cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A partial order approach to decentralized control of spatially invariant systems

In this paper, we consider a class of spatially distributed systems which have a special property known as spatial invariance. It is well-known that for such problems, the problem of designing decentralized controllers is hard. In this paper, we generalize some previously known results and show that for a certain class of problems, the control problem has a convex reformulation. We employ the notion of partially-ordered sets and the associated notion of incidence algebras to introduce a class of systems called poset causal systems. We show that poset causal systems are a fairly large class of systems that properly include some other classes of systems studied in the literature (namely cone-causal and funnel causal systems). Finally we show that the set of poset-causal controllers for poset-causal plants are amenable to a convex parameterization.
Setaria viridis as a Model System to Advance Millet Genetics and Genomics

Millet is a common name for a group of polyphyletic, small-seeded cereal crops that include pearl, finger and foxtail millet. Millet species are an important source of calories for many societies, often in developing countries. Compared to major cereal crops such as rice and maize, millets are generally better adapted to dry and hot environments. Despite their food security value, the genetic architecture of agronomically important traits in millets, including both morphological traits and climate resilience remains poorly studied. These complex traits have been challenging to dissect in large part because of the lack of sufficient genetic tools and resources. In this article, we review the phylogenetic relationship among various millet species and discuss the value of a genetic model system for millet research. We propose that a broader adoption of green foxtail (Setaria viridis) as a model system for millets could greatly accelerate the pace of gene discovery in the millets, and summarize available and emerging resources in S. viridis and its domesticated relative S. italica. These resources have value in forward genetics, reverse genetics and high throughput phenotyping. We describe methods and strategies to best utilize these resources to facilitate the genetic dissection of complex traits. We envision that coupling cutting-edge technologies and the use of S. viridis for gene discovery will accelerate genetic research in millets in general. This will enable strategies and provide opportunities to increase productivity, especially in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa where millets are staple food crop.
Applications of NMR to structure determination of RNAs large and small.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate the structure and dynamics of RNA, because many biologically important RNAs have conformationally flexible structures, which makes them difficult to crystallize. Functional, independently folded RNA domains, range in size between simple stem-loops of as few as 10–20 nucleotides, to 50–70 nucleotides, the size of tRNA and many small ribozymes, to a few hundred nucleotides, the size of more complex RNA enzymes and of the functional domains of non-coding transcripts. In this review, we discuss new methods for sample preparation, assignment strategies and structure determination for independently folded RNA domains of up to 100 kDa in molecular weight.
Abstract 3965: Epithelial membrane protein-2 is a novel regulator of immune editing in breast cancer

Cancer immuno-editing is a process that describes the interaction between immune cells and tumor cells. This interaction can result in elimination of a developing tumor, tumor dormancy, or tumor cells that are capable of surviving in an immune-competent host. We have recently uncovered a novel mechanism of immunoediting by the tetraspan protein Epithelial membrane protein or EMP2. We propose that EMP2 serves as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity via tumor mediated type I interferon expression. Most tumor cells evade the immune system through suppression or ignorance. EMP2 levels promote type I interferon expression which was found to correlate with PDL1 expression in a number of cell lines. Concordantly, in vivo, in multiple breast cancer cell lines, EMP2 promoted tumor growth. In contrast, reduction in EMP2 levels correlated with a reduction in tumor size and a corresponding increase in tumor associated macrophages. Given that tumors with lower levels of EMP2 grow poorly, we hypothesized that targeting EMP2 may provide a therapeutic benefit. Recently, we have developed a panel of novel IgG1 monoclonal antibodies to EMP2 and tested their ability to treat both xenograft and syngeneic mouse models. Our results show that anti-EMP2 IgG1 significantly reduces tumor load in both models in part through the recruitment of M1 macrophages. To explore this observation more fully, experiments using murine syngeneic models were employed. Anti-EMP2 therapy elicits a robust ADCC response, producing an immune infiltrate rich in macrophages, NK cells, and lymphocytes. In addition, we show that CD8 cells show reduced exhaustion in the presence of anti-EMP2 antibodies. Conclusions: EMP2 is a protein upregulated in a number of cancers in women including breast, ovarian, and endometrial tumors. Our work collectively show that EMP2 is a novel immune regulator where its expression creates an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. We thus predict that targeting EMP2 may improve therapeutic outcomes for cancers in women. Citation Format: Jessica Tsui, Negin Ashki, Yuling Chang, Deven Patel, Jasmine Sjarif, Madhuri Wadehra. Epithelial membrane protein-2 is a novel regulator of immune editing in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3965. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3965
Breast reconstruction with DIEP and SIEA flaps in patients with prior abdominal liposuction.

Introduction Suction-assisted lipectomy (SAL) has been considered a relative contraindication for autologous breast reconstruction due to reservations about size and integrity of perforator vessels. Such patients are often not considered ideal candidates for breast reconstruction utilizing deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) and superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) flaps. The aim of this article is to describe our experience with these flaps after SAL. Methods Retrospectively, patient charts from 2005 to 2015 were analyzed and 9 patients (13 flaps) were identified who received breast reconstruction after prior donor-site SAL. Eight patients underwent DIEP and 1 patient an SIEA flap breast reconstruction. The patients' average age was 47.7 (ranging 33-64) years and their BMI 26.0 (ranging 21.1-36.5). Preoperative radiologic studies were obtained for all patients via either Doppler ultrasound or cross-sectional imaging to assess abdominal perforators. Abdominal SAL took place between 2 and 20 years before reconstruction. Results On average, 2.4 (ranging 1-4) perforators with a mean diameter of 0.68 mm (ranging 0.2-2.5 mm) were included per DIEP flap and anastomosed to the internal mammary arteries. Median follow-up period was 1.2 (ranging 0.5-9.6) years without any flap loss, flap necrosis, hematoma, or unplanned reoperation. One breast seroma and one fat necrosis occurred. All patients had a successful reconstruction and finished treatment at our institution. Conclusion Our results show that DIEP and SIEA flaps are safe and effective options for breast reconstruction in patients with previous abdominal SAL. Extensive preoperative patient evaluation and perforator imaging is important in identifying suitable candidates within this patient population.
A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial of a Mindful Eating Intervention for Post-menopausal Obese Women

This study examined the effects of a mindful eating intervention on health-related outcomes. Thirty-six obese, post-menopausal women were randomized to a 6-week mindful eating and living (MEAL) intervention or an active control group (CONT), consisting of nutritional counseling, goal setting, and group support. Additionally, there were ten monthly refreshers. Weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), binge eating, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed at baseline and four follow-up periods up to 1 year. Multilevel analyses showed that the MEAL group had reductions in weight, BMI, WHR, binge eating, IL-6, and CRP, and the CONT group had reductions in weight, BMI, and binge eating. The reductions in IL-6 and CRP were greater for the MEAL as compared with the CONT group. This study suggests that a mindfulness-based eating intervention may have various health benefits in post-menopausal women who are obese.
Big Data and Intelligence

This paper is a short introduction on Big Data for the RDA educational corner. The purpose of this presentation is to motivate a greater discussion of what is Big Data, how it is transforming the future of finance and what are the essential opportunities and concerns when using Big Data. “Intelligence” in Big Data is used to emphasize that mathematics is an essential part of the algorithmic and the statistical approaches we use when searching, estimating or seeking answers to our problems when we use the power of IT, Mathematical Statistics with Big Data. While Mathematical and Statistical Intelligence embedded in numerous applications and studies seeking to bridge theoretical constructs and their numerical-computational realizations are well known, their integration as a complete system of automatic and learning know how (we may call AI, Learning Machines or what not and by any other name), is now expanded by systemic computing, data analytics and management to do much more with a lot less. However, in the long run, doing more without Intelligence, replacing intentionality by machine rationality, lead to an evolution where choices are no longer made but instead, are imposed by a data complexity and self-designed expert systems that may embed far greater risks than we can expect. In this case, without the power of a human intelligence and mathematical (objective) rationality, our search in BIG data are similar to seeking to go or be somewhere without a map to direct us.
In-school arts education and academic achievement: A child fixed effects approach

The aim of this study was to estimate the within-child associations of in-school arts education and achievement in reading and mathematics, using four waves of data (kindergarten, 1st-grade, 3rd-gr...
Preliminary female cervical spine injury risk curves from PMHS tests.

Abstract The human cervical spine sustains compressive loading in automotive events and military operational activities, and the contact and noncontact loading are the two primary impact modes. Biomechanical and anatomical studies have shown differences between male and female cervical spines. Studies have been conducted to determine the human tolerance in terms of forces from postmortem human subject (PMHS) specimens from male and female spines; however, parametric risk curves specific to female spines are not available from contact loading to the head-neck complex under the axial mode. This study was conducted to develop female-spine based risk curves from PMHS tests. Data from experiments conducted by the authors using PMHS upright head-spines were combined with data from published studies using inverted head-spines. The ensemble consisted of 20 samples with ages ranging from 29 to 95 years. Except one, all specimens sustained neck injuries, consisting of fractures to cervical vertebrae, and disruptions to the intervertebral disc and facet joints, and ligaments. Parametric survival analysis was used to derive injury probability curves using the compressive force, uncensored for injury and right censored for noninjury data points. The specimen age was used as the covariate. Injury probability curves were derived using the best fit distribution, and the ± 95% confidence interval limits were obtained. Results indicated that age is a significant covariate for injury for the entire ensemble. Peak forces were extracted for 35, 45, and 63 (mean) years of age, the former two representing the young (military) and the latter, the automobile occupant populations. The forces of 1.2 kN and 2.9 kN were associated with 5% and 50% probability of injury at 35 years. These values at 45 years were 1.0 kN and 2.4 kN, and at 63 years, they were 0.7 kN and 1.7 kN. The normalized widths of the confidence intervals at these probability levels for the mean age were 0.74 and 0.48. The preliminary injury risk curves presented should be used with appropriate caution. This is the first study to develop risk curves for females of different ages using parametric survival analysis, and can be used to advance human safety, and design and develop manikins for military and other environments.
Control Variates as a Variance Reduction Technique for Random Projections

Control variates are used as a variance reduction technique in Monte Carlo integration, making use of positively correlated variables to bring about a reduction of variance for estimated data. By storing the marginal norms of our data, we can use control variates to reduce the variance of random projection estimates. We demonstrate the use of control variates in estimating the Euclidean distance and inner product between pairs of vectors, and give some insight on our control variate correction. Finally, we demonstrate our variance reduction through experiments on synthetic data and the arcene, colon, kos, nips datasets. We hope that our work provides a starting point for other control variate techniques in further random projection applications.
States of Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology

The purposes of this chapter are (a) to situate current thinking on consciousness in the field of transpersonal psychology, (b) to formulate a distinction between states, levels, and stages of consciousness, and (c) to propose a heuristic model for the study of altered states of consciousness. Transpersonal psychology is concerned primarily with those aspects of human experience and behavior that lie beyond the personal, interpersonal, and social aspects studied in other psychological schools. Following Walsh and Vaughan (1980) in their distinction between transpersonal context, content, and process, I see the study of consciousness and its transformations as the central content area for transpersonal psychology.
Molekulare Diagnostik der HPV-Infektion

Carcinogenic human papillomaviruses (HPV) cause the majority of cervical cancers and other anogentical cancers. Large randomized trials have shown that HPV testing can be efficiently used for primary cervical cancer screening. Other applications include the triage of abnormal cytology results and the follow-up of women after treatment. Many assays have been developed to measure DNA, RNA, and proteins of HPV. The various tests can have very different applications. It is important to validate HPV assays before they are implemented in screening or clinical care.
Measuring Team Efficiency

In this chapter we discuss the limitation of the standard DEA models in estimating team and manager inefficiency. If all teams are efficient, the standard assumptions of the production frontier hold. However, if managerial inefficiency causes a team to lose a game that should have been won, another team wins a game that should have been lost. As a result, the departure from the frontier due to inefficiency leads to upward-biased estimates of the frontier and hence, downwardly biased efficiency estimates. Lins et al. (2003) first discussed this issue with respect to zero-sum gains in an analysis of the Olympic games. Collier et al. (2010b) provided a linear programming model to achieve the same correction.
The Determination of Free Ranging Rodent Activity by Telemetry

A method of longterm, continuous determination of free ranging rodent activity based upon detecting gross postural changes is described. Gross postural changes produce frequency modulation in a small, inexpensive transmitter that is also suitable for radio tracking. The sensitivity of this method allows the fine structure of activity patterns to be resolved to an extent not previously possible. A full sized template of a transmitter is included.
Vectorial capacity of North American Ixodes ticks.

Ixodes dammini, the vector of Lyme disease and babesiosis, is distributed in various locations in the northeastern quadrant of the United States and nearby Canada. The life cycle of this tick, which includes larval, nymphal, and adult stages, spans at least two years. The tick over-winters between larval and nymphal feeding. Horizontal transmission of pathogens is facilitated by a feeding pattern in which both the larval and nymphal stages feed on the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, and by a seasonal pattern of activity in which nymphs precede larvae. The species range appears to have expanded from a single island location, and has invaded new sites since the 1940s, some as recently as 1980. This increased abundance appears to be related to the increased abundance of deer, the preferred host of the adult stage. I. muris predominated in coastal Massachusetts before I. dammini became abundant, but is probably now extinct. I. scapularis, which is present in the southern U.S., is a poor vector of mouse parasites because about 90 percent of these immature ticks feed on lizards. To the extent that horizontal transmission occurs, we suggest that mice serve as the principal reservoir for the Lyme spirochete as well as Babesia microti.
Accurate Doppler Radar-Based Cardiopulmonary Sensing Using Chest-Wall Acceleration

This paper presents the theory and experimental results of a new method to significantly increase the detection accuracy of the human heartbeat rate using a continuous-wave Doppler radar. Traditionally, it is assumed that the chest wall displacement signal, which is recorded by the radar and used for heartbeat rate estimation, is a pure sine wave. In this paper, we use the fact that the displacement signal is a complex Gaussian function rather than a pure sine wave. This function shows a declining amplitude versus frequency; therefore, the heartbeat signal will be much weaker than the respiration signal and can be easily buried in the respiration's harmonics. However, by exploiting the chest wall acceleration instead of its displacement, the heartbeat signal is greatly amplified, leading to a significantly higher heartbeat rate detection accuracy. Recorded data from 12 healthy human subjects show an average heartbeat rate detection accuracy of more than 95% when compared with reference electrocardiogram recordings. The proposed technique is robust, simple, and requires minimum calculation resources which are important for online monitoring and power consumption reduction. Measurement results indicate its potential for being used in reliable non-contact heartbeat rate monitoring systems.
Remote Sensing of CDOM, CDOM Spectral Slope, and Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Global Ocean.

A Global Ocean Carbon Algorithm Database (GOCAD) has been developed from over 500 oceanographic field campaigns conducted worldwide over the past 30 years including in situ reflectances and coincident satellite imagery, multi- and hyperspectral Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) absorption coefficients from 245–715 nm, CDOM spectral slopes in eight visible and ultraviolet wavebands, dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC, respectively), and inherent optical, physical, and biogeochemical properties. From field optical and radiometric data and satellite measurements, several semi-analytical, empirical, and machine learning algorithms for retrieving global DOC, CDOM, and CDOM slope were developed, optimized for global retrieval, and validated. Global climatologies of satellite-retrieved CDOM absorption coefficient and spectral slope based on the most robust of these algorithms lag seasonal patterns of phytoplankton biomass belying Case 1 assumptions, and track terrestrial runoff on ocean basin scales. Variability in satellite retrievals of CDOM absorption and spectral slope anomalies are tightly coupled to changes in atmospheric and oceanographic conditions associated with El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), strongly covary with the multivariate ENSO index in a large region of the tropical Pacific, and provide insights into the potential evolution and feedbacks related to sea surface dissolved carbon in a warming climate. Further validation of the DOC algorithm developed here is warranted to better characterize its limitations, particularly in mid-ocean gyres and the southern oceans.
Vasopressin therapy in cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a naturally occurring peptide with diverse effects mediated through selective V1 and V2 receptors. About 10% of patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass develop postoperative vasodilatory shock requiring high-dose catecholamines. We sought to examine the role of AVP therapy in cardiac surgery. METHODS A search of Medline was conducted through September 2018 using key words and medical subject headings (MeSH) relating to AVP, copeptin, and cardiac surgery. A systematic review was performed on articles as they pertained to AVP for use as a vasopressor after cardiovascular surgery complicated by vasodilatory shock. RESULTS A relative or absolute deficiency of Arginine vasopressin is associated with vasodilatory shock after cardiopulmonary bypass. Physiologic replacement with exogenous Arginine vasopressin results in significant increases in systemic vascular resistance and mean arterial pressure with decreased requirements of catecholamines. At doses of <0.1 U/min Arginine vasopressin is safe with very few adverse effects. CONCLUSION Post-cardiopulmonary bypass vasodilatory shock is largely due to a relative deficiency of Arginine vasopressin. Exogenous administration of low-dose Arginine vasopressin alone or in combination with traditional catecholamines is a safe and effective way to manage this type of vasodilatory shock.
Mountain plant communities: Uncertain sentinels?

Mountain plant communities are thought to be sensitive to climate change and, thus, able to reveal its effects sooner than others. The status as sentinels of two plant communities are reviewed. Alp...
Calcium transcriptionally regulates movement, recombination and other functions of Xylella fastidiosa under constant flow inside microfluidic chambers

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited bacterial pathogen causing devastating diseases in many economically important crops. Calcium (Ca) is a major inorganic nutrient in xylem sap that influences virulence-related traits of this pathogen, including biofilm formation and twitching motility. This study aimed to adapt a microfluidic system, which mimics the natural habitat of X. fastidiosa, for whole transcriptome analysis under flow conditions. A microfluidic chamber with two parallel channels was used, and RNA isolated from cells grown inside the system was analysed by RNA-Seq. Ca transcriptionally regulated the machinery of type IV pili and other genes related to pathogenicity and host adaptation. Results were compared to our previous RNA-Seq study in biofilm cells in batch cultures (Parker et al., 2016, Environ Microbiol 18, 1620). Ca-regulated genes in both studies belonged to similar functional categories, but the number and tendencies (up-/downregulation) of regulated genes were different. Recombination-related genes were upregulated by Ca, and we proved experimentally that 2 mM Ca enhances natural transformation frequency. Taken together, our results suggest that the regulatory role of Ca in X. fastidiosa acts differently during growth in flow or batch conditions, and this can correlate to the different phases of growth (planktonic and biofilm) during the infection process.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis with Coexisting Rotator Cuff Tear: A Nationwide Review of Records from 2005 to 2014.

Rotator cuff tear (RCT) and cervical spinal stenosis (CSS) are common pathologies in the elderly. Both conditions may present with lateral shoulder pain and weakness or numbness of the upper extremity, potentially affecting patients' ability to live independently. Few data are available on the incidence of CSS among patients with concurrent RCT. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of CSS among RCT patients, demographics, and surgical management using a national insurance database. The Medicare database was used to identify patients with RCT and concomitant CSS by ICD-9 codes from 2005-2014. Trends based on age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) were assessed. Utilization of open and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR) was compared. A total of 86,501 patients were identified. The number of patients diagnosed with RCT and CSS significantly increased (p 65 years (OR 1.64, 96% CI 1.61 to 1.67). A BMI of 30-40 kg/m2 demonstrated the highest incidence (43%, p 65 years with several medical comorbidities. Further investigation into the influence of these concurrent pathologies on patient outcomes is warranted.
Basal Ganglia: Functional Models of Normal and Disease States

The basal ganglia are subcortical nuclei which participate in circuits that also involve cortex and thalamus. Details of the anatomic composition of these circuits and functional models describing their involvement in motor control, reward processing, procedural learning, and other behavioral functions are beginning to be understood. We provide a description and critical evaluation of these models, and describe their use in understanding abnormalities of basal ganglia function in movement disorders and other diseases of basal ganglia origin. Over the past decade, the pathophysiologic models have had a substantial impact on the development of pharmacologic and surgical treatments for movement disorders.
Chapter 21 – Insights into Heme-based O2 Sensing from Structure–Function Relationships in the FixL Proteins

FixL proteins are bacterial heme-containing signal transduction proteins responsible for sensing the O2 concentration in the organism's environment. In Sinorhizobium meliloti, FixL is a protein histidine kinase that, together with its response regulator FixJ, constitute an oxygen-sensitive switch for regulation of the organism's nitrogen fixation and microaerobic respiration genes. The O2 sensitivity of the switch is such that it transitions during the process of symbiosis in alfalfa roots. Bradyrhizobium japonicum FixL similarly regulates microaerobic and anaerobic respiration genes during symbiosis in soybean roots. FixLs responds to low oxygen concentrations with increased autophosphorylation activity of their kinase domains. The phosphorylated FixL provides a phosphoryl group to FixJ within a FixLJ complex. The phosphorylated FixJs are transcriptionally active toward their target genes. The FixL kinase domain is inhibited when the heme in FixL is oxygenated. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of ligand binding to both ferrous and ferric FixLs have shown a generally low affinity for ligands relative to myoglobins. These relatively low ligand affinities are attributable almost completely to diminished rates of ligand binding. The heme and its environment in liganded and unliganded FixLs have been characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, resonance Raman spectroscopy, EXAFS, and X-ray crystallography. These studies have revealed that in the purified proteins, the heme is converted from a six-coordinate low spin state to a five-coordinate high spin state upon O2 release. Comparisons of spectroscopic and structural characteristics of deoxyFixL with oxy-FixL, met-FixL–CN, FixL–CO, and FixL–NO complexes indicate that distal affects in the heme pocket are, at least in part, responsible for communicating the ligation state of the heme to the kinase domain. The mechanisms by which ligand binding events are communicated from the heme to the kinase domain involve propagation and/or amplification of the ligation-coupled conformational transitions of the heme and its immediate protein environment. More recently, time-resolved experiments examining the non-equilibrium, ligand-coupled dynamics initiated by O2, CO, and NO photolysis from the corresponding FixL complexes have begun to shed light on the landscape of the switching coordinate. Site specific mutation of a number of amino-acid residues in the region of the heme environment have also provided valuable insight into the initial stages of the signal transduction event. Current thinking and understanding of the mechanism for signal transduction in the FixLJ systems are discussed in the context of these physical investigations.
Novel nanobiosensor based protease biomarkers for early detection and prognosis of pancreatic cancers.

e16787Background: Identifying novel biomarkers for early detection and prognosis would allow for improved survival outcomes in pancreatic cancer (PC). Arginase has been implicated in tumorigenesis ...
Behavior of a buried wye fitting under hydrostatic test with and without crotch plate reinforcement-case study and finite element analysis

Abstract This paper presents a failure case study of a field hydrostatic test that was performed on a buried 2700 mm (108 in.) in-diameter, 30-degree steel wye fitting under a pressure of 1.34 MPa (195 psi). The wye design had been modified from its original design by removing the joint reinforcement and increasing its thickness and yield stress due to fabrication and installation complications, a process commonly used in practice. During the hydrostatic testing, failure was observed both in the steel pipe and the inner lining. Rigorous three-dimensional linear and nonlinear finite element analyses (FEA) of the modified and original design were performed and results were compared. The FEA results are validated with data from field measurements and observations from the hydrostatic testing. Results show excessive yielding and plastic deformation in the modified design; while the original design presents acceptable results. The results of current study emphasize the importance of nonlinear FEA in design and analysis of complicated joints, such as large diameter wyes and tees, which is commonly avoided in practice.
On the Number of Affine Equivalence Classes of Boolean Functions and q -Ary Functions

Let ${R}_{q}({r},{n})$ be the ${r}$ th order ${q}$ -ary Reed-Muller code of length ${q}^{n}$ , which is the set of functions from ${\mathbb {F}}_{q}^{n}$ to ${\mathbb {F}}_{q}$ represented by polynomials of degree $\le {r}$ in ${\mathbb {F}}_{q}[{X}_{1}, {\dots },{X}_{n}]$ . The affine linear group $AGL({n},{\mathbb {F}}_{q})$ acts naturally on ${R}_{q}({r},{n})$ . We derive two formulas concerning the number of orbits of this action: (i) an explicit formula for the number of AGL orbits of ${R}_{q}({n}({q}-1),{n})$ , and (ii) an asymptotic formula for the number of AGL orbits of ${R}_{2}({n},{n})/{R}_{2}(1,{n})$ . The number of AGL orbits of ${R}_{2}({n},{n})$ has been numerically computed by several authors for ${n}\le 31$ ; the binary case of result (i) is a theoretic solution to the question. Result (ii) answers a question by MacWilliams and Sloane.
Funding the Unfunded Non-Mandate: An Equal Justice Case for Adequate Funding of Public Defense

Federal and state courts have failed to fully address inadequate funding for public defenders as a hurdle to the right to effective assistance of counsel—as opposed to the right to mere assistance of counsel. Courts view denials of this right as due process violations and embark on individualistic analyses. However, precedent indicates that equal protection, which is inherently comparative and provides for a more systemic lens, also comes into play with the right to be represented by an attorney when facing the full weight of the criminal justice system. By reframing the issue and moving the discussion from due process to equal protection, advocates seeking relief for public defender offices and their clients can take advantage of—and reframe court understanding of—studies demonstrating that, as currently funded, public defenders cannot adequately represent their clients in line with their ethical obligations.
Positive flow cytometry crossmatch with discrepant antibody testing results following COVID-19 vaccination.

The impact of COVID-19 vaccination on the alloimmunity of transplant candidates is unknown. We report a case of positive B cell flow cytometry crossmatch in a patient waiting for second kidney transplantation, 37 days after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The preliminary crossmatch, using sample collected before COVID-19 vaccination, was negative. The antibodies to mismatched donor HLA-DR7 were detected only with multi-antigen beads but not with single-antigen beads, excluding possible prozone effects in solid-phase antibody assays. The crossmatches were positive with HLA-DR7-positive surrogates (n = 2) while negative with HLA-DR7-negative surrogates (n = 3), which confirms the HLA-DR7 alloreactivity. The antigen configurations on B lymphocytes are similar to that on the multi-antigen beads while distinct from the single-antigen beads. HLA-DR7 was the repeating mismatched antigen with the failing first kidney allograft. The newly emerged antibody to HLA-DR7 probably is the consequence of bystander activation of memory response by the COVID-19 vaccination. This case highlights the importance of verifying allo-sensitization history and utilizing multiple assays, including cell-based crossmatch and solid-phase assays with multi-antigens. COVID-19 immunization may deserve special attention when assessing the immunological risk before and after organ transplantation.
Integrated CCS Pre-Feasibility Study For Western Nebraska

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has conducted a pre-feasibility study for a commercial-scale carbon dioxide (CO2) geologic storage complex in western Nebraska, integrated with potential CO2 capture at the coal-fired Gerald Gentleman Station (GGS). This pre-feasibility project has been executed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CarbonSAFE (Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise) Program, where projects are required to demonstrate the potential to capture and store at least 50 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 over a minimum 25-year operational period. Using publicly available data, this study has shown that western Nebraska has potential to host a commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. However, three key challenges would need to be overcome. Firstly, the business case for deploying CCS projects is uncertain; recently announced federal tax credits and sales for enhanced oil recovery might not cover full project costs. Secondly, the potential dedicated storage site defined in this study is at a low level of readiness to support a CCS project. Thirdly, public outreach would be a vital element in western Nebraska, where sensitivities around such environmental issues as water resource protection and pipeline construction would need to be carefully addressed.
Validating and Calibrating the Highway Capacity Manual Arterial Travel Time Reliability Methodology

The 6th edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM6) introduced a methodology for estimating and forecasting arterial travel time (TT) distributions (TTD) and their associated travel time reliabil...
High-Value Health Care: Perspectives from the Sex- and Gender-based Care Lens

The quadruple aim consists of four goals: healthier people, smarter spend, better care, and joy in work. Achieving the quadruple aim means providing evidence-based care that is cost-effective, avoiding low-value care, reducing inequity within the population, and putting patients first. Systems engineering, including process improvement and care teams in advanced medical homes, helps to achieve these goals, as do increasing the proportion of the population who is insured and addressing social determinants. Pay-for-value contracts and public reporting are additional forces that encourage value over volume yet are external to provider and hospital organizations. Providers can play an important role in improving high-value care through both clinical work and advocacy for policies that support women’s health and sex- and gender-based medicine.
Experiencing the Afterlife: Soul and Body in Dante and Medieval Culture

Experiencing the Afterlife provides the first sustained analysis of popular, vernacular depictions of the afterlife written in Italy before the Divine Comedy by authors such as Uguccione da Lodi, Glacomino da Verona, and Bonvesin da la Riva. Manuele Gragnolati uses his readings of these poets to provide a new interpretation of Dante's work. Combining elements from several disciplines, he investigates the richness of high medieval eschatology and the concept of personal identity it expresses. Gragnolati is particularly concerned with how the notions of body and pain characteristic of medieval spirituality and devotion inform the eschatological representations of the time, especially in their paradoxical urge to stress at once the physical experience of the separated soul and the final necessity of bodily resurrection. By integrating lesser-known texts and scholarship from other disciplines into the specialized field of Dante studies, Gragnolati sheds new light on some of the most vigorously debated and crucial questions raised by the Divine Comedy, including the embryological discourse of Purgatorio 25, the relation between the soul's experience of pain in Purgatory and the devotion that late medieval culture expressed toward Christ's suffering, and the significance of the audacious vision of resurrected bodies that Dante the pilgrim enjoys at the end of his journey. At the same time, Gragnolati brings these questions back into contemporary discussions of medieval eschatology and opens new perspectives for current and future work on embodiment and identity. Scholars and students of Dante and Italian studies, as well as those in medieval history, religion, culture, and art history, will be rewarded by the fresh insights contained in Experiencing the Afterlife.
Novel optico‐acoustic nondestructive testing for wire break detection in cables

SUMMARY A novel optico-acoustic sensing system based on digital image correlation (DIC), guided ultrasonic waves (GUW), and acoustic emission (AE) and its application in detecting breaks on seven-wire steel strands is presented. The implementation of the emerging optical nondestructive testing (NDT) method of DIC in parallel with established acoustic NDT techniques enables the cross-correlation/validation of in situ recorded information related to progressive damage accumulation, which is the focal point of this research. To the authors' best knowledge, it is the first time that full field strain accumulations have been obtained on the surface of the seven-wire strands. Furthermore, acoustic waveforms and their extracted features are found complementary to full field strain measurements and prove capable to detect damage initiation in critical structural sites (‘hot spots’). To demonstrate the potential of the novel NDT system, pristine and prenotched strands were loaded using a mechanical testing frame while simultaneously recording DIC, GUW, and AE data. The DIC and GUW were acquired and excited at specific load intervals to avoid overlapping of GUW with AE activity. The reported DIC results directly reveal strain accumulations at the notched areas prior to breaking, whereas AE waveforms and related features show sudden changes at time instances that correspond to wire breaks. In addition, the GUW signals show a decrease in their amplitude upon progressive load of the strands and wave speed variations. Detailed post-processing of the acoustic results was performed to cross-correlate recorded information from novel optico-acoustic sensing system and create methodologies for effective data filtering, alignment, synchronization, and fusion (through unsupervised pattern recognition techniques) that could lead to robust damage identification in structural health monitoring applications. The results demonstrate for the first time that the use of full field strains in correlation with acoustic techniques visually validates the damage source location and, in turn, enhances the damage predictive capabilities of each NDT method for prestressed and post-tensioned cables found in stay cable bridges. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pregnancy and vaginal delivery following radical surgery for cancer of the vulva; review of the literature and case report.

Abstract The literature on pregnancy and delivery following radical surgery for vulvar malignancy is reviewed. Of 2,864 reported cases of radical vulvectomy, subsequent pregnancy is mentioned for only four patients. Three of the four were delivered by cesarean section. The fourth was delivered vaginally six and nine years after operation. An additional patient who had a vaginal delivery is reported, and the factors which influenced her management are presented. Pregnancy exerted no apparent deleterious effects as far as the previous malignancy was concerned.
HPC++ and the HPC++Lib toolkit

The High Performance C++ consortium is a group that has been working for the last two years on the design of a standard library for parallel programming based on the C++ language. The consortium consists of people from research groups within Universities, Industry and Government Laboratories. The goal of this effort is to build a common foundation for constructing portable parallel applications. The design has been partitioned into two levels. Level 1 consists of a specification for a set of class libraries and tools that do not require any extension to the C++ language. Level 2 provides the basic language extensions and runtime library needed to implement the full HPC++ Level 1 specification.
Lambda Red-mediated recombinogenic engineering of enterohemorrhagic and enteropathogenic E. coli

The λ Red recombineering technology has been used extensively in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium for easy PCR-mediated generation of deletion mutants, but less so in pathogenic species of E. coli such as EHEC and EPEC. Our early experiments with the use of λ Red in EHEC and EPEC have led to sporadic results, leading to the present study to identify factors that might improve the efficiency of Red recombineering in these pathogenic strains of E. coli. In this report, we have identified conditions that optimize the use of λ Red for recombineering in EHEC and EPEC. Using plasmids that contain a Ptac-red-gam operon and a temperature-sensitive origin of replication, we have generated multiple mutations (both marked and unmarked) in known virulence genes. In addition, we have easily deleted five O157-specific islands (O-islands) of EHEC suspected of containing virulence factors. We have examined the use of both PCR-generated substrates (40 bp of flanking homology) and plasmid-derived substrates (~1 kb of flanking homology); both work well and each have their own advantages. The establishment of the hyper-rec phenotype requires only a 20 minute IPTG induction period of red and gam. This recombinogenic window is important as constitutive expression of red and gam induces a 10-fold increase in spontaneous resistance to rifampicin. Other factors such as the orientation of the drug marker in recombination substrates and heat shock effects also play roles in the success of Red-mediated recombination in EHEC and EPEC. The λ Red recombineering technology has been optimized for use in pathogenic species of E. coli, namely EHEC and EPEC. As demonstration of this technology, five O-islands of EHEC were easily and precisely deleted from the chromosome by electroporation with PCR-generated substrates containing drug markers flanked with 40 bp of target DNA. These results should encourage the use of λ Red recombineering in these and other strains of pathogenic bacteria for faster identification of virulence factors and the speedy generation of bacterial mutants for vaccine development.
Social factors in creating an integrated capability for health system modeling and simulation

The health system is a complex system of systems – changes in agriculture, transportation, economics, family life, medical practices, and many other things can have a profound influence on health and health costs. Yet today, policy-level investment decisions are frequently made by modeling individual systems in isolation. We describe two sets of issues that we face in trying to develop a platform, method, and service for integrating expert models from different domains to support health policy and investment decisions. The first set of questions concerns how to develop accurate social and behavioral health models and integrate them with engineering models of transportation, clinic operations, and so forth. The second set of questions concerns the design of an environment that will encourage and facilitate collaboration between the health modelers themselves, who come from a wide variety of disciplines.
Perioperative Management of Antithrombotic Therapy in Common Otolaryngologic Surgical Procedures: State of the Art Review

ObjectiveThe perioperative management of patients undergoing otolaryngologic procedures is increasingly complicated by the use of newer antithrombotic agents. Furthermore, with advances in anesthesia and surgical technique, otolaryngologists are presented with the challenge of operating on patients with advanced comorbid diseases. The objective of this review is to provide evidence-based recommendations on perioperative antithrombotic management for common otolaryngologic procedures.Data SourcesPubMed/MEDLINE.Review MethodsSelected literature on patient-specific thromboembolic risk, rate of bleeding complications in otolaryngologic procedures, and the interruption of antithrombotic therapy is reviewed and interpreted by expert opinion.ConclusionsBy stratifying patients into either low thromboembolic risk (≤5%) or high thromboembolic risk (>5%) and interpreting this in the context of procedural bleed risk and potential clinical consequences in the event of a bleed, otolaryngologists can make evidence-based...
Geometry Modification of Flywheels and its Effect on Energy Storage

This paper examines the influence of various geometric configurations of flywheels on kinetic energy storage performance using finite element analysis. Historically flywheels have been used in various applications. From such applications as pottery wheels to steam engines, flywheels have been used to store mechanical energy. Currently, in the ever expanding world of green energy development, flywheel energy storage systems provide an alternative source of energy storage that does not harm the surrounding environment. But when it comes to overall efficiency, e.g., manufacturing, reduced energy loss, in providing energy to the public, there is always a need for a more cost effective energy storage system. As such, this paper analyzes various geometric configurations of flywheels for the purposes of utilization as an energy storage source alternative. In particular, this is focused on the fact that reducing the amount of materials needed to produce the greatest amount of energy, i.e., high energy density, is needed for a flywheel energy storage system. In the analysis, the key parameters for each flywheel configuration are considered to examine the flywheel energy storage performance. These parameters are polar moment of inertia for determining the energy capacity of the flywheel, the shape factor for each cross section and maximum stress in the flywheel with its corresponding maximum angular velocity for each cross section. With all analytical results in terms of those parameters, an optimal flywheel system will be determined.