cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Continuous transesophageal echo-Doppler assessment of hemodynamic function during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Abstract Study Objective The objective of this study was to examine the utility of the transesophageal echo-Doppler device in evaluating hemodynamic changes during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Design This was a prospective, controlled, observational open study. Setting The study took place in a university hospital. Patients Twenty patients with ASA physical statuses II and III undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy were enrolled into the study. Interventions and Measurements A standardized general anesthetic and surgical technique was used for all patients. Similar depth of hypnosis (using bispectral index monitoring) was maintained in all patients. Hemodynamic parameters including mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), left ventricular (LV) ejection time interval indexed to the heart rate, maximum acceleration, peak velocity, and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) were recorded at predetermined intervals: before incision, after peritoneal CO 2 insufflation and head-up tilt, every 10 minutes thereafter, and after deflation of the abdomen and return to supine position. Main Results The transesophageal echo-Doppler probe placement was achieved in 3 to 5 minutes in all patients, and the probe position was maintained after creation of pneumoperitoneum and change in positioning. Induction of pneumoperitoneum and head-up tilt resulted in a significant increase in MAP and SVR ( P Conclusions The transesophageal echo-Doppler device can be used during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The LV function, as determined by measurement of CI and maximum acceleration, was preserved during laparoscopic cholecystectomy despite significant increases in afterload (ie, MAP and SVR).
Diet composition affects surgery-associated weight loss in rats with a compromised alimentary tract.

Background Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is the fastest growing cancer in terms of incidence and has a high mortality rate. The animal model to study EAC uses esophagoduodenal anastomosis (EDA) to induce mixed-reflux (bile/acid) causing esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, and EAC sequence within 6 mo. However, the lack of fully functional stomach in these rats leads to the development of malnutrition. Methods We have assessed the ability of a chemically pure, purified ingredient diet (AIN-93M) to reduce surgery-associated malnutrition in rats that have undergone the EDA-surgery. Animals were either sham- (SH) or EDA-operated and fed either a grain-based rodent diet (RD) (SH-RD, n = 3; EDA-RD, n = 10) or a purified diet (PD) (SH-PD, n = 4; EDA-PD, n = 11). The animals were weighed periodically for assessment of weight gain and euthanized at the end of 24 wk to measure esophageal tumor incidence. Results Animals that underwent sham surgery continued to gain weight throughout the study period and no tumors were detected. The EDA-operated animals had significantly lower weight gain compared with sham animals. There was no significant difference in weight gain among EDA animals fed two different types of diets until 9 wk after the surgery. After 9 wk, EDA-RD continued to lose weight significantly, whereas the weight loss leveled in EDA-PD (P Conclusion These results show that compared with a natural ingredient diet, a purified ingredient diet can reduce surgery-associated weight loss in rats with a compromised alimentary tract. This reduction in malnutrition has the potential to reduce the confounding effects of weight loss on future animal studies reported.
Solution structure of thioredoxin h1 from Arabidopsis thaliana

Present in virtually every species, thioredoxins catalyze disulfide/dithiol exchange with various substrate proteins. While the human genome contains a single thioredoxin gene, plant thioredoxins are a complex protein family. A total of 19 different thioredoxin genes in six subfamilies has emerged from analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. Some function specifically in mitochondrial and chloroplast redox signaling processes, but target substrates for a group of eight thioredoxin proteins comprising the h subfamily are largely uncharacterized. In the course of a structural genomics effort directed at the recently completed A. thaliana genome, we determined the structure of thioredoxin h1 (At3g51030.1) in the oxidized state. The structure, defined by 1637 NMR-derived distance and torsion angle constraints, displays the conserved thioredoxin fold, consisting of a five-stranded β-sheet flanked by four helices. Redox-dependent chemical shift perturbations mapped primarily to the conserved WCGPC active-site sequence and other nearby residues, but distant regions of the C-terminal helix were also affected by reduction of the active-site disulfide. Comparisons of the oxidized A. thaliana thioredoxin h1 structure with an h-type thioredoxin from poplar in the reduced state revealed structural differences in the C-terminal helix but no major changes in the active site conformation.
Mechanical Properties and Deformation Behavior of a Carbon Nanofiber Polymer Composite Material

Tensile behavior of a carbon nanofiber reinforced vinyl ester polymer composite was studied using dog-bone shaped specimens to obtain its mechanical properties. Pyrograf III which is a very fine, highly graphitic and yet low cost carbon nanofiber was used as the fiber material. Vinyl ester with low molecular weight which was used as the matrix material is a thermoset with high tensile strength at room temperature. When small amounts of carbon nanofibers are combined with vinyl ester, the stiffness of the resulting composite can improve if the fiber-matrix adhesion is good. The mechanical properties can improve further after surface treatment (functionalization) of carbon nanofibers. This surface treatment adds some functional groups chemically to the nanofiber’s surface which increases the adhesion between nanofiber and matrix resin. Understanding the mechanical behavior of these composites is crucial to their effective application. In this research the stiffness, strength, and tensile deformation behavior of these nanocomposites were investigated. The effects of matrix curing systems and composition, strain rate, nanofiber concentration, nanofiber surface treatment and environment such as low and high temperatures and humidity were also characterized. Based on the mechanical properties simple models were used to represent tensile stress-strain and deformation behaviors of the nanocomposite. The experimental results were also applied to these models to examine their predictive capability.
Adaptive Fault-Tolerant QoS Control Algorithms for Maximizing System Lifetime of Query-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

Data sensing and retrieval in wireless sensor systems have a widespread application in areas such as security and surveillance monitoring, and command and control in battlefields. In query-based wireless sensor systems, a user would issue a query and expect a response to be returned within the deadline. While the use of fault tolerance mechanisms through redundancy improves query reliability in the presence of unreliable wireless communication and sensor faults, it could cause the energy of the system to be quickly depleted. Therefore, there is an inherent trade-off between query reliability versus energy consumption in query-based wireless sensor systems. In this paper, we develop adaptive fault-tolerant quality of service (QoS) control algorithms based on hop-by-hop data delivery utilizing “source” and “path” redundancy, with the goal to satisfy application QoS requirements while prolonging the lifetime of the sensor system. We develop a mathematical model for the lifetime of the sensor system as a function of system parameters including the “source” and “path” redundancy levels utilized. We discover that there exists optimal “source” and “path” redundancy under which the lifetime of the system is maximized while satisfying application QoS requirements. Numerical data are presented and validated through extensive simulation, with physical interpretations given, to demonstrate the feasibility of our algorithm design.
Why Doesn’t He Leave? Relationship Continuity and Satisfaction Among Male Domestic Violence Offenders

In contrast to the extensive literature on women's decisions to leave violent relationships, there is little research examining relationship continuity from the offending male's perspective. Similarly, research exploring relationship satisfaction in men arrested for intimate partner violence (IPV) is lacking, despite the fact that dissatisfaction appears to increase risk for future IPV. The present study explored these issues using a large sample of men who were recently convicted of violence toward a female intimate partner (N = 1,130). More than half of the men (59%) reported that they were continuing or planning to continue their relationship. Factors associated with relationship continuity included older age, being married to the victim, having children together, attributing less blame to the victim for the recent offense, and having a childhood history of family violence. Among men who were continuing their relationship, low relationship satisfaction was predicted by having children, expressing hostile attitudes toward women, being jealous, blaming the victim for the arrest incident, and describing the victim as aggressive. Implications of the findings for clinical practice and research are discussed.
Five resource allocation strategies for the cloud infrastructure

As both cloud applications and infrastructure technologies become more advanced, there is a general expectation that cloud based applications are going to experience improved end-to-end performance assurance while maintaining a competitive cost of service. In this paper, the authors continue to explore the potential performance and cost advantages, which may originate when applying joint optimization resource allocation strategies to the cloud infrastructure in the presence of dynamic application requests. Five resource allocation strategies are defined and compared to estimate relative performance gains in a number of resource (network bandwidth, data center CPU, memory and storage) distribution scenarios.
Cysts and Placental Septa

A variety of cysts is found in the placenta, some of which have a readily traceable histogenesis, others are of obscure origin. In general, cysts are more common in mature placentas and, with respect to the septal cysts and those on the chorionic surface, there appears to be a relationship to excess fibrin deposition.
Mathematical Problems in the Kinetic Theory of Polymeric Fluids

An introduction to the kinetic theory of polymeric fluids is given, particularly that part of the theory that is of interest in polymer rheology and polymer fluid dynamics. The two main results of the kinetic theory are (a) a partial differential equation for the configurational distribution function of a polymer molecule in the liquid, and (b) an expression for the stress tensor involving averages calculated using the configurational distribution function. The principal mathematical challenge in this subject is that of solving the partial differential equation for the configurational distribution function. Several examples are given of complete and partial solutions to these equations.
Coerced Confessions, Judicial Instruction, and Mock Juror Verdicts'

The present research assessed whether judicial instruction can curb jurors' inappropriate use of coerced-confession evidence. In Experiment 1, subjects read an auto theft trial in which the defendant had confessed on his own initiative (no constraint), after an offer of leniency (positive constraint), or after a threat of punishment (negative constraint). Subjects then received an instruction that simply directed them to ignore a coerced confession (short form), another that additionally defined both positive and negative inducement as coercive and hence unreliable (long form), or no instruction at all. As previously reported (Kassin & Wrightsman, 1980), subjects fully discounted the negatively constrained confession but not the positively induced one which, although judged involuntary, produced a high percentage of guilty verdicts. Neither form of instruction significantly reduced this latter tendency. In Experiment 2, subjects read an assault case involving a voluntary or positively coerced confession and one of four types of instruction. The positive coercion bias was replicated. An instruction that stressed both the unreliability and unfairness of an induced confession decreased voluntariness judgments but failed to lower the conviction rate. The theoretical basis for and practical implications of this phenomenon are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.
Crouched posture maximizes ground reaction forces generated by muscles.

A B S T R A C T Crouch gait decreases walking efficiency due to the increased knee and hip flexion during the stance phase of gait. Crouch gait is generally considered to be disadvantageous for children with cerebral palsy; however, a crouched posture may allow biomechanical advantages that lead some children to adopt a crouch gait. To investigate one possible advantage of crouch gait, a musculoskeletal model created in OpenSim was placed in 15 different postures from upright to severe crouch during initial, middle, and final stance of the gait cycle for a total of 45 different postures. A series of optimizations was performed for each posture to maximize transverse plane ground reaction forces in the eight compass directions by modifying muscle forces acting on the model. We compared the force profile areas across all postures. Larger force profile areas were allowed by postures from mild crouch (for initial stance) to crouch (for final stance). The overall ability to generate larger ground reaction force profiles represents a mechanical advantage of a crouched posture. This increase in muscle capacity while in a crouched posture may allow a patient to generate new movements to compensate for impairments associated with cerebral palsy, such as motor control deficits.
Seasonal variations in plant nitrogen relations and photosynthesis along a grassland to shrubland gradient in Owens Valley, California

Community composition in semi-arid ecosystems has largely been explained by water availability; however, nitrogen is a common limiting nutrient, and may be an important control on plant function and carbon uptake. We investigated nitrogen relations and photosynthesis of several dominant species at shallow groundwater sites in Owens Valley, California. We measured soil nitrogen (N) availability, leaf N and isotopes, water isotopes, and gas exchange of dominant shrub species Atriplex torreyi and Ericameria nauseosa and grass species Distichlis spicata throughout the summer season in three sites that had similar watertable depths, but that varied in community composition and N availability. Surface soil inorganic N was greatest at the grassland site and declined from June to September at all sites. Leaf N declined throughout the season in all species, and was correlated with soil inorganic N. Photosynthesis of A. torreyi remained relatively constant throughout the season. In contrast, D. spicata and E. nauseosa experienced seasonal declines in photosynthesis at sites with greater inorganic N availability. Leaf N was significantly correlated with photosynthesis in D. spicata across all sites and measurement periods. Controls on N cycling are likely to be an important determinant of photosynthesis of D. spicata in this region.
Estrogen effects on lymph flow as a function of outflow pressure in ewes.

The purpose of the present study was to assess whether acute estrogen administration decreased the lymphatic vessel's "pumping" ability. An additional goal was to assess whether estrogen affected t...
Techniques for Analysis of Large Structures

This paper attempts to evaluate the various methods available for the solution of large sparse linear systems from the point of view of minimizing the computer time required for their execution. First, the more obvious classical methods are considered. These are then related to the work of Kron and the various substructure techniques. Finally, the theoretical aspects of optimum computation are discussed in the light of the practical aspects of the problems of machine computation.
Profiles of ocean island coral reefs controlled by sea-level history and carbonate accumulation rates

Modern and preserved coral reefs on islands exhibit a broad range of forms, from actively accreting fringing and barrier reefs to terraces preserved by drowning or subaerial exposure. Darwin’s canonical model of reef development proposes an evolutionary sequence of reef forms as a volcanic island ages and subsides, from fringing reef to lagoon-bounding barrier reef to atoll. Compiled data from modern systems show, however, that many islands do not follow this sequence, implying that reefs are shaped by more than island subsidence alone. We show that the diversity of modern reef morphology arises from the combined effects of island subsidence, coral growth, and glacial sea-level cycles. A model for the evolution of a reef elevation profile over the past 400 k.y. reveals that different combinations of reef accretion rate and island vertical motion produce a variety of forms that matches the observed distribution of modern reefs. This match occurs only if the model is driven by Pleistocene sea-level oscillations—few modern environments have the right combination of conditions to produce the Darwinian atoll progression.
Study of an Envelope Pit Privy.

In a former study' it was ascertained that from a pit latrine (WVI) reaching into ground water of high rate of flow, B. coli in significant numbers travelled as far as 80 feet and that gross contamination existed 40 to 60 feet from the pit. An attempt was made to restrict contamination by a barrier envelope of fine-textured soil to intercept the outflow from such a latrine. The vertical section and surface plan of the experimental pit construction (WVIII), located 15 feet laterally from WVI, are given in figs. 1 and 2.
Information Processing in PTSD: Evidence for Biased Attentional, Interpretation, and Memory Processes:

This comprehensive review surveys current literature on information processing biases in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The review is organized by information processing systems including at...
Inpatient healthcare provider bypassing by women and their children in urban Bo, Sierra Leone

INTRODUCTION: bypassing refers to a person's decision to seek care at a healthcare facility that is not the nearest one of its type to the person's home. METHODS: this study examined inpatient care facility bypassing in urban Bo, Sierra Leone using data from 1,980 women with children 15 years of age and younger who were interviewed in 2010-2011. The locations of residential structures and hospitals were identified using a geographic information system (GIS), and the road distances from participating households to the nearest and preferred inpatient care facilities were measured. RESULTS: nine inpatient care facilities serve Bo residents, but more than 70% of the participating women reported that the city's main public hospital (Bo Government Hospital), located in the city center, was their preferred inpatient care provider. Participants resided within a median distance of 0.9 km (Interquartile range (IQR): 0.6, 1.8) from their closest inpatient facility, but they would travel a median distance of 2.4 km (IQR: 1.0, 3.3) to reach their preferred providers. About 87% of the women would bypass their nearest inpatient care facility to access care at a preferred provider. Bypassing rates were similar for various demographic and socioeconomic groups, but higher for women living farther from the city center. CONCLUSION: although Bo has a diverse healthcare marketplace, access to affordable advanced care options is limited. Most women in Bo would choose to bypass facilities nearer to their homes to seek the low-cost and comprehensive care offered by Bo Government Hospital.
A Review of Lateral Ankle Ligamentous Reconstructions

We have performed on ongoing retrospective and prospective multi-institutional review of 50 patients who underwent 53 lateral ligamentous reconstructive procedures of the ankle. The point grading system used for postoperative evaluation of our patients allowed for classification of functional activity. The grading system included evaluation of the patient's return to preinjury activities and athletics, degree of pain, degree of swelling, number of recurrent sprains, and any disability that the patient incurred secondary to the tendon transfer. Preoperative and postoperative stress radiographs were obtained to evaluate the talar tilt angle. Of our 53 lateral ankle ligamentous reconstructions, we consider 45 to be excellent, with the patients returning to full activity and athletics. Our results show no statistically significant difference in long-term function among the five ligamentous repairs employed in this series (Pearson Chi-square test; chi 2 = 2.30, df = 4, P = 0.68). No correlation could be made between the long-term clinical response of the various procedures and the postoperative talar tilt angle. We conclude that lateral ligamentous reconstructive repairs of the ankle are indicated, and that good or excellent clinical results, greater than 91%, can be obtained with any of the five reconstructive procedures, performed correctly.
Integrated Observation of Aerosol Plumes Transport and Impacts on the Air Quality Remote Sensing in the Northeast U.S.

In this paper, we present a cluster analysis of plume transport paths to New York City (NYC, 40.821oN, 73.949oW) for the 8-year period during 2006-2013. We also show cases of such aloft aerosol plumes intrusion and mixing into the boundary layer (PBL) and the impact on local air quality. Range-resolved monthly occurrence frequency and modification of local aerosol optical properties are presented. The NOAA-HYSPLIT cluster analysis indicates 6 main transport paths; and the optical properties (optical depth-AOD, Angstrom exponent-AE and single scatter albedo-SSA) of aerosol for each cluster are characterized. We further illustrate the impact of these aloft plumes on the satellite MODIS estimate of ground PM 2.5 levels and observe that when the aloft plumes-layer AODs are filtered out using lidar, the correlation of MODIS AOD-PM 2.5 can be much improved.
Energy expended in alternate foodservice systems for chicken menu items.

An energy-accounting system, developed for this study, was used to assess energy requirements for preparing chicken entrees in four types of foodservice systems. Large variations per gram protein and per calorie in the prepared items were revealed.
Language Attitudes: Social Meanings of Contrasting Speech Styles

Publisher Summary This chapter presents social meanings of contrasting speech styles. The term language attitudes refers to a broad collection of empirical studies concerned with the distinctive social meanings of contrasting language varieties. The particular contrasts that have been investigated include different languages; ethnic, social class, and regional dialects; and specific linguistically defined variations in pronunciation, lexical choice, and grammar. A class-related standard is the style of speech that is viewed as the most prestigious language or language variant in a given culture and that is characteristic of the social group with the highest socioeconomic status. A context-related standard is a style of speech regarded as the most appropriate for particular socially defined situations. In terms of assessment of language attitudes, two basic approaches have been employed, namely, direct and indirect measurement.
Prevalence and Etiology of Hypogonadism in Young Men With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Cross-Sectional Analysis From Two University-Based Rehabilitation Centers.

Abstract Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers an "accelerated aging" process that may include development of hypogonadism, even among younger men with SCI; however, few studies have investigated the prevalence or etiology of hypogonadism in men with SCI. Young men with SCI also are at increased risk for developing metabolic dysfunction after injury, which may be exacerbated by concomitant testosterone (T) deficiency, thus identifying the prevalence and risk factors for T deficiency in men with SCI is important for their long-term health. Objective To investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and etiology of T deficiency (hypogonadism) in otherwise-healthy men with chronic, motor complete SCI. Design Secondary cross-sectional analysis. Setting Rehabilitation research centers in Washington, DC, and Miami, Florida. Participants Men (n = 58) aged 18-45 years with chronic (≥1 year), motor complete SCI without comorbidities or use of testosterone therapy. Methods Plasma concentrations of hormones were measured with standardized assays. Body composition was assessed with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan. Main Outcome Measurements Serum total T and calculated free T. Results T deficiency was more common in men after SCI than in a matched cohort of similarly-aged men without SCI (25%, SCI versus 6.7%, non-SCI, P Conclusions Hypogonadism is more common in young men with SCI than in similarly aged men without SCI, suggesting that SCI should be identified as a risk factor for T deficiency and that routine screening for hypogonadism should be performed in the SCI population. Level of Evidence II
Liability of foreignness in public-private partnerships: The case of project finance investments

The liability of foreignness (LOF) are the costs incurred by MNCs of operating in unfamiliar host environnents. Most LOF research assumes the MNC enters the foreign market alone. In this paper, we ...
Ouroboros Wear Leveling for NVRAM Using Hierarchical Block Migration

Emerging nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) technologies have a limit on the number of writes that can be made to any cell, similar to the erasure limits in NAND Flash. This motivates the need for wear leveling techniques to distribute the writes evenly among the cells. Unlike NAND Flash, cells in NVRAM can be rewritten without the need for erasing the entire containing block, avoiding the issues of space reclamation and garbage collection, motivating alternate approaches to the problem. In this article, we propose a hierarchical wear-leveling model called Ouroboros wear leveling. Ouroboros uses a two-level strategy whereby frequent low-cost intraregion wear leveling at small granularity is combined with interregion wear leveling at a larger time interval and granularity. Ouroboros is a hybrid migration scheme that exploits correct demand predictions in making better wear-leveling decisions while using randomization to avoid wear-leveling attacks by deterministic access patterns. We also propose a way to optimize wear-leveling parameter settings to meet a target smoothness level under limited time and space overhead constraints for different memory architectures and trace characteristics. Several experiments are performed on synthetically generated memory traces with special characteristics, two block-level storage traces, and two memory-line-level memory traces. The results show that Ouroboros wear leveling can distribute writes smoothly across the whole NVRAM with no more than 0.2% space overhead and 0.52% time overhead for a 512GB memory.
Contingencies of Power Sharing in Collaborative Governance

Studies on dynamics of power relationship play a significant role in the collaborative governance literature because many issues and challenges in collaborative governance can be linked to power asymmetry in collaboration. This article proposes a contingency framework on power asymmetry in collaborative governance that includes six contingency factors of power sharing from contextual, network, and node perspectives. We focus on how each contingency factor influences the relationship between power sharing and the effectiveness of collaborative governance and suggest that, instead of focusing on the attempt to balance power and share power in collaboration, it will be more fruitful to design and implement collaborative arrangements based on the dynamic contingencies.
Reprogramming the Activatable Peptide Display Function of Adeno-Associated Virus Nanoparticles.

We harnessed an intrinsic activatable peptide display behavior shared by several parvoviruses, including the adeno-associated virus (AAV), in order to design protein-based nanodevices that can carry out an exogenous functional output in response to stimulus detection. Specifically, we generated truncated viral capsid subunits that, when combined with native capsid components into mosaic capsids, can perform robust activatable peptide display. By modulating the ratio of subunits in the mosaic capsid, properties of the activatable peptide display function can be optimized. Interestingly, the truncated subunits can form homomeric capsids not observed in nature, but at the price of losing the ability to carry out activatable peptide display. Collectively, our results demonstrate the importance of capsid mosaicism when activatable peptide display is desired and help explain why the wild-type AAV capsid exists as a mosaic of different subunits. This proof-of-concept study illustrates a strategy for reprogrammin...
Thinking outside the booth — the eating environment, context and ecological validity in sensory and consumer research

Foods are consumed not in perfect isolation, but with company, at events, and in situations where perception, hedonics and eating behaviors may vary. In ensuring that a panelist's behavior in the controlled environment of the sensory booth mirrors as closely as possible their behavior in the world at large, there is growing interest in introducing context into the sensory booth. Such context may arise from written evocations, the display of audiovisual information, immersion of the panelist within a virtual reality environment, or from testing at a field location. Recent research, as well as pertinent technological advances are summarized, along with suggestions for future areas of improvement regarding more immersive virtual environments.
Graph Theory Based Shipboard Power System Expansion Strategy for Enhanced Resilience

The next-generation ships are geared to more electrification than ever before. In an all-electric ship, the design and planning of a shipboard power system (SPS) is critical for ensuring survivability against any physical attacks on the power lines. Therefore, enhancing the system resilience against malicious physical attacks is a pressing problem of the SPS. This paper proposes a graph theory based power line expansion strategy. The proposed method simultaneously maximizes the algebraic connectivity and weighted max-flow from generator nodes to load nodes in the graphical representation of the SPS. Furthermore, the proposed strategy is compared against a baseline strategy for reducing the operational cost. Several tests are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed strategy on a shipboard direct current power system.
Haptic exploration of mathematical knots

We present a novel multi-modal haptic interface for sketching and exploring the structure and properties of mathematical knots. Our interface derives from the familiar pencil-and-paper process of drawing 2D knot diagrams to facilitate the creation and exploration of mathematical knots; however, with a touch-based interface, users can also leverage their physical intuition by seeing, touching, and feeling the knots. The pure haptic component provides an intuitive interaction model for exploring knots, focusing on resolving the apparent conflict between the continuous structure of the actual knot and the visual discontinuities at occlusion boundaries. The auditory component adds redundant cues that emphasize the traditional knot crossings, where the haptic proxy crosses a visual disruption in the graphics image. Our paradigm enhances and extends traditional 2D sketching methods by exploiting both touch and sound to assist in building clearer mental models of geometry such as knot structures.
Prospects for Utilitarian Decision Analysis

Decision analysis evaluates options in terms of their expected utility, the expected amount of good. Many regulatory decisions require estimates of utility, which is not the same as monetary outcomes or other objectively measurable quantities. I review some of the problems of utility measurement for consequences (hence 'utilitarian'')and suggest possible solutions. Contingent valuation (CV), a widely used method for obtaining money equivalents, is usually insensitive to the quantity of the good being evaluated, but this problem might be avoided by using per-unit pricing and/or by requiring responses on both attributes (money and the good in question). Valuation of consequences can also be distorted by provision of information about how the consequences are achieved. I report a study showing how valuation can also be improved by stripping away information other than the consequences of interest; most subjects did not think that removal of the extra information was unfair. Conjoint analysis, another method in which respondents rate objects that vary in different attributes such as cost and benefit, seems promising because it is often sensitive to quantity. I report a study suggesting that it can suffer from the problem that people limit their attention to a few attributes, possibly even one. I conclude with a discussion of the role of utility measurement in regulation.
Immunity to Syphilitic Infection

Despite centuries of interest in the clinical manifestations of syphilis, the nature of acquired resistance to infection by Treponema pallidum remains poorly understood. A number of factors, including to a great extent technical problems related to the nature of the organism, have been responsible for the slow progress in deciphering the immune responses. Although T. pallidum organisms have been grown in vitro with some success (Fieldsteel et al., 1982; Norris, 1982), these studies have not progressed to accurate quantification of treponemes in tissue, for example, by colony counting. T. pallidum must be maintained in the laboratory by animal transfer and isolated from infected mammalian tissue. Any attempt to characterize its immunologic properties presents the problem of distinguishing treponemal antigens from those of the mammalian host. Although treponemal antigens have been isolated through recombinant DNA technology and improved biochemical techniques (Stamm and Bassford, 1982; Hanff et al., 1983; Norgard and Miller, 1983; Van Embden et al., 1983; Marchitto et al., 1984; Hansen et al., 1985), these antigens have not been shown to be important in the induction of acquired resistance. Finally, the hamster and rabbit appear to be the only nonprimates that can be regularly infected with T. pallidum organisms to produce sustained lesions (Turner and Hollander, 1957; Schell et al., 1980b); however, the hamster and rabbit do not reflect the clinical manifestations of syphilis that are seen in humans.
Surface waves in weakly heterogeneous media

The theory of the propagations of surface waves in the media with weak lateral heterogeneities is reviewed. In such media we can represent wavefields as the conventional normal modes in the vertical profiles while the horizontal propagations can be treated as rays spreading on the surface with the phase velocity distributions. The formulations of surface waves share many common features with acoustic or elastic body waves in two-dimensional media. Therefore, the direct applications of the recently developed theories for acoustic or elastic body waves such as the Gaussian beam method and the Maslov method are applicable to the surface wave problems. Because of the simplicity and the capability of the rapid calculations, the present approach can be applied to the inverse problems with the use of Bom approximations. We are now in the stage to invert both the amplitude and the phase anomalies for the lateral heterogeneities of the earth.
Heterotic Non-linear Sigma Models

In this chapter we discuss the basic features of non-linear sigma models with (0,2) supersymmetry. This is a large universe, and to circumscribe our explorations we mainly stick to the theories relevant to compactifications of the heterotic string. To elucidate the geometric structures it turns out easiest to start with (0,1) supersymmetry. The reader may find it useful to skim through the geometry appendix before diving into the details of this chapter.
The Aftermath of Surviving Acute Radiation Hematopoietic Syndrome and its Mitigation.

Intensive research is underway to find new agents that can successfully mitigate the acute effects of radiation exposure. This is primarily in response to potential counterthreats of radiological t...
Overcoming Resistance to Combination Radiation-Immunotherapy: A Focus on Contributing Pathways Within the Tumor Microenvironment

Radiation therapy has been used for many years to treat tumors based on its DNA-damage-mediated ability to kill cells. More recently, RT has been shown to exert beneficial modulatory effects on immune responses, such as triggering immunogenic cell death, enhancing antigen presentation, and activating cytotoxic T cells. Consequently, combining radiation therapy with immunotherapy represents an important area of research. Thus far, immune-checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) have been the focus of many research studies and clinical trials. The available data suggest that such immunotherapies are enhanced when combined with radiation therapy. However, treatment resistance, intrinsic or acquired, is still prevalent. Various theories as to how to enhance these combination therapies to overcome treatment resistance have been proposed. In this review, we focus on the principles surrounding radiation therapy's positive and negative effects on the tumor microenvironment. We explore mechanisms underlying radiation therapy's synergistic and antagonistic effects on immune responses and provide a base of knowledge for radio-immunology combination therapies to overcome treatment resistance. We provide evidence for targeting regulatory T cells, tumor-associated macrophages, and cancer-associated fibroblasts in combination radio-immunotherapies to improve cancer treatment.
Motion and Sound

Many people believe that animations can help learners come to understand complex ideas more easily, which is one of the reasons that animations are used in many websites and multimedia titles. Nevertheless, the reasons that are given for this effect vary significantly across a wide range. Some practitioners believe that animations aid learners due to their motivating qualities (Rieber, Journal of Educational Psychology 83:318–328, 1991). On the other hand, other people view animations suspiciously and advocate limiting the usage of animations. Often, they tend to cite the difficulties that learners can have in processing animation or in applying appropriate strategies (e.g., Lowe, Learning and Instruction 13:157–176, 2003).
Retrospective Correction of Angular Gain by Virtual Carouseling in MEMS Gyroscopes

We present a correction approach of angular gain based on frequency mismatch of a gyroscope operating in the Whole Angle (WA) mode. The virtual carouseling (VC) and closed-loop WA modes of operation were implemented on a Quad Mass Gyroscope (QMG). The variations in the frequency mismatch associated with the temperature drift were made observable through VC and compensated in the angular gain estimation.
Cadherin-11 contributes to liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride

Background and aims Liver fibrosis is characterized by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) leading to impaired function and cirrhosis. Previous reports support a role for cadherin-11 (CDH11) in regulating the development of dermal and pulmonary fibrosis. In the current report, the extent to which CDH11 modulates the development of liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) was assessed. Methods Wild type (WT) and CDH11 deficient (CDH11-/-) mice were treated with CCl4 or vehicle control for 8 weeks to induce liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis was assessed by histology, collagen content, and RTPCR of fibrotic mediators. Results Livers from WT mice treated with CCl4 had increased levels of CDH11 which localized to injured hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells, and macrophages. Interestingly, CDH11-/- mice had decreased histological evidence of liver fibrosis, collagen deposition, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) accumulation, and mRNA levels of fibrotic mediators such as Col1-α1, Snail, TGF-β and IL-6. Conclusions These data demonstrate that CDH11 is increased during liver fibrosis, is an important regulator of liver fibrosis induced by CCL4 and suggest that CDH11 may be a potential therapeutic target for liver fibrosis.
Prediction of thirty-day morbidity and mortality after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: data from an artificial neural network

Multiple patient factors may convey increased risk of 30-day morbidity and mortality after laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (LVSG). Assessing the likelihood of short-term morbidity is useful for both the bariatric surgeon and patient. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are computational algorithms that use pattern recognition to predict outcomes, providing a potentially more accurate and dynamic model relative to traditional multiple regression. Using a comprehensive national database, this study aims to use an ANN to optimize the prediction of the composite endpoint of 30-day readmission, reoperation, reintervention, or mortality, after LVSG. A cohort of 101,721 LVSG patients was considered for analysis from the 2016 Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program national dataset. Select patient factors were chosen a priori as simple, pertinent and easily obtainable, and their association with the 30-day endpoint was assessed. Those factors with a significant association on both bivariate and multivariate nominal logistic regression analysis were incorporated into a back-propagation ANN with three nodes each assigned a training value of 0.333, with k-fold internal validation. Logistic regression and ANN models were compared using area under receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROC). Upon bivariate analysis, factors associated with 30-day complications were older age (P = 0.03), non-white race, higher initial body mass index, severe hypertension, diabetes mellitus, non-independent functional status, and previous foregut/bariatric surgery (all P < 0.001). These factors remained significant upon nominal logistic regression analysis (n = 100,791, P < 0.001, r2= 0.008, AUROC = 0.572). Upon ANN analysis, the training set (80% of patients) was more accurate than logistic regression (n = 80,633, r2= 0.011, AUROC = 0.581), and it was confirmed by the validation set (n = 20,158, r2= 0.012, AUROC = 0.585). This study identifies a panel of simple and easily obtainable preoperative patient factors that may portend increased morbidity after LSG. Using an ANN model, prediction of these events can be optimized relative to standard logistic regression modeling.
A Roadmap for the Acceleration of Technology in Computational Science for the next Decade

This talk covers a detailed direction for developing a Roadmap in the discipline of Computer Science for the next Decade. Over the past two decades, the science of computing has changed drastically both in the context of theory and applications. Dr. Iyengar is going to cover his experiences of four decades in areas of Sensor Fusion, Quantum Computing and theory of Machine Learning and AI for various applications. The duration of the talk is 1 hour and there will be time for discussions after the seminar.
Patterns of Care and Survival of Cutaneous Angiosarcoma of the Head and Neck

ObjectiveTo analyze the patterns of care and survival of cutaneous angiosarcomas of the head and neck.Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingNational Cancer Database.MethodsThe National Canc...
Morphology and Diagnostic Techniques

In the United States, it is estimated that 1 of every 3 people is affected by a skin condition at any point in time (Johnson in J Invest Dermatol 9:108–110, 2004, [1]). The skin is the body’s barrier to the outside world and, therefore, may be impacted by UV radiation, irritants, allergens, viruses, bacteria, and arthropods. A damaged barrier can result in rash formation, pruritus, burning sensation, impetigo, cellulitis, and even septicemia or death. Cutaneous signs and symptoms can provide clues as to the possibility of a specific diagnosis related to a wide variety of outdoor hazards so that they can be properly treated or avoided. It is certainly important to separate these conditions from those related to systemic disease.
Automatic Detection of Respiratory Effort Related Arousals With Deep Neural Networks From Polysomnographic Recordings

Sleep disorders have become more common due to the modern lifestyle and stress. The most severe case of sleep disorders called apnea is characterized by a complete breaking block, leading to awakening and subsequent sleep disturbances. The automatic detection of sleep arousals is still challenging. In this paper, a novel method is presented to detect non-apnea sources of arousals during sleep using Polysomnography(PSG) recordings. After the preprocessing, a sequence-to-sequence deep neural network (DNNs) consisting of a series of Bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) layer, and fully connected layers were trained to classify samples in the segments. Initially, three different models were prepared for different datasets. Finally, obtaining the classification result through an ensemble model consisting of the three trained models. The result shows that the area under the receiver precision-recall curve (AUPRC) is 0.59 for the test dataset exceeding the performance of the classifiers in the existing literature.Clinical relevance— Analyzing Polysomnographic recordings is a time consuming a critical process yet to identify sleep disorders. These recordings span several hours and contain different data streams that include EEG, EMG, etc. This paper proposes a system that can automatically detect respiratory effort-related arousals using a deep neural network from Polysomnographic Recordings. By automating this process with a machine learning-based solution that can eliminate the manual process while facilitating further improvements of the system with future data.
Mechanically robust lattices inspired by deep-sea glass sponges.

The predominantly deep-sea hexactinellid sponges are known for their ability to construct remarkably complex skeletons from amorphous hydrated silica. The skeletal system of one such species of sponge, Euplectella aspergillum, consists of a square-grid-like architecture overlaid with a double set of diagonal bracings, creating a chequerboard-like pattern of open and closed cells. Here, using a combination of finite element simulations and mechanical tests on 3D-printed specimens of different lattice geometries, we show that the sponge’s diagonal reinforcement strategy achieves the highest buckling resistance for a given amount of material. Furthermore, using an evolutionary optimization algorithm, we show that our sponge-inspired lattice geometry approaches the optimum material distribution for the design space considered. Our results demonstrate that lessons learned from the study of sponge skeletal systems can be exploited for the realization of square lattice geometries that are geometrically optimized to avoid global structural buckling, with implications for improved material use in modern infrastructural applications. Computational analysis and mechanical testing demonstrate that the skeletal system of a marine sponge has, through the course of evolution, achieved a near-optimal resistance to buckling.