Anion photoelectron spectroscopy of NbW_ and W2_

The 488 nm vibrationally-resolved photoelectron spectra of NbW$^{-}$ and W$_{2}$$^{-}$ are reported. The electron affinity of W$_{2}$ ( $^{1}$$Sigma$$_{g}$$^{+}$ $leftarrow$ $^{2}$$Sigma$$_{u}$$^{+}$ ) is found to be 1.118 $pm$ 0.007 eV, which differs from the value reported in a previous anion photoelectron spectroscopic study of W$_{2}$$^{-}$ (1.46 eV)footnote{H. Weidele et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 237 (1995) 425-431}, but was accurately predicted by density functional calculations (1.12 eV)footnote{Z. J. Wu, X. F. Ma, Chem. Phys. Lett. 371 (2003) 35-39}. The fundamental vibrational frequency of W$_{2}$ is measured to be 345 $pm$ 15 wn, in agreement with the value previously reported in matrix resonance Raman studies (337 wn)footnote{Z. Hu, J.-G. Dong, J. R. Lombardi, D. M. Lindsay, J. Chem. Phys. 97 (1992) 8811-8812}. The W$_{2}$$^{-}$ anion is measured to have a fundamental frequency of 320 $pm$ 15 wn. Several weak transitions to excited electronic states are seen and tentatively assigned based on calculated energies. NbW has an electron affinity of 0.856 $pm$ 0.007 eV. Vibrational frequencies are found, by Franck-Condon fitting of overlapping transitions, to be 365 $pm$ 20 cm$^{-1}$ for NbW$^{-}$ and 410 $pm$ 20 cm$^{-1}$ for NbW. This increase in vibrational frequency upon photodetachment suggests that the extra electron is in an antibonding orbital, leading to ground state assignments of $^{3}$$Delta$ and $^{2}$$Delta$ for the anion and neutral, respectively. These results are compared to those obtained for other Group V and Group VI transition metal dimers and trends are discussed

Heat and Mass Transfer: System Analysis of Process Burners

A petroleum refinery in Louisiana reduced the NOx levels at its new coker unit by retrofitting several crude heaters with ultra-low NOx burners. The refinery encountered a number of problems in retrofitting the burners for NOx reduction such as burner-to-burner and burner-to-furnace interactions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and cold-flow physical modeling were successfully used to troubleshoot and solve potential problems with ultra-low NOx burner retrofits. The modification of the crude heaters, pre-installation modeling, preliminary troubleshooting, parametric CFD analysis, and the results of field implementation of the modified burners are discussed

A phase Ib/IIa, randomised, double-blind, multicentre trial to assess the safety and efficacy of expanded Cx611 allogeneic adipose-derived stem cells (eASCs) for the treatment of patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia admitted to the intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) can lead to sepsis and is associated with high mortality rates in patients presenting with shock and/or respiratory failure and who require mechanical ventilation and admission to intensive care units, thus reflecting the limited effectiveness of current therapy. Preclinical studies support the efficacy of expanded allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eASCs) in the treatment of sepsis. In this study, we aim to test the safety, tolerability and efficacy of eASCs as adjunctive therapy in patients with severe CABP (sCABP). METHODS: In addition to standard of care according to local guidelines, we will administer eASCs (Cx611) or placebo intravenously as adjunctive therapy to patients with sCABP. Enrolment is planned for approximately 180 patients who will be randomised to treatment groups in a 1:1 ratio according to a pre-defined randomization list. An equal number of patients is planned for allocation to each group. Cx611 will be administered on Day 1 and on Day 3 at a dose of 160 million cells (2 million cells / mL, total volume 80 mL) through a 20-30 min (240 mL/hr) intravenous (IV) central line infusion after dilution with Ringer Lactate solution. Placebo (Ringer Lactate) will also be administered through a 20-30 min (240 mL/hr) IV central line infusion at the same quantity (total volume of 80 mL) and following the same schedule as the active treatment. The study was initiated in January 2017 and approved by competent authorities and ethics committees in Belgium, Spain, Lithuania, Italy, Norway and France; monitoring will be performed at regular intervals. Funding is from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program. DISCUSSION: SEPCELL is the first trial to assess the effects of eASCs in sCABP. The data generated will advance understanding of the mode of action of Cx611 and will provide evidence on the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Cx611 in patients with sCABP. These data will be critical for the design of future confirmatory clinical investigations and will assist in defining endpoints, key biomarkers of interest and sample size determination. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03158727 , retrospectively registered on 9 May 2017