Stroke, graft patency, and limb salvage rates in patients with diabetes after surgery are similar to patients without diabetes; however, their risk of complications is increased after surgery and the mortality risk may be higher after CEA.

Pixel Array Detectors (PADs) consist of an x-ray sensor layer bonded pixel-bypixel to an underlying readout chip. This approach allows both the sensor and the custom pixel electronics to be tailored independently to best match the x-ray imaging requirements. Here we present characterizations of CdTe sensors hybridized with two different chargeintegrating readout chips, the Keck PAD and the Mixed-Mode PAD (MM-PAD), both developed previously in our laboratory. The charge-integrating architecture of each of these PADs extends the instantaneous counting rate by many orders of magnitude beyond that obtainable with photon counting architectures. The Keck PAD chip consists of rapid, 8-frame, in-pixel storage elements with framing periods <150 ns. The second detector, the MM-PAD, has an extended dynamic range by utilizing an in-pixel overflow counter coupled with charge removal circuitry activated at each overflow. This allows the recording of signals from the single-photon level to tens of millions of x-rays/pixel/frame while framing at 1 kHz. Both detector chips consist of a 128×128 pixel array with (150 µm) 2 pixels.

The routine atomic resolution structure determination of single particles is expected to have profound implications for probing structure–function relationships in systems ranging from energy-storage materials to biological molecules. Extremely bright ultrashort-pulse X-ray sources – X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) – provide X-rays that can be used to probe ensembles of nearly identical nanoscale particles. When combined with coherent diffractive imaging, these objects can be imaged; however, as the resolution of the images approaches the atomic scale, the measured data are increasingly difficult to obtain and, during an X-ray pulse, the number of photons incident on the 2D detector is much smaller than the number of pixels. This latter concern, the signal `sparsity', materially impedes the application of the method. An experimental analog using a conventional X-ray source is demonstrated and yields signal levels comparable with those expected from single biomolecules illuminated by focused XFEL pulses. The analog experiment provides an invaluable cross check on the fidelity of the reconstructed data that is not available during XFEL experiments. Using these experimental data, it is established that a sparsity of order 1.3 × 10−3 photons per pixel per frame can be overcome, lending vital insight to the solution of the atomic resolution XFEL single-particle imaging problem by experimentally demonstrating 3D coherent diffractive imaging from photon-sparse random projections.

Background Factor Xa (FXa) inhibitors, used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism treatment and prevention, are the dominant non-Vitamin K oral anticoagulants on the market. While major bleeding may be less common with these agents compared to warfarin, it is always a risk, and little has been published on the most serious bleeding scenarios. This study describes a cohort of patients with FXa inhibitor-associated life-threatening bleeding events, their clinical characteristics, interventions and outcomes. Methods We performed a retrospective, 5-center review of FXa inhibitor-treated major bleeding patients. Investigators identified potential cases by cross-referencing ICD-9/10 codes for hemorrhage with medication lists. Investigators selected cases they deemed to require immediate reversal of coagulopathy, and reviewed charts for characteristics, reversal strategies and other interventions, and outcomes. Results A total of 56 charts met the inclusion criteria for the retrospective cohort, including 29 (52%) gastrointestinal bleeds (GIB), 19 (34%) intracranial hemorrhages (ICH) and 8 (14%) others. Twenty-four (43%) patients received various factor or plasma products, and the remainder received supportive care. Thirty-day mortality was 21% (n = 12). Re-anticoagulation within 30-days occurred in 23 (41%) patients. Thromboembolic events (TEEs) occurred in 6 (11%) patients. No differences were observed in outcomes by treatment strategy. Conclusions This cohort of FXa inhibitor-associated major bleeding scenarios deemed appropriate for acute anticoagulant reversal illustrates the variable approaches in the absence of a specific reversal agent.

A theory for obtaining meniscus forces and profiles for any given liquid-mediated interface is presented that includes the effects of surface interactions, adsorption and evaporation of liquid films. The meniscus force is obtained from the derivative of the total free energy of liquid-mediated interface, which requires the meniscus profile to be known. The meniscus profile is the solution of a second-order differential equation, as derived from Pascal’s law for static incompressible liquids with inclusion of surface interactions. For nonvolatile liquid films, the total liquid amount at the interface is a conserved quantity, whereas for volatile liquids, the liquid films are in thermodynamic equilibrium with their respective vapor phase. Two typical types of initial liquid conditions are considered. Type I represents the case in which one surface is wet and the other is initially dry, having a finite contact angle with the liquid. Type II represents the situation in which both surfaces are wet by either a liquid or by two different liquids before making contact. If two or more types of liquids are involved at the interface, miscibility of the liquids and interactions due to other liquid(s) have to be also considered. For contacts with azimuthal geometry, which is merely a mathematical convenience, such as ellipsoidal/spherical, conical or crater, the theory generates several analytical formulae for calculating meniscus forces without involving meniscus profiles. These formulae can be handily applied to various surface probes techniques such as Scanning Probe Microscopy or Surface Force Apparatus. The proposed theory is also applicable to “meniscus rings” formed around crater geometry, such as encountered in laser-textured magnetic disks. In this case, the outer meniscus ring can be asymmetric to the inner meniscus ring if no liquid passage exists between the inner and outer meniscus ring. Even for the case of spherical contact geometry, the calculated meniscus profile is very nonspherical with a much larger volume than that of the widely assumed spherical meniscus profile for Type I conditions, leading to an under-estimation of the meniscus force in the previous models. It is found that for a spherical or a crater contact geometry, the surface interactions have little effect on the meniscus force provided the lateral meniscus dimension is much smaller than the radius of the sphere or of the crater. However the surface interactions have a large effect on the meniscus force for other contact geometries, such as conical contact geometry. The calculated meniscus forces are compared with the normal component of the stiction force measured at the laser textured surfaces and good agreement is found. The calculated meniscus profiles are also found in good agreement with that measured using light interferometer technique between two cross cylinders. One very interesting finding of our theory is that the meniscus volume grows first and may then shrink, as observed experimentally by others, because the initially dry surface become wetted and the boundary conditions change over from Type I to Type II.