cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Planning for weakly-coupled partially observable stochastic games

Partially observable stochastic games (POSGs) provide a powerful framework for modeling multi-agent interactions. While elegant and expressive, the framework has been shown to be computationally intractable [Bernstein et al., 2002]. An exact dynamic programming algorithm for POSGs has been developed recently, but due to high computational demands, it has only been demonstrated to work on extremely small problems. Several approximate approaches have been developed [Emery-Montemerlo et al., 2004; Nair et al., 2003], but they lack strong theoretical guarantees. In light of these theoretical and practical limitations, there is a need to identify special classes of POSGs that can be solved tractably. One dimension along which computational gain can be leveraged is by exploiting the independence present in the problem dynamics. In this paper, we examine a class of POSGs where the agents only interact loosely by restricting one another’s available actions. Specifically, rather than having fixed action sets, each agent’s action set is a function of the global state. The agents are independent from one another otherwise, i.e. they have separate transition and reward functions that do not interact. This class of problems arises frequently in practice. Many real world domains are inhabited by self-interested agents that act to achieve their individual goals. They may not affect each other in any way, except for occasionally putting restrictions on what each other can do. The best-known solution concepts in game theory are that of computing Nash equilibrium and performing strategy elimination. Our work addresses both of these solution concepts. First, we show that finding a Nash equilibrium where each agent achieves reward at least k is NP-hard. Another contribution of this work is that we present an exact algorithm for performing iterated elimination of dominated strategies. It is able to solve much larger problems than exact algorithms for the general class by exploiting problem structure.
Laser-induced graphene synthesis of Co3O4 in graphene for oxygen electrocatalysis and metal-air batteries

Abstract We present here a straightforward synthesis of highly efficient bifunctional OER/ORR catalysts through a facile laser-induced graphene (LIG) process to produce Co3O4/LIG. The Co3O4/LIG showed OER and ORR activity comparable to noble metal-based catalysts in alkaline electrolyte. Furthermore, the Co3O4/LIG exhibited promising performance in Zn-air and Li-O2 batteries. The rechargeable Zn-air battery has an open-circuit potential of 1.46 V and a high power density of 84.2 mW/cm2 at 100 mA/cm2. The Li-O2 battery with the Co3O4/LIG cathode exhibits low overpotentials in both charge and discharge processes and excellent cycling stability up to 242 cycles.
Pressure depletion and drained rock volume near hydraulically fractured parent and child wells

Abstract Field development of unconventional reservoirs tends to downsize well spacing when commercial success of a shale play is proven. The earlier, so-called parent wells are joined by infill wells, commonly called child wells. Tighter well spacing improves the recovery factor but the risk of well interference increases. The flow interference and pressure communication of adjoining wells via the matrix and their hydraulic fractures was investigated using the depth of investigation and associated pressure depletion plots. A sensitivity analysis shows how the depth of investigation in an unconventional reservoir is impacted by matrix permeability, other fluid properties, and time lapse between drilling of parent and child wells. In all cases, the extent of the drained region of a reservoir with hydraulic fractures is controlled by the fluid particle paths guided by the depth of investigation and time-of-flight contours. Time-of-flight contours visualize the reservoir drainage by parent and child wells using complex analysis methods (CAM) in a case study of the Eagle Ford shale. Even after 30 years of production, the actual drained rock volume (DRV) remains small and lags the depth of investigation. A commercial numerical reservoir simulator provides history matched inputs for the CAM tool which then can model the flow near the discrete fractures in the reservoir at high resolution. The developed procedure provides a computationally efficient method to quantify and visualize the DRV for parent and child wells in hydraulically fractured reservoirs. Fluid particle tracking provides a practical method to determine fracture and well-interference in combination with depth of investigation and pressure depletion studies.
A procedure for the characterization of the internal structure of the Andrews-Mika diagram

The ability to predict the liberation spectra that will be produced by a closed-continuous grinding circuit is of fundamental importance for the design, optimization and control of most operations in an ore dressing plant. The only known approach through which such a calculation can be performed is the population-balance-model equation. The latest, and certainly most significant, advance made in this area is the solution proposed by King (1990), which requires one textural parameter measured directly from the ore being studied. The main advantage of King’s solution is that, unlike the conventional solutions, it does not require the estimation of hundreds of arbitrary parameters that cannot be independently measured. However, King’s solution relies heavily on a knowledge of the detailed internal structure of the Andrews-Mika diagram (Andrews and Mika, 1975), which has never been measured for any ore. The characterization of the internal structure of the Andrews-Mika diagram requires the measurement of the liberation spectra at several progeny sizes produced by the breakage of monosize-monograde particles at several different grades. In this paper, a procedure based on magnetic fluid fractionation for generating seven narrow-size, narrow-grade samples is presented. Each of these samples was then broken into six progeny size classes in an ultrasonic mill. The one-dimensional liberation spectra of each of the 42 progeny and seven parent particle samples were then measured by image analysis. The measured linear-grade distributions are presented in this paper. The calculation of the correspondent volumetric-grade distributions is discussed.
A Graph Based Similarity Measure for Assessing Altered Connectivity in Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) arises from disruptions in the structural connectivity of brain, which further manifests itself as alterations in the functional connectivity, eventually leading to cognitive and behavioral deficits. Although patient-specific measures quantifying the severity of disease is crucial due to the heterogeneous character of the disease, neuroimaging based measures that can assess the level of injury in TBI using structural and functional connectivity is very scarce. Taking a graph theoretical approach, we propose a measure to quantify how dissimilar a TBI patient is relative to healthy subjects using their structural and functional connectomes. Over a TBI dataset with 39 moderate-to-severe TBI patients that are examined 3, 6, and 12 months post injury, and 35 healthy controls, we demonstrate that the dissimilarity scores obtained by the proposed measure distinguish patients from controls using both modalities. We also show that the dissimilarity scores significantly correlate with post-traumatic amnesia, processing speed, and executive function among TBI patients. Our results indicate the applicability of the proposed measure in quantitatively assessing the extent of injury. The measure is applicable to structural and functional connectivity, paving the way for a joint analysis in the future.
Modeling Runoff and Nitrogen Loads From a Watershed at Different Levels of Impervious Surface Coverage and Connectivity to Storm Water Control Measures

Urban development of watersheds increases runoff and nitrogen loads by adding urban impervious surfaces and increasing the hydrologic connectivity of these surfaces to streams. Storm water control measures (SCMs) are designed to disrupt this connectivity by retaining water in biologically active depressions where nitrogen retention, transformation, and removal occur. This work applies a mechanistic, spatially distributed, hydroecological model (RHESSys) to a suburban watershed in Charlotte, NC, with 15% total imperviousness (TI) and 33% watershed area mitigated by SCMs. We developed emergent relationships between watershed‐scale predictors (TI and connectivity to SCMs) and water and nitrogen response variables (storm water runoff ratios and nitrogen load by species). Results showed that annual runoff ratios were insensitive to increases in connectivity to SCMs (varying by ~1% of rainfall) because SCMs did not substantially increase evaporation but that runoff ratios increased by an average 0.2% per 1% increase in TI due to decreases in transpiration in the watershed. Generally, nitrate loads increased with TI but decreased as more surfaces were mitigated by SCMs. However, these nitrate reductions corresponded to increased export of dissolved organic nitrogen and ammonium. Together, these results indicate that SCMs act as both removers and transformers of nitrogen at the watershed scale. SCMs showed a net assimilation of nitrogen in warm months and net release in cool months, which offset the timing of nitrogen export relative to inputs. This work highlights that using a hydroecological, process‐based model reveals both the emergent relationships between watershed condition and response and the processes controlling those relationships.
Parent Perspectives Towards Genetic and Epigenetic Testing for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Examining community views on genetic/epigenetic research allows collaborative technology development. Parent perspectives toward genetic/epigenetic testing for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not well-studied. Parents of children with ASD (n = 131), non-ASD developmental delay (n = 39), and typical development (n = 74) completed surveys assessing genetic/epigenetic knowledge, genetic/epigenetic concerns, motives for research participation, and attitudes/preferences toward ASD testing. Most parents (96%) were interested in saliva-based molecular testing for ASD. Some had concerns about privacy (14%) and insurance-status (10%). None (0%) doubted scientific evidence behind genetic/epigenetic testing. Most reported familiarity with genetics (88%), but few understood differences from epigenetics (19%). Child developmental status impacted insurance concerns (p = 0.01). There is broad parent interest in a genetic/epigenetic test for ASD. It will be crucial to carefully consider and address bioethical issues surrounding this sensitive topic while developing such technology.
Evaluation of the clinical performance of 2 point-of-care cryptococcal antigen tests in dogs and cats.

Background Point-of-care (POC) Cryptococcus antigen assays may provide veterinarians with a more rapid, patient-side diagnosis when compared with traditional laboratory-based latex agglutination tests. Objective To determine the sensitivity and specificity of 2 POC lateral flow cryptococcal serum antigen tests, CrAg LFA (Immy, Norman, OK) and the CryptoPS (Biosynex, Strasbourg, France) for diagnosis of cryptococcosis in dogs and cats, using the cryptococcal antigen latex agglutination system (CALAS) as the reference standard. Animals 102 serum samples from 51 dogs and 40 cats. Methods Specimens were classified as CALAS-positive (n = 25) or CALAS-negative (n = 77). The sensitivity and specificity of each POC assay was calculated by comparing the results to the serologic reference standard results. Results The CrAg LFA assay correctly classified 23/25 CALAS-positive specimens and 69/74 CALAS-negative specimens resulting in a sensitivity of 92.0% (confidence interval [CI], 75.0%-98.6%) and specificity of 93.2% (CI, 85.1%-97.1%). The CryptoPS assay correctly classified 8/10 tested CALAS-positive specimens and 56/59 tested CALAS-negative specimens resulting in a sensitivity of 80.0% (CI, 49.0%-96.5%) and specificity of 94.9% (CI, 86.1%-98.6%). Conclusion and clinical importance The POC assays appear to be a sensitive and specific alternative to the traditional CALAS assay with more rapid turnaround times, which may result in earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Development of Solar Cells with Trapezoidal Grid Fingers

In concentrator solar cells, traditional metallic contacts cover a substantial portion of the device area, resulting in reflected light that diminishes the amount of current collected. In this paper, we developed trapezoidal front grid fingers to decrease the optical shadowing and the resulting loss of the device short-circuit current. By using a negative photoresist, a thick metal layer can be deposited by metal evaporation. The formation of an organic and metallic reflective deposit under the negative sloped photoresist is observed, though. By removing this deposit, a similar short-circuit current to typical Ni/Au contacts deposited by electrodeposition is obtained. Even though the Ti/Al grid fingers have larger width, they have the same effective shadowing due to the trapezoidal shape. At high concentration, a higher efficiency is obtained as well due to a high fill factor and improved open circuit voltage.
Perianal Paget’s disease: a clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study of 13 cases

Perianal Paget’s disease (PPD) is rare and mostly described in clinical literature as case reports or small series. We investigated the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of PPD in a total of 13 cases retrieved from multiple academic institutions. The median age at diagnosis was 75 (range 50–86) years. Males were predominant with a male to female ratio of 2.25:1. Four (30.8%) cases were classified as primary PPD due to lack of synchronous or metachronous underlying malignancies, while nine (69.2%) were classified as secondary PPD with concurrent invasive adenocarcinoma (n = 8) or tubular adenoma with high-grade dysplasia (n = 1). Immunohistochemically, there is no differential expression of CK7 or CK20 in Paget’s cells between primary and secondary PPD; however, GCDFP-15 was only positive in primary PPD (3/3 vs. 0/6, P = 0.012), while CDX2 was only positive in secondary PPD (0/3 vs. 7/7, P = 0.008), suggesting different cell origin. All patients received local surgical resection with or without adjuvant therapy. After a median follow-up of 47 months, one patient with secondary PPD (7.7%) died of disease progression from underlying adenocarcinoma. PPD occurs in elderly patients with male predominance and is frequently associated with underlying malignancies. Differential expression of CDX2 and GCDFP-15 may help distinguishing primary vs. secondary PPD, which is important for management as the presence of an underlying malignancy impacts clinical course and prognosis. Surgical excision remains the major treatment strategy for PPD. Long-term follow-up is required to monitor the disease recurrence and metastasis.
Changes in antibiotic use following implementation of a telehealth stewardship pilot program.

Starting in 2016, we initiated a pilot tele-antibiotic stewardship program at 2 rural Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs). Antibiotic days of therapy decreased significantly (P < .05) in the acute and long-term care units at both intervention sites, suggesting that tele-stewardship can effectively support antibiotic stewardship practices in rural VAMCs.
Fault-Tolerant Containers Using NiLiCon

Many services deployed in the cloud require high reliability and must thus survive machine failures. Providing such fault tolerance transparently, without requiring application modifications, has motivated extensive research on replicating virtual machines (VMs). Cloud computing typically relies on VMs or containers to provide an isolation and multitenancy layer. Containers have advantages over VMs in smaller size, faster startup, and avoiding the need to manage updates of multiple VMs. This paper reports on the design, implementation, and evaluation of NiLiCon — a transparent container replication mechanism for fault tolerance. To the best of our knowledge, NiLiCon is the first implementation of container replication, demonstrating that it can be used for transparent deployment of critical services in the cloud.NiLiCon is based on high-frequency asynchronous incremental checkpointing to a warm spare, as previously used for VMs. The challenge to accomplishing this is that, compared to VMs, there is much tighter coupling between the container state and the state of the underlying platform. NiLiCon meets this challenge, eliminating the need to deploy services in VMs, with performance overheads that are competitive with those of similar VM replication mechanisms. Specifically, with the seven benchmarks used in the evaluation, the performance overhead of NiLiCon is in the range of 19%-67%. For fail-stop faults, the recovery rate is 100%.
Comprehensive analysis of synthetic cannabinoids and metabolites in oral fluid by online solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry

The class of novel psychoactive substances known as synthetic cannabinoids (SC) includes illicit compounds that are sprayed on plant material and smoked or sold as liquids to be vaporized in e-cigarettes. In toxicological analysis of SC, fast analytical methods are needed for the detection and confirmation of parent drugs and metabolites at very low levels. While various analytical methods have been developed for SC in blood and urine, few are available for alternative matrices such as oral fluid (OF). There are numerous advantages to using OF as a sample matrix for SC analysis, including non-invasive collection, lesser risk of adulteration, and presence of both parent drug and metabolites. Here we report a validated online solid-phase extraction (online SPE) method coupled to LC-QqQ-MS for rapid confirmation and quantitation of 72 structurally diverse SC parent drugs and metabolites in OF with 2.5 min of preconcentration time and a total elution time of < 10 min. The use of online SPE for sample pretreatment facilitates rapid and consistent processing and greatly increases sample throughput. The method was fully validated according to relevant guidelines (ANSI/ASB Standard 036). Bias and precision values were within ± 20% for all compounds in human OF matrix. Method detection and quantitation limits ranged from 0.4 to 3.8 ng/mL and from 1.1 to 11.6 ng/mL, respectively. Recovery, matrix effects, process efficiency, carryover, and stability were also within acceptable limits for the majority of compounds. Successful application of the method was demonstrated using blank human OF fortified with SC in addition to a set of authentic OF specimens previously tested by another laboratory.
The effect of online restaurant menus on consumers’ purchase intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract As COVID-19 escalated globally in 2020, mandated suspension of dine-in services was instilled to control virus transmission. Restaurants lost billions of dollars, millions experienced severe employment changes, and numerous small restaurants closed. For those remaining in business, converting to online food ordering was essential. Unique to the food ordering setting, this study extended the Stimulus-Organism-Response model to predict the purchase intentions of participants in an online food ordering context. Using structural equation modeling, this study discovered the indirect effects of the menu’s visual appeal and informativeness, and the perception of COVID-19 risks on consumer purchase intentions. This causal relationship was significantly mediated by consumers’ desire for food and their perceived convenience of online food ordering. Through providing theoretical and managerial implications for how to identify appropriate products, utilize content marketing effectively, and attract new customers, this study could assist restaurants in adapting to remaining competitive, even post COVID-19.
THE TRAUMA OF SLAVE WOMEN IN HUMUS

The story of slavery is always told from the masculine perspective neglecting the suffering of women who were also taken into captivity and forced into labor. Many people who talk about this horrific story speak of the suffering of men taken against their will at the expense of that of women. For this reason, Fabienne Kanor, a Martinican writer chose to tell the story of African women of different origins and the different forms of abuses and sufferings they suffered during their crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to other parts of the world to work as slaves. This work aims to discuss the suffering of these slave women by exposing their sufferings and traumas.
Adopting Telehealth during the COVID-19 Era: The Urologist's Perspective.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the urology providers’ (through a range of training levels) experience utilizing telemedicine given the rapid nationwide implementation of telemedicine in urology practices due to COVID-19. Several studies focusing on the patient's perspective have illustrated that telemedicine is comparable to traditional office visits in terms of cost, communication, and overall satisfaction. However, there is sparse data on the provider's experience. Methods With IRB approval, we assessed provider satisfaction with telemedicine at Urology programs in the U.S. through an electronic survey. The 25-question survey was based on the Patient Assessment of Communication of Telehealth which is a validated 33 question instrument that has been utilized to assess the quality of patient-provider communication in telemedicine. Experience with telemedicine was assessed in 2 categories: technical aspects and communication with patients. Variables were rated using a 5-point Likert Scale. Results There were 144 responses to the survey. 50% of providers reported not receiving any formal training in using telemedicine. This differed significantly by training level with 55% of attendings having had received training vs 20% of residents. Providers felt they would most benefit from training in billing (52%) rather than equipment use (33%) or communication (28%). 87% of providers felt comfortable discussing sensitive topics while only 55% felt comfortable using telehealth to schedule surgery (P Conclusion Urology providers are generally satisfied with their experience communicating with patients via telemedicine and the majority would opt to continue utilizing telemedicine. Nevertheless, many providers are hesitant to schedule surgery via telemedicine. Providers would benefit from formal training in telemedicine.
Fathers' Time Off Work After the Birth of a Child and Relationship Dissolution among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged U.S. Families.

Relationship dissolution is common among socioeconomically disadvantaged parents. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to assess whether...
Liquidity, Trading, and Price Determination in Equity Markets: A Finance Course Application

Trading is the implementation of an investment decision. After a portfolio decision has been made by a portfolio manager, it must be implemented, and especially for handling large orders and navigating stressful markets, specific skills and responsibilities are needed that require the expertise of a professional trader. However, the efficiency with which orders are handled and turned into trades depends, not just on traders’ abilities, but also on a market’s liquidity, on the design of the marketplace where shares are traded, and on the regulatory environment. In this chapter, we cover trading costs, liquidity, volatility, price discovery, market structure, and market structure regulation.
Trends in total and out-of-pocket cost of cancer care around the first year of diagnosis for the four most common cancers among privately insured nonelderly adults: 2009-2016.

5Background: To provide a comprehensive evaluation of the trends in treatment pattern, total and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs of cancer care for in the period between 2-month before and 12-month after...
ON THE FLOW ABOUT A SPHEROID NEAR A PLANE WALL

The problem of incompressible potential flow about a prolate spheroid in axial motion parallel to a plane wall is considered and a solution free of any approximations, although not in closed form, is obtained. The added-mass coefficient for this motion is evaluated and the results are compared with an existing approximate solution. The expansion of harmonic functions of the form exp (Ax plus By plus (z) in a series of spheraidal harmonics, needed in the solution of the preceding problem and useful in general in the analysis of problems in potential theory in which spheroidal boundaries appear, is obtained.
Use of triple correlations for the sign determinations of expansion coefficients of symmetric approximations to the diffraction volumes of regular viruses.

An X-ray free electron laser is a new source of x-rays some 10 × 109 times brighter than any previous X-ray source, giving rise to the possibility of structure determination of individual biological particles without crystallization. Some of the earliest samples used in the X-ray free electron laser are viruses because they are about the largest of reproducible bioparticles. We show how common virus near-symmetries can be exploited to find a first approximation to their structures to give a starting point for a perturbation approach to determine their structures.
TH-AB-204-06: Using Associated Particle Imaging and Time-Of-Flight Spectroscopy for Eliminating Tomographic Imaging for NSECT: A Simulation Study

Purpose: To evaluate feasibility of associated particle time-of-flight (AP-TOF) neutron imaging with a fan beam source using simulations in GEANT4 and determine its effect on improving scan time in Neutron Stimulated Emission Computed Tomography (NSECT). Previous NSECT experiments have used a pencil-beam, raster-scanned through the entire volume of interest with long scan durations. A fan beam could reduce the scan duration substantially, improving the clinical feasibility of the technique. Methods: A simulation of fast-neutron AP-TOF NSECT was developed in GEANT4. Fast neutrons that undergo inelastic scattering with elemental nuclei in the phantom lead to prompt gamma emission with energy specific to the emitting element used to identify the emitting elements. In the simulation, a 2-degree wide fan beam of 5 MeV neutrons was swept across a prone water breast phantom containing a cancerous lesion. For each neutron emitted, an alpha particle was coincidently emitted in the opposite direction and was used to determine the neutron’s flight path. The neutron’s time of flight was used to determine the depth of interaction along the flight path. Images were reconstructed for each element in the breast phantom to assess location accuracy with AP-TOF imaging. Results: Images reconstructed from H and Fe showed strong agreement with the locations and geometry of the breast (H-2224 keV) and lesion (Fe-847 keV), with <3% error between the measured and actual locations. Uncertainties in the lateral and axial (i.e., along the beam) directions were determined to arise from uncertainty in the source aperture opening when determining alpha particle location (lateral: 1–2cm) and gamma detection time (axial: 1–2ns). Conclusion: AP-TOF neutron imaging with a pseudo-fan beam is capable of generating clinically relevant images of biological objects without the need for tomographic rotation. With appropriate detection hardware, the ability to eliminate tomographic rotation could reduce NSECT acquisition time by a factor of 8–10.
Routine Monitoring of Liver, Renal, and Hematologic Tests After Single- or Double-Dose Methotrexate Treatment for Ectopic Pregnancies After In Vitro Fertilization

Abstract Study Objective To investigate the trends in liver function tests (LFTs), renal function tests (RFTs), and complete blood count (CBC) between day 1 and day 7 after single- or double-dose methotrexate (MTX) treatment for sonographically confirmed ectopic pregnancies. Design Single center, retrospective chart review (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). Setting University-affiliated center. Patients All patients with a sonographically confirmed ectopic pregnancy after fresh in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer cycles between January 2004 and June 2013 treated with MTX were included. Interventions Single- or double-dose MTX treatment. Measurements and Main Results LFTs, specifically alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin, and total bilirubin levels, were measured on day of MTX administration (baseline) and 7 days later (day 7). Similar measurements of RFTs (blood urea nitrogen [BUN] and creatinine) and CBC (white blood cell [WBC] and platelets) were also performed. The change in LFTs, RFTs, and CBC (Δ) between baseline and day 7 was calculated for both single- and double-dose MTX protocols. Furthermore, the change in LFTs, RFTs, and CBC (Δ baseline vs day 7) for single- and double-dose MTX protocols were compared. Complete data was available for 107 patients: 89 (83.2%) and 18 (16.8%) patients received single- and double-dose MTX treatment, respectively. For either single- or double-dose treatment, no significant difference was found between baseline and day 7 ALT, AST, albumin, total bilirubin, BUN, creatinine, WBC, or platelet levels after MTX treatment. A comparison of post-treatment changes in LFTs, RFTs, and CBC (Δ baseline vs day 7) also showed no difference between single- and double-dose protocols. Conclusion Our study suggests that repeating LFTs, RFTs, or CBC on day 7 after single- or double-dose MTX treatment for sonographically confirmed ectopic pregnancies may not be necessary in patients with normal baseline testing on day 1.
Why a Meeting on Angular Momentum and Mass Loss for Hot Stars

This is the second in a series of meetings organized jointly by Iowa State University and the University of Trieste. The theme for these workshops is “dynamical phenomena in stars and circumstellar envelopes”. Here I review the justification for the series and for the topic selected for this meeting, and note some relevant recent developments in our understanding of connections between angular momentum and mass loss for stars more massive than the Sun.
Tennessee Eastman Process

In Part IV the various data-driven process monitoring statistics are compared through application to a simulation of an industrial plant. The methods would ideally be illustrated on data collected during specific known faults from an actual industrial process, but this type of data is not publicly available for any large-scale industrial plant. Instead, many academics in process monitoring perform studies based on data collected from computer simulations of an industrial process. The process monitoring methods in this book are tested on the data collected from the process simulation for the Tennessee Eastman process (TEP). The TEP has been widely used by the process monitoring community as a source of data for comparing various approaches [16, 39, 40, 46, 99, 100, 113, 117, 183, 191, 270, 272, 271, 278, 279].
Testing for Competitiveness of Markets for Long Distance Telephone Services: Competition Finally?

Telecommunications regulatory policy is driven by rhetoric and myth concerning the “competitiveness” of long-distance service. Relying on behavioral tests for competitiveness, this review brings up to date analytical work establishing the pattern of competition or the lack of competition since the 1984 AT & T divestiture. Through mid 1997, the three large long-distance carriers in setting their price-cost margins have managed to carry through on a previously established strategy of tacit collusion in both message toll services and WATS-type business services. The remarkable results have been that price-cost margins increased while sales concentration declined. This general pattern is not contradicted by the most recent offering of 15-cent per minute “one price” on new discount plans since that too implies an increase in carriers' price cost margins as concentration continued to decline.
The Vesicular Monoamine Transporter-2: An Important Pharmacological Target for the Discovery of Novel Therapeutics to Treat Methamphetamine Abuse

Methamphetamine abuse escalates, but no approved therapeutics are available to treat addicted individuals. Methamphetamine increases extracellular dopamine in reward-relevant pathways by interacting at vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT2) to inhibit dopamine uptake and promote dopamine release from synaptic vesicles, increasing cytosolic dopamine available for reverse transport by the dopamine transporter (DAT). VMAT2 is the target of our iterative drug discovery efforts to identify pharmacotherapeutics for methamphetamine addiction. Lobeline, the major alkaloid in Lobelia inflata, potently inhibited VMAT2, methamphetamine-evoked striatal dopamine release, and methamphetamine self-administration in rats but exhibited high affinity for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Defunctionalized, unsaturated lobeline analog, meso-transdiene (MTD), exhibited lobeline-like in vitro pharmacology, lacked nAChR affinity, but exhibited high affinity for DAT, suggesting potential abuse liability. The 2,4-dicholorophenyl MTD analog, UKMH-106, exhibited selectivity for VMAT2 over DAT, inhibited methamphetamine-evoked dopamine release, but required a difficult synthetic approach. Lobelane, a saturated, defunctionalized lobeline analog, inhibited the neurochemical and behavioral effects of methamphetamine; tolerance developed to the lobelane-induced decrease in methamphetamine self-administration. Improved drug-likeness was afforded by the incorporation of a chiral N-1,2-dihydroxypropyl moiety into lobelane to afford GZ-793A, which inhibited the neurochemical and behavioral effects of methamphetamine, without tolerance. From a series of 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidine analogs, AV-2-192 emerged as a lead, exhibiting high affinity for VMAT2 and inhibiting methamphetamine-evoked dopamine release. Current results support the hypothesis that potent, selective VMAT2 inhibitors provide the requisite preclinical behavioral profile for evaluation as pharmacotherapeutics for methamphetamine abuse and emphasize selectivity for VMAT2 relative to DAT as a criterion for reducing abuse liability of the therapeutic.
Optical Molecular Imaging for in vivo Detection of Dysplasia

PL-21 Cancer is a major public health problem. Currently, the clinical classification of cancer and its precursors is based on phenotypic markers, such as nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio and extent of invasion, which are then used to select therapy. In the last decade, enormous progress has been made to understand the molecular events that accompany carcinogenesis. There is an important need to image the molecular features of cancer in vivo . Progress toward a molecular characterization of cancer would have important clinical benefits, including (1) detecting cancer earlier based on molecular characterization, (2) predicting the risk of precancerous lesion progression, (3) detecting margins in the operating room in real time, (4) selecting molecular therapy rationally and (5) monitoring response to therapy in real time at a molecular level. Our group is working to develop optically active contrast agents that can be applied topically to areas of tissue at risk to monitor the three-dimensional profile of the targeted biomarkers as well as morphologic and architectural biomarkers such as nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio. At the same time, we are developing MEMS-based inexpensive, portable optical systems to image the morphologic and molecular signatures of neoplasia noninvasively in real time. These real-time, portable, inexpensive systems can provide tools to characterize the molecular features of cancer in vivo . We believe these contrast agents and imaging systems will have broad applicability to detect and monitor many types of cancer.
Primate models of schizophrenia: future possibilities

Schizophrenia is a disorder of the association cortices, with especially prominent structural and functional deficiencies in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). True dorsolateral PFC is found only in higher primates, and is characterized by highly elaborate pyramidal cells with extensive recurrent connections. The development of the primate PFC also involves distinct developmental and genetic pathways. Thus, primate models may be particularly important in determining the functional impact of genetic changes in patients with schizophrenia. Genes involved with pyramidal cell network connectivity may be especially important to study in primates, as their effects may be magnified in the extensively connected primate neurons. Adeno-associated virus technology appears particularly promising for studying the impact of genetic insults on the structure and function of the primate association cortex.
Managing Hyperglycemia in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Rationale for the Use of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors in Combination With Other Oral Antidiabetic Drugs

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic, progressive disease that necessitates comprehensive and individualized patient treatment strategies. Daily glycemic measures, including measures of postprandial glucose and fasting plasma glucose levels, in combination with measures of glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) levels may be a more reliable indicator of blood glucose control and the long-term risk of complications than measures of HbA 1c levels alone. Emerging treatment strategies for type 2 diabetes support the rationale for using dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors in combination with other oral antidiabetic drugs for early and aggressive management of type 2 diabetes. Data Sources: Information was gathered through a search of MEDLINE, Derwent Drug File, BIOSIS, and EMBASE databases for DPP-4 inhibitors and postprandial hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. Study Selection: Studies published from 2003 to the present and in any language were included. Additional sources were relevant conference poster presentations. Data Synthesis: Early in the disease process, more intensive glucose-lowering intervention prior to the onset of advanced disease and cardiovascular events may be necessary to demonstrate effective reduction in macrovascular risk. Recent advances in pharmacotherapy allow physicians to target glucose excursions and variability. Data support the use of a combination of drugs with a complementary mechanism of action; to achieve an HbA 1c level of less than 7% of total hemoglobin, use a drug with a primary mechanism of action that targets postprandial glucose levels in combination with a drug that primarily lowers fasting plasma glucose levels. Based on the glucose-dependent action of incretins, DPP-4 inhibitors demonstrate a low propensity for hypoglycemia, are generally weight neutral, and have a low risk of interactions with other drugs, which makes them appropriate candidates for combination therapy, particularly with other oral antidiabetic drugs including metformin, thiazolidinediones, and sulfonylureas. Conclusion: The complementary mechanism of action of DPP-4 inhibitors with other oral antidiabetic drugs affords clinicians an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for early and more aggressive management of hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Abstract 227: Molecular Mechanism of Arhgef11 via the Rho-Rock Pathway in Promoting Kidney Injury in the Dahl S Rat

We have previously implicated genetic variants in Arhgef11 , a Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor, in kidney injury exhibited in the Dahl salt-sensitive (S) rat, a widely studied model of hypertension and chronic kidney disease. We have demonstrated that genetic knockdown (lentiviral shRNA) of Arhgef11 in HEK293 cells results in reduced RhoA activity (~20%), decreased activation of Rho-ROCK pathway (40-60%), and less stress fiber formation vs. scrambled control. S rat derived primary proximal tubule cells (p-PTC) exhibit increased expression of Arhgef11 , activation of Rho-ROCK, and when stimulated with the profibrotic cytokine, TGFβ1 are also more prone (vs. control) to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). These data (along with animal studies) suggest that dysregulation of Rho-ROCK in tubular cells likely play an important role in EMT and promote fibrosis; however, chronic stimulation of this pathway in other kidney cell types including vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) may also play a role. Accordingly, S rat primary cultures of VSMC isolated from kidney microvessels (k-VSMC) were studied for differences in the RhoA-ROCK, proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and response to cyclical stretch compared to control k-VSMC (minimal congenic). S rat k-VSMC demonstrated higher expression of Arhgef11 and activation of Rho-ROCK pathway, similar to p-PTC studies. Cell migration was significantly enhanced (scratch assay) in k-VSMC from S rats (485.0±26.2 nm) compared to 296.2±37.6 nm in cells from control. Apoptosis, evaluated by flow cytometry, was significantly increased in k-VSMC from S rats stimulated with TGFβ1 (10ng/ml, 24hrs), but not Ang II, at both early (9.9%±0.9%) and late apoptosis (22.0%±3.5%) compared to control (7.71%±0.75% and 15.5%±1.3%, respectively). S rat derived k-VSMC also demonstrated up-regulation and activation of Rho-ROCK pathway after cyclical stretch, which models in vivo stimuli such as shear stress. In summary, increased expression of Arhgef11 (RhoA-ROCK) exhibited by PTC and VSMC cell types in S rat kidney appear to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition and enhance proliferation, migration, and apoptosis under baseline and profibrotic conditions, which likely contributes to kidney injury.
Contribution of anthropogenic warming to California drought during 2012–2014

A suite of climate data sets and multiple representations of atmospheric moisture demand are used to calculate many estimates of the self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index, a proxy for near-surface soil moisture, across California from 1901 to 2014 at high spatial resolution. Based on the ensemble of calculations, California drought conditions were record breaking in 2014, but probably not record breaking in 2012-2014, contrary to prior findings. Regionally, the 2012-2014 drought was record breaking in the agriculturally important southern Central Valley and highly populated coastal areas. Contributions of individual climate variables to recent drought are also examined, including the temperature component associated with anthropogenic warming. Precipitation is the primary driver of drought variability but anthropogenic warming is estimated to have accounted for 8-27 percent of the observed drought anomaly in 2012-2014 and 5-18 percent in 2014. Although natural variability dominates, anthropogenic warming has substantially increased the overall likelihood of extreme California droughts.
ELASTIN: BIOSYNTHESIS, STRUCTURE, DEGRADATION AND ROLE IN DISEASE PROCESSES

Most of you know that elastin is a connective tissue protein, although most of you probably don’t want to admit it. Elastin has a more restricted distribution than collagen does and, of course, therefore there are less people working on elastin than on collagen. Nevertheless, I think that in the last few years people are beginning to realize that it has tremendous application to a number of medical problems, and particularly in the relationship to lung disease and arterial vessel disease. Figure 1 is taken from a twenty-day old chick embryo lung. Now, most of you who are fascinated with hard, rigid molecules don’t even want to admit that this rather amorphous looking material is a fibrous protein. The elastic fiber itself is composed of two components: amorphous elastin, which I am going to talk about exclusively this morning and which we ordinarily think of when we use the word elastin; and another component, the so-called microfibrillar component which has definitely a different composition from the amorphous component which is rich in glycine, alanine, proline, valine and other hydrophobic amino acids. This microfibrillar material on the outside is much more acidic, and it apparently has a lot of cysteine in it.’ Very little is actually known about the microfibrillar component. I think, in summary, it is fair to say that a lot of the reports that have come out in the past few years, allegedly describing microfibrillar component, are doubtful. I think there truly has to be a lot of work done on that particular component. What is known about the chemical and physical structure of the elastin molecule? What are our best guesses as to how it is organized in the fiber? In most pictures of elastin one sees very little structure. This is true when one is doing ordinary sections and ordinary types of staining. However, if elastin is prepared under certain conditions such as in the classical Lansing way by boiling a tissue in 0.1N sodium hydroxide and operationally defining whatever is left as elastin, this remaining material, when negatively stained, possesses a fibrillar structure as has been reported by a number of investigators. Figure 2 is taken from a picture of Lorenzo Gotte’ who has been one of the primary advocates of an internal fibrillar structure of that amorphous component. I think it is fair to say that it is still an ongoing controversy whether this fibrillar structure is an artifact. People have suggested that it is some kind of contaminant that has been floating around and has been picked up and put into the EM, or that this is an artifact resulting from the way in which the specimen has been prepared. These fibrillar diameters have varied from the smallest one, about fifteen Angstroms, up to fifty Angstroms or so. Based upon this kind of EM studies, people have suggested that there is some kind of internal structure. This implies some ordering of the molecules. Unfortunately, how
Abstract IA24: Molecular imaging agents for prostate cancer: Focus on PSMA

Abstract Although most clinical diagnostic imaging studies employ anatomic techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, much of radiology research currently focuses on adapting these conventional methods to physiologic imaging as well as on introducing new techniques and probes for studying processes at the cellular and molecular levels in vivo, i.e. molecular imaging. Molecular imaging promises to provide new methods for the detection of minimal disease and support for personalized therapy. This summary will focus on experimental and near-term translational molecular imaging agents and methods for prostate cancer, with a focus on radiopharmaceuticals and optical agents, the former primarily for staging and the latter for surgical guidance. Citation Format: Martin G. Pomper. Molecular imaging agents for prostate cancer: Focus on PSMA [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; 2012 Feb 6-9; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(4 Suppl):Abstract nr IA24.
Method to Determine an Optimal Air-Flow Rate in Solar Collectors

A testing procedure using identical side-by-side, flat-plate, solar air collectors has been developed and used to evaluate collectors. This procedure was shown to provide a simple method for determining some of the most important parameters in collector performance. The performance data collected were fitted to the equation F" =AQ{ 1-exp (-B/Q)}. Then this equation, along with pressure drop data, were used in an economic model to find the optimal flow rate for the particular collector. Nomenclature A,B = parameters to be found by a least-squares data fit C = specific heat of circulating fluid, J/kg-K CL = lifetime cost, $/m2 Cp = lifetime pumping cost, $/m2 CC = initial collector cost, $/m2 E = cost of electricity, $/kW-h FR = collector performance factor F' = collector performance factor F" = collector performance factor AP = pressure drop across the collector, N/m2 Q = volume flow rate per unit collector area, m3 /Min-m2 Qu = useful rate of energy collection per unit collector area, J/h-m2 Te = fluid exit temperature, K Tf = fluid inlet temperature, K t = lifetime of operation, h UL -overall energy loss coefficient for the collector, J/hm2-K r? = blower-motor-duct overall efficiency p = fluid density, kg/m3