On Explicit Constructions of Extremely Depth Robust Graphs

A directed acyclic graph $G=(V,E)$ is said to be $(e,d)$-depth robust if for every subset $S \subseteq V$ of $|S| \leq e$ nodes the graph $G-S$ still contains a directed path of length $d$. If the graph is $(e,d)$-depth-robust for any $e,d$ such that $e+d \leq (1-\epsilon)|V|$ then the graph is said to be $\epsilon$-extreme depth-robust. In the field of cryptography, (extremely) depth-robust graphs with low indegree have found numerous applications including the design of side-channel resistant Memory-Hard Functions, Proofs of Space and Replication, and in the design of Computationally Relaxed Locally Correctable Codes. In these applications, it is desirable to ensure the graphs are locally navigable, i.e., there is an efficient algorithm $\mathsf{GetParents}$ running in time $\mathrm{polylog} |V|$ which takes as input a node $v \in V$ and returns the set of $v$'s parents. We give the first explicit construction of locally navigable $\epsilon$-extreme depth-robust graphs with indegree $O(\log |V|)$. Previous constructions of $\epsilon$-extreme depth-robust graphs either had indegree $\tilde{\omega}(\log^2 |V|)$ or were not explicit.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure. This is the full version of the paper published at STACS 2022. We noticed a mistake in the references for the computational intractability of the depth robustness of the graphs and fixed i

Brief Amici Curiae Legal Scholars of Sex and Gender In Support of Plaintiff-Appellant

This amicus brief was filed in Griffith v. El Paso County, Colorado, case no. 23-1135 (10th Circuit) in support of appellant Darlene Griffith. Amici curiae are legal scholars of sex and gender. They offerexpertise in their personal capacities to assist the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in assessing whether the El Paso County Sheriff officials violated Ms. Griffith’s Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection when they refused to house Ms. Griffith, a transgender woman, in the women\u27s unit of the El Paso County Jail as a pretrial detainee

Topology of structure in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: model testing

We measure the three-dimensional topology of large-scale structure in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This allows the genus statistic to be measured with unprecedented statistical accuracy. The sample size is now sufficiently large to allow the topology to be an important tool for testing galaxy formation models. For comparison, we make mock SDSS samples using several state-of-the-art N-body simulations: the Millennium run of Springel et al. (2005)(10 billion particles), Kim & Park (2006) CDM models (1.1 billion particles), and Cen & Ostriker (2006) hydrodynamic code models (8.6 billion cell hydro mesh). Each of these simulations uses a different method for modeling galaxy formation. The SDSS data show a genus curve that is broadly characteristic of that produced by Gaussian random phase initial conditions. Thus the data strongly support the standard model of inflation where Gaussian random phase initial conditions are produced by random quantum fluctuations in the early universe. But on top of this general shape there are measurable differences produced by non-linear gravitational effects (cf. Matsubara 1994), and biasing connected with galaxy formation. The N-body simulations have been tuned to reproduce the power spectrum and multiplicity function but not topology, so topology is an acid test for these models. The data show a ``meatball'' shift (only partly due to the Sloan Great Wall of Galaxies; this shift also appears in a sub-sample not containing the Wall) which differs at the 2.5\sigma level from the results of the Millennium run and the Kim & Park dark halo models, even including the effects of cosmic variance.Comment: 13 Apj pages, 7 figures High-resolution stereo graphic available at http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~dclayh/stereo50.ep

A process‐based approach to attribution of historical streamflow decline in a data‐scarce and human‐dominated watershed

Human activities have resulted in rapid hydrological change around the world, in many cases producing shifts in the dominant hydrological processes, confounding predictions, and complicating effective management and planning. Identifying and characterizing such changes in hydrological processes is therefore a globally relevant problem, one that is particularly challenging in sparsely monitored environments. We develop a novel, process‐based approach for attribution of hydrological change in such scenarios, and apply the approach to the TG Halli watershed outside Bangalore, India, where streamflow has declined considerably over the last 50 years. The approach consists of (1) employing a range of field instrumentation and experiments to identify contemporary streamflow generation mechanisms, (2) using these observations to constrain our understanding and generate hypotheses pertaining to historical changes, and (3) evaluating these hypotheses with a range of evidence including proxies for historical hydrological processes. The body of evidence in the TG Halli watershed indicates the historical presence and subsequent loss of a shallow groundwater table that previously discharged to the stream, meaning that groundwater depletion is the most likely driver of streamflow decline. These findings present a viable path towards improved predictions of future water resources and sustainable water management within the watershed. Our process‐based approach to attribution has the potential to improve understanding of human‐driven hydrologic change in regions with poor monitoring of hydrologic systems

The Prevalence of Latent Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection Based on an Interferon-γ Release Assay: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among Urban Adults in Mwanza, Tanzania.

One third of the world's population is estimated to be latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (LTBI). Surveys of LTBI are rarely performed in resource poor TB high endemic countries like Tanzania although low-income countries harbor the largest burden of the worlds LTBI. The primary objective was to estimate the prevalence of LTBI in household contacts of pulmonary TB cases and a group of apparently healthy neighborhood controls in an urban setting of such a country. Secondly we assessed potential impact of LTBI on inflammation by quantitating circulating levels of an acute phase reactant: alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) in neighborhood controls. The study was nested within the framework of two nutrition studies among TB patients in Mwanza, Tanzania. Household contacts- and neighborhood controls were invited to participate. The study involved a questionnaire, BMI determination and blood samples to measure AGP, HIV testing and a Quantiferon Gold In tube (QFN-IT) test to detect signs of LTBI. 245 household contacts and 192 neighborhood controls had available QFN-IT data. Among household contacts, the proportion of QFT-IT positive was 59% compared to 41% in the neighborhood controls (p = 0.001). In a linear regression model adjusted for sex, age, CD4 and HIV, a QFT-IT positive test was associated with a 10% higher level of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein(AGP) (10(B) 1.10, 95% CI 1.01; 1.20, p = 0.03), compared to individuals with a QFT-IT negative test. LTBI is highly prevalent among apparently healthy urban Tanzanians even without known exposure to TB in the household. LTBI was found to be associated with elevated levels of AGP. The implications of this observation merit further studies

Environmental effects on the growth of super massive black holes and AGN feedback

We investigate how environmental effects by gas stripping alter the growth of a super massive black hole (SMBH) and its host galaxy evolution, by means of 1D hydrodynamical simulations that include both mechanical and radiative AGN feedback effects. By changing the truncation radius of the gas distribution (R_t), beyond which gas stripping is assumed to be effective, we simulate possible environments for satellite and central galaxies in galaxy clusters and groups. The continuous escape of gas outside the truncation radius strongly suppresses star formation, while the growth of the SMBH is less affected by gas stripping because the SMBH accretion is primarily ruled by the density of the central region. As we allow for increasing environmental effects - the truncation radius decreasing from about 410 to 50 kpc - we find that the final SMBH mass declines from about 10^9 to 8 x 10^8 Msol, but the outflowing mass is roughly constant at about 2 x 10^10 Msol. There are larger change in the mass of stars formed, which declines from about 2 x 10^10 to 2 x 10^9 Msol, and the final thermal X-ray gas, which declines from about 10^9 to 5 x 10^8 Msol, with increasing environmental stripping. Most dramatic is the decline in the total time that the objects would be seen as quasars, which declines from 52 Myr (for R_t = 377 kpc) to 7.9 Myr (for R_t = 51 kpc). The typical case might be interpreted as a red and dead galaxy having episodic cooling flows followed by AGN feedback effects resulting in temporary transitions of the overall galaxy color from red to green or to blue, with (cluster) central galaxies spending a much larger fraction of their time in the elevated state than do satellite galaxies.(Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Diabetes is a Risk Factor for Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case-Control Study from Mwanza, Tanzania.

Diabetes and TB are associated, and diabetes is increasingly common in low-income countries where tuberculosis (TB) is highly endemic. However, the role of diabetes for TB has not been assessed in populations where HIV is prevalent. A case-control study was conducted in an urban population in Tanzania among culture-confirmed pulmonary TB patients and non-TB neighbourhood controls. Participants were tested for diabetes according to WHO guidelines and serum concentrations of acute phase reactants were measured. The association between diabetes and TB, and the role of HIV as an effect modifier, were examined using logistic regression. Since blood glucose levels increase during the acute phase response, we adjusted for elevated serum acute phase reactants. Among 803 cases and 350 controls the mean (SD) age was 34.8 (11.9) and 33.8 (12.0) years, and the prevalence of diabetes was 16.7% (95% CI: 14.2; 19.4) and 9.4% (6.6; 13.0), respectively. Diabetes was associated with TB (OR 2.2, 95% CI: 1.5; 3.4, p<0.001). However, the association depended on HIV status (interaction, p = 0.01) due to a stronger association among HIV uninfected (OR 4.2, 95% CI: 1.5; 11.6, p = 0.01) compared to HIV infected (OR 0.1, 95% CI: 0.01; 1.8, p = 0.13) after adjusting for age, sex, demographic factors and elevated serum acute phase reactants. Diabetes is a risk factor for TB in HIV uninfected, whereas the association in HIV infected patients needs further study. The increasing diabetes prevalence may be a threat to TB control

Rapamycin Rescues the Poor Developmental Capacity of Aged Porcine Oocytes

Unfertilized oocytes age inevitably after ovulation, which limits their fertilizable life span and embryonic development. Rapamycin affects mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression and cytoskeleton reorganization during oocyte meiotic maturation. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of rapamycin treatment on aged porcine oocytes and their in vitro development. Rapamycin treatment of aged oocytes for 24 h (68 h in vitro maturation [IVM]; 44 h+10 μM rapamycin/24 h, 47.52±5.68) or control oocytes (44 h IVM; 42.14±4.40) significantly increased the development rate and total cell number compared with untreated aged oocytes (68 h IVM, 22.04±5.68) (p<0.05). Rapamycin treatment of aged IVM oocytes for 24 h also rescued aberrant spindle organization and chromosomal misalignment, blocked the decrease in the level of phosphorylated-p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and increased the mRNA expression of cytoplasmic maturation factor genes (MOS, BMP15, GDF9, and CCNB1) compared with untreated, 24 h-aged IVM oocytes (p<0.05). Furthermore, rapamycin treatment of aged oocytes decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity and DNA fragmentation (p<0.05), and downregulated the mRNA expression of mTOR compared with control or untreated aged oocytes. By contrast, rapamycin treatment of aged oocytes increased mitochondrial localization (p<0.05) and upregulated the mRNA expression of autophagy (BECN1, ATG7, MAP1LC3B, ATG12, GABARAP, and GABARAPL1), anti-apoptosis (BCL2L1 and BIRC5; p<0.05), and development (NANOG and SOX2; p<0.05) genes, but it did not affect the mRNA expression of pro-apoptosis genes (FAS and CASP3) compared with the control. This study demonstrates that rapamycin treatment can rescue the poor developmental capacity of aged porcine oocytes

2020 Collage Concert

An exciting highlight each season, Collage is the signature production of the School of Music and a major fundraising event for supporting scholarships for music students. This special performance features over 200 student and faculty performers and includes jazz, orchestra, choir, band, percussion, and opera selections for soloists, chamber groups, and ensembles. Special lighting effects and stage design combine with the diverse and exciting program presented as rapid-fire, flowing vignettes to create a truly unique performance.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2295/thumbnail.jp

A simple model for the evolution of disc galaxies: The Milky Way

A simple model for the evolution of disc galaxies is presented. We adopt three numbers from observations of the Milky Way disc, the local surface mass density, the stellar scale length (of the assumedly exponential disc) and the amplitude of the (assumedly flat) rotation curve, and physically, the (local) dynamical Kennicutt star formation prescription, standard chemical evolution equations assuming and a model for spectral evolution of stellar populations. We can determine the detailed evolution of the model with only the addition of standard cosmological scalings with time of the dimensional parameters. A surprising wealth of detailed specifications follows from this prescription including the gaseous infall rate as a function of radius and time, the distribution of stellar ages and metallicities with time and radius, surface brightness profiles at different wavelengths, colours etc. At the solar neighbourhood stars start to form $\approx 10 Gyrs$ ago at an increasing rate peaking 4 billion years ago and then slowly declining in good agreement with observations. The mean age of long lived stars at the solar neighbourhood is about $4 Gyrs$. The local surface density of the stars and gas are 35 and $15 M_{\odot}pc^{-2}$, respectively. The metallicity distribution of the stars at the solar radius is narrow with a peak at $[Z/Z_{\odot}] = -0.1$.Both a Salpeter IMF and a Chabrier IMF are consistent with observations. Comparisons with the current and local fossil evidence provides support for the model which can then be used to assess other local disc galaxies, the evolution of disc galaxies in deep optical surveys and also for theoretical investigations such as simulations of merging disc galaxies (abbreviated).Comment: acceppted for publication in MNRA