cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
QCD technology: Light-cone quantization and commensurate scale relations

I discuss several theoretical tools which are useful for analyzing perturbative and non-perturbative problems in quantum chromodynamics, including (a) the light-cone Fock expansion, (b) the effective charge {alpha}{sub v}, (c) conformal symmetry, and (d) commensurate scale relations. Light-cone Fock-state wavefunctions encode the properties of a hadron in terms of its fundamental quark and gluon degrees of freedom. Given the proton's light-cone wavefunctions, one can compute not only the quark and gluon distributions measured in deep inelastic lepton-proton scattering, but also the multi-parton correlations which control the distribution of particles in the proton fragmentation region and dynamical higher twist effects. Light-cone wavefunctions also provide a systematic framework for evaluating exclusive hadronic matrix elements, including timelike heavy hadron decay amplitudes and form factors. The {alpha}{sub v} coupling, defined from the QCD heavy quark potential, provides a physical expansion parameter for perturbative QCD with an analytic dependence on the fermion masses which is now known to two-loop order. Conformal symmetry provides a template for QCD predictions, including relations between observables which are present even in a theory which is not scale invariant. Commensurate scale relations are perturbative QCD predictions based on conformal symmetry relating observable to observable at fixed relative scale. Such relationsmore » have no renormalization scale or scheme ambiguity.« less
Time horizons, lattice structures, and welfare in multi-period matching markets

Abstract We analyze a T-period, two-sided, one-to-one matching market without monetary transfers. Under natural restrictions on agents' preferences, which accommodate switching costs, status-quo bias, and other forms of inter-temporal complementarity, dynamically stable matchings exist. We propose a new ordering of the stable set ensuring that it forms a lattice. We investigate the robustness of dynamically stable matchings with respect to the market's time horizon and frequency of rematching opportunities.
THE PROBLEM WOUND: A KNEE IS NOT A HIP

Obtaining primary wound healing in Total Joint Arthroplasty (TJA) is essential to a good result. Wound healing problems can occur and the consequences can be devastating to the patient and to the surgeon. Determination of the host healing capacity can be useful in predicting complications. Cierney and Mader classified patients as Type A: no healing compromises and Type B: systemic or local healing compromises factors present. Local factors include traumatic arthritis with multiple previous incisions, extensive scarring, lymphedema, poor vascular perfusion, and excessive local adipose deposition. Systemic compromising factors include diabetes, rheumatic diseases, renal or liver disease, immunocompromise, steroids, smoking, and poor nutrition. In high risk situations the surgeon should encourage positive patient choices such as smoking cessation and nutritional supplementation to elevate the total lymphocyte count and total albumin. Careful planning of incisions, particularly in patients with scarring or multiple previous operations, is productive. Around the knee the vascular viability is better in the medial flap. Thusly, use the most lateral previous incision, do minimal undermining, and handle tissue meticulously. We do all potentially complicated TKAs without tourniquet to enhance blood flow and tissue viability. The use of peri-operative anticoagulation will increase wound problems. If wound drainage or healing problems do occur immediate action is required. Deep sepsis can be ruled out with a joint aspiration and cell count [less than 2500], differential [less than 60% polys], and negative culture and sensitivity. All hematomas should be evacuated and necrosis or dehiscence should be managed by debridement to obtain a live wound.
Digital Computers for Trial-Load Analysis of Arch Dams

In stress analysis of concrete dams use of "trial-load method" means time-consuming, laborious computations; programming of these operations for electronic computer results in saving of time and costs, making this method of analysis more effective in design of arch dams; table gives summary of arch data prepared for use in trial-load studies and amount of machine time which is required for each type of analysis.
Improving Health Through Nutrition Research: An Overview of the U.S. Nutrition Research System

This report explores the structure and function of the U.S. nutrition research system, with an emphasis on trends in Federal support. It describes how nutrition research is used, especially for nutrition education and communication, but also for regulation and food assistance. The report uses the Human Nutrition Research Information Management database maintained by the National Institutes of Health to analyze long-term trends. Federal investments in nutrition research grew from 1985 to 2009 in real terms, but the portfolio of research changed. Over time, the share of nutrition research support by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services increased while support by the U.S. Department of Agriculture decreased. This shift changed how research topics were selected and funded within the Federal portfolio. More research is funded through competitive grants than through intramural or formula funding, and a broader set of academic institutions now participates in nutrition research.
Long-Time Creep in a Pure-Gum Rubber Vulcanizate: Influence of Humidity and Atmospheric Oxygen

Long-time creep of natural rubber cured with a sulfur-accelerator recipe containing no filler can be conveniently represented by a plot of (E - E 1)/E 1 = ΔE/E 1 with a double-abscissa scale showing log t and t. E is the elongation at any time t, after application of the load, and E 1 its value at unit time. Experimental data conform to the equation except for a more rapid rise preceding rupture. The constants A and B can be evaluated from only three observations-at the longest time (about 70 days), at one minute, and at an intermediate time. ΔE/E 1 is approximately linear with log t when t is less than 0.1(A/B) and approximately linear with t when t is greater than 4.343(A/B). The observed modulus was about 1.4 MPa and A was about 2.4 percent/(unit log t) when the atmosphere was a vacuum, dry N2, or dry air. The modulus was lowered very slightly and A became about 4 percent/(unit log t) when the air was saturated with water. B was raised from about 2 × 10-5 percent/min to about 20 × 10-5 percent/min when the vacuum or dry N2 was replaced by dry air and to about 50 × 10-5 percent/min when the air was saturated with moisture. A is considered to be related to physical relaxation, while B corresponds to a chemical reaction, probably oxidative degradation.
Natural Products Containing Hydrogen Sulfide Releasing Moieties

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is now recognized as an important biological molecule that plays diverse roles in various (patho)physiological conditions. Endogenous H2S, or its misregulation, has been associated with a variety of aspects of human health, including diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, inflammation, neurodegeneration, sepsis, and asthma. Motivated by the potential use of H2S-donating molecules as both investigative and therapeutic tools, researchers are developing new types of slow-releasing H2S donor molecules that mimic the slow, continuous H2S release characteristic of enzymatic production. In addition to synthetic H2S donors, many natural products contain functional groups well known to release sulfide. Here we provide an overview of natural products that contain such functional groups, with an emphasis on organic polysulfides, to highlight the diversity of these structures and also to outline possible areas of future research on pharmacologically relevant H2S donors derived from natural products. 1 Introduction 2 Polysulfide-Containing Natural Products 2.1 Linear Polysulfides 2.2 Cyclic Polysulfides 2.3 Epidithiodioxopiperazines 2.4 Enediyne-Containing Trisulfides 3 Leinamycin 4 Other Disulfides and Thiols Implicated in Hydrogen Sulfide Generation 5 Conclusions and Prospects
On the number of anchored rectangle packings for a planar point set

Abstract We consider packing axis-aligned rectangles r 1 , … , r n in the unit square [ 0 , 1 ] 2 such that a vertex of each rectangle r i is a given point p i (i.e., r i is anchored at p i ). We explore the combinatorial structure of all locally maximal configurations. When the given points are the lower-left corners of the rectangles, the number of maximal packings is shown to be at most 2 n C n , where C n is the nth Catalan number. The number of maximal packings remains exponential in n when the points may be arbitrary corners of the rectangles. Both upper bounds are complemented with exponential lower bounds. Finally, we define the graph of all lower-left anchored maximal rectangle packings, where the edges correspond to elementary operations between two packings, which leads to an output sensitive algorithm for computing these packings.
The Social Construction of Theoretical Landscapes: Some Economics of Economic Theories

Economic theory emerges through interaction among interested participants, with the content of those theories being a product of spontaneous ordering and not scientific planning. At any moment, it is reasonable to expect various theoretical formulations to be in play, some typically receiving greater attention than others. As with spontaneous orders in general, the institutional arrangements within which theorizing occurs are influential though not determinative over the characteristics of theories. In this respect, a distinction is made between theories directed at understanding social processes as open and creative and theories directed at controlling what are treated as closed and deterministic processes. This distinction is illustrated with respect to theorizing about macro phenomena and public phenomena.
A Simplified Procedure for Calculating the Effects of Daylight from Clear Skies

A simplified procedure is described for calculating daylight illumination at any point within a room under clear sky conditions, which is consistent with the CIE recommended daylight factor method. A validation case study is presented in order to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed calculation procedure and to give readers a direct reference for future use.
Accuracy of Gates in a Quantum Computer Based on Vibrational Eigenstates

A model is developed to study properties of a quantum computer that uses vibrational eigenstates of molecules to implement the quantum information bits and shaped femtosecond laser pulses to apply the quantum logic gates.
Magnesium coordination-directed n-selective stereospecific alkylation of 2-pyridones, carbamates, and amides using α-halocarboxylic acids.

A general inversion-stereospecific, N-selective alkylation of substituted 2-pyridones (and analogues), amides, and carbamates using chiral α-chloro- or bromocarboxylic acids in the presence of KOt-Bu (or KHMDS) and Mg(Ot-Bu)2 is reported. The resulting α-chiral carboxylic acid products were isolated by crystallization in good chemical yields and in high ee (>90% ee). Mechanistic evidence suggests that the reaction proceeds through 2-pyridone O-coordinated Mg carboxylate intermediates, which afford the product through an intramolecular SN2 alkylation.
Environmental and occupational exposure to chemicals and telomere length in human studies

Telomeres are complexes of tandem repeats of DNA (5'-TTAGGG-3') and protein that cap eukaryotic chromosomes and play a critical role in chromosome stability. Telomeres shorten with aging and this process can be accelerated by increased oxidative stress and episodes of inflammation. Evidence is rapidly growing that telomere length (TL) may be affected by environmental chemicals that have frequently been associated with chronic diseases. In this article, we review the published data on TL in relation to environmental and occupational exposure to several chemicals based on our own and others' studies. The environmental and occupational exposures associated with shorter TL include traffic-related air pollution (ie, particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC), and benzene and toluene), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), N-nitrosamines, pesticides, lead, exposure in car mechanical workshops, and hazardous waste exposure. Arsenic, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and short-term exposure to PM are associated with longer TL. We discuss the possible reasons for the differences in results, including time- and dose-related issues, study design, and possible mechanisms involved in telomere regulation. We also discuss the future directions and challenges for TL-related environmental and occupational health research, such as investigation of TL in subpopulations of blood leukocytes, and the study of genetic and epigenetic factors that may regulate telomere integrity using longitudinal designs.
Enhanced spontaneous emission in photonic hypercrystals

We demonstrate a new class of nanostructure termed photonic hypercrystal which combines properties of photonic crystals and metamaterials. Enhanced radiative decay by factor of 20 and light extraction by 100 is observed from embedded quantum dots.
The impact of beetle-induced conifer death on stand-scale canopy snow interception

Bark beetles have killed more than 100,000 km 2 of pine forest in western North America, causing trees to lose the majority of their canopy material and potentially leading to enhanced subcanopy snow accumulation. Over a 45-day period, we tested this hypothesis by measuring daily snow accumulation in three living and two dead lodgepole pine stands and in three adjacent clearings. The largest clearing was selected as our reference clearing based on previous studies. At maximum premelt snow water equivalent (SWE), this clearing had accumulated 50.4-cm SWE, while 45.6-cm SWE accumulated under dead stands and 38.1-cm SWE accumulated under living stands. Dead stand snowpacks were both denser and deeper than those in living stands. We attribute higher subcanopy accumulation under dead stands, compared to living stands, to diminished canopy snow interception and sublimation. Storm-scale canopy interception was also estimated by comparing SWE in forests and clearings before and after storm events. Over 10 storms, dead and living stands intercepted 18 and 41% of snowfall, respectively. The amount of interception increased linearly with storm size in the living stands, but not dead stands. We estimate more than half of snow falling on living stands sublimated, with measurably less sublimation in dead stands.
Insights into electrochemical reactions from ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy.

ConspectusThe understanding of fundamental processes in the bulk and at the interfaces of electrochemical devices is a prerequisite for the development of new technologies with higher efficiency and improved performance. One energy storage scheme of great interest is splitting water to form hydrogen and oxygen gas and converting back to electrical energy by their subsequent recombination with only water as a byproduct. However, kinetic limitations to the rate of oxygen-based electrochemical reactions hamper the efficiency in technologies such as solar fuels, fuel cells, and electrolyzers. For these reactions, the use of metal oxides as electrocatalysts is prevalent due to their stability, low cost, and ability to store oxygen within the lattice. However, due to the inherently convoluted nature of electrochemical and chemical processes in electrochemical systems, it is difficult to isolate and study individual electrochemical processes in a complex system. Therefore, in situ characterization tools are requ...
Prognostic factors in patients with poor-risk germ-cell tumors: a retrospective analysis of the Indiana University experience from 1990 to 2014

BACKGROUND Based on the risk stratification from the International Germ Cell Cancer Collaborative Group (IGCCCG), only 14% of patients with metastatic germ-cell tumors (GCT) had poor-risk disease with a 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 41% and a 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of only 48%. This analysis attempts to identify prognostic factors for patients with poor-risk disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients with GCT diagnosed and treated at Indiana University from 1990 to 2014. Clinical and pathological characteristics were available for all patients and all of them were treated with cisplatin-etoposide-based chemotherapy. Cox proportional hazards models were used to target significant predictors of disease progression and mortality. A significance level of 5% was used in the analysis. RESULTS We identified 273 consecutive patients with poor-risk GCT (PRGCT). Median follow-up time was 8 years (range 0.03-24.5). The 5-year PFS and OS rates were 58% [95% confidence interval (CI) 51% to 63%] and 73% (95% CI 67% to 78%), respectively. In multivariate survival analyses, multiple risk factors were associated with disease progression, including liver metastasis, brain metastasis, primary mediastinal nonseminomatous GCT (PMNSGCT), and elevation in logarithmic β-hCG. Significant predictors of mortality were PMNSGCT [hazard ratio (HR) 4.63, 95% CI 2.25-9.56; P < 0.001], brain metastasis (HR 3.30, 95% CI 1.74-6.23; P < 0.001), and increasing age (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Patients with PMNSGCT, brain metastasis, or with increasing age are at higher risk of death than their counterparts. This contemporary cohort (1990-2014) of 273 patients with PRGCT had improved PFS and OS outcomes than those from the historical IGCCCG group of patients (1975-1990).
Factorized Graph Matching

Graph matching (GM) is a fundamental problem in computer science, and it plays a central role to solve correspondence problems in computer vision. GM problems that incorporate pairwise constraints can be formulated as a quadratic assignment problem (QAP). Although widely used, solving the correspondence problem through GM has two main limitations: (1) the QAP is NP-hard and difficult to approximate; (2) GM algorithms do not incorporate geometric constraints between nodes that are natural in computer vision problems. To address aforementioned problems, this paper proposes factorized graph matching (FGM). FGM factorizes the large pairwise affinity matrix into smaller matrices that encode the local structure of each graph and the pairwise affinity between edges. Four are the benefits that follow from this factorization: (1) There is no need to compute the costly (in space and time) pairwise affinity matrix; (2) The factorization allows the use of a path-following optimization algorithm, that leads to improved optimization strategies and matching performance; (3) Given the factorization, it becomes straight-forward to incorporate geometric transformations (rigid and non-rigid) to the GM problem. (4) Using a matrix formulation for the GM problem and the factorization, it is easy to reveal commonalities and differences between different GM methods. The factorization also provides a clean connection with other matching algorithms such as iterative closest point; Experimental results on synthetic and real databases illustrate how FGM outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms for GM. The code is available at http://humansensing.cs.cmu.edu/fgm .
Tuning Complexity by Lithiation: A Family of Intergrowth Structures Using Condensed hypho-Icosahedra in the Li-Doped Ca–Zn System

Cluster chemistry of intermetallics with valence electron counts (VECs) in the range of 2.0–3.0 is intriguing. Lithiation of polar intermetallics in this VEC region is found to be an effective chemical route to produce new complex structures with different stability mechanisms. In this work, two new complex intermetallic structures have been discovered in the Ca–Li–Zn system: Ca12LixZn59–x and Ca15LixZn75–x. Ca12LixZn59–x, x ≈ 5.65(3)–14.95(3), forms in the trigonal space group R3m, with a = 9.074(1)–9.1699(2) A, c = 53.353(1)–53.602(1) A, and Z = 3. In comparison, Ca15LixZn75–x, x ≈ 19.07(2), crystallizes in the space group P63/mmc, with a ≈ 9.183(1) A, c ≈ 45.191(5) A), and Z = 2. Both structures are members of a large intergrowth family featuring slabs of dimers (D) and trimers (T) stacking along [001], with the sequences DTDDTDDTD for Ca12LixZn59–x and TDDDTDDD for Ca15LixZn75–x. Each dimer consists of two face-sharing Zn-centered hypho-icosahedra, and each trimer comprises a Li-centered icosahedron ...
Collective Bargaining and School District Test Scores: Evidence from Ohio Bargaining Agreements

We revisit the relationship between collective bargaining by teachers unions and school performance. The empirical literature in this area has found mixed results at both the state and district levels. We contribute to this literature in two ways. First, rather than simply dummy union status, we proxy for the restrictiveness of collective bargaining agreements with the number of pages per agreement. Second, we employ Bayesian spatial methods to deal with spatial dependence in school district activities. Our reduced-form results indicate that collective bargaining directly lowers scores on high school math scores, but that the total effect is zero.
Recognition of Lumbar Disk Herniation with NMR

Fifteen nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of 14 patients with herniated lumbar intervertebral disks were performed on the UCSF NMR imager. Computed tomographic (CT) scans done on a GE CT/T 8800 or comparable scanner were available at the time of NMR scan interpretation. Of the 16 posterior disk ruptures seen at CT, 12 were recognized on NMR. Diminished nucleus pulposus signal intensity was present in all ruptured disks. In one patient, NMR scans before and after chymopapain injection showed retraction of the protruding part of the disk and loss of signal intensity after chemonucleolysis. Postoperative fibrosis demonstrated by CT in one patient and at surgery in another showed intermediate to high signal intensity on NMR, easily distinguishing it from nearby thecal sac and disk. While CT remains the method of choice for evaluation of the patient with suspected lumbar disk rupture, the results of this study suggest that NMR may play a role in evaluating this common clinical problem.
PROXIMAL TIBIAL VARUS DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT FEMORJ.P.AL ROTATIONAL LANDMARKS IN TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

Introduction Three anatomic landmarks are typically used to estimate proper femoral component rotation in total knee arthroplasty: the transepicondylar axis (TEA), Whiteside9s line, and the posterior condylar axis (PCA). Previous studies have shown that the presence of tibia vara may be accompanied by a hyperplastic posteromedial femoral condyle, which affects the relationship between the PCA and the TEA. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of tibia vara with the PCA. Methods Two hundred and forty-eight knees underwent planning for total knee arthroplasty with MRI. The MRI was used to characterize the relationship between the transepicondylar axis and the posterior condylar axis. Long-leg standing films (LLSF) were obtained to evaluate the medial proximal tibial angle. The MPTA is defined as the medial angle formed between a line along the anatomic axis of the tibia and a line along the tibial plateau. Results There were 168 knees in varus and 80 in valgus. The PCA in the patient group was 2.38 degrees ± 1.6 degrees. Regression analysis of tibial varus compared to the PCA showed a small association where for each degree of tibial varus, there was an additional 0.07 degrees of internal rotation of the PCA (p = 0.01). When defining tibia vara as a MPTA Conclusion Tibia vara did not influence the PCA to a clinically significant degree. This result is in contrast to previous studies which indicated that increased tibial varus correlated to increased internal rotation of the PCA with respect to the TEA
Learning goal-decomposition rules using exercises

Teaching problem-solving through exercises is a widely used pedagogic technique. A human teacher selects certain problems and orders them according to their level of difficulty to form a sequence of exercises. A student starts by solving simple problems first; then, attempts harder problems applying the knowledge gained from solving the earlier problems; and then still harder problems, and so on. Machine learning of problem solving using exercises, apart from following this pedagogic tradition, offers a compromise between supervised speedup learning and unsupervised speedup learning. Supervised speedup learning, although more efficient than the latter, places the burden of providing the solutions to the training problems on the teacher-mostly a human. Unsupervised speedup learning, in contrast, expects the learner to solve the training problems, while unburdening the teacher. However, this is computationally hard for the learner for it lacks control knowledge and, hence, its only recourse is brute-force search. In exercises approach, teacher has the task of providing an exercise set-a sequence of problems ordered by difficulty. The learner has to solve the exercise problems using the bootstrapping method akin to the above-described method followed by a human student. Previously, Natarajan (1989) used exercises approach in speedup learning for learning control rules represented in the form of tree patterns. In this work, we use exercises approach for learning first-order recursive goal-decomposition rules (d-rules). A d-rule is a 3-tuple (g, c, sg) that decomposes a goal g into a sequence of subgoals sg, provided the condition c holds. The input to the system is a sequence of exercises ordered according to their difficulty levels. The difficulty levels correspond to goal-subgoal hierarchies except in the case of recursion-where the number of recursive calls is also used to set the difficulty level of a goal. This approach follows two main steps: For each exercise, (1) exercise-solver solves the exercise by searching in the space of operators and previously learned drules, and outputs the solution (the plan) and the subgoals used; and (2) first-order inductive learner forms a hypothesis d-rule using the initial state as the d-rule
Discrimination Issues in the Selection of Salespeople: A Review and Managerial Suggestions

An increasingly litigious society coupled with complex and dynamic legislation makes avoiding charges of discrimination in selection practices a considerable challenge for the sales manager. The authors identify four problematic areas that, if avoided, greatly reduce the sales manager's exposure to claims of discrimination in selection. Further, recommendations are made for a proactive approach to nondiscrimination.
Carsharing’s life-cycle impacts on energy use and greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract This paper examines the life-cycle inventory impacts on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a result of candidate travelers adopting carsharing in US settings. Here, households residing in relatively dense urban neighborhoods with good access to transit and traveling relatively few miles in private vehicles (roughly 10% of the U.S. population) are considered candidates for carsharing. This analysis recognizes cradle-to-grave impacts of carsharing on vehicle ownership levels, travel distances, fleet fuel economy (partly due to faster turnover), parking demand (and associated infrastructure), and alternative modes. Results suggest that current carsharing members reduce their average individual transportation energy use and GHG emissions by approximately 51% upon joining a carsharing organization. Collectively, these individual-level effects translate to roughly 5% savings in all household transport-related energy use and GHG emissions in the U.S. These energy and emissions savings can be primarily attributed to mode shifts and avoided travel, followed by savings in parking infrastructure demands and fuel consumption. When indirect rebound effects are accounted for (assuming travel-cost savings is then spent on other goods and services), net savings are expected to be 3% across all U.S. households.
Y-chromosome structural diversity in the bonobo and chimpanzee lineages

The male-specific regions of primate Y-chromosomes (MSY) are enriched for multi-copy genes highly expressed in the testis. These genes are located in large repetitive sequences arranged as palindromes, inverted-, and tandem repeats termed amplicons. In humans, these genes have critical roles in male fertility and are essential for the production of sperm. The structure of human and chimpanzee amplicon sequences show remarkable difference relative to the remainder of the genome, a difference that may be the result of intense selective pressure on male fertility. Four subspecies of common chimpanzees have undergone extended periods of isolation and appear to be in the early process of subspeciation. A recent study found amplicons enriched for testis-expressed genes on the primate X-chromosome the target of hard selective sweeps, and male-fertility genes on the Y-chromosome may also be the targets of selection. However, little is understood about Y-chromosome amplicon diversity within and across chimpanzee populations. Here, we analyze nine common chimpanzee (representing three subspecies: Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii, Pan troglodytes ellioti, and Pan troglodytes verus) and two bonobo (Pan paniscus) male whole-genome sequences to assess Y ampliconic copy-number diversity across the Pan genus. We observe that the copy number of Y chromosome amplicons is variable among chimpanzees and bonobos, and identify several lineage-specific patterns, including variable copy number of azoospermia candidates RBMY and DAZ. We detect recurrent switchpoints of copy-number change along the ampliconic tracts across chimpanzee populations, which may be the result of localized genome instability or selective forces.
Including a Service Learning Educational Research Project in a Biology Course-II: Assessing Community Awareness of Legionnaires' Disease?.

For a university service learning educational research project addressing Legionnaires’ disease (LD), a Yes/No questionnaire on community awareness of LD was developed and distributed in an urban community in North Carolina, USA. The 456 questionnaires completed by the participants were sorted into yes and no sets based on responses obtained to the first question on whether the participant has heard of LD, and 194 participants (~43%) answered in the affirmative. For the other nine questions the yes response percentages ranged from 16% - 68%. Using  analysis, the study showed that the age of the participant was a major factor in enhancing awareness of LD, whereas education was a minor factor at best. Differences in responses among the age groups were strongly significant (<0.005) for general LD awareness, knowledge of its causes and prevalence, as well as body systems affected, prevention and treatment. Significance at the lower level of  <0.05 was observed among the different age groups on knowledge of exposure to LD through inhalation of contaminated air (Q5). In fact Q5 was the only question for which the responses of pre-university and university groups varied significantly ( <0.05). Interest among the participants in learning more about LD (68%) was higher than in attending a university seminar on the topic (54%). This study provided many educational opportunities to the students to enhance and apply their data analysis skills and to intensify several aspects of their knowledge acquisition and communication skills. Fostering the active involvement of students in an educational activity that can set the stage for an innovative university-community partnership on enhancing awareness of the preventable environmental disease LD is of benefit to all stakeholders.
Measuring and Understanding Behavior, Welfare, and Poverty

Angus Deaton delivered his Prize Lecture on Tuesday 8 December 2015, at the Aula Magna, Stockholm University. These are the lecture slides.
eQTL regulating Transcript Levels Associated with Diverse Biological Processes in Tomato

Variation in gene expression, in addition to sequence polymorphisms, is known to influence developmental, physiological, and metabolic traits in plants. Genetic mapping populations have facilitated identification of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), the genetic determinants of variation in gene expression patterns. We used an introgression population developed from the wild desert-adapted Solanum pennellii and domesticated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) to identify the genetic basis of transcript level variation. We established the effect of each introgression on the transcriptome and identified approximately 7,200 eQTL regulating the steady-state transcript levels of 5,300 genes. Barnes-Hut t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding clustering identified 42 modules revealing novel associations between transcript level patterns and biological processes. The results showed a complex genetic architecture of global transcript abundance pattern in tomato. Several genetic hot spots regulating a large number of transcript level patterns relating to diverse biological processes such as plant defense and photosynthesis were identified. Important eQTL regulating transcript level patterns were related to leaf number and complexity as well as hypocotyl length. Genes associated with leaf development showed an inverse correlation with photosynthetic gene expression, but eQTL regulating genes associated with leaf development and photosynthesis were dispersed across the genome. This comprehensive eQTL analysis details the influence of these loci on plant phenotypes and will be a valuable community resource for investigations on the genetic effects of eQTL on phenotypic traits in tomato.
Delegating Altruism: Toward an Understanding of Agency in Charitable Giving

Abstract Philanthropy, and particularly ensuring that one’ s giving is effective, can require substantial time and effort. One way to reduce these costs could be to encourage delegation of giving decisions to better-informed others. At the same time, because it involves a loss of agency, delegating these decisions may reduce one’s charitable impulse. Unfortunately, the importance of agency in charitable decisions remains largely unexplored. In this paper we shed light on this issue using a laboratory experiment with real donations in which we systematically vary the monetary and agency costs associated with making informed and effective giving decisions,. Our main finding is that agency seems to play a small role in promoting giving. In particular, people do not reduce donations when giving decisions are made by algorithms that guarantee efficient recipients but limit donors’ control over giving recipients. Moreover, we find that participating in giving groups - a weaker form of delegated giving -is also effective in that they are appealing to donors who would not otherwise make informed donations, and thus improves overall effective giving. Our results suggest that one path to promoting effective giving may be to create institutions that facilitate delegated generosity.
Navigation Model Studies of New Ohio River Locks

Utilization of hydraulic models to investigate navigation conditions, arrangements of locks and dams and appurtenant structures, and operation of dam gates; as indicated by model studies old movable-wicket dams, with sills at river bed elevation are being replaced by smaller number of high gated dams which will create deeper and longer pools; each pool will have main lock 110×1200 ft and 110×600 ft auxiliary lock.
General formula for power spectra of digital f.m. signals

Recently, several papers on power spectra of digital f.m. signals have appeared. In these papers, it has been assumed that all the random variables are independent and the waveform of the baseband signal is fixed. The present author obtains a general formula, in which these restrictions are removed.
Structure and structure-preserving algorithms for plasma physics

Hamiltonian and action principle (HAP) formulations of plasma physics are reviewed for the purpose of explaining structure preserving numerical algorithms. Geometric structures associated with and emergent from HAP formulations are discussed. These include conservative integration, which exactly conserves invariants, symplectic integration, which exactly preserves the Hamiltonian geometric structure, and other Hamiltonian integration techniques. Basic ideas of variational integration and Poisson integration, which can preserve the noncanonical Hamiltonian structure, are discussed. Metriplectic integration, which preserves the structure of conservative systems with both Hamiltonian and dissipative parts, is proposed. Two kinds of simulated annealing, a relaxation technique for obtaining equilibrium states, are reviewed: one that uses metriplectic dynamics, which maximizes an entropy at fixed energy, and the other that uses double bracket dynamics, which preserves Casimir invariants. Throughout, application...
Topological spintronics

We provide a perspective on the emergence of “topological spintronics,” which exploits the helical spin texture of 2D surface states in 3D topological insulators. Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy shows how this spin texture can be engineered using quantum tunneling between surfaces [1], while spin transport devices enable electrical measurements of the spin-momentum “locking” [2,3]. In bilayers of a topological insulator and a ferromagnetic metal, we find evidence for a highly efficient charge-to-spin conversion at room temperature [4]. We will also discuss recent experiments that probe spin-charge conversion at room temperature from a ferromagnetic insulator into the surface states of a topological insulator.
An efficient technique for protecting location privacy of cooperative spectrum sensing users

Cooperative spectrum sensing, despite its effectiveness in enabling dynamic spectrum access, suffers from location privacy threats, merely because secondary users (SUs)' sensing reports that need to be shared with a fusion center to make spectrum availability decisions are highly correlated to the users' locations. It is therefore important that cooperative spectrum sensing schemes be empowered with privacy preserving capabilities so as to provide SUs with incentives for participating in the sensing task. In this paper, we propose an efficient privacy preserving protocol that uses an additional architectural entity and makes use of various cryptographic mechanisms to preserve the location privacy of SUs while performing reliable and efficient spectrum sensing. We show that not only is our proposed scheme secure and more efficient than existing alternatives, but also achieves fault tolerance and is robust against sporadic network topological changes.
Linearly embeddable designs

A residual design $$\mathcal{{D}}_B$$ with respect to a block B of a given design $${\mathcal{{D}}}$$ is defined to be linearly embeddable over GF(p) if the p-ranks of the incidence matrices of $${\mathcal{{D}}}_B$$ and $${\mathcal{{D}}}$$ differ by one. A sufficient condition for a residual design to be linearly embeddable is proved in terms of the minimum distance of the linear code spanned by the incidence matrix, and this condition is used to show that the residual designs of several known infinite classes of designs are linearly embeddable. A necessary condition for linear embeddability is proved for affine resolvable designs and their residual designs. As an application, it is shown that a residual design of the classical affine design of the planes in AG $$(3,2^2)$$ admits two nonisomorphic embeddings over GF(2) that give rise to the only known counterexamples to Hamada’s conjecture over a field of non-prime order.
A simple approach for measuring FRET in fluorescent biosensors using two-photon microscopy

This protocol describes a simple pipeline for imaging FRET biosensor probes with two-photon laser scanning microscopy (TPLSM). Validated FRET standards are described that can be used with any TPLSM setup to ensure sensitive detection of FRET ratios.
Autonomy by Default.

Default rules, taken as such, do not intrude on autonomy, even if they influence people without persuading them. If default rules give people certain rights automatically (such as the right to free...
Enumeration of Ancestral Configurations for Matching Gene Trees and Species Trees

Abstract Given a gene tree and a species tree, ancestral configurations represent the combinatorially distinct sets of gene lineages that can reach a given node of the species tree. They have been introduced as a data structure for use in the recursive computation of the conditional probability under the multispecies coalescent model of a gene tree topology given a species tree, the cost of this computation being affected by the number of ancestral configurations of the gene tree in the species tree. For matching gene trees and species trees, we obtain enumerative results on ancestral configurations. We study ancestral configurations in balanced and unbalanced families of trees determined by a given seed tree, showing that for seed trees with more than one taxon, the number of ancestral configurations increases for both families exponentially in the number of taxa n. For fixed n, the maximal number of ancestral configurations tabulated at the species tree root node and the largest number of labeled histor...
MINIMISING INFECTION RISK: THE FACTORS INFLUENCING

Infection following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is fortunately a relatively uncommon complication with an incidence of approximately 1%. However, because the morbidity and cost of treatment of deep prosthetic TKA infections is so high, effective prevention strategies are key quality improvement initiatives. The cause of post-operative infections are multifactorial and complex but can generally be categorised into 1) host, 2) surgical, and 3) environmental factors. The purpose of this abstract is to provide an outline of these factors and their influences on the infection risk following TKA. Patient factors and optimization of modifiable risk factors have been shown to decrease the risk for infection. While the individual contributions of factors such as body mass index (BMI), diabetes, nutritional status, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and renal disease are unknown, together, they have been shown to influence infection risk. Additionally, Tayton et al. analyzed 64,566 primary TKAs in the New Zealand Joint Registry and found that male gender and prior knee surgery were also independent risk factors of development of PJI 12 months following TKA. Finally, Crowe and colleagues also identified tobacco use and Staphylococcus aureus colonization as modifiable risk factors for minimizing PJI following primary TKA. Timely administration of prophylactic antibiotics prior and after surgery has been shown to be the most effective strategy to reduce infection risk. The optimal prophylaxis regimen for all patients is unknown and in certain situations, administration of Vancomycin in additional to a conventional cephalosporin may be beneficial. However, universal administration of Vancomycin has not been shown to decrease the incidence of surgical site infections and could actually increase the risk for renal failure. Conversely, addition of antibiotics to cement during primary TKA has not been shown to reduce long term infection risk. The use of dilute betadine lavage has been shown by some authors to be beneficial. Finally, good surgical technique, proper soft tissue handling, and meticulous wound closure are all critical factors influencing the risk for infectious complications following TKA. Environmental factors have also been shown to affect infection rates following TKA. While the use of laminar flow and body exhaust suits have not been shown to significantly influence the risk for infection, minimizing operating room traffic has been shown effective in reducing the risk for contamination. Some authors have shown ultraviolet light systems to decrease airborne contaminants. In summary, factors influencing infection risk following TKA are complex and multifactorial. Patient selection, optimization of modifiable risk factors, appropriate use of antibiotics, and minimization of OR traffic are among the most common strategies to minimizing infection.
Component-based synthesis of table consolidation and transformation tasks from examples

This paper presents a novel component-based synthesis algorithm that marries the power of type-directed search with lightweight SMT-based deduction and partial evaluation. Given a set of components together with their over-approximate first-order specifications, our method first generates a program sketch over a subset of the components and checks its feasibility using an SMT solver. Since a program sketch typically represents many concrete programs, the use of SMT-based deduction greatly increases the scalability of the algorithm. Once a feasible program sketch is found, our algorithm completes the sketch in a bottom-up fashion, using partial evaluation to further increase the power of deduction for rejecting partially-filled program sketches. We apply the proposed synthesis methodology for automating a large class of data preparation tasks that commonly arise in data science. We have evaluated our synthesis algorithm on dozens of data wrangling and consolidation tasks obtained from on-line forums, and we show that our approach can automatically solve a large class of problems encountered by R users.
Capacity of compound MIMO Gaussian channels with additive uncertainty

This paper considers reliable communications over a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian channel, where the channel matrix is within a bounded channel uncertainty region around a nominal channel matrix, i.e., an instance of the compound MIMO Gaussian channel. We study the optimal transmit covariance design to achieve the capacity of compound MIMO Gaussian channels, where the channel uncertainty region is characterized by the spectral norm. This design problem is a challenging non-convex optimization problem. However, in this paper, we reveal that this design problem has a hidden convexity property, and hence it can be simplified as a convex optimization problem. Towards this goal, we first prove that the optimal transmit design is to diagonalize the nominal channel, and then show that the duality gap between the capacity of the compound MIMO Gaussian channel and the minimal channel capacity is zero, which proves the conjecture of Loyka and Charalambous (IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 2048-2063, 2012). The key tools for showing these results are a novel matrix determinant inequality and some unitarily invariant properties.
HPAT: high performance analytics with scripting ease-of-use

Big data analytics requires high programmer productivity and high performance simultaneously on large-scale clusters. However, current big data analytics frameworks (e.g. Apache Spark) have prohibitive runtime overheads since they are library-based. We introduce a novel auto-parallelizing compiler approach that exploits the characteristics of the data analytics domain such as the map/reduce parallel pattern and is robust, unlike previous auto-parallelization methods. Using this approach, we build High Performance Analytics Toolkit (HPAT), which parallelizes high-level scripting (Julia) programs automatically, generates efficient MPI/C++ code, and provides resiliency. Furthermore, it provides automatic optimizations for scripting programs, such as fusion of array operations. Thus, HPAT is 369X to 2033X faster than Spark on the Cori supercomputer and 20X to 256X times on Amazon AWS.