cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Random access with multi-beam antenna arrays

We present a new approach to efficient space division multiple access in wireless packet data networks. An initially wide-angle beam is split successively until a set of initially colliding packet transmitters are spatially isolated into individual narrow beams. We present an analysis of the throughput and delay performance and also discuss practical implementation issues.
Fast neutron teletherapy for advanced carcinomas of the oropharynx.

Abstract A study was performed to assess the efficacy of using fast neutron irradiation to treat advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx. Twenty-seven patients were treated with neutrons alone and 21 patients received a combination of fast neutrons and megavoltage photons as part of a mixed beam fractionation scheme. All patients in the study were judged to have less than a 10% chance for 5-year survival with conventional therapy. In the neutron-only group, the initial complete remission rate was 44% (12/27) and the duration of local control ranged between 2–41 months (mean = 12.4 months). At the time of writing, 2 patients in this group were still alive and free of disease while 5 patients had died without evidence of tumor at the primary site. The other 15 patients achieved only a partial remission and after completing therapy, their survival ranged between 1 and 15.5 months (mean = 3.2 months). In the mixed beam group, the initial complete remission rate was 67% (14/21) and the duration of local control ranged between 4 and 44 months (mean = 18 months). At the time of writing, 5 patients in this group were still alive and free of disease at the primary site. An additional 3 patients were salvaged successfully with surgery after either an initial control failure or a recurrence. Three other patients died free of disease at the primary site. The survival of the 6 patients in whom there was no initial local control or surgical salvage ranged between 0.5 and 8.5 months (mean = 4.0 months) after completing therapy. Actuarially calculated curves for the duration of local control are shown for the 2 groups of patients and at all follow-up times, the mixed beam group shows a higher degree of local control at the primary site than the neutron-only group. However, because of the small number of patients at risk for the longer follow-up times, this difference is statistically significant only for the initial rate of local control. Assuming an RBE = 3 for the neutron radiation, in all cases the spinal cord dosage was limited to 4500 photon rad equivalent. In the neutron-only group, 10 patients survived 10 months or longer and of these, 5 developed an apparent cervical myelitis. No such complications were noted in the mixed beam group and so it appears that the RBE is greater than 3 for late damage to the spinal cord. In the context of this study, it appears that mixed beam (neutron/photon) irradiation is superior to neutrons alone, both in terms of local control and long-term morbidity, for treating advanced tumors of the oropharynx.
The prognostic significance of midline shift at presentation on survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

Abstract Purpose: While patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) who present with midline shift have a presumably worse prognosis, there is little literature evaluating the prognostic significance of this presentation in multivariate analysis in the context of other known prognostic factors. Methods and Materials: From March 1981 to September 1993, 219 patients underwent irradiation for intracranial glioma at our institution. One hundred fourteen patients with a diagnosis of a primary GBM were analyzed for the influence of the presence of midline shift at diagnosis on survival with respect to other known prognostic factors, including age, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and extent of surgery. Eighty-five patients (74%) presented with midline shift. Surgical treatment consisted of subtotal/total resection in 86 patients (75%). Among patients presenting with midline shift, 68 (80%) underwent subtotal/total resection before irradiation. Results: Multivariate analysis of the entire cohort of patients found none of the potential prognostic factors analyzed to significantly influence survival. The overall median survival was 6 months. However, when multivariate analysis was limited to patients with a KPS of ≥ 70, only the presence of midline shift and age were found to significantly influence survival. Patients with a KPS ≥ 70 and with midline shift present at diagnosis had a median survival of 8 months, as compared to 14 months for those not having midline shift at presentation ( p = 0.04). Patients with a KPS ≥ 70 and age > 50 years had a median survival of 5 months as compared to 11 months for those ≤ 50 ( p = 0.02). Conclusion: In this series, where 80% of patients who presented with a midline shift underwent decompressive resection of GBM before irradiation, the presence of midline shift at diagnosis remained an independent prognostic factor influencing survival among good performance status patients. While the role of decompressive surgery in this setting is likely of some benefit, the extent of this benefit remains to be defined.
A Physical Therapy Model for the Treatment of Low Back Pain

Low back pain is commonly seen in physical therapy practice, and many methods of treatment are used to reduce it. In this article, we discuss the magnitude of the low back pain problem, outline the various treatment methods, and develop a strategy to classify and standardize the treatment of the patient who has low back pain. We will develop this thought process by discussing five management considerations: (1) the dilemma of diagnosis, (2) the information gained from the assessment, (3) a patient classification system, (4) the objectives of the low back treatment process, and (5) a proposed physical therapy intervention model that matches the objectives of treatment to the classification of the patient.
Environmental Control to Reduce Transmission of Clostridium difficile

Restrictive antibiotic policies and infection control measures have been shown to reduce the incidence of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) among hospitalized patients. To date, the role of environmental disinfectants in reducing nosocomial CDAD rates has not been well studied. In a before-and-after intervention study, patients in 3 units were evaluated to determine if unbuffered 1:10 hypochlorite solution is effective as an environmental disinfectant in reducing the incidence of CDAD. Among 4252 patients, the incidence rate of CDAD for bone marrow transplant patients decreased significantly, from 8.6 to 3.3 cases per 1000 patient-days (hazard ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.74), after the environmental disinfectant was switched from quaternary ammonium to 1:10 hypochlorite solution in the rooms of patients with CDAD. Reverting later to quaternary ammonium solution increased the CDAD rate to 8.1 cases per 1000 patient-days. No reduction in CDAD rates was seen among neurosurgical intensive care unit and general medicine patients, for whom baseline rates were 3.0 and 1.3 cases per 1000 patient-days, respectively. Unbuffered 1:10 hypochlorite solution is effective in decreasing patients' risk of developing CDAD in areas where CDAD is highly endemic. Presumed mechanisms include reducing the environmental burden and the potential for C. difficile transmission among susceptible patients.
Brain injury and repair mechanisms: the potential for pharmacologic therapy in closed-head trauma.

Rotational acceleration from closed-head trauma produces shear-strain brain injury at the interface of gray and white matter. The initial injury is followed by progressive damage involving three key phenomena: progression of subtle focal axonal damage to axonal transection between six and 12 hours after injury, progressive development of tissue microhemorrhages between 12 and 96 hours after injury, and development of tissue and cerebral spinal fluid lactic acidosis that does not appear to be explained by tissue ischemia. All of these phenomena could be explained by trauma induced tissue depolarization, activation of phospholipases and the release of free arachidonic acid, radical generation by metabolism of arachidonate, and lipid peroxidation with consequent membrane degradation and partial mitochondrial uncoupling. Because of terminal differentiation, neurons may have a limited membrane repair capability that might be stimulated by growth factors. Other potential therapeutic interventions include calmodulin inhibitors, iron chelators, and free radical scavengers.
Preliminary crystallographic data for Azotobacter cytochrome c5

Abstract Two closely related crystal forms of dimeric cytochrome c5 from Azotobacter rinelandii have been grown. The crystals belong to space groups (C2 with a = 45·0, b = 38·4, c = 41·3 A and β = 101 ° 0′ ; and C1 (a centered triclinic cell) with a = 46·0, b = 37·6, c = 49·4 A , α = 87 ° 20′, β = 96 ° 40′ and γ = 90 ° 0′. In C2 the 24,000 molecular weight dimer lies on a Crystallographic 2-fold axis; in C1 the entire dimer occupies the asymmetric unit.
Human lupus-type inclusions in umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells

Mononuclear cells purified from umbilical cord blood activated oligoadenylate synthetase and formed human lupus-type inclusions (LI) when cultured with the purified recombinant human leukocyte interferon, IFLrA. LI frequencies increased from 0% to a low of 0.75% and a high of 6.25% in 4-day cultures with IFLrA (100 units/ml). These interferon-induced responses in the mononuclear cells of neonates indicate that LI are solely an intrinsic product of normal cells, and not an exogenous virus or some other environmental agent.
Simulation of chute flow of soybeans using an improved tangential force-displacement model

Abstract Discrete element method (DEM) is widely used for the computer simulations of the motion behavior of granular materials. We use the DEM simulation with the improved tangential force–displacement model proposed by Vu-Quoc, L., Zhang, X., (1999) [Mechanics of Materials 31, 235–265] to simulate soybeans flowing down an inclined chute with a bumpy bottom. In the normal direction at the contact point between two particles, the bilinear force–displacement model proposed by Walton, O.R., Braun, R.L., 1986 [Journal of Rheology 30 (5), 949–980] is employed. Soybeans (non-spherical particles) are represented by clusters of spheres to simplify the contact detection. The simulation results such as velocity profiles are presented, and compared with corresponding experimental results. In addition, force statistics of the soybean flow that cannot be obtained using conventional experiments are extracted from simulation results and presented.
Performance of SignError LMS

This chapter contains sections titled: Real-Valued Data Complex-Valued Data Simulation Results
The monetary value of human milk in Francophone west Africa: a PROFILES analysis for nutrition policy communication.

Using a simple and consenI4Uive methodology we estimated the volume and monetary value of the human milk produced by lactating women in Francophone West Africa. In that region children zero to 35.9 months old consume over 1.1 billion liters of human milk per year; However suboptimal breastfeeding practices account for the loss of 175 million liters of human milk annually. If the human milk consumed by children zero to 35.9 months old were to be adequately replaced using commercial breastmilk substitutes an annual expenditure of about 2 billion US dollars would be needed. At the household level the annual replacement cost of human milk would amount to US$412 per infant. This is beyond the reach of most families in West Africa where as many as 6196 of families in some countries live on less than one US dollar per day. Appropriate policies to foster breastfeeding need to be developed and adequately implemented. Such policy action is more likely to occur if decision makers fully appreciate the monetary value of human milk. (authors)
Popular Nationalism and China’s Japan Policy: the Diaoyu Islands protests, 2012–2013

Abstract2012–2013 witnessed a renewed flare-up of anti-Japanese sentiment in Mainland China, followed by a toughening of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Diaoyu Islands policy. Did popular nationalism influence the PRC’s military escalation? A lack of transparency in elite Chinese decision-making puts a definitive answer to this question beyond our reach. However, this article utilizes qualitative and quantitative analyses of anti-Japanese discourse and deeds in both cyberspace and on the streets of urban China to argue that the circumstantial evidence is compelling: nationalist opinion is a powerful driver of China’s Japan policy. The demands of nationalist legitimation appear to pressure the elite to respond to popular nationalism. Should one or more Chinese die at the hands of the Japanese navy or air force, therefore, the popular pressure for escalation and war will likely be more than China’s leaders can manage.
Distance, Asymmetric Information, and Mortgage Securitization

Do lemon problems distort trade on secondary mortgage markets? In this paper, I present new evidence that they do. Using the geographic distance between lenders and borrowers as a proxy for the absence of private bank information, I document a systematic positive link between distance and the mortgage sale rate. Mortgage securitization encourages lending at a ten-foot pole's length, signaling that the originating lender has no private information about the borrower. I show that this effect is stronger for borrowers about whom the lender has greater incentives to acquire information, including low-income (versus high-income) borrowers and loans originated just above the conforming loan-limit (in the illiquid jumbo market where the GSEs are barred from purchasing mortgages). Moreover, I show that mortgage sale rates dropped following the removal of barriers to physical bank entry in the 1990s. The welfare implications are ambiguous: mortgage securitization facilitates credit supply in “unbanked” areas without a local, physical bank presence, but disincentivizes bank information production about loan applicants.
Resistance Welding

This paper is directed to engineers interested in the application of resistance welding to the industries. The discussion foreshadows some of the latest tendencies of development. It deals with some fundamentals of design though it is not written as a complete treatise on the subject, nor especially for those engaged in the designing of resistance welding machinery. Differentiation is made between the older form of resistance butt welding and the later method of flash butt welding. The probable action taking place in the flashing zone is discussed, along with the effect that increased potential across the weld has on this action. The main object in flash butt welder designing should be to combine the maximum degree of acceleration of the metals into the flashing zone with the proper and necessary e. m. f. A study of the power division of a typical butt welder shows that the efficiency may be as low as 7 per cent or lower, but that nevertheless it competes with other methods of welding when applied to problems of mass production. The effect of external resistance in a flash butt welding machine is to offset variations in die contact and variations in stock resistance, thus stabilizing the flow of current in the flashing zone. The power factor of welding machines is not regarded by the designers as a major element, since the time of application of the current is at most but a few seconds.
Rehabilitation Care and Outcomes from the Patient's Perspective

In the past, quality of health care was measured principally with reference to provider-established norms. More recently, increased attention has been paid to patients' views on care delivery and outcomes. However, in rehabilitation medicine, this trend has not been established: provider-assessed outcomes during short stays in specific settings are the focus of care. This article offers a theoretic framework for the assessment of rehabilitative care from the patient's perspective. Four domains of the patient's experience and the specific dimensions of each domain are discussed, and their influence on the measurement of quality from the patient's viewpoint is reviewed. A similar comparison is made between patient and provider perspectives on care outcomes. Examples are provided of patient-based outcome measures. Emphasis is placed on the importance of distinguishing between provider and patient perspectives and on giving the patient's views a primary role in evaluating care and outcomes.
Education and Outreach Based on Data from the Anza Seismic Network in Southern California

Innovative and exceptional education and outreach services often require collaborative efforts from diverse members of the scientific community, educators, emergency response personnel, and the media. This collaboration is essential when large earthquakes occur in highly populated regions where detailed and accurate information is required immediately to assure the safety of the general public. To streamline these interactions the Anza group has taken the following steps: (1) When we respond to large earthquakes globally, or smaller earthquakes locally, we collaborate with other research institutions, such as SCEC and the IRIS-DMC, to provide information quickly and effectively to the general public and emergency response personnel. (2) In the event of a major earthquake within our area of responsibility we provide data to other researchers as needed and collect data from them to support our efforts. (3) The Anza group makes a special effort to meet the needs of the local educational community through cooperation in the development and maintenance of educational modules. While our raw data are readily available, some end users prefer additional assistance in data manipulation and interpretation. We frequently provide our services to assist others in specialized uses of our data. These efforts include the incorporation of real-time seismic displays in museum settings (see later in this paper). Through these efforts, the Anza group extends the value of the Anza seismic data to include broadening the common seismological knowledge of San Diego residents and visitors. (4) We have held planning sessions with the local utilities companies ( e.g., SDG&E) to understand their needs better in the event of a large earthquake in southern California. (5) We have routinely dealt with the media in response to relatively small earthquakes in our region and expect that these interactions have prepared us to respond quickly and efficiently to more dire situations. (6) We …
SELF-CONCEPTS OF CHILDREN IN SUMMER BASEBALL PROGRAMS

One of the most commonly held beliefs about children's sports is that they greatly develop participants' self-concepts and otherwise benefit players psychologically. But aside from that popular belief, does a first experience in a summer baseball program indeed contribute significantly to players' self-concept? In an attempt to answer this question, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale was administered to 66 novice players and 99 nonplayers, 9 to 10 yr. old, before and after the baseball season. Of the former group, 35 subjects were players in a league which was highly competitive and 25 were players in a recreational league. The competitive league had the following characteristics: paid coaches, full uniforms, post-season playoffs and awards, all-star games, tryouts and drafts, no age-grouping, and games outside the residential area. The recreational league was characterized by volunteer coaches, no or limited uniforms (tee-shirts and caps), no post-season playoffs, tee-ball or pitching machines, everybody having a chance to play every game, players closely age-grouped, and games at parks close to residences. When all players were contrasted against all nonplayers, the players (M = 55.9) had a marginally higher (F1.l~ = 2.79, p < .09) mean self-concept than the nonplayers (M = 51.4) befoie the season. The significant main effect of league structure (PI,m = 4.85, p < .03) indicated that the mean self-concept of players in the competitive league (+4.2) increased more than that of recreational players (-0.3). The mean self-concept of the nonplayers increased significantly (from 51.4 to 56.1, p < .05) from the pretest to the posttest. When the data were analyzed in relation to the teams' season performance (win percentage), the main effect of team performance and the interaction of team performance and league structure were nonsignificant. It appeared that those in the competitive league significantly improved in selfconcept, whereas the recreational players remained the same over the baseball season. The increase for both nonplayers and competitive players suggests that the traditional Little League baseball was no more effective than various activities of nonplayers during the summer. Children must be intrinsically motivated by rheir activities for self-concept to increase (1, 2, 3). The higher mean self-concept of players than that of non-players before the season may reflecr a self-selection and intrinsic motivation.
Alcohol-Attributable Calories Consumed as a Result of Binge Drinking: A National Survey of Drinkers in the United States

ABSTRACTAims: Estimate the alcohol-attributed calories associated with respondents' (a) most recent binge drinking episode, and (b) binge drinking across a thirty-day period. Methods: Examined responses to a module of the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), completed by a 10-state sample in the United States (n = 7,375), in order to estimate the alcohol-attributed calories consumed among binge drinkers. Alcohol-attributed calories were estimated by multiplying number of drinks consumed for each category (beer, wine, liquor drinks, and pre-mixed flavored drinks) collected in the BRFSS by caloric averages based on two data sources. Results: In the past 30 days, respondents averaged 4.13 (SD = 5.84) binge drinking episodes, and consumed an average of 4.15 (SD = 3.55) beers, .67 (SD = 1.56) glasses of wine, 1.49 (SD = 2.53) shots of liquor, and .15 (SD = .79) pre-mixed flavored beverages during their most recent binge drinking episode. The average amount of alcohol-attributed calories con...
The compatibility of nature value and technology value——a new perspective of reconstructing sustainable development value

The development of human society is supported with views of values towards everything. Since the industrialization, the conflicts between nature and technology became increasingly evident, which was presented by focusing on economic value in the process of development and economic benefits. The defaults in terms of values of nature and technology resulted in the conflicts and malposition of values of nature and technology, thus no basis could be found in supporting the values for human's sustainable development. It is suggested that a compatibility of nature values and technology values should be regarded as the core and value orientation for establishing a scientific value of sustainable development.
Different Minimal Residual Disease Levels between Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Acute Myeloid Leukemia Detected with Multi-Parameter Flow Cytometry.

Minimal residual diseases (MRD) are the problem of disease recurrence for childhood acute leukemia. Different levels of MRD determined with multi-parameter flow cytometry (MP-FCM) have been revealed prognostic for both adult and childhood acute leukemia in several recent studies. However, the MRD levels at the time of complete remission and the various check point during further treatment have not been reported. Methods: 122 cases (Male 73, Female 49, aged 2 month to 15yrs with a median of 6.5yrs) with childhood acute leukemia treated in our hospital from 2001.3 ~ 2004.7 were enrolled into this study. A total of 610 BM samples were detected with three or four color MP-FCM based on individualized leukemia-associated aberrant immunophenotypes (LAIP) in each patient according to their initial complete immunophenotypic profiles (B lineage ALL: 79 cases, T lineage ALL: 11 cases; AML: 32 cases). A total of 99 LAIPs (B lineage ALL: 48, T lineage ALL: 16, AML: 31, HAL: 4) were identified and single LAIP was used in most patients, but some patients needed more than one (2 or 3) LAIPs to detect their MRDs. At least 100,000 events were collected for each analysis. ALL and AML patients were treated with Chinese Childhood Cancer Study Group (CCCSG) ALL-protocol-1998 and AML-protocol-1998, respectively. Results: The CR rates for B lineage ALL, T lineage ALL and AML were 99.3%, 94.7% (overall ALL 98.8%) and 89.1%, respectively. The 1 yr/2 yrs of event free survival (EFS) for the three types of leukemia was 92.5%/85.2%, 78.3%/68.9% and 68.3%/56.4%, respectively. At the time of first CR after induction therapy, MRD level of B lineage ALL (79 cases) was 0.166%±0.057% (mean ± SE), significantly lower than those of T lineage ALL (11 cases, 0.783%±0.328%, t = 3.1926, P = 0.002) and AML (32 cases, 1.191%±0.257, t = 5.5177, P P = 0.40). The MRD level of the overall ALL (T + B lineage: 90 cases) was also significantly lower than that of AML (32 cases) (t = 5.0249, P P = 0.083), while it was significantly higher than that of AML (16 cases, 0.966%±0.347%, t =3.334, P = 0.0014). At the time of 1 yr after CR, the MRD level in ALL (50 cases, 0.347%±0.090%) was not significantly different from that of AML (7 cases, 0.094%±0.072, t = 1.043, P = 0.31). At the time of 2 yrs after CR, the MRD level in ALL (49 cases, 0.302%±0.105%) was also not significantly different from that of AML (8 cases, 0.485%±0.246%, t = 0.6599, P = 0.51). Conclusions: MRD level of B lineage ALL is significantly lower than those of T lineage ALL and AML at the time of first CR, being true at the time of 6 months after CR. The differences are lost at 12 and 24 months after CR indicating that MRD detection with MP-FCM are well associated with the prognosis of childhood acute leukemia. Continuous follow-up to accumulate more cases is now underway.
Pollen recognition using a multi-layer hierarchical classifier

We propose a method to recognize pollen grains using a two-stage classifier. First, texture classification categorizes the pollen grains into sub-groups. Then, a final classification of individual pollen types is done by segmenting the image int multiple layers of regions for each pollen image. The main novelty in our method is threefold: (1) Adopting two successive classification stages. (2) Combining hierarchical clustering and SVM algorithms to merge similar pollen types into sub-groups. (3) Adopting a layering approach prior to performing feature extraction. The combination of these aspects gives excellent results. We evaluated our method using 1,063 light-microscopy images of pollen grains from 30 species. The results show that: (1) the layering technique increases the classification rate by almost almost 7% over using the same features directly. (2) adopting two classification stage increases the classification rate by 6%. (3) the proposed system outperformed traditional techniques.
Laser near net shape manufacturing for nickel alloy parts with complex structure

To fabricate near net-shape nickel alloy turbine blade airfoil with complex internal structure, process of laser net shape manufacturing (LNSM) is studied in two aspects. One is steady process analysis to establish transfer functions between dimension and process parameters. Another one is dynamic process analysis focusing on decreasing defects in the region of special geometry features. Two solutions, path planning with process parameters optimization and vision based closed loop control are implemented to keep the process stable in those areas. Both solutions are applied successfully in nickel alloy turbine blade airfoil deposition with LNSM system. Geometric inspection shows good dimensional accuracy and surface quality can be achieved with this technology.To fabricate near net-shape nickel alloy turbine blade airfoil with complex internal structure, process of laser net shape manufacturing (LNSM) is studied in two aspects. One is steady process analysis to establish transfer functions between dimension and process parameters. Another one is dynamic process analysis focusing on decreasing defects in the region of special geometry features. Two solutions, path planning with process parameters optimization and vision based closed loop control are implemented to keep the process stable in those areas. Both solutions are applied successfully in nickel alloy turbine blade airfoil deposition with LNSM system. Geometric inspection shows good dimensional accuracy and surface quality can be achieved with this technology.
Outcomes from Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation versus Chemotherapy Alone for the Management of Light Chain Amyloidosis.

Abstract Light chain amyloidosis (AL) results in tissue deposition of misfolded proteins, causing organ dysfunction. In an era of modern therapies, such as bortezomib, reassessment of the benefit of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) should be considered. In this study, we compared outcomes between patients with AL receiving chemotherapy alone (CT) and those undergoing AHCT. Seventy-four patients with AL were analyzed retrospectively. Two cohorts of patients were studied, those receiving CT (n = 31) and those undergoing AHCT (n = 43). Of the 43 patients in the AHCT cohort, 29 received induction chemotherapy before AHCT, whereas 14 proceeded straight to AHCT without induction therapy. Compared with the CT cohort, patients in the AHCT cohort were younger and had higher ejection fractions, lower brain natriuretic peptide levels, and more severe proteinuria. The majority (87%) of patients in the CT cohort received bortezomib-based treatment. Transplantation-related mortality (TRM) was 7%. Patients receiving AHCT were more likely to achieve complete or very good partial response (P = .048). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were superior in the AHCT cohort (not reached versus 9 months; P
Sex Differences, Item Revisions, Validity, and the Self-Directed Search.

The realistic competency and activity scales of the Self-Directed Search were revised to learn if women's scores on these scales could be increased without reducing their concurrent and construct v...
The shape of the cosmic X-ray background: nuclear starburst discs and the redshift evolution of AGN obscuration

A significant number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are observed to be hidden behind dust and gas. The distribution of material around AGNs plays an important role in modeling the cosmic X-ray background (CXB), especially the fraction of Type-2 AGNs ($f_2$). One of the possible explanations for the obscuration in Seyfert galaxies at intermediate redshift is dusty starburst discs. We compute the 2D hydrostatic structure of 768 nuclear starburst discs (NSDs) under various physical conditions and also the distribution of column density along the line of sight ($N_{\text{H}}$) associated with these discs. Then, the $N_{\text{H}}$ distribution is evolved with redshift by using the redshift dependent distribution function of input parameters. The $f_2$ shows a strong positive evolution up to $z=2$, but only a weak level of enhancement at higher $z$. The Compton-thin and Compton-thick AGN fractions associated with these starburst regions increase as $\propto (1+z)^{\delta}$ where the $\delta$ is estimated to be 1.12 and 1.45, respectively. The reflection parameter $R_f$ associated with column density $N_{\text{H}} \geq 10^{23.5}$ cm$^{-2}$ extends from 0.13 at $z=0$ to 0.58 at $z=4$. A CXB model employing this evolving $N_{\text{H}}$ distribution indicates more compact ($R_{\text{out}}<120$ pc) NSDs provide a better fit to the CXB. In addition to "Seyfert-like" AGNs obscured by nuclear starbursts, we predict that 40 to 60 per cent of quasars must be Compton-thick to produce the peak of the CXB spectrum within observational uncertainty. The predicted total number counts of AGNs in 8-24 keV band are in fair agreement with observations from NuSTAR.
Abstract #4129: Transcriptional and post-translational inhibition of androgen receptor by two New World plant extracts.

Background: Limited efficacy and dose-limiting toxicity of synthetic chemotherapy drugs against prostate and other cancers has prompted an intense search for alternate, less toxic complimentary therapeutics. Prostate cancer provides a unique opportunity to test such complimentary treatment due to early and easy detection with blood PSA combined with active surveillance for recurrence. Our search for gentler antitumor agents revealed two such agents, BIRM and Allspice. BIRM is a root extract of an Andean plant, Kalanchoe gastonis-bonneiri. Allspice is the unripe berries of Pimenta dioica . Methods: We tested both BIRM and an Aqueous Allspice Extract (ASE) on the growth, invasion and response to androgen on human prostate cancer cells (LNCaP, LAPC4, PC-3, and DU145) and in transplantable and transgenic tumor models (xenografts and TRAMP transgenic mice). We used colorimetric, clonogenic and radiometric assays to measure anti-proliferative activity, flow cytometry, bioluminescence reporter assays, real time-quantitative PCR (Q-RTPCR) and Western blotting procedures to delineate the molecular mechanism of tumor suppressive actions BIRM and ASE. Results: BIRM inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis and arrested cell cycle progression in both, androgen-dependent and androgen-independent, prostate tumor cells with minimal toxicity against normal and quiescent cells. BIRM treatment also reduced (>85%, 1% BIRM) androgen receptor (AR) levels in AR+ cells by accelerating proteasome-mediated degradation of AR. BIRM induced apoptosis was by extrinsic (Casapase-8 mediated) mechanism. Oral administration of BIRM was effective in inhibiting tumor incidence (50%), growth (35%) and metastasis (83%) in LNCaP and PC-3 tumors, without systemic toxicity. Continuous treatment with BIRM at 5% (V/V) in TRAMP mice significantly delayed tumor progression and increased survival (>25%). ASE inhibited clonogenic growth and tumor cell proliferation. ASE was significantly more cytotoxic to AR + cells. ASE induced cell cycle arrest, and reduced AR mRNA levels by transcriptional inhibition in LNCaP cells. ASE was selectively toxic to transformed cells, non-toxic to quiescent cells of fibroblastic lineage. ASE-induced apoptosis in AR+ cells was by depolarization of mitochondria. ASE caused cell reduction in pRB and cyclin D1 and induced cell-cycle arrest. Treatment of PC-3 tumor bearing mice with ASE (100 mg/kg, IP,2x/wk) significantly delayed tumor growth (43%). Conclusions: We identified two potent anticancer products from New World plants that are used as food flavorings or dietary supplements. Low toxicity profiles combined with easy palatability makes these complementary-anticancer products attractive therapeutic agents. (Grant Support: NIH/NCAAM 1R01 AT 003544). Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 4129.
Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells—Current Status, Issues, and Future Directions

Fuel cells using borohydride as the fuel will be reviewed in this chapter. A direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC) is a device that converts chemical energy stored in borohydride ion (\({\text{BH}}_{4}^{ - }\)) and an oxidant directly into electricity by redox processes. DBFC has some attractive features such as high open circuit potential, low operational temperature, and high power density. Both electro-oxidation of \({\text{BH}}_{4}^{ - }\) and electro-reduction of oxidant take place on a large variety of precious and non-precious materials. DBFCs share similarities in terms of electrode preparation methods, fuel cell system design, etc. with PEFCs, which have been developed more extensively. Therefore, in this chapter, fuel cell technology, particularly PEFC, will be first reviewed to better understand materials and components of DBFC. Then the chapter continues to discuss prominent features of DBFC, and finally points out potential future direction of DBFC research.
Provision of Buprenorphine to Pregnant Women by For-Profit Clinics in an Appalachian City.

Objectives This study was undertaken to confirm that patient reports on buprenorphine medication-assisted therapy in for-profit buprenorphine clinics in our community were personally costly. We contacted all 17 for-profit clinics in our community and confirmed the patient reports that a significant financial payment of ≤$100 was required for each visit. We also found that tapering of buprenorphine dosage in pregnancy was offered by several of the clinics. Methods A telephone survey was conducted with the 17 for-profit buprenorphine clinics located in the Johnson City, Tennessee area. The clinic representative who answered the telephone was asked questions regarding patient costs for therapy and availability of tapering programs for pregnant women. Results Patient reports that the for-profit clinics are costly were confirmed. None of the clinics accepted insurance reimbursement of any type. The most common weekly costs were $100 per visit. A majority of clinics offered biweekly or monthly visits at significantly increased rates. Clinic representatives stated that a majority of clinics would consider buprenorphine tapering programs for pregnant women. Conclusions The high cost of for-profit clinics is a barrier for patient access to medication-assisted therapy with buprenorphine. Tapering of buprenorphine dosage in pregnant women has penetrated buprenorphine management practice in our community. Further research is needed to determine whether elimination of cost barrier would have a positive effect on the rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Economic Segregation and Unequal Policy Responsiveness

As levels of residential economic segregation increase in the United States, politicians may have greater incentives to focus their attention on the demands of those living in wealthier communities at the expense of those living in less affluent areas. To better understand the link between economic context and political representation, we develop a measure of economic segregation at the local level and combine public policy preferences and multiple roll call votes in the House of Representatives over several sessions to measure policy responsiveness. Our empirical analysis presents evidence that, regardless of one’s individual level of income, citizens who live in an area of concentrated affluence are better represented by their Member of Congress. Conversely, citizens who live in an area of concentrated poverty are poorly represented. Importantly, we also show that the disproportionate focus affluent areas receive from congressional campaigns and the disproportionate campaign contributions that flow from those areas are two possible mechanisms that explain the relationship between economic context and political representation. These findings suggest that growing residential economic segregation in the United States has important implications for our understanding of political equality and the responsiveness of elected officials to public opinion.
Plato is not Platonism: Musings on the Derivative De-eroticized Nature of the Modern Subject

One of the enduring problems of phenomenology concerns the dispute over the nature of the modern subject (subjectivity) that is responsible for its own agnostic and atheistic views of the world. In an effort to understand the “obscurity” around the nature of the modern subject, Heidegger turns to Plato (1936-37) bearing in mind Nietzsche’s distinction between Plato and Modern Platonism. From the perspective of Plato’s eroticized conception of the logos, based as it is in the soul’s form of sophrosyne, Heidegger draws the following conclusion: the Kantian claim of Modern Platonism that the nonsensuous being of Plato’s Ideas and of the gods cannot in principle be known is based on a de-eroticized, derivative, conception of the logos. But Heidegger fails to see Plato’s own astonishing account of how this new logos of the “non-lover” is based in a derivative form of sophrosyne.
Sharing Economy Digital Platforms and Social Inclusion/Exclusion: A Research Study of Uber and Careem in Pakistan

The sharing economy business models enabled by digital platforms are shifting the landscape of economic growth and nature of employment globally. This study focuses on digital travel industry of Pakistan and aims to explore the social and economic implications of sharing economy platforms. Drawing on the concepts of social inclusion/exclusion from ICT and IS literature, we examine the potential participation of digital platforms in social inclusion/exclusion of the society. We adopted an interpretive and qualitative research design. The data was collected through informal talks, observations and semi-structured interviews. For our research study, we selected two online ride-hailing companies operational in Pakistan, Uber and Careem. The study shows social impacts of sharing economy digital-platforms to enhance culture of trust, family confidence and women empowerment. It highlights the inclusion of unemployed groups through self-entrepreneurship that improve economic activities in the society. The study also identifies few contradictions and potential challenges that support social exclusion due to technology, such as biased gendered contribution in economic activities, generation/age constraints in usability and accessibility issues based on geographic locations.
Social media as public opinion: How journalists use social media to represent public opinion:

Public opinion, as necessary a concept it is to the underpinnings of democracy, is a socially constructed representation of the public that is forged by the methods and data from which it is derive...
Outcome Measurement of School-Based SEL Intervention Follow-Up Studies:

Recent meta-analyses confirm that social–emotional learning (SEL) interventions are effective in increasing academic, social, and emotional outcomes via direct skills instruction. With skill develo...
Contextual Learning with Online Convex Optimization: Theory and Application to Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide, requiring the surveillance and monitoring of each patient to assess disease progression and determine if an appropriate intervention for that individual is warranted. In many cases, it is a challenge to determine the most effective treatment for an individual. Even when a suitable treatment is identified, dosing it optimally remains a significant challenge. Making these two nested decisions involves adaptively learning a personalized disease progression control model. We formulate this as a new contextual multi-armed bandit under a two-dimensional control with a nested structure. We develop a joint contextual learning and optimization algorithm for this model, which sequentially selects for a patient (i) the best treatment based on their contextual information and (ii) the corresponding dosage that is optimized over the prior history of all patients seen who received the same treatment. This algorithm synergizes the strength of the contextual bandit with online convex optimization techniques in a seamless fashion. We prove that it admits a sub-linear regret, which is tight up to a logarithmic factor. We demonstrate the efficacy and practicality of our methodology using clinical trial data on high blood pressure patients with type 2 diabetes. Our analysis suggests that our method has the potential to outperform the current practice. We also benchmark several policies to show the advantage of our method and provide several insights. Our framework could be widely used in many other applications with two-dimensional nested decision-making.
Target treatment with stereotactic radiation for recurrent gliomas

High grade gliomas (HGG) have a propensity to recur locally and have poor outcomes. As such, safe and effective treatment is paramount. Target treatment with stereotactic radiation allows safe re-irradiation through minimizing normal brain tissue radiation due to its high precision. In this review, we evaluated the clinical experiences using SRS and FSRT for re-irradiation in HGG. We report the radiobiological advantages and disadvantages of both modalities as well as the safety and efficacy published in current literature.
Prevalence and Impact of Restrictive Lung Disease in Liver Transplant Candidates

We investigated the prevalence of spirometric restriction in liver transplantation (LT) candidates and the clinical impacts of restriction. We performed a cross-sectional study within the Pulmonary Vascular Complications of Liver Disease 2 (PVCLD2) study, a multicenter prospective cohort study of patients being evaluated for LT. Patients with obstructive lung disease or missing spirometry or chest imaging were excluded. Patients with and without restriction, defined as a forced vital capacity (FVC) <70% predicted, were compared. Restriction prevalence was 18.4% (63/343). Higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-sodium score (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.11; P = 0.007), the presence of pleural effusions (OR, 3.59; 95% CI, 1.96-6.58; P < 0.001), and a history of ascites (OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.26-5.33; P = 0.01) were associated with the presence of restriction, though one-third with restriction had neither pleural effusions nor ascites. In multivariate analysis, restriction was significantly and independently associated with lower 6-minute walk distances (least squares mean, 342.0 [95% CI, 316.6-367.4] m versus 395.7 [95% CI, 381.2-410.2] m; P < 0.001), dyspnea (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.46-4.95; P = 0.002), and lower physical component summary Short Form 36 scores indicating worse quality of life (least squares mean, 34.1 [95% CI, 31.5-36.7] versus 38.2 [95% CI, 36.6-39.7]; P = 0.004). Lower FVC percent predicted was associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.04-1.27 per 10-point decrease in FVC percent predicted; P = 0.01). Restriction and abnormal lung function are common in LT candidates; can be present in the absence of an obvious cause, such as pleural effusions or ascites; and is associated with worse exercise capacity, quality of life, and survival.
Mechanics of dystrophin deficient skeletal muscles in very young mice and effects of age.

The MDX mouse is an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a human disease marked by an absence of the cytoskeletal protein, dystrophin. We hypothesized that 1) dystrophin serves a complex me...
Bimodal multilingual education: recognizing the linguistic resources of a diverse deaf world

Although research of bilingualism in a single aural–oral linguistic mode is common, this has yet to be extended to visual–gestural modes of language use. This is a significant research gap, as deaf...
Evaluation and Management of Early Onset Genetic Obesity in Childhood

One in five children and adolescents in the United States are diagnosed with obesity and nearly 6% of them are being classified under the severe obesity category. With over 7% of severe obesity being attributed to genetic disorders, in this review we aim to focus on monogenic and syndromic obesity: its etiology, wide spectrum of clinical presentation, criticalness of early identification, and limited management options. Advanced genetic testing methods including microarray and whole genome sequencing are imperative to identify the spectrum of mutations and develop targeted treatment strategies including personalized multidisciplinary care, use of investigational drugs, and explore surgical options in this unique subset of severe pediatric obesity.