cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bariatric Surgery: A Perspective for Primary Care

IN BRIEF Bariatric surgery is the most efficacious treatment for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other obesity-related comorbidities. In this article, the authors review the current indications for bariatric surgery and discuss the most commonly performed procedures. They analyze medical outcomes of bariatric procedures by reviewing key prospective trials and discuss changes in physiology after these procedures. They conclude by discussing long-term management of bariatric patients by reviewing current guidelines for nutritional support and listing common complications related to these procedures.
Relativistic turbulence with strong synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton cooling

Many relativistic plasma environments in high-energy astrophysics, including pulsar wind nebulae, hot accretion flows onto black holes, relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts, and giant radio lobes, are naturally turbulent. The plasma in these environments is often so hot that synchrotron and inverse-Compton (IC) radiative cooling becomes important. In this paper we investigate the general thermodynamic and radiative properties (and hence the observational appearance) of an optically thin relativistically hot plasma stirred by driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence and cooled by radiation. We find that if the system reaches a statistical equilibrium where turbulent heating is balanced by radiative cooling, the effective electron temperature tends to attain a universal value $\theta = kT_e/m_e c^2 \sim 1/\sqrt{\tau_T}$, where $\tau_T=n_e\sigma_T L \ll 1$ is the system's Thomson optical depth, essentially independent of the strength of turbulent driving or magnetic field. This is because both MHD turbulent dissipation and synchrotron cooling are proportional to the magnetic energy density. We also find that synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) cooling and perhaps a few higher-order IC components are automatically comparable to synchrotron in this regime. The overall broadband radiation spectrum then consists of several distinct components (synchrotron, SSC, etc.), well separated in photon energy (by a factor $\sim \tau_T^{-1}$) and roughly equal in power. The number of IC peaks is checked by Klein-Nishina effects and depends logarithmically on $\tau_T$ and the magnetic field. We also examine the limitations due to synchrotron self-absorption, explore applications to Crab PWN and blazar jets, and discuss links to radiative magnetic reconnection.
Recognition of, and beliefs about, causes of mental disorders: A cross-sectional study of US and Chinese undergraduate nursing students.

Nursing students' beliefs about etiology and manifestation of mental illness will impact on their professional attitudes in future clinical practice. The aims of the present study were to examine and compare US and Chinese undergraduate nursing students' recognition of, and beliefs about, causes of depression and schizophrenia. A total of 310 US (n = 152) and Chinese (n = 158) nursing students completed the Australian National Mental Health Literacy Survey questionnaire between April 2016 and April 2017. Although nursing students in the USA and China were highly accurate in recognizing depression and schizophrenia, the US students were more likely to nominate multiple items alongside the correct diagnosis than the Chinese students. The Chinese students were more likely to view depression and schizophrenia as multi-causally-determined mental disorders than the US students. The findings highlight the need for the incorporation of mental health issues, including symptomatology of different mental disorders and their application to patient care, into various aspects of the US nursing curriculum. In China, opportunities can be created for nursing students to discuss the impact of personal beliefs on care delivery and social stigma during clinical placement.
Das Einmaleins der Höhenwinde

Manche Instrumente messen nur die Windrichtung, wie etwa die Windfahne, andere wiederum nur die Windgeschwindigkeit, so wie das Schalenkreuz-Anemometer (Tafel III): Die Luftbewegung ubt mehr Druck auf die offene Seite jeder Schale aus, als auf die konvexe Seite. Die Umdrehungsgeschwindigkeit kann daher direkt mit der Windgeschwindigkeit in bezug gesetzt werden. Eine Kombinationsanordnung von Windfahne und Anemometer last uns jederzeit den Windvektor eindeutig bestimmen.
UV-Induced Pyrimidine Monoadducts and their in vivo Photofootprints

Irradiation of DNA with UV-C, 256 nm light produces several classes of photodamage, cyclopyrimidine dimers (Pyr\(\diamondsuit \)Pyr) ≥ (6–4) dipyrimidine photoproducts ≥ pyrimidine monoadducts. The monoadducts include cytosine, uridine, and thymine photohydrates as water additions, and thymine glycol (Patrick and Rahn 1976). The most common UV-induced pyrimidine monoadduct is cytosine photohydrate formed by addition of H2O to the 5,6 double bond of cytosine (Fisher and Johns 1976; Patrick and Rahn 1976; Boorstein et al. 1990). Double stranded DNA, after receiving 5 kJ/m2 of 256 nm light, accumulates cytosine photohydrates as 0.6% of dC and T\(\diamondsuit \)T as 3% of dT (Patrick and Rahn 1976) so the photohydrate is not just a minor adduct. The cytosine photohydrate can deaminate to uracil photohydrate and both of these eventually dehydrate to their parent bases (Patrick and Rahn 1976; Boorstein et al. 1990). In double stranded DNA, the half-lives of cytosine hydrate and uracil hydrate are 25 h and 6 h respectively at 37°C (Boorstein et al. 1990).
Chronic Kidney Disease in the Primary Care Setting: Importance for Estimating Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Use of Appropriate Therapies

This chapter provides a clinical perspective on how the kidney can be used as a sentinel for cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden and, perhaps, as a means of measuring therapeutic success for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. To accomplish these goals, we will first provide some background about the relationship between chronic kidney disease and CVD. Next, we will discuss the value of estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as a better measure of overall kidney function as opposed to simply using a serum creatinine. In addition, we will also focus on the importance of residual albuminuria or proteinuria and its implications for predicting CVD. These observations will set the stage for assessing appropriate blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose goals for patients, and the pharmacologic means of attaining these goals.
For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Midnight Regulation Phenomenon

The term "midnight regulations" describes the dramatic spike in new regulations promulgated at the end of presidential terms, especially during transitions to an administration of the opposite party. While widely acknowledged as problematic due to lessened presidential accountability during the midnight period - the time after the November election and before Inauguration Day - midnight regulations present another problem that receives little attention. The number of regulations promulgated during that period could overwhelm the institutional review process that serves to ensure that new regulations have been carefully considered, are based on sound evidence, and can justify their costs. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is in charge of reviewing all proposed new significant regulations. While the number of proposed regulations spikes during the midnight period, the resources available to OIRA remain constant, setting the stage for a potential collapse of the review process. Few satisfactory solutions to the midnight regulations phenomenon have been proposed. In this paper, however, we propose one possible solution that addresses the effects of midnight regulation might have on regulatory review: Cap the number of regulations agencies may submit to OIRA for review during a given period.
6.1 – The Mechanics of Breathing

Air that enters the respiratory system is first conditioned: it is filtered, warmed, and humidified by the tracheobronchial tree before the air arrives at the parts of the tree than gas exchange. Gas flow in the respiratory system is governed by pressure differences, and these are driven by expansion or compression of the volume of the lungs. During restful breathing, the diaphragm provides the force for expansion, while expiration is passive and requires no muscles. The external intercostals aid inspiration. The abdominal muscles and internal intercostals aid forceful expiration. Muscles move the chest wall and not the lungs, but the lungs follow because the thin fluid in the pleura pastes the lungs to the chest wall. The lungs have a compliance that is produced by elastic fibers and by surface tension. The surface tension is reduced by surfactant, whose lack in newborns causes respiratory distress syndrome. The surfactant helps stabilize alveoli size, keeps the alveoli dry, and reduces the work of breathing. The chest wall acts like a spring: at low volumes it recoils to a higher volume; at high volumes it recoils to a smaller volume. The lungs always tend to collapse. Put together, the balance of lung collapse and chest expansion is the FRC—functional residual capacity.
The Application of Data-Mining to Recommender Systems

In a world where the number of choices can be overwhelming, recommender systems help users find and evaluate items of interest. They connect users with items to “consume” (purchase, view, listen to, etc.) by associating the content of recommended items or the opinions of other individuals with the consuming user’s actions or opinions. Such systems have become powerful tools in domains from electronic commerce to digital libraries and knowledge management. For example, a consumer of just about any major online retailer who expresses an interest in an item – either through viewing a product description or by placing the item in his “shopping cart” – will likely receive recommendations for additional products. These products can be recommended based on the top overall sellers on a site, on the demographics of the consumer, or on an analysis of the past buying behavior of the consumer as a prediction for future buying behavior. This article will address the technology used to generate recommendations, focusing on the application of data mining techniques.
Virtual Learning for Workers in Robot Deployed Construction Sites

This paper provides various aspects to consider during the creation of a novel virtual learning environment (VLE) for the education of construction workers interacting with robots. First, the characteristics of existing VLEs in the construction industry, including user interface, navigation method, content, and procedure of learning were reviewed. Several drawbacks of existing environments were identified during the review. Then, the novel features of VLEs in other industries were investigated to find what can be incorporated in the VLEs for the construction industry to mitigate the drawbacks. The existing VLEs in various industries do offer novel features that can be adapted for robot-included work-site trainings and education. However, the construction industry has specific characteristics that are unique and therefore the construction industry-specific characteristics need to be considered when adapting the features of other industries’ VLEs.
Status asthmaticus requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation associated with rhinovirus infection.

Objective: Evolving research links human rhinovirus (HRV) with status asthmaticus (SA) as well as severe respiratory illness in patients with atopy and asthma. This case series reviews five episode...
Comparative assessment of conventional chromosomal analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization in the evaluation of suspected myelodysplastic syndromes: a single institution experience.

Background: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic neoplasms, roughly half of which harbor cytogenetic abnormalities with diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic significance. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for the most commonly seen abnormalities (5/5q, –7/7q, +8, and –20/20q–) is routinely performed alongside conventional cytogenetics (CC) in the evaluation of suspected MDS despite conflicting reports of its relative contribution compared to CC alone.Objectives: To assess the additional diagnostic and prognostic value of performing concurrent FISH versus CC alone in cases of suspected MDS.Materials and Methods: A total of 127 bone marrow samples submitted to our cytogenetic laboratory with a presumptive diagnosis of MDS were evaluated by concurrent CC and an MDS FISH panel.Results: CC was used as the gold standard method with 100% sensitivity in detecting suspected MDS-associated cytogenetic abnormalities. FISH alone had a sensitivity of 76%, whereas CC alone achieved a sensitivity of 97%. The addition of FISH did not change the diagnosis nor change the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System score in any patient. Moreover, in 12 cases identified as positive by both CC and FISH, CC identified multiple chromosomal aberrations of clinical significance not interrogated by the FISH probe panel.Conclusion: CC alone is sufficiently sensitive in detecting suspected MDS-associated cytogenetic abnormalities that influence clinical decision-making. Routine FISH testing does not provide a significant increase in test sensitivity when an adequate karyotype is obtained. Therefore, FISH testing is best reserved for suspected MDS cases lacking sufficient metaphases.
Resetting the Clock on Dynamic Leader Behaviors: A Conceptual Integration and Agenda for Future Research

Throughout its storied history, the leadership literature has predominantly treated leader behaviors as static and owing to stable antecedents such as personality traits and organizational norms. I...
Multi-criteria partitioning of multi-block structured grids

Partitioning of multi-block structured grids impacts the performance and scalability of numerical simulations. An optimal partitioner should achieve both load balance and minimize communication time. The state-of-art domain decomposition algorithms do a good job at balancing the load across processors. However, even if the work is well balanced, the communication cost might not be. The two main factors that impact communication cost are edge cuts and communication volume. The current partitioners primarily focus on reducing the total communication volume and rely on simple techniques such as cutting at the longest edge which does not capture the connectivity in the geometry. They also don't factor the effect of the network's latency and bandwidth for partitioning resulting in the same partition across all platforms. In addition, their performance tests mostly adopt a flat MPI model where the partition's effect on communication is hidden by the fast shared memory accesses between cores on the same node. In this paper, we present new partitioning algorithms for multi-block structured grids that address the above limitations of current partitioners. The new algorithms include a cost function which not only accounts for both the communication volume and edge cuts but also takes into account the network's latency and bandwidth. We minimize the overall cost among all processors in an effort to create optimum partitions. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithms, we test the partitioners with an MPI+OpenMP hybrid model where MPI routines handle inter-node communication and OpenMP threads take advantage of the shared memory within a node. On the Mira supercomputer, our partitioners coupled with a Jacobi solver demonstrate 5.5 -- 15× speedup in communication against a greedy algorithm on a synthetic multi-block structured grid and 1.5× speedup on the Falcon Heavy Space-X grid consisting of 769 blocks.
Minimum wage and transition of non-employer firms intending to hire employees into employer firms: State-level evidence from the US

Abstract Among the non-employer firms who intend to hire, the higher state-level minimum wage could dissuade them from becoming employer firms. Using data from Business Formation Statistics in the US, we assess the effect of within-state variation in minimum wage on three state-level outcomes: count of business applications for Employer Identification Number (EIN) from firms intending to hire employees; count of firms who transition into employer firms after their application; and average time taken by firms to transition into employer firms after application. Based on 1,692 state-quarter observations from 2005 to 2013, higher state minimum wage is negatively associated with a count of applications for EIN and count of applicants transitioning into employer business and slows the transition of applicants into employer businesses. The findings are robust to a placebo test and an alternate specification controlling for common correlation between state and year. Additional analyses on new business activity show that state minimum wage has no association with the portion of the state population starting new businesses or the share of opportunity-based (vs. necessity-based) new businesses in a state. The findings have implications for policymakers considering the relevance of minimum wage in encouraging the transition of non-employer firms intending to hire employees into employer firms.
Medieval Architectural Theory, the Sacred Economy, and the Public Presentation of Monastic Architecture:: The Classic Cistercian Plan

The Cistercian abbey church plan with a flat east end, the “Bernardine plan,” is one of the most distinctive, and most discussed, plans of medieval architecture. It has traditionally been seen as a direct result of views on monastic architecture held by Bernard of Clairvaux, our most important source for understanding medieval art and architecture. However, as Conrad Rudolph argues in Medieval Architectural Theory, the Sacred Economy, and the Public Presentation of Monastic Architecture: The Classic Cistercian Plan, this ignores the architecture of Bernard9s own monastery and the architectural theory of his circle. By reading this plan in conjunction with the Cluniac apse-echelon plan and the well-known pilgrimage plan and considering it alongside the monastic sacred economy and issues of materials, craftsmanship, and public access, Rudolph shows that the “Bernardine plan” does not represent Bernard9s conception at all. It is better thought of as the “classic Cistercian plan,” a compromise of lower spiritual standards aimed at broader institutional acceptance.
The feasibility of web surveys for obtaining patient-reported outcomes from cancer survivors: a randomized experiment comparing survey modes and brochure enclosures

Central cancer registries are often used to survey population-based samples of cancer survivors. These surveys are typically administered via paper or telephone. In most populations, web surveys obtain much lower response rates than paper surveys. This study assessed the feasibility of web surveys for collecting patient-reported outcomes via a central cancer registry. Potential participants were sampled from Utah Cancer Registry records. Sample members were randomly assigned to receive a web or paper survey, and then randomized to either receive or not receive an informative brochure describing the cancer registry. We calculated adjusted risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals to compare response likelihood and the demographic profile of respondents across study arms. The web survey response rate (43.2%) was lower than the paper survey (50.4%), but this difference was not statistically significant (adjusted risk ratio = 0.88, 95% confidence interval = 0.72, 1.07). The brochure also did not significantly influence the proportion responding (adjusted risk ratio = 1.03, 95% confidence interval = 0.85, 1.25). There were few differences in the demographic profiles of respondents across the survey modes. Older age increased likelihood of response to a paper questionnaire but not a web questionnaire. Web surveys of cancer survivors are feasible without significantly influencing response rates, but providing a paper response option may be advisable particularly when surveying older individuals. Further examination of the varying effects of brochure enclosures across different survey modes is warranted.
trans-Dichloro­bis(N,N′-dimethyl­ethane-1,2-diamine-κ2N,N′)nickel(II)

The title compound, [NiCl2(C4H12N2)2], is a mol­ecular nickel(II) complex. The nickel(II) center is pseudo-octa­hedral six-coordinate with a trans geometry and is located on an inversion center. The mol­ecules exhibit limited hydrogen bonding between the axial chloride ions and the secondary amine H atoms (each halide inter­acts with two H atoms) of adjacent mol­ecules.
Chapter 6 – Pancreatic Hormones: Insulin and Glucagon

A feature essential for life of higher vertebrates is their ability to maintain a relatively constant blood glucose concentration. Superimposed on the requirement for the maintenance of a constant blood glucose level are the perturbations in blood glucose that may occur naturally as a consequence of ongoing physiological and metabolic events. The endocrine gland largely responsible for the maintenance of blood glucose levels and the appropriate cellular uptake and exchange of “fuel metabolites” is the pancreas. The principal hormones secreted by the pancreas are insulin and glucagon; in addition, the pancreas also secretes somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), and gastrin. This chapter covers the integrated actions of glucagon and insulin to effect blood glucose homeostasis, and the chemistry, biochemistry, and biological activities of the pancreatic hormones. Clinical aspects are also covered.
Supporting Transactions for Bulk NFSv4 Compounds

More applications nowadays use network and cloud storage; and modern network file system protocols support compounding operations---packing more operations in one request (e.g., NFSv4, SMB). This is known to improve overall throughput and latency by reducing the number of network round trips. It has been reported that by utilizing compounds, NFSv4 performance, especially in high-latency networks, can be improved by orders of magnitude. Alas, with more operations packed into a single message, partial failures become more likely---some server-side operations succeed while others fail to execute. This places a greater challenge on client-side applications to recover from such failures. To solve this and simplify application development, we designed and built TC-NFS, an NFSv4-based network file system with transactional compound execution. We evaluated TC-NFS with different workloads, compounding degrees, and network latencies. Compared to an already existing NFSv4 system that fully utilizes compounds, our end-to-end transactional support adds as little as ~1.1% overhead but as much as ~25× overhead for some intense micro- and macro-workloads.
Chronic Lymphocytic inflammation with Pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS): A unique pathology and stroke mimic (1100)

Objective: Objective of this abstract is to discuss a unique case of CLIPPERS (Chronic Lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids) which responded well to intravenous steroids with resolution of symptoms and discuss clinical symptoms, imaging and treatment. Background: Chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) is an inflammatory disorder involving central nervous system disorder, prominently brainstem and in particular the pons which responds well to glucocorticoids. Design/Methods: Retrospective review of medical records from tertiary care medical center. Results: Case Report: 40 year old African American male with no significant past medical history presented with 3 days history of double vision and blurriness in left eye. It was sudden in onset and was progressively getting worse. On examination patient found to have weak adduction in right eye and abduction nystagmus of the left eye. NIHSS of 1 was given for partial gaze palsy. No other focal neurological deficit was appreciated. CTH showed age-indeterminate lacunar infarct in bilateral pons. CTA head and neck were negative for any vascular occlusion, malformations or signs of vasculitis. MRI brain w/o contrast showed diffusion restriction with accompanying T2 FLAIR and T2 signal hyperintensity in the bilateral pons. Patient symptoms did not correlate with MRI findings ( b/l pontine decent size infarct). With suspicion for Clippers syndrome patient was started on 1-gram intravenous Methylprednisolone for 5 days. Patient almost completely recovered from double vision by end of 5 days of iv Methylprednisolone course. Conclusions: CLIPPERS is an inflammatory central nervous disorder that affects the brain stem particularly Pons with occasional extension to spinal cord and sometime corpus callosum, internal capsule. There are no formalized diagnostic criteria for CLIPPERS. Neurologist should be aware of this condition, given that CLIPPERS constitutes a treatable condition and that patients may benefit from an early glucocorticoids treatment. Disclosure: Dr. Deep has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sukhdeo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alexandrov has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Genentech, Inc, Cerevast Medical, and Siemens.
Gene Expression Signature Correlates with Outcomes in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated with Everolimus Alone or with a Vascular Disrupting Agent

Everolimus monotherapy use for metastatic clear cell-RCC (mRCC) has diminished due to recent approvals of immune checkpoint and VEGF inhibitors. We hypothesized that gene expression associated with everolimus benefit may provide rationale to select appropriate patients. To address this hypothesis, tumors from a phase I/II trial that compared everolimus alone or with BNC105P, a vascular disrupting agent (VDA), were profiled using Nanostring as a discovery cohort. A phase III trial (CheckMate 025) was used for validation. Clinical benefit (CB) was defined as response, or stable disease for {greater than or equal to}6 months. A propensity score covariate adjustment was used, and model discrimination performance was assessed using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). In a discovery cohort of 82 patients, 35 (43%) were treated with everolimus alone and 47 (57%) received everolimus+BNC105P. Median PFS (mPFS) was 4.9 (95%CI=2.8-6.2) months. A 4-gene signature (ASXL1, DUSP6, ERCC2, and HSPA6) correlated with CB with everolimus+/-BNC105P (AUC 86.9% [95%CI=79.2-94.7]). This was validated in 130 patients from CheckMate 025 treated with everolimus (AUC 60.2% [95%CI=49.7-70.7]). Among 43 patients (52.4%) with low expression of an 18-gene signature, everolimus+BNC105P was associated with significantly longer mPFS compared to everolimus alone (10.4 vs 6.9 months, HR 0.49, 95%CI=0.24-1.002, p=0.047). These signatures warrant further validation to select patients who may benefit from everolimus alone or with a VDA.
Effects of a large-scale, natural sediment deposition event on plant cover in a Massachusetts salt marsh

In mid-winter 2018, an unprecedented sediment deposition event occurred throughout portions of the Great Marsh in Massachusetts. Evaluation of this event in distinct marsh areas spanning three towns (Essex, Ipswich, and Newbury) revealed deposition covering 29.2 hectares with an average thickness of 30.1±2.1 mm measured shortly after deposition. While sediment deposition helps marshes survive sea level rise by building elevation, effects of such a large-scale deposition on New England marshes are unknown. This natural event provided an opportunity to study effects of large-scale sediment addition on plant cover and soil chemistry, with implications for marsh resilience. Sediment thickness did not differ significantly between winter and summer, indicating sediment is not eroding or compacting. The deposited sediment at each site had similar characteristics to that of the adjacent mudflat (e.g., texture, bivalve shells), suggesting that deposited materials resulted from ice rafting from adjacent flats, a natural phenomenon noted by other authors. Vegetative cover was significantly lower in plots with rafted sediment (75.6±2.3%) than sediment-free controls (93.1±1.6%) after one growing season. When sorted by sediment thickness categories, the low thickness level (1–19 mm) had significantly greater percent cover than medium (20–39 mm) and high (40–90 mm) categories. Given that sediment accretion in the Great Marsh was found to average 2.7 mm per year, the sediment thickness documented herein represents ~11 years of sediment accretion with only a 25% reduction in plant cover, suggesting this natural sediment event will likely increase long-term marsh resilience to sea level rise.
Effect of an algal amendment on the microbial conversion of coal to methane at different sulfate concentrations from the Powder River Basin, USA

Abstract Biogenic methane is estimated to account for one-fifth of the natural gas worldwide and there is great interest in controlling methane from different sources. Biogenic coalbed methane (CBM) production relies on syntrophic associations between fermentative bacteria and methanogenic archaea to anaerobically degrade recalcitrant coal and produce methanogenic substrates. However, very little is known about how differences in geochemistry, hydrology, and microbial community composition influence subsurface carbon utilization and CBM production. The addition of an amendment consisting of microalgal biomass has previously been shown to increase CBM production while providing the possibility of a closed-loop fossil system where waste (production water) is used to grow algae to ultimately produce energy (methane). However, the efficiency of enhancing CBM production under different redox conditions remains unresolved. In this study, we focused on the U.S. Geological Survey's Birney test site (Montana, USA) that has nine wells vertically accessing four coal seams with varying geochemistry (low and high sulfate (SO42−)) and methane production rates. We used organic matter (OM) in the form of algal biomass to discern the effect of this amendment on OM degradation and microbially enhanced CBM production (MeCBM) potential under different geochemical constraints. We tracked changes in community composition, OM composition, organic carbon (OC) concentration, methane production, and nutrients in batch systems over six months. Methane production was detected only in microcosms from low SO42− wells (168 to 800 μg methane per gram of coal). The OC consumption varied across time for all wells and the variation was greatest for the low SO42− wells. Different groups of syntrophic bacteria were associated with net‑carbon consuming microcosms, and specifically Syntrophorhabdus was identified with several different statistical methods as a potentially important coal degrader. Results from this study provide insight into potential coal-degraders, the compositional changes in some of the different OM fractions, and trends in carbon consumption related to methane production across coal seams along the vertical SO42− gradient.
Distribution Compression in Near-linear Time.

In distribution compression, one aims to accurately summarize a probability distribution $\mathbb{P}$ using a small number of representative points. Near-optimal thinning procedures achieve this goal by sampling $n$ points from a Markov chain and identifying $\sqrt{n}$ points with $\widetilde{\mathcal{O}}(1/\sqrt{n})$ discrepancy to $\mathbb{P}$. Unfortunately, these algorithms suffer from quadratic or super-quadratic runtime in the sample size $n$. To address this deficiency, we introduce Compress++, a simple meta-procedure for speeding up any thinning algorithm while suffering at most a factor of $4$ in error. When combined with the quadratic-time kernel halving and kernel thinning algorithms of Dwivedi and Mackey (2021), Compress++ delivers $\sqrt{n}$ points with $\mathcal{O}(\sqrt{\log n/n})$ integration error and better-than-Monte-Carlo maximum mean discrepancy in $\mathcal{O}(n \log^3 n)$ time and $\mathcal{O}( \sqrt{n} \log^2 n )$ space. Moreover, Compress++ enjoys the same near-linear runtime given any quadratic-time input and reduces the runtime of super-quadratic algorithms by a square-root factor. In our benchmarks with high-dimensional Monte Carlo samples and Markov chains targeting challenging differential equation posteriors, Compress++ matches or nearly matches the accuracy of its input algorithm in orders of magnitude less time.
Distributionally Safe Path Planning: Wasserstein Safe RRT

In this paper, we propose a Wasserstein metric- based random path planning algorithm. Wasserstein Safe RRT (W-Safe RRT) provides finite-sample probabilistic guarantees on the safety of a returned path in an uncertain obstacle environment. Vehicle and obstacle states are modeled as distributions based upon state and model observations. We define limits on distributional sampling error so the Wasserstein distance between a vehicle state distribution and obstacle distributions can be bounded. This enables the algorithm to return safe paths with a confidence bound through combining finite sampling error bounds with calculations of the Wasserstein distance between discrete distributions. W-Safe RRT is compared against a baseline minimum encompassing ball algorithm, which ensures balls that minimally encompass discrete state and obstacle distributions do not overlap. The improved performance is verified in a 3D environment using single, multi, and rotating non-convex obstacle cases, with and without forced obstacle error in adversarial directions, showing that W-Safe RRT can handle poorly modeled complex environments.
The Picasso Poem

to New York City to see the exhibition. I wanted to drive through sweet New Jersey with the picnic basket bumping my knee and the line of trees keeping the sun out from Phillipsburg to Newark. Over and over again I thought of him in the 1930s and I thought of the paintings he did and I thought of the France he loved, all plump and modern and corrupt. He was 55 in 1936 and slipping through the silence before his next flowering; he was moving from one hard place to another, dipping his hand and smearing the white canvas. ?I think I'd have to choose between the woman with a hat or the one with rope for a face or the one reclining?with stars?or the one in a nightmare ripping apart a handkerchief; or maybe the goat; or maybe the bicycle handle. On June ninth I stood peacefully in line waiting to crawl through the numbered rooms. I was so quiet little birds were resting on my soft shoulder and little leaves were growing from my legs and arms. Somewhere, inside my chest, a heart was pounding, and I was listening again, a little thinner and a little whiter than the last time.
Response of walnut aphid populations to increasing foliar nitrogen content

An understanding of how fertilizer input affects pest populations and, consequently, the need for pesticide use would allow for the development of more effective integrated management strategies. 2 The present study addressed the response of walnut aphid Chromaphis juglandicola (Kaltenbach) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) populations to different levels of nitrogen application to walnut seedlings and the relationship between aphid density and chlorophyll content index (CCI), a non-invasive measure of foliar nitrogen, for mature trees in commercial walnut orchards. 3 Although added nitrogen significantly increased soluble nitrogen content, CCI and soluble nitrogen : phosphorus ratios in the foliage of walnut seedlings, there was no effect on walnut aphid population growth. Similarly, there was no relationship between aphid density and CCI for mature trees in the field. 4 A neutral response suggests that walnut aphid population growth on potted seedlings is limited by factors other than soluble nitrogen, such as other nutrients, amino acid composition or defensive compounds. Consequently, fertilizer management appears unlikely to effectively contribute to the control of
Effects of unknown rigid subgrade layers on backcalculation of pavement moduli and projections of pavement performance

More and more highway agencies are obtaining and using highway pavement deflection measuring equipment to infer the elastic modulus of paving materials for design purposes. Layered elastic theory is used in the analysis to arrive at the moduli for individual pavement layers. It is possible under certain conditions to arrive at erroneous values of the elastic moduli, particularly when a rigid layer exists below the subgrade unbeknownst to the engineer. A theoretical study was performed, for flexible pavements, to determine the sensitivity of backcalculated moduli to the existence of this rigid layer. It was found that a rigid layer will adversely affect the accuracy of the backcalculated pavement moduli if the actual depth of the layer is equal to or less than half its assumed depth with respect to the surface of the pavement. These types of errors will result in unconservative pavement evaluations and designs for rehabilitation and reconstruction--leading to early pavement failure.
Error control for probabilistic model checking

We introduce a framework for expressing correctness guarantees of model-checking algorithms. The framework allows us to qualitatively compare different solution techniques for probabilistic model checking, both techniques based on statistical sampling and numerical computation of probability estimates. We provide several new insights into the relative merits of the different approaches. In addition, we present a new statistical solution method that can bound the probability of error under any circumstances by sometimes reporting undecided results. Previous statistical solution methods could only bound the probability of error outside of an “indifference region.”
Evaluation of VDL modes in the en-route domain

In this paper we investigate the performance of VDL modes 2,3, and 4 in the en-route domain by simulating mobile aircraft that dynamically establish and disconnect links to the ground station. In simulation one, the aircraft modeled are within a single sector of airspace which is the current boundary for en-route aircraft communication. The second simulation models all aircraft within range of the VDL network, a 200 nautical miles radius. In both simulations, the aircraft trajectories simulate real traffic patterns of aircraft controlled by the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). The primary statistic used to evaluate the performance of the VDL modes is the subnetwork delay. Based on the simulation scenarios investigated in this research, the subnetwork delays for all three modes are substantially less than the corresponding maximums specified in the standards.
On the Equilibrium of the Adenylate Cyclase Reaction

Abstract With a partially purified enzyme from Brevibacterium liquefaciens, the adenylate cyclase reaction, ATP → cyclic AMP + PPi, was demonstrated to be readily reversible. Pyruvate, which was known to activate the reaction in the forward direction, had a similar stimulatory effect on the reverse reaction. The equilibrium constant at pH 7.3 and 25° was approximately 0.065 m at the magnesium concentrations used. This result indicates a high free energy of hydrolysis (ΔG0obs) for the 3' ester bond of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP), estimated at -11.9 kcal mole-1 under these conditions. Since the reaction involves one reactant and two products, the equilibrium is concentration-dependent, i.e. high concentrations of cyclic AMP and PPi are required to show a high percentage of conversion to ATP; high enzyme concentrations and long incubation periods are therefore needed. The recent report by others of failure to confirm the reversibility of the reaction with the same enzyme system is attributed to failure to observe these requirements.
Maximum Price Fixing

If all of the grocers in a city agreed to sell 100-watt light bulbs for no more than fifty cents, that would be maximum price fixing. If a group of optometrists agreed to charge no more than $30 for an eye examination and to display a distinctive symbol on the shops of parties to the agreement, that would be maximum price fixing. And if most of the physicians in a city, acting through a nonprofit association, offered to treat patients for no more than a given price if insurance companies would agree to pay the fee, that agreement would be maximum price fixing too. A maximum price appears to be a boon for consumers. The optometrists' symbol, for example, helps consumers find low-cost suppliers of the service. But the agreement also appears to run afoul of the rule against price fixing, under which "a combination formed for the purpose and with the effect of raising, depressing, fixing, pegging, or stabilizing the price of a commodity . . . is illegal per se."91 This rule might be read as banning only those price agreements that reduce the allocative efficiency of the economy: monopolistic price increases and monopsonistic price decreases. In either of these cases, a price agreement drives a wedge between the competitive price and the market price, to the detriment of efficiency. On the other hand, if a maximum price agreement serves only to supply information to consumers about where bargains can be had, or to overcome conditions that have elevated price above marginal cost, the objections to monopoly and monopsony do not apply. The Supreme Court has been of two minds about arguments of this sort. On the one hand, it has said that the benefits of price agreements are irrelevant. "Whatever economic justification particular price-fixing agreements may be thought to have, the law does
Length of the vagina following abdominal hysterectomy, total and subtotal☆

Abstract A review of the literature on vaginal length following abdominal hysterectomy is presented. A report of 167 cases of increased vaginal length following a specific technique shows an increase of 2.4 cm. in total and 1.6 cm. in subtotal hysterectomy. This increased vaginal length is seemingly due to several factors: the inherent elasticity of the vagina, the imbrication of the supporting ligaments, in such a manner as to give a definite lift to the vagina, and a shortening of the utero-sacral ligaments.
LINKAGE AND GENETIC MAP LENGTH IN TETRAHYMENA THERMOPHILA

The genetic map of T. thermophila has been extended with tests of over 170 marker combinations. Three linkage groups have been identified, in addition to several apparent linkages which are seen only when certain strains are used. A sampling argument was developed to estimate the total genetic map length from the observed fraction of marker combinations showing linkage. If the strain-dependent linkages are actually due to structural heterozygosity, the total map length is estimated at about 1,200 cM.
Urban Dereliction as Environmental Injustice

American cities are increasingly suffering from property abandonment and dereliction. In this paper, we identify urban dereliction as an important and underexamined phenomenon in American cities, and one that warrants attention under the conceptual umbrella of environmental justice. An environmental justice approach that emphasizes both distributional and procedural justice provides an important lens through which to examine abandonment and dereliction. We provide an empirical example of dereliction in Atlanta neighborhoods and report preliminary findings from a study of the distribution of urban neglect and the presence (or absence) of resident activism in both high- and low-dereliction areas. Our study indicates that some residents in high-dereliction areas, while acutely aware of dereliction and actively involved in neighborhood and community organizations, are unsuccessful in pressuring city government agencies to enforce code violations and to maintain the physical infrastructure. By examining the procedural abilities of residents to address urban dereliction, we call attention to the relations of social power that shape the uneven geographies of urban neglect.
Social Structural Location and Vocabularies of Participation: Fostering a Collective Identity in Urban Agriculture Activism*

Contextualized within the visible inequality that permeates its local food landscape and the broader elitist food culture of California's San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland's urban agriculture movement comprises actors with rich vocabularies of motive for participation. Drawing from 25 in-depth interviews with movement activists, I uncover a racial and social class homo- geneity among participants that contributes to the formation of a collective identity but also limits the movement's outcomes in important ways. This research draws from Bourdieu's theory of class distinction and social move- ment theories of collective identity formation to contribute to literature on the reproduction of class and racial privilege in alternative food activism. I find that narratives for movement involvement converge on three discourses: possession of education-derived knowledge to contend with the agroin- dustrial complex, the conflation of the creation of community through urban food growing with inclusivity, and a missionary-like desire to educate others as to the benefits of growing their own food. I argue that the move- ment could benefit from a more diverse repertoire of action generated from a greater integration of racially and economically diverse actors work- ing together to reorient the food system toward local food production alternatives.
X3D-edit authoring for extensible 3D (X3D) graphics

A primary benefit of the Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics Specification is the use of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) to encode 3D scenes compatibly with the next-generation Web. XML-based languages provide a wide variety of new capabilities for authoring, processing and validating graphics scenes. X3D-Edit is an authoring tool for X3D scenes developed using IBM's Xeena, an XML-based tool-building application. Context-sensitive editing prevents creation of incorrect scene-graph structures and detects invalid numeric values. Context-sensitive tooltips provide concise explanations and warnings of each X3D node and field. Tooltip encoding in XML and internationalization (I18N) in Chinese, English, French, German and Spanish greatly broadens the potential authoring pool for X3D. Extensible Stylesheet Language for Transformation (XSLT) stylesheets provide rapid translation of XML-based X3D scenes into Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) UTF-8 syntax or pretty-print HTML pages. Use by several dozen students and development of numerous examples has allowed us to teach X3D to nonprogrammers, produced over one thousand publicly archived scenes, and demonstrated excellent effectiveness for beginners and experts alike. The use of XML both for scene design and tool construction provides numerous benefits, including improved author productivity and content stability. These assets are available for direct integration by other X3D authoring and viewing environments.
The sink strength of permeable sinks — a distribution of dislocation tangles

Abstract Following a suggestion implicit in the recent work of Lewthwaite, the sink strength associated with a dispersion of localized regions of high sink density has been investigated. The analysis is based upon some minor extensions of the Effective Medium method of rate theory. It yields the sink strength of such regions for any volume fraction of them. Lewthwaite's model of a dislocation tangle is treated as a specific example. In addition to extending this to large volume fraction of tangles, the influence of different point defect production rates and or different point defect diffusivities in the tangled dislocation regions is investigated. A semi-quantitative analysis of the growth rate of voids in such a system reveals an extreme sensitivity to physical features of the model, thus rendering unequivocal quantitative predictions of anticipated behavior very difficult to obtain.