cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State support of the local press: what mechanism should be implemented?

The aim of the article is to study the national legislation, the results of which evidence a certain disagreements between legal terminology and understanding of the role and functions of the state in mass media. Due to existence of certain reasons, both objective (complexity of regulatory and legislative procedures) and subjective (cumbersomeness of the state administration apparatus, excessive bureaucracy, in competency), the development of the state information policy is lagging behind changes in social development. In particular, it relates to the change of a model and review of the fundamental mechanisms of the state support of media in Ukraine. Most urgently this issue concerns the print media for local distribution markets.
Acquisition costs and use of Medicare Part D-excluded drugs in Veterans Health Administration long-stay nursing home residents: a national, descriptive, secondary data analysis.

Background: Nursing home populations may consist of both short- and long-stay residents, who have different resource use profiles. Differentiating between these two populations is important in any analysis of drug costs and use. Objective: The aim of this analysis was to provide national annualized estimates of drug acquisition costs and use of drugs excluded under Medicare Part D for dually eligible long-stay nursing home residents in the US. Methods: This was a national, descriptive, secondary data analysis. The study population consisted of 6554 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) long-stay nursing home residents (n = 136 nursing homes), identified from the Minimum Data Set (MDS), who had an annual assessment during fiscal year (FY) 2005 linked with their 8 847 561 inpatient pharmacy claims. The study data generated were descriptive statistics of the annual drug acquisition costs and use of medications excluded under Medicare Part D. VHA therapeutic drug classes were obtained from FY 2005 national pharmacy claims linked at the individual resident level. Results: The excluded drugs accounted for 3 036 306 of the more than 8.8 million inpatient pharmacy claims, totalling $US3 406 756 or $US526 per resident (99% CI 490, 562). Non-opioid analgesics were received by 73.3% of the residents, totalling $US352 608 or $US73 per resident; 25.3% received antitussives, decongestants, or cold and cough medications, totalling $US27 220 or $US16 per resident; 63.8% received vitamins, totalling $US281 909 or $US67 per resident; 17.7% received benzodiazepines or sedative hypnotics, totalling $US76 083 or $US66 per resident; and 64.3% received laxatives or stool softeners, totalling $US298 326 or $US71 per resident. The total acquisition cost of all drugs was $US23 782 717 for 6554 VHA nursing home residents or $US3629 per resident (99% CI 3343, 3915). Conclusion: The cost of Medicare Part D-excluded drugs represented a fraction of the total VHA drug costs for long-stay nursing home residents, accounting for only 14.3% of all drug costs and 34.3% of the more than 8.8 million inpatient pharmacy claims. More research is needed to account for the drug dispensing and administration costs associated with these excluded classes of drugs and their efficacy. Studies of VHA drug acquisition costs provide important policy-relevant data for the Medicare Part D national price negotiation debate, particularly in a US presidential election year.
Reactive Arthritis/Uveitis Syndrome

Reactive arthritis/Reiter’s syndrome is an autoimmune condition classically manifesting as a triad of arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis following an infectious illness. Anterior uveitis has been described in 3–12 % of affected patients. The antecedent infectious illness often involves the urinary tract, urethra, or the bowel. HLA-B27 is present in approximately 30–50 % of patients who develop reactive arthritis. The conjunctivitis is typically bilateral and mild; this often resolves without treatment. Patients with iritis are treated with topical corticosteroids along with cycloplegic agents. In those who have chronic or frequently recurrent intraocular inflammation, oral NSAIDs are often used. Patients with recalcitrant inflammation despite oral NSAIDs are treated with Methotrexate, and those who fail methotrexate are treated with TNF alpha inhibitors.
Novel processing approach to polymer-derived ceramic matrix composites

The rheological properties of commercially available polycarbosilane, SMP-10, were analyzed as a function of temperature, to guide development of thermal treatment processes for the improved yield and functionality of polymer ceramic precursors. The curing onset temperature for SMP-10 was determined to be as low as 100°C for a heating rate of 1°C/min enabling a heat treatment process at 90°C, where low molecular weight oligomers volatilize from the liquid precursor prior to curing. By driving off the low molecular weight oligomers before fabrication of a composite, the mass yield of SMP-10, from a room temperature liquid state was increased from 77% to 83%. The development of B-staging processes, or a semicure of SMP-10, were also demonstrated. B-staging processes were then applied to polymer infiltration and pyrolysis processing and compared with traditional wet layup CMC processing. It was determined that B-staging processes did not adversely affect ceramic matrix composite fabrication. B-staged processing methods were determined to result in less waste, allow ply-by-ply control of matrix compositions, and enable time independent processing when compared to traditional wet layup processing methods.
Comparing Videostroboscopy and Direct Microlaryngoscopy: An Argument for Flexible Consent and Operative Plan

Summary Introduction Office-based evaluation of glottic lesions has progressed significantly, but there can still be discrepancies compared with direct microlaryngoscopy (DML) in the operating room. We performed a prospective evaluation comparing diagnosis of epithelial and lamina propria glottic lesions on rigid telescopic strobovideolaryngoscopy (RTS) with DML. Methods Fifty subjects were enrolled and underwent RTS followed by DML. We compared presence and extent (unilateral or bilateral) of lamina propria and epithelial lesions. Primary (diagnoses motivating an operation) and secondary (diagnoses not requiring an operation) were considered. Changes in diagnosis and operative plan based on DML findings were evaluated. Results Sixty-eight lesions were identified on RTS, including 53 primary (15 epithelial, 38 lamina propria) and 15 secondary diagnoses. RTS was accurate in only 36% of subjects. Ten subjects had a different primary pathology identified on DML. A change in surgical management occurred in 16% of subjects. Conclusions This is the first prospective study evaluating how both diagnosis and operative plan for epithelial and lamina propria glottic lesions differ based on RTS and DML. Despite significant advances in office-based diagnosis of glottic lesions, there are still notable limitations. Clinicians should consider these findings when counseling patients on interpretation and plan for findings based on RTS. Obtaining a flexible surgical consent and counseling patients on the potential for new diagnoses and interventions based on DML is warranted.
Picosecond Optical Absorption at 1.06 μm and 1.55 μm in Thin Germanium Samples at High Optically-Created Carrier Densities

Recently, the enhanced transmission of single, ultrashort optical pulses at 1.06 μm through germanium as a function of incident pulse energy has been measured [1]. In addition, the temporal evolution of this enhanced transmission has been determined on a picosecond time scale using the excite and probe technique [1,2]. The latter measurements reveal that the probe transmission increases for 50–100 psec following excitation with an intense optical pulse. ELCI. et al. [3] have attributed this rise in the probe transmission to a cooling of the hot electron-hole plasma created by the excitation pulse. In sharp contrast to this interpretation, AUSTON et al. [4] have stated that they expect the energy relaxation time to be too short to account for the rise in the probe transmission. AUSTON et al. also suggest that enhanced free-hole [5] and Coulomb-assisted indirect absorption [6] effects can be significant at the high optically-created carrier densities encountered in the excitation-probe measurements at 1.06 μm. Indeed, they suggest that these processes could introduce a minimum in the absorption versus carrier density relationship. AUS-TON and MCAFEE [7] have proposed an alternative explanation for the temporal evolution of the probe transmission by combining the details of the way the absorption saturates as a function of carrier density with a monotonic decrease in carrier density with time due to Auger recombination [8]. The rise in probe transmission with time can then be explained in the followina manner.
The relationship of left ventricular geometry and hypertrophy to left ventricular function in valvular heart disease

Valvular heart disease imposes a hemodynamic load on the left or right ventricle. This load is compensated by the development of ventricular hypertrophy. The pattern of hypertrophy which develops is characteristic of each type of valvular lesion with concentric hypertrophy compensating the pressure overload of aortic stenosis, eccentric hypertrophy compensating the volume overload of mitral regurgitation and both concentric and eccentric hypertrophy compensating the combined pressure and volume overload of aortic regurgitation. While these patterns are characteristic, there is substantial variation in the geometric distribution of hypertrophy among individuals with the same valvular disease. This variability in turn produces variability in the amount of compensation from patient to patient. The geometric pattern of hypertrophy which develops primarily affects left ventricular function as it relates to the Laplace equation. An increase in the radius to thickness ratio increases wall stress while a decrease in this ratio decreases wall stress. Discussed below are the mechanisms by which the various geometries that develop in valvular heart disease affect loading to become adaptive or maladaptive or both.
Breaking rules for good? How archivists manage privacy in large-scale digitisation projects

Digital archives are a popular way for archivists to provide access to their important collections, but they also create more opportunities for private information within these collections to be di...
Modulation of Erythrocyte-Endothelial Interactions and the Vasocclusive Severity of Sickling Disorders

The abnormal adherence of sickle erythrocytes to cultured human vascular endothelium varies among patients and correlates with vasocclusive severity within and among the different sickling disorders. For individual patients, the development of an acute vasocclusive event is not accompanied by an increase in the inherent propensity for their erythrocytes to adhere to endothelium. However, the onset of vasocclusion appears to be associated with the appearance of plasma factors, such as fibrinogen, which enhance the adherence of sickle erythrocytes to endothelium. In addition, sickle erythrocytes adhere even more avidly to injured endothelium and under hyperosmolar conditions. Thus, the overall clinical severity of the sickling disorders appears to correlate with the inherent propensity for sickle erythrocytes to adhere to endothelium, and changes in the red cells' environment may help precipitate crises by the sudden facilitation of erythrocyte/endothelial interactions.
Analysis of data flow models using the SARA graph model of behavior

A number of investigators have continued to discuss application of asynchronous techniques to improve the computational power of computing systems. 2 , 12 , 5 , 9 In fact the need for asynchronous design techniques arose in the earliest machines 26 , 20 , 6 which introduced parallel handling of bits in a number and overlapping of independent operations. The concept of distributed autonomous concurrent processors was essential to the visionary architecture proposed by Holland 16 to support "operating programs floating in a sea of hardware." The importance of such concurrent and asynchronous systems has increased recently because of the availability of entire processing units on one or a few chips and the potential cost reduction of those units. Moreover, it is expected that work on VLSI technology will permit even more complex systems to be reduced to silicon if their design and market analysis have been validated sufficiently to justify the cost. The need for validation prior to costly physical implementation has increased the value of methods and tools which support modeling and analysis.
Carbon ion radiotherapy in the treatment of gliomas: a review.

Gliomas are among the most common primary brain malignancies, with a poor prognosis for high grade gliomas despite aggressive therapy. Carbon ions, which exhibit favorable biological and physical characteristics, have recently been studied in intracranial malignancies as a way to escalate dose to the tumor while minimizing dose to normal tissue. Pubmed/Medline, SCOPUS, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane database were systematically reviewed using the search terms “carbon ion” and “glioma” or “glioblastoma” in August 2019. Out of 332 articles screened, 43 were included in this analysis. This comprehensive review describes the pertinent physics and radiation biology studies relevant to the treatment of gliomas with carbon ions and summarizes the important clinical studies for both high and low grade gliomas. Studies investigating carbon ions as both definitive radiotherapy and as a boost to traditional radiotherapy are reviewed. The use of carbon ion radiotherapy in the setting of recurrent disease is also described. Carbon ion radiotherapy is both efficacious and safe based on early clinical studies. Current trials, including the CLEOPATRA and CINDERLLA trials, hope to define the role of carbon ion radiotherapy in the treatment of gliomas.
Heart rate increase after pulmonary vein isolation predicts freedom from atrial fibrillation at 1 year.

INTRODUCTION Ablation of atrial vagal ganglia has been associated with improved pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) outcomes. Disruption of vagal reflexes results in heart rate (HR) increase. We investigated the association between HR change after PVI and freedom from atrial fibrillation (AF) at 1 year. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients who underwent PVI for paroxysmal AF were identified from the Johns Hopkins Hospital AF registry. Electrocardiograms taken pre-PVI and post-PVI were used to determine the change in HR. Patients followed-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. Of 257 patients (66% male, age 59+/-11 years), 134 (52%) remained free from AF at 1 year. The average HR increased from 60.6 ± 11.3 beats per minute (bpm) pre-PVI to 70.7 ± 12.0 bpm post-PVI. Patients with recurrence of AF had lower post-PVI HR than those who remained free from AF (67.8 ± 0.2 vs 73.3 ± 13.0 bpm; P <.001). The probability of AF recurrence at 1-year decreased as the change in HR increased (estimated odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI, 0.74-0.93]; P = .002). HR increase more than 15 bpm was associated with the lowest odds of AF recurrence (estimated OR, 0.39; 95% [0.17-0.85]; P = .018) compared to HR decrease. CONCLUSIONS Resting HR was found to increase after PVI. Increase in HR more than 15 bpm has a positive association with remaining free from atrial fibrillation at 1 year.
Effect of Gravity on the Scale of Compliant Shells.

Thin shells are found across scales ranging from biological blood cells to engineered large-span roof structures. The engineering design of thin shells used as mechanisms has occasionally been inspired by biomimetic concept generators. The research goal of this paper is to establish the physical limits of scalability of shells. Sixty-four instances of shells across length scales have been organized into five categories: engineering stiff and compliant, plant compliant, avian egg stiff, and micro-scale compliant shells. Based on their thickness and characteristic dimensions, the mechanical behavior of these 64 shells can be characterized as 3D solids, thick or thin shells, or membranes. Two non-dimensional indicators, the Foppl-von Karman number and a novel indicator, namely the gravity impact number, are adopted to establish the scalability limits of these five categories. The results show that these shells exhibit similar mechanical behavior across scales. As a result, micro-scale shell geometries found in biology, can be upscaled to engineered shell geometries. However, as the characteristic shell dimension increases, gravity (and its associated loading) becomes a hindrance to the adoption of thin shells as compliant mechanisms at the larger scales-the physical limit of compliance in the scaling of thin shells is found to be around 0.1 m.
When Does Uncertainty Matter?: Understanding the Impact of Predictive Uncertainty in ML Assisted Decision Making.

As machine learning (ML) models are increasingly being employed to assist human decision makers, it becomes critical to provide these decision makers with relevant inputs which can help them decide if and how to incorporate model predictions into their decision making. For instance, communicating the uncertainty associated with model predictions could potentially be helpful in this regard. However, there is little to no research that systematically explores if and how conveying predictive uncertainty impacts decision making. In this work, we carry out user studies to systematically assess how people respond to different types of predictive uncertainty i.e., posterior predictive distributions with different shapes and variances, in the context of ML assisted decision making. To the best of our knowledge, this work marks one of the first attempts at studying this question. Our results demonstrate that people are more likely to agree with a model prediction when they observe the corresponding uncertainty associated with the prediction. This finding holds regardless of the properties (shape or variance) of predictive uncertainty (posterior predictive distribution), suggesting that uncertainty is an effective tool for persuading humans to agree with model predictions. Furthermore, we also find that other factors such as domain expertise and familiarity with ML also play a role in determining how someone interprets and incorporates predictive uncertainty into their decision making.
Measuring the mechanical input impedance of the respiratory system with breath-driven flow oscillations.

The technique of oscillometry for measuring the mechanical input impedance of the respiratory system is gaining traction as a clinical diagnostic tool, but the portability of existing commercially ...
Usability of state public health department websites for communication during a pandemic: A heuristic evaluation.

Abstract Study aims were to investigate how usable COVID-19 dedicated state public health websites in the US were, and whether case counts in different geographical regions in the US were related to website usability. 16 state websites representing the 2 highest and the 2 lowest case count states in each region were selected. Five experts used a heuristic evaluation procedure to independently rate all 16 websites on a severity scale of 0–4. Usability criteria published by the US Department of Health and Human Services and criteria on risk communication and data dashboards were used. Analyses involved cross tabulation of usability criteria with case counts, comparison of usability scores using Mood's median tests, test of differences in average usability scores using ANOVA and post-hoc tests, and identification of correlations between case counts and usability scores. Results from the Mood's median test showed that the median usability scores for the states were significantly different from each other at the 5% level of significance (df = 15, chi-square = 38.40; p = 0.001). ANOVA showed statistically significant differences between the mean usability scores for the states at the 5% level of significance (F = 6.33, p Relevance to industry The study applies to public health agency websites that communicate essential information during a pandemic.
Modelling the Coronae and Chromospheres of RS CVn Systems by the Analysis of Ultraviolet, X-Ray and Radio Observations

I will summarize the present status of chromospheric and coronal models of active stars in RS CVn systems. The first generation models, which assumed plane-parallel, one-component layers are now being supplanted by second generation models in which the covering fraction of the plage or flare plasma is estimated by a Doppler-imaging analysis. Third generation models should include the magnetic field geometry and the total energy balance in a self-consistent manner.
A Stackelberg Network Game with a Large Number of Followers

We consider a hierarchical network game with multiple links, a single service provider, and a large number of users with multiple classes, where different classes of users enter the network and exit it at different nodes. Each user is charged by the service provider a fixed price per unit of bandwidth used on each link in its route, and chooses the level of its flow by maximizing an objective function that shows a tradeoff between the disutility of the payment to the service provider and congestion cost on the link the user uses, and the utility of its flow. The service provider, on the other hand, wishes to maximize the total revenue it collects. We formulate this problem as a leader-follower (Stackelberg) game, with a single leader (the service provider, who sets the price) and a large number of Nash followers (the users, who decide on their flow rates). We show that the game admits a unique equilibrium, and obtain the solution in analytic form. A detailed study of the limiting case where the number of followers is large reveals a number of interesting and intuitive properties of the equilibrium, and answers the question of whether and when the service provider has the incentive to add additional capacity to the network in response to an increase in the number of users on a particular link.
Cystathionine γ-Synthase from Salmonella β ELIMINATION AND REPLACEMENT REACTIONS AND INHIBITION BY O-SUCCINYLSERINE

Abstract Cystathionine γ-synthase is a pyridoxal-P enzyme which catalyzes replacement of the succinyl group of O-succinyl-homoserine by cysteine. In the absence of cysteine, succinate is rapidly eliminated to form α-ketobutyrate. O-Succinylserine has been synthesized. The succinyl group underwent a slow replacement by homocysteine to yield cystathionine and a rapid elimination, in the absence of a mercaptoamino acid, to yield pyruvate. Thus the enzyme can catalyze the whole spectrum of elimination and replacement reactions of β- and γ-substituted amino acids. While catalyzing pyruvate formation from succinylserine, the enzyme became partially inhibited. The inhibition is similar to that of threonine dehydrase by serine, but it is more rapidly reversible and responds differently to changes in pH. A modified procedure has also been described for preparing pure cystathionine γ-synthase from Salmonella.
Spermidine biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biosynthesis and processing of a proenzyme form of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase.

We have cloned and sequenced the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene for S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase. This enzyme contains covalently bound pyruvate which is essential for enzymatic activity. We have shown that this enzyme is synthesized as a Mr 46,000 proenzyme which is then cleaved post-translationally to form two polypeptide chains: a beta subunit (Mr 10,000) from the amino-terminal portion and an alpha subunit (Mr 36,000) from the carboxyl-terminal portion. The protein was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The purified enzyme contains both the alpha and beta subunits. About half of the alpha subunits have pyruvate blocking the amino-terminal end; the remaining alpha subunits have alanine in this position. From a comparison of the amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence with the amino acid sequence of the amino-terminal portion of each subunit (determined by Edman degradation), we have identified the cleavage site of the proenzyme as the peptide bond between glutamic acid 87 and serine 88. The pyruvate moiety, which is essential for activity, is generated from serine 88 during the cleavage. The amino acid sequence of the yeast enzyme has essentially no homology with S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase of E. coli (Tabor, C. W., and Tabor, H. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 16037-16040) and only a moderate degree of homology with the human and rat enzymes (Pajunen, A., Crozat, A., Janne, O. A., Ihalainen, R., Laitinen, P. H., Stanley, B., Madhubala, R., and Pegg, A. E. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 17040-17049); all of these enzymes are pyruvoyl-containing proteins. Despite this limited overall homology the cleavage site of the yeast proenzyme is identical to the cleavage sites in the human and rat proenzymes, and seven of the eight amino acids adjacent to the cleavage site are identical in the three eukaryote enzymes.
Does coronary artery calcium scoring add to the predictive value of coronary computed tomography angiography for adverse cardiovascular events in low-risk chest pain patients?

Academic Emergency Medicine 2011; 18:1065–1071 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: Coronary angiography calcium score (CACS) is included for patients who receive coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) as part of diagnostic testing for low-risk chest pain. Both tests add radiation exposure, and it is unclear whether the combination provides more information than either test alone. The objective was to asses if CACS = 0 determines freedom from coronary artery disease (CAD) and whether the addition of CACS to coronary CT angiography provides additional risk stratification information or helps predict 30-day cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study at an urban university hospital emergency department (ED), of patients with symptoms suggestive of potential acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and low Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk scores who received coronary CTA. Data collected included demographics and medical history. The main outcome was CAD, defined as the presence of a maximal stenosis >50% on coronary CTA, stratified by CACS results. The secondary outcome was cardiovascular events including death, myocardial infarction, or revascularization at 30 days. Data were analyzed with standard descriptive techniques and relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 1,049 patients were enrolled (median age = 48.1 years; interquartile range [IQR] = 42.4 to 53.3 years); 55% were female, and 63% were black or African American. Of these, 17 of 795 (2.1%) with CACS of 0 had CAD, 16 of 169 patients (9.5%) with CACS of 0.1 to 99 had CAD, 53.3% (32 of 60) with CACS between 100 and 399 had CAD, and 10 of 23 (43.5%) with CACS ≥ 400 had CAD. There was a higher likelihood of significant CAD with increased CACS. Patients who had a calcium score of 0 but still had CAD were more likely to be young (50 years old or less; RR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.01 to 2.96). For the secondary outcome, there were 15 cardiovascular events within 30 days: one patient with CACS = 0 and no CAD (1 of 733; 0.1%), one patient with CACS > 0 and no CAD (1 of 182; 0.5%), four patients with CACS = 0 and CAD (4 of 17; 23.5%), and nine patients with CACS > 0 and CAD (9 of 58; 15.5%), with a net reclassification index of −0.001 (p = 0.32). Conclusions: In the study sample, elevated CACS was associated with a higher likelihood of underlying CAD on coronary CTA, but the addition of CACS to coronary CTA did not help predict 30-day cardiovascular events.
Organization Change in Canadian and US Political Parties

Recent Democratic victories in the United States were anticipated by significant organizational changes in that party. Republican victories in 1980 and Conservative ones in Canada in 2006 were also preceded by organizational changes. These parties are compared with respect to their strategies in mobilizing resources, issue framing, and coordination. How well these strategies contributed to electoral victory are juxtaposed with the potential for eventual negative outcomes. They are also evaluated for possible guidelines in reorganizing the Canadian Liberal Party and the US Republican Party.
Molecular elements on silicon substrates: modeling issues and device prospects

Summary form only given. Molecular electronics has traditionally concentrated on metal substrates, motivated by thiol-gold chemistry and easier self-assembly. Description of transport through nanoscale devices, by self-consistently combining a suitable bandstructure calculation for metal contacts with a non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formulation of transport is worked out in this paper. This method can be used to reproduce the conductance quantization of gold quantum point contacts. The performance limitation of a generic molecular transistor gated either electrostatically or conformationally has also been outlined.
Literary Criticism and the Question of Style in Writing

In an earlier chapter we have given an account, from a more purely biographical standpoint, of Kames’s interests and activities in the field of letters, broadly viewed, thrown on the background of his historical antecedents and of the contemporary scene in the way of literary productions. We also gave a brief account there of his own non-juridical writings in his later years without any attempt at evaluation of their contributions to the world of letters. In the present chapter out attention will be focused primarily on Kames’s key work in this field, his Elements of Criticism, and on the contributions generally which he made to critical theory, to matters of literary production, style of writing and literary appreciation.
Self-renewing diploid Axin2 + cells fuel homeostatic renewal of the liver

The source of new hepatocytes in the uninjured liver has remained an open question. By lineage tracing using the Wnt-responsive gene Axin2 in mice, we identify a population of proliferating and self-renewing cells adjacent to the central vein in the liver lobule. These pericentral cells express the early liver progenitor marker Tbx3, are diploid, and thereby differ from mature hepatocytes, which are mostly polyploid. The descendants of pericentral cells differentiate into Tbx3-negative, polyploid hepatocytes, and can replace all hepatocytes along the liver lobule during homeostatic renewal. Adjacent central vein endothelial cells provide Wnt signals that maintain the pericentral cells, thereby constituting the niche. Thus, we identify a cell population in the liver that subserves homeostatic hepatocyte renewal, characterize its anatomical niche, and identify molecular signals that regulate its activity.
A Review of “Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries”

Choosing the right discovery product that not only enables the myriad of resources to be aggregated and exposed but at the same time provides a positive search experience for the user can be a daun...
Synaptic Transmission: Intracellular Signaling

In synaptic signaling, the response of an individual neuron is determined by its complement of receptors. As discussed in other chapters in this volume, ligand-gated ion channels mediate fast synaptic transmission between neurons. However, signaling within an individual neuron is mediated by a complex set of interactions that occur primarily as a result of G protein linked signal transduction. The beauty of this system is in its diversity and inherent capacity for amplification and plasticity in the modulation of many different cellular functions. The initial signal sequence in this type of signaling typically is the generation of a second messenger inside the cell that then in turn activates a number of different proteins capable of modifying cellular processes. This chapter will present examples and an in depth discussion of these intracellular signaling pathways beginning with G protein linked signaling, perpetuated by G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) stimulation. Next, ion channel modulation via G proteins as well as direct GPCR interactions with the channels will be discussed. The long list of intracellular downstream effector pathways including cyclic nucleotide signaling, protein kinase signaling and calcium regulated signaling are also described. The final focus of the chapter is protein phosphorylation cascades, a predominant mechanism in many signal transduction schemes. It is through these complex interactions that an individual cell is able to respond to neurotransmitter stimulation and modify many of its cellular processes to contribute to the overall symphony of synaptic signaling. Keywords: G proteins; RGS proteins; Gβγ; GIRK channels; adenylyl cyclase; guanylyl cyclase; cAMP; cGMP; phospholipase C; protein kinase C; phosphorylation; protein kinase; receptor kinase; phosphatase
Calcium-independent phospholipases A2 and their roles in biological processes and diseases.

Among the family of phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) are the Ca2+-independent PLA2s (iPLA2s) and they are designated group VI iPLA2s. In relation to secretory and cytosolic PLA2s, the iPLA2s are more recently described and details of their expression and roles in biological functions are rapidly emerging. The iPLA2s or patatin-like phospholipases (PNPLAs) are intracellular enzymes that do not require Ca2+ for activity, and contain lipase (GXSXG) and nucleotide-binding (GXGXXG) consensus sequences. Though nine PNPLAs have been recognized, PNPLA8 (membrane-associated iPLA2γ) and PNPLA9 (cytosol-associated iPLA2β) are the most widely studied and understood. The iPLA2s manifest a variety of activities in addition to phospholipase, are ubiquitously expressed, and participate in a multitude of biological processes, including fat catabolism, cell differentiation, maintenance of mitochondrial integrity, phospholipid remodeling, cell proliferation, signal transduction, and cell death. As might be expected, increased or decreased expression of iPLA2s can have profound effects on the metabolic state, CNS function, cardiovascular performance, and cell survival; therefore, dysregulation of iPLA2s can be a critical factor in the development of many diseases. This review is aimed at providing a general framework of the current understanding of the iPLA2s and discussion of the potential mechanisms of action of the iPLA2s and related involved lipid mediators.
EM-based blind demodulation of synchronous CDMA

The problem of blind detection in a synchronous CDMA system when there is no knowledge of the users' spreading sequences is considered. An EM-based algorithm which exploits the finite alphabet property of the digital communications source is proposed. Simulations show that this approach, which makes use of knowledge of the subspace spanned by the signaling multiplex, achieves the Cramer-Rao lower bound. The issues of subspace estimation and timing acquisition are also considered.
Competitiveness in passive NBA spectating and Cerebrovascular Accident Frequency (P7.135)

OBJECTIVE: To identify if a difference exists between the frequencies of cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) in the first 24 hours after a National Basketball Association (NBA) championship finals game (CFG) as compared to days, in which no CFG was played. BACKGROUND: Competitiveness without physical exertion has been shown to increase cardiovascular demand. A previous study showed a higher risk of myocardial infarctions (MIs) during Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) games in a hosting nation; whereas, nations not hosting these games show no increase in MIs. Only one study analyzed CVAs during FIFA games and showed no increased risk of CVAs. Here, we investigate if a difference exists between the incidence of CVAs in the 24 hours after a NBA CFG and no CFG. DESIGN/METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL, for CVAs during the NBA CFGs, in which the Miami HeatTM participated consecutively from 2011 to 2014. Patients from 5/31/2011-6/12/2011, 6/12/2012-6/21/2012, 6/6/2013-6/20/2013, and 6/5/2014-6/15/2014 were sorted according to CVA admission within 24 hours after an actual CFG start (Game group) or hypothetical game start during a no game day (No Game group). CVAs were further subdivided into ischemic and hemorrhagic. These primary and secondary endpoints were analyzed by ANOVAs. RESULTS: Of the 122 patients admitted for CVA during the CFGs, the Game group had 56 patients (mean age= 60.45) and the No Game group had 66 patients (mean age=64.27). ANOVAs showed no difference between Game and No Game groups with respect to the frequency of total CVAs (p=0.84), ischemic CVAs (p=0.71), or hemorrhagic CVAs (p=0.36). CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference in CVA frequency was appreciated during the NBA CFGs. This may be attributed to patients who are at risk for CVAs are older than the general NBA audience. Disclosure: Dr. Weiss has nothing to disclose. Dr. Grubb has nothing to disclose. Dr. Shah has nothing to disclose.
Database-Assisted Object Retrieval for Real-Time 3D Reconstruction

In recent years, real-time 3D scanning technology has developed significantly and is now able to capture large environments with considerable accuracy. Unfortunately, the reconstructed geometry still suffers from incompleteness, due to occlusions and lack of view coverage, resulting in unsatisfactory reconstructions. In order to overcome these fundamental physical limitations, we present a novel reconstruction approach based on retrieving objects from a 3D shape database while scanning an environment in real-time. With this approach, we are able to replace scanned RGB-D data with complete, hand-modeled objects from shape databases. We align and scale retrieved models to the input data to obtain a high-quality virtual representation of the real-world environment that is quite faithful to the original geometry. In contrast to previous methods, we are able to retrieve objects in cluttered and noisy scenes even when the database contains only similar models, but no exact matches. In addition, we put a strong focus on object retrieval in an interactive scanning context - our algorithm runs directly on 3D scanning data structures, and is able to query databases of thousands of models in an online fashion during scanning.
Making King Alcohol Tremble: The Juvenile Work of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, 1874–1900:

From its beginnings in 1874, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union was concerned with the education of young people to the principles of total abstinence. Working through the Sunday schools and later the public schools, they laid the groundwork for the formal drug education programs that remain high on the agendas of today. Building on the earlier “juvenile work” of the temperance movement, they developed the Loyal Temperance Legion, an organization for the nonformal education of youth. Although the popularity of this group was relatively short-lived, their introduction of secular themes and experimentation with secular activities as a means of holding the attention of young members, provided models upon which the emerging field of nonformal education could build.
Colonoscopic removal of juvenile colonic polyps.

Abstract Five children have undergone colonoscopic polypectomy in the last 2 yr. Four had recurrent episodes of hematochezia. One of these had multiple colonic polyps. The fifth patient underwent polypectomy after a polyp in the mid-transverse colon was demonstrated during hydrostatic reduction of a colo-colonic intussusception. Fever and abdominal tenderness occurred in one patient after polypectomy, but resolved spontaneously. Colonoscopic polypectomy is a safe, noninvasive method of removal of juvenile polyps, and is particularly useful in patients with polyps beyond the reach of the sigmoidoscope.
Optimum design of composite honeycomb sandwich panels subjected to uniaxial compression

Sandwich construction provides a very lightweight structural configuration for many load conditions. The use of composite materials with their high stiffness, high strength, and anisotropy makes sandwich construction even more competitive for many applications. It is very desirable to design these structures for minimum weight to insure their most effective use. Closed-form analytical solutions are presented herein for the analysis and design of minimum weight, composite material hex-cell and square cell honeycomb core sandwich and panels subjected to in-plane uniaxial compressive loads. These methods account for overstressing, overall buckling, core shear instability, face wrinkling, and monocell buckling. The optimum face thickness, core depth, cell wall thickness, and cell size are analytically determined. The methods insure minimum weight, as well as provide methods to compare various material systems, compare honeycomb sandwich construction with other panel architectures, and assess the weight penalties associated with using nonoptimum honeycomb sandwich constructions. A comparison of various polymer, metal, and ceramic matrix composite materials is made by way of example.
Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes Model for Turbulence: A Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes to Direct Numerical Simulation Bridging Method

A turbulence bridging method purported for any filter-width or scale resolution-fully averaged to completely resolved-is developed. The method is given the name partially averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) method. In PANS, the model filter width (extent of partial averaging) is controlled through two parameters: the unresolved-to-total ratios of kinetic energy (f k ) and dissipation (f e ). The PANS closure model is derived formally from the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model equations by addressing the following question: if RANS represents the closure for fully averaged statistics, what is the corresponding closure for partially averaged statistics? The PANS equations vary smoothly from RANS equations to Navier-Stokes (direct numerical simulation) equations, depending on the values of the filter-width control parameters. Preliminary results are very encouraging.
Measuring the impact of cultural diversity on desired mobile reference services

Purpose: – This research aims to present evidence that cultural diversity influences students' desire to utilize library resources and reference services on their mobile devices.Design/methodology/approach – A paper survey was administered voluntarily to undergraduate students to analyze how cultural diversity impacts the types of mobile device‐based reference services students desired and how likely they were to access librarians for live research assistance on their mobile devices.Findings – The paper provides evidence that cultural diversity and gender impacts desired mobile device reference services among undergraduate students. White male and African American female students reported a higher likelihood and desire to access librarians for live assistance on their mobile devices. White females indicated, to a large extent, a desire to access e‐books and e‐magazines on their mobile devices more than any other group. Anecdotally, White females also preferred chat‐based reference inside Facebook.Research...
Hyperacuity in cat retinal ganglion cells

Cat X retinal ganglion cells that can resolve sine gratings of only 2.5 cycles per degree can nevertheless respond reliably to displacements of a grating of approximately 1 minute of arc. This is a form of hyperacuity comparable in magnitude to that seen in human vision. A theoretical analysis of this form of hyperacuity reveals it to be a result of the high gain and low noise of ganglion cells. The hyperacuity expected for the best retinal ganglion cells is substantially better than that observed in behavioral experiments. Thus the brain, rather than improving on the retinal signal-to-noise ratio by pooling signals from many ganglion cells, is unable to make use of all the hyperacuity information present in single ganglion cell responses.
Algebraic approximants and the numerical solution of parabolic equations

Abstract The heat equation is but one example of problems which involve multiple scales. There is a lot of transient behavior which for many problems is of no particular interest. What is of concern is the long time-scale behavior. However the presence of the short time-scale behavior would seem to require numerical integration methods to take very short time steps to follow the behavior accurately. For these problems, what is desired is a numerical method which is accurate for the long time-scale behavior, and causes the transients to die out quickly. That their rate of decay is not quite right is not important for this class of problems. A formalism is developed which allows the straightforward derivation of finite-difference schemes which involve several prior times from algebraic approximants. The algebraic approximants turn out to be, in a quite natural way, approximations to the function exp {−4μ[ arcsin ( w/4 )] 2 } where μ=κΔt/(Δx)2 is the Courant number. Several of the simpler cases are investigated, and, of the implicit schemes, a couple are found to be, not only of higher order accuracy than most currently popular schemes, but also unconditionally stable and in fact unconditionally stiff stable! The higher order accuracy and stiff stability properties are just what is required for this sort of problem.
Parametric Sensitivity Analysis Using Large-Sample Approximate Bayesian Posterior Distributions

When a decision analyst desires a sensitivity analysis on model parameters that are estimated from data, a natural approach is to vary each parameter within one or two standard errors of its estimate. This approach can be problematic if parameter estimates are correlated or if model structure does not permit obvious standard error estimates. Both of these difficulties can occur when the analysis of time-to-event data---known as survival analysis---plays a significant role in the decision analysis. We suggest that in this situation, a large-sample approximate multivariate normal Bayesian posterior distribution can be fruitfully used to guide either a traditional threshold proximity sensitivity analysis, or a probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The existence of such a large-sample approximation is guaranteed by the so-called Bayesian central limit theorem. We work out the details of this general proposal for a two-parameter cure-rate model, used in survival analysis. We apply our results to conduct both traditional and probabilistic sensitivity analyses for a recently published decision analysis of tamoxifen use for the prevention of breast cancer.
Reporting characteristics of automated project-management systems

Abstract Three report facilities that should be considered in the selection of computerized programmes are discussed, namely: user report generators, ‘what if’ simulation and work-breakdown structures. Future trends in projectmanagement reporting systems are surveyed.
QUANTUM UNDULATIONS IN THE DIFFERENTIAL CROSS SECTION OF THE ARGON--ARGON SYSTEM AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE INTERMOLECULAR POTENTIAL.

Abstract The differential collision cross section for the argon-argon system has been measured using crossed supersonic beams. As a result of velocity selection the quantum undulations were easily detected. The angular positions of these undulations are strongly related to the bowl area near the potential minimum.