cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mesorhizobium loti Produces nodPQ-Dependent Sulfated Cell Surface Polysaccharides

Leguminous plants and bacteria from the family Rhizobiaceae form a symbiotic relationship, which culminates in novel plant structures called root nodules. The indeterminate symbiosis that forms between Sinorhizobium meliloti and alfalfa requires biosynthesis of Nod factor, a β-1,4-linked lipochitooligosaccharide that contains an essential 6-O-sulfate modification. S. meliloti also produces sulfated cell surface polysaccharides, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The physiological function of sulfated cell surface polysaccharides is unclear, although mutants of S. meliloti with reduced LPS sulfation exhibit symbiotic abnormalities. Using a bioinformatic approach, we identified a homolog of the S. meliloti carbohydrate sulfotransferase, LpsS, in Mesorhizobium loti. M. loti participates in a determinate symbiosis with the legume Lotus japonicus. We showed that M. loti produces sulfated forms of LPS and capsular polysaccharide (KPS). To investigate the physiological function of sulfated polysaccharides in M. loti, we identified and disabled an M. loti homolog of the sulfate-activating genes, nodPQ, which resulted in undetectable amounts of sulfated cell surface polysaccharides and a cysteine auxotrophy. We concomitantly disabled an M. loti cysH homolog, which disrupted cysteine biosynthesis without reducing cell surface polysaccharide sulfation. Our experiments demonstrated that the nodPQ mutant, but not the cysH mutant, showed an altered KPS structure and a diminished ability to elicit nodules on its host legume, Lotus japonicus. Interestingly, the nodPQ mutant also exhibited a more rapid growth rate and appeared to outcompete wild-type M. loti for nodule colonization. These results suggest that sulfated cell surface polysaccharides are required for optimum nodule formation but limit growth rate and nodule colonization in M. loti.
Accelerator timing at Brookhaven National Laboratory

Accelerator timing at Brookhaven National Laboratory has evolved from multiple coaxial cables transmitting individual pulses in the original Alternating Gradient Synchrotron (AGS) design, to serial coded transmission as the AGS Booster was added. With the implementation of this technology, the Super Cycle Generator (SCG) which synchronizes the AGS, Booster, linac, and tandem accelerators was introduced. This paper will describe the timing system being developed for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).
Response of genetic dwarf apple plants to GA3

High temperature has been implicated as the major factor responsible for dwarfing of selected apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees of a hybrid population of cv. Goldspur Delicious x cv. Redspur Delicious. Dwarf plants grew only 2.2 cm in 63 days under a ramped temperature regime (night 15°C, day ramped up to 38°C, held for 2 h and ramped down to 15°C—14 h daylength), whereas semi-dwarf plants grew 26.3 cm. At a constant 27°C (14 h daylength), both dwarf and semi-dwarf plants grew 26.3 cm. At a constant 27°C (14 h daylength), both dwarf and semi-dwarf plants grew nearly 50 cm. The gibberellin biosynthesis inhibitor, paclobutrazol, retarded growth of semi-dwarf plants in both ramped and constant environments and dwarf plants in the constant 27°C environment. It did not further reduce the size of dwarf plants growing under the ramped regime. Gibberellin (GA3) treatment reversed the inhibition of growth caused by paclobutrazol for all plants except it did not restore growth of dwarf plants in the ramped environment. These data suggest that neither pacobutrazoltreated nor untreated dwarf plants growing in the ramped environment (or in the orchard during hot summer months) are able to respond to GA3. In constrast, GA3 was utilized by the paclobutrazol-inhibited dwarf plants growing at constant 27°C, enabling shoot elongation to take place. It appears that high temperature may have caused alterations in GA target tissues in dwarf plants so that they no longer had the capacity to respond to GA.
Measuring the Impact of Global Information Technology Applications

The objective of this study is to develop a means of assessing the impact of global information technology applications. Building on the prior work of Pal via (1997), Sethi and King (1994) and Mahmood and Soon (1991) a multi-factor global IT impact measurement model is developed. This model exhibits a high degree of reliability and validity. From a theoretical perspective, this study develops a measurement model that can be used to evaluate the impact of IT in a global environment. From a practitioner's point of view, the study provides a better understanding of the factors that should be considered when assessing the impact of global IT applications.
The Muslim Jesus: Dead or alive?

According to most classical Muslim commentators the Quran teaches that Jesus did not die. On the day of the crucifixion another person – whether his disciple or his betrayer – was miraculously transformed and assumed the appearance of Jesus. He was taken away, crucified, and killed, while Jesus was assumed body and soul into heaven. Most critical scholars accept that this is indeed the Quran's teaching, even if the Quran states explicitly only that the Jews did not kill Jesus. In the present paper I contend that the Quran rather accepts that Jesus died, and indeed alludes to his role as a witness against his murderers in the apocalypse. The paper begins with an analysis of the Quran's references to the death of Jesus, continues with a description of classical Muslim exegesis of those references, and concludes with a presentation of the Quran's conversation with Jewish and Christian tradition on the matter of Jesus' death.
Book Review Essay: Pitfalls in Storytelling Advice and Praxis

The article reviews several books about management including “The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations,” by Stephen Denning, “Making Stories: A Practical Guide for Organizational Leaders and Human Resource Specialists,” by Terrence L. Gargiulo, and “Tales for Change: Using Storytelling to Develop People and Organizations, by Margaret Parkin.
Large-signal millimeter-wave CMOS modeling with BSIM3

A large-signal modeling methodology based upon a modified BSIM3v3 transistor model is presented which targets MM-wave CMOS applications. The effect of parasitics on the high-frequency operation of CMOS transistors is discussed, and a standard intrinsic BSIM3v3 model card is augmented with lumped elements to model these effects. Core BSIM parameters are extracted to match the measured DC I-V curves of a fabricated common-source NMOS transistor. Measured S-parameters are used to extract external parasitic component values to obtain a bias-dependent small-signal MM-wave frequency fit up to 65 GHz. The large-signal MM-wave accuracy of the model is verified by measuring the output harmonics power under large-signal excitation. Comparisons of measurements with the simulations show good agreement up to 60 GHz.
Treatment of gonorrhea with cefazolin plus probenecid.

The cephalosporin group of antibiotics has a poor record in therapy of gonorrhea. In this study a new parenteral cephalosporin C derivative, cefazolin, was examined alone and with probenecid, and the two regimens were compared with aqueous procaine penicillin G plus probenecid in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. Two grams of cefazolin resulted in nine t ailures among 31 patients (29%). The same dose of cefazolin plus 1.0 g of probenecid resulted in six failures among 31 patients (19.3%). The control schedule of 4.8 X 106 units of aqueous procaine penicillin G plus 1.0 g of probenecid resulted in only one failure among 30 patients (3.3%). Levels of cefazolin were determined in sera of 10 patients; at 6 hr the mean serum level in patients who had received cefazolin plus probenecid was twice that in those who had received cefazolin alone. Serum levels of cefazolin were at least 10 times the mean minimal inhibitory concentration of cefazolin of 2.76 p[g/ml at 6 hr in eight of 10 subjects.
Neurotoxic esterase: not so toxic?

An altered form of an esterase has been implicated in the development of neurotoxicity after exposure to organophosphates. Mice deficient in this enzyme should be less susceptible to toxicity, but the opposite turns out to be the case.
Dissociation Constants of Oxalic Acid in Aqueous Sodium Chloride and Sodium Trifluoromethanesulfonate Media to 175 °C

The first and second molal dissociation constants of oxalic acid were measured potentiometrically in a concentration cell fitted with hydrogen electrodes. Measurements were made at six temperatures...
Evaluation of design parameters for TRISO-coated fuel particles to establish manufacturing critical limits using PARFUME

Abstract The success of modular high temperature gas-cooled reactors is highly dependent on the performance of the tristructural-isotopic (TRISO) coated fuel particle and the quality to which it can be manufactured. During irradiation, TRISO-coated fuel particles act as a pressure vessel to contain fission gas and mitigate the diffusion of fission products to the coolant boundary. The fuel specifications place limits on key attributes to minimize fuel particle failure under irradiation and postulated accident conditions. PARFUME (an integrated mechanistic coated particle fuel performance code developed at the Idaho National Laboratory) was used to calculate fuel particle failure probabilities. By systematically varying key TRISO-coated particle attributes, failure probability functions were developed to understand how each attribute contributes to fuel particle failure. Critical manufacturing limits were calculated for the key attributes of a low enriched TRISO-coated nuclear fuel particle with a kernel diameter of 425 μm. These critical manufacturing limits identify ranges beyond where an increase in fuel particle failure probability is expected to occur.
Self-Regulatory Strength and Mindfulness

The authors review evidence for the strength model of self-regulation (self-control), and discuss relations between mindfulness and self-regulation. The strength model of self-control suggests that exerting self-control may consume some limited resource and reduce the amount of strength available for subsequent self-control tasks. Another key feature of the strength model of self-control suggests that regular exercise can, over time, increase the strength or ability of self-control. In this way, self-control is said to resemble a muscle. Mindfulness and self-regulation appear to have some features in common. Increased mindfulness and increased self-regulatory ability both offer substantial benefits for living a healthy and successful life across several domains. Furthermore, exercises used to increase mindfulness are similar to exercises used to increase self-control. It seems likely, then, that mindfulness and self-control ability have a bidirectional relationship.
Migration and Tissue Tropism of Innate Lymphoid Cells

Innate lymphoid cell (ILCs) subsets differentially populate various barrier and non-barrier tissues, where they play important roles in tissue homeostasis and tissue-specific responses to pathogen attack. Recent findings have provided insight into the molecular mechanisms that guide ILC migration into peripheral tissues, revealing common features among different ILC subsets as well as important distinctions. Recent studies have also highlighted the impact of tissue-specific cues on ILC migration, and the importance of the local immunological milieu. We review these findings here and discuss how the migratory patterns and tissue tropism of different ILC subsets relate to the development and differentiation of these cells, and to ILC-mediated tissue-specific regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. In this context we outline open questions and important areas of future research.
Scratch-swim hybrids in the spinal turtle: blending of rostral scratch and forward swim.

Turtles with a complete transection of the spinal cord just posterior to the forelimb enlargement at the D2–D3 segmental border produced coordinated rhythmic hindlimb movements. Ipsilateral stimula...
Analyzing and Reforming Tunisia's Tax System

Tunisia's tax system has undergone significant structural reforms over the last several decades. Even so, its structure exhibits some major flaws, shortcomings that spill over to and affect the performance of the overall Tunisian economy. Further, the tax system continues to underperform in some fundamental ways, ways that also affect the rest of the economy. Finally, the structure of the Tunisian tax system has some notable shortcomings. This paper discusses these issues. It presents details of the main taxes, it analyzes several main features of this tax system, and it suggests various specific tax reforms that can be introduced both in the short term and in the longer term.
Enrichment and plating methodology for Salmonella detection in food. A Review

Much research concerned with enrichment and plating methodology to detect salmonella contamination in foods has been reported by many scientists. This review brings reported findings of major proponents together into one text for greater understanding and appreciation of the complexity of the problem. Discussed in this review are reported applications and mechanisms of 11 enrichment media and eight plating media, incubation temperatures and times, and serotype specificity involving enrichment and plating media. Also, enrichment emulsifying agents, agitation during incubation, sample type, and level and proportion of salmonellae and competitors as related to salmonella enrichment are discussed. Other factors related to salmonella recovery, such as multiple media methods, preparation methods, storage of media, and media brand are included in this review, as well as a discussion of the methodology dilemma and some general recommendations for future direction.
Proteomonas sulcata ACR1: A Fast Anion Channelrhodopsin

Natural channelrhodopsins with strictly anion selectivity and high unitary conductance have been recently discovered in the cryptophyte alga Guillardia theta. These proteins, called anion channelrhodopsins (ACRs), are of interest for their novel function and also because they were shown to be highly efficient tools to inhibit neuronal action potentials with light. We show that a homologous protein from the cryptophyte alga Proteomonas sulcata (named here PsuACR1) exhibits similar strict anion selectivity as the previously identified G. theta ACRs. Like G. theta ACRs, PsuACR1 lacks a protonatable residue at the position of the proton acceptor Asp-85 in bacteriorhodopsin, which may be a key characteristic of ACR family members shared by haloarchaeal chloride pumps. Of importance for its potential use in optogenetics, despite its 10-fold lower channel activity than the GtACRs, PsuACR1 exhibits an ~eightfold more rapid channel closing half-time making it uniquely suitable for silencing the subclass of high-frequency firing neurons when high-time resolution is needed. The existence of a rhodopsin with properties similar to G. theta ACRs in a different cryptophyte genus indicates that such proteins may be widespread in the phylum of cryptophyte algae.
Heron's Formula via Proofs without Words

Heron's remarkable formula, K = ^s(s ? a)(s ? b)(s ? c), for the area K of a triangle with side lengths a, b, and c, and semiperimeter s = (a -\-b + c)/2, can be proved by a number of methods. Algebraic, geometric, trigonometric and functiontheoretic proofs can be found in [1], [2], [4], [5], [6], [7], [9], [10], [12], and [14]. The purpose of this Capsule is to use "proofs without words" to establish two lemmas (which are of interest in their own right) that reduce the proof of Heron's formula to elementary algebra. It is based on the proof found in [2] (which reappears in [4] and [10]). Let AABC be a triangle with sides a, b, c, as in Figure 1(a), and bisect each angle to locate the center of the incircle (as did Heron). Extending an inradius (length r) to each side now partitions the triangle into six smaller right triangles, with side lengths as indicated in Figure 1(b).
Computational Chemical Analysis of [FeFe] Hydrogenase H-Cluster Analogues To Discern Catalytically Relevant Features of the Natural Diatomic Ligand Configuration

Density functional theoretical models of the electronic structure of several configurational isomers and analogues of the [2Fe]H H-cluster in [FeFe] hydrogenase were analyzed to identify distinguis...
Optical Generation and Detection of Polaronic States in PCBM

Photoinduced charge transfer from an indium tin oxide (ITO) contact into [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM) and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) is measured. For both, charge-transfer peaks are observed for a series of excitation energies below the absorption edge. If charge transfer is blocked using a tunnel barrier or an applied electric field, then the peaks disappear. The observed transitions are similar to those predicted by theoretical calculations of the absorption spectra for negatively charged C60 and C70 chains. This observation suggests that charge transfer occurs preferentially at the polaronic transition energies, providing a new means for polaronic state spectroscopy.
Nonclassical Nature of Counting Probabilities in the Detection of Light from the DPO

We show that both photon number and photoelectron counting probabilities can be used directly to demonstrate the nonclassical nature of light from the degenerate parametric oscillator.
Does what we write matter? Determining the features of high- and low-quality summative written comments of students on the internal medicine clerkship using pile-sort and consensus analysis: a mixed-methods study

Written comments by medical student supervisors provide written foundation for grade narratives and deans’ letters and play an important role in student’s professional development. Written comments are widely used but little has been published about the quality of written comments. We hypothesized that medical students share an understanding of qualities inherent to a high-quality and a low-quality narrative comment and we aimed to determine the features that define high- and low-quality comments. Using the well-established anthropological pile-sort method, medical students sorted written comments into ‘helpful’ and ‘unhelpful’ piles, then were interviewed to determine how they evaluated comments. We used multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis to analyze data, revealing how written comments were sorted across student participants. We calculated the degree of shared knowledge to determine the level of internal validity in the data. We transcribed and coded data elicited during the structured interview to contextualize the student’s answers. Length of comment was compared using one-way analysis of variance; valence and frequency comments were thought of as helpful were analyzed by chi-square. Analysis of written comments revealed four distinct clusters. Cluster A comments reinforced good behaviors or gave constructive criticism for how changes could be made. Cluster B comments exhorted students to continue non-specific behaviors already exhibited. Cluster C comments used grading rubric terms without giving student-specific examples. Cluster D comments used sentence fragments lacking verbs and punctuation. Student data exhibited a strong fit to the consensus model, demonstrating that medical students share a robust model of attributes of helpful and unhelpful comments. There was no correlation between valence of comment and perceived helpfulness. Students find comments demonstrating knowledge of the student and providing specific examples of appropriate behavior to be reinforced or inappropriate behavior to be eliminated helpful, and comments that are non-actionable and non-specific to be least helpful. Our research and analysis allow us to make recommendations helpful for faculty development around written feedback.
Phase I study of paclitaxel and carboplatin: implications for trials in head and neck cancer.

An ongoing phase I and pharmacokinetic trial of paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ) in combination with carboplatin is evaluating the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of a 3-hour paclitaxel infusion combined with fixed doses of carboplatin in previously treated and untreated patients with a variety of advanced cancers. A patient's previous treatment status determines the fixed carboplatin dose: target area under the concentration-time curves of 4.0 and 4.5 mg.min/mL in previously treated and untreated patients, respectively. Studies 1 and 2 entered previously treated patients to establish the paclitaxel MTD without and with cytokine support: study 1 established 135 mg/m2 paclitaxel as the MTD without such support. In study 2, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is administered, and the MTD has not yet been reached with paclitaxel doses of 135 mg/m2 to 230 mg/m2 assessed thus far and 250 mg/m2 now being evaluated. Objective responses have been seen in three of five patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic cancer of unknown primary site as well. Myelosuppression has been the dose-limiting toxicity, although significant nausea and vomiting and myalgia have been documented occasionally. Paclitaxel apparently has nonlinear pharmacokinetics with a beta half-life of 6.7 hours (SD +/- 1.3 hours). Future trials of paclitaxel/carboplatin will address the management of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and non-small cell carcinoma of the lung.
Assessing the Efficacy of High-Resolution Satellite-Based PERSIANN-CDR Precipitation Product in Simulating Streamflow

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the performance of Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks–Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CDR) in a rainfall–runoff modeling application over the past three decades. PERSIANN-CDR provides precipitation data at daily and 0.25° temporal and spatial resolutions from 1983 to present for the 60°S–60°N latitude band and 0°–360° longitude. The study is conducted in two phases over three test basins from the Distributed Hydrologic Model Intercomparison Project, phase 2 (DMIP2). In phase 1, a more recent period of time (2003–10) when other high-resolution satellite-based precipitation products are available is chosen. Precipitation evaluation analysis, conducted against stage IV gauge-adjusted radar data, shows that PERSIANN-CDR and TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) have close performances with a higher correlation coefficient for TMPA (~0.8 vs 0.75 for PERSIANN-CDR) and almost the same root-mean-square deviati...
Toss the water, keep the child

The peer‐review model of academic publishing has lately been a subject of much discussion and criticism. In their recent opinion paper and the following commentary [1], [2], Daniel Fisher and Nikolaios Parisis criticize it as outdated and harmful to the progress of science because it stifles new ideas, has a tendency to bow to authorities, and vests a small number of the reviewers with the power to decide whether or not to accept research results [1], [2]. Much of their criticism reflects widespread frustration with the publishing practices of some high‐profile journals, which place large emphasis on the predicted impact of the published work, which makes them prone to subjectivity and bias. Nobel Prize winner Randy Schekman—who famously declared boycott of the high‐profile “luxury” journals—called the editorial policies of journals that artificially hike up the impact factor by selectively pursuing hot topics and …
Factors That Modulate Neurogenesis: A Top-Down Approach.

Although hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult brain has been conserved across the vertebrate lineage, laboratory studies have primarily examined this phenomenon in rodent models. This approach has been successful in elucidating important factors and mechanisms that can modulate rates of hippocampal neurogenesis, including hormones, environmental complexity, learning and memory, motor stimulation, and stress. However, recent studies have found that neurobiological research on neurogenesis in rodents may not easily translate to, or explain, neurogenesis patterns in nonrodent systems, particularly in species examined in the field. This review examines some of the evolutionary and ecological variables that may also modulate neurogenesis patterns. This ‘top-down' and more naturalistic approach, which incorporates ecology and natural history, particularly of nonmodel species, may allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the functional significance of neurogenesis.
Treatment of Early Hepatitis C Infection in HIV-Infected Men—When to Treat, Whom, and with What?

There has been an expanding international epidemic of sexually transmitted hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) since the turn of the twenty-first century, resulting in a progressively increasing number of these men presenting with early HCV infection in need of treatment. We and others have recently performed studies using short-course treatment with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens in patients with early HCV infection that found similar or better cure rates compared to historical studies treating patients with chronic HCV. These studies provide further evidence that there is an enhanced treatment responsiveness period in early HCV infection. Ironically, since the introduction of truly safe and effective interferon-free DAA regimens, these treatments have become more difficult to obtain apparently due to higher costs, not of the price per cure, but because more people now want treatment. Prompt rather than delayed administration of treatment could further decrease the primary and re-infection rates among MSM by shortening the duration of infectiousness of these newly infected men. Since early and effective treatment of HCV infection is one of the essential elements in combating this epidemic and decreasing the number of new infections, and since short-course therapy, which is highly effective only in early HCV infection, is less expensive, we should be treating these patients immediately in this newly cost hyper-sensitive environment. We therefore urge that treatment guidelines be changed to reflect these rational arguments. Such guideline changes would additionally serve to push funding agencies to provide better access to treatment for early HCV infection.
An analysis of malpractice litigation related to the management of brain aneurysms

OBJECTIVE Given the highly complex and demanding clinical environment in which neurosurgeons operate, the probability of facing a medical malpractice claim is high. Recent emphasis on tort reform within the political sphere has brought this issue to the forefront of medical literature. Despite the widespread fear of litigation in the medical community, few studies have provided an analysis of malpractice litigation in the field. Here, the authors attempt to delineate the medicolegal factors that impel plaintiffs to file medical malpractice claims related to the management of brain aneurysms, and to better characterize the nature of these lawsuits. METHODS The online legal database WestLawNext was searched to find all medical malpractice cases related to brain aneurysms across a 30-year period. All state and federal jury verdicts and settlements relevant to the search criterion were considered. RESULTS Sixty-six cases were obtained. The average age of the patient was 46.7 years. Seventy-one percent were female. The cases were distributed across 16 states. The jury found in favor of the plaintiff in 40.9% of cases, with a mean payout of $8,765,405, and in favor of the defendant in 28.8% of the cases. A failure to diagnose and/or a failure to treat in a timely manner were the 2 most commonly alleged causes of malpractice. Settlements, which were reached in 25.8% of the cases, had a mean payout of $1,818,250. Neurosurgeons accounted for 6.7% of all defendants. CONCLUSIONS Unlike other medical specialties, a majority of the verdicts were not in the defendant's favor. The mean payouts were nearly 5-fold less in cases in which a settlement was reached, as opposed to a summary judgment. Neurosurgeons accounted for a small percentage of all codefendants.
Efficacy of Intravenous and Endotracheal Epinephrine during Neonatal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Delivery Room

A retrospective examination is presented of intravenous vs a lower (0.03?mg/kg) and higher (0.05?mg/kg) dose of endotracheal epinephrine during delivery room cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Repeated dosing of intravenous and endotracheal epinephrine is needed frequently for successful resuscitation. Research regarding optimal dosing for both routes is needed critically.
Noodling the Nodals, Nodal Hamlet: Difference and Repetition, Extreme Performances, Remembering to Forget

To fugitively explore is to track irresistible and elusive subject matters, to journey the undercurrents of semiotic streams, not in the interest of absolute capture, but to balance on a nodal of understanding, where affective forces significantly meet, until we move off. Afterwards the noodling resumes, and we improvise on the memories generated, negotiate past, present, and future, navigate repetitions and differences, until we find ourselves lingering felicitously on the indeterminate edge, rushing nowhere in the capricious winds of inevitable change, we go. And along with us go the traces of our journeys, reverberating with the streams of our performances.
A primative value: reducing disparity

Established administrative practice that under-represents proportionality in performance measures results in a normalization of disparity in government program outcomes. Targeted responses to disparate suffering during rare events cannot be extrapolated generally to address a broader pattern of disparity. Reporting required in social service program delivery suggests public administration scholars and practitioners could create a disparity measure as a routine inclusion. Expansion of research initiatives on disparity in government service is essential and can benefit from laudable progress in emergency and crisis management studies. Similarly, public health research programs routinely note disparities. Without an explicit emphasis on disparities, inertia within the field, a sense of inevitability among practitioners, and indifference to the needs of invisible populations delay significant improvement.
A Refined Characteristic of Minimum Contingency Set for Conjunctive Query

Given a database instance d, a self join free conjunctive query q and its result q(d), contingency set \(\mathsf {\Gamma }(q,d)\) is a set of tuples from d such that \(q(d\setminus \mathsf {\Gamma })\) is false but q(d) is true initially. Finding minimum contingency set \(\mathsf {\Gamma }_{\min }(q,d)\) is an important problem in database area. An important dichotomy for this problem was identified in the most recent result, Freire et al. showed that \({\mathsf \Gamma }_\textsf {min}(q_\triangle ,d)\) is \(\mathsf {NP}\)-\(\mathsf {complete}\) if the input query includes a triad of form “\(R_{xy},S_{yz},T_{zx}\)” in a particular manner, \(\mathsf {PTime}\) otherwise. However, we have two observations: (a) if two clauses have a common variable, then this database instance should be too complex, formally speaking, the visualization of its query result will not be of planarity, this requirement is too strict, (b) there is no limitation on the length of every circle in the visualization of the query result. This makes the previous theorem of dichotomy too weak. Therefore, the natural question is that, if the query result of input database is not of planarity or there is a fixed limitation on the length of every circle, is it \({\mathsf \Gamma }_\textsf {min}(q_\triangle ,d)\) still \(\mathsf {NP}\)-\(\mathsf {complete}\)? To this end, we strengthen the hardness result, that \({\mathsf \Gamma }_\textsf {min}(q_\triangle ,d)\) is still \(\mathsf {NP}\)-\(\mathsf {complete}\), if the input database instance is of planarity, or the maximum length of every circle is limited. Our theorems also generalize the result of triangle edge deletion problem defined on general graph into directed graph, make a contribution to graph theory.
Acute Confusional Migraine: Distinct Clinical Entity or Spectrum of Migraine Biology?

The goal of this review is to explore the literature reports of acute confusional migraine (ACM) including patient characteristics, migraine symptomatology, and proposed diagnostic criteria. A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science using the terms “confusional migraine” and “confusional state in migraine”. All the relevant articles from 1970 to 2016 were included. A total of 120 patients were found in the literature. Most of the cases were seen in the pediatric population with a slight male predominance. Personal or family history of migraine was common. Most patients had a headache prior to the confusional state. In addition to confusion and agitation, some developed visual (32.5%) and/or sensory symptoms (19%) and/or speech problems (39%) either prior to or during the confusional state. Data on treatment outcomes is lacking. Patients with most common forms of migraine report attention and cognitive disturbances but awareness remains intact as opposed to patients with ACM. ACM is a distinct entity and should be included as part of the appendix of International Classification of Headache Disoders-3 beta version (ICHD-3β) criteria. Prospective studies are needed to further study this disorder and its association with other migraine forms.
At the Boundaries of Homeownership: Credit, Discrimination, and the American State

In the United States, homeownership is synonymous with economic security and middle-class status. It has played this role in American life for almost a century, and as a result, homeownership's centrality to Americans' economic lives has come to seem natural and inevitable. But this state of affairs did not develop spontaneously or inexorably. On the contrary, it was the product of federal government policies, established during the 1930s and developed over the course of the twentieth century. At the Boundaries of Homeownership traces how the government's role in this became submerged from public view and how several groups who were locked out of homeownership came to recognize and reveal the role of the government. Through organizing and activism, these boundary groups transformed laws and private practices governing determinations of credit-worthiness. This book describes the important policy consequences of their achievements and the implications for how we understand American statebuilding.
The IGC Model Framework: A Recipe for Jumpstarting the Innovation Process

Spawning innovation is the puzzle that many strategists are seeking to understand and master. The limited foresight of past trends has handicapped leaders to identify attributes that contribute to the innovation process. However, through the assessment of innovation strategies, a conceptual framework provides a foundational starting point to guide the process of innovating.
A web-based multicriteria evaluation of spatial trade-offs between environmental and economic implications from hydraulic fracturing in a shale gas region in Ohio

Planning of shale gas infrastructure and drilling sites for hydraulic fracturing has important spatial implications. The evaluation of conflicting and competing objectives requires an explicit consideration of multiple criteria as they have important environmental and economic implications. This study presents a web-based multicriteria spatial decision support system (SDSS) prototype with a flexible and user-friendly interface that could provide educational or decision-making capabilities with respect to hydraulic fracturing site selection in eastern Ohio. One of the main features of this SDSS is to emphasize potential trade-offs between important factors of environmental and economic ramifications from hydraulic fracturing activities using a weighted linear combination (WLC) method. In the prototype, the GIS-enabled analytical components allow spontaneous visualization of available alternatives on maps which provide value-added features for decision support processes and derivation of final decision maps. The SDSS prototype also facilitates nonexpert participation capabilities using a mapping module, decision-making tool, group decision module, and social media sharing tools. The logical flow of successively presented forms and standardized criteria maps is used to generate visualization of trade-off scenarios and alternative solutions tailored to individual user’s preferences that are graphed for subsequent decision-making.
Practical Considerations for Broadband Cognitive Radio Systems: On-chip Spectrum Sensing

The cognitive radios sense the spectrum dynamically and allocate the unoccupied bands to secondary users. A broadband receiver with >100 MHz bandwidth increases spectrum refresh rate and enhance the allocation of spectrum resources. This paper proposes practical design considerations for wideband receivers that is suitable for cognitive radio applications with enhanced techniques that improves system linearity and reduces power consumption.
NewGene: An Introduction for Users:

This article introduces NewGene, a complete redesign of the popular EUGene software. Like its predecessor, NewGene is designed to eliminate many of the difficulties commonly involved in constructin...
On The Gamma-Half Normal Distribution and Its Applications

A new distribution, the gamma-half normal distribution, is proposed and studied. Various structural properties of the gamma-half normal distribution are derived. The shape of the distribution may be unimodal or bimodal. Results for moments, limit behavior, mean deviations and Shannon entropy are provided. To estimate the model parameters, the method of maximum likelihood estimation is proposed. Three real-life data sets are used to illustrate the applicability of the gamma-half normal distribution.
Community-based accompaniment & social work—A complementary approach to social action

Accompaniment, or the intentional practice of presence, emphasizes processes and relationships over outcomes, with the ultimate goal of leveraging privilege and collectively changing destructive sy...
Lateral Vibrations by Social Wasps Signal Larvae to Withhold Salivary Secretions (Polistes fuscatus, Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

The communicative meaning of an oscillation (lateral vibration) performed by foundresses of social wasps (Polistes fuscatus) was investigated by sampling larval saliva from 12 postworker, single-foundress colonies and by viewing videotapes of 17 multiple-foundress (139.3 h) and 16 single-foundress (32 h) preworker colonies. Foundresses spent significantly more time inspecting cells before performing a lateral vibration (LV) than after and commonly became inactive after performing an LV. The proportion of departures temporally proximate to LVs was significantly greater in single- than in multiple-foundress colonies. Departures and LVs were significantly temporally associated in single-foundress colonies. Single foundresses were significantly more likely to perform an LV prior to departing on longer than shorter trips. In multiple-foundress colonies there was a significant temporal relationship between LVs and departures that left the nest unattended. Larvae secreted significantly less saliva, a nutritious substance provided to adults, immediately after an LV than in the absence of an LV. Contextual evidence and results of sampling larval saliva indicate that LVs by foundresses signal larvae to withhold or reduce their secretion of saliva.
Potential Effects of Gamma Irradiation on the Chemistry and Alkalinity of Brine in High-Level Nuclear Waste Repositories in Rock Salt

A study was conducted to investigate the possible changes in brine chemistry and alkalinity in a high-level nuclear waste salt repository caused by the interaction of brine with gamma-irradiated host rock. The technique employed involves measurements of the pH and total base in solution of brines made from rock salt irradiated to doses between 10/sup 7/ and 10/sup 10/ rad under various environmental conditions. The results show that the pH and total base of the brines increase with increasing irradiation of the parent rock salt. Rock salt samples, irradiated in the dry condition at 40/sup 0/C, produce brines with pH and total base values that increase from 7.25 pH units and 0.14 microequivalent/gram (..mu..eq/g) to upper limits of 9.25 pH units and 1.2 ..mu..eq/g, respectively. Samples, irradiated dry at 125/sup 0/C, produce brines with pH and total base values that increase to 9.60 pH units and 35 ..mu..eq/g, respectively. The increase in total base in the aforementioned brines is indicative of F-center formation (at 40/sup 0/C) and sodium-colloid formation (at 125/sup 0/C) in the salt. Saturated brines irradiated in the presence of rock salt at 125/sup 0/C, however, became progressively more acidic while brines made from the adjacent rock saltmore » became increasingly basic. With respect to the high and low pH brines that may be adjacent to waste packages, corrosion resistance of metal containers and the leachability of the waste form may be compromised. Additional data will be required to quantify the behavior of these components under anticipated repository conditions.« less
Erythrocytes Retain "Hypoxic Purinergic Memory" for Faster Acclimatization upon Re-Ascent

Abstract Improved and faster acclimatization to high altitude upon re-ascent is seen in humans. However, molecular basis for initial acclimatization and retention upon re-ascent to high altitude remains largely unknown. Here we report that plasma adenosine levels are induced by high altitude and retained at higher levels upon re-ascent in health lowlanders and that its elevation is positively associated with quicker acclimatization upon re-ascent. Unexpectedly, we found that, 1) erythrocyte equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (eENT1) is the major adenosine transporter in erythrocyte. 2) eENT1 protein level is downregulated in both humans at high altitude and mice under hypoxia. 3) Deletion of eENT1 allows rapid accumulation of plasma adenosine to offset hypoxic tissue damage in mice. Mechanistically, 4) we revealed that ADORA2B-mediated PKA-dependent phosphorylation, ubiquitinization and proteasomal degradation underlies hypoxia-mediated reduced eENT1 protein. Thus, the reduced eENT1 resulting from the initial hypoxia establishes erythrocyte "hypoxic purinergic memory" to promote quicker and higher accumulation of plasma adenosine and faster acclimatization upon re-ascent. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Single-cell RNAseq Imputation Based on Matrix Completion with Side Information

Drop-out events in single-cell RNA sequencing cause large numbers of zero values in gene expression matrices. Zero values hinder accurate down-stream analysis of single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) data. In this study, to estimate the zero values in scRNAseq data, we proposed a novel method based on the low rank matrix completion approach. The novelty of the proposed method is due to using the gene association information as side information. We observed that incorporating the gene association information can facilitate more accurate recovery of gene expression matrices. To further improve the accuracy of zero imputation, we additionally employed a statistical model to estimate the drop-out probability of each gene to adjust imputed gene expression matrices. We conducted extensive experiments to evaluate the performance of the proposed approach using several datasets. We compared the performance of the proposed method with that of three commonly used zero imputation methods in terms of accuracy in down-stream clustering analysis. Results show that the proposed method has higher or comparable power for accurate zero imputation while has shorter run time compared to the commonly used zero imputation methods.
Arylphosphonate-Directed Ortho C–H Borylation: Rapid Entry into Highly-Substituted Phosphoarenes

Phosphonate-directed ortho C-H borylation of aromatic phosphonates is reported. Using simple starting materials and commercially accessible catalysts, this method provides steady access to o-phosphonate arylboronic esters bearing pendant functionality and flexible substitution patterns. These products serve as flexible precursors for a variety of highly substituted phosphoarenes, and in situ downstream functionalization of the products is described.
Trapping of Suspended Sediment by Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in a Tidal Freshwater Region: Field Observations and Long-Term Trends

Widespread invasion by non-native, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) may modify the sediment budget of an estuary, reducing the availability of inorganic sediment required by marshes to maintain their position in the tidal frame. The instantaneous trapping rate of suspended sediment in SAV patches in an estuary has not previously been quantified via field observations. In this study, flows of water and suspended sediment through patches of invasive SAV were measured at three tidally forced, freshwater sites, all located within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California. An acoustic Doppler current profiler deployed from a roving vessel provided velocity and backscatter data used to quantify fluxes of both water and suspended sediment. Sediment trapping efficiency, defined as instantaneous net trapped flux divided by incident flux, was positive in 24 of 29 cases, averaging + 5%. Coupled with 3 years of measured sediment flux data at one site, this suggests that trapping averages 3.7 kg m−2 year−1. This estimate compares favorably with the mean mass accumulation rate of 3.8 kg m−2 year−1 estimated from dated sediment cores collected at the study sites. Long-term measurements made upstream reveal a strong negative trend (− 1.8% year−1) in suspended sediment concentration, and intra-annual changes in both suspended sediment concentration and percent fines. The large footprint and high spatial density of invasive SAV coupled with declining sediment supply are diminishing downstream suspended sediment concentrations, potentially reducing the resiliency of marshes in the Delta and lower estuary to future sea-level rise.
Optimization Of Electric Vehicle Charging Schedule Using Distributed Network Computing

The significant growth in the number of electric vehicles indicates an increased demand on the power distribution system, specifically on the low-voltage residential network. Without a well-organized schedule for charging electric vehicles, users will typically apply immediate charging upon arrival to home. This may burden the system and may damage power system equipment. To avoid this adverse effect on the system, a process of scheduling electric vehicle charging should be established. This paper proposes a multi-agent based distributed computing process for solving the electric vehicle charge scheduling problem in a secure way that benefits both the customer and the system. This process breaks down the problem into to global and local problem with the former for system objective and the latter for individual vehicle owners' objective. In this work, the local problems are modeled as sub gradient problems that can be solved simultaneously by corresponding agents. The optimality of the sub gradient solutions with respect to global objective are made sure through information sharing between the agents during each iteration. The detailed modeling and implementation of the proposed method along with numerical analysis to demonstrate the effectiveness are presented in the paper.