cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rich States, Poor States: Assessing the Design and Effect of a U.S. Fiscal Equalization Regime

Unlike most of the world’s federations – including Australia, Canada, Germany, India, South Africa and numerous others – the United States has no system of federal equalization grants in place to reduce fiscal disparities among its subnational governments. Only at the state level, through policies designed to mitigate property tax disparities among school districts, has equalization been tried in the United States. The federal government has never adopted, nor has it ever seriously considered, an equalization policy for the states. This article represents the first comprehensive scholarly treatment of a possible U.S. fiscal equalization regime. It reviews the most recent data relating to fiscal disparities among the U.S. states and reports the results of simulations showing the overall cost and distributive effects of adopting a Canadian-style equalization regime in the United States. Two alternative policies are examined, one based on the “representative tax system” methodology employed in Canada and a second, known as the “representative revenue system,” that employs a slightly broader measure of state fiscal capacity. Depending on the methodology employed, the cost of a U.S. equalization policy (based on 2005 data) would be in the range of $70-$110 billion per year, or roughly 1 to 1.5 times the annual cost of the current income tax deduction for state and local taxes. Under both methodologies, as well as alternative formulas adjusting for regional cost-of-living differences, the principal beneficiaries would be the so-called “red states” of the South. On a per capita basis, the main winners of a U.S. equalization policy would be Mississippi, Arkansas, and West Virginia. In terms of absolute payments, the largest beneficiary is by far Texas, accounting for approximately 15 percent of total equalization payments. The article considers arguments for and against adoption of an equalization policy and offers some preliminary comments on the politics of fiscal equalization in the U.S. context.
Sprigg Lane (B)

This case is meant to follow "Sprigg Lane (A)" (QA-0372), which introduces Monte Carlo simulation as a valuation technique. The B case introduces the use of Black-Scholes to treat a capital-budgeting decision as an option. In this case, the decision is whether or not to drill a gas well.
Study of compliance of Apple's location based APIs with recommendations of the IETF Geopriv

Location Based Services (LBS) are services offered by smart phone applications which use device location data to offer the location-related services. Privacy of location information is a major concern in LBS applications. This paper compares the location APIs of iOS with the IETF Geopriv architecture to determine what mechanisms are in place to protect location privacy of an iOS user. The focus of the study is on the distribution phase of the Geopriv architecture and its applicability in enhancing location privacy on iOS mobile platforms. The presented review shows that two iOS APIs features known as Geocoder and turning off location services provide to some extent location privacy for iOS users. However, only a limited number of functionalities can be considered as compliant with Geopriv's recommendations. The paper also presents possible ways how to address limited location privacy offered by iOS mobile devices based on Geopriv recommendations.
Tree-mycorrhizal associations detected remotely from canopy spectral properties.

A central challenge in global ecology is the identification of key functional processes in ecosystems that scale, but do not require, data for individual species across landscapes. Given that nearly all tree species form symbiotic relationships with one of two types of mycorrhizal fungi - arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi - and that AM- and ECM-dominated forests often have distinct nutrient economies, the detection and mapping of mycorrhizae over large areas could provide valuable insights about fundamental ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, species interactions, and overall forest productivity. We explored remotely sensed tree canopy spectral properties to detect underlying mycorrhizal association across a gradient of AM- and ECM-dominated forest plots. Statistical mining of reflectance and reflectance derivatives across moderate/high-resolution Landsat data revealed distinctly unique phenological signals that differentiated AM and ECM associations. This approach was trained and validated against measurements of tree species and mycorrhizal association across ~130 000 trees throughout the temperate United States. We were able to predict 77% of the variation in mycorrhizal association distribution within the forest plots (P < 0.001). The implications for this work move us toward mapping mycorrhizal association globally and advancing our understanding of biogeochemical cycling and other ecosystem processes.
Russian Historiography on the Origins of the First World War Since the Fischer Controversy

This article examines Soviet and post-Soviet historiography on the origins of the Great War, paying special attention to the reverberations of western historiographical disputes in the Soviet Union...
Transitioning from XML to RDF: Considerations for an effective move towards Linked Data and the Semantic Web

Metadata, particularly within the academic library setting, is often expressed in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and managed with XML tools, technologies, and workflows. Managing a library’s metadata currently takes on a greater level of complexity as libraries are increasingly adopting the Resource Description Framework (RDF). Semantic Web initiatives are surfacing in the library context with experiments in publishing metadata as Linked Data sets and also with development efforts such as BIBFRAME and the Fedora 4 Digital Repository incorporating RDF. Use cases show that transitions into RDF are occurring in both XML standards and in libraries with metadata encoded in XML. It is vital to understand that transitioning from XML to RDF requires a shift in perspective from replicating structures in XML to defining meaningful relationships in RDF. Establishing coordination and communication among these efforts will help as more libraries move to use RDF, produce Linked Data, and approach the Semantic Web.
Effects of Postseason Applications of Insecticides, Defoliants, and Desiccants on Diapausing Boll Weevils

In a S-year field study conducted at Tallulah, Louisiana, postseason applications of insecticides, defoliants, and desiccants were all effective in reducing the number of diapausing boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, entering ground trash. Defoliants and desicants appeared to cause the greatest reduction in the overwintering populations entering winter quarters. Weekly applications of methyl parathion and Guthion,® O, O -dimethyl S -( 4-oxo-l,2,3-benzotriazin-3-(4 H )- ylmethyl) phosphorodithioate, during this period also reduced overwintering weevil populations to a low level. However, none of thc treatments completely eliminated the weevil populations in this series of experiments.
A framework for smartphone-enabled, patient-generated health data analysis

Background: Digital medicine and smartphone-enabled health technologies provide a novel source of human health and human biology data. However, in part due to its intricacies, few methods have been established to analyze and interpret data in this domain. We previously conducted a six-month interventional trial examining the efficacy of a comprehensive smartphone-based health monitoring program for individuals with chronic disease. This included 38 individuals with hypertension who recorded 6,290 blood pressure readings over the trial. Methods: In the present study, we provide a hypothesis testing framework for unstructured time series data, typical of patient-generated mobile device data. We used a mixed model approach for unequally spaced repeated measures using autoregressive and generalized autoregressive models, and applied this to the blood pressure data generated in this trial. Results: We were able to detect, roughly, a 2 mmHg decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure over the course of the trial despite considerable intra- and inter-individual variation. Furthermore, by supplementing this finding by using a sequential analysis approach, we observed this result over three months prior to the official study end—highlighting the effectiveness of leveraging the digital nature of this data source to form timely conclusions. Conclusions: Health data generated through the use of smartphones and other mobile devices allow individuals the opportunity to make informed health decisions, and provide researchers the opportunity to address innovative health and biology questions. The hypothesis testing framework we present can be applied in future studies utilizing digital medicine technology or implemented in the technology itself to support the quantified self.
Marginal dietary protein restriction reduced nonprotein nitrogen, but not protein nitrogen, components of human milk.

This study was designed to determine whether marginal dietary protein intakes of lactating women alter their milk production and composition. The study followed the observation that marginal dietary protein intakes lead to significantly negative nitrogen balances in these women.Twenty-four healthy, mature lactating women were divided evenly into three groups on the basis of postpartum times; 1, 5, or 12 months. Each woman was given a controlled protein diet of either 1.5 (HP) or 1.0 (MP) g/kg body weight/day for 7 to 10 days. Milk production was measured for 72 hours by test weighing the infant before and after feeding. Milk samples from alternate breasts were collected for 24 hours, pooled, and analyzed for their protein nitrogen, nonprotein nitrogen, free and protein-bound amino acid, and lactoferrin concentrations.Reduced dietary protein intakes were associated with a decrease (p < 0.05) in the nonprotein nitrogen and total free amino acid fractions of milk. Although urea was unaffected, the concentrat...
Cause of weld offset in laser tailor welded blanks with different thickness and its control methods

The advantages of laser tailor welded blanks with different thickness and the existing problems in the production process were stated;and the cause of weld joint offset in the product was analyzed.Some measures for controlling the weld offset were proposed such as the adjustment of draw bead height and the compensation method for weld offset.
A cross-sectional study on related risk factors of type II diabetes among rural residents

Objective To examine the risk factors of type II diabetes in rural area of Haining city in order to provide basis for disease control and prevention. Methods Residents aged over 18 in four towns were selected through multi- stage stratified cluster random sampling method,and a questionnaire investigation,physical examination and blood biochemical indicator testing were conducted. Results The adjusted prevalence of type II diabetes in Haining city was 5. 17% overall with 5. 81% in men and 4. 56% in women. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age( OR =1. 78),overweight( OR = 1. 71),family history of diabetes( OR = 16. 05) were risk factors( all P 0. 05). Conclusion The prevalence of type II diabetes is considerably high in rural area of Haining city. Risk factor monitoring and comprehensive intervention should strongly be advocated.
Analysis of epidemic features of infant measles and vaccination status in Hangzhou

The epidemiology of infant measles under the current national vaccination procedure was explored in order to provide scientific evidence for improvements in vaccination strategies against measles. All data were collected via the Chinese Measles Surveillance System and used to analyze the distribution and immunization status of childhood measles cases during 2004-2007 in Hangzhou. The results showed that there were no differences in the prevalence of measles between urban and rural areas. Most cases aged 5 to 9 months were reported from March and May. The majority of cases at or less than 8 months of age were local inhabitants whereas children aged 9 months or older were more often visiting from other locales. The immunization coverage rate of non-local children (14.3%) was lower than that of local children (47.5%) (χ2=11.75,P0.01). The results indicate that it is necessary to strengthen the vaccination program in non-local children to decrease the incidence of infant measles. Furthermore,it may be beneficial for immunization against measles to start at the age of 6 months to help decrease the prevalence of measles in vulnerable infants who receive the first immunization of measles vaccine at 8 months of age.
Treatment of Post-Prostatectomy Stress Urinary Incontinence with Periurethral Polytetrafluoroethylene Paste Injection

AbstractPeriurethral injection of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) paste was performed to treat moderate to severe stress urinary incontinence following prostatectomy. A total of 20 procedures was performed in 13 men, of whom 8 had previously undergone radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer and 5 had undergone transurethral electrocautery resection of the prostate for bladder outlet obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. All patients had significant stress urinary incontinence requiring a minimum of 2 pads wet daily.Between 16 and 20 cc polytetrafluoroethylene paste were injected initially transurethrally into the periurethral tissues in the region of the external sphincter. Of the 13 patients 7 underwent a second injection procedure with an additional 12 to 23 cc paste. Three men (23%) experienced a noticeable improvement in continence status, including 1 of 5 patients after transurethral electrocautery resection and 2 of 8 after radical prostatectomy. However, none of these men became compl...
Costimulatory and Coinhibitory Receptor Pathways in Infectious Disease

Costimulatory and inhibitory receptors play a key role in regulating immune responses to infections. Recent translation of knowledge about inhibitory receptors such as CTLA-4 and PD-1 into the cancer clinic highlights the opportunities to manipulate these pathways to treat human disease. Studies in infectious disease have provided key insights into the specific roles of these pathways and the effects of their manipulation. Here, recent studies are discussed that have addressed how major inhibitory and costimulatory pathways play a role in regulating immune responses during acute and chronic infections. Mechanistic insights from studies of infectious disease provide opportunities to further expand our toolkit to treat cancer and chronic infections in the clinic.
Corneal Transplantation: A Progress Report

Improvements in instruments, operating microscopes, and sutures have made it possible to use full-thickness corneal grafts in most patients, providing much tighter seals between donor and host tissue and greatly reducing the problem of blowouts or gradual opacification. As a result of these and other advances, 80% of transplants now being performed are for lesions considered beyond repair just a few years ago.
Pediatric Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia: A Simulation Scenario for Fellows, Residents, Medical Students, and Advanced Practitioners.

Abstract Introduction Pulseless ventricular tachycardia is an uncommon presentation to the pediatric emergency department (ED) or the pediatric ICU (PICU); however, if unrecognized or inappropriate...
ATP- and ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation: significance of plasma in ATP-induced aggregation.

ATP caused platelet aggregation in rat platelet-rich plasma (PRP) but in contrast strongly inhibited ADP-induced human platelet aggregation. ADP-induced aggregation of rat platelets suspended in human plasma was strongly inhibited by ATP, whereas human platelets in rat plasma were aggregated by ADP. The ATP analog β,γ-methylene ATP which is not dephosphorylated did not induce aggregation in rat PRP. Adenosine, AMP, 2- chloroadenosine, α,β-methylene ADP and β,γ-methylene ATP each inhibited ATP-induced aggregation of platelets in rat PRP to a similar extent as ADP-induced aggregation. A solution containing creatine kinase and creatine phosphate (which converts ADP to ATP) rapidly reversed both ADP- and ATP-induced aggregation in rat PRP; preincubation with this solution completely inhibited rat platelet aggregation induced by both ADP and ATP. Adenosine-8-14C-triphosphate ([14C]-ATP) conversion to [14C]-ADP was about five-fold faster in rat plasma than in human plasma. Addition of creatine phosphate to rat PRP strongly inhibited ATP-induced aggregation, while creatine or creatine kinase slightly potentiated aggregation by ATP. Creatine phosphate, creatine, or creatine kinase individually had minimal and varying effects on ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation. These results suggest that the observed phenomenon of ATP-induced aggregation in rat PRP is caused by a higher activity of creatine kinase in rat plasma than in human plasma, which converts the added ATP to ADP, a potent aggregator.
‘I Wished to Unite Men’: A Vision of Religious Calm in the Midst of an Intellectual Storm

Chapter 5 recounts the religious riots of the 1830s and stresses the persecution of Catholics by Protestants. Disenchantment with both religious traditions leads Brownson to create the Society for Christian Union and Progress in 1836—the same year he joins New England’s Transcendentalist Club. The chapter concludes by showing how several religious scandals in this region’s intellectual life—stimulated by the publication of William Henry Furness’ The Four Gospels, Bronson Alcott’s Conversations with Children, as well as Emerson’s Harvard Divinity School Address—practically drives Brownson to seek a haven from the storm.
The Philosophy of Confucius

If any single person has exerted more influence on the entire Chinese philosophical tradition than anyone else, it must be Kong Fuzi, better known in the West by the Latinized term, Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.). While “Kong” is his family name, “Fuzi,” close in meaning to “master,” is a respectful way of addressing the man. His given name, Qiu, is rarely applied in references to him.
Noise from Raindrops: Fundamental Studies of Bubble Entrainment in Pure 4He

The impact of a liquid drop into a liquid surface has been extensively studied using acoustical techniques over the past decade. Experimental results have been difficult to reproduce because of impurities at the surface of water, the liquid usually used by past experiments. Using liquid helium, above and below the lambda point, as an impurity free simple liquid, we have been able to observe small drops impacting onto the liquid surface. One finds a phase diagram showing a region (determined by the size of the drop, impact velocity, etc.) for which bubble entrainment is possible. Bubble entrainment has been observed to occur under conditions which agree with theoretical studies.
Diagnosis and Management of Ocular Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Ocular graft-versus-host disease is one of the most severe forms of ocular surface disease. Inflammation is clearly the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism that leads to the development and progression of the disease. The cases below highlight the latest diagnostic and management strategies as well as the potential complications of this condition. Autologous serum/plasma tears, along with anti-inflammatory therapy, continue to be the main topical treatment options to help control the symptoms and modulate inflammation. Scleral contact lenses are currently the most effective treatment option, and an effective strategy is to offer this option to patients earlier rather than later in the disease course.
Driver responses to graphic-aided portable changeable message signs in highway work zones

Portable changeable message signs (PCMSs) have been employed in highway work zones as temporary traffic control devices. Various studies showed that adding graphics to PCMS messages can provide adv...
Combination of TLR8 and TLR4 agonists reduces the degrading effects of nicotine on DC-NK mediated effector T cell generation.

Abstract The magnitude of immune responses to vaccination is a critical factor in determining protection from disease. It is known that cigarette smoke dampens the immune system and increases the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. We reported that nicotine, the immunosuppressive component of cigarette smoke, disrupts the differentiation and functional properties of DC, which are pivotal in the initiation of immune response to vaccines. We also reported that TLR agonists act in synergy and boost DC maturation, DC-NK crosstalk and ultimately naive T cell polarization into effector Th1 and Tc1 cells. Here, we investigated whether the combination of TLR agonists could diminish the degrading effects of nicotine on DC-NK mediated effector T cell generation. We found that none of TLR agonists, single or combined, were able to diminish completely the adverse effects of nicotine on DC. However, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR8 agonists acted as the most effective adjuvants to increase the expression levels of antigen-presenting, costimulatory molecules and production of cytokines by nicotine-exposed DC (nicDC). When combined, TLR3 + 8 and TLR4 + 8 synergistically optimized nicDC maturation and IFN-γ secretion from nicotine-exposed NK (nicNK) during co-cultures. Interestingly, in contrast to DC-NK-T, co-cultures of nicDC-nicNK-T treated with TLR3 + 8 or TLR4 + 8 agonists produced a similar frequency of effector memory Th1 and Tc1 cells. However, the effector cells from TLR4 + 8 followed by TLR3 + 8 treated nicDC-nicNK-T co-cultures produced significantly more IFN-γ when compared with aluminum salt treated co-culture. Our data suggest that addition of appropriate TLR agonists to vaccine formulation could potentially augment the immune response to vaccination in smokers.
The existence of a lifting

Throughout this chapter we assume that N = \(\bar N\). With the exception of sections 3 and 4 we suppose that (X,N,ℛ) is strictly localizable and that l is a fixed partition of X consisting of non-negligible integrable sets satisfying sup{\(tilde K\)|Kєl} = \(tilde X\).
A Confident Humility: MPP Students and the Uses of History

The inclusion of history courses in MPP programs offers distinct challenges but also important opportunities for students. I argue that the most obvious “uses” of history such as historical literac...
Quantum Effects in Plasma Dielectric Response: Plasmons and Shielding in Normal Systems and Graphene

A brief review of quantum plasma theory and phenomenology in solid-state plasmas is presented here, with attention to dynamic and nonlocal features of dielectric response. Focussing on the random-phase approximation, we discuss the RPA screening and dielectric functions in three, two, and one dimensions corresponding to bulk, quantum well, and quantum wire plasmas, respectively, taking care to distinguish quantum effects from classical ones mandated by the correspondence principle. In particular, we exhibit plasmon dispersion, damping, and static shielding in these various dimensionalities. We also review Landau-quantized magnetoplasma phenomenology, with emphasis on de Haas–van Alphen oscillatory features in intermediate strength magnetic fields and the quantum strong field limit in which only the lowest Landau eigenstate is populated. Graphene is an exceptionally device-friendly material, with a massless relativistic Dirac energy spectrum for electrons and holes. We exhibit its RPA dynamic, nonlocal dielectric function in detail, discussing Graphene plasmons and electromagnetic modes in the THz range, self-energy, fast particle energy loss spectroscopy, atom/van der Waals interaction, and static shielding of impurity scatterers limiting dc transport in Graphene.
Integration of first-principles calculations, calphad modeling, and phase-field simulations

Computational methods are playing an increasingly important role in materials science and engineering. In this chapter, our recent activities are presented in relation to an integrated framework for multi-scale materials simulation and design. We focus on microstructure evolutions of Ni-base superalloys starting from the generation of materials data needed for such simulations and their integration in terms of information flow and data processing. The first-principles calculations of free energy at finite temperatures, free energy and lattice parameters of solution phases, and interfacial energy are presented. The CALPHAD modeling, using both experimental and first-principles calculations, is discussed for free energy, atomic mobility, and molar volume. Using the thermodynamic and kinetic data thus generated, results from 2D and 3D phase-field simulations are reviewed. It is demonstrated that the integration of first-principles calculations, CALPHAD modeling, and phase-field simulations provides a powerful approach in materials research and development.
IBM®’s Approach to Reengineering, from a Development Reengineering Perspective

This chapter attempts to articulate the approach IBM used to reengineer the development process. The first section of the chapter is “The Impetus for Reengineering, Improve the Bottom Line and the Initiation of the Corporate Reengineering Initiatives in 1993”. This section attempts to provide the state of financial distress, which led to the initiation of the reengineering efforts, and closes with the improvements the company has made in business performance since the start of reengineering. The second section, “The Merge between Software and Hardware Development and Linkages to other Corporate Reengineering Initiatives”, describes process linkages between the hardware development reengineering initiative and other applicable corporate reengineering initiatives. The next section, “IBM’s Approach to Development Reengineering”, describes at a high level the steps IBM has undertaken to reengineer the development process and what organizations were responsible. These steps make up the next four sections of the chapter. The next section, “Benchmarking” describes the external search for best practices and the internal analysis that led to the IBM strawman. The next section, “Design / Development” describes the output of benchmarking and internal work, the new reengineered business process. The next section, “Deployment” describes how the reengineered model is being deployed in IBM’s hardware and software divisions, from diagnostic, to customization and pilot, to roll out. Within roll out, a cultural change model is described. The next section, “Continuous Improvement”, describes the management system IBM has put in place to continuously improve the reengineered process. The next section, “Lessons Learned”, attempts to capture what has worked well and what did not work well in reengineering IBM’s development process. The last section is “IBM’s Business Benefits Attained by Deploying IPD”.
Feature Reduction Improves Classification Accuracy in Healthcare

Our work focuses on inductive transfer learning, a setting in which one assumes that both source and target tasks share the same features and label spaces. We demonstrate that transfer learning can be successfully used for feature reduction and hence for more efficient classification performance. Further, our experiments show that this approach increases the precision of the classification task as well.
Simvastatin-induzierte Myopathie nach Dosiserhöhung

Anamnese und klinischer Befund Wir berichten von einem 86-jahrigen Patienten, der aufgrund einer zunehmenden Schwache des rechten Beines aufgenommen wurde. Untersuchungen und Diagnose Laborchemisch zeigten sich erhohte Blutspiegel von Kreatinkinase und Kreatinin und im EMG konnte zusatzlich eine pseudomonotone Entladung im Sinne einer neuromuskularen Schadigung nachgewiesen werden. Da anamnestisch eine Erhohung der Statindosis auf 80 mg taglich vor ca. 6 Monaten zu eruieren war, wurde die Diagnose einer Simvastatin-induzierten Myopathie mit Rhabdomyolyse gestellt. Therapie und Verlauf Nach Absetzen der Statin-Therapie und unter Flussigkeitssubstitution zeigten sich sowohl die Laborwerte als auch die klinische Symptomatik deutlich rucklaufig. Folgerung Bei unklarer neurologischer Symptomatik unter Statin-Therapie sollte an eine Statin-induzierte Myopathie gedacht und ggf. die Therapie beendet werden.
MicroRNAs in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: The Future of Therapy.

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small, noncoding RNAs with numerous cellular functions. With advancing knowledge of the many functions of miRs in cancer pathogenesis, there is emerging interest in miRs as therapeutic targets in cancers. One disease that poses an intriguing model for miR therapy is cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a rare disease featuring malignant CD4+ T cells that proliferate in the skin. The hallmark of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma progression is epigenetic dysregulation, with aberrant miR levels being a common feature. This review aims to summarize the rapidly emerging advances in the development of miR-based therapies in cancers, with a special emphasis on CTCL.
A comprehensive genomic scan reveals gene dosage balance impacts on quantitative traits in Populus trees

Gene dosage variation and the associated changes in gene expression influence a wide variety of traits, ranging from cancer in humans to yield in plants. It is also expected to affect important traits of ecological and agronomic importance in forest trees, but this variation has not been systematically characterized or exploited. Here we performed a comprehensive scan of the Populus genome for dosage-sensitive loci affecting quantitative trait variation for spring and fall phenology and biomass production. The study population was a large collection of clonally propagated F1 hybrid lines of Populus that saturate the genome 10-fold with deletions and insertions (indels) of known sizes and positions. As a group, the phenotypic means of the indel lines consistently differed from control nonindel lines, with an overall negative effect of both insertions and deletions on all biomass-related traits but more diverse effects and an overall wider phenotypic distribution of the indel lines for the phenology-related traits. We also investigated the correlation between gene dosage at specific chromosomal locations and phenotype, to identify dosage quantitative trait loci (dQTL). Such dQTL were detected for most phenotypes examined, but stronger effect dQTL were identified for the phenology-related traits than for the biomass traits. Our genome-wide screen for dosage sensitivity in a higher eukaryote demonstrates the importance of global genomic balance and the impact of dosage on life history traits.
Individualized Pediatric Therapeutics Clinic: Action in Practice

Background: A goal of an Individualized Pediatric Therapeutics (IPT) Clinic is to find the right medication without a trial and error process. Personalizing medicine incorporates knowledge related to medication therapy (pharmacokinetics, formulation options, pharmacology) with several laboratory technologies to individualize medicine. The IPT Clinic at Children’s Mercy was established in 2010 as part of our initiative to integrate the advancements of genomic technologies into patient care. We utilize a multidisciplinary team approach to solve clinically significant medication-related problems. Our team includes physicians, pharmacists, clinical pharmacologists, basic scientists, and nurses. We …
Effect of crystallographic orientation on atom probe tomography geochemical data

The recent application of atom probe tomography (APT) to minerals is becoming a powerful tool to unravel geological information from the nanoscale perspective. Yet, there are still unknown fundamental aspects of this microscopy technique for geological applications and the potential crystallographic orientation effect is a significant one. Here, the influence of the crystallographic orientation on the quality of atom probe tomography geochemical data is investigated for two minerals with the same crystal system and different morphology: spinel (isometric, hexoctahedral, octahedron morphology) and galena (isometric, hexoctahedral, cube morphology). Two separate crystals of barite (orthorhombic, dipyramidal, prism morphology) were also analyzed to test the reproducibility of APT data. Despite the general absence of expected stoichiometry, overall bulk and isotopic chemical composition are not affected by crystallographic orientation. 3D data reconstructions of the specimens showed similar spatial distribution of the ion species for each mineral and 2D density maps showed identical (barite, galena) or specular (spinel) patterns for each pair of planes analyzed. Our findings indicate a negligible effect of the crystallographic orientation in APT geochemical data for standard highly symmetric minerals but also suggest the possible influence of the crystallographic structure and composition on the mineral stoichiometry and elements spatial distribution density.
3D Heterogeneous and Flexible Package Integration for Zero-Power Wireless Neural Recording

The goal of this research is to demonstrate heterogeneous flex package integration to enable a miniaturized zero-power wireless neural recording system. All the system components such as miniaturized antennas, passive multiplier, mixer and neural recording electrodes are integrated in a thin flexible package that can be directly interfaced with skin and is the size of a band-aid®. Miniaturized antennas are designed with a high-permittivity flexible substrate with a permittivity of 7 and low loss tangent. A microstrip patch antenna is realized with 13 mm x 8 mm dimension on flexible zirconia tapes. High-density circuitry is achieved with copper micropatterning and direct assembly of bare RFICs on flexible and biocompatible thin-film substrates. The key building blocks, system geometry and electrical performance are discussed.
A panorama of transcription-coupled repair in yeast chromatin.

Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) are predominant ultraviolet (UV) light-induced DNA lesions that can result in mutations and lead to skin cancers (1). CPD lesions are primarily repaired by nucleotide excision repair (NER), a highly conserved repair pathway (2). NER consists of two subpathways: transcription-coupled NER (TC-NER) and global genome NER (GG-NER) (2). GG-NER can occur anywhere in the genome, whereas TC-NER is dedicated for repair of bulky lesions at transcribed strands of active genes (2). Eukaryotic TC-NER is initiated by stalled RNA polymerase II (Pol II) at DNA damage sites, whereas the damage recognition in GG-NER DNA is mainly achieved by repair factor XPC (2). Many factors can modulate the repair efficiency and outcome in vivo, including the chromatin organization and genomic location of lesions, accessibility of repair factors, and occupancy of repair facilitators and suppressors. In PNAS, Duan et al. (3) take a genomic approach to investigate how the genome-wide contribution of several key protein factors would impact the TC-NER process of CPDs in yeast, providing important insights into how TC-NER is modulated in yeast chromatin. In particular, Duan et al. (3) focus on three factors, Rad26, transcription factor IIH (TFIIH), and elongation factor Spt4/Spt5, that have dual roles in both TC-NER and transcription processes. During TC-NER, human Cockayne syndrome group B (CSB) protein and its yeast ortholog Rad26 play important roles in TC-NER. CSB/Rad26 is the first protein to be recruited to DNA damage-stalled Pol II (2). Human CSB, CSA, and UVSSA act cooperatively to recruit TFIIH to damage-stalled Pol II (4). TFIIH is involved in the lesion verification step as well as recruitment of repair factors for dual incision (2, 5). In contrast, yeast Spt4/Spt5 functions as a TC-NER suppressor and Rad26 is required to antagonize Spt4/Spt5’s suppression (6). Recent structure of the Pol II–Rad26 complex … [↵][1]1Email: dongwang{at}ucsd.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
The Socioeconomic Attainments of Second-Generation Southeast Asian Americans in the 21st Century: Evidence from the American Community Survey, 2012–2016

Although decades have passed since the initial immigration of Southeast Asians to the U.S. after the Vietnam War, the socioeconomic outcomes of the native-born offspring of Southeast Asian immigrants have not been adequately considered in recent research. We therefore investigate current data on the education, wages, poverty, affluence, and household income of Southeast Asian Americans. The results indicate that the socioeconomic outcomes of native-born Southeast Asian Americans are substantially higher than their immigrant generation. Second-generation Thai and Vietnamese tend to have higher socioeconomic outcomes than whites, while second-generation Cambodians, Hmong and Laotians have lower outcomes than whites. However, none of the five native-born Southeast Asian groups are penalized in terms of wages net of their demographic characteristics. Furthermore, all five of the native-born Southeast Asian groups generally have higher socioeconomic outcomes than African Americans and Hispanics. Whereas prior discussions of Southeast Asian Americans imply that their lower socioeconomic characteristics derive from the intergenerational persistence of minority discrimination in an inherently racialized society, we instead view them as being broadly consistent with assimilation theory which has traditionally been based on a three-generational model.
Nonlinear Longitudinal Aerodynamic Analysis at Low Speed Delta Jet Fighter

This study examines the application of the bifurcation theory to the reduced-order of longitudinal flight dynamic systems. An investigation of steady and unsteady longitudinal aerodynamic coefficients is carried out, including an extended range of pitch up and down reduced frequencies from 0 - 0.06 values. An aircraft with a general delta wing with a 1.5 aspect ratio is chosen for the present analysis. Different elevator control deflection from -28.6 to 0 degrees is used to determine the equilibrium points α and q. The unsteady aerodynamic load results increase the requirements for control power as well as thrust vectoring during pitch up than steady longitudinal one. The flow unsteadiness effect improves the vehicle stability during pitch up corresponding a loosing of it during pitch down. A positive pitch rate is required to point the nose of the fighter. This improvement in pointing will help in the close maneuvering missions.
Deconstruction of high-density polyethylene into liquid hydrocarbon fuels and lubricants by hydrogenolysis over Ru catalyst

Summary Polyethylene (PE) is the most popular plastic globally, and the widespread use of plastics has created severe environmental issues. High energy consumption in the current process makes its recycling a challenging problem. In our report, the depolymerization of high-density PE was conducted in various liquid-phase solvents with the Ru/C catalyst under relatively mild conditions. The maximum yields of the jet-fuel- and lubricant-range hydrocarbons were 60.8 and 31.6 wt %, respectively. After optimization of the reaction conditions (220°C and 60 bar of H2), the total yield of liquid hydrocarbon products reached approximately 90 wt % within only 1 h. The product distribution could be tuned by the H2 partial pressure, the active-metal particle size, and the solvents. The solvation of PE in the different solvents determined the depolymerization reaction kinetics, which was confirmed by the molecular dynamics simulation results.
Linear MIMO Precoders With Finite Alphabet Inputs via Stochastic Optimization and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs)

In this paper, we investigate designs of linear precoders for vector Gaussian channels via stochastic optimizations and deep neural networks (DNNs). We assume that the channel inputs are drawn from practical finite alphabets, and we search for precoders maximizing the mutual information between channel inputs and outputs. Though the problem is generally non-convex, we prove that when the right singular matrix of precoder is fixed, any local optima of this problem is a global optima. Based on this fact, an efficient projected stochastic gradient descent (PSGD) algorithm is designed to search the optimal precoders. Moreover, to reduce the complexity of calculating a posterior means involved in gradients calculation, K-best algorithm is adopted to make approximations of a posterior means with negligible loss of accuracy. Furthermore, to avoid explicit calculation of mutual information and its gradients, DNN-based autoencoders (AEs) are constructed for this precoding task, and an efficient training algorithm is proposed. We also prove that the AEs, with ‘softmax’ activation function and ‘categorical cross entropy’ loss, maximize the mutual information under reasonable assumptions. Then, in order to extend the AE methods to large scale systems, ‘sigmoid’ activation function and ‘binary cross entropy’ loss are used such that the size of AEs will not grow prohibitively large. We prove that this maximizes a lower bound of the mutual information under reasonable assumptions. Finally, to make the precoders practical for high speed wireless scenarios, we propose an offline training paradigm which trains DNNs to infer optimal precoders given channel state information instead of training online for every different channel. Simulation results show that all the proposed methods work well in maximizing mutual information and improving bit error rate (BER) performance.
Correlation between radiographic and pathologic lymph node involvement and extranodal extension via CT and PET in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer.

Abstract Purpose/Objectives Extranodal extension (ENE) and more than 4 pathologically involved lymph nodes (pN2) are critical prognostic factors in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV(+) OPSCC). We analyze a patient cohort with HPV(+) OPSCC to determine the sensitivity and specificity of CT and PET/CT in identifying involvement of more than 4 lymph nodes (rN2) compared to pN2 and radiographic ENE (rENE) compared to pathologic ENE (pENE). Materials/Methods The dataset consisted of 261 patients enrolled in two prospective clinical trials. All imaging studies were independently reviewed by a blinded neuroradiologist, classifying the presence or absence of rENE and rN2. Secondary analyses included correlations of imaging accuracy and pathologic size of the primary tumor. Results CT demonstrated sensitivity of 59%, specificity of 92%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 53%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 94%, and accuracy of 88% for pN2. PET/CT showed similar results. Patients with up to 4 involved lymph nodes (rN0-1) had a 93–94% chance of remaining pN0-1. CT and PET/CT identified an equal number of involved nodes in 81% of patients. CT demonstrated sensitivity of 54%, specificity of 71%, PPV of 72%, NPV of 53%, and accuracy of 62% for pENE. PET/CT showed similar outcomes. Notably, when multiple radiographic criteria were used to identify rENE, PPV increased for both CT (84%) and PET/CT (79%). Conclusion Patients with rN0-1 had a 93–94% chance of remaining pN0-1, suggesting rN0-1 could effectively stratify patients for clinical trials and treatment de-escalation. While CT and PET/CT were highly correlated, both showed low sensitivity for identifying pENE.
Regional impacts of urbanization on stream channel geometry: A case study in semiarid southern California

Abstract Urbanization often increases storm runoff, peak discharges and rates of stream channel erosion. Coastal California has experienced rapid urbanization over the past several decades and has the potential for stream channel degradation. Several counties in California have implemented Hydromodification Management Plans (HMPs) to protect channels from erosion, but few studies have quantified the impact of urbanization on channel geometry in diverse geological settings at the county scale. A synoptic survey of field sites (N = 56) by the California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN) and additional field surveys (N = 24) were used to develop regional hydraulic geometry curves relating bankfull cross-sectional area (Axs), width (w), mean depth (d), and discharge (Qbf) to watershed area (Aw) in San Diego County. Regional curves were compared for urban and reference sites and to other regional curves developed for southern California. Multiple regression models were used to identify dominant watershed and channel controls on geometry, including Aw, percent impervious cover (I%), mean annual precipitation, underlying geology, longitudinal slope, hydrologic soil group, and channel particle size. For the reference streams, regional curves were statistically significant for w and Axs (p 20%) had significantly larger w, d, Axs, and Qbf for a given watershed size. A majority (68%) of the urban channels and 78% of the small urban channels (Aw
Work-family conflict and couple relationship quality: A meta-analytic study.

This study examined the association between work–family conflict and couple relationship quality. We conducted a meta-analytic review of 49 samples from 33 papers published between 1986 and 2014. The results indicated that there was a significant negative relationship between work–family conflict and couple relationship quality (r = −.19, k = 49). Several moderators were included in this analysis: gender, region, parental status, dual-earner status, and the measures used for work–family conflict and marital quality variables. The strength of the relationship varied based on the region of the sample—samples from Europe and Asia had a significantly weaker relationship between work–family conflict and relationship quality than those from North America. In addition, the relationship was significantly weaker in samples of dual-earner couples and when non-standardized scales were used. Implications of the results and directions for future research are suggested.
A near synthesis of pre-Illinoian till stratigraphy in the central United States: Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri

Abstract Nearly identical sequences of pre-Illinoian glacial till are present throughout the north–central United States in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. In each of these states three tills with normal magnetic remanence have been found above two - three tills with reversed remanence, and the lithologic differences among successive tills are nearly the same. Each till is capped by a mature paleosol, except for the two youngest reversed-polarity tills, which are nearly identical in lithology and separated by immature weathering profiles. These results seem to indicate that deposits from five major pre-Illinoian glaciations are present throughout this entire region. Cosmogenic-nuclide burial ages provide relatively precise ages for the three earliest glaciations that reached northeast Missouri: ca. 2.4, 1.3 and 0.76 Ma. Ages of the youngest two glaciations in this area are less precise, but both are between ∼0.2 and 0.4 Ma. The tills in Nebraska and western Iowa have not been dated directly, but are constrained by the ages of interbedded tephra, and these limits are consistent with the burial ages in Missouri for tills in the same relative stratigraphic positions, with one exception. Two of the three normal-polarity tills in Nebraska/western Iowa are present below the 0.64 Ma Lava Creek B tephra, and thus should be between 0.64 and 0.78 Ma in age. However, only one of the normal-polarity tills in northeast Missouri is within this range. This discrepancy indicates either a problem with the age constraints or that the till sequence is more complex than yet recognized.