cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highly Ordered Single Conjugated Polymer Chain Rod Morphologies

We have reexamined the fluorescence polarization anisotropy of single polymer chains of the prototypical conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) isolated in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix employing improved synthetic samples that contain a much smaller number of tetrahedral chemical defects per chain. The new measurements reveal a much larger fraction of highly anisotropic MEH-PPV chains, with >70% of the chains exhibiting polarization anisotropy values falling in the range of 0.6-0.9. High anisotropy is strong evidence for a rod-shaped conformation. A comparison of the experimental results with coarse grain, beads on a chain simulations reveals that simulations with the usual bead-bead pairwise additive potentials cannot reproduce the observed large fraction of high polarization values. Apparently, this type of potential lacks some yet to be identified molecular feature that is necessary to accurately simulate the experimental results.
InSight coordinates determination from direct-to-Earth radio-tracking and Mars topography model

Abstract The InSight mission is planned to land on the surface of Mars in September 2016. Close to the equator in Elysium Planitia, in the vicinity of the Curiosity location, the exact landing site coordinates cannot be provided by the navigation team. The direct-to-Earth (DTE) Doppler measurements are rarely included in the early lander localization process since DTE Doppler cannot provide the Z-coordinate (along the polar axis) with a precision better than a few kilometers after a few days of operation. Most of the recent landers used two-way UHF Doppler with Odyssey to determine the inertial location of the lander quickly. Sometimes the lander location is also provided from imaging using triangulation techniques. However, there is no InSight commitment to use UHF Doppler nor images taken from InSight camera to locate the lander. If DTE Doppler data are not suitable to determine the Z-coordinate of InSight, these data are very powerful to rapidly estimate the in-equatorial plane coordinates with high precision. The present study proposes, tests and quantifies a new method to determine Z much faster and more precisely than from DTE Doppler data only. The method consists of inferring the Z-coordinate from the accurate estimates of the in-equatorial plane coordinates and from the current topography model of Mars. We show that our method will allow us estimating InSight׳s Z-coordinate within ±10 m or better depending on the topography model used and on the actual lander location: the flatter and the higher in latitude, the better. This is two orders of magnitude more precise than the DTE Doppler solution and at least 5 times more precise than the triangulated lander location from imaging. The possible bias in the Z estimate of InSight with the proposed method is shown to likely be insignificant based on the application of the method onto the previous landed missions.
La teoría del cuidado humano de Watson y las experiencias subjetivas de vida: factores caritativos/caritas processes como una guía disciplinar para la práctica profesional de enfermería

El presente articulo ofrece una vision general sobre la teoria del Cuidado Humano de Watson, la nocion de Caritas y el fenomeno humano. En este estudio se da un enfasis especial a los diez factores Caritativos/Caritas Processes, a los procesos del vivir humano y a las experiencias subjetivas de vida, los cuales forman parte de la estructura de la teoria. Los aspectos centrales de los conceptos de la teoria y los procesos del vivir son desarrollados en el fundamento filosofico y etico del cuerpo de la teoria de Cuidado; todos esos aspectos juntos sirven como una guia para la practica profesional, asi como tambien un esquema disciplinar para la Ciencia del Cuidado.
Relation between e + e − annihilation into hadron and hadronic μ -pair production

We propose a relation between the dependence of the differential cross section for $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\mu}+X$ on the di-muon mass $\sqrt{{Q}^{2}}$ and the dependence of the total cross section for ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{hadrons}$ on the total c.m. energy $\sqrt{s}$ in the form of a factorization rule. This rule is justified as an extension to the case of a more general di-lepton-di-parton vertex of a factorization rule which is trivially satisfied in the Drell-Yan parton picture of $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\mu}+X$ with one-photon mediation of that vertex. The available data from SPEAR and BNL, including the scale-breaking signal, are consistent with this relation. More stringent tests of the relation at higher energies are also considered.
Etiologic Detection and Analysis of Canine Rabies

The brain tissue samples collected from 26 dogs attacking human beings were preliminarily screened by the direct immune fluorescent assay,and the positive and suspected-positive samples were further detected by RT-nested PCR to know the infection status of rabies virus in Guizhou.11 positive samples and 1 suspected-positive sample were detected from 26 tested samples and its positive rate was 42.3%.8 positive samples were confirmed by RT-nested PCR and its positive rate was up to 30.8%,which indicates that the rabies virus infection rate of dogs attacking human beings is relatively high and the dog immunization and management should be strengthened in Guizhou.
Associations with E-cigarette use among Asian American and Pacific Islander young adults in California

With attention to the rapidly growing market of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/e-cigarettes) and the fastest growing US ethnic minority group, the current study explored associations between awareness, perceived risks, and use of ENDS among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) young adults. AAPI young adults (ages 18–25) in California were recruited via social media, college classes, listservs for AAPI-serving non-profits, and snowball sampling to complete an anonymous survey between 2014 and 2015. The sample (N = 501) was 57% women, 15% LGBTQIA; with a mean age of 21; 26% foreign-born; identifying as Filipino (29%), Chinese (24%), Vietnamese (14%), mixed-AAPI heritage (13%), or 21% other. Nearly half the sample (44%) reported ever ENDS use; 11% were current users. Current ENDS use was twofold greater for: Filipino and Vietnamese compared to Chinese respondents; men versus women; LGBTQIA-identified respondents; those vocationally trained; and employed. Awareness of ENDS from peers/friends was most common and was associated with ever though not current ENDS use. Most respondents perceived ENDS as harmful (62%); low compared to high risk perception was associated with a three-fold greater likelihood of ever use and six-fold greater likelihood of current use. Popular flavors were fruit (49%, e.g., lychee, taro) and candy/sweets (26%). Current users viewed ENDS as a healthier alternative or quit aid for conventional cigarettes (42%); recreation/social use (33%) also was common. Findings indicate ENDS visibility among AAPI young adults in California with affinity for flavors and many engaging in trial and current use for harm reduction and recreational/social aims.
Market dominance under U.S. antitrust

Much has transpired since Walter Adams and Horace Gray warned in 1955 about the dangers of state creation of monopoly. The dangers remain the same. But mainstream researchers have led the efforts for deregulation in railroads, airlines, gas and electric utilities, stock markets, banking, and other markets. Chicago-UCLA doctrines have played a part in the 1980s, but they have often run to excess, in advocating deregulation at any cost. One result of that approach has been the savings and loan scandal of the 1980s, where a wholesale removal of all restraints led to unforeseen economic damage. Also among the mainstream instruments, Section 2 has been applied to reduce market dominance in a number of important industries. Section 2 will continue to be only one tool for reducing market power, but it can be important. A renunciation of such an effective instrument is unwise. By helping to lead the mainstream critique of monopoly, Walter Adams has added to important policy actions. The policy-oriented tradition in the profession has been enriched by his skill and erudition. Adams' contribution can also be seen in perspective of the changes under way in eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and various third world countries (from Argentina and Nicaragua to Vietnam) that are adopting major privatizing actions. There, efforts are beginning toward converting thousands of state monopolies to some sort of effective competition, under some forms of private ownership. This vast set of experiments calls for caution and sophistication. There is a danger that, instead, simple Chicago-UCLA and “contestability” lessons will be applied, which accept high market dominance on the possibility that small rivals and new entry will nullify the market power. If that happens, thousands of newlyprivatized monopolies may be entrenched for decades. Already there has been a large volume of private activity by western European, American and Japanese companies, seeking to exploit these opportunities by merging or linking with the state monopolies before they are devolved into competitive conditions. There can be little confidence that effective competition will result from these complex developments, if mainstream concerns about effective competition are absent. This new frontier calls for the wisdom, clarity, skepticism, and human understanding of many Walter Adamses. Our field continues to need such qualities, and he has helped to set the standards for them.
Pink Light on Mitochondria in Autoimmunity and Parkinson Disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction and T cell autoimmunity have been independently implicated in Parkinson disease pathogenesis. In a recent publication in Cell, Matheoud et al. (2016) link them by describing a new mechanism, activated in familial forms of Parkinson disease, in which mitochondrial proteins are processed for recognition by CD8+ T cells.
The Madison Avenue Approach to Law and Science

As the scientific historian Ronald Numbers explained, not many creationists adhered to any view of scientific creationism until the early part of the twentieth century. To the extent that science was inconsistent with creationism, most creationists either rejected the scientific evidence or viewed it as part of God's plan. Eventually, however, this changed, and a growing number of creationists began to claim the mantle of science. Movements such as the flood geology movement began to emerge. Flood geology seeks to explain geological phenomena that point to an old Earth as really being evidence of the great flood for which Noah built his ark, as recounted in Genesis. The goal of many of these movements was to use science to support the idea of a young Earth (this was certainly true of the flood geologists). Even those who accepted an old Earth sought to disprove the validity of evolution through natural selection. This shift represented a new shift in religious apologetics. Religious apologists, such as Cambridge University professor, Anglican clergy member, and naturalist William Paley, presumed that God was the driving force behind the natural world and focused their work on describing that world in detail. God explained the complexity they saw in living organisms and the cosmos, but there was no reason to deny that God did the creating. Paley and other – I will use the term natural theologians – documented the natural world, but their goal in doing so was not to prove a religious point or disprove a scientific one. They had no scientific basis to doubt a divine creator at that time, just as in earlier eras, those studying the cosmos had no way of knowing that the Earth was not the center of the universe.
Education’s relevance for Piketty

The editors of this special issue must be commended for putting together a valuable and timely collection of essays on the relationship between capitalism, inequality and education. Inequality is i...
Joint analysis of geodetic and earthquake fault-plane solution data to constrain magmatic sources: A case study from Kīlauea Volcano

Abstract A joint analysis of geodetic and seismic datasets from Kīlauea Volcano during a period of magmatic unrest in 2006 demonstrates the effectiveness of this combination for testing and constraining models of magma dynamics for a complex, multi-source system. At the end of 2003, Kīlauea's summit began a four-year-long period of inflation due to a surge in magma supply to the volcano. In 2006, for the first time since 1982, Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone (SWRZ) also experienced inflation. To investigate the characteristics of active magma sources and the nature of their interactions with faults in the SWRZ during 2006, we integrate, through Coulomb stress modeling, contemporary geodetic data from InSAR and GPS with a new catalogue of double-couple fault-plane solutions for volcano-tectonic earthquakes. We define two periods of inflation during 2006 based on the rate of deformation measured in daily GPS data, spanning February to 15 March 2006 (Period 1) and 16 March to 30 September 2006 (Period 2). InSAR data for these two periods are inverted to determine the position, change in size, and shape of inflation sources in each period. Our new models are consistent with microseismic activity from each period. They suggest that, during Period 1, deformation in the SWRZ can be explained by pressurization of magma in a spherical reservoir beneath the south caldera, and that, during Period 2, magma was also aseismically intruded farther to the southwest into the SWRZ along a sub-horizontal plane. Our Coulomb stress analysis shows that the microseismicity recorded in the SWRZ is induced by overpressurization of the south caldera reservoir, and not by magma intrusion into the SWRZ. This study highlights the importance of a joint analysis of independent geophysical datasets to fully constrain the nature of magma accumulation.
The Survival and Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) study: rationale and perspective.

Myocardial infarction increases the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events (e.g., heart failure or another myocardial infarction) among survivors as compared with the general population. Left ventricular dysfunction is among the major risk factors for such adverse events. Although reductions in cardiovascular risk have been achieved by use of aspirin, beta-blockers (and sometimes revascularization and/or serum lipid-lowering agents), the potential of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to improve the outcome for survivors of myocardial infarction has only recently been examined. The concept that ACE inhibition might be of benefit for these patients originated from animal studies demonstrating that long-term ACE inhibition therapy attenuated left-ventricular enlargement. After clinical confirmation of this initial finding, the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) trial was designed to determine whether long-term ACE inhibition therapy would reduce morbidity and mortality among survivors of myocardial infarction. The SAVE study found the following risk reductions among captopril vs placebo recipients: death (all causes) 19% (95% confidence interval, 3 to 35%; p = 0.019); cardiovascular death 21% (95% confidence interval, 5 to 35%; p = 0.014); myocardial infarction 25% (95% confidence interval, 5 to 40%; p = 0.012). To the list of proved therapies that extend survival following myocardial infarction, the physician can now add ACE inhibition with captopril for patients with left ventricular dysfunction. Survivors of myocardial infarction are at heightened risk for subsequent adverse cardiovascular events.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Prognosis of Light Chain Amyloidosis With Preserved LVEF: Added Value of 2D Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography to the Current Prognostic Staging System

AbstractObjectives: This study evaluated whether 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) has incremental value for prognosis over traditional clinical, echocardiographic, and serol...
Tip-assisted directional growth of atomically thin Ag islands

AbstractThe growth and decay of metal nanostructures are important in many areas of physical science and catalytic chemistry. Here, we show the directional growth of Ag island stripes at room temperature via tip-assisted coarsening of hexagonal islands on Ag(111) using scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The mechanism of this process is attributed to the alignment of the adatom and vacancy islands along the scanning direction via tip-sample interaction during the process of the intrinsic decay of the metastable Ag islands. We find that this tip-assisted island growth is not directly related to the tunneling current and the bias voltage. Experiments performed using Ag tips and W tips show similar coarsening effects. The chamber pressure and the O2 exposure also do not have systematic effects on the rate of island growth. The tip-assisted coarsening strongly depends on the tip morphology.
A novel mechanism of non-feminizing estrogens in neuroprotection

Abstract Estrogens are potent and efficacious neuroprotectants both in vitro and in vivo in a variety of models of neurotoxicity. We determined the structural requirements for neuroprotection in an in vitro assay using a panel of > 70 novel estratrienes, synthesized to reduce or eliminate estrogen receptor (ER) binding. We observed that neuroprotection could be enhanced by as much as 200-fold through modifications that positioned a large bulky group at the C2 or C4 position of the phenolic A ring of the estratriene. Further, substitutions on the B, C or D rings either reduced or did not markedly change neuroprotection. Collectively, there was a negative correlation between binding to ERs and neuroprotection with the more potent compounds showing no ER binding. In an in vivo model for neuroprotection, transient cerebral ischemia, efficacious compounds were active in protection of brain tissue from this pro-oxidant insult. We demonstrated that these non-feminizing estrogens engage in a redox cycle with glutathione, using the hexose monophosphate shunt to apply cytosolic reducing potential to cellular membranes. Together, these results demonstrate that non-feminizing estrogens are neuroprotective and protect brain from the induction of ischemic- and Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like neuropathology in an animal model. These features of non-feminizing estrogens make them attractive compounds for assessment of efficacy in AD and stroke, as they are not expected to show the side effects of chronic estrogen therapy that are mediated by ER actions in the liver, uterus and breast.
Observation of Poynting's vector reversal in an active optical cavity

We observe the reversal of Poynting's vector inside a cavity when the gain exceeds a pre-lasing threshold and demonstrate that the vector's direction can be reversed without changing its amplitude using a passive intra-cavity element.
Thermoplastic polyurethanes from β-methyl-δ-valerolactone-derived amidodiol chain extenders

Abstract Here we describe the synthesis of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) from polyols and amidodiol chain extenders, each of which is prepared from glucose-derived β-methyl-δ-valerolactone (MVL). Utilizing these novel chain extenders, we prepared TPUs with ca. 42–44 wt% hard segment content, comprising 72–75 wt% MVL-derived atoms. This compares favorably with an analogous sample prepared using 1,4-butanediol as the chain extender having 57 wt%. These TPUs are ductile (600–900% strain at break) and have high tensile strength (14–33 MPa stress at break). By virtue of the nature of the diamidodiol used as chain extenders, the hard segments contain a greater density of hydrogen bonding –NHC(=O)– functional groups relative to those prepared using traditional short chain 1,n-alkanediols.
Abstract 477: HDL Inhibition of Murine Atherosclerosis Lesion Development is Dependent on Strain Background

Inbred mouse strains vary greatly in their relative atherosensitivity, with C57BL/6 (C57) being the most sensitive and hence the preferred strain for most atherosclerosis studies. Among the resistant strains, FVBN/J (FVB) has been relatively well studied. On the ApoE knockout (E°) background, both mouse strains develop atherosclerotic lesions which are exacerbated by feeding a high fat/high cholesterol western-type diet (WTD). However, the FVB-E° mouse exhibits nearly 10-fold smaller lesions than the C57-E°. Additionally, FVB mice have plasma HDL cholesterol levels that are twice as high as C57. Wild type FVB mice have been shown to have lower inflammatory cell recruitment to the peritoneum upon thioglycollate treatment than C57. Our lab has generated ApoE/ApoA-I double knockout mice (EA°, lacking HDL) on both C57 and FVB background to compare the effect of HDL deficiency on lesion development. We hypothesize that the loss of HDL will have a greater effect on the more lesion susceptible C57 than the resistant FVB. 8 week C57 and FVB E° and EA° mice were kept on a WTD for 6 or 10 weeks and lesions were quantified in the innominate artery, ascending aorta, and aortic root. In all cases mice in the C57 background displayed significantly greater lesion size than mice in the FVB background, except in the ascending aorta of the E° mice at the earlier time point, despite higher plasma cholesterol levels in the FVB mice. The presence of ApoA-I was protective (E° vs EA°) in the C57 strain in the ascending aorta at both time points and its protection became significant in the innominate artery at the 10 week time point. No additional protection was afforded by ApoA-I in the FVB strain. ApoA-I deficiency in FVB mice did not affect inflammatory cell recruitment to the peritoneal cavity or plasma markers of LDL oxidation as greatly as in C57 mice. Plasma monocyte counts both before and after 6 weeks on WTD were higher in C57 mice with no effect of ApoA-I in either strain. In conclusion, the FVB strain is less sensitive than C57 to lesion development at 3 major arterial sites with no protection afforded by HDL/ApoA-I, whereas HDL/ApoA-I is significantly protective in the C57 strain. This protection may result from the anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidative nature of C57 HDL that is not observed in FVB mice.
Interrogating Charge Storage on Redox Active Colloids via Combined Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

Redox active colloids (RACs) are dispersible, cross-linked polymeric materials that incorporate a high concentration of redox-active motifs, making them attractive for next-generation size-exclusion redox flow batteries. In order to tap into their full potential for energy storage, it is essential to understand their internal charge mobility, capacity, and cyclability. Here we focus on using a combined suite of Raman spectroscopy and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) tools for evaluating three important parameters that govern charge storage in viologen-RACs: their intraparticle redox active concentration, their reduction/oxidation mechanism, and their charge transfer rate. We addressed RACs using SECM imaging and single-particle experiments, from which the intraparticle diffusion and concentration parameters were elucidated. By using Raman spectroscopy coupled to surface interrogation SECM, we further evaluated their reversible redox properties within monolayer films of 80- and 135-nm-sized RACs....
The role of backward cell migration in two-hit mutants’ production in the stem cell niche

It has been discovered that there are two stem cell groups in the intestinal crypts: central stem cells (CeSCs), which are at the very bottom of the crypt, and border stem cells (BSCs), which are located between CeSCs and transit amplifying cells (TAs). Moreover, backward cell migration from BSCs to CeSCs has been observed. Recently, a bi-compartmental stochastic model, which includes CeSCs and BSCs, has been developed to investigate the probability of two-hit mutant production in the stem cell niche. In this project, we improve this stochastic model by adding the probability of backward cell migration to the model. The model suggests that the probability of two-hit mutant production increases when the frequency of backward cell migration increases. Furthermore, a small non-zero probability of backward cell migration leads to the largest range of optimal values for the frequency of symmetric divisions and the portion of divisions at each stem cell compartment in terms of delaying 2-hit mutant production. Moreover, the probability of two-hit mutant production is more sensitive to the probability of symmetric divisions than to the rate of backward cell migrations. The highest probability of two-hit mutant production corresponds to the case when all stem cell’s divisions are asymmetric.
Exu - A System for Secure Delegation of Authority on an Insecure Network

Administration of a large and complex system poses several problems: Usually, some tasks must be delegated due to lack of qualified or trusted staff, and some tasks must be automated. In many cases, some parts of the task might need special credentials, such as Kerberos tickets or AFS tokens, that may not necessarily be easily available to the person executing the task. The problem is that most systems divide users into two groups: haves and have nots, and provide no mechanism for finer-grained access control. In addition, the tasks executed must be carefully recorded for possible later auditing. Earlier solutions, such as the setuid bit, Moira, ADM, and sysctl, can be used to accomplish this, either in a limited or dangerous (in the case of setuid) fashion. Exu proposes to solve the problem via secure, authenticated connection to a server with full authentication that can cause things to happen in real time.
The Physical Activity and Alzheimer's Disease (PAAD) Study: Cognitive outcomes.

Background: Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that degrades cognitive functioning and ultimately results in death. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and, hence, the identification of preventative strategies is important. Physical activity (PA) is a behavioral intervention that holds promise with respect to delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the differential cognitive benefits achieved in response to PA as a function of a person’s genetic risk for AD. Methods: Older cognitively normal adults (50–65 years) with a family history of AD (FHxAD) participated in an 8-month PA program. Cognitive performance was measured at baseline, pretest, midtest, and posttest and changes over time were assessed as a function of apolipoprotein E (APOE) status (carriers: 1–2 copies of the ?4 allele; noncarriers: 0 copies of the ?4 allele). Results: Improvements in memory were associated with PA participation irrespective of APOE ?4 carrier status. Conclusions: Future experimental studies are needed to confirm that PA causes improvements to cognitive performance in older cognitively normal adults with a FHxAD and that these improvements are equivalent for cognitively normal APOE ?4 carriers and noncarriers.
Efficacy and Safety of Tabalumab in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study (P3.397)

Objective: This study (NCT00882999) evaluated the efficacy and safety of tabalumab in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Background: Tabalumab is a selective, fully human immunoglobulin G4 monoclonal antibody that neutralizes membrane-bound and soluble B-cell activating factor (BAFF). Inhibition of BAFF has been theorized as a therapeutic option in the treatment of RRMS. Design/Methods: This Phase 2, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-ranging, 73-week study included patients with RRMS who received tabalumab (4, 12, 40, or 120 mg every 4 weeks, or 4 or 120 mg every 12 weeks) or placebo subcutaneously. The primary endpoint, number of total cumulative gadolinium (Gd)-enhancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions (whether new, pre-existing, unchanged, or enlarged from previous scans), summed over Weeks 12, 16, 20, and 24 was analyzed using one-way ANOVA model. Results: Of 245 randomized patients, 197 (80%) completed the study. The mean total numbers of Gd-enhancing MRI lesions averaged over Weeks 12, 16, 20, and 24 were 1.521 and 1.758 in the all-tabalumab and placebo groups, respectively; differences overall or between any of the tabalumab groups and placebo were not statistically significant. The proportion of patients reporting at least one treatment-emergent adverse event, serious adverse event, and follow-up emergent adverse event was higher in the all-tabalumab group than placebo (68.1% [n=143] vs 48.6% [n=17], 11% [n=23] vs 5.7% [n=2], and 41.9% [n=88] vs 34.3% [n=12], respectively); however, this was not dose dependent. Conclusions: Treatment with tabalumab was not efficacious in reducing Gd-enhancing MRI lesions in patients with RRMS versus placebo; no specific safety concern was identified. Study Supported by: Eli Lilly and Company Disclosure: Dr. Silk has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Eli Lilly and Company. Dr. Nantz has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Eli Lilly and Company.
Abstract 17578: Pregnancy is Associated With Stable Right Ventricular Function but a High Burden of Arrhythmias in Women With Transposition of the Great Arteries After Atrial Switch

Introduction: Most adult patients with d-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) have undergone an atrial switch operation. Insufficient data exists regarding the effects of pregnancy on adverse outcomes, including RV failure, tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and atrial arrhythmias, in these patients. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that pregnancy in patients with TGA following atrial switch is associated with worsening RV systolic function and a high burden of arrhythmias. Methods: Longitudinal observational cohort study of adult women with TGA following atrial switch in a tertiary care adult congenital cardiology clinic. Serial echocardiogram, Holter, and EKG reports were reviewed. Ordinal variables were represented as percentages and medians. Results: A total of 20 patients were included. Of the 85% of patients with at least one pregnancy, 47% had 1 pregnancy, with a total of 29 pregnancies in the cohort. The most recent follow-up echo was done at a median of 54 months (30, 126 months) after last pregnancy. On most recent echo, patients had trace-mild TR (87.5%), mild pulmonary regurgitation (93.8%), moderate RV hypertrophy (60%), and mildly decreased RV systolic function (46%). Compared to echos prior to first pregnancy, there was no change in TR in 67% of patients, and 11% of patients had worsening TR from mild to moderate. Pulmonary valve regurgitation was unchanged in all patients. RV systolic function was stable except for one patient who had worsening from moderate to severe RV function. Arrhythmias were documented in 62.5% of patients, including atrial flutter (18.75%), atrial fibrillation (12.5%), accelerated junctional rhythm (6.25%), sick sinus syndrome (18.75%), SVT (6.25%), and Torsades (6.25%). 43.75% of arrhythmias were detected post-pregnancy. There were no deaths or hospitalizations for heart failure in the peripartum period. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study found that in women with TGA after atrial switch, pregnancy is not significantly associated with worsening RV systolic function, TR, and pulmonary valve regurgitation. Most patients developed arrhythmias at an incidence that was higher than seen in prior reports. Future work will assess if change of peak RV systolic strain predicts the development of arrhythmias.
DNA-encoding to improve performance and allow parallel evaluation of the binding characteristics of multiple antibodies in a surface-bound immunoassay format.

High affinity capture agents against protein targets are essential components for immunoassays, regardless of specific analysis format. Here, we describe the use of DNA-encoded antibodies for rapid...
Effect of prophylactic fentanyl buccal tablet (FBT) on exertional dyspnea in patients with cancer: A pilot double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

10085Background: Exertional dyspnea is one of the most common, debilitating and difficult-to-treat symptoms in cancer patients. Few clinical trials have been conducted. We tested the hypothesis tha...
Hydrogen finds a home in ionic devices.

Hydrogen from surface-based electrolysis is implicated in the operation of high-speed magneto-ionic devices. Functionalizing this discovery, a new family of potentially high-speed, high-efficiency ionic devices is born.
Antipoverty Impact Of Medicaid Growing With State Expansions Over Time

Out-of-pocket spending on health care pushed over 10.5 million Americans into poverty in 2016. Medicaid helps offset this risk by providing medical coverage to millions of poor and near-poor childr...
Dynamic Inventory Control with Fixed Setup Costs and Unknown Discrete Demand Distribution

We study a dynamic inventory control problem involving fixed setup costs and random demand distributions. With an infinite planning horizon, model primitives including costs and distributions are set to be stationary. Under a given demand distribution, an $(s,S)$ policy has been known to minimize the long-run per-period average cost. Out of the need to model situations involving new products or unencountered economic conditions, however, we depart from the traditional model by allowing the stationary demand distribution to be largely unknown, to the effect that it could be anywhere in a given ambiguity set. Our goal is to rein in the long-run growth of the regret resulting from applying a policy that strives to learn the underlying demand while simultaneously meting out ordering decisions based on its learning. We propose a policy that controls the pace at which a traditional $(s,S)$-computing algorithm is applied to the empirical distribution of the demand learned over time. The regret incurred from the policy has a bound of $O(T^{1/2}\cdot(\ln T)^{1/2})$.
Is Cs2TiBr6 a promising Pb-free perovskite for solar energy applications?

In a quest for Pb-free perovskites suitable for solar energy applications, Cs2TiBr6 has recently been reported as a promising compound, with appropriate optical and electrical properties as well as high stability under environmental stresses. In this study, we pursue investigation on this compound, demonstrating phase pure Cs2TiBr6 powder formation using solution synthesis and providing complementary experimental characterization and theoretical calculations. An experimental absorption onset of around 2.0 eV is extracted and a weak broad photoluminescence is measured. Density functional theory calculations predict an indirect bandgap, parity-forbidden for both the direct and indirect transitions, which explains the weak and Stokes shifted luminescence. Additionally, we highlight the strong instability of Cs2TiBr6 powder in ambient atmosphere. Therefore, our experimental results supported by theoretical calculations differ from previous results and raise doubts on the suitability of Cs2TiBr6 in its pristine form for solar energy applications.
Nervous system: Embryonal tumors: Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a clinically heterogenous pediatric cancer of the sympathetic nervous system that originates from neural crest cells. It is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood and prognosis ranges from spontaneous tumor regression to aggressive disease resistant to multimodal therapy. Prognosis depends on patient characteristics and tumor biology that determine risk classification. Advancements in therapy reductions are merited for low- and intermediate-risk neuroblastoma patients, who generally have excellent outcomes. Of the patients with high-risk disease, only 50% achieve long-term survival, and therapeutic advancements are needed. Over the past several decades, genomic features such as germline mutations, somatic genetic aberrations, chromosome copy number, transcriptomics, and epigenetics have proven to contribute to the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma. The primary predisposition genes in familial neuroblastoma are ALK and PHOX2B. Sporadic neuroblastoma arises with complex pathogenesis, but chromosomal abnormalities and single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been identified to cooperatively lead to oncogenesis. These advances have led to new therapeutic approaches with the potential to improve outcomes for children with neuroblastoma.
Cybersecurity for Global Medical Device Supply Chain: The U.S. FDA's Role

Cybersecurity of medical devices is not only an issue of privacy, but a matter of life and death. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should increase its leadership role in managing emerging cybersecurity risks within the global medical device supply chain. As a result of the growing use of information and communication technology (ICT) within medical devices, cybersecurity within medical devices is becoming a serious global issue that can no longer be ignored. Cybersecurity risks leave patients’ lives vulnerable to cyber attack. Connection vulnerabilities could allow hackers to change the settings on a patient’s St. Jude pacemaker remotely. Malware in MRI machines and CT scans could add or remove cancerous nodules, causing a patient to be misdiagnosed and wrongly treated. Ransomware attacks on hospitals could leave doctors and staff without the critical data they need to save patients’ lives. Since medical devices rely on global supply chains and because cyber threats exist on an international level, it is crucial that the United States work with other countries to address medical device cybersecurity concerns.
Chapter 110 – Phospholipase C

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes expressed in mammalian cells. It discusses molecular structure/function and activation mechanisms for phospholipase C enzymes and presents the physiologic consequences of PLC genetic knockouts. This enzyme uniquely activates two second messengers, which in turn may control a variety of signaling pathways and thereby influence a panoply of cellular events. Each PLC subgroup is characterized by additional motifs that are involved in regulating aspects of enzyme function, such as topological localization within the cell and sensitivity to protein–protein and protein–lipid interactions. Isozymes yield significant information regarding the molecular mechanisms by which these enzymes are activated in cells; there is much less information available regarding the role of these PLC isozymes in physiologic or pathophysiologic processes. The results, in some cases, represent phenotypes obtained at the first crucial point in development when a particular PLC isoform becomes required for further development of the organism.
Review of Hmong-Related Health Problems: A Quick Guide for Healthcare Providers

The people of Hmong descent are one of the largest resettled communities in the United States (US). The Central Valley of California is well known to be the home to the largest Hmong population in the US. However, despite the presence of such a large Hmong community in the Central Valley, our knowledge of their cultural perceptions of medicine is limited. Based on local Central Valley health providers' experiences and observations, the Hmong people have a number of health-related challenges that differ from those of the general population, and this should be considered when dealing with their healthcare needs. In this report, we present a quick guide about the Hmong community and their health-related issues. We hope this will help clinicians and researchers better understand the Hmong community, which in turn would help provide a better quality of healthcare to the Hmong people and stimulate intellectual curiosity among healthcare providers towards this unique Asian ethnicity.
In-situ SEM Compression of Accordion-Like Multilayer MXenes

Abstract A relatively new and large class of materials, two-dimensional (2D) early transition metal carbides (MXenes), produced by etching of A elements from their parent MAX phases, have demonstrated outstanding performance in many applications. However, the mechanical behavior of MXenes, which is critical for device fabrication and performance, has not been sufficiently investigated. In this work we report the results from in-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) uniaxial compression experiments conducted on two types of multilayer accordion-like MXene particles, Ti2CT x and Ti3C2T x , along both in-plane and out-of-plane directions. Significant anisotropic behavior was observed associated with progressive failure mechanisms. Molecular dynamics (MD) modeling was conducted to analyze the behavior of intact and defected monolayer Ti2C and Ti3C 2 MXenes in tension and compression. Structural analysis for both in- and out-of-plane uniaxial compression is presented and compared with experimental data, revealing that the overall mechanism is controlled by the intrinsic elastic and plastic properties of MXenes, as well as their multilayer structures. The intrinsic material properties were estimated based on structural analysis from experimental results.
Review of 'Finding the Answers to Legal Questions, Second Edition'

Law librarians know all too well how challenging it can be to work with public patrons who have legal questions. It comes as no surprise that these questions would be even more challenging for public librarians, most of whom lack legal expertise and legal research experience. Virginia M. Tucker and Marc Lampson’s Finding the Answers to Legal Questions, Second Edition is a well-written and useful book aimed at public librarians who want to increase their understanding of legal resources and research techniques, as well as build a collection to help their patrons access the most frequently needed information.
Long correlations and Levy models applied to the study of memory effects in high frequency (tick) data

Abstract This work is devoted to the study of long correlations, memory effects and other statistical properties of high frequency (tick) data. We use a sample of 25 stocks for this purpose. We verify that the behavior of the return is compatible with that of continuous time Levy processes. We also study the presence of memory effects and long-range correlations in the values of the return.
Establishing Crosswalks Between Common Measures of Burnout in US Physicians

Physician burnout is often assessed by healthcare organizations. Yet, scores from different burnout measures cannot currently be directly compared, limiting the interpretation of results across organizations or studies. To link common measures of burnout to a single metric in psychometric analyses such that group-level scores from different assessments can be compared. Cross-sectional survey. US practices. A total of 1355 physicians sampled from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile. We linked the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) and Mini-Z Single-Item Burnout (MZSIB) scale to the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in item response theory (IRT) fixed-calibration and equipercentile analyses and created crosswalks mapping PFI and MZSIB scores to corresponding MBI scores. We evaluated the accuracy of the results by comparing physicians’ actual MBI scores to those predicted by linking and described the closest cut-point equivalencies across scales linked to the same MBI subscale using the resulting crosswalks. IRT linking produced the most accurate results and was used to create crosswalks mapping (1) PFI Work Exhaustion (PFI-WE) and MZSIB scores to MBI Emotional Exhaustion (MBI-EE) scores and (2) PFI Interpersonal Disengagement (PFI-ID) scores to MBI Depersonalization (MBI-DP) scores. The commonly used MBI-EE raw score cut-point of ≥27 corresponded most closely with respective PFI-WE and MZSIB raw score cut-points of ≥7 and ≥3. The commonly used MBI-DP raw score cut-point of ≥10 corresponded most closely with a PFI-ID raw score cut-point of ≥9. Our findings allow healthcare organizations using the PFI or MZSIB to compare group-level scores to historical, regional, or national MBI scores (and vice-versa).
Teachers’ Incorporation of Epistemic Practices in K-8 Engineering and Their Views About the Nature of Engineering Knowledge

The paper reports about a study that examines changes in teachers’ incorporation of epistemic practices in their design of engineering lessons and compares them to their views about the nature of engineering knowledge across 100 hours of professional development. Nineteen K-8 teachers in the USA, who were new to teaching engineering as part of a shift in science learning standards, participated. We focused on four areas of engineering practice and epistemology, namely the orientation of engineering toward solutions, the role of context in defining engineering design specifications, the role and nature of data and evidence, and the interdisciplinary nature of science and engineering. Comparisons of changes in teachers’ incorporation of epistemic practices show some reflection of changes in their views about the nature of engineering knowledge. Comparisons suggest that they were able to design instruction with appropriate epistemic practices while not necessarily understanding related features of the nature of engineering.
Teacher quality discourse in India: A national reform agenda content analysis

Abstract National education systems worldwide focus on the effects that teacher quality has on the overall quality of education. In response to this global discourse, India, which represents one of the largest education systems in the world, adopted several teacher-quality-focused reform agendas in the early 21st century. The purpose of this qualitative discourse analysis is to investigate the development of teacher quality in India through the National Curriculum Framework 2005, National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education 2009, and Some Inputs for Draft National Education Policy 2016. Results suggest each national education document's agenda focused on differentiated elements of teacher quality, including both traditional and non-traditional measures of teacher quality. This discourse analysis provides a systematic framework for policymakers to further improve teacher quality in India.
Invariant Submerged Material Recognition with Fluorescence Lidar and Sparsity-Based Approaches

This work deals with submerged object recognition methodologies with fluorescence LIDAR that can be applied when no prior information about environmental conditions is available. Previous invariant methods rely upon conventional unconstrained and constrained subspace projection concepts. This paper investigates application of sparsity-based concepts within this framework. A method enforcing both L 1 and L 2 norm penalties is investigated. Both synthetic and real data are employed to evaluate the potential of the method. Experimental results reveal that sparsity-based methods can be useful in this context and deserve further investigation.
Euro pricing of crude oil : an OPEC's perspective

This paper was also presented in the 24th annual meeting of MEEA in conjunction with Allied Social Sciences Association in San Diego, U.S.A., January 3-5, 2004