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Stealthy attacks on control systems have the potential to cause serious harm, as they are not readily detectable by any intrusion detection system. However, it is often the case that neither the controller nor the attacker can gather perfect information about the system model. We show that while a small mismatch between model and reality can easily be managed by a robust controller, an attacker's imperfect knowledge of the system can thwart the stealth of the attack. This opens the door to a whole new class of defense mechanisms, which focus on maximizing the attacker's uncertainty about the system while maintaining the controller's uncertainty within the bounds of its robustness. We demonstrate our findings on the simple quadruple tank control process and on a realistic power grid model, showing that the time to detect a stealthy attack depends on the attacker's level of uncertainty about the model.

e16273 Background: There is a critical need to develop fast, reliable, and cost-effective methods for the detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) at the earliest stage to maximize the impact of treatment. To-date, early detection of PC is close to impossible due to the location of the pancreas and the absence of characteristic symptoms in early cancer stages. Methods: Our team of clinicians and scientists has established a fast and reliable nanobiosensor technology that comprises iron/iron oxide nanoparticles attached to a protease or arginase activatable FRET pair (tetrakis (4- carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) /cyanine 5.5). Arginase and seven proteases (MMP1, 3, and 9, cathepsin B, and E, urokinase plasminogen activator, and neutrophil elastase) were identified using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) web tool based on their different expression pattern in pancreatic cancer patients, pancreatitis and healthy control subjects. Protease/arginase activities were measured in serum after 1h of incubation. Based on this data, a novel engineering approach to improved early stage detection of pancreatic cancer is reported here. This study was funded by American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (IRG‐16‐194‐07), awarded to the University of Kansas Medical Center. Results: In our study, 159 patients were enrolled at KU Cancer Center from 2000-2019, 47 with metastatic PC, 36 with localized PC, 26 pancreatitis and 50 healthy controls using KUCC Biospecimen Repository. The problem of early stage detection of pancreatic cancer can be modeled as a multi-class classification problem. Conventional classification approaches provide at most 77% accuracy for the dataset under consideration. A new hierarchical decision structure with specific feature engineering at each step is introduced here to improve the performance of the classifier. The fundamental premise of this information fusion-based framework involves tailoring the statistically most significant features with appropriate weights to execute an efficient binary classification task at each hierarchical step. An overall accuracy of 95% was achieved for the detection of patients with early pancreatic cancer (see table). Conclusions: Because of the dire survival statistics of pancreatic cancer, detection at the earliest possible time by means of a liquid biopsy will offer the greatest benefit. Novel nanobiosensor based protease biomarkers achieved high accuracy in early detection of pancreatic cancers by applying hierarchical decision structure. Our results need validation in a larger cohort. Predicted true class considering the following combination of classification methods: Step1 – kNN*, step2 – kNN*, step3 – RFC* (Accuracy = 94.97%).[Table: see text]

Purpose: Computational models of microwave ablation (MWA) are widely used during the design optimization of novel devices and are under consideration for patient-specific treatment planning. The objective of this study was to assess the sensitivity of computational models of MWA to tissue biophysical properties. Methods: The Morris method was employed to assess the global sensitivity of the coupled electromagnetic–thermal model, which was implemented with the finite element method (FEM). The FEM model incorporated temperature dependencies of tissue physical properties. The variability of the model was studied using six different outputs to characterize the size and shape of the ablation zone, as well as impedance matching of the ablationantenna. Furthermore, the sensitivity results were statistically analyzed and absolute influence of each input parameter was quantified. A framework for systematically incorporating model uncertainties for treatment planning was suggested. Results: A total of 1221 simulations, incorporating 111 randomly sampled starting points, were performed. Tissue dielectric parameters, specifically relative permittivity, effective conductivity, and the threshold temperature at which they transitioned to lower values (i.e., signifying desiccation), were identified as the most influential parameters for the shape of the ablation zone and antenna impedance matching. Of the thermal parameters considered in this study, the nominal blood perfusion rate and the temperature interval across which the tissue changes phase were identified as the most influential. The latent heat of tissuewatervaporization and the volumetric heat capacity of the vaporized tissue were recognized as the least influential parameters. Based on the evaluation of absolute changes, the most important parameter (perfusion) had approximately 40.23 times greater influence on ablation area than the least important parameter (volumetric heat capacity of vaporized tissue). Another significant input parameter (permittivity) had 22.26 times higher influence on the deviation of ablation edge shape from a sphere than one of the less important parameters (latent heat of livertissuevaporization). Conclusions: Dielectric parameters, blood perfusion rate, and the temperature interval across which the tissue changes phase were found to have the most significant impact on MWA model outputs. The latent heat of tissuewatervaporization and the volumetric heat capacity of the vaporized tissue were recognized as the least influential parameters. Uncertainties in model outputs identified in this study can be incorporated to provide probabilistic maps of expected ablation outcome for patient-specific treatment planning.

Large-scale integration of rooftop solar power generation is transforming traditionally passive power distribution systems into active ones. High penetration of such devices creates new dynamics for which the current power distribution systems are inadequate. The changing paradigm of power distribution system requires it to be operated as cyber-physical system. A goal-based holonic multiagent system (HMAS) is presented in this paper to achieve this objective. This paper provides details on design of the HMAS for operation of power distribution systems. Various operating modes and associated goals are discussed. Finally, the role of HMAS is demonstrated for two applications in distribution systems. The first one is associated with control of reactive power at solar photovoltaic installations at individual homes for optimal operation of the system. The second deals with the state estimation of the system leveraging different measurements available from smart meters at homes.

This work focuses on aspects related to the development and implementation of solar-powered charge stations (SPCS), analyzing specifically the social, economic, and technological challenges associated with increasing the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and the availability of SPCS. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by the electrification of transportation and the generation of electricity with sustainable energy, including solar energy at SPCS. The charging infrastructure for EVs can be improved by adding SPCS to many parking lots so that EV owners can plug in at work, shopping centers, events, and home. Results from a Kansas State University survey indicate that the limited charging infrastructure is a present concern when considering a purchase of an EV. Smart grid developments with real time prices for electricity have many positive features that support SPCS installations and EV sales, including higher values for the electricity generated at SPCS and reduced cost for night time charging of EVs. There is the potential to improve urban air quality by replacing internal combustion vehicles that have emissions with EVs that do not have carbon emissions. When all costs are considered, SPCS and EVs have a favorable outlook, and advances in battery technology have the potential to reduce EV costs and increase their range. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2015

Technology can positively impact the lives of severely disabled autistic children if used to (a) gather situational awareness data regarding their health, development, and behavior and (b) assist them with learning and day-to-day activities. This paper summarizes student design projects in the Kansas State University (KSU) College of Engineering that are motivated and informed by the needs of severely disabled children at Heartspring, Wichita, KS. These efforts are supported through the National Science Foundation's General and Age-Related Disabilities Engineering (GARDE) program. Projects relate thematically to (1) facets of a bed sensor system that unobtrusively tracks nighttime health parameters and child activity and (2) miscellaneous resources geared toward paraeducator (“para”) and child well-being and development.

Future NASA plans include launching manned interplanetary missions to Mars and lunar destinations. These missions present new challenges that require rethinking of the extra-vehicular activity (EVA) suit design and associated communication systems. For example, there is a desire to collect more biomedical information from the astronaut to enhance safety and efficiency of EVA activities. Replacing the current wired biosensing within the suit with a wireless network would provide benefits such as the ability to monitor multiple vital signs and easily reconfigure the sensors to suit particular mission goals. In this paper, we study the propagation environment in a special domain of body area networks. In particular, within a space-suit where the outer cover-layer materials may be radio-opaque, containing the radio signals predominantly within the suit. This intrasuit wireless propagation environment is studied in various frequency bands, including 350 MHz, 433 MHz, 916 MHz, and 2.4 GHz, with signal attenuation used as the performance criterion. In all the frequencies studied, the intrasuit environment is shown to be conducive to wireless signal propagation, as the path loss is never more than 87 dB for a wide range of transmit-receive locations. Our findings suggest that ultrahigh frequency bands are the best candidate bands since there is interplay between the body conductivity favoring lower frequencies, and the difficulty of coupling RF energy into and out of the channel using suitably sized antennas favoring higher frequencies. The overall results suggest that deploying a wireless body area network inside the space suit is a promising solution for next generation missions.

Over the last decade, physical layer secret key generation (PHY-SKG) techniques that exploit reciprocity of wireless channels have attracted considerable interest among researchers in the field of wireless communication. Compared to traditional cryptographic methods, PHY-SKG techniques offer the following advantages: a computationally bounded adversary does not need to be assumed; PHY-SKG avoids the requirement of key management, and secret keys can be dynamically replenished. Additionally, PHY-SKG can enhance existing security schemes because it operates independently of higher layer security schemes. However, a key drawback of PHY-SKG is low secret key generation rate (SKGR), a critical performance metric. Therefore, the role of advanced network technologies (e.g., multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and cooperative MIMO) must be explored to enhance SKGR. This paper describes how MIMO and cooperative MIMO techniques can enhance SKGR.

A novel approach for the automatic reconfiguration of shipboard power systems (SPS) based on Q-learning has been investigated. Using this approach it is possible to obtain an optimal set of switches to open/close, in order to restore power to the loads, such that the weighted sum of the power delivered to the loads is maximized. This approach differs significantly from other methods previously studied for reconfiguration as it is a dynamic technique that produces not only the final reconfiguration, but also the correct order in which the switches are to be changed. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of this method.

Computational models of microwave ablation (MWA) are widely used during the design optimization of novel devices and are under consideration for patient-specific treatment planning. The objective of this study was to assess the sensitivity of computational models of MWA to tissue biophysical properties.The Morris method was employed to assess the global sensitivity of the coupled electromagnetic-thermal model, which was implemented with the finite element method (FEM). The FEM model incorporated temperature dependencies of tissue physical properties. The variability of the model was studied using six different outputs to characterize the size and shape of the ablation zone, as well as impedance matching of the ablation antenna. Furthermore, the sensitivity results were statistically analyzed and absolute influence of each input parameter was quantified. A framework for systematically incorporating model uncertainties for treatment planning was suggested.A total of 1221 simulations, incorporating 111 randomly sampled starting points, were performed. Tissue dielectric parameters, specifically relative permittivity, effective conductivity, and the threshold temperature at which they transitioned to lower values (i.e., signifying desiccation), were identified as the most influential parameters for the shape of the ablation zone and antenna impedance matching. Of the thermal parameters considered in this study, the nominal blood perfusion rate and the temperature interval across which the tissue changes phase were identified as the most influential. The latent heat of tissue water vaporization and the volumetric heat capacity of the vaporized tissue were recognized as the least influential parameters. Based on the evaluation of absolute changes, the most important parameter (perfusion) had approximately 40.23 times greater influence on ablation area than the least important parameter (volumetric heat capacity of vaporized tissue). Another significant input parameter (permittivity) had 22.26 times higher influence on the deviation of ablation edge shape from a sphere than one of the less important parameters (latent heat of liver tissue vaporization).Dielectric parameters, blood perfusion rate, and the temperature interval across which the tissue changes phase were found to have the most significant impact on MWA model outputs. The latent heat of tissue water vaporization and the volumetric heat capacity of the vaporized tissue were recognized as the least influential parameters. Uncertainties in model outputs identified in this study can be incorporated to provide probabilistic maps of expected ablation outcome for patient-specific treatment planning.

Microwave ablation is a minimally invasive modality increasingly being used for thermal treatment of cancer in various organs. During ablation procedures, treatment planning is typically restricted to vendor specifications of expected ablation zone volumes based on experiments in unperfused ex vivo tissues, presuming parallel insertion of antennas. However, parallel antenna implants are not always clinically possible due to the restricted control of flexible antennas and presence of intervening organs. This paper aims to quantify the effect of non-parallel antenna implants on the ablation volume. 3D electromagnetic-bioheat transfer models were implemented to analyze ablation zone profiles created by dual antenna arrays. Parallel and non-parallel implants spaced 10-25 mm with antenna tips deviated to create converging or diverging configurations were analyzed. Volumetric Dice Similarity Coefficients (DSC) were calculated to compare ablation zone volumes for parallel and non-parallel configuration. Antenna tip displacements of 3 mm/antenna yielded an average DSC of 0.78. Tip displacements of 5 mm/antenna yielded a DSC of 0.78 and 0.64 for 15 mm and 20 mm antenna spacing, respectively. For ablation with dipole antennas as the frequency of operation decreases from 2.45 GHz to 915 MHz the similarity between the ablation zones for parallel and angled cases increased significantly. In conclusion, ablation volumes with non-parallel antenna implants may differ significantly from the parallel configuration. Patient-specific treatment planning tools may provide more accurate predictions of 3D-ablation volumes based on imaging data of actual implanted antenna configurations. Methods to compare ablation zone volumes incorporating uncertainty in antenna positions and experimental results to validate the numerical modelling are also presented.

An unexpected chromatographic behavior of fat globules has led to a simple HPLC assay for glycerin in the complex matrix of fat emulsions intended for intravenous injection. When a combination of a Hamilton PRP-1 (Polymer Reverse-phase) Column, a Biorad Microguard Carbo C Guard Column, and a Biorad HPLC Carbohydrate Analysis Column connected in series in the order listed was used for the separation of glycerin, with water as the mobile phase, the fat globules eluted unretained. The glycerin, which eluted by aqueous size exclusion, was detected and quantitated using a refractive index detector.

Safflower oil and soybean oil, which are the major constituents of fat emulsions for intravenous use, are both complex mixtures of triglycerides. Separation of triglycerides from the other ingredients of IV fat emulsion and their elution together as a single peak have been achieved through the use of a highly retentive Polymer Reverse Phase (PRP) column in tandem with a strong mobile phase. Quantitation is performed against a standard preparation of soybean oil using refractive index detection. The procedure is based on the use of the composite response from a known amount of one complex mixture of triglycerides to quantitate another complex mixture of triglycerides, which may even differ from the former in composition. A validation strategy for this unique situation has been developed and implemented.

Existing space suits use conventional wired sensors that collect very limited physiological data to monitor health of astronauts during missions. Adding more wired sensors would involve significant modifications and complexity to the suit. Deploying a wireless body area network (WBAN) is preferred and would provide a number of advantages such as flexibility in sensor complement and positioning. This paper investigates the performance of intra-space suit wireless propagation using a full-scale space suit model that is built with electrical properties similar to that of a real space suit. The performance is characterized by quantifying the channel path loss at three frequencies: 315 MHz, 433 MHz and 916 MHz. Using a top-hat monopole antenna that is conformal to the human body and excites dominant coaxial waveguide modes, we measure path loss associated with various transmitter-receiver locations. The results demonstrate that the intra-suit environment is quite conducive to radio propagation, although there are substantial differences in path loss for the different frequency bands.

Every hour, the sun emits more energy onto the Earth's surface than our entire world population uses in one year (Green Fuel, 2013, http://www.greenfuelsolar.com/solar-fact-or-fiction/) Solar power provides us with the possibility of a cleaner and more renewable future. Global climate change as a result of greenhouse gases and the effects of low air quality caused by pollutants have become very substantial issues in our world today. The costs associated with greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, and the effect they have on human lives and human health, are major and growing concerns. The development and installation of solar powered charging stations will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, future costs associated with climate change, and health issues. Thus, there is environmental, social, and economic value associated with the installation of solar powered charge stations. Solar powered charging stations have the potential of significantly reducing air pollutants and improving urban air quality. The electrification of transportation and the use of solar powered charging stations as an electricity source will improve people's quality of life. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 33: 1298–1308, 2014

If climate change scenarios include higher variance in weather variables, this can have important effects on pest and disease risk beyond changes in mean weather conditions. We developed a theoretical model of yield loss to diseases and pests as a function of weather, and used this model to evaluate the effects of variance in conduciveness to loss and the effects of the color of time series of weather conduciveness to loss. There were two qualitatively different results for changes in system variance. If median conditions are conducive to loss, increasing system variance decreases mean yield loss. On the other hand, if median conditions are intermediate or poor for disease or pest development, such that conditions are conducive to yield loss no more than half the time, increasing system variance increases mean yield loss. Time series for weather conduciveness that are darker pink (have higher levels of temporal autocorrelation) produce intermediate levels of yield loss less commonly. A linked model of decision-making based on either past or current information about yield loss also shows changes in the performance of decision rules as a function of system variance. Understanding patterns of variance can improve scenario analysis for climate change and help make adaptation strategies such as decision support systems and insurance programs more effective.

Accidental slips and falls due to decreased strength and stability are a concern for the elderly. A method to detect and ideally predict these falls can reduce their occurrence and allow these individuals to regain a degree of independence. This paper presents the design and assessment of a wireless, wearable device that continuously samples accelerometer and gyroscope data with a goal to detect and predict falls. Lyapunov-based analyses of these time series data indicate that wearer instability can be detected and predicted in real time, implying the ability to predict impending incidents.

In this paper, we consider a MISO equivalent of a three node cooperative communication system as described in [1] and compare its energy efficiency with a pure relaying scheme. Specifically, we first quantify the transmit energy required to maintain a target error probability at the destination in an Amplify Forward (AF) based MISO scheme. Based on theoretical analysis, we reason that AF based MISO scheme is not a viable option from an energy efficiency standpoint — pure relaying strategy is shown to be more energy efficient in this framework.

In an all electric ship, the intelligent and integrated power system (IPS) that allows for reconfiguration offers better fight-through and survivability capabilities compared to manual service restoration. Automated reconfiguration involves optimizing the status of switches (ON/OFF) such that power delivered to loads is maximized after the occurrence of a fault. The priority is given to vital loads over semi-vital and non-vital loads while maximizing the power delivered. The novelty of the formulation presented in this paper is the consideration of non-radial power flow in a balanced hybrid (AC & DC) shipboard power system (SPS). Analysis of the original mixed-integer non-convex reconfiguration optimization is done by formulating appropriate low complexity convex form to reduce computation time. Comparative studies of cumulative distribution frequency (CDF) of the power delivered to loads for non-radial and radial configurations are presented to demonstrate the robustness of non-radial topology in case of multiple simultaneous faults.

Background Patients presenting with acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) sufficiently advanced to require bowel resection have a high morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to analyze these patients to determine if certain pre- or intraoperative variables are predictive of death or complications which could then be used to develop a predictive model to aid in surgical decision-making. Methods Patients undergoing bowel resection for AMI were identified from the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2007–2008). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. Results The 861 patients identified had a median age of 69 years. Thirty-day postoperative morbidity and mortality were 56.6% and 27.9%, respectively. Pre- and intraoperative variables significantly associated with postoperative mortality (C statistic, 0.84) included preoperative do not resuscitate order, open wound, low albumin, dirty vs clean-contaminated case, and poor functional status. Pre- and intraoperative variables significantly associated with postoperative morbidity (C statistic, 0.79) included admission from chronic care facility, recent myocardial infarction, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, requiring ventilator support, preoperative renal failure, previous cardiac surgery, and prolonged operative time. A predictive risk calculator was developed using these variables. Conclusion Mortality and morbidity rates after bowel resection for AMI are high. A risk calculator for prediction of postoperative mortality and morbidity has been developed and awaits validation in subsequent studies.

Background The risk–benefit analysis of any operation is influenced by its perioperative complications. Our objective was to examine the relationship between preoperative clinical characteristics and postoperative respiratory failure (PRF: mechanical ventilation for >48 hours after surgery or reintubation) within 30 days of thyroid and parathyroid surgeries. Methods American College of Surgeons' multicenter, prospective, National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) datasets (2007/2008) were used. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. Results Eighty-three of 20,778 (0.4%) patients developed PRF. Comparing patients who developed PRF to those who did not, 30-day mortality was seen in 13 of 83 versus 11 of 20,695 patients (p < .0001); and mean length of stay (LOS) was 9.1 (±9.5) days versus 1.1 (±1.6) days (p < .0001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated preoperative pneumonia, dependent functional status, dyspnea, dialysis dependence, hypertension, advanced age, and combined thyroid and parathyroid surgery as risk factors for PRF. Conclusion PRF after thyroid and parathyroid surgeries is uncommon, but associated with significantly increased 30-day morbidity and mortality. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck , 2012

Reconfiguration involves optimizing the status (ON/OFF) of switches such that power delivered to loads is maximized after the occurrence of a fault. The optimized reconfiguration prioritizes power delivered to vital loads over semi-vital and non-vital loads. The formulation presented in this paper is an extension of the work in to new balanced hybrid (ac & dc) shipboard power systems (SPS). Analysis of the non-convex reconfiguration formulation is done by appropriate non-convex solver and by convex approximation. The non-convex solution provides bounds on the optimal performance of the problem while the convex approximation reduces the complexity. Number of faults against the power delivered to loads is presented to showcase the system robustness against random fault scenarios.

In this paper we deal with shipboard power system (SPS) reconfiguration with an integrated power system (IPS) and distributed generator. The objective of reconfiguration is to determine the status of the switches such that power is delivered to the vital loads even under fault conditions. We have used a model-free reinforcement technique called Q-learning for solving the reconfiguration problem. We don't only get the final configuration but also the sequence of switches to open and close to reach the final state. To the best of the author's knowledge this is the first time reinforcement learning is being applied to shipboard power system reconfiguration.

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA) has become the standard of care for many conditions requiring removal of the adrenal gland. Previous studies on outcomes after LA have had limitations. This report describes the 30-day morbidity and mortality rates after LA and analyzes factors affecting operative time, hospital length of stay (LOS), and postoperative morbidity. Patients undergoing LA in 2007and 2008 were identified from the American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). Using multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression, 52 demographic/comorbidity variables were analyzed to ascertain factors affecting operative time, LOS, and morbidity. The mean age of the 988 patients was 53.5 ± 13.7 years, and 60% of the patients were women. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the patients was 31.8 ± 7.9 kg/m2. The 30-day morbidity and mortality rates were 6.8% and 0.5%, respectively. The mean and median operative times were 146.7 ± 66.8 min and 134 min, respectively. The mean and median hospital stays were 2.6 ± 3.1 days and 2 days, respectively. Compared with independent status, totally dependent functional status was associated with a 9.5-day increase in LOS (P = 0.0006) and an increased risk for postoperative morbidity (odds ratio [OR], 14.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.4–91.9; P

Background During the last decade, focused assessment with sonography for trauma increasingly has become the initial diagnostic modality of choice in trauma patients. It is still questionable, however, whether its use results in the underdiagnosis of intra-abdominal injury. It also remains doubtful whether a positive focused assessment with sonography for trauma affects clinical decision making in hemodynamically stable blunt trauma patients as evidenced through abdominal computerized tomography use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of focused assessment with sonography for trauma in hemodynamically stable blunt trauma patients and to determine its role in the diagnostic evaluation of these patients. Methods We reviewed our prospectively maintained trauma database. In trauma patients at our institute, focused assessment with sonography for trauma examinations are performed by surgery residents and are considered positive when free intra-abdominal fluid is visualized. Abdominal computerized tomography, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, or exploratory laparotomy findings were used as confirmation of intra-abdominal injury. Results In our 7-year study period, 2,980 trauma patients were evaluated at our institute, of which 2,130 patients underwent a focused assessment with sonography for trauma. In all, 18 patients had an inconclusive focused assessment with sonography for trauma, whereas 7 patients died on arrival, leaving 2,105 patients for our analysis. A total 88 true positive focused assessment with sonography for trauma were conducted. All hemodynamically stable blunt trauma patients who had a positive focused assessment with sonography for trauma (70/88) were confirmed by computerized tomography. Patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy directly (17/88) or diagnostic peritoneal lavage (1/88) as confirmation either had penetrating trauma or became hemodynamically unstable. A total of 1,894 true negative focused assessments with sonography for trauma scans were conducted, with 1,201 confirmed by computerized tomography and the rest by observation. In all, 118 false negative focused assessment with sonography for trauma were performed, of which 44 (37.3%) subsequently required exploratory laparotomy. Five patients had false positive focused assessment with sonography for trauma scans. Focused assessment with sonography for trauma scan had an overall sensitivity of 43%, a specificity of 99%, and positive and negative predictive values of 95% and 94%, respectively. Accuracy was 94.1%. In the hemodynamically stable blunt trauma group, there were 60 patients with true positive focused assessment with sonography for trauma examinations and 87 patients with false negative focused assessment with sonography for trauma examinations. In this group of patients, focused assessment with sonography for trauma had a sensitivity of 41%, specificity of 99%, and positive and negative predictive values of 94% and 95%, respectively. The overall accuracy was 95%. Conclusion Given the low sensitivity, a negative focused assessment with sonography for trauma without confirmation by computerized tomography may result in missed intra-abdominal injuries. It is also observed in all focused assessment with sonography for trauma positive hemodynamically stable blunt trauma patients, confirmation is preferred through the use of a computerized tomography for better understanding of the intra-abdominal injuries and to decide on operative versus no-operative management. Thus, the use of focused assessment with sonography for trauma in hemodynamically stable blunt trauma patients seems not worthwhile. It should be reserved for hemodynamically unstable patients with blunt trauma.

In this paper, a method based on multi-objective evolutionary algorithms, is described to establish a correspondence between the ancient Indus script, with its descendant, a script called Brahmi that can be easily read. Our approach, which establishes a map between one or more symbols of the Indus script with each Brahmi character, is a standard problem in combinatorial optimization. As the Indus script has not yet been deciphered, this approach may have far-reaching consequences in archaeological studies.

This paper presents a novel hierarchical multilevel decentralized optimal power flow (OPF) for power loss minimization in three-phase unbalanced large-scale distribution systems via optimal reactive power scheduling of rooftop photovoltaics generators. The system is decomposed into three levels corresponding to: 1) the primary; 2) the lateral; and 3) the secondary feeder subnetworks of distribution systems. A distributed sequential coordination scheme based on analytical target cascading method is developed to minimize power losses while considering the operational constraints. Results based on the proposed method are compared with centralized OPF for validation. Control based on the proposed method is compared with no reactive power control and local reactive power control to identify its effectiveness. Further, a virtual feeder is introduced to separate the coupled subnetworks into decomposed layers, which enables parallel processing of the optimization problems to reduce computational complexity and provide faster solution. A 559-node large-scale distribution network built based on the IEEE 37 node test system is used to demonstrate performance of the proposed algorithm.

This paper proposes a new algorithm based on the clonal selection principle for the design of spreading codes for DS-CDMA. The algorithm follows a multi-objective approach, generating complex spreading codes with good autocorrelation as well as good cross-correlation properties. It also enables spreading code design with no restrictions on the number of users or code length. The algorithm maintains a repertoire of codes that are subject to cloning and undergo a process of affinity maturation to obtain better codes. Results indicate that the produces code sets that lie very close to the theoretical Pareto front.

The objectives of this study were to reduce the risk of showering distal vessels with thromboemboli created during percutaneous interventions of the arteries in the lower extremities. Distal protection devices have been used in coronary and carotid interventions. Hence, using similar techniques, these filters and occlusion balloons were advanced past the targeted lesions and distally into femoral and popliteal arteries. Once opened, these devices allowed standard angioplasty and stent placement and captured the dislodged thromboemboli. Five cases were performed with the distal protection devices. One case used the distal occlusion balloon and four with the filter system. All five passed the lesion and were deployed. All five devices were retrieved without incident and were retrieved with substantial debris. There were no adverse events. The use of distal protection to treat high-risk or unstable lesions in the lower extremities shows great promise. Further case will be needed to evaluate the device for feasibility and safety.

A new wireless vision is unfolding, one in which the cellular-based handheld emerges as an increasingly integral part of our everyday lives. As we bring our wireless visions to light, it is becoming evident that the desire for information may quickly surpass the limited bandwidth capabilities of the standardized 3G network. The growing discontent with the throughput limitations of 3G is leading to the rapid development of 4G, intended to be the Nirvana of wireless communications. This work contends that two fundamental paradigm shifts must emerge if 4G is to succeed. First, the work presents a new bandwidth sharing/allocation strategy, blending the best of traditional spectral allocation strategies with the emerging concept of ultrawideband wireless. The second shift presented in the paper refers to the transformation of handhelds, presenting our vision of the transition from hardware defined to software defined radio. To enable these two paradigm shifts, the work presents an underlying multi-carrier technology capable of supporting both transformations

In this work, we propose a new multicarrier platform to optimize the efficiency of wireless operators' licensed bands and to enable flexible sharing of licensed and unlicensed bands (in different spectral regions). This research supports a recent FCC proposal which suggests innovative spectrum management regulations to improve spectral efficiency. Specifically, this work presents a multicarrier platform capable of (1) achieving high spectral efficiency by application of "narrow" orthogonal carriers; and (2) enables flexible spectral sharing across different licensed and unlicensed bands via operator borrowing/ lending.