cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BREEDING BIOLOGY AND FLOWER VISITORS OF THE RARE WHITE RIVER PENSTEMON, PENSTEMON SCARIOSUS VAR. ALBIFLUVIS (SCROPHULARIACEAE)

Abstract We studied the breeding system and flower visitors of White River penstemon, a rare endemic from the Uintah Basin of eastern Utah and western Colorado. Bagging treatments and hand-pollination treatments showed that Penstemon scariosus var. albifluvis has a mixed mating system: while some seeds and fruits are produced through self-pollination (both autogamy and geitonogamy), significantly more are produced when flowers are cross-pollinated. The primary flower visitors, and likely pollinators, were several species of native twig- and ground-nesting bees in the families Apidae, Halictidae, and Megachilidae. We found no differences in fruit or seed production between open-pollinated controls and hand-outcrossed flowers, suggesting that pollinator visits were sufficient to maximize female reproductive success. Management plans to conserve White River penstemon must recognize that full reproductive success of this rare plant taxon relies on a suite of pollinating bees, and that the species richness and...
Local Health Departments’ Activities to Address Health Disparities and Inequities: Are We Moving in the Right Direction?

Context: Health disparities are among the critical public health challenges. Objectives: To analyze the extent to which local health departments (LHDs) perform activities for addressing health disparities, changes in proportion of LHDs’ performing those activities since 2005, and factors associated with variation in such engagement. Methods: We used the 2013 National Profile of LHDs Survey to perform Logistic Regression of activities LHDs performed to address health disparities. Results: About 20 percent of LHDs did not perform any activity to address health disparities. Significant decreases occurred since 2005 in the proportion of LHDs that performed health disparity reduction/elimination activities for four activities. LHD characteristics significantly associated (p≤0.05) with the increased likelihood of performing activities to address health disparities were: recent completion of community health assessment, community health improvement plan and agency wide strategic plan. Other significant positive impacts on such activities included per capita expenditures, local governance, having one or more local boards of health, larger population size and metropolitan status of the LHD jurisdiction. Conclusions: Reduced infrastructural capacity of LHDs has resulted in fewer LHDs addressing health disparities in their jurisdictions. LHD characteristics associated with higher performance of activities for health disparity reduction identified by this research have important policy implications.
Frame-Based and Frameless Accuracy of Novalis® Radiosurgery

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a method of precisely delivering high doses of radiation to destroy ­targeted areas of abnormal tissue. Stereotactic Radio­surgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) are effectively being used in the treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVM), trigeminal neuralgia (TN), and malignant or benign brain tumors, while minimizing the amount of radiation delivered to surrounding normal tissue (Khan 2003). Over 50 years ago the first trigeminal neuralgia case was treated radiosurgically by Lars Leksell (Leksell 1951). Leksell developed the SRS procedure to destroy dysfunctional loci using Orthovoltage X-rays, and particle accelerators. He subsequently introduced the Gamma Knife™ (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) device using 60Co sources (Leksell 1968). Linear Accelerator (LINAC) based SRS technique was first proposed by Borje Larsson in 1974 (Larsson et al. 1974). This technique is based on methods of geometric superposition, using at least 300° of multiple non-coplanar arcs converged at the target to give a spherical dose distribution with rapid dose fall-off. LINAC-based SRS systems, such as the X-knife™ (Radionics, Burlington, MA, USA) system, are more common than Gamma Knife systems, and can be less expensive. The clinical differences between Gamma Knife systems and LINAC-based systems are insignificant. Both systems use stereotactic frames for immobilization and localization. The frame-based procedure involves placement of a stereotactic frame on the patient’s skull, localization of the target coordinates using an imaging technique, treatment planning, and finally the treatment delivery. There are two advantages to the frame-based SRS technique, i.e., sub-millimeter geometric accuracy of treatment delivery system, and high conformity with steep dose gradients. Various SRS techniques have been developed and clinically used. These include Gamma Knife, LINAC-based SRS, frameless SRS3 (Cyberknife®, Novalis® Radiosurgery), and charged particle accelerators such as proton beam SRS (Khan 2003).
Hemangiomas and β-Blockers: On the Rebound.

* Abbreviations: IH — : infantile hemangioma OP — : oral propranolol Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common tumor of childhood, and although most lesions eventually involute, the proliferative phase may be associated with complications, such as ulceration, bleeding, functional compromise, and anatomic disfigurement. Rarely, IH can have major or life-threatening consequences, such as airway obstruction, high-output congestive heart failure, and consumptive hypothyroidism. It is for reasons such as these that therapy may be indicated. Propranolol, a nonselective β-adrenergic receptor antagonist, has been used off-label in children for years in the treatment of cardiac dysrhythmias, congestive heart failure, and hypertension. In 2008, Leaute-Labreze et al1 reported their discovery of its benefits against IH, an observation confirmed in their follow-up report of 32 infants 1 year later.2 Oral propranolol (OP) has evolved to become the standard of care for IH therapy. In 2014, a pediatric formulation was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (March) and the European Medicines Agency (April).3,4 The results of the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, adaptive phase 2-3 trial assessing its efficacy and safety in treating IH were published in 2015.5 Although the precise mechanisms of … Address correspondence to Anthony J. Mancini, MD, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 E. Chicago Ave, Mailbox 107, Chicago, IL 60611. E-mail: amancini{at}northwestern.edu
NMSBA: Aken Technologies. Final Report: Toxicity Testing of Liquidoff

To determine the effect of Liquidoff on bacteria, three bacterial strains were tested: Escherichia coli DH5α, Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, and Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. E. coli DH5α is a Gramnegative, aerobic bacterium that is often found in normal gut flora and is commonly used the laboratory due to its fast growth rate. Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 and S. elongatus PCC 7942 are Gram-negative, aquatic, autophototrophic cyanobacteria. Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 is a marine cyanobacterium isolated from ‘fish pens’ on Magueyes Island, Puerto Rico in 1962, while S. elongatus PCC 7942 is a freshwater cyanobacterium. It should be noted that no Gram-positive bacterium was tested in this study.
Harry Broudy's aesthetics and music education

This paper centres on Harry Broudy, the scholar who was the first to argue, consistently and extensively, for aesthetics as a foundation for music education in American public schools. Broudy, considered by many as the major philosopher of education in the second part of the 20th century, was not a musician or music educator. His framing of the discipline of school music as aesthetic education evolved out of his philosophy of general education for citizenship, grounded within an ethical framework. In this paper, I examine Broudy's philosophy of music education within the larger context of his thinking, and its impact on music educators in the USA.
Dynamical Properties of Weakly Coupled Josephson Systems

We review recent work on the dynamical behavior of coupled resistively-shunted Josephson junctions, with emphasis on our own calculations. We present a model which allows for the inclusion of finite temperature, disorder, d.c. and a. c. applied currents, and applied magnetic fields. We discuss applications to (a) calculations of critical currents and IV characteristics; (b) harmonic generation and microwave absorption by finite clusters of Josephson junctions; (c) critical energies for vortex depinning; and (d) quantized voltage plateaus in arrays subjected to combined d.c. and a. c. currents. Possible connections to the behavior of granular high-temperature superconductors are briefly discussed.
On Design of Mechanical Metamaterials Using Level-Set Based Topology Optimization

Recently, engineered metamaterials have aroused considerable interests in many fields, due to their distinctive characteristics different from conventional materials. This paper proposes a level-set based topological optimization method for design of the mechanical metamaterials with negative Poisson’s ratio. The strain energy method is employed to predict the effective properties of the periodic microstructure. The adjoint variable method is applied to calculate the shape sensitivity, which is further used to construct the design velocity field. Finally, the level set method is applied to achieve shape evolution and topological changes of the microstructure until the desired materials properties like negative Poisson’s ratios are achieved.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
A glimmer of hope for depression

Depression is a common and frequently disabling illness, but treatment has not progressed substantively, and many patients remain treatment-resistant. A small but exciting body of work has used deep brain stimulation, a method developed for treating neurological disorders by modulating small structures deep in the brain using implanted electrodes to test whether targeting brain systems implicated by brain imaging can treat depression. Despite promising early exploratory results, subsequent well-powered controlled studies of deep brain stimulation for treating depression have been stopped prematurely for lack of efficacy. This has raised questions about the basic premise behind this approach— that is, using brain circuitry abnormalities revealed by imaging to guide the location of deep brain stimulation in the brain. In a new study, Bergfeld and colleagues have investigated a previously described stimulation target, the reward-related brain circuitry disrupted in depression that is located in and around the ventral striatum. Depressed patients received non-blinded deep brain stimulation of the ventral striatum for up to a year during an optimization phase followed by randomized sham discontinuation or continued stimulation in a double blind crossover trial design. Symptomatic improvement was seen during non-blinded stimulation, but quickly (i.e., often within a day) disappeared during the sham stimulation discontinuation phase. Thus, active stimulation did have a beneficial effect relative to the sham condition, but discovering this required a long treatment course and may reflect a rebound or discontinuation effect due to sudden stopping of stimulation rather than a direct therapeutic effect. Most concerning is the lack of a clear idea of which neural and behavioral/physiological processes are being modulated by stimulation, resulting in the reliance on a complicated endpoint (symptom relief), without knowing the mechanistic intermediate target. The study by Bergfeld and colleagues does provide a glimmer of hope for the utility of deep brain stimulation in depression, but also illustrates the many challenges ahead. Ultimately, deep brain stimulation may have its greatest impact as an intellectual milestone for the concept that information from brain imaging can inform treatment development. I. O. Bergfeld et al. , Deep brain stimulation of the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule for treatment-resistant depression: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psych. 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0152 (2016). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: https://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2512238
Analysis of Zero-sequence Reaction Component Operation Characteristics for UHV AC Transmission Lines

The zero sequence reaction component is evaluated to verify its performance with applications in UHV lines.With MATLAB software the performance characteristic of the zero sequence reaction component is analyzed based on lumped parameter line model and the distributed parameter line model.The simulation results show that the performance characteristic of the zero sequence reaction component based on the distributed parameter line model has obvious advantages.
Epidemiology of Common Neurosurgical Diseases in the Neonate

This article reviews the epidemiology and risk factors of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and neural tube defects (NTDs). Posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus is discussed in terms of risk factors for intraventricular hemorrhage. Four categories of risk factors are presented: maturational factors, antepartum factors, peripartum factors, and factors conferred by postnatal conditions. The complex epidemiology of neural tube defects is discussed in terms of person, place, and time. Interventional strategies, including antenatal screening and nutritional supplementation for NTD prevention, are reviewed.
Discovery of Novel Hematopoietic Cell Adhesion Molecules From Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cell Membrane Protein Extracts by a New Cell-Blotting Technique

In an attempt to define the role of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) within the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment in normal hematopoiesis and in leukemia development, a novel cell-blotting technique that involved cell adhesion to protein bands after separation by lithium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (LDS-PAGE) and blotting onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane has been developed. Human BM stromal cell membrane fractions have been prepared from Dexter-type cultures after cell lysis by sonification and differential centrifugations of the sonification contents. The 20,000 g pellets representing membrane fractions have been solubilized by 2% Triton X-100, 0.575% LDS, and 8 mol/L urea in sequential order. The protein extracts are fractionated by LDS-PAGE and screened for CAMs by the new cell-blotting technique. This led to identification of nine protein bands in lanes containing LDS extracts showing adhesion of KG1a (CD34+ progenitor myeloid) cells. Evidence that the BM proteins exhibiting KG1a cell adhesion are novel CAMs is based on the observations that these proteins, in comparison with known CAMs, specifically VCAM-1, CD54, and CD44, show (1) contrasting detergent-solubility properties, (2) different temperature requirement for mediating cell adhesion function, and (3) markedly distinct electrophoretic mobilities. The various cell types tested, notably KG1a, NALM-6, WIL-2, Ramos, HS-Sultan, K562, JY B lymphoblastoid cells, and T lymphoblasts, showed distinctive patterns of binding to different subsets of BM CAMs. These results demonstrate a new approach to studies of molecular mechanisms that may determine specificity of hematopoietic cellular localization within BM microenvironment and may play an important role in controlling hematopoiesis.
Incidence and trends of cardiovascular mortality after common cancers in young adults: Analysis of surveillance, epidemiology and end-results program

Incidence and trends of cardiovascular mortality after common cancers in young adults: Analysis of surveillance, epidemiology and end-results program
The Effect of MySQL Workbench in Teaching Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) to Relational Schema Mapping

While designing a database at the conceptual level using the Entity-Relationship (ER) model is challenging for novices, mapping an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) to a relational schema is not an easy task, either. One of the problems is students’ lack of understanding of the underlying mapping principles. The mental gap between the two models in students also makes it difficult for them to perform the conversion. This paper describes two studies that aimed at helping students fill the gap and improve their ERD-Relational schema mapping performance by the use of a visualization tool, MySQL Workbench. We investigated the effect of using MySQL Workbench in teaching ERDRelational schema mapping. We identified the pros and cons of using visualization in teaching the topic. Our results show that visualization can increase student interest and engagement, and facilitate students connecting the concepts in the two models. With an instructional delivery method that emphasizes the underlying mapping principles, a visualization tool could help undergraduate students improve their performance on ERD-relational schema mapping and facilitate their understanding of the ER model.
A Legal History of the Civil War and Reconstruction: The Federal Government and the Reconstruction of the Legal Order

Tennessee had been exempted from the Emancipation Proclamation, as had parts of the Confederacy occupied by U.S. troops in 1863. Slavery did not end in those states or in slave states that had remained in the Union until they adopted new constitutions that prohibited slavery or the Thirteenth Amendment’s ratification resolved the issue for them. Tennessee approved a new constitution with provisions to end slavery in February 1865, before the Confederacy surrendered. But the end of slavery did not end the problems faced by those who had once been enslaved. With Tennessee’s new constitution, wrote a group of African Americans from the state, we “became formally and legally free, our prayers were answered, and the secret hopes of our hearts were realized.” The problem was that the legislature “failed, as we think, to pass the necessary laws, to recognize our standing, and secure to us by law, our rights as freemen.” They continued, “As we are now the old slave laws of the State remaining unrepealed, and the oath of the colored man not being received by our Courts, as against the whites, we have no where to look for protection, save to the United States Authority.” “In those authorities,” they wrote, “we have the fullest confidence: but we want some way of easily bringing our cases before them.” Therein lay the problem. The federal government’s jurisdiction did not extend to matters of the kind that plagued this group of African Americans. In fact, the states’ broad authority over the legal status of the American people – the issue that brought the nation to war – remained unchanged, despite everything that had happened between 1860 and 1865. It was not just an issue for African Americans who lived in the former Confederacy. It was an issue all over the United States, where states and localities routinely restricted the rights of African Americans, all women, and a range of other racial, ethnic, and religious minorities as well. That situation, once accepted without comment, appeared increasingly problematic because of the national vision pursued by Republican Party leaders during the Civil War.
50 Years Ago we Constructed the First Hungarian Tube Computer, the M-3: Short Stories from the History of the first Hungarian Computer (1957-1960)

The M-3 computer was constructed by members of the Cybernetics Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hung: Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia Kibernetikai Kutato Csoportja, abbr. MTA KKCs) from mid 1957 until the beginning 1959. I was a member of MTA KKCs until 1967. The Group was established for the sole purpose of constructing the first Hungarian electronic tube computer, first the B-1, then the M-3, which began the age of computers in Hungary. We received the basic design of the M-3 computer – mid 1957 - from the Soviet Union, but we received the necessary parts (vaves, cuprox diodes, connectors etc.), too, we used only resisitors and capacitors from a Hungarian plant REMIX. The whole mechanical and electronical consrtruction (logical unites, casing, drum etc.) was done by our mechanical engineers and our mechanical and electronical workshop.
"The End of Bankruptcy" Revisited

The End of Bankruptcy, published in 2002, set forth a view of corporate bankruptcy based on a theory of the firm. It argued that, for a traditional Chapter 11 proceeding to be necessary, it had to be the case that a firm had going concern surplus, that the firm’s investors cannot realign the capital structure through normal bargaining, and that a going-concern sale is not possible. Changes outside of bankruptcy had made each of these necessary preconditions less common. This chapter revisits this work, and shows that, despite the upheaval of the Great Recession, it remains the case that traditional reorganizations remain rare. Chapter 11 continues to play a role in our modern economy; it is just not the role that its drafters envisioned.
A novel system for correcting large-scale chromosomal aberrations: ring chromosome correction via reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)

Approximately 1 in 500 newborns are born with chromosomal abnormalities that include trisomies, translocations, large deletions, and duplications. There is currently no therapeutic approach for correcting such chromosomal aberrations in vivo or in vitro. When we attempted to produce induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models from patient-derived fibroblasts that contained ring chromosomes, we found that the ring chromosomes were eliminated and replaced by duplicated normal copies of chromosomes through a mechanism of uniparental isodisomy (Bershteyn et al. 2014, Nature 507:99). The discovery of this previously unforeseen system for aberrant chromosome correction during reprogramming enables us for the first time to model and understand this process of cell-autonomous correction of ring chromosomes during human patient somatic cell reprograming to iPSCs. This knowledge could lead to a potential therapeutic strategy to correct common large-scale chromosomal aberrations, termed "chromosome therapy".
The dynamics of de-adoption: a case study of policy change, de-adoption, and replacement of an evidence-based HIV intervention

Evidence-based intervention (EBI) de–adoption and its influence on public health organizations are largely unexplored within public health implementation research. However, a recent shift in support for HIV prevention EBIs by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides an opportunity to explore EBI de–adoption. The current mixed-method study examines EBI de-adoption and the subsequent impact on a community-based organization (CBO) dedicated to HIV prevention. We conducted a case study with a CBO implementing RESPECT, an HIV prevention EBI, over 5 years (2010–2014), but then de­adopted the intervention. We collected archival data documenting RESPECT implementation and conducted two semi­structured interviews with RESPECT staff (N = 5). Using Fixsen and colleagues’ implementation framework, we developed a narrative of RESPECT implementation, delivery, and de­adoption and a thematic analysis to understand additional consequences of RESPECT de-adoption. Discontinuation of RESPECT activities unfolded in a process over time, requiring effort by RESPECT staff. RESPECT de­adoption had wide­reaching influences on individual staff, interactions between the staff and the community, the agency overall, and for implementation of future EBIs. We propose a revision of the implementation framework, incorporating EBI de­adoption as a phase of the implementation cycle. Furthermore, EBI de­adoption may have important, unintended consequences and can inform future HIV prevention strategies and guide research focusing on EBI de-adoption.
Merging two Ontology-based Lexical Resources.

ItalWordNet (IWN) and PAROLE/SIMPLE/CLIPS (PSC), the two largest electronic, general-purpose lexical resources of Italian language present many compatible aspects although they are based on two different lexical models having their own underlying principles and peculiarities. Such compatibility prompted us to study the feasibility of semi-automatically linking and eventually merging the two lexicons. To this purpose, the mapping of the ontologies on which basis both lexicons are structured was performed and the sets of semantic relations enabling to relate lexical units were compared. An overview of this preliminary phase is provided in this paper. The linking methodology and related problematic issues are described. Beyond the advantage for the end user to dispose of a more exhaustive and in-depth lexical information combining the potentialities and most outstanding features offered by the two lexical models, resulting benefits and enhancements for the two resources are illustrated that definitely legitimize the soundness of this linking and merging initiative.
The role of local agriculture in the new natural resource economy (NNRE) for rural economic development

Rural communities have faced significant socio-economic challenges for the past several decades due to structural shifts and changing social expectations regarding the management, production of, and markets for natural resources, including production agriculture. The New Natural Resource Economy (NNRE) is an economic development approach to the use of natural resources, including agriculture, in ways that can build healthy environments and healthy, resilient local economies (Hibbard and Lurie, 2013). A major attribute of the NNRE is its focus on very small businesses, the predominant business type in rural settings. Emerging trends, such as regional food networks (RFNs) that connect food producers to consumers within a state or local region, may provide opportunities for rural communities to diversify and expand local businesses around the use of natural resources, thereby helping to restore greater capacity for self-direction and adding to local community vitality. Thus, we address whether RFNs in rural Oregon counties display characteristics of an NNRE development strategy through the relationships between agricultural producers and consumers that support very small agricultural enterprises. Based on analysis of Oregon producer survey data from 2016 in the more rural resource-dependent Oregon counties, we find that the RFN producer survey respondents are indeed very small businesses engaged in small-scale, multifunctional agriculture. They are motivated by economic, social, and environmental concerns as they contribute to the economic activity in their communities. We also surveyed Oregon consumers, finding that although consumer survey respondents in the same region are not primarily driven to buy local based on environmental considerations, they are nonetheless interested in supporting agriculture and local businesses. The demand for local products can create a virtuous cycle contributing to the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the community. Given appropriate policy and program support, there is fertile ground to create new opportunities to generate farm income and acquire food within the NNRE healthy environment-healthy economy paradigm for rural economic development.
Induction motors lifetime expectancy analysis subject to regular voltage fluctuations

The behaviours of induction motor, even the lifetime, are strongly depending on the power supply quality, such as voltage sags, harmonics and voltage unbalance. The winding temperature increase resulting to insulation breakdown has been considered as one of major causes of the motor failure. This paper investigates the lifetime impact of voltage fluctuations on induction motor, particularly the induction motor operating lifetime reduction which is contributed from stator current variation characteristic. Additionally, the induction motor lifetime expectancy analysis with different load level is also represented subject to two voltage fluctuations conditions, which is (1) constant voltage magnitude change with different modulation frequency. (2) flicker level P st = 3 with different modulation frequency. (3) different voltage magnitude change with different modulation frequency. The demonstration results show the decrease of induction motor lifetime caused by voltage fluctuations is considerably depended on voltage change, modulation frequency and load level, and this reduction tendency cannot be indicated by the flicker index P st value. Thus, one advanced power quality (PQ) index need to be proposed to specify the impact on electrical equipment originated from low frequency voltage distortion.
Signal-to-noise models for digital-holographic detection

This paper uses wave-optics simulations to explore the validity of signal-to-noise models for digital-holographic detection. In practice, digital-holographic detection provides access to an estimate of the complex-optical field which is of utility to long-range imaging applications. The analysis starts with an overview of the various recording geometries used within the open literature (i.e., the on-axis phase shifting recording geometry, the off-axis pupil plane recording geometry, and the off-axis image plane recording geometry). It then provides an overview of the closed-form expressions for the signal-to-noise ratios used for the various recording geometries of interest. This overview contains an explanation of the assumptions used within to write the closed-form expressions in terms of the mean number of photoelectrons associated with both the signal and reference beams. Next, the analysis formulates an illustrative example with weak, moderately deep, and deep turbulence conditions. This illustrative example provides the grounds in which to rewrite the closed-form expressions in terms of the illuminator power. It also enables a validation study using wave-optics simulations. The results show that the signal-to-noise models are, in general, accurate with respect to the percentage error associated with a performance metric referred to as the field-estimated Strehl ratio.
Curricular Philosophy and Social Work Education

Abstract This paper presents a brief overview of curriculum theories and philosophies. The post-modernist paradigm of constructivism is presented as an alternative approach to social work's traditional pedagogy based on the premise of logical positivism. Because constructivism recognizes learning as a uniquely personal experience that is the result of the dynamic exchange between the student and the learning environment, it is consistent with the profession's valuing of the ecological model. Instructional methodologies and evaluation criteria consistent for a pedagogy that is based on a constructivist philosophy are described.
Exact symbolic models for verification

The evolution of physical quantities such as position, temperature, humidity, etc, is usually described by differential equations with solutions evolving on \({\mathbb R}^n\) or appropriate subsets. The infinite cardinality of \({\mathbb R}^n\) prevents a direct application of the verification methods described in Chapter 5. However, verification algorithms are still applicable whenever suitable finite-state abstractions of these infinite-state systems can be constructed. In recent years, several methods have been proposed for the construction of these abstractions based on a very interesting blend of different mathematical techniques. We present several of these methods starting with timed automata to illustrate the general principles of the abstraction process. Most of the abstraction techniques described in this chapter require linear differential equations. For this reason, we discuss as a special topic how to transform a class of nonlinear differential equations into linear di_erential equations in larger state spaces.
Kenneth Arrow as teacher and adviser

My undergraduate years at Princeton ended in 1966 with a concentration in philosophy. I was fortunate to have a Canadian Rhodes Scholarship that took me to Magdalen College, Oxford. After some fumb...
Rituximab vs placebo induction prior to glatiramer acetate monotherapy in multiple sclerosis.

Objective To examine whether rituximab induction followed by glatiramer acetate (GA) monotherapy is more effective than GA alone for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis with active disease. Methods This was a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Fifty-five participants were randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) to either rituximab (R-GA) or placebo (P-GA) induction, followed by GA therapy initiated in all participants. Participants were followed up to 3 years. The primary endpoint was the number of participants with no evidence of disease activity (NEDA): those without relapse, new MRI lesions, and sustained change in disability. Results Twenty-eight and 27 participants received rituximab and placebo induction, respectively, with one participant in each arm withdrawing before 6-month MRI. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics. At end of study, 44.44% of R-GA participants demonstrated NEDA vs 19.23% of P-GA participants (p = 0.049). Treatment failed for a smaller proportion of R-GA participants (37.04% R-GA vs 69.23% P-GA, p = 0.019), and time to treatment failure was longer (23.32 months R-GA vs 11.29 months P-GA, p = 0.027). Fewer participants in the R-GA arm had new lesions (25.93% R-GA vs 61.54% P-GA, p = 0.009), and there were fewer new T2 lesions (0.48 R-GA vs 1.96 P-GA, p = 0.027). Probability of demonstrating NEDA in the R-GA arm returned to baseline within the study period. There were no differences in adverse events. Conclusions Induction therapy with rituximab followed by GA may provide superior efficacy in the short term than GA alone in relapsing multiple sclerosis, but this benefit appears to wane within the study period. Larger studies are needed to assess sustainability of results. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01569451.
Assessment of Various Measurement Methods to Assess First Metatarsal Elevation in Hallux Rigidus

Background:While metatarsus primus elevatus (MPE) has been implicated in the development of hallux rigidus, previous studies have presented conflicting findings regarding the relationship between M...
An experimental and distributional investigation of two ‘non-culminating accomplishments’ in Mandarin

The result-state lexicalization behavior of Mandarin monomorphemic transitive verbs have been claimed to be homogenous, with the vast majority contributing to ‘non-culminating’ readings in accomplishment predicates. This paper presents experimental and distributional case studies of verbs expected to challenge this claim: xiu ‘fix’ and sha ‘kill’. An experiment was conducted to examine how contextual factors influence result-state interpretation, given reports of highly variable judgments for these verbs when considered a-contextually. The results suggests that while xiu NP ‘fix NP’ is a true non-culminating accomplishment, sha NP ‘kill NP’ may lexicalize a result-state culmination, contra claims in prior work. These experimental findings are supported by the distribution of the verbs in Mandarin VV compounds, which suggest that xiu ‘fix’ is a manner verb (thereby not lexicalizing result-state culmination), while sha ‘kill’ is a result verb (lexicalizing result-state culmination). This study not only highlights the benefit of considering how contextual factors influence interpretations of verbal meaning, but it could also suggest that claims of the pervasiveness of non-culminating accomplishments in Mandarin are exaggerated.
A Pilot Program for Training Older Adults to use Telemedicine for Outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry

Introduction Digital literacy presents to be a potential barrier to care for patients accessing telehealth services. At the Technology and Aging Lab at McLean Hospital, we identified a need for technology support within the Geriatric Psychiatry division based on a survey disseminated to clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods In response to this need, research assistants provided technology support to patients with a specialized workflow. When patients were referred to this team, research assistants completed training sessions prior to the next scheduled virtual appointment and provided instructional guides as personalized manuals on the installation and usage of the videoconferencing platform. Results The technology support team successfully trained 55% (n=26) of patients to use Zoom unassisted and trained 17% (n=8) of patients successfully after two to four support calls. On average, the average tech support call lasted 53 minutes across all devices. Among the patients that were trained, laptops were used most frequently (n=18), followed by iPhones (n=12) then iPads (n=10). Notably, all patients who had identified neurocognitive disorders were successfully trained. Training patients using computers required more time than training those with smartphones, indicating that technology proficiency is greater in older outpatients with smartphones than those with computers. Conclusion Our study shows that providing personalized technology support allows older adult outpatients to successfully access telepsychiatry services. Our findings indicate that increased use of telepsychiatry within geriatric settings compels enhanced support for older patients with digital literacy needs. Funding This work was supported in part by a philanthropic grant by the Digital Federal Credit Union.
Fibroinflammatory Signatures Increase with Age in the Human Ovary and Follicular Fluid

The female reproductive system ages before any other organ system in the body. This phenomenon can have tangible clinical implications leading to infertility, miscarriages, birth defects and systemic deterioration due to estrogen loss. "Fibroinflammation" is a hallmark of aging tissues; there is an increase in inflammatory cytokines and fibrotic tissue in the aging ovarian stroma. We systematically evaluated immunomodulatory factors in human follicular fluid, which, like the stroma, is a critical ovarian microenvironment directly influencing the oocyte. Using a cytokine antibody array, we identified a unique fibroinflammatory cytokine signature in follicular fluid across an aging series of women (27.7-44.8 years). This signature (IL-3, IL-7, IL-15, TGFβ1, TGFβ3 and MIP-1) increased with chronologic age, was inversely correlated to anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels, and was independent of body mass index (BMI). We focused on one specific protein, TGFβ3, for further validation. By investigating this cytokine in human cumulus cells and ovarian tissue, we found that the age-dependent increase in TGFβ3 expression was unique to the ovarian stroma but not other ovarian sub-compartments. This study broadens our understanding of inflammaging in the female reproductive system and provides a defined fibroinflammatory aging signature in follicular fluid and molecular targets in the ovary with potential clinical utility.
The Steward of Book History in the Digital Age: The Struggles and Rewards of Collecting e-Books for Special Collections Institutions

Collecting and preserving e-books in special collections institutions poses challenges and rewards for working professionals in the field. Although scholars of book history have spent the last decade or so including e-books in their historical overviews, reviewing e-books’ connections to their physical past and speculating on their impact on the future of books, their importance in the overall timeline of book evolution has not yet made an impact on collecting guidelines. Institutions do not seem overly eager to be the first to create a permanent collection of e-books—and there may be just cause for reluctance. Not only do e-book files come with the same long-term preservation problems as any born-digital materials, they also have added complications such as a lack of standardized file format, a lack of permanence in licensing agreements, and the constant threat of content changes, just to name a few. While this paper aims to persuade special collections libraries to begin collecting e-books, it also lays out the complications standing in the way of a successful e-book collection. It starts a conversation around possible solutions for long-term preservation and patron-use challenges for e-books in special collections.
Specific Receptors for Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate in Endocrine Target Tissues

The hydrolysis of inositol lipids by phospholipase C is believed to be the primary mechanism by which many hormones elicit calcium-mediated metabolic and secretory responses in their respective target tissues. The initiating event in this signaling system is the phosphodiesteratic cleavage of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate to generate the inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), which can mobilize intracellular Ca2+(Berridge and Irvine, 1984), and 1,2 diacylglycerol, which stimulates protein kinase C (Nishizuka, 1984). IP3has been shown to release Ca2+ from nonmitochondrial stores in a wide variety of cells (Strebet al., 1983; Josephet al., 1984; for review see Abdel-Latif, 1986). The mechanism of IP3-induced Ca2+ release is not yet known but it has been postulated that IP3interacts with a specific receptor on the endoplasmic reticulum. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the properties of specific binding sites for IP3in subcellular preparations of the adrenal cortex, the anterior pituitary gland, and the liver. The physiological relevance of these putative receptors is assessed by the study of Ca2+ -releasing activity of IP3in the same tissue preparations.
The Uniform Power of Attorney Act: New Solutions to Old Problems

This article examines some of the provisions in the 2006 Uniform Power of Attorney Act and how they attempt to meet some of the challenges that durable powers face with a focus on formalities in drafting, standards of conduct for an agent, an agent's powers and authority, and overcoming the dishonoring of the document. The UPOAA does an admirable job of modernizing power of attorney law to reflect legislative trends and collective best practices. The enhancements should facilitate the acceptance of durable powers and make it more difficult for devious individuals to abuse the powers. The Act, however, is not the "end all" of power of attorney practice, and thus the practitioner must be vigilant to ascertain the principal's desires, consider the applicable law and facts, and then customize the power to meet the client's needs.
INHERITANCE OF PHOTOPERIODIC RESPONSE IN BASMATI RICE

The inheritance pattern of photoperiod sensitivity was studied in five intervarietal crosses of basmati rice. Photoperiod response followed a qualitative inheritance with photosensitivity being dominant over photo insensitivity and it showed digenic complementary gene action in five crosses.
Characterization of the adipocyte ghost (Na+,K+) pump. Insights into the insulin regulation of the adipocyte (Na+,K+) pump.

The (Na+,K+) ATPase in plasma membranes isolated from rat adipocytes is insensitive to insulin (Lytton J., Lin, J.C., and Guidotti, G. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 1177-1184). For this reason, the characteristics of the (Na+,K+) pump in adipocyte ghosts, prepared by hypotonic lysis of adipocytes (Rodbell, M. (1967) J. Biol. Chem. 242, 5744-5750), were studied. Herein it is demonstrated that the (Na+,K+) pump in ghosts is identical to that described in isolated plasma membranes, sharing the following characteristics: 1) the Ki values for ouabain are 1.3 x 10(-7) M and 4.5 x 10(-5) M for the alpha 2 and alpha 1 isozymes, respectively; 2) the K0.5 values for sodium are 11.4 +/- 1.6 and 7.2 +/- 3.8 mM for the alpha 2 and alpha 1 isozymes, respectively; 3) both forms of the (Na+,K+) pump are insensitive to insulin stimulation, presumably because the activities are already maximal. The ghosts are not in an insulin-stimulated state because the activity of the glucose transporter is not increased as it is in ghosts prepared from insulin-treated cells. In addition, presented evidence demonstrates that ghost internal sodium concentration, [Na+]i, is very sensitive to changes in the activity of the (Na+,K+) pump. If the [Na+]i, of adipocytes is also very sensitive to the activity of the (Na+,K+) pump, the mechanism of insulin stimulation of the adipocyte (Na+,K+) pump requires reexamination.
The Aggressiveness of Tax Professional Reporting: Examining the Influence of Moral Reasoning☆Data Availability: Contact authors.

This chapter investigates the effect of moral reasoning of tax professionals on the aggressiveness of their reporting recommendations. The findings of the study indicate moral reasoning influences the aggressiveness of tax reporting decisions separate from the influence of client pressure. As the level of moral reasoning increases, the aggressiveness of the reporting position is found to0 decrease. Contrary to prior research, client pressure is not related to tax reporting aggressiveness. Failure to observe this relationship may signal a shift in behavior resulting from the intense public and regulatory scrutiny at the time of data collection which was in the immediate aftermath of the Enron scandal.
Finding Chemistry Information Using Google Scholar : A Comparison with Chemical Abstracts Service

Abstract Since its introduction in November 2004, Google Scholar has been the subject of considerable discussion among librarians. Though there has been much concern about the lack of transparency of the product, there has been relatively little direct comparison between Google Scholar and traditional library resources. This study compares Google Scholar and Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) as resources for finding chemistry information. Of the 702 records found in six different searches, 65.1% were in Google Scholar and 45.1% were in CAS. Of these, 55.0% were unique to Google Scholar, 34.9% were unique to CAS, and 10.1% overlapped. When each record found was searched by title in the two databases, the figures change, with 79.5% in Google Scholar, 85.6% in CAS, and 65.1% overlapping. Based on this, researchers are more likely to find known published information through CAS than in Google Scholar. Results vary by type of search, type of resource, and date. For many types of searching, CAS performs signific...
Continuing Professional Development for doctors, certification, licensure and quality improvement. A model to follow?

Abstract This article briefly describes the history of formal CME/CPD in the US and the significant work that has developed into major advances in the field of CME, including innovative learning formats by the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association and the American Osteopathic Association as the three organizations that own the three major CME credit systems. The description of these advances include the evolution, although not yet completed, from a time metric to a value metric as the way to quantify involvement in CME on the part of physicians. It also briefly describes how the credit systems have evolved from accepting participation to requiring a higher level of achievement or active involvement in the activity in order to receive CME credit. It then highlights Performance Improvement CME as one of the learning formats recognized for CME credit. Each of the three CME credit systems offers multiple ways for physicians to earn CME credit and many, but not all, can be found in all three of them. As an example, the list of different ways to receive credit under the AMA CME credit system is provided. The article goes on to describe how the specialty certification philosophy has evolved, using the American Boards of Medical Specialties (ABMS) as an example, from a lifetime certificate for most specialties to an ongoing engagement with educational activities and quality improvement efforts to maintain certification. The role that CME/CPD plays in that philosophy is also described. It then discusses the current licensing system in the US, the changes that have been proposed by the Federation of Medical Boards and the possible role of CME/CPD in this new framework as well. The article concludes with a reference to the research evidence in support of the effectiveness of CME/CPD and the impact that Continuous Quality Improvement and Performance Improvement have had on CME/CPD, on the new program to maintain specialty certification and on the proposed new licensure framework, and how they all interact.