cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AN ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF COST-OF-CAPITAL CONCEPTS IN NATURAL-GAS-PIPELINE RATE REGULATION*

THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN as an inductive investigation of the cost-of-capital concept as it has been used for rate-making purposes by the Federal Power Commission and the firms coming under its jurisdiction. It covers the period from 1938, the first year of Federal Power Commission regulation of natural-gas-pipeline companies, through 1963. Initially the study surveys the theoretical literature of the cost of capital. This survey covers both the general theory and special aspects related to natural-gas rate regulation. Next the concepts of the cost of capital developed by the Commission and the pipeline companies are summarized and compared. The discussion focuses on major historical trends in conceptual thought and on present points of view. Commission opinions proved to be the main source of information for this part of the study. It is found that the positions of the Commission and the companies regarding the cost of debt and preferred stock are quite similar. They tend to accept the historical cost of senior securities as the proper cost, although the companies at times did attempt to gain acceptance of the current effective rate. Neither the Commission nor any of the companies indicated that increased financial risk because of senior securities might cause the cost of common stock to rise. There is considerable disagreement between the Commission and the companies, and among the companies themselves, concerning the proper method of determining the cost of common-stock equity. However, all parties agreed that the cost of retained earnings should be the same as the cost of common stock. The Commission has steadfastly used earnings-price ratios, calculated on the basis of current earnings, as its primary determinant. Since 1952, the companies have generally used concepts emphasizing future earnings or dividends, with the incorporation of projected future earnings in the earnings-price relationship being most common. The response of the Commission to the newer concepts advanced by the companies is noted in the study. This should assist pipeline companies in their attempt to develop concepts to which the Commission might respond favorably. To illustrate the extent of agreement or disagreement, a detailed analysis of a typical rate-case proceeding is included as an appendix to the study. None of the cost-determination techniques used by the Commission or the companies is completely satisfactory when measured against those stressed in the theoretical literature of today. None of those techniques seems to take into account the opportunity cost of capital funds. However, those espoused by the companies generally do take into account the fact that investors are interested in future returns when they purchase securities. The Commission has continually refused to prognosticate future dividends or earnings. Its concepts, therefore, deviate from those in the theoretical literature which clearly indicate that, to be academically respectable, theories must incorporate future expectations.
Bayesian nonparametric multivariate ordinal regression

Multivariate ordinal data are modelled as a finite stick-breaking mixture of multivariate probit models. Parametric multivariate probit models are first developed for ordinal data, then generalized to finite mixtures of multivariate probit models. Specific recommendations for prior settings are found to work well in simulations and data analyses. Interpretation of the model is carried out by examining aspects of the mixture components as well as through averaged effects focusing on the mean responses. A simulation verifies that the fitting technique works, and an analysis of alcohol drinking behaviour data illustrates the usefulness of the proposed model. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 43: 337–357; 2015 © 2015 Statistical Society of Canada Resume Les auteurs modelisent des donnees ordinales multivariees a l'aide d'un melange fini de modeles probit multivaries de type bâton casse. Ils developpent d'abord les modeles probit multivaries pour les donnees ordinales, puis ils les generalisent en melange fini de modeles probit multivaries. Ils formulent des recommandations specifiques aux choix des lois a priori et constatent que celles-ci conviennent dans le cadre de simulations et d'analyses de donnees. Les auteurs interpretent le modele en examinant chaque composante du melange et en s'interessant aux effets moyens portant sur la reponse moyenne. Ils presentent une simulation pour montrer que leur methode d'ajustement fonctionne et ils decrivent une analyse portant sur les habitudes de consommation d'alcool afin d'illustrer l'utilite du modele propose. La revue canadienne de statistique xx: 1–21; 2015 © 2015 Societe statistique du Canada
Hepatocellular Injury in a Patient Receiving Rosiglitazone: A Case Report

After 2 weeks of therapy with rosiglitazone, 4 g/d, a 61-year-old man developed severe hepatocellular injury. Liver function rapidly improved and symptoms resolved after discontinuation of rosiglit...
The use of freshwater and saltwater animals to distinguish between the toxic effects of salinity and contaminants in irrigation drain water

Irrigation drain waters entering Stillwater Wildlife Management Area (SWMA) in south-western Nevada contain elevated levels of salinity and several inorganic contaminants (As, B, Cu, Li, Mo, and Sr). Mortalities of fish and waterfowl at the management area are believed to be associated with the poor water quality of the drains. The objective of the present study was to use fresh-water and saltwater animals to distinguish between the toxic effects of salinity and contaminants in effluent samples collected from irrigation drain waters. Static acute effluent tests were conducted with water collected from four sites at SWMA. Animals acclimated or cultured in fresh water (fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas; amphipods, Hyalella azteca; cladocerans, Daphnia magna) and salt water (striped bass, Morone saxatilis; amphipods, Hyalella azteca; and cladocerans, Daphnia magna) were used to separate toxic effects of salinity from the effects of inorganic contaminants in the drain water. One drain water (TJ drain, salinity 19 parts per thousand (grams per liter), osmolality 503 mmol/kg, hardness 3,780 mg/L as CaCO3) was toxic only to freshwater animals and saltwater cultured daphnids; water from a receiving pond (Pintail Bay, salinity 23 g/L, osmolality 542 mmol/kg, hardness 830 mg/L as CaCO3) was toxic to both freshwater and saltwater animals. Acute tests conducted with reconstituted waters representative of the Pintail Bay sample indicated that atypical ion ratios were toxic to striped bass and amphipods, even without the addition of inorganic contaminants. However, the addition of inorganic contaminants representative of the Pintail Bay sample increased the toxicity of this reconstituted water. These findings indicate that the toxicity of the TJ drain sample was related mainly to elevated salinity and that the toxicity of the Pintail Bay sample was a function of inorganic contamination and atypical ion ratios in combination with elevated salinity.
Identification of high-efficiency 3'GG gRNA motifs in indexed FASTA files with ngg2.

CRISPR/Cas9 is emerging as one of the most-used methods of genome modification in organisms ranging from bacteria to human cells. However, the efficiency of editing varies tremendously site-to-site. A recent report identified a novel motif, called the 3′GG motif, which substantially increases the efficiency of editing at all sites tested in C. elegans. Furthermore, they highlighted that previously published gRNAs with high editing efficiency also had this motif. I designed a python command-line tool, ngg2, to identify 3′GG gRNA sites from indexed FASTA files. As a proof-of-concept, I screened for these motifs in six model genomes: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Danio rerio, Mus musculus, and Homo sapiens. I also scanned the genomes of pig (Sus scrofa) and African elephant (Loxodonta africana) to demonstrate the utility in non-model organisms. I identified more than 60 million single match 3′GG motifs in these genomes. Greater than 61% of all protein coding genes in the reference genomes had at least one unique 3′GG gRNA site overlapping an exon. In particular, more than 96% of mouse and 93% of human protein coding genes have at least one unique, overlapping 3′GG gRNA. These identified sites can be used as a starting point in gRNA selection, and the ngg2 tool provides an important ability to identify 3′GG editing sites in any species with an available genome sequence.
Influence of Measurement Error and Intra-Individual Variation on the Reliability of Muscle Strength and Vertical Jump Tests

Abstract Independent estimates of the errors of measurement and the intra-individual variations have been made for arm strength (Smedley dynamometer) and vertical jumping (Henry apparatus). The intra-individual variations are much larger than the measurement errors; thus they constitute the chief factor that determines test-retest reliability in these two physical performances. The tolerable error for measuring strength is ± 0.82 kg.; for jumping it is ± 0.5 in. In order to avoid loss of accuracy, it is necessary to read the dial or scale with approximately twice this precision. The method of computing test-retest reliability as the ratio of “true score” variance to total variance is found to underestimate the coefficient when the variability of test and retest scores differs by more than 15 percent. A formula for correcting this attenuation is presented.
Women and States: National women’s policy bureaus and the standards of development

When it comes to institutionalizing women’s interests in policy processes, no country in the world can be considered “developed.” Anne Marie Goetz Introduction Partially because of the continuous addition of new states, it took almost a century before women’s suffrage would become a worldwide phenomenon. The development of national women’s policy bureaus, so-called “national women’s machinery” (NWM), was much more rapid, becoming a global fact within a couple of decades. National women’s machinery consists of formalized institutions officially part of either the administrative or governmental state structure. Although their specific directives vary, they all address the situation of women in some manner and thus bring women’s issues into the formalized public policy planning and implementation processes of the state. Their organization can take several forms, ranging from a more permanent ministry of women’s affairs that employs civil service staff to a council or commission populated by partisan government officials. Between 1976 and 1985, during the United Nations Decade for Women, over two thirds of UN member states created some form of bureaucracy to formally oversee and direct public policy related to the status of women. During this period, there was furthermore a general shift away from what had initially been advisory commissions to the establishment of more permanent government units. It is important to remember that a century earlier, legislation to bar women from entering state office had spread among states. Now, not only were women allowed to hold public employment, but they apparently merited a bureaucracy of their own. The stunning worldwide creation of these bureaucracies between 1961 and 1986 is the focus of this chapter.
Biopolymer-silica Hybrid Aerogels Containing Transition Metal Species; Structure, Properties, and Reactions

Novel transition-metal containing hybrid biopolymer-silica aerogels have been synthesized as transparent monolithic structures. The compositions include Ru(III), Rh(III), Co(II), and Pd(II) species, silica and chitosan, and amine-group-containing biopolymer derived from chitin. Due to its aqueous solubility and hydrogen bonding properties, chitosan was homogeneously incorporated into the silica network. These aerogels have densities in the range of 0.25-0.30 g/cm3, BET surface areas in the range of 600-975 m2/g, and refractive indexes below 1.17 (at 632.8 nm). Infrared spectroscopy shows that chitosan is effectively introduced into the silica aerogels, and the transition metal ions can coordinate with the amine sites on chitosan. This combines the metal-ion interaction of chitosan with that of silica aerogels. Transmission electronic microscopy indicates that the particle sizes of silica are about 2 nm. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been used to study the microstructure of these aerogels. A new Small-Particle Mass-Fractal model scattering function, derived from the Teixeira Mass-Fractal model scattering function, was used to fit the SANS data. It was found that chitosan helps to form an open aerogel structure. It supports a structural model in which there are primary particles that connect with each other closely to form clusters, and these clusters serve as a secondary structural unit to form the chitosan-reinforced aerogel network. It also indicates that chitosan reinforces the interparticle connections. The local environments, structures and chemistries of the transition metal ions have been explored. Of special interest in this regard are the magnetic properties of the Ru(III) containing materials, which are consistent with anti-ferromagnetic coupling, and the reactions of the Rh(III), Ru(III), and Pd(II) species with small gaseous molecules.
Cranberry juice and the antibacterial action of hippuric acid.

Abstract Cranberry juice, given in maximal tolerable amounts to normal subjects, increases the acidity of the urine slightly and increases the hippuric acid content of the urine by several grams a day. Hippuric acid, in concentrations of 0.02 – 0.04 M, is bacteriostatic at pH 5.0 for the common pathogens of the urinary tract, and its activity decreases about fivefold as the pH is raised to 5.6. Only occasionally does cranberry juice contribute enough hippuric acid to the urine to achieve concentrations which are bacteriostatic at pH 5.O. Hippuric acid, in doses of 12 to 14 Gm. per day, usually lowers the pH of the urine to 5.2 or less, and is excreted in sufficient concentration to induce inhibition of bacterial growth in urine at this pH. The data suggest that the use of hippuric acid as a urinary antiseptic deserves further study.
Transfer and terminations as staffing options.

The article presents the findings of studies on staffing, transfer and termination in organizational management. Two hundred and ninety critical incidents were gathered from production and purchasi...
Manifestation Determination Decisions and Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorders:

Sixteen general and special education teachers were randomly assigned to one of four teams that were to make manifestation determinations using two different “hidden profiles” case studies based on...
Rosiglitazone, medical reversal, and back to basics for diabetes

For too long, the debate in diabetes has centered on the question: Is this medication harmful? It's time to revisit the more fundamental question: Is this treatment beneficial?
Doing Gender, Doing Surveys? Women's Gatekeeping and Men's Non-Participation in Multi-Actor Reproductive Surveys

Gender differences in research participation have been documented in both quantitative and qualitative studies, a pattern that is particularly pronounced in studies of reproduction. We use the National Survey of Fertility Barriers to analyze three reasons frequently used to explain men's non-participation in reproductive research: (1) Reproduction is a sensitive subject for men, (2) reproduction is women's domain, and (3) men's unavailability due to seemingly pragmatic reasons (e.g., work schedule). Using binary logistic regression, we test these three explanations across two different models: women's gatekeeping (denying researcher access to partners) (n = 1,637) and men's own non-response (n = 1,454). A substantial minority of women (12.8 percent), engaged in gatekeeping, but the dominant mechanism of men's non-participation was their own non-response once women granted researcher access to partners. Consistent with prior studies on general survey non-response, several demographic variables were associated with men's participation. Additionally, findings suggest that the notion of reproduction as women's domain received the strongest support, though specific variables within this construct differed for models predicting women's gatekeeping versus men's non-response of their own accord.
The Value of Rain: Benefit-Cost Analysis of Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Rainwater harvesting is increasingly viewed as a practical means of reducing stormwater runoff and supplementing water supply in water-scarce regions, although its widespread adoption has been limited in urban areas. While a number of studies have examined the potential of rainwater harvesting to reduce potable water use, stormwater runoff, energy associated with delivering potable water supplies, or the associated costs, none have assessed these costs and benefits collectively. Using a densely urbanized watershed in southern California as a test case, this study quantifies the economic benefits and costs of rainwater harvesting to investigate whether capturing and using rainwater can be an efficient regional policy. Given the watershed’s land use, topography, and rainfall variability, a range of cistern sizes is evaluated to estimate the magnitude of water, energy and carbon savings for two rainwater use scenarios: outdoor use only and outdoor plus non-potable indoor use. With water prices held constant, only the smallest cistern (208 l) used for outdoor irrigation is efficient from an economic standpoint. In contrast, with a modest annual increase in water rates over the life of the project, the study shows that rainwater capture for outdoor use is an efficient policy for any cistern size. Finally, due to the higher installation and maintenance costs required to pipe the water indoors, outdoor/indoor uses show only modest economic benefits. The potential volume of water captured annually is significant, depending on the cistern size, equivalent to the total water needs of 13,345 to 31,138 single-family residences.
Pathology of the superior colliculus in chronic traumatic encephalopathy

PURPOSE: To investigate neuropathological changes in the superior colliculus in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. METHODS: The densities of the tau-immunoreactive neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, dot-like grains, astrocytic tangles, and neuritic plaques, together with abnormally enlarged neurons, typical neurons, vacuolation, and frequency of contacts with blood vessels, were studied across the superior colliculus from pia mater to the periaqueductal gray in eight chronic traumatic encephalopathy and six control cases. RESULTS: Tau-immunoreactive pathology was absent in the superior colliculus of controls but present in varying degrees in all chronic traumatic encephalopathy cases, significant densities of tau-immunoreactive neurofibrillary tangles, NT, or dot-like grains being present in three cases. No significant differences in overall density of the tau-immunoreactive neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, dot-like grains, enlarged neurons, vacuoles, or contacts with blood vessels were observed in control and chronic traumatic encephalopathy cases, but chronic traumatic encephalopathy cases had significantly lower mean densities of neurons. The distribution of surviving neurons across the superior colliculus suggested greater neuronal loss in intermediate and lower laminae in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Changes in density of the tau-immunoreactive pathology across the laminae were variable, but in six chronic traumatic encephalopathy cases, densities of tau-immunoreactive neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, or dot-like grains were significantly greater in intermediate and lower laminae. Pathological changes were not correlated with the distribution of blood vessels. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest significant pathology affecting the superior colliculus in a proportion of chronic traumatic encephalopathy cases with a laminar distribution which could compromise motor function rather than sensory analysis.
Robust synchronization of interconnected linear systems over intermittent communication networks

The property of synchronization of multiple linear time-invariant systems connected over a network with stochastically-driven isolated communication events is studied. We propose a solution to the problem of designing a feedback controller that, using information obtained over such networks, asymptotically drives the values of their states to synchronization and renders such a condition Lyapunov stable. To solve this problem, we propose a controller with hybrid dynamics, namely, the controller exhibits continuous dynamics between communication events and, at such events, has variables that jump. Due to the additional continuous and discrete dynamics inherent to the networked systems and communication structure, we use a hybrid systems framework to model the closed-loop system and design the controller. The problem of synchronization is then recast as a compact set stabilization problem and, by employing Lyapunov stability tools for hybrid systems, sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability of the synchronization set are provided. Furthermore, we show that the synchronization property is robust to a class of perturbations on the transmitted data. Numerical examples illustrating the main results are included.
Conservatives Create a Workplace Constitution in the Courts

“The spirit at that particular time” Neil McCarthy “This is a rather startling document for an American citizen to receive,” the renowned film director and beloved radio broadcaster Cecil B. DeMille wrote to his longtime attorney, business partner, and friend Neil McCarthy. It was August 1944 and DeMille was outraged. He had just received a letter from his union, the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA), telling him that all union members had to pay one dollar or face suspension. The dollar assessment was levied to fund AFRA’s campaign against Proposition 12, a measure on the California ballot that would amend the state constitution to ban closed shops. AFRA had a number of closed-shop contracts, including one covering DeMille’s popular Lux Radio Theater program. As a member of Hollywood’s right wing and a conservative Republican, DeMille opposed the closed shop and supported Proposition 12. “I am not in favor,” he wrote, “of any free man being forced to join a union in order to work.” He did not want to pay even a dollar of his considerable fortune to support the closed shop. Yet if DeMille refused to pay the dollar and AFRA suspended him, he would lose his radio program. By threatening to deny him “the right of earning my livelihood” if he failed to pay the fee, DeMille fulminated, the union “is in direct violation of my Constitutional rights.” Known among his employees for his temper and outsize ego, DeMille was used to getting his way. But the U.S. Constitution was not like one of the assistants whom he could bully into taking the position he desired. To win recognition of a conservative workplace Constitution, DeMille had to explain why AFRA’s threat violated his constitutional rights. In the process, he created legal, rhetorical, and tactical links between his cause and that of African American workers. Like them, DeMille faced arduous doctrinal hurdles. Also like them, he turned initially to the pre–New Deal past, then gradually added more modern minority-rights claims to his repertoire. In another similarity, DeMille turned to forums other than courts to make his case. Unlike those fighting for a liberal workplace Constitution, however, DeMille was a multimillionaire with political connections, access to the ears and wallets of the wealthiest Americans, and national platforms at his disposal. For DeMille, low-stakes constitutional litigation served high-stakes constitutional politics.
Abstract # 1825 Beta-adrenergic receptor signaling constrains mammary tumor progression and modulates tumor-associated exosomes

Pre-clinical evidence has linked stress exposure to tumor progression via sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation and beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) signaling. However, retrospective epidemiological studies suggest the association between stress and breast cancer is more ambiguous. To interrogate the impact of stress on the most common type of clinical breast cancer, hormone receptor-positive ductal carcinoma, we used MMTV-PyMT mice, a spontaneous model of metastatic breast cancer. MMTV-PyMT mice were exposed to a stressor featuring chronic social isolation and acute restraint. The combined stressor elicited a prolonged activation of the SNS compared to non-tumor bearing FVB/NJ mice, the MMTV-PyMT background strain. Intriguingly, stress exposure diminished MMTV-PyMT tumor growth, in conjunction with decreased immunosuppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cell frequency and reduced TGF-beta content in circulating tumor-associated exosomes. Blockade of peripheral beta-ARs with the beta-blocker nadolol abrogated stress-induced tumor suppression and restored MDSC frequency and TGF-beta exosomal content. Furthermore, in non-stressed mice, nadolol treatment increased tumor growth and metastasis. These findings suggest (1) mammary tumor progression dysregulates SNS outflow, (2) beta-AR signaling can impede tumor progression, and (3) circulating exosomes may represent biomarkers for the tumor response to beta-AR activation. This work implies that therapeutic outcomes can be optimized by exploiting nervous system regulation of cancer in a patient-specific manner. Funded by NCI Contract No. HHSN261200800001E, DOD W81XWH-13-1-0439.
An effective gate resistance model for CMOS RF and noise modeling

A physics-based effective gate resistance model representing the non-quasi-static (NQS) effect and the distributed gate electrode resistance is proposed for accurately predicting the RF performance of CMOS devices. The accuracy of the model is validated with 2D simulations and experimental data. In addition, the effect of the gate resistance on the device noise behavior has been studied with measured data. The result shows that an accurate gate resistance model is essential for the noise modeling.
Abstract 170: Differential Effects of Atorvastatin and Digeranyl Bisphosphonate on Hemostasis and Thrombosis in Hypercholesterolemic Mice

Background and Hypothesis Statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, leading to decreased production of cholesterol and other isoprenoids. There is growing evidence that statins have protective effects on arterial thrombosis through pleiotropic mechanisms that may be independent of their cholesterol lowering effects. The antithrombotic effects of statins have been proposed to be related in part to diminished synthesis of geranyl-geranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). To test this hypothesis, we determined the hemostatic and thrombotic effects of atorvastatin and digeranyl bisphosphonate (DGBP), a specific inhibitor of geranyl-geranyl pyrophosphate synthase, in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. Methods Tissue levels of GGPP and its precursor farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) were measured by HPLC. ApoE-/- mice were treated with either vehicle, atorvastatin (50 mg/kg/d), or DGBP (0.4 mg/kg/d) subcutaneously for 7 days. Susceptibility to thrombotic occlusion of the carotid artery was measured in response to injury with FeCl 3 . Tail-transection bleeding time and platelet clot retraction were also assessed. Results Compared with vehicle- or atorvastatin-treated mice, DGBP- treated mice had elevated levels of FPP in heart (P Conclusions Inhibition of GGPP production causes impairment of hemostasis but does not prevent arterial thrombosis in hypercholesterolemic mice. The differential effects of DGBP and atorvastatin suggest that the antithrombotic effects of statins are independent of geranyl-geranyl-mediated processes.
The use of naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, in the treatment of opiate addiction

Objective: The objective of this article is to review the use of the opiate antagonist naltrexone as an alternative to opiate agonist maintenance in the treatment of opiate addiction.Method: An extensive literature search, via Medline, Biosis, Psycinfo and other databases was carried out.Results: Naltrexone has been used in the treatment of opiate addicts in a variety of settings. A number of methods of induction onto naltrexone of recently abstinent addicts have been used in different settings. Naltrexone has had a wide range of outcome success with different populations and associated treatment regimes.Conclusions: The benefits of naltrexone can be compared with alternatives such as methadone maintenance and therapeutic communities. Naltrexone can be made more effective in the general population of opiate addicts with the use of adjunctive therapies.
Mechanisms and Prevention of Vertical Transmission in Chronic Viral Hepatitis

Vertical transmission (VT) is the primary route of transmission of viral hepatitis in children. The rate of VT ranges from 1–28% with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and 3–15% with hepatitis C virus (HCV). VT for both viruses can occur during the intrauterine or peripartum period. VT of HBV primarily occurs by intrauterine transmission (IUT). Hepatitis B surface antigen is unable to cross the placenta and, therefore, relies on processes like transplacental leakage, placental infection, cellular transmission by peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and germline transmission. HCV can also infect the fetus by IUT. Both viruses also have the potential for transmission during delivery, when there is increase chance of maternal–fetal blood exposure. HBV and HCV share some common risk factors for VT, including maternal viral load, human immunodeficiency virus co-infection and neonatal sex. Prevention of VT differs greatly between HBV and HCV. There are several alternatives for prevention of HBV VT, including antiviral medications during the third trimester of pregnancy and HBV vaccine, as well as hepatitis B immunoglobulin administration to infants post-partum. In contrast, there are no preventative interventions available for HCV. Despite these differences, the key to prevention with both viruses is screening women prior to and during pregnancy.
The Language of Songs: The Utilization of Freedom Songs as a form of Protest in the South African Anti-apartheid and U.S. Civil Rights Movements

Throughout social history, countless social movements have emerged around the world with purposes ranging from exposition of political, economic or social abuses, to complete usurpation of the institution. In order to be successful, movement leaders must attract support with a common grievance and develop schemes for communicating their messages to one another and to the outside world. Common culture is one means of uniting individuals and fostering among them a sense of solidarity. One of the most effective cultural tools utilized by many historical movements has been music, which forms group or national identity. In the following discussion, through the comparative lens of the historical struggles against racial inequalities in the United States' civil rights movement and in the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa, this analysis will demonstrate music's importance (both religious and secular) in social activism as a means of creating and communicating collective identity. The aesthetic and emotive effects of music are undeniable. Music of all types, depending on its context, can arouse feelings of joy, sorrow, anger, motivation, or inspiration. It may illustrate history, generate nostalgia, or inspire action. No matter what the intention of the composer or the performer, it is incontrovertible that music is an emotional medium. Protesters in particular are open to the emotional messages threaded throughout popular music because they feel marginalized and unimportant in societies that value adult experience over youthful idealism. Therefore, music provides direction in how to express their energy and deal with their moods, and gives them a voice.
Parenting and digital media

Understanding the family dynamic surrounding media use is crucial to our understanding of media effects, policy development, and the targeting of individuals and families for interventions to benefit child health and development. The Families, Parenting, and Media Workgroup reviewed the relevant research from the past few decades. We find that child characteristics, the parent-child relationship, parental mediation practices, and parents' own use of media all can influence children's media use, their attitudes regarding media, and the effects of media on children. However, gaps remain. First, more research is needed on best practices of parental mediation for both traditional and new media. Ideally, this research will involve large-scale, longitudinal studies that manage children from infancy to adulthood. Second, we need to better understand the relationship between parent media use and child media use and specifically how media may interfere with or strengthen parent-child relationships. Finally, longitudinal research on how developmental processes and individual child characteristics influence the intersection between media and family life is needed. The majority of children's media use takes place within a wider family dynamic. An understanding of this dynamic is crucial to understanding child media use as a whole.
Whole Life Sensing of Infrastructure

One of the greatest challenges facing civil engineers is the stewardship of ageing infrastructure. At present, it is difficult to inspect the condition of infrastructure while it is being used. The fragility of old infrastructure presents a challenge for new construction in congested urban environments. Little is also known of the long-term performance of such infrastructure. We see many cases around the world of continuous retrofit/renovation of infrastructure during its lifetime. The vision discussed in this chapter is to significantly improve our capability in predicting and managing the life expectancy of large infrastructure. For future proofing, active monitoring of construction and operational processes of civil engineering infrastructure is essential. This implies that structures are instrumented to assess their performance against engineering design parameters or predictive models. In recent years, sensor and communications research has been undergoing a revolution. There are possibilities to use emerging sensor technologies (distributed fiber optics sensing, wireless sensor network, low power miniature sensors, energy harvesting for continuous monitoring, robotic inspections, satellite images, crowd source data, etc.) to address the particular needs to look after our infrastructure.
Innovation, cooperation, and the structure of three regional sustainable agriculture networks in California

Regional agroecological systems are examples of complex adaptive systems, where sustainability is promoted by social networks that facilitate information sharing, cooperation, and connectivity among specialized components of the system. Much of the existing literature on social capital fails to recognize how networks support multiple social processes. Our paper overcomes this problem by analyzing how the social networks of wine grape growers exhibit structural features related to multiple social processes: ties to central actors that build bridging social capital and facilitate the diffusion of innovations, ties that close triangles and build bonding social capital to solve cooperation dilemmas, and ties to individuals that span community boundaries to connect specialized components of the system. We use survey data to measure the communication networks of growers in three viticulture regions in California. A combination of descriptive statistics, conditional uniform random graph tests, and exponential random graph models provides empirical support for our hypotheses. The findings reflect regional differences in geography and institutional histories, which may influence the capacity to respond to regional environmental change.
Minimum magnetic curvature for resilient divertors using Compact Toroidal Hybrid geometry

The properties of resilient divertors are explored using equilibria derived from Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH) geometries. Resilience is defined here as the robustness of the strike point patterns as the plasma geometry and/or plasma profiles are changed. The addition of plasma current in the CTH configurations significantly alters the shape of the last closed flux surface and the rotational transform profile, however, it does not alter the strike point pattern on the target plates, and hence has resilient divertor features. The limits of when a configuration transforms to a resilient configuration is then explored. New CTH-like configurations are generated that vary from a perfectly circular cross section to configurations with increasing amounts of toroidal shaping. It is found that even small amounts of toroidal shaping lead to strike point localization that is similar to the standard CTH configuration. These results show that only a small degree of three-dimensional shaping is necessary to produce a resilient divertor, implying that any highly shaped optimized stellarator will possess the resilient divertor property.
Better living through chemistry: Addressing emerging antibiotic resistance.

The increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is recognized as a major threat to human health worldwide. While the use of small molecule antibiotics has enabled many modern medical advances, it has also facilitated the development of resistant organisms. This minireview provides an overview of current small molecule drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans, the unintended consequences of antibiotic use, and the mechanisms that underlie the development of drug resistance. Promising new approaches and strategies to counter antibiotic-resistant bacteria with small molecules are highlighted. However, continued public investment in this area is critical to maintain an edge in our evolutionary “arms race” against antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.Impact statementThe alarming increase in antibiotic-resistant microorganisms is a rapidly emerging threat to human health throughout the world. Historically, small molecule drugs have played a major role in controlling ...
Psychotherapy Targeting Depression and Anxiety for Use in Palliative Care: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract Background: Research on the effectiveness of evidence-based practices in the treatment of depression and anxiety with palliative care populations is primarily limited to individuals having...
Multi-layered interactive energy space modeling for near-optimal electrification of terrestrial, shipboard and aircraft systems

Abstract In this paper, we introduce a basic multi-layered modeling framework for posing the problem of safe, robust and efficient design and control that may lend itself to ripping potential benefits from electrification. The proposed framework establishes dynamic relations between physical concepts such as stored energy, useful work, and wasted energy, on one hand; and modeling, simulation, and control of interactive modular complex dynamical systems, on the other. In particular, our recently introduced energy state-space modeling approach for electric energy systems is further interpreted using fundamental laws of physics in multi-physical systems, such as terrestrial energy-systems, aircrafts and ships. The interconnected systems are modeled as dynamically interacting modules. This approach is shown to be particularly well-suited for scalable optimization of large-scale complex systems. Instead of having to use simpler models, the proposed multi-layered modeling of system dynamics in energy space offers a promising basic method for modeling and controlling inter-dependencies across multi-physics subsystems for both ensuring feasible and near-optimal operation. It is illustrated how this approach can be used for understanding fundamental physical causes of inefficiencies created either at the component level or are a result of poor matching of their interactions.
Imagining a Classroom: Negotiating Diverse Interests of Educational NGOs in Northern Ghana

Non-Governmental Organizations (‘NGOs’) compliment imperfect educational models with creative and flexible community-based programs. In Northern Ghana, children in poverty often face diminished educational outcomes, and organizations use various strategies to seek justice for these children. NGOs negotiate an uneasy existence as mediators between the spheres of structural bureaucracy and local poverty. NGOs must maintain a delicate balance between serving the cultural and structural challenges facing education in resource-poor communities. Solely focusing on either aspect robs the organization of local legitimacy NGOs appropriately apply complex social context to their simplified program goals when staff relationships with local communities inform what tools oppressed Ghanians need to live flourishing lives. Structural interviews in Tamale, Ghana, illustrate that NGOs achieve their goal of improved educational outcomes for poor children when they identify as members of the community where they work.
Democracy: A Paradox of Rights?

Theorist Corey Brettschneider argues that in a “paradox of rights,” liberal democracies are expected to allow freedom of association, expression, and conscience, but viewpoint neutrality dictates that they cannot themselves express the values of free and equal citizenship that undergird these rights. According to what he terms value democracy, the state should abrogate viewpoint neutrality and instead speak in ways that would transform recalcitrant citizens’ views to support these core values. Although I support the values of free and equal citizenship, I question some of the means Brettschneider would use to promote these values. First, we cannot always count on the state itself to support the values of free and equal citizenship. Second, although he would withdraw tax exemptions from groups that oppose these values, making this determination accords too much power to public authority, and voluntary associations are not always monolithic in their values. Finally, the true threat to free and equal citizenship lies not in the beliefs that we fail to transform, but in the practices that individuals and groups may attempt to impose not only on others but also potentially on the larger community.
Reproductive hormonal treatments for mood disorders in women

There has been a century-long view in medicine that reproductive function in both men and women is intimately involved with mood regulation. The 19th century witnessed a proliferation of medical reports documenting beneficial effects on mood and behavior after medical or surgical manipulations of women's reproductive function. More recently, the results of several studies suggest that gonadal steroids do regulate mood in some women. Thus, there is considerable interest in the potential role of reproductive therapies in the management of depressive illness, including both classical and reproductive endocrine-related mood disorders. Future studies need to determine the predictors of response to hormonal therapies compared with traditional antidepressant agents, and to characterize the long-term safety and benefits of these therapies.
Complications of heated intraperitioneal chemotherapy and strategies for prevention

Heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPC) is a novel treatment designed to bring high concentrations of active cytotoxic agents in direct contact with tumor cells that are disseminated within peritoneal fluid or attached to the lining surfaces of the peritoneal cavity. This treatment is often combined with radical cytoreductive surgery (tumor debulking) and is therefore performed at the time of and in association with surgery. Heating is believed to have synergistic effects with chemotherapy, although to our knowledge this has not been extensively or systematically examined in human clinical studies. The potential ability of intraperitoneal administration of cytotoxic agents to increase peritoneal-to-plasma drug ratios, or the area under the curve (AUC), and thus to enhance the effectiveness of local therapy and to diminish systemic toxicity, is an attractive approach [1]. Hyperthermia can potentiate the cytotoxicity of a variety of anticancer agents, including mitomycin C (MMC), doxorubicin, lonidamine, and cisplatin [2–4]. For MMC, this synergism is enhanced under hypoxic conditions [5].
Abstract 19685: Statins and Tinnitus: An Innovative Analysis

Background: Some patients cite tinnitus as a statin adverse effect (AE), often attending acknowledged statin AEs, but trends to tinnitus benefit have also been reported. Oxidative stress promotes t...
Phase characteristics of subwavelength antenna elements for efficient design of terahertz frequency and millimeter wave metasurfaces

In this paper the effects of subwavelength antenna resonator element dimensions on the anomalous reflection properties of metasurfaces operating in the millimeter wave and terahertz frequency regions are investigated. Such two-dimensional structures are finding uses as flat optics in a variety of applications including beam steerers, reflectarrays, and broadband, polarization-independent radar absorbers. Numerical simulations were performed to characterize the reflection phase of square resonators of varying dimensions for several metasurface and reflectarray designs. A simple empirical model is developed for efficient characterization of metasurface phase characteristics in lieu of expensive numerical simulation software.
Synthesis of novel, substituted 4H‐imidazo[1,5‐a][1,4]benzodiazepines

Synthetic approaches to novel, substituted 4H-imidazo[1,5-a][1,4]benzodiazepines are described. The compounds prepared are, in general, derivatives of known ring systems and structures were assigned on the basis of spectroscopic evidence.
JNK and cardiometabolic dysfunction.

Cardiometabolic syndrome (CMS) describes the cluster of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases that are generally characterized by impaired glucose tolerance, intra-abdominal adiposity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. CMS currently affects more than 25% of the world’s population and the rates of diseases are rapidly rising. These CMS conditions represent critical risk factors for cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Therefore, it is imperative to elucidate the underlying signaling involved in disease onset and progression. The c-Jun N-terminal Kinases (JNKs) are a family of stress signaling kinases that have been recently indicated in CMS. The purpose of this review is to examine the in vivo implications of JNK as a potential therapeutic target for CMS. As the constellation of diseases associated with CMS are complex and involve multiple tissues and environmental triggers, carefully examining what is known about the JNK pathway will be important for specificity in treatment strategies.
Properties of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes immobilized in sol-gel beads: stabilization of invertase and β-glucosidase by Blue Dextran

When immobilized in sol-gels, invertase (β;-fructofuranosidase) from Candida utilis and β;-glucosidase from Pyrococcus furiosus had activity recovery values of 30 and 28%, respectively. However, if Blue Dextran (0.04%) was included in the immobilization-reaction mixture, the respective recovery values increased to 63 and 52%. Glucose dehydrogenase from Thermoplasma acidophilum immobilized by the same method lost most of its activity and Blue Dextran had no effect on the recovery of activity during the immobilization procedure. The immobilized enzymes required treatment with glutaraldehyde in order to maintain their activity within the sol-gel matrix during continuous reaction with their respective substrates.