cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract TP156: Robot-Guided Ankle and Knee Therapeutic Training Improves Motor Functions in Stroke

Introduction: Stroke survivors develop substantial disability such as weakness, spasticity, increased stiffness, and reduced range of motion in lower limbs, contributing to reduced quality of life. It is important to stretch impaired ankle and knee to increase range of motion and reduce spasticity, and to conduct active movement training to improve balance and locomotion. Hypothesis: We addressed the hypotheses that robot-aided ankle and knee training will reduce motor impairments and improve balance and gait functions, and the improvements will maintain to the 6-weeks follow-up. Methods: Seven male stroke survivors participated in the robot-guided ankle and knee rehabilitation training using a pair of ankle and knee rehabilitation robots over 18 training sessions (3 sessions/week for 6 weeks). Three evaluations were done before and after training, and 6 weeks follow-up. Each session involved passive stretching under intelligent control and active movement training under real-time, audiovisual and haptic feedback. About equal time was spent on the ankle and knee training. Results: We found significant improvement in 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT: 294.8 m pre-training to 386.4 m post training; p Conclusions: In conclusions, robot-guided stretching and active movement training reduced impairments at the knee and ankle of stroke survivors resulting in improved mobility. Furthermore, the effect of training was maintained at the 6-weeks follow-up after the treatment.
Electron field within an electron field treatment of the scalp or other curved surfaces.

Abstract The treatment of a curved surface is a challenge for radiation therapy. This patient had previous treatment with electrons to the “skull cap” area for malignant melanoma. The current task was to design a treatment schema to include the rest of the scalp while avoiding the skull cap. Opposing lateral 6-MeV electron fields were used, as well as two anterior 6-MeV electron fields, one field within the other, to produce an acceptable radiation dose to the tumor volume.
Microstructure, mechanical and electrical properties of nanocrystalline W-Mo thin films

The effect of sputtering pressure on the surface/interface microstructure, crystal phase, mechanical properties and electrical characteristics of nanocrystalline W-Mo films is reported. The W-Mo films (≈300 nm) with variable microstructure were deposited under variable argon (Ar) sputtering pressure (PAr), which is varied in the range of 3-19 mTorr. X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that the W-Mo films crystallize in thermodynamically stable α-phase of W. However, the crystal-quality degradation occurs for W-Mo films deposited at higher PAr due to difference in the adatom mobilities. The average grain size (d) of the W-Mo films was in the range of 11-24 nm; grain size decreases with increasing PAr. The effect of PAr and associated microstructure are significant on the mechanical characteristics; the hardness (H) and modulus of elasticity (Er) of W-Mo films deposited at lower PAr were higher but decreases continuously with increasing PAr. The W-Mo films deposited under optimum sputtering pressure exhibit superior mechanical characteristics: H=40 GPa, Er=275 GPa, H/Er=0.8, and H3/Er2=0.145 GPa, which are higher compared to pure, α-phase W-films. The W-Mo films deposited at PAr=3-9 mTorr exhibit high resistivity≈350-400 μΩ-cm, which decreases to 150-200 μΩ-cm for films deposited at higher PAr. Based on the results, structure-mechanical-electrical property correlation in W-Mo films is established.
Implementing Machine Learning in Health Care - Addressing Ethical Challenges.

Implementing Machine Learning in Health Care We need to consider the ethical challenges inherent in implementing machine learning in health care if its benefits are to be realized. Some of these ch...
Impulse Control Disorder

The term impulse control disorder, as used in the revised third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1987), subsumes a variety of conditions in which there is a failure to resist the drive or temptation to commit acts potentially harmful to the patient or others. These include psychoactive substance use disorders, paraphilias, kleptomania, pyromania, pathological gambling, trichotillomania, and “intermittent explosive disorder” (IED). The section on impulse control disorders not elsewhere classified in DSM-IV is not expected to differ significantly from DSM-III-R and, unless otherwise noted, references to DSM-III-R elsewhere in this chapter should be considered applicable to DSM-IV as well.
Children with Intellectual Disability

The focus of this chapter is intellectual disabilities, specifically those that impact a child’s ability to communicate. Areas of communication challenge for this population including understanding and producing verbal or even gestural messages, depending on the significance of the child’s communication disorder, are discussed. With the adaptive functioning challenges children with intellectual disabilities experience, this chapter includes a discussion of a child’s understanding of daily events and the personal and social skills needed to adapt to those events. The level of communication difficulty is also emphasized as a child’s ability to understand what might be expected in a typical routine or how to initiate interactions and engage socially in an age appropriate manner will be compromised.
Personalised reconfigurable trust management

Current technologies to include cloud computing, social networking, and mobile applications, coupled with the explosion in storage and processing power, are evolving massive-scale marketplaces for a wide variety of resources and services. In such marketplaces, interaction parties are largely autonomous with vastly diverse requirements, capabilities, and trust profiles. Thus, placing challenges against trustworthy interactions and transactions. We claim the need for customisable trust management system that can be personalised for the robustness and wide-scale adoption of such marketplaces. In this paper, we present reference architecture which decouples trust management operations and defines five interrelated reconfigurable components. The components which collectively can be used to implement a wide spectrum of trust management systems ranging from generic to highly personalised. We used the proposed architecture to implement a personalised and a generic trust management system. Our evaluations showed higher effectiveness and efficiency results in case of personalised trust, in addition to resilience and scalability.
Directing the reactivity of metal hydrides for selective CO2 reduction.

A critical challenge in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to renewable fuels is product selectivity. Desirable products of CO2 reduction require proton equivalents, but key catalytic intermediates can also be competent for direct proton reduction to H2. Understanding how to manage divergent reaction pathways at these shared intermediates is essential to achieving high selectivity. Both proton reduction to hydrogen and CO2 reduction to formate generally proceed through a metal hydride intermediate. We apply thermodynamic relationships that describe the reactivity of metal hydrides with H+ and CO2 to generate a thermodynamic product diagram, which outlines the free energy of product formation as a function of proton activity and hydricity (∆GH−), or hydride donor strength. The diagram outlines a region of metal hydricity and proton activity in which CO2 reduction is favorable and H+ reduction is suppressed. We apply our diagram to inform our selection of [Pt(dmpe)2](PF6)2 as a potential catalyst, because the corresponding hydride [HPt(dmpe)2]+ has the correct hydricity to access the region where selective CO2 reduction is possible. We validate our choice experimentally; [Pt(dmpe)2](PF6)2 is a highly selective electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction to formate (>90% Faradaic efficiency) at an overpotential of less than 100 mV in acetonitrile with no evidence of catalyst degradation after electrolysis. Our report of a selective catalyst for CO2 reduction illustrates how our thermodynamic diagrams can guide selective and efficient catalyst discovery.
Design and Implementation of a Magnetic Press System for Creating Magnetically Oriented Barium Hexaferrite Pucks

We present initial magnetic and structural characterization results of pressing barium hexaferrite pucks under the influence of a magnetic field using a custom-built uniaxial press. The press can be operated up to 500 pounds of load inside a 30 kG axially uniform magnetic field. We present details on the system specifications and operation procedures as well as results of pressing pucks in the system in a 0, 25, or 30 kG field. We find that the pucks pressed under a 25 or 30 kG field show similar properties but are significantly magnetically and crystallographically textured along the magnetic field direction used during pressing compared to the no-field pucks. For the 30 kG pressed pucks, we find a squareness value of 0.6, a saturation magnetization of 2.7 kG, a coercivity of 3.4 kOe, and a magnetic texture of 0.74. We also characterize the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) behavior up to 66 GHz and find an anisotropy field of 21 kOe and zero-field FMR of 42 GHz.
Derivative Works and Making Sense of the Maxim that 'Others are Free to Copy the Original. They are Not Free to Copy the Copy.'

This is a paper about some of the most entertaining and challenging cases in America’s copyright law jurisprudence concerning derivative works as copyrightable subject matter, and the closely related right to prepare derivative works. The cases are entertaining because they involve very familiar works of authorship, and they are challenging because the rulings are often difficult to reconcile due to the fact that the courts are grappling with copyright’s elusive originality standard as applied to derivative works as well the copyright owner’s right to prepare derivative works. Instead of attempting to say something ‘original’ about originality, my goal for this article is to make sense out of these entertaining and sometimes contradictory decisions concerning derivative works. I do this by discussing seven recurring problems and common scenarios, and relate these situations to how courts have handled these problems and scenarios in the context of the familiar maxim announced by Justice Holmes in 1903 about how it is permissible to copy the original but not to copy the copy. Although Justice Holmes made this statement in connection with his discussion of copyright’s originality standard, it relates to my article’s goals because a derivative work is a copy of the copy in that it adapts or modifies a preexisting work of authorship; this copy of the copy infringes if it is done without permission of the owner of copyright on the preexisting work, but this copy of the copy might be copyrightable as a derivative work when it is done with permission. Providing this kind of structure is more than an exercise of selecting and sorting. Rather, the problems and scenarios illustrate the basic copyright law challenge of balancing the intellectual property and ownership rights of authors as an incentive to create against the need for subsequent authors to build upon and adapt the works of others. After all, derivative works by definition build upon preexisting works, and a court said long ago that few things are “strictly new and original throughout,” and every work “in literature, science and art, borrows, and must necessarily borrow, and use much which was well known and used before.”
A Comprehensive Study on Detection of Hidden Delamination Damage in a Composite Plate Using Curvatures of Operating Deflection Shapes

The aim of this work is to investigate the accuracy and sensitivity of a continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) for detection of hidden delamination damage in composite plates. Some work on using a CSLDV for detection of damage in aluminum beams and plates has been done by the authors. The current work is related to a worldwide round robin study sponsored by the Society of Experimental Mechanics. The main difference between the current work and previous work is that the damaged composite plate was provided by the organizer of the round robin study instead of being made by the authors. Hence, the authors have no information about locations of the damage, which means this is more like a blind test. The most significant advantage of using a CSLDV for vibration measurement of a structure is that a spatially dense operating deflection shape (ODS) of the structure can be obtained and further used to calculate the curvature of the ODS (CODS). A comprehensive study to detect the hidden damage in the composite plate by using the first seven CODSs from the corresponding ODSs of the plate is conducted. The study shows that different CODSs have different sensitivities to local anomaly induced by the damage and only two of the seven CODSs can be used to detect the locations of the hidden damage.
Patterns of Family, School, and Community Promotive Factors and Health Disparities Among Youth: Implications for Prevention Science

Increasing knowledge of factors that promote health among youth from diverse backgrounds is an important step towards addressing health disparities. Although many promotive factors have been identified individually, there is an overabundance of research on risk factors, and a comparable dearth of knowledge regarding the influence of combinations of promotive factors. The current study examined how promotive factors across family, school, and community contexts co-occur to promote health among youth of different race/ethnicity. Utilizing a nationally representative sample of Black (10%), Latinx (12%), and White (77%) youth ages 12–17 (N = 30,668), latent class analysis was employed to identify classes of youth who endorsed homogenous patterns of promotive factors. Associations between class membership and health were explored. Each subsample was best characterized by its own 4-class model, with significant differences in patterns of promotive factors experienced by Black, Latinx, and White youth. Youth health outcomes also varied significantly by class membership (p < .05). Greater access to more promotive factors was associated with better health, and low access to community and school promotive factors was associated with worse health. Results suggest that increasing promotive factors in school, family, and community settings may help to prevent poor health outcomes; however, jointly addressing discrimination against racial/ethnic minority youth through education, policy, and practice is also needed to address health disparities.
Giving credit to reforestation for water quality benefits

While there is a general belief that reforesting marginal, often unprofitable, croplands can result in water quality benefits, to date there have been very few studies that have attempted to quantify the magnitude of the reductions in nutrient (N and P) and sediment export. In order to determine the magnitude of a credit for water quality trading, there is a need to develop quantitative approaches to estimate the benefits from forest planting in terms of load reductions. Here we first evaluate the availability of marginal croplands (i.e. those with low infiltration capacity and high slopes) within a large section of the Ohio River Basin (ORB) to assess the magnitude of the land that could be reforested. Next, we employ the Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) to study the reduction in N, P and sediment losses from converting corn or corn/soy rotations to forested lands, first in a case study and then for a large region within the ORB. We find that after reforestation, N losses can decrease by 40 to 80 kg/ha-yr (95-97% reduction), while P losses decrease by 1 to 4 kg/ha-yr (96-99% reduction). There is a significant influence of local conditions (soils, previous crop management practices, meteorology), which can be considered with NTT and must be taken into consideration for specific projects. There is also considerable interannual and monthly variability, which highlights the need to take the longer view into account in nutrient credit considerations for water quality trading, as well as in monitoring programs. Overall, there is the potential for avoiding 60 million kg N and 2 million kg P from reaching the streams and rivers of the northern ORB as a result of conversion of marginal farmland to tree planting, which is on the order of 12% decrease for TN and 5% for TP, for the entire basin. Accounting for attenuation, this represents a significant fraction of the goal of the USEPA Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force to reduce TN and TP reaching the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, the second largest dead zone in the world. More broadly, the potential for targeted forest planting to reduce nutrient loading demonstrated in this study suggests further consideration of this approach for managing water quality in waterways throughout the world. The study was conducted using computational models and there is a need to evaluate the results with empirical observations.
Long-term outcomes of IMiD-based trials in patients with immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis: a pooled analysis.

Rarity of light-chain amyloidosis (AL) makes randomized studies challenging. We pooled three phase II studies of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) to update survival, toxicity, and assess new response/progression criteria. Studies included were lenalidomide-dexamethasone (Len-Dex) (n = 37; years: 2004–2006), cyclophosphamide-Len-Dex (n = 35; years: 2007–2008), and pomalidomide-Dex (n = 29; years: 2008–2010) trial. Primary endpoint was hematologic response. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from registration to death and progression-free survival (PFS) was calculated from registration to progression or death. Hematologic, cardiac, and renal response/progression was assessed using the modern criteria. Analysis included 101 patients, with a median age of 65 years, 61% male, 37 newly diagnosed (ND), and 64 relapsed/refractory (RR). Median follow-up was 101 months (range 17–150) and 78% of patients died. OS and PFS for pooled cohort were 31 and 15 months, respectively. Forty-eight patients achieved a hematologic response; for ND, 10 patients (28%) achieved ≥VGPR (very good partial response) and 8 (14%) among the RR. Only cardiac stage was prognostic for OS. Common grade ≥3 toxicities were hematologic, fatigue, and rash, and were similar among studies. Hematologic and renal responses occurred more frequently and rapidly using modern response criteria; cardiac response was less frequent but occurred quickly. IMiDs can result in long progression-free intervals/survival with tolerable toxicities. The new response/progression criteria were rapid and allows for tailoring therapy.
Impact of bridging stent design and configuration on branch vessel durability after fenestrated endovascular repair of complex aortic aneurysms.

Abstract Objective The ideal mating stent for target vessel revascularization in fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) of juxtarenal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms remains unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the outcomes associated with use of different stent types and configurations mated with reinforced fenestrations during FEVAR. Methods Clinical data from patients undergoing FEVAR for juxtarenal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms in a prospective physician-sponsored investigational device exemption trial were analyzed. Outcomes for two different balloon-expandable covered stents (BECSs) mated with reinforced fenestrations were assessed along with the impact of distal extension with a self-expanding stent (SES). Primary patency, branch-related endoleak, and reintervention rates were determined. Cox proportional hazards model was used for time-to-event analysis. Results From 2001 to 2016, there were 918 patients who underwent fenestrated or branched endograft repair of complex aortic aneurysms; 1604 renal arteries (RAs), 714 superior mesenteric arteries (SMAs), and 333 celiac arteries (CAs) were mated with reinforced fenestrations using JOMED (n = 2014; Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, Calif) or iCAST (n = 637; Atrium Medical, Hudson, NH) BECSs. The type of BECS did not affect short-term or long-term patency, branch-related endoleaks, or reintervention rates in the RA, SMA, or CA. Twenty-five percent (402/1604) of RAs, 84% (598/714) of SMAs, and 8% (27/333) of CAs underwent distal SES extension at the index operation. RAs with a distal SES in addition to the BECS had a higher likelihood of an occlusion event (hazard ratio, 2.791; 95% confidence interval, 1.42-5.48; P = .003) and reinterventions (P = .036) compared with those without an SES. Addition of a distal SES to the BECS in the SMA or CA did not have an impact on patency or reintervention rates. Conclusions BECS choice does not appear to have an impact on branch durability after FEVAR. Selective distal SES placement in RAs with high-risk anatomy does not appear to significantly protect against an occlusion event or to prevent secondary interventions. Routine addition of a distal SES does not improve SMA fenestration durability.
The role of direct cellular communication during the development of a humoral immune response.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on several interrelated models that highlight the importance of secondary lymphoid tissue function and cellular interactions during the development of a thymus-dependent (TD) humoral immune response. Immune responses occur in secondary lymphoid organs, such as lymph nodes and spleen. The induction of B cell proliferation and differentiation requires a direct physical interaction and communication between a B cell and an activated T helper (Th) cell. In the chapter, a typical lymph node is utilized to illustrate the relevant features of secondary lymphoid tissues essential for the successful development of a humoral immune response. The schematic representation of the activation of B cell proliferation in a lymph node is presented in the chapter. The activation of naive B cells and Th cells and the different steps involved in the communication process and the initiation of conjugate formation between a naive B cell and Th cell is also diagrammatically presented in the chapter. It also reviews the membrane immunoglobulin receptor complex and the role of Th cells. Th cell regulation of follicular B cell survival and the Th cell regulation of follicular B cell isotope switching are also discussed in the chapter.
Peter L. Berger and the Sociology of Religion: 50 Years After the Sacred Canopy

A Rumor of Angels (1970) was my introduction to the writings of Peter Berger in the 1970s when he was beginning to rethink his thoughts on religion and secularization. Then unaware of the trajector...
The space of R-places on a rational function field

Abstract Suppose that F is a field such that the value groups of the R -places on F, i.e., places from F into the real numbers R , are all trivial or countable. The path-connected components of the space M ( F ( x 1 , x 2 , ⋯ , x n ) ) of R -places on F ( x 1 , x 2 , ⋯ , x n ) are shown then to correspond bijectively to those of M ( F ) . For example, the space M ( R ( x 1 , x 2 , ⋯ , x n ) ) of R -places on the rational function field R ( x 1 , x 2 , ⋯ , x n ) is path-connected, and similarly for Q ( x 1 , x 2 , ⋯ , x n ) . A key tool is a homeomorphism in the case that F is a maximal field between the space of R -places on F ( x ) and a certain space of sequences related to the “signatures” of [1] .
Children with enthesitis-related arthritis could benefit from treatments targeted for adults with spondyloarthritis.

This review will summarize clinical, genetic and pathophysiologic characteristics that are shared between children with enthesitis related arthritis (ERA) with axial involvement and adults with non-radiographic, and in some cases radiographic, axial spondyloarthritis (SpA); and between children with ERA and primarily peripheral disease manifestations and adults with peripheral SpA. Due to the differences in classification criteria for children with ERA and adults with axial and peripheral SpA, the FDA granted automatic full waivers of studies in children for new medications for "axial spondyloarthropathies including ankylosing spondylitis" up until July 2020. Thus, although current juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treatment guidelines recommend the use of biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) as part of the early treatment for patients with ERA, none of the FDA-approved therapies for peripheral SpA or non-radiographic axial SpA (certolizumab pegol, ixekizumab, and secukinumab) have been studied or are labelled for use in children with ERA. Considering the similarities between adult spondyloarthritis and ERA in terms of etiology, genetics, pathogenesis and clinical manifestations summarized in this review, medications approved for axial SpA or peripheral SpA should also be studied in children with active ERA involving axial or peripheral joints, respectively, with the intent to achieve labeling for use in children. Considering the current lack of effective FDA-approved therapies for ERA, the FDA should also consider requiring pediatric studies for medications that have already been approved for the treatment of adults with SpA.
Progress in two-phase flow modeling: Interfacial area transport

Abstract The interfacial area transport equation (IATE) employs a dynamic approach to predict interfacial area concentration (IAC) in two-phase flows. It eliminates the need for the static flow regime transition criteria and flow regime dependent IAC correlations used in closing the two-fluid model and therefore any potential artificial bifurcation or numerical oscillations stemming from these static correlations. The efforts to develop the IATE are reviewed in this work, focusing on studies within the past decade. The current state-of-the-art in IATE is a two-group interfacial area transport equation that is applicable to predict interfacial area concentration from bubbly to churn-turbulent flows. An extensive experimental database has been established in literature for various two-phase flow conditions. The database is used to develop constitutive models to close the IATE and to validate its performance. These include adiabatic and heated conditions, vertical and horizontal flow orientations, channels with flow restrictions, round, rectangular, annulus, and rod-bundle geometries, and normal-gravity and reduced-gravity conditions. IATE has been implemented into practical system analysis codes such as TRACE and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes such as CFX and Fluent to evaluate its performance. In addition, the recent efforts of extending the IATE beyond churn-turbulent flow to churn-annular transition and annular flows are also reviewed. These include the new instrumentation, experimental database, and additional constitutive models to predict annular flows.
Insights from an Analysis of Audit Committee Governance Practices at U.S. Registered Investment Companies and Public Operating Companies

Guided by agency theory and institutional theory, we investigate the influence of the unique aspects of investment companies (ICs) on audit committee (AC) governance and compare AC IC and operating company (OC) governance practices. We use a dual-method, three-stage research approach: (1) surveys of 107 IC AC members, (2) interviews of ten AC and ten management members at ICs, and (3) interviews of ten OC AC members and follow-up interviews of the ten IC AC members. Consistent with agency theory, we find IC ACs are substantively engaged in overseeing AC operations quality (AC composition and diligence) and other critical governance areas (auditor hiring/retention, audit process, agenda setting, and critical risks), whereas management is not. In contrast, our findings for OC ACs reveal evidence of both ceremonial oversight (auditor retention/hiring and agenda setting) and substantive oversight (audit process and critical risks). Our study’s findings have important implications for regulators and practitioners.
Localization in Wireless Sensor Networks Using MDS with Inter-node Angle Estimation

Localization of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is an important problem that has gained a lot of attention as can be seen in the survey papers [8, 9]. Among the many techniques that have been employed to obtain accurate localization under various underlying assumptions, Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) provides a centralized solution given range measurements between nodes. However, dissimilarity matrix provided to MDS is incomplete due to missing range measurements between significant numbers of nodes. Researchers have used shortest distance computations on the basis of existing range measurements to provide an estimate of the actual range measurements. This leads to significant error in localization using MDS. In this work, we introduce an improved estimate of the shortest distances between nodes based on estimated angle between nodes. We do not assume AoA (Angle of Arrival) is available, however we estimate inter-node angle to help improve distance measures. Our results show significant improvement in the performance of MDS for localization of wireless sensor networks for both range-based and range-free noisy range network models. Our simulation verifies the result on both sparse and dense networks.
The impact of reduced injected radioactivity on image quality of molecular breast imaging tomosynthesis

This study's objective is to compare image quality in 3-D molecular breast imaging tomosynthesis (MBIT) with that in planar molecular breast imaging (MBI) over a range of breast radioactivity concentrations. Using gelatin and point source phantoms lesion contrast, lesion signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spatial resolution were compared for a range of lesion sizes and depths. For both MBI and MBIT, lesion contrast is essentially constant with changing activity while SNR decreases by a factor of 1.5 --- 2 between 100% and 25% activity levels. For nearly all lesion sizes and locations contrast and SNR are significantly higher for MBIT than MBI, potentially permitting greater reductions in injected dose. Spatial resolution in MBI is dependent on lesion depth but independent of lesion location with MBIT. Reconstructed MBIT spatial resolution is substantially better than that in the projection images, suggesting future use of higher sensitivity collimators for even further reductions in injected activity.
Uncertain Multiobjective Programming as a Game Against Nature

We consider a multiobjective linear program whose parameters have uncertain values. We first present a method of modelling the uncertainty, based on t-norms and co-t-norms, which contains possibility theory and probability theory as special cases. We then present a procedure for modelling the decision problem, which is independent of the uncertainty model, based on a game against Nature.
Abstract 2072: Chitinase-3-like-1 protein expression associated with pulmonary inflammation accelerates metastasis to the lung

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Disseminated metastasis accounts for majority of breast cancer deaths. Recently, elevated serum levels of a glycoprotein known as chitinase-3-like-1 protein (CHI3L1) has been correlated with poor prognosis and shorter survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer. We found that there are elevated levels of CHI3L1 in plasma of mammary tumor-bearing mice. However, the biological and physiological functions of CHI3L1 are still unclear. We previously found that CHI3L1 has an inhibitory role on the expression of interferon-gamma, and in up-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators such MCP-1, IL-8 and MMP-9 all of which contribute towards tumor growth and metastasis. In determining the cause of high levels of CHI3L1 in plasma, we found that in addition to tumor cells, splenic macrophages and more interestingly pulmonary macrophages from mammary tumor bearers secrete high levels of CHI3L1. Additionally, allergic mice also expressed higher levels of CHI3L1 in circulation and lung tissue. More specifically, CD11b+Ly6C+ cells from the lungs of allergic mice produced higher amounts of CHI3L1 compared to control mice. We have previously established that pulmonary myeloid cells through their production of CHI3L1 set up the proper microenvironment for growth of incoming mammary tumor cells. Thus, we hyphothesize that CHI3L1 levels in the lungs of mice with allergic pulmonary inflammation could accelerate metatstasis. To understand the role of CHI3L1 in accelerating pulmonary metastasis, pulmonary inflammation was induced by sensitization with ragweed allergen. Allergic mice implanted with either 4T1 or 67NR mammary tumors had a 5-fold increase in tumor volume, and formation of metastatic foci in their lungs compared to control mammary tumor bearers. Further, allergic mice showed accelerated tumor growth and shorter survival. In contrast, CHI3L1 null mice showed decreased tumor volume and metastasis, and increased survival compared to control mice. In vivo administration of chitin (β-(1-4)-poly-N-acetyl D-glucosamine) microparticles, the ligand for CHI3L1, to control and allergic mammary tumor bearers resulted in a significant reduction in pulmonary metastasis and tumor growth. These studies suggest that CHI3L1 plays a role in tumor progression and that chitin microparticles can inhibit the pleiotropic effects of CHI3L1 giving support to the idea that CHI3L1 is a useful target for treatment of breast cancer. Citation Format: Stephania Libreros, Ramon Garcia-Areas, Vijaya Iragavarapu-Charyulu. Chitinase-3-like-1 protein expression associated with pulmonary inflammation accelerates metastasis to the lung. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2072. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2072
Testosterone influences the accumulation of carotenoids in the retina of a wild bird (39.4)

Carotenoids accumulate at high concentrations in the avian retina, where they filter incoming light, tune spectral sensitivity, and provide protection from damaging UV light. Among wild house finch...
The happy searcher: challenges in Web information retrieval

Search has arguably become the dominant paradigm for finding information on the World Wide Web. In order to build a successful search engine, there are a number of challenges that arise where techniques from artificial intelligence can be used to have a significant impact. In this paper, we explore a number of problems related to finding information on the web and discuss approaches that have been employed in various research programs, including some of those at Google. Specifically, we examine issues of such as web graph analysis, statistical methods for inferring meaning in text, and the retrieval and analysis of newsgroup postings, images, and sounds. We show that leveraging the vast amounts of data on web, it is possible to successfully address problems in innovative ways that vastly improve on standard, but often data impoverished, methods. We also present a number of open research problems to help spur further research in these areas.
Small Lifts of Expander Graphs are Expanding.

A k-lift of an n-vertex base-graph G is a graph H on $n \times k$ vertices, where each vertex of G is replaced by k vertices and each edge (u,v) in G is replaced by a matching representing a bijection $\pi_{uv}$ so that the edges of H are of the form $\big ((u,i),(v,\pi_{uv}(i))\big )$. H s a (uniformly) random lift of G if for every edge (u,v) the bijection $\pi_{uv}$ is chosen uniformly and independently at random. The main motivation for studying lifts has been understanding Ramanujan expander graphs via two key questions: Is a ``typical'' lift of an expander graph also an expander; and how can we (efficiently) construct Ramanujan expanders using lifts? Lately, there has been an increased interest in lifts and their close relation to the notorious Unique Games Conjecture \cite{Kho02}. In this paper, we analyze the spectrum of random k-lifts of d-regular graphs. We show that, for random shift $k$-lifts, if all the nontrivial eigenvalues of the base graph G are at most $\lambda$ in absolute value, then with high probability depending only on the number n of nodes of G (and not on k), the absolute value of every nontrivial eigenvalue of the lift is at most $O(\lambda)$. Moreover, if G is moderately expanding, then this bound can be improved to $\lambda+ O(\sqrt{d})$. While previous results on random lifts were asymptotically true with high probability in the degree of the lift k, our result is the first upperbound on spectra of lifts for bounded k. In particular, it implies that a typical small lift of a Ramanujan graph is almost Ramanujan, and we believe it will prove crucial in constructing large Ramanujan expanders of all degrees. We also establish a novel characterization of the spectrum of shift lifts by the spectrum of certain $k$ symmetric matrices, that generalize the signed adjacency matrix (see \cite{BL06}). We believe this characterization is of independent interest.
Perilous Forecasts: Implications of Reliance on Terminal Value

We investigate the ratio of terminal value (TV) to present value (PV) for a variety of enterprises. Calculations are derived at different time periods and for various size deciles and industry. We document that when there are more years of data available that the TV/PV ratio decreases. We also document that if the size of the company increases then the TV/PV ratio decreases which is an indication of the higher cash flow of big firms in earlier years and the lowered importance of TV in their PV. We also observe different TV/PV ratios for 2-digit industry classifications. Finally, and most importantly, we document that the size of the TV/PV ratio is far greater than is commonly known. This later finding is especially important given the universal use of cash flow and valuation forecasts.
Financial Institutions and Bankruptcy

The first part of this paper sketches the several existing systems for resolving financial distress in financial firms, including the new resolution authority created by the Dodd-Frank bill. By my count, there are at least six systems at work here, not counting state-by-state variations. I then examine the coverage of these systems, and the uncertainty created by the interaction of the same. For example, under current law, a large hedge fund would be “resolved” under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code – unless the newly created systemic risk counsel, a body dominated by people from outside the restructuring community, decides otherwise. This leaves it unclear to the fund’s counterparties which set of rules is incorporated into their contracts with the hedge fund. Undoubtedly both will be priced, with a further discount for the uncertainty. That is unlikely to be the optimal solution, and may increase systemic risk.
MOC-PS(SM) CME article: genioplasty.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Evaluate and plan appropriate surgical correction of chin deformities. 2. Understand the different surgical techniques of genioplasty. 3. Reduce the potential complications and mange them successfully when they occur. SUMMARY The lower third of the face plays an important role in facial appearance and harmony. Chin disharmonies can offset the balance between the lower third with the rest of the face and can have a negative impact on facial attractiveness. This article reviews and discusses the factors to consider when assessing a patient for genioplasty, the surgical options available to treat chin deformities and restore congruity to the lower face, and potential complications and ways to minimize them.
Steady-state behavior of gas—liquid—solid fluidized-bed reactors

Abstract A model for a three-phase fluidized-bed reactor is presented. In industrial processes such as hydrocracking, coal liquefaction, etc., gas absorption, gas desorption and reactions in the liquid phase occur simultaneously and competitively. In processes such as these, the desorbed gases (mainly lighter hydrocarbons) usually have much higher molecular weights than the gas being absorbed (usually hydrogen). This results in significant loss of the original liquid owing to formation of volatile products (vaporization is insignificant at low temperatures but nearly 100% vaporization may result at high temperatures). Hence both the gas and liquid axial velocities may chance in the reactor depending upon the relative magnitudes of the local absorption and desorption rates, and on the average molecular weights of the absorbed and desorbed gases. The proposed model is applicable up to a high degree of vaporization of the liquid phase. The assumption of isothermal operation may limit the use of this model to pilot scale or prototype units. The results outlined are interesting and some of them agree with the observed and expected experimental facts. The flexibility of the model may be particularly useful in scale-up considerations. The model presented for a solid distribution is quite general and is applicable over a wide range of particle sizes and solid loading encountered in industrial practice. It is also seen that settling of catalyst particles can be beneficial to a certain extent in the case of cocurrent reactors and helps to improve the yields. Too low or too high a catalyst concentration as well as too high or too low a liquid hold-up may reduce the catalytic reactions in fluidized-bed reactors.
Immobilized enzymes in clinical medicine: an emerging approach to new drug therapies

Abstract Enzymes have potential for use as therapeutic agents since they carry out complex chemical reactions under physiological conditions (Table 1). Many of these reactions occur in normal, healthy organisms but are impaired in a diseased or congenitally deficient state. An exogenously applied enzyme can confer upon an organism a biological function which is not genetically present in that organism. For instance, a human who cannot metabolize phenylalanine could acquire the ability to do so if provided with the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. For this therapeutic approach, the immobilized enzyme has many advantages over the soluble enzyme. Developing therapeutic uses for enzymes therefore demands input from both clinicians and enzyme engineers.
Observations of complex terrain flows using acoustic sounders: Drainage flow structure and evolution

This paper presents an analysis of nocturnal drainage flows in a mountainous coastal environment where the elevation of the terrain is comparable with the elevation of the marine temperature inversion. The analysis traces the initiation, evolution, and breakup of the drainage flow using acoustic sounder facsimile data and tethered sonde measurements of wind and temperature. Conditions addressed include (1) opposing seabreeze flow ranging from 2 to 8m s-1, (2) aiding flow, and (3) large-scale and drainage-induced subsidence. The effect of deep marine temperature inversions pervades the observations, as seen in deeper, more stratified echo layers, weaker drainage, and delayed destruction of the inversion in the morning.
Molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways of angiotensin II-induced muscle wasting: potential therapeutic targets for cardiac cachexia

Cachexia is a serious complication of many chronic diseases, such as congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Many factors are involved in the development of cachexia, and there is increasing evidence that angiotensin II (Ang II), the main effector molecule of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), plays an important role in this process. Patients with advanced CHF or CKD often have increased Ang II levels and cachexia, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor treatment improves weight loss. In rodent models, an increase in systemic Ang II leads to weight loss through increased protein breakdown, reduced protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and decreased appetite. Ang II activates the ubiquitin-proteasome system via generation of reactive oxygen species and via inhibition of the insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, Ang II inhibits 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and disrupts normal energy balance. Ang II also increases cytokines and circulating hormones such as tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, serum amyloid-A, glucocorticoids and myostatin, which regulate muscle protein synthesis and degradation. Ang II acts on hypothalamic neurons to regulate orexigenic/anorexigenic neuropeptides, such as neuropeptide-Y, orexin and corticotropin-releasing hormone, leading to reduced appetite. Also, Ang II may regulate skeletal muscle regenerative processes. Several clinical studies have indicated that blockade of Ang II signaling via ACE inhibitors or Ang II type 1 receptor blockers prevents weight loss and improves muscle strength. Thus the RAS is a promising target for the treatment of muscle atrophy in patients with CHF and CKD. This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: Molecular basis of muscle wasting.
Acute hemodialysis of infants weighing less than five kilograms

The records of 33 infants weighing 5 kg or less who received acute hemodialysis treatment at Children's Hospital between 1980 and 1991 were reviewed. Dialysis was initiated to treat hyperammonemia (8), primary renal or renovascular disease (7), and acute renal failure (18). The infants weighed 2.2 to 4.0 kg at birth and 27% were born prematurely. The infants were 2 to 120 days of age (median 10 days) and weighed 2.2 to 5.0 kg (median 3.5 kg) at the initiation of hemodialysis. Hemodialysis access was achieved via double-lumen 7 French catheters in 49% of the infants, the ECMO circuit in 24%, and the umbilical vessels in 27%. Thirty-three infants underwent a total of 216 hemodialysis treatments. Only nine treatments were discontinued prematurely: six for intractable hypotension and three for technical problems. Fifty-two percent (17 of 33) of the infants survived through the end of the hemodialysis treatment course. The survival rates for the infants with hyperammonemia (75%) and primary renal disease (71%) were better than those for infants with acute renal failure (33%). The survivors did not differ from those who died with respect to birthweight, weight when hemodialysis was initiated, or the number of hemodialysis treatments administered. We conclude that infants weighing less than 5 kg can be treated successfully with hemodialysis. Patient survival is related to underlying medical problems, not to complications of hemodialysis.
A spectrometer to measure the diffuse, astronomical extreme ultraviolet background

The present grazing incidence spectrometer for measuring the diffuse astronomical background between 80 and 650 A uses a wire grid collimator to define a 40-arcmin by 15-deg field of view. After passing through the collimator, radiation impinges on an array of plane reflection gratings. An array of mirrors then focuses the diffracted light through a thin filter onto a microchannel plate detector. The resulting system focuses to a few arcmin and produces spectra with 10 to 20 A resolution. Performance characteristics of the spectrometer are discussed.