cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risks Involved in Using Alternative Project Delivery (APD) Methods in Water and Wastewater Projects

Abstract There are risks involved in the design and construction of projects, and several studies have been conducted in identifying the risks involved in using traditional delivery method (Design Bid Build) in the design and construction of the projects. However, little research has been done in identifying the risks involved in using Alternative Project Delivery (APD) methods in the design and construction of water and wastewater projects. The identification of these risks could assist in improving project performance of future projects that use APD methods. A survey was conducted to identify the risks involved in using APD methods for the design and construction of water and wastewater projects. The respondents of the survey were owners, policy makers, utility managers and project managers who had used APD methods for their water and wastewater projects. The survey results showed that the top three risks in using APD methods were ‘discomfort with change from traditional delivery method’, ‘lack of qualified personnel within the organization’, and ‘loss of control of the design process’. One of the recommended approaches provided by the respondents to address these risks was to educate the owners’ policy makers and project staffs regarding the APD methods.
Labor Movements and Gender

In some times and places, labor movements have actively advanced the struggle for gender equality; in other instances, they have contributed instead to the reproduction and maintenance of gender subordination. This article reviews the scholarshipon gender and labor movements as it grapples with this ambiguous legacy. The earliest research was compensatory; subsequently scholars began to analyze the structural and cultural dynamics of male domination within organized labor; and then attention turned to the conditions under which unions were vehicles for challenging gender inequality. Finally, more recent scholarship stresses the interactions of race, class, and gender as they affect labor movements, as well as exploring the ways in which labor movements reflect and transform socially embedded gender arrangements.
Human Norovirus Aptamer Exhibits High Degree of Target Conformation-Dependent Binding Similar to That of Receptors and Discriminates Particle Functionality

Although two in vitro cultivation methods have been reported, discrimination of infectious human norovirus particles for study of viral inactivation is still a challenge, as both rely on reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR. Histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) binding assays serve as a proxy for estimation of infectious particles; however, they are costly and difficult to purify/modify. Some evidence suggests that certain nucleic acid aptamers only bind intact target proteins, thus displaying a high degree of conformation-dependent binding. The objective of this proof-of-concept study was to characterize the degree of conformation-dependent binding a human norovirus aptamer, M6-2, displayed with the capsid of the norovirus GII.4 Sydney (SYV) strain as a model. SYV capsids were exposed to heat, and aptamer, receptor (HBGA), and antibody binding was assessed. M6-2 and the receptor displayed similarly little target sequence-dependent binding (2.0% ± 1.3% and 0.5% ± 1.2% signal, respectively) compared to that of NS14 (26.4% ± 3.9%). The decay rates calculated with M6-2 and the receptor were also not statistically significantly different (P > 0.05), and dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy confirmed these observations. Ligand docking simulations revealed multiple distinct contacts of M6-2 in the N-terminal P1 and P2 domains of the viral capsid, with some residues close to receptor binding residues. These data suggest that single-stranded DNA aptamers like M6-2 display a high degree of target conformation-dependent binding. It is the first time nucleic acid aptamers have had this characteristic utilized and investigated to discern the infectivity status of viral particles, and the data suggest that other aptamers may show promise as valuable ligands in the study of other fastidious microorganisms. IMPORTANCE Human noroviruses impose a considerable health burden globally. However, study of their inactivation is still challenging with currently reported cell culture models, as discrimination of infectious viral particles is still difficult. Traditionally, the ability of particles to bind putative carbohydrate receptors is conducted as a proxy for infectivity, but these receptors are inconsistent, expensive, and hard to purify/modify. We report a hitherto unexplored property of a different type of ligand, a nucleic acid aptamer, to mimic receptor binding behavior and assess capsid functionality for a selected strain of norovirus. These emerging ligands are cheaper, more stable, and easily synthesized/modified. The previously unutilized characteristic reported here demonstrates the fundamental potential of aptamers to serve as valuable, accessible tools for any microorganism that is difficult to cultivate/study. Therefore, this novel concept suggests a new use for aptamers that is of great value to the microbiological community-specifically that involving fastidious microbes.
An Audio Jack-Based Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Sensor for Point-of-Care Diagnostics

Portable and easy-to-use point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices hold high promise for dramatically improving public health and wellness. In this paper, we present a mobile health immunoassay platform based on audio jack-embedded devices, such as smartphones and laptops, that uses electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to detect binding of target biomolecules. This platform is intended to be used as a plug-and-play peripheral that reuses existing hardware in the mobile device, and does not require an external battery, thereby improving upon its convenience and portability. Experimental data using a passive circuit network to mimic an electrochemical cell demonstrate that the device performs comparable to laboratory grade instrumentation with 0.3% and 0.5° magnitude and phase error, respectively, over a 17 Hz–17 kHz frequency range. The measured power consumption is 2.5 mW with a dynamic range of 60 dB. This platform was verified by monitoring the real-time formation of a NeutrAvidin self-assembled monolayer on a gold electrode demonstrating the potential for POC diagnostics.
Reprogramming of Cardiac Repolarization: Notch Signals a Potential Role for Epigenetic Transcriptional Events.

Tight control of the repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential is a fundamentally important process, and fatal consequences of loss of this control are well known.1,2 For many decades, there has been an appreciation of numerous ways during ion channel biogenesis, by which myocardial cells efficiently control cardiac repolarization. Thus, molecular diversity of potassium channel subunits, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, and post-translational protein regulation are reasonably established molecular mechanisms for such control.1,3 Increasingly, it is becoming clear that we may be in for some more surprises. Signaling through Notch receptors has been studied in a variety of contexts such as in organ development, in cancer, and in various disease conditions of the cardiovascular system. There has been a fascination over the years on how a relatively simple operational paradigm of the Notch protein signaling, with just a few upstream receptors, allows for such a diverse set of functional outcomes that are fundamental to life.4–7 Experimental and clinical evidence points to a scenario whereby Notch signaling is modulated by different mechanisms, at multiple points within the cell, to achieve such versatility in function outcomes.4,7 Recent experimental and clinical studies are pointing toward the possibility that versatility in the functional outcomes of Notch signaling may also be evident in the control of cardiac repolarization.8,9 Article, see p 1324 Notch receptors are a group of transmembrane receptors of an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway. The Notch protein is processed in the Golgi and involves proteolytic cleavage by a furin-like convertase, followed by the addition of sugar moieties by glycosyl tranferases. Notch is then inserted into …
When Research “Unravels”: One Community Psychologist's Tale of Becoming a Nepantlera

This is an autoethnography of one community psychologist's reflections on the abrupt conclusion of a project that resulted in the dismantlement of a Latinx Student Union at a public middle school in the Pacific Northwest. Gloria Anzaldua's (Borderlands/La Frontera: The new mestiza, Aunt Lute Books, San Francisco, 2002) notion of nepantla is used to situate how an individual's personal identities often intersects with their professional identities in ways that collide within the research environment. Drawing on the “heart work” core competencies within the field of community psychology (The Community Psychologist, 45, 2012, 8; American Journal of Community Psychology, 55, 2015, 266) and extending the dialogue of feminist community psychologists engaged in narrative work (American Journal of Community Psychology, 37, 2006, 157; American Journal of Community Psychology, 37, 2006, 267; Feminist research practice: A primer, Sage, Los Angeles, 2014; American Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 2000, 883), the author addresses why it is important for researchers of Color engaged in community collaborations to reflect on projects that have unraveled to understand how their positionality shifts within social contexts.
Input-Shaped Control of Gantry Cranes: Simulation and Curriculum Development

Knowledge of vibrations and controls have increased significantly by utilizing emerging computer capabilities. Engineering education should embrace this technology through computer simulations that predict and display the dynamic response of interesting systems. For example, manipulating payloads with an overhead gantry crane can be challenging due to the oscillations induced by the crane motion. The problem gets increasingly difficult when the work environment is cluttered with obstacles. This paper describes a simple input shaping solution to the vibration problem and shows how this problem and concept were integrated into the curriculum of an undergraduate system dynamics and controls course at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Furthermore, an educational tool is used to gather data on how crane operators attempt to navigate around obstacles. The results show that input shaping reduces the likelihood of collisions between the payload and obstacles, while at the same time allowing operators to be more aggressive in selecting navigation paths.
A Molecular View of the Dynamics of dsDNA Packing Inside Viral Capsids in the Presence of Ions

Genome packing in viruses and prokaryotes relies on positively charged ions to reduce electrostatic repulsions, and induce attractions that can facilitate DNA condensation. Here we present molecular dynamics simulations spanning several microseconds of dsDNA packing inside nanometer-sized viral capsids. We use a detailed molecular model of DNA that accounts for molecular structure, basepairing, and explicit counterions. The size and shape of the capsids studied here are based on the 30-nanometer-diameter gene transfer agents of bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus that transfer random 4.5-kbp (1.5 μm) DNA segments between bacterial cells. Multivalent cations such as spermidine and magnesium induce attraction between packaged DNA sites that can lead to DNA condensation. At high concentrations of spermidine, this condensation significantly increases the shear stresses on the packaged DNA while also reducing the pressure inside the capsid. These effects result in an increase in the packing velocity and the total amount of DNA that can be packaged inside the nanometer-sized capsids. In the simulation results presented here, high concentrations of spermidine3+ did not produce the premature stalling observed in experiments. However, a small increase in the heterogeneity of packing velocities was observed in the systems with magnesium and spermidine ions compared to the system with only salt. The results presented here indicate that the effect of multivalent cations and of spermidine, in particular, on the dynamics of DNA packing, increases with decreasing packing velocities.
Management science and the development of human resource accounting

A common misconception about human resource accounting (HRA) is that it focuses narrowly upon financial accounting, that its purpose is to reflect the asset value of people on financial statements. The major purpose of HRA is to provide concepts and measurements to facilitate the effective and efficient management of human resources. It, therefore, represents a management accounting development. Management science has played an important role in facilitating the development of human resource accounting as a managerial tool. The theories underlying HRA are derived from and consistent with the concepts and philosophy of management science developed after WW II. The rationality and multidisciplinary problem solving approaches which characterize management science were applied to HRA and together with other economic and social factors of the 1960's produced human resource accounting.*
A Riboswitch-based Inducible Gene Expression System for Trypanosoma brucei.

Generation of conditional mutants in Trypanosoma brucei can be done by the use of RNA interference (RNAi). However, RNAi frequently produces off target effects. Here, we present an alternative strategy in which the glmS ribozyme is inserted in the C-terminal region of one allele of a GOI and effectively knocks it down in response to the presence of glucosamine in the culture medium. Using several endogenous genes, we show that the glmS ribozyme cleaves the mRNA in vivo leading to reduction in mRNA and protein expression following glucosamine treatment in both T. brucei procyclic and bloodstream forms. Glucosamine-induced ribozyme activation can be rapidly reversed by removing the inducer. In summary, the glmS ribozyme could be used as a tool to study essential genes in T. brucei.
Efficiency droop in GaInN/GaN LEDs

Abstract This chapter will discuss widely studied but still debated topic in GaInN/GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs): efficiency droop. Efficiency droop refers to the reduction of efficiency with increasing current (current droop) or temperature (thermal droop). Two of the most recognized mechanisms are proposed to explain the origin of the efficiency droop, that is, Auger recombination and carrier leakage. Experimental data and theoretical simulations are provided to support each mechanism. The efficiency droop in c-plane GaInN/GaN LEDs is exacerbated due to the polarization effect. To solve this issue, very low-droop blue GaInN/GaN LEDs have been realized on semipolar and nonpolar GaN substrates with reduced or eliminated polarization effects. A modified ABC model is developed to characterize the droop performance of both c-plane and nonpolar/semipolar GaInN/GaN LEDs.
Battlefield acupuncture to treat low back pain in the emergency department.

Abstract Introduction Battlefield acupuncture (BFA) is an ear acupuncture protocol used by the military for immediate pain relief. This is a pilot feasibility study of BFA as a treatment for acute low back pain (LBP) in the emergency department (ED). Methods Thirty acute LBP patients that presented to ED were randomized to standard care plus BFA or standard care alone. In the BFA group, outcomes were assessed at the time of randomization, 5 min after intervention, and again within 1 h after intervention. In the standard care group outcomes were assessed at the time of randomization and again an hour later. Primary outcomes included post-intervention LBP on a 10-point numeric pain rating scale (NRS) and the timed get-up-and-go test (GUGT). t-Test and chi squared tests were used to compare differences between groups demographics to evaluate randomization, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to assess differences in primary/secondary outcomes. Results We randomized 15 patients to BFA plus standard care, and 15 patients to standard care alone. Demographics were similar between groups. Post-intervention LBP NRS was significantly lower in the BFA group compared with the standard care group (5.2 vs. 6.9, ANCOVA p = 0.04). GUGT was similar between groups (21.3 s vs. 19.0 s, ANCOVA p = 0.327). No adverse events from acupuncture were reported. Discussion This pilot study demonstrates that BFA is feasible as a therapy for LBP in the ED. Furthermore, our data suggest that BFA may be efficacious to improve LBP symptoms, and thus further efficacy studies are warranted. ( Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT02399969 ).
Regulation of prostaglandin H synthase-1 gene expression.

Prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS, also called cyclooxygenase, COX; EC 1.14.99.1) is a bifunctional enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandin G2 (PGG2) and then PGH2 (1). PGH2 is the precursor of biologically active and physiologically important prostanoids, i.e. thromboxane A2 (TXA2), prostacyclin (PGI2), PGE2, PGF2α and PGD2. PGHS, hence, occupies a pivotal position in prostanoid biosynthesis. Two isoforms of PGHS have been identified. The original enzyme, designated PGHS-1 was purified to homogeneity from bovine and ovine seminal vesicles (2–3). The purified enzyme is a glycoprotein and exists as a dimer in detergent with a subunit molecular mass of approximately 70 kDa. Histochemical studies show that it is distributed widely in mammalian cells and tissues. PGHS-1 cDNA obtained from sheep, mouse and human tissues has a high degree (>90%) of homology (4–8). It encodes a 600 amino acid protein including a signal peptide containing ~24 amino acids. There are 3 potential N-glycosylation sites. PGHS-2 cDNA codes for a 602 amino acid protein with a molecular weight indistinguishable from that of PGHS-I on Western blots. Although several laboratories including ours suspected that there might be a second type of PGHS (9–11), cDNA for PGHS-2, however was cloned accidentally. Xie et al. reported the cloning from chicken embryonic fibroblasts a src-inducible cDNA encoding a 70 kDa protein with 59% identity with ovine, murine and human PGHS-1 (12). Kujubu et al. independently reported the characterization of a 4.5 kb phorbol ester-inducible immediate early transcript from murine fibroblasts which codes for a polypeptide with 65% sequence homology to PGHS-1 (13). This murine transcript was more closely related (82% identity) to the chicken PGHS-2 than to PGHS-1. PGHS-2 cDNA cloned from cultured human endothelial cells is also more closely related to murine (88% identity), and chicken (81% identity) PGHS-2 cDNA than human endothelial cell PGHS-1 (61% identity) (14,15). PGHS-2 cDNA codes for a 602 amino acid protein with a molecular weight indistinguishable from that of PGHS-1 on Western blots. Comparison of predicted amino acid sequence of PGHS-2 with that of PGHS-1 revealed a major difference in the N-terminal where PGHS-2 has a shorter signal peptide than PGHS-1 and in the C-terminal where PGHS-2 has a 18-amino acid insert but amino acid residues critical for the catalytic activity of PGHS are aligned in both isozymes (16,17).
Large-Eddy Simulation over Complex Terrain Using an Improved Immersed Boundary Method in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model

AbstractThe Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is increasingly being used for higher-resolution atmospheric simulations over complex terrain. With increased resolution, resolved terrain s...
Effects of Combustion Chamber Deposit Location and Composition

Combustion chamber deposits were analyzed for chemical composition in an attempt to explain the octane requirement increase (ORI) and exhaust hydrocarbon (HC) increase observed during mileage accumulation in two vehicle test fleets. Comparisons are made of deposit composition differences within different areas of a combustion chamber, between cylinders, and between engines. Deposits accumulating in the end gas areas, on exhaust valves, and in cylinders with high oil consumption can be distinguished by comparison of H/C atom ratios, carbon content and inorganic compound content. Differences in deposit composition can be observed between engine families and between driving cycles with the same engine family. Composition differences between deposits from two engine families suggest a possible explanation for the ORI trends observed in the fleet test. Chemical composition alone is not sufficient to identify a unique relation between deposits and ORI. The flame end gas region was located with ionization gaps and was compared with deposit mass distribution to examine the influence of chamber geometry on ORI. Similarly, the HC increase mechanism requires a more complete definition than available from chemical characterization alone. A vehicle was tested with fuel containing MMT followed by operation and tests with clear fuel. The results suggest that HC are controlled by the deposits on the exposed surface only and that deposit equilibrium takes place primarily on the exposed surface rather than by massive deposit removal and replacement.
Do Endowments Matter? Exploring The Gender Dimensions Of Poverty In Egypt

This paper investigates the gender dimensions of poverty in Egypt and examines the factors that contribute to poverty for different household types. Furthermore, it decomposes the poverty differential between household types into a component due to endowments and another due to the return to these endowments. I use data from five Household Income, Expenditure and Consumption Surveys, that span a period of far reaching economic, social and political changes, from 1999 to 2013. Results suggest that female‐headed households were poorer than male‐headed households for all years under study in urban areas; and slightly less poor over part of the period in rural areas. This difference is greater for widowed mothers. Most of the poverty differentials between female‐headed and male‐headed households cannot be explained by differences in endowments in all years. In fact, if female‐headed households had the same endowments as male‐headed households in urban areas they would have been poorer than they already were.
Multi-source information fusion to assess control room operator performance

Abstract Control room operators respond to abnormal situations through a series of cognitively demanding activities, e.g., monitoring, detection, diagnosis, and response. However, variability among operators in terms of prior experience and current operational context affects their response to the malfunction. A machine learning framework was employed to integrate multiple data sources and develop an empirical model of operator performance in responding to malfunction events. A human-in-the-loop within-subjects experiment was performed using a high-fidelity Generic Pressurized Water Reactor simulator. The study recruited nine licensed operators in three-person crews completing ten scenarios, each incorporating two to four malfunction events. Individual operator performance was assessed using eye tracking technology and physiological recordings of skin conductance response and respiratory function. Expert-rated event management performance was the primary study outcome. These heterogeneous data sources were fused using an approach that integrated a support vector machine with bootstrap aggregation to develop a trained quantitative prediction model. While no single variable predicted operator performance, the fused model’s predictions using independent verification data was very good (prediction accuracy of 75–83%). The proposed methodology offers a quantitative approach to evaluate the crew performance through fusing the heterogeneous data collected from experiment.
The association between baseline acculturation level and 5-year change in adiposity among Puerto Ricans living on the mainland United States.

Abstract While it is recognized that acculturation influences adiposity risk, the direction and magnitude of this relationship remain unclear. Previous studies' use of proxy acculturation measures and exclusively cross-sectional study designs have limited understanding of this research question. The aim of this study was to examine associations between acculturation and adiposity among Puerto Ricans (45–75 years) living on the mainland United States. We analyzed data from the longitudinal (baseline, 2-year, 5-year) Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (n = 1114). Language-based and psychological-based acculturations were assessed at baseline using questionnaires. Acculturation scores were divided into tertile categories; higher tertiles indicate greater English- and U.S.-based acculturation. Adiposity was assessed using BMI and waist circumference at baseline and each follow-up. Linear mixed effects regression models were fit with baseline acculturation tertile as the predictor and baseline or change in adiposity as the outcome. When examining baseline associations with language acculturation tertiles, participants in the middle acculturation tertile (bilingual) had 2.48 cm (95%CI: −4.64, −0.31) lower waist circumference compared to the more Spanish-based acculturation tertile. When examining the associations between baseline language acculturation tertiles and change in adiposity, those in the more English-based acculturation tertile had higher annual gains in BMI (0.13 kg/m2 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.25)) and waist circumference (0.44 cm (95%CI: 0.01, 0.88)) over 5-years compared to those in the more Spanish-based acculturation tertile. No significant differences in adiposity were found across psychological-based acculturation tertiles. In conclusion, English language-based acculturation at baseline influences long-term adiposity. Psychological-based acculturation may capture distinct acculturation processes from the language-based construct.
The Paradoxical Perception of Contemporary Democracy, and the Question of its Future

This article explores the perception of democracy today, at the national and international levels. This perception is rather paradoxical. On the one hand, democracy is celebrated. As such it functions as a benchmark of political legitimacy. On the other hand, it is criticized. The article provides explanations for this state of affairs. Among the explanations put forward in order to account for the criticisms of democracy the article stresses the deepening of economic inequalities and a sense of social alienation that has been growing in recent years among the people that globalization and its associated policies are affecting negatively. For the way forward the article offers suggestions in order to improve the reputation and reality of democracy. In this regard it argues that the possibility to improve democracy, both at the national and international levels, is to a large extent based on making it more inclusive (especially economically speaking) and reflective.
Representing Qualitative Aspects of Vehicle Purchase Decision-Making in a Simulation Game on Alternative Fuel and Vehicle Transitions

For a serious game on large-scale vehicle and fuel market transitioning to alternative vehicles a plausible representation of vehicle purchase was required. Vehicle buyers choose cars based on instrumental, hedonic, and symbolic criteria. Asking a game player to make a major purchase of that complexity with imaginary money strains game credibility. A utility function was used to handle this requirement. This approach was effective for simulating the diversity of the people and vehicles in that market. It may be effective for other game representations of difficult decision-making processes.
Social Security System

Social security and the retirement laws in a country are indicators for how nations are treating their citizens. Although social security and retirement laws have been generous in northern Cyprus, they were economically inefficient and unsustainable. How successive governments in northern Cyprus have ignored parliamentary statutes and pushed the social security system to the brink of bankruptcy is described. This chapter introduces the key amendments in related statutes, provides some essential data regarding the number of contributors and beneficiaries from the system and signals the underlying financial vulnerability of the entire social security system.
Chapter 1 – Preliminaries

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on some of the important equations and techniques of mathematical physics. It is a fortuitous fact that many of the most important such equations are linear. The chapter describes the methods of transforming some important functions to other coordinate systems. The most common coordinate systems, besides Cartesian coordinates, are cylindrical and spherical coordinates. The reason for considering different coordinate systems is that many problems can be simplified if the appropriate coordinate system is used. For example, the most important partial differential equations in physics and mathematics—Laplace's equation, the heat equation, and the wave equation—can often be solved by separation of variables if the problem is analyzed using Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical coordinates.
Membrane lipids are both the substrates and a mechanistically responsive environment of TMEM16 scramblase proteins

Recent discoveries about functional mechanisms of proteins in the TMEM16 family of phospholipid scramblases have illuminated the dual role of the membrane as both the substrate and a mechanistically responsive environment in the wide range of physiological processes and genetic disorders in which they are implicated. This is highlighted in the review of recent findings from our collaborative investigations of molecular mechanisms of TMEM16 scramblases that emerged from iterative functional, structural, and computational experimentation. In the context of this review, we present new MD simulations and trajectory analyses motivated by the fact that new structural information about the TMEM16 scramblases is emerging from cryo-EM determinations in lipid nanodiscs. Because the functional environment of these proteins in in vivo and in in vitro is closer to flat membranes, we studied comparatively the responses of the membrane to the TMEM16 proteins in flat membranes and nanodiscs. We find that bilayer shapes in the nanodiscs are very different from those observed in the flat membrane systems, but the function-related slanting of the membrane observed at the nhTMEM16 boundary with the protein is similar in the nanodiscs and in the flat bilayers. This changes, however, in the bilayer composed of longer-tail lipids, which is thicker near the phospholipid translocation pathway, which may reflect an enhanced tendency of the long tails to penetrate the pathway and create, as shown previously, a nonconductive environment. These findings support the correspondence between the mechanistic involvement of the lipid environment in the flat membranes, and the nanodiscs. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Freestyle Cruising: A Clear Alternative

The cruise industry is a highly complex, but under-research component of the hospitality industry. This article seeks to explore the paradoxical relationship between shipboard and shoreside operations using the McKinsey 7S Framework, thereby providing a foundation for further inquiry. Recommendations are made for practitioners, and ideas are provided for future research.
Word Segmentation and Intelligibility, Parental Simplification, and Frequency and Amount of Language Input

Three issues that have been identified by language scholars as critical components children’s learning of their first language are (1) auditory segmentation of words in running speech, (2) simplification of language units in the early stages of language learning, and (3) the amount of language input.
“They Were Laughing”: Congressional Framing of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s Sexual Assault Allegations on Twitter:

Allegations of sexual assault and violence engulfed the confirmation hearings surrounding President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee (and now Justice) Brett Kavanaugh. Our work examines congressmember...
The epistemology of the basement: a queer theoretical reading of the institutional positionality of art museum educators

Art museum educators have long occupied a lower rank than their curatorial counterparts in the institutional hierarchies of their organizations. This manuscript provides an overview of research tha...
The effect of the United Nations resolution for Olympic Truce on peace based on functionalism

The purpose of the current study is to identify if the UN resolution for Olympic Truce affects peace around the period of the Olympic Games based on functionalism. Methodologically, this study uses a diverse case technique and compares the two following cases: the first case is the Olympic Games, which did not have the UN resolution for Olympic Truce (The 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics), while the other is the Olympic Games which had the UN resolution for Olympic Truce (The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics). This study determines, firstly, that functional international organizations can actualize their common values (i.e., peace and human rights) and establish world order by cooperating with multiple international organizations, which is more effective than one organization behaving independently. Secondly, through the results, we have confirmed that sports can be an effective mediator in making the world peaceful with unanimous support from the international society.
The World Computer: derivative conditions of racial capitalism: by Jonathan Beller, Durham, Duke University Press, 2021, 338 pp., $28.95 (paperback), $104.95, ISBN 978-1-4780-1116-3

With continual growth in global access to the internet and digital devices, as well as computation’s appeal as an efficient, cost-effective medium for recording, analyzing, and managing social life...
Asymmetric and Higher Dimension Random Walks

In this chapter we extend our study of random walks to more general cases. We state an important criterion for recurrence that we apply to random walks.
Ascophyllum nodosum supplementation: A preharvest intervention for reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in feedlot steers

Ascophyllum nodosum (Tasco-14) decreased the prevalence of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 in animals fed prior to harvest. Tasco-14 was supplemented on a 2% dry matter basis 14 days prior to harvest to determine its effects on EHEC and Salmonella spp. prevalence. Two hundred mixed crossbred steers and heifers (Bos indicus x Bos taurus), in a large commercial finishing facility, served as experimental units. Treatment (TRT, n = 100) animals received a steam-rolled corn-based diet containing 2% Tasco-14 on a dry matter basis, and control (CON, n = 100) animals received only the steam-rolled corn-based diet. Hide swabs and fecal samples were obtained for EHEC and Salmonella spp. evaluations. Animals were sampled 1 day prior to (d - 1) the feeding of Tasco-14 and immediately following exsanguinations. The prevalence of EHEC O157 on hide swabs and in fecal samples (P = 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively) and the prevalence of EHEC O157:H7 on hide swabs and in fecal samples (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively) was reduced by 33 and 36% from d - 1 levels on TRT hide swabs and by 9 and 11% in TRT fecal samples. The prevalence of EHEC O157 and EHEC O157:H7 was reduced by 33 and 36% from d - 1 levels on TRT hide swabs and by 9 and 11% in TRT fecal samples. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. on hide swabs did not change for TRT animals (P = 0.64). CON animals showed an increase in Salmonella spp. prevalence (P < 0.0001) from d - 1 feeding levels on hide swabs. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. increased in both TRT and CON fecal samples when compared to d - 1 levels (P = 0.002). However, TRT samples exhibited a lower (P < 0.05) postfeeding prevalence of Salmonella spp. in fecal samples than did CON samples. Results from this study indicate that 2% Tasco-14 supplementation in feedlot cattle diets reduces EHEC O157 and EHEC O157:H7 prevalence on hide swabs and in fecal samples and may suppress increases in Salmonella spp.
SPECIFICATION SEARCH AND LEVELS OF SIGNIFICANCE IN ECONOMETRIC MODELS

This paper describes the problem specification searches pose for inference, presents the results of some simulations for purposes of illustration, and uses the bootstrapping procedure to give a better estimate of statistical significance than a standard t-test. The value of the illustrations of specification searches is that they help demonstrate the severity of the problem. The examples presented here illustrate that in most cases, a researcher can undertake specification search and report a statistically significant result regardless of whether the variables in a regression equation are actually related. The bootstrap procedure used to analyze the specification searches does provide another way to examine the true statistical significance of empirical results. Two different specification searches are examined: a "drop insignificant coefficients" search and a "biggest t-ratio" search. Both are shown to lead to larger than reported standard errors. In general, standard errors get larger if a specification search has taken place, but exactly how much larger must be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Greedy-Like Algorithms in Modal Kleene Algebra

This study provides an algebraic background for the formal derivation of greedy-like algorithms. We propose Kleene algebra as a particularly simple alternative to previous approaches such as relation algebra. Instead of converse and residuation we use modal operators that are definable in a wide class of algebras, based on domain/codomain or image/pre-image operations. By abstracting from earlier approaches we arrive at a very general theorem about the correctness of loops that covers particular forms of greedy algorithms as special cases.
Longitudinal average attributable fraction as a method for studying time-varying conditions and treatments on recurrent self-rated health: the case of medications in older adults with multiple chronic conditions

Abstract Purpose The objective is to modify the longitudinal extension of the average attributable fraction (LE-AAF) for recurrent outcomes with time-varying exposures and control for covariates. Methods We included Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey participants with two or more chronic conditions enrolled from 2005 to 2009 with follow-up through 2011. Nine time-varying medications indicated for nine time-varying common chronic conditions and 14 of 18 forward-selected participant characteristics were used as control variables in the generalized estimating equations step of the LE-AAF to estimate associations with the recurrent universal health outcome self-rated health (SRH). Modifications of the LE-AAF were made to accommodate these indicated medication-condition interactions and covariates. Variability was empirically estimated by bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapping. Results In the adjusted LE-AAF, thiazide, warfarin, and clopidogrel had significant contributions of 1.2%, 0.4%, 0.2%, respectively, to low (poor or fair) SRH; whereas there were no significant contributions of the other medications to SRH. Hyperlipidemia significantly contributed 4.6% to high SRH. All the other conditions except atrial fibrillation contributed significantly to low SRH. Conclusions Our modifications to the LE-AAF method apply to a recurrent binary outcome with time-varying factors accounting for covariates.
Distributed Source Coding for Interactive Function Computation

A two-terminal interactive distributed source coding problem with alternating messages for function computation at both locations is studied. For any number of messages, a computable characterization of the rate region is provided in terms of single-letter information measures. While interaction is useless in terms of the minimum sum-rate for lossless source reproduction at one or both locations, the gains can be arbitrarily large for function computation even when the sources are independent. For a class of sources and functions, interaction is shown to be useless, even with infinite messages, when a function has to be computed at only one location, but is shown to be useful, if functions have to be computed at both locations. For computing the Boolean AND function of two independent Bernoulli sources at both locations, an achievable infinite-message sum-rate with infinitesimal-rate messages is derived in terms of a two-dimensional definite integral and a rate-allocation curve. A general framework for multiterminal interactive function computation based on an information exchange protocol which successively switches among different distributed source coding configurations is developed. For networks with a star topology, multiple rounds of interactive coding is shown to decrease the scaling law of the total network rate by an order of magnitude as the network grows.
Recombination of DNA Molecules

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses the recombination of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules. The chapter also discusses the major features of genetic recombination and also summarizes some current speculations on the recombination of DNA molecules. These considerations leads to unexpected requirement that the DNA molecules are constructed of nonrepeating nucleotide sequences. It appears, likely, that genetic or molecular recombination is based on the interaction of complementary polynucleotides. The chapter also discusses many complementary nucleotides that are involved in the process of the recombination of DNA molecules. This number can be termed as the “recognition length.” The minimum recognition length could be as few as twelve nucleotides and there is some evidence that it is short. One may easily understand the origin of deletion, insertion, and inversion mutations in terms of point mutations. The chapter discusses point mutations that result in “effectively repetitious” sequences, and account for the origin of “circular” DNA molecules (“episomes”), thereby offering an attractive model for the origin of viruses.
Bootstrapped Training of Event Extraction Classifiers

Most event extraction systems are trained with supervised learning and rely on a collection of annotated documents. Due to the domain-specificity of this task, event extraction systems must be retrained with new annotated data for each domain. In this paper, we propose a bootstrapping solution for event role filler extraction that requires minimal human supervision. We aim to rapidly train a state-of-the-art event extraction system using a small set of "seed nouns" for each event role, a collection of relevant (in-domain) and irrelevant (out-of-domain) texts, and a semantic dictionary. The experimental results show that the bootstrapped system outperforms previous weakly supervised event extraction systems on the MUC-4 data set, and achieves performance levels comparable to supervised training with 700 manually annotated documents.
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instruments among individuals with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study of floor/ceiling effects and construct validity.

The psychometric properties of Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instruments have been explored in a number of general and clinical samples. No study, however, has evaluated the psychometric function of these measures in individuals with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The aim of this project was to evaluate the construct (structural) validity and floor/ceiling effects of four PROMIS measures in this population. We conducted a secondary analysis of baseline data from a randomized trial comparing Tai Chi and physical therapy. Participants completed four PROMIS static short-form instruments (i.e., Anxiety, Depression, Physical Function, and Pain Interference) as well as six well-validated (legacy) measures that assess pain, function, and psychological health. We calculated descriptive statistics and percentages of participants scoring the minimum (floor) and maximum (ceiling) possible scores for PROMIS and legacy measures. We also estimated the association between PROMIS scores and scores on legacy measures using Spearman’s rank correlations coefficients. Data from 204 participants were analyzed. Mean age of the sample was 60 years; 70 % were female. The PROMIS Anxiety and Depression had floor effects with 17 and 24 % of participants scoring the minimum, respectively. PROMIS Anxiety and Depression scores had strongest associations with general mental health, including stress (Perceived Stress Scale, r ≥ 0.65) and depression (Beck Depression Index-II, r = 0.70). PROMIS Pain Interference scores correlated most strongly with measures of whole body pain (Short-Form 36 Bodily Pain, r = −0.73) and physical health (Short-Form 36 Physical-Component Summary, r = −0.73); their correlations were lower with other legacy measures, including with the WOMAC knee-specific pain (r = 0.47). PROMIS Physical Function scores had stronger associations with scores on the Short-Form 36 Physical Function (r = 0.79) than with scores on other legacy measures. The four PROMIS static-short forms performed well among individuals with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis as evidenced in correlations with legacy measures. PROMIS Anxiety and Depression target general mental health (e.g., stress, depression), and PROMIS Pain Interference and Physical Function static-short forms target whole-body outcomes among participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Floor effects in the PROMIS Anxiety and Depression scores should be considered if needing to distinguish among patients with very low levels of these outcomes. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01258985 . Registered 10 December 2010
Occupation-times for functions with countable level sets and the regeneration of stationary processes

The first part of this paper gives the Lebesgue decomposition relative to a Radon measure ~ on IR of the occupation-time measure B--*m(x-l(B)) (m Lebesgue measure, B a Borel set) of a real function x(t) which satisfies a certain condition on the size of its level sets. When x(t) has an approximate derivative kap(t ) for m-a.e, t the decomposition can be written explicitly in terms of ka~(t) and the multiplicity kernel v(y, A)=cardinality of {t~A: x(t)=y}. In the second part, we first give probabilistic conditions which allow the real-variable results to be applied to almost every trajectory of a stationary random process Xt(co ). We then exhibit various random times at which the process regenerates itself probabilistically: letting ~(co) be the first t > 0 at which Xt(co)=Xo(cO ) and the (approximate) derivative 2~(co) exists, we characterize the class of measures which are dominated by the law P of Xt(c0) and invariant under the random time shift which moves the origin to z(co); we also give a necessary and sufficient condition for a " random iterate" of this transformation to preserve P itself and describe the invariant a-fields for these transformations.
Clinical characteristics of pediatric granular myringitis.

ObjectiveTo determine the clinical characteristics of children with granular myringitis.Study DesignCase series with chart review of children with granular myringitis.SettingTertiary care children’...
Cancer's sweet tooth

Even in the presence of an adequate oxygen supply, many tumors metabolize the majority of the glucose they take up through glycolysis. It has been a long-held belief that this glycolytic phenotype is due to cancer-specific defects in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Fantin et al. now report that most tumor cells have a substantial reserve capacity to produce ATP by oxidative phosphorylation when glycolysis is suppressed. These new data add to mounting evidence that the high rate of glycolysis exhibited by most tumors is required to support cell growth rather than to compensate for defect(s) in mitochondrial function.