticity production on the unsteady drag coefficient in shock–particle interaction is numerically studied. Numerical simulations are performed for shock–particle interaction utilizing a high–resolution axisymmetric solver for the Euler equations that allows for multi-material interface and shock propagation in both the particle and surrounding medium. We consider an aluminum particle in nitromethane and allow for particle deformation. We compute the vorticity production and unsteady drag coefficient as a function of time to explain the complex physical mechanisms that occur during shock–particle interaction. We observe baroclinic vorticity production as the shock propagates over the particle and find that the vorticity is primarily generated at the surface of the particle. After the passage of the shock over the particle, the generated vortex traverses downstream, thus creating a sharpened particle edge and low pressure on the downstream side of the particle, followed by the t...
Lumpectomy Specimen Radiography: Does Orientation or 3-Dimensional Tomosynthesis Improve Margin Assessment?

Abstract Purpose Our purpose was twofold. First, we sought to determine whether 2 orthogonal oriented views of excised breast cancer specimens could improve surgical margin assessment compared to a single unoriented view. Second, we sought to determine whether 3D tomosynthesis could improve surgical margin assessment compared to 2D mammography alone. Materials and Methods Forty-one consecutive specimens were prospectively imaged using 4 protocols: single view unoriented 2D image acquired on a specimen unit (1VSU), 2 orthogonal oriented 2D images acquired on the specimen unit (2VSU), 2 orthogonal oriented 2D images acquired on a mammogram unit (2V2DMU), and 2 orthogonal oriented 3D images acquired on the mammogram unit (2V3DMU). Three breast imagers randomly assessed surgical margin of the 41 specimens with each protocol. Surgical margin per histopathology was considered the gold standard. Results The average area under the curve (AUC) was 0.60 for 1VSU, 0.66 for 2VSU, 0.68 for 2V2DMU, and 0.60 for 2V3DMU. Comparing AUCs for 2VSU vs 1VSU by reader showed improved diagnostic accuracy using 2VSU; however, this difference was only statistically significant for reader 3 (0.73 vs 0.63, P = .0455). Comparing AUCs for 2V3DMU vs 2V2DMU by reader showed mixed results, with reader 1 demonstrating increased accuracy (0.72 vs 0.68, P = .5984), while readers 2 and 3 demonstrated decreased accuracy (0.50 vs 0.62, P = .1089 and 0.58 vs 0.75, P = .0269). Conclusions 2VSU showed improved accuracy in surgical margin prediction compared to 1VSU, although this was not statistically significant for all readers. 3D tomosynthesis did not improve surgical margin assessment.
Improving Timely Linkage to Care among Newly Diagnosed HIV-Infected Youth: Results of SMILE

Delayed linkage to care deprives youth living with HIV of the benefits of HIV treatment and risks increased HIV transmission. Developing and testing linkage-to-care models that are capable of simultaneously addressing structural and individual obstacles are necessary to attain national goals for timely linkage of newly diagnosed youth to care. We assessed an integrated, multi-pronged strategy for improving youth’s timely linkage to care carried out in eight adolescent medicine clinical trials units (AMTUs) in the USA. In phase I, the intervention strategy paired intensive medical case management with formalized relationships to local health departments, including granting of public health authority (PHA) to four of the AMTUs. In phase II, local coalitions run by the AMTUs to address structural changes to meet youth’s HIV prevention and HIV testing needs began to advocate for local structural changes to improve timely access to care. Results of an ARIMA model demonstrated sustained decline in the average number of days to link to care over a 6-year period (ARIMA (1,2,1) AIC = 245.74, BIC = 248.70, p < .01)). By the end of the study, approximately 90% of youth linked to care had an initial medical visit in 42 or fewer days post-diagnosis. PHA improved the timeliness of linkage to care (b = − 69.56, p < .05). A piecewise regression suggested the addition of structural change initiatives during phase II made a statistically significant contribution to reducing time to linkage over and above achievements attained via case management alone (F (3,19) = 5.48, p < .01; Adj. R2 = .3794). Multi-level linkage-to-care interventions show promise for improving youth’s timely access to HIV medical care.
Critical Realism in Management Accounting Research: The Relevance of the Work of John R. Commons

The notion of critical realism as defined by Professor Modell (2019) is a robust focal point to bridge the gap between economics and sociology-based research in management accounting, with a partic...