cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Web Host Access Tool: A Support Vector Machine Approach

Search engines are an integral part of web information gathering and retrieval process, but they are significantly dependent upon the words or word phrases input by the end user. The search engine usually contributes no additional semantic data toward the information acquisition process. This paper presents an intelligent search agent "Web host access tool" (WHAT) based on support vector machines (SVM), which introduces the notion of queries conducted within a specific contextual meaning. Given a context and associated keywords that personalize the search history and preferences of the user, WHAT performs more intelligent resource filtering than conventional search engines, providing more relevant results while filtering the irrelevant references. Search results obtained in the form of text from different search engines are processed by the SVM based word classifier that arrange the results obtained according to user preference obtained from previous search processes. The text materials are processed by Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) for creating a document matrix that gives the probability of a word occurrence in a specified context. For simplicity, this paper considers 5 different contexts: business, education, entertainment, news and information and tourism. The LSI coefficients were used by SVM to yield confidence levels for each search result and according to that the results were sorted and presented to the end user. As an alternative, least square support vector machines (LS-SVM) are also studied in this paper. The system is updated by the user that provides feedback regarding the search relevance, based on which the LSI coefficients are updated to ensure increased relevance in future searches. Three different types of kernel function were considered in this paper -Linear. Radial basis function (RBF) and polynomial kernel. Results claim that Linear SVM perform better than the others, not only in terms of classification accuracy but also in terms of training speed.
Regulating the New Agricultural Biotechnology by Managing Innovation Diffusion

After 15 years of promise, the new agricultural biotechnology is now being planted in farmers’fields and is found in America’s food supply. Taken together with the promise of reduced pesticide use and the resulting healthier environment, the adoption and proper management of this technology, as well as public acceptance of it, is highly important for its continued use. This article considers objective attributes and subjective factors in the adoption and management of new technologies and applies them to a much-vaunted and widely used agricultural biotechnology that promises chemical pesticide reduction but threatens biological pollution of the environment: crops genetically engineered to express Bacillus thuringiensis. Analysis of user workshops in Chicago and Memphis during the summer of 1999 suggests that difficulties may lie not with the seeds themselves but with the adoption of management practices that preserve the pesticidal capabilities of the plants.
Machining economics with machine interference considerations

Abstract We present solution methods to the problem of synchronizing parallel machining operations in order to avoid overlapping tool changes. The proposed algorithm utilizes results from the economic lot scheduling problem and modifies the machining speeds of the various operations in accordance with the minimum machining cost objective. The procedure is demonstrated through a numerical example.
Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Literacy Instruction: An Exploratory Study of Elementary Inclusive Settings

Little is known about how children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience reading instruction in the context of a natural learning environment. This qualitative study centered on three students with ASD who received reading instruction primarily in the general education classroom setting. Observation, interview, and archival data were collected and analyzed to learn how students with ASD engaged in reading instruction and responded to teacher strategies employed to facilitate learning. Findings describe the strengths shown and challenges experienced by children with ASD during literacy instruction. Limited exposure to systematic comprehension instruction hindered the literacy acquisition of learners ASD. Implications for general and special educators are described.
Asthma investigators begin to reap the fruits of genomics

Microarray experiments have identified novel candidate genes in animal models of asthma. In the near future, genomics may have a profound impact on the way we think about this common and complex disease.
The Role of Perspective in Defining Economic Measures for the Evaluation of Medical Technology

Perspectives in an economic analysis of medical technology reflect who makes decisions about the use of or payment for medical resources. Commonly used perspectives include those of providers, insurers, the individual, and society. Perspective is a critical determinant of study design, affecting the time horizon, types of resources considered, and economic cost measures assigned to those resources. Individuals involved in technology assessment for either research or policy-making purposes should be aware of the complexities of defining costs from different perspectives.
Central government computing agency in less developed countries

This paper is a result of research conducted in the last two years to improve government Computing Systems in developing countries. Various methods were used to introduce and establish Computing Systems in developing countries without any systematic approach. However, many of the governments in these countries soon realized the need for a central agency to regulate and monitor Computing Systems and their usage. Many factors contributed to the decisions made in creating a central government computing agency.
Difference in rural and urban driver-injury severities in highway-rail grade crossing accidents

Based on the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) database, there were 25,945 highway-rail crossing accidents in the United States between 2002 and 2011. With an extensive research, analysis results showed that there were substantial differences between rural and urban areas at highway-rail grade crossings. However, there is no published study specific on driver's injury severity at highway-rail grade crossings classified by area types. Using an ordered probit modelling approach, the study explores the determinants of driver-injury severity at rural highway-rail grade crossings compared with urban highway-rail grade crossings. The analysis found that motor vehicle driver's injury level at rural highway-rail grade crossing is extremely higher than urban area. Compared to collisions at urban area, collisions happened at rural area tend to result in more severe injuries. These crashes were more prevalent if vehicle drivers are driving at a high speed or the oncoming trains are high-speed. Moreover, highway-rail grade crossing accidents were more likely to occur at rural area without pavement and lighting.
Tracking encrypted VoIP calls via robust hashing of network flows

In this work we propose a Voice over IP (VoIP) call tracking scheme based on robust hashing of VoIP flows. In the proposed scheme the audio content of a possibly encrypted VoIP flow is identified by a short binary string, called the robust hash, using variations on the flow's bitrate over time. These robust hashes are then used to detect pairs of parties communicating with each other. In summary, if two parties are communication with each other then they have a pair of VoIP flows having similar robust hashes with high probability. The basic intuition behind the proposed hash function is twofolds: i)The variable bitrate codec employed in most VoIP applications result in a distinctive bitrate variations over time for each VoIP flow depending on the underlying audio content. ii) Encryption typically doesn't change the bitrate of a VoIP flow. Our experiments show that the proposed scheme is able to identify Skype VoIP flows even under various network impairments such as packet delays, jitter and packet drops.
Acute hemodynamic changes during intravenous dipyridamole thallium imaging early after infarction

Abstract In order to determine the safety and hemodynamic effects of intravenous dipyridamole infusion for thallium-201 scintigraphy in patients with acute ischemic syndromes, 10 patients with recent uncomplicated myocardial infarction (7 ± 2 days pre-test) had central pressures and cardiac output values measured serially in a coronary care unit during and after the administration of dipyridamole (0.56 mg/kg over 4 minutes) and following aminophylline reversal (50 to 150 mg intravenously) of dipyridamole effect. Cardiac medications were not discontinued. Double product did not change significantly (8522 ± 1811 versus 9044 ± 1701; p = NS). Serious ischemic events did not occur, although 20% of patients had noncardiac side effects and 30% developed ≥ 1 mm ST segment depression with associated angina in one-third of these cases. The peripheral blood pressure and heart rate response did not predict the occurrence of myocardial ischemia. Dipyridamole significantly reduced systemic vascular resistance (1218 ± 302 to 739 ± 166 dyne/sec −1 /cm −5 ; p 2 ; p p 15 mm Hg) had both thallium-201 redistribution and multivessel coronary disease. A ≥3 mm Hg increase in wedge pressure (mean increase=6 ± 3 mm Hg) occurred in five of eight (63%) patients with multivessel disease and in five of six (83%) patients with thallium-201 redistribution, while patients with single-vessel disease and no thallium-201 redistribution had a mean wedge increase of 2 ± 1 mm Hg. Aminophylline promptly reversed the hemodynamic effects of dipyridamole to baseline values, including new "V" waves. In summary, dipyridamole induces important hemodynamic changes similar to those occurring in spontaneous or exercise-induced angina that are not blunted by autonomically active drugs or reflexes in this early post-infarction setting. Early (≤7 day) post-infarction testing provides time- and cost-effective risk stratification, saving an average of 4 hospital days and $1843 ± $1181 per patient. As with any diagnostic intervention with the potential to induce myocardial ischemia during risk stratification, this test should be cautiously monitored, especially in patients with recent acute ischemic syndromes.
Exploring the Scopes “Monkey” Trial in Dayton, Tennessee: A Guide to People & Places

Abstract Many biology teachers visit Dayton, Tennessee, to experience “ground zero” of the evolution—creationism controversy. This article provides concise descriptions, addresses, and GPS coordinates for the trial-related sites in and around Dayton.
An Experimental Investigation of Efforts to Improve Sales Students' Moral Reasoning

This article reports the findings of a study that attempts to determine if sales students' moral reasoning skills (Level of Cognitive Moral Development) can be improved through training. A pretest-treatment-posttest design is used. Furthermore, an examination of gender differences in moral reasoning is conducted.The results indicate that students' moral reasoning can be improved with classroom exercises. Evidence also suggests that females reason at higher levels of moral development than do males, though there appears to be no differential effect of ethics training on the moral reasoning skills between males and females. Implications are provided for both higher education and sales organizations.
Immunology of Inflammatory Diseases of the Bowel

This article examines the complex interaction of innate and adaptive immune responses and the maintenance of functional intestinal homeostasis during enteric insult. Specific diseases of interest to veterinarians (e.g., Johne's disease and swine dysentery) are used to characterize this interaction and to define the role of specific leukocyte subsets, cytokines, and other mediators of inflammation in the pathogenesis of enteric disease. The role of the intestinal microflora in intestinal inflammatory disease is also described.
Surface- and Hydrogel-Mediated Delivery of Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles

Gene expression within a cell population can be directly altered through gene delivery approaches. Traditionally for nonviral delivery, plasmids or siRNA molecules, encoding or targeting the gene of interest, are packaged within nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are then delivered to the media surrounding cells seeded onto tissue culture plastic; this technique is termed bolus delivery. Although bolus delivery is widely utilized to screen for efficient delivery vehicles and to study gene function in vitro, this delivery strategy may not result in efficient gene transfer for all cell types or may not identify those delivery vehicles that will be efficient in vivo. Furthermore, bolus delivery cannot be used in applications where patterning of gene expression is needed. In this chapter, we describe methods that incorporate material surfaces (i.e., surface-mediated delivery) or hydrogel scaffolds (i.e., hydrogel-mediated delivery) to efficiently deliver genes. This chapter includes protocols for surface-mediated DNA delivery focusing on the simplest and most effective methods, which include nonspecific immobilization of DNA complexes (both polymer and lipid vectors) onto serum-coated cell culture polystyrene and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols on gold. Also, protocols for the encapsulation of DNA/cationic polymer nanoparticles into hydrogel scaffolds are described, including methods for the encapsulation of low amounts of DNA ( 0.2 μg/μl) since incorporation of high amounts of DNA pose significant challenges due to aggregation.
Frog semitendinosis tendon load-strain and stress-strain properties during passive loading

The mechanical properties of the frog semitendinosis (ST) tendon, bone-tendon junction, and aponeurosis were measured during passive loading to a tension equal to maximum isometric tension (Po). St...
Public-private partnerships in refugee resettlement: Europe and the US

This article describes the process of resettlement in five states (the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States). The different roles of private, non-governmental actors in the five systems are explored. The nature of the state as a provider of public welfare assistance is a factor that seems to determine the extent to which private actors play a role in resettlement. The article draws preliminary conclusions that could inform future social science research.
Sociology Analysis on Variousness of Modern Basketball Culture

On the base of analysis of culture characteristics,the author does some research on variousness of culture,espersially it's variousness in different fields of the world.Above all the author expounds the variousness of modern basketball culture in the sports athletics field as a typical movement,in the publics field as a main recreation method for people,in education field as a main content of the school,in sports fashion field as an important substance and in the world sports culture as a symbol of development of our sports culture.
Matriptase-2 links erythropoietin to iron.

In this issue of Blood,Nai et al demonstrate that the serine protease matriptase-2 mediates erythropoietin (EPO)-dependent suppression of hepcidin, a central regulator of iron homeostasis with causal or contributing roles in iron-loading diseases, hemoglobinopathies, and infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders.1
Antigen dynamics govern the induction of CD4(+) T cell tolerance during autoimmunity.

Abstract Antigen-specific T cell tolerance holds great promise for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. However, strategies to induce durable tolerance using high doses of soluble antigen have to date been unsuccessful, due to lack of efficacy and the risk of hypersensitivity. In the current study we have overcome these limitations by developing a platform for tolerance induction based on engineering the immunoglobulin Fc region to modulate the dynamic properties of low doses (1 μg/mouse; ∼50 μg/kg) of Fc-antigen fusions. Using this approach, we demonstrate that antigen persistence is a dominant factor governing the elicitation of tolerance in the model of multiple sclerosis (MS), experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), induced by immunizing B10.PL mice with the N-terminal epitope of myelin basic protein. Unexpectedly, our analyses reveal a stringent threshold of antigen persistence for both prophylactic and therapeutic treatments, although distinct mechanisms lead to tolerance in these two settings. Importantly, the delivery of tolerogenic Fc-antigen fusions during ongoing disease results in the downregulation of T-bet and CD40L combined with amplification of Foxp3 + T cell numbers. The generation of effective, low dose tolerogens using Fc engineering has potential for the regulation of autoreactive T cells.
Cyclic Loop Partitions for Linearly Varying Loops

In order to have a large impact in the user community, compiler optimizations must be applicable to the widest possible range of codes. In restricting our analyses to code featuring iterative data-parallel loops and matrix data sets, we have observed several frequently occurring computation structures and communication characteristics. Applications that exhibit various computation structures and communication characteristics are given in Fig. 4.1. Partitions demonstrated to give good performance for the computation structures and communication classes are given in Fig. 4.2. In Chapters 2 and 3, partitions for uniform computation and neighborhood communication were derived. Non-uniform blocking schemes have been studied for a static-correlated workload with neighborhood communication [BB87]. In this chapter, we expand our analysis to consider loops with a restricted form of the dynamic-correlated computation structure, the linearly varying computation structure. Furthermore, we also consider row/column multicast communication. We describe procedures for identifying the computational structure by examining loop indices and for identifying communication patterns by examining array subscript expressions.
Die moralische Entwicklung der großen Mystiker und ihre Beziehung zu den Schwankungen ihres psychophysiologischen Niveaus

Die moralische Geschichte der grosen Mystiker wird gewohnlich als eine fortschreitende Entfaltung betrachtet, die in einem Zustand der Vollendung gipfelt und die verschiedenen Phasen von Depression und Exaltation, die sie durchlaufen, sollen jede an ihrer Stelle zu diesem Fortschritt gehoren und beitragen. Dies heist, die Tatsachen ungenau erfassen. Gleich den meisten Lebenslaufen ist auch der ihre unzweifelhaft, im ganzen gesehen, von der Art einer Entwicklung, aber die Niveauschwankungen stehen zu dieser Entwicklung nicht konstant und notwendig in dem ihnen beigelegten Verhaltnis von Mitteln.
Influencing the information environment

On expose comment est organise le «Legislative Day» de l'ALA qui se tient tous les ans depuis 1975. On fait le bilan des sessions precedentes et on montre l'interet qu'il y a a participer, pour un bibliothecaire americain, a celui de 1988
Highly compact magneto-optical switches for metal-dielectric-metal plasmonic waveguides.

We introduce highly compact resonant-cavity-enhanced magneto-optical switches for metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) plasmonic waveguides. The field profile of the fundamental mode of a MDM waveguide in which the metal is subject to an externally applied static magnetic field is asymmetric. The static magnetic field induced asymmetry, which enhances or reduces the coupling between the waveguide and a side-coupled resonator, and the relatively large induced wave vector modulation are used to design a Fabry–Perot cavity magneto-optical switch, consisting of a MDM waveguide side-coupled to two MDM stub resonators. The on and off states correspond to either the presence or the absence of the externally applied static magnetic field.
From Partnership to Community

The President of Israel called for a dialogue among the major groups that constitute Israeli society. I was asked to suggest how this might be advanced. The text outlines my suggestions, comments, welcome.
Hybrid 4DVAR with a Local Ensemble Tangent Linear Model: Application to the Shallow-Water Model

AbstractAn ensemble-based tangent linear model (TLM) is described and tested in data assimilation experiments using a global shallow-water model (SWM). A hybrid variational data assimilation system was developed with a 4D variational (4DVAR) solver that could be run either with a conventional TLM or a local ensemble TLM (LETLM) that propagates analysis corrections using only ensemble statistics. An offline ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is used to generate and maintain the ensemble. The LETLM uses data within a local influence volume, similar to the local ensemble transform Kalman filter, to linearly propagate the state variables at the central grid point. After tuning the LETLM with offline 6-h forecasts of analysis corrections, cycling experiments were performed that assimilated randomly located SWM height observations, based on a truth run with forced bottom topography. The performance using the LETLM is similar to that of the conventional TLM, suggesting that a well-constructed LETLM could free 4D vari...
A high-fidelity time-frequency representation for ultrasonic signal analysis

The time-frequency (TF) characteristics of ultrasonic echoes provide valuable information leading to the characterization of materials and localization of defects. The conventional TF analysis methods such as Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) and short-time Fourier transform (STFT) perform inadequately when applied to ultrasonic signals because they introduce cross terms, offer poor resolution and are sensitive to noise level. In this study, we present a TF representation for ultrasonic echoes based on a matching pursuit (MP) method. MP decomposes a signal into a linear expansion of Gabor functions and maintains energy conservation. MP offers a TF distribution of the signal by enabling the addition of the TF distribution of each composing Gabor function. This TF representation is free of cross terms and adaptive to signal characteristics. The performance of this TF method has been tested using simulated and experimental ultrasonic data, and then compared to conventional techniques such as WVD and STFT. In particular, we present TF results for ultrasonic flaw detection where the microstructure scattering echoes dominate the flaw echoes (SNR is about 0 dB).
Spontaneous Remission in an Older Patient with Relapsed FLT3 ITD Mutant AML

Spontaneous remission (SR) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a very rare phenomenon. AML characterized by FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3 ITD) is typically associated with an aggressive clinical course with rapid progression, relapse, and short overall survival in the absence of transplantation. We report here the first case of SR of FLT3 ITD mutant AML in the literature. Our patient was an elderly woman with relapsed NPM1 and FLT3 ITD mutant AML whose disease underwent SR for a brief duration without precipitating cause. We review the potential immune mechanisms underlying SR in AML and discuss the implications for novel immunotherapeutic approaches for FLT3 mutant AML.
Fiber based fast sparse sampling x-ray luminescence computed tomography

Super fine collimated x-ray beam based x-ray luminescence computed tomography (XLCT) has the potential to reconstruct the deeply embedded targets with a spatial resolution of hundreds of micrometers. However, due to the low x-ray photon utilization efficiency and low optical signal sensitivity of the electron multiplying charge coupled device (EMCCD) camera, XLCT usually requires a long measurement time. To overcome this limitation, we propose a fiber based, fast XLCT design, in which optical fiber bundles are applied to collect the emitted optical photons on the phantom surface. Highly sensitive photomultiplier tubes (PMT) with a cooling unit and pre-amplifier are used to measure the photons from the fiber bundles. The PMT outputs are collected by a high-speed data acquisition board. A linear scan is estimated to take about 130 seconds, thus for an XLCT scan with 6 projections, we require 13 minutes for each section, which makes it feasible to have a whole body scan of XLCT. To validate our design, numerical simulations and phantom experiments have been performed. In numerical simulation studies, we have investigated the effect of the number of optical fiber bundle on the XLCT reconstruction. We found that one optical fiber bundle is sufficient to reconstruct the deeply embedded targets if measurements from 6 projections are used. Phantom experiments with multiple targets have been performed to validate the proposed fast XLCT imaging.
No Dose Adjustment is Recommended for Digoxin, Warfarin, Atorvastatin or a Combination Oral Contraceptive When Coadministered with Dulaglutide

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus are known to delay gastric emptying (GE). The potential effect of the GLP-1 RA dulaglutide on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of four orally administered drugs and on the pharmacodynamic (PD) effect of warfarin was investigated. In four separate clinical pharmacology studies, digoxin, warfarin, atorvastatin and Ortho-Cyclen® were orally administered to healthy subjects with and without a subcutaneous dose of dulaglutide 1.5 mg. The effect of dulaglutide coadministration was assessed based on the PK parameters of key analytes. For warfarin PD, the effect of dulaglutide on the international normalized ratio (INR) was evaluated. Areas under the concentration–time curves (AUCs) with and without dulaglutide were similar for all analytes except atorvastatin, where it was reduced by 21%. Maximum concentrations (C max) were generally lower following coadministration with dulaglutide, with statistically significant reductions (90% confidence intervals of geometric least squares means ratios outside 0.80–1.25) for all analytes except R-warfarin. For all analytes, there was a general trend for the time to C max (t max) to increase following coadministration with dulaglutide. For warfarin, dulaglutide coadministration had no statistically significant effect on the maximum INR (INRmax); however, a 2% increase in area under the INR curve (AUCINR) was observed. Dulaglutide did not affect the absorption of the tested medications to a clinically relevant degree. Based on the PK and PD evaluations, no dose adjustments for digoxin, warfarin, atorvastatin and Ortho-Cyclen® are recommended when coadministered with dulaglutide. NCT01458210, NCT01436201, NCT01432938, and NCT01250834.
Stereotype Threat Among Girls: Differences by Gender Identity and Math Education Context

Effects of stereotype threat on math performance have been well-documented among college women; however, the prevalence among adolescent girls is less well-known. Further, the moderating role of gender identity and effects of stereotype threat on high achieving girls in math is unknown. This study tested the effects of a stereotype threat condition (vs. control group) among middle school girls in standard and honors math classes and examined gender identity as a moderator. Students (N = 498) completed pre- and post-questionnaires and a math test as part of a stereotype threat experiment. Gender identity moderated effects of stereotype threat on math discounting, disengagement, attitudes, and performance, but whether gender identity was a protective or risk factor differed by math education context (honors math and standard math classes). Gender identity was protective for girls in honors math for attitudes, discounting, and disengagement but was a risk factor for math performance. Gender identity was a ri...
Polymyxin Resistance in Gram-negative Pathogens

The polymyxins are one of the last line antimicrobial classes to retain activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli. However, with the increased use of polymyxins in recent years, reports of resistance have also been increasing. We aimed to describe the mechanisms and occurrence of polymyxin resistance in Gram-negative organisms and propose strategies to overcome resistance. The most common mechanism of acquired resistance to the polymyxins is via modification of the bacterial outer membrane lipopolysaccharide. Global epidemiological surveillance studies have reported the occurrence of polymyxin resistance to be most common in Enterobacteriaceae, specifically Enterobacter species and Acinetobacter baumannii. Prevalence of polymyxin-resistant Gram-negative organisms varies significantly by geographical location. Emergence of polymyxin resistance is of great concern, given the limited number of agents available to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms. Strategies to mitigate the development of polymyxin resistance include dose optimization and using polymyxin agents in combination with other highly active antimicrobial agents.
Strategic air traffic flow management under uncertainties using scalable sampling-based dynamic programming and Q-learning approaches

Many Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) demonstrate high-dimensional environmental uncertainties that modulate the physical system dynamics and complicate the computational decision-making tasks. As an example, strategic air traffic flow management (ATFM) aims to resolve air traffic congestion through managing traffic flows at a long look-ahead time. The convective weather, a dominant factor of traffic congestion, is very uncertain and significantly complicates the decision-making process. Other uncertainties such as traffic demands further expand the uncertainty space and complicate the design of optimal control solutions that are robust to uncertainties. In this paper, we formulate the strategic ATFM as a stochastic optimal control problem, and use scalable sampling based dynamic programming and Q-learning approaches to address high-dimensional uncertainties. Simulation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of these approaches. These approaches generally apply to CPSs that operate under high-dimensional environmental uncertainties.
A New Algorithm and Asymptotical Properties for the DeadlockDetection Problem for Computer Systems with Reusable Resource Types

We study the classical problem of deadlock detection for systems with n processes and d reusable resource types, where d≪n. We present a novel algorithm for the problem. The algorithm enjoys two properties. First, its cost is n/log(n) times sm aller than that of the well-known Dijkstra’s algorithm, when d=O(log(n)). Secondly, its data structures are simple and easy to maintain. In particular, the algorithm employs no graph or tree based data structures. We also derive a linear-time algorithm when d and the resource requests are bounded by constants. The linear-time algorithm is asymptotically optimal. The algorithms are applicable to improving the Banker’s algorithm for deadlock avoidance. Categories and Subject Descriptors: D.4.1 Operating Systems: Process Management; General Terms: Deadlock, algorithms, performance
Onset of three-dimensionality in supersonic flow over a slender double wedge

An investigation shows that laminar supersonic flow on a 2D compression corner can destabilize to become 3D beyond a critical turn angle. This compressible instability resides in the recirculating flow, producing spiral wall flow patterns postseparation and wall temperature streaks downstream.
Corporate Cash and Political Uncertainty

How does political uncertainty aﬀect ﬁrms’ saving? We incorporate election uncertainty into a dynamic model of ﬁrm investment and saving. Our model predicts that ﬁrms build up pre-election cash balances and, because cost of capital is high when uncertainty is high, begin to rely on this cash before elections resolve uncertainty. We ﬁnd strong support for our predictions in our data and show that ﬁrms save an extra quarter’s worth of cash before elections. This saving reﬂects substantial heterogeneity in ﬁrms’ available sources of funding, so that changes to no one source of cash explains ﬁrms’ aggregate pre-election saving. Firms that can cheaply raise internal funds by, for example, retaining cash ﬂow or decreasing payout do so. Other ﬁrms that rely on external equity markets to raise cash adjust the timing and magnitude of issuances to avoid higher ﬁnancing costs around elections. Their willingness to rely on expensive equity issuance before elections is evidence of the importance of political uncertainty to ﬁrms’ saving decisions.
A full and thankful heart: writings about gratitude by Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder, Bill Wilson

Background: A robust literature on gratitude has accumulated in recent years as a result of the positive psychology movement. Gratitude is a prominent theme in the 12 step program Alcoholics Anonym...
Environmental factors affect the distribution of two Epichloë fungal endophyte species inhabiting a common host grove bluegrass (Poa alsodes).

2018-2019 UNCG University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund Grant Winner. Aim: The endophyte Epichloe alsodes, with known insecticidal properties, is found in a majority of Poa alsodes populations across a latitudinal gradient from North Carolina to New York. A second endophyte, E. schardlii var. pennsylvanica, with known insect-deterring effects, is limited to a few populations in Pennsylvania. We explored whether such disparate differences in distributions could be explained by selection from biotic and abiotic environmental factors. Location: Along the Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina to New York, USA. Taxon: Fungi. Methods: Studied correlations of infection frequencies with abiotic and biotic environmental factors. Checked endophyte vertical transmission rates and effects on overwintering survival. With artificial inoculations for two host populations with two isolates per endophyte species, tested endophyte–host compatibility. Studied effects of isolates on host performances in greenhouse experiment with four water-nutrients treatments. Results: Correlation analysis revealed positive associations of E. alsodes frequency with July Max temperatures, July precipitation, and soil nitrogen and phosphorous and negative associations with insect damage and soil magnesium and potassium. Plants infected with E. alsodes had increased overwintering survival compared to plants infected with E. schardlii or uninfected (E-) plants. Artificial inoculations indicated that E. alsodes had better compatibility with a variety of host genotypes than did E. schardlii. The experiment with reciprocally inoculated plants grown under different treatments revealed a complexity of interactions among hosts, endophyte species, isolate within species, host plant origin, and environmental factors. Neither of the endophyte species increased plant biomass, but some of the isolates within each species had other effects on plant growth such as increased root:shoot ratio, number of tillers, and changes in plant height that might affect host fitness. Main conclusion: In the absence of clear and consistent effects of the endophytes on host growth, the differences in endophyte-mediated protection against herbivores may be the key factor determining distribution differences of the two endophyte species.
Erwinia amylovora auxotrophic mutant exometabolomics and virulence on apples

ABSTRACT The Gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight disease of apples and pears. While the virulence systems of E. amylovora have been studied extensively, relatively little is known about its parasitic behavior. The aim of this study was to identify primary metabolites that must be synthesized by this pathogen for full virulence. A series of auxotrophic E. amylovora mutants, representing 21 metabolic pathways, were isolated and characterized for metabolic defects and virulence in apple immature fruits and shoots. On detached apple fruitlets, mutants defective in arginine, guanine, hexosamine, isoleucine/valine, leucine, lysine, proline, purine, pyrimidine, sorbitol, threonine, tryptophan, and glucose metabolism had reduced virulence compared to the wild type, while mutants defective in asparagine, cysteine, glutamic acid, histidine, and serine biosynthesis were as virulent as the wild type. Auxotrophic mutant growth in apple fruitlet medium had a modest positive correlation with virulence in apple fruitlet tissues. Apple tree shoot inoculations with a representative subset of auxotrophs confirmed the apple fruitlet results. Compared to the wild type, auxotrophs defective in virulence caused an attenuated hypersensitive immune response in tobacco, with the exception of an arginine auxotroph. Metabolomic footprint analyses revealed that auxotrophic mutants which grew poorly in fruitlet medium nevertheless depleted environmental resources. Pretreatment of apple flowers with an arginine auxotroph inhibited the growth of the wild-type E. amylovora, while heat-killed auxotroph cells did not exhibit this effect, suggesting nutritional competition with the virulent strain on flowers. The results of our study suggest that certain nonpathogenic E. amylovora auxotrophs could have utility as fire blight biocontrol agents. IMPORTANCE This study has revealed the availability of a range of host metabolites to E. amylovora cells growing in apple tissues and has examined whether these metabolites are available in sufficient quantities to render bacterial de novo synthesis of these metabolites partially or even completely dispensable for disease development. The metabolomics analysis revealed that auxotrophic E. amylovora mutants have substantial impact on their environment in culture, including those that fail to grow appreciably. The reduced growth of virulent E. amylovora on flowers treated with an arginine auxotroph is consistent with the mutant competing for limiting resources in the flower environment. This information could be useful for novel fire blight management tool development, including the application of nonpathogenic E. amylovora auxotrophs to host flowers as an environmentally friendly biocontrol method. Fire blight management options are currently limited mainly to antibiotic sprays onto open blossoms and pruning of infected branches, so novel management options would be attractive to growers.
Hispanic Millennial Ideology: Surprisingly, No Liberal “Monolith” Among College Students:

The goal of this study is to analyze the ideological positions of Hispanic college students in the U.S. Rio Grande Valley (RGV). Building on Feldman and Johnston’s work, where they argue that a uni...
Blurred Centers/Margins: Ethnobotanical Healing in Writings by Ethnic Minority Women in China

This chapter focuses on writings by ethnic minority women in China—with special attention to the connection between healing and the vegetal world in the changing social and natural environments in post-socialist China. We examine “Herbs Living in the Body” (2012) by the Tujia writer Chen Danling and “Snow Lotus” (2012) by the Hui writer Mao Mei to articulate how ethnobotanical healing addresses questions of margins and centers in post-socialist China. The chapter explores the ethnobotanical in the distinct ways that it blurs the concept of margins and centers in geopolitical terms. We argue that the ethnobotanical serves as a source of connection among the environmental, corporeal, and spiritual, and is central to processes of physical or spiritual healing.
Volunteering in Membership Associations: Does Gender Diversity Make a Difference?

Previous studies find that gender plays a key role in members’ involvement in nonprofit organizations. In this study, we seek to extend this line of study in the context of membership associations ...
Advances in solar evaporator materials for freshwater generation

To alleviate the scarcity of clean water, solar steam generation, which utilizes the green and abundant resources of Earth, has attracted considerable attention and been recognized as a sustainable technology to purify seawater and wastewater. Within the past five to seven years, building on remarkable advances in the synthesis of nanoscale photothermal materials, significant progress has been made in the design and fabrication of solar evaporators. Here, we comprehensively review the materials and structures of the three key components of solar evaporators: solar absorbers, substrates (i.e., support layers), and water collectors towards efficient harvesting of sunlight, thermal management, water transportation, interfacial evaporation, and collection. In particular, we discuss the design principles of water collectors for solar-driven evaporation, which are in the early stages of development at present. Furthermore, bio-inspired water collectors provide exciting opportunities for the design and realization of efficient water harvesting from solar steam. Finally, we introduce photothermal-enhanced membrane distillation (PMD), a promising alternative technique involving solar-driven interfacial evaporation for producing clean water. PMD combines solar energy and membrane distillation, which facilitates efficient water purification and collection. In this review, we discuss the design guidelines and recent development of this photothermal-enhanced water purification. This review provides useful insights into the material choice and structure optimization to realize enhanced solar evaporators towards freshwater generation.
The associations of maternal polycystic ovary syndrome and hirsutism with behavioral problems in offspring

Objective To study the associations between maternal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hirsutism with offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, conduct disorder, and behavioral problems. Design Prospective birth cohort study. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) A total of 1,915 mother–child dyads. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Maternal report of offspring ADHD, anxiety, or conduct disorder diagnosis at 7 to 8 years; emotional symptoms, behavioral problems (including peer relationship, conduct, hyperactivity/inattention), and prosocial problems measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at 7 years. Result(s) Prevalence of PCOS and hirsutism were 12.0% and 3.9%; 84% of women with hirsutism had PCOS. After adjustment for sociodemographic covariates, prepregnancy body mass index, and parental history of affective disorders, children born to mothers with PCOS had higher risk of anxiety (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–2.57) and borderline emotional symptoms (aRR 1.66; 95% CI, 1.18–2.33) compared with children born to mothers without PCOS. The associations between maternal PCOS and offspring ADHD were positive but imprecise. Maternal hirsutism was related to a higher risk of children's ADHD (aRR 2.33; 95% CI, 1.28–4.24), conduct disorder (aRR 2.54; 95% CI 1.18–5.47), borderline emotional symptoms, peer relationship problems, and conduct problems (aRRs 2.61; 95% CI, 1.69–4.05; 1.92; 95% CI, 1.16–3.17; and 2.22; 95% CI, 1.30–3.79, respectively). Conclusion(s) Maternal PCOS was associated with offspring anxiety, and hirsutism was related to other offspring behavioral problems. These findings should be interpreted with caution as replication is needed in prospective cohort studies that assess PCOS and hirsutism diagnoses using medical records.
Intrinsic cardiac elastography in patients with primary mitral regurgitation: predictive role after mitral valve repair.

AIMS Chronic volume-overload can impair systolic and diastolic myocardial properties. We tested the hypothesis that Intrinsic Cardiac Elastography may detect alterations in passive myocardial elasticity in patients with chronic severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and predict worsening left ventricular (LV) function after mitral valve repair (MVr). METHODS AND RESULTS Comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac elastography were performed in 80 patients with primary MR (prolapse and/or flail leaflets) of varying severity and compared with 40 normal subjects. In patients who underwent MVr (n = 51), elastography measurements were related to changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at short-term (3-4 days post-op) and mid-term (1 year) follow-up. Most patients were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and had preserved LVEF (>60%). Intrinsic velocity propagation (iVP) of myocardial stretch, a direct measure of myocardial stiffness, was higher in patients with severe MR {median 2.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.5-2.2] m/s, range 1.1-3.4 m/s; n = 56} compared to normal subjects [median 1.7 (IQR 1.5-1.8) m/s; n = 40; P = 0.0005], but not in those with mild or moderate MR [median 1.7 (IQR 1.4-1.9) m/s; n = 24]. A higher iVP was associated with more severe LV volume-overload and LV and left atrial enlargement (P < 0.05 for all). In patients undergoing MVr, a higher iVP independently predicted a larger drop in LVEF post-intervention (short-term, P = 0.001; 1 year, P = 0.007), incrementally to pre-operative LVEF (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Non-invasive measurements of myocardial stiffness were able to predict functional deterioration after MVr for chronic primary MR. Further studies should investigate the mechanisms and practical utility of this novel measurement.
Resistance to the CHK1 inhibitor prexasertib involves functionally distinct CHK1 activities in BRCA wild-type ovarian cancer.

High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is a fatal gynecologic malignancy in the U.S. with limited treatment options. New therapeutic strategies include targeting of the cell cycle checkpoints, e.g., ATR and CHK1. We recently reported a promising clinical activity of the CHK1 inhibitor (CHK1i) prexasertib monotherapy in BRCA wild-type (BRCAwt) HGSOC patients. In this study, biopsies of treated patients and cell line models were used to investigate possible mechanisms of resistance to CHK1i. We report that BRCAwt HGSOC develops resistance to prexasertib monotherapy via a prolonged G2 delay induced by lower CDK1/CyclinB1 activity, thus preventing cells from mitotic catastrophe and cell death. On the other hand, we noted CHK1’s regulation on RAD51-mediated homologous recombination (HR) repair was not altered in CHK1i-resistant cells. Therefore, CHK1i sensitizes CHK1i-resistant cells to DNA damaging agents such as gemcitabine or hydroxyurea by inhibition of HR. In summary, our results demonstrate new mechanistic insights of functionally distinct CHK1 activities and highlight a potential combination treatment approach to overcome CHK1i resistance in BRCAwt HGSOC.
Interferon-stimulated GTPases in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases: promising role for the guanylate-binding protein (GBP) family

Human IFNs are secreted cytokines shown to stimulate the expression of over one thousand genes. These IFN-inducible genes primarily encode four major protein families, known as IFN-stimulated GTPases (ISGs), namely myxovirus-resistance proteins, guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs), p47 immunity-related GTPases and very large inducible guanosine triphosphate hydrolases (GTPases). These families respond specifically to type I or II IFNs and are well reported in coordinating immunity against some well known as well as newly discovered viral, bacterial and parasitic infections. A growing body of evidence highlights the potential contributory and regulatory roles of ISGs in dysregulated inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Our focus was to draw attention to studies that demonstrate increased expression of ISGs in the serum and affected tissues of patients with RA, SS, lupus, IBD and psoriasis. In this review, we analysed emerging literature describing the potential roles of ISGs, particularly the GBP family, in the context of autoimmunity. We also highlighted the promise and implications for therapeutically targeting IFNs and GBPs in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.