cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women in the Development Process: Occupational Mobility of Female Migrants in Cities in Nigeria

This article explores changes in occupational status of female migrants in Nigeria. The data are based on migration histories of individuals in Ibadan Benin and Kano. It explores 3 aspects of the complex relationship between migration and occupational status: spatial experiences types of skills brought to the cities and occupational change experienced within the cities. The analysis shows that migrants came from both rural and urban origins. In 2 cities interurban movements were more common than rural-to-urban. Interurban male migrants were more likely to arrive in the cities with established urban skills than rural-urban migrants. Women both interurban movers and rural-urban migrants arrived with either no occupational experience or only informal work experience such as farming or trading. While most men moved from traditional to modern sector jobs most womens occupational shifts were within the traditional sector or from not working to traditional and modern sector jobs. Overall the analysis suggests that women do not gain in occupational status as do men in the 3 cities. These differences may be influenced by factors such as education marriage childbearing and the communitys economic role in society. (authors) (summaries in ENG FRE SPA)
Gemcitabine-based transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for unresectable cholangiocarcinoma in thirty-eight patients: Single institutional experience

14152 Background: Survival for patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma is reported to be 5–8 months. Systemic chemotherapy has been disappointing and not shown to significantly improve surviv...
Health Monitoring via Neural Networks

Monitoring of semi-autonomous systems increases situational awareness and is highly applicable to small remotely piloted aircraft. The complex dynamics of aircraft flight were abstracted by modeling the system with a neural network. The neural network accurately modeled the non-faulty dynamics for comparison to the actual system. Since, the system included unmodeled lag, the residual calculation needed to account for unmodeled lag. The method presented here decreased the effects of the lag on the residual. A ratio between the predicted and measured system outputs was used to understand the faults and understand how the future performance will be affected by the fault. A state machine abstraction offered a flexible fault-detection framework that can be adapted and designed to detect different faults without requiring a full dynamics model of each fault. Through using abstractions, the complex dynamics models required for fault detection were simplified and a state machine offered the flexibility to detect differe nt suites of faults.
Food Safety and Regulatory Aspects of Cattle and Swine Cysticercosis

Using slaughter disposition data maintained by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, prevalence of cattle cysticercosis ( Cysticercus bovis ) for a l0-year period from 1985 through 1994 is reported. Out of an annual average of approximately 33 million slaughtered cattle, about 6,200 carcasses were identified with cysticercus lesions. In the five FSIS inspection regions in the United States, namely Western, Southwestern, Northeastern, Southeastern, and North Central, an average cattle cysticercosis prevalence of 0.0697, 0.0085,0.0012,0.0004, and 0.0003, respectively, is reported. The relevance of serological testing in lieu of, or as a supplement to, the current labor-intensive physical detection procedure in cattle is discussed, the latter being reported to miss close to one-third of the carcasses harboring cysticercus lesions. Out of a total of approximately 80 million swine slaughtered annually in the United States, the number of carcasses identified with cysticercus lesions ( Cysticercus cellulosae ) is extremely low, ranging from 1 through 44 during each of the 10 years. Swine cysticercosis (unlike cattle cysticercosis), with man being an alternate intermediate host, poses serious public health concerns with sometimes fatal consequences manifested through neurocysticercosis ( Cysticercus cellulosae ). Though human cysticercosis is still rare in the United States, recent reports have indicated an upturn in diagnosed cases. These are primarily the result of an increasing number of immigrants and international travel to and from endemic areas.
Stress, Well-Being, and the Dark Side of Leadership

Abstract The role of dark side personality characteristics in the workplace has received increasing attention in the organizational sciences and from leadership researchers in particular. We provide a review of this area, mapping out the key frameworks for assessing the dark side. We pay particular attention to the roles that the dark side plays in leadership processes and career dynamics, with special attention given to destructive leadership. Further, we examine the role that stress plays in the emergence of leaders and how the dark side plays into that process. We additionally provide discussion of the possible roles that leaders can play in producing stress experiences for their followers. We finally illustrate a dynamic model of the interplay of dark leadership, social relationships, and stress in managerial derailment. Throughout, we emphasize a functionalist account of these personality characteristics, placing particular focus on the motives and emotional capabilities of the individuals under discussion.
Everolimus with early withdrawal or reduced-dose calcineurin inhibitors improves renal function in liver transplant recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) are the mainstay of immunosuppression after liver transplantation (LT), but CNIs are associated with significant nephrotoxicity. Recently, mTOR inhibitors such as sirolimus and everolimus (EVR) have been used with or without CNIs in LT recipients for their renal-sparing effect. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) that examined the effect of EVR with CNI minimization or withdrawal on renal function in LT recipients. RCT of primary adult LT recipients with baseline GFR >30 mL/min who received EVR with CNI minimization or withdrawal were included. Four RCTs (EVR n=465, control n=428) were included. In three RCTs, EVR was initiated 4 weeks following LT; these studies were used to assess the primary outcome. All four studies were used to assess the secondary outcomes. Based on this study, EVR use with CNI minimization in LT recipients is associated with improved renal function at 12 months by GFR of 10.2 mL/min (95% CI: 2.75-17.8). EVR use was not associated with an increased risk of biopsy-proven acute rejection (RR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.31-1.46), graft loss (RR 1.60, 95% CI: 0.51-5.00), or mortality (RR 1.34, 95% CI 0.62-2.90). However, it was associated with an increased risk of overall infections (RR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.10-1.91).
Multistream quickest change detection: Asymptotic optimality under a sparse signal

In multichannel sequential change detection, multiple sensors monitor a system in which an abrupt change occurs at some unknown time and is perceived by an unknown subset of sensors. The goal is to detect this change quickly, while controlling the rate of false alarms. In the traditional asymptotic analysis of this problem, the false alarm rate goes to 0 while all other parameters remain fixed. We argue that this framework is not very informative, as the corresponding asymptotic optimality property cannot differentiate between universal and parsimonious rules. We propose an asymptotic framework in which the number of sensors also goes to infinity, and we show that in this context universal rules may fail to be asymptotically optimal when the number of streams is not very small. On the other hand, parsimonious rules are shown to be asymptotically optimal under reasonable sparsity conditions.
Can medical management with teriparatide improve spinal surgery outcomes in patients with spinal osteoporosis/osteopenia?

Abstract Osteopenia and osteoporosis have become increasingly common in the elderly population, as has the concern from treating spinal surgeons. Many adverse surgical outcomes have been associated with poor bone quality, including decreased fusion rates, hardware complications, and osteoporotic fractures. Teriparatide, a recombinant form of parathyroid hormone, has been used as a major pharmaceutical intervention in osteoporosis treatment. This article provides an overview of the mechanism of teriparatide followed by a detailed review of the literature concerning outcomes of medical management with teriparatide in both animal models and humans with osteoporosis/osteopenia. Improved fusion rates and duration, as well as reduced osteoporosis-related complications are evident upon reviewing clinical and radiographic outcomes of teriparatide therapy in spinal surgery patients.
Diversity and disparity of sparassodonts (Metatheria) reveal non-analogue nature of ancient South American mammalian carnivore guilds

This study investigates whether terrestrial mammalian carnivore guilds of ancient South America, which developed in relative isolation, were similar to those of other continents. We do so through analyses of clade diversification, ecomorphology and guild structure in the Sparassodonta, metatherians that were the predominant mammalian carnivores of pre-Pleistocene South America. Body mass and 16 characters of the dentition are used to quantify morphological diversity (disparity) in sparassodonts and to compare them to extant marsupial and placental carnivores and extinct North American carnivoramorphans. We also compare trophic diversity of the Early Miocene terrestrial carnivore guild of Santa Cruz, Argentina to that of 14 modern and fossil guilds from other continents. We find that sparassodonts had comparatively low ecomorphological disparity throughout their history and that South American carnivore palaeoguilds, as represented by that of Santa Cruz, Argentina, were unlike modern or fossil carnivore guilds of other continents in their lack of mesocarnivores and hypocarnivores. Our results add to a growing body of evidence highlighting non-analogue aspects of extinct South American mammals and illustrate the dramatic effects that historical contingency can have on the evolution of mammalian palaeocommunities.
Building alliance for preschool inclusion: Parents of typically developing children, attitudes and perceptions

ABSTRACTThe current study investigated perceptions, thoughts, and attitudes of parents of typically developing children enrolled in inclusive 3-year-old and 4-year-old preschool classrooms. Using a qualitative approach, guided by ecological system theory semi-structured interviews with parents (N = 7) were completed. Several common themes related to inclusive preschool interactions were identified. Results indicated that parental perspectives, perceptions, and experiences vary. While parents were supportive of inclusion philosophy in child care centers, they felt less confident in their ability to explain the limitations associated with special needs to their young children. Parental support and involvement within inclusive preschool classrooms may be strengthened through the development of educational programs and family–professional partnerships. The role and involvement of teachers in facilitating parental support of inclusion philosophy is also addressed.
Determination of Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Biomolecular Processes with Trajectory Fragments

Trajectory fragments algorithms are a set of methods that partition the relevant trajectory space between reactant and products into smaller regions of phase space. Many short trajectories are launched to evaluate transition probabilities between these regions. Each of the methods processes this short trajectory data with different kinetic models and as a result long-time kinetic and thermodynamic information for the overall molecular event can be extracted. This chapter focuses on Milestoning, providing detailed analysis of the approximations involved in the algorithm and its computational implementation. Two other trajectory fragments methods (Partial Path Transition Interface Sampling and Markov State Models) are briefly discussed as well. Finally, two recent applications of trajectory fragments methods are described.
CFD-Based Optimization of a Flooded Bed Bioreactor for Algae Production

Abstract Algae show great potential for use as a feedstock for energy applications, but the cost of production must be reduced to compete with traditional feedstocks. One method of doing so is to optimize the algae production photobioreactor. This study presents the method of obtaining, and results of, such an optimization using a model derived from computational fluid dynamics simulations.
Comparison of Aerosol Measurements by Lidar and In Situ Methods in the Pacific Basin Troposphere

As part of NASA’s PEM-West B (Pacific Exploratory Mission) the NASA DC-8 research aircraft probed the western Pacific troposphere between January and March 1994. It was equipped with a variety of remote and in situ instruments to analyze the air mass transported from the Asian continent into the Pacific troposphere. In this paper we present the aerosol measurements obtained from an IR lidar and two in situ instruments - the forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP-300) and the Ames wire impactor. For 11 flights comparisons are made between the aerosol backscattering coefficient (in km−1 sr−1) at 1064 nm calculated from the FSSP size distributions and the IR lidar signal. The two techniques are in good agreement regarding the general features of the regional aerosol climatology. In areas where the in situ measurements consist of very few data points, it is difficult to reconstruct the aerosol climatology on the basis of the point measurements.
Internal and external factors for sustainable development of Europe

This paper deals with problems connected with the present economic slow-down in the "old" EU member states. We all hope that the integration of new member states into the EU will bring a new impetus for European production and trade. However, it is necessary to find the right internal and external factors, which will cause rapid growth and will lead the European economies into a period of boom.
Sex Differences in Binge-Like and Aversion-Resistant Alcohol Drinking in C57BL/6J Mice.

Background Alcohol use disorder is characterized by compulsive alcohol intake, or drinking despite negative consequences. Previous studies have shown that female rodents have a heightened vulnerability to drug use across different stages of the addictive cycle, but no previous studies have studied females in a model of aversion-resistant alcohol intake. Here, we investigated sex differences in binge-like and aversion-resistant alcohol drinking in C57BL/6J mice using a modified drinking-in-the-dark (DID) paradigm. Methods In Experiment 1, 24-hour aversion to quinine (0, 100, or 250 μM) was assessed. In Experiment 2, male and female adult C57BL/6J mice consumed 15% ethanol (EtOH) or water in a 2-bottle limited-access DID paradigm for 2 h/d for 15 days. The EtOH was next adulterated with quinine (0, 100, or 250 μM) over 3 consecutive drinking sessions to test aversion-resistant intake. In Experiment 3, intake of quinine-adulterated (100 μM) EtOH was assessed across all 15 drinking sessions. Results Quinine was equally aversive to both sexes in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, female mice consumed significantly more alcohol than male mice during the final 6 drinking sessions. Levels of aversion-resistant intake did not differ between the sexes. In Experiment 3, quinine suppressed consumption in all mice, though females drank significantly more on the final 2 sessions. Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate that while female mice escalate and consume more EtOH than males, both sexes exhibit similar levels of aversion-resistant drinking. These results inform our understanding of how sex interacts with vulnerability for addiction and argue for the inclusion of females in more studies of aversion-resistant alcohol drinking.
Tooth Loss Precedes the Origin of Baleen in Whales.

Summary Whales use baleen, a novel integumentary structure, to filter feed; filter feeding itself evolved at least five times in tetrapod history but demonstrably only once in mammals [1]. Living baleen whales (mysticetes) are born without teeth, but paleontological and embryological evidence demonstrate that they evolved from toothed ancestors that lacked baleen entirely [2]. The mechanisms driving the origin of filter feeding in tetrapods remain obscure. Here we report Maiabalaena nesbittae gen. et sp. nov., a new fossil whale from early Oligocene rocks of Washington State, USA, lacking evidence of both teeth and baleen. The holotype possesses a nearly complete skull with ear bones, both mandibles, and associated postcrania. Phylogenetic analysis shows Maiabalaena as crownward of all toothed mysticetes, demonstrating that tooth loss preceded the evolution of baleen. The functional transition from teeth to baleen in mysticetes has remained enigmatic because baleen decays rapidly and leaves osteological correlates with unclear homology; the oldest direct evidence for fossil baleen is ∼25 million years younger [3] than the oldest stem mysticetes (∼36 Ma). Previous hypotheses for the origin of baleen [4, 5] are inconsistent with the morphology and phylogenetic position of Maiabalaena. The absence of both teeth and baleen in Maiabalaena is consistent with recent evidence that the evolutionary loss of teeth and origin of baleen are decoupled evolutionary transformations, each with a separate morphological and genetic basis [2, 6]. Understanding these macroevolutionary patterns in baleen whales is akin to other macroevolutionary transformations in tetrapods such as scales to feathers in birds.
Knowledge-based management systems and data processing

The subject of knowledge-based management systems is one of the newest AI-related topics to find an identity. Such systems are intended to provide the same leap in functionality for expert systems as that which the innovation of databases provided to more conventional systems a decade ago. This paper describes the requirements which have been posited for knowledge-based management systems, the technologies which underlie current thinking about how they might be built, the architectures being suggested and implemented at the moment and early experience with what will be an important domain for knowledge-based management systems, that of data processing.
Risk factors for nodal metastasis in women with grade 3 endometrial cancer.

e15511 Background: No studies have reported on the association of nodal metastases and lower uterine segment (LUS) in grade 3 endometrial cancer. Our study aimed to determine the frequency of nodal...
Tacrolimus Intrapatient Variability, Time in Therapeutic Range, and Risk of De Novo Donor-Specific Antibodies.

BACKGROUND Tacrolimus (TAC) is the most important agent for maintenance immunosuppression and prevention of immunologic injury to the renal allograft, yet there remains no consensus on how best to monitor drug therapy. Both high TAC intrapatient variability and low TAC time in therapeutic range (TTR) have been associated with risk of de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA). In this study, we hypothesized that the risk associated with high TAC coefficient of variation (CV) is a result of low TAC TTR rather than the variability itself. METHODS We analyzed the risk of dnDSA, acute rejection, or death-censored graft loss by non-dosed-corrected TAC CV and TAC TTR during the first posttransplant year in a cohort of 538 patients with a median follow-up period of 4.1 years. RESULTS Patients with CV >44.2% and TTR 44.2% and TTR ≥40% (high intrapatient variability and optimal TTR), while the latter patients had similar risk to patients with CV <44.2% (lower intrapatient variability). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that previously reported immunologic risk associated with high TAC intrapatient variability is due to time outside of therapeutic range rather than variability in and of itself when evaluating absolute non-dose-corrected TAC levels irrespective of reason or indication.
Nieuw onderzoek naar klinische beslisregel voor pijn op de borst

Dagelijks melden zich 600 tot 1200 patienten met pijn op de borst op het spreekuur van de huisarts. Uit angst een ernstige diagnose te missen, worden veel patienten doorverwezen naar de tweede lijn. Dat is niet altijd nodig. Leids onderzoek richt zich op een nieuwe beslisregel om de huisarts te helpen een cardiale oorzaak uit te sluiten. Een dergelijke beslisregel kan onnodige verwijzingen voorkomen.
Does wealth matter? An assessment of China's rural-urban migration on the education of left-behind children

Abstract This paper decomposes the impact of parental migration on the education of children left behind. In particular, we examine whether children are enrolled in school on a timely basis according to their age when their parents are away. We found both theoretical and empirical evidence to support that parental migration generates a strong positive impact on timely enrollment if a child is from a less wealthy background. However, the effect decreases with family wealth, and reverses after reaching a threshold; we find this point using family house size as our proxy and the turning point occurs at a moderate size of approximately 148 square meters. In addition, we find a compensating effect that migrants tend to spend more on a child's education investment to offset for the loss of parental time care. Lastly, we found the overall impact of parental migration is negative on the timely enrollment of child. Thus, with the important heterogeneities attributed to wealth, our results suggest that the left behind children of more affluent parents may be pushed into worse human capital outcomes; given the rapid development of China, it may be the case that the current cohort of left behind children is less likely to be enrolled in school than earlier cohorts.
Software Engineering for Data Analytics

We are at an inflection point where software engineering meets the data-centric world of big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. In this article, I summarize findings from studies of professional data scientists and discuss my perspectives on open research problems to improve data-centric software development.
Automatic material classification of paintings in illuminated manuscripts from VNIR reflectance hyperspectral data cubes

Identification of the materials used in the creation of paintings and illuminated manuscripts can provide conservators with knowledge on how to better preserve objects, and supply scholars with information about the provenance of the objects. Significant headway has been made with non-invasive imaging techniques in the past decade. One example is hyperspectral imaging systems that were initially developed for the remote sensing community, and are now more widely applied to assist with art conservation. Although hardware, such as hyperspectral systems, are becoming more widely used, the software to analyze the acquired data is not yet well developed for pigment analysis of artworks. Pigment specific chemical information is derived from hyperspectral data, leveraging spectral signatures to separate out the various artists' materials used in the creation of the artwork. In general, methods of pigment analysis and mapping of paintings in illuminated manuscripts and artworks involve various algorithms and processing steps to create spatial distribution maps of the spectral signatures. When analyzing a particular work, the goals of the analysis are threefold: determine the number of unique pigments (not visual colors) used in the creation of the object; identify the unique pigment reflectance signatures from the data directly or from previously measured library spectra; and map the location and possible distribution of each pigment across the painting. This information is then passed on to conservators and art historians to inform their efforts. Current endmember selection methods involve significant user input, best done by an expert user and are time-consuming. This research examines the accuracy of creating abundance maps (pigment distribution maps) from automatically derived endmembers (using the Maximum Distance algorithm) to create useful information maps to inform conservators. The non-negative lease squares (NNLS) method is used to un-mix the data to create element distribution maps. Algorithms were evaluated with hyperspectral data of Cosme Tura's Saint Francis Receiving the Stigma, in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Results compare well with what is known of the pigment used to create this painting.
Organizations matter in local governance: evidence from health sector decentralization in Honduras.

Health systems strengthening is at the forefront of the global health agenda. Many health systems in low-resource settings face profound challenges, and robust causal evidence on the effects of health systems reforms is lacking. Decentralization has been one of the most prominent reforms, and after more than 50 years of implementation and hundreds of studies, we still know little about whether these policies improve, harm or are inconsequential for the performance of health systems in less-developed countries. A persistent problem in existing studies is the inability to isolate the effect of decentralization on health outcomes, struggling with heterogeneous meanings of decentralization and missing counterfactuals. We address these shortcomings with a quasi-experimental, longitudinal research design that takes advantage of a unique staggered reform process in Honduras. Using three waves of household survey data over 10 years for a matched sample of 65 municipalities in Honduras, we estimated difference-in-difference models comparing changes in outcomes over time between local health systems that were decentralized using one of three types of organizations [municipal governments, associations of mayors or non-governmental organization (NGOs)] and those that remained centrally administered. We find evidence of overall improvements between 2005 and 2016 in several service delivery-related outcomes, and additional improvements in decentralized municipalities governed by NGOs. NGO-led municipalities saw a 15% decrease in home delivery relative to centralized municipalities in 2016, a 12.5% increase in MCH facility delivery and a 7% increase in the use of a skilled birth attendant. There were no detectable positive treatment effects for vaccination, and a slight decline in the weight-for-length z-scores in NGO municipalities, but we find no systematic evidence of decentralization negatively impacting any maternal and child health outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of considering implementation context, namely organization type, when assessing the effects of decentralization reform.
Protoplast isolation, transient transformation, and flow-cytometric analysis of reporter-gene activation in Cannabis sativa L.

Abstract Cannabis sativa L. is a valuable, up-and-coming industrial crop with a substantially growing market. However, due to an extended period of legal restriction, research with cannabis has been limited, particularly in laboratory settings. Expanding the application of biotechnological techniques to cannabis can facilitate addressing species-specific impediments to improving crop traits and further fundamental understanding of its intricacies. Here, we describe application of protoplast transformation for the study of transient gene expression in a low-THC cannabis cultivar. To produce explant tissue as a source of protoplasts, a method for hormone-free in vitro micropropagation is established. Protoplasts are isolated from young leaves of the micropropagated stocks and transiently transformed with plasmid DNA carrying a fluorescent marker gene. This is the first report of protoplast transformation in this species. A protoplast isolation yield is achieved of up to 2 × 106 cells per gram of leaf material, vitality staining shows that up to 82 % of isolated protoplasts are viable, and quantification of the cells expressing a fluorescent protein indicates that up to 31 % of the cells can be successfully transformed. Additionally, protoplasts are transformed with an auxin-responsive reporter gene and the reaction to treatment with indole-3-acetic acid is quantified using flow cytometry. This work demonstrates that relatively minor modification of standard techniques can be used to study this important emerging crop.
Increasing Hydroperiod in a Karst-depression Wetland Based on 165 Years of Simulated Daily Water Levels

The hydrology of seasonally inundated depression wetlands can be highly sensitive to climatic fluctuations. Hydroperiod—the number of days per year that a wetland is inundated—is often of primary ecological importance in these systems and can vary interannually depending on climate conditions. In this study we re-examined an existing hydrologic model to simulate daily water levels in Sinking Pond, a 35-hectare seasonally inundated karst-depression wetland in Tennessee, USA. We recalibrated the model using 22 years of climate and water-level observations and used the recalibrated model to reconstruct (hindcast) daily water levels over a 165-year period from 1855 to 2019. A trend analysis of the climatic data and reconstructed water levels over the hindcasting period indicated substantial increases in pond hydroperiod over time, apparently related to increasing regional precipitation. Wetland hydroperiod increased on average by 5.9 days per decade between 1920 and 2019, with a breakpoint around the year 1970. Hydroperiod changes of this magnitude may have profound consequences for wetland ecology, such as a transition from a forested wetland to a mostly open-water pond at the Sinking Pond site. More broadly, this study illustrates the needs for robust hydrologic models of depression wetlands and for consideration of model transferability in time (i.e., hindcasting and forecasting) under non-stationary hydroclimatic conditions. As climate change is expected to influence water cycles, hydrologic processes, and wetland ecohydrology in the coming decades, hydrologic model projections may become increasingly important to detect, anticipate, and potentially mitigate ecological impacts in depression wetland ecosystems.
Library Services and Resources in Support of Mental Health: A Survey of Initiatives in Public and Academic Libraries

Mental health issues affect millions of people in the United States, a fact that has been thrown into sharp relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a survey, interviews, and a website scan, this s...
Introduction: Family Caregiving in the New Normal

Family caregiving is central to the long-term care system of the United States. Families provide the majority of assistance to older Americans in need. Although this care is largely unpaid, estimates of how much it would cost to pay for a healthcare provider to give similar amounts of care far exceed that of more commonly recognized sources of long-term care, such as home health services or nursing homes. While there is a large body of research on the current state of family caregiving in the United States, few studies have attempted to grapple with the future of family caregiving as our society stands on the precipice of change: some of it was decades in the making, and some of it was spurred by the recent economic downturn (the Great Recession) that began in 2008, from which we are still recovering. We believe that it is important to lay out a “road map” of the challenges (demographic, economic, health trends, and policy) and possible solutions to help individuals, family members, communities, and we as a society to better understand how to meet the needs of caregiving families. With the many disruptive and converging social, political, economic, and technological trends now emerging, how can we best support family caregivers as they provide help to their older relatives now and in the future? This introduction addresses all these points.
Stiffness Coefficients for Layered Media

For dynamic soil-structure interaction problems, the soil resistance is often represented through a combination of springs and dashpots that assumes the soil is homogeneous. Often, however, the supporting medium is inhomogeneous, comprising layers of varying strengths and stiffness. An approximate method is presented to determine stiffness coefficients for layered media. The basic assumption made in the analysis is that the stress distribution in a given layer is a function only of the distribution of the applied load and is independent of the relative stiffness of the other layers. Therefore, all the layers can be determined by assuming that the material in one layer is identical to that in the other levels and the stiffness coefficients are computed accordingly.
Chapter 1 Structure of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins: an analysis of core and surface phases

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the structure of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Intestinal chylomicrons and hepatic very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) serve as the major transport vehicles of triglyceride within the circulation. These lipoproteins are collectively designated the “triglyceride-rich “lipoproteins because under normal conditions of diet and time of residence in the plasma triglyceride is their major component. As the content of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein lipids greatly exceeds that of the apoproteins, a reasonable working hypothesis is that the arrangement of the lipids is the key to governing the overall structure of the lipoproteins. The lipids are held together solely by noncovalent forces, and are organized to lessen the unfavorable free energy of contact between hydrophobic lipid moieties and the surrounding water in which they are suspended. Apoproteins are bound to the surface of the lipoproteins, and participate in stabilizing the lipid–water interface. The synthesis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins occurs within the intracellular membrane compartments of intestinal enterocytes and liver hepatocytes. Nascent chylomicrons and VLDL undergo several major compositional changes after entering the plasma. Both apoproteins and lipids are exchanged between triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and plasma elements such as erythrocytes and other classes of lipoproteins.
Coleridge’s Late Confessions: Personification, Convention, and Free Agency

In this essay, I freshly examine Coleridge’s late poems, asking how several respond to his abiding fear of authors and readers surrendering their free wills to the fashions and conditioned attitudes of nineteenth-century print culture. Connecting this anxiety to Coleridge’s views of personification, the Bible, and his own public image, I interpret his late poems as confessions of the conventional determination of writing and reading that he resisted in his critical prose. This late concession, I suggest, might also be an unexpected defense of free agency: by displaying their conventionality, these late poems appear—at least to several early and recent readers—to reflect the strategy of a self-aware and self-determining poet.
Neuropathology of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Publisher Summary This chapter describes progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) as an atypical parkinsonian disorder associated with progressive axial rigidity, vertical gaze palsy, dysarthria, and dysphagia. A frontal lobe syndrome and subcortical dementia are present in some cases. Atypical casesmay present with apraxia of speech, corticobasal syndrome, or spastic paraparesis. Some patients with pathologically confirmed PSP have a parkinsonian syndrome that is difficult to differentiate from idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The major genetic risk factor for PSP is a variant in the gene for the microtubule associated protein tau (MAPT), and recent studies have suggested that the risky genetic variant may influence gene expression atrophy that may involve the pre-central gyrus, but the overall brain weight is within normal limits. The chapter emphasizes that the midbrain, especially the midbrain tectum, and to a lesser extent the pons, shows atrophy. The third ventricle and aqueduct of Sylvius may be dilated. The substantia nigra shows loss of pigment, while the locus ceruleus is often better preserved. The subthalamic nucleus is smaller than expected and may have a gray discoloration. The superior cerebellar peduncle and the hilus of the cerebellar dentate nucleus are usually atrophic and have a gray color due to myelinated fiber loss.
Predictors and clinical implications of atrial fibrillation in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Objectives To assess the prevalence at baseline, postprocedural incidence, and clinical impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on consecutive patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Background AF in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) is an independent risk factor for adverse outcome. Despite the evidence for high AF prevalence and the increased risk in surgical series, there are limited data with regard to AF and its impact on outcome after TAVI. Methods Consecutive patients with symptomatic, severe AS were analyzed and categorized according to prevalence of AF on initial admission (baseline AF) and according to the development of new AF postprocedure (postprocedure AF). A total of 371 patients were included in the analysis; of them, 143 (39%) had AF at baseline. Results No difference in procedural and hospital outcome was found between groups; however, baseline AF patients did have higher 1-year mortality (28.8 vs. 18%, P = 0.01). Of the patients with no baseline AF, 46 patients (20%) developed new, postprocedural AF during their hospital stay. Inhospital death was twice as frequent in patients with new, postprocedure AF, however, this difference did not reach statistical significance (13 vs. 6.7%, P = 0.22). Procedure hemodynamic instability (OR 9.3; 95% CI 1.5–59), and transapical access (OR 4.96, 95% CI 1.9–13.2) were independent predictors for development of new AF. Conclusions Baseline and postprocedure AF are common in AS patients undergoing TAVI. However, only postprocedure AF is associated with a prolonged and more complicated hospital course. AF is associated with poor long-term, but not short-term, mortality. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Hedgehog and Wnt signalling pathways in cancer

The Wnt and Hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathways have long been known to direct growth and patterning during embryonic development. Recent evidence also implicates these pathways in the postembryonic regulation of stem-cell number in epithelia such as those of the skin and intestine, which undergo constant renewal. A pathological role for the Wnt and Hh pathways has emerged from studies showing a high frequency of specific human cancers associated with mutations that constitutively activate the transcriptional response of these pathways. This article focuses on Hh and Wnt signal transduction and reviews evidence suggesting that tumorigenesis associated with pathway activation may result from mis-specification of cells towards stem-cell or stem cell-like fates.
Purification of a glycoprotein elicitor of phytoalexin formation from Verticillium dahliae

Abstract A glycoprotein, isolated from culture fluids of Verticillium dahliae was found to be a heat stable elicitor of phytoalexin biosynthesis in cotton cell suspension cultures. The elicitor was purified utilizing anion exchange, size exclusion, and Concanavalin-A (Con-A) chromatography in addition to electroelution from SDS-PAGE. The 65 kDa protein could be deglycosylated to a protein of molecular mass 53 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE. Elicitor activity from the culture fluids as well as the Con-A chromatography purified elicitor was completely abolished by protease treatment, but not by periodate treatment or peptide N-glycosidase F (PNGase-F) digestion, indicating that only protein components are responsible for the elicitation of phytoalexins in cotton cells. The purified 65 kDa protein did not elicit H 2 O 2 formation in contrast to the crude elicitor, which elicited both phytoalexin accumulation and the oxidative burst. The 65 kDa species was found to aggregate to a high molecular weight protein which retained some of its phytoalexin-inducing activity. The glycoprotein elicitor should prove useful in identifying second messengers leading to induction of phytoalexin biosynthesis.
Program Synthesis for Multi-agent Question Answering

Techniques that were developed for program synthesis are being applied to allow multiple agents to communicate with each other and cooperate to solve a single problem. We illustrate the use of program synthesis techniques in a system that answers questions about geography.
Water resources management in the Jordan River Basin

The Jordan River Basin is under great hydric stress. Increases in population and agricultural demand are contributing to the closure of the basin. This paper analyses the results of integrated water resources planning model (WEAP) by studying the vulnerability of water resources in the lower Jordan River under a changing climate pattern and growing water demands. Water balance models show that all aquifers supplying the city of Amman will be depleted within the next few decades. Mitigation measures should include the introduction of additional water into the basin through the Red Sea–Dead Sea canal, in addition to demand management measures such as water conservation and increase in irrigation efficiency. The findings of this study would provide a useful guide to the co-riparians for policy formulation, decision making and dispute resolution. Cooperation among the five riparian countries may be improved by building a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that provides access to accurate data for hydrological analysis.
Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Manifesting a Decade After Exposure to Gadolinium

Importance Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a fibrosing skin disorder that develops in patients with kidney failure and has been linked to exposure to gadolinium-containing contrast agents. The time between exposure to gadolinium and the initial presentation of NSF is typically weeks to months but has been documented to be as long as 3½ years. We report a case of NSF developing 10 years after exposure to gadolinium. Observations A long-term hemodialysis patient was exposed to gadolinium several times between 1998 and 2004 during magnetic resonance angiography of his abdominal vessels and arteriovenous fistula. In 2014, he was seen at our clinic with new dermal papules and plaques. Biopsy of affected skin showed thickening of collagen, CD34 + spindle cells, and increased mucin in the dermis, supporting the diagnosis of NSF. Conclusions and Relevance The clinical history and histopathological features of this case support the diagnosis of NSF 10 years after exposure to gadolinium. Although the use of gadolinium contrast agents in patients with kidney failure has markedly decreased, patients with exposure to gadolinium years to decades previously may manifest the disease.
Polarization behavior of polystyrene particles under direct current and low‐frequency (<1 kHz) electric fields in dielectrophoretic systems

The relative polarization behavior of micron and submicron polystyrene particles was investigated under direct current and very low frequency (<1 kHz) alternating current electric fields. Relative polarization of particles with respect to the suspending medium is expressed in terms of the Clausius-Mossotti factor, a parameter of crucial importance in dielectrophoretic-based operations. Particle relative polarization was studied by employing insulator-based dielectrophoretic (iDEP) devices. The effects of particle size, medium conductivity, and frequency (10-1000 Hz) of the applied electric potential on particle response were assessed through experiments and mathematical modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics(®). Particles of different sizes (100-1000 nm diameters) were introduced into iDEP devices fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and their dielectrophoretic responses under direct and alternating current electric fields were recorded and analyzed in the form of images and videos. The results illustrated that particle polarizability and dielectrophoretic response depend greatly on particle size and the frequency of the electric field. Small particles tend to exhibit positive DEP at higher frequencies (200-1000 Hz), while large particles exhibit negative DEP at lower frequencies (20-200 Hz). These differences in relative polarization can be used for the design of iDEP-based separations and analysis of particle mixtures.
Gabor transform with undersampling

We investigate discrete Gabor transforms with undersampling. For an undersampled Gabor triple (g,a,b) (i.e.,a.b>N), we show that the associated generalized dual Gabor wavelet is the same as the one associated to (g,b/spl tilde/,a/spl tilde/), except for the redundancy constant factor. Then we are able to determine the best approximations, by linear combinations of Gabor elementary functions, of signals.
Adhesion and fusion of the extraembryonic epiblast

A tissue culture model system has been devised to examine the attachment, expansion, and fusion of epithelial cell sheets. A normal embryonic epithelial tissue, the extraembryonic epiblast of the chick, is isolated mechanically and cultured on its natural substratum, the vitelline membrane. This persistently migratory tissue has distinct adhesive and non-adhesive regions. A serum-free chemically-defined culture medium has been formulated that permits determination of the effects of individual growth and trophic factors. Attachment of transferred epiblasts is dependent upon the presence of mineralocorticoids in the medium. This suggests that fluid transport is required for the cell sheet to make its initial attachment to the culture substratum. Expansion of the cell sheet following attachment, and the fusion of epiblasts advancing toward each other, does not require the presence of mineralocorticoid. No exogenous adhesive glycoproteins are required for attachment, expansion, or fusion. Antibody localization shows that endogenous laminin is present on the attachment surface of the specialized adhesive edge region of the extraembryonic epiblast. Following fusion of confronted epiblasts into one coherent cell sheet, the laminin disappears. Throughout these studies the adhesive and non-adhesive regions of the epiblast are identified by their characteristic distributions of actin microfilaments, localized using rhodamine-phalloidin staining.
Pushing to a cure by harnessing innate immunity against hepatitis C virus.

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes 350,000 deaths and infects at least 3 million people worldwide every year. Currently no vaccine has been developed. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs with high efficacy for suppressing HCV infection have recently been introduced into the clinic. While DAAs initially required combination therapy with type-1 interferon (IFN) administration for full efficacy and to avoid viral resistance to treatment, new DAA combinations show promise as an IFN-free regimen. However, IFN-free DAA therapy is in its infancy, still to be proven and today is cost-prohibitive for the patient. A major goal in HCV therapy to remove or replace IFN with DAAs or an alternative therapeutic to render virologic response with continued virus sensitivity to DAAs, thus facilitating a cure for infection. Recent advances in our understanding of innate immune responses to HCV have identified new therapeutic targets to combat HCV infection. We discuss how the targeting of innate immune response factors can be harnessed with DAAs to produce new generations of DAA-based HCV therapeutics. This article forms part of a symposium in Antiviral Research on “Hepatitis C: next steps toward global eradication.”