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Revisiting his dissertation journal, the author undertook an autoethnographic study of that period in his life. As a full-time student within a U.S. research university, he had funded his studies by teaching international teaching assistants and undergraduates learning French and Arabic. In this study, he used inductive analysis to explore his language teacher identity (De Costa & Norton, 2017) and language teacher emotion (Han et al., 2023). Three identities and two emotions emerged: a challenged time manager (1) and an aspiring professional instructor (2), and the related emotions of pride in observing his former students and efficacy in bridging his teaching undergraduates and grad students. Nonetheless, managing these roles sensitized him to (adjunct) coworkers' cynicism. He started to become a cynic (3), bringing emotion labor (Benesch & Prior, 2023). Findings confirmed language teacher emotion as relational and conjoined to language teacher identity. This study urges the field of Applied Linguistics to rectify its past omissions by acknowledging today's "invisible practitioners": adjuncted language instructors.

Abstract Whole genome duplication (WGD) is a powerful evolutionary mechanism in plants. Autopolyploids have been comparatively less studied than allopolyploids, with sexual autopolyploidization receiving even less attention. In this work, we studied the transcriptomes of neotetraploids (2n = 4x = 32) obtained by crossing two diploid (2n = 2x = 16) plants of Medicago sativa that produce a significant percentage of either 2n eggs or pollen. Diploid progeny from the same cross allowed us to separate the transcriptional outcomes of hybridization from those of WGD. This material can help to elucidate events at the base of the domestication of cultivated 4x alfalfa, the world’s most important leguminous forage. Three 2x and three 4x progeny plants and 2x parental plants were used for this study. The RNA-seq data revealed that WGD did not dramatically affect the transcription of leaf protein-coding genes. The two parental genotypes did not contribute equally to the progeny transcriptomes, and genome-wide expression level dominance of the male parent was observed. A large majority of the genes whose expression level changed due to WGD presented increased expression, indicating that the 4x state requires the upregulation of approximately 2.66% of the protein-coding genes. Overall, we estimated that 3.63% of the protein-coding genes were transcriptionally affected by WGD and may contribute to the phenotypic novelty of the neotetraploid plants. Pathway analysis suggested that WGD could affect secondary metabolite biosynthesis, which in turn may influence forage quality. We found four times as many transcription factor genes among the polyploidization-affected genes than among those affected only by hybridization. Several of these belong to classes involved in stress response. Small RNA-seq revealed that very few miRNAs were significantly associated with WGD, but they target several hundred genes, and their role in the WGD response may be relevant. Integrated network analysis led to the identification of putative miRNA: mRNA interactions potentially involved in transcriptome reprogramming. Allele-specific expression analysis indicated that parent-of-origin bias was not a significant outcome of WGD, but we found that parentally biased RNA editing may be a significant source of variation in neopolyploids.

What role does the media play in shaping public life, in guiding the practices of democracy, and in maintaining or disrupting the capitalist economic system? How does the media interact with both social movements (groups of people dedicated to changing one or all of these macrosystems) and public intellectuals (people dedicated to thinking about these systems)? How do all three groups relate to each other? And when one group changes — when there are alterations in the structures and practices of the media, intellectuals, or social movements — how do the others change alongside them? These questions and others like them preoccupied American sociologist and communications theorist Todd Gitlin, and through an examination of both Gitlin’s career and his intellectual trajectory we can see some of the answers he provided: both the ways he rose to the challenge of understanding the sociology of late 20th century media, and the ways in which he fell short.

Despite their centrality to undergraduate teaching in U.S. universities, few studies focus on ITA's and their experiences within ITA training classes. Through a multiple case study of two In-Service ITA's (China, Taiwan) investments (Darvin & Norton, 2015) in one such class, it became clear how idiosyncratic are perception of these courses: one ITA's profound negativity involved accusations of institutional racism, yet another flourished through the class. Data included journaling, interviews/ stimulated recalls, course assignments, and classrooms (ESL and departmental) observations. Findings, presented as narrative then as conceptual configurations of investments, explained their experiences bifurcated due to their disparate teaching experiences and to policies decisions made within one's home departments. This study expands the scope of ITA and investment research by connecting macro and micro-level aspects. Pedagogical implications are to center pedagogy on learners' investments, utilizing reflexive activities to prevent misaligning the course with learners' identities, ideologies and desired capital.

Critics suggest that youth lack basic civic knowledge and are disengaging from civic action, particularly political action. The validity of these criticisms depends on how civic knowledge and civic engagement are defined. The results of four studies of civic education, conducted by the IEA over a period of almost 50 years, are examined in terms of the definition of these concepts. Five questions are addressed: (1) What are the goals of civic education? (2) What is civic knowledge? (3) What is civic engagement? (4) What are civic attitudes and values? (5) What do we know about teaching civics in schools? The results suggest that (1) there is disagreement on the goals of civic education; (2) civic knowledge is often equated with the memorization of facts about government and politics; (3) civic engagement is different from political engagement, with today's youth more interested in civic engagement; (4) civic attitudes and values may be more important than civic knowledge or engagement for preparing informed, productive citizens; and (5) there is limited time for teaching civics in schools, and the ways in which civics is currently taught are inconsistent with the kind of teaching needed.

As an Ohio-based (U.S.) French instructor and francophile, I explored Ontario (Canada) in search of Franco-Ontarian communities. Eager to understand their position within larger anglophone-dominant spheres -- positions that are unique from neighboring Francophone communities of Quebec--I traveled to such communities. An international border divides Lake Erie, thus making Ontario a polity bordering Ohio. Inspired by a provincial-government map documenting communities of Francophone communities, I took advantage of a winter break to wander via automobile. Finding little public evidence of French, I was often told to venture "over there". This adventure led me to important discoveries about the perceptions of minority linguistic communities amongst anglophone Ontarians, which become clearer through Foucault's concept of heterotopia and Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. This quest for Franco-Ontarians made me revisit my own cultural assumptions. Findings encourage more nuanced understandings of the nature of minority linguistic communities and the ways in which they are represented.

This study investigates the dynamics of thermal plumes interacting with the liquid–air interface in straight-chain alcohols and their mixtures using a photothermal imaging technique based on thermal lensing. This method enables the indirect measurement of temperature gradients via changes in refractive index caused by localized laser heating. Employing a collimated laser beam, the results show the formation and evolution of cylindrical heated zones and their interactions with the liquid–air interface. The study reveals that, while some alcohols exhibit stable surface behaviors, others demonstrate complex dynamical behaviors, including strong stable steady-state oscillations. The findings contribute to understanding fluid dynamics in molecular liquids near their liquid–air interfaces.

Background/Objectives: Cerebellar strokes account for only 2–3% of all strokes occurring annually in the United States but represent a disproportionally higher share of morbidity and mortality. Evidence examining the effect of inpatient rehabilitation on functional outcomes following a cerebellar stroke is limited. This study aimed to examine the effects of inpatient rehabilitation on balance and walking speed in individuals with cerebellar stroke. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine the length of inpatient rehabilitation stay of the included patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using review of patient records during their inpatient rehabilitation stay from January 2021 to February 2022 at a large hospital system in the southeast United States. Balance and gait outcomes were examined on admission and discharge from inpatient rehabilitation that included physical therapy interventions. A paired t-test examined for changes in outcomes from admission to discharge. Pearson correlation examined for the association between length of stay and outcomes. Results: A total of 15 records were reviewed. There were significant improvements in the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke (PASS), and the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT) (p’s < 0.01) from admission to discharge with large effect sizes (range d = 0.70–1.67) following inpatient rehabilitation. The average length of stay was 12.67 days (SD = 6.5) and the mean total hours of combined occupational, physical, and speech therapy was 27.33 (SD = 6.52) h. There was a moderate association between length of stay and PASS (r = 0.525, p = 0.04) and BBS (r = 0.546, p = 0.04) outcomes. Conclusions: Patients who underwent inpatient rehabilitation following acute cerebellar strokes demonstrated improvements in balance and gait speed. Study results could assist clinicians designing interventions for patients with cerebellar strokes in the inpatient rehabilitation setting.

Abstract A body area network involving wearable sensors distributed around the human body can continuously monitor physiological signals, finding applications in personal healthcare and athletic evaluation. Existing solutions for near-field body area networks, while facilitating reliable and secure interconnection among battery-free sensors, face challenges including limited spectral stability against external interference. Here we demonstrate a textile metamaterial featuring a coaxially-shielded internal structure designed to mitigate interference from extraneous loadings. The metamaterial can be patterned onto clothing to form a scalable, customizable network, enabling communication between near-field reading devices and battery-free sensing nodes placed within the network. Proof of concept demonstration shows the metamaterial’s robustness against mechanical deformation and exposure to lossy, conductive saline solutions, underscoring its potential applications in wet environments, particularly in athletic activities involving water or significant perspiration, offering insights for the future development of radio frequency components for a robust body area network at a system level.

Abstract There is growing support and interest in postsecondary interdisciplinary environmental education, which integrates concepts and disciplines in addition to providing varied perspectives. There is a need to assess student learning in these programs as well as rigorous evaluation of educational practices, especially of complex synthesis concepts. This work tests a text classification machine learning model as a tool to assess student systems thinking capabilities using two questions anchored by the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus phenomena by answering two questions (1) Can machine learning models be used to identify instructor-determined important concepts in student responses? (2) What do college students know about the interconnections between food, energy, and water, and how have students assimilated systems thinking into their constructed responses about FEW? Reported here is a broad range of model performances across 26 text classification models associated with two different assessment items, with model accuracy ranging from 0.755 to 0.992. Expert-like responses were infrequent in our dataset compared to responses providing simpler, incomplete explanations of the systems presented in the question. For those students moving from describing individual effects to multiple effects, their reasoning about the mechanism behind the system indicates advanced systems thinking ability. Specifically, students exhibit higher expertise in explaining changing water usage than discussing trade-offs for such changing usage. This research represents one of the first attempts to assess the links between foundational, discipline-specific concepts and systems thinking ability. These text classification approaches to scoring student FEW Nexus Constructed Responses (CR) indicate how these approaches can be used, in addition to several future research priorities for interdisciplinary, practice-based education research. Development of further complex question items using machine learning would allow evaluation of the relationship between foundational concept understanding and integration of those concepts as well as a more nuanced understanding of student comprehension of complex interdisciplinary concepts.

Interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability (IES) programs are different from other fields because they focus on a complex integration of humanities, social, and natural sciences concepts centered on the interactions of coupled human and natural systems. The interdisciplinary nature of IES programs does not lend itself to traditional discipline-specific concept inventory frameworks for critically evaluating preconceptions and learning. We discuss the results of the first phase of a research project to develop a next generation concept inventory for evaluating interdisciplinary concepts important for introductory IES courses. Using the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus (the intersections/interdependencies of food, energy, and water sectors) as our focus, we conducted a content analysis of eight representative college-level introductory environmental course syllabi and course materials (e.g., textbooks, journal articles, print media) to identify common interdisciplinary FEW Nexus concepts taught in introductory IES courses. Results demonstrate that all IES introductory course materials reference the FEW Nexus. Food, energy, and/or water resources as individual elements of the FEW Nexus are frequently described, but connections between these resource systems are included less often. Biology, energy systems, waste and pollution in the natural environment, agriculture, earth sciences and geology, climate change, behavioral social sciences, and economics concepts are most associated with FEW concepts, hinting at commonalities across IES topics that anchor systems thinking. Despite differences in IES programs, there appears to be some alignment between core concepts being taught at the FEW Nexus in introductory courses.

This article reports on analyses of the instructional practices of six middle- and high-school science teachers in the United States who participated in a research-practice partnership that aims to support reform science education goals at scale. All six teachers were well qualified, experienced, and locally successful--respected by students, parents, colleagues, and administrators--but they differed in their success in supporting students' three-dimensional learning. Our goal is to understand how the teachers' instructional practices contributed to their similarities in achieving local success and to differences in enabling students' learning, and to consider the implications of these findings for research-practice partnerships. Data sources included classroom videos supplemented by interviews with teachers and focus students and examples of student work. We also compared students' learning gains by teacher using pre-post assessments that elicited three-dimensional performances. Analyses of classroom videos showed how all six teachers achieved local success--they led effectively managed classrooms, covered the curriculum by teaching almost all unit activities, and assessed students' work in fair and efficient ways. There were important differences, however, in how teachers engaged students in science practices. Teachers in classrooms where students achieved lower learning gains followed a pattern of practice we describe as "activity-based teaching," in which students completed investigations and hands-on activities with few opportunities for sensemaking discussions or three-dimensional science performances. Teachers whose students achieved higher learning gains combined the social stability characteristic of local classroom success with more demanding instructional practices associated with "scientific sensemaking" and "cognitive apprenticeship." We conclude with a discussion of implications for research-practice partnerships, highlighting how partnerships need to support all teachers in achieving both local and standards-based success.

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relies on high‐performance receive coils to achieve optimal signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), but conventional designs are often bulky and complex. Recent advancements in metamaterial technology have led to the development of metamaterial‐inspired receive coils that enhance imaging capabilities and offer design flexibility. However, these configurations typically face challenges related to reduced adaptability and increased physical footprint. This study introduces a hybrid receive coil design that integrates an array of capacitively‐loaded ring resonators directly onto the same plane as the coil, preserving its 2D layout without increasing its size. Both the coil and metamaterial are individually non‐resonant at the targeted Larmor frequency, but their mutual coupling induces a resonance shift, achieving a frequency match and forming a hybrid structure with enhanced SNR. Experimental validation on a 3.0 T MRI platform shows that this design allows for adjustable trade‐offs between peak SNR and penetration depth, making it adaptable for various clinical imaging scenarios.

Current models of brain networks may potentially be improved by integrating our knowledge of structural connections, within and between circuits, with metrics of functional interactions between network nodes. The former may be obtained from diffusion MRI of white matter (WM), while the latter may be derived by measuring correlations between resting state BOLD signals from pairs of gray matter (GM) regions. From inspection of diffusion MRI data, it is clear that each WM voxel within a 3D image array may be traversed by multiple WM structural tracts, each of which connects a pair of GM nodes. We hypothesized that by appropriately weighting and then integrating the functional connectivity of each such connected pair, the overall engagement of any WM voxel in brain functions could be evaluated. This model introduces a structural constraint to earlier studies of WM engagement and addresses some limitations of previous efforts to relate structure and function. Using concepts derived from graph theory, we obtained spatial maps of WM engagement which highlight WM regions critical for efficient communications across the brain. The distributions of WM engagement are highly reproducible across subjects and depict a notable interdependence between the distribution of GM activities and the detailed organization of WM. Additionally, we provide evidence that the engagement varies over time and shows significant differences between genders. These findings suggest the potential of WM engagement as a measure of the integrity of normal brain functions and as a biomarker for neurological and cognitive disorders.

Abstract Growth in the green jobs sector has increased demand for college graduates who are prepared to enter the workforce with interdisciplinary sustainability skills. Simultaneously, scholarly calls for interdisciplinary collaboration in the service of addressing the societal challenges of enhancing resilience and sustainability have also increased in recent years. However, developing, executing, and assessing interdisciplinary content and skills at the post-secondary level has been challenging. The objective of this paper is to offer the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus as a powerful way to achieve sustainability competencies and matriculate graduates who will be equipped to facilitate the transformation of the global society by meeting the targets set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The paper presents 10 curricular design examples that span multiple levels, including modules, courses, and programs. These modules enable clear evaluation and assessment of key sustainability competencies, helping to prepare graduates with well-defined skillsets who are equipped to address current and future workforce needs.

Myofascial stretching is often prescribed in the management of musculoskeletal pain. However, the neural mechanisms contributing to a decrease in pain are unknown. Stretching produces a sensation that may act as a conditioning stimulus in a conditioned pain modulation response. The purpose of this study was to compare immediate changes in pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) during a low-intensity stretch, moderate-intensity stretch, and cold water immersion task. A secondary purpose was to examine if personal pain sensitivity and psychological characteristics were associated with the responses to these interventions. Twenty-seven (27) healthy participants underwent a cross-over study design in which they completed a cold water immersion task, upper trapezius stretch to the onset of the stretch sensation, and a moderate-intensity stretch. A significant condition x time effect was observed (F (8,160) = 2.85, p < 0.01, partial eta2 = 0.13), indicating reductions in pain sensitivity were significantly greater during a cold water immersion task compared to moderate-intensity stretching at minutes two and four. Widespread increases in heat pain threshold and lower pain-related anxiety were moderately correlated with the response to the cold water immersion task but not stretching. Moderate-intensity stretching may not elicit a conditioned pain modulation response possibly because the stretch was not intense enough to be perceived as painful.

Summary: Pediatric-type high-grade gliomas frequently harbor gene fusions involving receptor tyrosine kinase genes, including neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor (NTRK) fusions. Clinically, these tumors show high initial response rates to tyrosine kinase inhibition but ultimately recur due to the accumulation of additional resistance-conferring mutations. Here, we develop a series of genetically engineered mouse models of treatment-naive and -experienced NTRK1/2/3 fusion-driven gliomas. All tested NTRK fusions are oncogenic in vivo. The NTRK variant, N-terminal fusion partners, and resistance-associated point mutations all influence tumor histology and aggressiveness. Additional tumor suppressor losses greatly enhance tumor aggressiveness. Treatment with TRK kinase inhibitors significantly extends the survival of NTRK fusion-driven glioma mice, but fails to fully eradicate tumors, leading to recurrence upon treatment discontinuation. Finally, we show that ERK activation promotes resistance to TRK kinase inhibition and identify MEK inhibition as a potential combination therapy. These models will be invaluable tools to study therapy resistance of NTRK fusion tumors.

Abstract It is well known that molecules confined very close to a surface arrange into molecular layers. Because solid-liquid interfaces are ubiquitous in the chemical, biological and physical sciences, it is crucial to develop methods to easily access molecular layers and exploit their distinct properties by producing molecular layered crystals. Here we report a method based on crystallization in ultra-thin puddles enabled by gas blowing, which allows to produce molecular layered crystals with thickness down to the monolayer onto a surface, making them directly accessible for characterization and further processing. By selecting four molecules with different types of polymorphs, we observed exclusive crystallization of polymorphs with Van der Waals interlayer interactions, which have not been observed with traditional confinement methods. In conclusion, the gas blowing approach unveils the opportunity to perform materials chemistry under confinement onto a surface, enabling the formation of distinct crystals with selected polymorphism.

Abstract Metamaterials hold significant promise for enhancing the imaging capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines as an additive technology, due to their unique ability to enhance local magnetic fields. However, despite their potential, the metamaterials reported in the context of MRI applications have often been impractical. This impracticality arises from their predominantly flat configurations and their susceptibility to shifts in resonance frequencies, preventing them from realizing their optimal performance. Here, a computational method for designing wearable and tunable metamaterials via freeform auxetics is introduced. The proposed computational‐design tools yield an approach to solving the complex circle packing problems in an interactive and efficient manner, thus facilitating the development of deployable metamaterials configured in freeform shapes. With such tools, the developed metamaterials may readily conform to a patient's knee, ankle, head, or any part of the body in need of imaging, and while ensuring an optimal resonance frequency, thereby paving the way for the widespread adoption of metamaterials in clinical MRI applications.

Abstract Dynamic resistance exercise may produce reductions in pain locally at the exercising muscle and systemically at non‐exercising sites. However, limited research has examined these changes with multiple noxious stimuli. This study examined changes in heat pain threshold (HPT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) on different musculature after an upper and lower body exercise to compare local and systemic effects. A crossover design with 28 participants (mean age: 21 ± 4 years, 21 female) completed three sessions. Visit one included baseline quantitative sensory testing and 5‐repetition maximum (RM) testing for upper (shoulder press) and lower (leg extension) body. In subsequent sessions, participants performed upper or lower body exercises using an estimated 75% 1‐RM with pre/post assessment of HPT and PPT at three sites: deltoid, quadriceps, and low back. A significant three‐way interaction was observed for HPT (F (1.71, 3.80) = 2.19, p = 0.036, η2p = 0.12) with significant increases in HPT over the quadriceps (p = 0.043) after leg extension and over the deltoid (p = 0.02) after shoulder press. Significant systemic changes were not observed for HPT or PPT. Local but not systemic effects were demonstrated after an acute bout of exercise. Peripheral pain sensitivity may be more responsive to heat stimuli after resistance exercise.

Abstract Background Soil and water salinity are increasing problems worldwide, causing significantly reduced crop yields. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is often listed as salt‐sensitive, but field testing of improved cultivars is limited. Forage systems and improved high‐quality alfalfa varieties are needed to enable crop production under high salinity (HS) conditions. Methods The objective of this study was to measure the yield and quality response of alfalfa to high saline conditions in the field and to document the relative saline tolerance of its varieties. HS irrigation water (electrical conductivity of water, or ECw 8.0–11.0 dS m−1) was applied to 33 nondormant alfalfa cultivars and were compared with low salinity (LS) treatments (ECw 0.5–1.2 dS m−1) over 4 years in a Mediterranean environment on a clay loam soil utilizing a split‐plot design. Crops were harvested seven to eight times per year, and the forage quality was measured on selected harvests utilizing near‐infrared spectroscopy. Results The average yield loss due to HS treatment was 23.9% compared with LS treatment, but yields averaged 23.4 Mg ha−1 under HS over the 3 full years of production. This level of production is considered to be economically viable in this region. Differences in salinity tolerance between lines were identified in the field; individual cultivars lost 5%–35% of their LS yield when grown under HS conditions. Forage quality was significantly improved under HS versus LS conditions, but improvements were negatively correlated with biomass yield (R2 > 0.81), similar to responses observed in drought‐stressed alfalfa. Conclusions These yield results confirm greenhouse studies, indicating that alfalfa is highly salt tolerant once established in the field, with potential for further improvement with tolerant cultivars. Salinity tolerance should be chosen based on total biomass yield as well as on the salinity tolerance index (HS yield relative to LS yield). Agronomic practices to mitigate salinity and sodicity are critical, along with improved cultivars.

Abstract Background The post-operative management of parotidectomies is highly provider dependent. No guidelines are currently available for timing of parotid drain removal. This study aimed to assess: (1) outcomes and complications after early drain removal (

Abstract A central goal of modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is to reduce the time required to produce high-quality images. Efforts have included hardware and software innovations such as parallel imaging, compressed sensing, and deep learning-based reconstruction. Here, we propose and demonstrate a Bayesian method to build statistical libraries of magnetic resonance (MR) images in k-space and use these libraries to identify optimal subsampling paths and reconstruction processes. Specifically, we compute a multivariate normal distribution based upon Gaussian processes using a publicly available library of T1-weighted images of healthy brains. We combine this library with physics-informed envelope functions to only retain meaningful correlations in k-space. This covariance function is then used to select a series of ring-shaped subsampling paths using Bayesian optimization such that they optimally explore space while remaining practically realizable in commercial MRI systems. Combining optimized subsampling paths found for a range of images, we compute a generalized sampling path that, when used for novel images, produces superlative structural similarity and error in comparison to previously reported reconstruction processes (i.e. 96.3% structural similarity and

Background and Significance: Achievable signal to noise ratios (SNR) in magnetic resonance microscopy images are limited by acquisition times and the decreasing number of spins in smaller voxels. A common method of enhancing SNR is to cool the RF receiver coil. Significant SNR gains are realized only when the Johnson noise generated within the RF hardware is large compared to the electromagnetic noise produced by the sample. Cryogenic cooling of imaging probes is in common use in high field systems, but it is difficult to insulate a sample from the extreme temperatures involved and in practice imaging cryoprobes have been limited to surface or partial volume designs only. In order to use a solenoid in which the windings were not directly cooled and in close proximity to the sample, we designed a chamber to cool only the tune and match circuitry and show experimentally it is possible to achieve much of the theoretically available SNR gain. Methods: A microcoil circuit consisting of two tuning capacitors, one fixed capacitor, and SMB coaxial cable was designed to resonate at 650 MHz for imaging on a Bruker 15.2 T scanner. Sample noise increases with the sample diameter, so surface loops and solenoids of varying diameters were tested on the bench to determine the largest diameter coil that demonstrated significant SNR gains from cooling. A liquid N2 cryochamber was designed to cool the tune and match circuit, coaxial cable, and connectors, while leaving the RF coil in ambient air. As the cryochamber was filled with liquid N2, quality factors were measured on the bench while monitoring the coil's surface temperature. Improvements of SNR on images of ionic solutions were demonstrated via cooling the tune and match circuit in the magnet bore. Results: At 650 MHz, loops and solenoids < 3 mm in diameter showed significant improvements in quality factor on the bench. The resistance of the variable capacitors and the coaxial cable were measured to be 45% and 32% of room temperature values near the Larmor frequency. Images obtained with a 2 turn, 3 mm diameter loop with the matching circuit at room temperature and then cooled with liquid nitrogen demonstrated SNR improvements of a factor of 2. Conclusions: By cooling the tune and match circuit and leaving the surface loop in ambient air, SNR was improved by a factor of 2. The results are significant because it allows for more space to insulate the sample from the extreme temperatures used in imaging cryoprobes.

Activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase-2 (ERK2) by phosphorylation has been shown to involve changes in protein dynamics, as determined by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) and NMR relaxation dispersion measurements. These can be described by a global exchange between two conformational states of the active kinase, named ‘L’ and ‘R,’ where R is associated with a catalytically productive ATP-binding mode. An ATP-competitive ERK1/2 inhibitor, Vertex-11e, has properties of conformation selection for the R-state, revealing movements of the activation loop that are allosterically coupled to the kinase active site. However, the features of inhibitors important for R-state selection are unknown. Here, we survey a panel of ATP-competitive ERK inhibitors using HDX-MS and NMR and identify 14 new molecules with properties of R-state selection. They reveal effects propagated to distal regions in the P+1 and helix αF segments surrounding the activation loop, as well as helix αL16. Crystal structures of inhibitor complexes with ERK2 reveal systematic shifts in the Gly loop and helix αC, mediated by a Tyr-Tyr ring stacking interaction and the conserved Lys-Glu salt bridge. The findings suggest a model for the R-state involving small movements in the N-lobe that promote compactness within the kinase active site and alter mobility surrounding the activation loop. Such properties of conformation selection might be exploited to modulate the protein docking interface used by ERK substrates and effectors.

Metamaterials hold great potential to enhance the imaging performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as auxiliary devices, due to their unique ability to confine and enhance electromagnetic fields. Despite their promise, the current implementation of metamaterials faces obstacles for practical clinical adoption due to several notable limitations, including their bulky and rigid structures, deviations from optimal resonance frequency, and inevitable interference with the radiofrequency (RF) transmission field in MRI. Herein, we address these restrictions by introducing a flexible and smart metamaterial that enhances sensitivity by conforming to patient anatomies while ensuring comfort during MRI procedures. The proposed metamaterial selectively amplifies the magnetic field during the RF reception phase by passively sensing the excitation signal strength, remaining “off” during the RF transmission phase. Additionally, the metamaterial can be readily tuned to achieve a precise frequency match with the MRI system through a controlling circuit. The metamaterial presented here paves the way for the widespread utilization of metamaterials in clinical MRI, thereby translating this promising technology to the MRI bedside.

The application of compressed sensing (CS)-enabled data reconstruction for accelerating magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains a challenging problem. This is due to the fact that the information lost in k-space from the acceleration mask makes it difficult to reconstruct an image similar to the quality of a fully sampled image. Multiple deep learning-based structures have been proposed for MRI reconstruction using CS, in both the k-space and image domains, and using unrolled optimization methods. However, the drawback of these structures is that they are not fully utilizing the information from both domains (k-space and image). Herein, we propose a deep learning-based attention hybrid variational network that performs learning in both the k-space and image domains. We evaluate our method on a well-known open-source MRI dataset (652 brain cases and 1172 knee cases) and a clinical MRI dataset of 243 patients diagnosed with strokes from our institution to demonstrate the performance of our network. Our model achieves an overall peak signal-to-noise ratio/structural similarity of 40.92 ± 0.29/0.9577 ± 0.0025 (fourfold) and 37.03 ± 0.25/0.9365 ± 0.0029 (eightfold) for the brain dataset, 31.09 ± 0.25/0.6901 ± 0.0094 (fourfold) and 29.49 ± 0.22/0.6197 ± 0.0106 (eightfold) for the knee dataset, and 36.32 ± 0.16/0.9199 ± 0.0029 (20-fold) and 33.70 ± 0.15/0.8882 ± 0.0035 (30-fold) for the stroke dataset. In addition to quantitative evaluation, we undertook a blinded comparison of image quality across networks performed by a subspecialty trained radiologist. Overall, we demonstrate that our network achieves a superior performance among others under multiple reconstruction tasks.

Superconductivity was discovered in the bismuthate (Ba,K)BiO3 soon after the discovery of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. Here, the authors study (Ba,K)BiO3 using diffuse x-ray scattering and Monte Carlo modeling, finding that nanoscale structural correlations break inversion symmetry locally, while preserving inversion symmetry on average over large length scales.

Abstract The interplay between structural and electronic degrees of freedom in complex materials is the subject of extensive debate in physics and materials science. Particularly interesting questions pertain to the nature and extent of pre-transitional short-range order in diverse systems ranging from shape-memory alloys to unconventional superconductors, and how this microstructure affects macroscopic properties. Here we use neutron and X-ray diffuse scattering to uncover universal structural fluctuations in La2-xSrxCuO4 and Tl2Ba2CuO6+δ, two cuprate superconductors with distinct point disorder effects and with optimal superconducting transition temperatures that differ by more than a factor of two. The fluctuations are present in wide doping and temperature ranges, including compositions that maintain high average structural symmetry, and they exhibit unusual, yet simple scaling behaviour. The scaling regime is robust and universal, similar to the well-known critical fluctuations close to second-order phase transitions, but with a distinctly different physical origin. We relate this behaviour to pre-transitional phenomena in a broad class of systems with structural and magnetic transitions, and propose an explanation based on rare structural fluctuations caused by intrinsic nanoscale inhomogeneity. We also uncover parallels with superconducting fluctuations, which indicates that the underlying inhomogeneity plays an important role in cuprate physics.

Sepsis remains a leading cause of death for humans and currently has no pathogenesis-specific therapy. Hampered progress is partly due to a lack of insight into deep mechanistic processes. In the past decade, deciphering the functions of small noncoding miRNAs in sepsis pathogenesis became a dynamic research topic. To screen for new miRNA targets for sepsis therapeutics, we used samples for miRNA array analysis of PBMCs from patients with sepsis and control individuals, blood samples from 2 cohorts of patients with sepsis, and multiple animal models: mouse cecum ligation puncture–induced (CLP-induced) sepsis, mouse viral miRNA challenge, and baboon Gram+ and Gram– sepsis models. miR-93-5p met the criteria for a therapeutic target, as it was overexpressed in baboons that died early after induction of sepsis, was downregulated in patients who survived after sepsis, and correlated with negative clinical prognosticators for sepsis. Therapeutically, inhibition of miR-93-5p prolonged the overall survival of mice with CLP-induced sepsis, with a stronger effect in older mice. Mechanistically, anti–miR-93-5p therapy reduced inflammatory monocytes and increased circulating effector memory T cells, especially the CD4+ subset. AGO2 IP in miR-93–KO T cells identified important regulatory receptors, such as CD28, as direct miR-93-5p target genes. In conclusion, miR-93-5p is a potential therapeutic target in sepsis through the regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity, with possibly a greater benefit for elderly patients than for young patients.

The effects of normal aging on functional connectivity (FC) within various brain networks of gray matter (GM) have been well-documented. However, the age effects on the networks of FC between white matter (WM) and GM, namely WM-GM FC, remains unclear. Evaluating crucial properties, such as global efficiency (GE), for a WM-GM FC network poses a challenge due to the absence of closed triangle paths which are essential for assessing network properties in traditional graph models. In this study, we propose a bipartite graph model to characterize the WM-GM FC network and quantify these challenging network properties. Leveraging this model, we assessed the WM-GM FC network properties at multiple scales across 1,462 cognitively normal subjects aged 22–96 years from three repositories (ADNI, BLSA and OASIS-3) and investigated the age effects on these properties throughout adulthood and during late adulthood (age ≥70 years). Our findings reveal that (1) heterogeneous alterations occurred in region-specific WM-GM FC over the adulthood and decline predominated during late adulthood; (2) the FC density of WM bundles engaged in memory, executive function and processing speed declined with age over adulthood, particularly in later years; and (3) the GE of attention, default, somatomotor, frontoparietal and limbic networks reduced with age over adulthood, and GE of visual network declined during late adulthood. These findings provide unpresented insights into multi-scale alterations in networks of WM-GM functional synchronizations during normal aging. Furthermore, our bipartite graph model offers an extendable framework for quantifying WM-engaged networks, which may contribute to a wide range of neuroscience research.

BackgroundHematocrit and lactate have an established role in trauma as indicators of bleeding and cell death, respectively. The wide availability of CT imaging and clinical data poses the question of how these can be used in combination to predict outcomes.PurposeTo assess the utility of hematocrit or lactate trends in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) admission and hospital length of stay (LOS) in patients with torso trauma combined with clinical parameters and injury findings on CT.Materials and MethodsThis was a single-center retrospective study of adults with torso trauma in one year. Trends were defined as a unit change per hour. CT findings and clinical parameters were explanatory variables. Outcomes were ICU admission and hospital LOS. Multivariate logistic and negative binomial regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and incident rate ratio (IRR).ResultsAmong 840 patients, 561 (72% males, age 39 ± 18) were included, and 168 patients (30%) were admitted to the ICU. Decreasing hematocrit trend [OR 2.54 (1.41–4.58), p = 0.002] and increasing lactate trend [OR 3.85 (1.35–11.01), p = 0.012] were associated with increased odds of ICU admission. LOS median was 2 (IQR: 1–5) days. Decreasing hematocrit trend [IRR 1.37 (1.13–1.66), p = 0.002] and increasing lactate trend [2.02 (1.43–2.85), p

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to utilize a two-material decomposition to quantify bone marrow edema on a dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) scanner at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine acute fractures in correlation with short tau inversion recovery (STIR) hyperintensity on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in comparison with the normal bone marrow.Materials and methodsThis retrospective institutional review board–approved study gathered patients over 18 years old who had acute cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spinal fractures scanned on a DECT scanner. Those who had a spinal MRI done with bone marrow STIR hyperintensity within 3 weeks of the DECT were included. The water (calcium) and fat (calcium) density (mg/cm3) measurements of the region of interest of the bone marrow were obtained at a normal anatomic equivalent site and at the fracture site where STIR hyperintensity was noted on MRI. A statistical analysis was performed using the paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test (p > 0.05).ResultsA total of 20 patients met the inclusion criteria (males n = 17 males, females n = 3). A total of 32 fractures were analyzed: 19 cervical and 13 thoracolumbar. There were statistically significant differences in the water (43 ± 24 mg/cm3) and fat (36 ± 31 mg/cm3) density (mg/cm3) at the acute thoracic and lumbar spine fractures in correlation with edema on STIR images (both paired t-test

Introduction Despite growing awareness of neurodevelopmental impairments in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), there is a lack of large, longitudinal, population-based cohorts. Little is known about the contemporary neurodevelopmental profile and the emergence of specific impairments in children with CHD entering school. The performance of standardised screening tools to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes at school age in this high-risk population remains poorly understood. The NITric oxide during cardiopulmonary bypass to improve Recovery in Infants with Congenital heart defects (NITRIC) trial randomised 1371 children