cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A molecular modeling investigation of simulated interactions of selected dentinal adhesive primers with the dentin substrate

The results of this study indicate that molecular modeling is a valuable method to differentiate the adhesive properties of the primer molecules used in recent dentin bonding systems. The approaches used in this study are limited to an indirect method of molecular fitting and direct charge distribution display. The steric and electrostatic complementarities of adhesive molecules with respect to a receptor site provide visual evidence for potential adhesion of ligands on active receptor sites. More direct techniques such as docking of active adhesive molecule on receptor sites in dentin substrate are currently under evaluation to develop a comprehensive molecular modeling approach to characterize adhesive properties of different primer molecules used in current dentin bonding systems. Such techniques, when complemented with experimental evidence of bond strength, microleakage etc. can provide valuable tools to design optimized dentin adhesive molecules.
The PHLAME (promoting healthy lifestyles alternative models' effects) firefighter study: Testing mediating mechanisms

This paper examines the mechanisms by which PHLAME (Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: Alternative Models’ Effects), a health promotion intervention, improved healthy eating and exercise behavior among firefighters, a population at high risk for health problems due to occupational hazards. In a randomized trial, 397 firefighters participated in either the PHLAME team intervention with their work shift or a control condition. Intervention sessions taught benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise, and sought to improve social norms and social support from coworkers for healthy behavior. At posttest, team intervention participants had increased their fruit and vegetable consumption as compared to control participants. An increase in knowledge of fruit and vegetable benefits and improved dietary coworker norms partially mediated these effects. Exercise habits and VO2 max were related to targeted mediators but were not significantly changed by the team intervention. Partial support was found for both the action and conceptual theories underlying the intervention. Our findings illustrate how an effective program’s process can be deconstructed to understand the underpinnings of behavior change and refine interventions. Further, fire stations may improve the health of firefighters by emphasizing the benefits of healthy diet and exercise behaviors while also encouraging behavior change by coworkers as a whole.
Target detection based on the optical theorem

A method to detect targets embedded in reciprocal media from scattering data is proposed that is based on the optical theorem. The optical theorem shows that the wave data from time reversal mirrors and cavities can be given energy conservation interpretations from which one can deduce the presence of the scattering targets.
Dynamic modeling and simulation of two cooperating structurally-flexible robotic manipulators

A dynamic model for two three-link cooperating structurally-flexible robotic manipulators is presented in this study. The equations of motion are derived using the extended Hamilton's principle and Galerkin's method, and must satisfy certain geometric constraints due to the closed chain formed by the two manipulators and the object. The dynamic model presented here is for the purpose of designing controllers. Therefore, a low-order model which captures all the major effects is of interest. Computer simulated results are presented for the case of moving an object along an elliptical path using the two cooperating flexible manipulators.
Outcomes of reparative and transplantation strategies for multilevel left heart obstructions with mitral stenosis.

Background Conventional management for multilevel left heart obstructions and mitral stenosis (Shone's complex) involves multiple operations that carry additive risks. This study reviews our experience with reconstructive and transplantation approaches for Shone's complex. Methods Between 1987 and 2007, 43 patients with mitral stenosis and one or more left-sided obstructions were identified: supramitral ring (n = 13), subaortic stenosis (n = 25), aortic stenosis (n = 24), hypoplastic arch (n = 20), and coarctation (n = 38). Thirty patients underwent a staged reparative approach, including 27 mitral and 51 left ventricular outflow tract operations. Thirteen patients were referred for transplantation. Patients with severe hypoplasia of the left ventricle were excluded. Results There was one in-hospital death (2.5%) and six late deaths (14.2%). Actuarial 5- and 10-year survival for staged surgical and transplantation was 88% vs 61.3% and 83.1% vs 61.3% ( p = 0.035). At a mean follow-up of 7.9 years, freedom from mitral reoperation was 83.3% and freedom from reoperation for subaortic stenosis was 78.0%. Wait-list mortality was 13.3% (2 of 13). Wait-list time exceeding 90 days was an incremental risk factor for death after transplantation ( p = 0.005). Conclusions Despite the challenges of a reparative strategy for Shone's complex, favorable survival and durability outcomes can be expected. Heart transplantation, although avoiding the pitfalls of staged repair, confers increased risks from ongoing physiologic derangements due to uncorrected left heart inflow and outflow obstructions during the wait for donor heart availability.
CMDB Implementation Approaches and Considerations in SME/SITU's Companies

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is the most widely used IT framework in organizations. This de-facto standard is a service-based IT-framework that aims to improve the quality of organizational services. The Core of this framework is configuration management that includes Configuration Management Data Base (CMDB) to record, update and trace all assessed activities and information in the organization. However, ITIL implementation faces some challenges especially when it effects on culture, attitudes and processes in the organization. One major part of this implementation is related to CMDB implementation. There are several major approaches to implement this repository in organizations. This paper, at first describes ITIL infrastructure and then highlights major approaches and its challenges to implement CMDB in the SME companies.
Nerve growth factor reduces amiloride‐sensitive Na+ transport in human airway epithelial cells

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is overexpressed in patients with inflammatory lung diseases, including virus infections. Airway surface liquid (ASL), which is regulated by epithelial cell ion transport, is essential for normal lung function. No information is available regarding the effect of NGF on ion transport of airway epithelium. To investigate whether NGF can affect ion transport, human primary air-interface cultured epithelial cells were placed in Ussing chambers to obtain transepithelial voltage (−7.1 ± 3.4 mV), short-circuit current (Isc, 5.9 ± 1.0 μA), and transepithelial resistance (750 Ω·cm2), and to measure responses to ion transport inhibitors. Amiloride (apical, 3.5 × 10−5 mol/L) decreased Isc by 55.3%. Apically applied NGF (1 ng/mL) reduced Isc by 5.3% in 5 min; basolaterally applied NGF had no effect. The response to amiloride was reduced (41.6%) in the presence of NGF. K-252a (10 nmol/L, apical) did not itself affect Na+ transport, but it attenuated the NGF-induced reduction in Na+ transport, indicating the participation of the trkA receptor in the NGF-induced reduction in Na+ transport. PD-98059 (30 μmol/L, apical and basolateral) did not itself affect Na+ transport, but attenuated the NGF-induced reduction in Na+ transport, indicating that trkA activated the Erk 1/2 signaling cascade. NGF stimulated phosphorylation of Erk 1/2 and the β-subunit of ENaC. K-252a and PD-98059 inhibited these responses. NGF had no effect on Isc in the presence of apical nystatin (50 μmol/L). These results indicate that NGF inhibits Na+ transport through a trkA-Erk 1/2-activated signaling pathway linked to ENaC phosphorylation.
System energy minimization via joint optimization of the DC-DC converter and the core

This paper addresses the problem of designing energy-efficient embedded systems by jointly optimizing the power consumption of both the DC-DC converter and the computational core. Past work has shown that there exists a minimum energy operating point (MEOP) in the subthreshold region for computational cores (C-MEOP), at which the dynamic and leakage powers are balanced. The MEOP is defined by the 3-tuple consisting of the optimum energy consumption E∗, optimum voltage V∗ and optimum frequency f∗. First, we show that the DC-DC converter losses in dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) cause the overall system MEOP (S-MEOP) to differ significantly from C-MEOP. Simulations in a 130-nm, 1.2V commercial CMOS process show that operation at S-MEOP results in a 45.5% energy savings over operating at a core voltage V∗ C suggested by C-MEOP. The DC-DC converter efficiency is also improved by 2.2X. Second, we show that architectural techniques such as parallelization cause the S-MEOP to approach C-MEOP. Thus, it is sufficient to track C-MEOP — a much easier task on-chip — in order to account for process variations. We show that DC-DC converter losses reduces in subthreshold region but increases in superthreshold region when parallelization is employed. This observation leads us to propose a reconfigurable core architecture that improves the converter efficiency by 2.3X at C-MEOP, and makes energy consumption at S-MEOP and C-MEOP to be within 4% of each other, while improving throughput in the subthreshold region by at least 8X. Finally, we show that pipelining, which has been proposed to decrease core energy at C-MEOP while improving throughput [1], adversely affects the S-MEOP. The pipelined-core system energy at S-MEOP is 85% lower than the pipelined-core system energy when operating at the C-MEOP voltage V∗ C .
Conservation of Transmission Phenotype of Anaplasma marginale (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) Strains Among Dermacentor and Rhipicephalus Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract Before the eradication of Boophilus ticks from the United States, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini) and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (Say) were important biological vectors of the cattle pathogen Anaplasma marginale Theiler. In the absence of Boophilus ticks, A. marginale continues to be transmitted by Dermacentor ticks. However, a few U.S. strains are not transmissible by Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, Dermacentor variabilis (Say), or both, raising the question of how these strains evolved and how they are maintained. We hypothesize that the U.S. non-Dermacentor-transmissible strains of A. marginale were formerly Boophilus-transmitted strains that have been maintained by a combination of persistent infection and mechanical transmission since the eradication of their biological vector from the United States. To test this hypothesis, we attempted to transmit a well-documented non-Dermacentor-transmissible A. marginale strain (Florida), by using D. andersoni and the two Boophil...
Recurrent neural network training by nprKF joint estimation

We present a method for training recurrent networks with the joint estimation of states and parameters, using the "derivative-free" formulation for nonlinear Kalman filters by Norgaard, Poulsen, and Ravn (2000). Our approach is consistent with that described by Williams (1992) for the extended Kalman filter (EKF). We extend the treatment to handle multistream training and propose ways of making the required computation more efficient.
Handling of Outside Trauma Studies: A Survey of Program Directors

Objective Many trauma transfer patients arrive after hours with imaging studies performed at the transferring institution. Little attention has been given to the impact on on-call radiology residents and the potential medicolegal consequences. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of outside trauma studies on on-call radiology residents. Methods A 20-question survey using the Web site www.surveymonkey.com was created to focus on the handling of outside images on trauma transfers. An institutional review board exemption for consent was obtained. The survey was distributed to all radiology residency program directors throughout the United States. Results Sixty-four program directors responded to our survey. Eighty percent of program directors worked at Level 1 trauma centers, 94% of program directors were located in medium to large cities and had an average of 27 residents (range 8-74), and 69% of programs reported receiving between 1 and 5 outside trauma studies per day, most without radiologic reports from the transferring hospital. After hours (defined by periods of time when no attending staff is present), these studies are read only by radiology residents at 45% of institutions. Written documentation by residents is often lacking when they are the sole radiology interpreters, and in many of these cases, the only documentation of the interpretation is a note in the patient's chart written by the referring clinician. The issue of transfer study interpretation was deemed a "definite" issue in 45% of programs, with 78% of program directors having been approached at least once regarding this issue. Conclusion Trauma patients are usually transferred to accepting teaching institutions without written radiologic reports, which generally do not meet either American College of Radiology or American Cancer Society guidelines. Approximately half of trauma transfer patients are managed solely on the basis of radiology resident interpretation, exposing residents to medicolegal liability. There is no consensus among programs regarding the optimal handling of these studies. This issue is in critical need of attention from the radiology community to enhance timeliness of communication and patient safety, and to protect radiology residents.
Development of an effective user interface for a computerized laboratory alerting system

A computerized medical decision-aid (CMDA) must have a good user interface. The quality of the user interface impacts directly on the effectiveness of the CMDA. At LDS Hospital, the authors have developed a computerized laboratory alerting system (CLAS) to monitor hospital patients for life-threatening conditions indicated by patient laboratory test data. One of the challenges faced in developing CLAS was designing an effective user interface. Though designed in close cooperation with users, evaluation of CLAS' user interface pointed out problem areas. >
A Recursive Computer Program To Compute The Daily On-call Assignments For A Medical Department

Compared to a non-recursive program, a recursive one is usually easier to write, requires less source code, and utilizes more memory during program execution. Because of these features, recursive programming and dynamically linked lists were used in I.M.P.S. (the In-house Medical Personnel Scheduler), a computer program which calculates the on-call schedule for almost any medical department.
On Optimal Power Control for Delay-Constrained Communication Over Fading Channels

In this paper, the problem of optimal power control for delay-constrained communication over fading channels is studied. The objective is to find a power control law that optimizes the link layer performance, specifically, minimizes delay bound violation probability (or equivalently, the packet drop probability), subject to constraints on average power, arrival rate and delay bound. The transmission buffer size is assumed to be finite; hence, when the buffer is full, there will be packet drop. The fading channel under study has a continuous state, e.g., Rayleigh fading. Since directly solving the power control problem (which optimizes the link layer performance) is particularly challenging, the problem is decomposed into three subproblems and the three subproblems are solved iteratively; the resulting scheme is called joint queue length aware (JQLA) power control, which produces a local optimal solution to the three subproblems. It is proved that the solution that simultaneously solves the three subproblems is also an optimal solution to the optimal power control problem. Simulation results show that the JQLA scheme achieves superior performance over the time domain water filling and the truncated channel inversion power control.
The origins of primitive blood in Xenopus: implications for axial patterning

The marginal zone in Xenopus laevis is proposed to be patterned with dorsal mesoderm situated near the upper blastoporal lip and ventral mesoderm near the lower blastoporal lip. We determined the origins of the ventralmost mesoderm, primitive blood, and show it arises from all vegetal blastomeres at the 32-cell stage, including blastomere C1, a progenitor of Spemann9s organizer. This demonstrates that cells located at the upper blastoporal lip become ventral mesoderm, not solely dorsal mesoderm as previously believed. Reassessment of extant fate maps shows dorsal mesoderm and dorsal endoderm descend from the animal region of the marginal zone, whereas ventral mesoderm descends from the vegetal region of the marginal zone, and ventral endoderm descends from cells located vegetal of the bottle cells. Thus, the orientation of the dorsal-ventral axis of the mesoderm and endoderm is rotated 90(degrees) from its current portrayal in fate maps. This reassessment leads us to propose revisions in the nomenclature of the marginal zone and the orientation of the axes in pre-gastrula Xenopus embryos.
5th College of Physicians lecture -- a physician's odyssey: recollections and reflections.

Some reminiscences of events since the 1930s are presented chronologically. These include sketches of informal introduction to Medicine at the General Hospital (SGH), the amazing spirit of medical professionals during the “Syonan” years at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and of professors of Medicine and training in Hong Kong, Singapore and Britain. An account of practice of Medicine in the Civil Service, of teaching and research and of evolution of specialist training and examinations in the Academy of Medicine, the University’s Post Graduate School (DGMS) and Specialist Accreditation Board (SAB) is given. The over-riding values of our profession are stressed, always contributing to improving the quality and standards of practice in the interests of our patients and fellowmen. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2008;37:968-76
Animal Difference, Sexual Difference, and the Daughter of Jephthah

As many commentators note, the daughter of Jephthah is given as a burnt offering while Isaac is spared by divine intervention and animal substitution. Thus the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter raises questions about the relationships among sexual difference, animal difference, and human sacrifice in the Bible. This article explores such questions in dialogue with the interdisciplinary “animal turn” in the humanities and social sciences. The daughter of Jephthah is one of several women in biblical literature whose fate involves an association with domesticated animals. Attention to both the gendered structure of biblical households and the domestication of “companion species” (Donna Haraway) is crucial for understanding their stories. In addition, Jonathan Klawans’ symbolic theory of sacrifice proposes analogical relations between Israelites and the domesticated animals they cared for, and God and the Israelites who desired God’s care. Perhaps against Klawans’ intentions, his theory helps us understand child sacrifice as a problematic but logical consequence of metaphors that structure biblical symbolism and biblical sacrifice. By virtue of their continued existence in the realm of the domesticated after marriage, daughters/women remain more vulnerable than sons to a potentially animalized fate.
International Emergency Governance: Fragments of a Driverless System

The task of a universal jurisprudence governing the protection of rights during of states of emergency is complicated by cases of fragmentation among various human rights tribunals and between competing doctrinal frameworks, particularly human rights law and international humanitarian law. From a practical standpoint, this points to the potential of confusion regarding applicable law caused not by gaps or black holes but by overlaps and uncoordinated regimes. From a theoretical standpoint, this Article argues that the driverless features of these multiple regimes, and their attempts at coordination, reveal deeper anxieties concerning the status and coherence of international law as a whole.
Cellular Receptors for Advanced Glycation Endproducts

Advanced glycation endproducts of proteins/lipids (AGEs) which form as the result of nonenzymatic glycation/oxidation, are present in the plasma and tissues in aging, and accumulate more rapidly in diabetes. The interaction of AGEs with cellular elements, such as endothelial cells and mononuclear phagocytes leads to cellular dysfunction which could underlie the development of complications, such as accelerated atherosclerosis in diabetes. To gain insights into the cellular effects of AGEs, we have isolated and characterized two cell surface-associated polypeptides which appear to mediate the interaction with AGEs: Receptor for AGE (RAGE) is a new member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell surface molecules, and the Lactoferrin-like Polypeptide (LF-L) is closely related/identical to milk-derived lactoferrin. RAGE and LF-L associate to form a noncovalent complex on endothelial cells and mononuclear phagocytes which mediates the interaction of these cells with AGEs. For example, soluble AGE-bearing proteins induce monocyte migration, which can be blocked by antibody to either RAGE or LF-L, or by addition of soluble RAGE. Future studies using molecular probes for RAGE/LF-L should allow the definition of their contribution(s) to the development of organ dysfunction/complications in diabetes.
Liquid Milk Products: Modified Milks

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by M.R. Guo, C.R. Smith, volume 3, pp. 1646–1650, © 2002, Elsevier Ltd.
Investigation and treatment of a vaccine-assciated paralytic poliomyelitis case contacted with vaccinators in Guiping City

Objective To analyze the causes of a high poliomyelitis vaccine variant case and provide evidence forprevention and control of acute flaccid paralysis(AFP). Methods Survey of a high poliomyelitis vaccine variant case wasconducted by collecting biological samples from the patient, patient contacts and outside environment for isolating virus.Meanwwhile active AFP and vaccine coverage rate survey were also conducted. Results The pateint was a vaccine-assciatedparalytic poliomyelitis case contaced with vaccinators. The virus isolated from two specimens of the patient and tested bynational polio laboratory and compared with Sabin strains was type III poliomylitis virus of a high poliomyelitis vaccine variantwith seven nucleotide mutation. The result of isolation of virus from the third specimen was negative. Vaccine strain viruseswere detected from one of the contacts and external environment sewage. Vaccine immunization rates(except Hepatitis A) ofthe city in which the case was detected was over 90% and no AFP cases was discovered during active survey for missed casesas the missed reporting rate of AFP case in county hospitals was 26.83%. Conclusions The case was diagnosed a vaccine-assciated paralytic poliomyelitis case contaced with vaccinators. The circulation of poliomyelitis virus can be interrupted andthe prevalence of vaccine-associted paralytic poliomyelitis cases can be prevented by enhancement of vaccination rate in thiscounty.
Study retention as bias reduction in a hard-to-reach population.

Collecting data from hard-to-reach populations is a key challenge for research on poverty and other forms of extreme disadvantage. With data from the Boston Reentry Study (BRS), we document the extreme marginality of released prisoners and the related difficulties of study retention and analysis. Analysis of the BRS data yields three findings. First, released prisoners show high levels of “contact insecurity,” correlated with social insecurity, in which residential addresses and contact information change frequently. Second, strategies for data collection are available to sustain very high rates of study participation. Third, survey nonresponse in highly marginal populations is strongly nonignorable, closely related to social and economic vulnerability. The BRS response rate of 94% over a 1-y follow-up period allows analysis of hypothetically high nonresponse rates. In this setting, nonresponse attenuates regression estimates in analyses of housing insecurity, drug use, and unemployment. These results suggest that in the analysis of very poor and disadvantaged populations, methods that maximize study participation reduce bias and yield data that can usefully supplement large-scale household or administrative data collections.
Retention of Recent College Graduates in New England

This policy brief outlines basic facts about the retention of recent college graduates in New England including how we stack up against other regions, what factors affect the region's ability to retain graduates, and the reasons why recent college graduates choose to leave New England. This brief summarizes analysis in NEPPC research report 08-1: The Future of the Skilled Labor Force in the Region: The Supply of Recent College Graduates.
Decreased chemotactic activity in activated newborn plasma

The roles of complement levels and CFI activity in the regulation of chemotactic factor generation were evaluated in newborn and adult plasmas. Plasma samples were obtained from 19 healthy adults, 19 neonates, and 12 3-day-old infants. CFI levels were determined in all samples, chemotactic activity in 15 of the 19 adult and newborn samples, and complement levels in 10 of these 15. Compared to adult plasmas, CFI activity was higher in newborn and infant plasmas and chemotactic activity was lower. A close reciprocal relationship was shown between these two activities (r=-0.958). When corrected for the effects of CFI, the difference in chemotactic activity between newborns and adults disappeared. Mean levels of C1, C3, C4, C5, C3 to C9, CH50, factor B, and properdin were lower in newborn plasmas; however, C2 levels were higher. Partial correlations between these complement components and the chemotactic activity were of small magnitude and statistically not significant. These data suggest that higher CFI activity, rather than lower complement levels, accounts for most of the differences in chemotactic activity between newborn and adult plasma. (J Lab Clin Med 99:331, 1982.)
How business lobby networks shaped the U.S. Freedom of Information Act: An examination of 60 years of congressional testimony

Abstract The news media and public interest groups pushed hard for the passage of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 1966. Since then, however, a majority of FOIA requests have been filed by business representatives or their lawyers, a phenomenon also observed in other countries that have adopted similar legislation. Although myriad policy networks helped shape the present-day U.S. law, this article focuses on the congressional testimony of business interests in the years leading up to the adoption of the FOIA and the following 50 years, as the legislation reaches its half-century anniversary. The authors undertook this research because business interests are the largest requester group under the FOIA. Their influence has been noted in a small strand of literature, largely related to the courts, in steering the degree to which the public has access to information. This study found that business interests, particularly from the 1980s on, played a key role in shaping the FOIA by decreasing access to government-held information. This is a critical finding, given that the FOIA was adopted to promote the democratic norm of governmental accountability.
Sex Hormone Receptor Expression in the Immune System

Abstract The major sex hormones that have been studied in immunity are estrogens, testosterone, progesterone, and vitamin D. Sex hormones bind to hormone receptors on the surface of immune cells or more classically, within the cytoplasm of the cell. Most immune cells express multiple sex hormone receptors that are involved in driving immune responses in sex-specific directions following antigen stimulation. Sex hormone regulation of innate antigen-presenting cells like dendritic cells, mast cells, and monocyte/macrophages is the key step in determining the type of adaptive immune response. Sex hormone receptors on adaptive T and B cells further distinguish sex differences in inflammation that characterize the immune response to infections and the development of chronic inflammatory diseases like autoimmune diseases. However, data are contradictory and further research is needed to better understand how sex hormone receptors regulate inflammation. This chapter describes current knowledge on how sex hormones alter the function of innate immune cells like dendritic cells, mast cells, macrophages, and adaptive immune cells like T cells, T regulatory cells, and B cells. Detailed descriptions of the downstream signaling pathways of major sex hormone receptors are also provided.
Abstract 4329: The consequence of obesity and obstructive sleep apnea in liver cancer

Primary liver cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Eighty-five percent of liver cancers is comprised of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Risk of developing HCC increases when patients have obesity related comorbidities, involving non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), hepatic inflammation, or lipid accumulation. Additionally, obesity is generally regarded as a prime risk factor for the development of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a repeated obstruction of the upper airway during sleep leading to oxygen deficiency (OD), which also increases the incidence of NASH. The connection of these morbidities presume that patients suffering from obesity induced OSA have an increased risk of developing HCC. To examine obesity and OSA9s role in HCC we combined three generally accepted methods: A one-time injection of tumor initiator diethylnitrosamine followed by continuous administration of the promoter phenobarbital, a high fat diet, and a hypoxia chamber to house the mice for regulation of their oxygen intake, allowing us to mimic the OD seen in OSA. Utilizing these treatment methods and applying microCT imaging to non-invasively and repeatedly monitor the liver, we have been able to examine the effects of obesity and/or OD. Preliminary result indicate that a high fat diet results in obesity, lipidosis and liver damage. Interestingly, OD seems to inhibit obesity while still generating hepatic inflammation. Furthermore, we have observed that obesity and OD together cause severe damage to the liver, enhancing the risk of developing HCC. This study will be a significant preclinical step in distinguishing mechanisms that may explain obesities and OSA9s combined consequence in HCC. Citation Format: Nathan W. Sweeney, Cecil J. Gomes, Sairam Pathasarthasy, Jesse D. Martinez. The consequence of obesity and obstructive sleep apnea in liver cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4329.
Exit, Voice, and Response on Digital Platforms: An Empirical Investigation of Online Management Response Strategies

In the past decade, we have witnessed the growing importance of management responses to online reviews on digital platforms. In this study, we examine the impact of online management responses on business performance and their spillover effect on nearby businesses. By adopting multiple causal identification strategies to address the issue of self-selected responses, we find that the responses by a business owner play a significant role in the performance of the focal business as well as in the performance of the nearby businesses. We observe that, in general, the launch of the new management response feature benefits businesses. What is more interesting is that the benefit is not observed in a consistent manner across all businesses. Only the businesses that choose to use the management response feature observe increases in check-ins. On the other hand, the businesses that are unaware of the management response feature launch on digital platforms, or are aware but choose not to use the management response feature, tend to remain at a disadvantage. Interestingly, we also uncover that the spillover effect externality of online management responses on the nearby businesses crucially depends on whether the focal business and the nearby businesses are in direct competition. Furthermore, we identify conditions under which business owners are more likely to respond to consumer comments. Our findings have direct implications for both business owners and digital platforms: Digital platforms can help businesses develop the right engagement strategies by taking the online response strategies of the nearby businesses into account. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0749 .
Depression, Sleep Disorders, and DA

Sleep is the quintessential circadian behavior, driven by homeostatic and environmental forces, and essential for survival. Disruption of circadian rhythms leads to numerous metabolic, cardiovascular, and neuropsychiatric diseases. Depression displays its own rhythmic pattern with recurrent episodes frequently driven by environmental cues including poor sleep. Insomnia, defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep or non-restorative sleep that causes significant daytime impairment, affects the majority of individuals with depression. Insomnia symptoms frequently persist even after remission from affective disturbances and are significant risk factors for recurrence and poor clinical outcomes. Research has demonstrated a bidirectional and longitudinal risk relationship between insomnia and depressive disorders, however the exact mechanisms underlying these associations remain unknown. The evidence implicates dopamine as a neurobiological factor associated with symptoms of insomnia and depression. Dopamine is a neuromodulator that regulates reward processing, arousal states, affect, and mood regulation. However, the putative role of dopamine in insomnia and depression has largely been underappreciated and understudied. Indeed, elucidating the common dopaminergic pathways linking mood and sleep disorders may shed light on the development and progression of common symptoms of both disorders and provide targets for interventions. It is reasonable to glean from this chapter that a common alteration in mesolimbic dopaminergic signaling pathway underlies the comorbidity of depression, insomnia, and circadian rhythm disorders. In the present chapter, our goals are to (a) provide a brief overview of the role of dopamine in sleep and wake, with a focus on sleep architecture; (b) describe the role of dopamine in depression; (c) discuss the possible implications of sleep architecture-mediated dopaminergic changes for depression, and (d) discuss the possible implications of circadian-mediated dopaminergic changes for depression.
An equivalent dissipation rate model for capturing history effects in non-premixed flames

Abstract The effects of strain rate history on turbulent flames have been studied in the past decades with 1D counter flow diffusion flame (CFDF) configurations subjected to oscillating strain rates. In this work, these unsteady effects are studied for complex hydrocarbon fuel surrogates at engine relevant conditions with unsteady strain rates experienced by flamelets in a typical spray flame. Tabulated combustion models are based on a steady scalar dissipation rate (SDR) assumption and hence cannot capture these unsteady strain effects; even though they can capture the unsteady chemistry. In this work, 1D CFDF with varying strain rates are simulated using two different modeling approaches: steady SDR assumption and unsteady flamelet model. Comparative studies show that the history effects due to unsteady SDR are directly proportional to the temporal gradient of the SDR. A new equivalent SDR model based on the history of a flamelet is proposed. An averaging procedure is constructed such that the most recent histories are given higher weights. This equivalent SDR is then used with the steady SDR assumption in 1D flamelets. Results show a good agreement between tabulated flamelet solution and the unsteady flamelet results. This equivalent SDR concept is further implemented and compared against 3D spray flames (Engine Combustion Network Spray A). Tabulated models based on steady SDR assumption under-predict autoignition and flame lift-off when compared with an unsteady Representative Interactive Flamelet (RIF) model. However, equivalent SDR model coupled with the tabulated model predicted autoignition and flame lift-off very close to those reported by the RIF model. This model is further validated for a range of injection pressures for Spray A flames. The new modeling framework now enables tabulated models with significantly lower computational cost to account for unsteady history effects.
Proactive Sensing and Interference Mitigation in Multi-Link Satellite Networks

Satellite communications (SATCOM) are prone to both intentional and unintentional interference, which can significantly degrade the reliability of packet transmissions. Here, we investigate different approaches for interference mitigation in SATCOM based on dynamic frequency hopping (DFH). We consider a star topology, where multiple LEO satellites transmit packets to a common GEO satellite. The FH pattern of each LEO-GEO link is adjusted according to an outcome of out-of-band proactive sensing scheme, carried out by a cognitive radio (CR) module that resides in the GEO satellite. Based on sensing results, channels with high predicted interference are replaced with better channels, without disrupting the communications of other satellites in the network. In searching for replacement channels, we aim to ensure that all satellite links are assigned channels such that their SINR requirements are met. At the same time, the total transmission power and the communication overhead resulting from altering the FH patterns are minimized. We formulate the problem as a multi-objective minimization problem. Continuous-time Markov chain analysis is used to predict future channel conditions. The proposed scheme is compared with two other schemes, namely best-channel-to-closest- user and best-channel-to-farthest-user. Finally, we use simulations to study the effects of different system parameters on the performance of the proposed DFH design.
Correlation of genomic alterations assessed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) of tumor tissue DNA and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC): potential clinical implications

// Andrew W. Hahn 1 , David M. Gill 1 , Benjamin Maughan 2 , Archana Agarwal 3 , Lubina Arjyal 2 , Sumati Gupta 2 , Jessica Streeter 4 , Erin Bailey 4 , Sumanta K. Pal 5 , Neeraj Agarwal 2 1 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA 2 Division of Medical Oncology, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA 3 Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA 4 Department of Pharmacy, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA 5 Department of Oncology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA Correspondence to: Neeraj Agarwal, email: neeraj.agarwal@hci.utah.edu Keywords: circulating tumor DNA NGS, tumor tissue NGS, correlation, metastatic renal cell carcinoma Received: January 25, 2017 Accepted: March 25, 2017 Published: April 04, 2017 ABSTRACT Introduction: Tumor tissue and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing are frequently performed to detect genomic alterations (GAs) to help guide treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), especially after progression on standard systemic therapy. Our objective was to assess if GAs detected by ctDNA NGS are different from those detected by tumor tissue NGS, specifically in patients with mRCC, and if these platforms are interchangeable or complimentary. Results: When controlling for genes tested by both platforms, the median mutation rate for ctDNA was similar to tissue (median 3.0 vs. 1.0, p = 0.14). However, the concordance rate between the two platforms was only 8.6%. When comparing GAs by molecular pathway, GAs in tumor tissue were more common for the DNA repair and epigenetic pathways. Materials and Methods: Results of NGS testing from tumor tissue and ctDNA from 19 sequential mRCC patients were compared. GAs in each were statistically evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The Fischer’s exact test was used to compare the incidence of mutations in selected molecular pathways. Conclusions: When controlling for genes tested by both platforms, similar number of GAs were detected by both tissue and ctDNA based NGS. However, there was discordance in the type of GAs detected suggesting that ctDNA NGS may be more reflective of dynamic tumor genomic heterogeneity. Hence, these two platforms may be considered complementary to each other, rather than interchangeable, for assessment of tumor GAs to guide selection of targeted clinical trial therapies.
Breezing My Way as a Solution Architect: A Retrospective on Skill Development and Use

Solution architecture is a team effort balancing various forces. Solution architects must consciously cultivate skills cutting across technical, social, and behavioral domains. In this article, Raghuraman Krishnamurthy discusses eight such skills that will likely be helpful.
Engineering Quantum Indistinguishability in Ultrafast Parametric Downconversion

Ultrashort optical pulses provide timing information for entangled photons generated by downconversion. This information destroys two-particle nonlocal quantum interference, but enables multiparticle interference. We demonstrate a general technique for restoring the nonlocal correlation of the photon pairs without compromising the source brightness.
L 1 minimization with magnitude constraints in the frequency domain

Abstract The L 1 optimal control problem with additional constraints on the magnitude of the closed loop frequency response at fixed frequency points is considered. This problem is known to be equivalent to a convex optimization subject to infinite dimensional LMI. It is shown that the LMI problem can be approximated arbitrarily well by an infinite dimensional Linear Program. The main result of the paper states that, for multiblock problems, the computation of lower bounds to the optimal cost, based on approximating the dual linear programming problem by sequences of finite support, may fail to converge to the optimal cost of the infinite dimensional problem as the dimension of the approximation increases.
Low cognitive flexibility as a risk for heavy alcohol drinking in non-human primates.

Abstract Chronic alcohol abuse is frequently considered a habitual or inflexible behavior; however, measures of pre-existing cognitive flexibility prior to initiation of alcohol use are usually not available. This study used rhesus monkeys and an attentional set-shifting task to investigate whether pre-existing cognitive flexibility would predict increased risk for heavy alcohol drinking. As previously reported, monkeys were given 30 daily set-shifting sessions prior to alcohol access. These sessions consisted of the same sequence of eight unique visual discriminations (sets) of two objects that varied on two dimensions (shapes and colors). The ratio of errors per trials, session duration, and maximum set reached were primary dependent variables from each session and were used to compose a session performance index (PI) that ranged from a low performance PI of 31 to an optimal performance PI of 247. Here, animals underwent an alcohol induction period followed by 22 weeks of daily (22-h) self-administration sessions with free access to water and alcohol. Based on average daily alcohol intake during 22 weeks of 22-h/day access, the monkeys were categorized as non-heavy (mean = 2.0 ± 0.3 g/kg/day; n = 3) and heavy (mean = 3.3 ± 0.5 g/kg/day; n = 6) drinkers. The two groups diverged in performance on the set-shifting task across the 30 pre-alcohol sessions, and at the end of the pre-alcohol testing, the group average PI was 216 ± 27 and 137 ± 71 for the future non-heavy and heavy drinkers, respectively. The data show that low cognitive flexibility assessed with a set-shifting procedure was predictive of future classification as a heavy alcohol drinker. The data highlight individual differences in both cognitive flexibility and in alcohol self-administration in this population of rhesus monkeys.
Management of Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders

Successful treatment of children and adolescents with mood disorders requires a flexible and broad-based treatment plan. This article describes the many treatment approaches that have been found to be relevant for the treatment of youngsters with mood disorders and provides some guidelines for selection of treatments. The stages of treatment of mood disorders from initial assessment to maintenance are highlighted. Psychosocial as well as pharmacologic therapies are reviewed.
EU Constitution and the Union's democratic deficit

This article weighs the European Union’s proposed Constitution against historical complaints that the EU suffers from a democratic deficit. Various manifestations of the deficit are identified from official documents, scholarly works and other sources. The concerns include complaints that the EU’s structure is too complex, that its institutions lack accountability, and that its workings are not transparent. In addition to these broad themes, the analysis examines concerns relating to specific EU institutions. For example, it has been suggested that the European Parliament should have more legislative and oversight authority, that the Council should make greater use of qualified majority voting, and that the Commission should be more accountable. For each identified concern, the relevant provisions of the Constitution are identified to determine whether the issue would have been resolved. The conclusion is that the Constitution offered welcome improvements to the EU system, but its changes relating to the democratic deficit were incremental. Significant aspects of the deficit would have remained in place if the Constitution had been ratified.
Neuropsychological Evaluation in Older Persons

“Clinical neuropsychology is concerned with developing knowledge about human brain-behavior relations, and with applying this knowledge to clinical problems” (Davison, 1974, p. 3). Another way to describe clinical neuropsychology would be to call it the study of psychological effects of brain dysfunction (Reitan, 1966; Davison, 1974). Since clinical neuropsychological tests have been found to be valid indices of the status of the brain (Halstead, 1947; Reitan, 1955a; Schreiber, Goldman, Kleinman, Goldfader, and Snow, 1976; Vega and Parsons, 1967), they may be particularly useful in gerontology; many age-related changes in psychological functions have been attributed to the changes that occur in the brain with aging (Wang, Obrist, and Busse, 1974; Welford and Birren, 1965).
Empathy and Prosocial Behavior

This article has defined, we define empathy and prosocial behavior and presented the major theories of empathy development and evidence supporting it in the empirical literature. The principal methods of study of empathy and prosocial behavior are described. Current knowledge of heritable and environmental influences on early empathy and prosocial behaviors are considered. Disorders of empathy include autism spectrum and conduct disorders as well as early maltreatment within the family. Future directions for research include a greater emphasis on cross-cultural parental values and socialization strategies that promote early empathy development.