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From wellhead to burner tip, each component of the natural gas process chain has come under increased scrutiny for the presence and magnitude of methane leaks, because of the large global warming potential of methane. Top-down measures of methane emissions in urban areas are significantly greater than bottom-up estimates. Recent research suggests this disparity might in part be explained by gas leaks from one of the least understood parts of the process chain: behind the gas meter in homes and buildings. However, little research has been performed in this area and few methods and data sets exist to measure or estimate them. We develop and test a simple and widely deployable closed chamber method that can be used for quantifying indoor methane emissions with an order-of-magnitude precision which allows for screening of indoor large volume (“super-emitting”) leaks. We also perform test applications of the method finding indoor leaks in 90% of the 20 Greater Boston buildings studied and indoor methane emissions between 0.02–0.51 ft 3 CH 4 day -1 (0.4–10.3 g CH 4 day -1 ) with a mean of 0.14 ft 3 CH 4 day -1 (2.8 g CH 4 day -1 ). Our method provides a relatively simple way to scale up indoor methane emissions data collection. Increased data may reduce uncertainty in bottom-up inventories, and can be used to find super-emitting indoor emissions which may better explain the disparity between top-down and bottom-up post-meter emissions estimates.

As the fourth most populous country in the world, Indonesia must increase the annual rice production rate to achieve national food security by 2050. One possible solution comes from the nanoscopic level: a genetic variant called Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP), which can express significant yield-associated genes. The prior benchmark of this study utilized a statistical genetics model where no SNP position information and attention mechanism were involved. Hence, we developed a novel deep polygenic neural network, named the NucleoNet model, to address these obstacles. The NucleoNets were constructed with the combination of prominent components that include positional SNP encoding, the context vector, wide models, Elastic Net, and Shannon’s entropy loss. This polygenic modeling obtained up to 2.779 of Mean Squared Error (MSE) with 47.156% of Symmetric Mean Absolute Percentage Error (SMAPE), while revealing 15 new important SNPs. Furthermore, the NucleoNets reduced the MSE score up to 32.28% compared to the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model. Through the ablation study, we learned that the combination of Xavier distribution for weights initialization and Normal distribution for biases initialization sparked more various important SNPs throughout 12 chromosomes. Our findings confirmed that the NucleoNet model was successfully outperformed the OLS model and identified important SNPs to Indonesian rice yields.

Reliable system design is an important component to ensure data processing speed, service availability, and an improved user experience. Several studies have been conducted to provide data processing speeds for health monitors using clouds or edge devices. However, if the system design used cannot handle many requests, the reliability of the monitoring itself will be reduced. This study used the Kubernetes approach for system design, leveraging its scalability and efficient resource management. The system was deployed in a local Kubernetes environment using an Intel Xeon CPU E5-1620 with 8 GB RAM. This study compared two architectures: MQTT (traditional method) and MQTT-Kafka (proposed method). The proposed method shows a significant improvement, such as throughput results on the proposed method of 1587 packets/s rather than the traditional methods at 484 packets/s. The response time and latency are 95% more stable than the traditional method, and the performance of the proposed method also requires a larger resource of approximately 30% more than the traditional method. The performance of the proposed method requires the use of a large amount of RAM for a resource-limited environment, with the highest RAM usage at 5.63 Gb, while the traditional method requires 4.5 Gb for the highest RAM requirement.

Strategic partnerships have been described as arrangements that allow states to increase their cooperation with one another across a comprehensive set of issues based on a low cost, low commitment understanding for interaction. Nation-states in Asia of all sizes, geographic configuration, and political regimes have engaged one another through strategic partnerships. How can scholars and practitioners better differentiate strategic partnerships from other types of agreements in international relations and decipher which states are using strategic partnerships successfully? By building and analyzing a database of Asian bilateral strategic partnerships established from 1996 through 2020, this dissertation describes strategic partnerships and their characteristics. It also charts their proliferation in international relations and considers key characteristics of an effective strategic partnership.The empirical case studies concentrate on how middle powers – countries that lack superior military, economic, population, or geographic size advantages to dominate their own regions or define the overall global balance of power – use strategic partnerships. Australia and South Korea, two recognized middle powers, serve as the main case studies. The dissertation illustrates how the Australia – Japan strategic partnership utilizes strong and committed leadership, an organizing structure for cooperation, and clear goals to help Australia achieve its foreign policy goals. A similar analysis highlights the South Korea – Vietnam strategic partnership. Four other less successful bilateral strategic partnerships that lack one or more of these characteristics are then considered.This dissertation advances a growing body of research on strategic partnerships by adding new insights into the implementation of strategic partnerships by middle powers. Relying on the database and empirical case studies, it compares and contrasts well-documented successful strategic partnerships with other cases. The dissertation also advances the idea that certain features – strong and committed leadership, an organizing authority for coordination of activities, and clear goals – are critical characteristics for an effective strategic partnership. Finally, the dissertation illustrates how middle powers can improve their bilateral strategic partnerships and suggests that despite the dominance of China and the United States in Asia, bilateral strategic partnerships can continue to provide a means for middle powers to successfully implement their security, economic, and geopolitical goals.

In 1944, members of the Sonderkommando—the \"special squads,\" composed almost exclusively of Jewish prisoners, who ensured the smooth operation of the gas chambers and had firsthand knowledge of the extermination process—buried on the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau a series of remarkable eyewitness accounts of Nazi genocide. This careful and penetrating study examines anew these \"Scrolls of Auschwitz,\" which were gradually recovered, in damaged and fragmentary form, in the years following the camp's liberation. It painstakingly reconstructs their historical context and textual content, revealing complex literary works that resist narrow moral judgment and engage difficult questions about the limits of testimony.

BACKGROUNDThe effects of alcohol intake on insulin sensitivity have produced conflicting results with both beneficial and adverse effects observed. This study aimed to compare the relationship between patterns of alcohol consumption and insulin sensitivity in obese Veterans. METHODSWe performed a cross-sectional study of obese (BMI 30.0-45.0 kg/m2), nondiabetic U.S. Military Veterans without active mental health diagnoses, including no report of dependent alcohol use within the last 12 months. Alcohol exposure over the previous 12 months (mos) was assessed using a study-developed questionnaire and Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST). Fasting insulin, glucose, and a 75gm OGTT were completed to determine Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and prediabetes (preDM) score of 0, 1, or 2 based on fulfilling 0, 1, or at least 2 of the ADA criteria for preDM, respectively. Linear regression was used to assess for associations between measures of insulin resistance and alcohol consumption; unstandardized β and p-value are reported for variable of interest. RESULTS104 Veterans participated (66% males; 44±8years (range: 25-60); BMI 36±4kg/m2 (range: 29-45); 53% White, 46% African American, 2% Alaskan/Native American, 1% Other). 83 participants reported any alcohol intake in the previous 12 mos and neither preDM score (p=0.57) nor HOMA-IR (p=0.14) were predicted by this question. PreDM score groups were similar in gender, BMI, and weight, but age predicted both preDM score (r2=0.09, β=0.025, p=0.006) and HOMA-IR (r2=0.05, β=-0.09, p=0.034); therefore, all regressions were adjusted for age. There was a negative association between the number of days of alcohol intake with HOMA-IR (β=-0.271, p=0.037) but no association occurred with preDM score (p=0.15). Fewer days of binge drinking was associated with higher HOMA-IR (β= -0.342, p=0.058) and preDM score (β=-0.075, p=0.05). There was no significant association between total quantity of alcohol intake and HOMA-IR (p=0.13) nor preDM score (p=0.15). There was no association between MAST score and HOMA-IR (p=0.7) or preDM score (p=0.3). CONCLUSIONIn our cohort of obese, non-alcohol dependent Veterans, the reported number of days of alcohol intake and days of binge drinking in the previous 12 mos were lower in those with markers of insulin resistance. These results suggest that drinking patterns among obese patients may have unique effects on insulin sensitivity that warrant further investigation.

The rising tide of obesity and type 2 diabetes has been recognised to have reached epidemic proportions. There is a significant burden of mortality and morbidity associated with the development of these conditions and current estimates suggest that the burden of disease in the next two decades is likely to place considerable strain upon healthcare systems, particularly in the developing world. The development of insulin resistance is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes, however the origin of insulin resistance is complex and it is currently unclear precisely how the inter-related components of this metabolic dysfunction are triggered. Obesity is also implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and represents a risk factor which is potentially modifiable by lifestyle interventions such as exercise and weight loss. Observational and prospective studies have also shown the benefits of lifestyle intervention in reducing the incidence of diabetes in those judged to be at greater risk. People with a parental history of type 2 diabetes have an increased lifetime risk of diabetes and frequently display metabolic abnormalities which, despite persisting normoglycaemia, are evidence of a ‘pre-diabetic’ state and which may themselves carry increased morbidity and mortality. Observational studies suggest a greater difference in insulin sensitivity between active and sedentary offspring, compared to the difference between active and sedentary individuals with no diabetes family history. This is thought to represent an interaction between positive energy balance, a sedentary lifestyle and a ‘thrifty genotype’. These observations suggest that individuals with a parental history of diabetes are more susceptible to the deleterious health effects of a sedentary lifestyle, but that they may be more responsive to an increase in physical activity. Exercise interventions can be expected to have positive effects upon metabolic health and adiposity however, the individual response to exercise is extremely variable. Other factors such as lifestyle alteration have been implicated in the difference between the observed and predicted response to exercise. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to examine the physical, metabolic and lifestyle differences between sedentary pre-menopausal women with a parent with type 2 diabetes and matched control subjects with no family history of the condition. In particular, this thesis aimed to explore the effect of an aerobic exercise intervention on metabolic health and body composition, whether the response to exercise is dependent upon a familial history of diabetes and the processes by which exercise might induce any observed changes. In order to explore the impact of a sedentary lifestyle on women with, and without a family history of type 2 diabetes, thirty four pre-menopausal, sedentary women with a parental history of diabetes (Offspring) and thirty six matched women without a familial history of diabetes (Controls) were recruited. Assessments of body composition, insulin sensitivity, adipose tissue-derived hormone concentration, substrate utilisation, endothelial function by carotid-radial pulse wave velocity, cardiorespiratory fitness, diet and habitual physical activity were performed. Twenty eight Offspring subjects and thirty four matched Controls participated in a seven-week aerobic exercise intervention, training at 65-80 % of predicted maximal heart rate with incremental increases in training duration on a weekly basis. The previously described assessments were performed before and 15-24 hours after the intervention and in a subgroup of 19 Controls and 17 Offspring subjects, further assessments of insulin sensitivity, adipose tissue-derived hormone concentration, substrate utilisation and endothelial function were performed after a further three day period without exercise. In order to determine potential mediators of exercise-induced fat loss fifty five women participated in measurements of substrate utilisation, body composition, endothelial function, insulin sensitivity, cardiorespiratory fitness, dietary intake and habitual physical activity prior to, and after the seven week exercise intervention. The findings from these studies confirmed that sedentary women with a family history of type 2 diabetes displayed lower insulin sensitivity than those without a parental history of diabetes. In addition, insulin resistance in this group appears to be related to a greater sensitivity to the influence of adipose tissue, particularly circulating non-esterified fatty acids and adipose tissue-derived inflammatory cytokines. In Offspring alone, baseline insulin sensitivity was associated with plasma adiponectin concentration and negatively associated with circulating non-esterified fatty acid concentration. These associations may represent physiological attempts to compensate for developing insulin resistance. Offspring also displayed an augmented metabolic response to the exercise intervention in comparison to Controls. This study showed a 23% increase in post-intervention insulin sensitivity in Offspring with no significant increase in insulin sensitivity in Controls despite a similar improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness and adherence to the exercise regime. Improved post-intervention insulin sensitivity was accompanied by reduced circulating leptin, increased fat and decreased carbohydrate oxidation in both fasting and post-glucose states. No change in diet was observed but Offspring appeared to increase their level of habitual physical activity. The magnitude of change in insulin sensitivity was associated with a parental history of diabetes, but stronger associations were observed between baseline insulin resistance and an ability to reduce circulating leptin in response to exercise. Wide individual variation in fat mass change was observed in the response to exercise, and as expected the strongest predictor of exercise-mediated fat mass reduction was the net energy cost of the intervention. However, a change in fasting respiratory exchange ratio (RER), suggesting an increase in fat oxidation was also independently associated with reduced fat mass. The combined findings of this thesis suggest that sedentary pre-menopausal daughters of people with type 2 diabetes are more insulin resistant and that this state is, in part, a consequence of heightened sensitivity to fatty acid and inflammatory cytokine release from adipose tissue. However, it would also appear that they represent a high-risk group who are susceptible to the insulin-sensitising effects of exercise and that this may be mediated by a metabolic pathway which involves reductions in circulating leptin concentrations. Finally, the ability to lose fat mass in response to exercise is related to the energy deficit incurred by the activity but also by an individual’s ability to shift fasting substrate utilisation towards fat oxidation. Public health strategies have traditionally focused upon lifestyle interventions which are directed at the population in general. However, awareness of the risks conferred by obesity and familial history of type 2 diabetes and the potential benefits of intervention may suggest that targeting public health resources towards these high-risk groups is a more appropriate and effective strategy.

In this collection of poems, my concern is with patriarchy and story telling, specifically of stories passed from father to son, and the failure of hyper masculinity (cyclical violence, impotence, addiction, &c). The book is comprised of three narrative modes: the mythic or allegorical, the historical, and the confessional. The subject matter moves from the grit of contemporary bar life, to magical allegories of loves failed, to the dramatic monologues of a late 1800s hangman and his son, to bucolic scenery inhabited by an archetypal patriarch and his boys. Each type of poem flexes varying formal elements—the prose poem, sonnet variations and free verse—and the poems juxtapose the beauty of form and white space with their often ribald, coarse language. I wish to create beauty from deterioration and I imagine the project as if Whitman’s celebration were to be confronted with Eliot’s bleak Wasteland. Each shattered voice sings in chorus and creates a singular persona whose primary want is to both celebrate and damn the dead.

A collection of timely essays on the rising wave of anxiety in culture. The twenty-first century is characterized by uncertainty: from catastrophic climate change to the accelerating pace of technological change, societies around the world are gripped by anxiety about the future. In Anxiety Culture, editors John Allegrante, Ulrich Hoinkes, Michael Schapira, and Karen Struve bring together a distinguished group of international scholars to examine the forces that increase anxiety as a phenomenon beyond solely individual experiences of clinical anxiety to pervade global culture. These trenchant essays examine our culture of anxiety across diverse avenues of society. Covering fears related to climate change, populist and extremist movements around the world, gun violence, artificial intelligence, and more, contributors also examine how anxiety is expressed in literature and the media and how a culture of anxiety affects policymaking. Chapters are organized into five sections: disciplinary perspectives on anxiety, climate change and the environment, population health and social well-being, migration, and technology. There's room for hope, however. Contributors provide pragmatic recommendations for coping with anxiety culture in public education, governments, and NGOs. Anxiety Culture is a unique attempt to define this condition and an indispensable resource for those seeking stability in an unstable age, providing a set of conceptual and practical narratives for navigating both existing and emergent planetary challenges. Contributors: Kristina Allgoewer, Bryndis Asgeirsdottir, John Baldacchino, Christine Blaettler, Michel Bourban, Dominic Boyer, Eva J. Daussà, Nicholas Freudenberg, Monica van der Haagen-Wulff, Kelsey Hudson, Karena Kalmbach, Emmanuel Kattan, Markus Lemmens, Eric Lewandowski, Raphaël Liogier, Roman Marek, Christian Martin, Paul Mecheril, Angelika Messner, Caine C. A. Meyers, Julie Mostov, Dirk Nabers, Frauke Nees, Konrad Ott, Sonali Rajan, Julie Reshe, Bàrbara Roviró, Renata Selecl, Inga Dora Sigfusdottir, Frank Stengel, Ingibjorg Eva Thorisdottir, Maren Urner, Iris Wieczorek, Zhao Xudong, Liya Yu

The program organization also sponsors projects like criminal record expungement clinics, during which law school and community volunteers help people clear their criminal records. [...]they are looking for nontraditional students to fill the gap, including incarcerated people. Managing a program that offers higher education in prison necessitates the active management not only of law enforcement bureaucracies, but of complex university ones that are slow to adapt to change.