Atomic nuclei decay modes by spontaneous emission of heavy ions

The great majority of the known nuclides with Z>40, including the so-called stable nuclides, are metastable with respect to several modes of spontaneous superasymmetric splitting. A model extended from the fission theory of alpha decay allows one to estimate the lifetimes and the branching ratios relative to the alpha decay for these natural radioactivities. From a huge amount of systematic calculations it is concluded that the process should proceed with maximum intensity in the trans-lead nuclei, where the minimum lifetime is obtained from parent-emitted heavy ion combinations leading to a magic (208Pb) or almost magic daughter nucleus. More than 140 nuclides with atomic number smaller than 25 are possible candidates to be emitted from heavy nuclei, with half-lives in the range of 1010–1030 s: 5He, 8–10Be, 11,12B, 12–16C, 13–17N, 15–22O, 18–23F, 20–26Ne, 23–28Na, 23–30Mg, 27–32Al, 28–36Si, 31–39P, 32–42S, 35–45Cl, 37–47Ar, 40–49 K, 42-51. . .Ca, 44–53 Sc, 46–53Ti, 48–54V, and 49–55 Cr. The shell structure and the pairing effects are clearly manifested in these new decay modes

Sink-Stable Sets of Digraphs

We introduce the notion of sink-stable sets of a digraph and prove a min-max formula for the maximum cardinality of the union of k sink-stable sets. The results imply a recent min-max theorem of Abeledo and Atkinson on the Clar number of bipartite plane graphs and a sharpening of Minty's coloring theorem. We also exhibit a link to min-max results of Bessy and Thomasse and of Sebo on cyclic stable sets

Sink-Stable Sets of Digraphs

We introduce the notion of sink-stable sets of a digraph and prove a min-max formula for the maximum cardinality of the union of k sink-stable sets. The results imply a recent min-max theorem of Abeledo and Atkinson on the Clar number of bipartite plane graphs and a sharpening of Minty’s coloring theorem. We also exhibit a link to min-max results of Bessy and Thomasse ́ and of Sebő on cyclic stable sets

Combinatorics and Geometry of Transportation Polytopes: An Update

A transportation polytope consists of all multidimensional arrays or tables of non-negative real numbers that satisfy certain sum conditions on subsets of the entries. They arise naturally in optimization and statistics, and also have interest for discrete mathematics because permutation matrices, latin squares, and magic squares appear naturally as lattice points of these polytopes. In this paper we survey advances on the understanding of the combinatorics and geometry of these polyhedra and include some recent unpublished results on the diameter of graphs of these polytopes. In particular, this is a thirty-year update on the status of a list of open questions last visited in the 1984 book by Yemelichev, Kovalev and Kravtsov and the 1986 survey paper of Vlach.Comment: 35 pages, 13 figure

Subsumption between queries to object-oriented databases

Most work on query optimization in relational and object-oriented databases has concentrated on tuning algebraic expressions and the physical access to the database contents. The attention to semantic query optimization, however, has been restricted due to its inherent complexity. We take a second look at semantic query optimization in object-oriented databases and find that reasoning techniques for concept languages developed in Artificial Intelligence apply to this problem because concept languages have been tailored for efficiency and their semantics is compatible with class and query definitions in object-oriented databases. We propose a query optimizer that recognizes subset relationships between a query and a view (a simpler query whose answer is stored) in polynomial time

Multiple haplotype-resolved genomes reveal population patterns of gene and protein diplotypes

To fully understand human biology and link genotype to phenotype, the phase of DNA variants must be known. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of haplotype-resolved genomes to assess the nature and variation of haplotypes and their pairs, diplotypes, in European population samples. We use a set of 14 haplotype-resolved genomes generated by fosmid clone-based sequencing, complemented and expanded by up to 372 statistically resolved genomes from the 1000 Genomes Project. We find immense diversity of both haploid and diploid gene forms, up to 4.1 and 3.9 million corresponding to 249 and 235 per gene on average. Less than 15% of autosomal genes have a predominant form. We describe a ‘common diplotypic proteome’, a set of 4,269 genes encoding two different proteins in over 30% of genomes. We show moreover an abundance of cis configurations of mutations in the 386 genomes with an average cis/trans ratio of 60:40, and distinguishable classes of cis- versus trans-abundant genes. This work identifies key features characterizing the diplotypic nature of human genomes and provides a conceptual and analytical framework, rich resources and novel hypotheses on the functional importance of diploidy

BUILDING INCLUSIVE RESPONSES TO CLIMATE HAZARDS: AN INTERSECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF WILDFIRE IN NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN

Climate hazards such as wildfires are not just ecological, but also profoundly social. These hazards—and responses to them—are shaped by, and become layered onto, existing political, economic, and social landscapes, resulting in different experiences and vulnerabilities for people from diverse social locations (e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, age, place). Intersectionality has been promoted as a theoretical lens for understanding these differential vulnerabilities, but its empirical application to climate hazards research and practice is limited, particularly in the global North. In response, this research develops and applies a multi-leveled intersectionality theoretical framework to examine how residents in a jurisdictionally complex and socially diverse region of northern Saskatchewan experience and respond to wildfire. Using a qualitative case study design, this study employs media analysis, semi-structured interviews, and photovoice to investigate how residents experienced a major wildfire event and how these experiences interact with and are shaped by social discourses, social structures, and power relations. The results of this research are reported in three core manuscripts, each of which brings a separate level of intersectional analysis to the forefront. The first manuscript demonstrates that mainstream media largely reflected and reinforced a characterization of wildfire response that is highly gendered and exclusionary and discusses the discursive and material implications of such framings. The second manuscript illustrates that impacts to locally significant values are experienced differently across intersections of identity and that these differences are influenced by social structures such as histories of colonization and gendered norms and expectations. The third manuscript highlights how emergency and wildfire management institutions support pathways for adaptation that are characterized by resistance and incremental change, resulting in uneven inclusion of diverse voices, knowledges, and experiences. These manuscripts also reveal how residents and local communities enacted their agency to challenge dominant discourses, respond to locally significant impacts and losses, and advocate for more transformative approaches to wildfire response, recovery, and adaptation. The core contributions of this research are threefold. The study: 1) operationalizes intersectionality to examine how identity attributes operate within social discourse, residents’ experiences, and institutions relevant to a major wildfire event; 2) applies the chosen methods together in a way that enables the multi-level intersectional analysis; and 3) points toward practical strategies for building emergency management and adaptation planning processes that are inclusive and representative of a diverse range of society as communities in northern Saskatchewan continue to live with fire in the future

Implementating a Transitional Care Program to Reduce Hospital Readmissions in Medicare Recipients: A Research Translation Pilot Project

Patients discharged from hospital to home, especially the chronically ill and older adults, are too frequently readmitted within 30 days. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (n.d.; 2017) along with other interdisciplinary researchers have proposed, studied, and implemented strategies to decrease this excessive and expensive phenomenon. After the implementation of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program in 2009, preventable readmissions have decreased but remain at unacceptable levels. Care transitions from hospital to home have been implicated as perilous and fraught with communication breakdown and lack of patient support and follow up. Strategies aimed at both the hospitalization phase and the 30-day transitional phase when the patient returns home have been developed and implemented. This research translation project implemented a program of transitional care management in a community clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada in accordance of the guidelines of the transitional care model (TCM). Five patients were referred to the clinic by two home health agencies. The project coordinator provided transitional care for these patients for the duration of their home health certification. All of the patients were high risk for rehospitalization according to evidence-based screening tools. At the end of 30 days, none of the five patients had been rehospitalized. Additionally, two patients were referred from another medical practice and the project coordinator evaluated them through chart review and saw them once. The sample size and non-randomized sampling method precluded generalization of the findings. However, the project revealed important qualitative data relative to risks and interventions impacting rehospitalization risk as well as issues, barriers, and facilitators related to the practice of transitional care in the community setting. Several of these findings were not specifically identified within the TCM. Themes were derived from findings and a causal network was developed. Patients received excellent and effective transitional care and the project added to the body of knowledge of transitional care implementation