cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Microbiota of Recreational Freshwaters and the Implications for Environmental and Public Health.

The microbial communities in recreational freshwaters play important roles in both environmental and public health perspectives. In this study, the bacterial community structure and its associations with freshwater environments were investigated by analyzing the summertime microbiomes of three beach waters in Ohio (East Fork, Delaware, and Madison lakes) together with environmental and microbial water quality parameters. From the swimming season of 2009, 21 water samples were collected from the three freshwater beaches. From the samples, 110,000 quality-checked bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained and analyzed, resulting in an observation of 4,500 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The most abundant bacteria were Mycobacterium and Arthrobacter of the Actinobacteria (33.2%), Exiguobacterium and Paenisporosarcina of the Firmicutes (23.4%), Planktothrix and Synechococcus of the Cyanobacteria (20.8%), and Methylocystis and Polynucleobacter of the Proteobacteria (16.3%). Considerable spatial and temporal variations were observed in the bacterial community of Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes, where the bacterial community structure was greatly influenced by hydrological and weather conditions. The most influential factors were 1) water inflow for Bacteroidia and Clostridia, 2) turbidity for Gammaproteobacteria, 3) precipitation for Bacilli, and 4) temperature and pH for Cyanobacteria. One noticeable microbial interaction in the bacterial community was a significant negative relationship between Cyanobacteria and Bacilli (P < 0.05). Concerning beach water quality, the level of the genetic markers for cyanobacterial toxin (mcyA) was linked to the abundance of Cyanobacteria. In addition, unique distributions of the genera Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Finegoldia, Burkholderia, and Klebsiella, together with a high density of fecal indicator E. coli, were markedly observed in the sample from Madison Lake on July 13, suggesting a distinctly different source of bacterial loading into the lake, possibly fecal contamination. In conclusion, deep sequencing-based microbial community analysis can provide detailed profiles of bacterial communities and information on potential public health risks at freshwater beaches.
Urease activity in two cultivated and non-cultivated arid soils

Since urease activity in soil is believed to be relatively constant, the present study was designed to examine the effects of incubation, soil depth and the effect of cultivation on the persistence of urease activity in arid soils. Two soils were used, a Harkey (coarse, silty, mixed, calcareous, thermic, Typic Torrifluvent) and a Saneli (Clayey over sandy skeletal, montmorillonitic, calcareous, Vertic Torrifluvent), each consisting of a cultivated field and a non-cultivated roadbed site. Urease activity was much lower and more varable in the roadbed soils (40 years without cultivation) than in the cultivated field soils. Pre-incubation for 24 h with urea (with toluene) and without urea (without toluene) greatly reduced the total urease activity in all cases in relation to “cell free” urease activity (with toluene). Urease activity in the two field soils decreased slightly with profile depth but the decrease was greatest below the plow depth (33 cm). Protease activity or some inactivation processes must have lowered the urease content since there was substantially reduced urease activity after most pre-incubations. The extent of the urease activity decrease was so great that the addition of urea would have been required to increase the production of urease enzyme.
Divergent Effects of Notch Signaling On Leukemia Stem Cells and Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Abstract 395 The Leukemia Stem Cell (LSC) hypothesis proposes that a subset of the cells in the bulk tumor cell population is responsible for leukemia maintenance and propagation. We tested the LSC hypothesis in murine T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL) induced by retroviruses expressing strong gain-of-function Notch1 alleles. This model is relevant to human disease, as Notch1 is activated in ∼70% of human T-ALLs. By transferring sorted leukemia cells to syngeneic secondary recipients at limiting dilution, we found that LSC activity was enriched in the CD8+CD4-HSAhi (Immature Single Positive or “ISP”) T-cell subset. The LSC frequency was ∼1 in 1000 cells, two orders of magnitude higher than in the CD8+CD4+ (Double positive or “DP”) T-cell subset. We found similar results in a KrasG12D-driven T-ALL mouse model where activating Notch mutations occur spontaneously in ∼80% cases. Surprisingly, we were unable to isolate Notch-activated hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to test for LSC activity. Upon further analysis, we observed that activation of Notch in HSPCs caused loss of stem cell quiescence and progressive, complete loss of long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) over several weeks. Notch signals had no significant effects on stem cell homing, apoptosis, or senescence. Similar results were obtained in both noncompetitive and competitive secondary transplants as well as in a mouse model in which Notch activation is conditionally induced in HSCs by Cre recombinase. We conclude that while Notch signaling promotes LSC activity, it extinguishes HSCs. These results provide a rationale for therapeutic targeting of the ISP-like T-cell subset in Notch-activated T-ALL while underscoring the potential difficulty of manipulating Notch signaling to expand normal, long-term stem cell populations for clinical applications. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Falcipains and Other Cysteine Proteases of Malaria Parasites

A number of cysteine proteases of malaria parasites have been described and many more are suggested by analysis of the Plasmodium falciparum genome sequence. The best characterized of these proteases are the falcipains, a family of four papain-family enzymes. Falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 act in concert with other proteases to hydrolyze host erythrocyte hemoglobin in the parasite food vacuole. Disruption of the falcipain-2 gene led to a transient block in hemoglobin hydrolysis and parasites with increased sensitivity to protease inhibitors. Disruption of the falcipain-3 gene was not possible, strongly suggesting that this protease is essential for erythrocytic parasites. Disruption of the falcipain-1 gene did not alter development in erythrocytes, but led to decreased production of oocysts in mosquitoes. other papain-family proteases predicted by the genome sequence include dipeptidyl peptidases, a calpain homolog and serine-repeat antigens (SERAs). Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase 1 appears to be essential and localized to the food vacuole, suggesting a role in hemoglobin hydrolysis. Dipeptidyl aminopeptidase 3 appears to play a role in the rupture of erythrocytes by mature parasites. the P. falciparum calpain homolog gene could not be disrupted, suggesting that the protein is essential and a role in the parasite cell cycle has been suggested. Nine P. falciparum SERAs have cysteine protease motifs, but in some the active site cys is replaced by a Ser. Gene disruption studies suggested that SERA-5 and SERA-6 are essential. activation of SERA-5 by a serine protease seems to be required for merozoite egress from the erythrocyte. New drugs for malaria are greatly needed and cysteine proteases represent potential drug targets. cysteine protease inhibitors have demonstrated potent antimalarial effects and the optimization and testing of falcipain inhibitor antimalarials is underway.
More than Just the Numbers: Fisher v. Texas and the Impact of Texas's Top Ten Percent Law

Data — actual facts — demonstrate that Texas’s Top Ten Percent Law (“TTPL”) is insufficient to achieve diversity in the state’s universities and colleges. A significant amount of TTPL students graduated from hyper-segregated schools where African-American and Latino/a students, combined, comprised 80% or more of the total school population. Also, a substantial amount of these hyper-segregated schools had an economically disadvantaged student population exceeding the state average of 60.2%. Even with these numbers, however, Caucasian students were the majority racial group admitted to the University of Texas at Austin (“UT”) via TTPL in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Thus, this essay concludes, as did the brief, that “racial isolation in schools is a perverse and insufficient means to attain diversity in higher education.” Part one gives background about the TTPL — the underlying law at issue in Fisher v. Texas. Part two contrasts statewide enrollment data and TTPL admissions data. Part three focuses on regional TTPL data, specifically Region 4 (Houston), which produces the highest rate of students that are automatically admitted to UT. The final part analyzes the data and TTPL’s impact on UT’s holistic admissions process — the underlying issue in Fisher v. Texas. From this analysis, part four demonstrates that UT needs TTPL and its holistic process to combat racial and socio-economic isolation which precludes diversity within racial groups.
Histopathology of Cerebral Ischemia and Stroke

Abstract Ischemic stroke is a serious neurological problem and one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. The histopathological consequences of stroke are complex and may result in a variety of deficits including severe motor and cognitive disturbances. The histopathological consequences of severe focal ischemia are well described with characteristic structural changes occurring in both gray and white brain regions depending on the severity, location, and duration of the ischemic insult. Following focal ischemic injury, neuronal, astrocytic, vascular endothelial, and inflammatory cell changes occur. In white mater tracts, axonal injury with oligodendrocyte damage and subsequent demyelination are also commonly observed. In contrast, less severe or more transient ischemic insults can lead to patterns of selective neuronal injury whereby vulnerable neuronal populations are destroyed without damage to neighboring cells or robust inflammatory responses are induced. The appreciation of these diverse histopathological characteristics associated with periods of cerebral ischemia emphasize the complexity of the pathogenesis of ischemic damage and serve as a basis for drug discovery to identify effective treatments for stroke prevention and treatment.
Psychosocial impact of prostate cancer surgery on sexual intimacy

e20685 Background: Prostate cancer survivors live with the day-to-day consequences of the disease and its treatment. Prostate cancer, has been labeled a “relationship disease” because it impacts both partners. Traditional research does not include psychosocial aspects of sexual well-being. We designed a retrospective survey asking patients’ and their partners’ about the physiologic and psychosocial changes experienced after prostate cancer treatment. Methods: The study design is a cross sectional retrospective mailing sent to men treated surgically for prostate cancer. Questions related to physiologic changes centered around foreplay, libido, erection, orgasm and ejaculation while emotional status, relationship/partnership quality, self image, and social support comprised the psychological questions. Of the total 47 items, 18 items assessed the above concepts in binary fashion while the remaining 29 used a Likert scale. Results: After obtaining IRB approval, we mailed consents to 368 men. Only 65 men ackn...
Opportunities and Challenges in Designing Participant-Centric Smoking Cessation System

Smoking is one of the most challenging behavioral health problems. In the past, failed quit attempts have been attributed to factors including stress, presence of smoking cues, and negative affect – most of which were self-reported and prone to recall-bias. The first step in designing effective smoking cessation systems is to objectively identify factors that contribute to lapse. In our research, we collected physiological data utilizing wearable sensors from a four day pre-quit, post-quit study (N=55). We also collected self-report measures (n=3120), which offer rich contextual information about users' social, emotional, geographical, and physiological conditions. Analysis of collected data informed the design of MyQuitPal, a participant-centric cessation support system, which aims to assist individuals to better understand their smoking behavior. The design of MyQuitPal is also grounded on theories of long term health-behavior change. We believe our research advances understanding of complexities and opportunities surrounding the design of smoking cessation systems.
Meteorite constraints on Martian atmospheric loss and paleoclimate

Abstract The evolution of Mars' atmosphere to its currently thin state incapable of supporting liquid water remains poorly understood and has important implications for Martian climate history. Martian meteorites contain trapped atmospheric gases that can be used to constrain both the timing and effectiveness of atmospheric escape processes. In this paper, measurements of xenon isotopes in two ancient Martian meteorites, ALH 84001 and NWA 7034, are reported. The data indicate an early episode of atmospheric escape that mass fractionated xenon isotopes culminated within a few hundred million years of planetary formation, and little change to the atmospheric xenon isotopic composition has occurred since this time. In contrast, on Earth atmospheric xenon fractionation continued for at least two billion years ( Pujol et al., 2011 ). Such differences in atmospheric Xe fractionation between the two planets suggest that climate conditions on Mars may have differed significantly from those on Archean Earth. For example, the hydrogen escape flux may not have exceeded the threshold required for xenon escape on Mars after 4.2–4.3 Ga, which indicates that Mars may have been significantly drier than Earth after this time.
Intra-actions that matter: Building for practice in a Liberal Arts science course

My previous exploration of material culture, outlined in Chap. 2, really activated my thinking about how I might apply my interest in instruments as material culture into a course of study that had the goal of reengaging undergraduate learners with science. In this chapter, I make a case for using phenomenology and feminist theory to build a curriculum that seeks to value the learning of the students in the course and describe the phenomena I produced in the process.
Special Issue: Genomic Data in Pathogenic Fungi

This special issue, "Genomic Data in Pathogenic Fungi," focuses on the genomics of human and plant pathogens. Efforts like this are important because so little information about these organisms is available.[...].
Bovine Seminal Vesiculitis: A Review and Update

Seminal vesiculitis is the most common inflammatory condition affecting the reproductive tract of the bull. It represents a serious source of economic loss. This ailment is frequently seen in young peripubertal bulls and occasionally in older bulls, and it can negatively affect semen quality. Multiple etiologic agents have been cultured from seminal vesiculitis cases. Medical therapy is often unsuccessful; however, surgrey offers some hope for selected young bulls.
Dietary Fiber: A Glance into the Future

The idea of physiological benefits deriving from dietary fiber is not new. Burkitt (1986) has reviewed the genesis of what we now call the dietary fiber hypothesis going back to Hippocrates and citing workers in the 19th and early 20th centuries who contributed to the progress in the field. However, until the middle 1950’s most studies of or allusions to fiber were concerned primarily with its laxative properties. Surgeon-Captain T. L. Cleave (1956) pointed out the overall metabolic role(s) of diets low or high in complex carbohydrates. His work influenced the later observations of Burkitt and Trowell whose writings, together with those of A.R.P. Walker laid the groundwork for the modern phase of this developing field. The popular fiber era in the United States was ushered in by the paper by Burkitt, Walker and Painter (1974) which pointed out differences in health conditions between the United States and Africa and showed where fiber intake might impinge upon these differences. Whereas a number of investigators had been concerned with effects of dietary fiber before 1974, the Burkitt, Walker and Painter paper brought dietary fiber to the attention of lay and professional audiences.
Growth inhibition of Neurospora by canavanine, and its reversal.

Canavanine, an amino acid from jack beans, was discovered by Kitagawa and coworkers in 1929 (1, 2). The substance is not combined in the proteins of the seed, but occurs in the free state, and makes up 2.5 per cent of the dry weight of jack beans (3). In a series of papers available to the authors for the most part in abstract only, the Japanese workers have reported extensive investigations into the chemistry and physiology of the substance. The structure of canavanine was established by Gulland and Morris (4) and by Kitagawa and Takani (5) as NH2•C(:NII)•NII•O•CH2•CH2•CHNH2•COOH. Natural canavanine is of the L configuration (6).
Should a patient with rheumatoid arthritis be a kidney donor

We cared for a woman with sero-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in clinical remission on oral methotrexate (MTX) and hydroxychloroquine, who wished to donate a kidney to a brother with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We could find scant literature about this unusual clinical circumstance, and therefore review pertinent aspects of renal disease in RA, perioperative medical management, maintenance of disease remission, outcomes for RA patients who have donated kidneys, and relevant ethical issues. Renal complications in RA are not uncommon, with as many as 50% of patients at risk of reduced eGFR. This reflects anti-rheumatic and analgetic medication use (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, DMARDs [cyclosporine and, historically, d-penicillamine and gold compounds], and others), glomerulitis, interstitial nephritis, complicating Sjogren’s syndrome, vasculitis, or amyloidosis, and/or emergence of an “overlap” syndrome or other rheumatic disorder. The literature suggests that MTX need not be interrupted for surgery. The risk of perioperative infection to our patient would be low and remission should be sustained. We are aware of one study of six patients with RA who donated kidneys; they experienced no complications, ESRD, or deaths after a median follow-up of 8.2 years. Our ethical responsibilities are to balance patient autonomy of decision-making while assuring clinical beneficence and minimizing potential maleficence. Our perspective was that it would not be unreasonable to support this patient donating a kidney if, when fully informed, that remained her wish.
Long-Term Outcomes of Constrained Liners Cemented into Retained, Well-Fixed Acetabular Components.

Background Cementation of a constrained liner is a viable option for treating instability after total hip arthroplasty (THA) when the acetabular component is well fixed and well aligned. However, concerns regarding long-term mechanical failure and recurrent instability remain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term survivorship, complications, and clinical and radiographic outcomes of constrained polyethylene liners cemented into well-fixed acetabular components at the time of revision THA. Methods We identified 125 cases in which a constrained liner of 1 design was cemented into a retained, osseointegrated acetabular component during revision THA between 1998 and 2006. The mean patient age at revision was 70 years. Mean follow-up was 7 years. Survivorship data, risk of instability, and clinical and radiographic outcomes were analyzed. Results Survivorship free from revision for instability was 86% at 5 years and 81% at 10 years. Survivorship free from aseptic acetabular component revision was 78% at 5 years and 65% at 10 years, with the most common failure mechanism being dissociation of the constrained liner from the acetabular component. Survivorship free from revision for any reason was 76% at 5 years and 60% at 10 years. The most common complications were instability and periprosthetic joint infection, with cumulative incidences at 7 years of 18% and 11%, respectively. Harris hip scores did not significantly improve. Cup position did not affect implant survivorship or risk of dislocation. Conclusions Cementing a constrained liner into a retained acetabular shell at the time of revision THA has durable long-term results, with 8 in 10 patients free from instability at 10 years. Aseptic acetabular survivorship was worse (65%) at 10 years, primarily due to dissociation of the constrained liner from the acetabular component. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Efficient HIV-1 Trans Infection of CD4+ T Cells Occurs in the Presence of Antiretroviral Therapy.

Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically improved the quality of life of people with HIV-1 infection (PWH). However, it is not curative, and interruption of ART results in rapid viral rebound. Cell-to-cell transfer of HIV-1, or trans infection, is a highly efficient mechanism of virus infection of CD4+ T cells by professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), that is, dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and B lymphocytes. Methods APC from HIV seronegative donors treated with ART in vitro (CCR5 agonist, NRTI, PI and NNRTI, alone or in combination), were loaded with HIV R5-tropic HIVBal and mixed with autologous or heterologous CD4+ T lymphocytes to assess trans infection. Ex vivo APC from chronic HIV-infected MACS participants before and after initiation of ART, were also loaded with HIV R5-tropic HIVBal and tested for trans infection against autologous or heterologous CD4+ T lymphocytes. Virus replication was measured by p24 ELISA. Results Here we show in vitro that antiretroviral drugs did not block the ability of DCs and B cells to trans-infect CD4+ T cells, although they were effective in blocking direct cis infection of CD4+ T cells. Moreover, ex vivo DCs and B cells from ART-suppressed PWH mediated efficient HIV-1 trans infection of CD4+ T cells, which were resistant to direct cis infection. Conclusions Our study supports a role for HIV-1 trans infection in maintenance of the HIV-1 reservoir during ART.
A Delphi approach to land use forecasting

The fundamental classification of approaches to forecasting has been the distinction between exploratory and normative directions of forecasting. According to Dr. H. W. Lanford, Associate Professor of Management at Wright State University, the exploratory direction of forecasting leads from the present situation along possible lines of development to future states. It is ‘the process of developing a forecast of future parameter performance based on a study of past parameter development and the present state-of-the-art.’
Supporting Storytelling With Evidence in Holistic Review Processes: A Participatory Design Approach

Review processes involve complex and often subjective decision-making tasks in which individual reviewers must read and rate submissions, such as a college application, along many relevant dimensions and typically with a rubric in mind. A common part of the work is committee review, where individual reviewers meet to discuss the merits of a particular submission in order to recommend an accept or reject decision. Prior work indicates that visualization and sensemaking support may be beneficial in such processes where reviewers must present the "story" of the applicant under question. We conducted a series of participatory design workshops with reviewers in the domain of holistic college admissions to better understand the challenges and opportunities regarding storytelling. Based on these workshops, we contribute a characterization for how reviewers in this domain construct visual stories, we provide guidance for designing for evidence capture and storytelling, and we draw parallels and distinctions between this domain and other reviewing domains.
Regional Brain Recovery from Acute Synaptic Injury in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Rhesus Macaques Associates with Heme Oxygenase Isoform Expression.

Brain injury occurs within days in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and some recovery may occur within weeks. Inflammation and oxidative stress associate with such injury, but what drives recovery is unknown. Chronic HIV infection associates with reduced brain frontal cortex expression of the antioxidant/anti-inflammatory enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and increased neuroinflammation in individuals with cognitive impairment. We hypothesized that acute regional brain injury and recovery associate with differences in regional brain HO-1 expression. Using SIV-infected rhesus macaques, we analyzed multiple brain regions through acute and chronic infection (90 days postinfection [dpi]) and quantified viral (SIV gag RNA), synaptic (PSD-95; synaptophysin), axonal (neurofilament/neurofilament light chain [NFL]), inflammatory, and antioxidant (enzymes, including heme oxygenase isoforms [HO-1, HO-2]) markers. PSD-95 was reduced in the brainstem, basal ganglia, neocortex, and cerebellum within 13 dpi, indicating acute synaptic injury throughout the brain. All areas except the brainstem recovered. Unchanged NFL was consistent with no acute axonal injury. SIV RNA expression was highest in the brainstem throughout infection, and it associated with neuroinflammation. Surprisingly, during the synaptic injury and recovery phases, HO-2, and not HO-1, progressively decreased in the brainstem. Thus, acute SIV synaptic injury occurs throughout the brain, with spontaneous recovery in regions other than the brainstem. Within the brainstem, the high SIV load and inflammation, along with reduction of HO-2, may impair recovery. In other brain regions, stable HO-2 expression, with or without increasing HO-1, may promote recovery. Our data support roles for heme oxygenase isoforms in modulating recovery from synaptic injury in SIV infection and suggest their therapeutic targeting for promoting neuronal recovery.IMPORTANCE Brain injury induced by acute simian (or human) immunodeficiency virus infection may persist or spontaneously resolve in different brain regions. Identifying the host factor(s) that promotes spontaneous recovery from such injury may reveal targets for therapeutic drug strategies for promoting recovery from acute neuronal injury. The gradual recovery from such injury observed in many, but not all, brain regions in the rhesus macaque model is consistent with the possible existence of a therapeutic window of opportunity for intervening to promote recovery, even in those regions not showing spontaneous recovery. In persons living with human immunodeficiency virus infection, such neuroprotective treatments could ultimately be considered as adjuncts to the initiation of antiretroviral drug therapy.
Effect of BaCO3 Impurities on the Structure of BaTiO3 Nanocrystals: Implications for Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors

Miniaturization and optimization of high capacitance multilayer ceramic capacitors and other composite opto-electronic devices is driving development of smaller and smaller oxide nanocrystals with ...
Proton widths and spectroscopic factors in F 19 at E x = 8 – 11 MeV

For states of $^{19}\mathrm{F}$ from ${E}_{x}=8.1$ to 10.9 MeV, I have examined the proton spectroscopic factors from the reaction $^{18}\mathrm{O}(d,n)$ and compared them with spectroscopic factors computed from the proton widths. Even though the widths cover a range greater than a factor ${10}^{5}$, the two sets of spectroscopic factors agree to within about a factor of 2.
Inheriting from a Daughter Pulse: Coherence Eradication in Soliton Self-Mode Conversion

We demonstrate how > 100 kW peak power solitons in a multi-mode fiber can experience complete degradation of shot-to-shot coherence due to an ultra-low power noise seed in a different spatial mode.
Climate, landscape diversity, and food sovereignty in arid Australia: The firestick farming hypothesis

OBJECTIVE Climate change has long been recognized as a significant driver of dietary diversity and dietary quality. An often overlooked aspect of climate change are shifts in fire regimes, which have the potential to drastically affect landscape diversity, species distributions, and ultimately, human diets. Here, we investigate whether the fire regimes shaped by Indigenous Australians change landscape diversity in ways that improve dietary quality, considering both the diversity and the quantity of traditional foods in the diet. METHODS We use structural equation modeling to explore two causal models of dietary quality, one focused on the direct effects of climate change and resource depression, the other incorporating the dietary effects of landscape diversity, itself a product of fire-created patchiness. We draw on a focal camp dataset covering 10 years of observations of Martu foraging income in the Western Desert of Australia. RESULTS We find strong support for the hypothesis that fire-created patchiness improves diet quality. Climate change (cumulative 2-year rainfall) has only an indirect effect on dietary quality; the availability of traditional foods is mediated primarily through the landscape diversity shaped by fire. CONCLUSIONS Our model suggests that the loss of the indigenous fire mosaic may lead to worsening availability of traditional foods, measured as both caloric intake and diet diversity. Because the effects of rainfall are mediated through landscape diversity, increased rainfall may not compensate for the recent changes in fire regimes resulting from the loss of Aboriginal fire from the landscape.
Advance Demand Information, Price Discrimination, and Preorder Strategies

This paper studies the preorder strategy that a seller may use to sell a perishable product in an uncertain market with heterogeneous consumers. By accepting preorders, the seller is able to obtain advance demand information for inventory planning and price discriminate the consumers. Given the preorder option, the consumers react strategically by optimizing the timing of purchase. We find that accurate demand information may improve the availability of the product, which undermines the seller's ability to charge a high preorder price. As a result, advance demand information may hurt the seller's profit due to its negative impact for the preorder season. This cautions the seller about a potential conflict between the benefits of advance demand information and price discrimination when facing strategic consumers. A common practice to contain consumers' strategic waiting is to offer price guarantees that compensate preorder consumers in case of a later price cut. Under price guarantees, the seller will redu...
Comparing the Original 1933, IS-LM (LP) Model of Keynes With the Advanced Version of February, 1936 Contained in Chapter 21 of the General Theory

Keynes’s original IS-LM (LP) model of 1933, although a major conceptual breakthrough, was technically and mathematically flawed because Keynes incorporated realized and expected variables in the same set of equations. Keynes had solved this problem by early 1936 by formulating a completely new model that David Champernowne and Brian Reddaway had never seen or heard of before in Keynes’s lectures between 1933 and 1935 – the D-Z model of chapters 20 and 21. Keynes provided a brief introduction, outline and summary of the D-Z model on pages 24-32 of chapter 3 of the General Theory. The D-Z model focused exclusively on expectations and uncertainty. The IS-LM (LP) model focused exclusively on the realized, actual outcomes taking place in the economy in the Goods and Money sectors. The labor market, production function, marginal optimizing conditions and theory of the firm, with uncertainty and profit expectations integrated into the formal model, was done within the framework of the D-Z model in chapters 20 and 21. Both Kahn and Joan Robinson had no inkling about what was transpiring in chapters 20 and 21 of the General Theory. Keynes’s final IS-LM(LP) model represents a major improvement over Keynes’s first exposition of his IS-LM model in December, 1933. Keynes’s consumption function, C, has an explicit marginal propensity to consume incorporated and investment multiplier defined. The variable, Y, is explicitly incorporated into the LM (LP) equation,M=L, as M=L(Y,r).
Network structure and requirements crowdsourcing for OSS projects

Crowdsourcing system requirements enables project managers to elicit feedback from a broader range of stakeholders. The advantages of crowdsourcing include a higher volume of requirements reflecting a more comprehensive array of use cases and a more engaged and committed user base. Researchers cite the inability of project teams to effectively manage an increasing volume of system requirements as a possible drawback. This paper analyzes a data set consisting of project management artifacts from 562 open-source software (OSS) projects to determine how OSS project performance varies as the share of crowdsourced requirements increases using six measures of effectiveness: requirement close-out time, requirement response time, average comment activity, the average number of requirements per crowd member, the average retention time for crowd members, and the total volume of requirements. Additionally, the models measure how the impact of increasing the share of crowdsourced requirements changes with stakeholder network structure. The analysis shows that stakeholder network structure impacts OSS performance outcomes and that the effect changes with the share of crowdsourced requirements. OSS projects with more concentrated stakeholder networks perform the best. The results indicate that requirements crowdsourcing faces diminishing marginal returns. OSS projects that crowdsource more than 70% of their requirements benefit more from implementing processes to organize and prioritize existing requirements than from incentivizing the crowd to generate additional requirements. Analysis in the paper also suggests that OSS projects could benefit from employing CrowdRE techniques and assigning dedicated community managers to more effectively channel input from the crowd.
Homosexualité, Islam et désacralisation du pouvoir royal dans Le jour du Roi d'Abdellah Taïa

Dans Le jour du Roi, Abdellah Taia explore le theme d’une alterite assujettie a un intraduisible enferme dans un aspect politico-symbolique : celui a la fois de s’exprimer dans la langue de l’autre et celui d’exprimer des relations homo-erotiques et homosexuelles vecues au Maroc sous le regne d’Hassan II. Or, ce discours revele l’instabilite d’un modele d’identification confronte a un dispositif sexuel normalisant les corps et les esprits, ou la societe surveille et participe a une discipline hetero-normative de l’homosexualite en punissant toute deviation rendue publique ou visible sous le regard symbolique du roi du Maroc. Ceci semble parvenir a destabiliser toute identification avec « l’Autre comme moi », en s’introduisant dans l’intimite meme des deux jeunes protagonistes du roman et en imposant une hetero-normativite sur un amour homo-erotique qui ne pouvait se resoudre que par l’annihilation d’une des deux parties et ainsi au meurtre de l’Autre mais de l’Autre comme moi. Ce fratricide remonte aux mythes fondateurs en Islam et renvoie particulierement au meurtre originel qui se differencie et s’emancipe du modele oedipien, traduisant a ce titre une conception differente de l’amour du « Meme » et d’une homosexualite identitaire occidentale a pretention universaliste.
Strategies for Increasing Biodiversity Conservation in Cities Using Wastelands: Review and Case Study

Urban wastelands have great potential for promoting biodiversity. As many cities shrink in size, these unused areas will continue to increase while available revenues for land maintenance will decrease. Managing such wastelands in ways that promote biodiversity, such as encouraging spontaneous vegetation and ecological succession, reduces maintenance costs while also providing many environmental and social benefits to the urban population. I reviewed the literature since March 2014 and found 31 studies of factors that influence biodiversity in urban wastelands. There is a strong geographic bias toward studies in North America (15) and Europe (10), and a taxonomic bias toward arthropods (16), plants (11), and birds (6). These studies often show that wastelands contain as much, and often more, biodiversity than other urban green spaces. Consistent with a previous review, local factors (area, age, soil, microclimate, and previous and current land use) are dominant influences on biodiversity in wastelands, with landscape factors often playing a secondary role. Next, I discuss how these factors have played a role in the Knoxville Urban Wilderness (KUW) project which has been very successful in acquiring and managing a variety of wasteland parcels to achieve economic and ecological goals. Examples of their application include increasing land acquisition (more area and spatial habitat diversity including soils and microclimates), increasing connectivity (greenways and trails), and maintaining the parcels in different stages of ecological succession. These efforts have undoubtedly contributed significantly to the biodiversity of this urban region. For example, although the KUW occupies a tiny fraction (688 ha) of Knox County, roughly two-thirds of Knox County bird species utilize the KUW, and about 13% of known threatened species in Knox County have been recorded in the KUW. I also briefly discuss how the KUW has successfully coordinated the acquisition and management of many parcels of vacant land, worked with many stakeholder groups, greatly increased public exposure to biodiversity, and contributed over $8 million to the local economy each year.
Effect of water addition to super/sub-critical fluid mobile-phases for achiral and chiral separations

Abstract Use of water as an additive in sub/supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is becoming more common. Water can significantly modify mobile-phase properties by increasing the polarity and also acting as an additional source of H-bonding - resulting in novel selectivities. Addition of water to SFC mobile-phases increases its solvating power allowing the technique to work with highly polar analytes previously thought to be out-of-scope. A lesser discussed but equally important consequence of water addition is the role it plays in modulating analyte interactions with the stationary-phase. These interactions can be beneficial in terms of having better peak shape, increased efficiency and lesser retention time. Early studies that used water in neat CO2 bear testimony to this observation. This review discusses all these aspects of incorporating water in SFC mobile-phases and aims to elucidate the topic for wider acceptance and further investigation.
NASA Integrated Services Environment

This slide presentation will begin with a discussion on NASA's current distributed environment for directories, identity management and account management. We will follow with information concerning the drivers, design, reviews and implementation of the NISE Project. The final component of the presentation discusses processes used, status and conclusions.
An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of School-Based Breastfeeding Education

School-based interventions aimed at modifying the knowledge, attitudes, social norms, and intended future practice regarding breastfeeding may be an effective way of improving breastfeeding rates. A systematic review of relevant literature was conducted to identify scientifically rigorous studies on school-based interventions and promotion activities that focus on breastfeeding. Of the 1990 citations reviewed, only 6 empirical articles on school-based interventions to promote breastfeeding were found and these interventions vary greatly in terms of format, duration, outcome measures, and significance of the results. Overall, these studies demonstrated positive effects on perceptions and attitudes toward breastfeeding and increased behavioral intention of breastfeeding later in life. School-based breastfeeding promotion programs hold promise for increasing knowledge of breastfeeding and support for breastfeeding, promoting positive attitudes, creating a culture where breastfeeding is the norm, and increasing future intentions to breastfeed.
Collaborative treatment of traumatized children and teens: The trauma systems therapy approach.

Introduction: Trauma Systems Therapy for Child Traumatic Stress. Part I: Foundations. Survival Circuits: The Neurodevelopmental Foundations of TST. The Regulation of Emotional States: How Child Traumatic Stress is a Disorder of the Regulation of Emotional States. The Social Environment and System of Care: Traumatic Stress Responses are Embedded in a Social Context. Signals of Care: The Importance of Caring Relationships for Traumatized Children. Part II: Getting Started. Ten Treatment Principles: The Principles That Guide TST. Assessment: How to Assess Child Traumatic Stress. Treatment Planning: How to Plan for Child Traumatic Stress Interventions. The Treatment Team: How to Build a Multidisciplinary Treatment Team (and Keep it Going!). Part III: Doing Trauma Systems Therapy. Ready-set-go: How to Engage a Family in TST. Stabilization on Site: Community-based Care to Help Kids Stay in their Homes and Schools. Systems Advocacy: Integrating Advocacy into Critical Treatment. Psycho-pharmacology: How Psycho-pharmacology is Integrated within TST. Emotion Regulation Skills: How to Help Children Regulate Emotional States. Cognitive Processing Skills: How to Help Children Think and Talk About Their Traumatic Experiences. Meaning-making Skills: How to Help Children Make Meaning Out of their Traumatic Experiences and Move On with their Lives. Conclusions: Leaving a Better System. Appendices: TST Treatment Planning Form. Emotional Regulation Guide. Systems Advocacy Screener. Cognitive Coping Log. Goal-setting Guide.
Efficient and accurate construction of genetic linkage maps from noisy and missing genotyping data

We introduce a novel algorithm to cluster and order markers on a genetic linkage map, which is based on several theoretical observations. In most cases, the true order of the markers in a linkage group can be efficiently computed from the minimum spanning tree of a graph. Our empirical studies confirm our theoretical observations, and show that our algorithm consistently outperforms the best available tool in the literature, in particular when the genotyping data is noisy or in case of missing observations.
Echoes of a Storyteller

This is a film review of Echoes of a Storyteller (2010). This film review is available in Journal of Religion & Film: http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol15/iss1/5 This documentary film introduces us to the people of Kyrgyzstan and the epic poem of Manas. The poem follows the life of Manas, who fought to unite forty tribes into one nation. The oral poem presents the history and culture of the Kyrgyz people. It is memorized by Manaschi, storytellers, and has been handed down from generation to generation. Whether Manas really existed or not seems to depend upon to whom you speak. But the poem does capture the history and culture of a people for over one thousand years, even though its origins are wrapped in a sense of mystery. The Manaschi have prophetic dreams and tell the story of Manas with an enthusiasm and fervor that goes beyond mere recitation. The mentors of those who wish to become Manaschi look closely to see which candidates go beyond mere memorization and recitation. Only those who can recite the poem with heart are considered to be true Manaschi. The search for Manaschi with heart is required because of the spiritual nature of the poem. The Kyrgyz believe that Manas was sent by God to unite the various tribes and to protect the Kyrgyz people. Their faith in Manas is part of what holds the Kyrgyz people together. That faith holds the Kyrgyz together not only as tribes, but as a people facing new political realities and cultural changes. Most of the Kyrgyz are Muslim, so the Manas poem includes elements of Islam. But faith in Manas goes beyond Islam and provides the Kyrgyz with a faith and tradition independent of Islam, even if closely wedded to it. 1 Blizek: Echoes of a Storyteller Published by DigitalCommons@UNO, 2012 This is a film that not only introduces us to a little known people and the faith that unites them, but it is a film that raises many of the important questions of religion and culture. Will the Kyrgyz young people maintain the tradition of the Manas? Will the oral tradition be lost? How important is the continued oral recitation of the Manas? How important is the expression of culture and faith to the identity of a people? Will the Kyrgyz or any other group survive the onslaught of global culture? What happens to us as human beings when we lose our unique identity and become like “everyone else”? The film does not raise these and similar questions explicitly, but the viewer cannot but help ask such questions while watching the film. 2 Journal of Religion & Film, Vol. 15 [2012], Iss. 1, Art. 5 http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol15/iss1/5
Pontosubicular necrosis and hyperoxemia.

Pontosubicular necrosis (PSN) is confined to a short perinatal developmental period and is apparently related to asphyxia at birth. Neuronal necrosis with karyorrhexis and proliferative changes in astrocytes are most prominent in the pontine gray matter and subiculum of the hippocampus. We have observed a striking association of PSN in neonates with high arterial blood oxygen (Po2) levels during the first week of life. All autopsies performed on neonates in 1977 at Magee-Womens Hospital (University Health Center of Pittsburgh) were reviewed, and all 64 neonates who survived long enough to have multiple Po2 determinations were studied. All had severe hypoxia, respiratory distress, and/or apnea. Twenty-seven (group I) did not have Po2 levels higher than 150 torr whereas 37 (group II) had Po2 levels higher than 150 torr for a sustained period. PSN was not seen in group I; it was prominent in group II. PSN was most severe between the gestational ages of 26 to 36 weeks. Hyperoxemia may decrease cerebral blood flow selectively at this critical phase of development or there may be a greater sensitivity to the toxic action of high blood oxygen levels in the presence of acidosis and hypoxia. A combination of these factors seems most probable.
Solar-wind flow past the planets earth, Mars, and Venus

Numerical analysis of solar wind interactions with nonmagnetic planets based on equations of magnetohydrodynamics for perfect gas
Chronic platelet activation and acute coronary syndromes in 13 middle- aged patients

We report on clinical, laboratory, and angiographic findings that appear to characterize a group of 13 middle-aged patients who suffered acute coronary syndromes (ACS) despite little angiographic evidence of atherosclerotic heart disease (ASHD) or other risk factors. Nine of the 13 were ≤46 years of age and the rest ranged to 59 years. All had evidence of platelet disorders (PD): seven had chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), one had familial thrombocytopenia, and five had other disorders affecting platelets. Evidence of long-standing chronic platelet activation was the common feature of the group, as found by (i) elevated platelet microparticles (PMP), (ii) thrombocytopenia, and (iii) enhanced procoagulant activity of plasma. Data on the 7 with ITP were compared to 20 ITP without ACS: the former had higher PMP (p < 0.01) and platelet-associated IgM (p < 0.05) relative to the ITP patient controls. Another set of patient controls consisted of 20 ACS with documented ASHD: although activation indicators we...