cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphology and anatomy of physical dormancy in Ipomoea lacunosa: identification of the water gap in seeds of Convolvulaceae (Solanales).

Background and aims Convolvulaceae is the most advanced plant family (asterid clade) that produces seeds with physical dormancy (water-impermeable seed coat). There are several different opinions about the nature of the specialized structure ('water gap') in the seed coat through which water initially enters seeds of Convolvulaceae, but none of them has been documented clearly. The primary aim of the study was to identify the water gap in seeds of Ipomoea lacunosa (Convolvulaceae) and to describe its morphology, anatomy and function. Methods Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tissue-sectioning, dye-tracking and blocking experiments were used to describe the morphology, anatomy and function of the water gap in seeds of I. lacunosa. Key results Dormancy-breaking treatments caused slits to form around the two bulges on the seed coat adjacent to the hilum, and dye entered the seed only via the disrupted bulges. Bulge anatomy differs from that of the rest of the seed coat. Sclereid cells of the bulges are more compacted and elongated than those in the hilum pad and in the rest of the seed coat away from the bulges. Conclusions The transition area between elongated and square-shaped sclereid cells is the place where the water gap opens. Morphology/anatomy of the water gap in Convolvulaceae differs from that of taxa in the other 11 angiosperm plant families that produce seeds with physical dormancy for which it has been described.
Experimental realization of photonic synthetic matters on-a-chip

Summary form only given. We show nanoscale optical engineering in the complex dielectric permittivity plane to realize photonic synthetic matters on-a-chip, by which unidirectional reflectionless light propagation and asymmetric mode conversion have been experimentally demonstrated at the exceptional point.
A framework for teaching real-time digital signal processing with field-programmable gate arrays

Many curricula include separate classes in both digital signal processing (DSP) theory and very high-speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL) modeling; however, there are few opportunities given to students to combine these two skills into a working knowledge of DSP hardware design. A pedagogical framework has been developed whereby students can leverage their previous knowledge of DSP theory and VHDL hardware design techniques to design, simulate, synthesize, and test digital signal processing systems. The synthesized hardware is implemented on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), which provide a fast and cost-effective way of prototyping hardware systems in a laboratory environment. This framework allows students to expand their previous knowledge into a more complete understanding of the entire design process from specification and simulation through synthesis and verification. Students are exposed to different aspects of signal processing design, including finite precision, parallel implementation, and implementation cost tradeoffs.
The Effectiveness of Annual Faculty Evaluations: Accounting Faculty Perceptions

Abstract Universities are facing pressures to provide evidence on how effectively they are accomplishing their missions. This article reports on accounting faculty perceptions on the effectiveness of their institutions' assessment procedures. A survey asked respondents to rate a number of items for effectiveness in assessing research, teaching, and service. Results indicate that a number of assessment items used were considered reasonably effective, but that faculty were generally not impressed with the effectiveness of their instutitions' assessment program for the three items.
Test results from a 1319-nm laser radar with RF pulse compression

We report the results of a three-year, NASA-funded project at The University of Kansas Radar Systems and Remote Sensing Laboratory on the development of a laser radar that uses RF pulse compression to significantly improve system performance. Receiver sensitivities of less than -90 dBm have been demonstrated by applying heterodyne optical downconversion and RF pulse compression. With the improved sensitivity, the required transmit power is significantly reduced. This system approach also permits multi-kilohertz pulse-repetition frequencies that enable spatially dense range measurements. Compared to lidars like GLAS and MOLA, this sensor requires a lower peak transmit power while providing orders of magnitude more measurements per second. In the receiver design, we have evaluated two detection schemes: envelope detection and direct downconversion. Envelope detection provides the benefit of discarding the effects of optical phase variations on the detected signal consequently avoiding many temporal correlation issues, however it is less efficient in terms of the resulting signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Direct downconversion to baseband is more SNR efficient, however the baseband signal contains the effects optical phase variations, which include laser phase noise, effects of atmospheric turbulence, and frequency shifting due to Doppler effects. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using a linear array of optical fibers in the telescope's focal plane to launch and receive the optical signals. Using separate fibers for transmit and receive while sharing telescope optics, we have achieved the required transmitter-receiver isolation of a bistatic system without the accompanying alignment difficulties. With our breadboard system ranging measurements from both man-made and natural extended targets have been made and the results are presented. These results support the feasibility of a satellite-based altimeter (600 km altitude), capable of making more than 4000 range measurements per second with 10 cm accuracy using less than 10 W peak transmit power. While the present breadboard operates at 1319 nm, the overall concept is wavelength independent. Benefits of this development may include increased system reliability, reduced power requirements, smaller sensor mass and volume, improved eye-safety, and lower probability of signal detection.
Prestack migration velocity estimation using nonlinear methods

We describe here methods of estimating interval velocities based on two nonlinear optimization methods; very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) and a genetic algorithm (GA). The objective function is defined using prestack seismic data after depth migration. This inverse problem involves optimizing the lateral consistency of reflectors between adjacent migrated shot records. In effect, the normal moveout correction in velocity analysis is replaced by prestack depth migration. When the least‐squared difference between each pair of migrated shots is at a minimum, the true velocity model has been found. Our model is parameterized using cubic‐B splines distributed on a rectangular grid. The main advantages of using migrated data are that they do not require traveltime picking, knowledge of the source wavelet, and expensive computation of synthetic waveform data to assess the degree of data‐model fit. Nonlinear methods allow automated determination of the global minimum without relying on estimates of the gradien...
Sound velocity profile estimation: a system theoretic approach

A system-theoretic approach is proposed to investigate the feasibility of reconstructing a sound velocity profile (SVP) from acoustical hydrophone measurements. A state-space representation of the normal-mode propagation model is used. It is shown that this representation can be utilized to investigate the so-called observability of the SVP from noisy measurement data. A model-based processor is developed to extract the required information, and it is shown that even in cases where limited SVP information is available, the SVP can be estimated using this approach. Based on this framework, investigations are made of model-based solutions to the sound velocity profile and related parameter estimation problems. In particular, a processor is designed that allows in situ recursive estimation of the sound velocity profile from simulated data. >
The Successful Product Pioneer: Maintaining Commitment while Adapting to Change

Introducing pioneering products is an important entrepreneurial activity and the lifeblood of small businesses, yet previous literature on pioneering and performance in small firms has been inconclusive. Based on data gathered from entrepreneurs in 51 small computer firms, the study found that commitment (entrepreneurial confidence) and adaptability (corporate entrepreneurship and environmental dynamism) were especially beneficial to pioneers. The other three variables (product championing, marketing emphasis, and technological newness) contributed to performance across all new product introductions but did not have modifying effects on pioneering introductions in particular.
The Regulatory Evaluation of the Skin Effects of Pesticides

Publisher Summary This chapter assesses the tools available for assessing the effects of individual compounds and the regulatory databases that explain the effects of pesticides on skin. Clinical effects of pesticides on the skin include both systemic and topical reactions. Systemic effects, such as urticaria, chloracne, and porphyria cutanea tarda, may occur following ingestion, inhalation, or topical exposure. Direct topical effects include acute irritation and corrosion, subacute irritation, and delayed-onset allergies. Distinguishing between allergic and irritant effects is a primary goal of both clinical and regulatory evaluation of the skin effect of pesticides. Clinically, irritant reactions tend to develop soon after exposure, whereas skin allergies are typically delayed in onset. Exceptions to this simple rule occur: Some irritant reactions are cumulative and some allergic reactions occur within minutes of contact with the offending allergen. In the regulatory arena, evaluation of the capacity of individual compounds to cause irritant or allergic reactions depends on animal testing as well as analysis of human use experience. Protocols for evaluating allergy and irritation in experimental animals are also discussed in the chapter. The requirements for skin testing of pesticides for the purposes of federal and state registration vary with the government jurisdiction. Available tools for assessing the effects of individual compounds include predictive models based on structure–activity relationships, testing in animals, and reports regarding skin reactions in humans. The regulatory database is extensive but could be strengthened by efforts to fully explain the apparent variability in the animal test data.
Discovery-based games for learning software

We propose using discovery-based learning games to teach people how to use complex software. Specifically, we developed Jigsaw, a learning game that asks players to solve virtual jigsaw puzzles using tools in Adobe Photoshop. We conducted an eleven-person lab study of the prototype, and found the game to be an effective learning medium that can complement demonstration-based tutorials. Not only did the participants learn about new tools and techniques while actively solving the puzzles in Jigsaw, but they also recalled techniques that they had learned previously but had forgotten.
Spontaneous tracheal rupture: a case report.

Abstract Background Upper-airway disruption is a rare but potentially life-threatening phenomenon. It can occur spontaneously, be due to trauma, or be iatrogenically induced. Even more rare are such events reported in the pediatric population. Objective This article discusses the presentation, diagnostic difficulties, and management of spontaneous tracheal rupture in a child. Case Report A 3-year-old boy was brought by emergency medical services to our emergency department with a presumptive diagnosis of anaphylaxis. With progressive swelling and respiratory distress, the patient quickly deteriorated. He received i.v. epinephrine, chest compressions, and bag-valve mask ventilation. He was intubated without difficulty and with no noted airway edema. Concomitant bilateral needle thoracostomies were performed and subsequent bilateral tube thoracostomies were placed. Immediately after intubation and chest tube placements, the patient's oxygen saturations and heart rate improved. Bronchoscopy failed to demonstrate any evident pathology. However, computed tomography scan revealed a defect in the posterior wall of the trachea proximal to the termination of the endotracheal tube. Cardiothoracic surgery was consulted and performed a primary repair of the tracheal defect. The patient was extubated soon after surgery, and he was discharged home neurologically intact. Conclusions The initial presentation of spontaneous tracheal rupture can be misleading and difficult to diagnose. After resuscitation, stabilization, and diagnosis, both surgical repair and nonoperative management have been reported as successful treatment measures for tracheal disruption.
Quantitation of Hepatitis-Associated Antigen with a Modified Ouchterlony Precipitin Test

The usefulness of the Ouchterlony double-diffusion test was enhanced by modification of the technique to include a 24-hr period during which gels were pretreated with antiserum. The modified and conventional techniques were compared for effectiveness in estimating concentration of hepatitis-associated (Australia) antigen (HAA) and for sensitivity. Only with the modified test was a linear relationship found to exist between the distance of a precipitin line from the antigen well (PA) and the logarithm of antigen concentration. Therefore, it was possible to estimate the relative concentration of HAA in serum by referring its PA in the modified test to the curve of PA versus potency for a standard preparation of antigen. In addition, the modified test was found to be eightfold more sensitive than the conventional technique, with the result that 1.6 times as many positive sera were detected in routine screening.
Administrative Restructuring and Renewable Energy: Best Legal Practices in Developing Economies

In the next decade, there will be unprecedented, extensive investment in electrification in developing nations. Once installed, those generation facilities will remain in place for 40 years or longer. The Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism (“CDM”) is primarily encouraging CDM projects outside the electric sector, which raises questions about their longevity of impact on CO2 reduction. With extensive commitments now to the new Green Climate Fund, more attention to best legal practices for green electrification options becomes more important. Since the power industry is a regulated industry in every country, legislative and regulatory initiatives that incorporate “best practices” for encouraging renewable power have a profound impact on the energy sector of the economy in all countries.This article focuses on what legal and regulatory structure for small renewable power has been successful in developing countries in Asia, the continent with the greatest electricity demand growth rate in the world. It highlights “best practices” and successful regulatory protocols to monetize the value of incentives that promote smaller renewable power in the Asian electric sector, as well as leveraging the CDM components of the Kyoto Protocol for developing countries internationally. It analyzes several countries’ initiatives in detail and compares the regulatory structure, power purchase agreements, and tariff designs for independent renewable power development in these Asian countries. It highlights original program details, subsequent modifications, and key elements of the countries’ power sector or renewable power initiatives which make that country an important model or initiative to note. This experience yields lessons applicable to all international political systems for a successful basic legal model for electric infrastructure to contribute to long-term electric sector goals and simultaneously mitigate climate change.
On the purification of reptilian (turtle) pituitary gonadotropin.

SummaryTurtle (Pseudemys scripta) pituitaries have been homogenized, extracted with saline, and the gonadotropin partially purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation. The bulk of the gonadotropin was found to precipitate between 0.3 and 0.6 saturated ammonium sulfate which is similar to the solubility behavior of ovine LH. No separation of gonadotropic activities (i.e., LH and FSH) was evidenced on the basis of biological activity as tested in the lizard. The fraction most active in the lizard was inactive in mammalian bioassays. Neuraminidase did not affect the activity of the reptilian preparation. The reptilian gonadotropin resembles mammalian LH from a chemical point of view, but biological studies in the lizard suggest it has more of an “FSH-like” character.
How Not to Enhance the Indispensability Argument

The new explanatory or enhanced indispensability argument alleges that our mathematical beliefs are justified by their indispensable appearances in scientific explanations. This argument differs from the standard indispensability argument which focuses on the uses of mathematics in scientific theories. I argue that the new argument depends for its plausibility on an equivocation between two senses of explanation. On one sense the new argument is an oblique restatement of the standard argument. On the other sense, it is vulnerable to an instrumentalist response. Either way, the explanatory indispensability argument is no improvement on the standard one. 1. EXPLANATIONS AND THEORIES As a preliminary, I make two claims. The first claim is relatively uncontroversial: not all uses of mathematics should compel our belief in mathematical objects. Consider the claim: ‘There are three mangoes on the table.’ This claim uses a mathematical term, ‘three’. A naive argument to the existence of mathematical objects, let us call it the applicability argument, concludes that such mathematical terms should be taken to refer to numbers. It follows fairly directly from the applicability argument that there are abstract objects located outside of space and time and inaccessible to sense perception. The applicability argument, were it sound, would quickly settle core debates in epistemology over the existence of a priori justification as well as metaphysical debates about abstracta. But the applicability argument is tooweak to achieve such lofty goals. Our adjectival uses of mathematical terms are easily understood as non-referring terms. Sentences which employ them can be seen as convenient shorthand for less extravagant claims like: ‘Here is a mango, and here is another mango unidentical to the prior one, and †Thanks toAlanBaker, Alex Paseau, Sarah Scott, and an anonymous referee for this journal, as well as to audiences at the First Colombian Conference in Logic, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Science and Third Cambridge Graduate Conference on the Philosophy of Logic andMathematics, for helpful comments. Philosophia Mathematica (III) Vol. 00 No. 0 C ©The Authors [2014]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com • 1 Philosophia Mathematica Advance Access published March 24, 2014 by gest on M arch 6, 2014 htt//philm at.oxfournals.org/ D ow nladed from
Partielle Duodenopankreatektomie mit intraoperativer Pankreasschwanzverödung bei chronischer Pankreatitis

Bericht uber 81 Whipplesche Operationen bei chronischer Pankreatitis. Zur Vermeidung einer eventuellen postoperativen Pankreasfistel und zur Verhinderung eines spateren pankreatitischen Rezidivs wurde das Gangsystem der Cauda pancreatis intraoperativ mit Prolaminlosung okkludiert. Diese Masnahme fuhrt zum isolierten ≫Ausbrennen≪ des exkretorischen Parenchyms, wahrend die inselzellfunktion primar nicht beeintrachtigt wird. Die Operationsletalitat betrug 1,2 %, — ein Pankreatitisrezidiv ist in einer Beobachtungszeit von bisher maximal 28 Monaten nicht aufgetreten. Die Spatergebnisse sind gunstig.
228 ROLE OF BACTERIAL DNA IN TRIGGERING MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION BY A USA300 ISOLATE OF COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT CLASSES OF ANTIBIOTICS.

Background Infections caused by community-acquired, methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) have become a major problem in children and adults. We recently reported that either of two clinical CA-MRSA isolates exposed to daptomycin (vs vancomycin) stimulated less macrophage tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion. We hypothesized that this difference might result from reduced release of bacterial products (such as bacterial DNA) from CA-MRSA isolates exposed to daptomycin (versus vancomycin). Purpose We sought to determine whether bacterial DNA contributed to the up-regulation of macrophage TNF production in response to a live CA-MRSA isolate exposed to vancomycin, daptomycin, clindamycin, or linezolid. Methods RAW 264.7 murine macrophages were stimulated for 16 to 18 hours with 107 cfu/mL of a well-characterized CA-MRSA isolate (USA300) in the presence of either vancomycin (20 mg/L), daptomycin (20 mg/L), clindamycin (20 mg/L), or linezolid (10 mg/L). In parallel, cells were preincubated for 1 hour prior to bacterial challenge with chloroquine (2.5 mg/L), a selective inhibitor of the bacterial DNA/Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) pathway. After stimulation, cell supernatants were collected and assayed for TNF concentration by ELISA. Results As we have previously reported, macrophages exposed to the CA-MRSA isolate in the presence of daptomycin (vs vancomycin) secreted significantly less TNF; clindamycin and linezolid were intermediate. Interestingly, preincubation of RAW cells with chloroquine led to substantial decreases in TNF secretion in response to the CA-MRSA isolate exposed to any of the four antibiotics. Furthermore, the magnitude of inhibition was consistently greater (70% vs 20-30%) in cells exposed to the SA isolate in the presence of daptomycin (compared with vancomycin, linezolid, or clindamycin). Conclusions Our data suggest that bacterial DNA plays an important role in the stimulation of TNF secretion by macrophages exposed to this virulent USA300 CA-MRSA isolate in the presence of any of the four antibiotics tested. Additional studies are needed to define the importance of bacterial DNA in stimulating the inflammatory response to staphylococcal infections.
Adobe-MIT submission to the DSTC 4 Spoken Language Understanding pilot task

The Dialog State Tracking Challenge 4 (DSTC 4) proposes several pilot tasks. In this paper, we focus on the spoken language understanding pilot task, which consists of tagging a given utterance with speech acts and semantic slots. We compare different classifiers: the best system obtains 0.52 and 0.67 F1-scores on the test set for speech act recognition for the tourist and the guide respectively, and 0.52 F1-score for semantic tagging for both the guide and the tourist.
A Partial Defense of the Actual-Sequence Model of Freedom

Over the years, two models of freedom have emerged as competitors: the alternative-possibilities model (the “classical” approach to freedom, which understands freedom in terms of having access to alternative possibilities of action) and the actual-sequence model (the approach inspired by Harry G. Frankfurt’s rejection of the principle of alternative possibilities and the insights provided by the “Frankfurt-style” examples). This paper is a partial defense of the actual-sequence model. My defense relies on two strategies. The first strategy consists in de-emphasizing the role of examples in arguing for (or against) a model of freedom. Imagine that, as some people think, Frankfurt-style cases fail to undermine the alternative-possibilities model. What follows from this? Not much, I argue. In particular, I note that the counterparts of Frankfurt-style cases also fail to undermine the actual-sequence model (in fact, they do that in a more glaring and indisputable way). My second strategy of defense consists in revitalizing the original motivation for the actual-sequence model, by revamping it, isolating it from claims that do not fully capture the same idea, and arguing that it can be developed in a successful way.
Metal-Dielectric Waveguide Facet Coatings

We present the application of metal-dielectric coatings on the facet of waveguides for the control of the modal reflectance with narrowband and wideband mirrors.
Rim Fracture of a Tibial Base-Plate Due to Retained Cement as a Cause of Catastrophic Failure of Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report.

Case: We report a case of catastrophic implant failure due to fatigue fracture of a well-functioning unicompartmental knee arthroplasty at 7 years in an active 55-year-old man, who presented with sudden onset of atraumatic knee pain and effusion. The patient underwent revision to total knee arthroplasty. Intraoperative findings included a metallic fragment fractured off the rim of the tibial base-plate and cement retained in the tibial tray. Conclusion: Retained cement in the tibial tray resulted in increased tibial tray contact stresses and fatigue fracture of the rim of the tray, creating a free metallic loose body that produced symptoms.
Rituximab Immunotherapy for the Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Abstract The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a heterogeneous disease expressed in a variety of ways, including thromboembolic disease. Therapy for this phase of APS is primarily anticoagulation. When the disease is aggressive and resistant to anticoagulants immunotherpay has been applied with variable success. Steroids, cyclophosphamide, plasma exchange, plasmapheresis, and immunoglobulin infusion have been used. This is a report of a patient with very aggressive APS treated successfully with rituximab immunotherapy. This 60 year old female had four episodes of deep vein thrombosis and two episodes of pulmonary embolus. An inferior vena cava filter had been placed. She came to hematologic attention in 2001, when the APS diagnosis was established based upon positive lupus anticoagulant and antibodies to cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine. Long term steroid therapy was considered potentially too toxic. Azathioprine therapy was initiated at 100 mg daily and then increased to 150 mg daily without reduction of antibody titers. Thereafter she developed thrombosis in-situ in the pulmonary artery, requiring surgical thrombectomy. Therapy with rituximab was begun at 375 mg/m2 weekly times four, with repeat infusions every 6 months. Infusions were well tolerated. Warfarin therapy was continued throughout. Antibody titers have fallen. Antibody titers after 3 cycles of therapy Anticardiolipin Baseline (mg/dl) 3 cycles of Therapy Followup (mg/dl) IgG 1032 854 IgM 255 IgA 645 495 Antiphosphatidyl serine IgG 1620 775 IgM IgA 720 315 There have been no further episodes of TED. Therapy with rituximab has been well tolarted and appears to be effective. Therapy is continuing with additional antibody titers to be obtained.
Imagination and Literacy Instruction: A Content Analysis of Literature within Literacy-Related Publications

Through content analysis of research conducted during the last 25 years, this paper identifies five vital uses of imagination within literacy instruction. First, readers use imagination to comprehend text. Second, readers use imagination to engage in the world depicted through the text. Third, readers use imagination to make sense of both narrative and expository texts. Fourth, readers use imagination to learn about self and others. Finally, readers benefit from instruction regarding the use of imagination to enhance reading. A compilation of instructional methods are presented. This analysis establishes the need for classroom instruction connecting imagination and literacy.
Modeling of the shrinking process of a bubble induced by laser metal ablation in water and experimental verification

Laser ablation of a solid target immersed in liquid (such as water) has many important applications such as laser synthesis of nanoparticles, laser micromachining in water, and laser shock peening. Laser ablation of a solid target in water involves complicated physical processes. One important process often involved is the generation and evolution of a bubble in water and attached to the target surface, which may have significant effects on the target and the ambient water, and hence may greatly affect the relevant practical applications. Some experimental studies were reported in the literature on bubble evolutions induced by laser ablation of a solid target in water. However, the reported previous relevant physics-based modeling work is not sufficient. A physics-based model may help improve the process fundamental understanding and generate valuable information to related applications. In this paper, physics-based modeling work has been performed on the shrinking process of a bubble induced by laser met...
Reciprocal Influences Between Loneliness and Self-Centeredness: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis in a Population-Based Sample of African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian Adults:

Loneliness has been posited to increase the motivation to repair or replace deficient social relationships and, seemingly paradoxically, to increase the implicit motivation for self-preservation. In the current research, we report a cross-lagged panel analysis of 10 waves of longitudinal data ( N = 229) on loneliness and self-centeredness (as gauged by Feeney and Collins's measure of chronic self-focus) in a representative sample of middle-aged and older adults. As predicted by the proposition that loneliness increases the implicit motivation for self-preservation, loneliness in the current year predicts self-centeredness in the subsequent year beyond what is explained by current-year demographic variables, self-centeredness, depressive symptomatology, and overall negative mood. Analyses also show that self-centeredness in the current year (net covariates) predicts loneliness in the subsequent year, a reciprocal relationship that could potentially contribute to the maintenance of loneliness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Applying the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model to a Digital Library Ecosystem--A Case Study

This paper applies the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model to a case study of two cultural heritage institutions with disparate but related collections in an effort to define a maturity model for interoperability between presentations of digitized cultural heritage materials. The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) is a progressive model developed by Dr. Andreas Tolk within the field of Modeling and Simulation and systems engineering to be used in determining potential for interoperability between systems. This paper applies the LCIM through a descriptive model to a digital library ecosystem that includes digital collections, digital libraries, and meta-aggregators. This paper seeks to determine if this model is sufficient as a method of measuring the potential for interoperation between systems, metadata, and collections within a digital cultural heritage ecosystem. A maturity model for interoperability within a digital library ecosystem can aid metadata operations specialists in determining the potential for interoperability between systems and collections.
Playing Nice in the Sandbox: Is Collaboration Among Advertising and Public Relations Agencies the Same as Integration?

Advertising and public relations agencies have never been more in direct competition, as public relations agencies begin offering media strategies and advertising agencies begin assuming roles in o...
High-throughput magnetic particle washing in nanoliter droplets using serial injection and splitting

Droplet microfluidics has emerged as a promising technique to perform high-throughput, massively-parallel chemical and molecular biological reactions. Droplet microfluidic operations such as droplet generation, sorting, and fluid addition are well established; however, fluid exchange (i.e. washing) at high-throughput is challenging to implement. Here we present a microfluidic device architecture that utilizes wash buffer injection preceding a splitting junction in proximity to a magnetic field to transfer paramagnetic microparticles across a concentration gradient within a single droplet. The device can operate at high throughput (50 Hz) while preserving input droplet volume at the collection outlet as verified using high speed imaging. Using a two-stage device, combined microparticle retention rates (up to 97.5%) and high wash efficiency (92.9%) is demonstrated using dye absorbance and fluorescence. This method can be performed in a serial array to obtain an arbitrary degree of wash efficiency and integrated into lab-on-a-chip systems for use in multi-step microfluidic bioassays or single-cell genomic applications requiring high-fidelity washing steps within droplets.
Structured preference representation and multiattribute auctions

Handling preferences over multiple objectives (or attributes ) poses serious challenges to the development of automated solutions to complex decision problems. The number of decision outcomes grows exponentially with the number of attributes, and that makes elicitation, maintenance, and reasoning with preferences particularly complex. This problem can potentially be alleviated by using a factored representation of preferences based on independencies among the attributes. This work has two main components. The first component focuses on development of graphical models for multiattribute preferences and utility functions. Graphical models take advantage of factored utility, and yield a compact representation for preferences. Specifically, I introduce CUI networks, a compact graphical representation of utility functions over multiple attributes. CUI networks model multiattribute utility functions using the well studied utility independence concept. I show how conditional utility independence leads to an effective functional decomposition that can be exhibited graphically, and how local conditional utility functions, depending on each node and its parents, can be used to calculate joint utility. The second main component deals with the integration of preference structures and graphical models in trading mechanisms, and in particular in multiattribute auctions. I first develop multiattribute auctions that accommodate generalized additive independent (GAI) preferences. Previous multiattribute mechanisms generally either remain agnostic about traders' preference structures, or presume highly restrictive forms, such as full additivity. I present an approximately efficient iterative auction mechanism that maintains prices on potentially overlapping GAI clusters of attributes, thus decreasing elicitation and computation burden while allowing for expressive preference representation. Further, I apply preference structures and preference-based constraints to simplify the particularly complex, but practically useful domain of multi-unit multiattribute auctions and exchanges. I generalize the iterative multiattribute mechanism to a subset of this domain, and investigate the problem of finding an optimal set of trades in multiattribute call markets, given restrictions on preference expression. Finally, I apply preference structures to simplify the modeling of user utility in sponsored-search auctions, in order to facilitate ranking mechanisms that account for the user experience from advertisements. I provide short-term and long-term simulations showing the effect on search-engine revenues.
Introduction to a Compendium on Regenerative Cardiology.

The field of regenerative cardiology continues to evolve rapidly, requiring frequent updates. The purpose of this compendium is to provide our readers with the most recent concepts pertaining to the use of cell-based strategies for the treatment of heart disease both at the preclinical and clinical levels. The focus is on adult stem cells because embryonic stem cells (or their derivatives) are unlikely to find clinical application or to offer significant advantages compared with induced pluripotent stem cells and adult stem cells. It is traditional for compendia published in Circulation Research to start with an Overview in which the Guest Editor(s) outlines the scope and significance of each article. In this case, we could not think of a better author to write the Overview than Dr Eugene Braunwald—the father of modern cardiology. His superb article distils the salient concepts and emerging paradigms in the burgeoning field of cell-based therapies and reparative cardiology and places them in the broader context of cardiovascular medicine. The superb synthesis by Dr Braunwald is followed by a series of Reviews and a Viewpoint that address salient facets of the field, including the basic biology of new myocyte formation and cell-based therapies, paracrine mechanisms, the role of extracellular vesicles, novel techniques, such as genome editing and RNA-based therapies, bioengineering approaches, and finally, clinical trials of cell therapy in patients with cardiovascular disease. Although induced pluripotent stem cells may not find immediate clinical application as a therapy for cardiovascular disease (further work may be required to overcome technical and logistical issues), they offer great promise as a model for investigating inherited arrhythmia syndromes and testing antiarrhythmic strategies, as pointed out by Garg et al.1 Besides cell-based strategies, the use of noncoding RNAs has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach for various cardiovascular diseases, one that does …
The safety and efficacy of gastrectomy for gastric cancer among octogenarians: a western population-based study.

OBJECTIVE The safety of minimally-invasive (MIG) and open gastrectomy (OG) in the older patients has been demonstrated in several international studies but has not been evaluated in the context of a large, Western population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of gastrectomy by these two approaches among octogenarians in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS The National Cancer Database (2010-2014) was queried for patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who underwent MIG or OG. Disease and treatment characteristics and outcomes were compared across age groups (<65, 65-79, ≥80 years). Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with 90-day mortality. RESULTS 13,845 patients were identified who met study inclusion criteria, of which 2140 patients (16%) were aged ≥80 years. Among octogenarians, MIG was associated with slightly decreased length of stay (11.2 vs 12.7 days, p < .001) compared to OG, with no difference in the rate of margin-positive resections, adequate lymph node sampling, or readmission (p = .30-0.77). 90-day mortality for both OG (17%) and MIG (17.2%) was significantly higher among octogenarians compared to younger patients (p < .001). Treatment at an academic facility was an independent predictor of decreased 90-day mortality among octogenarians (OR 0.534, 95%CI 0.322-0.886, p = .015). CONCLUSION In this Western population, we report comparable oncologic and post-operative outcomes between MIG and OG. However, the overall post-operative mortality rate among octogenarians remains unacceptably high. Better patient selection criteria for surgery and efforts to refer these patients to higher volume, academic facilities should be considered to improve patient outcomes.
Cognitive accessibility in judgments of household energy consumption

Individuals appear to use the frequency that they interact with and think about various energy-consuming devices (the cognitive accessibility of those devices) when estimating relative energy consumption. This conclusion is based on 3 studies in which 608 participants estimated the percentages of total individual and household energy consumed annually in the U.S. by several categories of devices (e.g., lighting, cooking, water heating, air conditioning, computers, private motor vehicles) and 1 study in which 125 participants made similar estimates for their own consumption. Additionally, seasonal and geographical variations in local temperature predicted national annual consumption estimates for home heating and air conditioning, with these relationships being mediated by cognitive accessibility. Changes in available information, including more accessible cross-category and cross-fuel comparisons, greater media attention to high-consumption categories and high-impact solutions, and more disaggregated feedback regarding household energy use, could potentially improve consumers' understanding of relative consumption and hence their energy-conservation decisions.
Opinion: Managing for disturbance stabilizes forest carbon.

Forest ecosystems sequester approximately 12% of anthropogenic carbon emissions, and efforts to increase forest carbon uptake are central to climate change mitigation policy (1). Managing forests to store carbon has focused on increasing forested area, decreasing area lost to logging and clearing, and increasing forest carbon density. Warming, drought, and wildfires challenge the stability of carbon stored in forests (2, 3). By contrast, natural cycles of low-intensity fires in dry forests can, over the long term, promote forest carbon storage by protecting carbon in soil and in large, old trees. The conundrum is how to balance immediate, disturbance-driven carbon loss with long-term, stable carbon storage and account for these risks in policies for forest carbon management (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. Carbon-management policies would do well to use disturbance ecology to factor in tree mortality risk. For wildfire and other impactful disturbances, researchers now have the capability to incorporate these risks into policy mechanisms that enhance forest carbon storage. Doing so would substantially improve global forest carbon policies aimed at climate change mitigation. Image credit: Shutterstock/Christian Roberts-Olsen. What has been missing is the explicit use of disturbance ecology to factor in tree mortality risk. For wildfire and other impactful disturbances, our understanding is now sufficient to incorporate these risks into policy mechanisms that enhance forest carbon storage. Doing so would substantially improve global forest carbon policies aimed at climate-change mitigation. Governments currently use our understanding of natural hazards and societal risk to inform building codes for earthquakes (4) and wildfires (5) and for national flood insurance (6). Underlying these policies are the quantification of the probability of a natural hazard occurring and an assessment of the societal impact. Current carbon policy and management need to use stability and risk accounting based on our understanding … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: mhurteau{at}unm.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Denominational Higher Education During World War II: edited by John J. Laukaitis, Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, 363 pp., $25 (hardcover), $15.99 (e-book), ISBN 978-3-319-96624-3, ISBN 973-3-319-96625-0 (E-book)

This book on a fascinating but generally ignored topic was generated by its editor, John J. Laukaitis, Associate Professor of Education at North Park University in Chicago. Moved by the letters the...
Mexico in the time of cholera

As the kingdom of New Spain became the Republic of Mexico, liberal leaders struggled to wrest the future of the new nation from conservatives; political elites with deep ties to the Catholic Church...
Regenerating Scholarly Ecologies: Thoughts on Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Qin and colleagues’ paper “Seeing the Forest for the Trees: A Bibliometric Analysis of Environmental and Resource Sociology” revives a thought-provoking conversation about relationships between env...
Barriers to Schooling in Survivorship: The Role of Neuropsychological Assessment

PURPOSE:Pediatric cancer survivorship rates continue to improve, although disease- and treatment-related neurocognitive impacts substantively affect survivors’ educational access and availability f...
Assessment of transfer of morphological characteristics of Anomalous Aortic Origin of a Coronary Artery from imaging to patient specific 3D Printed models: A feasibility study

Abstract Background and Objective This study aims to determine the accuracy of patient specific 3D printed models in capturing pathological anatomical characteristics derived from CT angiography (CTA) in children with anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA). Methods & Materials Following institutional regulatory approval, a standardized protocol for CTA of AAOCA was utilized for imaging. Blood volume of the aorta and coronaries were segmented from the DICOM images. A total of 10 models from 8 AAOCA patients were created, including 2 post-operative models. Mechanical properties of Agilus30 a flexible photopolymer coated with a thin layer of parylene, polyurethane (PU) and silicone and native aortic tissue from a postmortem specimen were compared. AAOCA models with wall thicknesses of 2mm aorta and 1.5mm coronaries were 3D printed in Agilus30 and coated with PU. CT of the printed models was performed, and 3D virtual models were generated. Transfer of anatomical characteristics and geometric accuracy were compared between the patient model virtual models. Results Dynamic modulus of Agilus30 at 2mm thickness was found to be close to native aortic tissue. Structured reporting of anatomical characteristics by imaging experts showed good concordance between patient and model CTA Comparative patient and virtual model measurements showed Pearson's correlation (r) of 0.9959 for aorta (n=70) and 0.9538 for coronaries (n=60) linear, and 0.9949 for aorta (n=30) and 0.9538 for coronaries (n=30) cross-sectional, dimensions. Surface contour map mean difference was 0.08 ± 0.29mm. Conclusions Geometrically accurate AAOCA models preserving morphological characteristics, essential for risk stratification and decision-making, can be 3D printed from a patient's CTA.
Natural organic matter composition and nanomaterial surface coating determine the nature of platinum nanomaterial-natural organic matter corona.

Abstract Natural organic matter corona (NOM corona) is an interfacial area between nanomaterials (NMs) and the surrounding environment, which gives rise to NMs' unique surface identity. While the importance of the formation of natural organic matter (NOM) corona on engineered nanomaterials (NMs) to NM behavior, fate, and toxicity has been well-established, the understanding of how NOM molecular properties affect NOM corona composition remains elusive due to the complexity and heterogeneity of NOM. This is further complicated by the variation of NOMs from different origins. Here we use eight NOM isolates of different molecular composition and ultrahigh resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance-mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR-MS) to determine the molecular composition of platinum NM-NOM corona as a function of NOM composition and NM surface coating. We observed that the composition of PtNM-NOM corona varied with the composition of the original NOM. The percentage of NOM formulas that formed PVP-PtNM-NOM corona was higher than those formed citrate-PtNM-NOM corona, due to increased sorption of NOM formulas, in particular condensed hydrocarbons, to the PVP coating. The relative abundance of heteroatom formulas (CHON, CHOS, and CHOP) was higher in the PVP-PtNM-NOM corona than in citrate-PtNM-corona which was in turn higher than those in the original NOM isolate, indicating preferential partitioning of heteroatom-rich molecules to NM surfaces. The relative abundance of CHO, CHON, CHOS, CHOP and condensed hydrocarbons in PtNM-NOM corona increased with their increase in NOM isolates. Furthermore, PtNM-NOM corona is rich with compounds with high molecular weight. This study demonstrates that the composition and properties of PtNM-NOM corona depend on NOM molecular properties and PtNM surface coating. The results here provide evidence of molecular interactions between NOM and NMs, which are critical to understanding NM colloidal properties (e.g., surface charge and stability), interaction forces (e.g., van der Waals and hydrophobic), environmental behaviors (e.g., aggregation, dissolution, sulfidation, etc.), and biological effects (e.g., uptake, bioaccumulation, and toxicity).