cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Clinical Significance of Immune Senescence

It is now 20 years since Walford proposed an immunologic theory of aging (Walford, 1969). According to this theory, changes in the anatomy and physiology of the immune system lead to the alterations in the organism with time that are known as aging. Thus, immune senescence was suggested to be the basic mechanism underlying the process of aging.
Five-year prospective investigation of self-harm/suicide-related behaviors in the development of borderline personality disorder.

Although borderline personality disorder (BPD) is frequently characterized by nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI), suicide attempts (SA), suicidal ideation (SI), and/or suicide threats (ST), it is unclear whether these behaviors are precursors of BPD in adolescence. This study examined self-harm/suicide-related behaviors in the development of BPD from adolescence to adulthood in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Participants were 116 adolescents consecutively admitted for a psychiatric hospitalization for self-harm/suicide-related behaviors. Adolescents completed self-report questionnaires assessing self-harm/suicide-related behaviors, maladaptive familial behavior, and peer victimization upon admission. Admission diagnoses and history of sexual/physical abuse were abstracted from medical/psychiatric records. Five years after index hospitalization, medical/psychiatric records were systematically reviewed and information on diagnoses was collected. Using multivariable logistic regression analyses, ST predicted BPD above and beyond NSSI, SA, and SI 5 years later (odds ratio = 1.31, 95% confidence interval [1.06, 1.62], p >.01). Traditional risk factors of BPD were not predictive of BPD at 5-year follow-up. Suicidal threats are an important risk factor in adolescents who engage in self-harm/suicide-related behaviors that may differentiate those adolescents who go on to develop BPD as adults. Implications for research and treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
Estrechos lazos en un distrito descentralizado: estudio de caso de un distrito que mejora

Las presiones ejercidas para que haya una mayor rendicion de cuentas y que los estudiantes alcancen mejores resultados han llevado a los distritos a asumir un mayor nivel de control y centralizacion de los curriculos, la ensenanza y las evaluaciones. Si ya se conocen los beneficios que traen una mayor coherencia y centralizacion, ahora hay una creciente conciencia sobre la necesidad de equilibrar el profesionalismo y la rendicion de cuentas mediante enfoques mas descentralizados. A partir de un analisis de redes sociales y extensas entrevistas hechas a rectores y administradores de oficinas centrales, el presente estudio, basado en metodos mixtos, analiza como las estructuras formales de un distrito educativo de Estados Unidos fomento las relaciones informales entre los administradores locales y de oficinas centrales para lograr un equilibrio entre profesionalismo y rendicion de cuentas —un factor clave que permitio alcanzar logros sostenidos—. Este estudio presenta un ejemplo de centralizacion y descentralizacion y de equilibrio entre profesionalismo y rendicion de cuentas logrado entre una oficina central y sus establecimientos en un amplio distrito suburbano caracterizado por un elevado porcentaje de estudiantes hispanos y estudiantes que todavia estan aprendiendo ingles o que se encuentran en una situacion de desventaja socioeconomica.
Hydrolysis of conjugated steroids by bacterial glucuronidase.

SummaryBacterial glucuronidase which hydrolyzes the glucuronides of estriol, pregnanediol, menthol and phenolphthalein liberates a large proportion of estrogen, ketosteroid and corticosteroid of human urine.
Dynamic Load Balancing Techniques for Nonlinear Structural Dynamics

The efficiency of a parallel solution to a numerical problem relies on the distribution of workload among processors. A well-balanced workload yields a more efficient solution than an imbalanced one. Unfortunately, achieving an optimal workload distribution for more than 2 processors is almost intractable because this process requires solving a non-deterministic polynomial (NP) time complete problem. A more amenable approach is to pursue near-optimal distribution using an heuristics-based algorithm. Load balancing algorithms can be classified either as static or dynamic. Static load balancing algorithms distribute tasks among processors during compile time, while dynamic algorithms bind to the processes during run-time. The major advantage of static algorithms is that, unlike dynamic algorithms, they incur no run-time overhead, and are easier to implement. However, they require a priori knowledge about the solution path and the state of the system during processing. This limitation makes dynamic load balancing more favorable for parallel programs which the execution times for processes and their communication requirements cannot be predicted. In Parallel Finite Element Analysis (PFEA), the solution can be parallelized by means of domain partitioning and/or by parallelizing the linear algebra computations. This work focuses on the improvement of domain partitioning-based methods and it takes advantage of parallel linear algebra. In domain partitioning PFEA methods, finite element domain is either partitioned into a number of subdomains equal or larger to the number of processing units. The resulting subsystems are then solved in parallel and their solutions are integrated into the global solution. Manual partitioning of finite element domains is painstaking and seldom produce efficient results, so various automatic partitioning algorithms have been devised to produce near-optimal results by heuristics means. Heuristic domain partitioning algorithms can be classified as topologyor geometrybased, spectral or non-spectral, and recursive or sequential. Topology-based algorithms use topological information of the mesh or its associated graph to partition the domain, while geometry-based algorithms partition domains using the geometrical data of its mesh. Some algorithms use both topological as well as geometrical information to carry out the partitioning. Spectral methods use spectral analysis of the global graph associated with the finite element mesh to locate partition separators, while non-spectral methods 17 ANALYSIS AND COMPUTATION SPECIALTY CONFERENCE th
Truth as a Logical Constant, with an Application to the Principle of Excluded Middle

What is it that is susceptible of truth or falsity? The most frequently proffered candidate is the proposition. Others not infrequent are statement, assertion, belief. The question, as well as the proposed answers, shrouds an ambiguity which is, from the point of view of the theory of truth, fatal. That the ambiguity (hereunder to be unravelled) should have persisted in the philosophy of logic into recent times is rather surprising since, as I shall try to show, all the resources for instituting the required distinctions with the maximum of formal clarity are available in the symbolism of modern truth-functional logic. I begin with a criticism of the customary definition of truth function. It is usual to find the following kind of definition in logical texts: A truth function is a statement whose truth or falsity depends solely on the truth value of its components. The objection to this is simply that a truth function is not a statement and cannot, in itself, be spoken of as true or as false. Indeed, the functionality of truth functions, as of any type of function whatever, consists specifically in the fact that they are devoid of value-truth value, in this case. Of course, if a truth value is assigned to the components of a truth function, a value for the whole function is automatically determined. But the fact is, and this will emerge more clearly in due course, that there is a difference of considerable theoretical significance between assigning a truth value to a component of a truth function and remarking of a statement that it is true or that it is false. It is of interest to recall that in Frege's symbolism, a special sign was employed to mark the functionality of the atomic variables of truth functional logic. That symbol is the horizontal line, which, in the Begriffsschrift period, he called the "content stroke" and later simply the "horizontal". The sign 'h-' which is often called the assertion sign of Frege ought rather to be called the assertion sign of Russell and Whitehead (see Principia Mathematica (Cambridge, 1964), Introduction, p. 8). In the context of Frege's symbolism, the sign 'h-' stands for a combination of the assertion sign proper, represented by the vertical line, and the "content stroke", represented by the horizontal line. What corresponds to the function 'p' is, in Frege, not a simple letter such as 'A', but '-A' which, as it were, carries its functionality on its face. A philosophically urgent question now arises: What is the logical, or if
Loving Ebola-chan: Internet memes in an epidemic:

In this article, the authors provide a layered analysis of Ebola-chan, a visual cultural artifact of the 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak. Rather than considering her as a two-dimensional anime character (...
Study on Unified Information System Maintenance Maturity Evaluation Model of Electric Power Enterprise

With the comprehensive construction of State Grid Corporation of China(SGCC) "san ji wu da" system, higher requirements to maintenance and supporting of information system have been put forward. This paper studied and formulated a unified maintenance ability evaluation method system suit for electric power enterprise information system. On the basis of the proposed system, operation process is further refined. And the effects of Zhejiang Electric Power Company information system unified maintenance and supporting were analyzed and evaluated. The study of model can lay the foundation for the explicit management, quantitative management, fine management of information system unified maintenance.
Small signal modeling of the hysteretic modulator with a current ripple synthesizer

In this paper, the synthetic ripple modulator for synchronous buck converter is modeled by the describing function approach. A detailed circuit configuration of the PWM modulator is introduced, including the hysteretic band control and the ripple synthesizer. The transfer function of the modulator is derived. By comparing the Bode plots for the open-loop hysteretic modulator and the closed-loop system, a good match is obtained between the analytical model and the SIMPLIS simulation results. The proposed model can be used in the design of the current ripple synthesizer to achieve fast transient response, and in the prediction of the system stability.
Nitroaminofurazans with Azo and Azoxy Linkages: A Comparative Study of Structural, Electronic, Physicochemical, and Energetic Properties

The structural, electronic, and physicochemical properties of 4,4′-bis(nitramino)azofurazan and 4,4′-bis(nitramino)azoxyfurazan as high-energy density materials were compared. In addition, a new family of nitrogen-rich energetic salts based on these two nitroaminofurazans were synthesized and fully characterized. On the basis of experimental evidence and theoretical calculations, 4,4′-bis(nitramino)azoxyfurazan and its ionic derivatives were found to exhibit higher detonation velocities and pressures, and higher densities than their azofurazan analogues which supports the added value of introduction of the N-oxide moiety into energetic materials. The solid state features for the two nitroaminofurazans were studied in detail by X-ray diffraction and noncovalent interaction index which identify additional hydrogen-bonding and extensive edge-to-face π–π stacking interactions arising from the presence of the azoxy N-oxide.
Carbamazepine-Induced Acute Pancreatitis

A 5-year-old mentally retarded child who developed pancreatitis during accidental acute carbamazepine (CBZ) intoxication is reported from the Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
AN IMPROVED MEDIUM FOR DETECTION OF CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM TYPE E

An enrichment medium containing trypticase, peptone, glucose, yeast extract, and 1 mg of trypsin/ml (TPGYT) has been developed for detection of Clostridium botulinum type E. It was designed to potentiate toxin as produced and destroy the boticins of competing type E variants in cultures of foods and environmental materials. Samples of 227 sediments and 283 shellfish from different areas of the continental United States yielded 74 more positive cultures of type E in TPGYT than in the same medium free of trypsin. Type E toxin was detected in all smoked fish inoculated with 4 to 100 type E spores per fish in TPGYT. Incorporation of trypsin into the medium caused no reduction in type A or proteolytic type B toxin production from spore inocula. Toxins of nonproteolytic types B and F in pure culture were fully potentiated in the trypsin-containing medium.
Learning Formal Human-machine Interface Designs From Task Analytic Models:

User-centered design (UCD) is an approach for creating human-machine interfaces so that they support human operator tasks. UCD can be challenging because designers can fail to account for human-machine interactions that occur due to the inherent concurrence between the human and the other elements of the system. Formal methods are tools that enable analysts to consider all of the possible system interactions using a combination of formal modeling, specification, and proof-based verification. However, the creation of formal models of interface designs can be extremely difficult. This work describes a method that supports UCD by automatically generating formal designs of human-machine interface behavior from task analytic models, where the resulting interface will always support the behavior captured in the task model. This paper describes the method and demonstrates its capabilities with a vending machine application. Results and future research directions are discussed.
Thermal and Chemical Unfolding of Cytochrome C in the Presence of Hofmeister Ions

The ferric cytochrome c (Cyt c) (un)folding mechanism in the presence of ions from the Hofmeister series is examined. Unfolding was initiated both thermally and with chemical denaturants. Hofmeister ions were added singly and in pairs to alter the stability of the native folded state, the unfolded state, and two partially folded intermediates. Protein stability was characterized by either the midpoint of the chemical denaturization curve or by the melting temperature in the thermal studies. UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy and a basis spectra fitting analysis were used to determine the populations of each protein conformation along the folding pathway. These species can be differentiated by their axial heme ligands. Four species exist in solution: the native HM state (His18/Met80), the partially folded HW (His18/water) and HH (His18/His33) intermediates, and the 5C (water) unfolded state. The results indicate that the thermal and chemical denaturization pathways are not the same and that both involve significant backbone rearrangement. The relative populations of the conformational states depend on how the protein is denatured. For the same concentration, guanidinium causes more unfolding than does urea. The thermal unfolding pathway appears to involve a more gradual unfolding of the protein and a different sequence of change in the heme iron axial ligands. Additionally, it was found that addition of multiple ions changed the protein's stability in an additive manner. These results are discussed in terms of the hydrophobic effect, partitioning of the ions to the protein surface, and an altered water structure around the protein.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators for primary prevention of death in left ventricular dysfunction with and without ischaemic heart disease: a meta-analysis of 8567 patients in the 11 trials.

Aims Primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are established therapy for reducing mortality in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and ischaemic heart disease (IHD). However, their efficacy in patients without IHD has been controversial. We undertook a meta-analysis of the totality of the evidence. Methods and results We systematically identified all RCTs comparing ICD vs. no ICD in primary prevention. Eligible RCTs were those that recruited patients with left ventricular dysfunction, reported all-cause mortality, and presented their results stratified by the presence of IHD (or recruited only those with or without). Our primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. We identified 11 studies enrolling 8567 participants with left ventricular dysfunction, including 3128 patients without IHD and 5439 patients with IHD. In patients without IHD, ICD therapy reduced mortality by 24% (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.90, P = 0.001). In patients with IHD, ICD implantation (at a dedicated procedure), also reduced mortality by 24% (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.96, P = 0.02). Conclusions Until now, it has never been explicitly stated that the patients without IHD in COMPANION showed significant survival benefit from adding ICD therapy (to a background of CRT). Even before DANISH, meta-analysis of patients without ischaemic heart disease already showed reduced mortality. DANISH is consistent with these data. With a significant 24% mortality reduction in both aetiologies, it may no longer be necessary to distinguish between them when deciding on primary prevention ICD implantation.
Altered CREB Binding to Activity-Dependent Genes in Serine Racemase Deficient Mice, a Mouse Model of Schizophrenia.

cAMP-response-element-binding protein (CREB) is a transcription factor ubiquitously expressed in the brain that regulates neuroplasticity by modulating gene expression. The influx of calcium through N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) is a well-defined mechanism that leads to the increased expression of CREB-dependent genes, including brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), microRNA-132, and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc). These molecules are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We previously demonstrated that serine racemase knockout (SR–/−) mice, which exhibit NMDAR hypofunction due to a lack of the forebrain NMDAR co-agonist d-serine, also have reduced expression of CREB-dependent genes in the hippocampus. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we show here that, in SR–/– mice, there is less CREB bound to the promoter regions of BDNF, microRNA-132, and Arc. These data suggest that NMDAR hypofunction in SR–/– mice leads to reduced CREB binding on known activi...
Improving Birth Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Pregnancy outcomes in low- and many middle-income countries are far worse than those in high-income countries. Maternal mortality may be up to 100 times as great in the highest mortality regions as in the lowest mortality regions, and neonatal mortality and the rate of stillbirths are 10 to 20 times as great.1 Most of the adverse outcomes occur during labor and delivery or soon thereafter. Many experts have suggested that increasing the proportion of deliveries that take place in medical facilities would reduce mortality in low- and middle-income countries to near the level in high-income countries. Yet, despite a shift . . .
The Role of a Single Dose of Vancomycin in Reducing Clinical Sepsis in Premature Infants Prior to Removal of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter: A Retrospective Study

Objective Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line removal is associated with bloodstream infections and clinical sepsis. We aim to investigate the role of a single prophylactic dose of vancomycin in decreasing the incidence of central line associated bloodstream infection associated with PICC removal. Methods A retrospective chart review of patients in the neonatal intensive care unit was conducted. Patients were divided into two study groups based on whether a single dose of vancomycin was administered (exposed) or not (nonexposed). The primary outcome measured was clinical sepsis with or without positive blood culture. Results The incidence of clinical sepsis in the exposed group was 7.3% compared with 6.3% in the nonexposed group (p-value: 0.7860). The incidence of culture-positive sepsis in the exposed group was 2.2% compared with 1.6% in the nonexposed group (p-value: 0.7673). The overall incidence of clinical and culture-positive sepsis in the subgroup with infants weighing Conclusion Our data do not support routine vancomycin prophylaxis prior to PICC line removal in premature infants to prevent sepsis associated with PICC removal. However, a large randomized controlled trial is further needed to delineate these results.
Functional, RF-Trilayer Sensors for Tooth-Mounted, Wireless Monitoring of the Oral Cavity and Food Consumption

Wearable devices have emerged as powerful tools for personalized healthcare in spite of some challenges that limit their widespread applicability as continuous monitors of physiological information. Here, a materials-based strategy to add utility to traditional dielectric sensors by developing a conformal radiofrequency (RF) construct composed of an active layer encapsulated between two reverse-facing split ring resonators is applied. These small (down to 2 mm × 2 mm) passive dielectric sensors possess enhanced sensitivity and can be further augmented by functionalization of this interlayer material. Demonstrator devices are shown where the interlayer is: (i) a porous silk film, and (ii) a modified PNIPAM hydrogel that swells with pH or temperature. In vivo use is demonstrated by adhesion of the device on tooth enamel to detect foods during human ingestion. Such sensors can be easily multiplexed and yield data-rich temporal information during the diffusion of analytes within the trilayer structure. This format could be extended to a suite of interlayer materials for sensing devices of added use and specificity.
Proceedings of the 2007 symposium on Interactive 3D graphics and games

Before your eyes is the proceedings of the ACM SIGGRAPH Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics and Games (I3D 2007). If you are holding a hardcopy, you have all the conference's papers before you. If you are viewing the DVD, you also have access to videos and appendices. The location of this symposium is Seattle, Washington, from April 30 to May 2, 2007. In addition to the presentations of the technical papers from these proceedings, the conference also includes a poster session and doctoral seminars. The purpose of the I3D conference is to bring researchers and practitioners of similar interests together to exchange ideas about interactive graphics and games. One of the distinct joys of conferences of this size is that you can meet just about everyone, and there is ample opportunity to talk between sessions and over meals. This is not always possible at a larger conference. If you are an I3D participant in 2007, we hope that you will return to your fellow researchers and remind them of the pleasures of this conference. These proceedings contain 25 excellent papers that were selected out of 72 submissions to the symposium. For those who like to chart trends, we have provided a history of the paper statistics for I3D in a table below. This year, each paper was given at least three reviews, and the vast majority of the reviews came from the PC members.
Project ACTS II: organ donation education for African American adults.

OBJECTIVE : Project ACTS "About Choices in Transplantation and Sharing" is a culturally sensitive intervention designed to address organ donation concerns among African American adults. Our study sought to evaluate the efficacy of two versions of the Project ACTS intervention and to determine whether reviewing materials in a group setting would be more effective at increasing participants' interest in organ and tissue donation than allowing participants to review the materials at home with friends and family. DESIGN: A pre-post simple factorial experimental design was used to assess differences between intervention package (Project ACTS I vs II) and mode of delivery (group vs take home). METHODS: Participants completed a baseline and 1-year follow-up assessment of donation-related knowledge, attitudes, and interest. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A summed score that represents participants' interest in being recognized as an organ donor on their driver's license, via donor card, and by talking to family. RESULTS: From baseline to follow-up, participants increased their knowledge, attitudes, and interest in being recognized as an organ donor regardless of intervention package (Ps<.05). Regarding setting, participants who reviewed materials in a group setting demonstrated greater increase from baseline to follow-up in interest in organ donation (beta=.22, P<.01) and positive attitudes toward donation (beta=.22, P<.05) than those who were allowed to review materials at home with friends and family. CONCLUSION: Project ACTS I and II are equally efficacious; reviewing the intervention in a group setting may be necessary for low vested interest/high ambivalence health behaviors such as organ donation. ( Ethn Dis. 2013; 23[2]:230–237)
RAMAN STUDIES OF STRUCTURAL DEFECTS IN VITREOUS SiO2

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the two sharp lines which are seen at 495 cm -1 and 606 cm -1 in the Raman spectrum of pure fused silica. We conclude that the 495 cm -1 line is probably a longitudinal optical mode of the network, although defect origin is not entirely ruled out. More importantly, we conclude that the 606 cm -1 is due to a large concentration of non-bridging oxygen defects. We show how the strength of the 606 cm -1 line varies with the water concentration and the thermal history of bulk samples of Suprasil fused silica.
Staging of Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most common and most aggressive pulmonary neuroendocrine malignancy. SCLCs account for approximately 13% of all lung cancers and are characterized by rapid growth, early development of metastatic disease, dramatic initial response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and frequent association with paraneoplastic syndromes. Computed tomography (CT) and positron-emission tomography (PET)/CT are the imaging modalities routinely used in the evaluation of patients with SCLC. On imaging, SCLC usually manifests as a large centrally located lung mass or as mediastinal or mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. Most patients have metastatic disease at presentation. Historically, the Veterans Administration Lung Study Group (VALG) staging system has been used to stage SCLC. More recently, it has been recommended by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) that the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging system replace the VALG staging system. Despite characteristic responsiveness to initial therapy, disease invariably recurs and the overall prognosis remains poor.
A Novel Actin Binding Drug with In Vivo Efficacy

Occidiofungin is produced by the soil bacterium Burkolderia contaminans MS14 and is structurally similar or identical to the burkholdines, xylocandins, and cepacidines. This study identified the primary cellular target of occidiofungin, which was determined to be actin. The modification of occidiofungin with a functional alkyne group enabled affinity purification assays and localization studies in yeast. Occidiofungin has a subtle effect on actin dynamics that triggers apoptotic cell death. We demonstrate the highly specific localization of occidiofungin to cellular regions rich in actin in yeast and the binding of occidiofungin to purified actin in vitro Furthermore, a disruption of actin-mediated cellular processes, such as endocytosis, nuclear segregation, and hyphal formation, was observed. All of these processes require the formation of stable actin cables, which are disrupted following the addition of a subinhibitory concentration of occidiofungin. We were also able to demonstrate the effectiveness of occidiofungin in treating a vulvovaginal yeast infection in a murine model. The results of this study are important for the development of an efficacious novel class of actin binding drugs that may fill the existing gap in treatment options for fungal infections or different types of cancer.
A comparison of the metal-ligand interactions of the pentafluorophenylethynyl and trifluoropropynyl ligands in transition metal cyclam complexes

Abstract The pentafluorophenylethynyl ligand, C2C6F5, is a commonly used electron withdrawing ligand. In the context of developing complexes with blue-shifted emission for organic light emitting diode applications, it is often necessary to have electron poor ligands that are also relatively high on the spectrochemical series. The trifluoropropynyl ligand, C2CF3, is also electron withdrawing and has never been directly compared to C2C6F5. Herein complexes of the type trans-[M(cyclam)(C2R)2]OTf, where M = CoIII and CrIII and C2R = C2C6F5, are prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography, cyclic voltammetry, and UV-Vis, IR, and Raman spectroscopy. Emission spectroscopy for the CrIII complex is also reported. These C2C6F5 complexes are compared to the corresponding complexes where C2R = C2CF3, and C2C6H5. For trans-[Co(cyclam)(C2R)2]OTf, the reversible CoIII/II reduction for the C2C6F5 complex occurs 120 mV more cathodic than that for the C2CF3 complex, indicating that C2CF3 is more electron withdrawing, a conclusion that is supported by analysis of C C stretching frequencies. The lowest energy metal-centered (MC) 1A1g → 1T2g absorption band for the C2CF3 and C2C6F5 complexes in CH3CN appear at 425 and 438 nm, respectively, suggesting that C2CF3 is a stronger field ligand. In the region of the LMCT transitions, the absorption spectra for the trans-[Cr(cyclam)(C2R)2]OTf complexes, where C2R = C2C6H5 and C2C6F5, show significant vibronic structure that is also superimposed on the MC transitions, suggesting some degree of charge transfer character in the latter. The CrIII complexes are all emissive in room-temperature fluid solution with the C2CF3 complex showing significant fine structure and the C2C6H5 and C2C6F5 complex emission being broad, structureless, and redshifted by comparison. This suggests that emission in the C2CF3 complex is of 2Eg (Oh) origin and emission for the C2C6H5 and C2C6F5 complexes is of 2T1g (Oh) origin. Emission for all CrIII complexes in 77 K glass shows significant fine structure. The presence of a dominant 0-0′ emission band in the C2C6H5 and C2C6F5 complexes suggests a non-centrosymmetric ground state. This is supported by the crystal structure for trans-[Cr(cyclam)(C2C6F5)2]OTf that shows an angle of 77.8° between the planes defined by the aryl rings.
Voiceless stop lenition and reduction as linguistic and social phenomena in Concepción, Chile

This study investigates voiceless stop lenition in Chilean Spanish. Recent studies (e.g. Perez 2007, Figueroa & Evans 2014 among others) have documented high levels of lenition of /bdg/ in Chilean Spanish. As a result, the present study seeks to document the degree to which the voiceless stops /ptk/ undergo lenition in this variety of Spanish. Furthermore, the relationship between lenition and social factors (e.g., age, gender, and socioeconomic stratification) is examined. Data was taken from the sociolinguistic interviews of 32 speakers from the Province of Concepcion, Chile. In all, 4,419 intervocalic tokens of /ptk/ were analyzed for lenition using three different measurement criteria: total voicing, articulatory reduction, and duration. Results confirm that, according to all three criteria, elevated levels of lenition are observed in the production of /ptk/ in Concepcion. Likewise, results indicate that as a social phenomenon, voiceless stop lenition in Concepcion is primarily conditioned by age and gender.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of an al-zr-er high temperature alloy microalloyed with tungsten

We studied the possibility of improving the coarsening resistance of nanoprecipitates with the L12 structure, in an Al-Zr-Er alloy system, by microalloying with slow-diffusing tungsten (W). Dilute Al-Zr-Er-W alloys with and without Si were prepared, cast and isochronally (3 h steps, from 200 to 600 °C) aged to understand the behavior of W and its interactions with Zr and Er in aluminum. The microstructure of these alloys in the as-cast and aged conditions has been studied over relevant length scales in parallel with electrical conductivity and microhardness measurements. In addition to optical microscopy studies, local-electrode atom-probe tomography analyses are performed to investigate the structure of the age-hardening (L12) nanoprecipitates in selected alloys.
An Analytical Approach To Nursing Scheduling

(1963). An Analytical Approach To Nursing Scheduling. Hospital Topics: Vol. 41, No. 9, pp. 44-45.
Effect of Different Gamma Ray Doses on Some Agricultural Characteristics of Two Row Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

In this study, the effect of different doses of gamma ray (200, 300, 400 and 500 Gy) applied on seeds of Tarm-92 two-row barley varieties on some agricultural properties were investigated. The research was conducted in 2016-2017 vegetation period under Isparta conditions. In M1 generation, normal and abnormal plants are harvested separately according to the spike and plant appearance at each dose and 9 different [200, 200 A, 300, 300 A, 400, 400 A, 400 A (plants with double spike formation and branching tendency in spike C.B.) 500 and 500 A gray] groups were formed. A total of 10 plots with control (no irradiation) were included in the M2 generation. Results showed that the effect of gamma ray application on the thousand grain weight, test weight, ratio of husk and protein content was significant statistically. While increasing the ratio of husk and protein content, gamma ray application significantly reduced the weight of a thousand grains and test weight. In this research, plant height, spike length, number of grain per spike and weight of grain per spike were investigated on a single plant. Discriminant analysis was done and distance between groups was determined. The rate of plants similar to control in examined characters in M2 generation is 400 Gy 7.83%, 200 Gy 10%, 300 Gy 19.60% and 500 Gy 22.22%. When the coefficients containing linear separation functions are examined, it is determined that the most effective feature is spike length.
Patient-reported Outcomes in Arthrogryposis.

Background Little is known about patient-reported health status in children and adolescents with arthrogryposis. Utilizing the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) and Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) questionnaires, we investigated functional and psychosocial measures in arthrogryposis. Methods A total of 118 patients with arthrogryposis were identified from a prospective longitudinal cohort (the Congenital Upper Limb Difference Registry) from 2014 to 2018. Demographics and patient-reported outcome measures were evaluated, including the PROMIS [upper extremity (UE) function, pain, depression, anxiety, and peer relations] and PODCI questionnaires (UE function, pain, happiness, and global function). Results A total of 29 arthrogrypotic patients had complete PROMIS and PODCI data. This cohort was divided into distal arthrogryposis and amyoplasia groups, with 15 and 14 patients in each group, respectively. There were 8 males in the distal arthrogryposis group with a median age of 9 years and 7 males in the amyoplasia group with a median age of 8 years. For both cohorts, the median UE function PROMIS scores were significantly below population norms, 31 for distal arthrogryposis and 22 for amyoplasia. PODCI UE function was statistically lower for amyoplasia compared with the distal arthrogryposis cohort. PROMIS pain, depression, anxiety, and peer relations were in the normal range for both amyopasia and distal arthrogryposis. Median PODCI pain and happiness ranged from 85 to 88 for all patients with no statistical difference between groups. Conclusions Arthrogryposis patients have lower UE function scores compared with population normals, but they have emotional states that are consistent with populations norms. Amyoplasia patients were functionally worse than distal arthrogryposis patients. Levels of evidence Level II.
Atomic Force Microscopy of Polymer Droplets

The near-surface structure of polymers is important for understanding such macroscopic properties as adhesion, friction, and fracture initiation. Studies of polymers near surfaces by conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) have provided local information about the reorganization of macromolecules near constraining surfaces. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is now emerging as a powerful technique for characterizing local surface structure but AFM is only reliable when used in conjunction with these other more traditional microscopic techniques. It is important to establish that features observed in AFM can be corroborated by other experiments. It is also necessary to compare experimental data with theoretical descriptions which take account of the geometry of the probe-sample interaction. Computer simulations indicate that artifacts can be observed in the images including high frequency “ringing” and “beating.”
On the Relationship Between KR Approaches for Explainable Planning.

In this paper, we build upon notions from knowledge representation and reasoning (KR) to expand a preliminary logic-based framework that characterizes the model reconciliation problem for explainable planning. We also provide a detailed exposition on the relationship between similar KR techniques, such as abductive explanations and belief change, and their applicability to explainable planning.
Use of general anesthesia to suppress incessant atrial fibrillation in a patient undergoing ablation for supraventricular tachycardia.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) can occur in up to 30% of patients with supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) mediated by atrioventricular accessory pathways (AP).1, 2, 3, 4 When it occurs in the course of an electrophysiological (EP) study, mapping and ablation of the SVT is difficult, especially when ventricular pre-excitation is not present. In this case, we report a patient with atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (AVRT) mediated by a concealed posterior septal AP in whom repetitive and sustained AF during EP study required conversion from conscious sedation to general anesthesia (GA) for suppression of AF. Key Teaching Points • In patients with longstanding paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), atrial electrical remodeling can result in difficult-to-control paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). • When sedation and anxiolytic agents fail to control incessant AF, general anesthesia attenuates adrenergic drive sufficiently to suppress incessant AF during SVT ablation. • Ablation of the accessory pathway (AP) in patients with atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia can result in prevention of further AF episodes in about 90% of patients. However, the incidence of AF in patients with APs is higher than that of the general population even after AP ablation.
Efficient Data Management in Neutron Scattering Data Reduction Workflows at ORNL

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) experimental neutron science facilities produce 1.2 TB a day of raw event-based data that is stored using the standard metadata-rich NeXus schema built on top of the HDF5 file format. Performance of several data reduction workflows is largely determined by the amount of time spent on the loading and processing algorithms in Mantid, an open-source data analysis framework used across several neutron sciences facilities around the world. The present work introduces new data management algorithms to address identified input output (I/O) bottlenecks on Mantid. First, we introduce an in-memory binary-tree metadata index that resemble NeXus data access patterns to provide a scalable search and extraction mechanism. Second, data encapsulation in Mantid algorithms is optimally redesigned to reduce the total compute and memory runtime footprint associated with metadata I/O reconstruction tasks. Results from this work show speed ups in wall-clock time on ORNL data reduction workflows, ranging from 11% to 30% depending on the complexity of the targeted instrument-specific data. Nevertheless, we highlight the need for more research to address reduction challenges as experimental data volumes increase.
Immune thrombocytopenia: A review of upfront treatment strategies

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), resulting from antibody-mediated platelet destruction combined with impaired platelet production, is a rare cause of thrombocytopenia in both children and adults. The decision to treat newly diagnosed patients is based on several factors, including the desire to increase platelet count to prevent bleeding, induce remission, and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL). At present, standard first-line therapy is corticosteroids. While this treatment does increase the platelet count in many patients, a high percentage still relapse after discontinuation of therapy. For this reason, alteration or intensification of first-line therapy that results in superior long-term remission rates is desirable. The objective of this review is to outline different upfront strategies for newly diagnosed patients with ITP in an effort to potentially enhance remission rates and prevent relapse, taking into account an assessment of the risks and benefits of each approach. We primarily focus on adults with ITP, highlighting pediatric data and practice when applicable.
Effects of prepulse format and lead interval on the assessment of automatic and attention-modulated prepulse inhibition

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response can index automatic and attention-modulated aspects of sensorimotor gating. Automatic sensorimotor gating is typically assessed by a no-task PPI protocol in which participants are presented with discrete white noise prepulse and startle stimuli over continuous background broadband noise at brief short-lead intervals (e.g., 60–120 ms). In contrast, attention-modulated sensorimotor gating is typically assessed through a task-based PPI protocol using continuous format pure tone prepulses and white noise startle stimuli presented over an ambient background at a lead interval of 120 ms. The present study sought to test the extent that the assessment of attention-modulated PPI is dependent on prepulse type and lead interval across two experiments. Experiment 1 assessed attention effects on PPI produced by discrete prepulses at lead intervals of 60 and 120 ms. Experiment 2 examined attention effects on PPI with matched stimulus conditions apart from continuous prepulses. Results indicated that the use of discrete prepulses failed to elicit attentional-modulation of PPI and that assessment therein was dependent on the use of continuous prepulses at a lead interval of 120 ms. These results highlight additional methods to concurrently assess automatic and attention-modulated PPI in a single testing session using a task-based tone counting task.
Using a Culturally Proficient Leadership Lens to Effectively Serve Refugee Students

This teaching case study takes place in an American middle school and tells the story of Dorah, a refugee student from the Republic of Congo who experienced severe trauma. At Lincoln Middle School,...
Ligand Induced Conformational and Dynamical Changes in a GT-B Glycosyltransferase: Molecular Dynamic Simulations of Heptosyltransferase I Apo, Binary and Ternary Complexes

Understanding the dynamical motions and ligand recognition motifs of specific glycosyltransferase enzymes, like Heptosyltransferase I (HepI), is critical to discerning the behavior of other carbohydrate binding enzymes. Prior studies in our lab demonstrated that glycosyltransferases in the GT-B structural class, which are characterized by their connection of two Rossman-like domains by a linker region, have conservation of both structure and dynamical motions, despite low sequence conservation, therefore making discoveries found in HepI transferable to other GT-B enzymes. Through a series of 100 nanosecond Molecular Dynamics simulations of HepI in apo enzyme state, and also in the binary and ternary complexes with the native substrates/products. Ligand free energy analysis allowed determination of an anticipated enzymatic path for ligand binding and release. Principle component, dynamic cross correlation and network analyses of the simulation trajectories revealed that there are not only correlated motions between the N- and C-termini, but also that residues within the N-terminal domain communicate via a path that includes substrate proximal residues of the C-terminal domain. Analysis of structural changes, energetics of substrate/products binding and changes in pKa have elucidated a variety of inter- and intradomain interactions that are critical for catalysis. These data corroborate and allow visualization of previous experimental observations of protein conformational changes of HepI. This study has provided valuable insights into the regions involved in HepI conformational rearrangement upon ligand binding, and are likely to enhance efforts to develop new dynamics disrupting enzyme inhibitors for GT-B structural enzymes in the future.
Optical Fiber Photonic Crystal Hydrophone for Acoustic Bio-Sensing

We fabricate, assemble, and characterize a compact, robust, and scalably-fabricated photonic crystal hydrophone capable of measuring acoustic signals from single cardiomyocytes with a minimum detectable pressure of $3\mu Pa/\sqrt {Hz} $ and a 19 kHz band-width.
A Stabilized Dense Network Approach for High-Dimensional Prediction

The limitations of traditional statistical methods on high-dimensional gene expression data for inferencing have motivated and expanded research in developing deep learning methods to handle such data more effectively. In this paper, we look into the multi-task learning problem on gene expression inferencing and propose a method that incorporates deep learning techniques and statistical methods and effectively enhances the predictive accuracy in training neural network models for high-dimensional data analysis. Unlike many multi-task learning methods that handle only a relatively small number of tasks, our proposed method demonstrates effective learning capabilities for large-scale tasks up to thousands. In addition, this novel approach is computationally efficient and reproducible, and is capable of producing competitive results with a much simpler network structure in comparison to adversarial methods. The advantages are evident based on the results of the experiments, which are conducted on datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus and Genotype-Tissue Expression project, both of which provide worldwide range of data resources for gene expression studies and various other data applications.