cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human CD34 + Cells Rapidly Mobilized by AMD3100 Repopulate NOD/SCID Mice with Equivalent Efficiency as CD34 + Cells Mobilized by G-CSF.

Interactions between the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand, stromal derived factor-1, regulate hematopoietic stem cell migration. The CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100, has recently been shown to rapidly mobilize primitive hematopoietic cells. However, the functional properties of stem and progenitor cells mobilized with this agent are not well characterized. Thus, we directly compared the NOD/SCID repopulating function of CD34 + cells rapidly mobilized (4 hours) by AMD3100 versus CD34 + cells mobilized by 5 days of G-CSF treatment. Healthy, matched sibling donors were leukapheresed after a single injection of 240ug/kg AMD3100, and produced an enrichment of circulating CD34 + cells to 0.6% of the total mononuclear cells (MNC). After 2 weeks of drug clearance, the same donor was mobilized with G-CSF (0.4% CD34 + cells), allowing a paired comparison of the repopulating function of cells mobilized by these two regimens. Total MNC, CD34 + cells (>95% purity), and lineage depleted (Lin − ) cells (48–55% CD34 + ) were isolated and transplanted into NOD/SCID mice at various doses. Injection of 10 6 –10 7 (approximately 5x10 3 –5x10 4 CD34 + cells) AMD3100-mobilized MNC resulted in bone marrow (BM) engraftment in 6 of 10 mice, whereas equal doses of G-CSF mobilized MNC engrafted 3 of 10 mice. Higher cell doses (2x10 7 MNC, approximately 1x10 5 CD34 + cells) consistently produced engraftment in the BM, spleen, and peripheral blood of all mice, with higher levels of engraftment with AMD3100-mobilized cells (1.8±0.5%) compared to G-CSF-mobilized cells (0.4±0.05%, p + cells revealed similar engraftment frequencies for both leukapheresis products. Transplantation of 5x10 4 –10 5 AMD3100-mobilized CD34 + cells engrafted 4 of 7 mice and G-CSF-mobilized CD34 + cells engrafted 5 of 10 mice. However, transplantation of 5x10 5 AMD3100-mobilized CD34 + cells consistently resulted in higher engraftment levels compared to G-CSF-mobilized CD34 + cells (3.4±1.1% versus 0.8±0.4% human cells, p + cells was similar for AMD3100 and G-CSF-mobilized CD34 + cells, with production of myeloid cells (CD33 + , CD14 − CD13 + CD66abce +/− ), monocytes (CD14 + ), immature B-lymphoid cells (CD19 +/− CD20 +/− ), and primitive repopulating (CD34 + CD133 + CD38 − ) cells 7–8 weeks post-transplantation. Similarly, AMD3100 and G-CSF-mobilized Lin − cells produced consistent engraftment in all transplanted mice (n=20), and demonstrated equivalent engraftment levels and multilineage differentiation when directly comparing AMD3100 versus G-CSF-mobilization. Ongoing analysis of additional patient samples will allow direct comparison of these repopulating cells by limiting dilution analysis using Poisson statistics. These preliminary studies indicate that human AMD3100-mobilized CD34 + cells possess at least equivalent repopulating capacity compared to G-CSF mobilized cells, and therefore represent a more rapidly obtainable source of hematopoietic stem cells for clinical transplantation.
Analysts' Revenue Forecasts and Discretionary Revenues

We investigate the disciplining role of analysts’ revenue forecasts on firms’ discretionary revenues. We analyze quarterly data and find evidence that initiation of analysts’ revenue forecasts reported in IBES is associated with a decrease in the magnitude of discretionary revenues. Our results are robust to alternative definitions of discretionary revenues. The evidence is consistent with the disciplining role of financial analysts. Further analyses show that accounts receivable is the primary accrual component that is affected by analysts’ revenue forecasts and that firms receiving more analysts’ revenue forecasts report a lower level of discretionary revenues. We use a placebo test with analysts’ cash flow forecasts to indicate that the change of discretionary revenues is a response specifically to revenue forecasts. We also provide additional tests that address endogeneity concerns.
CPAP nonadherence issues in a small sample of men with obstructive sleep apnea.

• Obstructive sleep apnea affects millions of middle-aged and older adults and CPAP adherence is poor.
A Probabilistic Planning Framework for Planar Grasping Under Uncertainty

How can a robot design a sequence of grasping actions that will succeed despite the presence of bounded state uncertainty and an inherently stochastic system? In this letter, we propose a probabilistic algorithm that generates sequential actions to iteratively reduce uncertainty until object pose is uniquely known (subject to symmetry). The plans assume encoder feedback that gives a geometric partition of the post-grasp configuration space based on contact conditions. An offline planning tree is generated by interleaving computationally tractable open-loop action sequence search and feedback state estimation with particle filtering. To speed up planning, we use learned approximate forward motion models, sensor models, and collision detectors. We demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm on robotic experiments with more than 3000 grasp sequences using different object shapes, press-ure distributions, and gripper materials where the uncertainty region is comparable to the size of the object in translation and with no information about orientation.
Peripheral Reprogrammed CD4+ CTL Efficiently Control Tumor Growth.

The initial commitment to either the CTL- or Th-lineage is made during thymic development, where thymocytes expressing an MHC class II–reactive TCR commit to the CD4 helper T cell lineage, whereas thymocytes with specificity for MHC class I differentiate into the CD8 CTL lineage. The molecular regulation is controlled by the action and counteraction of transcription factors, such as t ThPOK, which promotes the Th fate and Runx3 which drives the differentiation of MHC class I restricted thymocytes into the CD8 CTL-lineage. This dichotomy persists in the periphery, where ThPOK continues to suppress the cytotoxic fate of MHC class II–restricted CD4 + Th cells. Recently, our team made a major breakthrough and showed that the thymic lineage commitment of CD4 Th cells is not fixed and that mature peripheral CD4 + T cells have the plasticity to lose ThPOK expression. We demonstrated that the loss of Thpok expression and the Th fate coincides with the re-expression of CD8α and the induction of a typical CTL phenotype, including 2B4 and Granzyme B expression and IFN-γ and TNF-α cytokine production. Using an in vitro cytotoxic assay, our lab found that these reprogrammed ThPOK − CD4 + T cells display killer capacities. In a new study we now investigate the role of CD4 CTL in anti-tumor immune surveillance. Using the well-described B16-melanoma tumor model, we demonstrated that in vitro differentiated OVA-specific CD4 CTL display anti-tumor capacity and efficiently killed OVA-expressing B16 tumor cells. This studies on CD4 CTL in the cancer field will not only greatly expand our basic understanding of anti-tumor immunity but it will undoubtedly have major implications for translational research to design new cell therapies to treat devastating cancers.
Between the public and the private: Svetlana Aleksievich interviews Ales' Adamovich. Translator’s preface

ABSTRACTThis is a transcript and translation of an interview recorded in 1986 by Svetlana Aleksievich with her literary mentor, Ales' Adamovich. The writers discuss Mikhail Gorbachev’s then-new perestroika policy, its potential for meaningful political change, and how both of them relate to the “new people” and “new times” perestroika brought with it. The interview is focused on Adamovich, who ruminates on important political events, including the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. The interview is a testament that documents the continuous dialogue in which the two Belarusian Soviet writers engaged for years as friends and collaborators. The interview also provides us with insight into the continuity between the Soviet and post-Soviet roles of the artist and public intellectual.
Degradation of Disk Lubricant: Ramification in Disk Drives and Direct Detection by TOF-SIMS

The degradation of Z-dol catalyzed by Lewis acid centers on the slider surface leads to chain scission forming one type of fragment terminated with a fluorocarbonyl end-group and the other with a trifluoromethoxy end-group. The former, in contact with humid air, converts to a fluorinated carboxylic acid Z-COOH. Z-COOH is an excellent scavenger for alkali or alkaline earth metal ions. Z-COO-M+ thus formed is a strong surfactant, and, in a humid environment, forms microdroplets embodying water in the core. Metal ions thus scavenged on a disk surface can be readily detected by TOF-SIMS, and the microdroplets by optical microscopy in the dark-field mode. The presence of fragments having a trifluoromethoxy end-group on the disk surface can also be established by TOM-SIMS. A careful intensity analysis of peaks due to anions having a trifluoromethoxy end-group permits a semi-quantitative assessment of the extent of degradation. The study has also shown that degradation is caused by such production processes as tape-polishing and by such disk drive operations as the head flying over a single track or over a band in a seek-mode.
High pressure pure- and mixed sour gas transport properties of Cardo-type block co-polyimide membranes

Abstract Multi-block co-polyimides 6FDA-CARDO/6FDA-Durene with varying segmental lengths were synthesized and pure and mixed sour gas transport properties through dense membranes were investigated as function of feed pressure, temperature and gas composition. Pure gas measurement indicated that block co-polyimide 6FDA-CARDO/6FDA-Durene (2500/2500) membrane exhibits high permeation properties and separation characteristics with CO2 permeability and CO2/CH4 selectivity of up to 239 barrer and 28 respectively. The block co-polyimide also showed excellent performance under harsh sour gas environment (i.e. high H2S content of up to 36 vol% and feed pressure of up to 55 bar for a gas mixture consisting of CO2, CH4, N2, C2H6 and H2S). At 36 vol% H2S, the membrane exhibits H2S permeability and H2S/CH4 selectivity of up to 275 barrer and 24 respectively. These values and separation performance exhibited by the co-polyimide are comparable and very competitive even, as compared to the values obtained in some of the high performance polymeric membranes that have been reported in the literature. The stability of the block co-polyimide 6FDA-CARDO/6FDA-Durene membrane under these aggressive environments is quite impressive.
Preparation of Stable Amyloid-β Oligomers Without Perturbative Methods

Soluble amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers have become a focal point in the study of Alzheimer's disease due to their ability to elicit cytotoxicity. A number of recent studies have concentrated on the structural characterization of soluble Aβ oligomers to gain insight into their mechanism of toxicity. Consequently, providing reproducible protocols for the preparation of such oligomers is of utmost importance. The method presented in this chapter details a protocol for preparing an Aβ oligomer, with a primarily disordered secondary structure, without the need for chemical modification or amino acid substitution. Due to the stability of these disordered Aβ oligomers and the reproducibility with which they form, they are amenable for biophysical and high-resolution structural characterization.
High Dividend Yield Does Predict Lower Dividend Growth: A Natural Experiment

Today, many financial economists believe that the time variability in expected returns is the dominant component of stock price variability. This modern-day view of stock prices is, nevertheless, dissatisfactory. According to Cochrane (2001, p. 398), "It is nonetheless an uncomfortable fact that almost all variation in price/dividend ratios is due to variation in expected excess returns. How nice it would be if high prices reflected expectations of higher future cashflows." Very recently, dividend predictability has been critically re-examined by Ang and Bekaert (2007), Ang and Liu (2007), Bansal and Yaron (2004), Lettau and Ludvigson (2005), and Menzly, Santos, and Veronesi (2004). These efforts have so far shown that dividend growth is predictable, but have stopped short of presenting evidence of a desirably negative relation between dividend yields and expected dividend growth. In fact, Ang and Bekaert (2007) found the dividend yield coefficient in dividend growth predictive regression over the 1952-2001 period to be surprisingly positive. Why is it that the apparently intuitive relation between high prices relative to dividends today and high dividend growth in the future cannot be successfully uncovered in stock market data? This study argues that a potential reason for this is that dividends are usually poor measures of true value-relevant cashflows. It is well known that dividends are often smoothed, manipulated, censored at zero, related to perceived mispricing, and subject to structural shifts in corporate financial policy. Based on this observation, this study contributes to the current surge of interest in re-examining the predictability of dividend growth from dividend yields via a different empirical strategy. Specifically, we focus our study on a unique subset of U.S. stocks-equity real estate investment trust (REIT) stocks, whose dividends are arguably good measures of true value-relevant cashflows. REITs typically adopt a stable dividend policy and pay out almost all of their cashflows from operations as dividends. During the 1980-2000 period, REITs paid out an average 110% of taxable income. The study finds that, when dividends reasonably capture true value-relevant cashflows, expected dividend growth is forecastable from dividend yields. Furthermore, the empirical relation between dividend yields and expected dividend growth is desirably negative, which is consistent with the usual prediction of the present value model. At the three-year predictive horizon, the bootstrapped adjusted dividend yield coefficient is -1.09 with a bootstrapped t-statistic of -14.14. The OLS R2 value is 35.48%.
Fourteen different strategies for multiplication of integers or why (−1) (−1) = +1

strategy that, in his professional judgment, is most appropriate for the topic, the class, the objectives, and the teacher. As he gains experience, the teacher increases the number of strategies he can use for each topic. He gains knowledge as to the effectiveness of using each strategy with different students. Eventually, he is able to select strategies that are most effective for presenting a topic; he knows which strategies are better for reinforcing the topic; and he knows which ones can be used to reteach topics when students have not gained the necessary knowledge after one strategy has been applied. Some teachers have only one strategy to use, other teachers have acquired two or three different strategies for a topic; and yet that is not enough for all situations. The purpose of this article is to present fourteen different strategies that can be used to illustrate multiplication of integers. It is hoped that this will enable teachers to answer better the age-old question "Why does a negative number times a negative number give a positive number as a product?" and indicate the variety of ways to teach such a problem.
Perspectives in PON1 Research

The initial research on serum paraoxonase (PON1) centered on its ability to hydrolyze arylesters such as phenylacetate organophosphorus and compounds such as paraoxon, from whence it received its name. Despite early evidence that paraoxon and phenylacetate were hydrolyzed by the same enzyme, it was many years before all of the various research groups accepted this point (see Chapter 1). In more recent years more has become known about the natural physiological role of PON1. This role of PON1 appears to involve the metabolism of oxidized lipids to non-toxic metabolites, thus contributing to the prevention of vascular disease (see Chapters 3-6). In this summary chapter, we examine future directions in PON1 research that may shed further light on the different facets of the role of PON1 in its physiological function as well as its role in the metabolism of different xenobiotics, including drugs.
A Reader's Guide to Gacs's “Positive Rates” Paper

Peter Gacs's monograph, which follows this article, provides a counterexample to the important Positive Rates Conjecture. This conjecture, which arose in the late 1960's, was based on very plausible arguments, some of which come from statistical mechanics. During the long gestation period of the Gacs example, there has been a great deal of skepticism about the validity of his work. The construction and verification of Gacs's counterexample are unavoidably complex, and as a consequence, his paper is quite lengthy. But because of the novelty of the techniques and the significance of the result, his work deserves to become widely known. This reader's guide is intended both as a cheap substitute for reading the whole thing, as well as a warm-up for those who want to plumb its depths.
Simple (Bench-Top) Bioassays and the Isolation of New Chemically Diverse Antitumor and Pesticidal Agents from Higher Plants

Phytochemists cannot easily survive as basic scientists. Applied science has become essentially the only source for significant amounts of research funds. In our market-driven economy, government and industry have forced us to face this fact. A major purpose of science today is to solve the problems of society. So which of society’s problems are solvable by phytochemistry? The answers to this question are numerous, but our laboratory for the past 20 years has focused on quests for new antitumor and pesticidal agents from higher plants. Cancer death claims 1,500 people a day (one per minute) in the United States.1 The market for natural, environmentally friendly pesticides will gross nearly one billion dollars in 1998. Thus, the discovery of phytochemicals as new antitumor and pesticidal agents is justifiable and should be fundable.
Vesicoureteral reflux in complete ureteral duplication: surgical options.

AbstractVesicoureteral reflux is the most common abnormality seen with complete ureteral duplication. The majority of cases require surgical correction. The techniques used in 62 patients with 71 duplicated systems with reflux are reviewed.Reflux into the lower pole was encountered in 51 duplicated systems, both poles in 19 systems and the upper pole in 1. A total of 42 conjoint ureteral reimplantations was performed but in 8 cases only the lower pole ureter with reflux was reimplanted after it was separated from the nonrefluxing ureter. Ipsilateral ureteroureterostomy was performed in 19 cases of lower pole reflux. Two patients underwent lower pole heminephrectomy. Satisfactory results were obtained by all 3 reconstructive techniques. However, for lower pole reflux we recommend ipsilateral ureteroureterostomy unless a contralateral operation also is necessary. Ureteroureterostomy proved to be a simple and safe operation free of complications, with little morbidity and requiring a shorter hospitalization....
Distributed Wind Turbine Integrating Energy Storage System Optimal Planning Based on Trilateral Interest Subjects

The integration of distributed generation may have a great impact on the stable operation of power system. Aimed at the distributed wind turbine (WT) integrating energy storage system (ESS) planning in medium voltage distribution network, an optimal planning method considering the benefits of distribution network company, WT owner and power consumer is proposed. Besides, a scheduling strategy adopting the reactive power adjustment capacity of WT inverter and power control system of ESS is presented. The demand response is also considered in the proposed method. The planning model is solved by NSGA-II, and more practical schemes of the site and capacity of distributed WT and ESS as well as the trading price between distribution network company and WT owner can be acquired.
Production, purification and preliminary X-ray crystallographic studies of adeno-associated virus serotype 7

Crystals of baculovirus-expressed adeno-associated virus serotype 7 capsids have been produced which diffract X-rays to ∼3.0 A resolution. Crystals of baculovirus-expressed adeno-associated virus serotype 7 capsids diffract X-rays to ∼3.0 A resolution. The crystals belong to the rhombohedral space group R3, with unit-cell parameters a = 252.4, c = 591.2 A in the hexagonal setting. The diffraction data were processed and reduced to an overall completeness of 79.0% and an R{sub merge} of 12.0%. There are three viral capsids in the unit cell. The icosahedral threefold axis is coincident with the crystallographic threefold axis, resulting in one third of a capsid (20 monomers) per crystallographic asymmetric unit. The orientation of the viral capsid has been determined by rotation-function searches and is positioned at (0, 0, 0) by packing considerations.
Update on screening for lung cancer

As the leading cause of cancer related death world wide, lung cancer is responsible for an enormous amount of suffering and disability. Detection of disease when it is surgically curable is associated with far greater odds of cure, and therefore it is a disease for which mass screening of high-risk populations has significant potential benefit. Starting in 2011, with the publication of the National Lung Screening Trial from United States (U.S.), mass screening programs have emerged throughout the U.S., as well as in other countries. More recently, large European screening trials have confirmed the potential mortality benefit of lung cancer screening. This invited non-systematic review paper covers the trial that data justify mass-screening, for lung cancer and proposes strategies for maximizing benefits and minimizing harms in the context of a mass public health lung cancer screening program.
A Redox Auxiliary Strategy for Pyrrolidine Synthesis via Photocatalytic [3+2] Cycloaddition

Cycloaddition reactions can be used to efficiently assemble pyrrolidine rings that are significant in a variety of chemical and biological applications. We have developed a method for the formal cycloaddition of cyclopropyl ketones with hydrazones that utlizes photoredox catalysis to enable the synthesis of a range of structurally diverse pyrrolidine rings. The key insight enabling the scope of photoredox [3+2] cycloadditions to be expanded to C=N electrophiles was the use of a redox auxiliary strategy that allowed for photoreductive activation of the cyclopropyl ketone without the need for an exogenous tertiary amine co-reductant. These conditions prevent the deleterious reductive ring-opening of the cyclopropyl substrates, enabling a range of less-reactive coupling partners to participate in this cycloaddition.
Identification of substance use disorders in burn patients using simple diagnostic screening tools (AUDIT/DAST-10).

Abstract Introduction and objectives Substance use is disproportionately high in burn patients and associated with adverse outcomes. Screening methods for substance use disorders may help predict or avoid adverse outcomes. The University of Utah Burn Center records self-reported Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests (AUDIT) and Drug Abuse Screening Tests (DAST-10) for all adult burn admissions. This study assessed for association between AUDIT/DAST-10 scores and burn patient outcomes. Methods A retrospective chart review of adult burn patients admitted to the University of Utah from 05/01/2014–06/30/2017. Patient demographics, injury data, and substance use data were collected and analyzed. Results 322 patients underwent AUDIT/DAST-10 screening (n = 322). 56 (17.4%) had positive AUDIT screens (score ≥ 8). 15/50 with alcohol use at time of injury (TOI) had negative AUDIT screens. Median AUDIT score with TOI alcohol use was 12, without TOI alcohol use was 1. 30/55 patients offered alcohol counseling accepted. 14 patients (4.3%) had positive DAST-10 screens (score ≥3). 9/25 with drug use at TOI had negative DAST-10 screens. No patients without TOI drug use had DAST-10 scores >2. 9/11 patients offered drug counseling accepted. Mean standardized length of stay (LOS) per TBSA burn injury was 1.7 days for positive AUDIT, 1.6 days for negative AUDIT. Median standardized LOS was 1.4 days for positive DAST-10, 1.7 days for negative DAST-10. Conclusions AUDIT and DAST-10 screens can identify burn patients with problematic substance use, allowing early intervention. Positive screening scores do not independently predict longer hospital stays, increased wound severity, or treatment noncompliance.
Myosin XI Interacting with a RabE GTPase Is Required for Polarized Growth

Abstract The fundamental eukaryotic process of intracellular trafficking requires the interconnected activity of molecular motors trafficking vesicular cargo within a dynamic cytoskeletal network. However, in plants, few mechanistic details are known about how molecular motors associate with their secretory cargo to support the ubiquitous processes of polarized growth and cell division. A yeast two-hybrid screen of a Physcomitrella patens library identified a RabE GTPase as an interactor of myosin XI and subsequently demonstrated all five RabE members interact with myosin XI. Consistent with a role in polarized transport, we observed RabE at the growing cell apex and at the expanding cell plate during cell division. An in vivo cross-correlation analysis of fluorescently tagged RabE and myosin XI revealed that both species are spatiotemporally coupled, demonstrating their simultaneous involvement in polarized growth. To determine if myosin XI and RabE are directly coupled, we first computationally predicted myosin XI:RabE interface through a homology modeling-directed approach. We identified a structurally conserved residue on myosin XI, V1422, that when mutated abolished RabE binding in the yeast two-hybrid system and resulted in unpolarized plants instead of the characteristic network of filamentous cells when regenerated from single cells. Together, this work demonstrates the requirement of a direct myosin XI:RabE interaction for polarized growth in plants.
A 'Sense of Equity' in Environmental Justice Litigation

The poor, persons of color, and indigenous persons often turn to the courts to correct the injustice of companies and governments causing environmental harms in their communities. Existing interpretations of tort, constitutional, and statutory law do not adequately fit the situations faced by environmental justice plaintiffs, however. Despite this, courts only sometimes grant the defendants’ motions to dismiss for justiciability reasons like the political question doctrine or lack of standing or for failure to state a claim. The new rhetoric of Chaim Perelman, a rhetorician with a lifelong interest in justice, law, and the judicial process, explains why similar cases can have different outcomes. In exceptional circumstances, parties may lack a legal entitlement, but their situation is nevertheless unjust when considered from another perspective like merit. When the law cannot afford relief, plaintiffs should frame their lawsuit as a clash of values and appeal to the judge’s “sense of equity.” They should argue that social values and emerging norms support the re-interpretation or creative application of the law. In an environmental justice case, this means telling the court a story of distributive and corrective injustice while also putting forward sufficient reasons for the court to justify a deviation from the legal status quo. An application of the new rhetoric to the pleadings, briefs, and opinions in two high-profile climate justice cases shows how the unsuccessful plaintiffs tried to portray their extraordinary claim as a run-of-the-mill nuisance while the successful plaintiffs framed their lawsuit as a story of distributive injustice that could only be corrected through bold judicial action.
Documentation: What You Say Matters

Writing or dictating a report on a developmental diagnosis requires awareness of appropriate language. Development is a story that unfolds over time, and we need to figure out a way to tell that story and write an impression section that is more than an ICD-10 code. We need to say what we think but also why we think it. Reports should use People First language and no longer use the term “mental retardation.” We should report on the strengths of the child and the family; everyone has some. We should put in writing the next steps that family can or should take to get help for their child.
New Insights on the Wall Structure of the Albian-Cenomanian (Cretaceous) Agglutinated Foraminiferal Species Sculptobaculitesgoodlandensis (Cushman et Alexander, 1930) from North-Central Texas, USA

The agglutinated foraminiferal species Sculptobaculitesgoodlandensis has been studied to determine the composition of the cement and grains that make up the test wall. Elemental mapping of the internal structure reveals a layered wall with quartz grains in calcitic cement on the edges of the wall and an inner, calcitic layer of mixed detrital calcareous grains and fine-grained calcite, presumed to be secreted calcitic cement.
An Introduction to Special Functions with Some Applications to Quantum Mechanics

A short review on special functions and solution of the Coulomb problems in quantum mechanics is given. Multiparameter wave functions of linear harmonic oscillator, which cannot be obtained by the standard separation of variables, are discussed. Expectation values in relativistic Coulomb problems are studied by computer algebra methods.
A Winning Formula for Maximizing Sales Performance through Multi-Dimensional Effort: An Abstract

Sales performance is not a static event but rather a dynamic process that unfolds over time with significant investments from the salesperson into key stages of the selling process. Because of this, salespeople continue to be critical producers within their organization, leading revenue generation and retention activities (Raynor and Ahmed 2013). Managers, as organizational leaders, are faced with the dilemma of ensuring their sales force delivers on revenue goals. As a result, U.S. companies spend approximately $20 billion annually on sales training with the goal of improving performance through increasing salespersons skills and abilities (Association for Talent Development 2013). Yet approximately 50% of salespeople fail to reach their annual quotas (Ahearne et al. 2012, p. 39), and managers often feel helpless in increasing these target percentages.
Evaluating the energy impact potential of energy efficiency measures for retrofit applications: A case study with U.S. medium office buildings

Quantifying the energy savings of various energy efficiency measures (EEMs) for an energy retrofit project often necessitates an energy audit and detailed whole building energy modeling to evaluate the EEMs; however, this is often cost-prohibitive for small and medium buildings. In order to provide a defined guideline for projects with assumed common baseline characteristics, this paper applies a sensitivity analysis method to evaluate the impact of individual EEMs and groups these into packages to produce deep energy savings for a sample prototype medium office building across 15 climate zones in the United States. We start with one baseline model for each climate zone and nine candidate EEMs with a range of efficiency levels for each EEM. Three energy performance indicators (EPIs) are defined, which are annual electricity use intensity, annual natural gas use intensity, and annual energy cost. Then, a Standard Regression Coefficient (SRC) sensitivity analysis method is applied to determine the sensitivity of each EEM with respect to the three EPIs, and the relative sensitivity of all EEMs are calculated to evaluate their energy impacts. For the selected range of efficiency levels, the results indicate that the EEMs with higher energy impacts (i.e., higher sensitivity) in most climate zones are high-performance windows, reduced interior lighting power, and reduced interior plug and process loads. However, the sensitivity of the EEMs also vary by climate zone and EPI; for example, improved opaque envelope insulation and efficiency of cooling and heating systems are found to have a high energy impact in cold and hot climates.
Vector quantization using frequency-sensitive competitive-learning neural networks

We present a training algorithm for a competitive learning network. This algorithm is applied to the problem of vector quantization using neural networks. An important advantage of using neural networks for vector quantization is that the computat.ions can be carried out in parallel by the neural units. The performance of this algorithm is compared with other neural network and traditional non-neural algorthims for vector quantization. The basic properties of the new algorithm are discussed and we present the results of quantizing vectors of Linear Prediction Coefficients from a speech signal and show that our net yields results which are comparable to the traditional algorithm.
Racial Differences in primary sclerosing cholangitis mortality is associated with Community Socioeconomic Status.

Background and aims Natural history and outcomes data in PSC are mostly derived from cohorts where Blacks have been underrepresented. It is unknown if there are differences in mortality between Blacks and Whites with PSC. Methods PSC patients seen at our institution from June 1988 to Jan 2019 were identified by merging prospective ERCP hepatology-clinic databases and liver-transplant registry. Data on race, clinical events, and death was obtained through chart review. Data on community health were collected using indices from county health rankings. Cumulative incidence of death was calculated using liver transplant (LT) as a competing risk. Results Of 449 patients, 404 were White and 45 were Black. The median-duration of follow-up was 7 years (IQR:3, 13). Black patients were younger at presentation than White patients (36.3 vs 42.5 years., P = .013). Disease severity as indicated by Mayo Risk Score categories (low 27% vs 31%, intermediate 54% vs 49% and high 19% vs 19%, P = .690), comorbidity burden and frequency of cirrhosis (42% vs 35%, P = .411) were similar between Blacks and Whites. Cumulative incidence of liver-related death, with LT as a competing risk was significantly higher in Blacks compared to Whites (sHR 1.80, 95%CI 1.25, 2.61, P = .002). There was a significant interaction between race and community socioeconomic factors that attenuated the racial difference in mortality (sHR 1.01, 95%CI 0.99, 1.04, P = .345). Conclusions Blacks with PSC present at a younger age with a similar disease severity as Whites but have higher liver related mortality that is mediated in part through community health.
Monotone optimal policies for Markov decision processes

We present sufficient conditions for the existence of a monotone optimal policy for a discrete time Markov decision process whose state space is partially ordered and whose action space is a compact subset of the real line. Knowing that such a policy exists, then the search for an optimal policy within the class of all policies can be restricted to the subclass of monotone policies. We also extend (using a new proof) some characterization theorems for monotone transition probabilities. These play an important role in establishing the existence of monotone optimal policies. We illustrate this for controlled random walks and a multi-machine maintenance model.
Considerations in the Development of a Mycology Laboratory

The objective herein is to provide the conceptual basis as well as some specifics needed in the development of a mycology laboratory. It is acknowledged that physical constraints and fiscal limitations would have major effects on the development of an ideal mycology laboratory. However, it is possible, over several years, to plan and then gradually develop such a physical facility without the need for an immediate and substantial fiscal out-lay. It must be noted that substantial initial start-up funds for the development of such a laboratory would be needed if there is no physical facility currently in place or an building/area capable of being modified. At times, building modifications may be more expensive and have inherent restrictions which could make the additional cost for a new facility more palatable. Also, a new building offers numerous advantages in design and resultant quality of the laboratories housed therein. Certainly the mycology laboratory will be tied to the other laboratories and the facilities available, but creativity, planning, and flexibility can be exercised so that the mycology component is suitably functional and a quality laboratory.
A case of sudden cardiac death due to eosinophilic coronary periarteritis: possible significance of coexisting atherosclerosis and eosinophilic inflammation of the esophagus

Abstract Background Eosinophilic coronary periarteritis (ECPA) is a rare disease found in cases of sudden cardiac death due to coronary vasospasm or spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Currently, the etiology, pathogenesis, and pathophysiology of ECPA are unknown. Cases of ECPA with a history of allergic disorders are rare. Only one case of ECPA with tissue eosinophilia in another organ has been reported. Methods A 50-year-old male suddenly died after complaining of chest pain. An autopsy with histopathologic analysis was performed. Results A short segment of the left anterior descending artery had ECPA with dense eosinophilic inflammation of the adventitia and mild atherosclerosis. There were findings atypical of ECPA including mild focal eosinophilic infiltration of the intima and media associated with proliferation of vasa vasorum, fragmented internal and external elastic laminae, and fibrosis of the media. In addition, eosinophilic inflammation of the esophagus without mucosal involvement was present. The eosinophilic inflammation of the coronary artery and esophagus was accompanied by an increased number of mast cells. Conclusions This case suggests that ECPA and atherosclerosis may act synergistically by induction of inflammation and vasa vasorum neovascularization. Vasa vasorum and mast cell infiltration may trigger vasospasm and spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Although concurrent tissue eosinophilia elsewhere is rarely observed in cases of ECPA, collective analysis of these cases may elucidate the etiology and pathophysiology of ECPA.
Exhaustive versus randomized searches for nonlinear optimization in 21st century computing: solar application

We present a simple multi-dimensional exhaustive search method to obtain, in a reasonable time, the optimal solution of a nonlinear programming problem. It is more relevant in the present day non-mainframe computing scenario where an estimated 95% computing resources remains unutilized and computing speed touches petaflops. While the processor speed is doubling every 18 months, the band width is doubling every 12 months, and the hard disk space is doubling every 9 months. A randomized search algorithm or, equivalently, an evolutionary search method is often used instead of an exhaustive search algorithm. The reason is that a randomized approach is usually polynomial-time, i.e., fast while an exhaustive search method is exponential-time i.e., slow. We discuss the increasing importance of exhaustive search in optimization with the steady increase of computing power for solving many real-world problems of reasonable size. We also discuss the computational error and complexity of the search algorithm focusing on the fact that no measuring device can usually measure a quantity with an accuracy greater than 0.005%. We stress the fact that the quality of solution of the exhaustive search - a deterministic method - is better than that of randomized search. In 21st century computing environment, exhaustive search cannot be left aside as an untouchable and it is not always exponential. We also describe a possible application of these algorithms in improving the efficiency of solar cells - a real hot topic - in the current energy crisis. These algorithms could be excellent tools in the hands of experimentalists and could save not only large amount of time needed for experiments but also could validate the theory against experimental results fast.
Room-temperature 1.06-0.53-microm second-harmonic generation with MgO:LiNbO(3).

Room-temperature 1.06–0.53-μm second-harmonic generation (SHG) achieved with LiNbO3 doped with 7 mol. % MgO has been studied. Phase matching was achieved with angle tuning. SHG conversion efficiency of 45% was obtained with a 12-mm-long crystal and a fundamental peak-power density of 140 MW/cm2. SHG performance of MgO:LiNbO3 is compared with that of KTP and LBO crystals. Various phase-matching parameters of MgO:LiNbO3 were calculated as functions of the fundamental wavelength, using the experimentally determined Sellmeier equations. It was found that room-temperature, noncritically-phase-matched Type I SHG can be achieved in this crystal at 1.053 μm, where Nd:YLF lasers operate.
Aerodynamic Shape Optimization Using Control Theory

Aerodynamic shape design has long persisted as a difficult scientific challenge due its highly nonlinear flow physics and daunting geometric complexity. However, with the emergence of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) it has become possible to make accurate predictions of flows which are not dominated by viscous effects. It is thus worthwhile to explore the extension of CFD methods for flow analysis to the treatment of aerodynamic shape design. Two new aerodynamic shape design methods are developed which combine existing CFD technology, optimal control theory, and numerical optimization techniques. Flow analysis methods for the potential flow equation and the Euler equations form the basis of the two respective design methods. In each case, optimal control theory is used to derive the adjoint differential equations, the solution of which provides the necessary gradient information to a numerical optimization method much more efficiently then by conventional finite differencing. Each technique uses a quasi-Newton numerical optimization algorithm to drive an aerodynamic objective function toward a minimum. An analytic grid perturbation method is developed to modify body fitted meshes to accommodate shape changes during the design process. Both Hicks-Henne perturbation functions and B-spline control points are explored as suitable design variables. The new methods prove to be computationally efficient and robust, and can be used for practical airfoil design including geometric and aerodynamic constraints. Objective functions are chosen to allow both inverse design to a target pressure distribution and wave drag minimization. Several design cases are presented for each method illustrating its practicality and efficiency. These include non-lifting and lifting airfoils operating at both subsonic and transonic conditions.
A rigorous approach to fault-tolerant system development

This paper investigates the issue of what it means for a system to behave correctly despite of hardware fault occurrences. Using a stable storage system as a running example, a framework is presented for specifying, understanding, and verifying the correctness of fault-tolerant systems.
Reducing Suicide Risk in Borderline Personality Disorder

Staying empathic and keeping the conflict within the patient instead of between the patient and health care provider, is a key to successful management.
Limited Privatization in the Presence of Public Bads

Let us define ‘straight privatization’ of a group of publicly owned firms as the process by which shares of the firms are distributed or sold to citizens, after which such shares can be freely bought and sold on a stock market with prices denominated in normal currency (say, roubles). I shall introduce below a process of ‘limited privatization’, whereby shares of the erstwhile publicly owned firms are distributed to citizens on, let us say, an equal basis, in the form of coupons or vouchers, and then can be traded on a stock market where prices are quoted in coupons only, not in roubles. Roubles cannot purchase stock, and neither can coupons be sold for roubles.
Preserved priming of novel objects in patients with memory disorders

Amnesic patients perform poorly on explicit memory tests that require conscious recollection of recent experiences, but frequently show preserved facilitations of performance or priming effects on implicit memory tasks that do not require conscious recollection. We examined implicit memory for novel visual objects on an object decision test in which subjects decide whether structurally possible and impossible objects could exist in three-dimensional form. Patients with organic memory disorders showed robust priming effects on this task---object decision accuracy was higher for previously studied objects than for nonstudied objects---and the magnitude of priming did not differ from matched control subjects or college students. However, patients showed impaired explicit memory for novel visual objects on a recognition test. We argue that priming is mediated by the structural description system, a subsystem of the perceptual representation system, that operates at a presemantic level and is preserved in amnesic patients.
Water Stress and Temperature in Relation to Seed Germination of Pearl Millet and Sorghum

(...) At both temperatures pearl millet germination was less affected by increasing osmotic pressure (OP) than sorghum germination. At 30˚C sorghum germination decreased steadily as OP increased above 0 while pearl millet germination decreased significantly above an OP of 0.8 MPa. At 15˚C, pearl millet germination was always significantly higher than sorghum germination although the germination of both decreased steadily as OP increased (...)
General synthetic route to benz[g]isoquinolines (2‐azaanthracenes)

Benzylic zinc reagents add with high regioselectivity to 1-(phenoxycarbonyl) salts derived from pyridine-3-carboxaldehyde (1a) or 3-acetylpyridine (1b) to yield 1-(phenoxylcarbonyl)-4-benzyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3-carboxaldehydes 5a, 5c or ketones 5b, 5d. Aromatizations of these dihydro analogues with sulfur led to the corresponding aldehydes 6a, 6c or ketones 6b, 6d. An alternate synthesis to the aldehydic precursors involved additions of benzylic zinc reagents to 1-(phenoxycarbonyl) salts formed from methyl nicotinates which led to the corresponding methyl 1-(phenoxycarbonyl)-4-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinates 7a, 7b. Aromatizations of 7a, 7b led to the corresponding pyridine esters 8a, 8b which on reduction with lithium aluminum hydride yielded the corresponding carbinols 9a, 9b. Oxidation of 9a, 9b by manganese dioxide afforded aldehydes 6e, 6f. Aldehydes 6a-f were readily converted into the benz[g]isoquinolines 10a-f on heating in polyphosphoric acid.
Mechanism and Requirements for Bovine Papillomavirus, Type 1, E1 Initiator Complex Assembly Promoted by the E2 Transcription Factor Bound to Distal Sites *

DNA replication of papillomavirus requires the viral initiator E1 and the transcription factor E2. Bovine papillomavirus, type 1 (BPV-1), E1, and E2 bind cooperatively as dimers to proximal sites in the viral replicator generating a sequence-specific E1E2-ori complex. This complex is critical for replication and can be converted to a multimeric E1-ori initiator complex by displacement of E2 in the presence of hydrolyzable ATP. However, E2 can function over extended distances, and E2 at a distal position 33 base pairs upstream of the E1-binding site also loads an E1 dimer onto ori. Under these conditions, neither displacement of E2 nor ATP hydrolysis are required for E1-ori formation, consistent with a need for ATP hydrolysis in E2 displacement from E1E2-ori. However, ATP is required for stabilization of the resulting E1-oricomplex. These results indicate that BPV (with a proximal E2-binding site) and human papillomaviruses (with distal E2-binding sites) utilize the same general mechanism for E1 loading but suggest that E1E2-ori, which forms preferentially on ori, may perform an additional role in BPV replication.