cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Orbital and external ocular manifestations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: A review of the literature

Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that most commonly affects the lungs. However, extrapulmonary manifestations of TB can affect the eye and surrounding orbital tissues. TB can affect nearly any tissue in the eye, and a high index of suspicion is required for accurate diagnosis. Systemic anti-tuberculosis treatment is required in cases of ocular TB, and steroids are sometimes necessary to prevent tissue damage secondary to inflammation. Delays in diagnosis are common and can result in morbidities such as loss of an affected eye. It is important for ophthalmologists and infectious disease specialists to work together to accurately diagnose and treat ocular TB in order to prevent vision loss. This article reports the various known presentations of orbital and external ocular TB and reviews important elements of diagnosis and treatment.
Kolmogorov Extension, Martingale Convergence, and Compositionality of Processes

We show that the Kolmogorov extension theorem and the Doob martingale convergence theorem are two aspects of a common generalization, namely a colimit-like construction in a category of Radon spaces and reversible Markov kernels. The construction provides a compositional denotational semantics for lossless iteration in probabilistic programming languages, even in the absence of a natural partial order.
Novel mechanisms for DHEA action

Dehydroepiandrosterone (3β-hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one, DHEA), secreted by the adrenal cortex, gastrointestinal tract, gonads, and brain, and its sulfated metabolite DHEA-S are the most abundant endogeneous circulating steroid hormones. DHEA actions are classically associated with age-related changes in cardiovascular tissues, female fertility, metabolism, and neuronal/CNS functions. Early work on DHEA action focused on the metabolism to more potent sex hormones, testosterone and estradiol, and the subsequent effect on the activation of the androgen and estrogen steroid receptors. However, it is now clear that DHEA and DHEA-S act directly as ligands for many hepatic nuclear receptors and G-protein-coupled receptors. In addition, it can function to mediate acute cell signaling pathways. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms by which DHEA acts in cells and animal models with a focus on the 'novel' and physiological modes of DHEA action.
FLOCK Cluster Analysis of Mast Cell Event Clustering by High-Sensitivity Flow Cytometry Predicts Systemic Mastocytosis

Objectives In our high-sensitivity flow cytometric approach for systemic mastocytosis (SM), we identified mast cell event clustering as a new diagnostic criterion for the disease. Methods To objectively characterize mast cell gated event distributions, we performed cluster analysis using FLOCK, a computational approach to identify cell subsets in multidimensional flow cytometry data in an unbiased, automated fashion. Results FLOCK identified discrete mast cell populations in most cases of SM (56/75 [75%]) but only a minority of non-SM cases (17/124 [14%]). FLOCK-identified mast cell populations accounted for 2.46% of total cells on average in SM cases and 0.09% of total cells on average in non-SM cases ( P < .0001) and were predictive of SM, with a sensitivity of 75%, a specificity of 86%, a positive predictive value of 76%, and a negative predictive value of 85%. Conclusions FLOCK analysis provides useful diagnostic information for evaluating patients with suspected SM, and may be useful for the analysis of other hematopoietic neoplasms.
A miniturized, circularly polarized log periodic dipole array

A 10-element, size-reduced, circularly polarized log periodic dipole array antenna (CPLPDA) is presented by decreasing the length of the antenna elements in half using arc-shaped, top-loading structures. The simulated −10-dB impedance bandwidth is 106.5%, and the 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth is 110.4% Both bandwidths are matched well. The maximum realized gain in the direction of the shortest dipole is 7.1 dBic. Compared to a λ/2-element CPLPDA, the miniaturized CPLPDA has 75% volume reduction.
Clinical and immunological study of beta interferon by intramuscular route in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

ABSTRACT Partially purified human beta interferon (HuIFN-β) was administered to six patients with metastatic breast carcinoma by the intramuscular route at doses of 3 × 106 and 6 × 106 units on a d...
Transcriptomic effects-based monitoring for endocrine active chemicals: Assessing relative contribution of treated wastewater to downstream pollution

The present study investigated whether a combination of targeted analytical chemistry information with unsupervised, data-rich biological methodology (i.e., transcriptomics) could be utilized to evaluate relative contributions of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents to biological effects. The effects of WWTP effluents on fish exposed to ambient, receiving waters were studied at three locations with distinct WWTP and watershed characteristics. At each location, 4 d exposures of male fathead minnows to the WWTP effluent and upstream and downstream ambient waters were conducted. Transcriptomic analyses were performed on livers using 15,000 feature microarrays, followed by a canonical pathway and gene set enrichment analyses. Enrichment of gene sets indicative of teleost brain-pituitary-gonadal-hepatic (BPGH) axis function indicated that WWTPs serve as an important source of endocrine active chemicals (EACs) that affect the BPGH axis (e.g., cholesterol and steroid metabolism were altered). The results indicated that transcriptomics may even pinpoint pertinent adverse outcomes (i.e., liver vacuolization) and groups of chemicals that preselected chemical analytes may miss. Transcriptomic Effects-Based monitoring was capable of distinguishing sites, and it reflected chemical pollution gradients, thus holding promise for assessment of relative contributions of point sources to pollution and the efficacy of pollution remediation.
Supporting Soft Real-Time Sporadic Task Systems on Uniform Heterogeneous Multiprocessors with No Utilization Loss

Uniform heterogeneous multicore architectures are becoming increasingly popular due to their potential of achieving high performance and energy efficiency compared to the homogeneous multicore architectures. In such systems, the real-time scheduling problem becomes more challenging because processors have different speeds. Prior research on uniform heterogeneous multiprocessor real-time scheduling has focused on hard real-time systems, where, significant processing capacity may have to be sacrificed in the worst-case to ensure that all deadlines are met. As meeting hard deadlines is overkill for many soft real-time systems in practice, this paper shows that on soft real-time uniform heterogeneous multiprocessors, bounded response times can be ensured for globally-scheduled sporadic task systems with no utilization loss. A GEDF-based scheduling algorithm, named as GEDF-H, is presented and response time bounds are established under both preemptive and non-preemptive GEDF-H scheduling. Extensive experiments show that the magnitude of the derived response time bound is reasonable, often smaller than four task relative deadlines. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to show that soft real-time sporadic task systems can be supported on uniform heterogeneous multiprocessors without utilization loss under global scheduling, and with reasonable predicted response times.
SU-F-T-237: The Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Cooperatives Activities Supporting the NCI's National Clinical Trial Network

Purpose: The Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Cooperative has been active for the past two years supporting the National Clinical Trial Network and the details of that support are reported. Methods: There are six QA centers (Houston, Ohio, Philadelphia-RT, Philadelphia-DI, Rhode Island, St. Louis) providing an integrated RT and DI quality control program in support of the NCI's clinical trials. The QA Center's efforts are focused on assuring high quality data for clinical trials designed to improve the clinical outcomes for cancer patients worldwide. This program is administered through five core services: site qualification, trial design support, credentialing, data management, and case review. Results: IROC currently provides core support for 172 NCTN trials with RT, DI and RT/DI components. Many of these trials were legacy trial from the previous cooperative group program. IROC monitors nearly 1800 RT photon and 20 proton institutions. Over 28,000 beams outputs were monitored with 8% of the sites requiring repeat audits due to beam out of criteria. As part of credentialing, 950 QA phantoms have been irradiated, 515 imaging modalities evaluated and almost 4000 credentialing letters have been issued. In just year 2, 5290 RT and 4934 DI patient datasets were received (many using TRIAD) by IROC QA Centers to be prepared for review. During the past 2 years, a total of 6300 RT cases and 19,000 DI image sets were reviewed by IROC technical staff. To date, IROC has published 36 manuscripts. Conclusion: The QA services provided by IROC are numerous and are continually being evaluated for effectiveness, harmonized across all NCTN Groups and administered in an efficient and timely manner to enhance accurate and per protocol trial data submission. These efforts increase each NCTN Group's ability to derive meaningful outcomes from their clinical trials. This work was supported by DHHS NIH grant 5U24CA180803
An empirical model of ion plasma in the inner magnetosphere derived from CRRES/MICS measurements

We describe an empirical model of energetic ion plasma (∼20-400 keV/q) that is constructed from measurements taken by the Magnetospheric Ion Composition Spectrometer (MICS) instrument that flew on the CRRES spacecraft. This is a unique data set in that it provides energetic ion composition in the near-equatorial ring current region during a very active solar maximum. The model database is binned by energy, equatorial pitch angle, L shell, and magnetic local time, and provides unidirectional, differential number fluxes of the major ionic constituents of the inner magnetosphere, such as protons (H+), singly-charged oxygen (O+), and singly-charged helium (He+). The H+ and O+ model fluxes are examined in detail and are consistent with well-known particle transport effects (e.g., adiabatic heating). We also validate these model fluxes against a number of other ion plasma models that are available in the literature. The primary finding is the elevated levels of energetic O+ flux during the CRRES era. We attribute this to a solar cycle effect, related to the enhanced upwelling and oxygen outflow from the ionosphere that occurs during solar maximum, driven by elevated solar extreme ultraviolet radiation. We briefly discuss the implications that the enhanced O+ environment during the CRRES era may have for other results derived from CRRES observations (e.g., statistical wave distributions).
Sulfiphilic Nickel Phosphosulfide Enabled Li2S Impregnation in 3D Graphene Cages for Li–S Batteries

A 3D graphene cage with a thin layer of electrodeposited nickel phosphosulfide for Li2S impregnation, using ternary nickel phosphosulphide as a highly conductive coating layer for stabilized polysulfide chemistry, is accomplished by the combination of theoretical and experimental studies. The 3D interconnected graphene cage structure leads to high capacity, good rate capability and excellent cycling stability in a Li2S cathode.
Demonstration of a potent RET transcriptional inhibitor for the treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma based on an ellipticine derivative

Dominant-activating mutations in the RET (rearranged during transfection) proto-oncogene, which encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, is often associated with the development of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The proximal promoter region of the RET gene consists of a guanine-rich sequence containing five runs of three consecutive guanine residues that serve as the binding site for transcriptional factors. As we have recently shown, this stretch of nucleotides in the promoter region is highly dynamic in nature and tend to form non-B DNA secondary structures called G-quadruplexes, which suppress the transcription of the RET gene. In the present study, ellipticine and its derivatives were identified as excellent RET G-quadruplex stabilizing agents. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic studies revealed that the incorporation of a piperidine ring in an ellipticine derivative, NSC311153 improves its binding with the G-quadruplex structure and the stability induced by this compound is more potent than ellipticine. Furthermore, this compound also interfered with the transcriptional mechanism of the RET gene in an MTC derived cell line, TT cells and significantly decreased the endogenous RET protein expression. We demonstrated the specificity of NSC311153 by using papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells, the TPC1 cell line which lacks the G-quadruplex forming sequence in the promoter region due to chromosomal rearrangement. The RET downregulation selectively suppresses cell proliferation by inhibiting the intracellular Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways in the TT cells. In the present study, we also showed that the systemic administration of a water soluble NSC311153 analog in a mouse MTC xenograft model inhibited the tumor growth through RET downregulation.
Compressed sensing for portable millimeter wave 3D imaging radar

In our previous paper, a 3D imaging radar system is proposed. To further improve the sensing efficiency and imaging quality, compressed sensing approach to recover 3D imaging is studied in this paper. Based on the raw radar of the proposed system, we discussed the sensing basis and constructed representation basis. The simulation and experiment results show that the compressed sensing approach can achieve a high quality 3D imaging.
The G-Proteins Regulating Phosphoinositide Breakdown

The stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis is a widespread cellular response to many hormones, growth factors and neurotransmitters (Berridge 1987). It is catalyzed by a phospholipase C (PLC) and yields two signaling molecules: inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) which releases Ca2+ from stores in the endoplasmic reticulum, and 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) which activates protein kinase C. The growth factors activate the PLC through the tyrosine kinase activity of their receptors (Kriz et al 1990), whereas the other agonists act through guanine nucleotide-binding regulating proteins (G-proteins). Despite the recognition several years ago that G-proteins were involved in the regulation of PLC, some of these G-proteins have only recently been identified (Taylor et al 1990, Smrcka et al 1991, Blank et al 1991). These G-proteins are insensitive to pertussis toxin, but it is clear that toxin-insensitive G-proteins are also involved in the regulation of PLC in some tissues (Exton 1988).
Oncolytic measles virus retargeting by ligand display.

Despite significant advances in recent years, treatment of metastatic malignancies remains a significant challenge. There is an urgent need for development of novel therapeutic approaches. Virotherapy approaches have considerable potential and among them measles virus (MV) vaccine strains have emerged as one of the most promising oncolytic platforms. Retargeted MV strains deriving from the Edmonston vaccine lineage (MV-Edm) have shown comparable antitumor efficacy to unmodified strains against receptor expressing tumor cells with improved therapeutic index. Here we describe the construction, rescue, amplification and titration of fully retargeted MV-Edm derivatives displaying tumor specific receptor binding ligands on the viral surface in combination with CD46 and SLAM entry H ablating mutations.
Introduction: The Importance of Religion To Understanding the Presidency

Religion is a key, but largely underappreciated factor in the actions of many US presidents. Most of the writings about religion and the presidency focus on the religious beliefs and practices of certain chief executives widely known to have been men of deep faith.
Debt, Inequality and Economic Growth

In this chapter, the relationship between debt, inequality and economic growth is investigated. Information obtained from official and private sources, and reports issued by research institutes and not-for-profit organizations all suggest that debt contributes to widening the income and wealth inequalities; and inequalities cause the income of 90% of the population to remain stagnant, which causes demand for goods and services to be low. Weak demand causes rates of growth to remain low or decline. Owing to the excess global capacity to produce most goods and services, corporate profits tend to be modest and discourage new investment; meanwhile, unemployment rates remain high and the general economic situation worsens.
Getting the most out of online literature searches-tips for advanced searches.

Thorough and efficient literature searches are important to authors and practicing physicians alike, and modern search engines have many tools to expedite the process. In databases such as PubMed, new logic, or natural language, is set up to answer questions by simply typing them in.
Using Online Geotagged and Crowdsourced Data to Understand Human Offline Behavior in the City: An Economic Perspective

The pervasiveness of mobile technologies today has facilitated the creation of massive online crowdsourced and geotagged data from individual users at different locations in a city. Such ubiquitous user-generated data allow us to study the social and behavioral trajectories of individuals across both digital and physical environments. This information, combined with traditional economic and behavioral indicators in the city (e.g., store purchases, restaurant visits, parking), can help us better understand human behavior and interactions with cities. In this study, we take an economic perspective and focus on understanding human economic behavior in the city by examining the performance of local businesses based on the values learned from crowsourced and geotagged data. Specifically, we extract multiple traffic and human mobility features from publicly available data source geomapping and geo-social-tagging techniques and examine the effects of both static and dynamic features on booking volume of local restaurants. Our study is instantiated on a unique dataset of restaurant bookings from OpenTable for 3,187 restaurants in New York City from November 2013 to March 2014. Our results suggest that foot traffic can increase local popularity and business performance, while mobility and traffic from automobiles may hurt local businesses, especially the well-established chains and high-end restaurants. We also find that, on average, one or more street closure (caused by events or construction projects) nearby leads to a 4.7% decrease in the probability of a restaurant being fully booked during the dinner peak. Our study demonstrates the potential to best make use of the large volumes and diverse sources of crowdsourced and geotagged user-generated data to create matrices to predict local economic demand in a manner that is fast, cheap, accurate, and meaningful.
Tunable topological Nernst effect in two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides

Two-dimensional semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exhibit an intrinsic Ising spin-orbit coupling (SOC) along with a valley contrasting Berry curvature, which can generate a purely anomalous spin and valley Nernst signal driven by a thermal gradient. We show that a small Bychkov-Rashba coupling, which is present in gated TMDs, can enhance the valley Nernst signal by at least 1--2 orders of magnitude. We find that the Nernst signal in these materials is dominated by the anomalous geometrical contribution, and the conventional contribution is much weaker. Importantly, the Nernst signal is also highly tunable by external gating. Although the total Nernst signal vanishes due to time reversal (TR) symmetry, a small magnetic coupling lifts the valley degeneracy and generates an amplified Nernst response. Additionally, we also discuss the Nernst response of bilayer TMDs, and show a similar enhancement and modulation of the Nernst signal due to Rashba SOC. Our predictions are highly pertinent to ongoing experimental studies in TMDs. The generated large anomalous Nernst signal can directly probe the presence of a large Berry curvature in these materials, and may serve as a promising tunable platform for caloritronics applications.
Longitudinal evaluation of ventricular volume changes associated with mild traumatic brain injury in military service members.

Primary objective: To investigate differences in longitudinal trajectories of ventricle-brain ratio (VBR), a general measure of brain atrophy, between Veterans with and without history of mild trau...
The impact on the performance of a PV module as a result of the encapsulant fluorescence induced by weathering

The electrical performance of a 4.0 kW mono crystalline modules is characterized in terms of encapsulant transmission and fluorescence. These modules have been installed in a grid-connected service environment since 2009 in the Southeastern US. I-V (current-voltage) assessments are done indoors using a Pasan solar simulator under controlled environment. A detailed analysis of the electroluminescent images is presented. Assessments of cell damage and impact on electrical performance change in I sc (short circuit current), I Pmax (current @ max power) and P max against the manufacturer name plate are made. Encapsulant fluorescence is measured in cell area in the module and compared to the no cell area. Module is cored to examine various interfaces in the laminate and results reported.
Lingual liability: macroglossia and dyspnoea as the harbinger of systemic AL (light-chain) cardiac amyloidosis

A 58-year-old man presented with a chief complaint of tongue indentations and discomfort. Otolaryngology treated him for oral thrush with counselling to avoid tongue biting. In addition, the patient reported dyspnoea described as a decrease in tolerance of his physical activities. Due to continued increase in tongue size and worsening dyspnoea, he underwent a tissue biopsy with findings consistent with amyloidosis. Further evaluation with a bone marrow biopsy revealed underlying multiple myeloma. Echocardiography revealed abnormal ventricular wall thickness, with a reduced left ventricular chamber size, dilated atria and Doppler findings with restrictive filling patterns indicative of cardiac amyloidosis. The patient was initiated on chemotherapy for his multiple myeloma and supportive therapy for his cardiac amyloidosis. Light-chain amyloidosis (AL) is a systemic disease characterised by irreversible deposition of amyloid in tissues throughout the body; when there is cardiac involvement, it can result in heart failure with a poor prognosis. Early diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis can lead to prolonged survival.
Cardiovascular health and the menopausal woman: the role of estrogen and when to begin and end hormone treatment.

Reports have correlated the use of estrogen for the treatment of menopausal symptoms with beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. Molecular, biochemical, preclinical, and clinical studies have furnished a wealth of evidence in support of this outcome of estrogen action. The prospective randomized Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and the Early Versus Late Intervention Trial (ELITE) showed that starting menopausal hormone treatment (MHT) within 5 to 10 years of menopause is fundamental to the success of estrogen’s cardioprotection in post-menopausal women without adverse effects. Age stratification of the WHI data has shown that starting hormone treatment within the first decade after menopause is both safe and effective, and the long-term WHI follow-up studies are supportive of cardioprotection. This is especially true in estrogen-treated women who underwent surgical menopause. A critique of the WHI and other relevant studies is presented, supporting that the timely use of estrogens protects against age- and hormone-related cardiovascular complications. Salutary long-term hormone treatment for menopausal symptoms and prevention of complications has been widely reported, but there are no prospective trials defining the correct length to continue MHT. At present, women undergoing premature menopause receive estrogen treatment (ET) until evidence of hormone-related complications intervenes. Normal women started on MHT who receive treatment for decades without hormone-related complications have been reported, and the WHI follow-up studies are promising of long-term post-treatment cardioprotection. A prevention-based holistic approach is proposed for timely and continuing MHT/ET administration as part of the general management of the menopausal woman. But this should be undertaken only with scheduled, annual patient visits including evaluations of cardiovascular status. Because of the continued occurrence of reproductive cancers well into older ages, these visits should include genital and breast cancer screening.
Using Implementation Frameworks to Provide Proactive Physical Therapy for People With Parkinson Disease: Case Report

Background and purpose European clinical practice guidelines recommend physical therapy for people with Parkinson disease (PD) soon after diagnosis to provide education, physical activity advice, and individualized interventions when needed. However, therapy is frequently not used until after gait and balance problems occur. The purpose of this administrative case study is to present the application of a proactive physical therapy (PAPT) approach at 1 rehabilitation center using implementation frameworks to support the (1) implementation process, (2) determinants of implementation success, and (3) implementation evaluation. Case description The PAPT program targeted people with PD before the onset of significant mobility dysfunction. It was initiated in 1 outpatient neurological rehabilitation center. The program used shared decision-making to promote long-term maintenance of independent exercise. The Knowledge-to-Action Framework was used by champions to plan implementation processes. Implementation barriers were addressed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. The program was evaluated using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework with mixed methods. Outcomes In the program's first year, 38 people were referred, 28 were evaluated, and 20 participated in the 6-month program evaluation. Following PAPT, the number of participants reporting regular participation in aerobic, strengthening, and flexibility exercise approximately doubled, while those engaging in balance activities increased from 1 to 8. They reported a median of 140 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. Implementation barriers included location, insurance coverage, and difficulty scheduling long-term follow-up visits. Participants reported physical and emotional benefits of the program. Discussion Implementation frameworks assisted with the implementation and evaluation of a PAPT delivery model that helped people with PD to increase and maintain independent exercise participation.
Beta-lactam-Induced Outer Membrane Alteration Confers E. coli a Fortuitous Competitive Advantage through Cross-Resistance to Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages play an important role in controlling bacteria populations; yet, little is known about their differential effects on antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) proliferation. Here, we repor...
An ounce of public health for COVID-19?

Multifaceted nonpharmaceutical interventions supported by data restricted spread of COVID-19 in China.
Are you sure I cannot have spinal anesthesia? A case of pseudothrombocytopenia in pregnancy

Abstract Neuraxial anesthesia is a mainstay in the management of the parturient on the labor and delivery floor. Coagulopathies such as thrombocytopenia could result in avoidance of neuraxial techniques. We present a case of cesarean delivery where work up of her platelet count of 49,000 mm-3 revealed a condition called pseudothrombocytopenia. Diagnosis was done by a peripheral blood smear, with absence of thrombocytopenia further confirmed by viscoelastic point of care monitoring. We were then able to safely proceed with neuraxial anesthesia.
A Low-loss Waveguide Filter for Harmonic Rejection in a Polarimetric Automotive Radar

A 75-83GHz waveguide band-pass filter is designed and fabricated for harmonic rejection of a multiplier chain used in a polarimetric automotive radar. The radar uses a multiplier/amplifier chain to achieve the desired signal at E-band from a source at X-band. It is shown that this filter can provide more than 50 dB signal suppression at 72 GHz (7th harmonic) and 35 dB suppression at 85.5 GHz (9th harmonic) with less than 1 dB ripples in the pass-band and less than 500 ps group delay. The filter is made of a perforated septum placed in the E-plane of a rectangular waveguide. Fabrication error was successfully minimized by using a brass sheet and a high precision laser cutter. This high-performance filter is shown to improve the performance of the FMCW MMW radar by significantly lowering the noise floor and eliminating other interference effects.
Evaluation of Fiber Distribution and Alignment in Structural UHPC Elements

The high tensile strength and excellent post-cracking ductility of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) makes it attractive for structural applications. This desirable behavior derives in part from a dense network of fibers - often made of high strength steel - that carry tensile loads, even after the concrete has cracked. The orientation and spatial arrangement of the fibers has a significant impact on the ability of the UHPC to carry these stresses. However, because UHPC is typically placed as a highly flowable material, the fibers have a tendency to align along the direction of flow and may also segregate through the depth of the element, thereby altering the local mechanical properties of the UHPC within the structural element. This paper presents a brief review of fiber distribution and alignment in UHPC composites and the associated impact on the performance of structural UHPC elements. An image analysis technique is described to characterize distribution and alignment of fibers on a cut surface,after the exposed fiber surfaces were highlighted by treatment with a copper sulfate solution. A “fiber alignment factor” is introduced to relate the flexural performance of sawed beams to fiber distribution and alignment. Fiber alignment parameters are compared to the theoretical parameters obtained for a random (isotropic) distribution of fibers to characterize the influence of preferential alignment on the mechanical response of the UHPC beams. Extension of the image analysis technique to characterizing fiber distribution and alignment in field-cast structural elements is also discussed.
Indicator Properties of the Paper-Bill Spread: Lessons from Recent Experiences

A feature of U.S. post-war business cycle experience that is by now widely documented is the tendency of the spread between the respective interest rates on commercial paper and Treasury bills to widen shortly before the onset of recessions. By contrast, the paper- bill spread did not anticipate the 1990-91 recession. Empirical work presented in this paper supports two (not mutually exclusive) explanations for this departure from past experience. First, at least part of the paper-bill spread's predictive content with respect to business cycle fluctuations stems from its role as an indicator of monetary policy, but the 1990-91 recession was unusual in post-war U.S. experience in not being immediately precipitated by tight monetary policy. Second, movements of the spread during the few years just prior to the 1990-91 recession were strongly influenced by changes in the relative quantities of commercial paper, bank CDs and Treasury bills that occurred for reasons unrelated to the business cycle. This latter finding in particular sheds light on the important role of imperfect substitutability of different short-term debt instruments in investors portfolios, and highlights the burdens associated with using relative interest rate relationships as business cycle indicators.
Balancing Control and Pose Optimization for Wheel-legged Robots Navigating Uneven Terrains.

In this paper, we propose a novel approach on controlling wheel-legged quadrupedal robots using pose optimization and force control via quadratic programming (QP). Our method allows the robot to leverage wheel torques to navigate the terrain while keeping the wheel traction and balancing the robot body. In detail, we present a rigid body dynamics with wheels that can be used for real-time balancing control of wheel-legged robots. In addition, we introduce an effective pose optimization method for wheel-legged robot's locomotion over uneven terrains with ramps and stairs. The pose optimization utilized a nonlinear programming (NLP) solver to solve for the optimal poses in terms of joint positions based on kinematic and contact constraints during a stair-climbing task with rolling wheels. In simulation, our approach has successfully validated for the problem of a wheel-legged robot climbing up a 0.34m stair with a slope angle of 80 degrees and shown its versatility in multiple-stair climbing with varied stair runs and rises with wheel traction. Experimental validation on the real robot demonstrated the capability of climbing up on a 0.25m stair with a slope angle of 30 degrees.
Use MUSIC® To Motivate Your Online Students

Location: Dewberry Hall As Mason grows fully-online undergraduate and graduate programs, faculty who teach their online courses may face challenges in motivating students. As an online instructor, you may find that some of your students appear unmotivated, falling behind, and not actively participating in the online course. To support student learning and student success, itâs critical to make sure that your online students stay on task, participate in the online course, and actively engage in the learning community that you create for learners in your online course. In my poster, I will provide tips, strategies & best practices which may be used to foster motivation in online students, based on the MUSIC® Model of Motivation (Jones 2009; Jones 2018). This model was developed by Dr. Brett D. Jones (Virginia Tech) as a research-based motivation model to help instructors identify strategies to motivate learners. MUSIC® is an acronym for the five key principles of the model: eMpowerment, Usefulness, Success, Interest, and Caring. The MUSIC® Model recently has been used to study motivation and persistence in online education, particularly for adult learners (Lucey, 2018). Guided by the MUSIC® Model of Motivation, you may design-- and teach-- your online course to foster student motivation. In my poster presentation, I will share a brief overview of the MUSIC® Model, and focus on specific examples of strategies and best practices (which are guided by the MUSIC® Model) that you may use to motivate your online students in fully-online courses. Cited Sources: â¢ Jones, Brett D. (2009). Motivating students to engage in learning: The MUSIC® Model of Academic Motivation. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 21(2), 272-285. â¢ Jones, Brett D. (2018). Motivating Students by Design: Practical Strategies for Professors. 2nd Edition. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. â¢ Lucey, K. (2018). The effect of motivation on student persistence in online higher education: A phenomenological study of how adult learners experience motivation in a web-based distance learning environment (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University).
Spindle cell lesions of the breast

Abstract Spindle cell lesions of the breast (BSCLs) are uncommon and encompass a wide spectrum of entities, ranging from benign reactive lesions to high-grade malignancies. The wide spectrum of differential diagnoses and significant overlap of clinicopathological features of BSCLs can cause diagnostic difficulties. An accurate diagnosis is crucial for guiding the clinical management. A BSCL can generally be classified as low grade/bland looking or high grade/malignant looking proliferations. Immunohistochemistry and/or other ancillary studies are usually necessary to differentiate morphologically challenging spindle cell lesion cases. This review focuses on the histological features and differential diagnoses of common spindle cell lesions of the breast.
Intergalactic matter and radiation.

This paper presents a critical discussion of our present knowledge of intergalactic matter and radiation as it relates to cosmology. While there have been some observational successes and much theoretical speculation, studies of intergalactic matter and radiation have still not allowed us to draw certain conclusions about the origin and evolution of the universe.
“Rush, I Love You”: Interactional Fandom on U.S. Political Talk Radio

This article analyzes the openings in host-caller interactions in three leading U.S. political talk radio (PTR) programs. Conversation analysis and membership categorization analysis are used to describe how fandom is achieved in these shows. Callers present themselves as fans in the first possible position in the interaction, using various practices ranging from uttering the word ditto to creating extended discourse structures. The hosts usually perceive these practices as compliments and appreciate them and the callers. PTR is a prime example of a fan-public, since its host harnesses the fans to achieve his political (and commercial) agenda. The hyphen in fan-public deserves attention, because this notion is rooted in infotainment, combining the relationships of the entertainment business, fans, and stars with the realm of politics, which would assume some critical notion and individuality in the decision-making processes.
Optimal Discretization Resolution in Algebraic Image Reconstruction

In this paper, we focus on data‐limited tomographic imaging problems where the underlying linear inverse problem is ill‐posed. A typical regularized reconstruction algorithm uses algebraic formulation with a predetermined discretization resolution. If the selected resolution is too low, we may loose useful details of the underlying image and if it is too high, the reconstruction will be unstable and the representation will fit irrelevant features. In this work, two approaches are introduced to address this issue. The first approach is using Mallow’s CL method or generalized cross‐validation. For each of the two methods, a joint estimator of regularization parameter and discretization resolution is proposed and their asymptotic optimality is investigated. The second approach is a Bayesian estimator of the model order using a complexity‐penalizing prior. Numerical experiments focus on a space imaging application from a set of limited‐angle tomographic observations.
Retained Catheter Dilator in Right Ventricular Outflow Tract for 22 Years

We report the case of a 61-year-old male with a retained catheter dilator in the right ventricular outflow tract for over 22 years. The management of retained intravascular foreign objects in the myocardium is reviewed. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12180 (J Card Surg 2013;28:679–682)
β-Hydroxydecanoyl Thioester Dehydrase II. MODE OF ACTION

The β-hydroxydecanoyl thioester dehydrase of Escherichia coli has a high degree of chain length specificity, catalyzing the dehydration of β-hydroxydecanoyl-N-acetylcysteamine at more than 10 times the rate of the corresponding C8 and C12 compounds. The enzyme acts on different thioesters of β-hydroxydecanoic acid at the following relative rates: acyl carrier protein, 6; N-acetylcysteamine, 1; and pantetheine, 0.6. In each case, both α,β- and β,γ-unsaturated products are formed. The dehydrase also catalyzes the interconversion and hydration of the isomeric decenoyl thioesters. The same equilibrium mixture is obtained when either β-hydroxydecanoyl-, trans-α,β-decenoyl-, or cis-β,γ-decenoyl-N-acetylcysteamine is used as substrate. Experiments are described which attempt to delineate the pathway of interconversion of the different substrates, and which argue for a single, multifunctional enzyme catalyzing the transformations. In accord with the proposed pathway for the synthesis of long chain acids in E. coli, the bacterial fatty acid synthetase catalyzes the chain elongation of α,β-decenoyl acyl carrier protein to mainly saturated acids, and of β-hydroxydecanoyl and β,γ-decenoyl acyl carrier protein, to mixtures of long chain saturated and unsaturated acids. Explanations are offered for the apparent paradox that the isolated dehydrase converts β-hydroxydecanoyl thioesters primarily to α,β-decenoate, whereas the fatty acid synthetase, of which the dehydrase is a component, catalyzes the formation of predominantly unsaturated acids, the elongation products of β,γ-decenoate.
Cooling Systems for Spaceborne Infrared Experiments

A cryogenic cooler is an important component in many infrared systems, but it is an absolutely critical one on a spaceborne system.
Reforming Legal Education: Law Schools at the Crossroads

In today’s volatile law school environment, curriculum reform has emerged as a significant focus. It is commonly understood that law schools effectively teach certain analytical skills, but are less successful in other areas, and often scramble to adapt to evolving aims. This book demonstrates how law schools are successfully reforming their curriculum - and lays the framework to show how all schools of law can engage in a continuous reform model that proactively shapes our profession.It is expected that faculty and professional staff engaged in legal education will utilize this book as a primary resource to guide their respective reform efforts. Each contributed chapter presents a case study of a data-driven curriculum reform effort. The initial chapters set the conceptual context for the book, while the final chapter offers summative recommendations for considering legal education reform as derived from the earlier case study chapters. This book adds significantly to the literature in legal education, as we gain first hand insight into evidence based reform for the legal education community.
Estimation of the Shortest Average Distance in Bipartite Networks with Given Density

Complex networks have become a very popular research domain among physicists since the very beginning of this century. Despite network diversity, many real world networks are observed to have small average distance, i.e., the small-world phenomenon. In such cases, the average distance l in a network typically scales with the logarithm of the number of nodes n. The issue of the small-world phenomenon is of great importance for network studies, such as the information processing in communication networks, epidemic spreading in social networks, network designing and optimization. Despite the usefulness and universality of the smallworld concept, it is somewhat unclear what average distance values general networks can produce. It is well known that the classical random graphs of Erdős and Renyi almost surely have short average distance. Relatively short average distances have also been found in many variant random graphs as well as some scale-free network models. However, if a typical random graph has short average distance, does this mean that all graphs share this property? The answer is clearly no. Examples are regular lattices and paths. The construction of such examples naturally depends on the ratio of present edges amongst all the possible edges, i.e., the density d. Following these considerations, the authors in ref. 1 provide a lower estimation for the shortest average distance values in connected graphs with given density, among other things. They show the lower estimation as 2 d independent of the network size. A class of networks that has attracted scrutiny is bipartite networks, which is the topic of the current work. The collaboration networks of scientists, company directors, and movie actors are all examples of bipartite networks. Many important social networks are bipartite. In this paper, we present a lower estimation of shortest average distance in connected bipartite networks with given size and density. This is followed by simulations for random bipartite graphs which demonstrate the correctness of our estimation. Let G 1⁄4 ðV1; V2; EÞ be a bipartite graph with vertex parts V1, V2 and edge set E. Suppose jV1j 1⁄4 n and jV2j 1⁄4 m. Therefore, the density d can be defined as d 1⁄4 jEj= jV1jjV2j 1⁄4 jEj=nm. It is clear that 0 d 1. We establish the following estimation. Theorem 1. For any connected bipartite graph G with size n m and density d, the shortest average distance of G is not less than minf3 2d; 2g.
A hurricane beta-drift law

Abstract A hurricane beta-drift law is derived by applying dimensional analysis to the numerical simulations of Chan and Williams. The beta-drift speed and direction are given as simple functions of hurricane strength, radius, and the magnitude of beta. The physical significance of the drift law and its relation to previously proposed drift laws are considered.
Impactor Apparatus for the Study of Particle Rebound: Relative Humidity and Capillary Forces

The effect of relative humidity (RH) on the adhesion of particles colliding with a hard surface was studied for submicron particles of liquid oleic acid, solid ammonium sulfate, and solid polystyrene latex (PSL). For this purpose, a three-arm impactor was designed and constructed. The three arms consisted of one impactor having an uncoated impaction plate (i.e., a rebound arm), one impactor having a viscous-liquid-coated impaction plate (i.e., a capture arm), and one impactor having no impaction plate (i.e., a null arm). The particle number concentrations downstream of each arm were measured by condensation particle counters (CPCs). Data were analyzed to obtain the particle rebound fraction. Use of ambient upstage pressure allowed measurements from 5 to 95% RH at the impaction plate. Particle rebound depended strongly on RH, even for non-hygroscopic PSL particles. The rebound fraction for PSL particles dropped monotonically from nearly unity at 50% RH to 0.4 at 95% RH. For ammonium sulfate, the rebound fr...
Singular perturbations and the sounding rocket problem

In this paper, Goddard's problem of maximizing the final altitude of a sounding rocket (a singular problem of optimal control) is analyzed using singular perturbation methods. The problem is first cast in singular perturbation form and then solved to zero order by adding boundary-layer corrections to the reduced solution. For a quadratic drag law, a closed-form solution is obtained, although consideration of a numerical example indicates that this solution is not useful for practical sounding rockets. However, use of state variable transformations allows a very accurate numerical approximation to be constructed. It is concluded that application of singular perturbation methods to the well-known sounding rocket problem indicates that these methods may have utility in dealing with singular problems of optimal control.
Structural Distortion-Induced Magnetoelastic Locking in Sr 2 IrO 4 Revealed through Nonlinear Optical Harmonic Generation

We report a global structural distortion in Sr2IrO4 using spatially resolved optical second and third harmonic generation rotational anisotropy measurements. A symmetry lowering from an I4_1/acd to I4_1/a space group is observed both above and below the Neel temperature that arises from a staggered tetragonal distortion of the oxygen octahedra. By studying an effective superexchange Hamiltonian that accounts for this lowered symmetry, we find that perfect locking between the octahedral rotation and magnetic moment canting angles can persist even in the presence of large noncubic local distortions. Our results explain the origin of the forbidden Bragg peaks recently observed in neutron diffraction experiments and reconcile the observations of strong tetragonal distortion and perfect magnetoelastic locking in Sr_2IrO_4.