cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of Power Loss of Small Time-Step VSC Model in RTDS

In this paper, the power loss of power electronic switches modeled as RTDS small time-step voltage source converter (VSC) is studied. The reduction of time step size and resistance at OFF state can decrease the artificial switching loss in the RTDS small time-step VSC models. Higher noise levels in the RTDS simulations indicate more power loss in the RTDS simulations than in equivalent PSIM simulations. The sensitivity of the power loss and the total harmonic distortion (THD) to parameters, including switch model parameters and interface transformer model parameters are studied. With appropriately selected component model parameters, the power loss of the modeled switches can be reduced.
Bacterial colonization leads to the colonic secretion of RELMβ/FIZZ2, a novel goblet cell-specific protein

Abstract Background & Aims: Goblet cells are highly polarized exocrine cells found throughout the small and large intestine that have a characteristic morphology due to the accumulation of apical secretory granules. These granules contain proteins that play important physiologic roles in cellular protection, barrier function, and proliferation. A limited number of intestinal goblet cell-specific proteins have been identified. In this study, we investigate the expression and regulation of RELMβ, a novel colon-specific gene. Methods: The regulation of RELMβ messenger RNA expression was determined in LS174T, Caco-2, and HT-29 cell lines in response to stimulation with interleukin 13 and lipopolysaccharide. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunoblots, and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the expression of RELMβ in BALB/c and C.B17.SCID mice housed in conventional, germ-free, and gnotobiotic environments. Results: Messenger RNA for RELMβ is restricted to the undifferentiated, proliferating colonic epithelium. Immunohistochemistry shows that this protein is expressed in goblet cells located primarily in the distal half of the colon and cecum with lower levels detectable in the proximal colon. High levels of RELMβ can be detected in the stool of mice and humans, where it exists as a homodimer under nonreducing conditions. Interestingly, the secretion of RELMβ is dramatically reduced in germ-free mice. Furthermore, introduction of germ-free mice into a conventional environment results in enhanced expression and robust secretion of RELMβ within 48 hours. Conclusions: These studies define a new goblet cell-specific protein and provide the first evidence that colon-specific gene expression can be regulated by colonization with normal enteric bacteria.
Competitive Options, Supply Contracting, and Electronic Markets

This paper develops a framework for analyzing business-to-business (B2B) transactions and supply chain management based on integrating contract procurement markets with spot markets using capacity options and forwards. The framework is motivated by the emergence of B2B exchanges in several industrial sectors to facilitate such integrated contract and spot procurement. In the framework developed, a buyer and multiple sellers may either contract for delivery in advance (the "contracting" option) or they may buy and sell some or all of their input/output in a spot market. Contract pricing involves both a reservation fee per unit of capacity and an execution fee per unit of output if capacity is called. The key question addressed is the structure of the optimal portfolios of contracting and spot market transactions for the buyer and these sellers, and the pricing thereof in market equilibrium. Existence and structure of market equilibria are characterized for the associated competitive game between sellers with heterogeneous technologies, under the assumption that they know the buyer's demand function. This allows an explicit characterization of the price of capacity options and the value of managerial flexibility, as well as providing conditions under which B2B exchanges are efficient and sustainable.
Barriers to Improving Primary Care of Depression: Perspectives of Medical Group Leaders

Using clinical trials, researchers have demonstrated effective methods for treating depression in primary care, but improvements based on these trials are not being implemented. This might be because these improvements require more systematic organizational changes than can be made by individual physicians. We interviewed 82 physicians and administrative leaders of 41 medical groups to learn what is preventing those organizational changes. The identified barriers to improving care included external contextual problems (reimbursement, scarce resources, and access to/communication with specialty mental health), individual attitudes (physician and patient resistance), and internal care process barriers (organizational and condition complexity, difficulty standardizing and measuring care). Although many of these barriers are challenging, we can overcome them by setting clear priorities for change and allocating adequate resources. We must improve primary care of depression if we are to reduce its enormous adverse social and economic impacts.
99mTECHNETIUM DIMERCAPTO-SUCCINIC ACID RENAL SCINTIGRAPHY ABNORMALITIES IN INFANTS WITH STERILE HIGH GRADE VESICOURETERAL REFLUX

Purpose: Although vesicoureteral reflux associated with bacteriuria may cause renal scarring, sterile reflux is thought not to cause renal injury. We determined the incidence and associated characteristics of renal abnormalities using 99mtechnetium(Tc) dimercapto-succinic acid (DMSA) renal scintigraphy in infants with high grade vesicoureteral reflux but no history of urinary tract infection.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the results of 99mTc-DMSA renal scintigraphy and renal ultrasonography performed during the first 6 months of life in infants with vesicoureteral reflux detected during the postnatal evaluation of prenatal hydronephrosis or sibling reflux screening. Those with a history of urinary tract infection, or evidence of ureteropelvic junction or bladder outlet obstruction were excluded from study.Results: Of the 28 male and 6 female infants who met study criteria vesicoureteral reflux was bilateral in 25 and unilateral in 9. Reflux grade was IV or V, II or III and I in 38, 18...
Compressing three-dimensional GRIB meteorological data using KLT and JPEG 2000

In this paper, a study on 3D GRIB (GRIdded Binary) meteorological data is presented. The study consists of statistical analysis and lossy compression experiments on the data. In order to achieve compression ratios in the range of 10 to 100, lossy JPEG2000 compression was used on horizontal slices of the data. When compressing the data, an evaluation was performed to determine benefits of pre-processing the data by applying a set of different transforms in the z-direction. The transforms used in the z-direction included the Karhunen-Loeve transform (KLT) and the 9/7 wavelet filters. Results obtained in the data analysis and compression are presented.
Patterns of Snake Predation at Songbird Nests in Missouri and Texas

Snakes are frequent predators of eggs and nestlings, but general patterns of snake predation at bird nests are not well known. We reviewed 84 video observations of snakes visiting nests of four songbird species in Texas and Missouri to identify patterns of predatory behavior. Eastern Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) were the most common species, and coachwhips, racers, kingsnakes, and a garter snake also were recorded. Snakes almost always removed all nest contents during a single visit but sometimes force-fledged nestlings that were old enough to escape. During many visits late in the nestling period, snakes pinned their prey in the nest while feeding, thereby preventing many of the young from escaping. Snakes spent an average of 13 min and 23 sec at each nest (1 min and 52 sec before striking), and the duration of nocturnal visits exceeded the duration of diurnal visits. Snakes sometimes returned to empty nests after they caused failure but only after nestlings were depredated. Visits by Texas Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) were mostly nocturnal, whereas visits by Black Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta), coachwhips, racers, and kingsnakes were diurnal. Snake predation increased as the nesting cycle progressed with the highest rate occurring in the last few days of the nestling period. Increased predation at the end of the nestling period suggests that avian activity (i.e., feeding visits, nest defense, and nestling movement) contributes to the foraging success of snakes at our sites.
Most Retroviral Recombinations Occur during Minus-Strand DNA Synthesis

Retroviral RNA molecules are plus, or sense in polarity, equivalent to mRNA. During reverse transcription, the first strand of the DNA molecule synthesized is minus-strand DNA. After the minus strand is polymerized, the plus-strand DNA is synthesized using the minus-strand DNA as the template. In this study, a helper cell line that contains two proviruses with two different mutated gfp genes was constructed. Recombination between the two frameshift mutant genes resulted in a functional gfp. If recombination occurs during minus-strand DNA synthesis, the plus-strand DNA will also contain the functional sequence. After the cell divides, all of its offspring will be green. However, if recombination occurs during plus-strand DNA synthesis, then only the plus-strand DNA will contain the wild-type gfp sequence and the minus-strand DNA will still carry the frameshift mutation. The double-stranded DNA containing this mismatch was subsequently integrated into the host chromosomal DNA of D17 cells, which were unable to repair the majority of mismatches within the retroviral double-strand DNA. After the cell divided, one daughter cell contained the wild-type gfp sequence and the other daughter cell contained the frameshift mutation in the gfp sequence. Under fluorescence microscopy, half the cells in the offspring were green and the other half of the cells were colorless or clear. Thus, we demonstrated that more than 98%, if not all, retroviral recombinations occurred during minus-strand DNA synthesis.
Impatiens capensis (Balsaminaceae) Meerb. is a Necessary Nurse Host for the Parasitic Plant Cuscuta gronovii (Cuscutaceae) Willd. ex J.A. Schultes in Southeastern Michigan Wetlands

Abstract Generalist parasites have been shown to have the potential to substantially affect the structure of the communities they inhabit. In order to predict the potential effects of these parasites, understanding the relationships they have with their host species is critical. In this study, the host range of Cuscuta gronovii was determined at two different times during the growing season, which corresponded with two life stages of parasitic individuals, seedling and adult. Field observations suggest that most of the successful infections by seedlings occurred upon only Impatiens capensis, one of the many species that it infects as an adult. This paper reports three tests of the hypothesis that I. capensis is a necessary nurse host for the parasite C. gronovii. In early summer survey plots, I. capensis was found to be infected by C. gronovii seedlings significantly more than predicted by the null hypothesis that all species in the plot were equally likely to be infected. In a late winter survey, in whic...
Modeling and Prediction of Wireless Channel Quality

In this chapter, we present an optimal frame size predictor for maximizing the wireless channel utilization. Kalman filter is adopted to predict the optimal frame size under noisy wireless channel. Simulations results show that the performance of proposed frame size predictor is much better than other prediction methods like moving average.
Modulation of megakaryocytopoiesis by thrombopoietin: the c-Mpl ligand.

We have further characterized the biological activities, mechanism of action, and target cell populations of recombinant human and murine thrombopoietin (rhTPO and rmTPO) in in vitro human and murine model systems. Alone, hTPO or mTPO stimulated the maturation of immature murine megakaryoblasts as measured in a single cell assay. The combination of hTPO or mTPO and interleukin-6 (IL-6) resulted in a further increase in megakaryocyte differentiation in this system. Murine TPO stimulated mouse megakaryocyte progenitor development. Human megakaryocyte progenitor development was potentiated by hTPO alone and further augmented in the presence of the early-acting cytokines (IL-3) or kit ligand/stem cell factor (KL/SCF). To further define the mechanism of action of TPO, neutralization studies were performed with antisera to IL-3, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM- CSF), IL-1 beta, and IL-11. No diminution in TPO activity was observed in the presence of these antisera. Moreover, because adhesive interactions are known to modulate hematopoiesis, we studied whether hTPO might alter such interactions between human bone marrow (BM) megakaryocytes and human BM stromal fibroblasts. No changes were observed in either megakaryocyte expression of the surface molecules lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1, very late activation antigen- 4, or intercellular adhesion molecule-1 or the adhesion of megakaryocytes to stromal fibroblasts after treatment with the growth factor. Furthermore, no induction of secretion of the cytokines IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, GM-CSF, IL-6, granulocyte-CSF, tumor necrosis factor- alpha, transforming growth factor-beta 1, or transforming growth factor- beta 2 by primary human BM megakaryocytes was noted after treatment of the cells with hTPO. To address whether TPO affects very primitive hematopoietic progenitors, we studied the residual cells from the BMs of mice treated with high doses of 5-fluorouracil. Although no effect of mTPO alone was noted on the viability or replication of such primitive murine progenitor populations, the triple combination of IL-3 + KL/SCF + TPO stimulated growth of megakaryocyte progenitors. These results indicate that TPO is a highly lineage-specific growth factor whose primary biological effects are likely to be direct modulation of the growth and maturation of committed megakaryocyte precursors and immature megakaryoblasts.
Temporal Process Logic

Research in the specification and verification of concurrent systems falls into two general categories. The temporal logic school advocates temporal logic as a language for formulating system requirements, with the semantics of the logic being used as a basis for determining whether or not a system is correct. The process-algebraic community focuses on the use of “higher-level” system descriptions as specifications of “lower-level” ones, with a refinement relation being used to determine whether an implementation conforms to a specification. From a user’s perspective, the approaches offer different benefits and drawbacks. Temporal logic supports “scenario-based” specifications, since formulas may be given that focus on single aspects of system behavior. On the other hand, temporal logic specifications suffer from a lack of compositionality, since the language of specifications differs from the system description language. In contrast, compositional specification is the hallmark of process algebraic reasoning, but at the expense of requiring what some view as overly detailed specifications. Although much research has studied the connections between the temporal logic and process algebra, a truly uniform formalism that combines the advantages of the two approaches has yet to emerge.
Evaluation of Five Techniques for Recovering Postlarval Stages of Chiggers (Acarina: Trombiculidae) from Soil Habitats

Five methods for recovering the deutonymph and adult stages of the chigger mite Eutrombicula splendens Ewing were compared. Three of these involved flotation of soil and litter in either a magnesium sulfate solution or tap water; one flotation method used a modified Ladell apparatus. Two extraction methods involved Tullgren funnel extractors, either with or without lights. We recovered more than 90% of the mites with magnesium sulfate and tap water flotation and Tullgren funnels with lights. Tullgren funnels with lights was the most effective method, with the lowest mortality rates and the least labor input. A calculated “extraction half-time” is proposed for estimating recovery times for post larval chiggers from Tullgren funnels.
Differences in Composition of the Fat Body of Normal and Aposymbiotic Cockroaches (Periplaneta Americana)

Water, free fat, and glycogen were measured in the fat bodies of normal and aposymbiotic nymphs and adults of Periplaneta Americana (L.). No significant differences were found in water content, the averages ranging from 37.1% to 39.0%. Free fat averaged 30.1% and 25.7% of dry weight in normal nymphs and adults; in aposymbiotic insects the corresponding values were 19.9% and 12.9%. Glycogen made up 35.4% and 31.3% of dry weight in normal nymphs and adults, respectively, as compared with 60.2% and 17.3%, respectively, in aposymbiotic nymphs and adults.
The motor vehicle industry in an emerging nation: the case of Brazil

ABSTRACTAs in other emerging nations, in Brazil, the motor vehicle industry is considered to be strategically important for economic development because of its backward and forward linkages and possibilities for export-led growth. This study analyses prospects for the industry by estimating an industry-level cost function that includes output of both vehicles and component parts with capital, labour and intermediate goods as inputs. The cost elasticity of output (an indicator of scale properties) and the elasticity relationships among inputs are explored. One unexpected outcome of the work that appears to be robust is that during early years of the study period, the industry had constant returns or even diseconomies of scale. However, during later years, when output was greater, there were economies of scale. This finding is likely the result of some combination of the entry of new firms, the development of new models or technological change. The study concludes that if firm output can be increased, econo...
Computer analysis of cell images.

The state of automation in microscopic morphology is discussed, and a new approach based on computer analysis of cell images is presented. Examples are given of the application of the CYDAC system to blood cell and chromosome discrimination.
The Media Reputation of Small Firms: Exploring the Applicability of Existing Reputation Measures

This study explored the media reputation of small businesses by examining the reputation attributes of small businesses represented in the news media. As an emerging field, nanotechnology was used as the context for the study. Findings showed that some of the study firms were more prominent in the news media than others and that all of the firms were often held in high esteem by the news media. Additionally, the small firms were most often portrayed as showing prospects for future growth, leading in innovation, having strong leaders and leaders with clear visions for the future, and producing high quality products. The paper also discusses the implications of the study results and presents some directions for future research.
A METHOD TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVE PRODUCTION TIME OF LOW PERMEABILITY CONDENSATE GAS WELL

With the decline of the pressure, the retrograde gas condensate in gas condensate reservoir will be accumulated near the wellbore, which would cause the formation permeability damage. Even more which will influence the normal production of gas-condensate well. Based on the transfusion theory for a gas-condensate system at a constant temperature, the saturation distribution characteristic of gas condensate and multinomial infiltration flow characteristic were studied in the paper. At the same time, after analyzing different kinds of constraint condition of gas-condensate well, the production performance theory and means of gas-condensate well at considering condensate pollution condition were also discussed, and a sort of new method which can forecast gas-condensate well Horner time was derived. The application results showed that the result of Horner time of gas-condensate well got from this paper was accordant with the practical Horner time, it indicated that the approaches in this paper are reliable and practicable.
Isolated cardiac sarcoidosis: A focused review of an under-recognized entity

There is accumulating evidence for the existence of a phenotype of isolated cardiac sarcoidosis (ICS), or sarcoidosis that only involves the heart. In the absence of biopsy-confirmed cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), existing diagnostic criteria require the presence of extra-cardiac sarcoidosis as an inclusion criterion for the diagnosis of CS. Consequently, in the absence of a positive endomyocardial biopsy, ICS is not diagnosable by current guidelines. Therefore, there is uncertainty regarding the epidemiology, pathobiology, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and optimal treatment of ICS. This review will summarize the available data related to the prevalence and prognosis of ICS and will discuss challenges surrounding the diagnosis and management of this under-recognized entity.
Traditional Versus Robotic Assisted UKA- a Comparison of Early Outcomes

Introduction: Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has been proven to be an effective treatment for degenerative joint disease confined to a single tibiofemoral compartment. Recently, UKAs have been performed with robotic-arm assistance (RAA) devices to build and improve upon previous computer-assisted navigation. As a pilot study, we have analyzed short term outcomes for a series of robotic-arm assisted medial UKAs and compared them to a comparable cohort of traditionally instrumented medial UKAs. Methods: Ninety-eight fixed-bearing medial UKAs were isolated in our prospective data collection database for short-term analysis for this study. Included patients completed pre and post-operative Short Form 12 version 1 Health Survey (SF12), Western Ontario and McMaster University Outcome Scores (WOMAC), and Knee Society Function Score (KSFS) questionnaires. Forty-eight RAA UKAs were performed using the MAKO RIO system with Restoris implants, and fifty manual UKAs were performed with the Zimmer® Unicompartmental High-Flex Knee System (ZUK). Results: Both cohorts experienced increased gains in all categories, except for the change in SF12 mental subscore in the MAKO cohort. Only the WOMAC pain subscore at 1 year showed statistically significant differences between the two cohorts, with MAKO subjects experiencing less pain than ZUK subjects (92.4 MAKO vs. 82.0 ZUK, p = 0.03). The SF12 mental score at three months and the change in SF12 mental score from pre-op to 1 year were also statistically significant; however, the pre-op differences between the two groups in the SF 12 mental category were also significantly different. Within the groups that were not significantly different, ZUK subjects experienced greater changes from pre-operative to three months in SF12 mental, all WOMAC subsets, and KSFS, while MAKO subjects had a greater change in SF12 physical subscore. This pattern held true with changes between pre-operative and 1 year, with the exception that MAKO patients experienced a greater positive change in WOMAC pain scores than ZUK patients. Additionally, age and body mass index were not significantly different between cohorts; however, operative time was significantly longer in the MAKO cohort (p Discussion: These results suggest that despite the lower WOMAC pain scores at one year, the extra expense and operative time required for RAA UKA may not translate into immediate functional gains. These conclusions are however limited due to the short follow-up time period and the randomization of patients. Future studies must also analyze implant alignment, rotation and position in order to fully analyze the operations.
An introduction to fixed-point signal processing

As embedded fixed-point signal processing becomes more common, it becomes increasingly important that engineers have the proper training and tools to tackle the difficult problems intrinsic to implementing algorithms in fixed-point. However, educational institutions and tool vendors have been slow to respond to this need. Engineers thus endure a long slow learning curve before they can be productive. In this paper, we draw on experience to suggest an approach to teaching fixed-point signal processing. We also introduce new tools that make this difficult subject more accessible to educators, students, and practising engineers.
Abstract 267: Hemoglobin, Endothelial Cells, and TLRs. Common Connection?

Introduction: Patients suffering from chronic hereditary hemolytic anemic syndromes, such as sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia, are often at risk for systemic and pulmonary vascular disease. It has been suggested that chronic exposure to cell free hemoglobin (CFH) may contribute to some vascular diseases associated with these syndromes such as pulmonary arterial hypertension. To date, the vasculotoxic effects of CFH have mostly been attributed to its pro-oxidant and nitric oxide scavenging characteristics. However, emerging evidence suggests CFH may contribute to inflammation by directly activating a signaling cascade event by binding to a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) or a toll like receptor (TLR) on vascular endothelial cells. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that CFH would increase the activity of transcription factors, NF-κb and HIF-1α, via a MyD88-dependent pathway. Methods: Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC) were transfected with either an NF-κB or HIF-1α luciferase reporter gene and treated with CFH (ferrous, ferric, and ferryl forms) in the presence or absence of SOD, catalase, dexamethasome, MyD88 inhibitor, or, the PHD inhibitor, DMOG. Messenger RNA for HIF-1α and HIF-2 were also measured after treatments. Results: All three states of hemoglobin increased NF-κB and HIF-1α activity in a dose response fashion, with ferryl inducing the greatest activity of both NF-κB and HIF-1α. Time course studies showed that NF-κB and HIF-1α activity tracked together. A unique synergy was noted with co-treatment of ferryl and DMOG. Co-treatment with SOD or catalase did not inhibit the CFH-induced NF-κB or HIF-1α response. Dexamthasome and MyD88 inhibition reduced the CFH-induced NF-κB and HIF-1α activity. Conclusion: Our results support the hypothesis, that CFH may activate a TLR or PRR signaling cascade subsequently activating MyD88-NF-κB and HIF-1α. Our data, that showed SOD and/or catalase did not block CFH effects, suggests that this event is not mediated by CFH pro-oxidant characteristics. CFH-induced HIF-1α was blocked by NF-κB inhibition with either, Dexamethasome or MyD88 inhibition emphasizing the importance of NF-κB in the HIF-1α pathway.
Prognostics of Lithium ion battery using functional principal component analysis

Lithium ion batteries are widely used for energy storage. Its capacity degradation modeling and cycle to failure estimation has become very significant. Repeated capacity measurements over the whole life of batteries, i.e., the longitudinal data, are investigated to understand the degradation process and the cycle to failure behavior. This paper proposes a method for prognostics of lithium ion batteries based on the functional principal component analysis. The observed degradation signal is decomposed into the mean function and variance-covariance function. The local quadratic smoothing method is used to estimate the mean function. Functional principal components of the variance-covariance function are represented and modeled through eigenfunctions, which are further approximated and estimated using a combination of B-Splines. For the battery capacity prognostics, three eigenfunctions explained 99.98% of the total variation. Capacity prediction and cycle to failure distribution are also analyzed and evaluated based on the proposed method.
Recanalization after Extracranial Dissection: Effect of Antiplatelet Compared with Anticoagulant Therapy

Background Cervical arterial dissection is a leading cause of stroke in young patients, yet optimal management remains controversial. Existing studies focusing on recurrent stroke were underpowered to demonstrate differences between antithrombotic strategies. Vessel recanalization is a more prevalent outcome and is potentially clinically important. We aimed to assess recanalization rates with anticoagulation compared with antiplatelet therapy. Methods We studied a single-center retrospective cohort of patients with extracranial carotid or vertebral artery dissection. Subjects with baseline and follow-up imaging between 1999 and 2013 were included. Stenosis was measured using North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial methodology. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to determine factors associated with recanalization, defined as ≥50% relative improvement in stenosis from baseline to follow-up imaging. Secondary analyses assessed absolute and relative stenosis change and limited the cohort to >50% stenosis at diagnosis. Results We identified 75 patients with 84 dissections, mean age 47 years, 43% female, 39% non-white. Patients treated with anticoagulation had worse stenosis at baseline (median 99% versus 50%, P = .02). Comparing anticoagulation with antiplatelet therapy in the first month, there were no differences in the rates of ≥50% relative improvement in stenosis (50% versus 48%, P = .84) nor in absolute (median 16% versus 7%, P = .34) or relative (median 48% versus 43%, P = .92) change in stenosis from baseline to follow-up. In multivariable analysis, anticoagulation was not associated with recanalization (odds ratio [OR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: .5-4.1, P = .52), whereas hypertension was negatively associated (OR .26, 95% CI: .09-.72, P = .009). Conclusions Anticoagulation was not associated with greater likelihood of recanalization compared with antiplatelet medication therapy.
Visceral and Solid Organ Trauma

Care for the trauma patient requires a multidisciplinary approach with collaborative involvement between the emergency department, trauma service, interventional radiology (IR), and numerous other surgical subspecialties. IR has an established and integrated role in the non-operative management of trauma patients. Injuries related to abdominal trauma span a wide range of severity with a variety of clinical presentations and radiologic findings. Though traumatic injury to the solid organs of the abdomen historically necessitated surgical management, a significant shift to non-operative strategies has occurred over the past several decades. Non-operative management (NOM) aims for preservation of the affected organ while avoiding morbidity related to major surgery. Transarterial embolization (TAE) for injury to the spleen, liver, and kidney has become an important part of non-operative management in hemodynamically stable patients, achieving hemostasis while preserving viable tissue within the injured organ. Via specific and selective intervention, TAE has also emerged as an important adjunct for management of ongoing hemorrhage in postoperative trauma patients.
Solution of Nonlinear Equations and Optimization

One of the most widely-encountered specialized optimization problems is the linear programming problem and related problems in network optimization. Griva, Nash, and Sofer (2008) describe methods for such problems.
Alcohol- and aldehyde-dehydrogenase: modulation by biogenic amine metabolites, neuropeptides and psychoactive agents.

Indirect evidence continues to implicate the biogenic amines (BA) in the pathophysiology of both alcoholism (Abelin et al., 1958; Davis and Walsh, 1970; Cohn, 1973) and affective disorders (Schildkraut, 1965), which prevails to some extent in alcoholism (Mayfield, 1968; 1985). The BA have also been postulated in the mechanism of action of various psychotropic agents (PA) (Carlsson, 1987) used in the management of affective illness and alcoholic patients with underlying affective disorders (Palestine and Alatorre, 1976; O’Brien and Woody, 1980). Some of these PA have potential abuse by alcoholics (Kranzler and Orrok, 1989; Bagnali, 1991) for purposes related to mood stabilization, pain reduction, behavioral reinforcement, self medication and/or for potentiation of alcohol sedation. In addition, various neuropep tides have been suggested in some of ethanol (ET)-evoked responses (Gianoulakis, 1989; Messiha, 1989; Myers, 1989; Summers et al., 1991).
Bayesian methods for missing covariates in cure rate models.

We propose methods for Bayesian inference for missing covariate data with a novel class of semi-parametric survival models with a cure fraction. We allow the missing covariates to be either categorical or continuous and specify a parametric distribution for the covariates that is written as a sequence of one dimensional conditional distributions. We assume that the missing covariates are missing at random (MAR) throughout. We propose an informative class of joint prior distributions for the regression coefficients and the parameters arising from the covariate distributions. The proposed class of priors are shown to be useful in recovering information on the missing covariates especially in situations where the missing data fraction is large. Properties of the proposed prior and resulting posterior distributions are examined. Also, model checking techniques are proposed for sensitivity analyses and for checking the goodness of fit of a particular model. Specifically, we extend the Conditional Predictive Ordinate (CPO) statistic to assess goodness of fit in the presence of missing covariate data. Computational techniques using the Gibbs sampler are implemented. A real data set involving a melanoma cancer clinical trial is examined to demonstrate the methodology.
Multistep Electron and Energy Transfer in Artificial Photosynthesis

This chapter discusses multistep electron and energy transfer in artificial photosynthesis. Three general classes of photophysical and photochemical processes are of great importance in bacterial reaction centers. Photosynthetic organisms employ a variety of antenna pigments to absorb light throughout the useful region of the solar spectrum. These antennas convey the resulting excitation to the special pair via singlet-singlet energy-transfer processes. Carotenoid pigments are responsible for a large fraction of the light used in photosynthesis. In the case of carotenoid-to-tetrapyrrole singlet energy transfer, there is a complication because of the lack of complete information concerning the energies and photophysical parameters of the carotenoid-excited states. In principle, singlet-singlet energy transfer may occur by a trivial emission-absorption mechanism, by a long-range columbic mechanism, or by an electron exchange mechanism similar to that involved in triplet-triplet energy transfer.
Vertical nystagmus in normal subjects: Effects of head position, nicotine and scopolamine

We measured gaze stability in darkness of four normal humans using the search coil technique. Subjects were tested first with their heads erect, and then with their heads positioned 180 degrees upside-down. In each position, subjects held their head stationary for one minute, and then actively performed pitch rotations for 20 sec. All subjects showed sustained chin-beating nystagmus in the upside-down position. Each subject showed a significant increase of slow-phase velocity directed towards their brow after 40 sec in the inverted versus erect position. Pitch head rotation had little effect on subsequent nystagmus, except for transient reversal in one subject. The sustained changes of vertical eye drifts induced by 180 deg change of head position suggest that otolithic factors may contribute to vertical nystagmus in normals. The subjects were retested after wearing a nicotine patch for 2 hours. In three subjects, nicotine induced brow-beating nystagmus; adopting a head-hanging position increased this nystagmus in two subjects. In a third session, subjects were tested after wearing a scopolamine patch for 2 hours; results were generally similar to the control condition. We conclude that normal subjects may show chin-beating ("downbeating") nystagmus in a head-hanging position in darkness, reflecting a normal, physiological change in otolithic inputs brought about by the head orientation.
Managing cow herd dynamics in environments of limited forage productivity and livestock marketing channels: An application to semi-arid Pacific island beef production using system dynamics

Abstract Sustainable ranching operations require access to adequate forage reserves and suitable means to market livestock, both of which are critical determinants of adaptive capacity (defined here as the ability to manipulate stocking rate). Ranch adaptive capacity is most relevant during times of forage shortages from drought. Unfortunately for island beef production systems, traditional adaptive measures used in continental systems are unavailable, such as transporting livestock to less affected areas, importing feed resources (cost prohibitive), intensive grazing practices or stockpiling forage (since forages mature too rapidly and are generally low quality), or destocking through cull cow sales (due to limited marketing and processing capacities). Located on an island of Hawaii, the case study ranch investigated here is challenged by each of these environmental and market constraints. The ranch resides on the leeward side of its island such that it receives minimal rainfall and forage productivity is similar to semi-arid rangelands in the western United States. The ranch's livestock management problem is compounded during drought, since island slaughter capacity is limited and there is no financially feasible means of marketing and transporting culled livestock off the island. Therefore, when forage is limited, managers are forced to retain ownership of culled mature cows, who are moved into a terminal herd to await the next available harvest or shipping availability. Terminal herds occupy areas with lower quality forages to conserve the most productive pastures for higher valued calves. This backlog of cull cows creates extended periods of stress on forage resources, since grazing pressure is not relieved as drought intensifies and increases operational expenses. A simulation model was created in an effort to identify key leverage points within the ranching operation that have the greatest impact on forage availability, herd size and net income. Upon completion of the model, sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify key drivers of model behaviors and several what-if scenarios were run based on questions provided by island ranch managers. Results showed that reducing terminal herd size through increased island processing capacity would not relieve forage pressure or eliminate the backlog of terminal cull cows, although net income was improved through greater cow sales. Several follow up tests were then run to evaluate changes to internal ranch decision making, which showed that reductions in heifer retention would provide a wider array of ecological and economic benefits. The ranch's ability to manipulate heifer retention rates, rather than cull cow rates, terminal herd shipping, or island processing capacity, was shown to be the critical aspect which drives ranch adaptive capacity.
Job Edge-Fog Interconnection Network Creation Game in Internet of Things

This is the first paper to address the topology structure of Job Edge-Fog interconnection network in the perspective of network creation game. A two level network creation game model is given, in which the first level is similar to the traditional network creation game with total length objective to other nodes. The second level adopts two types of cost functions, one is created based on the Jackson-Wolinsky type of distance based utility, another is created based on the Network-Only Cost in the IoT literature. We show the performance of this two level game (Price of Anarchy). This work discloses how the selfish strategies of each individual device can influence the global topology structure of the job edge-fog interconnection network and provides theoretical foundations of the IoT infrastructure construction. A significant advantage of this framework is that it can avoid solving the traditional expensive and impractical quadratic assignment problem, which was the typical framework to study this task. Furthermore, it can control the systematic performance based only on one or two cost parameters of the job edge-fog networks, independently and in a distributed way.
Bayesian Robustness: A Nonasymptotic Viewpoint.

We study the problem of robustly estimating the posterior distribution for the setting where observed data can be contaminated with potentially adversarial outliers. We propose Rob-ULA, a robust variant of the Unadjusted Langevin Algorithm (ULA), and provide a finite-sample analysis of its sampling distribution. In particular, we show that after $T= \tilde{\mathcal{O}}(d/\varepsilon_{\textsf{acc}})$ iterations, we can sample from $p_T$ such that $\text{dist}(p_T, p^*) \leq \varepsilon_{\textsf{acc}} + \tilde{\mathcal{O}}(\epsilon)$, where $\epsilon$ is the fraction of corruptions. We corroborate our theoretical analysis with experiments on both synthetic and real-world data sets for mean estimation, regression and binary classification.
Microfabricated Air-Microfluidics Virtual Impactor with Groove-Based Envelope-Flow Particle Focusing System

In this paper we present the design, modeling, fabrication and experimental results of an air-microfluidic inertial particle size-separator called a virtual impactor (VI), combined with a novel groove-induced envelope (GRIP) flow particulate matter (PM) focusing system, resulting in improve collection efficiency, i.e. selectivity to a target size of airborne particulates. Results present an important improvement in the functionality of resonator-based air-microfluidic MEMS PM sensors.
Pathophysiology of Ascending Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection

Type A aortic dissection is a highly lethal event that is often but not always associated with ascending aortic aneurysms. The pathophysiology of ascending aneurysms and dissection differs markedly from that of aneurysms and rupture in other areas of the aorta. The ascending aorta is much less likely to be affected by degenerative changes associated with atherosclerosis and inflammation and more likely to be affected by genetic abnormalities that promote patchy dissolution of medial elastic fibers, apoptosis of smooth muscle cells, and rupture or dissection starting in histologically normal-appearing areas. The development of type A dissections and ascending aneurysms is discussed in relation to biomechanics of the ascending aorta, developmental biology, micromechanics of aortic composite structure, microscopic and ultrastructural features of dissections and aneurysms, and biomechanics of pathologic ascending aortas. Ten postulates are offered describing pathophysiologic features of aneurysms and dissections. Dissection is a disease of collagen fibers. Aneurysms are a disease of elastic fibers. Both are strongly associated with hypertension.
P7 What are the risks of allergy prevention? a series of three cases of sesame anaphylaxis on first ingestion

Background The prevalence of food allergy amongst young children in the developed world is estimated to be 5%. Recently published data demonstrates that early introduction of food allergens prevents food allergy1. There remains much controversy over whether these foods should be introduced with or without prior allergy skin testing. On one hand, access to such testing, is universally delayed due to limited resources. On the other hand, introduction without testing may trigger an allergic reaction. New UK and Australian guidance have advised introduction of peanut and egg at 6 months without testing. To date, no life-threatening reactions have been reported related to the introduction of these allergenic foods. However, it remains unclear whether other major allergens such as sesame, could be introduced in this way. Sesame allergy affects approx. 0.1% of the population but is more prevalent in areas with high consumption such as the Middle East where it is the second commonest cause of anaphylaxis in Israeli children2. The aim of this cases series is to highlight three cases of sesame anaphylaxis in infants under one year. The sesame was introduced at home without prior testing. Methods A retrospective chart review was undertaken of known cases of sesame anaphylaxis in infants, admitted to our tertiary Paediatric Hospital. Results Our patients ranged in age from 6 to 8 months and all presented via the Emergency Department. They all received tahini-containing hummus in the home setting for the first time prior to presentation. Patient one developed perioral erythema, facial flushing, angioedema, tongue swelling and profuse vomiting, he was administered adrenaline by ambulance personnel. Patient two became immediately distressed, developed stridor with facial and lip swelling, vomiting and diarrhea. He received two doses of adrenaline pre-hospital. Patient three developed immediate perioral urticaria spreading to his neck. He became pale and lethargic and vomited. This patient did not receive adrenaline but was managed with antihistamines and oral corticosteroids. All three infants showed subsequent positive SPT to sesame (ranging from 4–6 mm) with negative testing for chickpea. Conclusion Early introduction of peanut is now taking place worldwide with no reported cases to date of anaphylaxis. Here we present 3 cases of sesame anaphylaxis from just one institution. This case series highlights that early introduction of food allergens is likely to have differential risk profiles, with sesame seed introduction likely to carry a higher risk if introduced to all infants without prior screening.
The Effect of Independent Robotic Mobility on Infant Cognitive Skills

Date Presented 04/04/19 Researchers hypothesize that independent mobility affects the development of cognitive function in infants and young children. In our experimental research, typically developing precrawling infants were randomly assigned to a robotic mobility or a nonmobile condition. Preliminary results showed that limited experience with independent mobility significantly impacted cognitive development in the mobility group, supporting the need for early mobility aids for infants with motor impairment. Primary Author and Speaker: Carole Dennis Contributing Authors: Nancy Rader, Sharon Stansfield, Helene Larin, Judith Pena-Shaff
Institutionalizing a New Humanistic Synthesis: Toward a Business Humanities Approach.

How might educators better balance liberal learning (the proper aim of which is the development of the whole person) with education that provides training in technical skills needed for a trade or a working profession suitable to provide for one’s family and contribute to the common good? In Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict called for “new efforts of holistic understanding and a new humanistic synthesis.” This article proposes a “business humanities” approach by considering what might be learned from the medical humanities (while noting the corresponding lack of “business humanities” and describing this approach). Several recent works that call for a reexamination of business education along with a deeper integration involving the liberal arts are examined. After showing why a business humanities approach is appropriate for Catholic colleges and universities, practical steps are discussed for implementing and institutionalizing a business humanities approach at Catholic colleges and universities.