cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Smart Grid Impact on Operation and Planning of Electric Energy Systems

The next-generation electric power grid, also known as the Smart Grid, is expected to address the operational challenges of the nation's aging and outmoded electrical grid infrastructure. This article investigates the impacts of the Smart Grid technologies on operations and planning of electric energy systems at both the transmission and the distribution levels. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the emerging technologies (e.g., plug-in electric vehicles, microgrids, distributed renewable energy sources and storage, demand-side management and smart metering) and the development of distribution automation in Smart Grid. This article also discusses the technical information regarding the emerging technologies (e.g., wide-area monitoring and measurements) and developments for transmission system operations in Smart Grid. There is still a significant amount of investigation to be done before the full vision of Smart Grid comes to fruition. Therefore, this article lists the future research needs covering both transmission and distribution systems in a Smart Grid environment. Keywords: smart grid; power system operations; distribution systems; transmission systems; microgrids
Extending SystemC clocks to model SoC

SystemC provides a clock with a limited interface. While it is generally not an issue for the modeling or the verification of a single IP, this limited API can hardly help modeling a large SoC using multiple dynamic clocks for power reasons. The SystemC clock is implemented with using the global timed event queue of the simulation kernel which can become a bottleneck of the simulation. Poor clock performances are thus discouraging using them like in OSCI/TLM models, but at the expense of complex timing management. This paper presents an extended clock API which also provides a scalable timing mechanism for the modules so that they donpsilat need to be aware of the clock period. These clocks both improve the simulation speed and ease the modeling while preserving ascending compatibility.
Development of synchrotron radiation photoemission from photoionization to electron holography

Abstract The evolution of synchrotron radiation photoemission at the Wisconsin Synchrotron Radiation Center is reviewed. The first photoemission spectroscopy (PES) measurement as well as the first analysis chamber is described. The discussion goes through the utilization of the polarization properties of synchrotron radiation and the spectral continuum features which lead to the three modes of PES: energy distribution curve, constant final-energy spectroscopy, and constant initial-state-energy spectroscopy. The merging of synchrotron photoemission and angle-resolved photoemission is reviewed. The new development of using photoelectron diffraction data to obtain images of individual atoms is presented. The inversion of the spectra is based on the holographic principle.
Dynamic simulation of motion effects in IMAT lung SBRT

Intensity modulated arc therapy (IMAT) has been widely adopted for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. While treatment dose is optimized and calculated on a static Computed Tomography (CT) image, the effect of the interplay between the target and linac multi-leaf collimator (MLC) motion is not well described and may result in deviations between delivered and planned dose. In this study, we investigated the dosimetric consequences of the inter-play effect on target and organs at risk (OAR) by simulating dynamic dose delivery using dynamic CT datasets. Fifteen stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with greater than 10 mm tumor motion treated with SBRT in 4 fractions to a dose of 50 Gy were retrospectively analyzed for this study. Each IMAT plan was initially optimized using two arcs. Simulated dynamic delivery was performed by associating the MLC leaf position, gantry angle and delivered beam monitor units (MUs) for each control point with different respiratory phases of the 4D-CT using machine delivery log files containing time stamps of the control points. Dose maps associated with each phase of the 4D-CT dose were calculated in the treatment planning system and accumulated using deformable image registration onto the exhale phase of the 4D-CT. The original IMAT plans were recalculated on the exhale phase of the CT for comparison with the dynamic simulation. The dose coverage of the PTV showed negligible variation between the static and dynamic simulation. There was less than 1.5% difference in PTV V95% and V90%. The average inter-fraction and cumulative dosimetric effects among all the patients were less than 0.5% for PTV V95% and V90% coverage and 0.8 Gy for the OARs. However, in patients where target is close to the organs, large variations were observed on great vessels and bronchus for as much as 4.9 Gy and 7.8 Gy. Limited variation in target dose coverage and OAR constraints were seen for each SBRT fraction as well as over all four fractions. Large dose variations were observed on critical organs in patients where these organs were closer to the target.
Induced Sputum Evaluation in Microwave Popcorn Production Workers

Objective: Severe airways obstruction and bronchiolitis obliterans have been reported in microwave popcorn production workers and attributed to inhalation of flavoring agents. We investigated whether exposure to flavoring agents is associated with airways inflammation in popcorn production workers. Methods: Fifty-nine workers with high exposures and 22 patients with low exposures to flavoring vapors completed a questionnaire, spirometry, and sputum induction. Sputum cell counts were categorized as “high” if greater than (and “low” if less than or equal to) the median cell counts of a healthy external control group (n 24). We compared high- and low-exposure groups as well as all workers with control subjects. Results: Neutrophil concentrations in nonsmoking workers were significantly higher than those of the healthy nonsmoking control group (p 1.63 10 5 /mL) was 3.8 (95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 11.5) in the high-exposure group compared with the low-exposure group. Sputum interleukin-8 and eosinophil cationic protein levels were higher in high-exposure workers than in low-exposure workers (p 95%. There were no relationships between sputum characteristics and the presence of airways obstruction. Conclusions: High exposure to popcorn flavoring agents is associated with neutrophilic airway inflammation in popcorn production workers. These data provide further evidence that popcorn production workers face a significant occupational hazard through exposure to flavoring agents. (CHEST 2005; 128:991–997)
Cadaveric verification of the Eclipse AAA algorithm for spine SBRT treatments with titanium hardware

Abstract Purpose To assess the accuracy of the Eclipse Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm when calculating dose for spine stereotactic body radiation therapy treatments involving surgically implanted titanium hardware. Methods and materials A human spine was removed from a cadaver, cut sagittally along the midline, and then separated into thoracic and lumbar sections. The thoracic section was implanted with titanium stabilization hardware; the lumbar section was not implanted. Spine sections were secured in a water phantom and simulated for treatment planning using both standard and extended computed tomography (CT) scales. Target volumes were created on both spine sections. Dose calculations were performed using (1) the standard CT scale with relative electron density (RED) override of image artifacts and hardware, (2) the extended CT scale with RED override of image artifacts only, and (3) the standard CT scale with no RED overrides for hardware or artifacts. Plans were delivered with volumetric modulated arc therapy using a 6-MV beam with and without a flattening filter. A total of 3 measurements for each plan were made with Gafchromic film placed between the spine sections and compared with Eclipse dose calculations using gamma analysis with a 2%/2 mm passing criteria. A single measurement in a homogeneous phantom was made for each plan before actual delivery. Results Gamma passing rates for measurements in the homogeneous phantom were 99.6% or greater. Passing rates for measurements made in the lumbar spine section without hardware were 99.3% or greater; measurements made in the thoracic spine containing titanium were 98.6 to 99.5%. Conclusions Eclipse Analytical Anisotropic Algorithm can adequately model the effects of titanium implants for spine stereotactic body radiation therapy treatments using volumetric modulated arc therapy. Calculations with standard or extended CT scales give similarly accurate results.
Surprising Initial Findings regarding Sex, Sex Role, and Anticipated Work-Family Conflict

Previous research in work-family conflict focused on current conflict and yielded contradictory findings. The present study is among the first to examine the relationships among sex, measures of sex role and of anticipated work-family conflict. Anticipated conflict was measured using a modified version of the Interrole Conflict Scale. In a sample of 256 university students, men more than women anticipated greater career conflict. Pieck's 1977 hypothesis of “asymmetrical permeability” was posited as a potential explanation for this finding. The expected relationship between sex-role orientation as measured on the Bern Sex-role Inventory and work-family conflict was not obtained.
Super-resolution Imaging of the Bacterial Division Machinery

Bacterial cell division requires the coordinated assembly of more than ten essential proteins at midcell. Central to this process is the formation of a ring-like suprastructure (Z-ring) by the FtsZ protein at the division plan. The Z-ring consists of multiple single-stranded FtsZ protofilaments, and understanding the arrangement of the protofilaments inside the Z-ring will provide insight into the mechanism of Z-ring assembly and its function as a force generator. This information has remained elusive due to current limitations in conventional fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. Conventional fluorescence microscopy is unable to provide a high-resolution image of the Z-ring due to the diffraction limit of light (~200 nm). Electron cryotomographic imaging has detected scattered FtsZ protofilaments in small C. crescentus cells, but is difficult to apply to larger cells such as E. coli or B. subtilis. Here we describe the application of a super-resolution fluorescence microscopy method, Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (PALM), to quantitatively characterize the structural organization of the E. coli Z-ring. PALM imaging offers both high spatial resolution (~35 nm) and specific labeling to enable unambiguous identification of target proteins. We labeled FtsZ with the photoactivatable fluorescent protein mEos2, which switches from green fluorescence (excitation = 488 nm) to red fluorescence (excitation = 561 nm) upon activation at 405 nm. During a PALM experiment, single FtsZ-mEos2 molecules are stochastically activated and the corresponding centroid positions of the single molecules are determined with <20 nm precision. A super-resolution image of the Z-ring is then reconstructed by superimposing the centroid positions of all detected FtsZ-mEos2 molecules. Using this method, we found that the Z-ring has a fixed width of ~100 nm and is composed of a loose bundle of FtsZ protofilaments that overlap with each other in three dimensions. These data provide a springboard for further investigations of the cell cycle dependent changes of the Z-ring and can be applied to other proteins of interest.
Decentralized admission control of a queueing system: A game‐theoretic model

Consider a distributed system where many gatekeepers share a single server. Customers arrive at each gatekeeper according to independent Poisson processes with different rates. Upon arrival of a new customer, the gatekeeper has to decide whether to admit the customer by sending it to the server, or to block it. Blocking costs nothing. The gatekeeper receives a reward after a customer completes the service, and incurs a cost if an admitted customer finds a busy server and therefore has to leave the system. Assuming an exponential service distribution, we formulate the problem as an n-person non-zero-sum game in which each gatekeeper is interested in maximizing its own long-run average reward. The key result is that each gatekeeper's optimal policy is that of a threshold type regardless what other gatekeepers do. We then derive Nash equilibria and discuss interesting insights. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 50: 702–718, 2003.
Perceptions of environmental supports for physical activity in African American and white adults in a rural county in South Carolina.

Introduction This study examined the association between perceptions of social and safety-related environmental attributes and physical activity (PA) and walking in African American and white adults. Methods In a random-digit–dial telephone survey, 1165 adults in a rural county in South Carolina answered questions about their perceptions of social and safety-related environmental supports for PA and their overall PA and walking behavior. Social perceptions included whether neighbors could be trusted or were perceived to be physically active. Safety-related perceptions included neighborhood safety, the safety of public recreation facilities, problems with unattended dogs, traffic volume, and streetlight quality. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between environmental supports and PA and walking stratified by race. Results No association between perceived neighborhood environmental supports and PA or walking was observed in African Americans. Among whites, individuals who perceived their neighbors as active were twice (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19–3.25) as likely to report meeting the recommendation for PA compared with individuals who did not report their neighbors as active. Whites who perceived their neighbors as active were 2.5 times (95% CI, 1.54–4.08) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not, and whites who perceived their neighborhoods as safe were 1.8 times (95% CI, 1.03–3.12) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not. Conclusion These data indicate that perceptions of certain social and safety-related environmental supports were strongly associated with meeting the recommendations for PA and walking among white but not African American adults.
Similarity in Transcytosis of nNOSα in Enteric Nerve Terminals and Beta Cells of Pancreatic Islet

Transcytosis of proteins and hydrodynamic flow of cytoplasm is a major mechanism to sustain physiology in all cells, observable from gametes (1) to mature adult cells and tissues (2, 3). Mammalian cells involved in secretion discretely need to respond to the environment and move components within the cells and position them at appropriate locations for secretion (4, 5). This process involves force generation using Gibbs free energy of hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The ATPase is most often myosin, a naturally occurring cellular ATPase known for its wide role in generation of cellular force (6). The nanomechanics of transport involve the necessary target cargoes, in association with myosin and track on actin filaments, which are ubiquitous cellular cytoskeletal scaffolds of metazoan cells (7). Cellular secretion encompasses multiple physiological systems operating on wide range of time scales including the processes of exocrine and endocrine glandular secretions and neuronal secretion in response to discrete electrical field stimulation, commonly referred to as neurotransmission (8, 9).
Relation of light and exercise to seasonal depressive symptoms: preliminary development of a scale

The palliative effects of exercise on depression are neither generally accepted nor clearly understood. On the contrary, the efficacy of light exposure in the treatment of seasonal depressive symptoms is widely recognized. It is possible that the contradictory findings in the exercise and depression literatures are due to a failure to consider light exposure as a variable. 32 women who regularly exercised were administered a depression inventory and the Seasonal Light Inventory, a new measure composed of two 10-item subscales, Seasonality and Light Exposure. Seasonality assesses fluctuations of mood, appetite, sleep, and other activities occurring at similar times each year, and the Light Exposure subscale measures respondents' estimated exposure to outdoor and bright indoor light. Indeed, those exercisers whose habits exposed them to a relatively large amount of light reported fewer seasonal depressive symptoms than those whose habits exposed them to a relatively small amount of light. The results suggest that the puzzling relationship between exercise and depression might be delineated more clearly by considering light exposure as a confounding variable.
Ecosystematic Data on Economic Plants

(1979). Ecosystematic Data on Economic Plants. Quarterly Journal of Crude Drug Research: Vol. 17, No. 3-4, pp. 91-109.
Olfactory Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: Relation to Plaque Load in Inferior Frontal and Temporal Lobesa

: The question of whether and to what degree multiple sclerosis (MS) influences the ability to smell is controversial. We administered the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) to 26 MS patients and concurrently employed high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantify the number of demyelinating plaques within central brain structures. 38.5% of the patients demonstrated olfactory loss, with 7.7% exhibiting severe microsmia, 19.2% moderate microsmia, and 11.5% mild microsmia. None was anosmic, and no consistent left:right asymmetry in olfactory function or in hemispheric plaque numbers was observed. A strong negative correlation was found (Spearman r =−0.94) between UPSIT scores and the number of plaques within the inferior frontal and temporal lobes, but not within the rest of the brain. This study unequivocally demonstrates that a sizable proportion of MS patients suffer from olfactory loss commensurate with plaque activity within olfactory-related central brain regions, and is the first to explicate a physical basis for the olfactory dysfunction of any common neurologic disease.
Cooperative carrier signaling: harmonizing coexisting WPAN and WLAN devices

The unlicensed ISM spectrum is getting crowded by wireless local area network (WLAN) and wireless personal area network (WPAN) users and devices. Spectrum sharing within the same network of devices can be arbitrated by existing MAC protocols, but the coexistence between WPAN and WLAN (e.g., ZigBee and WiFi) remains a challenging problem. The traditional MAC protocols are ineffective in dealing with the disparate transmit-power levels, asynchronous time-slots, and incompatible PHY layers of such heterogeneous networks. Recent measurement studies have shown moderate-to-high WiFi traffic to severely impair the performance of coexisting ZigBee. We propose a novel mechanism, called cooperative carrier signaling (CCS), that exploits the inherent cooperation among ZigBee nodes to harmonize their coexistence with WiFi WLANs. CCS employs a separate ZigBee node to emit a carrier signal (busy tone) concurrently with the desired ZigBee's data transmission, thereby enhancing the ZigBee's visibility to WiFi. It employs an innovative way to concurrently schedule a busy tone and a data transmission without causing interference between them. We have implemented and evaluated CCS on the TinyOS/MICAz and GNURadio/USRP platforms. Our extensive experimental evaluation has shown that CCS reduces collision between ZigBee and WiFi by 50% for most cases, and by up to 90% in the presence of a high-level interference, all at negligible WiFi performance loss.
GENE THERAPY: Twenty-First Century Medicine

Broadly defined, the concept of gene therapy involves the transfer of genetic material into a cell, tissue, or whole organ, with the goal of curing a disease or at least improving the clinical status of a patient. A key factor in the success of gene therapy is the development of delivery systems that are capable of efficient gene transfer in a variety of tissues, without causing any associated pathogenic effects. Vectors based upon many different viral systems, including retroviruses, lentiviruses, adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses, currently offer the best choice for efficient gene delivery. Their performance and pathogenicity has been evaluated in animal models, and encouraging results form the basis for clinical trials to treat genetic disorders and acquired diseases. Despite some initial success in these trials, vector development remains a seminal concern for improved gene therapy technologies.
A Spatially Variant, Locally Adaptive, Background Normalization Operator

This paper describes a spatially variant, locally adaptive, background normalization operator that is defined in terms of morphological openings and closings. The variable opening (and closing) residue operators address the problems that can occur when one attempts to choose a single structuring element size for background normalization purposes, in cases where the objects of interest have multiple or unknown widths. The operators attempt to assign a natural width to each pixel in an image, based on the opening or closing size that causes the largest change in its value. This size then also determines a local contrast value for that pixel. The size, local contrast and original grey values of pixels in an image can be used to cluster pixels as an aid to performing image segmentation, or foreground-background discrimination. This paper describes and illustrates the algorithm, and discusses how its outputs may be used for image analysis and parameter selection.
Evidence for the Importance of Vitamin D Status in Neurologic Conditions

Vitamin D status has been proposed as relevant to many neurological disorders. Data suggest that vitamin D may be important for the development of the nervous system, and it also plays a role in neuroimmunology and neuroprotection. Lower levels of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D have been linked with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and stroke have lower vitamin D levels than those without the diseases, it is unclear if this is because hypovitaminosis D contributes to disease risk or is a consequence of immobility and other factors caused by the disease. Lower levels of vitamin D have been associated with worse prognosis in MS, PD, ALS, and stroke, while no longitudinal studies have been performed to evaluate such an association in AD. Small pilot trials have been performed to evaluate vitamin D supplementation for some of these diseases, but there have been no phase III studies to support vitamin D supplementation in these patient populations; further, ideal levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are not known. Thus, while some expert panels or individuals have suggested routine testing and supplementation for patients with these neurological conditions, it is our opinion that there are currently insufficient data to support high-dose vitamin D supplementation to specifically treat or prevent these conditions.
Insula response and connectivity during social and non-social attention in children with autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by reduced attention to salient social stimuli. Here, we use two visual oddball tasks to investigate brain systems engaged during attention to social (face) and non-social (scene) stimuli. We focused on the dorsal and ventral subdivisions of the anterior insula (dAI and vAI, respectively), anatomically distinct regions contributing to a 'salience network' that is known to regulate attention to behaviorally meaningful stimuli. Children with ASD performed comparably to their typically developing (TD) peers, but they engaged the right dAI and vAI differently in response to deviant faces compared with deviant scenes. Multivariate activation patterns in the dAI reliably discriminated between children with ASD and TD children with 85% classification accuracy, and children with ASD activated the vAI more than their TD peers. Children with ASD and their TD peers also differed in dAI connectivity patterns to deviant faces, with stronger within-salience network interactions in the ASD group and stronger cross-network interactions in the TD group. Our findings point to atypical patterns of right anterior insula activation and connectivity in ASD and suggest that multiple functions subserved by the insula, including attention and affective processing of salient social stimuli, are aberrant in children with the disorder.
Determining the planar Nernst effect from magnetic-field-dependent thermopower and resistance in nickel and permalloy thin films

We present magnetic-field-dependent measurements of thermopower, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$(H), and resistance, $R(H)$, for ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{80}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{20}$ and Ni thin films. We conducted these experiments in fields oriented parallel and perpendicular to the applied thermal gradient, $\stackrel{P\vec}{\ensuremath{\nabla}}T$, for $\ensuremath{\alpha}$(H) and applied current for $R(H)$. We deposited the 20-nm-thick films on 500-nm-thick suspended Si-N thermal isolation platforms that enable in-plane measurements of thermal and electrical properties of thin films. Both $\ensuremath{\alpha}(H)$ and $R(H)$ in Ni-Fe and Ni films exhibit evidence of spin-dependent scattering through an even field dependence and a linear proportionality between $\ensuremath{\alpha}(H)$ and $1/R(H)$. Finally, we use $\ensuremath{\alpha}({\mathrm{H}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}})$ and $\ensuremath{\alpha}({\mathrm{H}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}})$ to determine the planar Nernst coefficient in Ni-Fe and Ni thin films and use this coefficient to predict the size of the planar Nernst effect (PNE) in the micromachined platform. The measured field dependence of the PNE is well matched by the prediction obtained from our $\ensuremath{\alpha}$(H) results.
Energy of dislocation networks

Abstract It is obtained an expression for energy of a random set of dislocation lines. It is used to determine the characteristics of dislocation ensembles which can appear in continuum theory of dislocations.
An epidemiological investigation and emergency deal on an adenovirus outbreak

AIM:To describe the characteristics of an acute respiratory tract infection,adopt to correspond intervention measure to control epidemic situation.METHODS:Investigated every case by using the same epidemiological questionnaire to describe the epidemiological characteristics.Insulate and cure all sufferers,also insulate suspicious sufferers.To collect the specimen of the sufferer to separate and culture etiology agent;to test the Specimens by suing immunofluorescence,PCR,electron microscope technology and neutralize test to the couple serum of the cases.RESULTS:There were 225 cases.The incidence peaks occurred on February 10.Most cases were recruits(68.9%).The clinical characteristics were fever(100%) and cough(71.6%),some suffers had chest stuffy(13.8%) and dyspnea(1.8%).After cut off the air dissemination,the epidemic situation quickly controled,there were new suffers since February 16.The results of laboratory examination was adenovirus infection.CONCLUSION:The agent of acute respiratory tract infection syndrome was confirmed as adenovirus,and the transmission route mainly were to contact with the aerosol in the air.
[Detecting 2-butoxy ethanol in the air of workplaces by gas chromatography].

Objective To establish a gas chromatographic method for detecting 2-butoxy ethanol in the air of workplaces.Methods After the air samples were collected with activated carbon tubes and desorbed with methylene chloride/methanol,the target toxicant was separated with FFAP capillary columns and detected with flame ionization detector,qualified by retention time and quantified by peak area.Results The linear range of 2-butoxy ethanol in air of workplace was 56.3～901.0 μg/ml,the correlation coefficient was 09999.The limit of detection was 2.0 μg/ml.The limit of quantity was 5.0 μg/ml.The minimal detecting concentration was 0.27mg/m3 in the condition of 7.5L sampling volume and 1 ml desorbed volume,Relative standard deviation was 3.04％～7.93％ and the recovery was 92.7％～95.5％.Conclusion In present study the detecting method with high sensitivity,precision and accuracy can be used to determine 2-butoxy ethanol in the air of workplaces. Key words: Air of workplace; 2-butoxy ethanol; Gas chromatography
Diarrhea syndrome in hepatic adenoma

An unusual presentation of hepatic adenoma as an acute febrile illness with hepatomegaly, diarrhea, and metabolic acidosis has been discussed. Celiac angiography revealed a mass in the right heaptic lobe. Following a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics and amebacidal therapy, a right-hepatic lobectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed a benign hepatic adenoma. Postoperatively, the patient had a complete recovery, with complete resolution of her symptoms. An etiology for the toxic state could not be determined. However, it was speculated that it might have represented a hypermetabolic or hypercatabolic state secondary to the tumor itself. Alternatively, the tumor may have secreted a substance giving rise to these symptoms.
Total Wrist Arthroplasty Versus Wrist Fusion: Utilization and Complication Rates as Reported by ABOS Part II Candidates.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess national trends in the utilization and complication rates of total wrist arthroplasty (TWA) and total wrist fusion (WF) as identified via review of t...
Risk-Taking in a Post-Pension Society: A Potential Mechanism for Generating Wealth Inequality in 401(k) Retirement Plans

The introduction of direct contribution 401(k) retirement accounts in the late 1970’s brought about an institutional shift in the relationship between private employers and workers with regard to financial risk and decision making involved with retirement savings, which can impact financial well-being in older age. The role of investment uncertainty on individual risk-taking has been documented, however the importance of socioeconomic status on these decisions has been studied far less. This paper identifies and quantifies an unnoticed mechanism for generating potential inequality within 401(k) plans - based on disparities in employee income and how that results in employees self-selecting riskier or less risky portfolios. Lower-income employees, as a whole, allocate to less risky investments than higher-income earners, and interestingly, those with the highest incomes are slightly more risk averse than might be expected. Also surprising is the result that employees in their 20’s are more risk averse than would otherwise be expected, which may be attributed to a low income being a greater predictor of risk aversion than age. These findings have important implications for the lower income segments of the labor force, as well as for social security and retirement planning policy making.
Avoiding Complications in Bone and Soft Tissue Ablation

As with percutaneous ablation of tumors in the liver, lungs, and kidneys, ablation of bone and non-visceral soft tissue tumors carries risk, primarily from collateral damage to vital structures in proximity to the target tumor. Certain risks are of particular interest when ablating bone and non-visceral soft tissue tumors, namely neural or skin injury, bowel injury, fracture, and gas embolism from damaged applicators. Ablation of large volume tumors also carries special risk. Many techniques may be employed by the interventional radiologist to minimize complications when treating tumors in the musculoskeletal system. These methods include those to depict, displace, or monitor critical structures. Thus, measures to provide thermoprotection may be active, such as careful ablation applicator placement and use of various displacement techniques, as well as passive, including employment of direct temperature, radiographic, or neurophysiologic monitoring techniques. Cementoplasty should be considered in certain skeletal locations at risk of fracture. Patients treated with large volume tumors should be monitored for renal dysfunction and properly hydrated. Finally, ablation applicators should be cautiously placed in the constrained environment of intact bone.
D&O Insurance, Indemnification, and Advancement of Legal Expenses (In Russian)

We compare legal regulation and practical experience in Russia for D&O insurance, indemnification of company managers, and advancement of legal expenses with that in other countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, UK and USA).This article is a revised, updated, and shortened version of Chapter 9 of the Report to Russian Center for Capital Market Development: Comparative Analysis on Legal Regulation of the Liability of Members of the Executive Organs of Companies.
Properties, Predicates, Davidson and Deflation

I want to motivate an account of what it is for an object to have a property, which may as well be called a deflationary view about properties. Such a view follows from a conception of predication I ground in the work of Donald Davidson, some of which remains unpublished. I claim that if we take seriously Davidson’s account of predication, by maintaining that sentences are the primary linguistic unit, we can define properties in terms of predicates. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, I argue that this account is present in Davidson’s systematic treatment of the problem of predication. Second, I claim that this account is serviceable and economical, as it can accommodate a wide scope of properties and abstract objects without appealing to entities such as truthmakers or joints in nature.
Abstract IA24: Transcriptional regulators as cancer dependencies

Broad alterations in the rate of gene transcription are necessary, and often sufficient, for cells to undergo malignant transformation. As a consequence, cancer cells are vulnerable to perturbations of individual transcription regulators, including DNA-binding transcription factors and general cofactors. Our laboratory has taken a functional-genomics approach to identify essential transcriptional regulators in cancer cells in an effort to expose opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Our initial efforts used shRNA screening to identify the BET bromodomain protein BRD4 as a targetable non-oncogene dependency in acute myeloid leukemia. More recently, we have pursued the use CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing as a tool for annotating essential transcriptional regulators in cancer. In my presentation, I will review our current understanding of BRD4 as a therapeutic target in leukemia, focusing on the upstream and downstream factors that support BRD4-dependent transcriptional activation. I will also present our use of CRISPR-Cas9 to identify and validate therapeutic targets in cancer, which exploits the heterogeneity of Cas9-induced indel mutations to infer structure-function relationships of individual protein domains. Citation Format: Christopher Vakoc. Transcriptional regulators as cancer dependencies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Targeting the Vulnerabilities of Cancer; May 16-19, 2016; Miami, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2017;23(1_Suppl):Abstract nr IA24.
L-NAME, but not Phenylephrine Enhances the Effects of Endogenous Carbon Monoxide on Vascular Tone in Vivo and in Vitro

4 Vascular endothelium and smooth muscle express heme oxygenase, which metabolizes heme to form biliverdin, free iron and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide promotes endothelium-independent vasodilation, but also inhibits nitric oxide formation. We previously found, that heme-derived carbon monoxide dilates isolated gracilis arterioles pretreated with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N ω -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and lowers blood pressure in hypertensive rat models. This current study examines the hypothesis that nitric oxide modifies the effects of endogenous carbon monoxide on vascular tone both in vitro and in vivo . For this purpose in vitro studies were conducted on rat isolated pressurized first-order gracilis arterioles superfused with oxygenated (14%O 2 /5%CO 2 balanced with N 2 ) modified Krebs’ buffer (CaCl 2 1.4mmol/L). A heme oxygenase inhibitor, chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP, 15μmol/L), constricted gracilis arterioles (Δ-32±6μm, t 1/2max =5min; n=6, P 1/2max =5min; n=7; P .05). In addition, in vivo studies were performed in anesthetized rats instrumented with flow probes and arterial catheters. In these animals the heme oxygenase inhibitor CrMP (45μmol/Kg,IP) had no significant effect on hindlimb resistance (Δ 2.3±0.1 mmHg/mL/min; n=5; P>.05). But, in animals pretreated with L-NAME (100mg/Kg), CrMP increased hindlimb resistance (Δ10.7 ± 0.7 mmHg/mL/min; n=4; P .05). This study shows the vascular actions of an inhibitor of endogenous carbon monoxide formation are enhanced by an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, but not by an alternative vasoconstrictor. These findings suggest the endogenous heme-heme oxygenase-carbon monoxide system exerts vasodilatory influences on basal vascular tone which are uniquely enhanced in the absence of nitric oxide synthesis.
Adaptive Friction Compensation for Stewart Platform Machine Tool Structures

Abstract In this paper, two robust adaptive control algorithms are proposed for friction compensation in high performance machine tools. The first controller utilizes an adaptive friction compensation scheme based on a postulated linear-in-the-parameters friction model. The proposed friction compensation algorithm explicitly accounts for time varying normal forces as well as dependence of the friction coefficient on velocity. The Stribeck friction characteristic and variations in static friction are treated as bounded disturbances, and compensated for by adaptive bounding functions. In the second controller, a special form of the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy system is utilized to adaptively learn unknown friction behavior and compensate for it. This approach assumes that no a priori knowledge about frictional effects in the strut joints is available. The proposed controllers are compared based on simulation and experimental results of tracking performance at low speeds, since frictional effects dominate strut dynamics at low speeds. The results indicate that the large tracking errors caused by friction at the velocity reversals when conventional control algorithms are used, are reduced greatly by the adaptive controllers. Instability of the gradient type adaptive algorithms is observed when the adaptation rate is high. Inclusion of a dead-zone modification of the adaptive laws eliminates the instability.
Information Entropy and Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineering decisions are often made with limited information. In such cases it is useful to express uncertain quantities with a probability distribution. The use of information theory to estimate probability distributions, given limited information, is illustrated in this paper. Such distributions are as 'broad' as possible consistent with available information, and therefore represent what is known in an objective way. The distributions can be used directly to aid decision-making or as input to stochastic computer models. The estimation of the distribution of particle sizes in a filter media using information theory is demonstrated.
Low complexity optimization for user centric cellular networks via large dimensional analysis

Abstract Users near cell edges suffer from severe interference in traditional cellular networks. In this paper, we consider the scenario that multiple nearby base stations (BSs) cooperatively serve a group of users which is referred to as the cell free networks. A low complexity optimization method based on the large dimensional analysis is proposed. The advantage of the cell free networks is that the interference caused in the cell edge users can be converted into intended signal. It is not easy to obtain the optimal solution to the network due to coupled relations among the users’ rates. To obtain a suboptimal solution, a precoder that balances signal and interference is adopted to maximize the network capacity. In traditional optimization, it requires instantaneous channel state information. We try to optimize the network sum rate based on the large dimensional analysis. In this way, the optimization can be transformed into another problem that merely depend on the large scale channel statistics. Large dimensional analysis is leveraged to derive the asymptotic signal to interference plus noise ratio that only depends on large scale channel statistics. Based on this result, the power allocation problem does not need to adapt as frequently as the instantaneous channel state information. By this means, signal exchange overhead can be greatly reduced. Numerical results are provided to validate the efficacy of the proposed optimization method.
Small-angle neutron scattering study of a dense microemulsion system formed with an ionic liquid

Mixtures of water, octane and 1-octanol with 1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C14MIM·Cl), often referred to as a surface active ionic liquid (SAIL), form water-in-oil microemulsions that have potential application as extraction media for various metal ions. Here, we present a structural study by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) of dense microemulsions formed by surfactant-rich mixtures of these four compounds to understand how the SAIL can be used to tune the structures and properties of the microemulsions. The SANS experiments revealed that the microemulsions formed are composed of two phases, a water-in-oil microemulsion and a bicontinuous microemulsion, which becomes the dominant phase at high surfactant concentration. In this concentration regime, the surfactant film becomes more rigid, having a higher bending modulus that results from the parallel stacking of the imidazolium ring of the SAIL. At lower surfactant concentrations, the molecular packing of the SAIL does not change with the water content of the microemulsion. The results presented here correlate well with previously observed changes in the interaction between the IL cation and metal ions (Y. Tong, L. Han and Y. Yang, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2012, 51, 16438–16443), while the capacity of the microemulsion system for water remains high enough for using the system as an extraction medium.
Control of Networked Distributed Energy Resources in Grid-Connected AC Microgrids

This paper focuses on the optimal utilization of grid-connected microgrids for providing frequency regulation services to the bulk systems they are connected to. We consider microgrids comprised of several distributed energy resources (DER) interconnected via an electrical network. We then formulate a joint DER scheduling and power-flow optimization problem in order to determine the DER setpoints so that the cost of failing to follow some regulation signal is minimized in each regulation contract; this problem is nonconvex. We propose a convex relaxation for this problem, and propose a family of continuous-time control laws, the trajectories of which can be computed in a distributed way. We prove that these converge to an optimal solution of the relaxed problem, and that they result in feasible power flows for the system at each time instant. The proposed continuous-time control laws have to be implemented in a discrete-time fashion over some communication network. We propose a discrete-time approximation of our control laws, and show that the resulting discrete-time control laws converge to an optimal solution of the relaxed problem.
Optimization of Haemophilus influenzae adhesin transmembrane domain expression in Escherichia coli.

To obtain a high yield of the transmembrane domain of Haemophilus influenzae adhesin (HiaTD) in Escherichia coli, we attempted to express the HiaTD with and without a signal sequence using a T7 expression system. The expression level of HiaTD after induction was followed by quantification of the purified HiaTD, flow cytometric analysis of the outer membrane integrated HiaTD, and immunoblotting assay of fractionated cell lysate. In the expression system with a signal sequence, although the amount of cell-surface-expressed HiaTD increased over time, the number of HiaTD-expressing cells decreased, probably because of plasmid instability. As a result, the amount of purified HiaTD reached a plateau at 2 h postinduction. Although expression without the signal sequence provides a large amount of proteins as inclusion bodies in some membrane proteins, HiaTD expressed without a signal sequence was not observed as inclusion bodies and seemed to be assembled into the outer membrane during or after cell lysis.
Thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications in children and young adult recipients of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT).

Abstract Background Overall incidence of hemostatic complications in pediatric recipients of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) is scarcely studied. This retrospective review explored the incidence and underlying risk factors of bleeding and thrombotic complications in children. Procedure Clinical characteristics, hemorrhagic events (HE), thrombotic events (TE) and follow up data were abstracted from medical records on patients aged Results From start of conditioning until last follow up, 238 pediatric patients were reviewed during this study. There were 16 symptomatic thrombotic complications in 15 patients, along with 13 major bleeding events. Incidence of HE or TE was higher in allogeneic HSCT compared to autologous HSCT (p = 0.02). Severe thrombocytopenia could not be identified as a major contributor to bleeding. All patients with HE had platelets between 20,000–50,000 × 109/L, except one patient, who had platelets Conclusions Allogeneic pediatric HSCT patients had higher overall risk of hemorrhagic or thrombotic complications compared to autologous recipients in this study. HSCT for myeloid malignancies was a risk factor for higher complications.