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This paper examines the decision points over the course of ten years of development of an institutional repository. Specifically, the focus is on the impact and influence from the open-source community, the needs of the local institution, the role that team dynamics plays, and the chosen platform. Frequently, the discussion revolves around the technology stack and its limitations and capabilities. Inherently, any technology will have several features and limitations, and these are important in determining a solution that will work for your institution. However, the people running the system and developing the software, and their enthusiasm to continue work within the existing software environment in order to provide features for your campus and the larger open-source community, will play a bigger role than the technical platform. These lenses are analyzed through three points in time: the initial roll out of our institutional repository, our long-term running and maintenance, and eventual new development and why we made the decisions we made at each of those points in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Introduction: The advancement of interventional neuroradiology has drastically altered the treatment of stroke and trauma patients. These advancements in first-world hospitals, however, have rarely reached far forward military hospitals due to limitations in expertise and equipment. In an established role III military hospital though, these life-saving procedures can become an important tool in trauma care.Materials and Methods: We report a retrospective series of far-forward endovascular cases performed by 2 deployed dual-trained neurosurgeons at the role III hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan during 2013 and 2017 as part of Operations Resolute Support and Enduring Freedom.Results: A total of 15 patients were identified with ages ranging from 5 to 42 years old. Cases included 13 diagnostic cerebral angiograms, 2 extremity angiograms and interventions, 1 aortogram and pelvic angiogram, 1 bilateral embolization of internal iliac arteries, 1 lingual artery embolization, 1 administration of intra-arterial thrombolytic, and 2 mechanical thrombectomies for acute ischemic stroke. There were no complications from the procedures. Both embolizations resulted in hemorrhage control, and 1 of 2 stroke interventions resulted in the improvement of the NIH stroke scale.Conclusions: Interventional neuroradiology can fill an important role in military far forward care as these providers can treat both traumatic and atraumatic cerebral and extracranial vascular injuries. In addition, knowledge and skill with vascular access and general interventional radiology principles can be used to aid in other lifesaving interventions. As interventional equipment becomes more available and portable, this relatively young specialty can alter the treatment for servicemen and women who are injured downrange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ dynamic transmission electron microscope (DTEM) imaging of Al-Si thin-film alloys was performed to investigate rapid solidification behavior. Solidification of alloys with compositions from 1 to 15 atomic percent Si was imaged during pulsed laser melting and subsequent solidification. Solely α-Al solidification was observed in Al-1Si and Al-3Si alloys, and solely kinetically modified eutectic growth was observed in Al-6Si and Al-9Si alloys. A transition in the solidification mode in eutectic and hypereutectic alloys (Al-12Si and Al-15Si) from nucleated α-Al dendrites at lower solidification velocities to planar eutectic growth at higher solidification velocities was observed, departing from trends previously seen in laser-track melting experiments. Comparisons of the growth modes and corresponding velocities are compared with previous solidification models, and implications regarding the models are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University libraries provide access to thousands of online journals and other content, spending millions of dollars annually on these electronic resources. Providing access to these online resources is costly, and it is difficult both to analyze the value of this content to the institution and to discern those journals that comparatively provide more value. In this research, we examine 1,510 journals from a large research university library, representing more than 40% of the university's annual subscription cost for electronic resources at the time of the study. We utilize a web analytics approach for the creation of a linear regression model to predict usage among these journals. We categorize metrics into two classes: global (journal focused) and local (institution dependent). Using 275 journals for our training set, our analysis shows that a combination of global and local metrics creates the strongest model for predicting full-text downloads. Our linear regression model has an accuracy of more than 80% in predicting downloads for the 1,235 journals in our test set. The implications of the findings are that university libraries that use local metrics have better insight into the value of a journal and therefore more efficient cost content management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University libraries provide access to thousands of journals and spend millions of dollars annually on electronic resources. With several commercial entities providing these electronic resources, the result can be silo systems and processes to evaluate cost and usage of these resources, making it difficult to provide meaningful analytics. In this research, we examine a subset of journals from a large research library using a web analytics approach with the goal of developing a framework for the analysis of library subscriptions. This foundational approach is implemented by comparing the impact to the cost, titles, and usage for the subset of journals and by assessing the funding area. Overall, the results highlight the benefit of a web analytics evaluation framework for university libraries and the impact of classifying titles based on the funding area. Furthermore, they show the statistical difference in both use and cost among the various funding areas when ranked by cost, eliminating the outliers of heavily used and highly expensive journals. Future work includes refining this model for a larger scale analysis tying metrics to library organizational objectives and for the creation of an online application to automate this analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an essential endonuclease responsible for the 5′-end maturation of precursor tRNAs. Bacterial RNase P also processes precursor 4.55 RNA, tmRNA, 305 preribosomal RNA, and several reported protein-coding RNAs. Eukaryotic nuclear RNase P is far more complex than in the bacterial form, employing multiple essential protein subunits in addition to the catalytic RNA subunit. RNomic studies have shown that RNase P binds other RNAs in addition to tRNAs, but no non-tRNA substrates have previously been identified. Additional substrates were identified by using a multipronged approach in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. First, RNase P-dependant changes in RNA abundance were examined on whole-genome microarrays by using strains containing temperature sensitive (TS) mutations in two of the essential RNase P subunits, Pop1p and Rpr1r. Second, RNase P was rapidly affinity-purified, and copurified RNAs were identified by using a genome-wide microarray. Third, to identify RNAs that do not change abundance when RNase P is depleted but accumulate as larger precursors, >80 potential small RNA substrates were probed directly by Northern blot analysis with RNA from the RNase P TS mutants. Numerous potential substrates were identified, of which we characterized the box C/D intron-encoded small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). because these both copurify with RNase P and accumulate larger forms in the RNase P temperature-sensitive mutants. it was previously known that two pathways existed for excising these snoRNAs, one using the pre-mRNA splicing path and the other that was independent of splicing. RNase P appears to participate in the splicing-independent path for the box C/D intron-encoded snoRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the effects of exogenous EtOH and/or Fe+2 on membrane lipid peroxidation, exogenous EtOH, FeCl2, FeCl2 & EtOH, NaCl and NaCl & EtOH were injected into fertile chicken eggs. Controls were either shams or injected with saline. These injections were made at 0 days or 0–2 days of development and tissue removed at stage 37 (11 days of development). Embryonic exposure to exogenous EtOH and/or Fe+2 promoted decreased brain mass, decreased levels of brain membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids, elevated levels of brain lipid hydroperoxides, and elevated levels of Fe+2 within embryonic brain and liver. These alterations were more severe in triple-injected embryos (E0-2/E11) as compared to single-injected embryos (E0/E11). While exogenous treatments of either EtOH and/or FeCl2 promoted increased levels of endogenous brain Fe+2, the effects were not additive. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that embryonic exposure to exogenous EtOH and/or Fe+2 promotes brain membrane lipid peroxidation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Calcified hypertrophic ligamentum flavum is a known entity that causes myeloradiculopathy of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine and is seen more commonly in Asian populations. Noncalcified hypertrophic changes are less common and may mimic other epidural space-occupying lesions. Case Description A 59-year-old woman presented with progressive myelopathy, and imaging studies were consistent with an epidural space-occupying lesion from C4-T3. The patient underwent posterior cervical decompression and fusion with instrumentation. Pathology specimens revealed noncalcified hypertrophic ligamentum flavum. Conclusions To our knowledge, noncalcified hypertrophic ligamentum flavum causing progressive cervical myelopathy has never been reported in the English literature. This entity should be considered in cases with epidural masses causing progressive myelopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been observed that ultraviolet (UV) and visible light induce vasodilation (i.e. photodilation) and increases local blood flow in skin. It is, however, not known whether the resulting vasodilation is a primary, NO-mediated effect, or a secondary effect of ultraviolet light phototoxicity. To address this question, we utilized the Pallid bat wing model at TAMU. The wing is thin and transparent, allowing for intravital microscopy without invasive procedures (leading to confounding effects of anesthesia and trauma). TAMU, however, has the only extant colony of bats dedicated to vascular research. To access unique animal and laboratory resources, we employed a novel use of Internet technology we refer to as 'e-Research', consisting of logging into a remote computer capable of manipulating positioning of an intravital microscope. To characterize an acute inflammatory response, we exposed the Pallid bat wing to brightfield and ultraviolet light and counted interactive leukocytes along the walls of post-capillary venules. We observed a measurable, but not significant, increase in leukocyte activity. In this study, we showed that light-induced vasodilation is not a consequence of an acute inflammatory response (i.e. tissue damage). Our unique approach allows us to explore basic microvascular function and acute inflammatory responses with well-established intravital microscopic methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet is primarily used for information, commerce, and education. We implemented and investigated a novel approach to performing live animal research by utilizing the Internet to access remote research facilities. Over a period of several months, investigators at USMA accessed an intravital microscopy center at TAMU laboratory by connecting to a remote computer-driven microscope. The laboratory houses a unique resource -- the world's sole colony of bats dedicated to vascular research. Our experiences provide an initial evaluation of the challenges of e-Research. We identified three categories of challenges: 1) technical, e.g., Internet bandwidth and security, 2) training, e.g., distance vs. local training, complexity of computer software, 3) Communication, e.g., one-on-one vs. community, data acquisition, formal reporting. We found communication to be the primary obstacle to completing an experiment as planned. Of 16 experiments meant to evaluate the inflammatory response of the Pallid bat, three were conducted as written and planned. This is a higher failure rate vis-à-vis traditional research protocols. Potentially centralizing rare animal care facilities and trained technicians, as well as accessing a community of scientists with diverse expertise, however, e-Research may increase access to and effectiveness of rare life science resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Plants that accumulate a small percentage of metals in constructed treatment wetlands can contribute to remediation of acidic, metal contaminated runoff waters from coal mines or processing areas. We examined root and shoot concentrations of elements in four perennial wetland species over two seasons in mesocosm wetland systems designed to remediate water from a coal pile runoff basin. Deep wetlands in each system contained Myriophyllum aquaticum and Nymphaea odorata; shallow wetlands contained Juncus effusus and Pontederia cordata. Shoot elemental concentrations differed between plants of deep and shallow wetlands, with higher Zn, Al, and Fe concentrations in plants in shallow wetlands and higher Na, Mn, and P concentrations in plants in deep wetlands. Root and shoot concentrations of most elements differed between species in each wetland type. Over two seasons, these four common wetland plants did help remediate acidic, metal-contaminated runoff from a coal storage pile. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background Context: Preoperative TNF-AI use has been associated with increased rate of postoperative infections and complications in a variety of orthopedic procedures. However, the association between TNF-AI use and complications following spine surgery has not yet been studied.Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to assess the risk of reoperation in patients prescribed TNF-AI undergoing spinal fusion surgery.Study Design: This is a retrospective review.Patient Sample: A total of 427 patients who underwent spinal fusion surgery at a large healthcare system from 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2018.Outcome Measure: Reoperation within 1 year.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent spinal fusion surgery at a large healthcare system from 1/1/2009 to 12/31/2018. There were three distinct cohorts of spine surgery patients under study: patients with TNF-AI use in 90 days before surgery, patients with non-TNF-AI DMARD medications use in the 90 days before surgery, and patients taking neither TNF-AI nor other DMARD medications in 90 days before surgery. The primary outcome of interest was reoperation for any reason within 1 year following surgery.Results: Our study included 90 TNF-AI, 90 DMARD, and 123 control patients. Reoperation up to 1-year postsurgery occurred in 19% (n=17) of the TNF-AI group, 11% (n=10) of the DMARD group, and 6% (n=7) of the control group. The reasons for reoperation for TNF-AI group were 47% (n=8) infection and 53% (n=9) other causes which included failure to fuse and adjacent segment disease. Reasons for reoperation at 1 year were 40% (n=4) infection and 60% (n=6) other causes for DMARD patients and 14% (n=1) infection with 86% (n=6) other causes for control patients. The cox-proportional hazard model of reoperation within 1 year indicated that the odds of reoperation were 3.1 (95% CI:1.4-7.0) and 2.2 (95% CI 0.96-5.3) times higher in the TNF-AI and DMARD groups, respectively, compared to the control group.Conclusions: Patients taking TNF-AIs before surgery were found to have a significantly higher rate of reoperation in the 1 year following surgery compared to controls. The higher rate of reoperation associated with TNF-AI use before spinal fusion surgery represents the potential for higher morbidity and costs for patient which is important to consider for both surgeon and patient in preoperative decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the text we elaborate on the relationship between war and medicine, particularly as it pertains to neurosurgery and the management of brain trauma, and emphasize neurosurgical advancements in the treatment of brain trauma gleaned from U.S.-involved conflicts of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury has been called the "signature injury" of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the management of severe and penetrating brain injury has evolved considerably based on the experiences of military neurosurgeons. Current guidelines recommend that decompressive hemicraniectomy be performed with large, frontotemporoparietal bone flaps, but practice patterns vary markedly. The following case is illustrative of potential clinical courses, complications, and efforts to salvage inadequately-sized decompressive craniectomies performed for combat-related severe and penetrating brain injury. The authors follow this with a review of the current literature pertaining to decompressive craniectomy, and finally provide their recommendations for some of the technical nuances of performing decompressive hemicraniectomy after severe or penetrating brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pins are commonly used to join members of mechanical mechanisms. In order to maintain the integrity of the joint and prevent failure, there must be sufficient material of adequate strength around the pin hole to sustain the bearing and tear out loads from the pin connection. In this work, a multi-scale materials simulation model based on finite elements (FE) is developed for design and evaluation of materials for such applications. We specifically examine several constitutive models for simulating the elasto-plastic behavior of the plate material while maintaining computational efficiency. Here, models are developed for two plate materials: copper (Cu) and α-uranium (α-U), with vastly different plastic behaviors owing to their crystal structures and crystallographic textures. For Cu, digital image correlation (DIC) tests are carried out during loading of the plate/pin assembly to characterize the strain distributions in the critical hole/pin area. The corresponding FE simulations are carried out using a combination of constitutive laws involving a fine-scale polycrystal plasticity calculation, a J2 flow theory, or a combination of both. We show that the FE model using the fine-scale polycrystal plasticity constitutive law successfully captures the DIC strain fields in the hole region at different plate displacements. Surprisingly, use of the more computationally efficient J2 plasticity model also produces reasonable results in comparison with the measurements and the fine-scale constitutive law. An interesting finding is that combining fine-scale constitutive laws in the region surrounding the hole and continuum J2 theory elsewhere gives the worst agreement. It also precariously produces non-conservative estimates for the hole opening with applied displacement. These results on Cu helped subsequent simulations on α-U, where use of the fine-scale polycrystal simulation is fundamental considering the highly plastic anisotropic response of this complicated material. We demonstrate that in the α-U plates, the localized deformation in the hole region is highly dependent on the direction of displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their potential vulnerability to contaminants from exposure at multiple life stages, amphibians are one of the least studied groups of vertebrates in ecotoxicology, and research on radiation effects in amphibians is scarce. We used multiple endpoints to assess the radiosensitivity of the southern toad (Anaxyrus [Bufo] terrestris) during its pre-terrestrial stages of development –embryonic, larval, and metamorphic. Toads were exposed, from several hours after oviposition through metamorphosis (up to 77 days later), to four low dose rates of 137Cs at 0.13, 2.4, 21, and 222 mGy d-1, resulting in total doses up to 15.8 Gy. Radiation treatments did not affect hatching success of embryos, larval survival, or the length of the larval period. The individual family variation in hatching success of embryos was larger than the radiation response. In contrast, newly metamorphosed individuals from the higher dose-rate treatments had higher mass and mass/length body indices, a measure which may relate to higher post-metamorphic survival. The increased mass and index at higher dose rates may indicate that the chronic, low dose rate radiation exposures triggered secondary responses. Additionally, the increases in growth were linked to a decrease in DNA damage (as measured by the Comet Assay) in red blood cells at a dose rate of 21 mGy d-1 and a total dose of 1.1 Gy. In conclusion, the complex effects of low dose rates of ionizing radiation may trigger growth and cellular repair mechanisms in amphibian larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We describe the development of a new technology (SOFIA) and demonstrate its utility by establishing a sensitive and specific assay for PrPSc. SOFIA is a surround optical fiber immunoassay which is comprised of a set of specific monoclonal antibodies and comprehensive capture of high energy fluorescence emission. In its current format, this system is capable of detecting less than 10 attogram (ag) of hamster, sheep and deer recombinant PrP. Approximately 10ag of PrPSc from 263K-infected hamster brains can be detected with similar lower limits of PrPSc detection from the brains of scrapie-infected sheep and deer infected with chronic wasting disease. These detection limits allow protease treated and untreated material to be diluted beyond the point where PrPC, non-specific proteins or other extraneous material may interfere with PrPSc signal detection and/or specificity. This not only eliminates the issue of specificity of PrPSc detection but also increases sensitivity since the possibility of partial PrPSc proteolysis is no longer a concern. SOFIA will likely lead to early antemortem detection of transmissible encephalopathies and is also amenable for use with additional target amplification protocols. SOFIA represents a sensitive means for detecting specific proteins involved in disease pathogenesis and/or diagnosis that extends beyond the scope of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Bi-metallic Fe-fcc laminates were processed by cold-ARB. • Evolving microstructures and properties were measured. • Microstructure evolution is material and location dependent. • Layer instability initiation dependent on Fe-fcc hardness ratio. • Annealing necessary to reset the hardness ratio for continued processing. Bi-metallic laminates (bcc/fcc) containing Fe and either Cu, Ag, or Al were processed by cold accumulative roll bonding (ARB). The evolving microstructures and properties were measured using optical microcopy, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and nano-indentation up to and beyond when layer instabilities are observed. The evolution of layer morphology, grain size, bulk texture, layer dependent texture, and layer dependent hardness is found to be both material dependent and layer location dependent. Ultimately, the evolving difference in layer hardness between Fe and the fcc metal resulting from the microstructure evolution causes the formation of layer instabilities with the Fe Al exhibiting layer pinch-off at a total strain of 2.2, the Fe Ag developing shear band instabilities at a strain of 3.2, and the Fe Cu developing shear band instabilities at a strain of 4.5. These finding indicate that once the evolving strength ratio approaches two, processing changes, such as annealing or warm rolling, that improve the strength ratio or materials' capacity for work hardening are necessary for further processing without layer instabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We hypothesized that adding micaceous minerals to 137Cs-contaminated aquatic systems would serve as an effective in situ remediation technique by sequestering the contaminant and reducing its bioavailability. Results from several laboratory studies are presented from which an effective amendment material was chosen for a replicated field study. The field study was conducted over a 2-year period and incorporated 16 3.3-m diameter column-plots (limnocorrals) that were randomly placed in a 137Cs-contaminated pond. The limnocorrals received three rates of amendment treatments to their water surfaces. The amendment material was a commercially available mineral with high sorption (Kd > 9000 L kg-1) and low desorption (<20%) characteristics for cesium, even in the presence of high concentrations of the competing cation, NH4+. In the treated limnocorrals, 137Cs concentrations were reduced some 25–30-fold in the water, 4–5-fold in aquatic plants, and 2–3-fold in fish. The addition of the amendment did not adversely affect water chemistry, although increased turbidity and subsequent siltation did alter the aquatic macroinvertebrate insect community. This in situ technology provides a valuable, less-environmentally intrusive alternative to costly ex situ technologies that require the contaminated sediment to be excavated prior to treatment, or excavated and disposed of elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment of chelating agents to the sugar residues of antibodies for subsequent radiolabelling is an attractive approach since it may have less effect on the immunoreactivity than attachment through lysine residues, which are distributed throughout the antibody and may be present near the antigen binding site. We have attached a new hydrazide-linked chelator CYT-395 (Cytogen Corp., Princeton, N.J.) to the sugar residues of the anti-prostate monoclonal antibody 7E11C5.3 and optimised the conditions for labelling the conjugate with technetium-99m in order to compare the conjugate to 7E11C5.3 antibody labelled directly with technetium using a mercaptoethanol reduction technique. Labelling yields of 70%-90% were obtained at specific activities up to 2000 MBq/mg antibody. The stability of the technetium-labelled conjugate in plasma or to a challenge with 0.1 or 1.0 mM cysteine was similar to that of directlabelled antibody. In nine patients with prostate cancer, the plasma clearance of the labelled conjugate followed a two-compartment model, with an average β-phase half-life of 31.4±3.9 h. The average urinary clearance at 24 h was 15.3±5.0% of the injected dose. In this group of patients there was no significant difference between the blood and urine clearance of the labelled conjugate, and the clearances of the direct-labelled antibody. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]