cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic molecular structure of plant biomass-derived black carbon (biochar)

Char black carbon (BC), the solid residue of incomplete combustion, is continuously being added to soils and sediments due to natural vegetation fires, anthropogenic pollution, and new strategies for carbon sequestration (“biochar”). Here we present a molecular-level assessment of the physical organization and chemical complexity of biomass-derived chars and, specifically, that of aromatic carbon in char structures. Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET)−N2 surface area (SA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), synchrotron-based near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy are used to show how two plant materials (wood and grass) undergo analogous but quantitatively different physical−chemical transitions as charring temperature increases from 100 to 700 °C. These changes suggest the existence of four distinct categories of char consisting of a unique mixture of chemical phases and physical states: (i) in transition chars, the crystalline character of the precursor ma...
SYNTHESIS OF LYSINE‐VALINOMYCIN BY SOLID‐PHASE SEGMENT CONDENSATION

In order to obtain a readily derivatized analog of the ionophore antibiotic valinomycin, [1-lysine] valinomycin (Lys-VAL) was synthesized. The compound was built up on a polystyrene support by stepwise segment condensation and was cyclized in solution. The segments used were didepsipeptides protected by the t-butyloxycarbonyl and p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl groups. Derivatives prepared by acylation of the epsilon-amino group of Lys-VAL included [14C]acetyl-Lys-VAL, dansyl-Lys-VAL, palmitoyl-Lys-VAL and dithiodiglycoyl-bis-Lys-VAL. These derivatives had a high potassium binding capacity but were in general much less active than VAL in mediating ion transport in membranes.
POLITICAL DECENTRALISATION AND WORKER SAFETY IN ITALY

The “economic miracle” in postwar Italy was accompanied by a rapid increase in the industrial accident and illness rates. Italian workers demanded occupational safety and health enforcement mechanisms that would be more accessible to grass‐roots workers' groups and unions. In the early 1970s local “Occupational Medicine Services” were voluntarily established in many regions. The entire health care system was decentralised in 1978, giving regions exclusive authority to implement occupational safety and health standards within Local Health Units (USLs). The concrete results of these reforms are investigated and the validity of the assumptions of the calls for decentralisation. The difficulties encountered by leftist‐administered regions in attempting to translate their political commitments into significant health and safety improvements are documented. The track‐record of the USLs is examined. An ironic consequence of decentralisation has been that the concentration of all health care activities in the USL has swallowed up occupational safety and health. As a result it is less politically visible and less responsive to worker input.
Comparative teratogenicity of pyrimethamine in rats and hamsters

Pyrimethamine, a drug used in the treatment of toxoplasmosis, was much less teratogenic in golden hamsters than in Wistar rats. About 70% of rat fetuses were killed or malformed by administration of single oral doses of 5 mg to pregnant females. Less than 10% of hamster fetuses died or were malformed following single doses to the mother of 20 mg, which on a mg/kg basis was eight to nine times greater than that given to rats. In the rats repeated daily doses of 0.5 mg per female were severely teratogenic. The incidence of dead and abnormal fetuses in rats treated with 5 mg pyrimethamine was markedly reduced, from about 70 to 10%, by single intraperitoneal injections of 6 mg folinic acid; this result suggests that folinic acid might be potentially of value in lessening the teratogenic risk that may exist when pyrimethamine is employed in toxoplasmosis therapy during early pregnancy.
The erosion of carbide-metal composites

Abstract A number of alloys composed of carbide particles in a ductile metal matrix have been eroded to elucidate the role of carbides during erosion. The alloys covered two ranges of carbide volume fraction: less than 30 vol.% (spheroidized plain carbon steels and cast high carbon alloys) and greater than 60 vol.% (cermets). All specimens were eroded by quartz abrasive at a range of impact angles and at 60 m s−1 in a gas-blast-type rig. In addition to mass loss data and examination of eroded surfaces to characterize the erosion behavior, specimens were taper sectioned and then examined by scanning electron microscopy. This technique allows simultaneous observation of an eroded surface and the underlying microstructure, facilitating the determination of erosion mechanisms. For the low carbide content alloys the carbides promoted erosion. In those alloys that contained large carbides, the carbides disrupted plastic flow around the impact site, causing void formation and carbide fracture, or extreme localization of plastic flow with subsequent easy material removal. The high carbide content cermets exhibited increasing erosion resistance as the carbide volume fraction was increased. For those alloys where the carbide content was high enough so that the carbide particles were actually in contact and supported each other (greater than 80 vol.%), forming a skeleton, the role of the softer matrix was diminished and the cermets eroded at lower rates than plain carbon steels. At carbide fractions of about 70 vol.% some cermets eroded at rates comparable with those of plain carbon steels. Carbide fractions of about 90 vol.% were needed in most cases to effect a significant improvement in erosion resistance.
Orienting frames and private routines: The role of cultural process in critical care safety

Abstract Background Being a nurse in the ICU requires extensive clinical knowledge as well as great skill in making stressful decisions and acting decisively while maintaining close working relationships with team members and other hospital staff. Nurses in the ICU draw on social, cognitive, and technological resources to accomplish tasks and achieve goals. Culture is a process that creates and makes available these resources through the situated activities of ICU actors. Aim To understand the means by which cultural process enhances patient safety by establishing and maintaining barriers to adverse events. Methods During the final month of a year-long ethnographic study of patient safety in an ICU, we interviewed nine staff nurses of the unit, and asked them to talk about the details of their work routines. From this talk, and drawing upon our field notes, we identified shared “orienting frames” which are used by nurses to organize, prioritize, conduct, and evaluate their work. Results We report on three orienting frames commonly articulated by interviewees. “Being organized” creates the means for streamlining work in a way that makes it efficient and robust to expected challenges. “Being prepared for emergencies” creates means for effectively coping with the inevitable crises. Finally, “Being responsible and accountable” creates means for nurses to demand resources and to act decisively when they otherwise might not be granted the authority to do so. Conclusions To understand safety in health care, we must go beyond investigating adverse events that arise due to insufficient safety barriers, and study how cultural process creates and maintains these barriers. Understanding cultural process would help improve design and implementation of safety-enhancing interventions and technologies in the ICU.
Interdependent decision strategies in zero-sum games: a computer-controlled study.

While the theory of games has stimulated research into the nature of interdependent decision strategies it leaves much to be desired as a psychological theory. Furthermore, experiments which have been aimed at evaluating the predictive power of this theory have failed to use methods which permit the detailed analysis of interdependent decision processes. It is suggested that digital computers can be used to solve this methodological problem by having the machine interact, according to predetermined strategies, with human subjects. An experiment was conducted to investigate the structure of interdependent strategies in an effort to illuminate the psychological processes involved. In order to construct an experimental task in which both interdependence and experimental control of the form of the interdependence would be possible, a small digital computer was programmed to play zero-sum games against human subjects. The machine was programmed to play the game according to three different strategies. The first of these was the minimax strategy. The second program employed a strategy which kept a record of the number of times the subject chose each response and used this information to compute, on each trial, an estimate of the expected loss associated with each of its choices. On each trial, the program chose the response having the least expected loss. The third program generated its choices in the same manner as the previous one, except that it only “remembers” the five most recent choices of the subject to use as estimates of choice probabilities in computing the expected losses. This program thus had a limited memory. Fourteen human subjects played a zero-sum game against each of these programs for a total of 150 trials. The sequence of choices for each subject was analyzed in an effort to determine how the different strategies used by the machine affected the strategies used by the subjects. The analyses indicated that the decision strategies adopted by the subjects depended critically on the strategy used by the computer. The subjects' strategies were effective, although not strictly optimal, against those of the machine. The results reveal a level of complexity not previously observed in the study of interdependent decision processes and some implications of these results for theory construction are discussed.
Feasibility of computer-assisted diabetes education in hispanic seniors

This study is aimed to evaluate the feasibility of diabetes computer-assisted education model combining behavioral theories and interactive computer media among seniors in the Hispanic community.
Image processing applied to gravity and topography data covering the continental U.S.

A great deal of digital topographic information and gravity data exist that cover the continental United States. For instance, data sets that can be purchased from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) include (a) elevations averaged over 30 s of latitude and longitude for the coterminus United States and (b) over a half million gravity readings from stations distributed across the entire country, although in an irregular manner. Both the topography and the gravity data sets are fundamental to the understanding of the structure of the crust and lithosphere, and especially to the understanding of the relationships between topography and structure [McGinnis et al., 1979; McNutt, 1981; and others].
Biaxial nematic phase in bent-core thermotropic mesogens.

A biaxial nematic phase had been predicted with ${D}_{2h}$ symmetry, wherein the mesogen's long and short transverse axes are simultaneously aligned along the two orthogonal, primary and secondary directors, $\mathbf{n}$ and $\mathbf{m}$, respectively. The unique low-angle x-ray diffraction patterns in the nematic phases exhibited by three rigid bent-core mesogens clearly reveal their biaxiality. The results of x-ray diffraction can be readily reproduced by ab initio calculations that explicitly include the bent-core shape in the form factor and assume short-range positional correlations.
The Effect of Environmental Temperature on Airway Resistance in the Asthmatic Child

Extract: To test the hypothesis that receptors to cold are in the upper air passages, the effect of a change in environmental temperature from a high of 90–95° F to a low of 50–55° F was studied in a group of eight children with a history of chronic asthma before and after applying topical anesthesia to nose and pharynx; nine children without cardiac or pulmonary disease served as control subjects. The forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), the maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV), and the maximum expiratory flow rates at 50% (V50) and 25% (V25) of the vital capacity were used to assess airflow resistance. In the untreated asthmatic there was a significant fall in all test values at the low temperature (P 0.05). These results offer additional evidence in support of the reflex nature of cold-induced bronchoconstriction with cold-sensitive receptors present in the upper airways. Speculation: The increase in airway resistance noted in the asthmatic patients as environmental temperature was reduced, even though the absolute level was not very low, indicates that there are temperature-sensitive receptors in the upper airways which respond to a change in temperature as well as to the absolute level of temperature.
A Novel Phosphatidic Acid-Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase D2 Axis Is Essential for ERBB2 Signaling in Mammary Epithelial Cells

Background: The role of protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) in ERBB2 signaling is undefined. Results: Phosphatidic acid (PA) activated PTPD2; inhibition of PA production or PTPD2 expression attenuated ERBB2-mediated morphological changes in mammary epithelial cells. Conclusion: The PLD2-PTPD2 axis is required for ERBB2 signaling. Significance: PA-regulated PTPD2 activity is a novel, positive element of ERBB2 signaling, which may offer a new therapeutic strategy in breast cancer. We used a loss-of-function screen to investigate the role of classical protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) in three-dimensional mammary epithelial cell morphogenesis and ERBB2 signaling. The study revealed a novel role for PTPD2 as a positive regulator of ERBB2 signaling. Suppression of PTPD2 attenuated the ERBB2-induced multiacinar phenotype in three-dimensional cultures specifically by inhibiting ERBB2-mediated loss of polarity and lumen filling. In contrast, overexpression of PTPD2 enhanced the ERBB2 phenotype. We also found that a lipid second messenger, phosphatidic acid, bound PTPD2 in vitro and enhanced its catalytic activity. Small molecule inhibitors of phospholipase D (PLD), an enzyme that produces phosphatidic acid in cells, also attenuated the ERBB2 phenotype. Exogenously added phosphatidic acid rescued the PLD-inhibition phenotype, but only when PTPD2 was present. These findings illustrate a novel pathway involving PTPD2 and the lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid that promotes ERBB2 function.
Specific heat of silver-gold alloys below 30 °K

The present measurements on six alloys cover the range 2.5-30 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and are combined with earlier data below 3 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K on the same alloys for analysis. The anomalous maximum at about 8 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K in the Debye temperature of gold slowly decreases in magnitude and moves to lower temperatures as silver is added to gold. The alloy specific heats are compared with those calculated using the Kopp-Neumann rule (i.e., mixtures of the pure metals) and show negative percentage deviations of similar form for all alloys with the magnitude depending on composition and reaching a maximum for the equiatomic alloy. The nuclear entropy observed in the alloys but not in the pure metals is discussed in the context of the third law of thermodynamics and computation of the thermodynamic functions.
A case study of learner and instructor perceptions of flipped course design and interactive learning environment

Student learning preferences have changed dramatically over the past decade aligned with the fast-paced changes in technology, however, university courses, instructors and classroom spaces have lagged behind technology advances. Emerging, innovative alternatives to traditional learning in higher education classes are online or distance education, flipped course design or learning model and hybrid or blended courses. The focus of this study was to determine students’ and teacher perceptions of flipped course design and learning in a technologically advanced, interactive learning space. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed positive, reflective responses to student and teacher experiences with the flipped learning model (flipped content, pace of information delivery, in-class homework) and interactive classroom environment (learning environment, innovative technology, transparent problem-solving). The interactive technology in the class environment allowed students to experience multiple methods and opportunities for mastering content and skills. This environment also encouraged risk-taking in both teaching and learning.
The Marginal Cost of Funds and the Shadow Prices of Public Sector Inputs and Outputs

Existing studies on the marginal cost of funds (MCF) do not incorporate the public sector inputs explicitly. Incorporating labor and capital as public sector inputs raises questions concerning the definition and the usage of the MCF, and its relation to public sector shadow prices. This paper finds that the MCF should be defined based on the excess revenue rather than the gross revenue; that general equilibrium effects on individuals' net income and government's inframarginal expenditures should be incorporated; and that the MCF measures an element in the shadow price that is solely attributable to the marginal financing, justifying the role of the MCF in cost-benefit analysis and tax reform.
GTP Cyclohydrolase I Feedback Regulatory Protein Is Expressed in Serotonin Neurons and Regulates Tetrahydrobiopterin Biosynthesis

Tetrahydrobiopterin, the coenzyme required for hydroxylation of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, regulates its own synthesis through feedback inhibition of GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH) mediated by a regulatory subunit, the GTP cyclohydrolase feedback regulatory protein (GFRP). In the liver, L-phenylalanine specifically stimulates tetrahydrobiopterin synthesis by displacing tetrahydrobiopterin from the GTPCH-GFRP complex. To explore the role of this regulatory system in rat brain, we examined the localization of GFRP mRNA using double-label in situ hybridization. GFRP mRNA expression was abundant in serotonin neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus but was undetectable in dopamine neurons of the midbrain or norepinephrine neurons of the locus coeruleus. Simultaneous nuclease protection assays for GFRP and GTPCH mRNAs showed that GFRP mRNA is most abundant within the brainstem and that the ratio of GFRP to GTPCH mRNA is much higher than in the ventral midbrain. Two species of GFRP mRNA differing by approximately 20 nucleotides in length were detected in brainstem but not in other tissues, with the longer, more abundant form being common to other brain regions. It is interesting that the pineal and adrenal glands did not contain detectable levels of GFRP mRNA, although GTPCH mRNA was abundant in both. Primary neuronal cultures were used to examine the role of GFRP-mediated regulation of GTPCH on tetrahydrobiopterin synthesis within brainstem serotonin neurons and midbrain dopamine neurons. L-Phenylalanine increased tetrahydrobiopterin levels in serotonin neurons to a maximum of twofold in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas D-phenylalanine and L-tryptophan were without effect. In contrast, tetrahydrobiopterin levels within cultured dopamine neurons were not altered by L-phenylalanine. The time course of this effect was very rapid, with a maximal response observed within 60 min. Inhibitors of tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis prevented the L-phenylalanine-induced increase in tetrahydrobiopterin levels. 7,8-Dihydroneopterin, a reduced pteridine capable of inhibiting GTPCH in a GFRP-dependent manner, decreased tetrahydrobiopterin levels in cultures of both serotonin and dopamine neurons. This inhibition was reversed by L-phenylalanine in serotonin but not in dopamine neurons. Our data suggest that GTPCH activity within serotonin neurons is under a tonic inhibitory tone mediated by GFRP and that tetrahydrobiopterin levels are maintained by the balance of intracellular concentrations of tetrahydrobiopterin and L-phenylalanine. In contrast, although tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis within dopamine neurons is also feedback-regulated, L-phenylalanine plays no role, and therefore tetrahydrobiopterin may have a direct effect on GTPCH activity.
Influence of DNA repair deficiencies on the UV sensitivity of yeast cells in different cell cycle stages.

Abstract Synchronously dividing haploid yeast cells were UV-irradiated in various stages of the cell cycle after release from α-factor arrest. In confirmation of earlier results (Chanet et al., 1973), in wild-type strains G1/S phase cells were found to be the most sensitive and late S/G2 cells the most resistant. Stationary-phase (G 0 ) cells were significantly more UV resistant than G1 cells. Strains defective in nucleotide excision repair lost enhanced resistance in the G2 phase and were most UV-sensitive in the G o state. Reduced G2 resistance was also observed in rad6 mutants but not in rad9 mutants. After UV-irradiation in G1 phase rad9 mutant cells showed a reduced G1/S phase arrest.
Intrathecal topotecan in adult patients with neoplastic meningitis

Purpose. The efficacy and safety of intrathecal topotecan were assessed in patients with neoplastic meningitis (NM) by retrospective chart review. Summary. Fourteen patients (median age, 57 years) with NM were treated with the standard of care (i.e., regional or systemic chemotherapy or irradiation or both) plus intrathecal topotecan between January 2004 and September 2005. Three patients developed NM in the setting of systemic cancer; 11 patients had primary central nervous system (CNS) malignancies. All patients received 0.4 mg of topotecan intrathecally two times per week. The efficacy of intrathecal topotecan was assessed on the basis of the number of doses to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytologic clearing—defined as the disappearance of malignant cells from a previously positive CSF cytology. Safety was evaluated by chart documentation of adverse events that might have been associated with topotecan given intrathecally. Of the 11 patients with primary CNS tumors, 6 patients achieved CSF clearing after the first dose of intrathecal topotecan, 2 patients after the second dose, and 1 patient after the fifth dose. For the 3 patients with secondary CSF tumors, 1 patient achieved CSF clearing after the third dose and 2 patients did not reach the primary endpoint. Overall, 6 of the 14 patients achieved CSF clearing after the first dose of intrathecal topotecan; in 10 of the 14 patients, CSF clearing of malignant cells was observed at some point during treatment. Toxicity was modest. The most common adverse effect reported was fatigue. Conclusion. Intrathecal topotecan appeared to be effective and safe in adult patients with NM.
TeamSearch: comparing techniques for co-present collaborative search of digital media

Interactive tables can enhance small group colocated collaborative work in many domains. One application enabled by this new technology is copresent, collaborative search for digital content. For example, a group of students could sit around an interactive table and search for digital images to use in a report. We have developed TeamSearch, an application that enables this type of activity by supporting group specification of Boolean style queries. We explore whether TeamSearch should consider all group members' activities as contributing to a single query or should interpret them as separate, parallel search requests. The results reveal that both strategies are similarly efficient, but that collective query formation has advantages in terms of enhancing group collaboration and awareness, allowing users to bootstrap query specification skills, and personal preference. This suggests that team centric ills may offer benefits beyond the "staples" of efficiency and result quality that are usually considered when designing search interfaces.
Interactive visualization of mixed scalar and vector fields

This paper describes an approach for interactive visualization of mixed scalar and vector fields, in which vector icons are generated from pre-voxelized icon templates and volume-rendered together with the volumetric scalar data. This approach displays simultaneously the global structure of the scalar field and the detailed features of the vector field. Interactive visualization is achieved with incremental image update, by re-rendering only a small portion of the image wherever and whenever a change occurs. This technique supports a set of interactive visualization tools, including change of vector field visualization parameters, real-time animation of vector icons advected within the scalar field, a zooming lens, and a local probe. Subject Terms: data visualisation; interactive systems; graphical user interfaces; rendering (computer graphics); interactive visualization; scalar fields; vector fields; vector icons; pre-voxelized icon templates; volume-rendered; volumetric scalar data; incremental image update; real-time animation; zooming lens; local probe
Die-level leakage power analysis of FinFET circuits considering process variations

In the recent past, FinFETs have been touted as promising alternatives to planar CMOS owing to their superior short-channel characteristics. However, due to lithographic constraints, they are likely to suffer from the effects of process variations, which are manifested as large spreads in leakage current and delay in combinational logic circuits. In this work, we model the leakage probability density function (pdf) in shorted-gate (SG), independent-gate (IG)/low-power (LP), and mixed-terminal (MT) FinFET standard logic cells, and examine the leakage tradeoffs in benchmark circuits synthesized using combinations of SG-, LP-, and MT-mode logic cells under the effect of process variations. Using quasi-Monte Carlo mixed-mode device simulations in Sentaurus TCAD, we develop simple macromodels to capture the physical effects influencing the leakage spread in SG- and IG-mode FinFET devices, and extend it to stacked devices in NAND/NOR gates. We also implement a methodology to obtain the overall leakage current distribution for large circuits (synthesized using SG/LP/MT-mode logic cells) using Latin hypercube sampling, considering spatial correlation on a quad-tree based grid. Results indicate that, starting from a 100% SG-mode circuit, the leakage spread/yield point can be improved considerably by suitably introducing LP-mode and MT-mode gates at iso-delay. We also show that increasing the fraction of LP/MT-mode gates (to reduce the mean and variance in leakage) in an SG-mode circuit, by permitting a delay slack, yields diminishing returns. Mixing LP- and MT-mode gates with SG-mode gates appears to be a promising synthesis strategy that can leverage the leakage tradeoffs offered by FinFET standard cells.
Prediction of fast fading parameters by resolving the interference pattern

We investigated a new deterministic approach to the estimation and prediction of the fading channel by exploiting the physical nature of the flat fading signal. Since the direct signal and the reflected signals form an interference pattern, the received signal is given by a sum of several scattered components. These are distinguished by their Doppler shifts at the mobile. The slowly varying parameters associated with these components are determined and tracked, and the composite fading signal is predicted. This approach will potentially result in the ability to anticipate and avoid "deep fades" which severely limit the performance of wireless communications systems and will aid in the development of low power mobile radio systems.
Correlation of surface mount plastic package reliability testing to nondestructive inspection by scanning acoustic microscopy

The effects of delamination at the mold component/die interface during reliability testing are investigated using scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), and electrical and physical analyses. The SAM results are correlated with electrical end point (EEP) tests and destructive physical analysis. The spread of delamination during temperature cycling of units is examined. It is demonstrated that scanning acoustic microscopy provides a significant improvement over cross sectioning for the inspection of critical defects in IC packages. The impact of this result on a test method for package reliability evaluation based on inspection for package cracks is discussed. >
Treatment of Multiple Myeloma: A Comprehensive Review

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a neoplastic plasma cell disorder that results in end-organ damage (hypercalcemia, renal insufficiency, anemia, or skeletal lesions). Patients should not be treated unless they have symptomatic (end-organ damage) MM. They should be classified as having high-risk or standard-risk disease. Patients are classified as high risk in the presence of hypodiploidy or deletion of chromosome 13 (del[13]) with conventional cytogenetics, the presence of t(4:14), t(14;16), t(14;20) translocations or del(17p) with fluorescence in situ hybridization. High-risk disease accounts for about 25% of patients with symptomatic MM. If the patient is deemed eligible for an autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), 3 or 4 cycles of lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone, or bortezomib and dexamethasone, or thalidomide and dexamethasone are reasonable choices. Stem cells should then be collected and one may proceed with an ASCT. If the patient has a complete response or a very good partial response (VGPR), the patient may be followed without maintenance therapy. If the patient has a less than VGPR, a second ASCT is encouraged. If the patient is in the high-risk group, a bortezomib-containing regimen to maximum response followed by 2 additional cycles of therapy is a reasonable approach. Lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone is another option for maintenance until progression. If the patient is considered ineligible for an ASCT, then melphalan, prednisone, and thalidomide is suggested for the standard-risk patient, and melphalan, prednisone, and bortezomib (MPV) for the high-risk patient. Treatment of relapsed or refractory MM is covered. The novel therapies-thalidomide, bortezomib, and lenalidomide-have resulted in improved survival rates. The complications of MM are also described. Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell neoplasm that is characterized by a single clone of plasma cells producing a monoclonal protein (M-protein). The malignant proliferation of plasma cells produces skeletal destruction that leads to bone pain and pathologic fractures. The M-protein might lead to renal failure, hyperviscosity syndrome, or through the suppression of uninvolved immunoglobulins, recurrent infections. Anemia and hypercalcemia are common complications.
DRUG UTILIZATION AND REPORTED ADVERSE REACTIONS IN HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN

An intensive drug surveillance program has been developed to study the clinical effects of drugs in hospitalized children. This program collects information on drug exposures and the occurrence of adverse clinical events. The 1669 children monitored to date received an average of 7.6 drugs during an average hospital stay of 8.4 days. A group of specified adverse clinical events, whether or not drug attributed, occurred in 45.7% of the patients; drug-attributed events (adverse drug reactions) occurred in 16.8%. Both drug use and reported adverse reactions tended to increase with age, except that newborns received many drugs but had the lowest reported adverse reaction rates. Newborns, however, had the highest rate of adverse events not attributed to drugs, suggesting that perhaps some of these latter events include presently unrecognized adverse drug reactions.
Polymethine dyes for all-optical switching applications: a quantum-chemical characterization of counter-ion and aggregation effects on the third-order nonlinear optical response

Polymethine dyes have recently demonstrated promise for all-optical switching applications at telecommunications wavelengths as they can combine large refractive optical nonlinearities with low single-photon and two-photon optical losses. Here, we use density functional theory and symmetry-adapted cluster configuration interaction calculations to characterize model streptocyanine molecules. We first consider the isolated, closed-shell cationic molecules and then complexes formed by the molecules with chloride counter-ions and a series of aggregates. Our goal is to examine the influence of: (i) the presence of counter-ions and (ii) aggregation on the electronic structure and nonlinear optical properties. We find that the counter-ions increase the degree of bond-length alternation along the cyanine backbone, while aggregation significantly reduces the energy window between the lowest one-photon and two-photon excited states. Our results provide insight toward the design of new polymethine derivatives that could maintain large figures-of-merit for all-optical switching applications in the solid state.
Managing Battery and Supercapacitor Resources for Real-Time Sporadic Workloads

Batteries and supercapacitors are complementary: batteries have a high energy-to-weight ratio but are limited in the power levels they can support; supercapacitors can provide high levels of power while they have a much lower energy-to-weight ratio. A battery-supercapacitor duo can therefore prove useful in embedded systems serving sporadic, energy-intensive, tasks: the battery charges the capacitor at a low, fairly steady, rate which maximizes the energy that can be drawn from it, while the supercapacitor satisfies the impulse power demands of the application. In this letter, we characterize such energy sources by means of two performance measures: expected time before the first task failure and the fraction of tasks that fail before the battery dies. or the case of rare (but energy-intensive) sporadic tasks, we present semi-Markov models to evaluate these measures. For more frequent task arrivals, we provide simulation results. This letter demonstrates the impact of various parameters on our performance measures: power draw, capacitor sizing, and the battery rest scheduling policy.
Forms of workplace literacy using reflection-with-action methods: A scheme for inner-city adults

This paper reports on a study that was part of the Workplace Literacy Program for inner-city adults conducted at Columbia University in New York City. The program involves residents of public housing projects in Harlem, New York and provides a community-based alternative to vocational education. Participants receive training and mentoring on specific projects as well as guidance in assimilating to their new workplace ethos and in seeking new careers in information technology. The program was instrumental in developing the Inner-City Workplace Literacy Arc, which provides a scheme for assessing the workplace assimilation of inner-city adults along definable stages of development of contemporary labor-market skills. The program involves community organizations, institutions of higher education, and local businesses and thereby provides a more balanced approach to community-based learning than simple training programs. Participants have benefited by the use of reflection-with-action methods in their learning...
Using Health Literacy and Learning Style Preferences to Optimize the Delivery of Health Information

Limited patient understanding of hypertension contributes to poor health outcomes. In 2 sequential randomized studies, the authors determined the impact of administering information tailored to health literacy level alone or in combination with preferred learning style on patients' understanding of hypertension. Patients with high blood pressure were recruited in an academic emergency department. In Experiment 1 (N = 85), the control group received only the routine discharge instructions; the intervention group received discharge instructions combined with information consistent with their health literacy level as determined by the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy. In Experiment 2 (N = 87), the information provided to the intervention group was tailored to both health literacy and learning style, as indicated by the VARK™ Questionnaire. To measure learning, the authors compared scores on a hypertension assessment administered during the emergency department visit and 2 weeks after discharge. Participants who received materials tailored to both health literacy level and learning style preference showed greater gains in knowledge than did those receiving information customized for health literacy level only. This study demonstrates that personalizing health information to learning style preferences and literacy level improves patient understanding of hypertension.
Coherent Multiscale Image Processing Using Dual-Tree Quaternion Wavelets

The dual-tree quaternion wavelet transform (QWT) is a new multiscale analysis tool for geometric image features. The QWT is a near shift-invariant tight frame representation whose coefficients sport a magnitude and three phases: two phases encode local image shifts while the third contains image texture information. The QWT is based on an alternative theory for the 2D Hilbert transform and can be computed using a dual-tree filter bank with linear computational complexity. To demonstrate the properties of the QWT's coherent magnitude/phase representation, we develop an efficient and accurate procedure for estimating the local geometrical structure of an image. We also develop a new multiscale algorithm for estimating the disparity between a pair of images that is promising for image registration and flow estimation applications. The algorithm features multiscale phase unwrapping, linear complexity, and sub-pixel estimation accuracy.
Improving memory span in children with Down syndrome

Background Down syndrome (DS) is characterized by impaired memory span, particularly auditory verbal memory span. Memory span is linked developmentally to several language capabilities, and may be a basic capacity that enables language learning. If children with DS had better memory span, they might benefit more from language intervention. The present study evaluates a home-based parent-implemented intervention designed to improve auditory memory span in children with DS. Method Sixteen children with DS, age 6–14, completed one or two 3-month periods of memory training using overt cumulative rehearsal and auditory-only procedures. Children were divided into two groups. Group 1 completed 3 months of memory training followed by 3 months of visual activities, followed by three more months of memory training. Group 2 had the opposite schedule. Before and after each 3-month period, children came into the laboratory for memory assessment. Results Children improved in training sessions and a small amount on digit span, the primary proximal outcome assessment measure. Digit span improvement was linked to the memory training, as indicated by control comparisons and correlations. Improvement was correlated with language comprehension and verbal working memory, but not with non-verbal ability, age or home/behavioural variables. No improvement was evident on distal outcome measures (sentence memory and verbal working memory); however, a phonological similarity effect emerged coincidence with memory training, suggesting increased use of phonological codes in memory. Conclusions Results suggest that some children with DS can improve their auditory verbal memory span with home-based rehearsal training, at least in limited ways. Children with good language and verbal working memory skills may be the best candidates for this type of training, even though they may show only small improvements. Still, small improvements in a severely impaired function are noteworthy, and justify further investigation.
Antagonism of wild-type and resistant Escherichia coli and its DNA gyrase by the tricyclic 4-quinolone analogs ofloxacin and S-25930 stereoisomers.

Abstract The mechanism of action of the quinolone analogs ofloxacin and S-25930, which are unusual because of the presence of a third ring with an asymmetric carbon, was studied. Drug-resistant strains of Escherichia coli were selected by serial passage in the presence of ofloxacin, and a mutation was mapped near the gyrA gene of DNA gyrase. DNA gyrase containing the A subunit purified from this strain as compared with the isogenic wild-type strain exhibited increased resistance to ofloxacin, proving that the mutation was located in the gyrA gene. For S-25930, the S stereoisomer was more potent than the R isomer in inhibiting wild-type E. coli and DNA gyrase containing an A subunit isolated from this strain. Both isomers had decreased potency against the isogenic ofloxacin-resistant (gyrA) strain and its purified enzyme, but the S isomer remained more potent than the R isomer. These studies, using a combined genetic and biochemical approach, demonstrate (i) that DNA gyrase is a target of the tricyclics ofloxacin and S-25930, (ii) that serial exposure to ofloxacin can select resistance to tricyclic quinolone agents by mutation in the gyrA gene, and (iii) that the more potent antibacterial activity of S relative to R S-25930 correlates with increased activity against DNA gyrase for both wild-type and ofloxacin-resistant (gyrA) isogenic strains.
Meaning and membership: samples in rap music, 1979–1995

This paper uses art works as the units of analysis to examine the constitution of a musical art world. I utilize data from rap music – a successful genre with a non-traditional musical score comprised of lyrics, music and samples of other recordings. In particular, I analyze the use of 750 musical samples in 473 rap songs that appeared on the weekly Billboard Top 100 R&B Singles charts from 1979 to 1995. Valuation of rap music rests in part on qualities of sample use. In particular, the qualities of samples include the identifiability of source material, the cost of its use, technical amenability to the process (pragmatic distinction), and musical or political attributes (symbolic distinction). These valuations tell listeners how to sort rappers into artistic circles, or sub-genres. These valuations and signals shift over time, as do the boundaries of these artistic circles. In sum, rap artists use samples to assert meaning and identity, just as other artists use literary reference or allegory. This study offers novel data for studying meaning and membership in creative industries. # 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Risk Assessment Stability: A Revalidation Study of the Arizona Risk/Needs Assessment Instrument.

The actuarial method is the gold standard for risk assessment in child welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice. It produces risk classifications that are highly predictive and that may be robust to sampling error. This article reports a revalidation study of the Arizona Risk/Needs Assessment instrument, an actuarial instrument for juvenile offenders. Results of this study (N = 29,711) show that the actuarial model provided stable predictive validity estimates for recidivism up to 7 years after its initial validation and that predictive validity did not vary appreciably for males, females, White offenders, Latino youth, African American youth, and Native American youth. These findings lend further support to the actuarial approach to risk assessment and clarify the literature about risk assessment across gender and race/ethnicity.
Time Scale Re-Sampling to Improve Transient Event Averaging

As the drive to make automobiles more noise and vibration free continues, it has become necessary to analyze transient events as well as periodic and random phenomena. Averaging of transient events requires a repeatable event as well as an available trigger event. Knowing the exact event time, the data can be postprocessed by re-sampling the time scale to capture the recorded event at the proper instant in time to allow averaging. Accurately obtaining the event time is difficult given the sampling restrictions of current data acquisition hardware. This paper discusses the ideal hardware needed to perform this type of analysis, and provides analytical examples showing the transient averaging improvements using time scale re-sampling. These improvements are applied to noise source identification of a single transient event using an arrayed microphone technique. With this technique, the averaging is performed using time delays between potential sources and microphones in the array. As a result, the relative time information needed is contained within the measured data and a separate trigger event and event time are not required.
Once-Fatal Conditions Have Become Chronic: Early Trends in the FDA's 2015 Approvals.

For patients, newly approved drugs represent exciting opportunities to treat serious disease states, many of which have had few treatment options available. New therapies have enabled physicians to initiate treatment earlier and to continue treatment throughout the disease progression. The goal of early therapy is to alleviate the long-term effects of chronic or life-threatening conditions, but when treatment occurs earlier and lasts longer, the cost of therapy also increases.1 In early 2015, new vaccines, treatments for HIV/AIDS, and oncology medications have been prominent among new approvals by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Thanks to advances in treatment, all 3 of these therapeutic categories have either prevented once-fatal diseases or have begun to transform them into sustainable, chronic conditions. The Table lists the new drugs in all clinical categories approved by the FDA by March 10, 2015. Table New 2015 FDA-Approved Drugs, as of March 10
Role of the Pharmacist in the Management of Acute Heart Failure Syndrome

Managing pharmacotherapy is a complex process in patients with acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS). Focus should be placed on ensuring that evidence-based therapies are prescribed, and that heart failure (HF) medications are prescribed appropriately. Many adverse effects and medication errors occur due to a failure to recognize pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic alterations that are present in the patient with AHFS. Pharmacists are uniquely trained to focus on the appropriate use of medications in challenging clinical scenarios. These individuals can be extremely helpful in selecting and monitoring medical regimens, as well as providing focused patient education. This chapter reviews the role of the pharmacist in the care of patients with AHFS.
Feedback Control Design Using the Finite Difference Model

This chapter uses the finite difference equation model of the ramp system for designing feedback control laws. This model is obtained by time discretization of the ODE model. We will design feedback control laws for isolated ramp metering problems, isolated with mixed sensitivity, and coordinated with and without mixed sensitivity. Software and simulation results will also be presented.
Self-Interference Incoherent Digital Holography for Holographic Fluorescence Microscopy

We present recent progress in the development of self-interference incoherent digital holography for holographic fluorescence microscopy, including aberration compensation of fluorescent holographic image and 3D differential holography.