cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of a Commercial Early Conception Factor Test for Use in Cattle

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a commercially available early pregnancy test in cows. The test early conception factor (ECF™) was designed to distinguish between open and pregnant cows by detection of a protein present in blood serum or milk of pregnant cows. All tests were conducted on blood serum according to instructions of the manufacturer. Blood samples were taken via tail vein puncture between 6 and 15 d post-insemination from 67 Holstein or Jersey cows. Serum was placed in a test cassette and the results recorded after 2 h by three independent observers. Ultrasonography was performed on d 25 to 30 post-insemination, or rectal palpation was performed 35 to 42 d post-insemination by experienced personnel. These results were compared with the test results. The test results corresponded with the results of the ultrasound or rectal palpation 51% of the time. Of the 49% that disagreed, 25% were diagnosed pregnant by the ECF test but were found to be open by ultrasound or palpation, and 24% were diagnosed open by the test and found to be pregnant by ultrasound or palpation. These results suggest that the test does not perform at the necessary level of accuracy.
Sustainable Structural Systems and Configurations for Tall Buildings

Tall buildings are built with an abundant amount of resources because of their enormous scale. This paper presents sustainable structural engineering strategies for tall buildings, which will lead to the construction of tall buildings with less amount of structural material to meet design requirements. Selecting a particular structural system for tall building design involves many complex factors such as availability of resources, architectural aesthetics, spatial organizations and structural efficiency. Among these various factors, this study mainly investigates lateral stiffness-based structural efficiency of today’s prevalent structural systems for tall buildings, such as diagrids, braced tubes and outrigger systems. Design optimization strategies for important structural geometric configurations are studied. Further, optimal stiffness distribution between the building core and perimeter structure is discussed. Through the most appropriate system selection and design optimization, more sustainable built environments can be accomplished.
A rapid and scalable method for making mixed metal oxide alloys for enabling accelerated materials discovery

The synthesis technique that can be used to accelerate the discovery of materials for various energy conversion and storage applications is presented. Specifically, this technique allows a rapid and controlled synthesis of mixed metal oxide particles using plasma oxidation of liquid droplets containing mixed metal precursors. The conventional wet chemical methods for synthesis of multimetal oxide solid solutions often require time-consuming high pressure and temperature processes, and so the challenge is to develop rapid and scalable techniques with precise compositional control. The concept is demonstrated by synthesizing binary and ternary transition metal oxide solid solutions with control over entire composition range using metal precursor solution droplets oxidized using atmospheric oxygen plasma. The results show the selective formation of metastable spinel and the rocksalt solid solution phases with compositions over the entire range by tuning the metal precursor composition. The synthesized manganese doped nickel ferrite nanoparticles, NiMnzFe2−zO4 (0 ≤ z ≤ 1), exhibits considerable electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen evolution reaction, achieving an overpotential of 0.39 V at a benchmarking current density of 10 mA/cm2 for a low manganese content of z = 0.20.
IPMC cilia system for artificial muscle applications(Conference Presentation)

Artificial muscle (AM) technology is an excellent candidate for creating cilia-based structures for bio-inspired locomotion, maneuvering, and acoustic systems. We developed an AM based cilia fiber which are soft, flexible, easily shaped and low power consumption. The developed cilium has a diameter of around 200 µm and prepared through polymer injection technique. Nafion was used for base polymer for cilia and fabricated IPMCs via platinum electroless plating process. The prepared cilia were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The 2 point probe was conducted to measure electrode surface resistance of prepared IPMCs. We further characterized the cross-sectional morphology and studied the electromechanical performances (displacement and blocking force) of the prepared IPMC actuators. Also we created prototype mm-sized AM fiber cilia array (3x20) and tested the actuation of AM cilia fiber under external electric field.
Proton beam therapy for the treatment of esophageal cancer

Radiation therapy (RT) has become an important component in the curative management of esophageal cancer (EC) worldwide. Since most of the ECs seen in the Western hemisphere (i.e., Europe and the United States) are located in the mid- to distal-esophageal locations, heart and lungs invariably receive significant radiation doses. Much of the normal tissue exposure could be reduced with the utilization of advanced radiation technologies, notably intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Proton beam therapy (PBT) provides the ability to even further reduce normal tissue exposure because of its lack of exit dose, which is expected to provide clinically meaningful benefit for at least some EC patients. Herein, we provide an overview of the comparative effectiveness of proton versus photon therapy, summarize the published clinical experience, and describe the future outlook of PBT development in EC.
Pragmatism and Mechanical Turk: Citizenship and Labor Rights in Digital Communities of Knowledge

Researchers should see the digital worker as a citizen, imbued with all the rights and protections the Fourteenth Amendment calls for. In the spirit of pragmatic social science, this commentary pro...
Model-driven visual analytics for big data

The growth of digital data is tremendous. Any aspect of life and matter is being recorded and stored on cheap disks, either in the cloud, in businesses, or in research labs. We can now afford to explore very complex relationships with many variables playing a part. But for this we need powerful tools that allow us to be creative, to sculpt this intricate insight formulated as models from the raw block of data. High-quality visual feedback plays a decisive role here. The subject of this poster is a framework we have developed over the years to make the exploration of large multivariate data more intuitive and direct. The components of this framework were conceived in tight collaborations with domain experts in the fields of climate science, health informatics, computer systems, and others.
Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of pyridinium enabled by surface proton transfer reactions

It is observed that pyridinium is hydrogenated at Pt electrodes in electrochemical conditions consistent with those previously shown to yield selective reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol and formic acid. The hydrogenation proceeds through a heterogeneous reaction with chemisorbed hydrogen, which originates from one-electron surface proton transfer reactions. Electrochemical methods are used to show that pyridinium adsorbs on the Pt surface, consistent with the proposed heterogeneous reaction mechanism. From this first observation of the electrochemical generation of a stable hydrogenated piperidinium-like near-surface species it logically follows that dihydropyridinium, the protonated form of the previously-proposed hydride-shuttling reduction catalyst, must transiently exist under these conditions near the Pt surface in the presence of carbon dioxide. Therefore partially hydrogenated heterocycles remain strong candidates for catalytically active species that enable selective carbon dioxide reduction. More generally, the observed mild potentials required for electrocatalytic hydrogenation of stable organics implies that engineered transfer hydrogenations involving organic adsorbates can be a viable approach for achieving selective carbon dioxide reduction to fuels.
Anterior-Posterior Pelvic Fractures

Anterior-posterior-type pelvic ring injuries are generally caused by an anterior compressive force to the pelvis (see Fig. 31.1). The telltale radiographic sign for this injury is pubic symphysis diastasis (widening). Diastasis of greater than 2.5 cm is generally considered an operative indication. Additionally, SI joint diastasis should be evaluated.
Skewing of the population balance of lymphoid and myeloid cells by secreted and intracellular osteopontin

The balance of myeloid populations and lymphoid populations must be well controlled. Here we found that osteopontin (OPN) skewed this balance during pathogenic conditions such as infection and autoimmunity. Notably, two isoforms of OPN exerted distinct effects in shifting this balance through cell-type-specific regulation of apoptosis. Intracellular OPN (iOPN) diminished the population size of myeloid progenitor cells and myeloid cells, and secreted OPN (sOPN) increase the population size of lymphoid cells. The total effect of OPN on skewing the leukocyte population balance was observed as host sensitivity to early systemic infection with Candida albicans and T cell-mediated colitis. Our study suggests previously unknown detrimental roles for two OPN isoforms in causing the imbalance of leukocyte populations.
Bioethics and multiculturalism: nuancing the discussion .

In his recent analysis of multiculturalism, Tom Beauchamp has argued that those who implement multicultural reasoning in their arguments against common morality theories, such as his own, have failed to understand that multiculturalism is neither a form of moral pluralism nor ethical relativism but is rather a universalistic moral theory in its own right. Beauchamp’s position is indeed on the right track in that multiculturalists do not consider themselves ethical relativists. Yet, Beauchamp tends to miss the mark when he argues that multiculturalism is in effect a school of thought that endorses a form of moral universalism that is akin to his own vision of a common morality. As a supporter of multiculturalism, I would like to discuss some aspects of Beauchamp’s comments on multiculturalism and clarify what a multicultural account of public bioethics might look like. Ultimately, multiculturalism is purported as a means of managing diversity in the public arena and should not be thought of as endorsing either a version of moral relativism or a universal morality. By simultaneously refraining from the promotion of a comprehensive common moral system while it attempts to avoid a collapse into relativism, multiculturalism can serve as the ethico-political framework in which diverse moralities can be managed and in which opportunities for ethical dialogue, debate and deliberation on the prospects of common bioethical norms are made possible.
Protein Modifications with Ubiquitin as Response to Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Post-translational protein modifications present an elegant and energy efficient way to dynamically reprogram cellular protein properties and functions in response to homeostatic imbalance. One such protein modification is the tagging of proteins with the small modifier ubiquitin that can have an impact on protein stability, localization, interaction dynamics, and function. Ubiquitination is vital to any eukaryotic cell under physiological conditions, but even more important under stress including oxidative, genotoxic, and heat stress, where ubiquitination levels are drastically increased. Elevated levels of ubiquitin-protein conjugates are also observed in the brain after focal and global cerebral ischemia. Post-ischemic ubiquitination is immediately induced with reperfusion and transiently detected in neurons with survival potential located in the peri-infarct area. This review aims to critically discuss current knowledge and controversies on protein ubiquitination after cerebral ischemia, with special emphasis on potential mechanisms leading to elevated ubiquitination and on target identification. Further, possible functional implications of post-ischemic ubiquitination, including a relationship to SUMOylation, a neuroprotective modification, will be highlighted. The elevation in ubiquitinated proteins following cerebral ischemia is a greatly under-explored research area, the better understanding of which may contribute to the development of novel stroke therapies.
Topological Luttinger liquids from decorated domain walls

We introduce a systematic construction of a gapless symmetry-protected topological phase in one dimension by ``decorating'' the domain walls of Luttinger liquids. The resulting strongly interacting phases provide a concrete example of a gapless symmetry-protected topological (gSPT) phase with robust symmetry-protected edge modes. Using boundary conformal field theory arguments, we show that while the bulks of such gSPT phases are identical to conventional Luttinger liquids, their boundary critical behavior is controlled by a different, strongly coupled renormalization group fixed point. Our results are checked against extensive density matrix renormalization group calculations.
Hierarchical structured nickel–copper hybrids via simple electrodeposition

A novel hierarchical structure is reported that comprises micro-channeled nickel deposited onto a copper substrate. The fabrication process is a one-step galvanostatic electrodeposition in a system containing a Cu cathode, graphite anode, and Ni2+/NH 4 + electrolyte. Results were obtained by the characterization of vertically aligned micro-channels in Ni. The pore density, depth, and diameter are controlled by varying electrodeposition conditions. The addition of ammonium ions, increased current, and longer deposition time are found to promote formation of high density pores with small diameters leading to those micro-channels. The channel’s optimum diameter ranged from 8 to 10 µm with depths of 20–25 µm. Adding ammonium ions also generated streams of hydrogen bubbles that formed on the cathode surface. Those bubbles hinder the nucleation of Ni, resulting in the selective nucleation and therefore the growth of micro-channels. The novel hierarchical Ni/Cu hybrids have the potential to be used for current collectors for battery electrodes, substrates to grow nanostructured oxides, and among others.
How Social Class Shapes Adolescent Financial Socialization: Understanding Differences in the Transition to Adulthood

Gaining financial independence is considered a key component of the transition to adulthood. Yet we know little about how adolescents learn to navigate the financial world or how social class shapes this process. Drawing on interviews with 52 parents and adolescents in the United States, this study explored how children learn about finances from their parents. Middle-class parents in the sample were more proactive in teaching their children about finances. Working-class parents, however, often felt unequipped to teach financial skills and were more likely to shelter their children from financial matters. Ultimately, middle-class adolescents felt more at ease when navigating financial institutions, while working-class adolescents expressed greater uncertainty and were left to grapple with imperfect and sometimes contradictory information about finances.
Automatic Exposure Control in Multidetector-Row Computed Tomography

William Shakespeare might have accidentally explained the premise for development of automatic exposure control (AEC) techniques, although Henry Miller might have summarized the issues related to the heterogeneous nomenclature of these techniques!
Dissociative Disorders in Children and Adolescents

The clinical evolution of the recognition and treatment of dissociative disorders occurring during childhood and adolescence owes a debt of gratitude to several bodies of research and clinical literature that have accumulated over the last two decades, including posttraumatic stress, the psychological sequelae of trauma and child abuse, child development, and the study of dissociative disorders in adults. The complexities of symptomatic presentation and underlying deficits that accompany overt “dissociation” are perhaps nowhere as remarkable as they are during the process of ongoing development in children. The evolution of knowledge in these overlapping areas of investigation has created a framework for the conceptualization and recognition of childhood dissociative disorders among those suffering from the psychological sequelae of trauma.
CT-GAN: Conditional Transformation Generative Adversarial Network for Image Attribute Modification.

We propose a fully-convolutional conditional generative model, the latent transformation neural network (LTNN), capable of view synthesis using a light-weight neural network suited for real-time applications. In contrast to existing conditional generative models which incorporate conditioning information via concatenation, we introduce a dedicated network component, the conditional transformation unit (CTU), designed to learn the latent space transformations corresponding to specified target views. In addition, a consistency loss term is defined to guide the network toward learning the desired latent space mappings, a task-divided decoder is constructed to refine the quality of generated views, and an adaptive discriminator is introduced to improve the adversarial training process. The generality of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on a collection of three diverse tasks: multi-view reconstruction on real hand depth images, view synthesis of real and synthetic faces, and the rotation of rigid objects. The proposed model is shown to exceed state-of-the-art results in each category while simultaneously achieving a reduction in the computational demand required for inference by 30% on average.
The moderating effect of dispositional fear of retaliation on the relationship between provocation and aggressive behavior

Abstract Fear of retaliation plays an integral role in the evolution of provocation into conflict. While previous research has only studied fear of retaliation in the context of a laboratory manipulation or a justification for not detailing transgressions to others, the current research utilized experimental (Study 1) and correlational (Study 2) studies to test the role of dispositional fear of retaliation on aggression. In Study 1, participants were provoked by receiving either positive or negative feedback on an essay they wrote from an ostensible partner and were later given the opportunity to aggress against the partner. Results demonstrated that dispositional fear of retaliation moderated the relationship between provocation and aggression, such that participants who were provoked were more aggressive than non-provoked participants; however, this relationship was nullified for those high on fear of retaliation. In Study 2, participants completed measures to assess the following traits: fear of retaliation, aggression, behavioral inhibition, anxiety, and the Big Five. Results showed that fear of retaliation correlated with physical and verbal aggression, which remained significant while controlling for other trait variables – ruling out alternative hypotheses.
Life Events and Longitudinal Effects on Physical Activity: Adolescence to Adulthood

ABSTRACTIntroductionCommon life events, such as getting married or gaining employment, may be opportunities to intervene on health behaviors like physical activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) associated with several common
Cross-conjugated poly(selenylene vinylene)s

Poly(selenylene vinylene) (PSV) is a close analog to the extensively studied poly(thienylene vinylene) (PTV) polymers, and possesses unique properties originating from the larger, more polarizable Se atoms. Currently, little is known about the structure–property relationships of PSV derivatives, caused by the lack of efficient synthetic methods that are capable of producing systematically varied polymer structures beyond the prototypical alkylated version. We report herein a facile synthetic methodology, combining acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) and post-polymerization modification (PPM) techniques, for the preparation of a series of novel PSV polymers bearing different aromatic units cross-conjugated with the main-chain. Such structural modification allows fine-tuning of PSV electronic properties through main-chain/side-chain interactions and leads to fundamental understanding on the structure–property relationships of this class of unique materials. Our methodology is highly versatile in installing tailor-designed cross-conjugated side-chains to PSVs, as well as to other poly(arylene vinylene)s containing different heteroarenes.
Synthesis and Characterization of Organic Materials with Conveniently Accessible Supercooled Liquid and Glassy Phases: Isomeric 1,3,5-Tris(naphthyl)benzenes

1,3,5-Tris(1-naphthyl)benzene (1), 1,3-bis(1-naphthyl)-5-(2-naphthyl)benzene (2), and 1-(1-naphthyl)-3,5-bis(2-naphthyl)benzene (3) easily supercool and form glasses on cooling from the melt. We synthesized 1, 2, and 3 using Suzuki's conditions to effect the cross-coupling reactions of 1,3,5-tribromobenzene with 1-naphthylboronic acid and/or 2-naphthylboronic acid. Variable-temperature 13C NMR studies of 1 establish a barrier of ca. 12 kcal/mol for rotation about the aryl−aryl bond; this value displays good agreement with the barrier of 13 kcal/mol computed using molecular mechanics calculations (MM2). This relatively low rotational barrier is inconsistent with the previously held notion that 1,3,5-tris(1-naphthyl)benzene (1) exists as a mixture of noninterconverting rotational isomers (atropisomers) in solution at room temperature. Variable-temperature 13C NMR studies of 2 establish barriers of ca. 12 kcal/mol for rotation about the 1-naphthyl−aryl bond and <9 kcal/mol for rotation about the 2-naphthyl−a...
Axiomatizing Flat Iteration

Flat iteration is a variation on the original binary version of the Kleene star operation P*Q, obtained by restricting the first argument to be a sum of atomic actions. It generalizes prefix iteration, in which the first argument is a single action. Complete finite equational axiomatizations are given for five notions of bisimulation congruence over basic CCS with flat iteration, viz. strong congruence, branching congruence, eta-congruence, delay congruence and weak congruence. Such axiomatizations were already known for prefix iteration and are known not to exist for general iteration. The use of flat iteration has two main advantages over prefix iteration: 1.The current axiomatizations generalize to full CCS, whereas the prefix iteration approach does not allow an elimination theorem for an asynchronous parallel composition operator. 2.The greater expressiveness of flat iteration allows for much shorter completeness proofs. In the setting of prefix iteration, the most convenient way to obtain the completeness theorems for eta-, delay, and weak congruence was by reduction to the completeness theorem for branching congruence. In the case of weak congruence this turned out to be much simpler than the only direct proof found. In the setting of flat iteration on the other hand, the completeness theorems for delay and weak (but not eta-) congruence can equally well be obtained by reduction to the one for strong congruence, without using branching congruence as an intermediate step. Moreover, the completeness results for prefix iteration can be retrieved from those for flat iteration, thus obtaining a second indirect approach for proving completeness for delay and weak congruence in the setting of prefix iteration.
Upper Bounds on the Multiplicative Complexity of Symmetric Boolean Functions

A special metric of interest about Boolean functions is multiplicative complexity (MC): the minimum number of AND gates sufficient to implement a function with a Boolean circuit over the basis {XOR, AND, NOT}. In this paper we study the MC of symmetric Boolean functions, whose output is invariant upon reordering of the input variables. Based on the Hamming weight method from Muller and Preparata (J. ACM 22(2), 195–201, 1975), we introduce new techniques that yield circuits with fewer AND gates than upper bounded by Boyar et al. (Theor. Comput. Sci. 235(1), 43–57, 2000) and by Boyar and Peralta (Theor. Comput. Sci. 396(1–3), 223–246, 2008). We generate circuits for all such functions with up to 25 variables. As a special focus, we report concrete upper bounds for the MC of elementary symmetric functions ${{\Sigma }^{n}_{k}}$ and counting functions ${E^{n}_{k}}$ with up to n = 25 input variables. In particular, this allows us to answer two questions posed in 2008: both the elementary symmetric ${{\Sigma }^{8}_{4}}$ and the counting ${E^{8}_{4}}$ functions have MC 6. Furthermore, we show upper bounds for the maximum MC in the class of n-variable symmetric Boolean functions, for each n up to 132.
Bis(Nitroxymethylisoxazolyl) Furoxan: A Promising Standalone Melt-Castable Explosive

The synthesis and crystal structure of the heterocyclic explosive bis(nitroxymethylisoxazolyl) furoxan, C10 H6 N6 O10 , are described. In addition, we report its physical properties and theoretical performance. This material was found to exhibit standalone melt-castable explosive properties, with a melting point of 89.8 °C and an onset decomposition temperature of 193.8 °C. Bis(nitroxymethylisoxazolyl) furoxan features an insensitive behavior to impact, friction, and electrostatic discharge, with a calculated detonation pressure about 25 % higher than the state-of-the-art melt-castable explosive TNT.
An Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane Based Electrochemical Glucose Sensor

This letter presents a conductive polymer based electrospun-nanofibrous-membrane (ENFM) for an enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor. The ENFM-based sensor electrode shows a wide detection range from 0 to 25 mM concentration with a shorter response time of less than 4 s and the sensitivity of 5.11 μA/mM cm 2 with a limit of detection 2.3 μM in a glucose buffer solution. The sensing electrode shows a negligible change in a current response for upto 50 days. The sensing activity of an electrode remained constant indicating a good long-term stability for the glucose sensor due to the direct immobilization of glucose oxidase (GO x ) enzyme onto the surface of nanofibers. The electrochemical analysis results demonstrated that the ENFM-based glucose sensor provides reliable results in terms of enhanced sensitivity, good stability, durability, and quick response time for a glucose detection.
A mechanistic pharmacokinetic model with drug and antidrug antibody interplay, and its application for assessing the impact of immunogenicity response on bioequivalence testing.

Aims Single-dose pharmacokinetic (PK) studies in healthy subjects have been the design of choice for bioequivalence determination for decades. This preference has been recently extended to PK similarity studies of proposed biosimilars. However, PK similarity studies can be complicated by the effect of immunogenicity response on drug disposition. The impact is exacerbated when there is an imbalance in host-specific immunological characteristics of subjects between the test and reference groups. Such complications remain poorly understood. The purpose of this communication is to show that the impact of immunogenicity response on PK similarity determination can be critical, using adalimumab as an example. Methods Data for adalimumab concentrations and immunogenicity response over 10 weeks were obtained from 133 healthy subjects receiving a 40 mg dose of Humira® in a PK similarity study. Also, a population PK model with a mechanistic construct for delineating the interplay between adalimumab disposition and antidrug antibodies response was utilized to estimate via simulation the probability that a PK similarity study would fail in typical study settings. Results The simulations showed that the immunogenicity response can have a profound impact on the outcome of PK similarity determination. As such, the probability of failing to achieve the similarity conclusion increased to 51.9%, from 13.8% in the absence of immunogenicity response. Conclusion This study provides a model-based framework for better understanding of how a PK similarity study can be optimally designed and for interpretation of the outcome of PK similarity determination when the drug disposition is affected in the presence of immunogenicity response.
A Multifaceted Approach to Opioid Education, Prescribing, and Disposal for Patients with Breast Cancer Undergoing Surgery.

Abstract Background Standardized prescribing practices are recommended to decrease opioid abuse, however, data regarding the handling and disposal of leftover narcotics are lacking. This quality improvement project and analysis evaluated implementation of standardized prescribing, opioid education, and a narcotic disposal system. Methods This initiative was implemented over a 1-y period among patients who underwent breast surgery. The project included the following: 1) implementation of standardized prescribing, 2) voluntary and anonymous survey analysis, and 3) preoperative education regarding risks of opioids, charcoal disposal bag distribution, and follow-up survey to assess use and use of intervention. Results Preintervention surveys were completed by 53 patients, and 60% (n = 32) underwent lumpectomy. Narcotic prescriptions were filled by 90%; median number of pills taken was 3 (range 0-24), however 93% felt that a non-narcotic was more effective. Eighty three percentage of patients had unused pills, and 58% kept these pills in an unlocked cabinet. Postintervention surveys were completed by 66 patients, and 48% (n = 32) underwent lumpectomy. Narcotic prescriptions were filled by 88%, median number of pills taken was 4 (range 0-40), and 89% of patients had pills leftover. Sixty seven percentage of patients found the education handout useful and charcoal bag use was reported by 37% (n = 17). The median postoperative pain control satisfaction score was 4.5 (5-point Likert scale, 1 = very dissatisfied, 5 = very satisfied) on both preintervention and postintervention surveys. Conclusions This study, which included standardized prescribing parameters, opioid education, and implementation of a disposal method, was found to be feasible, beneficial, and did not compromise postoperative pain control.
Value Creation via Accelerated Digital Transformation

We examine the various elements of digital transformation and propose a model to accelerate overall digital transformation efforts. Utilizing case studies we identify various crucial factors for successful digital transformation. Using these findings, a value creation model is then introduced for accelerated digital transformation.
Tachyons with any Spin

In earlier work we showed how to handle the Group Theoretical issue of the Little Group for spin 1/2 tachyons by introducing a special metric in the Hilbert space of one-particle states. Here that technique is extended to tachyons of any spin. Examining the bi-linear algebra of the generating matrices for spin 5/2, we find a complete basis for the Gell-Mann matrices that form the Lie algebra for SU(3). A Dirac-like equation is developed for tachyons of any integer-plus-one-half spin; and it shows multiple distinct mass eigenvalues.
Experiments Versus Quasi-experiments

Donald Campbell privately distributed a paper in 1953 entitled “Designs for Social Science Experiments. ” It became the basis for a subsequent article (D.T. Campbell, 1957) in which the distinction between internal and external validity was first introduced to the psychological literature. That article was especially noteworthy for presenting in detail the formal logic whereby random assignment to conditions (e.g., treatment vs. control) made implausible some specific classes of threats to internal validity. Later this aspect of assignment arrangements, randomization, was used to distinguish “true experiments” from “quasi-experiments” (D.T. Campbell & Stanley, 1963). Indeed, the special relationship of randomization to internal validity was given such prominence that the term experiment was taken to mean a randomized experiment unless otherwise noted—a convention we follow in this chapter.
An effective personal mobile robot agent through symbiotic human-robot interaction

Several researchers, present authors included, envision personal mobile robot agents that can assist humans in their daily tasks. Despite many advances in robotics, such mobile robot agents still face many limitations in their perception, cognition, and action capabilities. In this work, we propose a symbiotic interaction between robot agents and humans to overcome the robot limitations while allowing robots to also help humans. We introduce a visitor's companion robot agent, as a natural task for such symbiotic interaction. The visitor lacks knowledge of the environment but can easily open a door or read a door label, while the mobile robot with no arms cannot open a door and may be confused about its exact location, but can plan paths well through the building and can provide useful relevant information to the visitor. We present this visitor companion task in detail with an enumeration and formalization of the actions of the robot agent in its interaction with the human. We briefly describe the wifi-based robot localization algorithm and show results of the different levels of human help to the robot during its navigation. We then test the value of robot help to the visitor during the task to understand the relationship tradeoffs. Our work has been fully implemented in a mobile robot agent, CoBot, which has successfully navigated for several hours and continues to navigate in our indoor environment.
Decrease of anion selectivity caused by mutation of Thr501 and Gly502 to Glu in the hydrophobic domain of the colicin E1 channel.

Abstract Structure-function relations of the colicin E1 ion channel were studied through the effects of mutations in the 35-residue hydrophobic region of the channel polypeptide and neighboring residues in the channel domain. Mutation of neutral residues threonine 501 and glycine 502 to a more polar or charged glutamic acid generated a protein whose channel conductance properties in each case had a decreased selectivity for anions. There was no significant effect on ion selectivity caused by mutations that changed residue charge outside the hydrophobic domain at the neighboring aspartic acid 509 or at glycine 439. The Thr501----Glu and Gly502----Glu mutants possessed lower cytotoxic and in vitro activity. An altered thermolysin cleavage pattern and a greater binding to membrane vesicles at pH greater than 4.5 of the Gly502----Glu mutant indicated greater exposure of its COOH-terminal hydrophobic domain in solution. It is concluded that the hydrophobic nature of threonine 501 and glycine 502 is important in the structure of the channel lumen and the soluble colicin. Altering proline 462, a residue conserved in five sequenced channel-forming colicins, had no significant effect on channel properties. These conclusions are discussed in the context of sequence-structure-function concepts for channel proteins.
Immunogenicity of Friend erythroleukemia cells altered in culture by chemical or physical agents.

Log-phase-cultured Friend erythroleukemia cells of the FLC-745 line of DBA/2J origin administered either s.c. or i.p. in DBA/2J mice produced survival characteristics that were independent of the route of implantation. The survival time of host animals, however, was dependent on their immunological status. The effects of treatment of cells in culture with a series of glycerol and dihydroxyacetone analogs or of exposure to medium enriched in deuterium oxide on cell proliferation and differentiation in culture and on the tumorigenicity of treated cells transplanted into DBA/2J mice were examined. Animals surviving implantation of a single dose of altered cells were tested for their ability to reject a lethal rechallenge with 106 untreated Friend erythroleukemia cells given 10 to 14 weeks after primary implantation of treated cells. Only a small proportion of animals survived primary challenge with cells exposed to 1-chloro-3-hydroxyacetone benzoate (CIHAB) and related α-halocarbonyl derivatives at concentrations of 10 or 20 µm. Similarly, only a small proportion of animals survived primary challenge with cells attenuated by growth in medium enriched up to 80% in deuterium oxide or by exposure to 3000 rads of X-irradiation. In these cases, where a small proportion of animals survived primary challenge with a single injection of potentially tumorigenic cells, the survivors were completely resistant to rechallenge. A single injection of sonically disrupted Friend cells or of virus harvested from cultured cells had no effect on the survival time of animals subsequently rechallenged with intact Friend erythroleukemia cells. Animals given injections of cells killed by exposure to 50 µm CIHAB in culture exhibited increased survival times upon rechallenge, but only 12% of the animals were completely resistant. In contrast, however, although Friend erythroleukemia cells treated for 3 hr in culture with 30 µm CIHAB were nonproliferative in subculture and completely nontumorigenic when implanted either i.p. or s.c. into DBA/2J hosts, animals receiving a single injection of 106 cells altered in this way were fully protected against rechallenge. Thus, carefully controlled modification of Friend erythroleukemia cells by exposure to a relatively low but sharply defined concentration of CIHAB abrogated tumorigenicity of the treated cells without altering their ability to confer protection to subsequent rechallenge with unaltered cells.
Affirmatively Inefficient Jurisprudence?: Confusing Contractors’ Rights to Raise Affirmative Defenses with Sovereign Immunity

In M. Maropakis Carpentry v. United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upset the commonly understood rules of practice and procedure for government contracts dispute litigation. In what the Supreme Court might view as a drive-by jurisdictional ruling, the court held that a contractor must file its own claim for time extensions before it can defend against a government claim for liquidated damages. Two Court of Federal Claims cases then confirmed fears that the decision would create a significant, disruptive, and disadvantageous change in procedural posture for a large number of contractors defending against government claims. If unchecked, Maropakis may reflect one of the most significant changes in government-contracts litigation posture since the flurry of jurisdictional litigation following the late-1970s enactment of the Contract Disputes Act. Courts make mistakes, but such errors need not indefinitely lead to inefficient, ineffective, or unfair results. The Federal Circuit should revisit the substance of Maropakis, en banc, at the first opportunity. Until then, contractor counsel should seek en banc review in any related cases or, where appropriate, consider amicus briefing. The Justice Department’s attorneys should exercise their discretion and refrain from exploiting Maropakis. Contractor counsel should craft arguments that persuade individual COFC judges to avoid the harsh and inefficient application of Maropakis. Administrative judges on the agency boards of contract appeals should stay the course and, if necessary, distinguish Maropakis. And, if the Federal Circuit fails to remedy the situation, Congress should craft and enact a legislative solution.
Negative Arousal Increases the Effects of Stimulus Salience in Older Adults

Background/Study Context: Stimuli compete for mental representation, with salient stimuli attracting more attention than less salient stimuli. In a recent study, we found that presenting an emotionally negative arousing sound before briefly showing an array of letters with different levels of salience increased the reporting of the more salient letters but decreased reporting of the less salient letters (Sutherland & Mather, 2012, Emotion, 12, 1367–1372). In the current study we examined whether negative arousal produces similar effects on attention in older adults.Methods: Data from 55 older adults (61–80 years; M = 70.7, SD = 5.1) were compared with those from 110 younger adults (18–29 years; M = 20.3, SD = 2.3) from Sutherland and Mather (2012). Neutral or negative arousing sound clips were played before a brief presentation of eight letters, three of which were presented in a darker font than the others to create a group of high- and low-salience targets. Next, participants recalled as many of the let...
Whose point-of-view is it anyway?

Shared virtual worlds such as Second Life privilege a single point-of-view, namely that of the user. When logged into Second Life a user sees the virtual world from a default viewpoint, which is from slightly above and behind the user's avatar (the user's alter ego 'in-world.') This point-of-view is as if the user were viewing his or her avatar using a camera floating a few feet behind it. In fact it is possible to set the view to as if you were seeing the world through the eyes of your avatar or you can even move the camera completely independent of your avatar. A change in point-of-view, means, more than just a different camera point-of-view. The practice of using multiple avatars requires a transformation of identity and personality. When a user 'enacts' the identity of a particular avatar, their 'real' personality is masked by the assumed personality. The technology of virtual worlds permits both a change of point-of -view and also facilitates a change in identity. Does this cause any psychological distress? Or is the ability to be someone else and see a world (a game, a virtual world) through a different set of eyes somehow liberating and even beneficial?
Multiple treatments with liposomal doxorubicin and ultrasound-induced disruption of blood-tumor and blood-brain barriers improve outcomes in a rat glioma model

The blood-brain-barrier (BBB) prevents the transport of most anticancer agents to the central nervous system and restricts delivery to infiltrating brain tumors. The heterogeneous vascular permeability in tumor vessels, along with several other factors, creates additional barriers for drug treatment of brain tumors. Focused ultrasound (FUS), when combined with circulating microbubbles, is an emerging noninvasive method to temporarily permeabilize the BBB and the "blood-tumor barrier". Here, we tested the impact of three weekly sessions of FUS and liposomal doxorubicin (DOX) in 9L rat glioma tumors. Animals that received FUS+DOX (N=8) had a median survival time that was increased significantly (P<0.001) compared to animals who received DOX only (N=6), FUS only (N=8), or no treatment (N=7). Median survival for animals that received FUS+DOX was increased by 100% relative to untreated controls, whereas animals who received DOX alone had only a 16% improvement. Animals who received only FUS showed no improvement. No tumor cells were found in histology in 4/8 animals in the FUS+DOX group, and in two animals, only a few tumor cells were detected. Adverse events in the treatment group included skin toxicity, impaired activity, damage to surrounding brain tissue, and tissue loss at the tumor site. In one animal, intratumoral hemorrhage was observed. These events are largely consistent with known side effects of doxorubicin and with an extensive tumor burden. Overall this work demonstrates that multiple sessions using this FUS technique to enhance the delivery of liposomal doxorubicin have a pronounced therapeutic effect in this rat glioma model.
Subject-specific computational modeling of human phonation

A direct numerical simulation of flow-structure interaction is carried out in a subject-specific larynx model to study human phonation under physiological conditions. The simulation results compare well to the established human data. The resulting glottal flow and waveform are found to be within the normal physiological ranges. The effects of realistic geometry on the vocal fold dynamics and the glottal flow are extensively examined. It is found that the asymmetric anterior-posterior laryngeal configuration produces strong anterior-posterior asymmetries in both vocal fold vibration and glottal flow which has not been captured in the simplified models. It needs to be pointed out that the observations from the current numerical simulation are only valid for the flow conditions investigated. The limitations of the study are also discussed.
Maintenance of mitotic homeostasis in somatic cell populations.

Abstract Recent theoretical and experimental studies have indicated that the rate of proliferative activity in somatic cell populations can be modulated by regulation of the transmembrane potential level (Em). These studies have shown that such modulation is accomplished through control of DNA synthesis preparations, presumably through variations in the intracellular ionic conditions which accompany transmembrane potential changes. This capability for modulating mitotic activity appears to provide a potential mechanism for maintenance of mitotic homeostasis in somatic cell populations. The present paper, after a consideration of the primary kinetic requirement for homeostasis attainment, proceeds to develop two independent concepts of Em-modulated homeostatic control: (1) “statistical” or “passive” homeostasis obtained by maintenance of a particular, constant Em level at which proliferation rate equals death rate for the cells under study; and (2) “modulated” or “active” homeostasis obtained by local induction of cellular depolarization, from a high level where mitosis is blocked to a low level where mitosis is stimulated, by loss of intimate surface contact or chemical interaction with a dying cell. The problem of hormone-activated periodic or cyclic proliferative homeostasis is also interpreted in terms of Em variation.
The normal Euler class and singularities of projections for polyhedral surfaces in 4-space

Abstract This paper defines the Normal Euler Number and the Normal Euler Class for polyhedral surfaces in 4-space by means of singularities of projections into hyperplanes. There exist polyhedral analogues of nearly all of Whitney's theorems on Normal Euler Classes of surfaces smoothly immersed in 4-space. However, although the Normal Euler Number of a smooth embedding of the real projective plane in 4-space must be plus or minus 2, the Normal Euler Number of a (locally knotted) polyhedral embedding of the real projective plane can be any integer congruent to 2 modulo 4.
Optical Feedback-controlled Scleral Remodeling as a Mechanism for Myopic Eye Growth

Abstract Experimental studies of myopia have demonstrated that optical errors imposed on a developing eye will stimulate elongation of the globe, although the mechanism of axial growth is not well understood. In this study, a mathematical model of eye growth is presented in which expansion of the globe occurs as the elastic deformations of the scleral shell are incorporated into the zero stress configuration of the eye during the scleral remodeling process. The rate of remodeling is determined by the retinal blur and the amplitude of accommodation, which provide feedback loops for both unilateral and bilateral hyperopic refractive error-compensation. Normal eye growth and experimental myopia are simulated in tree shrews, a small mammal related to primates. The model demonstrates that the rate of the ocular elongation in experimental myopia may be controlled by regulating the rate of soft tissue remodeling in the scleral shell.