cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of soil texture on the soil water dynamics and vegetation structure of a shortgrass steppe ecosystem

We analyzed soil water data from three sites with different soil textures in the shortgrass steppe of northeastern Colorado, USA. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between the occurrence of plant functional types and the effect of soil texture on soil water availability. Soil water availability was greatest in the upper soil layers at all three sites, but the loamy sand site had significantly greater soil water availability than the sandy clay loam and sandy clay sites in wetter years at depths below 60 cm. Calculations of proportional water availability by layer using both field data and fifty-year soil water model simulations, showed that the sandy clay loam and sandy clay soils on average had greater water availability in layers 30 cm and above, but that the loamy sand had the greatest water availability in layers beneath this, particularly at 105 cm. This observation can be linked to the occurrence of a fine textured subsoil at this site. The textural pattern in the loamy sand profile effectively creates two water resources: a shallow pool accessible to all plants; and a deep pool accessible only to deep-rooted plants. This is offered as an explanation for the co-dominance of the two main plant functional types at the loamy sand site. At the other two sites, shallow-rooted shortgrass vegetation dominated, being more consistent with the general pattern for the area. Thus the patterns of vegetation structure at the three sites were consistent with the hypothesis. Aboveground net primary production data for the three sites, along with transpiration estimates from the model simulations, indicated that the additional water availability in the coarse textured soil was associated with higher overall plant productivity. Nomenclature: Taxonomic nomenclature follows R. L. McGregor & T. M. Barkley (1986) Flora of the Great Plains. Great Plains Flora Association. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence.
Management of Bleeding During Laparoscopy

In this chapter we provide an overview on strategies and techniques to manage hemorrhagic complications during and after laparoscopic urologic surgery. Preparing for these complications is crucial as accidents could occur at any time. Several tips are provided on the basis of evidence from the literature as well as authors’ own experience. Proper patient selection, the experience of the surgeon, meticulous attention to detail and knowledge of the potential complications that are associated with each procedure are the most important factors in minimizing vascular complications.
Lubricating oil conditioning sensors for online machine health monitoring – A review

Abstract Analysis of lubricating oil is an effective approach in judging machine's health condition and providing early warning of machine's failure progression. Many studies from both academia and industry have been conducted. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art online sensors for measuring lubricant properties (e.g. wear debris, water, viscosity, aeration, soot, corrosion, and sulfur content). These online sensors include single oil property sensors based on capacitive, inductive, acoustic, and optical sensing and integrated sensors for measuring multiple oil properties. Advantages and disadvantages of each sensing method, as well as the challenges for future developments, are discussed. Research priorities are defined to address the industry needs of machine health monitoring.
How the First Ten Amendments Became the Bill of Rights

The term “the Bill of Rights” used as a proper noun to refer specifically and exclusively to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution was largely a result of civic education drives in the 1920s and 1930s. Many in the founding generation called for a bill rights to be attached to the Constitution, but they never called the first ten amendments “the Bill of Rights.” In the nineteenth century, these amendments had little power, and the bill of rights (usually not capitalized) was often thought to be an abstract set of principles, existing prior to and not coequal with the first ten amendments. Through a gradual linguistic evolution, driven by a need to define and apply political principles, Americans created “the Bill of Rights” and imbued it with iconic status. This occurred first in legal language in the 1890s, and spread into textbooks, before entering the vocabulary of contributors to newspapers. In the 1930s, while courts and political leaders looked to the Bill of Rights to justify the federal expansion of power, Americans discovered that this iconic document could be used to resist the same. As they debated the nature, purpose, and application of the Bill of Rights, Americans clarified the meaning of the term and empowered it.
A Decade of Portable (Hand-Held) X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer Analysis of Obsidian in the Mediterranean: Many Advantages and Few Limitations

Starting in 2007, a portable, hand-held X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used to elementally analyze and determine the geological source of obsidian artifacts in the Mediterranean, effectively replacing the instruments used in my previous research studies - INAA, LA-ICP-MS, ED-XRF and an electron microprobe with WDS. Approximately 400 geological obsidian samples from the Mediterranean area, and 8500 obsidian artifacts from prehistoric sites in Italy, France, Croatia, Malta, Tunisia, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt have been analyzed non-destructively by pXRF. Overall, the pXRF can distinguish all of the individual sources, based on the composition of Fe and trace elements Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, and Nb, as well as assign most artifacts to specific subsources and thus addressing archaeological research hypotheses about trade and exchange in many different time periods.
Utilization of registered nurses in primary care teams: A systematic review

Abstract Background Registered nurses are increasingly becoming embedded in primary care teams yet there is a wide variability in nursing roles and responsibilities across organizations. Policy makers are calling for a closer look at how to best utilize registered nurses in primary care teams. Lack of knowledge about effective primary care nursing roles and responsibilities challenges policy makers' abilities to develop recommendations to effectively deploy registered nurses in primary care needed to assure efficient, evidence-based, and quality health care. Objective To synthesize international evidence about primary care RN roles and responsibilities to make recommendations for maximizing the contributions of RNs in team-based primary care models. Design Systematic review. Data sources The Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies framework guided the conduct of this review. Five electronic databases (OVID Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane Library) were searched using MeSH terms: primary care, roles, and responsibilities. The term "nurs*" was truncated to identify all literature relevant to nursing. Review methods The initial search yielded 2243. Abstracts and titles were screened for relevance and seventy-one full text reviews were completed by two researchers. Inclusion criteria included: (1) registered nurses practicing in interprofessional teams; (2) description of registered nursing roles and responsibilities; (3) primary care setting. All eligible studies underwent quality appraisal using the Integrative Quality Criteria for Review of Multiple Study Designs tool. Results Eighteen studies met eligibility across six countries: Australia, United States, Spain, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. Registered nurses play a large role in chronic disease management, patient education, medication management, and often can shift between clinical and administrative responsibilities. There are a limited number of registered nurses that participate in primary care policy making and research. Conclusion Integrating registered nurses into primary care has the potential to increase patient access to a primary care provider because registered nurses can supplement some of the provider workload: they renew prescriptions, address patient questions, and provide patient education. Clear practice protocols and nursing policy should be written by registered nurses to ensure safe, and effective nursing care. The use of a medical assistant or nurse's aide to perform non-nursing tasks allows registered nurses to take on more complex patient care. Future research should expand on emerging payment models for nurse-specific tasks.
Shorelines and vertebrate fauna of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, Utah, Idaho, and Nevada

Pleistocene Lake Bonneville created many classic examples of lacustrine shoreline landforms, which preserve a wide variety of vertebrate fossils. _is _eld guide provides a review of the published literature for a sampling of the lake’s world-class localities. _is guide also provides a brief overview of modern Great Salt Lake and its microbialites recently exposed by near-record low lake levels. Stops include G.K. Gilbert Geologic View Park, Draper spit, Steep Mountain beach, Point of the Mountain spit, American Fork delta, Stockton Bar, and Great Salt Lake State Park.
Optical Antennas: Controlling Electromagnetic Scattering, Radiation, and Emission at the Nanoscale

The emerging field of optical nanoantennas has been extending the reach of traditional antenna technology to the realms of photonics, nanotechnology, and quantum electrodynamics. In this article, we review the basic concepts of nanoantennas while highlighting similarities and differences with their low-frequency counterparts. We discuss how several concepts from traditional antenna technology, e.g., the antenna input impedance, can be translated to optical frequencies, and examine the new phenomena and engineering opportunities enabled by the material platform available at these frequencies. In this article, particular attention is devoted to different kinds of plasmonic nanoantennas (nanodipoles, nanoloops, and nanopatches) and to systematic approaches to control and enhance their performances, especially for impedance matching and directivity enhancement. We also show how linear and nonl inear plasmonic nanoantennas represent an ideal platform to realize anomalous and extreme forms of classical and quantum light-matter interactions, including artificial optical magnetism, spontaneous emission enhancement, and anomalous coupling between quantum emitters. As antenna concepts are increasingly appreciated and used in the design of nanophotonic devices and systems, we believe that the exciting field of optical antennas holds promise for large technological and scientific impact in the coming years.
Algebraic Complex Multiplication

This chapter contains the first fundamental theory of complex multiplication. When an abelian variety has a sufficiently large ring of endomorphisms, then the Frobenius endomorphism of the variety mod p can be represented as the reduction mod p of an element in that ring, which is, say, the ring of integers in a number field K. If π is that element, then a basic theorem gives the ideal factorization of π in DK. We have followed Shimura-Taniyama for the proof of this result. On the other hand, Shimura in his book [Sh 1] gave a formulation in terms of ideles, and suggested that one could give a proof for this more general form, directly from the factorization theorem. We have carried out this approach.
SANITARY SEWAGE TRANSPORT VELOCITY

SUMMARY A summary of research on the minimum velocity required for transport of sanitary sewage. General criteria applicable to the design of pressure conduits are given and tentative findings for open channel flow are set forth. Tests were conducted using sewage in a special laboratory-field installation.
Behavioral Economics: Human Errors and Market Corrections

As a matter of first principles, it seems impossible to deny two facts about human nature. First, people often make serious mistakes in deciding important matters. Second, people often find it hardest to keep their emotions in check when it matters the most. My task here is not to deny these obvious truths, but to ask about their significance in certain transactional settings. One key link in that inquiry is how individuals who suffer from both cognitive and emotional impairments can be regarded as "rational." Stated otherwise, do people with these dual limitations by and large make responsible decisions in their own self-interest, as much of standard economic thought presupposes? On this question, the literature on cognitive biases is filled with accounts of the pitfalls of ordinary reasoning: anchoring, availability, representativeness, hindsight, optimism, hyperbolic discounting, and the like.! Let us acknowledge that these tendencies, or others yet unidentified, influence human behavior. At this point the inquiry turns to what I call second-order rationality: what is the extent and distribution of these biases and the degree to which they can be overcome through self-reflection, experience, learning, feedback, routines, assistance, supervision, oversight, and a full array of punishment and rewards?2
Enabling Collaborative Data Authorization Between Enterprise Clouds

We consider a collaborative enterprise computing environment where a group of enterprises or parties maintain their own relational databases to which they allow restricted access to other parties. The access is regulated by means of a set of authorization rules that may be defined using relational calculus, including joins over relations from multiple parties. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the issues that arise in such an environment and some solutions. In particular, since individual parties are likely to formulate the rules in a somewhat piecemeal manner, the rules may be mutually inconsistent or inadequate to answer the desired queries. We address the issues of detecting inconsistencies and methods for fixing them. We also discuss the question of enforceability (or adequacy) of the rules. When rules, as given, are not enforceable, we can either augment the access rights or employ trusted third parties to perform unenforceable operations. We also address the issue of handling dynamic changes to rules. Finally, we consider the problem of generating efficient query plans in this environment.
Individualized Family Service Plan Quality and Alignment of Child-Focused Outcomes to Federal Outcomes and State Early Learning Guidelines:

We used two judgment-based scales to evaluate quality features of 623 individualized family service plans (IFSP) contributed by 73 service coordinators in one state. We also explored the alignment ...
R-loop generation during transcription: Formation, processing and cellular outcomes

Abstract R-loops are structures consisting of an RNA-DNA duplex and an unpaired DNA strand. They can form during transcription upon nascent RNA “threadback” invasion into the DNA duplex to displace the non-template strand. Although R-loops occur naturally in all kingdoms of life and serve regulatory roles, they are often deleterious and can cause genomic instability. Of particular importance are the disastrous consequences when replication forks or transcription complexes collide with R-loops. The appropriate processing of R-loops is essential to avoid a number of human neurodegenerative and other clinical disorders. We provide a perspective on mechanistic aspects of R-loop formation and their resolution learned from studies in model systems. This should contribute to improved understanding of R-loop biological functions and enable their practical applications. We propose the novel employment of artificially-generated stable R-loops to selectively inactivate tumor cells.
Quantifying Resistance to Isoxaflutole and Mesotrione and Investigating Their Interactions with Metribuzin POST in Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus)

Abstract Greenhouse experiments were conducted to quantify resistance levels to the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-inhibiting herbicides mesotrione (MES) and isoxaflutole (IFT) in NEB (Nebraska HPPD- and atrazine-resistant) and SIR (Stanford, IL, HPPD- and atrazineresistant) waterhemp [Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq.) J. D. Sauer] populations. These populations differ in their field-use histories and resistance levels to MES. Foliar growth responses were compared with ACR (HPPD sensitive; metabolic atrazine-resistant) and SEN (sensitive to HPPD and photosystem II [PSII] inhibitors). A greenhouse dose–response study was conducted with each herbicide at two POST timings: early (EPOST) (5 cm; 4 to 5 true leaves) and POST (10 cm; 8 to 9 true leaves). At the EPOST timing, SIR was 10-fold resistant to IFT and 32-fold resistant to MES, while NEB was 4-fold resistant to IFT and 7-fold resistant to MES when compared with ACR. At the POST timing, SIR was 17-fold resistant to IFT and 21-fold resistant to M...
Cordelia’s Moral Incapacity in King Lear

Cordelia’s moral character is hotly contested in King Lear criticism. I offer a new, Cavellian reading of her words and deeds in the tragedy’s opening scene, showing them to be expressive of a morally inflected inability to harm her father. This portrait of Cordelia is contrasted with those in two major interpretative traditions: one, following Coleridge, that views her as proud and wilful; another, after Johnson, that insists on her otherworldly, sainted goodness. Both reading are shown to be flawed, in a debate which also elucidates the ethical notion of “moral incapacity” and yields lessons about methodology in moral psychology.
λ-invariants and Γ-transforms

In this paper we give the relationship between the λ-invariants of two power series which are naturally associated to the Γ-transform of ap-adic measure. Since thep-adicL-functions over ℚ arise as such Γ-transforms, we obtain information about the “minus part” of Iwasawa's λ-invariant for the basic ℤ p -extension of an abelian CM-field.
The emerging role of social media platforms in advanced practice provider recruitment: One institution’s experience

Social media is having a major impact on how today’s society communicates with one another, receives information regarding current events, and professionally networking. With this rapid increase, this project sought to investigate the primary resources that Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) at Texas Children’s Hospital used to find their current job and to determine what resources they would utilize for future positions. In the rapid increase of social media platforms and number of social media users, the recruiting needs may be changing drastically, specifically for job seekers in healthcare. As APPs search for employment, the avenues of seeking and applying for positions differ than they did when social media was not on the rise. This article discusses the progressive needs in the constantly evolving healthcare community in regards to recruiting and how, specifically, the APPs at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) searched and applied for their position.
Biomaterial–tight junction interaction and potential impacts

The active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have to cross the natural barriers and get into the blood to impart the pharmacological effects. The tight junctions (TJs) between the epithelial cells serve as the major selectively permeable barriers and control the paracellular transport of the majority of hydrophilic drugs, in particular, peptides and proteins. TJs perfectly balance the targeted transport and the exclusion of other unexpected pathogens under the normal conditions. Many biomaterials have shown the capability to open the TJs and improve the oral bioavailability and targeting efficacy of the APIs. Nevertheless, there is limited understanding of the biomaterial-TJ interactions. The opening of the TJs further poses the risk of autoimmune diseases and infections. This review article summarizes the most updated literature and presents insights into the TJ structure, the biomaterial-TJ interaction mechanism, the benefits and drawbacks of TJ disruption, and methods for evaluating such interactions.
Sender preferences for delivering feedback: channels, privacy, and synchronicity

This study investigated preference for delivering feedback, including preferred channels, degree of privacy, and degree of synchronicity. Participants were asked to rate their preferences for vario...
When Knowledge Sharing Spreads Bad Ideas

Strategic decisions can be hard, and when facing hard problems, individuals commonly seek others’ advice. But what makes a problem hard – incomplete data, ambiguous outcomes, foggy causality – can ...
An examination of active travel trends before and after college graduation

Abstract Background Active travel (AT); walking and biking for transportation; has many health, environmental and economic benefits, yet rates of participation remain low in the US. During college years AT participation is typically higher than in older adulthood, but it is unknown how this behavior tracks into later life stages. Therefore this study examined AT participation before and after graduation from college. Methods: A volunteer sample of college students participated in an online baseline survey with follow-ups at regular intervals, up to, and including, post-graduation. The survey assessed participant demographics, AT participation (dichotomized as high/low AT), physical activity (PA) participation, and post-graduation work details (hours worked, sit time at work, distance to work), and health outcomes (body mass index, stress, depression,). Separate logistic regression models predicted AT status according to pre/post-graduation factors and significant factors were examined simultaneously in a multivariate logistic model. Results: Students (n = 204) were predominately female (n = 122, 60.7%) and Non-Hispanic White (n = 166, 83%). The high post-graduation AT group reported 324.73 ± 193.10 min of AT/week versus those in the low AT group (24.69 ± 41.81; p
The French Revolution, the Vendée, and Genocide

The Vendee is the name of a small river in western France. From its source near the village of L’Absie, it meanders some fifty miles southwest through lush fields and pastures before emptying into ...
Correlates of Successful Enrollment of Same-Sex Male Couples Into a Web-Based HIV Prevention Research Study: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The recognition of the role of primary partners in HIV transmission has led to a growth in dyadic-focused HIV prevention efforts. The increasing focus on male couples in HIV research has been paralleled by an increase in the development of interventions aimed at reducing HIV risk behaviors among male couples. The ability to accurately assess the efficacy of these interventions rests on the ability to successfully enroll couples into HIV prevention research. Objective: This study aimed to explore factors associated with successful dyadic engagement in Web-based HIV prevention research using recruitment and enrollment data from a large sample of same-sex male couples recruited online from the United States. Methods: Data came from a large convenience sample of same-sex male couples in the United States, who were recruited through social media venues for a Web-based, mixed method HIV prevention research study. The analysis examined the demographic factors associated with successful dyadic engagement in research, measured as both members of the dyad meeting eligibility criteria, consenting for the study, and completing all study processes. Results: Advertisements generated 221,258 impressions, resulting in 4589 clicks. Of the 4589 clicks, 3826 individuals were assessed for eligibility, of which 1076 individuals (538/1913, 28.12% couples) met eligibility criteria and were included in the study. Of the remaining 2740 ineligible participants, 1293/3826 (33.80%) were unlinked because their partner did not screen for eligibility, 48/2740 (1.75%) had incomplete partner data because at least one partner did not finish the survey, 22/2740 (0.80%) were ineligible because of 1 partner not meeting the eligibility criteria. Furthermore, 492/3826 (12.86%) individuals were fraudulent. The likelihood of being in a matched couple varied significantly by race and ethnicity, region, and relationship type. Men from the Midwest were less likely to have a partner who did not complete the survey. Men with college education and those who labeled their relationships as husband or other (vs boyfriend) were more likely to have a partner who did not complete the survey. Conclusions: The processes used allowed couples to independently progress through the stages necessary to enroll in the research study, while limiting opportunities for coercion, and resulted in a large sample with relative diversity in demographic characteristics. The results underscore the need for additional considerations when recruiting and enrolling, relative to improving the methods associated with these research processes.
How to Assess Functional Significance of Myocardial Bridges in Athletes: A Personalized Medicine Approach

Myocardial bridging is a congenital coronary anomaly involving a segment of coronary artery coursing through myocardial wall, in a different depth and length, potentially affected by systolic compression. In athletes, such coronary anomaly is most often an incidental finding, due to increased use of high sensitivity noninvasive diagnostic tests. However, since myocardial bridge might potentially precipitate ischemia and even be responsible for sudden cardiac death, athletes need to be cleared for competition by an appropriate diagnostic test. Which is the ideal diagnostic test in such peculiar condition, in which the pathophysiological mechanism of ischemia is unknown and potentially different in different subjects, remains to be investigated. We focused on different diagnostic tests proposed and classified according to the most likely pathophysiological mechanism of ischemia in myocardial bridge. Accordingly, we analysed and discussed on ideal test in athletes with such condition.
Going Back “Home”: Adoptees Share Their Experiences of Hong Kong Adoptee Gathering

This mixed-methods study examines 20 adult Hong Kong Adoptees (HKADs) with an average age of 53.7 years who attended a Gathering of HKADs in Hong Kong. It has three elements (pre- and post-Gatherin...
Evaluating the effect of predicting oral reading miscues.

This paper extends and evaluates previously published methods for predicting likely miscues in children’s oral reading in a Reading Tutor that listens. The goal is to improve the speech recognizer’s ability to detect miscues but limit the number of “false alarms” (correctly read words misclassified as incorrect). The “rote” method listens for specific miscues from a training corpus. The “extrapolative” method generalizes to predict other miscues on other words. We construct and evaluate a scheme that combines our rote and extrapolative models. This combined approach reduced false alarms by 0.52% absolute (12% relative) while simultaneously improving miscue detection by 1.04% absolute (4.2% relative) over our existing miscue prediction scheme.
The histopathology of SPINK1-associated chronic pancreatitis.

Abstract Background The identification of genetic risk factors for chronic pancreatitis, such as PRSS1, CFTR and SPINK1, provides the opportunity to define key pathologic hallmarks and etiologic-specific changes. For example, pancreata from PRSS1 and CFTR patients exhibit progressive lipomatous atrophy without significant fibrosis. Considering the pathology of SPINK1-associated pancreatitis is ill-defined, we examined the pancreata of SPINK1 patients with chronic pancreatitis. Methods Histologic sections after total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation and associated clinicopathologic data were collected from 28 patients with SPINK1 germline alterations. Clinical findings, germline data, anatomic anomalies and pathologic findings were descriptively evaluated. Results Patients ranged in age from 5 to 48 years (median, 21.6 years) with abdominal pain between 2 and 25 years (median, 5.8 years). Most patients were SPINK1 heterozygous and 14 (50%) had co-occurring CFTR (n = 12) and CTRC (n = 2) mutations. Other pancreatitis risk factors included anatomic anomalies (n = 9) and tobacco use (n = 1). Overall, 24 (86%) patients had additional pancreatitis-associated germline alterations, SPINK1 homozygosity, anatomic anomalies or environmental factors. Examination of pancreata revealed a sequential pattern of exocrine parenchymal loss and replacement by prominent fibrosis, dependent on the duration of abdominal pain. No malignancies were identified, but low-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia was present for 2 cases. Conclusions Within this descriptive study, SPINK1-associated pancreatitis is characterized by parenchymal fibrosis and suggests divergent pathophysiologic mechanisms from PRSS1 and CFTR-associated pancreatitis. Moreover, SPINK1 patients frequently had additional etiologic factors that did not impact the development of pancreatic fibrosis and may implicate SPINK1 as a disease modifier gene.
For Whom the Tale’s Told: Towards a Multidimensional Model of Targeted Narrative Persuasion in Information Operations

The modern information environment provides an opportunity for cognitive engineering to inform the study of information operations, which involve strategic, often politically-motivated actions to m...
Bacterial Microbiota of Field-Collected Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from Transgenic Bt and Non-Bt Cotton.

The bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is an important agricultural pest in U.S. cotton and is managed using transgenic hybrids that produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The reduced efficacy against H. zea caterpillars of Bt plants expressing Cry toxins is increasing in the field. In a first step towards understanding Bt cotton–bollworm–microbiota interactions, we investigated the internal bacterial microbiota of second–third stadium H. zea collected in the field from non-Bt versus Bt (WideStrike) cotton in close proximity (in North Carolina, USA). The bacterial populations were analyzed using culture-dependent and -independent molecular approaches. We found that WideStrike samples had a higher bacterial density and diversity per larva than insects collected from non-Bt cotton over two field seasons: 8.42 ± 0.23 and 5.36 ± 0.75 (log10 colony forming units per insect) for WideStrike compared to 6.82 ± 0.20 and 4.30 ± 0.56 for non-Bt cotton for seasons 1 and 2, respectively. Fifteen phyla, 103 families, and 229 genera were identified after performing Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA. At the family level, Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcaceae were the most abundant taxa. The Enterococcaceae family was comprised mostly of Enterococcus species (E. casseliflavus and another Enterococcus sp.). Members of the Enterococcus genus can acidify their environment and can potentially reduce the alkaline activation of some Bt toxins. These findings argue for more research to better understand the role of cotton–bollworm–bacteria interactions and the impact on Bt toxin caterpillar susceptibility.
Apparent diffusion coefficient is associated with seizure outcome after magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

Abstract Background Magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLiTT) is becoming a first-line surgical therapy for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) due to good seizure control and low complication risk. However, seizure outcomes after MRgLiTT remain highly variable and there is a need to improve patient selection and post-operative prognostication. In this retrospective study, we investigated whether the pre-operative MRI-derived apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), used as a marker of tissue pathology in the mesial temporal structures could help predict seizure outcome. Methods Thirty-five patients who underwent MRgLiTT at our institution between 2014 and 2019 were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively collected. Seizure outcome was defined as good (ILAE Class I-II) and poor (ILAE Class III-VI). Volumetrics were performed on pre-ablation hippocampus and amygdala. Ablation volumes, and the proportion of ablated hippocampus and amygdala calculated via their respective mean voxel-wise ADC intensities were quantified from pre-operative and intra-operative post-ablation MRIs and statistically compared between the two outcome cohorts. Univarate and multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify demographic, clinical, and radiographic predictors of seizure outcome. Results Mean age at LiTT was 36 years and 14 (40 %) were female. Mean follow-up duration was 1.90 ± 0.17 years. Twenty-seven (77 %) patients had mesial temporal sclerosis. There was no significant difference in the ablation volumes and proportion of ablated volume of hippocampus and amygdala between the two outcome groups. Patients with good seizure outcome had significantly higher normalized ADC intensities in the ablated mesial temporal structures compared to those with poor outcome (0.01 ± 0.08 vs.−0.29 ± 0.06; p = 0.015). Conclusions mTLE patients with higher ADC intensities in the ablated regions of the hippocampus and the amygdala are more likely to have good seizure outcome following MRgLiTT. Our results suggest that pre-operative ADC analysis may improve both patient selection and epileptogenic zone targeting during MRgLiTT. Further investigation with large, prospective cohorts is needed to validate the clinical utility of ADC in improving seizure outcome following MRgLiTT.
Uneven Innovation: The Work of Smart Cities: Jennifer Clark (2020). Columbia University Press, 328 pages. $30 (paperback)

In an expanding list of books about smart cities in the innovation economy, Jennifer Clark’s Uneven Innovation stands out for its insightful and critical analysis from a political economy perspecti...
Vagus Nerve (Cranial Nerve X)

The vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) is a mixed nerve that originates in the medulla and accounts for most of the visceral innervation of the body. It carries somatic efferents that innervate the muscles of the pharynx and larynx; parasympathetic efferents that innervate the heart, smooth muscle, exocrine glands of the respiratory, and most of the gastrointestinal tract; visceral afferents from all thoracic and abdominal viscera; taste afferents from taste buds in the epiglottis; and somatic afferents from the pharynx, larynx, and cutaneous receptors of the back of the ear and external auditory meatus. Vagal efferents utilize acetylcholine; afferents utilize l -glutamate and neuropeptides.
Semantic Message Passing for Generating Linked Data from Tables

We describe work on automatically inferring the intended meaning of tables and representing it as RDF linked data, making it available for improving search, interoperability and integration. We present implementation details of a joint inference module that uses knowledge from the linked open data (LOD) cloud to jointly infer the semantics of column headers, table cell values (e.g., strings and numbers) and relations between columns. We also implement a novel Semantic Message Passing algorithm which uses LOD knowledge to improve existing message passing schemes. We evaluate our implemented techniques on tables from the Web and Wikipedia.
Regulating the Commander in Chief: Some Theories

Recent events have caused scholars to consider a long ignored issue: the relation between the commander in chief (CINC) and Congress's powers to regulate the armed forces and captures. The famous Bybee memorandum brought this issue to the fore when it asserted that Congress could not interfere with "the President's direction of such core war matters such as the detention and interrogation of enemy combatants. The memo's critics scoffed at this claim, insisting that Congress may regulate the detention of enemy soldiers. With their articles in this issue, Dean Harold Koh, Neil Kinkopf, and others have added their voices to the clamor against the Bybee memo.Although one might generate any number of theories about the interaction of the Commander in Chief Clause and Congress's war regulatory powers, four seem most plausible. This essay sketches these theories with sufficiently broad strokes that none of these sketches will satisfactorily answer questions about who may regulate certain aspects of a war. In particular, these theories will tell us nothing about whether the Bybee memo or its critics have the better argument about whether Congress can limit the CINC's ability to order coercive interrogation techniques.First, it is possible to suppose that congressional and presidential powers do not overlap at all. A second thesis (the Coterminous Thesis) posits that the powers are coterminous, or at least largely so. A third possibility is what we might call the Partial Overlap. It is possible to suppose that the two powers overlap in some ways, but that each also has an exclusive sphere. The final theory posits that the President has all the powers that Congress has and more, but when Congress acts in its more limited sphere, its rules always trump the President's. Arguments about the structural Constitution that seek to further a particular moral view are likely to be utterly feckless. Torture may be an evil necessary for the successful prosecution of war against Al-Qaeda, or an unspeakable act that benefits absolutely no one. Whatever it is, these difficult moral questions have little to do with whether the Constitution enables the President to order the use of coercive interrogation techniques in the face of a statute that prohibits such means.
Costs and benefits of a road diet conversion

The analysis presented here is of a cost benefit evaluation of a road diet conversion, reducing an urban arterial street from two-lanes in each direction to one-lane in each direction with a middle turning lane. Livingston Avenue is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and is an oversized arterial corridor accessing the center of the city. The costs include increases in travel time from the capacity reduction. These are modeled with a VISSIM micro-simulation of the street. Safety benefits of road diets are one of the main reasons that these are pursued. Evidence on the safety effect suggests that road diet conversions of arterial streets in urban areas will achieve about a 19% reduction in crashes. The benefits of crash reductions and the costs of increased delay are evaluated based on the value of statistical lives saved versus the cost of travel time. This is done for various different scenarios and includes robustness checks. Results overwhelmingly find benefits exceed costs over a 20 year period.
Efimov Physics and the Three-Body Parameter for Shallow van der Waals Potentials

Extremely weakly-bound three-boson systems are predicted to exhibit intriguing universal properties such as discrete scale invariance. Motivated by recent experimental studies of the ground and excited helium trimers, this work analyzes the three-body parameter and the structural properties of three helium atoms as the s-wave scattering length is tuned artificially. Connections with theoretical and experimental studies of the Efimov scenario as it pertains to cold atom systems are made.
A Proposal for Case Study Methodology in Supply Chain Integration Research

This paper describes a case study research proposal designed to explore how and why firms chose to integrate process activities with supply chain partners. Previous quantitative studies suggest that integrating demand management, collaborative forecasting, and demand planning activities can lead to competitive advantage and improved supply chain performance. This qualitative research fills a gap in previous research by exploring the phenomenon of Interfirm Demand Integration in a true supply chain context, garnering perceptions from multiple supply chain partners. Results are expected to contribute to managerial, theoretical, and methodological knowledge.
The impact of teacher-student gender matches Random assignment evidence from South Korea

ABSTRACT:Gender disparities in academic performance may be driven in part by the interaction of teacher and student gender, but systematic sorting of students into classrooms makes it difficult to identify causal effects. We use the random assignment of students to Korean middle school classrooms and show that the female students perform substantially better on standardized tests when assigned to female teachers; there is little effect on male students. We find evidence that teacher behavior drives the increase in female students' achievement.
Information Theory - The Bridge Connecting Bounded Rational Game Theory and Statistical Physics

A long-running difficulty with conventional game theory has been how to modify it to accommodate the bounded rationality of all red-world players. A recurring issue in statistical physics is how best to approximate joint probability distributions with decoupled (and therefore far more tractable) distributions. This paper shows that the same information theoretic mathematical structure, known as Product Distribution (PD) theory, addresses both issues. In this, PD theory not only provides a principle formulation of bounded rationality and a set of new types of mean field theory in statistical physics; it also shows that those topics are fundamentally one and the same.
Consistent query answering: five easy pieces

Consistent query answering (CQA) is an approach to querying inconsistent databases without repairing them first. This invited talk introduces the basics of CQA, and discusses selected issues in this area. The talk concludes with a summary of other relevant work and an outline of potential future research topics.
A Role for Theorem Proving in Multi-Processor Design

At Hewlett-Packard we have been using theorem proving as part of our verification arsenal for several years [1], constantly searching for new ways of fitting it into our verification methodology with the goal of improving design quality without adversely affecting time to market. In [1] we describe a lightweight style of specification to facilitate quick analysis and proof. We advocate using theorem proving not as an end in itself, but as a means to an end, focussing on analysis, and feedback to designers, rather than on delivering proof as an ironclad guarantee. We still favour this approach, and we have continued to build on it and the specification style described.
Efficient population registration of 3d data

We present a population registration framework that acts on large collections or populations of data volumes. The data alignment procedure runs in a simultaneous fashion, with every member of the population approaching the central tendency of the collection at the same time. Such a mechanism eliminates the need for selecting a particular reference frame a priori, resulting in a non-biased estimate of a digital atlas. Our algorithm adopts an affine congealing framework with an information theoretic objective function and is optimized via a gradient-based stochastic approximation process embedded in a multi-resolution setting. We present experimental results on both synthetic and real images.
Segmentation of high angular resolution diffusion MRI modeled as a field of von mises-fisher mixtures

High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) permits the computation of water molecule displacement probabilities over a sphere of possible displacement directions. This probability is often referred to as the orientation distribution function (ODF). In this paper we present a novel model for the diffusion ODF namely, a mixture of von Mises-Fisher (vMF) distributions. Our model is compact in that it requires very few variables to model complicated ODF geometries which occur specifically in the presence of heterogeneous nerve fiber orientation. We also present a Riemannian geometric framework for computing intrinsic distances, in closed-form, and performing interpolation between ODFs represented by vMF mixtures. As an example, we apply the intrinsic distance within a hidden Markov measure field segmentation scheme. We present results of this segmentation for HARDI images of rat spinal cords – which show distinct regions within both the white and gray matter. It should be noted that such a fine level of parcellation of the gray and white matter cannot be obtained either from contrast MRI scans or Diffusion Tensor MRI scans. We validate the segmentation algorithm by applying it to synthetic data sets where the ground truth is known.
A private stable matching algorithm

Existing stable matching algorithms reveal the preferences of all participants, as well as the history of matches made and broken in the course of computing a stable match. This information leakage not only violates the privacy of participants, but also leaves matching algorithms vulnerable to manipulation[8,10,25]. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a private stable matching algorithm, based on the famous algorithm of Gale and Shapley[6]. Our private algorithm is run by a number of independent parties whom we call the Matching Authorities. As long as a majority of Matching Authorities are honest, our protocol correctly outputs a stable match, and reveals no other information than what can be learned from that match and from the preferences of participants controlled by the adversary. The security and privacy of our protocol are based on re-encryption mix networks and on an additively homomorphic semantically secure public-key encryption scheme such as Paillier.
Data Storage, Optical

In its most general definition, optical data storage is simply using light as a tool to store and retrieve data. Optical data storage is found in popular consumer products. Compact Discs (CDs), Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), and MiniDiscs (MDs), are all forms of optical data storage. More advanced forms of optical data storage include high-speed devices and library products. All optical data storage devices use optical principles to achieve high data density, rugged packaging, reliable information retrieval, and cost-effective production. There are many forms of optical storage media and many types of optical systems used to scan data. This chapter discusses the basic principles of optical data storage, types of commercial optical media available in 2003, several performance parameters, and some interesting prospects for future systems. Keywords: optical data storage; optical recording; compact disks; digital versatile disks; optical disks; optical memory; optical servos
On logical consequence for collections of OWL documents

In this paper, we investigate the (in)dependence among OWL documents with respect to the logical consequence when they are combined, in particular the inference of concept and role assertions about individuals. On the one hand, we present a systematic approach to identifying those documents that affect the inference of a given fact. On the other hand, we consider ways for fast detection of independence. First, we demonstrate several special cases in which two documents are independent of each other. Secondly, we introduce an algorithm for checking the independence in the general case. In addition, we describe two applications in which the above results have allowed us to develop novel approaches to overcome some difficulties in reasoning with large scale OWL data. Both applications demonstrate the usefulness of this work for improving the scalability of a practical Semantic Web system that relies on the reasoning about individuals.