cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tool-Assisted Loop Invariant Development and Analysis

Identification of an adequate invariant is valuable for reasoning about the correctness of code involving a loop, informally or formally. Almost every modern system for automated verification demands that programmers annotate their code with assertions, such as invariants to facilitate automation. But many learners struggle to grasp how to arrive at an assertion that remains an invariant and is sufficiently strong to prove subsequent assertions reliant on the outcome of the loop. The objective of this research is to present a method to help understand the difficulties students face in developing suitable loop invariants, and assist them in the process. We describe results from an experimentation in a software engineering classroom where students were charged with developing verified component-based code using a web-based front end for a verifying compiler. We collected data in the background as students attempted to produce verified code with loop invariants in in-class activities and take-home projects. Initial results show what kinds of information we can expect to see and what kinds of feedback might be useful.
Interactions between Drugs and Behavior Therapy

Both chemotherapy and behavior therapy are powerful technologies for treating behavioral disorders. Drug therapy, which was the first of these two to gain widespread application, revolutionized the treatment of the major psychoses. Major tranquilizers permit most psychotic patients to be cared for in their communities, and drugs make possible a much more humane treatment of hospitalized psychotic patients than was formerly possible. Psychotropic drugs have also contributed to the management of anxiety and depression in nonpsychotic patients.
Stigma and need for care in individuals who hear voices.

Background:Voice hearing experiences, or auditory verbal hallucinations, occur in healthy individuals as well as in individuals who need clinical care, but news media depict voice hearing primarily as a symptom of mental illness, particularly schizophrenia.Aims:This article explores whether, and how, public perception of an exaggerated association between voice hearing and mental illness might influence individuals’ need for clinical care.Method:A narrative literature review was conducted, using relevant peer-reviewed research published in the English language.Results:Stigma may prevent disclosure of voice hearing experiences. Non-disclosure can prevent access to sources of normalizing information and lead to isolation, loss of social support and distress. Internalization of stigma and concomitantly decreased self-esteem could potentially affect features of voices such as perceived voice power, controllability, negativity and frequency, as well as distress. Increased distress may result in a decrease in f...
What Is Art

In this chapter, we will begin to define art. In particular, we will focus on defining music as a form of art. To do this, we will first consider the contributions of artists, thinkers, and poets such as John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Jean Molino, and Francois Villon. We will then provide examples from many musical genres, including classical music, opera and movie soundtracks, and pop music. We will end this chapter with contributions from jazz, discussing the works of Miles Davis and Guerino Mazzola’s Tetrade Group.
Globally Optimal Algorithms for Transform Selection in Multiple-Transform Signal Compression

Recent studies have shown that there may be a significant improvement in thecompression of a signal when multiple-transforms are used to exploit local characteristics [1]. By choosing an appropriate transform from a set of transforms, we can have a significant encoding improvement. In this paper, our objective is to find which transform is optimal for each block of a given signal, and to determine how many coefficients we should allocate in each block, from an energy compaction perspective, as defined in [2]. Two algorithms were proposed in [2] to solve this problem. The first algorithm, called Algorithm A, is an iterative method, that converges to a locally optimal solution. The second algorithm, called Algorithm B, first considers an alternate metric based on rate distortion and uses convex optimization techniques.We propose two new methods to solve this problem [3]. The first method, called Algorithm C, uses thresholding to solve the rate-distortion optimization problem. We threshold the magnitude-squared of the transform coecients by the rate-distortion parameter for all transforms, and choose the best transform. The second method, called Algorithm D, uses dynamic programming to find the best transform and coefficient allocation for the current block based on that of all the previous blocks. This method solves the problem of finding the best transform and coecient allocation in terms of energy compaction. In comparing these methods, Algorithm A is the fastest, although only locally optimal. Algorithm C is faster than Algorithm B. Both Algorithm B and Algorithm C solve only the rate-distortion problem. Algorithm D solves the original energy compaction problem, but is the slowest among the four methods.
Testing the Multimedia Principle in the Real World: A Comparison of Video vs. Text Feedback in Authentic Middle School Math Assignments.

As technology evolves and design options for web-based homework support systems expand, researchers are left with questions regarding best practices. These platforms often provide students correctness feedback meant to guide learning and offer dynamic tutoring to help students solve difficult problems. Feedback typically consists of bland text and worked examples, but as hypermedia gains prevalence, researchers are turning their focus to the appropriate use of such elements in e-learning environments. The following study assesses the effects of feedback medium within a randomized controlled trial conducted using ASSISTments, an adaptive math tutor. Results suggest that video feedback enhances learning outcomes and is well perceived by student users. These findings are of particular interest to the Learning Sciences, with intent to optimize e-Learning design.
Blood Lead Concentrations of Children in the United States: A Comparison of States Using Two Very Large Databases.

Objectives To determine whether there are substantial differences by state between 2 large datasets in the proportion of children with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs); to identify states in which the percentage of elevated BLLs is high in either or both datasets; and to compare the percentage of elevated BLLs in individual states with those of children living in Flint, Michigan, during the months when these children were exposed to lead-contaminated drinking water. Study design Tables of BLLs for individual states from the Quest Diagnostics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention datasets for 2014-2015, containing more than 3 million BLLs of young children Results For some states, the percentages of BLLs ≥5.0 µg/dL are similar in the 2 datasets, whereas for other states, the datasets differ substantially in the percentage of BLLs ≥5.0 µg/dL. The percentage of BLLs ≥5.0 µg/dL is greater in some states in both datasets than observed in Flint when children were exposed to contaminated water. Conclusion The data presented in this study can be a resource for pediatricians and public health professionals involved in the design of state programs to reduce lead exposure (primary prevention) and identify children with elevated BLLs (secondary prevention).
Enhanced Bioelectrocatalysis of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 by a Naphthoquinone Redox Polymer

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is the model organism used in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). A great deal of research has focused on this bacterium to improve extracellular electron transfer (EET) and subsequently the power output in MFCs. Here, we report on the enhanced bioelectrocatalysis of S. oneidensis MR-1 by using a naphthoquinone redox polymer (NQ-LPEI) on a modified carbon felt electrode. A maximum anodic current of 3.70 ± 0.40 A m–2 is obtained in a three-electrode setup, a value 15 times higher than that obtained for an anode that did not contain the NQ-LPEI redox polymer (0.24 ± 0.05 A m–2). Additionally, a maximum power output of 0.53 ± 0.02 W m–2 was obtained in single-chamber MFCs where the NQ-LPEI modified anode was utilized. The power output was significantly higher than that obtained for MFCs with unmodified anodes (0.19 ± 0.05 W m–2). These findings suggest that NQ-LPEI could be used with known electrogenic microorganisms to further improve the performances of MFCs.
Doubling Down on BRCA-Mutated Cancer.

Immunotherapy is changing the landscape of cancer treatment. Nonetheless, not all malignancies respond, possibly due to low mutational load. Recent work in a TP53−/− BRCA1-mutant murine breast cancer model indicates that double blockade with two immune checkpoint inhibitors increases the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and overall survival after DNA damaging chemotherapy, whereas single blockade does not. These findings suggest an approach to enhance the impact of immune checkpoint blockade in BRCA-mutated tumors.
Quantifying the effect of natural gas price uncertainty on economic dispatch cost uncertainty

The growing share of electricity production from natural gas combined with the scarcity of firm contracts for fuel procurement creates vulnerability when gas supplies are tight. To examine the effects of uncertainty in the natural gas spot price on the dispatch cost, we formulate a model of economic dispatch that accounts for limits on fixed price gas availability from contracts. Probability distributions of the hourly electric load and a daily natural gas spot price are generated using a temporal and weather conditional epi-spline based load prediction method and the kernel density estimation method, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted with randomly generated electric load variates both with and without uncertainty in the gas spot prices, to generate the corresponding dispatch cost probability distributions and quantify the effects of gas price uncertainty using the mass transportation distance. The proposed method is tested on a 24-bus power system with a 20-node gas system.
Rat brain adaptation to chronic hypobaric hypoxia.

The normal function of the brain is entirely dependent on an adequate supply of oxygen for the provision of ATP via oxidative energy metabolism. But, the presence of oxygen in excess of metabolic needs can be toxic, with especially drastic consequences for an organ such as the brain in which neurons cannot be regenerated once lost. Thus, there are mechanisms that have evolved, apparently in response to these opposing requirements, which control oxygen delivery to the brain so that it is tightly coupled to tissue oxygen consumption, such that energy demand is satisfied but brain oxygen exposure is minimized. This principle of just sufficient oxygen implies that under normal ambient oxygen pressures and normal physiological conditions, regional brain blood flow is relatively low and brain tissue oxygen tension is also low (Sick et al., 1982). Increases in functional energy demand would have to be accompanied by at least transient increases in local oxygen delivery (LaManna et al., 1987).
The pontrjagin numbers of an orbit map and generalized G-signature theorem

In this paper we study the relationships between the Pontrjagin numbers of an orbit map and the existence of a non-empty fixed point set. For smooth torus group actions G on M we obtain an explicit formula for the Pontrjagin numbers pI(M,z) and proving a generalized G-signature theorem. We also define the characteristic numbers of an orbit map in the topology category. We then show some results about the existence of non-empty fixed points for torus group and compact connected abelian group actions.
Exploring the preliminary outcomes of a sibling leadership program for adult siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

AbstractAlthough adult siblings often fulfill caregiving roles for their brothers and sisters with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and report needing support, little intervention ...
Social proactiveness and innovation: The impact of stakeholder salience on corporate entrepreneurship

Innovation has become a major strategic component of corporate entrepreneurship. Managerial decisions regarding innovative activity are complex and can be affected by numerous factors. In this study, we draw upon the tenets of stakeholder theory to examine how stakeholder salience (consisting of stockholders, employees, and customers) is integral to the decisions made by senior level managers related to social proactiveness within a corporate innovation strategy. In doing so, we introduce a social proactiveness scale that examines a manager’s priorities toward internal and external social issues. Examining 200 senior-level managers, we find that companies which place salience on employees are more proactive on both internal and external social issues, while those placing salience on stockholders are more proactive on internal social issues but not external social issues. Surprisingly, placing salience on customers is associated with neither internal nor external social issues. Finally, the data suggests that proactiveness related to internal social issues leads to greater internal innovation with external innovation mediating the relationship, whereas proactiveness on external social issues is not related to innovation.
A multi-item Physician Global Assessment scale to assess psoriasis disease severity: validation based on four phase III tofacitinib studies.

Several different Physician Global Assessment (PGA) versions have been used in clinical studies as a co-primary end point to evaluate psoriasis severity. Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor. We performed an analysis of the PGA using data from studies of tofacitinib in moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Data from 3641 patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis, enrolled in one of four phase III tofacitinib studies (OPT Pivotal 1 and 2, OPT Compare and OPT Retreatment), were used to evaluate a three-item PGA scale. Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed that equal weighting of the three items (erythema, induration and scaling) was appropriate. The PGA demonstrated acceptable test–retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, 0.7) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha ≥ 0.9 at primary time points). The Clinically Important Difference was estimated as 0.55 (95% confidence interval: 0.546–0.563). Known-group validity was shown by demonstrating that PGA scores could discriminate between different degrees of disease severity. The PGA was significantly correlated with other clinical end points in the studies (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, r = 0.75–0.79; Dermatology Life Quality Index, r = 0.44–0.57; Patient Global Assessment, r = 0.66–0.72). Consistent with previous findings from a phase II study, these results indicate that this PGA is a valid, reliable instrument for evaluating disease severity in clinical studies of psoriasis.
Cerebrovascular disease, amyloid, and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease progression

79 Background: Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is not currently considered a core pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but concurrent CVD may exacerbate AD progression (Brickman et al, 2015). Objectives: The purpose of this study was first to examine the relationship among amyloid, CVD, and neurodegeneration among individuals with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy controls, and second, to examine the extent to which amyloid and CVD pathology drive neurodegeneration over time. Methods: Six hundred eight subjects (222 normal(NL), 291 MCI, 93 AD) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative underwent longitudinal AV45 PET imaging, as well as T1- and T2-weighted MRI scans to quantify amyloid, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), and cortical thickness, respectively. AV45 standard uptake value ratio (SUVR) was estimated as the ratio of cortical regions to a composite white matter reference region. White matter hyperintensity volume, an indication of CVD, was derived with T1- and T2-weighted MRI using a Bayesian Markov-Random Field approach with spatial and contextual prior probabilities. Mean cortical thickness in AD-associated regions was measured with the FreeSurfer 5.1 longitudinal processing stream. A series of linear mixed-effects models tested for: 1) differences in AV45 SUVR, WMH volume, and cortical thickness between diagnostic groups 2) the relationship among the three image-derived biomarker measures 3) differences in rates of change over time in biomarkers across diagnostic groups 4) the relationship between longitudinal rate of change in cortical thickness, an indication of neurodegeneration, and baseline amyloid or WMH volume. Covariates included mean-centered age (baseline: 73.4±6.9yrs), APOE-ɛ4 status (359 APOE- ɛ4+), sex (326M), education (16.1±2.1yrs), and intracranial total volume (baseline: 1519.8±159.7cm3). Results: Across diagnostic groups, AV45 SUVR increased (NL MCI,AD), with or without age adjustment (Table1). In a model including all three imaging biomarkers, increased AV45 SUVR and WMH volume were both significantly associated with decreased cortical thickness, but after full covariate adjustment, AV45 SUVR and age, but not WMH volume, were significant (Figure1). AV45 SUVR rate decreased across diagnostic groups (NL>AD), indicating a possible plateau, whereas WMH volume rate increased on the trend level (Table 1). Cortical thinning rate slightly decreased across diagnostic groups (NL
Finding Common Ground: Negotiating Downstream Rights to Harvest with Upstream Responsibilities to Protect—Dairies, Berries, and Shellfish in the Salish Sea

Harvesting shellfish is an important cultural and economic activity for coastal Indigenous communities throughout the Salish Sea. However, for the Lhaq’temish People of Lummi Nation, upstream agric...
Contemporary Diagnostic Algorithm for the Hemodynamically Stable Patient With Suspected Pulmonary Embolism

No single diagnostic test has sufficient accuracy when used alone to confirm or rule out pulmonary embolism (PE). This even applies to pulmonary angiography, the historical gold standard in PE diagnosis. Therefore, modern diagnostic strategies for PE rely on combinations of noninvasive tests such as plasma D-dimer measurement, lower limb venous compression ultrasonography, ventilation-perfusion lung scan, and/or helical computed tomography, the results of which should be interpreted in the context of the clinical likelihood of PE. Pulmonary angiography is rarely necessary. Clinical probability of PE can be assessed with fair accuracy, either implicitly or by clinical prediction rules. Management studies, in which patients deemed not to have PE are left untreated and followed up to assess their 3-mo thromboembolic risk, have become the benchmark for validation of diagnostic algorithms. Cost-effectiveness analysis allows the evaluation and comparison of the various diagnostic sequences. The existing evidence shows that implementation of evidence-based diagnostic algorithms is feasible and may increase quality of care.
An Alternative Approach to Carotid Endarterectomy in the High Carotid Bifurcation

Background Surgical exposure of a high carotid bifurcation (HCB) for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can be technically challenging due to the presence of bony structures in the most cranial portion of the neck and is associated with significant morbidity making carotid artery stenting (CAS) a common alternative. However, a high transverse neck incision with subplatysmal flaps facilitates CEA in these patients without additional exposure techniques. We present a high transverse neck incision with subplatysmal flaps as an alternative to the standard surgical exposure of the carotid bifurcation to facilitate CEA in patients with HCB. Methods Four patients with carotid bifurcations located cranial to the C3-4 vertebral interspace (identified on preoperative imaging) requiring intervention underwent CEA using a high transverse neck incision through an existing skin crease with subplatysmal flap elevation. CEA was performed in a standard fashion with bovine pericardial patch. Results Two male and 2 female patients with an average age of 65 years successfully underwent CEA using this incision. One patient underwent concurrent carotid body tumor excision. None of the patients required mandibulotomy or hyoid bone resection. Two patients required division of the posterior belly of the digastric muscle. There were no perioperative complications. Primary patency was 100% in the 4 patients with surveillance studies, and mean follow-up of 160 days (range 54-369 days). There were no significant cranial nerve injuries. No patient required conversion to an endovascular procedure due to inaccessibility of the lesion or subsequent interventions for incomplete endarterectomy. Conclusions A high transverse incision with subplatysmal flaps is a safe, effective, and cosmetically preferable surgical approach in patients with HCB requiring carotid artery intervention and may be an alternative to CAS.
Research Participant Views regarding Qualitative Data Sharing

We found no studies in the United States that explored research participants' perspectives about sharing their qualitative data. We present findings from interviews with 30 individuals who participated in sensitive qualitative studies to explore their understanding and concerns regarding qualitative data sharing. The vast majority supported sharing qualitative data so long as their data were deidentified and shared only among researchers. However, they raised concerns about confidentiality if the data were not adequately deidentified and about misuse by secondary users if data were shared beyond the research community. These concerns, though, did not deter them from participating in research. Notably, participants hoped their data would be shared and may have expected or assumed this was already happening. While many could not recollect details about data-sharing plans for studies in which they participated, they trusted researchers and institutions to appropriately handle data sharing. If individuals view data sharing as an extension or integral part of their participation in qualitative research, then researchers may have a stronger obligation to share qualitative data than previously thought. Guidelines and tools to assist researchers and institutional review board members in ethical and responsible qualitative data sharing are urgently needed.
Disuse as time away from a cognitively demanding job; how does it temporally or developmentally impact late-life cognition?

Abstract Cognitive aging and disuse atrophy during a non-working period are often indiscernible due to retirement. This study uses a latent growth curve model that estimates cognitive change, independently and jointly by time over a period, time away from work, and the cognitive job demands of the latest job, while adjusting for attrition biases. Data consist of 14,124 Health and Retirement Study participants whose cognition was assessed at least twice between 1996 and 2016, with the word-recall and the vocabulary tests. Independently of cognitive aging, the word-recall score temporarily declines for the following 17 years of a disuse period while the vocabulary score slightly and constantly improves. In both tests, cognitive aging accelerates over time away from work, and leaving a more cognitively demanding job attenuates cognitive decline during a disuse period and does not slow cognitive aging itself.
Organoid Models of Colorectal Pathology: Do They Hold the Key to Personalized Medicine? A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer and IBD account for a large portion of the practice of colorectal surgery. Historical research models have provided insights into the underlying causes of these diseases but come with many limitations. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature regarding the advantage of organoid models in modeling benign and malignant colorectal pathology. DATA SOURCES Sources included PubMed, Ovid-Medline, and Ovid Embase STUDY SELECTION:: Two reviewers completed a systematic review of the literature between January 2006 and January of 2020 for studies related to colon and intestinal organoids. Reviews, commentaries, protocols, and studies not performed in humans or mice were excluded. RESULTS A total of 73 articles were included. Organoid models of colorectal disease have been rising in popularity to further elucidate the genetic, transcriptomic, and treatment response of these diseases at the individual level. Increasingly complex models utilizing coculture techniques are being rapidly developed that allow in vitro recapitulation of the disease microenvironment. LIMITATIONS This review is only qualitative, and the lack of well utilized nomenclature in the organoid community may have resulted in the exclusion of articles. CONCLUSIONS Historical disease models including cell lines, patient-derived tumor xenografts, and animal models have created a strong foundation for our understanding of colorectal pathology. Recent advances in 3-dimensional cell cultures, in the form of patient-derived epithelial organoids and induced human intestinal organoids have opened a new avenue for high-resolution analysis of pathology at the level of an individual patient. Recent research has shown the potential of organoids as a tool for personalized medicine with their ability to retain patient characteristics, including treatment response.
Moving to the Edge: An ACM CTO Roundtable on Network Virtualization: How will virtualization technologies affect network service architectures?

The general IT community is just beginning to digest how the advent of virtual machines and cloud computing is changing their world. These new technologies promise to make applications more portable and increase the opportunity for more flexibility and efficiency in both on-premises and outsourced support infrastructures. However, virtualization can break long-standing linkages between applications and their supporting physical devices. Before data-center managers can take advantage of these new opportunities, they must have a better understanding of service infrastructure requirements and their linkages to applications.
Management of Clostridium difficile Infection

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common and costly condition affecting patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. This teaching script guides the reader through diagnosis, assessment of severity of illness, and evidence-based treatment options for initial and recurrent CDI, including pharmacologic therapy, surgical management, and fecal microbiota transplant.
A Regression-based Voltage Estimation Method for Distribution Volt-Var Control with Limited Data.

This paper presents a regression-based method for estimating voltages and voltage sensitivities for volt-var control on distribution circuits with limited data. The estimator uses power flow results for representative load and PV output scenarios as training data. Using linear regressions on power flow results, the voltages at critical nodes are calculated online based on power measurements at the feeder head and at each PV plant. The voltage sensitivity to changes in reactive power injection by each PV plant is also found online using regressions on power flow results. The estimator thus provides the estimated critical voltages and their sensitivities to each possible control action. The estimator is tested in conjunction with a volt-var optimization on real, unbalanced rural distribution feeder. The optimal control actions and voltage results using the estimator are compared to the optimal results assuming full visibility of the distribution system. Results show that the estimator can estimate voltages and sensitivities with adequate accuracy for successful centralized volt-var control.
The Traditional View of Hamilton’s Federalist No. 77 and an Unexpected Challenge: A Response to Seth Barrett Tillman

In Federalist No. 77, Alexander Hamilton writes that the Senate's consent would be necessary to "displace" a federal executive officer. Because Hamilton is well known as a defender of executive power, this comment has long been a puzzle. Seth Barrett Tillman proposes to solve this puzzle by reading "displace" as "replace" rather than "remove." If Tillman is correct, then he would not only solve a major interpretative dilemma, but also would liberate those who argue on originalist grounds for unilateral presidential removal powers. This paper responds to Tillman's argument by considering three ways to consider Hamilton's No. 77: Contemporary evidence, post-1788 evidence, and the structure and place of Hamilton's case for executive energy in The Federalist. It argues that the third way is the most instructive and that this method confirms the traditional reading of Federalist No. 77, that is, that Hamilton believed the president did not hold unilateral removal powers.
Application of variational analysis and control theory to nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation of a density function

In this chapter, we propose a new approach to the estimation of the probability density function based on the maximum likelihood method if it is known that the underlying density function is Lipschitz. We treat this problem as an optimal control problem and prove convergence results using techniques of variational analysis.
Chapter 10 – Some Novel Devices

Publisher Summary This chapter introduces some of the new semiconductor devices such as cold cathode. It is a device for electron field emission that replaces the hot filament in vacuum electronics. High power high frequency devices such as the traveling wave tube are still the backbone of the high power amplifier. Recently, a new type of cold cathode has come on the scene, field emission with resonant tunneling , and a scheme that involves placing a quantum well structure at the surface of a semiconductor with a fairly low work function such as the GaN. This has opened the door to a whole class of schemes such as embedding CdSe in porous silicon for nonlinear optics at low power. This is not achievable with quantum wells because quantum confinement in one dimension leaves a large two dimensional density of states in the transverse degree of freedom. Optical transition still involves nearly the same number of oscillators, while in quantum dots (QD), being zero dimensional system, optical transition involves only one state. The chapter emphasizes that multipole potentials are short ranged.
Discovering the Government Documents Collection in Libraries.

Promoting greater library user awareness of the government documents collection is the goal of every depository library. Proponents of full cataloging frequently imply that the absence of cards in the public catalog dooms documents to oblivion. The truth is that cataloging is only one of many ways in which government publications can be brought to the attention of library users, since the combined efforts of a large staff can do no more than selective cataloging of the enormous output of government offices. Whether or not government documents are fully cataloged, with or without subject analytics, and distributed throughout the library or maintained as a separate collection, it is important that every means possible be directed to publicizing the information riches contained in public documents. The best of all ways is an adequate, wellorganized collection accessed by every possible official and commercially published reference tools, and administered by an interested, alert, and resourceful staff. The satisfied library user becomes an instant public relations advocate.
The interaction between fluid wall shear stress and solid circumferential strain affects endothelial gene expression

Endothelial cells lining the walls of blood vessels are exposed simultaneously to wall shear stress (WSS) and circumferential stress (CS) that can be characterized by the temporal phase angle betwe...
Quality–efficiency square: a new way to look at cost and quality in critical care

Critical care units are under increasing pressure to account for the large cost of managing complex patients. Ideally, cost-utilisation analysis (€/QALY) [1] should be used to assess treatment; however, this is very difficult in the uncontrolled environment of a working critical care unit with a heterogeneous patient population. Cost/ survivor is often used as a cost measure that considers outcome and is easier to measure; however, this is case-mix dependent so comparisons between units are flawed. We aimed to develop a measure of cost efficiency and quality that was independent of factors outside the control of each unit. We postulated that this could be achieved using a cost factor based on patient days weighted for average risk of death (RoD) and annual admission number [2], which along with the SMR would allow construction of a matrix that could assess both cost efficiency and outcome quality (the QES). Forty-seven units from the UK National Cost Block Programme (2003–2004) were included. Regression analysis was used to create a formula for cost/patient-day based on the admission number and RoD. Residuals representing the deviation from the predicted cost were plotted against the SMR. Units that had both low SMR and low cost (<95% CI) were considered to have high quality and high economy or high quality–efficiency (QE). Those with high SMR and high cost were considered to have low QE. We identified seven units that had high QE and six units that had low QE. We categorised units by cost/survivor and then assessed the QE categories in these terms. There was only limited correlation between the two methods. We believe that the QES is a relatively easy measure of both economic efficiency and quality, and may be a useful, powerful and convenient tool to assess critical care units. Figure 1
Bridge International Academies: A School in a Box

Bridge International was founded in 2007 as a for-profit social enterprise to address the educational needs of poor children in Africa. Ten schools were operational in Kenya by 2010. The plan was to franchise nearly 3,000 schools all over Africa. The case is meant to discuss the challenges of scaling.Learning Objective: To discuss the merits of using a business model to address basic educational needs.
Towards Energy Efficient Change Management in a Cloud Computing Environment

The continuously increasing cost of managing IT systems has led many companies to outsource their commercial services to external hosting centers. Cloud computing has emerged as one of the enabling technologies that allow such external hosting efficiently. Like any IT environment, a Cloud Computing environment requires high level of maintenance to be able to provide services to its customers. Replacing defective items (hardware/software), applying security patches, or upgrading firmware are just a few examples of the typical maintenance procedures needed in such environments. While taking resources down for maintenance, applying efficient change management techniques is a key factor to the success of the cloud. As energy has become a precious resource, research has been conducted towards devising protocols that minimize energy consumption in IT systems. In this paper, we propose a pro-active energy efficient technique for change management in cloud computing environments. We formulate the management problem into an optimization problem that aims at minimizing the total energy consumption of the cloud. Our proposed approach is pro-active in the sense that it takes prior SLA (Service Level Agreement) requests into account while determining time slots in which changes should take place.
Refractive Outcomes of Three-Port Lens-Sparing Vitrectomy for Retinopathy of Prematurity (An AOS Thesis)

PURPOSE To study the refractive outcomes of 3-port lens-sparing vitrectomy (LSV) for subtotal retinal detachments due to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Lens-sparing vitrectomy may provide superior refractive outcomes by limiting induced myopia of prematurity. METHODS This is a retrospective, consecutive, nonrandomized, comparative (paired eye) study. Entrance criteria were previous complete ablative laser for threshold ROP in both eyes, followed by LSV in one eye for stage 4A traction retinal detachment. Both eyes then maintained complete retinal attachment. Main outcome variables were cycloplegic refraction, keratometry, and biometric values for axial length, lens thickness, and anterior chamber depth. RESULTS Nine patients met inclusion criteria. Lens-sparing vitrectomy eyes were significantly less myopic than control eyes (-6.78 D vs -10.33 D, P < .005). The reduction in myopia in LSV eyes was predominantly due to increased anterior chamber depth (3.81 mm +/- 0.217 vs 2.96 mm +/- 0.232, P < .005). There was a minor contribution from reduced corneal power in LSV eyes (43.89 D +/- 0.253 vs 44.20 D +/- 0.265, P < .005). There was a minor negative impact from increased lens thickness in LSV eyes (3.85 +/- 0.32 mm vs 3.74 +/- 0.31, P < .005). There was no significant difference in axial length or lens power between the LSV and control groups. CONCLUSIONS The data demonstrate that infant eyes undergoing 3-port LSV for stage 4A ROP develop less myopia than fellow eyes treated with laser alone. The difference is due to posterior displacement of the lens-iris diaphragm with a smaller contribution from reduced corneal power. The reduction in myopia may improve functional outcomes following 3-port LSV for stage 4A ROP.
Estimating velocity of mobiles in EDGE systems

A new algorithm is modified and applied for estimating mobile velocity for EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution) cellular systems. The algorithm uses normalized autocorrelation of filtered received signals to estimate the velocity of EDGE mobiles. The algorithm works well for both non-dispersive channels and dispersive channels including typical urban and hilly terrain propagation models. Simulation results indicate that the new algorithm is very reliable and effective for distinguishing fast and slow moving mobiles in EDGE cellular systems with both 900 MHz and 1900 MHz carrier frequencies.
Tailored electron bunches with smooth current profiles for enhanced transformer ratios in beam-driven acceleration

Collinear high-gradient $\mathcal{O}(\mathrm{GV}/\mathrm{m})$ beam-driven wakefield methods for charged-particle acceleration could be critical to the realization of compact, cost-efficient, accelerators, e.g., in support of TeV-scale lepton colliders or multiple-user free-electron laser facilities. To make these options viable, the high accelerating fields need to be complemented with large transformer ratios $g2$, a parameter characterizing the efficiency of the energy transfer between a wakefield-exciting ``drive'' bunch to an accelerated ``witness'' bunch. While several potential current distributions have been discussed, their practical realization appears challenging due to their often discontinuous nature. In this paper we propose several alternative continuously differentiable (smooth) current profiles which support enhanced transformer ratios. We especially demonstrate that one of the devised shapes can be implemented in a photo-emission electron source by properly shaping the photocathode-laser pulse. We finally discuss a possible superconducting linear-accelerator concept that could produce shaped drive bunches at high-repetition rates to drive a dielectric-wakefield accelerator with accelerating fields on the order of $\ensuremath{\sim}60\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ and a transformer ratio $\ensuremath{\sim}5$ consistent with a recently proposed multiuser free-electron laser facility.
A lixel for every pixel

Shadow mapping is a very useful tool for generating shadows in many real-time rendering settings and is even used in some off-line renderers. One of the difficulties when using a shadow map is obtaining a sufficiently dense sampling on shadowed surfaces to minimize shadow aliasing. Endlessly upping the light-image resolution is not always a viable option. In this paper we describe a shadow mapping technique that guarantees, that over a small number of chosen planes of interest (such as a floor and a wall), the shadow map is, in fact, perfectly sampled, ie. for each pixel in the viewer camera, there will be exactly one lixel in the shadow map that samples the exact same geometric point.
Roundoff noise minimization in state-space digital filtering

For the class of digital filters described by the state equations, a new expression for the roundoff noise and the dynamic range constraint equations have been established. Then, minimization of the roundoff noise subject to the l 2 norm dynamic range constraint is considered. In particular, a lower bound and the global minimum of the unit noise, i.e., the noise generated under the assumption that each state equation contains exactly one noise source, have been obtained. A method of realizing the minimum unit noise filter, along with a numerical example is also given.
Altered Expression of 14-3-3 Genes in the Prefrontal Cortex of Subjects with Schizophrenia

Seven distinct 14-3-3 proteins are expressed in mammals. One of the 14-3-3 genes (eta) has been previously associated with decreased expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of subjects with schizophrenia. DNA microarray analysis of the PFC of 10 subjects with schizophrenia and 10 matched controls indicated that the majority of 14-3-3 genes exhibited moderate to marked decreases in expression in schizophrenia, which were significant at the group level across all 10 comparisons (p<0.021). Selected changes in gene expression were further examined using in situ hybridization (ISH) in the same subject pairs as well as in four monkeys treated chronically with haloperidol and matched control animals. All analyses were performed blind to subject identity and diagnosis, or treatment. ISH analysis and multivariate analysis of covariance confirmed the significant decreases in expression of two 14-3-3 genes: beta -31.9%, zeta -18.2%. Two other 14-3-3 genes exhibited more modest decreases in expression levels that were significant only in pairwise comparisons that did not factor in post-mortem interval or tissue storage time: gamma -11.9%, eta -15.4%. In the PFC of haloperidol-treated monkeys, there was no difference in 14-3-3 zeta expression, while 14-3-3 beta increased 28% (p<0.05) as a result of neuroleptic treatment. Our results suggest that decreased expression of selected 14-3-3 genes is a common feature of schizophrenia and that the 14-3-3 beta transcript may be unique among the 14-3-3 genes in its increase in response to haloperidol and decrease in the disease state.
Polymethylmethacrylate particles enhance DNA and protein synthesis of human fibroblasts in vitro

Aseptic loosening of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) fixed prosthesis is characterized by formation of a radiolucent fibrous membrane, accumulation of inflammatory cells and osteolysis. Since this membrane is produced by fibroblasts, it is likely that these connective tissue cells play a critical role in the loosening process. Whether fibroblasts form the radiolucent membrane in response to stimulation by PMMA has not yet been established, nor is it known whether fibroblasts play a role in attracting inflammatory cells to the bone-cement interface by secreting chemical mediators. To address this question, we analyzed the in vitro response of normal human fibroblasts to PMMA. Cells were plated with 105/mL Dulbecco minimal essential medium and were incubated 4 h later with PMMA particles, polystyrene (PS) particles, or medium alone. Proliferative capacity monitored by incorporation of 3H-thymidine was significantly increased following a 48 h exposure to PMMA. Protein synthesis determined by incorporation of 14C-leucine and 14C-proline was also increased. In contrast, levels of secreted prostaglandin (PG) E2 assayed immunoenzymatically was not altered by PMMA. Fibroblasts exposed to control PS did not change their proliferative or protein synthetic activity. Fibroblasts internalized PMMA and PS particles without detectable ultrastructural damage. PMMA enhancement of fibroblast proliferative capacity and protein synthetic ability observed in our in vitro assay system suggests similar effects on fibroblasts in vivo. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Influence of the unbelted rear-seat passenger on driver mortality: "the backseat bullet".

This study examined whether unrestrained left rear-seat passengers increase the risk of death of belted drivers involved in serious crashes with at least on fatality. Information from every fatal crash in the United States from 1995-2001 were analyzed. Variables such as point of impact, restraint use, seat position, vehicle type, occupant age, gender, and injury severity were extracted from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
DNA-mediated engineering of multicomponent enzyme crystals

The ability to predictably control the coassembly of multiple nanoscale building blocks, especially those with disparate chemical and physical properties such as biomolecules and inorganic nanoparticles, has far-reaching implications in catalysis, sensing, and photonics, but a generalizable strategy for engineering specific contacts between these particles is an outstanding challenge. This is especially true in the case of proteins, where the types of possible interparticle interactions are numerous, diverse, and complex. Herein, we explore the concept of trading protein–protein interactions for DNA–DNA interactions to direct the assembly of two nucleic-acid–functionalized proteins with distinct surface chemistries into six unique lattices composed of catalytically active proteins, or of a combination of proteins and DNA-modified gold nanoparticles. The programmable nature of DNA–DNA interactions used in this strategy allows us to control the lattice symmetries and unit cell constants, as well as the compositions and habit, of the resulting crystals. This study provides a potentially generalizable strategy for constructing a unique class of materials that take advantage of the diverse morphologies, surface chemistries, and functionalities of proteins for assembling functional crystalline materials.
VERITAS observations of compact Galactic sources

Abstract TeV emission is a key diagnostic of physical processes occurring in a variety of compact Galactic objects. Measurement of the TeV spectra from inverse-Compton emission in pulsar-powered nebulae should permit determination of the nebular magnetic fields. Observation of TeV gamma-rays from Galactic superluminal jet sources may lead to clues about the jet production mechanism. And, observation of TeV gamma-rays from unidentified EGRET gamma-ray sources should permit accurate localization and may lead to identification of unique x-ray and optical counterparts. We discuss observations of Galactic sources planned for VERITAS including a survey of a well-populated region of Galactic plane.
Primary prevention mental health programs for children and adolescents are effective

This paper summarizes outcome research on primary prevention mental health programs for children and adolescents to emphasize three points: (1) prevention has been successful; (2) participants change in several positive ways following intervention; and, (3) program impact is durable over time. Intervention can prevent child and adolescent problems. Changes in social policy are needed to integrate primary prevention into existing human service and public health systems.