Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Digital government and public management research: finding the crossroads

ABSTRACT Information and information technologies have become ubiquitous in the public sector and it is difficult to think of a public problem or government service that does not involve them in some substantial way. Public management (PM) research now incorporates the effects of the availability and quality of data as well as the technologies used in the public sector. From a PM perspective, digital government (DG) could be considered an essential aspect of innovation, co-production, transparency, and the generation of public value. However, studies that attempt to understand the role that DG research plays in PM theory and practice are scarce. As a research field, DG emerged from multiple disciplines, including public administration, information science, management information systems, computer science, communication, and political science. There have been numerous efforts in the last decade to delineate this emergent academic community by assessing the growing body of research represented by hundreds of new peer-reviewed publications every year. This paper reviews these prior studies about the DG community, along with a systematic review of recent articles in top public administration journals from the United States and Europe, to begin to identify and compare key characteristics of these academic communities, including their core researchers, theories, topics, and methods. We argue that their similarities and differences present opportunities for more dialogue between DG and PM scholars that could produce synergies to enhance the production and dissemination of knowledge, yielding greater influence on practice.
Involvement of the Nonhomologous Region of Subunit A of the Yeast V-ATPase in Coupling and in Vivo Dissociation*

The catalytic nucleotide binding subunit (subunit A) of the vacuolar proton-translocating ATPase (or V-ATPase) is homologous to the β-subunit of the F-ATPase but contains a 90-amino acid insert not present in the β-subunit, termed the nonhomologous region. We previously demonstrated that mutations in this region lead to changes in coupling of proton transport and ATPase activity and to inhibition of in vivo dissociation of the V-ATPase complex, an important regulatory mechanism (Shao, E., Nishi T., Kawasaki-Nishi, S., and Forgac, M. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 12985–12991). Measurement of the ATP dependence of coupling for the wild type and mutant proteins demonstrates that the coupling differences are observed at ATP concentrations up to 1 mm. A decrease in coupling efficiency is observed at higher ATP concentrations for the wild type and mutant V-ATPases. Immunoprecipitation of an epitope-tagged nonhomologous region from cell lysates indicates that this region is able to bind to the integral V0 domain in the absence of the remainder of the A subunit, an interaction confirmed by immunoprecipitation of V0. Interaction between the nonhomologous region and V0 is reduced upon incubation of cells in the absence of glucose, suggesting that the nonhomologous region may act as a trigger to activate in vivo dissociation. Immunoprecipitation suggests that the epitope tag on the nonhomologous region becomes less accessible upon glucose withdrawal, possibly due to binding to another cellular target. In vivo dissociation of the V-ATPase in response to glucose removal is also blocked by chloroquine, a weak base that neutralizes the acidic pH of the vacuole. The results suggest that the dependence of in vivo dissociation of the V-ATPase on catalytic activity may be due to neutralization of the yeast vacuole, which in turn blocks glucose-dependent dissociation.
Effect of microcurrent stimulation on delayed-onset muscle soreness: a double-blind comparison.

OBJECTIVE To examine the efficacy of microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulation (MENS) treatment on pain and loss of range of motion (ROM) associated with delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DESIGN AND SETTING We assigned subjects to 1 of 2 groups. Group 1 received treatment with microcurrent stimulation (200 muA, 30 Hz, for 10 minutes, then 100 muA, 0.3 Hz, for 10 minutes) 24, 48, and 72 hours after DOMS induction. Group 2 served as a sham group and was treated using a machine altered by the manufacturer so that no current could flow through the electrodes. SUBJECTS DOMS was induced in the biceps brachii of the nondominant arm of 18 subjects (3 males, 15 females: age = 20.33 +/- 2.3 years, ht = 170.81 +/- 7.3 cm, wt = 69.61 +/- 13.1 kg). Dominance was defined as the arm used by the subject to throw a ball. MEASUREMENTS Subjective pain and active elbow extension ROM were evaluated before and after treatment each day. Two methods were used to assess pain: constant pressure using a weighted Orthoplast sphere and full elbow extension to the limit of pain tolerance. Subjective pain was measured with a graphic rating scale and active elbow extension ROM using a standard, plastic, double-armed goniometer. Three repeated-measures ANOVAs (between-subjects variable was group, within- subjects variables were day and test) were used to assess ROM and pain scores for the 2 groups. RESULTS We found no significant difference in the measurement of subjective pain scores or elbow extension ROM when the MENS group was compared with the sham group. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that the MENS treatment, within the parameters used for this experiment, was not effective in reducing the pain or loss of ROM associated with delayed-onset muscle soreness.
Analysis of Tear-Protein Patterns as a Diagnostic Tool for the Detection of Dry Eyes

Purpose To analyze the electrophoretic patterns of tear proteins from diabetic (DIDRY) and non-diabetic (DRY) patients with dry-eye disease in comparison with the patterns in healthy subjects (CTRL). The patterns were classified using multivariate statistical methods. Methods A total of 119 eyes were examined in this study (50 DIDRY, 39 DRY, 30 CTRL). The patients were primarily grouped according to the results of the basic secretory test (BST) and subjective symptoms (burning, foreign body sensations, tearing, “dryness” of the eyes). Patients with values ≤ 10/5’ plus subjective symptoms were classified as dry-eye patients. Tear proteins were separated by sodium-dodecyl-sulfate poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Digital image analysis was done using the ScanPacK (Biometra, Gottingen, Germany). A data set was created from each electrophoretic pattern. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of discriminance, k-means cluster analysis and with a factor analysis before k-means cluster analysis as a data reduction tool. Results The protein patterns of the three groups were significantly different (Wilks’ lambda: 0.1425; p<0.01): P < 0.05 (CTRL - DRY), P < 0.00005 (CTRL-DIDRY), and P < 0.0005 (DIDRY-DRY). There were more peaks/electrophoretic lane in the DRY and DIDRY groups (P < 0.05) than CTRL. Classification of all samples as DRY and CTRL gave the following results: known patterns 97% correct; unknown patterns 71.4% correct. Classification in DIDRY, DRY or CTRL was 92% correct for known patterns and 43% for unknown patterns. Using k-means cluster analysis, 72% of patients previously classified as “dry-eye” according to the BST value were classified as “dry-eye” based on their electrophoretic data too. Conclusions Analysis of protein patterns and statistical evaluation are suitable for the detection of dry eyes. Tear-protein pattern analysis can provide more information on the pathogenesis of the disease. Thus, this new method might be more reliable than the BST value for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Income inequality and the international transfer of environmental values

How the valuation of environmental goods is related to income is a key question for economics, but the role of income inequality is often neglected. We study how income inequality affects the international transfer of the estimated value of environmental goods from a study to a policy site - a practice called value or benefit transfer. Specifically, we apply theory-driven, structural transfer factors to examine whether adjusting for income inequality affects errors made in benefit transfer, drawing on a multi-country valuation study on water quality improvement. Our convergent validity analysis shows that the structural income inequality adjustment reduces benefit transfer errors by more than 1.5 percentage points on average across all transfers. The adjustment for inequality is particularly important when income is distributed more unequally at the policy site relative to the study site, yielding reductions in transfer errors of up to 33 percentage points. Our results highlight the importance of taking the effects of economic inequality into account and are relevant for environmental valuation as well as public policy appraisal.
Responding to Adolescent Women's Reproductive Health Concerns: Empowering Clients Through Health Literacy

Adolescents have particular needs in health care that are often not met. Health care providers can help overcome barriers that hinder adolescents’ effective use of health services by incorporating health literacy strategies that are developmentally and contextually appropriate, and that actively involve adolescents in their own learning. Based on extensive practice and research experience in Canada with rural and urban high school adolescent women, we offer suggestions for how health care providers can respond to adolescent women's reproductive health concerns by teaching these young women how to increase their skills in functional, communicative/interactive, and critical health literacy.
Is Technology Good For Education

It starts with an overview. Entitled ‘Digital technology and Educational Change’, the first chapter sets up the importance of digital education in contemporary society and the resulting need to ask some critical questions before digital opportunities for education are lauded as a silver bullet that will magically transform education as we know it. In that spirit, the following four chapters each pose a central question – will/can technology make education more democratic, personalised, calculable, commercial? Rather than presenting a definitive answer, this book presents contextual information that allows the readers to think about education and technology in their particular contexts and then come to their own conclusions, always encouraging critical questions and debates. A conclusion of sorts is provided in chapter six, which muses on what might have to change in order for the digital to support ‘good’ education. Again there is no answer provided, on the contrary, it ends with a call to continue and deepen the debates so that stakeholders will be able to help shape the partnership of education and technology in the best possible way.
Analysis of trihalomethanes in water and air from indoor swimming pools using HS-SPME/GC/ECD

Headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with further quantification by gas chromatography and electron capture detector (GC/ECD) was used to analyze trihalomethanes (THMs) in water and air from indoor swimming pools (ISPs). High correlation coefficients were obtained for the calibration lines in water with detection limits of 0.2 μg/L for trichloromethane (TCM) and bromodichloromethane (BDCM), 0.1 μg/L for dibromochloromethane (DBCM) and 0.5 μg/L for tribromomethane (TBM). Coefficients of variation values were 5–10% for repeatability and 15–25% for reproducibility. In air analysis, high correlation coefficients were also obtained for the calibration lines with detection limits of 2.5 μg/m3 for TCM and BDCM and 1.25 μg/m3 for DBCM and TBM. Repeatability and reproducibility coefficients of variation were the same as in water analysis. Analytical results from a survey in four Portuguese ISPs showed that the mean concentration of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) in water ranged from 22±2 to 577±58 μg/L. In the lack of European specific regulation for THMs in water from ISPs and taking into consideration that ingestion is a form of exposure, TTHMs’ values were compared with European drinking water maximum contamination level (100 μg/L, Directive 98/83/CE). From the reported TTHMs mean concentration values in ISPs’ water, 40% exceeded that value. TTHMs values determined in the air (T = 30°C) ranged from 98±10 to 1225±123 μg/m3 and from 51±5 μg/m3to 519±52 μg/m3at 5 and 150 cm above the water surface, respectively. As expected, swimmers are more exposed to high concentrations of THMs than lifeguards. As there is no European specific regulation for THMs in ISPs’ air, the highest TCM values were compared with maximum values reported in the literature for ISPs (1630 μg/m3) and with the inhalation exposure limit (10,000 μg/m3) established for TCM by European occupational legislation (Directive 2000/39/CE).
Hierarchical and Adaptive Phase Correlation for Precise Disparity Estimation of UAV Images

When using fixed-window phase correlation (PC) to estimate the disparity of stereo images, the precision is usually rather poor due to large depth differences of scenes and noise, and this problem is specially severe when using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image pairs to extract the digital elevation model of mountain land. To tackle this problem, this paper proposes a hierarchical and adaptive PC, which includes three steps: First, PC with the initialized window is performed to coarsely estimate a disparity value, along with the peak of the Dirichlet function for each pixel; then, an additional round of PC is performed for each pixel using the window of smaller size and with being guided by the coarsely estimated disparity; finally, the previous two steps are iteratively performed until convergence. In particular, using the peak of the Dirichlet function of each pixel in step two, we can drop out the influence of dramatically changing areas such as river; moreover, the scheme can minimize the influence of boundary overreach. The novel scheme has been tested on a large number of UAV images captured at mountainous regions in southwest China, showing that the proposed method is superior to the state-of-the-art methods, especially in handling UAV images of the high mountains and rivers.
Intestinal worms and human allergy

The immunoepidemiological interactions between intestinal worm (or geohelminth) infections and allergy are of great interest to parasitologists, immunologists, and allergists because of the close similarities between the human immune response to geohelminth parasites and environmental allergens. Allergic diseases appear to be most rare in populations living in the rural tropics with high rates of infection with geohelminth parasites, and this has led to suggestions that the relationship between geohelminth infections and allergy may be causal. Allergic sensitization and disease results from a complex interaction between environmental exposures and genetic background, and the numerous epidemiological studies that have investigated the relationship between allergy and geohelminth infections have provided conflicting findings. The strongest epidemiological evidence for a causal association is provided by intervention studies that demonstrate evidence for an effect of anthelmintic treatment on atopy or asthma risk. There is evidence also for an inverse relationship between geohelminth infection and either atopy or asthma symptoms from cross‐sectional studies that have been conducted in areas of high infection prevalence. Chronic geohelminth infections could affect allergy risk by modulation of the immune response to environmental allergens, and an area of great research activity at present is the investigation of the role of regulatory T cells in modulating host inflammatory responses. However, a causal association between geohelminth infections and allergy remains to be proven, and prospective and intervention studies are required that investigate the development of allergy in early life at a time when humans are first exposed to geohelminth parasites and their antigens.
The Anatomic and Radiologic Basis of the Circumflex Scapular Artery Perforator Flap

Microsurgical development has recently focused upon the perforator paradigm and primary thinning. Existing perforator flaps may require intramuscular dissection or lack reliable surface markings, whereas traditional scapular/parascapular flaps have low donor morbidity and reliable anatomy, but can be excessively bulky. Clinical application of a new flap based on a perforator from the circumflex scapular axis (CSA) has recently been published, but the vessel's anatomy has not been adequately characterized. The CSA was dissected in 115 sites in 69 cadavers. The number, external vessel diameter, and site of origin of perforators were measured relative to the CSA bifurcation. Color Doppler ultrasound was used to delineate the CSA and its perforators bilaterally in 40 volunteers. The number, origin relative to CSA bifurcation, diameter, length, and flow velocity of cutaneous perforators were determined. A CSA perforator was always present, running into the subdermal plexus, arising within 2.4 cm of the bifurcation. Cadaver studies: mean perforator diameter, 1.3 mm (SD, 0.66); 13% arose at bifurcation, 36% arose proximal (mean, 1.1 mm; SD, 0.63), and 52% distal to bifurcation (mean, 1.5 mm; SD, 0.88). Ultrasound: mean perforator diameter, 1.18 mm (SD, 0.41); mean flow velocity, 16.3 cm/s (SD, 3.65); perforator arose in 36% proximal, in 40% distal to bifurcation, and in 24% from the bifurcation. We definitively describe the anatomy of the perforator from the circumflex scapular artery upon which a new flap has been based. Its origin and dimensions are anatomically and radiologically reliable. The flap has certain potential benefits over existing perforator flaps.
Correlates of physical activity change in patients not attending cardiac rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE Limited research has identified theoretical correlates of physical activity (PA) change in patients not receiving cardiac rehabilitation. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether changes in self-efficacy, PA intention, perceived severity and susceptibility, and PA benefits/barriers were associated with changes in PA over a 12-month period in these patients. METHODS Patients (N = 555) not attending cardiac rehabilitation completed a psychosocial questionnaire in hospital and 6 and 12 months after hospitalization for a cardiac event. RESULTS Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the increase in PA from baseline to 6 months was significantly related to an increase in self-efficacy and PA intentions and a decrease in the impact of health-related barriers. Furthermore, the decrease in PA from 6 to 12 months was significantly related to a decrease in health-related benefits and PA intentions and an increase in time and health-related barriers. Finally, the increase in PA from baseline to 12 months was significantly related to an increase in health-related benefits and intentions and a decrease in health-related barriers. CONCLUSIONS Changes in PA levels over a 12-month period were associated with changes in various theoretical variables. Interestingly, the associations among these variables with PA varied as a function of time after hospitalization.
Ventilatory and blood acid-base adjustments to a decrease in body temperature from 30 to 10YC in black racer snakes Coluber constrictor

There is increasing evidence that many amphibian and reptilian species use relatively slow ion-exchange mechanisms in addition to ventilation to adjust pH as body temperature changes. Large changes in blood bicarbonate concentration with changes in temperature have previously been reported for the snake Coluber constrictor. The purpose of the present study was to determine the ventilatory and pH adjustments associated with the increase in CO2 stores when the snakes are cooled. Body temperature was lowered from 30 to 10 °C within 4 h, at which time measurements of inspired minute ventilation (V.air), O2 consumption (VO2) and CO2 production (V.CO2) were started and continued for 56 h. The decrease in temperature produced a transient fall in the respiratory exchange ratio (V.CO2/VO2) to 0.2-0.3 and a steady-state value of 0.65±0.14 (mean ± s.d., N=7) was not achieved until about 35 h. There were concomitant transient reductions in V.air and V.air/V.O2. However, V.air/V.CO2 initially increased, with a corresponding reduction in arterial PCO2 (PaCO2) and increase in arterial pH. By 35 h, V.air/V.CO2 had decreased and PaCO2 had increased to steady-state levels, but pH decreased very little because of a gradual increase in bicarbonate concentration. We conclude that the drop in temperature imposed a metabolic acidosis for approximately 35 h because of the time required to increase bicarbonate concentration, and that the acidosis was compensated for by an elevated V.air/V.CO2. Steady-state breathing and acid-base status were not achieved until the relatively slow increase in CO2 stores had been completed.
CstF64: Cell Cycle Regulation and Functional Role in 3′ End Processing of Replication-Dependent Histone mRNAs

ABSTRACT The 3′ end processing of animal replication-dependent histone mRNAs is activated during G1/S-phase transition. The processing site is recognized by stem-loop binding protein and the U7 snRNP, but cleavage additionally requires a heat-labile factor (HLF), composed of cleavage/polyadenylation specificity factor, symplekin, and cleavage stimulation factor 64 (CstF64). Although HLF has been shown to be cell cycle regulated, the mechanism of this regulation is unknown. Here we show that levels of CstF64 increase toward the S phase and its depletion affects histone RNA processing, S-phase progression, and cell proliferation. Moreover, analyses of the interactions between CstF64, symplekin, and the U7 snRNP-associated proteins FLASH and Lsm11 indicate that CstF64 is important for recruiting HLF to histone precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA)-resident proteins. Thus, CstF64 is central to the function of HLF and appears to be at least partly responsible for its cell cycle regulation. Additionally, we show that misprocessed histone transcripts generated upon CstF64 depletion mainly accumulate in the nucleus, where they are targets of the exosome machinery, while a small cytoplasmic fraction is partly associated with polysomes.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Cost-Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Intraarticular Injection of Inflammatory Arthritis

Objective. We studied whether sonographic needle guidance affected the outcomes of intraarticular (IA) injection for inflammatory arthritis. Methods. Joints with inflammatory arthritis (n = 244; 76% rheumatoid arthritis, 3% small joints, 51% intermediate, and 46% large) were randomized to injection by conventional palpation-guided anatomic injection (120 joints) or sonographic image-guided injection enhanced with a 1-handed reciprocating procedure device mechanical syringe (124 joints). A 1-needle, 2-syringe technique was used. After IA placement and synovial space dilation were confirmed by sonography, a syringe exchange was performed, and triamcinolone acetonide was injected with the second syringe through the indwelling IA needle. Baseline pain, procedural pain, pain at outcome (2 weeks and 6 months), responders, therapeutic duration, reinjection rates, total cost, and cost per responder were determined. Results. Relative to conventional palpation-guided methods, sonographic guidance for injection of inflammatory arthritis resulted in an 81% reduction in injection pain (p < 0.001), 35% reduction in pain scores at outcome (p < 0.02), 38% increase in the responder rate (p < 0.003), 34% reduction in the non-responder rate (p < 0.003), 32% increase in therapeutic duration (p = 0.01), 8% reduction ($7) in cost/patient/year, and a 33% ($64) reduction in cost/responder/year for a hospital outpatient (p < 0.001). Conclusion. Sonographic needle guidance improves the performance, clinical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of IA injections for inflammatory arthritis. (Clinical Trial Identifier NCT00651625)