cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical Characterization of Reinforced Concrete Beams Strengthened with FRP Sheets

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets. A large database consisting of 230 test beams is constructed and analyzed using advanced statistical approaches such as multivariate analysis of variance, parameter estimation analysis, and discriminant analysis. Pearson correlation is conducted to identify linear dependency between test parameters. Parameters influencing debonding of the FRP are determined at a confidence level of 95%: concrete strength, steel reinforcement ratio, FRP thickness, and beam geometry. Transition of failure modes between FRP debonding and cover delamination is affected by FRP rupture strain and a steel reinforcement ratio. Discriminant functions are developed to infer the failure mode of FRP-strengthened beams. Existing design proposals for FRP debonding are evaluated using the test data. A new statistics-oriented equation is proposed to predict the effective strain of FRP-concrete interface on the basis of Monte-Carlo simulations associated with random sampling of contributing parameters.
Can sinusoidal vernier acuity be predicted by contrast discrimination

Abstract A test-pedestal approach, with a test grating superimposed on a masking pedestal, was used to compare sinusoidal grating vernier acuity and contrast discrimination thresholds. The goal is to develop a simple, model for vernier acuity without assumptions about underlying mechanisms. In the contrast discrimination task, subjects were asked to detect contrast increments in the presence of a base pedestal. In the vernier task, a test grating shifted by 90 deg relative to the pedestal grating was added to one-half of the pedestal grating to produce a vernier offset. When expressed in the same contrast units and compared under optimal conditions, vernier and contrast discrimination thresholds agree well at spatial frequencies between 2 and 20c/deg and at pedestal contrasts above 10 times detection threshold. Thus, under these conditions, contrast discrimination predicts grating vernier acuity. To account for the discrepancies between vernier thresholds and contrast just noticeable difference (JND) when conditions deviate from optimal, one needs to make assumptions about the underlying mechanisms.
Robust classification of subcellular location patterns in high resolution 3D fluorescence microscope images

Knowledge of a protein's subcellular location is essential to a complete understanding of its functions. Automated interpretation methods for protein location patterns are needed for proteomics projects, and we have previously described systems for classifying the major subcellular patterns in cultured mammalian cells. We describe here the calculation of improved 3D Haralick texture features, which yielded a near-perfect classification accuracy when combined with 3D morphological and edge features. In particular, a set of 7 features achieved 98% overall accuracy for classifying 10 major subcellular location patterns in HeLa cells.
Syntheses of stereoregular and optically active polyamides from active 4‐chloro‐1‐benzotriazolyl diesters and diamines

A new route to prepare optically active polyamides was established, based on the polycondensation of two new active diesters: the active diesters of 4-chloro-1 hydroxybenzotriazole, such as 1,1'-(terephthaloyldioxy)bis(4-chloro-benzotriazole), and 1,1'-(isophthaloyldioxy)bis(4-chlorobenzotriazole), with optically active isomers of 2,4-diaminopentane. Dipolar aprotic solvents such as N,N-dimethylformamide and dimethyl sulfoxide were used as reaction solvents. The solution polycondensation carried out in solution at room temperature afforded optically active polyamides. The aminolysis of the two active diesters was carried out as a model reaction study.
Improving I/O performance through the dynamic remapping of object sets

Our research has been investigating a new approach to parallel I/O based on what we term objects. The premise of this research is that the primary obstacle to scalable I/O is the legacy view of a file as a linear sequence of bytes. The problem is that applications rarely access their data in a way that conforms to this data model, using instead what may be termed an object model, where each process accesses a (perhaps disjoint) collection of objects. We have developed an object-based caching system that provides an interface between MPI applications and a more powerful object file model, and have demonstrated significant performance gains based on this new approach. In this paper, we further explore the advantages that can be gained from using object-based I/O. In particular, we demonstrate that parallel I/O based on objects (termed parallel object I/O) can be dynamically remapped. That is, one application can output an object stream based on one object set, this can be captured and translated into a different object set that is more appropriate for another application. We demonstrate how such remapping can be accomplished, and provide an example application showing that using this technique can significantly improve I/O performance.
Mutagenesis analysis of human SM22: characterization of actin binding

SM22 is a 201-amino acid actin-binding protein expressed at high levels in smooth muscle cells. It has structural homology to calponin, but how SM22 binds to actin remains unknown. We performed sit...
Phylogenetic relationships among Sphagnum sections: Hemitheca, Isocladus, and Subsecunda

Sphagnum macrophyllum, S. pylaesii, and S. cyclophyllum are morphologically atypical in the genus Sphagnum and their systematic placement has been a source of controversy. The first is generally classified in the mono-specific section Isocladus, and the second as section Hemitheca. Sphagnum cyclophyllum is classified in the sectionSubsecunda, but several authors have hypothesized a close relationship between all three species. Nucleotide sequences from eight nuclear and chloroplast loci were obtained to test hypotheses about relationships among these taxa. Phylogenetic analyses resolve these species (along withS. microcarpum, closely related to S. cyclophyllum) in a well-supported monophyletic group within the sectionSubsecunda. Sphag- num macrophyllum is sister to S. cyclophyllum, S. microcarpum, and S. pylaesii. Sphagnum cyclophyllum and S. microcarpum form a clade that is sister to S. pylaesii. Two mutually mono- phyletic groups of populations are resolved withinS. pylaesii, one including the European pop- ulations and the other including populations from eastern North America and South America. The European populations are almost identical at the nucleotide sequence level whereas the American populations are genetically diverse. Short, delicate pseudopodia; exceptionally large opercula; and an absence or near absence of pseudostomata appear to be synapomorphies for the clade containing S. macrophyllum, S. microcarpum, S. cyclophyllum, and S. pylaesii.
Phase transitions induced by solid solution in stuffed derivatives of quartz: A powder synchrotron XRD study of the LiAlSiO4-SiO2 join

The crystal structures of stuffed derivatives of quartz within the Li 1−x Al 1−x Si 1+x O 4 system have been refined by Rietveld analysis of powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. Our results reveal an Al-Si order-disorder transition at x = ~0.3 and a β-α displacive transformation at x = ~0.65. Structural variations across the series result from an interplay of three mechanisms: tetrahedral tilting associated with Al-Si order-disorder; Li positional disorder along structural channels parallel to c ; and tetrahedral rotation related to the β-α transition. At both microscopic (local bonding) and macroscopic (spontaneous strain) scales, the substitution of Li + and Al 3+ for Si 4+ closely mimics temperature in its effect on the quartz framework.
Acquiring and Producing Sentences: Whether Learners Use Verb-Specific or Verb-General Information Depends on Cue Validity.

Learning to produce sentences involves learning patterns that enable the generation of new utterances. Language contains both verb-specific and verb-general regularities that are relevant to this capacity. Previous research has focused on whether one source is more important than the other. We tested whether the production system can flexibly learn to use either source, depending on the predictive validity of different cues in the input. Participants learned new sentence structures in a miniature language paradigm. In three experiments, we manipulated whether individual verbs or verb-general mappings better predicted the structures heard during learning. Evaluation of participants’ subsequent production revealed that they could use either the structural preferences of individual verbs or abstract meaning-to-form mappings to construct new sentences. Further, this choice varied according to cue validity. These results demonstrate flexibility within the production architecture and the importance of considering how language was learned when discussing how language is used.
Tickborne viruses in western North America. II. Yaquina head, a new arbovirus of the Kemerovo group isolated from Ixodes uriae.

Yaquina Head virus, an undescribed arbovirus isolated frequently from Oregon populations of Ixodes uriae White is characterized with regard to certain serological, biological and physical properties. Complement-fixation and neutralization tests demonstrate its relationship to the Palearctic viruses, Kemerovo and Tribec (also isolated from Ixodes spp.), and to a lesser extent to the African agent, Chenuda virus (from Argas spp. and Ornithodoros spp.). Yaquina Head virus kills newborn mice upon intracerebral, but not intraperitoneal, inoculation; adult mice and wet chicks are refractory regardless of route of inoculation. It causes cytopathic changes including plaques in African green monkey kidney (Vero) and baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) cell cultures, but fails to visibly affect porcine kidney (PK-HI3) cells. The virus readily passes membrane filters of 220 mμ average pore diameter (apd), but passage through filters of 100 mμ apd results in loss of most of the virus. It is not susceptible to treatment with 5-bromodeoxy-uridine; thus it probably contains RNA. Titers are unaffected by exposure of the virus to sodium deoxycholate, although exposure to diethyl ether significantly reduces them. Acid lability of the virus is marked. Isolation of a closely related strain of virus from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, is also reported.
Treating Diabetes in Patients with Heart Failure: Moving from Risk to Benefit

Over the past two decades, therapeutics for diabetes have evolved from drugs with known heart failure risk to classes with potential benefit for patients with heart failure. As many as 25 to 35 % of patients with heart failure carry a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Therefore, newer drug classes including dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GIP-1) agonists, and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are being examined for cardiovascular safety as well as their effects on left ventricular function, quality of life, and other measures of disease progression. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing evidence on these classes of anti-diabetic agents in patients with heart failure.
Information Society, Geography of

The information revolution associated with the development of the digital computer is the latest revolution in communications technologies which enable a spatially extensive society to annihilate space with time, to extend control over larger areas, and to facilitate human experience with other places. A new economic geography is emerging in the information society around a spatial division of labor, between core locations where knowledge-based activities employing face-to-face communication cluster, and more peripheral locations where routine activities can be carried out cheaply, coordinated and monitored from the core. Spatial inequalities also exist on the location of and access to the infrastructure of information technology. The information society is having a contradictory impact on space. The relationship between the geographical propinquity of social actors and similarities in their situation with respect to other social actors is weakening. Whereas some places are becoming closer to one another, others remain distant in the spaces of telecommunication. The information society is undermining the cohesion of place, as individuals are less tied to place-based communities, but in other ways place is being reinforced. The information society is simultaneously contributing to both the empowerment of localities and the globalization of interactions, thereby reinforcing ‘glocalization.’
Loss of Axin2 results in impaired heart valve maturation and subsequent myxomatous valve disease

Aims Myxomatous valve disease (MVD) is the most common aetiology of primary mitral regurgitation. Recent studies suggest that defects in heart valve development can lead to heart valve disease in adults. Wnt/β-catenin signalling is active during heart valve development and has been reported in human MVD. The consequences of increased Wnt/β-catenin signalling due to Axin2 deficiency in postnatal valve remodelling and pathogenesis of MVD were determined. Methods and results To investigate the role of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, we analysed heart valves from mice deficient in Axin2 (KO), a negative regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Axin2 KO mice display enlarged mitral and aortic valves (AoV) after birth with increased Wnt/β-catenin signalling and cell proliferation, whereas Sox9 expression and collagen deposition are decreased. At 2 months in Axin2 KO mice, the valve extracellular matrix (ECM) is stratified but distal AoV leaflets remain thickened and develop aortic insufficiency. Progressive myxomatous degeneration is apparent at 4 months with extensive ECM remodelling and focal aggrecan-rich areas, along with increased BMP signalling. Infiltration of inflammatory cells is also observed in Axin2 KO AoV prior to ECM remodelling. Overall, these features are consistent with the progression of human MVD. Finally, Axin2 expression is decreased and Wnt/β-catenin signalling is increased in myxomatous mitral valves in a murine model of Marfan syndrome, supporting the importance of Wnt/β-catenin signalling in the development of MVD. Conclusions Altogether, these data indicate that Axin2 limits Wnt/β-catenin signalling after birth and allows proper heart valve maturation. Moreover, dysregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signalling resulting from loss of Axin2 leads to progressive MVD.
A Review of The Teaching Transgender Toolkit: A Facilitator's Guide to Increasing Knowledge, Decreasing Prejudice & Building Skills

ABSTRACTThis is a review of the book The Teaching Transgender Toolkit by Eli R. Green and Luca Maurer (2015). Overall, the book is an extremely helpful guide for facilitators of varying skill levels and gender identities implementing educational interventions. The authors' familiarity with the range of participant/learner responses led them to include several helpful components. With helpful sections on how to use the book, how to compile lessons to conduct one's own trainings, and resources for further reading, the authors effectively give educators the tools they need to educate various populations about transgender identities. Limitations include the ever-changing language around gender identities and the lack of specific focus on workplace discrimination. The authors do include an online, frequently updated resource for changing terminology. This is a recommended resource for those who educate about gender and gender identity.
Neutrino signal from pair-instability supernovae

A very massive star with a carbon-oxygen core in the range of ${64\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{M}}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}l{M}_{\mathrm{CO}}l{133\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{M}}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ is expected to undergo a very different kind of explosion known as a pair-instability supernova. Pair-instability supernovae are candidates for superluminous supernovae due to the prodigious amounts of radioactive elements they create. While the basic mechanism for the explosion is understood, how a star reaches a state is not, and thus observations of a nearby pair-instability supernova would allow us to test current models of stellar evolution at the extreme of stellar masses. Much will be sought within the electromagnetic radiation we detect from such a supernova but we should not forget that the neutrinos from a pair-instability supernova contain unique signatures of the event that unambiguously identify this type of explosion. We calculate the expected neutrino flux at Earth from two, one-dimensional pair-instability supernova simulations which bracket the mass range of stars which explode by this mechanism taking into account the full time and energy dependence of the neutrino emission and the flavor evolution through the outer layers of the star. We calculate the neutrino signals in five different detectors chosen to represent present or near future designs. We find the more massive progenitors explode as pair-instability supernova which can easily be detected in multiple different neutrino detectors at the ``standard'' supernova distance of 10 kpc producing several events in DUNE, JUNO, and Super-Kamiokande, while the lightest progenitors produce only a handful of events (if any) in the same detectors. The proposed Hyper-Kamiokande detector would detect neutrinos from a large pair-instability supernova as far as $\ensuremath{\sim}50\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{kpc}$ allowing it to reach the Megallanic Clouds and the several very high mass stars known to exist there.
Patient engagement in the design and execution of urologic oncology research

Abstract Introduction There have been significant effort and financial support to engage patients in the design and execution of medical research. However, little is known about the relative benefits or potential impact of involving patients in research, most efficient practices and systems to enhance their involvement, and potential barriers and challenges that are involved with engaging patients. In this review, we will discuss the value of patient centered research, review the challenges that many of these studies faced, and highlight potential future opportunities to enhance patient involvement in urologic research. Methods An English-language literature search was performed in the electronic databases of Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library, and on the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) website. Search items included “patient-centered research,” “patient-reported outcomes” and “patient engagement” in various combinations. Although PCORI has funded almost 600 projects with $1.6 billion to improve patient centered research, the search revealed 3 studies of patient engagement in the development, management, and execution of urologic oncology research. Results Patient engagement in the design and execution of medical research can help align research topics to match patient priorities, improve survey and data collection tools, increase patient recruitment and participation in studies, and improve accessibility and dissemination of clinically relevant results from medical research. However, engagement patients in research requires significant investment of time, financial support, and energy from the patients, stakeholders, and researchers to provide mutual benefit. In the three studies in urologic oncology that involved patients, the patients provided a significant impact on the structure of the studies and helped improve the ability of patients to apply the results from the research studies. Conclusions The benefits to involving patients in research to improve the access, understanding, and application of clinical evidence can be significant. Patient engagement in urologic oncology research is limited currently, but is expected to grow as the funding agencies incentivize the practice and the culture shifts toward a greater emphasis on patient centered outcomes.
Serious Choices: A Protocol for an Environmental Scan of Patient Decision Aids for Seriously Ill People at Risk of Death Facing Choices about Life-Sustaining Treatments

Seriously ill people at high risk of death face difficult decisions, especially concerning the extent of medical intervention. Given the inherent difficulty and complexity of these decisions, the care they receive often does not align with their preferences. Patient decision aids that educate individuals about options and help them construct preferences about life-sustaining care may reduce the mismatch between the care people say they want and the care they receive. The quantity and quality of patient decision aids for those at high risk of death, however, are unknown. This protocol describes an approach for conducting an environmental scan of life-sustaining treatment patient decision aids for seriously ill patients, identified online and through informant analysis. We intend for the outcome to be an inventory of all life-sustaining treatment patient decision aids for seriously ill patients currently available (either publicly or proprietarily) along with information about their content, quality, and known use. We will identify patient decision aids in a three-step approach (1) mining previously published systematic reviews; (2) systematically searching online and in two popular app stores; and (3) undertaking a key informant survey. We will screen and assess the quality of each patient decision aid identified using the latest published draft of the U.S. National Quality Forum National Standards for the Certification of Patient Decision Aids. Additionally, we will evaluate readability via readable.io and content via inductive content analysis. We will also use natural language processing to assess the content of the decision aids. Researchers increasingly recognize the environmental scan as an optimal method for studying real-world interventions, such as patient decision aids. This study will advance our understanding of the availability, quality, and use of decision aids for life-sustaining interventions targeted at seriously ill patients. We also aim to provide patients, their families, and friends, along with their clinicians, a broad set of resources for making life-sustaining treatment decisions. Although we intend to capture all patient decision aids for the seriously ill in our review, we anticipate the possibility that we may miss some decision aids. In addition to publishing our findings in an academic journal, we plan to post our inventory online in an easy-to-read format for public and clinical consumption.
The role of vigilance in the relationship between neuroticism and health: A registered report

Abstract The theory of healthy neuroticism, that neuroticism can impact health through both negative and positive pathways, often relies on descriptions of vigilance to illustrate beneficial effects. The current study is among the first to describe the relationship of neuroticism to body vigilance and test the degree to which this relationship impacts health. In an online participant panel (N = 1055), neuroticism was associated with one factor of vigilance: sensation awareness belief. This factor had a suppression effect on the relationship between neuroticism and healthy behavior, such that the effect of neuroticism through vigilance was healthy, whereas the direct effect was unhealthy. We discuss the implications of these findings and caution against using vigilance to explain the heterogeneity in neuroticism-health relationships.
Trajectory Planning and Control of a Quadrotor Choreography for Real-Time Artist-in-the-Loop Performances

This paper proposes a systematic methodology for the guidance, control, and navigation of a quadrotor to perform a choreographed dance in real-time as a function of, and interacting with, the music performed by an artist-in-the-loop. This methodology allows for a real-time interaction with improvized music by an artist based on the pitch of the acoustic signal being played without prior knowledge of the music. The four main components of a human choreography (namely, the notions of space, shape, time and structure) are analyzed and mathematically formulated for a robotic performance. A new approach for mapping music features to trajectory parameters is proposed, as well as the design of a trajectory shaping filter based on two coefficients that are set in real-time by an artist through a MIDI foot-pedal board. The proposed approach maps motion parameters and the music to trajectory motifs that are then switched in harmony with the chord structure. The overall system is validated in a hardware-in-the-loop ...
Forced Civil Society? Associational Life, Philanthropy, and the Indianapolis Turnerverein in the 1920s

This study uses the case of a German American association in the 1920s as a historical case study to gain a better understanding of the integration of an immigrant group in American society. Philan...
Broadening Diversity on the Bench: Voting Behavior and Panel Effects on the United States Courts of Appeals

This Note seeks to determine the extent to which personal characteristics of judges—namely gender, race, and prior prosecutorial experience—affect individual judicial votes and panel decisions on the United States Courts of Appeals. Although these characteristics do not have a significant effect on the way an individual judge votes, this Note finds that the presence of one of these characteristics on a three-judge panel can influence how the other two judges vote, affecting the overall outcome. The presence of at least one female or black judge on a panel increases the likelihood of a more liberal decision across all cases. However, this effect disappears in cases that are specifically related to gender or race issues, such as employment discrimination cases. The presence of a prior prosecutor on a panel in criminal cases decreases the likelihood of a more liberal ruling (in favor of the defendant). These results shed light on the dynamics of panel decisionmaking, and allow us to critically examine the federal judicial appointment process and the pursuit of judicial diversity.
After Matching, Before Analysis

Three design tasks may usefully follow matching and precede planning of the analysis. Splitting the sample of I pairs into a small planning sample and a large analysis sample may aid in planning the analysis in a manner that increases the design sensitivity. If there will be analytic adjustments for some unmatched variables, it is prudent to check that the matched samples exhibit sufficient overlap on unmatched variables to permit analytic adjustments. Quantitative analysis of matched samples may usefully be combined with qualitative examination and narrative description of a few closely matched pairs.
Changing roles in sustaining successful charter school leadership in high poverty schools: Voices from the field

Effective educational leadership is essential for the success of schools and ultimately student achievement. The impact of school leadership may be even more pronounced in charter schools. Due to c...
Microalternatives – A better way of thinking about alternatives in the context of the National Environmental Policy Act

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) considers a comparison of alternatives to be the heart of any environmental impact statement (EIS). However, a question arises as to whether the real valu...
Evidence-Based Medicine and the American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guidelines.

This study assesses whether American Thoracic Society clinical practice guidelines are substantiated by high-quality evidence and can be used to promote evidence-based medicine.
Analysis and modeling of ground motion coherency at uniform site conditions

Abstract In this work, nonstationary ground motion coherency analysis and modeling are performed using wavelet analysis and relevance vector machine regression. Earthquake ground motion data from four events recorded at dense seismograph SMART-1 array in north-south and east-west horizontal directions are used to investigate the lagged coherency behavior. Wavelet transform is used to compute the nonstationary lagged coherency that characterizes the space-time variation of seismic ground motion. Lagged coherency behavior with frequency, distance, and time is examined. It is shown that the lagged coherency is a time-varying quantity. The results implied that the lagged coherency on uniform soil is relatively insensitive to the earthquake events, and depends mainly on time, frequency, and separation distance. Relevance Vector Machines (RVM) regression is used to develop a model for nonstationary lagged coherency that characterizes the space-time variation of seismic ground motion. Earthquake ground motion in the in the north-south and the first principal directions is used to determine the lagged coherency model. The proposed model does not require a fixed parametric functional form. The developed model can estimate the lagged coherency for different separation distances at different time instants and frequencies.
Modeling of Leakage-Assist-Switching in Ferroelectric/Dielectric Stack

A ferroelectric (FE) and dielectric (DE) bi-layer is an unavoidable structure in both ferroelectric field-effect transistors (Fe-FETs) [1]–[4] and NC-FETs [5]–[9], because DE layer is used to improve the interface quality and realize capacitance matching. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the ferroelectric polarization switching dynamics in the FE/DE stack. An important but always ignored feature of the FE/DE stack is that the polarization charge density in the FE layer is much higher than the maximum charge density the DE layer can support. For example, FE HZO has a typical remnant polarization $(\mathrm{P}_{\mathrm{r}})$ of $\sim 10-30\mu \mathrm{C}/\mathrm{cm}^{2}$ [10]. The maximum charge density of an Al 2 O 3 to support at a breakdown electric field $(\sim 1\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{nm})$ is $\sim 7\mu \mathrm{C}/\mathrm{cm}^{2}$ . The insufficient charge balance at the FE/DE interface has to be supplied by the leakage current through the ultrathin DE layer [11]–[13]. In this work, this leakage-assist-switching process in a FE/DE stack is theoretically modeled, numerically simulated and verified by experimental results. It is found the ferroelectric polarization switching process behaves very differently with and without the leakage in the models. The numerical simulation using the leakage-assist-switching model is in good agreement with the experimental results.
Growth and trade in the United States and the world economy: Overview

After the slow recovery from the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, the world economy faced slower growth than in the previous decade and even the prospect of a new global financial crisis. This paper starts by examining the reasons for the slow economic recovery and growth in the after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis and "great recession". Then, it examines the reasons the United States grew faster than other advanced countries (especially Europe and Japan), the slowing growth of emerging market economies (and even economic crisis in some of them), and whether the world is now (February 2020) sliding toward a new global financial crisis and recession.
Connected Minds, Disconnected Bodies; The Somatophobic Era of Corona

After three months of the Corona pandemic, it seems that we have gotten used to being visible, but untouchable. Corona has swallowed most of our third dimension and most of the time we, interpersonally, are texts and voices with/without two dimensional pictures. I do not want to deliver apocalyptic verses for wandering minds or blow into Israfil’s horn for lost bodies. I am merely trying to shed light on postcoronal bodies.
Tau induces PSD95–neuronal NOS uncoupling and neurovascular dysfunction independent of neurodegeneration

Cerebrovascular abnormalities have emerged as a preclinical manifestation of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia, diseases characterized by the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated forms of the microtubule-associated protein tau. However, it is unclear whether tau contributes to these neurovascular alterations independent of neurodegeneration. We report that mice expressing mutated tau exhibit a selective suppression of neural activity-induced cerebral blood flow increases that precedes tau pathology and cognitive impairment. This dysfunction is attributable to a reduced vasodilatation of intracerebral arterioles and is reversible by reducing tau production. Mechanistically, the failure of neurovascular coupling involves a tau-induced dissociation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) from postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) and a reduced production of the potent vasodilator nitric oxide during glutamatergic synaptic activity. These data identify glutamatergic signaling dysfunction and nitric oxide deficiency as yet-undescribed early manifestations of tau pathobiology, independent of neurodegeneration, and provide a mechanism for the neurovascular alterations observed in the preclinical stages of tauopathies.
The Role of Magnetic Helicity in Structuring the Solar Corona

Two of the most widely observed and striking features of the Suns magnetic field are coronal loops, which are smooth and laminar, and prominences or filaments, which are strongly sheared. Loops are puzzling because they show little evidence of tangling or braiding, at least on the quiet Sun, despite the chaotic nature of the solar surface convection. Prominences are mysterious because the origin of their underlying magnetic structure filament channels is poorly understood at best. These two types of features would seem to be quite unrelated and wholly distinct. We argue that, on the contrary, they are inextricably linked and result from a single process: the injection of magnetic helicity into the corona by photospheric motions and the subsequent evolution of this helicity by coronal reconnection. In this paper, we present numerical simulations of the response of a Parker (1972) corona to photospheric driving motions that have varying degrees of helicity preference. We obtain four main conclusions: (1) in agreement with the helicity condensation model of Antiochos (2013), the inverse cascade of helicity by magnetic reconnection in the corona results in the formation of filament channels localized about polarity inversion lines; (2) this same process removes most complex fine structure from the rest of the corona, resulting in smooth and laminar coronal loops; (3) the amount of remnant tangling in coronal loops is inversely dependent on the net helicity injected by the driving motions; and (4) the structure of the solar corona depends only on the helicity preference of the driving motions and not on their detailed time dependence. We discuss the implications of our results for high-resolution observations of the corona.
Collaborating with Rural Practice Patners to Address the Need for RNs in Primary Care

Abstract Purpose: Primary care in rural areas of the U.S. urgently need competent healthcare providers, especially registered nurses (RNs). Registered nurses are ideal team members to help meet the primary care needs in rural communities, yet RNs are underutilized in primary care settings and rarely practice to the full scope of their license in these settings. The purpose of the project was to conduct a needs assessment with rural primary care practice partners to address the need for RNs in primary care. Sample: A needs assessment was sent to nurse leaders at 13 rural primary care facilities via an online survey in December 2018. Methods: This descriptive exploratory study utilized an online needs assessment survey to gather information from 13 rural clinical practice partners regarding their knowledge, interest, and use of RNs in primary care. Results: Twelve of the 13 rural clinical practice partners completed the needs assessment survey. A majority of the clinical partners indicated they felt knowledgeable about the RN full scope of license and expressed a high interest in the expanded role of the RN in primary care. The clinical practice partners reported interest in providing independent RN chronic and acute care visits, care management, medication management, and collaborative provider and RN visits. Conclusion: Conducting a needs assessment and collaborating with rural primary care practice partners to address the need for RNs in primary care is the first step in developing policies and utilizing RNs to the full scope of their license. Keywords: primary care, rural, registered nurses
Reducing Kidney Discard With Artificial Intelligence Decision Support: the Need for a Transdisciplinary Systems Approach

A transdisciplinary systems approach to the design of an artificial intelligence (AI) decision support system can more effectively address the limitations of AI systems. By incorporating stakeholder input early in the process, the final product is more likely to improve decision-making and effectively reduce kidney discard. Kidney discard is a complex problem that will require increased coordination between transplant stakeholders. An AI decision support system has significant potential, but there are challenges associated with overfitting, poor explainability, and inadequate trust. A transdisciplinary approach provides a holistic perspective that incorporates expertise from engineering, social science, and transplant healthcare. A systems approach leverages techniques for visualizing the system architecture to support solution design from multiple perspectives. Developing a systems-based approach to AI decision support involves engaging in a cycle of documenting the system architecture, identifying pain points, developing prototypes, and validating the system. Early efforts have focused on describing process issues to prioritize tasks that would benefit from AI support.
Rank and tenure concerns of computer science educators

This forum is concerned with the problems faced by educators from various computing disciplines in the process by which promotion and tenure are granted. Candidates for promotion and tenure often encounter difficulties in documenting their work and achievements in a manner acceptable to a review committee. The panelists, consisting of faculty who have successfully completed the rank or tenure review process, will summarize the process used at their respective institutions and share with conferees elements of their experience that were significant obstacles to their success and describe approaches they took which proved successful.
Displaced Workers and Their Search for Support in a Broken Bureaucracy

The federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs provide cash benefits and job retraining to workers and farmers who have been displaced by the off-shoring of U.S. jobs, falling prices resulting from increased imports, and other consequences of international trade. But workers and farmers have been seriously hampered in their attempts to gain TAA benefits by persistent and pervasive mismanagement of the TAA programs by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This article describes some of the problems that workers and farmers have faced in applying for and receiving TAA benefits. While legislative changes may address some of these problems, the article argues that legal counsel for workers and farmers is a necessary component of any plan to ensure that TAA benefits reach those they were designed to help.
Design and Implementation of a Distributed Agent Delivery System

Among the most significant changes that have affected the domain of computer networking is the proliferation of distributed applications and services, particularly within wide-area networks such as corporate intranets and most notably within the Internet. As the demand for such applications and services continues to expand, the need for a generic, open solution facilitating the distribution of data and services becomes increasingly apparent. Researchers have recently begun to investigate the feasibility of using the Mobile Agents Paradigm as an integral part of distributed computing infrastructures. In addition to facilitating the exchange of data and the access to services, agents serve as abstractions that separate the communication of data from the location and format of data that is transferred among the nodes of the distributed environment. This paper discusses the goals, design and implementation of a particular multilingual mobile agent development kit, the Distributed Agent Delivery System (DADS). DADS supports multiple agent languages types, and is deemed sufficiently lightweight to be deployed in performance-sensitive environments. DADS thus provides the fundamental mechanisms for the development of distributed applications that would scale well with the ever-increasing size and complexity of modern distributed infrastructures.
Computation of three-dimensional, inviscid supersonic flows

The paper sets forth in detail a method for the finite-difference computation of three-dimensional supersonic fields in an Eulerian mesh. First-, second-, and third-order finite difference schemes are examined. Attention is given to proper treatment of the impermeable and permeable boundaries encompassing the computational plane. Numerical results are presented for certain specific configurations: a conical wing-body combination, internal corner flow, a two-dimensional blunt body, an interfering shock problem, and three-dimensional inviscid supersonic flow past a shuttle-orbiter type vehicle.
Computational Growth and Remodeling of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Constrained by the Spine

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) evolve over time, and the vertebral column, which acts as an external barrier, affects their biomechanical properties. Mechanical interaction between AAAs and the spine is believed to alter the geometry, wall stress distribution, and blood flow, although the degree of this interaction may depend on AAAs specific configurations. In this study, we use a growth and remodeling (G&R) model, which is able to trace alterations of the geometry, thus allowing us to computationally investigate the effect of the spine for progression of the AAA. Medical image-based geometry of an aorta is constructed along with the spine surface, which is incorporated into the computational model as a cloud of points. The G&R simulation is initiated by local elastin degradation with different spatial distributions. The AAA-spine interaction is accounted for using a penalty method when the AAA surface meets the spine surface. The simulation results show that, while the radial growth of the AAA wall is prevented on the posterior side due to the spine acting as a constraint, the AAA expands faster on the anterior side, leading to higher curvature and asymmetry in the AAA configuration compared to the simulation excluding the spine. Accordingly, the AAA wall stress increases on the lateral, posterolateral, and the shoulder regions of the anterior side due to the AAA-spine contact. In addition, more collagen is deposited on the regions with a maximum diameter. We show that an image-based computational G&R model not only enhances the prediction of the geometry, wall stress, and strength distributions of AAAs but also provides a framework to account for the interactions between an enlarging AAA and the spine for a better rupture potential assessment and management of AAA patients.
The regular excluded minors for signed-graphic matroids

We show that the complete list of regular excluded minors for the class of signed-graphic matroids is M*(G1),. . . , M*(G29), R15, R16. Here G1,. . . , G29 are the vertically 2-connected excluded minors for the class of projective-planar graphs and R15 and R16 are two regular matroids that we will define in the article.
NOMPC-dependent mechanotransduction shapes the dendrite of proprioceptive neurons

Animal locomotion depends on proprioceptive feedback which is generated by mechanosensory neurons. We recently demonstrated that the evolutionarily conserved stumble (stum) gene is essential for mechanical transduction in a group of proprioceptive neurons in Drosophila leg joints. A specialized dendritic ending of the stum-expressing neurons is stretched by changes in joint position, suggesting that the dendritic site is specifically tuned for joint proprioception. Here, we show that the stum-expressing neurons express the mechanosensory channel NOMPC. In nompC mutants responses to joint position were abolished, indicating that NOMPC is the mechanosensitive channel in stum-expressing neurons. The NOMPC protein had a similar subcellular distribution as STUM, being located specifically at the dendritic site that is stretched by joint motions, thus validating that this site is a specialized sensory compartment. In the absence of NOMPC the sensory portion of the dendrite was misshapen, generating membrane protrusions. Thus, we have shown that mechanical responsiveness at a specialized dendritic site is essential for determination of the fine dendritic structure. The abnormal morphology at the sensory compartment of non-active neurons suggests that the dendrite samples for a responsive anchoring site and stabilizes the structure that elicits the effective mechanotransduction.
Influence of sequential trinexapac-ethyl applications on cytokinin content in creeping bentgrass, kentucky bluegrass, and hybrid bermudagrass

Trinexapac-ethyl (TE) is a popular plant growth regulator in the turfgrass industry not only for its effectiveness in reducing mowing requirements but for its positive effects on turf density and appearance. We hypothesized that reported side effects of TE such as increases in color, photochemical efficiency (PE) of photosystem II, tillering, and chlorophyll, may be related to changes in leaf cytokinin content. Our objective was to determine if TE influences leaf transzeatin riboside (t-ZR) content of three common turfgrass species. Sods of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.), and hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon × C. transvaalensis) were transplanted and grown in flats under a greenhouse mist system. Label-rate TE treatments were applied every 2 wk for 2 mo. Canopy PE, leaf color, canopy height, and leaf t-ZR contents were measured every 2 wk in 2003, with leaf total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) measurements added in 2004. A significant increase in tZR content was measured following sequential TE treatment in all three species in both years. Leaf TNC was consistently increased following the second TE application in creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass. While our data are nonspecific as to how TE increases leaf t-ZR, it appears that a shift in assimilate partitioning to basal organs could be a contributing factor. Whatever the mechanism, increased leaf t-ZR is likely to confer aesthetic, as well as functional, advantages to treated turfgrasses.
EDITORIAL. Creating contexts for learning

In recent years, there has been a confluence of concern in every professional field about bringing theory into practice. The focus of this discussion in medicine, law, nursing, clinical psychology,...
Photoneural systems: an introduction

Recent developments in technology make feasible the implementation of hybrid optoelectronic processors designed to mimic directly neurological processes of cognition. This paper discusses the practicability and potential utility of a particular class ofphotoneural device and architecture which is based on neural models of sensory perception. Perception is mediated by a vastly complex hierarchy of processes, but each step in the hierarchy seems to involve relatively simple antagonistic responses which remain topographic coherent when mapped to various subsystems of the brain. The topographic invariance of cognitive data transmission is suggestive of optical imaging operations and is the essential rationale for the design strategy discussed here.