cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Survey of Water Use and Common Industry Practices in Commercial Broiler Processing Facilities

SUMMARY A survey of commercial broiler processing facilities across the US was conducted to determine overall water use. Seventy-two percent of the respondents reported using city water to process broilers, and 66% reported discharging to city sewers. Over 41% of the responses were from facilities located in the Southeast; however, there was no relationship between location (region of US) of facility and water use or location of facility and water recycling/reuse. Overall, the average water use prior to implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) was 20.6 L/bird, while the current post-HACCP water usage was reported as 26.0 L/bird. Analysis of data also showed a significant relationship between the amount of water used to process each broiler and the size of the broiler being processed. In addition, over 38% of the respondents reported that they recycle water, and a significant relationship was observed between the amount of water recycled and the size of facility. Data from this survey may be used to assist companies interested in establishing water conservation programs or conducting water audits.
Adenylate cyclase activation by GTP analogs.

Abstract Activation of rat uterine smooth muscle adenylate cyclase by imido, methyl, and thio analogs of GTP was characterized. Activation rate, reflected by the duration of the time lag which preceded the increased steady-state activity of the catalytic subunit, was analog specific. Activation by pretreatment with all the analogs was irreversible and followed simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics in which Km reflected the dissociation constant of the guanyl nucleotide-coupling factor complex and V the number of complexes formed. The less potent methyl analog had both a higher Km and a lower V than either the imido or the thio analogs. Fewer catalytic subunits were activated and therefore fewer guanyl nucleotide-coupling factor complexes formed at 6 °C compared to 24 °C. More complexes were formed with the imido than with the methyl analog at either temperature. The dissociation constant of the analogs was determined by competition of [3H]GMP · P(NH)P binding under the same pretreatment conditions. There was close agreement between the affinity with which each analog was bound and their potency. Consequently, the rate of catalytic subunit activation, the number of guanyl nucleotide-coupling factor complexes formed, and the dissociation constant of binding are related and characteristic of each analog.
EXCITED STATES OF DNA AND ITS COMPONENTS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE—III. SPECTRA, POLARISATION AND QUANTUM YIELDS OF EMISSIONS FROM ApA AND poly rA*

Abstract— Corrected normalized emission spectra are reported for poly rC, CpC and CMP in neutral aqueous solution at room temperature. The emissions from CpC and poly rC show progressive and extensive depolarization across the emission band compared with CMP. Self-consistent analysis of the polarization and spectral data allows the resolution of red-shifted component emissions from the overall spectra and the evaluation of component polarizations. By comparison with experimental reference spectra three long wavelength components are identified in the poly rC emission and assigned as excimer fluorescence, monomer phosphorescence and excimer phosphorescence, whereas for CpC only two components are observed. The quantum yields are interpreted quantitatively in terms of the known stacking behavior of CpC and poly rC. with excimer emissions originating from the stacked fraction. Quantitative differences between CpC and poly rC are due to their different hypochromism and degree of stacking. Differences of polarization of excimer fluorescence are a consequence of different stacking geometries, and the directional properties of the transition moment suggest the excimer fluorescence is largely charge-resonance in nature. The behavior of the CpC/poly rC system is compared with ApA/ poly rA.
THE TWO-LOOP AXIAL ANOMALY IN N = 1 SUPERSYMMETRIC YANG-MILLS THEORY

Abstract We calculate the two loop correction to the divergence of the axial current in N = 1 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. We find that, if we use supersymmetric dimensional regularization, the anomaly is proportional to the β -function, a result we interpret as evidence that the supermultiplet nature of the trace, axial and supersymmetry anomalies persists at the two- loop level. Thus it appears that the Adler-Bardeen theorem is not valid in supersymmetric theories.
Lead (II) Ion Inhibition of Respiration and Replication in a Toluene-Enriched Microbial Population

ABSTRACT Bioremediation is inhibited in mine leachate water because of high concentrations of heavy metals and low pH. Inhibition of cellular respiration (A N ) and replication (U N ) by lead ions were measured at pH values near 5 for a mixed microbial culture from a wastewater treatment plant, grown aerobically using toluene as the primary carbon source. Gram-negative microorganisms dominated the toluene-selected microbial population. Microorganisms sequestered lead at binding sites having two different strengths. The stronger binding sites were saturated at about 0.5 mg/L Pb(II) concentration; no evidence of saturation of weaker binding sites was observed up to 15 mg/L of Pb(II). Most of the weak-binding capacity for lead was extracellular, which increased with lead ion concentration without saturating; the intracellular portion of the weak-binding capacity saturated at about 1.0 mg of lead per milligram of dry cells. Lead toxicity, measured by inhibition of respiration and replication, increased as lea...
Speckle Pattern Correlation with Lateral Aperture Translation: Experimental Results and Implications for Spatial Compounding

In order to design improved spatial compounding ultra- sound scanning systems it is necessary to determine the correlation of speckle patterns as a function of aperture translation. We have con- ducted experiments measuring the speckle correlation with lateral ap- erture translation for linear phased array pulse-echo ultrasonic im- aging systems. Results are presented for variable frequency, range, transducer length, focus error, and reflecting material. Tests were con- ducted on two commercially availahle and one research imaging sys- tem. The measured rates of correlation coefficient decrease are inde- pendent of frequency, reflecting material, and target range when the target is in the focal zone. The experimentally determined correlations are used to derive the optimal spatial separation of images for speckle reduction.
Macro-calibration in sensor/actuator networks

We describe an ad-hoc localization system for sensor networks and explain why traditional calibration methods are inadequate for this system. Building upon previous work, we frame calibration as a parameter estimation problem; we parameterize each device and choose the values of those parameters that optimize the overall system performance. This method reduces our average error from 74.6% without calibration to 10.1%. We propose ways to expand this technique to a method of autocalibration for localization as well as to other sensor network applications.
Heteroduplex Formation, Mismatch Resolution, and Genetic Sectoring During Homologous Recombination in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus Acidocaldarius

Hyperthermophilic archaea exhibit certain molecular-genetic features not seen in bacteria or eukaryotes, and their systems of homologous recombination (HR) remain largely unexplored in vivo. We transformed a Sulfolobus acidocaldariuspyrE mutant with short DNAs that contained multiple non-selected genetic markers within the pyrE gene. From 20 to 40% of the resulting colonies were found to contain two Pyr(+) clones with distinct sets of the non-selected markers. The dual-genotype colonies could not be attributed to multiple DNAs entering the cells, or to conjugation between transformed and non-transformed cells. These colonies thus appear to represent genetic sectoring in which regions of heteroduplex DNA formed and then segregated after partial resolution of inter-strand differences. Surprisingly, sectoring was also frequent in cells transformed with single-stranded DNAs. Oligonucleotides produced more sectored transformants when electroporated as single strands than as a duplex, although all forms of donor DNA (positive-strand, negative-strand, and duplex) produced a diversity of genotypes, despite the limited number of markers. The marker patterns in the recombinants indicate that S. acidocaldarius resolves individual mismatches through un-coordinated short-patch excision followed by re-filling of the resulting gap. The conversion events that occur during transformation by single-stranded DNA do not show the strand bias necessary for a system that corrects replication errors effectively; similar events also occur in pre-formed heteroduplex electroporated into the cells. Although numerous mechanistic details remain obscure, the results demonstrate that the HR system of S. acidocaldarius can generate remarkable genetic diversity from short intervals of moderately diverged DNAs.
On the Genus Neonaphorura Bagnall, 1935 (Collembola: Tullbergiidae) with Description of Two New Species from Ukraine

Abstract. Species possessing 8–9 anal spines: Neonaphorura graffi sp. nov. and Neonaphorura zakarpatica sp. nov. from different habitats in Ukraine: oak forest (Donets'k region, Dnipropetrovs'k region), and ‘stone steppe’ (Lugans'k region) (first species), and lowland meadow (Zakarpattya region) (second one) are described. These new species differ from the other representatives of this genus in the details of body chaetotaxy, number of vesicles in postantennal organ, number of sensilla on antennal segment IV, pseudocellar formulae and also location of anal spines. A table with comparison of diagnostic characters and geographical distribution of all known Neonaphorura species is given. An identification key to the Holarctic species is included.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation does not replicate the Wada test

The authors compared inferior frontal speech arrest from repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with bilateral Wada tests in 17 epilepsy surgery candidates. Although rTMS lateralization correlated with the Wada test in most subjects, rTMS also favored the right hemisphere at a rate significantly greater than the Wada test. Postoperative language deficits were more consistent with Wada results. Available methods for inducing speech arrest with rTMS do not replicate the results of Wada tests.
Chloroplast ribonuclease P does not utilize the ribozyme-type pre-tRNA cleavage mechanism

The transfer RNA 59 maturation enzyme RNase P has been characterized in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. The purified enzyme from all three kingdoms is a ribonucleoprotein containing an essential RNA subunit; indeed, the RNA subunit of bacterial RNase P RNA is the sole catalytic component. In contrast, the RNase P activity isolated from spinach chloroplasts lacks an RNA component and appears to function as a catalytic protein. Nonetheless, the chloroplast enzyme recognizes a pre-tRNA substrate for E. coli RNase P and cleaves it as efficiently and precisely as does the bacterial enzyme. To ascertain whether there are differences in catalytic mechanism between an all-RNA and an all-protein RNase P, we took advantage of the fact that phosphodiester bond selection and hydrolysis by the E. coli RNase P ribozyme is directed by a Mg 21 ion coordinated to the nonbridging pro-RP oxygen of the scissile bond, and is blocked by sulfur replacement of this oxygen. We therefore tested the ability of the chloroplast enzyme to process a precursor tRNA containing this sulfur substitution. Partially purified RNase P from spinach chloroplasts can accurately and efficiently process phosphorothioate-substituted pre-tRNAs; cleavage occurs exclusively at the thiocontaining scissile bond. The enzymatic throughput is fivefold slower, consistent with a general chemical effect of the phosphorothioate substitution rather than with a metal coordination deficiency. The chloroplast RNase P reaction mechanism therefore does not involve a catalytic Mg 21 bonded to the pro-RP phosphate oxygen, and hence is distinct from the mechanism of the bacterial ribozyme RNase P.
Semi-supervised matrix completion for cross-lingual text classification

Cross-lingual text classification is the task of assigning labels to observed documents in a label-scarce target language domain by using a prediction model trained with labeled documents from a label-rich source language domain. Cross-lingual text classification is popularly studied in natural language processing area to reduce the expensive manual annotation effort required in the target language domain. In this work, we propose a novel semi-supervised representation learning approach to address this challenging task by inducing interlingual features via semi-supervised matrix completion. To evaluate the proposed learning technique, we conduct extensive experiments on eighteen cross language sentiment classification tasks with four different languages. The empirical results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach, and show it outperforms a number of related cross-lingual learning methods.
Busting Patriarchal Booby Traps: Why Feminists Fear Minor Distinctions in Child Porn Cases: An Analysis of Social Deviance with in Gender, Family, or the Home (Etudes 4)

Feminism requires courts to confine the application of child pornography statutes to images that depict the actual sexual exploitation of a child. When courts broadly interpret child pornography statutes to include images of adults that would otherwise be protected by the First Amendment, they risk analyzing or ruling in favor of anti-women policies. Feminists fear that courts will undertake analyses that imply that petite breasts correlate to childhood more strongly than full breasts. Regardless of the courts’ conclusions, the analyses, would in-and-of-themselves, bolster patriarchy. This paper reviews the most current child pornography cases that analyze virtual pornography (i.e., computer-generated images that are nearly identical to real depictions of children), cartoons, or morphed images (i.e., composite hybrids of two or more images). Even though courts have held that the images did not actually depict children suffering sexual exploitation, in some cases, courts have held the images to be criminal. This paper uses feminist theory to explain how those holdings, which expand the definition of child pornography to include cartoons and composite photos, run a great risk of degrading women without furthering a compelling governmental interest.
Monopoly and Wages

Monopolistic firms pay higher wages than competitive firms, according to J. W. Garbarino and J. K. Galbraith. Some writers believe that monopolistic firms balance the interests of employees, consumers, suppliers, and stockholders rather than maximize profits, a belief which suggests that they are generous employers rather than competitive firms who must strive for high profits. A few economists, in the taxonomic tradition, have suggested the possibility of high wages under monopoly, without expressing any opinion on the matter. The usual belief that monopolists take from the poor and give to the rich thus may be wrong. A finding that monopolists pay high wages also would imply that, for them, profit maximization takes second place to goals associated with public responsibility. In the main stream of neo-classical theory is the opposite view that wages are low under monopoly. The exposition by Mrs. Joan Robinson assumes an upward-sloping supply curve of labour not only to each industry but also to each firm. Labour economists in recent years have followed Mrs. Robinson in stressing the prevalence of monopsony. It may be shown that product monopolists are likely to have more monopsony power than competitive firms, so, according to neo-classical theory, monopolists transfer income from the poor to the rich through low wages as well as through high prices. I propose to test the proposition that monopoly raises wages and the opposite—that it lowers them—by comparing average annual earnings in Canadian monopolistic industries with those in matched United States industries which are competitive, or less monopolistic. The theories together with the evidence on which they are based will be presented first.
Prevention of laryngospasm with rocuronium in cats: a dose-finding study

Abstract Objective To identify the dose of rocuronium that will prevent a laryngeal response to water spraying of the glottis in anesthetized cats. Study design Randomized crossover study. Animals Eight healthy, adult, short-haired cats, aged 1–4 years, weighing 3.2–6.0 kg. Methods Each cat was anesthetized four times and administered one of four doses of rocuronium (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.6 mg kg−1) in random order. The larynx was observed with a video-endoscope inserted through a laryngeal mask airway. Video-clips of the laryngeal response to a sterile water spray (0.2 mL) were obtained at baseline (without rocuronium) and at maximal effect of each treatment. Glottal closure score (0–2), duration of glottal closure, and number of adductive arytenoid movements were obtained from video-clips of laryngeal responses (reproduced in slow motion) at baseline and after treatment. Two observers blinded to treatment allocation scored the vigor of the laryngeal response on a visual analog scale (VAS). The duration of apnea (up to 5 minutes) was recorded for each treatment. Results Compared with baseline, rocuronium 0.3 mg kg−1 and 0.6 mg kg−1 significantly decreased all glottal scores obtained from the videos (all p Conclusions and clinical relevance Rocuronium 0.3 mg kg−1 and 0.6 mg kg−1 consistently decreased the completeness and duration of the laryngeal response to water spray, and reduced the number of arytenoid adductive movements in response to that stimulus. However, a laryngeal response was never completely prevented. Rocuronium 0.3 mg kg−1 may be useful for facilitating tracheal intubation. Positive pressure ventilation must be available for cats administered rocuronium.
On the prediction and optimality of aircraft maneuvers associated with approach and landing

Two critical aircraft maneuvers associated with approach and landing a r e analyzed. Optimal solutions, for both the manual go-around and automatic flare maneuvers, that include state and control variable constraints a r e obtained. Two matrix operators a r e derived that can be used for inflight recursive computation of the minimum and maximum attitude loss associated with a pilot controlled go-around maneuver. The flare optimization includes both touch-down dispersion and normal acceleration and is successfully approximated by a closed loop mechanization. A third matrix operator is derived for recursive prediction of the longitudinal touchdown point. These methods could provide valuable inputs to a flare decision process.
Smoking cessation support for pregnant women: role of mobile technology.

Background Smoking during pregnancy has deleterious health effects for the fetus and mother. Given the high risks associated with smoking in pregnancy, smoking cessation programs that are designed specifically for pregnant smokers are needed. This paper summarizes the current landscape of mHealth cessation programs aimed at pregnant smokers and where available reviews evidence to support their use. Methods A search strategy was conducted in June-August 2015 to identify mHealth programs with at least one component or activity that was explicitly directed at smoking cessation assistance for pregnant women. The search for text messaging programs and applications included keyword searches within public health and medical databases of peer-reviewed literature, Google Play/iTunes stores, and gray literature via Google. Results Five unique short message service programs and two mobile applications were identified and reviewed. Little evidence was identified to support their use. Common tools and features identified included the ability to set your quit date, ability to track smoking status, ability to get help during cravings, referral to quitline, and tailored content for the individual participant. The theoretical approach utilized was varied, and approximately half of the programs included pregnancy-related content, in addition to cessation content. With one exception, the mHealth programs identified were found to have low enrollment. Conclusion Globally, there are a handful of applications and text-based mHealth programs available for pregnant smokers. Future studies are needed that examine the efficacy of such programs, as well as strategies to best promote enrollment.
Estrogen receptor RsaIgene polymorphism and bone mineral density in population exposed to fluoride

Aim:To investigate the distribution of estrogen receptor(ER) RsaⅠgenotype in population exposed to high fluoride and to evaluate the relationship between ER RsaⅠgene polymorphism and bone mineral density.Methods:Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to determine ER RsaⅠgenotype in population who lived in the areas with or without high fluoride in drinking water. The change of bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.Results:Prevalence of abnormal bone mineral density was 87.8% and 44.0% in high fluoride area and control area respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups (χ2 =16.069,P0.05). The frequency of ER RsaⅠ genotype was rr 66.7%,Rr 25.9% and RR 7.4% in population with abnormal bone mineral density;rr 80.0 %,Rr 10.0% and RR 10.0% in population with normal bone mineral density. There was no significant difference between the two groups (χ2 =3.078,P0.05). The risk (OR=0.56,95%CI:0.09~3.56) was not elevated when carrying the homozygous genotype RR in the population with abnormal bone mineral density compared to population with normal bone mineral density.Conclusion: There was no association between polymorphisms in the ER gene with abnormal bone mineral density in high fluoride exposed populations.
Unclear suicide prevention effects, insufficient large-scale testing of suicide prevention programs

We write you in regard to the work of Kolves and De Leo [J Adolesc Health. 2016 Jan;58(1):69-77. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.09.014], who reported data demonstrating reduced suicide rates among adolescents in Western nations. First and foremost, we commend the authors on such a vital undertaking of an otherwise understudied global behavioral health issue. Indeed, the World Health Organization [2] reported an estimated 804,000 deaths by suicide worldwide in 2012 (three years beyond the cutoff of analysis examined by these authors). Put simply, suicide remains a pressing worldwide killer across age ranges. Therefore, suicide prevention should be a high priority in global health, necessitating an enhanced aim to increase awareness of the global health significance of suicide. Language: en
Gas-Phase Oxidation via Ion/Ion Reactions: Pathways and Applications.

Here, we provide an overview of pathways available upon the gas-phase oxidation of peptides and DNA via ion/ion reactions and explore potential applications of these chemistries. The oxidation of thioethers (i.e., methionine residues and S-alkyl cysteine residues), disulfide bonds, S-nitrosylated cysteine residues, and DNA to the [M+H+O]+ derivative via ion/ion reactions with periodate and peroxymono-sulfate anions is demonstrated. The oxidation of neutral basic sites to various oxidized structures, including the [M+H+O]+, [M–H]+, and [M–H–NH3]+ species, via ion/ion reactions is illustrated and the oxidation characteristics of two different oxidizing reagents, periodate and persulfate anions, are compared. Lastly, the highly efficient generation of molecular radical cations via ion/ion reactions with sulfate radical anion is summarized. Activation of the newly generated molecular radical peptide cations results in losses of various neutral side chains, several of which generate dehydroalanine residues that can be used to localize the amino acid from which the dehydroalanine was generated. The chemistries presented herein result in a diverse range of structures that can be used for a variety of applications, including the identification and localization of S-alkyl cysteine residues, the oxidative cleavage of disulfide bonds, and the generation of molecular radical cations from even-electron doubly protonated peptides.
From Race War to Socialist Racism: Foucault’s Second Transcription

Since the publication of Michel Foucault’s lectures at the College de France, his position on race and racism has received much attention. The focus of discussion has largely been on his genealogy of biological racism as a feature of modern biopolitics. His account of social racism, by contrast, remains largely unexamined. Thus, the aim of this paper is to reconstruct and substantiate Foucault’s cursory remarks of the transcription of the historical discourse of race war into social racism. After contextualizing Foucault’s discussion of racism and outlining his account of two transcriptions undergone by the discourse of race war into biological and social racism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, I draw on the writings of the social revolutionary Lev Tikhomirov as well as Peter Holquist’s analysis of Soviet state violence as a technique of population management to give some substance to Foucault’s rather vague outline of a possible genealogy of social racism.
The social media revolution

This paper suggests that social media may be useful for knowledge sharing because they are leaky pipes for communication - the directionality and content of a particular message is visible to people not involved in it. However, social media are only useful for knowledge sharing if some people contribute knowledge that can leak from them and others retrieve knowledge that is leaking. I draw on interviews with employees from a financial services firm to develop a typology of reasons why new employees would not want to contribute what they know to a social media or retrieve from it knowledge contributed by others. Then, I use existing theory on knowledge sharing in organizations, coupled with recent writings about social media affordances, to develop propositions about how these barriers to knowledge sharing might be effectively overcome through strategic use of the social media affordances themselves. Social media are ushering in an era of leaky knowledge,Enabling knowledge to leak out from the pipes through which it travels to distant corners of the organization - and to vistas beyond the organization presents a whole new set of opportunities and challenges for the management of organizational knowledge.Yet for such a revolution to occur, individuals need to willingly contribute knowledge by communicating with others through social media and following the communications of others so that they can retrieve knowledge.Although the motivation of contribution and retrieval is a perennial obstacle for knowledge sharing, the affordances of the social media that are just now entering many workplaces may provide unique and improved abilities at overcoming these obstacles.
Rough ground surface clutter removal in air-coupled ground penetrating radar data using low-rank and sparse representation

This paper explores a low-rank and sparse representation based technique to remove the clutter produced by rough ground surface for air-coupled ground penetrating radar (GPR). For rough ground surface, the surface clutter components in different A-Scan traces are not aligned on the depth axis. To compensate for the misalignment effect and facilitate clutter removal, the A-Scan traces are aligned using cross-correlation technique first. Then the low-rank and sparse representation approach is applied to decompose the GPR data into a low-rank matrix whose columns record the ground clutter in A-Scan traces upon alignment adjustment, and a sparse matrix that features the subsurface object under test. The effectiveness of the proposed clutter removal method has been evaluated through simulations.
New Decomposition Method for Nonconvex Separable Optimization Problems

Abstract The primal-dual approach has been very effective in decomposing large-scale separable convex optimization problems. However, without convexity, this decomposition technique may necessitate complex solution strategies requiring three levels of optimization. In this paper, we offer a new strategy for nonconvex problems which requires only two levels of optimization. This new strategy is based on a new Lagrangian function, which consists of the standard Lagrangian function and penalty functions. A new optimization method, which makes use of the new Lagrangian function, is presented and it is shown to be locally convergent.
A History of Animal Personality Research

Though the study of animal personality has experienced explosive growth in the last 20 years, its history can be traced to the early days of comparative psychology. Early descriptions of nonhuman animals as sociable or fearful and the like have been progressively replaced across the years with systematic coding of behavioral patterns across multiple dimensions of temperament, in a fashion (and with results) similar to the way the topic is studied in humans. This chapter will explore the researchers, laboratories, and methodologies of animal personality research as it evolved from a methodologically impermeable curiosity to an increasingly important determinant of individual and species variability in behavior.
Precipitation of α' in neutron irradiated commercial FeCrAl alloys

Abstract Alkrothal 720 and Kanthal APMT™, two commercial FeCrAl alloys, were neutron irradiated up to damage doses of 7.0 displacements per atom (dpa) in the temperature range of 320 to 382 °C to characterize the α′ precipitation in these alloys using small-angle neutron scattering. Both alloys exhibited α′ precipitation. Kanthal APMT™ exhibited higher number densities and volume fraction, a result attributed to its higher Cr content compared with Alkrothal 720. Trends observed as a function of damage dose (dpa) are consistent with literature trends for both FeCr and FeCrAl alloys.
Cysteine proteases of human hookworm Necator Americanus as virulence factors and implications for drug design with anti-heparin and heparin analogs: A bioinformatics study

Human hookworm Necator Americanus (NA) causes iron deficiency anemia, as the parasite ingests blood from the gastrointestinal tract of its human host. This bioinformatics-based study focuses on eight of the cathepsin B-like cysteine proteases (CPs) of the worm to explore their pathogenic potential. CP1 - CP6, which harbored the active site cysteine residue for enzymatic activity, were relevantly observed to have N-terminal signal peptide for extracellular localization. The secretory CPs could be releasing indigenous worm heparin at the host-pathogen interface for anticoagulation purposes. CP2 and CP3 showed a novel hemoglobinase motif that could be a prerequisite for hemoglobin degradation. CP1 and CP6 shared similar enzymatic-pocket features with cathepsin B and cruzain that cleave high molecular weight kininogen for blood-thinning activity. CP1, CP2, CP3, CP5 and CP6 were predicted to bind heparin, at their C terminal domain, like human cathepsin B and cruzain non-covalently bind heparin to enhance their activity. The actions of the NA CPs in concert with heparin, have implications for anti-heparin and heparin analog design against hookworm infection.
Manual Decoding MMS

In the world of the smartphone, there is a cousin who sits in the shadows. The cousin is not found on TV commercials, or accustomed to long lines of people waiting to buy it when a new model hits the market. It hangs in the 7-Eleven store, Circle K, and other conveyance stores. This is the burner phone. It also seems to have a footing with the older generation of people, who may have trouble seeing the screen. It is simple to use and can have many desired features such as sending multimedia messages (MMS). If you rob a bank or murder another individual, you do not reach for an overpriced smartphone with a 2-year contact, your best bet is the $11.99 flip phone while you hide from the police. These models that are supported by forensic tools, generally will not include the MMS fields. The MMS content can be parsed out manually.
Performance Metrics for Frequency Selective Surface-Based Sensors

A frequency selective surface (FSS) is a periodic array of conductive elements (located on a dielectric substrate) that has a specific transmission or reflection response when illuminated with electromagnetic energy. Since the FSS response is sensitive to changes in substrate properties (permittivity, loss tangent, and thickness) as well as element geometry, FSS-based sensors have strong potential as a wireless sensing solution. To this end, this paper proposes three performance metrics (resonant frequency, resonant depth, and quality factor) to quantify the effect of substrate properties on sensor performance. These metrics are applied to a patch- and loop-based FSS sensor. The results show that the patch-based sensor has improved performance when designed using a thinner and high loss substrate, while the loop-based sensor has better performance when a substrate with less loss but increased thickness is used. Additionally, measurements are also provided for sensors utilizing the low loss substrate. Finally, the performance of the two sensors is shown for strain sensing. The results indicate that the resonant frequency shift (when under mechanical loading) of both sensors is largely independent of the substrate permittivity.
The quest for health care decentralization: revisiting decree 159

Many developing countries have at some point in their quest for health reform considered decentralization as a strategy. A search of Lebanese health policy texts revealed a call for some form of decentralization in the mid eighties through Decree 159. This paper highlights the experience of health centers in Lebanon and discusses the importance of implementing an incremental decentralization of the system by highlighting the importance of ensuring political commitment as well as building the capacity of administrative and clinical staff as prerequisites for the implementation of a fully decentralized system.
Common Genetic Variation and Breast Cancer Risk-Past, Present, and Future

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States with up to 30% of those diagnosed displaying a family history of breast cancer. To date, 18% of the familial risk of breast cancer can be explained by common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This review summarizes the discovery of risk-associated SNPs using candidate gene and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), including discovery and replication in large collaborative efforts such as COGS and OncoArray. We discuss the evolution of GWAS studies, efforts to discover additional SNPs, and methods for identifying causal variants. We summarize findings associated with overall breast cancer, pathologic subtypes, and mutation carriers (BRCA1, BRCA2, and CHEK2). In addition, we summarize the development of polygenic risk scores (PRS) using the risk-associated SNPs and show how PRS can contribute to estimation of individual risks for developing breast cancer.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene access in southern Syria: analysis of survey data and recommendations for response

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are immediate priorities for human survival and dignity in emergencies. In 2010, > 90% of Syrians had access to improved drinking water. In 2011, armed conflict began and currently 12 million people need WASH services. We analyzed data collected in southern Syria to identify effective WASH response activities for this context. Cross-sectional household surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2017 in 17 sub-districts of two governorates in opposition controlled southern Syria. During the survey, household water was tested for free chlorine residual (FCR). Descriptive statistics were calculated, and mixed effect logistic regressions were completed to determine associations between demographic and WASH variables with outcomes of FCR > 0.1 mg/L in household water and reported diarrhea in children 0.1 mg/L increased from 4.1% to 27.9% over this time, with Water Safety Plan (WSP) programming strongly associated with FCR (mOR: 24.16; 95% CI: 5.93–98.5). The proportion of households with childhood diarrhea declined from 32.8% to 20.4% over this time; sanitation and hygiene access were protective against childhood diarrhea. The private sector has effectively replaced decaying infrastructure in Syria, although at high cost and uncertain quality. Allowing market forces to manage WASH services and quantity, and targeting emergency response activities on increasing affordability with well-targeted subsidies and improving water quality and regulation via WSPs can be an effective, scalable, and cost-effective strategy to guarantee water and sanitation access in protracted emergencies with local markets.
Open Wounds: Situating the Monstrous-Feminine in Contemporary Japan

In this chapter, Dumas situates this study within the context of longstanding Japanese perceptions of femininity, and against the backdrop of a series of cultural developments that have served to mark the contemporary period as a site of crisis. With attention to how discourses on gender have coalesced with those centered on nationhood in Japan, she foregrounds the enduring appeal of sexual difference as a device for mapping evolving constructions of subjectivity and national identity, as well as highlighting its allure as a site for exploring the array of cultural transformations that have transpired in recent decades. This chapter also outlines the primary theoretical frameworks deployed in this book with attention to the utility of an interdisciplinary approach for thinking about the ambivalence of monstrous-feminine imagery in contemporary Japan.
Meshkin: A Fault Tolerant Computer Architecture with Distributed Fault Detection and Reconfiguration

The advent of fly-by-wire aircraft in conjunction with the desire of aircraft suppliers and users to significantly decrease maintenance costs have led to the development of a new set of objectives and requirements for the highly reliable computer systems controlling aircrafts. A new computer system architecture, entitled MeshKin, is presented here. MeshKin has been designed for highly reliable applications such as embedded, real-time avionics electronic systems. The architecture employs quad-modular-redundancy and can sustain at least two independent, non-simultaneous faults; failing in a deterministic fashion upon encountering a third fault. This system diverges from traditional fault tolerant architectures in the placement and management of redundant elements, as there is no one redundancy management module per se. The system’s distributed fault detection, diagnosis, reconfiguration and recovery algorithms are detailed and analyzed, followed by a discussion on issues relevant in the implementation of the architecture.
On Quantum Non-Locality, Special Relativity, And Counterfactual Reasoning

(1964), and others following him (Clauser et al. 1969; Wigner 1970; Belinfante 1973), have shown that some of the predictions of quantum mechanics conflict with “local hidden variables theories” (also called “local realistic theories”). Henry Stapp1 has worked over many years to strengthen these results by showing, without recourse to any assumption of “realism” or “hidden variables” or (following (1935)—henceforth referred to as “EPR”) “elements of reality,” that quantum mechanics contradicts the locality demanded by the special theory of relativity. In a recent article (Stapp 1997), which he regards as perhaps simpler, and technically better, than his earlier ones, he argues that there is inconsistency among the following: “(1) the validity of some simple predictions of quantum theory; (2) the explicitly stated locality conditions [that is: three principles—labeled “LOC1,” “LOC2,” and “LOC3”—described by Stapp as aspects or forms of “the crucial locality assertion suggested by the theory of relativity”]; (3) the general idea that physical theories can cover a variety of special instances that can be imagined to be created by free choices of experimenters; and (4) the general principles of modal logic.”2 Of the last category of premises—the general principles of modal logic—Stapp says that they “merely formalize what we mean by modal language;” and he argues that modal, and in particular counterfactual, statements can play a legitimate role in scientific reasoning. This last claim, put so generally, seems to us quite reasonable; but we wish to insert a caveat at the outset as to the statement that the principles of modal logic “merely formalize what we mean by modal language”: modal language and modal argumentation are tricky; and “merely what we mean” may conceal presuppositions legitimately made in the context of ordinary language, but challengeable in the light of fundamental scientific theories.
Genetic Improvement of Entomopathogenic Nematodes for Insect Biocontrol

Entomopathogenic nematodes (families Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae) are the most important biological-control agents for soil-dwelling insect pests (Gaugler and Kaya, 1990). Several species of Heterorhabditids and Steinernematids are produced commercially and used as biotic insecticides. Their unique association with symbiotic bacteria (Xenorhabdus for Steinernematidae and Photorhabdus for Heterorhabditidae) enables them to rival the efficacy of chemical insecticides. Other key attributes include mass production, broad host range, and capacity to kill a host within 1 to 4 days. Furthermore, entomopathogenic nematodes are not pathogenic to plants or mammals, and have therefore been exempt from government regulation and registration requirements (Kaya and Gaugler, 1993). Nevertheless, there are ongoing efforts to improve entomopathogenic nematode beneficial traits or eliminate weaknesses by means of genetic manipulation in the areas of increased environmental tolerance, target specificity, enhanced host finding, mass production (Bedding, 1984), and increased storage-life (Burnell and Dowds,1996). Strain improvement using selection (screening a natural population), selective breeding, hybridization, and mutagenesis has been successful in many entomopathogenic nematode laboratories worldwide. Also, genetic engineering has shown some success, but it has not been widely utilized in strain improvement programs.
High-Temporal Resolution Observations of the 27 May 2015 Canadian, Texas, Tornado Using the Atmospheric Imaging Radar

AbstractOn 27 May 2015, the Atmospheric Imaging Radar (AIR) collected high-temporal resolution radar observations of an EF-2 tornado near Canadian, Texas. The AIR is a mobile, X-band, imaging radar...
Identification of RUVBL1 and RUVBL2 as Novel Cellular Interactors of the Ebola Virus Nucleoprotein

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a filovirus that has become a global public health threat in recent years. EBOV is the causative agent of a severe, often fatal hemorrhagic fever. A productive viral infection relies on the successful recruitment of host factors for various stages of the viral life cycle. To date, several investigations have discovered specific host-pathogen interactions for various EBOV proteins. However, relatively little is known about the EBOV nucleoprotein (NP) with regard to host interactions. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate NP-host protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Affinity purification-mass spectrometry (AP-MS) was used to identify candidate NP cellular interactors. Candidate interactors RUVBL1 and RUVBL2, partner proteins belonging to the AAA+ (ATPases Associated with various cellular Activities) superfamily, were confirmed to interact with NP in co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and immunofluorescence (IF) experiments. Functional studies using a minigenome system revealed that the siRNA-mediated knockdown of RUVBL1 but not RUVBL2 moderately decreased EBOV minigenome activity. Super resolution structured illumination microscopy (SIM) was used to identify an association between NP and components of the R2TP complex, which includes RUVBL1, RUVBL2, RPAP3, and PIH1D1, suggesting a potential role for the R2TP complex in capsid formation. Moreover, the siRNA-mediated knockdown of RPAP3 and subsequent downregulation of PIH1D1 was shown to have no effect on minigenome activity, further suggesting a role in capsid formation. Overall, we identify RUVBL1 and RUVBL2 as novel interactors of EBOV NP and for the first time report EBOV NP recruitment of the R2TP complex, which may provide novel targets for broad-acting anti-EBOV therapeutics.
The Yang-Mills flow near the boundary of Teichmueller space

We study the behavior of the Yang-Mills flow for unitary connections on compact and non-compact oriented surfaces with varying metrics. The flow can be used to define a one dimensional foliation on the space of SU(2) representations of a once punctured surface. This foliation universalizes over Teichm\"uller space and is equivariant with respect to the action of the mapping class group. It is shown how to extend the foliation as a singular foliation over the Strebel boundary of Teichm\"uller space, and continuity of this extension is the main result of the paper.
How Shall We Promote Citizenship and Social Participation

Citizenship is a framework for understanding and enhancing the strength of a person’s connection to the rights, responsibilities, roles, resources, and relationships that society offers to its members, as well as a sense of belonging that is validated by fellow citizens. We define citizenship, examine its historical roots, and discuss how we identified it as a central concept for extending social participation. We then report on approaches we have pursued to support citizenship and community engagement for individuals with mental illness and other marginalized identities, and the evidence to support these approaches. We also discuss issues related to advocacy by and for people with mental illnesses, including the use of legal remedies for housing, voting, and other tools available to support their full and participating citizenship. We conclude by discussing future directions for the development of the citizenship framework as a means of promoting the social inclusion, participation, and valued membership in the society of people with mental illness.