cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil Leukocyte: Combustive Microbicidal Action and Chemiluminescence

Neutrophil leukocytes protect against a varied and complex array of microbes by providing microbicidal action that is simple, potent, and focused. Neutrophils provide such action via redox reactions that change the frontier orbitals of oxygen (O2) facilitating combustion. The spin conservation rules define the symmetry barrier that prevents direct reaction of diradical O2 with nonradical molecules, explaining why combustion is not spontaneous. In burning, the spin barrier is overcome when energy causes homolytic bond cleavage producing radicals capable of reacting with diradical O2 to yield oxygenated radical products that further participate in reactive propagation. Neutrophil mediated combustion is by a different pathway. Changing the spin quantum state of O2 removes the symmetry restriction to reaction. Electronically excited singlet molecular oxygen ((1)O2(*)) is a potent electrophilic reactant with a finite lifetime that restricts its radius of reactivity and focuses combustive action on the target microbe. The resulting exergonic dioxygenation reactions produce electronically excited carbonyls that relax by light emission, that is, chemiluminescence. This overview of neutrophil combustive microbicidal action takes the perspectives of spin conservation and bosonic-fermionic frontier orbital considerations. The necessary principles of particle physics and quantum mechanics are developed and integrated into a fundamental explanation of neutrophil microbicidal metabolism.
Embolic Pulmonary Disease

Emboli from venous sources usually come to rest in the lungs and may cause subsequent damage to the heart, the lungs, or both. Commonly, the lungs and the heart are not involved in the primary thrombogenic process, but they become secondarily involved when emboli are trapped in the pulmonary vasculature. The types of emboli include thromboem-boli, tumor emboli, foreign body emboli, air emboli, and fat emboli. The clinical presentation and the necessary treatment vary with the type of emboli. This chapter will concentrate on the most common—pulmonary thromboemboli (PE).
Design and Analysis of Experiments for Reliability Assessment and Improvement

This chapter deals with design and analysis of experiments for accelerated testing and reliability improvement. Accelerated testing is a commonly used approach for timely assessment of reliability during product design and development. The first part of the chapter describes models, inference, and design for accelerated test experiments with time-to-failure data. We discuss applications of fractional factorial designs for reliability improvement and the complications introduced by the presence of censored data. Robust design studies for variation reduction are also briefly reviewed. The availability of degradation data mitigates many of the problems encountered with censored time-to-failure data. We review some models and issues on the design and analysis of experiments with degradation data.
Computational Process Modelling of Disaggregate Travel Behaviour

It is common for researchers adopting an activity based approach to travel behaviour to differentiate between behaviours that are routinized and behaviours that result from deliberate choice. For example, a significantly large part of work-trip behaviour is routinized; individuals tend to use the same mode for each trip, to leave their home base at approximately the same time, to aim at arriving at approximately the same time at their work place, and to follow the same route and the same path segments that make up that route. Some other trip purposes are similarly routinized such as trips for religious purposes, and trips for medical or health related reasons — routinized in the sense of using the same mode and following the same path, even though the times at which travel may be undertaken might vary because of temporal differences in the scheduling of appointments by health professionals. Other trips such as grocery or food shopping may be routinized to a lesser extent. Instead of choosing a single destination and following a repetitive path to that destination, several alternative destinations may be kept as part of a feasible alternative set. Trip making on any given day then becomes more of a deliberate choice both in terms of selecting a specific destination and in terms of selecting the travel path. Variation can also occur in terms of travel mode. Many other trip purposes fall within the deliberated choice purview. In particular trips for social or recreational purposes, trips to meet with friends, trips undertaken for the purpose of dining away from home, business trips, and so on, all may be scheduled with different episodic intervals or frequencies, different lengths or durations, different destinations, different temporal units, different priorities, different sequences, as well as being undertaken either as single purpose or multiple purpose trips with single stop or multiple stop destinations.
Introduction to premature rupture of membranes.

SUMMARY PROM is associated with controversies in diagnosis, management, and prognosis. The lack of a gold standard to confirm PROM makes it difficult to determine which diagnostic tool is the best and most reliable. It appears that the older methods of confirming PROM, which depend on properties inherent to amniotic fluid, are the best tools available today: ferning and nitrazine combined with patient history.
Onset of oligarchic growth and implication for accretion histories of dwarf planets

Abstract We investigate planetary accretion that starts from equal-mass planetesimals using an analytic theory and numerical simulations. We particularly focus on how the planetary mass M oli at the onset of oligarchic growth depends on the initial mass m 0 of a planetesimal. Oligarchic growth commences when the velocity dispersion relative to the Hill velocity of the protoplanet takes its minimum. We find that if m 0 is small enough, this normalized velocity dispersion becomes as low as unity during the intermediate stage between the runaway and oligarchic growth stages. In this case, M oli is independent of m 0 . If m 0 is large, on the other hand, oligarchic growth commences directly after runaway growth, and M oli ∝ m 0 3 / 7 . The planetary mass M oli for the solid surface density of the Minimum Mass Solar Nebula is close to the masses of the dwarf planets in a reasonable range of m 0 . This indicates that they are likely to be the largest remnant planetesimals that failed to become planets. The power-law exponent q of the differential mass distribution of remnant planetesimals is typically − 2.0 and − 2.7 to − 2.5 for small and large m 0 . The slope, q ≃ − 2.7 , and the bump at 10 21 g (or 50 km in radius) for the mass distribution of hot Kuiper belt objects are reproduced if m 0 is the bump mass. On the other hand, small initial planetesimals with m 0 ∼ 10 13 g or less are favored to explain the slope of large asteroids, q ≃ − 2.0 , while the bump at 10 21 g can be reproduced by introducing a small number of asteroid seeds each with mass of 10 19 g.
Palladium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Alkynes via a Tandem Decarboxylation/Elimination of (E)-Enol Triflates

A mild catalytic synthesis of alkynes via a tandem Pd-catalyzed decarboxylation/elimination of enol triflates is described. Key attributes of the method include readily available starting materials, broad functional group tolerance, and the ability to access terminal, internal, and halogenated alkynes. The preliminary scope of the reaction is demonstrated on 25 different examples with yields ranging from 63% to 96%.
Proteasome Assay in Cell Lysates

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) mediates the majority of the proteolysis seen in the cytoplasm and nucleus of mammalian cells. As such it plays an important role in the regulation of a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes including tumorigenesis, inflammation and cell death (Ciechanover, 2005; Kisselev and Goldberg, 2001). A number of recent studies have shown that proteasome activity is decreased in a variety of neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and stroke as well as during normal aging (Chung et al., 2001; Ciechanover and Brundin, 2003; Betarbet et al., 2005). This decrease in proteasome activity is thought to play a critical role in the accumulation of abnormal and oxidized proteins. Protein clearance by the UPS involves two sequential reactions. The first is the tagging of protein lysine residues with ubiquitin (Ub) and the second is the subsequent degradation of the tagged proteins by the proteasome. We herein describe an assay for the second of these two reactions (Valera et al., 2013). This assay uses fluorogenic substrates for each of the three activities of the proteasome: chymotrypsin-like activity, trypsin-like activity and caspase-like activity. Cleavage of the fluorophore from the substrate by the proteasome results in fluorescence that can be detected with a fluorescent plate reader.
Realist Con Artists

Brown argues that, just as the Victorians invented realism as a ‘high’ art, they invented sensation fiction as its ‘low’ counterpart – and that sensation writers used the artist figure to embrace this designation, in turn denigrating realism as elitist and pretentious. Brown shows how Wilkie Collins’s Hide and Seek (1854), and Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s John Marchmont’s Legacy (1863) and Eleanor’s Victory (1863) all use artists to recast realism’s skepticism as mere sophistry. Sensation writers thus came to embrace their ‘low’ art status, valuing art that appealed to the masses without trying to rise above them and pointing out the pretensions of a realism that claimed to depict the everyday but ultimately aimed at something exceptional.
Depression as a systemic disease

Abstract Depression is now conceptualized as a systemic illness because of neurobiological mechanisms that explain how it influences other medical illnesses. Significant research has been conducted to explain the mechanisms by which depression increases the risk of, and complicates, already established medical illness. Biological processes as diverse as inflammation, neuroendocrine regulation, platelet activity, autonomic nervous system activity, and skeletal homeostasis are influenced by depression. In this review we aim to elucidate the mechanisms through which depression affects patients with heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis. These are conditions in which the interplay between depression and medical illness continues to be investigated.
Lakota winter counts, pictographic records, and record making and remaking histories

Winter counts are pictographic calendars created and used by certain Native American communities as mnemonic devices for remembering the sequence of events that mark each year, and for retelling co...
A special-purpose program for earthquake location with an electronic computer

An electronic digital computer program has been developed for determining the source and origin time of a local earthquake by the method of least squares, using the times of arrival of direct and refracted P waves at stations in the Pasadena network. Output includes the geographic coordinates and depth of the source, the origin time, direct distances from the source to each station, and the difference between observed and computed arrival time of P at each station. Limitations to the applicability of the program are discussed.
Cost-effectiveness of preimplantation genetic screening for women older than 37 undergoing in vitro fertilization

Adding preimplantation genetic screening to in vitro fertilization has been shown to increase live birth rate in women older than 37. However, preimplantation genetic screening is an expensive procedure. Information on the cost-effectiveness of preimplantation genetic screening can help inform clinical decision making. We constructed a decision analytic model for a hypothetical fresh, autologous in vitro fertilization cycle (with versus without preimplantation genetic screening) for women older than age 37 who had a successful oocyte retrieval and development of at least one blastocyst. The model incorporated probability and cost estimates of relevant clinical events based on data from published literature. Sensitivity analyses were performed to examine the impact of changes in model input parameters. In base-case analysis, IVF-PGS offered a 4.2 percentage point increase in live birth rate for an additional cost of $4509, yielding an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $105,489 per additional live birth. This ICER was below the expected cost of $145,063 for achieving one live birth with IVF (assuming an average LBR of 13.4% and $19,415 per cycle for this patient population). Sensitivity analysis suggested that ICER improved substantially with decreases in PGS cost and increases in PGS effectiveness. Monte Carlo simulation showed PGS to be cost-effective in 93.9% of iterations at an acceptability cutoff of $145,063. Considering the expected cost of achieving one live birth with IVF, PGS is a cost-effective strategy for women older than 37 undergoing IVF. Additional research on patients’ willingness-to-pay per live birth would further inform our understanding regarding the cost-effectiveness of PGS.
Participation of interfacial hydroxyl groups in the water-gas shift reaction over Au/MgO catalysts

Au/MgO and Au/Mg(OH)2 catalysts were prepared and used as model systems to study the participation of the Au–support interface in the water-gas shift reaction (WGS). Au/MgO and Au/Mg(OH)2 showed similar WGS kinetics, consistent with a similar WGS reaction mechanism. However, Au/MgO had a lower apparent reaction order with respect to H2O and was identified as having a higher specific WGS rate compared with Au/Mg(OH)2 at the same average Au particle size. The focus of the work is on Au/MgO, where we observed a correlation between the hydroxyl group coverage and WGS rate. The measured kinetic isotope effect, DFT calculations, and operando FTIR for that catalyst are all consistent with surface carboxyl formation as the rate-determining step. Comparisons of hydroxyl group coverage with and without Au suggest that the formation of OH groups is strongly influenced by the presence of Au and likely to be highest at the Au–MgO interface, as supported by theoretical calculations. Temperature programmed reaction shows that Au is necessary to catalyze reaction of the surface OH groups with CO. This work confirms the importance of the metal support interface in WGS catalysis and suggests that the unique chemistry at the interface offers both an explanation of catalyst behaviour and a new opportunity to design materials with improved function for additional catalytic applications.
A self-calibrating sense amplifier for a true random number generator using hybrid FinFET-straintronic MTJ

In this paper, a self-calibrating low power sense amplifier has been proposed to generate true random bits by exploiting random switching behavior of a straintronic MTJ. This circuit has applicability in cryptography in which high quality random numbers are crucial for enhanced security. Digital self-calibration mechanism is employed to accommodate manufacturing variations and slow-temporal changes due to aging or temperature-drift. A 16 nm FinFET process is utilized to demonstrate the circuit. The power consumption at a maximum throughput of 100 MHz is estimated as 13 fJ/bit for the analog part that would run continuously to generate random numbers and 8 fJ/bit for the digital part that would operate only when it is required for calibration.
Auxiliary power supply for medium-voltage power electronics systems

This paper presents an auxiliary power supply for medium-voltage (MV) power electronics systems, based on modular multilevel series-parallel converter (MMSPC). The converter connects to 2.4 kV RMS at the input, and produces 24 V dc at the output, providing 100 W of power with 10 kV isolation. Unlike the traditional solutions which use a grid-frequency bulky and heavy potential transformers, the proposed converter can operate at higher switching frequencies, thus reducing the weight and providing higher power density, compared to the traditional approach. Additionally, the proposed converter features an internal capacitor voltage balancing and achieves power factor correction (PFC) by using predictive control. The proposed converter is simulated and its operation is experimentally validated on the developed prototype at low input voltage.
Protein-alkali reactions: chemistry, toxicology, and nutritional consequences.

Heat and alkali treatment of proteins catalyzes formation of crosslinked amino-acid side chains such as lysinoalanine, ornithino- alanine and lanthionine, and concurrent racemization of L-isomers of all amino acid residues to D-analogues. Factors that favor these transformations include high pH and temperature, long exposure, and certain inductive or steric properties of the various amino acid side chains. Factors that minimize crosslink formation include the presence of certain additives, such as cysteine or sulfite ions, and acylation of e-NH2 groups of lysine side chains. Free and protein-bound lysinoalanine and D-serine induce nephrocytomegaly in rat kidney tissues. The presence of lysinoalanine and D-amino acid residues along a protein chain decreases its digestibility and nutritional quality. Understanding the factors that govern the formation of potentially harmful unnatural amino acid residues in food proteins and the toxic and nutritionally antagonistic action of these compounds in animals should lead to better and safer foods.
The earliest surviving treatise on shipbuilding

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Charity neutering overseas

Volunteering with overseas charities to neuter cats and/or dogs is hard work, but can be highly rewarding.
Evidence of Hypoxic Glial Cells in a Model of Ocular Hypertension.

Purpose Reoxygenation after hypoxia can increase reactive oxygen species and upregulate autophagy. We determined, for the first time, the impact of elevated IOP on hypoxia induction, superoxide accumulation, and autophagy in a bead model of glaucoma. Method Ocular hypertension was achieved with magnetic bead injection into the anterior chamber. Before mice were killed, they were injected with pimonidazole for hypoxia detection and dihydroethidium (DHE) for superoxide detection. Total retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and optic nerve (ON) axons were quantified, total glutathione (GSH) was measured, and retinal and ON protein and mRNA were analyzed for hypoxia (Hif-1α and Hif-2α), autophagy (LC3 and p62), and SOD2. Results With IOP elevation (P < 0.0001), the retina showed significantly (P < 0.001) decreased GSH compared with control, and a significant decrease (P < 0.01) in RGC density compared with control. Pimonidazole-positive Muller glia, microglia, astrocytes, and RGCs were present in the retinas after 4 weeks of ocular hypertension but absent in both the control and after only 2 weeks of ocular hypertension. The ON showed significant axon degeneration (P < 0.0001). The mean intensity of DHE in the ganglion cell layer and ON significantly increased (P < 0.0001). The ratio of LC3-II to LC3-I revealed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in autophagic activity in hypertensive retinas compared with control. Conclusions We report a novel observation of hypoxia and a significant decrease in GSH, likely contributing to superoxide accumulation, in the retinas of ocular hypertensive mice. The significant increase in the ratio of LC3-II to LC3-I suggests autophagy induction.
CHAPTER 5 – Animal Models of the Aging Skeleton

This chapter examines the strengths and weaknesses of whole animal models of aging. Animal models of the aging skeleton should closely resemble those of human skeletal aging. An animal model of human aging skeleton can be defined as a living animal in which spontaneous or induced bone loss can be studied, and in which the characteristics of the bone loss and its sequalae resemble those found in humans in one or more respects. Good animal models share at least four characteristics: convenience, relevance, predictability, and appropriateness. Several animal species are candidate models for human aging bone loss. These include rats, mice, dogs, minipigs, sheep, ferrets, and nonhuman primates. The rat model has been studied more extensively than all the other candidate models combined by a large margin. The female sheep (ewe) is a large remodeling animal that has potential for the assessment of osteoporosis therapies. Ferrets are attractive for modeling human bone loss because they are small, easily available animals with well-developed bone multicellular unit (BMU)-based remodeling in both cortical and trabecular bone. Nonhuman primates offer a model of bone aging with characteristics that, compared to other models, are closest to those of humans. As in humans, nonhuman primates have BMU-based remodeling; the length of their menstrual cycle is similar to that of humans; they exhibit irregular cycles with aging; some assume erect posture with similar bone loading patterns as humans; and they lose bone mass at an advanced age and with immobilization as in humans.
Social Awareness in Monkeys

Tests of self-awareness in nonhuman primates have to date been concerned almost entirely with the recognition of an animal's reflection in a mirror. By contrast, we know much less about non-human primates' perception of their place within a social network, or of their understanding of themselves as individuals with unique sets of social relationships. Here we review evidence that monkeys who fail the mirror test may nonetheless behave as if they recognize themselves as distinct individuals, each of whom occupies a unique place in society and has a specific set of relations with others. A free-ranging vervet monkey, baboon, or macaque recognizes other members of his group as individuals. He also recognizes matrilineal kin groups, linear dominance rank orders, and behaves as if he recognizes his own unique place within them. This sense of “social self” in monkeys, however, is markedly different from self-awareness in humans. Although monkeys may behave in ways that accurately place themselves within a social network, they are unaware of the knowledge that allows them to do so: they do not know what they know, cannot reflect on what they know, and cannot become the object of their own attention.
Acousto-Optically Modulated Quantum Cascade Laser (AOM QCL) for Combustion and Detonation Thermometry

We demonstrate temperature measurements in shock-heated mixtures of carbon monoxide (CO) using an acousto-optically modulated quantum cascade laser. Temperatures between 900 - 1300 K were measured at rates up to 250 kHz. © 2019 The Authors
State of the Art: Reconstruction with Synthetic PORP and TORP

The purpose of this review article is to present salient pearls of successful ossiculoplasty, with particular attention paid to reconstructive strategies with synthetic partial ossicular prostheses and total ossicular prostheses. A refined level of dexterity and an appropriate attention to detail are needed to optimize audiometric outcomes in ossiculoplasty, as is a fundamental understanding of middle ear mechanics and the consistent anatomical relationships that exist in the middle ear, but perhaps the most important determinant of long-term hearing outcomes in ossiculoplasty is the middle ear environment. Successful ossiculoplasty requires a prudent and thoughtful approach to all phases of the patient’s care, and the final audiometric result is a synergistic product requiring both careful preoperative assessment, thoughtful prosthesis selection, and proficient technical execution.
Modelling of Power Losses for Switching State Model Simulations in SiC Power Converters with Calorimetric Verification

Due to high switching speed of SiC MOSFET, the possibilities for determining the losses by direct measurement methods are difficult. This article describes the modeling of losses based on datasheet values and by considering the actual operation point. By classifying the typical switching processes, the losses are determined with a simple case based and efficient state model simulation, where the losses are considered at once by an analytical and lock up table based approach. This leads to a faster simulation compared to a complete behavioral model where the switching is continuously simulated. The results are verified by calorimetric measurements and show a remarkable convergence.
C lassic learning

Description logics, also called terminological logics, are commonly used in knowledge-based systems to describe objects and their relationships. We investigate the learnability of a typical description logic, Classic, and show that Classic sentences are learnable in polynomial time in the exact learning model using equivalence queries and membership queries (which are in essence, “subsumption queries”—we show a prediction hardness result for the more traditional membership queries that convey information about specific individuals). We show that membership queries alone are insufficient for polynomial time learning of Classic sentences. Combined with earlier negative results (Cohen & Hirsh, 1994a) showing that, given standard complexity theoretic assumptions, equivalence queries alone are insufficient (or random examples alone in the PAC setting are insufficient), this shows that both sources of information are necessary for efficient learning in that neither type alone is sufficient. In addition, we show that a modification of the algorithm deals robustly with persistent malicious two-sided classification noise in the membership queries with the probability of a misclassification bounded below 1/2. Other extensions are considered.
Power calculations for the sequential parallel comparison design with continuous outcomes

In the sequential parallel comparison design (SPCD) in stage 1, placebo subjects are randomized between placebo and an experimental therapy. In stage 2, stage 1 placebo non-responders are re-random...
Human Antibodies Protect against Aerosolized Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Infection

Summary Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is one of the most virulent viruses endemic to North America. No licensed vaccines or antiviral therapeutics are available to combat this infection, which has recently shown an increase in human cases. Here, we characterize human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from a survivor of natural EEEV infection with potent (
“Eye Opening and Chaotic”: Resilience and Self-Determination of Secondary Students with Disabilities Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Students with disabilities experience pronounced inequities in the education system, which have been compounded by risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study sought to understan...
Exploring the effect of community institutional forces on corporate philanthropy in professional sport

Although a growing body of literature has explored the strategic value and organizational drivers of corporate philanthropy (CP) by professional sport teams, we know less about the influence of geo...
A Scoping Literature Review of Engineering Thriving to Redefine Student Success

Background: The importance of thriving is well-established, but little is known about thriving for undergraduate engineering students. We introduce engineering thriving as the process by which engineering students develop optimal functioning in undergraduate engineering programs. Since thriving is currently underexplored in the engineering education literature, we investigated the larger body of literature on engineering student success. Purpose: We introduce the concept of engineering thriving to synthesize the largely discrete existing bodies of literature on engineering student success to bring together many different perspectives, methodological approaches, and findings that shape our understanding of engineering thriving. Our work on thriving unites disparate lines of research on engineering student success, challenges the assumption that addressing barriers automatically leads to success, and strives to change the way engineering education views student success. Scope/Method: We used the scoping literature review method to investigate papers on undergraduate engineering student success. Four databases were searched, yielding 726 initial papers that studied separate dimensions of engineering student success, such as academic, personal, cognitive, and behavioral. We integrated the relationships among these dimensions to develop an understanding of engineering thriving. Our final analysis included 68 papers after removing duplicates and applying selection criteria. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that an engineering student thriving includes multiple dimensions of success, involves cyclical processes of growth and adaptation, and consists of synergistic competencies that should ideally be studied together with as many other competencies as possible. These findings support the conclusion that engineering thriving can be understood as helping students manage constantly changing internal and external factors within the broader engineering education system.
SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies in Children: Ethical Considerations.

The use of monoclonal antibodies in children with certain conditions and at high risk for severe COVID-19 has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration under the Emergency Use Authorization mechanism of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. No data on the tolerability or efficacy of these therapies in persons <18 years of age are available; there is risk. Whether they will work is unknown, but they could. A disproportionate number of these children who meet the criteria for treatment with mAbs are from communities of black, Native American, and other race. How should health systems, hospitals, and clinicians balance the tensions between being seen as experimenting with an untested drug as opposed to withholding a potentially life-saving treatment? This article identifies, analyzes, and makes recommendations on the methods by which health systems, hospitals, and individual clinicians can ethically balance these tensions. (Clin Ther. 2021;43:XXX-XXX) © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
German Digital Council: An 'Inside-Out' Case Study

In 2018, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel appointed a group of nine scholars and practitioners, including BKC’s Urs Gasser, to the German Digital Council (GDC). The GDC was formed with the unusual mission to ask both critical and constructive questions about government projects from a digital perspective, to alert the government to new technical and economic developments, and operate as a symbol for 'digitalization' during its interactions with the government. While the GDC has made significant contributions since its founding, its operation has been fairly opaque; this opacity was an intentional part of the GDC’s operational strategy. As a consequence, the basic design, structure, operation, and impact of the GDC have not been easily accessible beyond a relatively small group of involved parties. At the same time, the unusual mission, composition, and mode of operation of the GDC have been met with interest from governments around the world and other stakeholders that are confronted with the question of how to bring outside expertise into the workings of a government. This case study is an attempt to bridge this knowledge gap by documenting and sharing some of the important and, thus far, undocumented details about the formation and operation of the GDC. The insights shared are based on a series of group and individual interviews that the authors conducted with members of the GDC and members of the Chancellery that worked closely with the GDC. German Digital Council: An “Inside-Out” Case Study is an output of the BKC Policy Practice, a program that helps governmental, nonprofit, and private sector organizations work through challenging questions related to technology and society.
Constructing integer-magic graphs via the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz

Let A be a nontrivial abelian group and A* = A \ {0}. A graph is A-magic if there exists an edge labeling f using elements of A* which induces a constant vertex labeling of the graph. Such a labeling f is called an A-magic labeling and the constant value of the induced vertex labeling is called an A-magic value. In this paper, we use the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz to construct nontrivial classes of ℤp-magic graphs, prime p ≥ 3. For these graphs, some lower bounds on the number of distinct ℤp-magic labelings are also established.
Asset Pricing: Time-Series Predictability

Asset returns change with fundamentals and other factors such as technical information and sentiment over time. In this survey, we review some of the major ideas, data, and methods used to model time-varying expected returns. We focus on the out-of-sample predictability of the aggregate stock market return via extensions of the conventional predictive regression approach. The extensions are designed to improve out-of-sample performance in realistic environments characterized by large information sets and noisy data.
On the Sturm–Liouville problem describing an ocean waveguide covered by pack ice

We study a Sturm–Liouville problem in the cross-section of the ocean waveguide covered by pack ice. We prove the basis properties of the eigenfunctions, the convergence of the corresponding Fourier...
Understanding clinician strategies for discussing driving fitness with patients: An initiative to improve provider-patient discussions about safe driving.

Objective: A frequently overlooked factor contributing to traffic crashes is driver medical conditions, including cognitive and physical impairments, which can compromise individuals' ability to drive safely. Clinicians are in a critical position (and often legally mandated) to identify patients with impairments that may affect their driving ability and counsel them on appropriate next steps. However, prior studies revealed that provider-patient discussions about driving occurred relatively infrequently and that clinician recommendations about when patients could resume driving varied substantially (Chen et al. 2008; Drazkowski et al. 2010). This research aimed to document current driver fitness assessment practices among neurology and neurosurgery clinicians at an academic medical center, with the overall purpose of informing quality improvement efforts.Methods: A cross-sectional, anonymous survey was distributed to physicians and advanced practice providers working in the neurosurgery and neurology departments of a large, Pennsylvania-based academic medical center. Survey question domains included: 1) frequency of discussions about driving, 2) comfort discussing driving with patients, 3) criteria used to assess patient fitness to drive, 4) driver rehabilitation program referral practices, and 5) Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reporting.Results: The survey revealed that although most providers (68%) had high levels of perceived responsibility for counseling patients about driving, a minority regularly discussed driving issues with their patients (19% prior to discharge, 49% during clinic visits). In addition, only about half (54%) of providers reported having ever filed a report about a patient with the PennDOT, despite Pennsylvania's mandatory driver reporting law. Likelihood of PennDOT reporting was found to be strongly associated with provider knowledge of Pennsylvania unsafe driver reporting laws (p < 0.001).Conclusions: These findings highlight a need to enhance standard of care practices related to driver screening, counseling, and reporting. Overall, providers recognized the importance of their role in advising patients about safe driving and desired standardized protocols for guiding conversations about driving with patients, PennDOT reporting, and referring patients to driver rehabilitation services.
Molecular Mechanism of Regulation of Cellular Phospholipases

Many, if not all, cells release arachidonic acid when they are stimulated by hormones, neurotransmitters, antigens, and drugs. Arachidonic acid is mostly present as an esterified form in phosphatidylinositol and other alkenyl- and/or acylglycerophospholipids. The key enzymes involved in the arachidonate release are thus proposed to be phospholipase A2 and phospholipase C (Van Den Bosh, 1980; Irvine, 1982). Phospholipase A2 directly mobilizes arachidonic acid in the 2-position of the glycerol moiety of phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, and alkenylglycerophospholipids), whereas phospholipase C converts phospholipids to diacylglycerol, a compound that releases arachidonic acid by the subsequent action of diacylglycerol or monoacylglycerol lipase. These phospholipases are inactive in unstimulated conditions (resting state), although they are surrounded by their lipid substrates. This raises important questions concerning the mechanism by which receptor stimulation can activate cellular phospholipases. This chapter discusses the molecular mechanisms that may possibly regulate cellular phospholipases.
Dualidad de las funciones de costo y de producción en sus formas homotética y no homotética con aplicación de transformadas de Lagrange.

Este escrito estudia las funciones tanto de produccion como de costos, no solamente en si misma, sino lo que es mas importante, en terminos de sus mutas transformaciones, cuando las condiciones de calculo pueden ser particularmente dificiles o complicadas. Es un topico relacionado con la teoria de produccion la que se presenta mas alla de las formas tradicionales, de abordar las funciones de costo y produccion por separado. Es un tema que pertenece a los aspectos fundamentales de gestion de cualquier empresa. En este estudio, utilice las formas homoteticas y no homoteticas de las funciones, finalizando el escrito con aplicaciones derivadas del metodo de transformadas de Lagrange, con el fin de maximizar resultados a partir de factores especificos que tienen restricciones, tales como aquellas relacionadas con limites en el presupuesto.
Cellular responses to stimulation of the M5 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor as seen in murine L cells.

The membrane signaling properties of the neuronal type-5 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M5 AChR) as expressed in murine L cells were studied. Recipient Ltk- cells responded to ATP acting through a P2-purinergic receptor by increasing phosphoinositide hydrolysis 2-fold but were unresponsive to 17 receptor agonists that are stimulatory in other cells. L cells expressing the M5 AChR responded to carbachol (CCh) with an approximately 20-fold increase in phospholipase C activity, mobilization of Ca2+ from endogenous stores, causing a transient peak increase in the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i), influx of extracellular Ca2+, causing a sustained increase in [Ca2+]i dependent on extracellular Ca2+, and release of [3H]arachidonic acid from prelabeled cells, without altering resting or prostaglandin E1-elevated intracellular cAMP levels. None of the effects of the M5 AChR were inhibited by pertussis toxin. The regulation of L cell [Ca2+]i was studied further. ATP had the same effects as CCh and the two agonists acted on a shared intracellular pool of Ca2+. The peak and sustained [Ca2+]i increases were reduced by cholera toxin and forskolin, neither of which altered significantly phosphoinositide hydrolysis. This is consistent with interference with the action of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) through cAMP-mediated phosphorylation and suggests a continued involvement of IP3 during the sustained phase of [Ca+]i increases. The temporal pattern of the sustained [Ca2+]i increase differed whether elicited by CCh or ATP, and was enhanced in pertussis toxin-treated cells. This is consistent with existence of a kinetic control of the sustained [Ca2+]i change by a receptor-G protein-dependent mechanism independent of the IP3 effector site(s) (e.g. pulsatile activation of phospholipase C and/or pulsatile activation of a receptor/G protein-operated plasma membrane Ca2+ channel). Thus, the non-excitable L cell may be a good model for studying [Ca2+]i regulations, as may occur in other nonexcitable cells of which established cell lines do not exist, and for studying of receptors that as yet cannot be studied in their natural environment.
Massive Data, Models for

Massive data present a challenge to the use and manipulation of well-studied inferential strategies such as maximum likelihood estimation, Bayesian methods, and best linear prediction (kriging) since these methods require the inversion of a large covariance matrix. This entry introduces statistical models that circumvent computational issues, which include local models, covariance tapering, low-rank models, and Markovian models. Keywords: covariance tapering; covariogram; kriging; low-rank model; massive data; sparse matrix
Obstetric management of the fetus with omphalocele or gastroschisis: A review and report of one hundred twelve cases

The prenatal diagnosis of an abdominal wall defect in the fetus has led some obstetricians to recommend delivery by cesarean section in order to avoid trauma to the defect and reduce the risk of dystocia. A review was made of the obstetric management of 112 infants with abdominal wall defects who were admitted to a neonatal surgical unit. Cesarean section was performed in 16%, but no cesarean sections were performed because of the prenatal diagnosis, which was made in only four cases. The mortality rate for infants with omphalocele was 29%, and that for infants with gastroschisis was 13.5%. Visceral injury from the delivery process was suggested in one case. Decisions about obstetric management were made in the absence of the knowledge of the anomaly, and vaginal delivery did not appear to adversely affect outcome. It remains to be seen whether more accurate prenatal diagnosis will identify subgroups of infants who would benefit by cesarean section. Until that time, elective cesarean section does not seem to be justified.
Neuraphes pseudojumlanus n. sp. from Yunnan, China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae)

Neuraphes (Pararaphes) pseudojumlanus n. sp. from China (W Sichuan) is described, and its diagnostic characters are discussed and illustrated. The new species belongs to a distinct group of Neuraphes characterized by a bicolorous body and is the tenth representative of this genus known to occur in the high mountains surrounding Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
Detecting Intuitive Mentions of Diseases in Narrative Clinical Text

A significant portion of the clinical information content of narrative text documents in the medical record is only mentioned intuitively, but automated information extraction systems typically focus on explicitly mentioned concepts only. To extend the extraction of clinical information to intuitively mentioned diseases, we have developed a natural language processing application based on MMTx and on context analysis algorithms, enhanced with the detection of disease-specific concepts (e.g. medications used only for this disease), and values of some specific biomarkers. This application was developed for the i2b2 obesity challenge, a competition focused on the detection of patients with obesity or common comorbidities.
On the Origin of the ‘Private Sphere’: A Discourse Analysis of Religion and Politics from Luther to Locke

This essay supplements the recent literature on the social construction of ‘religion’ by demonstrating that liberal discourses on the ‘private sphere’ and the ‘separation of church and state’ originated in a rhetorical slippage between different uses of the word ‘religion’ in early modern Europe. However, contrary to much of the recent social constructionist literature, this essay demonstrates that the implemen- tation of the so-called ‘separation of church and state’ resulted not in an actual separation, but, rather, that this discourse masks the very real circulation of power from one institution to the other. Keywords: Social Construction of Religion, Early Modern Political Theory, Privatization of Religion, Liberal Discourses on Religion, Liberal Political Theory, Separation of Church and State
PDF — Transport Equations for Chemically Reacting Flows

The analysis and the computation of turbulent flows with chemical reactions can be carried out by means of probability density functions (pdf’s) or characteristic functions. Pdf’s and characteristic functions offer several advantages over moment methods: Finite-rate chemistry can be dealt with rigorously as well as turbulent diffusion. The transport equations for pdf and characteristic functions require closure assumptions for the effects of viscosity and pressure on the pdf. this closure problem is the central part of the paper. It will be analyzed in terms of pdf’s and characteristic functions. First the properties of the linear and closed equations for the characteristic functional for Eulerian and Lagrangian variables will be established. Then the closure problem for the finite-dimensional case will be discussed for pdf and characteristic function. It will be shown for instance that the closure for the scalar dissipation term in the pdf equation developed by Dopazo [18] and Kollmann et al. [15] results in terms of characteristic functions in a single integral in contrast to the pdf, where double integration is required. Finally some recent results using pdf methods, which were obtained for turbulent flows with combustion including effects of chemical non-equilibrium, will be discussed.
Gastric Emptying of an Indigestible Solid in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

Using radiopaque markers, we evaluated gastric emptying in 10 male patients with end-stage renal disease on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and in 15 normal men. Dialysis patients were studied twice, once without peritoneal dialysate in the abdomen (drained) and once with 2 L of dialysate in the abdomen (full). Each normal man and 9 of 10 dialysis patients, when drained, emptied all 10 markers by 6 h after a test meal. In contrast, 5 of the 10 dialysis patients, when full, had delayed emptying of radiopaque markers. Thus, continuous ambulatory dialysis may delay gastric emptying of indigestible solids.
CRAMPS: High-Resolution NMR of High-γ Nuclei in Solids

The theoretical and experimental considerations leading to high-resolution NMR of protons and other relatively high-γ nuclei (e.g., 19F) are treated. Coherent averaging of internal interactions, specifically homogeneous dipolar coupling via excitations by radiofrequency pulses, and shielding anisotropy by sample spinning are described. The requirements of spectrometer probes and receivers are discussed. Tuning of the spectrometer to minimize transients due to time-dependent excitations and determination of scaling factors under various pulse sequences are treated. Experimental results under CRAMPS and under Variable Cycle Time Cramps (VCT CRAMPS) are presented. Recent developments including homonuclear decoupling by continuous phase modulation (DUMBO and SAMn) are presented. Keywords: average Hamiltonian; coherent averaging; DUMBO; magic-angle spinning; MREV-8; SAMn scaling; spectrometer requirements; transients; tuning; VCT CRAMPS