cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pseudogenes of the human HPRT1 gene

Entrez Gene lists four HPRT1 gene pseudogenes (HPRTP1, HPRTP2, HPRTP3, and HPRTP4) mapping to chromosomes 3, 5, 11q, and 11q, respectively, as originally reported by Patel et al. in 1984 (Patel PI, et al. 1984 Somat Cell Mol Genet 10:483-493). However, the Entrez Gene reports for three of the four pseudogenes (HPRTP1, HPRTP3, and HPRTP4) are currently empty. A BLAST search of both GenBank (Homo sapiens) and the human genome found the chromosome 5 associated HPRTP2 sequence and a single chromosome 11q sequence (HPRTP3 or HPRTP4?). This chromosome 11 sequence had a unique 7.2 kb insert, which may explain why it originally appeared to be two separate pseudogenes. No evidence of a chromosome 3 associated sequence was found; however, a sequence highly homologous to HPRT1 was located on chromosome 4. All of these sequences are intronless processed pseudogenes. Lastly, a sequence highly homologous to HPRT1 exon 8 was found on chromosome 10. This homologous sequence was exactly exon 8 of a gene designated PRTFDC1, for phosphoribosyl transferase domain containing 1. This gene with unknown function is almost completely homologous to HPRT1 in exon structure (except for a 21 bp (seven amino acid) insertion in exon 1) and 68% homologous in amino acid sequence.
A conceptual framework for understanding global and transnational public goods for health

The paper presents two taxonomies for classifying global and transnational health-promoting activities according to three parameters of public ness – nonrivalry of benefits, nonexcludability of nonpayers, and the aggregation technologie s. Based on these taxonomies and their implications for efficiency and equity, this pape r identifies the need for international cooperation in some, but certainly not all, areas concerning the provision of such health-promoting activities. Additionally, institutional responses are evalua ted in light of the various health-promoting activities. The role of multilate rals, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, and nations are addressed. A host of current global health issues – e.g., public-private pa rtnerships, international orphan drug legislature, patent protection – are addressed.
Conservation Programs: Will Grain Production Reclaim Acres in the South?

A state-level analysis of the Re-enrollment and Extension (REX) program o ns outhern states indicates a positive relationship between percentage of tree acreage and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) re-enrollment for states in which conservation acreage is dominated by trees. However, the relationship depends on crop mix where CRP acreage is dominated by grass. County-level analysis suggests that states will differ in how quickly they opt out of CRP. Of the states examined, Arkansas is the most likely to move land to corn, with Mississippi the least likely. Arkansas and Kentucky will switch to soybean first, followed by Mississippi and Georgia.
Rethinking Land Grab Ontology

The current bout of land annexation expresses a particular moment in modern history—specifically the condensation of a series of linked crises. Arguably the world is at an ecological tipping point, and how land resources are managed now is of paramount concern. Of course, land management has variable meaning, with quite different ontological consequences. The difference registers in the distinct visions expressed, for example, by the World Bank and the United Nations Human Rights Rapporteur, Olivier de Schutter, regarding the implications of the land grab for global food security. While the bank proposes responsible investments in “land acquisition,” the rapporteur argues that this is a way of “responsibly destroying the world's peasantry.” The former, concerned with governing the rights of capital, expresses a form of neoproductivism, signaled in the concept of “sustainable intensification” increasingly underwritten by agribusiness. The latter, concerned with protecting the material rights of rural inhabitants, expresses an ontology centered on the sustainability of agroecological methods used by farmers who know and value their landscapes. More than simply alternative visions, these represent different responses to the combined food, energy, and climate crises, informing quite distinctive ontologies concerning the relationship between “food security,” environmental crisis, and land management, which I address in this article in terms of the “ecology of food security.”
Robustness and Power of Analysis of Covariance Applied to Data Distorted from Normality by Floor Effects: Non-Homogeneous Regression Slopes

We investigate through computer simulations the robustness and power of two group analysis of covariance tests applied to small samples distorted from normality by floor effects when the regression slopes are non-homogeneous. We consider four parametric analysis of covariance tests that vary according to the treatment of the homogeneity of regression slopes and two t tests on the dependent variable and on difference scores. Under the null hypothesis of no difference in means, we estimated actual significance levels by comparing observed test statistics to appropriate values from the F and t distributions for nominal significance levels of 0.10, 0.05, 0.02 and 0.01. We estimated power by similar comparisons under various alternative hypotheses. We found that the traditional or textbook approach which first tests for homogeneity of slopes and then tests for equality of treatment means only if slopes are homogeneous, the model which assumes homogeneous regression slopes and the two t -tests are generally rob...
Images of the mind: studies with modern imaging techniques

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 334 FUNCTIONAL IMAGING TECHNIQUES 335 Positron Emission Tomography 335 Blood Flow and Brain Function 335 Imaging Strategy : 336 STUDIES OF VERBAL RESPONSE SELECTION 337 Experimental Observations 337 Previous Imaging Studies of Learning 339 Contributions of Constituent Anatomy: Non-Automatic Circuit 342 Contributions of Constituent Anatomy: Automatic Circuit 344 Practical Implications 346 Theoretical Implications 348 FUTURE DIRECTIONS 350
Bone tissue interface.

High resolution microradiography and multiple fluorochrome labeling are definitive histological methods for assessing the mechanism and timing of osseous healing, maturation, and adaptation. Two fundamental types of bone interface have been described for endosseous dental implants: (1) fibro-osseous integration ("pseudo-periodontal ligament") and (2) rigid osseous fixation ("osseointegration"). No definitive bone interface studies with modern physiological methods have been reported for fibro-osseous integration. Rigid osseous fixation has been investigated in cortical bone implantation sites. The initial healing reaction involves predominantly bone modeling at the periosteal and endosteal surfaces, i.e., a woven bone callus fills with lamellae by the process of lamellar compaction. Nonvital osseous interface and adjacent compacta are replaced by bone remodeling (turnover). As assessed with high resolution microradiography, "clinically successful" specimens had less than half of the intraosseous interface in direct contact with bone. Extrapolation from animal data suggests that endosseous implants can be provisionally loaded at about 18 weeks, but full maturation of the interface requires approximately one year.
Social Cognitive Development from an Evolutionary Perspective

Humans are among the most social of mammals; they transmit information to group members and across generations with great fidelity. We contend, as others have (e.g., Alexander, The human revolution: behavioural and biological perspectives on the origins of modern humans, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1989, pp. 455–513; Dunbar, Annu Rev Anthropol 32:163–181, 2003; Hare, Annu Rev Anthropol 40:293–309, 2011), that it was changes in social cognition over hominin evolution that was the driving force in human intelligence. Moreover, the origins of humans’ social nature and cognition are found in infancy and childhood, placing social cognitive development at center stage in understanding the evolution of the human mind. Humans have a fierce bias for orienting toward social stimuli beginning very shortly after birth, as outlined by our discussion on newborns’ attention to social stimuli such as biological motion, facial expressions, and eye gaze. Beyond the neonatal period, we go on to discuss the development of infants and young children’s ability to view other people as intentional agents and perspective taking. Given that viewing others as intentional agents is a foundational ability for effective social learning, we outline how the nature of children’s social learning changes as they enter childhood by shifting their attention to the behavior of others and begin reproducing others’ actions, often based on their assumed intentions. Lastly, we contrast the review of the development of human social cognition during the early years of life with the social cognitive abilities of humans’ closest genetic relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and speculate why such a unique cognitive system may have evolved.
Exponential lifetime improvement in topological quantum memories

We propose a simple yet efficient mechanism for passive error correction in topological quantum memories. Our scheme relies on driven-dissipative ancilla systems which couple to local excitations (anyons) and make them “sink” in energy, with no required interaction among ancillae or anyons. Through this process, anyons created by some thermal environment end up trapped in potential “trenches” that they themselves generate, which can be interpreted as a “memory foam” for anyons. This self-trapping mechanism provides an energy barrier for anyon propagation and removes entropy from the memory by favoring anyon recombination over anyon separation (responsible for memory errors). We demonstrate that our scheme leads to an exponential increase of the memory-coherence time with system size L, up to an upper bound L_(max), which can increase exponentially with Δ/T, where T is the temperature and Δ is some energy scale defined by potential trenches. This results in a double exponential increase of the memory time with Δ/T, which greatly improves over the Arrhenius (single-exponential) scaling found in typical quantum memories.
Reactor kinetics pedagogical insight

The solution of the point-kinetics equations with a neutron source can be expressed in terms of the solution without a source by a simple scaling involving reactivities, with an added constant term. Proof is provided by both the Laplace transform and matrix methods
Experiments using a simulation model of the banks grass mite (Acari : Tetranychidae) and the predatory mite Neoseiulus fallacis (Acari : Phytoseiidae) in a corn microenvironment

The simulation model (MiteSim) of the mite predator-prey system consisting of Banks grass mite, Oligonychus pratensis (Banks), and the predatory mite Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman) was used to evaluate mite population dynamics in Nebraska corn fields in relation to microenvironmental variables. Simulation results demonstrated the importance of using humidity and temperature conditions at the leaf surface instead of weather station conditions to simulate the mite system on corn in Nebraska. Also, humidity (in addition to temperature) was determined to be critically important in the population dynamics of the two mites. The temperature and humidity at the leaf surface of moderately drought-stressed corn (compared with well-watered corn) resulted in higher simulated populations of Banks grass mite. Simulation studies also showed that colonization of a corn field by less than one adult female Banks grass mite per plant in June can result in mite densities sufficient to cause crop loss by August (Banks grass mite biotic potential without extrinsic mortality).
Design of Low Profile Actuators for Medical Exoskeletons

Lower extremity exoskeletons augment ability of walking, sitting and standing upright with a pair of robotic legs that ambulates the user with mobility disorder. As a mobility aid, being lightweight and compact can highly increase usability by allowing users to navigate through narrow passages. This paper summarizes the design of low profile actuators designed for minimally actuated exoskeleton, a lightweight and low profile powered medical exoskeleton developed in Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at UC Berkeley. An analytical method for designing low profile BLDC actuation units, critical hardware design aspects, and initial performance measurements are discussed. A set of pancake DC actuation units was designed, manufactured, assembled, and integrated into a lower limb medical exoskeleton. This exoskeleton was tested by a male 28-year-old paraplegic test pilot with injury level of T12.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Industrialization in the PeripheryThe Evolving Global Division of Labor

The emergence of the modern semiperiphery, or new industrializing countries, involving the rapid industrialization of parts of the less developed world, has received much attention in the scholarly literature. However, this phenomenon has met with radically different interpretations. To some, this peripheral industrialization signals a new era in north-south relations and a break with the old international division of labor based on the exchange of primary and industrial goods. To others, this new development is interpreted in a more limited way. It is seen as limited in terms of the number of possible new entrants, the temporary nature of the projected “boom” period, and the nonautonomous nature of the peripheral growth process.
Comparison of Current and Light Induced Defects in A-SI:H

Metastable defect creation by illumination and by a forward current in p-i-n devices are compared using CPM and reverse current measurements of the defect density. The data show that the same defects are formed by the two mechanisms, but with different spatial profiles. Numerical modelling shows how the spatial profile influences the reverse bias current.Acknowledgements
Smart Grid Supporting Energy Security and Environmental Safety

A power system is closely linked to the primary energy and the environment. With the development of the renewable energy, the aggravation of the energy crisis, the severe situation of the environmental safety, the paper describes new challenges faced to the current power system. It is presented that the smart grid is a global frame to cope with these challenges, and that the smart grid is also an important part in the energy defense system and the environment safety system. Finally, it is pointed out that the smart grid should be read as the vision power system by exploring its essential connotation.
Investigation of the Current Status of Human Resources and Strategy o f Development of Disease Control and Prevention Sectors of Maoming Area

Objective To understand the current status of human resources and development trends in disease control and prevention sectors of Maoming are a, so as to provide a strategy of optimization of the human resources for the su stainable development. Methods The data of almanac in disease control and prev ention sectors at city and county levels in 2001 and 2003 was collected and anal yzed. Results The data showed that the current status of human resources in dis ease control and prevention sectors was better than the formerly health and anti -epidemic system. However, there were many shortcomings: lack of personnel, low quality of the personnel, inconsequence of the structure of the position and age , and the lag behind of the development of professional teams. Conclusions The keystones and directions of development in human resources are increasing the nu mber of personnel, attracting high quality people, building up the professional teams, utilizing current human resource and improving the framework of developme nt.
Uridylylation of the PII Regulatory Protein in Cascade Control of Escherichia coli Glutamine Synthetase

A uridylyltransferase (UTase) and a uridylyl removing enzyme (UR-enzyme) catalyze the uridylylation and deuridylylation, respectively, of Shapiro’s PII-regulatory protein. Uridylylated regulatory protein (PIID) stimulates the capacity of adenylyltransferase (ATase) to catalyze deadenylylation, whereas unmodified regulatory protein (PIIA) stimulates ATase catalyzed adenylylation of E. coli glutamine synthetase. Both uridylylation of PII and the adenylylation of glutamine synthetase are regulated by the concentrations of ATP, UTP, Pi, α-ketoglutarate, glutamine and the divalent cations, Mg2+ and Mn2+. The UTase, ATase, UR-enzyme, and the PII regulatory protein, together with the various metabolite effectors, constitute two oppositely directed cascade systems for the fine control of glutamine synthetase activity. The significance of these cascade systems in the control of glutamine metabolism is discussed.
Minimally Invasive vs. Open Hepatectomy: a Comparative Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database

While minimally invasive surgery (MIS) to treat liver tumors has increased, data on perioperative outcomes of MIS relative to open liver resection (O-LR) are lacking. We sought to compare short-term outcomes among patients undergoing MIS vs. O-LR in a nationally representative database. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify patients undergoing hepatectomy between January 1 and December 31, 2014. Propensity score matching algorithm was used to balance differences in baseline characteristics among MIS and O-LR groups. A total of 3064 patients were included in the study. After propensity matching, the baseline characteristics for O-LR and MIS groups were comparable (minimum p value = 0.12). Incidence of superficial surgical site infections, intraoperative or postoperative blood transfusions, and pulmonary embolism was lower among patients in MIS group compared to O-LR (p < 0.02). Liver failure and biliary leakage were also less frequent among patients undergoing MIS (p < 0.01). Similarly, MIS was associated with a shorter length of hospital stay (LOS) compared to O-LR (p < 0.001). Of note, 30-day postoperative mortality and readmission were comparable between the two groups. Patients undergoing MIS had a lower postoperative morbidity and shorter LOS compared with patients undergoing O-LR. MIS is safe and may be associated with improved short-term outcomes following hepatic surgery.
The Competition–Violence Hypothesis: Sex, Marriage, and Male Aggression

Sexually active men, who are not in a monogamous relationship, may be at a greater risk for violence than men who are sexually active within monogamous relationships and men who are not sexually active. The current study examines changes in sexual behavior and violence in adolescence to early adulthood. Data on male (n = 4,597) and female (n = 5,523) respondents were drawn from four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health (Add Health). HLM regression models indicate that men who transition to a monogamous, or less competitive, mode of sexual behavior (fewer partners since last wave), reduce their risk for violence. The same results were not replicated for females. Further, results were not accounted for by marital status or other more readily accepted explanations of violence. Findings suggest that competition for sex be further examined as a potential cause of male violence.
Measuring the Consumption of Individual Solid and Liquid Bites Using a Table-Embedded Scale During Unrestricted Eating

The universal eating monitor (UEM) is a table-embedded scale used to measure grams consumed over time while a person eats. It has been used in laboratory settings to test the effects of anorectic drugs and behavior manipulations such as slowing eating, and to study relationships between demographics and body weight. However, its use requires restricted conditions on the foods consumed and behaviors allowed during eating in order to simplify analysis of the scale data. Individual bites can only be measured when the only interaction with the scale is to carefully remove a single bite of food, consume it fully, and wait a minimum amount of time before the next bite. Other interactions are prohibited such as stirring and manipulating foods, retrieving or placing napkins or utensils on the scale, and in general anything that would change the scale weight that was not related to the consumption of an individual bite. This paper describes a new algorithm that can detect and measure the weight or individual bites consumed during unrestricted eating. The algorithm works by identifying time periods when the scale weight is stable, and then, analyzing the surrounding weight changes. The series of preceding and succeeding weight changes is compared against patterns for single food bites, food mass bites, and drink bites to determine if a scale interaction is due to a bite or some other activity. The method was tested on 271 subjects, each eating a single meal in a cafeteria setting. A total of 24 101 bites were manually annotated in synchronized videos to establish ground truth as to the true, false, and missed detections of bites. Our algorithm correctly detected and weighed approximately 39% of bites with approximately one false positive (FP) per ten actual bites. The improvement compared to the UEM is approximately three times the number of true detections and a 90% reduction in the number of FPs. Finally, an analysis of bites that could not be weighed compared to those that could be weighed revealed no statistically significant difference in average weight. These results suggest that our algorithm could be used to conduct studies using a table scale outside of laboratory or clinical settings and with unrestricted eating behaviors.
Boosting the adoption and the reliability of renewable energy sources: Mitigating the large-scale wind power intermittency through vehicle to grid technology

Abstract The integration of wind energy in the electricity sector and the adoption of electric vehicles in the transportation sector both have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions individually as well as in tandem with Vehicle-to-Grid technology. This study aims to evaluate the greenhouse gas emission savings of mitigating intermittency resulting from the introduction of wind power through Vehicle-to-Grid technologies, as well as the extent to which the marginal electricity consumption from charging an electric vehicle fleet may weaken this overall environmental benefit. To this end, the comparisons are conducted in seven independent system operator regions. The results indicate that, in most cases, the emission savings of a combination of wind power and Vehicle-to-Grid technology outweighs the additional emissions from marginal electricity generation for electric vehicles. In addition, the fluctuations in newly-integrated wind power could be balanced in the future using EVs and V2G technology, provided that a moderate portion of EV owners is willing to provide V2G services. On the other hand, such a combination is not favorable if the Vehicle-to-Grid service participation rate is less than 5% of all electric vehicle owners within a particular region.
From Purdah to Parliament

Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah was a Pakistani author, politician, diplomat and social-activist whose life bridges the late colonial and post-colonial phases of South Asian history. Her biography illustrates the discursive pressures shaping the lives of upper and intermediate class men and women of her generation, particularly as manifested in the unquestioned tropes of modernization theory. However, the same life reveals that her notion of the tradition-modernity dichotomy does not extend to the equation of Islam with tradition. The secular-religious divide, in fact, does not feature in her thought or activism at all. The latter activism also problematizes the assumption that Muslim women, any more of less than non-Muslims, are marginal or peripheral players in the history of the twentieth century.
The Cognitive Psychology of Sleep and Memory

An extensive body of research demonstrates the rich relationship between sleep and memory. This chapter reviews evidence that sleep involves a highly active collection of brain states with unique properties that support the acquisition and consolidation of learned information. We discuss the impact of both nocturnal and daytime sleep, as well as the lack of sleep, on memory formation, focusing primarily on episodic memories. Beyond this, we consider the role of sleep in the transformation of memory, including the selective consolidation of elements of our experience that are most important to remember and the flexible recombination of that information, which better serves us in the future.
What we can learn from Medicare data on early deaths after emergency department discharge.

A recent study published in February 2017 in the British Medical Journal examined how more than 10,000 Medicare beneficiaries—with an average age of 69 years with no obvious life-limiting illness—fared in the 7 days after being discharged from U.S. emergency departments (EDs) over 6 years. The primarily finding was that 0.12%—or 12 in 10,000 people—had died, primarily from atherosclerotic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. About 2% died from narcotic overdose, primarily after visits for musculoskeletal problems (1).
Korean English Teachers’ Conflicts and Struggles Over Local, Global, and ‘Legitimate’ Englishes in School

This chapter focuses on Korean English teachers’ conflicts and struggles over the legitimacy of their own English versus other varieties of English. It discusses in particular how the existence of English study abroad returnees in the classroom escalates this struggle, bringing to the surface teachers’ conflicts about being Korean English speakers, and how they contest and at the same time pass on the language ideologies prevalent in Korean society. Teachers’ discourse, as evident in the interview data, shows their conflicting attitudes toward returnees’ English. Teachers’ discourse also reveals their divergent attitudes toward returnees’ different varieties of English acquired from different regions, illuminating how they apply the same language ideology that they are contesting in their effort to secure their positions as Korean English teachers and speakers.
Born again universe

We present a class of nonsingular, bouncing cosmologies that evade singularity theorems through the use of vorticity in compact extra dimensions. The vorticity combats the focusing of geodesics during the contracting phase. The construction requires fluids that violate the null energy condition (NEC) in the compact dimensions, where they can be provided by known stable NEC violating sources such as Casimir energy. The four dimensional effective theory contains an NEC violating fluid of Kaluza-Klein excitations of the higher dimensional metric. These spacetime metrics could potentially allow dynamical relaxation to solve the cosmological constant problem. These ideas can also be used to support traversable Lorentzian wormholes.
Endoscopic ultrasound gallbladder drainage: Patient selection, preparation, and performance

Abstract Acute cholecystitis is a common cause of hospital admissions and can result in critically ill patients. For those patients not amenable to cholecystectomy, endoscopic drainage via transpapillary cystic duct stenting or transmural drainage offers a temporizing method for urgent gallbladder decompression. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) and the development of novel lumen apposing metal stents can allow for more permanent drainage with comparable outcomes to percutaneous transhepatic catheters. The merits of this approach including the technical and clinical advantages of EUS-guided drainage are discussed further in this review article.
The Probability of Extinction of Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus in One and Two Patches

Single-type and multitype branching processes have been used to study the dynamics of a variety of stochastic birth-death type phenomena in biology and physics. Their use in epidemiology goes back to Whittle's study of a susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model in the 1950s. In the case of an SIR model, the presence of only one infectious class allows for the use of single-type branching processes. Multitype branching processes allow for multiple infectious classes and have latterly been used to study metapopulation models of disease. In this article, we develop a continuous time Markov chain (CTMC) model of infectious salmon anemia virus in two patches, two CTMC models in one patch and companion multitype branching process (MTBP) models. The CTMC models are related to deterministic models which inform the choice of parameters. The probability of extinction is computed for the CTMC via numerical methods and approximated by the MTBP in the supercritical regime. The stochastic models are treated as toy models, and the parameter choices are made to highlight regions of the parameter space where CTMC and MTBP agree or disagree, without regard to biological significance. Partial extinction events are defined and their relevance discussed. A case is made for calculating the probability of such events, noting that MTBPs are not suitable for making these calculations.
Reversible Dilation of the Superior Ophthalmic Vein in Intubated Patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Superior ophthalmic vein enlargement has typically been associated with increased intracranial or orbital pressure. This study evaluates the incidence of superior ophthalmic vein enlargement in intubated patients without pre-existing intracranial or intraorbital pathologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two cohorts (patients with trauma and epilepsy patients undergoing stereotactic intracranial lead placement) who underwent CT while intubated and shortly following extubation and a cohort of 30 outpatients with a history of headache and normal head CT findings (healthy controls) were included. The superior ophthalmic vein diameter was measured on all scans. RESULTS: Seventy patients intubated for trauma and 45 patients with intraoperative CT were included (n = 115). While intubated, 66% of the total sample had at least unilateral superior ophthalmic vein dilation of >2.5 mm and 48% had bilateral dilation. Fifty-seven percent of patients with trauma and 84% of intraoperative patients with dilated superior ophthalmic veins showed reversal of mean superior ophthalmic vein dilation to CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral dilation of the superior ophthalmic vein is common in intubated patients and usually reverses following extubation. In the appropriate clinical setting, this knowledge will prevent misinterpretation of prominent superior ophthalmic veins as automatically indicative of an underlying pathology.
Optimizing Distributed Data-Intensive Workflows

We present techniques for optimizing the performance of data-intensive workflows that execute on geographically distributed and heterogeneous resources. We optimize for both throughput and response time. Optimizing for throughput, we alleviate data-transfer bottlenecks. To hide access times of accessing remote data, we transparently introduce prefetching (overlapping data transfer and computation), without changing workflow source code. Optimizing for response time, we introduce intelligent scheduling for a set of high-priority tasks. We replace a greedy scheduler that assigns tasks without accounting for differing performance on heterogeneous resources, leading to long latencies. Intelligent scheduling rapidly selects a near-optimal solution for a bi-objective optimization problem. One objective is a good task assignment; the other objective is minimize I/O contention by distributing load across resources and time. To reason about task completion times, we use modeling tools to generate accurate predictions of execution times. We show performance results for Belle II workflow for high energy physics. The combination of these techniques can improve throughput over production Belle II configurations by 20-40%. Our work is general and adaptable to other distributed workflows.
Outdoor activity involvement and postsecondary status among rural adolescents: results from a longitudinal analysis.

Outdoor recreation and leisure are being promoted in some rural communities as an economic revitalization strategy and an arena for youth development. This research brief reports on a study analyzi...
Daphnis and Chloe: The Art of Pastoral Play

As a pastoral prose romance, Longus' Daphnis and Chloe is something of an anomaly in a genre dominated for centuries by verse. Yet the work is quintessential pastoral, less because of its shepherd protagonists than because of the author's narrative strategy, with its mixing of genres and the cool distance it establishes between character and reader. Crucial in establishing this distance is the author's emphasis on the pastoral scene as artifact, a crafted work to be viewed and admired by the connoisseur.The stress on artifact appears from the start. Rather than plunging his readers into the story or vouching for the veracity of what is to follow by presenting himself as an eyewitness or participant, Longus identifies himself, in a narrator's preface, as a sophisticated outsider, and informs his readers that what they are about to read is an extended ekphrasis, a literary description of a work of visual art:Hunting on Lesbos, I saw in a grotto of the Nymphs the most beautiful spectacle (theama) I have ever seen: a painted picture (eikona graptēn), a tale of love (historian erōtos).The narrator's first words identify him as a hunter rather than a shepherd, no matter how literary. In fact he ranges himself alongside the urban gentlemen holiday-makers and hunters whom his readers will soon meet within the frame of the story (the Methymnean youths, the young master Astylos whose very name proclaims his urban identity — astu is the word for city) and whose aesthetic values they undoubtedly share.
The Library Leading: Knowledge Management Supporting Community College Institutional Strategy.

This case study demonstrates how librarians at LaGuardia Community College led a college-wide knowledge management project to implement Ask LaGuardia, an online knowledge base where users can find ...
Greenhouse-gas emissions of beef finishing systems in the Southern High Plains

Abstract Greenhouse gases (GHG) have been implicated in global warming and climate change. While life cycle assessments (LCA) and GHG studies have been conducted for numerous agricultural commodities, there has been little effort to estimate GHG (CO2, N2O, and CH4) from beef finishing systems of the Southern High Plains (SHP) region, which produces approximately 30% of the United States beef. The objective of this research was to quantify the carbon footprint of five beef-finishing systems using a dynamic, systems-based model that calculated CO2e emissions attributable to both animal gain and manure management. The systems consisted of native grass pasture (NGP, System 1); native grass pasture with feedyard finishing (NGP-FY, System 2); wheat pasture with feedyard finishing (WP-FY, System 3); feedyard-only (FY, System 4); and native grass pasture, wheat pasture, and feedyard finishing (NGP-WP-FY, System 5). Although rarely used, the NGP was included as a baseline. Variables in the model and associated management decisions were based on feed type, nutritional content, feed source, and hauling distance. The starting point of the model was a weaned steer (250 kg) and the endpoint was a steer which would grade “choice” (28% body fat) or 30 months in age, whichever came first. Overall CO2e kg−1 gain decreased when cattle were fed high-quality diets and were intensively managed for production in the shortest time possible. The FY produced the desired carcass in the shortest time with the lowest cumulative emissions. The FY also had the highest average daily gain, lowest dry matter and water intake, as well as manure production. Net GHG emissions from FY were 4.84 kg CO2e kg−1 gain (1799 kg CO2e animal−1). Net GHG emissions from NGP-FY, WP-FY, NGP-WP-FY, and NGP were 1.62, 1.81, 2.08, and 3.69 times that of FY, respectively. These results suggest that intensive feeding and management of beef cattle in the FY system result in the lowest overall CO2e emissions to produce a mature steer. Consequently, feeding systems that include native grass and wheat pasture have proportionately larger amounts of CO2e emissions.
A Linear Perspective on Nonlinear Oscillations in Biological Control System for Locomotion

The adaptivity and robustness properties of neuronal central pattern generator (CPG) are of great value in autonomous gait generation, stabilization, and transitions for robotic locomotion systems. Yet the feedback control mechanisms and dynamics of CPGs have not been understood well. Here, we develop a simple integrated model for leech swimming as an exemplar for analytical study of biological control principles. The model is validated by simulations to reproduce adaptive oscillatory behaviors observed in leeches under nominal (water) and perturbed (air) conditions. An algorithm using the multivariable harmonic balance (MHB) method to estimate the oscillation profile will be proposed. Based on the MHB analysis, we study the adaptive and robust behaviors achieved by the nonlinear CPG oscillator from a linear system perspective.
Role of Bioinformatics in Molecular Medicine

The increased clinical adoption of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has led to widespread application of bioinformatics approaches for data analytics. Laboratories have largely adopted custom solution implementations of various analysis steps that are tied together and referred to as a bioinformatics workflow or pipeline. This chapter discusses the high-level approaches that have become the standard for clinical bioinformatics, including details on the file structure, conceptualizing the algorithmic processes, and regulatory considerations. We also discuss some of the tools that are becoming more commonly implemented and are likely to become standard components of many laboratories.
Replacing “Whole Limbs with Borrowed Ones”: Whiteness, Decolonization, and Early Nationalist Identification

In this essay, I center an examination of the satirical play “The Blinkards,” written by Kobina Sekyi in 1915 in the context of British colonization of the Gold Coast in West Africa, present-day Ghana. I show that postcolonial modes of identification emerged within the conceptual framework of cultural nationalism. As such, I argue that emergent postcolonial practices of identification are grounded in transnational modes of modernity. My examination of a selection of Sekyi’s texts shows how whiteness structures oppositional self-making practices within a colonial context, positioning whiteness itself as a key ground of transnational subject positions that develop in modernity.
Changing safety culture

Safety culture, an aspect of organizational culture, that reflects work place norms toward safety, is foundational to high-quality care. Improvements in safety culture are associated with improved operational and clinical outcomes. In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where fragile infants receive complex, coordinated care over prolonged time periods, it is critically important that unit norms reflect the high priority placed on safety. Changing the safety culture of the NICU involves a systematic process of measurement, identifying strengths and weaknesses, deploying targeted interventions, and learning from the results, to set the stage for an iterative process of improvement. Successful change efforts require: effective partnerships with key stakeholders including management, clinicians, staff, and families; using data to make the case for improvement; and leadership actions that motivate change, channel resources, and support active problem- solving. Sustainable change requires buy-in from NICU staff and management, resources, and long-term institutional commitment.
Community-based Parent Education for Caregivers of Children Newly Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently report high levels of stress related to the process of receiving an ASD diagnosis and navigating the intervention landscape. Parent education programs offer one approach to providing families with support, information, and resources following a child’s diagnosis. Given the heterogeneity of such programs, there have been calls within the literature for increased characterization and systematic evaluation of this type of parent-focused intervention. The present study describes the structure and content of a community-based, group-format parent education program for families of children newly diagnosed with ASD. Following program participation, parents reported reductions in parenting stress, increases in knowledge and empowerment, and high levels of satisfaction. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Intrinsic anharmonicity and thermal properties of ultralow thermal conductivity Ba 6 Sn 6 Se 13

Ultralow thermal conductivity materials continue to be of great interest for technologically important applications such as thermal insulators and thermoelectrics. Often, such materials possess constituents with extensive dynamic disorder, or ``rattlers,'' or structural disorder such as metallic glasses. Nevertheless, targeted crystalline bonding order and anharmonicity can provide effective means for the scattering of the phonons in certain materials. Our combined experimental and theoretical investigation of ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{6}{\mathrm{Sn}}_{6}{\mathrm{Se}}_{13}$ reveals such a material, with ultralow thermal conductivity measured over a large temperature range. Optic phonon modes hybridize with acoustic modes at relatively low energies resulting in strong acoustic-optic scattering and limited phonon lifetimes. Moreover, our investigations reveal various avoided crossings at low energies that contribute to phonon scattering. These are derived from chiral phase symmetries and may result in nontrivial topological behaviors for phonon band crossings in this chiral material. This work contributes to the ongoing research on low thermal conductivity materials and the underlying mechanisms that affect their thermal behaviors. Manipulation of these effects may provide pathways for enhancement of material properties for targeted thermal applications using similar materials.
Starting Your Empirical Research Process

As interesting as the many months of travel planning may have been, the real excitement begins as you depart on your long planned and anticipated journey. During each stage of your travel, you will come to realize fully the importance of all of your pre-trip planning, especially at times when you experience a successful journey free of unanticipated developments or “bumps in the road.”
Residence to Online: Collaboration During the Pandemic

Abstract: When COVID-19 arrived with vengeance, face-to-face colleges were naturally scrambling to brainstorm and problem-solve how to best deliver the curriculum in a physically safe manner to complete the semester. At Air University, the intellectual and leadership development center of the Air Force, eSchool of Graduate Professional Military Education (eSchool) is an online graduate college, which offers Squadron Officer School (SOS), Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Air War College (AWC), and Online Master’s Program (OLMP). SOS, ACSC, and AWC all have residence colleges too. At the fully in-residence graduate college, Air Command and Staff College, adult learners, who are airmen, geographically move to attend the college. The instruction has always been fully face-to-face, so they did not have online curriculum nor are their professors trained in how to effectively teach online. In order to best meet the students’ needs for in-residence ACSC, eSchool was asked to help. This is when brainstorming sessions started as to how to pivot instruction during the pandemic, followed with sharing of resources, expertise, and faculty training. As a result, ACSC in-residence students received the second half of their semester courseware online, which followed significantly more best practices than if a collaboration of the online and residence colleges had not occurred. Perhaps there was a silver lining that may bring about additional educational options in the future. Keywords: pandemic teaching, professional military education, online learning, online teaching, collaboration, teamwork, residence to online, adult learners
Neutron Transport Theory

The general concept of “transport theory” refers to a physical process whereby a particle migrates through a lattice composed of scattering centers. The first important part of this concept is that the migrating material can be considered to be a particle, in the case of interest a neutron which changes its speed of travel as its total energy changes. The second part of the transport concept is that the material through which the particle moves interacts with the particle in a scattering-like process. When the migrating material can be considered a particle the idea of a scattering collision is natural; however, only the net overall result of the interaction needs to “look-like” a scattering process. For instance, a neutron may suffer an elastic collision with an atomic nucleus and undergo an elastic scattering; on the other hand it may be absorbed by the nucleus and then it or a like neutron be readmitted at a lower energy level in a different direction and thus suffer an inelastic scattering. From the overall view both of the processes appear to be a scattering phenomenon. In order to include all transport processes it is necessary to generalize the concept of scattering to include absorption as a special case.
The Eccentric/Concentric Ratio of Quadriceps Femoris in Sprinters and Normals

-------------------. ------------------Eccentric muscle activation has been found to play an important role in athletic pursuits. Interest in the biomechanics of performance has led increasingly to the examination of muscle action. The concentrid eccentric ratio of a muscle may be altered by activity, which led to our purpose of determining if the ratio of concentric to eccentric activation of the quadriceps femoris differs between sprint-type athletes and individuals of normal activity level. Eight sprinters and 10 normal individuals were evaluated on a KinCom dynamometer at 180 deg/sec in both concentric and eccentric maximal efforts. We found no significant difference in the concentrideccentric ratio (0.78 sprinters versus 0.75 normals) of these two groups. Implications for the clinician and further research were discussed.
A new framework for reverse cholesterol transport: Non-biliary contributions to reverse cholesterol transport

Reduction of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol through statin therapy has only modestly decreased coronary heart disease (CHD)-associated mortality in developed countries, which has prompted the search for alternative therapeutic strategies for CHD. Major efforts are now focused on therapies that augment high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mediated reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), and ultimately increase the fecal disposal of cholesterol. The process of RCT has long been thought to simply involve HDL-mediated delivery of peripheral cholesterol to the liver for biliary excretion out of the body. However, recent studies have revealed a novel pathway for RCT that does not rely on biliary secretion. This non-biliary pathway rather involves the direct excretion of cholesterol by the proximal small intestine. Compared to RCT therapies that augment biliary sterol loss, modulation of non-biliary fecal sterol loss through the intestine is a much more attractive therapeutic strategy, given that excessive biliary cholesterol secretion can promote gallstone formation. However, we are at an early stage in understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating the non-biliary pathway for RCT, and much additional work is required in order to effectively target this pathway for CHD prevention. The purpose of this review is to discuss our current understanding of biliary and non-biliary contributions to RCT with particular emphasis on the possibility of targeting the intestine as an inducible cholesterol secretory organ.