cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chinese Culture on the Global Stage: Zhang Yimou and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

As opposed to Zhang Yimou’s 张艺谋 much-criticized film Hero《英雄》(2002), which addresses the relationship between culture and political power, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles《千里走单骑》 (2005) asks the question of whether, under the conditions of globalization, any performance between cultures can contain truth value, be authentic, or represent something real. Although a key scene acted by Japanese star Ken Takakura effectively expresses his true despair and thus seems to indicate a positive response, Zhang Yimou persistently inserts into the film queries about the validity of performance across cultural and linguistic borders, and the complex trail of conflicting desires that motivate it. Riding Alone is one example of Zhang's complex filmic investigation into the relationship between culture and political power under the developing conditions of a border-crossing global world.
Cooperative communication with feedback via stochastic approximation

This paper develops cooperative communication strategies based upon linear stochastic approximation algorithms for the Gaussian relay channel with several configurations of perfect and noisy feedback. In addition to being simple, the strategies can be shown to provide doubly exponential error decay in the case of perfect feedback and appealing tradeoffs between effective transmission rate and reliability in the case of noisy feedback. By contrast, straightforward application of the classic Schalkwijk-Kailath schemes offer enhanced rate or reliability in the presence of noisy feedback, but do not provide a tradeoff between the two.
Developmentally regulated expression of a Balbiani ring 1 gene for a 180-kD secretory polypeptide in Chironomus tentans salivary glands before larval/pupal ecdysis

The expression of a Balbiani ring 1 gene that codes for a salivary gland-specific 180-kD secretory polypeptide (sp180) is regulated developmentally. Immunoblots of salivary gland protein incubated with an affinity-purified nonapeptide-reactive antibody demonstrated that the salivary gland content of sp180 increases as much as 10-fold between stages 8 and 10 of the fourth larval instar. Hybridization of RNA dot-blots with an oligonucleotide probe indicated that the observed increase in sp180 was preceded by a parallel 20-fold increase in the steady state level of its mRNA beginning between stages 7 and 8. In vitro nuclear transcription experiments demonstrated that there was a 10-fold acceleration in the rate of sp180 gene transcription between stages 6 and 10. The limited period of expression of the sp180 gene contrasted dramatically with the expression of Balbiani ring genes BR1, BR2 alpha, BR2 beta, and BR6, which code for the sp-I family of fibrous secretory polypeptides. The appearance of sp180 in secretion coincided with microscopically visible changes in the bundling of these fibrous polypeptides. At the same time, we noticed changes in the appearance and consistency of feeding tubes that larvae construct with this secretion. These results lead us to propose that sp180 may modify the structure or utilization of fibrous secretory polypeptides specifically for the assembly of pupation tubes necessary for larval/pupal ecdysis.
The occurrence of internal tides in the ocean

A brief introductory discussion is given of the importance of internal waves for theoretical and applied oceanography. The temperature series obtained at four oceanographic stations in the North Atlantic are subjected to harmonic analysis and to the expectancy test in order to determine the possible presence of periodic variations coinciding with the length of the principal lunar semidiurnal tide. Only in one case is it possible to regard the computed harmonic coefficients as representative of tidal effects, with a reasonable degree of assurance while in the other three cases any possible tidal effects are either more or less strongly obscured by random variations or absent. Because of the shortness of the existing oceanographic series a completely statisfactory decision concerning the presence or absence of significant variations of tidal character in the observations is impossible. It is pointed out that oceanographic serial observations of longer duration made simultaneously at different stations would lead to substantial progress in the study of internal waves.
Targeted Therapies: A Nursing Perspective

Objectives To review the development of targeted therapies and the biology of relevant therapeutic targets. To analyze the relevance of targeted agents as part of current clinical practice. Data Sources Research articles. Conclusion Several targeted agents are now available for clinical use. Their mechanisms of action are more specific against tumor cells than traditional cytotoxics. Monotherapy regimens based on targeted agents tend to be better tolerated than chemotherapy, and most combination regimens with targeted agents have proven feasible. Their availability has greatly expanded cancer treatment options, especially for chemorefractory patients. Implications for Nursing Practice Nurses involved in the care of patients with cancer can benefit from an increased understanding of targeted therapies, including their mechanisms of action, their efficacy profile, as well as prophylaxis and management of adverse events and administration procedures.
Performance of real-time source-location estimators for a large-aperture microphone array

A large array of microphones is being studied as a possible means of acquiring data in offices, conference rooms, and auditoria without requiring close-talking microphones. An array that surrounds all possible sources has a large aperture and such arrays have attractive properties for accurate spatial resolution and significant signal-to-noise enhancement. For the first time, this paper presents all the details of a real-time, source-location algorithm (LEMSalg) based on time-of-arrival delays derived from a phase transform applied to the generalized cross-power spectrum. It is being used successfully in a representative environment where microphone SNRs are below 0 dB. We have found that many small features are required to make a useful location estimating algorithm work and work well in real-time. We present an experimental evaluation of the current algorithm's performance using data taken with the Huge Microphone Array (HMA) system, which has 448 microphones in a noisy, reverberant environment. Using off-line computation, we also compared the LEMSalg to two alternative methods. The first of these adds local beamforming to the preprocessing of the base algorithm, increasing performance significantly at modest additional computational cost. The second algorithm maximizes the total steered-response power in the same phase transform. While able to derive good position estimates from shorter data runs, this method is two orders of magnitude more computationally expensive and is not yet suitable for real-time use.
Adaptive Control of Piecewise Linear Systems: the State Tracking Case

Nonlinear controlled systems at multiple operating points are modeled as piecewise linear systems, where changes in operating points are modeled as switches between constituent linearized systems. This note studies the adaptive state feedback for state tracking control problem for such systems. Piecewise linear reference model systems are used for generating desired state trajectories and their stability properties are studied. Adaptive state feedback control schemes are developed, and their stability and tracking performance are analyzed and evaluated by simulation examples. It is shown that exponential tracking performance can be achieved if the reference input is sufficiently rich and the switches are sufficiently slow.
An animal evaluation of a paste of chitosan glutamate and hydroxyapatite as a synthetic bone graft material

The objective of this study was to develop a synthetic bone graft in a paste form. Reported here are the results of the evaluation of a paste of chitosan glutamate (Protosan®) and hydroxyapatite (referred to as a paste) used in a critical size defect model in rats. Eight-millimeter-diameter cranial defects were made in rat calvaria following a protocol approved by the animal review committee. Five groups were studied: (1) empty control, (2) defect filled with paste only, (3) defect filled with the paste containing bone-marrow aspirate, (4) defect filled with paste containing BMP-2, and (5) defect filled with paste containing osteoblasts cultured from bone-marrow aspirate. The sacrifice intervals were 9 and 18 weeks. Calvaria containing the defect were harvested, and the bone mineral density (BMD) was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Push-out strength measurements were also performed. The BMD values of empty control were significantly lower than those of other groups at both 9 and 18 weeks. The mechanical properties, that is, push-out strengths and area under the push-out load and displacement were not significantly different between the samples. Histological examination of Goldner-trichromestained undecalcified sections showed the presence of mineralized bone spicules in the defect areas that were more prominent in those filled with paste and osteoblasts cultured from bone-marrow aspirate. Hence, this study demonstrated that the paste of chitosan glutamate and hydroxyapatite-containing osteoblasts cultured from bone-marrow aspirate would be an effective material to repair bone defects.
Joint First-Passage Probability and Reliability of Systems under Stochastic Excitation

The. first-passage probability, describing the probability that a scalar process exceeds a prescribed threshold during an interval of time, is of great engineering interest. This probability is essential for estimating the reliability of a structural component whose response is a stochastic process. When considering the reliability of an engineering system composed of several interdependent components, the probability that two or more response processes exceed their respective safe thresholds during the operation time of the system is an equally essential quantity. This paper proposes simple and accurate formulas for approximating this joint first-passage probability of a vector process. The nth order joint first-passage probability is obtained from a recursive formula involving lower order joint first-passage probabilities and the out-crossing probability of the vector process over a safe domain. Interdependence between the crossings is approximately accounted for by considering the clumping of these events. The accuracy of the proposed formulas is examined by comparing analytical estimates with those obtained from Monte Carlo simulations for stationary Gaussian processes. As an example application, the reliability of a system of interconnected equipment items subjected to a stochastic earthquake excitation is estimated by linear programming bounds employing marginal and joint component fragilities obtained by the proposed formulas.
The Internal Structure of Black Holes

Theoretical investigations of black-hole interiors aim to understand the geometry of spacetime inside generic black holes. Progress has been significant in the last decade. The singularities inside spherical, charged black holes are now well understood: a null singularity along the Cauchy horizon precedes a spacelike, central singularity. The singularity along the Cauchy horizon is weak, in the sense that tidal distortion of extended bodies is finite there. The nature of the Cauchy horizon singularity inside rotating black holes is also well understood; the divergence of curvature is dominated by the propagating modes of the gravitational field leading to an intuitive picture of the singularity as a singular shock wave propagating along the Cauchy horizon. I review the evidence in favour of this picture of the black hole interior, and comment briefly on directions for further research.
Quality Measurements in Radiology: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Survey of Radiology Benefit Management Groups

Abstract Purpose As the US health care system transitions toward value-based reimbursement, there is an increasing need for metrics to quantify health care quality. Within radiology, many quality metrics are in use, and still more have been proposed, but there have been limited attempts to systematically inventory these measures and classify them using a standard framework. The purpose of this study was to develop an exhaustive inventory of public and private sector imaging quality metrics classified according to the classic Donabedian framework (structure, process, and outcome). Methods A systematic review was performed in which eligibility criteria included published articles (from 2000 onward) from multiple databases. Studies were double-read, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. For the radiology benefit management group (RBM) survey, the six known companies nationally were surveyed. Outcome measures were organized on the basis of standard categories (structure, process, and outcome) and reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results The search strategy yielded 1,816 citations; review yielded 110 reports (29 included for final analysis). Three of six RBMs (50%) responded to the survey; the websites of the other RBMs were searched for additional metrics. Seventy-five unique metrics were reported: 35 structure (46%), 20 outcome (27%), and 20 process (27%) metrics. For RBMs, 35 metrics were reported: 27 structure (77%), 4 process (11%), and 4 outcome (11%) metrics. The most commonly cited structure, process, and outcome metrics included ACR accreditation (37%), ACR Appropriateness Criteria (85%), and peer review (95%), respectively. Conclusions Imaging quality metrics are more likely to be structural (46%) than process (27%) or outcome (27%) based ( P
Symposium: Public Administration Theories of Feminism: Introduction to the Symposium

(2006). Symposium: Public Administration Theories of Feminism: Introduction to the Symposium. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 356-358.
Color Infrared Survey for Identification of Failing Onsite Treatment Systems

Images that are obtained with Color Infrared (CIR) Photography can provide local officials, engineers and scientists with a tool to identify onsite treatment system (septic tank) failures. Color-infrared Aerial Surveys and Hyperspectral Sensors can record scenes of the earth surface using both visible and invisible sections of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. Near-infrared light is invisible to the naked eye, but adding to these images permits to see the earth surface in other than natural colors resulting in “color-infrared photography. Certain limitations do exist with CIR aerial surveys because the photos need to be recorded on a clear day, without atmospheric interference or a leaf canopy. CIR photography of failed systems can produce a false Signature and then the process needs to be verified with ground-truthing by the personnel. These photographic signatures of failed onsite treatment systems can be identified more accurately and less expensive with Hyperspectral Imaging System (HSI) such as the AVIRIS sensor and the image processed with The Environment Visualization Imaging (ENVI) software.
Abnormal cry and intracranial calcifications: clues to the diagnosis of fetal varicella-zoster syndrome.

Abnormal Cry and Intracranial Calcifications: Clues to the Diagnosis of Fetal Varicella-Zoster Syndrome
“Search For and Destroy”: US Army Relations with Alaska's Tlingit Indians and the Kake War of 1869

The Kake War of 1869 was a US Army altercation with the Tlingit Indians of southeast Alaska. In this conflict, the Army's gunship attacked three Keex' Kwaan Tlingit civilian villages in midwinter, although no active Tlingit resistance was mounted. The Army's intention was to allow starvation and nature's elements to kill the Tlingit survivors of the attack. The conflict transpired fifteen months after Russia sold Alaska to the United States and as the US Army was dispatched to Alaska to oversee its resources, lands, and indigenous population-an undertaking resisted by the Tlingit Indians. In part, the conflict transpired because the two nations, the United States and the Tlingit people, refused to acknowledge each other's claims to Alaskan land and legal systems. A study of the Kake War documents the role of indigenous legal systems in dealing with governing officials, issues of transnational contacts between indigenous people and colonial governments, the dynamic decisions that native leaders made in difficult situations, and the importance of indigenous oral histories in documenting the past. Language: en
Photo-induced structural changes in titanium alkoxides for directing molecular assembly

The effects of ultraviolet irradiation on a heteroleptic titanium alkoxide ((OPy) 2 Ti(4MP) 2 ) have been investigated. The molecule has been studied in solution and in thin film form using FTIR and Raman spectroscopies. Quantum computational modeling was used to associate vibrational modes with structural moieties present in the molecule. In all cases examined, a preferential photoinduced modification in vibrational resonances linked to the 4-mercaptophenol (4MP) ligand was observed. In contrast, little or no change was exhibited in the vibrational structure of the OPy ligands.
SIX1 Oncoprotein as a Biomarker in a Model of Hormonal Carcinogenesis and in Human Endometrial Cancer.

The oncofetal protein sine oculis-related homeobox 1 (SIX1) is a developmental transcription factor associated with carcinogenesis in several human cancer types but has not been investigated in human endometrial cancer. In a model of hormonal carcinogenesis, mice neonatally exposed to the soy phytoestrogen genistein (GEN) or the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) develop endometrial cancer as adults. Previously, we demonstrated that SIX1 becomes aberrantly expressed in the uteri of these mice. Here, we used this mouse model to investigate the role of SIX1 expression in endometrial carcinoma development and used human tissue microarrays to explore the utility of SIX1 as a biomarker in human endometrial cancer. In mice neonatally exposed to GEN or DES, the Six1 transcript level increased dramatically over time in uteri at 6, 12, and 18 months of age and was associated with development of endometrial carcinoma. SIX1 protein localized within abnormal basal cells and all atypical hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions. These findings indicate that developmental estrogenic chemical exposure induces persistent endometrial SIX1 expression that is strongly associated with abnormal cell differentiation and cancer development. In human endometrial tissue specimens, SIX1 was not present in normal endometrium but was expressed in a subset of endometrial cancers in patients who were also more likely to have late-stage disease. These findings identify SIX1 as a disease biomarker in a model of hormonal carcinogenesis and suggest that SIX1 plays a role in endometrial cancer development in both mice and women. Implications: The SIX1 oncoprotein is aberrantly expressed in the endometrium following developmental exposure to estrogenic chemicals, correlates with uterine cancer, and is a biomarker in human endometrial cancers. Mol Cancer Res; 14(9); 849–58. ©2016 AACR.
Mesoporous Titanium Dioxide Nanofibers with a Significantly Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Mesoporous TiO2 nanofibers with controlled diameter, crystal size, and anatase versus rutile crystal structures are produced by calcination at 500–700 °C of precursor nanofibers of polyvinylpyrrolidone and titanium isopropoxide, obtained from a scalable gas jet fiber spinning process. These TiO2 nanofibers are used in the photocatalytic oxidation of gas-phase ethanol at room temperature on exposure to UV irradiation. The experimental trends are analyzed using electron–hole (e-h) charge recombination inferred from high-intensity photoluminescence emission spectra, specific surface area, crystallinity, and the proportions of anatase and rutile phases. The nanofibers show a photocatalytic activity that is up to an order of magnitude higher than that of commercial-grade P25 TiO2 nanoparticles because of slower e-h recombination phenomena in the former. The results show that ethanol undergoes complete oxidation into CO2 and H2O on the nanofibers without the accumulation of the intermediate products acetaldehyde and formic acid.
Character development among youth: Linking lives in time and place

This article embeds the study of character development within the two-decades-long research program framed by the Lerner and Lerner model of positive youth development. Character development involves attaining the feelings, thoughts, and skills needed to act coherently across time and place to serve self and others in mutually beneficial, positive ways. Research in the U.S. and other nations suggests that there are three key features of successful character development initiatives for children and adolescents: Mentors and models, skill-building opportunities, and opportunities to participate in and to take a leadership role in valued family, school, and community activities. Implications of this research include the idea that character development can be the foundation on which other key facets of a person’s thriving can be built (e.g., competence, confidence, connection, and caring), and can provide a key basis for enabling every young person to contribute positively to their own lives and to the enhance...
A Dream Deferred: Ending DACA Threatens Children, Families, and Communities.

* Abbreviation: DACA — : Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals > What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?. . . Or does it explode? > > Langston Hughes On June 15, 2012, the Obama administration issued a memorandum providing protection from deportation for a group of immigrant adolescents and young adults who were brought as children to the United States without authorization. This memorandum, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), has to date protected nearly 800 000 of the 1.9 million potentially eligible individuals (Table 1), including 228 000 children <15 years old who would age into eligibility.1 Over half of DACA recipients are <21 years old, one-quarter are parents of US-citizen children, and 70% have family members who are US citizens.2 Although DACA does not provide a permanent lawful immigration status and is only a piece of policy needed to support immigrant families, DACA allows youth to receive Social Security numbers, obtain driver’s licenses, seek higher education, and become legally authorized to work. DACA permitted those who consider America their home to finally feel at home. However, on September 5, 2017, the Trump administration announced it would end the program. As a result of this decision, nearly 800 000 current DACA … Address correspondence to Omolara T. Uwemedimo, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Cohen Children’s Medical Center, 269-01 76th Ave, New Hyde Park, NY 11040. E-mail: ouwemedimo{at}northwell.edu
Bayesian Flux Reconstruction in One and Two Bands

Astrophysical surveys in radio through sub-mm wavelengths have given rise to a variety of statistical methods for photometry and counts analysis. Here, we describe a Bayesian method for reconstructing the flux of individual astrophysical point sources of emission subject to prior information about their abundance as a function of flux and spectral properties.
Introduction to Competitive Graph Coloring

We consider a collection of coloring games played on finite graphs. These games all involve two players, Alice and Bob, alternating coloring the vertices (or edges or both) from a finite set of colors. At each step, the players must use legal colors, where the definition of legal depends on which variation of the game is being considered. The first player, Alice, wants to ensure that all relevant elements (vertices and/or edges) are colored. The second player, Bob, wants to force a situation in which there is an uncolored element that cannot be legally colored. For each version of the game the parameter of interest finds the least number of colors that must be available so that Alice has a winning strategy for the game. We examine this game for a number of classes of graphs, including trees, forests, outerplanar graphs, and planar graphs. We also note a number of unexpected interesting properties these parameters have and highlight how rich these games can be to explore for undergraduate researchers and their mentors.
A predictive analytic approach to determine construction cost estimates

In the construction industry, cost estimates are the basis for which projects are awarded to suppliers. A cost estimate is arguably the most important inclusion in a supplier's response to a customer's 'request for quote'. As such, it is essential for construction cost estimates to include features of accuracy, cost effectiveness and profitability for the supplier. The amount of variables and qualitative considerations in an estimate require a methodology beyond an objective approach. This paper uses data analytics to analyse both a US Government service provider's internal estimate process and suppliers' external estimate process to determine the best approach to use on future task orders. Three different classifier methods were used to perform the data analytic approach. Based on analyses performed for all three methods, RBF-based support vector machine with a 66%–33% random split and ten-fold cross-validation yielded the highest accuracy at 71%.
METALLURGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF PLASMA SPRAYED WC-CO COATINGS

Plasma-sprayed coatings based on cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide compositions are used extensively in wear resistance applications up to 1000°F. These coatings are characterized by high hardness and outstanding abrasion resistance. Deposition of these coatings requires careful control of powder characteristics as well as optimization of spray parameters. This is because of the complex interactions of the powder material in the plasma flame resulting in oxidation/decarburization losses; solutioning of carbides in the binder metals to form binary and ternary phases; and microstructural features of the sprayed deposit. Many of these effects are critically interdependent on starting powder chemistry, particle size distribution, carbide grain size, impurity content, as well as plasma spray parameters. Control of these factors will influence the coating characteristics such as hardness, carbide out-of-solution, porosity, cohesive/adhesive strength and will ultimately determine the response of the coating to specific wear mechanisms. Using a selected number of commercial powders, the primary objective of this work has been to study, the metallurgical changes that occur during plasma spraying of WC-Co compositions; and to correlate some of these changes to the mechanical and wear properties of the coating. Four different WC-Co powders were used in this study, and the effects of initial phase content, carbide grain size, and cobalt content were examined. X-ray diffraction was used to identify the various binary and ternary Co-W-C phases in the powders and coatings. Additional characterization procedures such as optical/electron microscopy, EDAX analysis, and plasma emission spectroscopy were used to compliment x-ray phase analysis as well as to measure carbon loss during spraying. The coatings were also tested for resistance to abrasive, sliding and erosive wear using simulated laboratory tests. The effects of metallurgical changes and phase content are related to wear performance.
Central nervous system lipoproteins in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in the United States and has been associated with APOE genotype. Apolipoprotein (apo) E along with apoAI serve as the major apolipoproteins in the central nervous system; however, we are unaware of any study addressing lipoprotein metabolism in AD. We tested the hypothesis that lipoprotein metabolism is altered in patients with AD by isolating and characterizing ventricular fluid (VF) lipoproteins obtained during a rapid autopsy protocol from patients with AD and age-matched nondemented control patients. Our results demonstrated abnormalities in the protein and lipid constituents of VF lipoproteins from AD patients. Apolipoprotein concentration was reduced by half in AD patients relative to controls; however, there was no selective reduction in apoE or apoAI. In addition, cholesteryl ester fatty acids, but not phospholipid fatty acids, from AD patients demonstrated a significant reduction in some polyunsaturated fatty acids (18:2 and 22:6) and an enrichment in 18:0. None of these changes were directly related to APOE genotype. Our data indicate that VF lipoprotein composition is altered, at least terminally, in AD patients, and that these changes are not associated with APOE. These findings suggest that altered VF lipoprotein metabolism may be a component of AD pathogenesis.
An earlier de motu cordis.

Abstract Thirteenth century medical science, like medieval scholarship in general, was directed at reconciliation of Greek philosophy/science with prevailing medieval theology and philosophy. Peter of Spain [later Pope John XXI] was the leading medical scholar of his time. Peter wrote a long book on the soul. Imbedded in it was a chapter on the motion of the heart. Peter's De Motu was based on his own medical experience and Galen's De Usu Partium and De Usu Respirationis and De Usu Pulsuum. This earlier De Motu defines a point on the continuum of intellectual development leading to us and into the future. Thirteenth century scholarship relied on past authority to a degree that continues to puzzle and beg explanation.
Perspectives on the Biological Function and Enzymology of Protein Carboxyl Methylation Reactions in Eucaryotic and Procaryotic Cells

Enzymes have been detected in all cells examined so far that catalyze the incorporation of methyl groups from S-adenosylmethionine into base-labile linkages on proteins. Although the products of these reactions have many of the properties of methyl esters, their frequent instability has often precluded direct analysis of the linkage chemistry. As a result, previous studies of “protein carboxyl methyltransferase” have included representatives of what has turned out to be at least two distinct classes of enzymes. The often mentioned specificity of such an activity for aspartyl and glutamyl residues is based largely on the apparent chemical reasonableness of such assignments, and specific evidence for the methylation of such residues has rarely been presented. The lack of specific knowledge on the chemistry of such modification reactions has been accompanied by a similar lack of understanding of their physiological role (for reviews of the earlier literature see Gagnon and Heisler, 1979; Borchardt, 1980; Paik and Kim, 1980; O’Dea et al., 1981; Clarke, 1985).
t-DeLP: a temporal extension of the defeasible logic programming argumentative framework

The aim of this paper is to offer an argumentation-based defeasible logic that enables temporal forward reasoning. We extend the DeLP logical framework by associating temporal parameters to literals. A temporal logic program is a set of temporal literals and durative rules. These temporal facts and rules combine into durative arguments representing temporal processes, that permit us to reason defeasibly about future states. The corresponding notion of logical consequence, or warrant, is defined slightly different from that of DeLP, due to the temporal aspects. As usual, this notion takes care of inconsistencies, and in particular we prove the consistency of any logical program whose strict part is consistent. Finally, we define and study a sub-class of arguments that seem appropriate to reason with natural processes, and suggest a modification to the framework that is equivalent to restricting the logic to this class of arguments.
A method for demonstrating the stepwise addition of glycine from transfer RNA into the murein precursor of Staphylococcusaureus

Abstract The mechanism of the incorporation of pentaglycine from transfer RNA into a lipid intermediate in Staphylococcus aureus murein biosynthesis was investigated. The average peptide length of the incorporated glycine increased with time, suggesting a stepwise mechanism for glycine incorporation into the lipid intermediate.
Association Between Vitamin D Levels and Treatment Response to Direct-Acting Antivirals in Chronic Hepatitis C: A Real-World Study.

Background Low serum vitamin D levels in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is associated with advanced liver fibrosis; and there remains an imprecise relationship with the treatment response based on the vitamin D levels. Previous studies have shown conflicting results on the vitamin D levels, and association with treatment response in CHC treated with interferon-based regimens. Methods Patients with CHC treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) between January 2016 and December 2017 in the community clinic setting were retrospectively analyzed. Pretreatment baseline patient characteristics, treatment efficacy with the sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post-treatment (SVR 12) were assessed in CHC patients with deficient, insufficient, and normal levels of vitamin D measured before the initiation of DAA therapy. Results Two hundred and ninety-one patients were included in the study. Direct-acting antivirals included in the study were ledipasvir/sofosbuvir ± ribavirin, ombitasvir + paritaprevir + ritonavir + dasabuvir ± ribavirin, and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir. An overall sustained virologic response was achieved in 95% (n = 276) of patients. SVR 12 rates among patients with vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D insufficiency and normal vitamin D levels were 92%, 96.2%, and 97.2% respectively and was not statically significant (P = 0.214). A total of 71 patients were cirrhotic. The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency (20 - 29.9 ng/mL) and deficiency (< 20 ng/mL) was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients (P = 0.01). Despite this, pretreatment vitamin D levels did not show any impact on the virologic response. The most common adverse effect observed was fatigue. None of the patients had to discontinue the treatment due to adverse events. Conclusions DAAs are safe and effective with a high overall SVR 12 in CHC and treatment response does not depend on the pretreatment vitamin D levels. The prevalence of both vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency was observed to be higher in cirrhotic cohorts compared to non-cirrhotic counterparts.
Diagnostic Management of Papillomas, Radial Scars, and Flat Epithelial Atypia: Core Biopsy Alone Versus Core Biopsy Plus Excision

Intraductal papillomas, radial scars, and flat epithelial atypia (FEA) are common benign breast lesions diagnosed by core needle biopsy. There is debate over whether surgical excision is mandated for these lesions to rule out malignancy, or whether certain patients may be safely observed. This chapter summarizes the literature, discusses current management recommendations, and identifies areas for further investigation. Radial scars are usually excised due to difficulty establishing concordance. Certain intraductal papilloma subsets, including atypical, palpable, or multiple papillomas, should also be excised due to a high upgrade rate to malignancy. However, a growing body of evidence supports observation as a reasonable alternative in patients with a core biopsy diagnosis of benign solitary intraductal papillomas or pure FEA.
Does Surgical Management Alter Outcome in Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis occurs in 14% of infants less than 1000 g. Preoperative management varies widely, and the only absolute indication for surgery is pneumoperitoneum. Multiple biomarkers and scoring systems are under investigation, but clinical practice is still largely driven by surgeon judgment. Outcomes in panintestinal disease are poor, and multiple creative approaches are used to preserve bowel length. Overall, recovery is complicated in the short and long term. Major sequelae are stricture, short gut syndrome, and neurodevelopmental impairment. Resolving controversies in surgical necrotizing enterocolitis care requires multicenter collaboration for centralized data and tissue repositories, benchmarking, and carrying out prospective randomized controlled trials.
Onp-class groups of cyclic extensions of prime degreep of certain cyclotomic fields

Letp be an odd prime number, and letK be a cyclic extension of ℚ(ζ) of degreep, where ζ is a primitivep-th root of unity. LetCK be thep-class group ofK, and letrK be the minimal number of generators ofCK1−σ as a module over Gal(K/ℚ(ζ)), were σ is a generator of Gal(K/ℚ(ζ)). This paper shows how likely it is forrK= 0, 1, 2, … whenp=3, 5, or 7, and describes the obstacle to generalizing these results to regular primesp>7.
Spectral based tissue classification and ultrastructural characterization using ISOCT (Conference Presentation)

Alterations to nanoscale structures, lymphatics, and microvasculature are early hallmarks of neoplasia as well as a variety of other diseases. Unfortunately, nanoscale alterations and microvasculature function, such as oxygen saturation, cannot be probed by histology. Furthermore, properly evaluating lymphatic and microvasculature organization can be challenging with histological slices. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) offers a promising noninvasive solution to evaluating these biomarkers in 3D in vivo. OCT has shown the ability to provide 3D maps of vasculature with flow rate and blood oxygenation, as well as, lymphatic organization with a resolution on the order of 1-10 microns. Our group has established Inverse Spectroscopic OCT (ISOCT), which measures nanoscale mass density tissue fluctuations and can distinguish between histologically normal cancerous and noncancerous tissue. However, the most influential underlying assumption that allows the distinction between subdiffractional structural alterations in tissue is that the region of interest (ROI) includes a homogenous tissue type with similar scattering and absorption properties. Therefore, the highly absorbing blood and low scattering lymphatics must be excluded from analysis. Traditional OCT techniques to isolate vasculature and its spectra require timely repetitive scanning protocols, and the commonly utilized near infrared operating bandwidths require vessel-like filters to locate lymphatics. Herein we show how vasculature location and spectra can be extracted with a single visible OCT scan. Additionally, we demonstrate the high image contrast from visible OCT allows lymphatic location to be well defined. Finally, we show ultrastructural metrics fall within physiologically reasonable ranges after excluding vasculature and lymphatics from the ROI.
Polyneuritis and Rare Sequelae of Leptospirosis Contracted While on an Urban Clean-Up Mission in Detroit : A Case Report of Weil’s Disease and Literature Review

Leptospirosis is a common zoonosis, an infectious disease that infects both humans and animals, which is caused by spirochete bacteria from genus Leptospira . Approximately 30% of children in urban Detroit and 16% of adults in Baltimore demonstrated serologic evidence of previous leptospirosis infections. The Detroit study showed correlation between degree of rat infestation and seropositivity rates. This finding suggests rats are major vectors for human leptospirosis in mainland United States. The leptospires from infected animals survive best in fresh water, damp alkaline soil, vegetation, and mud with temperatures higher than 22 °C. Although leptospirosis is a well documented clinical condition, the sequelae of polyneuritis has not yet been reported to our knowledge. The following case is an example of such an occurrence. A 49-year-old Caucasian female presented to the emergency department with flu-like symptoms after volunteering in an urban Detroit neighborhood clean-up project. She admitted to picking up wood from stagnant water without wearing personal protective equipment. The primary differential diagnosis being Weil’s disease from leptospirosis and was proven positive with serologic testing via the Center for Disease Control. A computed tomography (CT) abdomen and pelvis demonstrated lymphadenopathy throughout the abdomen and near the spinal column. She was treated with ceftriaxone and doxycycline for 12 days but developed chronic neuralgia and polyneuritis. Leptospires are known to cause vasculitis. This patient developed polyneuritis either from direct invasion of the nerves from leptospires or compromised blood supply to the nerves. In addition to antibiotics, patients with severe cases of leptospirosis also require supportive therapy and careful management of renal, hepatic, hematologic, and central nervous system complications. If renal failure ensues, early initiation of hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis may reduce mortality. Rapid identification of symptoms and a high clinical suspicion are paramount because early intervention can save their life. J Med Cases. 2019;10(6):183-187 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3320
New Computational Techniques in FJRW Theory with Applications to Landau Ginzburg Mirror Symmetry

New Computational Techniques in FJRW Theory with Applications to Landau Ginzburg Mirror Symmetry Amanda Francis Department of Mathematics, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Mirror symmetry is a phenomenon from physics that has inspired a lot of interesting mathematics. In the Landau-Ginzburg setting, we have two constructions, the A and B models, which are created based on a choice of an affine singularity with a group of symmetries. Both models are vector spaces equipped with multiplication and a pairing (making them Frobenius algebras), and they are also Frobenius manifolds. We give a result relating stabilization of singularities in classical singularity to its counterpart in the Landau-Ginzburg setting. The A model comes from so-called FJRW theory and can be defined up to a full cohomological field theory. The structure of this model is determined by a generating function which requires the calculation of certain numbers, which we call correlators. In some cases the their values can be computed using known techniques. Often, there is no known method for finding their values. We give new computational methods for computing concave correlators, including a formula for concave genus-zero, four-point correlators and show how to extend these results to find other correlator values. In many cases these new methods give enough information to compute the A model structure up to the level of Frobenius manifold. We give the FJRW Frobenius manifold structure for various choices of singularities and groups.
The Categorical Conundrum: Legitimacy in Flux and Interpretive Uncertainty during Category Emergence

Extant theory has emphasized the disciplining force of the categorical imperative which compels new firms and markets to fit existing categories. Those that do not fit existing categories are theor...
Seeding the Computational Skills of Diverse Non-programmers through Non-formal Workshops

Non-programmers, in particular, those who identify as female or gender-diverse, experience many factors that hinder their ultimate interest, participation, and success in programming. Prior work has delved into the problem of underrepresentation in STEM and specifically in Computing Education to uncover the barriers impacting these groups. Yet, attraction and retention remains a challenge. I argue that while formal learning pathways are critical to increasing participation of diverse learners, it is also integral to provide informal and non-formal learning opportunities as well. My research uses mixed-methods within a design-based research approach to offer and evaluate an active learning beginners' programming workshop called Code For Her. The workshop is designed to introduce females and gender-diverse individuals to web development. My goal is to analyze participants' experiences and progress within a trajectory framework, producing a narrative of their behaviors and attitudes over both short-term and longer-term intervals. In a pilot study of the workshop design, I observed increases in self-efficacy and positive attitudes, as well as changes in ways of thinking about computing. I note that the brief exposure of a workshop may seed understanding and skills in computation, but is not likely to convert non-programmers into programmers. Instead, I am exploring a new construct - computational grounding - that refers to participants' enhanced orientation toward computing-related behaviors. I will operationalize and study this construct using the workshop activities, thereby enhancing discussions of computational thinking.
The ArfGAP ASAP1 Controls Actin Stress Fiber Organization via Its N-BAR Domain

ASAP1 is a multi-domain ArfGAP that controls cell migration, spreading, and focal adhesion dynamics. Although its GAP activity contributes to remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, it does not fully explain all cellular functions of ASAP1. Here we find that ASAP1 regulates actin filament assembly directly through its N-BAR domain and controls stress fiber maintenance. ASAP1 depletion caused defects in stress fiber organization. Conversely, overexpression of ASAP1 enhanced actin remodeling. The BAR-PH fragment was sufficient to affect actin. ASAP1 with the BAR domain replaced with the BAR domain of the related ACAP1 did not affect actin. The BAR-PH tandem of ASAP1 bound and bundled actin filaments directly, whereas the presence of the ArfGAP and the C-terminal linker/SH3 domain reduced binding and bundling of filaments by BAR-PH. Together these data provide evidence that ASAP1 may regulate the actin cytoskeleton through direct interaction of the BAR-PH domain with actin filaments.
PERSONAL STATEMENT DOES NOT PREDICT FUTURE CAREER PATHS OF CARDIOLOGY FELLOWS

Recent revolutionary changes in concepts and contents of postgraduate medical training have not been paralleled by similar changes in application process. Personal statement (PS) has been a required part of applications for decades. While a creative self-expression for applicant and a portrait of
A Variational Bayes Approach to Adaptive Radio Tomography

Radio tomographic imaging (RTI) is an emerging technology for localization of physical objects in a geographical area covered by wireless networks. With attenuation measurements collected at spatially distributed sensors, RTI capitalizes on spatial loss fields (SLFs) measuring the absorption of radio frequency waves at spatial locations along the propagation path. These SLFs can be utilized for interference management in wireless communication networks, environmental monitoring, and survivor localization after natural disasters such as earthquakes. Key to the success of RTI is to accurately model shadowing as the weighted line integral of the SLF. To learn the SLF exhibiting statistical heterogeneity induced by spatially diverse environments, the present work develops a Bayesian framework entailing a piecewise homogeneous SLF with an underlying hidden Markov random field model. Utilizing variational Bayes techniques, the novel approach yields efficient field estimators at affordable complexity. A data-adaptive sensor selection strategy is also introduced to collect informative measurements for effective reconstruction of the SLF. Numerical tests using synthetic and real datasets demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach to radio tomography and channel-gain estimation.