cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Class F Fly Ash Using STXM

Chemical and physical characterization of fly ash particles were conducted using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy STXM. Compositional and spatial investigation and correlation among the main elemental constituents of fly ash Al, Si, and Fe were conducted based on microscopic and NEXAFS spectral analysis. Homogeneous oxidation and coordination state of Al and Fe were observed whereas Si shows spatial variation in its chemical state. We also identified that Si and Al are spatially correlated at nanometer scale in which high concentration of Si and Al was concurrently and consistently observed within the 30 nm resolution whereas Fe distribution did not show any specific correlation to Al and Si. Results of this study indicate that fly ash chemical composition has heterogeneous distribution depending on the elements which would determine and result in the differences in the reactivity.
The Type 2 CD10/Neutral Endopeptidase 24.11 Promoter: Functional Characterization and Tissue-Specific Regulation by CBF/NF-Y Isoforms

The cell surface zinc metalloproteinase CD10/neutral endopeptidase 24.11 ([NEP] neprilysin) functions as part of a regulatory loop to control local concentrations of peptide substrates and associated peptide-mediated signal transduction. The physiologic role of the enzyme depends on available substrates in specific organs and cell types. Although CD10/NEP is expressed on a restricted subset of normal and malignant lymphoid progenitors, the enzyme is also expressed by a variety of epithelial cells. To explore the mechanism of tissue-specific expression of this regulatory enzyme, we characterized the major (type 2) CD10/NEP promoter and identified three functionally active transcription factor binding sites (regions I to III). CBF/NF-Y binds to the inverted CCAAT box in region I, whereas a second positive and a third negative factor bind to regions II and III, respectively. Although region I is required for maximal CD10/NEP-driven luciferase activity in the examined epithelial cell lines, this region is not required for maximal activity in the evaluated lymphoid cell lines. The apparent tissue-specific differences in requirements for region I (and CBF/NF-Y) are of particular interest because lymphoid and epithelial cells express alternatively spliced versions of CBF/NF-Y that differ in biologic activity.
The Hydraulic Shedding Device for a Loom

A hydraulic shedding device was developed to give heald frames a soft shedding motion at a higher speed. Two sets of double-acting piston cylinder and two directional control valves were used per one heald frame. The one of these two piston cylinders is reciprocated by linking with the main motion of the loom and this reciprocating motion is transmitted to the other piston cylinder through an oil motion under the cotrol of the directional control valve with three poitions. This valve is controlled by a pneumatic patten selecting device which transduces, the fabric pattern into the air signal, and the piston of the later cylinder operates according to the pattern . Being connected with a heald frame by a rope, the piston gives a shedding motion to the frame.This sehdding device .is an open shed type and a kind of the positive dobby.Experimental results have shown that this shedding device can be operated at more than 400 rpm.
PARALLEL AND DIVERGING SKELETAL EVOLUTION IN VERTEBRATES AND ARTHROPODS

Sixty-five years ago, in 1884, William Patten of Dartmouth College was already engaged in his investigations on the comparative morphology of arachnids and vertebrates; this culminated in his monumental work of 1912, "The Evolution of the Vertebrates and Their Kin." After frequent study of this book ever since its publication, I regard it with profound respect even though I am forced to dispute its outstanding thesis, which was that the vertebrates had been derived from early Palaeozoic marine arachnids, the existing Limulus being a rather primitive survivor.
1915 PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN TESTING IN OLDER MEN IN THE UNITED STATES DATA FROM THE BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTOR SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the frequency of PSA testing in men 75 years old and older in years before and after the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation to stop PSA screening at age 75. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys completed in years 2006, 2008, and 2010. Men age 76 and older at the time of survey and without a PC diagnosis were included in the study. The percentage of men who had a PSA test in the past year before the survey was computed separately for survey years 2006, 2008, and 2010. RESULTS: The estimated percentages of men with a PSA test in the past year before the survey were 60% (95%CI: 58%-62%) based on 9,033 respondents interviewed in year 2006, 63% (95%CI: 62%65%) based on 12,063 respondents interviewed in year 2008, and 60% (95%CI: 59%-61%) based on 14,782 respondents interviewed in year 2010. CONCLUSIONS: No substantial reduction in the frequency of PSA testing was observed in the BRFSS 2010 survey data compared to the earlier years, suggesting that the USPSTF 2008 recommendation had no major impact on the frequency of PSA testing in older men in the US.
Current Treatment of Febrile Neutropenia: Tailored, Individual Based Therapy

Cancer patients can be in danger of atransient immunosuppressive status secondary to chemotherapy. Additional to numeric decrease of functional white cells – granulocytes and lymphocytes, the susceptibility to infection during this time is high as a result of disruption in the mucosal barrier in the gastrointestinal tract, in addition to translocation from other sites as well as indwelling foreign devices that may be colonized. Since the ability to mount an inflammatory response is diminished during myelosuppression, fever may be the only sign of a brewing infection. With the evolution of chemotherapy, febrile neutropenia has been one of the major contributors of treatment related deaths. However, thanks to the development of growth factors, modification of chemotherapy, prophylactic antibiotics and proper choice of antibiotics based on individuals' risk successfully reduces the mortality of cancer patients. Patients with solid tumors have a shorter duration of neutropenia and are considered low risk therefore. Conversely, the risk for hematologic malignancies and stem cell transplant patients is significant, and persistent. The organisms and treatment options in the setting of fever vary based on patient’s risk. Selected low risk patients may be treated as out patients with oral antibiotics. However, most patients require inpatient treatment with intra venous agents. Delay in initiation of treatment has been associated with increased mortality. In this review, we will go over the methodical approach to febrile neutropenia, risk stratification that can contribute to proper treatment choice – and prophylactic use of antibiotics and growth factors, based on current guidelines.
Teacher ratings of DSM-III—R symptoms for the disruptive behavior disorders: Prevalence, factor analyses, and conditional probabilities in a special education sample.

Ratings were collected on a rating scale comprised of the DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for disruptive behavior disorders. Teacher ratings were obtained for 364 boys in special education classrooms...
The Nine Dimensions of Fair Development Aspirations in China

This chapter presents nine dimensions of aspirations for fair development that are most relevant in present-day China, based on numerous qualitative data and many iterative discussions with various stakeholders. More than 5000 students from elite Chinese universities responded to a survey designed to assess their opinions about these dimensions. The results indicate that future Chinese elites care deeply about various issues related to fair development, but there are substantial differences among them in what exactly they consider to be important.
Equations as icons

When the 14-year-old Richard Feynman first encountered eix + 1 = 0, the future physics Nobel laureate wrote in big, bold letters in his diary that it was "the most remarkable formula in math". Stanford University mathematics professor Keith Devlin claims that "like a Shakespearean sonnet that captures the very essence of love, or a painting that brings out the beauty of the human form that is far more than just skin deep, Euler's equation reaches down into the very depths of existence". Meanwhile Paul Nahin – a retired US electrical engineer – says in his recent book, Dr Euler's Fabulous Formula, that the expression sets "the gold standard for mathematical beauty".
Family-building After Breast Cancer: Considering the Effect on Adherence to Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy

Adherence to endocrine therapy (ET) is a longstanding problem in breast cancer (BC) survivorship care, particularly among younger women. Younger patients have reported lower ET initiation rates and greater rates of early discontinuation and are considered an "at risk" group for nonadherence. For women who hope to have children in the future, concerns about premature menopause and the implications of postponing childbearing for the 5 to 10 years of ET are widespread. Preliminary evidence suggests that prioritizing fertility, along with concerns about side effects, leads to ET noninitiation and early discontinuation. Clinical efforts to improve adherence might need to consider patients' family-building goals during the course of treatment and to appropriately counsel patients according to their priorities and family-building intentions. Educational materials about family building after cancer are still not consistently available or provided. Helping patients to access trusted informational resources and decision support tools, in conjunction with medical counseling, will promote informed decisions regarding ET adherence and pregnancy that are medically appropriate. Such shared patient-provider decision-making about ET adherence and pregnancy could help to maximize patient autonomy by incorporating their values, preferences, and priorities into decisions, using providers' medical expertise.
Internet of Things: Challenges and Opportunities for Collaborative Technologies

A study by the consultancy firm Gartner has revealed that the number of connected devices in Internet of Things (IoT) will exceed 28 billion by the year 2020.This poses a new set of challenges and opportunities for collaborative technologies.In this presentation, we discuss ThingStore, an Internet-scale platform for collaboration on IoT applications development and deployment; and Tabletop, a multimodal environment for team collaboration in IoT-enabled workplace of the future.
β-Blockers and asthma increased the risk for anaphylaxis during contrast media studies

Source Citation Lang DM, Alpern MB, Visintainer PF, Smith ST. Increased risk for anaphylactoid reaction from contrast media in patients on β-adrenergic blockers or with asthma. Ann Intern Med. 1991...
Di-PriDA: Differentially Private Distributed Load Balancing Control for the Smart Grid

The future electrical grid, i.e., smart grid, is envisioned to use appliance-level control to provide sustainable power usage and flexible energy utilization. However, load trace monitoring for appliance-level control poses privacy concerns given that private behaviors can be inferred by electricity utilization levels. In this paper, we introduce a privacy-preserving and fine-grained power load data analysis mechanism Di-PriDA for appliance-level peak-time load balancing control in the smart grid. Di-PriDA achieved $3\varepsilon$ 3 ɛ -differential privacy, which provided indistinguishable application power consumption data to protect against eavesdroppers. The proposed technique explores a new differential privacy problem: the distributed top-k problem without a trusted third party, and provides both rigorous provable privacy and an accuracy guarantee based on distributed differential privacy. We implement a prototype of Di-PriDA on an external microcontroller device used for smart meters, and evaluate its performance under two real-world power usage datasets, as well as a synthetic dataset through a combination of experiments and simulations. We find that Di-PriDA effectively achieves confidentiality for the appliance-level peak-time load balancing control while guaranteeing a good quality-of-service to the various stakeholders of the power grid.
Left-to-Right Interatrial Shunting: A Novel Treatment for Heart Failure in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Despite recent advances in pharmacologic and device-based therapies, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction remains an important clinical problem that is associated with poor quality of life,...
Multiscale Fusion for Seismic Geometric Attribute Enhancement

In this abstract, we propose a multiscale fusion technique to enhance seismic geometric attributes, such as dip and curvature, which are very sensitive to noise present in seismic data. For a give seismic section, first, we construct a Gaussian pyramid that allows us to generate the seismic attribute at different resolutions (scales). Then, all attributes at the different scales are fused together to form the proposed multiscale enhanced attribute. Applications to the 3D seismic dataset over the Great South Basin in New Zealand demonstrate that the proposed method is capable of improving both the resolution and noise robustness of the first-order dip and the second-order curvature attributes, compared to existing methods and algorithm. Such improvement indicates the great potential of our multiscale fusion technique for enhancing the quality of more multitrace seismic attributes, such as coherence, flexure, and GLCM.
Polarization analysis of retroreflection from commercial off the shelf (COTS) sensors

Previous work involved detection of retroreflected signals, focusing on polarization as a discriminator. We continue to explore the formalisms of the Stokes vector and Mueller matrix for characterization of retroreflection for common sensors such as commercial cameras. The Mueller matrix data is collected via a commercial (Scatterworks, Inc.) Complete Angle Scatter Instrument (CASI) scatterometer.
Geographic and Demographic Variation in Use of Ranibizumab Versus Bevacizumab for Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration in the United States

Purpose To examine demographic and geographic variation in the use of ranibizumab and bevacizumab for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among Medicare beneficiaries. Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods Using a 100% sample of Medicare claims data, we evaluated Medicare beneficiaries (N = 195 812) with an index claim for neovascular AMD between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2009, to determine whether beneficiaries first received ranibizumab or bevacizumab following initial diagnosis. Results The overall proportion of beneficiaries that first received ranibizumab for neovascular AMD was 35%, and varied significantly (0.9%–84.6%) across the 306 US hospital referral regions (median = 33%, interquartile range = 17%–49%). Based on hierarchical logistic regression models, the likelihood of receiving ranibizumab declined over time (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) comparing treatment in 2009 vs 2006 = 0.39, P P P P P Conclusions The odds of receiving bevacizumab vs ranibizumab as initial therapy for neovascular AMD among US Medicare beneficiaries varied substantially across geographic and demographic groups. Relatively fewer patients received ranibizumab for initial neovascular AMD treatment in 2009 vs 2006. Future research should study the drivers of variation in utilization of these interventions, the extent this variation indicates differential access to these agents, and whether treatment choice impacts patient outcomes.
Role of sterile inflammation in fatty liver diseases

Abstract Sterile inflammation is a ubiquitous response of tissues to stress and injury, and occurs to a high degree in the liver. This results in high levels of tissue damage after development of the metabolic syndrome, and with alcohol excess. Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β are key in the initiation and propagation of inflammation and tissue damage. IL-1β is activated by a cytosolic machinery collectively termed the inflammasome, and by proteases released by neutrophils. Most of the inflammatory response is driven by macrophages, but hepatocytes, stellate and sinusoidal endothelial cells also have key roles. Hepatocytes for example release acute phase reactants which have pro- and anti-inflammatory effects, and are also a major source of pro-inflammatory damage associated molecules. Stellate cells can regulate differentiation of regulatory T cells by the production of transforming growth factor (TGF) β and all-trans retinoic acid, but the overall effect seems to be context dependent. The strong hepatic inflammatory response is regulated in many ways, with epigenetic regulation playing a major role. This is seen most notably with the rapid development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in pups of female mice kept on a high fat diet prior to conception, but is likely occurring in adults that have been under metabolic stress for extended periods of time. Epigenetic regulation is of key importance due to its clinical implications, and potential to reveal new pathways for liver inflammation.
Disproportionate minority contact in juvenile justice: today’s, and yesterdays, problems

AbstractDisproportionate minority contact (DMC) has been a perplexing problem for the juvenile justice system, and recognized as a national priority since the 1980s. The over-representation of mino...
Reflections Relating a von Neumann Algebra and Its Commutant

The initial development of the theory of von Neumann algebras, proposed by von Neumann [12] and carried out by him in collaboration with F.J. Murray [9,10,11,13] can be viewed as consisting of two parts, an “algebraic theory” and a “spatial theory.” In the algebraic theory, the results refer to the von Neumann algebra R and make no reference to the corn-mutant; in the spatial theory, the results involve the commutant either explicitly or implicitly. Recognizing this mathematical dichotomy, Kaplan-sky [7,8] studied the algebraic structure of von Neumann algebras, without reference to their action on a space, isolating and putting in sharp focus many of the natural techniques that are basic to our subject. Of course, Murray and von Neumann had taken the algebraic theory to an advanced stage in their own way [9,10,11,13].
Definition and Some General Features

Before proceeding any further, it would be appropriate to make up a formal definition of male sterility. Ordinarily speaking, sterility (or selfsterility) denotes a condition in which unless specified otherwise, both pollen grains and ovules are nonfunctional and usually a certain amount of morphological and cytohistological deterioration may accompany it. The instances of selfincompatibility, in contrast, have functional parts of the flower and gametes normally developed. Male sterility is a more specific term and as defined by Dorsey (1914), represents “the condition resulting from defects leading upto the nonformation of pollen, or lack of functional power in it when formed.” This important point in considering both quantity and quality of pollen with reference to sterility was explicitly stated by Beadle (1932 b) and Childers (1952). Accordingly a male-sterile individual has either no pollen formed, or pollen inviable and incapable of effecting fertilization under normal conditions. It is an obvious implication that the ovular fertility is completely or almost completely unimpaired in a male-sterile individual.
Composite autograft "shield" reconstruction of remnant tympanic membranes.

The authors present their combined experience with large cartilage-perichondrial composite grafts used to reconstruct total tympanic membrane perforations in 294 ears. Patients chosen for this procedure had failed earlier tympanoplasty surgery or were identified as poor candidates for conventional fascial tympanoplasty because of the perforation size. Successful perforation closure was achieved in 97% of ears with chronic otitis media characterized by absence of the tympanic membrane, including portions of the anterior annular ligament. Hearing results in general were good, considering the advanced stage of the disease, which required the use of alloplastic ossicular prostheses (PORP and TORP) in 76% of ears. Hearing improvement was maximal at 2000 Hz regardless of the method of ossicular reconstruction. Closure of the air-bone gap at this frequency to within 10 dB was achieved in 87% of type I tympanoplasties, 73% of type III (PORP), and 70% of type III (TORP) tympanoplasties. Although cartilage autografts have also been promoted to reverse tympanic membrane atelectasis, the authors believe that the above preoperative conditions are strong indications for this grafting technique, which is described in detail
Clinical Manifestations of Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Children

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) typically develops as a manifestation of adverse reaction to food antigens, although there is a clear subset of patients whose esophagitis does not respond to any degree of dietary elimination, up to and including an elemental diet with an amino acid-based formula. Some of the overt manifestations of the esophagitis may be difficult to separate from those of the atopy (e.g., sore throat). To further complicate the evaluation of children who have EoE as a manifestation of food allergy, it is common for a child or caregiver to alter the diet or environment in response to consistent or perceived exposure-related symptoms. The goal of therapy for EoE is control over symptoms and resolution of esophagitis. The disparity between symptoms and the degree of esophagitis creates a dilemma for the treating physician. If significant injury to the esophageal wall occurs as a consequence of chronic inflammation, and if the inflammation is present without symptoms, the inflammation must be controlled even in the absence of symptoms. Lamina propria fibrosis, seen in children and adults who have EoE, has been seen to improve with therapy, such that prevention of permanent injury should be possible with well-maintained treatment
Calcium transport and ultrastructure of red cells in beta-thalassemia intermedia.

Reported findings of elevated total calcium (Ca) contents in erythrocytes (RBCs) from patients with beta-thalassemia intermedia (beta-TI) prompted the question of whether the state and transport of Ca in these RBCs are similar to those in sickle cell anemia (SS) RBCs where the increased Ca is compartmentalized in endocytic inside-out vesicles and extracted by exposure of the cells to the Ca ionophore A23187 and a Ca chelator (ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid) and the levels of cytoplasmic free ionized Ca [( Ca2+]i) are normal. We confirmed a high total Ca content of 51 +/- 13 mumol/L RBCs in splenectomized (SPX) beta-TI and 24 +/- 1 mumol/L RBCs in non-SPX beta- TI. Unlike SS RBCs, however, most of the increased Ca was in the lighter, presumably younger beta-TI RBCs, and about half the Ca was not ionophore mobilizable but apparently firmly bound, possibly to remnants of organelles in nucleated and other young RBCs. In the denser RBCs from non-SPX beta-TI, total and extractable Ca amounts were normal. beta-TI RBCs loaded with the Ca chelator Benz 2 showed an initial influx of 45Ca in the normal range, which indicated normal Ca permeability, and near-steady-state levels of [Ca2+]i that were normal (22 +/- 7 nmol/L RBCs in non-SPX beta-TI) or minimally increased (40 +/- 19 nmol/L RBCs in SPX beta-TI). Serial-section electron microscopy of beta-TI ghosts from the denser cell fractions showed more fully enclosed vesicles in non-SPX ghosts than were seen in normal ghosts and many large vesicles and structured, electron-dense material in SPX ghosts. A delayed extrusion of ionophore-preloaded 45Ca only by the SPX beta-TI RBCs together with normal [Ca2+]i suggested compartmentalization of the loaded Ca in these RBCs, perhaps in endocytic inside-out vesicles, and normal Ca pumps. Since beta-TI RBCs show essentially normal levels of [Ca2+]i and normal Ca influx, their high total Ca content should not be associated with any of the deleterious effects observed in vitro with increased levels of [Ca2+]i.
An Introduction to Anxiety

Tom was home from another hectic day at work. He slumped into the easy chair. No matter how difficult it was, he knew he needed to relax. In a few minutes, the tenseness began to diminish. … He began to feel uneasy. Then, with a sudden start, he bolted fully upright in his chair! His heart was pounding so that he could actually see his chest pulsing and quivering. His clothes were becoming soaked with sweat; his throat felt like it was constricting. Was he dying? Having a heart attack? Losing his mind? He wanted to run, but to where? From what?
Removal of Intrathecal Catheters Used in Drug Delivery Systems

Introduction Implanted intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS) are increasingly used in the treatment of spasticity and in patients with refractory pain. Literature discussing complications associated with intrathecal pump placement is widely available. However, reports of complications following the removal of chronically placed catheters are scarce. We reviewed our series of patients who had surgery to remove the intrathecal catheter. Methods Retrospective review was performed for all patients who underwent surgery to remove a catheter linked to an IDDS between 2010 and 2016. Patients older than 18 years were included in final analysis. Demographic (including age at removal, sex, BMI, and comorbidities) and etiologic characteristics (indications of IDDS implant and explant, interval between implant and explant, and concomitant surgery) were analyzed. Simple logistic regression was performed to seek any potential predictor of complications. Results Fifty-nine patients underwent removal of their intrathecal catheter after variable periods (mean interval of 189 months). On eight occasions, patients developed complications after catheter removal (mean interval between implant and explant was 76 months for these cases). Retained catheter was the cause of complications in half of these occasions. Persistent cerebrospinal fluid leak was the next most common complication, with requirement of an external ventricular drain and lumbar drain to facilitate wound healing on two separate occasions. Conclusion Removal of an intrathecal catheter from IDDS systems may cause complications that in some cases require additional surgery.
Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity: the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The aim of this paper is to present a concise account of the history, mission, structure and some recent achievements of the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Created by the US Congress 40 years ago, the NIAAA has evolved from an entity charged mainly with building a national system of alcoholism treatment services to one with responsibility for developing, nurturing and supporting the biomedical and behavioral science foundation necessary to reduce the significant domestic and global public health impact of alcohol use disorders. The NIAAA is unique in that it functions both as a funding agency, supporting research at universities and other external, or ‘extramural’ research institutions, and is also a research institution itself, where alcohol research is carried out in-house, or ‘intramurally’. Of a $450.2 million 2009 Congressional Appropriation, approximately 90% was devoted toward the former and approximately 10% towards the latter objective. The current NIAAA Strategic Plan builds on a new organizing principle for long-range research planning, based on a life-span perspective that recognizes that human biology and behavior continue to change throughout life and changes occurring throughout the life-span affect individuals’ drinking patterns as well as the decisions they may make to change their drinking habits or to seek help for alcohol use problems. Within this framework, major efforts are currently being devoted to educating practitioners on clinically useful, science-based assessment and treatment methods that exist today, and development of personalized new treatments for tomorrow.
On the Trading Profitability of Penny Stocks

This paper examines the characteristics and pricing behavior of penny stocks comprehensively. We find that penny stocks are characterized with high return, high beta, small size, high book-to-market ratio, high idiosyncratic volatility, and poor past performance. The liquidity costs of penny stocks are significantly higher than high priced stocks. Penny stocks as a whole do not earn abnormal profits after controlling for various risk factors, and their seemingly high returns are driven by the liquidity risk. However, the trading strategies that buying small or value penny stocks and short selling large or growth penny stocks do make considerable abnormal profits both over short- and long-term holding periods even after all of the risk factors are controlled for.
Intelligent Knowledge Distribution: Constrained-Action POMDPs for Resource-Aware Multi-Agent Communication

This paper addresses a fundamental question of multi-agent knowledge distribution: what information should be sent to whom and when, with the limited resources available to each agent? Communication requirements for multi-agent systems can be rather high when an accurate picture of the environment and the state of other agents must be maintained. To reduce the impact of multi-agent coordination on networked systems, e.g., power and bandwidth, this paper introduces two concepts for partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs): 1) action-based constraints which yield constrained-action POMDPs (CA-POMDPs); and 2) soft probabilistic constraint satisfaction for the resulting infinite-horizon controllers. To enable constraint analysis over an infinite horizon, an unconstrained policy is first represented as a Finite State Controller (FSC) and optimized with policy iteration. The FSC representation then allows for a combination of Markov chain Monte Carlo and discrete optimization to improve the probabilistic constraint satisfaction of the controller while minimizing the impact to the value function. Within the CA-POMDP framework we then propose Intelligent Knowledge Distribution (IKD) which yields per-agent policies for distributing knowledge between agents subject to interaction constraints. Finally, the CA-POMDP and IKD concepts are validated using an asset tracking problem where multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with heterogeneous sensors collaborate to localize a ground asset to assist in avoiding unseen obstacles in a disaster area. The IKD model was able to maintain asset tracking through multi-agent communications while only violating soft power and bandwidth constraints 3% of the time, while greedy and naive approaches violated constraints more than 60% of the time.
Energy-Adaptive Error Correcting for Dynamic and Heterogeneous Networks

In an era of ever-increasing dynamicity and heterogeneity of wireless networks, energy is fast becoming the most constrained resource. First, we review recent studies that suggest that using one single error-correcting code (ECC) designed to meet the worst case requirement is inefficient in terms of energy consumption when there are many heterogeneous nodes in the network. These works extend the classical Shannon theory and incorporate circuit energy and signal transmit energy to optimize total energy/power consumption of today’s communication systems. Then, we survey recent work on designing adaptive ECCs to operate energy efficiently even in the presence of extremely large heterogeneity in requirements and conditions. Two constructions of energy-adaptive codes are summarized: energy-adaptive low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and energy-adaptive polar codes. These constructions have shown theoretically and empirically that having adaptivity in code design can save substantial energy, especially when the network has very diverse communication scenarios. Finally, we suggest a few possible applications where energy-adaptive codes can be employed and outline interesting future directions and challenges.
Treatment Potential for Macular Cone Vision in Leber Congenital Amaurosis Due to CEP290 or NPHP5 Mutations: Predictions From Artificial Intelligence.

Purpose To use supervised machine learning to predict visual function from retinal structure in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and apply these estimates to CEP290- and NPHP5-associated Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) to determine the potential for functional improvement. Methods Patients with RP (n = 20) and LCA due to CEP290 (n = 12) or NPHP5 (n = 6) mutations were studied. A patient with CEP290 mutations but mild retinal degeneration was included. RP patients had cone-mediated macular function. A machine learning technique was used to associate perimetric sensitivities to local structure in RP patients. Models trained on RP data were applied to predict visual function in LCA. Results The RP and LCA patients had comparable retinal structure. RP patients had peak sensitivity at the fovea surrounded by decreasing sensitivity. Machine learning could successfully predict perimetry results from segmented or unsegmented optical coherence tomography (OCT) input. Application of machine learning predictions to LCA within the residual macular island of photoreceptor structure showed differences between predicted and measured sensitivities defining treatment potential. In patients with retained vision, the treatment potential was 4.6 ± 2.9 dB at the fovea but 16.4 ± 4.4 dB at the parafovea. In patients with limited or no vision, the treatment potential was 17.6 ± 9.4 dB. Conclusions Cone vision improvement potential in LCA due to CEP290 or NPHP5 mutations is predictable from retinal structure using a machine learning approach. This should allow individual prediction of the maximal efficacy in clinical trials and guide decisions about dosing. Similar strategies can be used in other retinal degenerations to estimate the extent and location of treatment potential.
Polymer-Supported Chiral Co(Salen) Complexes: Synthetic Applications and Mechanistic Investigations in the Hydrolytic Kinetic Resolution of Terminal Epoxides

This paper describes the synthesis of polystyrene- and silica-bound chiral Co(salen) complexes and their application in asymmetric catalysis. A general method for the covalent attachment of salen complexes to both types of support has been devised, and the corresponding immobilized cobalt derivatives are shown to be efficient and highly enantioselective catalysts for the hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of terminal epoxides. These systems provide practical solutions to certain technical difficulties associated with the isolation of reaction products from the HKR. Removal of the supported catalyst by filtration and repeated recycling is demonstrated with no loss of reactivity or enantioselectivity. The enantioselective addition of phenols to terminal epoxides mediated by this catalyst system provides a facile, high-yielding synthesis of the corresponding enantioenriched aryl ethers. The immobilized catalysts have been adapted to a continuous flow process for the generation of reaction products in high y...
Engineering Resilience into Multi-UAV Systems

Abstract Multi-UAV Operations are an area of great interest in government, industry, and research community. In multi-UAV operations, a group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are deployed to carry out missions such as search and rescue, or disaster relief. This paper discusses multi-UAV system in the face of disruptions from a system-of-systems perspective. Each UAV, with some decision-making capability, is assigned a task to perform within a multi-UAV system. When these vehicles operate in an open operational environment, the ability to cope with disruptive events becomes especially important. In other words, multi-UAV system needs to be resilient. A methodological framework to dynamically evaluate resilience alternatives during mission operation is discussed in this paper. This framework allows system to select appropriate alternative given the current context. Simulation results show that such framework can be created and used dynamically to evaluate resilient alternatives for multi-UAV system.
Issues in CPPD Nomenclature and Classification

This paper covers confusion and challenges in the nomenclature of calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease. Clinicians, investigators, and patients are faced with a variety of terms that are used to describe CPPD and its phenotypes, and clarity is greatly needed to help advance research and patient care. Motivation for the upcoming development of CPPD classification criteria is reviewed. EULAR proposed recommended terminology for CPPD in 2011. International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) billing codes identify definite or probable CPPD with variable accuracy depending on the clinical setting and comparator group. READ diagnostic codes have been employed to identify pseudogout in UK datasets but their accuracy has not been evaluated. CPPD classification criteria will provide a system for identifying a relatively homogenous group of patients to be included in clinical studies, enabling comparison of outcomes across studies. CPPD nomenclature remains challenging for clinicians, investigators, and patients. A lay-friendly definition of CPPD, using easily accessible terminology, would be welcome. CPPD classification criteria are a necessary step in moving forward CPPD clinical research and may involve a range of clinical, laboratory, and imaging modalities.
Cannabis Use in People with Multiple Sclerosis and Self-Reported Spasticity (P5.2-100)

Objective: To describe cannabis use in subjects with MS and spasticity. Background: Spasticity affects over 80% of people with MS, impacting activity, participation and quality of life. 2014 AAN systematic reviews found pharmaceutical cannabinoids (oral or oral-mucosal spray containing tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] with or without cannabidiol [CBD]) have strong (Level 1) evidence for reducing patient-reported spasticity. These products are not available in the US, but marijuana is medically (1998) and recreationally (2014) legal in Oregon. Here we describe cannabis use in subjects in Portland, Oregon, with MS and self-reported spasticity enrolling in a randomized controlled trial of education and exercise for spasticity. Design/Methods: At baseline subjects report cannabis use, the route of administration, frequency of use and perceived benefits. They also reported use of prescribed medications for spasticity. Here we report data from the first 29 subjects, with an additional 40–50 subjects to be reported at the meeting. Results: 31% (9/29) reported using cannabis. Of these, 11% (1/9) reported topical use only, all others used multiple routes of administration including topical 78% (7/9), edibles 67% (6/9), or smoking, vaping and/or tinctures 33% (3/9). All subjects reported using cannabis at least once per week: 56% (5/9) used once per day or less and 44% (4/9) used more than once per day. All subjects reported cannabis being somewhat or very helpful for pain and 78% (7/9) reported similar benefit for spasticity. 89% (8/9) reported also using a prescribed medication for spasticity, with 67% (6/9) using 10–60 mg of baclofen per day. Conclusions: Where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, but pharmaceutical cannabinoids are not available and cannot be prescribed, approximately 1/3 of people with MS and spasticity report using cannabis. Most use cannabis by multiple routes of administration, find cannabis somewhat to very helpful for both spasticity and pain and are also using prescribed antispasticity medications. Disclosure: Dr. Hugos has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rice has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cameron has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Adamas corporation. Dr. Cameron has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports.
ZEFR: A GPU-accelerated high-order solver for compressible viscous flows using the flux reconstruction method

Abstract In this work we present ZEFR, a GPU accelerated flow solver based around the high-order accurate flux reconstruction (FR) approach. Written in a combination of C++ and CUDA, ZEFR is designed to perform scale resolving simulations within the vicinity of complex geometrical configurations. A unique feature of ZEFR is its support for overset grids; a feature which greatly expands the addressable problem space compared with existing high-order codes. The C++ implementation of FR in a manner which is suitable for modern hardware platforms is described in detail. Additionally, an overview of the input deck used by ZEFR is included. Validation results are presented for a range of steady and unsteady flow problems including Couette flow, the Taylor–Green vortex, and flow around an SD7003 airfoil. Single node performance on a NVIDIA V100 GPU is analyzed where it is shown that all of the kernels in ZEFR attain a high proportion of peak memory bandwidth. Moreover, multi-node performance is also assessed with strong scalability being demonstrated from 60 to 3840 NVIDIA V100 GPUs. Program summary Program title: ZEFR v1.0 Program files doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/wzy83bscxd.1 Licensing provisions: BSD 3-clause Programming language: C++ and CUDA External routines/libraries: Eigen, HDF5, METIS, MPI, and TIOGA. Nature of problem: Compressible Euler and Navier–Stokes equations. Solution method: High-order direct flux reconstruction approach suitable for curved, mixed, unstructured grids. Unusual features: Code incorporates support for overset grids.
Adverse childhood experiences, internalizing/externalizing symptoms, and associated prescription opioid misuse: A mediation analysis

Abstract Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with mental health and substance use problems, but lesser known is how they interconnect. The objective of this study was to examine how internalizing and externalizing symptoms mediate the association of ACEs with prescription opioid misuse in order to understand how ACEs interconnect with mental health and substance use problems. Adults aged 18 or older from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave 3 (NESARC-III) conducted in 2012–2013 were included (N = 36,309). The prescription opioid misuse outcomes examined include prescription opioid misuse status, early-onset status of prescription opioid misuse, frequency of past-year prescription opioid misuse, and opioid use disorder. A natural effect model and regression analyses were used to conduct the mediation analyses. We found that respondents with higher ACE scores had greater odds of reporting past-year and lifetime prescription opioid misuse and DSM-V-diagnosed opioid use disorder as well as early onset of prescription opioid misuse (AORs range from 1.06 to 1.12). These associations are partially mediated by internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The findings suggest that internalizing and externalizing symptoms may be potential pathways through which ACEs are associated with prescription opioid misuse. Our results underscore the importance of preventing ACEs and reducing risk for internalizing and externalizing symptoms after exposure, which may reduce later prescription opioid misuse.
Comments for JEE based on ASSA panel discussion “Preparing undergraduates for application to graduate school”

Jones et al. (2020) provide valuable data on factors that influence economics PhD admissions. I particularly appreciate that they surveyed a broad swath of departments. I expect their article to be...
A time-sensitive rubric for assessing mastoidectomy proficiency

Abstract Objective To develop a time-sensitive, standardized rubric for cadaveric temporal bone dissection for otolaryngology resident education. Methods This is a five-year prospective cohort study that evaluated otolaryngology resident performance during sequential cadaveric temporal bone dissection courses at a single otolaryngology residency training program. A canal-wall-up mastoidectomy with a facial recess approach was performed adhering to a 30-minute time limit and graded according to a standardized rubric. Main outcome measures included: (1) correct structure identification and (2) injuries sustained to structures as compared by resident post-graduate year (PGY) level. Results Thirteen residents were evaluated from October 2012 to March 2017. This included 57 individual graded exercises performed over ten dissection courses. The average score for PGY-2 residents was lowest (68.9), and PGY-5 residents achieved the highest average score (87.7). Junior residents correctly identified fewer structures (77.5%) when compared to senior residents (91.3%), p Conclusion Senior residents correctly identify more structures and are able to complete a facial recess approach with higher fidelity when subjected to a time-sensitive graded mastoidectomy rubric.
Using Toyota Methodology To Improve The Operations of the Nuclear Medicine Department: Lessons Learned

1164 Objectives: In current times, it is important for the nuclear medicine workplace to become efficient with reduction in costs, improved efficiency while improving the patient satisfaction. Many of these principles were adopted from the automobile industry which used them to improve processes and make changes and standardizing the work environment to achieve continuous improvement. The process of streamlining workflow and improving turnaround times remains important in an environment to gain the competitive edge where is so much competition for nuclear medicine and PET CT patients. Applying the principles of lean management is vital to hospital operations. The implementation of Toyota principles which includes lean management helps to identify waste and inefficiencies in the nuclear organization to help the department work more efficiently and effectively. We discuss how these principles can be utilized to removing waste from nuclear medicine, such as issues with transport, waiting times and streamlining requisitions and studies. We should not store or produce anything in excessive amounts and not order radionuclides we will not use. There is decreased investment and resources needed to achieve similar levels of productivity. There is a constant focus on providing continuous value to patients and referring physicians. All staff are part of the workplace team and irrespective of their level in the nuclear department must be involved in providing solutions to problems. Nuclear leadership must communicate plans and there must be an ongoing learning process. Streamlining reports and preventing duplication of activities in important. Patients arriving with IV access and maintaining equipment prevents downtime, and preventing unnecessary or duplicated studies prevents waste. In addition we will discuss the use of tools to collect and analyze data and to create change. We will also show value stream mapping and the 5-S approach with specific examples to improve patient throughput in the nuclear department.