cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-nuclearity [Pd13Ni13(CO)34]4− containing a 26-atom Pd13Ni13 core with an unprecedented five-layer close-packed triangular stacking geometry: possible substitutional Pd/Ni crystal disorder at specific intralayer nickel sites

[Pd13Ni10(Ni3 − xPdx)(CO)34]4−1 has been prepared in essentially quantitative yields (>90%) from room-temperature reactions of [Ni6(CO)12]2− with either Pd(OAc)2 in DMF or Pd(MeCN)4(BF4)2 in DMSO. The crystal structure of 1 as the [PPh4]+ salt was determined from low-temperature CCD X-ray crystallographic analyses of three crystals. 1 was also characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR, and electrochemical (CV) measurements. Its structurally unprecedented 26-atom metal polyhedron consists of a 5-layer close-packed triangular stacking arrangement of pseudo-C3v symmetry with an [a(Ni)b(Ni3)c(Pd6)a(Pd7Ni3)c(Ni3M3)] sequence. The overall geometry of the 20-atom ν3 tetrahedral Pd13Ni7 framework in the top four ccp layers is analogous to the pseudo-Td cubic geometry of the metal-core previously found in [Pd16Ni4(CO)22(PPh3)4]2− and [Os20(CO)40]2−. Each M in the bottom fifth Ni3M3 layer denotes an inner triangular atomic site where a substitutional Pd/Ni crystal disorder may occur; the composite composition of the three M sites corresponds to Ni3 − xPdx with x = 0.45 for crystal A and 0 for B and C. We thereby formulate 1 to possess a stoichiometric Pd13Ni13 core even though crystallographic evidence from crystal A indicates the existence of a crystal disorder involving a small substitution of Pd for Ni at two of the three inner atomic M sites within the Ni3M3 layer. The entire geometry of 1 (including the 34 carbonyl ligands) ideally conforms to C3v trigonal symmetry. A qualitative structure/bonding analysis was performed in order to correlate the geometry of 1 with its electron count. The maximum metal-core diameter is ca. 0.87 nm parallel and 0.56 nm perpendicular to the principal 3-fold axis.
Re-evaluating neonatal-age models for ungulates: does model choice affect survival estimates?

New-hoof growth is regarded as the most reliable metric for predicting age of newborn ungulates, but variation in estimated age among hoof-growth equations that have been developed may affect estimates of survival in staggered-entry models. We used known-age newborns to evaluate variation in age estimates among existing hoof-growth equations and to determine the consequences of that variation on survival estimates. During 2001–2009, we captured and radiocollared 174 newborn (≤24-hrs old) ungulates: 76 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Minnesota and South Dakota, 61 mule deer (O. hemionus) in California, and 37 pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in South Dakota. Estimated age of known-age newborns differed among hoof-growth models and varied by >15 days for white-tailed deer, >20 days for mule deer, and >10 days for pronghorn. Accuracy (i.e., the proportion of neonates assigned to the correct age) in aging newborns using published equations ranged from 0.0% to 39.4% in white-tailed deer, 0.0% to 3.3% in mule deer, and was 0.0% for pronghorns. Results of survival modeling indicated that variability in estimates of age-at-capture affected short-term estimates of survival (i.e., 30 days) for white-tailed deer and mule deer, and survival estimates over a longer time frame (i.e., 120 days) for mule deer. Conversely, survival estimates for pronghorn were not affected by estimates of age. Our analyses indicate that modeling survival in daily intervals is too fine a temporal scale when age-at-capture is unknown given the potential inaccuracies among equations used to estimate age of neonates. Instead, weekly survival intervals are more appropriate because most models accurately predicted ages within 1 week of the known age. Variation among results of neonatal-age models on short- and long-term estimates of survival for known-age young emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate hoof-growth equation and appropriately defining intervals (i.e., weekly versus daily) for estimating survival.
Asymptotic performance of space-time block codes over correlated Rician MIMO channels

The effect of correlated fading on the performance of space-time block codes (STBCs) over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Rician fading channels is studied. The asymptotic error probability formulas for orthogonal STBC and the asymptotic pair-wise error probability (PEP) for non-orthogonal STBC in correlated Rician MIMO channels with high average signal-to-noise ratios (ASNRs) are derived, in terms of the diversity and coding gains. We show that the phase vector Phi of the channel line-of-sight (LOS) components and the fading correlation pattern have a significant impact on the performance of STBC in correlated Rician fading channels. The asymptotic upper and lower bounds of the receiver performance as a function of vector Phi are derived. Our results show that with correlated fading the phase vector Phi affects the effective Rice K-factor at the STBC receiver output, and hence may result in a coding gain significantly higher than the independent fading case. Furthermore, when the channel covariance matrix is rank deficient and under some mild conditions, the receiver's performance approaches that in a non-fading channel
Analysis of break frequencies downstream of a constriction in a cylindrical tube

Abstract Experiments were performed to correlate steady-flow power spectra downstream of a stenosis in a cylindrical tube with the flow geometry and velocity. The experiments were motivated by the need to improve quantitative phonoangiography. An objective break frequency (fb) was computed from spectra of velocity fluctuations, as measured with a hot film anemometer. Least squares fits with two independent variables were used to find an empirical relationship between a Strouhal number (S2), the contraction ratio ( d s D ) and the Reynolds number (Re). The variables D and ds are, respectively, the unobstructed tubing diameter and the inner diameter of the stenosis. The relationship found was S 2 = Re 0.72 ( d s D ) 0.26 . The contraction ratio d s D , can be found from the empirical relation in terms of known parameters. For the hot wire data the average error between the computed value of d s D and the known value was 2.3%.
A lexical-tree division-based approach to parallelizing a cross-word speech decoder for multi-core processors

We present a novel approach to parallelizing a lexical-tree based LVCSR decoding algorithm for multi-core desktop processors. The approach distributes the search space among the cores by dividing the lexical tree in a way that minimizes communication between cores. Synchronization and load balancing schemes for this approach are described. The parallel algorithm is benchmarked on a 5k-word Wall Street Journal task. The context-dependent triphone model baseline system achieves a WER of 8.4%. The algorithm is shown to achieve a speedup of 1.63 on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, with an average CPU utilization of 86%. The results also show that increasing the width of pruning schemes improves the parallel speedup.
A new X-factor contribution measure for identifying machine level capacity constraints and variability

Semiconductor manufacturing is a very complex process involving product mix, reentry lot flows, batching, and machine breakdowns all of which contribute to system variability. Reducing variability in a manufacturing process lowers lot cycle times. This study examines the issue of identifying machines that constrain the system and have a major impact on they system's cycle time. A new X-factor contribution measurement is developed that considers processing time variability and lot arrival variability among the constraining qualities of the machine groups. The effectiveness of this new measure to identify machine groups that significantly impact mean cycle time is tested in several operating scenarios.
Betacellulin inhibits osteogenic differentiation and stimulates proliferation through HIF-1α

Cellular signaling via epidermal growth factor (EGF) and EGF-like ligands can determine cell fate and behavior. Osteoblasts, which are responsible for forming and mineralizing osteoid, express EGF receptors and alter rates of proliferation and differentiation in response to EGF receptor activation. Transgenic mice over-expressing the EGF-like ligand betacellulin (BTC) exhibit increased cortical bone deposition; however, because the transgene is ubiquitously expressed in these mice, the identity of cells affected by BTC and responsible for increased cortical bone thickness remains unknown. We have therefore examined the influence of BTC upon mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and pre-osteoblast differentiation and proliferation. BTC decreases the expression of osteogenic markers in both MSCs and pre-osteoblasts; interestingly, increases in proliferation require hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-α), as an HIF antagonist prevents BTC-driven proliferation. Both MSCs and pre-osteoblasts express EGF receptors ErbB1, ErbB2, and ErbB3, with no change in expression under osteogenic differentiation. These are the first data that demonstrate an influence of BTC upon MSCs and the first to implicate HIF-α in BTC-mediated proliferation.
Improving quick writing performance of middle-school struggling learners

Writing performanceperformance of 279 seventh- and eighth-grade students in four urban charter schools was evaluated in comparison group pretest/posttest quasi-experimental study. Thirty-three students, identified by cut scores on a standardized fluency measure, received supplemental one-to-one Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) instruction for persuasive quick writing. Fifty-one students with scores below the cut participated as an eligible non-treatment comparison; 195 students with scores above the cut participated as a non-eligible comparison group. All students’ written responses were evaluated before and after the intervention. Results of repeated measures analysis indicated that students in treatment (additional instruction time + SRSD + planned practice-testing) significantly improved quick writing performance after instruction when compared to pretest performance, and when compared to eligible comparison, with large effect sizes for number of persuasive elements and organizational quality and medium effects for persuasive quality. When compared to non-eligible comparison, students in treatment had significantly higher scores for organizational quality (large effects) and persuasive quality (small effects).
The biosynthesis of multi-l-arginyl-poly(l-aspartic acid) in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica

The cyanobacteria produce multi-L-arginyl-poly (aspartic acid), a high molecular weight (Mr=25 000-125 000) branched polypeptide consisting of a poly(aspartic acid) core with L-arginyl residues peptide bonded to each free carboxyl group of the poly(aspartic acid). An enzyme which will elongate Arg-poly(Asp) has been isolated and purified 92-fold from the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica. The enzyme incorporates arginine and aspartic acid into Arg-poly(Asp) in a reaction which requires ATP, KCl, MgCl2, and a sulfhydryl reagent. The enzymatic incorporation of arginine is dependent upon the presence of L-aspartic acid but not visa versa, a finding which suggests the order of amino acid addition to the branched polypeptide-aspartic acid is added to the core followed by the attachment of an arginine branch. The elongation of Arg-poly(Asp) in-vitro is insensitive to the addition of protein synthesis inhibitors and to the addition of nucleases. These findings support the notion previosly suggested from in-vivo studies that Arg-poly(Asp) is synthesized via a non-ribosomal route and also demonstrate that amino-acetylated transfer-RNAs play no part in at least one step of the biosynthetic mechanism.
The Mechanical Impact of the Tibetan Plateau on the Seasonal Evolution of the South Asian Monsoon

The impact of the Tibetan Plateau on the South Asian monsoon is examined using a hierarchy of atmospheric general circulation models. During the premonsoon season and monsoon onset (April‐June), when westerly winds over the Southern Tibetan Plateau are still strong, the Tibetan Plateau triggers early monsoon rainfalldownstream,particularlyovertheBay ofBengalandSouth China. The downstreammoist convection is accompanied by strong monsoonal low-level winds. In experiments where the Tibetan Plateau is removed, monsoon onset occurs about a month later, but the monsoon circulation becomes progressively stronger and reaches comparable strength during the mature phase. During the mature and decaying phase of monsoon (July‐September), when westerly winds over the Southern Tibetan Plateau almost disappear, monsoon circulation strength is not much affected by the presence of the Tibetan Plateau. A dry dynamical core with east‐west-oriented narrow mountains in the subtropics consistently simulates downstream convergence with background zonal westerlies over the mountain. In a moist atmosphere, the mechanically driven downstream convergence is expected to be associated with significant moisture convergence. The authors speculate that the mechanically driven downstream convergence in the presence of the
Climatology and implications for perennial lake ice occurrence at Bunger Hills Oasis, East Antarctica

The Bunger Hills Oasis (66°15'S; 100°45'E), a large ice-free expanse on the coast of East Antarctica, contains many lakes, only a few of which maintain an ice cover all year. To understand the environmental conditions that allow for persistent ice cover we established an automatic meteorological station on White Smoke Lake, a perennially ice-covered lake in contact with the Apfel Glacier. The data were collected from January 1992–July 1993. The mean annual solar flux during this period was 115 W m−2, the mean wind speed 4.6 m S−1, and the mean air temperature −11.2°C. Summer degree-days above freezing (71 °C-days) are similar to regions of the Antarctic (the McMurdo Dry Valleys - 78°45'S; 163°00'E) with thick perennial lake ice but the winter freezing degree days (3987 °C-Days) are much smaller and are closer to regions with seasonal ice covers (e.g. the high Arctic). The Bunger Hills Oasis seems to be in a marginal climatic region for the persistence of thick lake ice. Therefore, the extent of glacier ice contact becomes the controlling factor in maintaining an ice cover all year. We propose that this is either through the heat sink the glacier offers, and/or the positive feedback for ice growth provided by the high albedo of the adjacent glacier.
Microstructured Active Phosphate Glass Fibers for Fiber Lasers

In this paper, we report on progress in design and fabrication of microstructured fibers made of phosphate glasses. The combination of microstructured large core fibers and very high solubility of rare-earth ions leads to improved performance of compact fiber lasers with single-frequency emission at power levels above 2 W. Microstructure-induced birefringence in active phosphate fibers is also demonstrated as well as the possibility of birefringence due to subwavelength dielectric structures inside the fiber core.
The user of the future: Reimagining how we think about information

We live in world today where the average citizen can zoom into the planet from Google Earth, walk down a virtual street in Google Street View, access live imagery and video on breaking events from remote regions via YouTube and Instagram, and search 100 petabyte indexes that learn and evolve to tailor themselves to hundreds of millions of individual users and even adjust the material returned based on our daily life patterns, calendar, and present location. Searches look across hundreds of millions of distinct archives and deliver their results via APIs and advanced analytics accessible through mobile devices while we walk down the street. In this brave new world of information access, what does the information platform of the future look like and how does the user of the future think about, access, consume, and interact with this reimagined world of information? This transcript of the NFAIS 2015 keynote opening address explores the user of the future and what we can learn from current trends to reimagine how we think about information and how it is delivered.
Correction for " The Effect of Variation of Mass on the Dynamic Stability of Jet-Propelied Missiles"

]\y|"R. A. H. FLAX, of the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, -*-•-*• Inc., has pointed out that there is an error in the expres­ sions for the jet damping force and moment of the air-jet-type missile. This error comes about by neglecting the sudden change of momentum of the incoming air at the entrance of the duct. The air at the entrance of the duct has a velocity component of Qh at right angles to the undisturbed stream. The sudden change in momentum thus produces a force at the lip of caQh and a moment of caQh2. When these quantities are added to the expressions for the forces and moments representing the integrated coriolis forces [Eqs. (10) of the paper] the jet damping force be­ comes 2[c(k - h) + calo]Q
Gold Nanorod-Enhanced Light Absorption and Photoelectrochemical Performance of α-Fe2O3 Thin-Film Electrode for Solar Water Splitting

Surface plasmon-enhanced light absorption for photoelectrochemical water splitting at α-Fe2O3 thin film electrode coated with Au nanorods (NRs) is described. Au NRs are self-assembled onto a hematite thin film electrode using electrostatic force between their positively charged cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) layer and negatively charged hematite surface functionalized with poly(4-styrenesulfonate). The photoelectrochemical reaction of the plasmon active substrate for water oxidation reaction is performed and compared at various hematite layer thicknesses. When the α-Fe2O3 electrode is biased at a small potential +0.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl), the photocurrent of water oxidation is reduced because of increased recombination of holes and electrons at the surface of the Au NRs. When the bias potential is increased to +0.5 V (vs Ag/AgCl), a plasmon enhancement of the photoelectrochemical reaction of water oxidation at wavelengths near the plasmon resonance condition is observed at the α-Fe2O3 thin film electrode...
Exciton relaxation in PbSe nanorods.

Measurements of the picosecond-time-scale dynamics of photoexcited electrons in PbSe nanorods are reported. The intraband (1Π→1Σ) relaxation occurs with a time constant of ∼500 fs, which correspond...
Evaluation of Coefficients of Restitution Using High Speed Particle Shadow Velocimetry with Application to Particle Separators for Gas Turbine Engines

The effects of several parameters on the absolute, normal, tangential, and angular coefficients of restitution were evaluated experimentally for several particle and surface combinations. Glass beads and crushed quartz particulate were accelerated towards a target plate by means of a compressed air facility at velocities ranging from 15-80 meters per second. Several plate types were tested, including aluminum with surface roughness (characterized by the Ra value) of 0.25 and 2.8 micrometers, copper with a surface roughness of 0.25 micrometers, and an alumina ceramic with a surface roughness of 1 micrometer. The angle of the plate relative to the particle flow was varied from 10-80 degrees. Individual particle impacts were recorded using a high speed particle shadow velocimetry configuration. The resulting images were analyzed using a comprehensive code, yielding velocity, size, and shape information for each of the more than 1.8 million identified rebounds. In general, glass beads were shown to have higher coefficients of restitution than the quartz particles under identical conditions due to the sphericity of the glass beads relative to the quartz resulting in generally larger contact areas with the plate surface, leading to reduced plastic deformation. The random nature of the quartz particle shapes led to increased randomization of the rebound characteristics. Surface roughness was shown to lower the coefficient of restitution slightly and reduce the standard deviation in the CoR values for glass beads. With all other quantities being equal, a change in the plate material properties, specifically a reduction of the yield strength, resulted in a nearly constant reduction of the normal coefficient of restitution. Impacts on a ceramic plate revealed a tendency for the quartz particles to fracture and break apart at high impact velocities and angles. This effect resulted in a transfer of energy from the normal to the tangential direction, and increased the standard deviation of the coefficients of restitution. Further study into the effect of particle rotation and impact plate surface roughness is warranted.
Fixed sequencer ring topology for grid: A group communication system for complex systems in a wide area network

Complex Systems are more and more vulnerable to failures on account of their growing complexity and distribution. This problem motivates the need for a fault tolerance mechanism in such systems. Hence, we focus on distributed algorithmic review that make the task of failure detection and repair much easier.
Evolution of international law: Two thresholds, maybe a third

International law is a singular exception to the top-down systems of law within nations. It presents the puzzle of how the law can be created or changed in the absence of authoritative rule-making institutions. The present paper is part of a work in progress that locates the law-making apparatus of international law in a complex adaptive system. Herein the focus is on thresholds. The first and most detailed threshold describes the emergence of the complex adaptive system. The second threshold consists of the transformation of international law from the voluntary to the automatic. The third threshold is here but has not yet been crossed: actualizing human rights as enforceable claims by individuals against States.
Disparities in adversity among children with autism spectrum disorder: a population-based study.

Aim People with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) experience disparities in health. An important but overlooked risk factor for health disparities in the ASD population is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of ACEs among families of children with and without ASD, using a population-based sample. Method Data from the 2011 to 2012 National Survey of Child Health were analyzed to estimate prevalence of ACEs among families of children with and without ASD, age 3 to 17 years (ASD=1611; estimated population=1 165 34). The child's ASD status was obtained from parent report; ACEs were assessed with the modified Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale. Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses were utilized to investigate the relationship between ACEs and childhood ASD status. Results ASD status among children was significantly and independently associated with higher probability of reporting one to three ACEs (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] 1.53; 95% CI: 1.16–2.0; p<0.010) and four or more ACEs (aRRR 1.99; 95% CI: 1.35–2.91; p<0.010). Interpretation Children with ASD may experience a greater number of family and neighborhood adversities, potentially compromising their chances for optimal physical and behavioral health outcomes. Assessment and reduction of ACEs among families of young people with ASD could potentially contribute to the reduction of population health disparities.
Thomas’s Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

(1994). Thomas’s Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night. The Explicator: Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 113-115.
Augmented reality three-dimensional object visualization and recognition with axially distributed sensing: An Overview

Smart glasses allow a user to display digital information over a real world scene. In this work, we overview a work that combines smart glasses with a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique known as Axially Distributed sensing.
Structural Requirements for Uptake and Bioactivity of Rhizobium Chitolipooligosaccharides in Legume Roots as Revealed by Synthetic Analogs and Fluorescent Probes

We study the structure / function relationships of chitolipooligosaccharides (CLOSs) made by authentic wild type R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii ANU843 and their role in symbiotic development with white clover. Previously, we found that ANU843 accumulates a large (22+) family of CLOS glycolipids primarily in its membranes, and this structural diversity is unaltered in the ANU297nodE::Tn5 mutant derivative [from M. Djordjevic], despite its change in legume host range (Philip-Hollingsworth et al. 1995). Nevertheless, (sub)nano-molar concentrations of ANU843 membrane CLOSs fully elicit symbiosis-related responses in white clover roots, including Had and Ccd leading to nodule primordia, modulation of growth dynamics, localized disruption of crystalline wall architecture, and development of new infection sites in root hairs, and elevated chitinase activity in root exudate (Dazzo et al. 1996; Orgambide et al. 1996). Here, we prepared fluorescent-tagged NBD derivatives and synthetic analogs of ANU843 CLOSs to define their structural requirements for uptake and mitogenicity in living root cells, using laser scanning confocal microscopy and axenic seedling bioassays. We found that (i) NBD-CLOS conjugates are still Had+ and Ccd+, and are rapidly internalized within cell membranes and nuclei of living clover root hairs and cortical cells; (ii) the structural requirements for uptake and biological activity of CLOSs are directly correlated; and (iii) the smallest CLOS analog still internalized and mitogenic on both clover and alfalfa is a N-fattyacylglucosamine, without an essential requirement for oligomerization or functionalization of the polar head group or unsaturation of the fatty acyl tail (Philip-Hollingsworth et al. 1997).
Working collaboratively with humanoid robots

This paper presents an overview of our work towards building humanoid robots that can work alongside people as cooperative teammates. We present our theoretical framework based on a novel combination of joint intention theory and collaborative discourse theory, and demonstrate how it can be applied to allow a human to work cooperatively with a humanoid robot on a joint task using speech, gesture, and expressive cues. Such issues must be addressed to enable many new and exciting applications for humanoid robots that require them to assist ordinary people in daily activities or to work as capable members of human-robot teams.
If Addiction is not Best Conceptualized a Brain Disease, then What Kind of Disease is it?

A modest opposition to the brain disease concept of addiction has been mounting for at least the last decade. Despite the good intentions behind the brain disease rhetoric – to secure more biomedical funding for addiction, to combat “stigma,” and to soften criminal approaches – the very concept of addiction as a brain disease is deeply conceptually confused. We question whether Lewis goes far enough in his challenge, robust as it is, of the brain disease concept. For one thing, the notion that addiction is a disease (especially within the behavioral realm) is challenging to refute or confirm because the disease concept itself is poorly defined in medical and psychological nosology. More important, quibbling over what kind of disease addiction is unlikely to be productive. The rational response to adjudicating whether addiction is a brain disease is not to engage in potentially fruitless debates over the question of disease classification but rather to view addiction as an enormously complex set of behaviors that operate on several dimensions, ranging from molecular function and structure and brain physiology to psychology, the psychosocial environment, and social and cultural relations.
High Doses of CD34+ Cells Chemomobilized with G-CSF PBPC Collection Had Greater CD34(+) Cells Collected Than G-CSF Alone and Trended toward Reduced Progression Rate after Autologous PBPC Transplantation for Breast Cancer in a Phase III Trial.

We evaluated intensive chemotherapy prior to PBSC mobilization vs. G-CSF alone for PBPC mobilization in a randomized controlled trial of 143 patients who received high dose chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide 6 g/m 2 , thiotepa 750 mg/m 2 and BCNU 450 mg/m 2 over 3 days with PBSC support for treatment of breast cancer. 74 patients were randomized to chemomobilization with cisplatin 135 mg/m 2 , etoposide 1200 mg/m 2 , and cyclophosphamide 4.5 g/m 2 over 3 days plus G-CSF (6mcg/kg q12h)(CVP-G), while 69 patients received G-CSF alone with the collection goal >4 x 10 6 CD34(+) cells/kg. 77 patients were stage II–III, 66 were stage IV. The CVP-G group had improved mobilization with a collection of 18 (range 3–141) x 10 6 CD34(+) cells/kg compared with 4(2–13) x 10 6 /kg for the G-CSF group (p 40]. Only one patient in the G-CSF alone group collected >9 x 10 6 CD34(+) cells. In the CVP-G group progression trended toward being reduced in patients with CD34(+) cell doses collected of >9 x 10 6 /kg (57±9% vs. 65±11%, p=0.06) This effect was consistent for all stages. Overall survival was improved in the CVP-G patients collecting ≥9 x 10 6 CD34(+)/kg 62±7% vs. 27±11% those collecting less. For patients receiving CD34(+) doses ≤9 x 10 6 /kg, the progression rate was 65±11% in the CVP-G group and 68±6% in the G-CSF group (p=NS). Higher doses of CD34(+) cells collected by chemomobilization than G-CSF alone and those patients with the higher doses of CD34(+) collected trended toward lower disease progression after high dose chemotherapy.
Drug-Induced Arrhythmias, Precision Medicine, and Small Data.

Precision medicine refers to new treatment and prevention strategies that take individual variability into account.1 Toward that end, the National Institutes of Health Precision Medicine Initiative envisions supporting a research program to encourage creative approaches to precision medicine, test them rigorously, and ultimately use them to build the evidence base needed to guide clinical practice.2 A major component of the Precision Medicine Initiative is the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program, which will engage ≥1 million volunteers living in the United States to contribute their health data over many years to improve health outcomes, fuel the development of new treatments for disease, and catalyze a new era of evidence based and more precise preventive care and medical treatment.3 See Article by Yang et al The variable clinical response to drug therapy provides an especially compelling case for the promise of the precision medicine paradigm. A significant proportion of individuals treated with drugs display either little benefit, or even more problematic, develop serious and sometimes life-threatening adverse effects. Indeed, in 2014, as many as 253 017 serious outcomes, including 123 927 deaths, were reported through the Federal Drug Administration Adverse Events Reporting System.4 Among the more devastating adverse drug effects, seen with both antiarrhythmic and noncardiac drugs, are proarrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The recognition of this problem has …
Evaluation of concentration measurement techniques of colloidal nanoparticles for microfiltration and ultrafiltration applications: Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, nanoparticle tracking analysis and electrospray-scanning mobility particle sizer

Abstract Three different liquid-borne particle concentration measurement methods, including the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and electrospray-scanning mobility particle sizer (ES-SMPS), for determining the efficiency of liquid filtration were investigated and compared for their applicability and feasibility. These methods were first calibrated using commercial Au monospheres with various sizes from 5 to 50 nm and several sizes of NIST traceable polystyrene latex (PSL) from 20 to 125 nm. Calibration results showed that the prepared concentrations of liquid-borne particles according to that provided by the manufacturers were proportional to the concentrations measured by all these methods. The calibration results were then used to determine the filtration efficiencies of Au and PSL nanoparticles through the 0.1 μm pore diameter polycarbonate track-etched (PCTE or Nuclepore filter) membrane filters, which were performed as the dead-end type filtration. It was found that the filtration efficiencies obtained by different measurement methods under the same condition were comparable with each other. The results of this study provide a very useful guidance in selecting the proper method for liquid-borne particle filtrations under different circumstances.
The Role of the FDA and Regulatory Approval of New Devices for Diabetes Care

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assuring the safety, effectiveness, and quality of medical devices in the USA. Extensive review times coupled with the demand for necessary treatments have prompted the policymakers to implement measures to speed medical devices to market.The purpose of this review is to summarize the evolution of the regulatory pathways through which medical devices utilized in diabetes care gain market access. Regulatory pathways, ranging from premarket notification to premarket approval, require distinct, yet necessary (“least burdensome”) evidence demonstrating a device’s safety and effectiveness. Collaboration between manufacturers, regulators, and patients has resulted in the development and approval of novel diabetes care devices, including the first hybrid closed-loop artificial pancreas. Policy provisions, ranging from the least burdensome approach to the “breakthrough device” expedited pathway, aim to balance innovation, access, and safety. Clinicians must be aware of the evolving regulatory landscape and play an active role in enhancing patient safety.
Systems engineering competencies for enterprise transformation

This paper examines the relationship between enterprise transformation competencies and systems engineering competencies. We analyze a systems engineering competency model with respect to enterprise transformation competencies to show that many systems engineering competencies provide a solid foundation for providing an organization with an organic capacity to successfully accomplish enterprise transformation. A systems engineering career competency model developed by the Department of the Navy is described and shown to be part of a holistic approach to strategic workforce management, and which accounts for competencies needed for enterprise transformation.
Supporting Adjunct Clinical Faculty

This article is one in a series on the roles of adjunct clinical faculty and preceptors, who teach nursing students and new graduates to apply knowledge in clinical settings. In this article, the author discusses ways to promote learning among adjunct clinical faculty as well as strategies for creating closer connections between these teachers and the schools of nursing that employ them.
Animal Tissue Culture: Principles and Applications

Abstract Animal cell culture technology in today’s scenario has become indispensable in the field of life sciences, which provides a basis to study regulation, proliferation, and differentiation and to perform genetic manipulation. It requires specific technical skills to carry out successfully. This chapter describes the essential techniques of animal cell culture as well as its applications.
Role of the Pharmacist in Childhood Immunizations

Objective: Fewer than half of the 2-year-old children in the United States are fully immunized. This article reviews the literature on barriers to immunization in children and examines how pharmacists can promote childhood immunizations by acting as an educational resource and providing increased access to vaccines. Data Sources: Published data were collected from the literature. Anecdotal data were collected from unstructured interviews with parents and health care professionals at two childhood immunization clinics in Des Moines, Iowa. Data Synthesis: Data from the literature were compared with data informally collected in the clinics. Both the literature and interviews indicated a variety of structural and personal barriers that may prevent parents from having children vaccinated. Conclusion: By collecting and documenting adequate vaccination histories, pharmacists can be a resource for parents and health care professionals who are unsure of a child's immunization status. Pharmacists may wish to establish immunization clinics in their pharmacies as a method to increase access to vaccines.
The acquisition of fricatives: a study in phonetics and phonology

Abstract: A distinction is made between the acquisition of phonetics and of phonology. Their interaction and the ways in which they interfere with each other are discussed. At the earliest stages of language acquisition the child’s phonetic abilities are considerably greater than is indicated by the majority of his pronunciations, because the child’s restricted phonological knowledge limits the phonetic realization possibilities of his systematic speech. At later stages, learned phonetic limitations obscure true phonological contrasts, which cannot be observed in production due to the absence of distinct phonetic reflexes for distinct phonological segments. To illustrate these phenomena, data on the acquisition of English fricatives for several children are given, and are analysed separately for phonological and phonetic aspects of acquisition. Phonologically, the order of acquisition is relatively transparent; voiceless fricatives are all learned before voiced ones. Phonetically, the fricative data seem to present a chaotic picture. The situation is resolved when several relevant factors are taken into account, among them: the process of phonetic suppression, the simultaneous learning of morphology, the conflicting demands of acoustic and articulatory criteria in the selection of phonetic substitutions, and the asymmetry of distinctive feature learning.
Dissociation of Tissues for Single-Cell Analysis

It is now a routine to carry out single-cell RNA-Seq to define the gene expression patterns of thousands of cells, thereby revolutionizing many areas of research. Projects are underway to use these techniques to create an atlas of the expressed genes in all cell types of the human body. Here we describe cold-active protease methods for single-cell dissociation of organs and tissues that better preserve the in vivo gene expression patterns.
Protective factors against suicidal ideation among community-dwelling older adults with experience of spousal physical abuse: focusing on direct and indirect protections

Purpose of the Study: The current research investigated the impact of protective factors - problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, having as a confidant either family or friends, and social support from friends - on suicidal ideation among older adults using Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) data. This study also investigated the indirect effects of protective factors on suicidal ideation (hereafter SI) as mediated by depressive symptoms among older adults who have experienced physical abuse from a spouse or romantic partner.Method: Data from The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) were used. The sampled respondents were 475 men and women ages 64 to 65 who reported a history of being physically abused by a spouse or romantic partner. A path analysis using Mplus was employed to identify protective factors against SI.Results: Problem-focused coping and social support had negative indirect effects on SI as mediated by depressive symptoms. Emotion-focused coping had positive direct and indirect effects on SI.Conclusion: Tailored services to boost protective factors and regular screening tests are imperative to reduce depressive symptoms and SI among older adults who have experienced spousal or romantic partner physical abuse.
Evolving strategies for the management of venous thoracic outlet syndrome.

Abstract Objective Traditional management of venous thoracic outlet syndrome (VTOS) has involved catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) followed by transaxillary or paraclavicular (PC) first rib resection. More recently, we have adopted an infraclavicular (IC) approach for first rib resection and five other strategies to treat these patients. We report our evolving experience with the treatment of acute VTOS. Methods We reviewed our prospectively maintained database to identify patients treated for VTOS. Our strategy includes CDT with pharmacomechanical thrombectomy, IC first rib resection during the same hospitalization, and subclavian vein angioplasty immediately after rib resection. Postoperatively, a sequential compression device was applied to the affected arm and low-dose heparin given through the ipsilateral venous sheath. Antiplatelet therapy was given for 6 weeks and anticoagulation for 6 months. Our strategy evolved from a PC to an IC approach, given that the added morbidity of the supraclavicular approach to allow excision of the posterior portion of the rib may add no benefit with VTOS compared with arterial or neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. Results There were 51 patients who underwent first rib resection for VTOS, 11 (22%) through a PC approach and 40 (78%) through an IC approach. The average age was 36 years (range, 16-63 years), and the majority were female (36 [71%]) and involved the right subclavian vein (36 [71%]). All patients underwent preoperative CDT, 40 (78%) at our hospital and 11 (22%) elsewhere. Fifty patients (98%) underwent subclavian vein angioplasty after rib resection. A bare-metal stent was placed in two (4%) patients for persistent stenosis. Average length of stay was 3.7 (±2.1) days. Average operative time was 2.2 hours (range, 1.5-3.0 hours) when the IC approach was used vs 3.5 hours (range, 2.5-4.5 hours) for the PC approach (P Conclusions Our transition to an IC approach demonstrated low perioperative morbidity and excellent subclavian vein patency rates with shorter operative times compared with a PC approach. Our practice has evolved to include IC first rib resection followed by concomitant postoperative venous balloon angioplasty.
The congruence equation a¯ + b¯ ≡c¯(modp)

In this paper, we consider the congruence equation a¯ + b¯ ≡c¯(modp) with 1 ≤ a,b,c ≤ H where x¯ denotes the multiplicative inverse of x(modp). We prove that its number of solutions is asymptotic t...
Possible f-Shell Covalency in the Actinide Elements

UNDER the above title, Glueckauf and McKay1 have presented a discussion, based in part on data of Katzin and Sullivan2, in which they suggest that the co-ordination of nitrate groups, and the extraction of uranyl, neptunyl and plutonyl nitrates into organic solvents, are phenomena different in kind from those found with elements lower in the periodic table, and are therefore indicative of possible f-shell covalency. I believe that the co-ordination of nitrate by uranyl ion is neither unique nor different in kind from that found lower in the Periodic Table, and in particular with a transition element such as cobalt.
Ambiguous phase assignment of discretized 3D geometries in topology optimization

Abstract This paper considers topology optimization approaches where the geometry is described by a level set method and the system’s response is discretized on nonconforming meshes while providing a crisp definition of interface and external boundaries. Since the interface is explicitly tracked, the elements intersected by the interface are divided into sub-elements to which a phase needs to be assigned. Due to loss of information in the discretization of the level set field, certain geometrical configurations allow for ambiguous phase assignment of sub-elements, and thus ambiguous definition of the interface. The study presented here focuses on investigating these topological ambiguities in embedded geometries constructed from discretized level set fields on hexahedral meshes. Three-dimensional problems where several intersection configurations can significantly affect the problem’s topology are considered. This is in contrast to two-dimensional problems where ambiguous topological features exist only in one intersection configuration, and identifying and resolving them is straightforward. A set of rules that resolve these ambiguities for two-phase problems is proposed, and algorithms for their implementations are provided. The influence of these rules on the evolution of the geometry in the optimization process is investigated with linear elastic topology optimization problems. These problems are solved by an explicit level set topology optimization framework that uses the extended finite element method to predict physical responses. This study shows that the choice of a rule to resolve topological features can result in drastically different final geometries. However, for the problems studied in this paper, the performances of the optimized design do not differ.
Analytical Modeling of a Three-phase Magnetic Amplifier-based Continuously Variable Reactor

There has been a renewed interest in the magnetic amplifier (magamp) based technology, especially in power system applications. With an increased number of legs and windings (both AC and DC) in three-phase devices compared to single-phase devices, it is very important to understand their magnetic behavior with multiple excitations. Having an insight into the magnetic characteristics of these devices opens up the door for possible integration with other systems in order to realize a wide variety of applications. This paper presents an analytical model based on the magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) for a configuration of the three-phase magnetic amplifier based continuously variable reactor. A three-dimensional finite element analysis (3-D FEA) model of the reactor has been developed using a commercially available software package. The accuracy of the proposed MEC model is checked by comparing the reactor inductance calculated with both MEC and FEA models. The small error between the inductance values verifies the accuracy of the proposed model.
Pandemic Influenza Infection Persists in Cardiac Tissue and Leads to MLKL-Dependent Proteome and Phosphoproteome Remodeling During Convalescence

Influenza-related cardiac complications have been increasingly defined in the clinical setting. Recent reports support a direct link between laboratory-confirmed influenza infection and adverse cardiac events. Here, we define candidate molecular mediators underlying influenza virus-induced cardiac pathogenesis after the resolution of pulmonary infection, as well as the potential role of necroptosis in this process using mice deficient in its effector molecule MLKL. Global proteome and phosphoproteome analyses using high resolution accurate mass-based LC-MS/MS and label-free quantitation was used. Both the global proteome and the phosphoproteome profiles were significantly altered in IAV-infected mouse hearts, with significantly altered expression of mitochondrial and muscle contraction protein levels and phosphorylation states. Intriguingly, necroptosis deficient mice showed partial protection from IAV-mediated proteomic changes. We confirmed changes in energy state and mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro and define molecular candidates for therapeutics targeting necroptosis and oxidative stress in cardiac tissue after influenza infection.