cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Turbulent magnetohydrodynamic density fluctuations

A spectral-method numerical code is used to compute mass-density fluctuation spectra in turbulent magnetofluids. The computations are used to test and extend the analytical theory of density variations in slightly compressible magnetofluids given by Montgomery, et al. (1987) and used to infer inertial-range density-fluctuation spectra for the nearby interstellar medium and solar wind. A local equation of state is assumed, relating density to pressure. Constant, scalar resistivities and viscosities are used. In the limit of low Mach numbers and high mechanical-to-magnetic pressure ratios, the fit of the computations to the analytical theory is seen to be close.
Architecture-Based Multiscale Computational Modeling of Plant Cell Wall Mechanics to Examine the Hydrogen-Bonding Hypothesis of the Cell Wall Network Structure Model

A primary plant cell wall network was computationally modeled using the finite element approach to study the hypothesis of hemicellulose (HC) tethering with the cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) as one of the major load-bearing mechanisms of the growing cell wall. A computational primary cell wall network fragment (10 × 10 μm) comprising typical compositions and properties of CMFs and HC was modeled with well-aligned CMFs. The tethering of HC to CMFs is modeled in accordance with the strength of the hydrogen bonding by implementing a specific load-bearing connection (i.e. the joint element). The introduction of the CMF-HC interaction to the computational cell wall network model is a key to the quantitative examination of the mechanical consequences of cell wall structure models, including the tethering HC model. When the cell wall network models with and without joint elements were compared, the hydrogen bond exhibited a significant contribution to the overall stiffness of the cell wall network fragment. When the cell wall network model was stretched 1% in the transverse direction, the tethering of CMF-HC via hydrogen bonds was not strong enough to maintain its integrity. When the cell wall network model was stretched 1% in the longitudinal direction, the tethering provided comparable strength to maintain its integrity. This substantial anisotropy suggests that the HC tethering with hydrogen bonds alone does not manifest sufficient energy to maintain the integrity of the cell wall during its growth (i.e. other mechanisms are present to ensure the cell wall shape).
Dimension Reduction in Regressions With Exponential Family Predictors

We present first methodology for dimension reduction in regressions with predictors that, given the response, follow one-parameter exponential families. Our approach is based on modeling the conditional distribution of the predictors given the response, which allows us to derive and estimate a sufficient reduction of the predictors. We also propose a method of estimating the forward regression mean function without requiring an explicit forward regression model. Whereas nearly all existing estimators of the central subspace are limited to regressions with continuous predictors only, our proposed methodology extends estimation to regressions with all categorical or a mixture of categorical and continuous predictors. Supplementary materials including the proofs and the computer code are available from the JCGS website.
Distributed construction by mobile robots with enhanced building blocks

We describe a system in which autonomous robots assemble two-dimensional structures out of square building blocks. A fixed set of local control rules is sufficient for a group of robots to collectively build arbitrary solid structures. We present and compare four versions in which blocks are (1) inert and indistinguishable, (2) uniquely labeled, (3) able to be relabeled by robots, (4) capable of some computation and local communication. Added block capabilities increase the availability of nonlocal structural knowledge, thereby increasing robustness and significantly speeding construction. In this way we extend the principle of stigmergy (storing information in the environment) used by social insects, by increasing the capabilities of the blocks that represent that environmental information. Finally, we describe hardware experiments using a prototype capable of building arbitrary solid 2-D structures
Factors impacting innovation in a product development organization

Numerous product development (PD) organizations have integrated innovative products in order to remain competitive and retain their customer base. The major goal of this study is to assist managers in the selection of appropriate innovative CAD technology for their organizations by focusing on eight critical factors that could guide their decision-making process when recommending specific innovative CAD technologies; perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, organization support, organizational size, cost-effectiveness, system quality, organizational need, and function-effectiveness. Theoretical foundation used for this study was the technology acceptance model (TAM). Parametric statistic methods were used to test perceptions of decision makers toward innovative CAD technologies. Results indicated perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, organizational support, cost-effectiveness, system quality, organizational need, and functional effectiveness are important attributes in the decision process of acceptance of innovative CAD technologies. The positive relationship indicates that when these seven variables increased the intent to adopt increased as well.
Controlling Democracy: The Principal–Agent Problems in Election Administration

Election reform has become a major issue since the 2000 election, but little consideration has been given to the issues associated with managing them. In this article, we use principal–agent theory to examine the problems associated with Election Day polling place voting. We note that Election Day voting manifests problems that agency theory shows are difficult to overcome, including adverse selection of and shirking by poll workers. We then examine alternate methods of voting, such as early, absentee, and Internet voting, and show how these reforms can mitigate many of the more severe principal–agent problems in election management.
Pearl Millet Breeding and Cytogenetics1

Publisher Summary Pearl millet, Pennisetum typhoides , a robust annual bunchgrass, occupies more than 45 million acres of the earth's surface and occurs in every continent of the world. Although best adapted to the tropics, pearl millet also does well in hot areas of the temperate zone. It has many characteristics that make it an excellent tool for cytogenetic and breeding research. Yet it has been used very little for such studies. This chapter brings together widely scattered bits of information pertaining to the breeding and cytogenetics of pearl millet. It also includes unpublished information to make the treatment as complete as possible. Pearl millet has great economic potential for forage and grain production. Its unusual diversity, flexibility, and responsiveness suggest that its improvement as a useful crop for man has only begun. Few organisms of economic worth are very well suited to basic cytogenetic and plant breeding research. The knowledge of the karyotype of lines within species can give some indication of chromosome diversity and possible barriers to recombination. In pearl millet, the reports on karyotype have been divergent, yet the experience of breeding this species has uncovered no significant barriers to recombination. The chapter explains the cytogenetics of pearl millets and discusses the genetics of qualitative characters, genetics of quantitative characters, and details of breeding associated with pearl millets.
Book Review: The Moral Tradition of American Constitutionalism: A Theological Interpretation

Just as the Gospel reminds Christians that “the last shall be first,” the observation that “less is more” surely does not damn H. Jefferson Powell's constitutional scholarship with faint praise. In “The Moral Tradition of American Constitutionalism: A Theological Interpretation,” Powell launches an unapologetically Christian attack on America's long-standing civic faith in constitutional law. Powell's core message -- that there is no such thing as a Christian approach to constitutionalism -- heralds a radical and powerful new model for understanding the relationship between personal Christianity and public law.
In Thyroidectomized Thyroid Cancer Patients, False-Positive I-131 Whole Body Scans Are Often Caused by Inflammation Rather Than Thyroid Cancer

Objective. To show that I-131 false-positive results on whole-body scans (WBSs) after thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer may be a result of inflammation unassociated with the cancer. Methods. We performed a retrospective image analysis of our database of thyroid cancer patients who underwent WBS from January 2008 to January 2012 to identify and stratify false positives. Results. A total of 564 patients underwent WBS during the study period; 96 patients were referred for 99 I-131 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) scans to better interpret cryptic findings. Among them, 73 scans were shown to be falsely positive; 40/73 or 54.7% of false-positive findings were a result of inflammation. Of the findings, 17 were in the head, 1 in the neck, 4 in the chest, 3 in the abdomen, and 14 in the pelvis; 1 had a knee abscess. Conclusions. In our series, inflammation caused the majority of false-positive WBSs. I-131 SPECT/CT is powerful in the differentiation of inflammation from thyroid cancer. By exclu...
Robust Bayesian Sequential Input Shaping for Optimal Li-Ion Battery Model Parameter Identifiability

This paper examines the challenge of shaping a battery’s input trajectory to (i) maximize its Fisher parameter identifiability while (ii) achieving robustness to parameter uncertainties. The paper is motivated by earlier research showing that the speed and accuracy with which battery parameters can be estimated both improve significantly when battery inputs are optimized for Fisher identifiability. Previous research performs this trajectory optimization for a known nominal parameter set. This creates a tautology where accurate parameter identification is a prerequisite for Fisher identifiability optimization. In contrast, this paper presents an iterative scheme that: (i) uses prior parameter probability distributions to create a weighted Fisher metric; (ii) optimizes the battery input trajectory for this metric using a genetic algorithm; (iii) applies the resulting input trajectory to the battery; (iv) estimates battery parameters using a Bayesian particle filter; (v) re-computes the weighted Fisher information metric using the resulting posterior parameter distribution; and (vi) repeats this process until convergence. This approach builds on well-established ideas from the estimation literature, and applies them to the battery domain for the first time. Simulation studies highlight the ability of this iterative algorithm to converge quickly towards the correct battery parameter values, despite large initial parameter uncertainties.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Nataraja: India's Cycle of Fire

In the center dances Shiva, a drum in one hand and a torch in the other, while all around flames inscribe an endless cycle of fire. This-the nataraja, the Lord of the Dance-is more than one of Hinduism's favored icons. It is a near-perfect symbol of Indian fire history. The drum represents the rhythm of life; the torch, death; the wheel of flame, the mandala of birth, death, and rebirth that fire epitomizes and makes possible. In this confrontation of opposites the dance replaces the dialectic; Shiva holds, not reconciles, both drum and torch. Considered ecologically the nataraja thus expresses in graphic language the great polarity of India, the annual alternation of wet and dry seasons by which the monsoon, with faint transition, imposes its opposing principles on the subcontinent. India's biota, like Shiva, dances to their peculiar rhythm while fire turns the timeless wheel of the world. Perhaps nowhere else have the natural and the cultural parameters of fire converged so closely and so clearly. Human society and Indian biota resemble one other with uncanny fidelity. They share common origins, display a similar syncretism, organize themselves along related principles. Such has been their interaction over millennia that the geography of one reveals the geography of the other. The mosaic of peoples is interdependent with the mosaic of landscapes, not only as a reflection of those lands but as an active shaper of them. Indian geography is thus an expression of Indian
An Investigation on the Production of B. Abortus Aggressin

Investigations concerning means of active immunization of cattle against infectious abortion have centered chiefly about the use of bacterins and of vaccines derived from cultures of B. abortus; these products have proved to possess some antigenic value. Bacterial extracts and metabolic products, per se, of B. abortus do not appear to have been utilized in experimental work thus far reported. Among the latter group of substances we have formerly recognized the aggressins. This paper presents the results of experiments designed to determine whether B. abortus, under the conditions of the experiment, may be caused (a) to produce agressins. It is well to recognize that when we use the term aggressins we are speaking of substances, the existence of which many bacteriologists and immunologists do not recognize. Authors of recent text books on bacteriology and immunology with few exceptions 1 leave the existence of agressins as an open question,2 deny their existence,3 or ignore 4 them altogether. There are on the market today, however, with official recognition, "aggressins" for hemorrhagic septicemia, for blackleg, and for anthrax. These products are being used rather widely and undoubtedly have some immunological value. In view of these facts and because, as will be discussed in the succeeding paragraphs, there is some experimental justification for tentatively accepting the term "aggressin" this term will be used in this report. In the development of the aggressin theory we find that the first recorded suggestion regarding their existence was made in 1884 by Salmon and Smith.5 They said: . . . "the germs of such maladies are only able to multiply in the body of the individual attacked because of a poisonous principle or substance which is produced during a multiplication of these germs." Zinsser 6 cites that Bouchard in 1893 found
Technical Change and the Profit Rate

The critique appears decisive. The profit rate is (y — w)/k. It can fall as a result of a rise in w; this would follow from the maturation of the working class — the expression, perhaps, of the most truly classical contradiction of capitalism. This approach, however, is commonly derided as the ‘profit-squeeze’ theory of crisis. It reduces the fall in the profit rate to an outcome of the conflict between classes, considered by many to be an ephemeral or superficial phenomenon; the source of declining profitability must, in this view, be found in the presumably more fundamental process of the developing forces of production.
The Wnt Inhibitor sFRP2 Enhances Mesenchymal Stem Cell Engraftment, Granulation Tissue Formation and Myocardial Repair

Abstract Cell-based therapies using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for organ regeneration are being pursued for cardiac disease, orthopedic injuries and biomaterial fabrication. The molecular pathways that regulate MSC-mediated regeneration or enhance their therapeutic efficacy are, however, poorly understood. In an attempt to elucidate a way to strengthen the regenerative potential of MSCs, preliminary studies in our lab were performed comparing MSCs isolated from wildtype and regenerative mouse strains. The MRL/MpJ mouse has been described as a “super healer” mouse that is able to repair soft tissue with minimal scaring. MSCs were isolated from the MRL/MpJ mouse (MRL-MSCs) and from C57/Bl6 mice (WT-MSCs) and their differing qualities assessed. Compared to WT-MSCs, MRL-MSCs demonstrated increased proliferation in vitro. We utilized a Poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge model of repair stimulation to assess their capacity to generate wound repair tissue. We observed that the MRL-MSCs demonstrated increased in vivo engraftment, experimental granulation tissue reconstitution, and tissue vascularity. The MRL-MSCs also reduced infarct size and improved cardiac function as compared to WT-MSCs in a murine acute myocardial infarct model. Genomic and functional analyses indicated a downregulation of the canonical Wnt pathway in MRL-MSCs characterized specifically by upregulation of secreted frizzled related proteins (sFRPs). In vitro proliferation studies confirmed that recombinant sFRP2 mediated enhanced proliferation of both mouse and human MSCs. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that sFRP2 served an important role in MSC-mediated repair and regeneration. We generated WT-MSCs overexpressing sFRP2 (sFRP2-MSCs) by retroviral transduction to test this hypothesis. sFRP2-MSCs maintained their ability for multilineage differentiation in vitro and proliferated faster than the vector only control MSCs (GFP-MSCs). When implanted in vivo in the PVA sponge model, the sFRP2-MSCs recapitulated the MRL phenotype by mediating greater, more vascularized granulation tissue. Moreover, periinfarct intramyocardial injection of sFRP2-MSCs resulted in reduced infarct size, favorable remodeling and better preserved left ventricular function following acute myocardial infarct in mice. These findings implicate sFRP2 as a key molecule for the biogenesis of a superior regenerative phenotype of MSCs.
Radiomics-based quantitative biomarker discovery: development of a robust image processing infrastructure

Radiomics workflows are high-throughput disease descriptive or predictive tools that extract mineable quantitative data of pathological phenotypes from standard-of-care grayscale images using advanced image processing algorithms. The success of these workflows rely on establishing large image datasets from which diverse disease descriptors can be extracted, with the expectation that large numbers may be able to overcome some of the inherent heterogeneities inherent in standard-of-care medical imaging workflows. Here, we present such a radiomics platform which relies on a combination of existing standard-of-care imaging clinical and research software as well as custom written code. The key components of the workflow include a file organization schema for centralized data storage, deployment of image registration strategies, and frontend GUI design for ease of use by the clinical researcher, all of which increase the transparency, flexibility, and portability of our radiomics platform. Widespread establishment of such radiomics platform can greatly revolutionize radiomics research and aid in successful translation into clinical decision support systems. Presented are three preliminary studies completed using our proposed radiomics research workflow to investigate various diseases. The radiomics research workflow is modality and disease independent which allow it to serve as a general platform for medical image post-processing experimentation.
Spatial Distribution of Hydrophobic Drugs in Model Nanogel-Core Star Polymers

Star polymers with a cross-linked nanogel core are promising carriers of cargo for therapeutic applications due to the synthetic control of amphiphilicity of arms and stability at infinite dilution. Three nanogel-core star polymers were investigated to understand how the arm-block chemical structure controls loading efficiency of a model drug, ibuprofen, and its spatial distribution. The spatial distribution profiles of hydrophobic core, hydrophilic corona, and encapsulated drug were determined by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). SANS provides the nanometer-scale sensitivity to determine how the arm-block chemistry enhances the sequestering of ibuprofen. Validated molecular dynamics simulations capture the trends in drug profile and polymer segment distribution with further details on drug orientation distribution. This work provides a basis to study structure–function relationships in macromolecular-based carriers of cargo and represents a path toward validated and predictive simulation.
Effect of the exploratory behaviour on a bird's ability to categorize a predator.

Abstract Despite the encountering of a predator always being extremely threatening, there is a significant plasticity among individuals in how they cope with such a situation. In laboratory experiments with wild-caught great tits (Parus major), we tested the effect of exploratory behaviour (performance in novel food, object and environment test, startle test) on the ability of individual birds to assess the threat represented by a predator. We presented a wooden dummy of the European sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), an extremely dangerous predator, and its visual modifications (chimeras), changing the beak or head to be non-threatening (those of a pigeon – Columba livia f. domestica). We showed that the differences between ‘slow’ and ‘fast explorers’ are not very distinct, but that ‘slow explorers’ generally tended to be more cautious in the presence of an unmodified sparrowhawk dummy, while the ‘fast explorers’ tended to observe the dummy. On the contrary, ‘slow explorers’ tended to treat both chimaeras (and the pigeon dummy as well) as less-threatening than ‘fast explorers’. Since ‘slow explorers’ are usually considered to be more sensitive to environmental cues, it came as no surprise that most of them correctly assessed the unmodified sparrowhawk dummy as threatening, while they probably subjected the chimeras to a detailed inspection and were not confused by the presence of sparrowhawk features and assessed them as non-threatening.
Patterns in Mathematical Semantics

In this chapter we shall introduce mathematical semantics as the pattern theoretic study of mappings between image algebras and formal languages.
Maximization of functionals in $ H^\omega \lbrack a,b \rbrack $

The structure and the properties of the extremal functions in the problem are described in the case when is an integrable function with zero mean and finitely many points of sign change on and is the class of absolutely integrable functions on with modulus of continuity majorized by a fixed convex modulus of continuity .
Controversial Treatment Issues

Janet lives in a group home with five other women with developmental disabilities. The women sleep two to a room, and they have round-the-clock staff supervision. Each night, one of the women helps the staff cook dinner for the group. A staff member drives the women to work at a sheltered workshop each day, where they assemble gift boxes for a mail order company.
TRC SOURCE Database: A Unique Tool for Automatic Production of Data Compilations

Thermochemical and thermophysical properties of chemicals are the basis of most simulations of commercial processes. The TRC SOURCE database is an extensive archive of numerical experimental values of thermophysical properties extracted from the world's scientific literature. A suite of input/output routines that utilize current database technology has been developed. The database in combination with suitable software enables the automatic retrieval, interpretation, selection, and formatting of a wide range of thermophysical properties. Their output supports the automatic production of user specified compilations and the direct interaction with user-written application programs.
SUPERREFRACTION AND THE THEORY OF TROPOSPHERIC DUCTING

The theory of propagation in a spherically stratified medium is considered. The profile of modified refractive index M ( h ) is allowed to have a minimum with height. Particular attention is paid to the case when M ( h ) may be approximated by a parabolic form. Here the analysis closely follows the recent work of Fock, Weinstein, and Belkina in the U.S.S.R. Other approaches such as the Eckersley phase integral method and Furry's mode theory for the bilinear profile are also considered.
Dispersion-Permeability Correlation in Porous Media

Longitudinal dispersion and permeability tests were performed in the Darcy flow regime using uniform porous media consisting either of spheres or sand grains.
White supremacy, white counter-revolutionary politics, and the rise of Donald Trump:

To understand and contextualize Donald Trump's election as President of the United States, we must place his election in the context of a white counter-revolutionary politics that emerging from the...
Implementing and feasibility testing depression screening using the electronic medical record for patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to the hospital.

Aim Is it feasible to implement a programme to screen for depression in patients admitted to the hospital for diabetes complications and use the electronic medical record to notify providers of their patient's depression score and give suggestions for medication and counselling? Design A feasibility study was conducted with patients hospitalized with diabetes and depression in the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States. Methods Patients with type 2 diabetes were screened for depression. The healthcare provider was notified via the electronic medical record about the patients' depression scores. The provider discussed options for management of depression with the patient and initiated treatment. Results The process of screening for depression at admission, notifying the provider by way of electronic medical record that the patient screened positive for depression with suggestions for medication and counseling was feasible and acceptable to providers and patients.
Solving a Problem by Insight: A Neuropsychological Approach

Have you ever had a question in your mind that you want to know the answer to? Or found yourself in an unusual predicament, with no apparent solution before you? These days, most of the time you can just plug the problem into Google, and without a thought, the first result will be your answer, followed by a plethora of other possible solutions. However, before you come to rely too much on the Internet for answers, consider trying to discern the answer for yourself. Critical thinking for problem-solving is an essential skill, one that requires exercise to maintain and refine it, not to do so would put it at risk of atrophy. The brain is a powerhouse of information, with dedicated neural networks for analysis and interpretation that function with exceptional speed and subtlety. Apply your mental faculties in full, and you might be surprised at how much you already know….
Home is Where the Horror Is: Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left and A Nightmare on Elm Street

With recent work on horror films that were once deemed to have little value beyond shock and gore, interest is now burgeoning in films that are viewed by many as transgressive. Transgressive horror...
Program implementer perspectives replicating evidence based sexual reproductive health programs.

Abstract Purpose Explore factors affecting implementation of evidence based adolescent sexual/reproductive health programs, from the perspectives of program implementers. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 program implementers delivering six sexual/reproductive health programs in New Jersey. Programs were delivered among 2698 primarily African American and Hispanic adolescents in school and community-based settings. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed iteratively for themes by trained experts. Results Program implementers reported weaknesses in the program curricula content and design, scheduling constraints with partner sites, and questions from adolescents as factors challenging to implementation. Relationship-building (with adolescents and community partners) and answering adolescent questions were identified as strategies to program implementation. Implementers expressed need for flexibility in the curriculum to tailor the program to participant needs. However, implementers felt restricted in tailoring the program because of a perceived need to adhere to the prescribed program. Conclusions Evidence based programs may need to provide more flexibility for implementers to customize programs to student needs. Given the age range of the target audience (ages 10–19), programming should consider the variance of an adolescent’s life and assumptions regarding adolescent biology knowledge, modes of communication, and type of sexual relationships. Additionally, facilitators may better meet student needs if they feel less restricted.
Basal Left Ventricular Dilatation and Reduced Contraction in Patients With Mitral Valve Prolapse Can Be Secondary to Annular Dilatation: Preoperative and Postoperative Speckle-Tracking Echocardiographic Study on Left Ventricle and Mitral Valve Annulus Interaction.

Background—Prominent mitral valve (MV) annular dilatation with only modest left ventricular (LV) dilatation in patients with MV prolapse (MVP) suggests predominant dilatation in adjacent basal LV, which may augment regional wall tension and attenuate contraction by Laplace’s law. We hypothesized that MV annular dilatation in patients with MVP is associated with the basal predominance of LV dilatation and attenuated contraction, which can be altered by surgical MV plasty with annulus reduction. Methods and Results—Echocardiography with speckle-tracking analysis to assess regional cross-sectional short-axis area and longitudinal contraction (strain) of basal, middle, and apical LV was performed in 30 controls and 130 patients with MVP. The basal value/averaged middle and apical values (B/M·A ratio) of LV cross-sectional area and strain were obtained. Patients with MVP showed significantly greater MV annular area (6.4±1.6 versus 3.7±0.6 cm2/m2), increased B/M·A LV area ratio (2.4±0.5 versus 1.8±0.2), and red...
Derivatives and subderivatives of buffered probability of exceedance

Abstract In this letter, we study the derivatives and subderivatives of buffered probability of exceedance (bPOE), in which we provide the mathematical expressions with rigorous proofs for the case when bPOE is smooth. Furthermore, we extend the study to a general non-smooth case for which a set of quasigradients are explored, under a mild assumption, i.e., the corresponding random function with respect to the decision variable is convex.
Remembering to remember: T cell memory maintenance and plasticity

Upon activation, naive T cells give rise to a heterogeneous cell population of effector and memory T cells that mediate antigen clearance and provide long-lived protection from rechallenge. Many of the transcriptional regulators that direct the differentiation of naive T cells to acquire the range of phenotypic and functional characteristics of effector and memory T cells have been described. However, the active programs that maintain the specific subsets of memory T cells are less clear. Here, we discuss recent studies that suggest effector and memory CD8+ T cells exist in cellular 'states' with inherent plasticity. Further, we consider the newly identified role of active transcriptional and epigenetic programming in maintaining the identity of the distinct subsets within the memory population.
Development of Resilient Modulus Prediction Model for Granular and Noncohesive Soils of New Mexico

The resilient modulus (MR) of unbound materials, i.e., base and subgrade, is an essential property for the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). The MR of the unbound materials is highly dependent upon several factors such as physical properties of the materials, soil type, stress state, and moisture content. The MR values are usually determined by conducting repeated load triaxial compression tests in the laboratory. However, because of the complexity, difficulty, huge time, and effort associated with it, development of an MR prediction model based on soil physical properties has increasingly become an imperative. In this study, a model is developed to estimate the MR of base and noncohesive (A-2-4) subgrade soils that are commonly available in the state of New Mexico from a set of materials’ physical properties. First, subgrade and granular materials have been collected from different construction sites, and a laboratory MR test is conducted in accordance with the test standard AASHTO T-307, Standard Method of Test for Determining the Resilient Modulus of Soils and Aggregate Materials. The pertinent material constants (k1, k2, and k3) in the constitutive model have been evaluated from the laboratory test data using regression analysis. Materials coefficients are correlated to the selected physical properties. A new set of laboratory test results for another pavement site is used to verify the model. It is observed that the prediction model predicts MR values that agree well with the laboratory results. Therefore, the proposed model can be applied to the base and noncohesive subgrade soils for implementation in MEPDG.
Law Enforcement Agency Defibrillation (LEA-D): position statement and best practices recommendations from the National Center for Early Defibrillation.

(2002). L AW E NFORCEMENT A GENCY D EFIBRILLATION (LEA-D): P OSITION S TATEMENT AND B EST P RACTICES R ECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE N ATIONAL C ENTER FOR E ARLY D EFIBRILLATION. Prehospital Emergency Care: Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 346-347.
Re-Architecting the Packet Core and Control Plane for Future Cellular Networks

With the rapid increase in the number of users and changing pattern of network usage, cellular networks will continue to be challenged meeting bandwidth and latency requirements. A significant contributor to latency and overhead in cellular networks is the complex control-plane involving many message exchanges across multiple components in the packet core, base station, and user equipment. We propose CleanG, a new packet core architecture and significantly more efficient control-plane protocol, that exploits the capabilities of modern-day Network Function Virtualization (NFV) platforms. In CleanG, we have consolidated the core components into a set of virtual network functions on an NFV platform. With the elastic scalability offered by NFV, the data and control sub-components of the core functions can scale, adapting to workload demand. CleanG eliminates the use of GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) Tunnels for data packets and the associated complex protocol for coordination across multiple, distributed components for setting up and managing them, as specified in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) architecture and protocol standard, while retaining similar essential functionality for security, mobility, and air-interface resource management. Measurements on our testbed show that CleanG substantially reduces both control and data plane latency, and significantly increases system capacity.
Knowledge from a Human Point of View

Everything that is known by human beings is known from a human point of view. There is no other point of view from which human beings can know anything. Is there something distinctively “perspectival” about human knowledge or the study of human knowledge? Explaining how such-and-such has come to be known by human beings involves explaining how those who know it came to get things right. Those who explain that knowledge are thereby committed to the truth of what is said to be known. Can we explain, from a human point of view, how it has come to be known that such-and-such is so in the world we live in? Or can we explain, from a human point of view, only how it has come to be known that such-and-such is so from a human point of view in the world we live in?
Anyon Physics & the Topology of Dark Matter

Matching current observations on non-baryonic Dark Matter (DM), Cantor Dust was recently conjectured to emerge as large-scale topological structure formed in the early stages of cosmological evolution. The mechanism underlying the formation of Cantor Dust hinges on dimensional condensation of spacetime endowed with minimal fractality. It is known that anyons are quasiparticles exhibiting anomalous statistics and fractional charges in 2+1 spacetime. This brief report is a preliminary exploration of the intriguing analogy between anyons and the Cantor Dust picture of DM.
Pre-existing SIV Infection Increases Susceptibility to Tuberculosis in Mauritian Cynomolgus Macaques: M. tuberculosis - SIV Coinfection in Macaques

Abstract Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), is the leading cause of death among HIV positive patients. The precise mechanisms by which HIV impairs host resistance to a subsequent M.tb infection are unknown. We modeled this co-infection in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCM) using SIV as an HIV surrogate. We infected seven MCM with SIVmac239 intrarectally and six months later co-infected them via bronchoscope with ~10 CFU M.tb. Another eight MCM were infected with M.tb alone. TB progression was monitored by clinical parameters, by culturing bacilli in gastric and bronchoalveolar lavages, and by serial 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. The eight MCM infected with M.tb alone displayed dichotomous susceptibility to TB, with four animals reaching humane endpoint within 13 weeks and four animals surviving >19 weeks post M.tb infection. In stark contrast, all seven SIV+ animals exhibited rapidly progressive TB following co-infection and all reached humane endpoint by 13 weeks. Serial PET/CT imaging confirmed dichotomous outcomes in MCM infected with M.tb alone and marked susceptibility to TB in all SIV+ MCM. Notably, imaging revealed a significant increase in TB granulomas between four and eight weeks post M.tb infection in SIV+, but not in SIV-naive MCM and implies that SIV impairs the ability of animals to contain M.tb dissemination. At necropsy, animals with pre-existing SIV infection had more extrapulmonary TB disease, more overall pathology, and increased bacterial loads than animals infected with M.tb alone. We thus developed a tractable MCM model in which to study SIV-M.tb co-infection and demonstrate that pre-existing SIV dramatically diminishes the ability to control M.tb co-infection. Author summary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) is the etiologic agent of tuberculosis (TB) and infects a tremendous number of individuals. TB causes millions of deaths each year and is the leading cause of death in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals. Currently, the mechanisms by which pre-existing HIV infection increases susceptibility to subsequent M.tb infection and predisposes an individual to TB disease are poorly understood. We developed a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) - M.tb co-infection model in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCM) to investigate how SIV impairs the immune response to a subsequent M.tb infection. We show that naive MCM display variable resistance to TB while all SIV-infected MCM failed to control M.tb infection. Using quantitative measures of disease and serial PET/CT imaging, we show that SIV+ co-infected animals uniformly exhibit rapid TB progression, more tuberculosis disease dissemination, and increased mortality. This coinfection model will facilitate studies, provide unique insights into the defects underlying TB susceptibility in HIV+ individuals and will help us develop approaches to overcome these defects.
Abstract A51: Mechanistic pathways for breast carcinogens can highlight early effects as predictive endpoints for chemical safety testing: Case studies for ionizing radiation and for in utero exposure to estrogens such as DES

Knowledge about established breast carcinogens can support improved 21st-century toxicologic testing by identifying key mechanistic events. To clarify mechanisms, we developed adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) for two well-established breast carcinogens: ionizing radiation (IR) and the pharmaceutical hormone diethylstilbestrol (DES). The AOP for ionizing radiation includes these elements: IR increases production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), and directly and indirectly causes DNA damage. DNA damage leads to mutations and proliferation, leading to increased breast cancer. RONS also increases inflammation, contributing to direct and indirect effects (effects in cells not directly reached by IR) via positive feedback to RONS, and separately increases breast cancer risk through increased proliferation of cells and increased tumor growth and invasion. Estrogen and progesterone also influence the risk of breast cancer from ionizing radiation, as does developmental stage. For in utero estrogens like DES, the AOP links gestational estrogen exposure to transcriptional activity that promotes altered signaling between the epithelial and stromal tissue compartments, leading to disrupted development, including altered tensional homeostasis and tissue architecture, inflammation, and altered cellular differentiation. These key events lead to several adverse outcomes at the tissue and organ level that increase susceptibility to breast cancer, including altered density, structure, and hormone sensitivity along with hyperplasia. Epigenetic alterations are a cellular-level outcome that propagates gestational estrogen exposure to later-life risk through cellular memory that directs ER-mediated gene expression and altered mammary development. Increased susceptibility to breast cancer follows from these adverse outcomes. Dose-response and developmental timing of exposure are discussed in both AOPs. These AOPs provide a framework for evaluating the potential for mechanistically similar stressors—e.g., genotoxicants/RONS-inducers may act like IR, or estrogenic chemicals in utero may act like DES—to affect breast cancer risk. Citation Format: Jessica Helm, Andrea Hindman, Ruthann A. Rudel. Mechanistic pathways for breast carcinogens can highlight early effects as predictive endpoints for chemical safety testing: Case studies for ionizing radiation and for in utero exposure to estrogens such as DES [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr A51.
Design and Analysis of Plate Angles of the Four-Vertex Origami Pattern and its Impacts on Movement of Rotational Joints

We present a pneumatic origami joint, which consists of 89 Degrees plate angles of a Four-vertex origami mechanism activated by pouch motors. The proposed prototype consists of four high-density polyethylene plates connected by flexible adhesive polyethylene tapes. A cutting-binding technique was used for the fabrication of origami. This technique is inexpensive and easy to replicate. We modeled the kinematics of the origami as a spherical mechanism, and compared with the experimental result, against several origami mechanisms with different angles of origami's plates. We found that an origami mechanism with a plate angle of 89o shows around 8.4 times higher rotational movement for a given angular displacement of the input link compared to a mechanism with a plate angle close to 0o or a simple fold which is equivalent to a revolute joint. The proposed design is flat-foldable (the sum of odd or even angles around the central vertex equals to 180o). The pneumatic origami joint can fold and adapt its shape to the environment.
Dietary Vitamin A and Breast Cancer Risk in Black Women: The African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER) Consortium.

Background Studies in women of European descent showed an inverse association of dietary vitamin A (retinol and carotenoids) intake with breast cancer risks, mainly in premenopausal women. Objectives We examined whether higher compared with lower levels of dietary vitamin A are associated with reduced breast cancer risks among Black women by estrogen receptor (ER) and menopausal statuses. Methods In this pooled analysis, data were from 3564 breast cancer cases and 11,843 controls (mean ages = 56.4 and 56.3 years, respectively) in the African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER) Consortium. Dietary intake was assessed by FFQs. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to estimate ORs and 95% CIs for study-specific quintiles of total vitamin A equivalents and individual carotenoids, and a pooled OR was estimated by a random-effect model. Results We observed an inverse association of total vitamin A equivalents with ER-positive breast cancer (quintiles 5 compared with 1: pooled OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.67-1.00; P-trend = 0.045). The association was seen among premenopausal women (pooled OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.43-0.83; P-trend = 0.004), but not among postmenopausal women (pooled OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.77-1.28; P-trend = 0.78). Additionally, there were inverse associations of dietary β-carotene (quintiles 5 compared with 1: pooled OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.51-0.95; P-trend = 0.08) and lutein (pooled OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.45-0.87; P-trend = 0.020) with ER-positive breast cancer among premenopausal women. There was no evidence for an association of total vitamin A equivalents or individual carotenoids with ER-negative breast cancer, regardless of menopausal status. Conclusions Our findings on dietary vitamin A and breast cancer risks in Black women are consistent with observations in women of European descent and advance the literature showing an inverse association for ER-positive disease.
Data-plane signaling in cellular IoT: attacks and defense

In this paper, we devise new attacks exploiting the unprotected data-plane signaling in cellular IoT networks (aka both NB-IoT and Cat-M). We show that, despite the deployed security mechanisms on both control-plane signaling and data-plane packet forwarding, novel data-plane signaling attacks are still feasible. Such attacks exhibit a variety of attack forms beyond simplistic packet-blasting, denial-of-service (DoS) threats, including location privacy breach, packet delivery loop, prolonged data delivery, throughput limiting, radio resource draining, and connection reset. Our testbed evaluation and operational network validation have confirmed the viability. We further propose a new defense solution within the 3GPP C-IoT standard framework.
Inter-Cohort Variation in the Consequences of U.S. Military Service for Men’s Mid- to Late-Life Body Mass Index Trajectories

Body mass index (BMI) is an important health indicator that changes with age and may be shaped in important ways by prior military service. While a high proportion of older men in the United States served in the military, to date, there has been no longitudinal, population-representative study of veteran status differences in men’s mid- to late-life BMI trajectories. In this chapter, we use data from the 1992–2010 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and growth curve models to examine veteran status differences in mid- to late-life BMI trajectories for cohorts of men born in the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Without any controls in the models, veterans exhibit lower BMI, on average, than non-veterans. Once we add controls for birth cohort, early-life characteristics that occur prior to military service, potentially mediating mid- to late-life characteristics, and methodological controls for proxy report, attrition, and death during the study period, the effect of veteran status is small, marginally significant, and positive—net of other factors, veterans are marginally heavier than their non-veteran counterparts. Taken together, our analyses demonstrate the large effect of the secular trend in increased weight across the population—younger cohorts are substantially heavier than older cohorts regardless of their veteran status—and a substantively small but consistent, positive intra-cohort effect of veteran status.