cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Invaded grassland communities have altered stability-maintenance mechanisms but equal stability compared to native communities.

Theory predicts that stability should increase with diversity via several mechanisms. We tested predictions in a 5-year experiment that compared low-diversity exotic to high-diversity native plant mixtures under two irrigation treatments. The study included both wet and dry years. Variation in biomass across years (CV) was 50% lower in mixtures than monocultures of both native and exotic species. Growth among species was more asynchronous and overyielding values were greater during and after a drought in native than exotic mixtures. Mean-variance slopes indicated strong portfolio effects in both community types, but the intercept was higher for exotics than for natives, suggesting that exotics were inherently more variable than native species. However, this failed to result in higher CV’s in exotic communities because species that heavily dominated plots tended to have lower than expected variance. Results indicate that diversity-stability mechanisms are altered in invaded systems compared to native ones they replaced.
Police Integrity: Rankings of Scenarios on the Klockars Scale by ‘‘Management Cops’’

Policing is recognized as a morally dangerous profession. This study extends analyses of police corruption via a scale developed by Carl Klockars by surveying police managers attending the Administrative Officers’ Course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville. The findings indicate that these police managers acknowledge the existence of a questionable moral climate in police agencies and a tolerance for official misconduct that is troubling to consider.
Characterization of the epitope of anti-lipoarabinomannan antibodies as the terminal hexaarabinofuranosyl motif of mycobacterial arabinans.

mAb CS-35 is representative of a large group of antibodies with similar binding specificities that were generated against the Mycobacterium leprae lipopolysaccharide, lipoarabinomannan (LAM), and which cross-reacted extensively with LAMs from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. That this antibody also cross-reacts with the arabinogalactan (AG) of the mycobacterial cell wall, suggesting that it recognizes a common arabinofuranosyl (Araf)-containing sequence in AG and LAM, is demonstrated. The antibody reacted more avidly with ‘AraLAM’ (LAM with naked Araf termini) compared to ‘ManLAM’ (in which many Araf termini are capped with mannose residues) and mycolylarabinogalactan–peptidoglycan complex (in which the terminal Araf units are substituted with mycolic acids). Neither did the antibody bind to AG from emb knock-out mutants deficient in the branched hexa-Araf termini of AG. These results indicate that the terminal Araf residues of mycobacterial arabinan are essential for binding. Competitive ELISA using synthetic oligosaccharides showed that the branched hexa-Araf methyl glycoside [β-D-Araf-(1→2)-α-D-Araf-(1-)2-(3 and 5)-α-D-Araf-(1→5)-α-D-Araf-OCH3] was the best competitor among those tested. The related linear methyl glycoside, β-D-Araf-(1→2)-α-D-Araf-(1→5)-α-D-Araf-(1→5)-α-D-Araf-OCH3, representing one linear segment of the branched hexa-Araf, was less effective and the other linear tetrasaccharide, β-D-Araf-(1→2)-α-D-Araf-(1→3)-α-D-Araf-(1→5)-α-D-Araf-OCH3, was ineffective. The combined results suggest that the minimal epitope recognized by antibody CS-35 encompasses the β-D-Araf-(1→2)-α-D-Araf-(1→5)-α-D-Araf-(1→5)-α-D-Araf within the branched hexa-Araf motif of mycobacterial arabinans, whether present in LAM or AG.
Hardware Acceleration for Media/Transaction Applications in Network Processors

As the network environment is rapidly changing, network interfaces demand highly intelligent traffic management (on control plane) in addition to the basic requirement of wire speed packet forwarding (on data plane). Several vendors are releasing various network processors (NPS) in order to handle these demands, but they are optimized for throughputs mostly in data plane. As demands for control plane applications (e.g., quality of service) grow, efficient control plane processing will become increasingly important to good performance of network interface. In this paper, we explore acceleration techniques to improve the performance of control plane network applications. Three applications including media transcoding and transaction applications are analyzed in detail. The result of workload characterization shows that wide-issue configuration shows early saturation in performance, and there is no common bottleneck among applications based on sensitivity analysis. Therefore, we study to get each application have its own hardware acceleration module in order to accomplish the required throughput on OC-768 or higher. Our approach includes array style accelerator for media transcoding applications and partitioned lookup mechanism for lookup-table-related applications. Performance analysis of the proposed techniques shows significant improvement over the baseline configuration. Such hardware accelerators provide large packet-level parallelism proportional to the number of processing elements added. Our analyses of the proposed techniques suggest future directions for the design of high-performance NPs.
Routing power: a metric for reconfigurable wavelength add/drops

We have introduced a new figure of merit, the global routing power R, which quantifies the flexibility of channel routing in a RWADM. Taken together with N, the number of input wavelengths accepted, and K, the maximum number of wavelengths dropped, R provides a meaningful basis for comparing the network value of different RWADM designs. For OADM nodes supporting multiple services through optical transparency, as well as for OADM nodes with some unterminated add/drop fibers, the segmented routing power R/sub i/ is used. Our computations of R/sub i/ show that the ability to interchange wavelengths among drop fibers will enhance the value of such nodes.
Central Nervous System Monitoring

this simple scale can provide a rapid, objective assessment of a child’s level of consciousness (as measured by eye opening, verbal responses, and motor responses) that is reproducible between caregivers [2]. Modifi cations of the GCS for preverbal children have been proposed, but none has been rigorously validated. The GCS is an effective predictor of neurologic outcome of traumatically injured adults, but its predictive value in children has not been validated. This may be a result of poor reporting of the GCS by caregivers in children. In the stabilization of traumatically injured adults or children, the GCS can be used to track signifi cant neurologic deterioration. As an example, a decrease of more than 3 points in the scale is indicative of a signifi cant clinical change warranting further investigation according to published guidelines [3]. Its utility as a quantitative, repeatable assessment of mental status is clear and serves a valuable function as a neurologic screening tool.
Abstract 3666: Common Polymorphisms in Familial Vascular Malformation Genes do not Show Association with Sporadic Brain Arteriovenous Malformation

Background: The genetic basis of brain arteriovenous malformation (BAVM), a tangle of abnormal vessels directly shunting blood from the arterial to venous circulation, is unknown. However, there are two rare vascular disorders with known familial mutations in which a subset of patients display a BAVM phenotype: hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia ( ACVRL1 , ENG , and SMAD4 mutations) and capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation ( RASA1 mutations). To investigate whether variants in these four vascular malformation genes are associated with sporadic BAVM, we performed a case-control study, evaluating both single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variation (CNV). Methods: We used genome-wide data (Affymetrix SNP 6.0) from 319 cases and 496 healthy controls. There were 27 unlinked SNPs (r 2 1% and in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p>0.01) mapping within 20kb of the four genes: ACVRL1 (n=16), ENG (n=6), SMAD4 (n=2), and RASA1 (n=3). Single SNP association was tested using multivariate logistic regression in PLINK, adjusting for age, gender, and top 3 principal components of ancestry (to control for population stratification). The Bonferroni method (p Results: Two SNPs located upstream and downstream of ACVRL1 were associated with BAVM at nominal p RASA1 , ENG , and SMAD4 genes were not significantly associated with BAVM (p>0.05). We observed one CNV, a duplication that mapped to the ACVRL1 gene, in one control. We did not observe any CNVs mapping to RASA1 , ENG , or SMAD4 . Conclusions: Common SNPs and CNVs in four vascular malformation genes associated with inherited disorders displaying BAVM were not significantly associated with sporadic BAVM. A previously reported ACVRL1 intronic SNP (rs2071219) was not on the Affymetrix array and none of the existing ACVRL1 SNPs tagged this SNP. Further, rare polymorphisms in these genes were not genotyped and may contribute to BAVM risk.
Therapeutic hypothermia in ST elevation myocardial infarction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised control trials

Objective Our objective is to gain a better understanding of the efficacy and safety of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) through an analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Background Several RCTs have suggested a positive outcome with the use of TH in the prevention of myocardial injury in the setting of an acute STEMI. However, there are currently no clinical trials that have conclusively shown any significant benefit. Methods Electronic databases were used to identify RCTs of TH in the patient population with STEMI. The primary efficacy end point was major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE). Secondary efficacy end points included all-cause mortality, infarct size, new myocardial infarction and heart failure/pulmonary oedema (HF/PO). All-bleeding, ventricular arrhythmias and bradycardias were recorded as the safety end points. Results Six RCTs were included in this meta-analysis, enrolling a total of 819 patients. There was no significant benefit from TH in preventing MACE (OR, 01.04; 95% CI 0.37 to 2.89), all-cause mortality (OR, 1.48; 95% CI 0.68 to 3.19), new myocardial infarction (OR, 0.99; 95% CI 0.20 to 4.94), HF/PO (OR, 0.52; 95% CI 0.15 to 1.77) or infarct size (standard difference of the mean (SDM), −0.1; 95% CI −0.23 to 0.04). However, a significant reduction of infarct size was observed with TH utilisation in anterior wall myocardial infarction (SDM, −0.23; 95% CI −0.45 to −0.02). There was no significant difference seen for the safety end points all-bleeding (OR 1.32; 95% CI 0.77 to 2.24), ventricular arrhythmias (OR, 0.85; 95% CI 0.54 to 1.36) or bradycardias (OR, 1.16; 95% CI 0.74 to 1.83). Conclusions Although TH appears to be safe in patients with STEMI, meta-analysis of published RCTs indicates that benefit is limited to reduction of infarct size in patients with anterior wall involvement with no demonstrable effect on all-cause mortality, recurrent myocardial infarction or HF/PO.
The TBIIM: An Intervention Model for the Treatment of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury

This article describes an intervention model for occupational therapists who treat individuals with traumatic brain injury. The model moves occupational therapy intervention beyond traditional skil...
The role of MAP4 expression in the sensitivity to paclitaxel and resistance to vinca alkaloids in p53 mutant cells

Mutations in p53 change the sensitivity to cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. Whereas many drugs, including the vinca alkaloids, often become less effective when p53 is transcriptionally inactivated, several, most notably paclitaxel, may become more effective. In studying the underlying mechanism(s), we found that increased MAP4 expression, which occurs with transcriptionally silent p53, is associated with increased sensitivity to paclitaxel and decreased sensitivity to vinca alkaloids. Using murine fibroblasts transfected with MAP4, we directly demonstrated that the changes in drug sensitivity were associated with parallel alterations in drug-induced apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest. Immunofluorescent staining of the microtubule network revealed that cells with increased MAP4 expression displayed an increase in polymerized microtubules and an increased binding of fluorsceinated paclitaxel. Since MAP4 stabilizes polymerized microtubules, overexpression of this gene provides a plausible mechanism to explain the altered sensitivity to microtubule-active drugs in the presence of mutant p53.
Quantitative 3D petrography using X-ray tomography 3: Documenting accessory phases with differential absorption tomography

Accessory minerals preserve important records of the evolution of magmatic systems, but study of their textures and contact relations is hindered by the lack of suitable methods for characterization. We show here that differential absorption X-ray tomography can be used to yield three-dimensional maps of selected elements, particularly Zr and rare earth elements (REE), making it possible to qualitatively and quantitatively document the textures of zircon and REE minerals in situ and in three dimensions. We apply this method to pumice from the Peach Spring Tuff (Nevada, Arizona, California) and Mount St. Helens (Washington State) and present a few illustrative examples of the kinds of data that can be extracted using elemental and conventional tomographic data. Particularly when combined with compositional and age data, the ability to visualize and document accessory minerals in three dimensions and in textural context opens exciting new possibilities for the study of accessory minerals and the rocks that contain them.
An Efficient Workflow for Path-Integral Imaging of Seismic Diffractions

Diffraction imaging aims to image small subsurface objects, such as faults, fractures, channels, etc. As well as in classical reflection processing, velocity analysis is crucially important for diffraction imaging. Path-integral calculation provides a practical and efficient imaging method, which produces a velocity-independent image of the subsurface. We propose a direct analytical formula to improve the efficiency of path integral evaluation. We also develop an adaptive filtering approach and a Gaussian weightning scheme for removing artifacts in path-integral images.
A synopsis of the Lipopteninae (Diptera: Hippoboscidae).

A new key to genera and species and summary of host records of the Lipopteninae are presented. For the genus Lipoptena Nitzsch, gracilis Speis. 1903 and odocoilei Bryam 1964 are suppressed respectively as synonyms of pteropi Denny 1843 and mazamae Rndn. 1878, whereas indica (India, ex Axis axis ), fortisetosa (Japan, ex Cervus nippon ) and sigma (Taiwan, ex C. unicolor ) are described as new. Descriptive notes are given on L. paradoxa Newst. and L. pteropi Denny. Also appended are remarks on the evolution within the subfamily and selected new records of few other species.
The Invariant Subspace Problem

This chapter is about the most vexing problem in the theory of linear operators on Hilbert space:
Synergistic Drug Combinations in the Treatment of Toxoplasmosis

In an attempt to improve the activity of azithromycin, clarithromycin or 566C80 against Toxoplasma gondii, combinations of these drugs with pyrimethamine or sulfadiazine were used for treatment of mice infected with the organism. Significant synergistic effect was noted when sub-curative doses of any of the examined drugs were combined with sub-curative doses of pyrimethamine or sulfadiazine. This was true even when the combination consisted of concentrations of each drug that, when used alone, afforded no protection against death. This observation was of interest since pyrimethamine and, particularly, sulfadiazine are major sources of untoward side-effects when used for treatment of toxoplasmosis in patients with AIDS. Therefore, a significant reduction in the dose of these drugs without lessening their effect against T. gondii may be useful.
The Risk of Exposure to Potentially Contaminated Body Fluids in Urological Surgery

AbstractTo determine the risk of exposure to body fluids potentially contaminated with infectious organisms we instituted a prospective study of all urological procedures performed at our institution. Urological procedures were divided into 3 categories: open, cystoscopic and endoscopic surgical (transurethral resection of the prostate or bladder tumor, ureteroscopy and percutaneous procedures). We have complete data analysis on 594 consecutive patients who underwent an operation at our institution: 77 (13%) underwent an open procedure, 75 (13%) underwent an endoscopic surgical procedure and the remaining 442 (74%) underwent cystoscopic procedures. All procedures were performed by supervised house staff using universal precautions. The operating surgeon was exposed to potentially contaminated body fluids in 173 of 594 cases overall (29%). There was exposure in 17% of all open procedures, 41% of all endoscopic surgical procedures and 29% of all cystoscopic procedures. Urologists must consider themselves at...
None of the Glory: The Implications of Customer Attributions of Credit in Successful Co-Productive Service Experiences

Up to sixty-five percent of satisfied customers have been found to abandon their current service provider and switch to a competing service provider (Reichheld 1996). This finding is troubling considering the widely held belief that satisfied customers are inclined to be loyal customers (Fornell 1992), where they are more likely to make purchases from, spread positive word of mouth about, and have difficulty leaving their service provider (Reichheld and Sasser, Jr. 1990). One possible explanation for this change in the behavior of satisfied customers is the change in the nature of the relationship between customers and their service providers. Traditionally, the relationship between a service provider and their customers was one where the service provider was viewed as responsible for producing the service and the customer was viewed as responsible for simply consuming the service (Vargo and Lusch 2004).
The Rationality of Religious Belief

I have argued thus far that religious belief does not properly depend upon inference from evidences discovered in the structure of the universe or in the course of human experience — for such evidences are always theoretically ambiguous — but upon unconsciously interpreting the impacts of the environment in such a way that it is consciously experienced as having the kind of meaning articulated in religious language. In interpreting in this way the believer is making a basic cognitive choice and thereby running a risk: the risk of being very importantly mistaken. For in proceeding in this way one is living ‘by faith’ and not ‘by sight’. Under the influence of one of the great religious figures and/or traditions one is interpreting and experiencing one’s situation in a way which will ultimately prove to be either appropriate or inappropriate. If inappropriate, we are being profoundly deluded. If appropriate, we shall have so interpreted our situation that the picture of it in terms of which we live is in basic conformity with its actual character. In either case we have made a cognitive choice which has some of the characteristics of a wager.
Three Terms in Search of Reconceptualization: Knowledge, Utilization, and Decision-Making

The utilization of social science knowledge in decision-making is a subject that many scholars have addressed over the past 40 years. For most of them, it was a topic of passing interest — an outgrowth of their own experience with the policy-making processes of government or with the social science organizational establishment and its effort to maintain growing levels of government research support. Their contributions to the discussion of the relationship between social science and government were often intelligent — even insightful, but their major scholarly commitments lay elsewhere in the disciplines [among the notable discussions are Chinitz; Clark; Coleman, 1972; Cowhig; Davis; Deitchman; Donnison; Etzioni; Ferman; Frankel; Gans; George; Janowitz; Kaysen; Kelman; Lynn; Lyons; Mayntz; Merton, 1949; Millikan;Reichen; Sharpe; Shils; Wilensky; Wildavsky; Williams; Wilson]. Only a handful pursued the subject as a field of inquiry in its own right.2)
Targetable gene fusions in T-cell lymphoma.

In this issue of Blood, Boddicker et al use an innovative integrative analyses of mate-pair DNA sequencing (MPseq) and RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to identify recurrent rearrangements of the VAV1 gene and other targetable fusion genes in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs). The results could impact the current subclassification of these rare forms of lymphoma and highlight the opportunity for broadening the scope of individualized treatment strategies for patients with T-cell lymphomas.1
A preliminary assessment of the ForenSeq™ FGx System: next generation sequencing of an STR and SNP multiplex

The ForenSeq™ FGx System (Illumina, San Diego, CA) was initially evaluated in concordance with SWGDAM guidelines for internal validation to determine the quality of the system’s components: the ForenSeq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit reagents, the MiSeq FGx™ instrument, and the ForenSeq™ Universal Analysis Software, for the analysis of targeted, forensically informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short tandem repeats (STRs). This multiplex consisted of STRs (autosomal, X, and Y) and SNPs (identity, ancestry, and phenotypic) that were run using one preparation process. Overall, the ForenSeq™ FGx System performed as well as the traditional capillary electrophoresis-based method in producing usable profile information, along with additional information that could aid in investigative leads. The MiSeq FGx™ System was validated using DNA samples in studies testing reproducibility, repeatability, concordance, sensitivity, and mock case single donor samples. Overall, genotyping results for STRs and SNPs were concordant with the profiles generated from conventional STR analysis using Identifiler and SNPs typed by 23andMe analysis. Genotypes of the ForenSeq™ aSNPs were used to evaluate biogeographical ancestry estimations using ForenSeq™ Universal Analysis Software, FROG-kb database (KIDD aiSNP 55 panel), and 23andMe. The system was shown to provide reproducible genotypes and reliable results were obtained at levels as low as 50 pg. All mock case samples were concordant with the donor profile. The results support consideration of the ForenSeq™ FGx System as an acceptable alternative to current STR and SNP analysis, pending formal developmental and internal validation studies.
Materials, design and manufacturing for lightweight vehicles

Introduction. Part 1 Materials for lightweight automotive structures: Advanced steels for lightweight automotive structures Aluminium alloys for lightweight automotive structures Magnesium alloys for lightweight powertrains and automotive structures Thermoplastics and thermoplastic-matrix composites for lightweight automotive structures Thermoset-matrix composites for lightweight automotive structures. Part 2 Manufacturing and design of lightweight automotive structures: Manufacturing processes for light alloys Joining for lightweight vehicles Recycling and lifecycle issues for lightweight vehicles Crashworthiness design issues for lightweight vehicles.
Slepton trapping at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and the International Linear Collider

We consider supergravity with a gravitino lightest supersymmetric particle. The next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) decays to the gravitino with lifetime naturally in the range ${10}^{4}\ensuremath{-}{10}^{8}\mathrm{s}$. However, cosmological constraints exclude lifetimes at the upper end of this range and disfavor neutralinos as NLSPs, leaving charged sleptons with lifetimes below a year as the natural NLSP candidates. Decays to gravitinos may therefore be observed by trapping slepton NLSPs in water tanks placed outside Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and International Linear Collider (ILC) detectors and draining these tanks periodically to underground reservoirs where slepton decays may be observed in quiet environments. We consider 0.1, 1, and 10 kton traps and optimize their shape and placement. We find that the LHC may trap tens to thousands of sleptons per year. At the ILC, these results may be improved by an order of magnitude in some cases by tuning the beam energy to produce slow sleptons. Precision studies of slepton decays are therefore possible and will provide direct observations of gravitational effects at colliders; percent level measurements of the gravitino mass and Newton's constant; precise determinations of the gravitino's contribution to dark matter and supersymmetry breaking's contribution to dark energy; quantitative tests of supergravity relations; and laboratory studies of Big Bang nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background phenomena.
3ω Measurements for Tracking Freezing Fronts in Biological Applications

One approach to treating atrial fibrillation relies on freezing tissue of the heart wall. This surgical technology requires sub-millimeter spatial resolution when dynamically tracking the freezing of pulmonary vein; conventional techniques such as ultrasound lack the necessary precision. Here we use an electrothermal “3ω” method to track propagating freezing fronts in nearly real time. The heater line is excited with multiple frequencies simultaneously, and the freezing front detected as it passes through the various penetration depths due to the contrast between thermal conductivities on either side of the front. Comparison of water freezing experiments with video images further suggests the accuracy of the method. Analysis and experiments show how the uncertainty, time response, and measurement range depend on the frequencies and thermal conductivity contrast. Finally, the method is demonstrated on biological tissue as further proof of principle for medical applications.
High speed ultra-broadband amplitude modulators with ultrahigh extinction >65 dB

We experimentally demonstrate ultrahigh extinction ratio (>65 dB) amplitude modulators (AMs) that can be electrically tuned to operate across a broad spectral range of 160 nm from 1480 – 1640 nm and 95 nm from 1280 – 1375 nm. Our on-chip AMs employ one extra coupler compared with conventional Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZI), thus form a cascaded MZI (CMZI) structure. Either directional or adiabatic couplers are used to compose the CMZI AMs and experimental comparisons are made between these two different structures. We investigate the performance of CMZI AMs under extreme conditions such as using 95:5 split ratio couplers and unbalanced waveguide losses. Electro-optic phase shifters are also integrated in the CMZI AMs for high-speed operation. Finally, we investigate the output optical phase when the amplitude is modulated, which provides us valuable information when both amplitude and phase are to be controlled. Our demonstration not only paves the road to applications such as quantum information processing that requires high extinction ratio AMs but also significantly alleviates the tight fabrication tolerance needed for large-scale integrated photonics.
A Stochastic Galerkin Method for the Boltzmann Equation with Multi-Dimensional Random Inputs Using Sparse Wavelet Bases

We propose a stochastic Galerkin method using sparse wavelet bases for the Boltzmann equation with multi-dimensional random inputs. Themethod uses locally supported piecewise polynomials as an orthonormal basis of the random space. By a sparse approach, only a moderate number of basis functions is required to achieve good accuracy in multi-dimensional random spaces. We discover a sparse structure of a set of basis-related coefficients, which allows us to accelerate the computation of the collision operator. Regularity of the solution of the Boltzmann equation in the random space and an accuracy result of the stochastic Galerkin method are proved in multi-dimensional cases. The efficiency of the method is illustrated by numerical examples with uncertainties from the initial data, boundary data and collision kernel.
Are Beliefs in the Importance of Pro-Environmental Behaviors Correlated with Pro-Environmental Behaviors at a College Campus?

Abstract One method sustainability professionals at institutions of higher education utilize to address institutional sustainability goals is implementing outreach programs aimed at facilitating the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) by the campus community. Literature shows influences on behaviors are different in residences and workplaces. Influences also differ depending on the behavior. To lead to more effective behavior change, sustainability professionals need to know what factors significantly influence the behaviors they promote. This study examines the relationship between believing in the importance of PEBs and acting in accordance with that belief for students and employees living and working at a college campus. No matter how students and employees responded on rating the importance of a given category, they were more likely to participate in 75 percent or more of PEBs in that category with two exceptions. Among employees, their belief in its importance was not significantly relate...
Dynamical sampling with random noise

In this paper we consider a system of dynamical sampling, i.e. sampling a signal f that evolves in time under the action of an evolution operator A. We discuss the error in the recovery of the original signal when the samples are corrupted by additive, independent and identically distributed (i.i.d) noise. We focus on the study of the mean squared error E(∥ ∊n ∥ 2 2) between the original signal and the reconstructed signal obtained by solving a least squares problem. In the theoretical part, we give a formula for E(∥ ∊n ∥ 2 2) and prove that E(∥ ∊n ∥ 2 2) decreases as the number of the samples increases. In addition, we discuss several numerical experiments that verify the theoretical results.
State of mutation testing at google

Mutation testing assesses test suite efficacy by inserting small faults into programs and measuring the ability of the test suite to detect them. It is widely considered the strongest test criterion in terms of finding the most faults and it subsumes a number of other coverage criteria. Traditional mutation analysis is computationally prohibitive which hinders its adoption as an industry standard. In order to alleviate the computational issues, we present a diff-based probabilistic approach to mutation analysis that drastically reduces the number of mutants by omitting lines of code without statement coverage and lines that are determined to be uninteresting - we dub these arid lines. Furthermore, by reducing the number of mutants and carefully selecting only the most interesting ones we make it easier for humans to understand and evaluate the result of mutation analysis. We propose a heuristic for judging whether a node is arid or not, conditioned on the programming language. We focus on a code-review based approach and consider the effects of surfacing mutation results on developer attention. The described system is used by 6,000 engineers in Google on all code changes they author or review, affecting in total more than 13,000 code authors as part of the mandatory code review process. The system processes about 30% of all diffs across Google that have statement coverage calculated. About 15% of coverage statement calculations fail across Google.
Mathematical Minerals: A History of Petrophysical Petrography

The quantitative estimation of mineralogy from wireline petrophysical logs began as an analytical stepchild. The calculation of porosity in reservoir lithologies is affected by mineral variability, and methods were developed to eliminate these components. Simple inversion methods were applied in pioneer applications by mainframe computers to a limited suite of digital log data. Over time, the value of lithological characterization of reservoirs and resource plays has been recognized. At the same time, the introduction of newer petrophysical measurements, particularly geochemical logs, in conjunction with increasingly sophisticated algorithms, has increased confidence in mineral profiles from logs as a routine evaluation tool.
Editorial Comments — 1

The first session of this conference studied trade patterns in the world economy and trade-related policies, i.e., policies about institutions of trade, such as GATT; the theory of ironing out trade frictions, e.g., as between the U.S. and Japan or between other countries and Europe; or trade problems of developing countries. In this session, much attention was devoted to stability of the international economy and how it might be improved or generally affected by international monetary policy. Policies for money supply, interest rates, and exchange rates were also considered.
Social Studies: Educational Tools for Diverse Learners.

The first section of this article presents a historical overview of social studies and the issues that have led to emerging reform efforts. The second section describes current social studies instr...
Reduced global longitudinal strain is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events or death after kidney transplant.

Abstract Background Patients with chronic kidney disease are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Even after kidney transplant, the rate of CVD events and death remain elevated. Early detection of patients at risk would be helpful for guiding aggressive preventive therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate global longitudinal strain (GLS) as a predictor of CVD events and death after kidney transplant. Method Among patients with successful kidney transplant between 3/2009 and 12/2012 at our institution, 111 individuals had an echocardiogram within 6 months of the transplant. Medical records were evaluated for demographics and patient characteristics. Echocardiograms were analyzed for conventional measurements, and GLS was assessed using speckle-tracking analysis. Results The median age of the study sample was 54 years. Overall, 60% were men; 35% were non-Hispanic black, and 50% Hispanic. After a mean follow-up of 3.8 ± 0.5 years, there were 21 cardiovascular events or deaths. Patients who experienced an event were older, more frequently had a history of coronary artery disease, and had higher LV filling/longitudinal diastolic annular velocity (E/e') than those who did not. GLS was significantly associated with event-free survival even after adjusting for age, sex, race-ethnicity, hypertension, diabetes, history of coronary artery disease or heart failure, and E/e'. Conclusion Reduced GLS peri-transplant is significantly associated with increased CVD events or death after kidney transplant. Larger studies are required to determine the incremental predictive value of GLS over clinical and other echocardiographic parameters for adverse CVD events following renal transplantation.
Leveraged enforcement under the EPA’s High Priority Violation Policy

In the environmental enforcement literature, leveraged enforcement is an important theoretical model in which firms with current violations are targeted with intensive inspections and sanctions in the future. This paper examines the effects of leveraged enforcement on facility compliance and the differential deterrence effects of enforcement. We focus on the Environmental Protection Agency’s High Priority Violation (HPV) Policy, which represents leveraged enforcement in the regulations of air pollution in the USA. We estimate dynamic panel data models using 8755 major manufacturing facilities in the USA from 2001 to 2010. Our results suggest that being classified as an HPV facility can have significant and positive effects on compliance. We also find general deterrence effects such that a given facility’s compliance rate rises with fines on HPV facilities within the same state. However, the deterrence effects of enforcement differ by HPV status. HPV facilities on average are less responsive to additional enforcement on itself and other facilities.
Variable-Domain Functional Principal Component Analysis

We introduce a novel method of principal component analysis for data with varying domain lengths for each functional observation. We refer to this technique as variable-domain functional principal ...
Redesigned upstream processing enables a 24 hour workflow from E. coli cells to cell-free protein synthesis

Abstract Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) platforms have undergone numerous workflow improvements to enable diverse applications in research, biomanufacturing, point-of-care detection, therapeutics, and education using affordable laboratory equipment and reagents. The Escherichia coli cell extract-based platform, being one of the most affordable and versatile CFPS platforms, has been broadly adopted. In spite of the promise of simplicity, the cell-free platform remains technically nuanced, posing challenges to reproducible implementation and broad adoption. Additionally, while the CFPS reaction itself can be implemented on-demand, the upstream processing of cells to generate crude cell lysate remains time-intensive, representing one of the largest sources of cost associated with the biotechnology. To circumvent the lengthy and tedious upstream workflow, we have redesigned the processes by developing a long-lasting autoinduction media formulation for cell-free that obviates human intervention between inoculation and harvest. Cell-free autoinduction (CFAI) media supports these advantages through the production of highly robust cell extracts from high cell density cultures nearing stationary phase of growth. Growth of cells to high density and autoinduction of T7 RNAP expression can be achieved by incubation overnight, eliminating the need for user intervention for the entirety of the process. The total mass of cells obtained is substantially increased, which directly results in a 400% increase in total extract volume obtained compared to past workflows. Based on these advances, we outline a new upstream processing workflow that allows researchers to go from cells on a streak plate to completing CFPS reactions within 24 hours while maintaining robust reaction yields of sfGFP (>1 mg/ml). We hope this advance will improve the time and cost-efficiency for existing CFPS researchers, increase the simplicity and reproducibility, and reduce the barrier-to-entry for new researchers interested in implementing CFPS.
Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning: A Curriculum that Educates the Heart and Mind

Given the growing interest in providing social and emotional learning opportunities within after-school and youth programs, identifying high-quality and innovative learning materials is critical. This review of the newly launched Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning framework and curriculum, developed at Emory University, provides an overview of this curriculum and its potential use in after-school and youth programs. This comprehensive learning system includes curriculum for young people from kindergarten through 12 th grade and an online professional development site for those who deliver the curriculum.
Documenting the Literacy “Aha Moment” From an Urban Chicano Perspective

The article uses the methodology of autoethnography to explore my own racial/ethnic identity evolution from a young child to adulthood. Various significant events in my life are chronicled to show ...
Patch Testing With an Extended Metal Allergen Series at the Massachusetts General Hospital (2006-2017).

Background Reports of patch test data with an extended metal series that includes rare metals are limited. Objective The aims of the study were to analyze and report patch testing results from an extended metal series, examine associations with sex and age, and highlight concomitant metal reactions. Methods This study is a retrospective review of 150 patients referred for suspected metal allergy from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2016. Results The most common indications for evaluation referral were those having symptoms after implantation of a metal device (55.3%) and those with a history and concern of metal allergy before implantation of a metal device (22.0%). One or more positive patch test reactions were observed in 87 patients (58.0%). Metals with the highest frequencies were nickel sulfate 2.5% (26.2%), gold sodium thiosulfate 0.5% (23.0%), gold sodium thiosulfate 2.0% (20.7%), palladium chloride 2.0% (19.6%), cobalt chloride 1.0% (12.0%), and manganese chloride 2.0% (10.1%). Of the 45 metals tested, 15 caused no patch test reactions. Female patients were more likely to be sensitized to nickel, gold, and palladium (P Conclusions Allergy to metals, including those not included in standard series, may be more prevalent than previously suspected. Results may help guide future testing for suspected metal allergy, although future studies are warranted.
Living cells as test tubes.

Thermodynamic principles are used to map the phase behavior of a tunable protein-binding system under crowded cellular conditions. This study marks a substantial step forward in relating molecular interactions to material properties and cellular processes involving protein self-assembly.
Are Governments Better than Donors at Rewarding Nonprofit Performance

Abstract Nonprofits engaged in social production can receive funding from both donors and governments. Much of the nonprofit performance theory is based in economic organization literature and sugg...
Upcoming board of trustees election

Members of Vetlife are invited to apply to serve on the board of trustees. Vetlife is a charity that supports the veterinary community through the provision of Vetlife Helpline, Vetlife Health Support and Vetlife Financial Support. Vetlife is independent of all other veterinary organisations and is managed by a board of 12 elected trustees, all of whom are veterinary surgeons. The charity employs a very small number of staff so trustees are frequently asked to undertake operational and strategic work and the role demands …
Evaluation of Factors Associated with, and Outcomes for Patients with Nonhome Discharge Destinations Following Carotid Endarterectomy.

Introduction Following a carotid endarterectomy (CEA) procedure, patients are discharged to their homes or other locations than home such as an acute care facility or skilled nursing facility based on their functional status and level of medical attention needed. Decision-making for discharge destination following a CEA to home or nonhome locations is important due to the differences in survival and postoperative complications. While primary outcomes such as mortality and occurrence of stroke following CEA have been extensively studied, there is a paucity of information characterizing outcomes of discharge destination and the factors associated. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors associated with discharge to nonhome destinations after CEA, and outcomes after discharge. Methods Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database, we identified patients who underwent CEA from 2011 to 2018. Patients were divided into two groups based on their discharge destination (home versus nonhome). Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed for preoperative and intraoperative factors associated with different discharge destinations. Postoperative complications associated with discharge to nonhome destinations were analyzed and mortality after discharge from hospital was compared between the 2 groups. Results A total of 25,094 patients met the criteria for inclusion in the study, of which 39% were females and 61% were males; median age was 71 years. Twenty four thousand one hundred twenty-five patients (93.13%) were discharged to home (Group I) and 1,779 (6.87%) were discharged to nonhome destinations (Group II). Following preoperative and intraoperative factors were associated with discharge to nonhome locations: older age, diabetes mellitus, functional independent status, transfer from other hospitals, symptomatic status, need for preoperative blood transfusions, severe ipsilateral carotid stenosis, elective CEA, need for intraoperative shunt and general anesthesia (all P Conclusions Majority of the patients after CEA are discharged back to their homes. This study identifies the factors which predispose patients discharged to locations, other than home. Patients who are not discharged home have higher mortality as compared to those who are discharged to their homes.
Role of bacterial motility in differential resistance mechanisms of silver nanoparticles and silver ions

Unlike conventional antimicrobials, the study of bacterial resistance to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) remains in its infancy and the mechanism(s) through which it evolves are limited and inconclusive. The central question remains whether bacterial resistance is driven by the AgNPs, released Ag(I) ions or a combination of these and other factors. Here, we show a specific resistance in an Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655 strain to subinhibitory concentrations of AgNPs, and not Ag(I) ions, as indicated by a statistically significant greater-than-twofold increase in the minimum inhibitory concentration occurring after eight repeated passages that was maintained after the AgNPs were removed and reintroduced. Whole-population genome sequencing identified a cusS mutation associated with the heritable resistance that possibly increased silver ion efflux. Finally, we rule out the effect of particle aggregation on resistance and suggest that the mechanism of resistance may be enhanced or mediated by flagellum-based motility. Bacterial motility may be used as an important predictor of whether a particular bacteria strain can develop AgNP resistance and could inform design of nanoenabled antimicrobials that mechanistically target specific types of bacteria.
Investigation of the plume generated in LIBS process induced by a ps UV laser

The plume produced by a ps UV laser is analyzed, with the aim of understanding the ultra-narrow (isotopically resolvable) re-absorption lines that we observed with this type of irradiation.
Modeling Wetland Plant Metrics to Improve the Performance of Vegetation-Based Indices of Biological Integrity

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine if the accuracy and precision of wetland plant indices of biological integrity (IBIs) could be improved through the use of modeling techniques. To do this, we developed a modeled vegetation IBI (MVIBI) based on metrics previously used to develop vegetation indices of biological integrity (VIBIs) for Ohio wetlands (e.g. % invasive grass, % sensitive species, shrub richness). We selected 82 emergent, forested, and shrub-dominated reference sites distributed across the State of Ohio and built Random Forest models to predict plant metric scores at reference wetlands from naturally occurring environmental features related to climate, hydrology, geology, soils, and landscape position. The models explained between 14 and 52% of the variance in the scores of 21 metrics indicating that variation in wetland plant assemblages was significantly associated with naturally occurring environmental gradients. We used principal component analysis to identify ten groups of statistically independent metrics and selected one metric from each group that discriminated most strongly between reference and most degraded sites based on t-scores. Two axes did not contain discriminating metrics so we used eight metrics in the MVIBI. Analysis of variance of reference site MVIBI scores indicated that we could use one distribution of reference site scores to assess multiple wetland types, thus eliminating the need to separately designate wetland types. We used the MVIBI to assess 170 test sites and compared the accuracy, precision, responsiveness, and sensitivity of the MVIBI to those of the original VIBIs. The MVIBI was up to twice as accurate and precise as the original VIBIs, indicating that modeling can be used to improve the performance of vegetation-based IBIs. The use of model-based IBIs for wetland plants should reduce assessment errors associated with natural variation in plant metrics and should increase confidence in wetland assessments.