cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sea-cliff erosion as a function of beach changes and extreme wave runup during the 1997–1998 El Niño

Abstract Over time scales of hundreds to thousands of years, the net longshore sand transport direction along the central California coast has been driven to the south by North Pacific winter swell. In contrast, during the El Nino winter of 1997–1998, comparisons of before and after airborne lidar surveys showed sand was transported from south to north and accumulated on the south sides of resistant headlands bordering pocket beaches. This resulted in significant beach erosion at the south ends of pocket beaches and deposition in the north ends. Coincident with the south-to-north redistribution of sand, shoreline morphology became prominently cuspate with longshore wavelengths of 400–700 m. The width and elevation of beaches were least where maximum shoreline erosion occurred, preferentially exposing cliffs to wave attack. The resulting erosional hotspots typically were located in the embayments of giant cusps in the southern end of the pocket beaches. The observed magnitude of sea cliff retreat, which reached 14 m, varied with the number of hours that extreme wave runup exceeded certain thresholds representing the protective capacity of the beach during the El Nino winter. A threshold representing the width of the beach performed better than a threshold representing the elevation of the beach. The magnitude of cliff erosion can be scaled using a simple model based on the cross-shore distance that extreme wave runup exceeded the pre-winter cliff position. Cliff erosion appears to be a balance between terrestrial mass wasting processes, which tend to decrease the cliff slope, and wave attack, which removes debris and erodes the cliff base increasing the cliff slope.
Pietism and the Making of Eighteenth-Century Prussia

Preface Introduction 1. The German territorial state in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries 2. Reformed confessionalism and the reign of the Great Elector 3. The nature of the pre-1713 Hohenzollern state 4. Lutheran confessionalism 5. Spenerian Pietism 6. From Spener to Francke 7. Halle Pietism I: ideology and indoctrination 8. Halle Pietism II: growth and crisis 9. Pietist-Hohenzollern collaboration 10. The impact of Pietist pedagogy on the Prussian army and bureaucracy 11. Civilian mobilization and economic development during the reign of Frederick William I Conclusion Bibliography Index.
Soft robotics: Biological inspiration, state of the art, and future research

Traditional robots have rigid underlying structures that limit their ability to interact with their environment. For example, conventional robot manipulators have rigid links and can manipulate objects using only their specialised end effectors. These robots often encounter difficulties operating in unstructured and highly congested environments. A variety of animals and plants exhibit complex movement with soft structures devoid of rigid components. Muscular hydrostats e.g. octopus arms and elephant trunks are almost entirely composed of muscle and connective tissue and plant cells can change shape when pressurised by osmosis. Researchers have been inspired by biology to design and build soft robots. With a soft structure and redundant degrees of freedom, these robots can be used for delicate tasks in cluttered and/or unstructured environments. This paper discusses the novel capabilities of soft robots, describes examples from nature that provide biological inspiration, surveys the state of the art and outlines existing challenges in soft robot design, modelling, fabrication and control.
Clinical correlations of cervical myelopathy and the Hoffmann sign.

Object The Hoffmann sign is commonly used in clinical practice to assess cervical spine disease. It is whether the sign correlates with the severity of myelopathy, and no consensus exists regarding the significance a positive sign in asymptomatic individuals. Methods In a retrospective review of cervical spine surgeries for myelopathy due to cervical spondylosis, fication of the posterior longitudinal ligament, or disc herniation performed at a tertiary center, the authors data on the presence of hyperreflexia, the Hoffmann and Babinski signs, and modified Japanese Orthopaedic ciation (mJOA) scale scores. Then, in a prospective evaluation, new patients with lumbar spine complaints examined for the presence of a Hoffmann sign, and, if present, a cervical MR imaging study was assessed for compression. Results Of the 225 surgically treated patients, a Hoffmann sign occurred in 68%, hyperreflexia in 60%, and Babinski sign in 33%. In patients with milder disability (mJOA Scores 14–16), the Hoffmann sign was pr...
Eil Curriculum Development

In this paper the author argues that current changes in the nature of English and English language learners warrants a re-evaluation of two widely accepted notions of ELT curriculum development, na...
DevKeeper: a poor professor's mobile device management solution

Smartphones and tablets are everywhere these days. Given the pervasive adoption of these devices, many CS departments have begun offering mobile application development courses, or have integrated mobile platforms into existing CS curriculum. While all of the popular mobile SDK's today provide software device emulators, we have discovered that it is still very important for students to test their apps on real hardware. As such, we have purchased a number of Android and iOS devices that we can loan out to students engaged in mobile app development projects. One of the challenges we've faced is how to keep track of the devices we have loaned out and how to ensure they are returned when the student is finished. Modern enterprises manage thousands of devices using commercial third party mobile device management (MDM) solutions. Such solutions are typically out of scope for a CS instructor who is loaning out tens of devices in terms of both price and operation. To address this problem we have created an open source solution we refer to as DevKeeper. DevKeeper is a simple lightweight MDM solution that helps the instructor automate the process of loaning and managing devices checked out to students.
Optical Pattern Recognition

We discuss how one optical processor (a correlator) can be used for all levels of scene analysis (low, medium, and high-level computer vision). This is achieved by the use of different filter functions for the different levels of a hierarchical inference system. New optical processor filter research that allows such flexibility is advanced and examples of each of these filters are provided. For large class problems, feature extracted from each region of interest in a scene are fed to a neural net processor which performs recognition. New algorithms for optical neural net classifiers are also required. We conclude that present hardware optical correlator advances can significantly benefit from such processing.
Distribution of Foraminifera on the North Carolina Continental Shelf

The quantitative distribution of one hundred and sixty-four species of foraminifera has been studied from eighty-six equal volume samples from the continental shelf of North Carolina. The area is strongly influenced by the Gulf Stream which follows the edge of the continental shelf north to Cape Hatteras from where it flows into the open ocean. A major faunal boundary exists at the latitude of Cape Hatteras, separating faunas which are characteristic for the central and northern Atlantic coasts of the U.S. from faunas which are similar to those from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. It is possible to distinguish a syn-thanatotope of the central shelf with a lower boundary of about sixty meters and a syn-thanatotope of the shelf edge. The total number of both, benthonic and planktonic specimens, increases with increasing depth. A relict fauna is present on the outer portions of the central shelf and shelf edge which indicates a rise in sea level of about sixty meters since the last Pleistocene glaciation stage. Faunal diversity is higher south of Cape Hatteras which signifies the stabilizing influence of the Gulf Stream in this area.
Cytokinin signaling promotes differential stability of type-B ARRs

Cytokinins control key aspects of plant growth, including shoot and root meristem development and the timing of senescence of leaves and stems. Cytokinin perception triggers a 2-component signaling mechanism that ultimately leads to phosphorylation-dependent activation of a class of transcriptional regulators called type-B ARRs (RRBs). We have recently shown that the stability of the RRB family member ARR1 is increased in response to elevated cytokinin concentrations. In contrast, cytokinin decreases the stability of the closely related RRB member ARR2. The molecular mechanism governing the differential stability regulation of these 2 closely related RRBs remains unknown.
Association of smoking, body mass, and physical activity with risk of prostate cancer in the Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study (United States)

Smoking, obesity, alcohol, and physical activity can modulate theendocrine system, and therefore have been hypothesized to play a role in theetiology of prostate cancer. At baseline in 1982, 80 percent (n = 3,673) ofthe noninstitutionalized persons age 65+ in two rural Iowa (United States)counties were enrolled into the Iowa 65+ Rural Health Study. Follow-up formortality was complete through 1993, and cancer experience was determined bylinkage to the State Health Registry of Iowa cancer database for the years1973-93. We analyzed data on 1,050 men aged 65 to 101 years (mean age 73.5)with a full interview in 1982 and with no documented cancer in the 10 yearsprior to baseline. Through 1993 (8,474 person-years of follow-up), there were71 incident cases of prostate cancer. In a multivariate model, age, cigarettesmoking (relative risk [RR] = 2.9 for currently smoking 20 or more cigarettesper day compared with never smoking; P trend = 0.009), greater body massindex (BMI) (wt/ht 2 ) (RR = 1.7 for BMI > 27.8 kg/m 2 compared with <23.6; P trend = 0.1), and greater level of physical activity (RR = 1.9 forhigh activity level cf inactive; P trend = 0.05) were independent predictorsof prostate cancer, and these associations were stronger for regional ordisseminated disease at diagnosis. Percent change in BMI from age 50 tobaseline was associated positively with risk (P trend = 0.01), and thisassociation appeared to be stronger in heavier men. There were no data ondiet. These findings suggest that smoking, overweight, and weight gain inlater life are risk factors for prostate cancer and support a hormonaletiology; the positive association for physical activity confirms someprevious reports, but remains without a credible biologicmechanism.
The Use of Traumatic Biblical Narratives in Spiritual Recovery from Trauma: Theory and Case Study

Scholars in different disciplines have begun to converge in their answer to the fundamental question, “what does it mean to be a unique person.” Writers in the fields of psychology, neurology and t...
DEA with Preference

We can call the envelopment DEA models as radial efficiency measures, because these models optimize all inputs or outputs of a DMU at a certain proportion. Fare and Lovell (1978) introduce a non-radial measure which allows nonproportional reductions in positive inputs or augmentations in positive outputs. Table 4.1 summarizes the non-radial DEA models with respect to the model orientation and frontier type.
Dexlansoprazole: delayed-release orally disintegrating tablets for the treatment of heartburn associated with non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease and the maintenance of erosive esophagitis.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition afflicting millions of patients, whose prevalence continues to rise owing to the aging population and increasing burden of comorbid conditions, such as obesity. Currently, the mainstay of therapy for GERD is treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which have proven efficacy, safety, and tolerability. Despite this, a considerable number of patients have refractory symptoms to PPI therapy. Dexlansoprazole is a new addition to the class of PPIs, which has a unique dual delayed drug release system, which aims to address the current limitations of acid suppressive therapy by offering extended acid suppression and improved ease of administration.Areas covered: This manuscript covers the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, clinical efficacy, and regulatory approval of dexlansoprazole. Additionally, there is further discussion concerning the current market settings and the potential future impact of dexlansoprazole.Expert com...
Monte Carlo analysis of nondestructive assay techniques for highly enriched uranium oxide

Nondestructive assay (NDA) of uranium samples is typically performed using either active neutron multiplicity counting or passive gamma-ray spectroscopy. For large quantities (around 10 kg) of pure, highly enriched uranium (HEU) such as HEU oxide, active well coincidence counters (AWCCs) are widely used to detect time-correlated neutrons from neutron-induced fission with 3He tubes embedded in a polyethylene moderator. The active source used to induce the fissions is typically americium-lithium (AmLi). The purported advantage of this method over gamma-ray spectroscopic analysis is the greater penetrability of neutrons in the measured samples; however, the degree of this advantage has not been yet quantified in detail. The objective of this work is to perform Monte Carlo simulations of neutron multiplicity and gamma-ray spectroscopic analysis for the determination of the fissile mass of HEU-oxide samples. A range of such samples has been previously measured using both an AWCC and a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Here, the two techniques are directly compared in their ability to detect a range of diverted uranium-oxide masses.
Achim von Arnim and the Romantic Grotesque

(1983). Achim von Arnim and the Romantic Grotesque. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 58, No. 1, pp. 21-32.
Post-metaphysical Thinking: A Habermasian Perspective on the Critique of Traditional Metaphysics

Immanuel Kant has been considered as one of the prominent philosophers that in a way put an end to metaphysics. Kant’s critique of metaphysics is directed towards the totalizing unity of mythological narratives, religious doctrines, and philosophical explanations. The basic concepts of narratives, religions, and philosophy had riled upon a syndrome of validity that dissolved with the emergence of expert cultures in science, morality, and law and with the autonomy of art. Today, philosophy could establish its own distinct criteria of validity under conditions of rationality in relation to science that is fallible. Habermas puts forward that philosophy after Kant can no longer be a metaphysics in the sense of “conclusive” and “totalizing” thinking. In his communication theory, Habermas develops a theory of philosophy that is not reducible to a simple totality but has social complexity as its ground that is a number of plural language games, different orders of power, different structures of politics constituting modern time. Habermas is thus concerned with developing a theory of philosophy in general as a discourse of social differentiation. Keywords: *paradigm shift *metaphysics *post-metaphysics *identity/totalizing thinking *situating reason *procedural rationality *discourse ethics
The link between bond forfeiture and pretrial release mechanism: The case of Dallas County, Texas

Purpose The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of four pretrial jail release mechanisms (i.e., bond types) commonly used during the pretrial phase of the criminal justice process in terms of their ability to discriminate between defendants failing to appear in court (i.e., bond forfeiture). These include attorney bonds, cash bonds, commercial bail bonds, and release via a pretrial services agency. Methods A multi-treatment propensity score matching protocol was employed to assess between-release-mechanism differences in the conditional probability of failure to appear/bond forfeiture. Data were culled from archival state justice records comprising all defendants booked into the Dallas County, Texas jail during 2008 (n = 29,416). Results The results suggest that defendants released via commercial bail bonds were less likely to experience failure to appear leading to the bond forfeiture process compared to equivalent defendants released via cash, attorney, and pretrial services bonds. This finding held across different offense categories. The study frames these differences within a discussion encompassing procedural variation within and between each release mechanism, thereby setting the stage for further research and dialog regarding potential justice reform.
“My Greatest Quarrel with Fortune”: Major General Lew Wallace in the West, 1861-1862. By Charles G. Beemer. (Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2015. Pp. viii, 330. $39.95.) : Book Review

General Lew Wallace has at least three major claims to fame in American history: his leadership of the so‐called “Lost Division,” which arrived too late to assist the rest of Ulysses Grant's army a...
CRT-700.11 Impact of Female Gender on 30-Day Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement with Contemporary Valves

The impact of gender on early outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the setting of contemporary valves is not well known. We aimed to evaluate gender-specific differences on 30-day outcomes in adults undergoing TAVR with contemporary valves. The study population
Field Testing for Mycotoxins Using the Spectrochrom Myco-Quick Kit® and Others

The need for field testing for mycotoxins has been met with field test kits. This paper will describe the Spectrochrom, Ltd. Myco-Quick Kit® which allows testing for five mycotoxins: T-2 toxin, vomitoxin, zearalenone, ochratoxin and aflatoxins. It is based on the laboratory testing procedures (Stahr, 1982, Stahr et al, 1983) involving extraction, cleanup, partition, concentration, and planar chromatography. Visualization of the analytes is by fluorescent quenching with short wave ultraviolet fluorescence, with long wave ultraviolet fluorescence and color development with anisealdehyde spray. The spray also changes the color of the fluorescence of the aflatoxin and allows vomitoxin and T-2 toxin to be visualized as fluorescent bands under long wave ultraviolet light, for confirmation of identity.
The effect of UCS intensity in classical and avoidance GSR conditioning.

This study compared GSR avoidance and yoked-control conditioning procedures. Classical conditioning at two UCS intensities was followed by extinction and, two months later, by an avoidance session. Matching of Ss was based on GSR responsiveness and classical conditioning in the first session.
Religious Ecstasy and Other Intense Emotions

Positive psychology and the psychology of religion share an interest in understanding positive emotions and their contribution to human flourishing. The focus of this chapter is upon ecstatic and mystical states framed within Fisher’s model of ergotropic and trophotropic arousal allowing for a neurophysiological correlate of two states of consciousness widely recognized in the psychology of religion that minimizes focus upon the ego in favor of union with a larger consciousness that may or may not be interpreted in religious terms. Whether ecstatic states based upon hyperarousal or mystical states base upon hypoarousal, the state of consciousness achieved by each means can be documented to be facilitated by a variety of procedures that when placed within a proper set and setting contributes to both human flourishing and a positive sense of the sacred.
Surgical Treatment of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

DCIS comprises approximately 25% of breast cancers diagnosed in the United States. All treatments result in excellent survival, but local recurrence rates vary dramatically. Mastectomy is associated with extremely low recurrence, and five randomized controlled trials have shown that radiation following breast conservation decreases the risk of local recurrence by half. Various combinations of clinicopathologic factors are also associated with lower risk of recurrence, but there is no subset of DCIS patients that does not experience a significant risk reduction with radiation. Each woman with DCIS deserves a careful discussion of the various treatment options, including accurate recurrence risk estimates and the relative importance to her of the risks and benefits of each option, to help her choose the optimal treatment for her.
The Medial Canthus Reference Electrode Is not Electrically Indifferent to the Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential.

Objective:To determine whether a reference electrode placed over the contralateral medical canthus is electrically indifferent to the ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP).Study Design:Prospective observational study.Setting:Tertiary academic center.Participants:Nineteen otologically n
Learning Space Design and Classroom Behavior

This report describes a study of the impact of learning space design on student and instructor behavior.Â We investigated learning space features that enable guided inquiry instruction in two different classrooms, a typical node classroom, and a spoke classroom, the Steelcase Learn Lab. Â Â Students report that group cohesiveness, engagement, task orientation, and cooperation are encouraged in both classrooms. Both classrooms are not equally satisfactory for the same types of activity, however.Â Â The Spoke classroom best supports and is clearly preferred for group activities such as case studies, discussions, and debates.Â The seating offers excellent sight lines, enabling everyone in the room to easily interact with everyone else as well as see visual presentations.Â The seating arrangement in the Node classroom fragments the class into small study/research groups, making it an ideal environment to apply various well-known small-group active learning methods such as â€œPhysics by Inquiryâ€ and â€œProcess-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learningâ€. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.17.9.3
A dynamic analysis of the impacts of export taxes: The case of Argentinean soy and beef markets

Argentina plays an important role in the global soy market as one of the world's leading exporters of soy products. In an effort to shift its agricultural sector's focus to value‐added exports and to raise revenue, Argentina's government has maintained a regime of differential export taxes on soy products. In addition to soy products, Argentina is a major producer, consumer and exporter of beef. However, over the last decade it has relinquished much of its world market share as its beef exports have fallen because the government has periodically imposed a ban on exports of beef along with maintaining an export tax. As the soy and livestock sectors are inextricably linked, owing to both industries’ intensive land use and the utilisation of soymeal as a feed supplement for cattle, trade policies in one sector have pronounced cross‐sectoral impacts. This study develops a theoretical model of these different sectors and trade policies, incorporating the dynamic decisions of cattle stock management. The model is calibrated to real‐world data on the Argentinean economy, and the impacts of trade liberalisation are quantified. Key results show modelling the various intersectoral linkages and the dynamic implications of cattle stock is essential for obtaining accurate estimates.
CNet: a multi-omics approach to detecting clinically associated, combinatory genomic signatures.

Motivation Genome-wide multi-omics profiling of complex diseases provides valuable resources and opportunities to discover associations between various measures of genes and diseases. Currently, a pressing challenge is how to effectively detect functional genes associated with or causing phenotypic outcomes. We developed CNet to identify groups of genomic signatures whose combinatory effect is significantly associated with clinical and phenotypical outcomes. Results CNet builds on a generalized sequential feedforward method, augmented by a down-sampling bootstrap strategy to reduce random hitchhiking signatures. It further applies a dynamic trimming procedure to remove relatively less informative signatures at every step. CNet can manage heterogeneous genomic signature profiles simultaneously and select the best signature to represent a specific gene. To deal with various forms of clinical and phenotypical measurements, we introduced four models to deal with continuous, categorical and censored data. We tested CNet using drug-response data, multidimensional cancer genomics data and genome-wide association study data for multiple traits. Our results demonstrated that in various scenarios, CNet could effectively identify signatures that are associated with the outcomes. In addition, we applied CNet to identify likely disease-causing chains involving somatic mutations, pathway activities and patient outcomes. With appropriate setting, CNet can be applied in many biological conditions. Availability and implementation CNet can be downloaded at https://github.com/bsml320/CNet. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Piracy and Maritime Geopolitics in Francis Bacon’s NEW ATLANTIS

When the people of Bensalem, Francis Bacon’s technological utopia in New Atlantis (1626), encounter the shipwrecked Spanish sailors, the permission they give them to come ashore is contingent upon ...
Existence and uniqueness of solutions for boundary value problem of fractional order difference equations

In this article, we investigate the existence and uniqueness of solutions for boundary value problem (BVP) of fractional order difference equations (FODE) of the form , , where s ∈ [0, k] N 0 , f : [υ − 2, υ − 1, ..., υ + k] N υ−2 × R [0, + ∞] is a continuous function ψ, : C ([υ − 2, υ + k] N υ−2 ) → R are given functions and . Existence and uniqueness of solutions are established by the Brouwer fixed point theorem and contraction mapping principle.
In An Arid Landscape

This chapter analyzes the cultural context in which Luis Martin-Santos develops his work. It reflects on the intellectual life of the Spain of the 1940s and how existential psychiatry stood up as the strongest discipline of study due to the political connections between Spain and Germany. From there it turns its focus on the psychiatric writing of Martin-Santos, reflecting on the influence that Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, and Sigmund Freud had on him, to further develop an analysis on Martin-Santos’ own theoretical corpus, which will have a substantial influence on his creative writing.
Long-term Radiological Evidence of Affected and Adjacent Segment Disease after Anterior Cervical Foraminotomy

Anterior cervical foraminotomy (ACF) is a surgical procedure for cervical radiculopathy to avoid fusion and adjacent segment disease (ASD), but its long-term outcome has yet to be investigated. It is also unclear whether ACF enables preservation of range of motion (ROM) and decreases ASD compared with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). This study included nine patients who underwent ACF, and 12 who underwent ACDF and with follow-up period of at least 5 years (average follow-up: 8.7 years). Preoperative and postoperative radiological findings were investigated, comparing the changes in ACF versus ACDF. All disc height (DH) levels (C2/3-C7/Th1) were measured preoperatively and postoperatively in all 21 patients to compare with the change due to the natural history. The ACF group experienced significant loss of DH (0.6 mm, 13.5%, p <0.01) and ROM (p <0.01) at the operated level postoperatively. However, loss of DH was not significantly different from natural changes at unaffected levels, and ROM was maintained. The ACDF group experienced a significant increase in the ROM of the cranial adjacent segment from 6.46 mm to 7.45 mm (p <0.01), and the dislocation in dynamic X-ray was also significantly increased from 1.61 mm to 2.89 mm (p <0.01), indicating radiological ASD. The ACF group had no significant increase in ROM and dislocation. ACF causes significant loss of DH and ROM, but this change is not significantly different compared with natural changes at unaffected levels. Furthermore, ACF causes less ASD than ACDF in the long term.
The global stability of the Minkowski spacetime solution to the Einstein-nonlinear system in wave coordinates

We study the coupling of the Einstein field equations of general relativity to a family of nonlinear electromagnetic field equations. The family comprises all covariant electromagnetic models that satisfy the following criteria: (i) they are derivable from a sufficiently regular Lagrangian; (ii) they reduce to the standard Maxwell model in the weak-field limit; (iii) their corresponding energy-momentum tensors satisfy the dominant energy condition. Our main result is a proof of the global nonlinear stability of the (1+3)-dimensional Minkowski spacetime solution to the coupled system for any member of the family, which includes the standard Maxwell model. This stability result is a consequence of a small-data global existence result for a reduced system of equations that is equivalent to the original system in our wave-coordinate gauge. Our analysis of the spacetime metric components is based on a framework recently developed by Lindblad and Rodnianski, which allows us to derive suitable estimates for tensorial systems of quasilinear wave equations with nonlinearities that satisfy the weak null condition. Our analysis of the electromagnetic fields, which satisfy quasilinear first-order equations that have a special null structure, is based on an extension of a geometric energy-method framework developed by Christodoulou together with a collection of pointwise decay estimates for the Faraday tensor developed in the article. We work directly with the electromagnetic fields and thus avoid the use of electromagnetic potentials.
Tailoring Electrode–Electrolyte Interfaces in Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Molecularly Engineered Functional Polymers

Electrode-electrolyte interfaces (EEIs) affect the rate capability, cycling stability, and thermal safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Designing stable EEIs with fast Li+ transport is crucial for developing advanced LIBs. Here, we study Li+ kinetics at EEIs tailored by three nanoscale polymer thin films via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) polymerization. Small binding energy with Li+ and the presence of sufficient binding sites for Li+ allow poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) based artificial coatings to enable fast charging of LiCoO2. Operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments suggest that the superior Li+ transport property in PEDOT further improves current homogeneity in the LiCoO2 electrode during cycling. PEDOT also forms chemical bonds with LiCoO2, which reduces Co dissolution and inhibits electrolyte decomposition. As a result, the LiCoO2 4.5 V cycle life tested at C/2 increases over 1700% after PEDOT coating. In comparison, the other two polymer coatings show undesirable effects on LiCoO2 performance. These insights provide us with rules for selecting/designing polymers to engineer EEIs in advanced LIBs.
Biomimetic 3D-printed fluorescence angiography phantoms for evaluation of neurosurgical microscopes

Cerebral saccular aneurysms represent a life-threatening condition that typically requires surgical intervention, often accomplished with a clip ligation approach across the aneurysm neck. Fluorescent angiography (FA) with indocyanine green (ICG) - a technique commonly used in neurosurgery – can be utilized to ensure that the neck of the aneurysm is fully ligated, while the adjacent vessels remain patent after clip placement. However, there is currently a lack of standardized performance test methods for surgical microscopes with FA capability. We have developed a 3D-printed, biomimetic aneurysm phantom with the potential to facilitate development and evaluation of these critical surgical instruments. Digital models of the Circle of Willis vasculature, including the multimodal imaging-based detailed anatomical (MIDA) model of the head and neck and a public domain model of a basilar tip aneurysm, were combined to generate a modular aneurysm phantom system. This system includes a basilar artery aneurysm and posterior communicator artery aneurysm phantoms. Non-fluorescent phantom components representing surrounding tissue were derived from the MIDA model. A stereolithography printer was used to create a solid vascular phantom from a custom turbid photopolymer doped with ICGsimulating dye. Feature sizes of printed components were found to be within 2.5% of digital models. Using a custom fluorescence imaging system, we were able to clearly visualize vessels and aneurysms amongst non-fluorescent background structures in the model. The methods for fabrication of a biomimetic neurovascular phantom incorporating realistic pathology have the potential to facilitate development, standardized bench testing and clinical training for intraoperative FA systems.
Application of the dual stream model to neurodegenerative disease: evidence from a multivariate classification tool in primary progressive aphasia

A clinical diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia relies on behavioral characteristics and patterns of atrophy to determine a variant: logopenic; nonfluent/agrammatic; or semantic. The dual strea...
Judging Under Extreme Conditions: A Court's Role During a National Crisis

Debating the role of a court during a national crisis is not a novel scholarly exercise. Several before have done so – and several others will follow. Despite the multitude of opinions on the topic, we are still not one step closer to resolving this issue as we were when these discussions first took place decades ago. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us another occasion to revisit the question. However, unlike the last time when this topic was the focus of discussion in the wake of the attacks of 9/11, the pandemic has taken place in the backdrop of a global decline in the quality of democracy and in an era in which courts have begun assuming a more active role in democratic societies. This allows us an opportunity to rethink some pre-existing notions. To add to it, legal academia has witnessed both a comparative and an interdisciplinary turn which helps reconsider this fundamental question using new insights and reference frames. This article is another addition to the long line of opinions on a court's role during a national crisis. Nonetheless, in contrast to its predecessors, this article addresses this quandary from bottom-up and aims to construct a template for a court to operate in a national crisis that aspires to be applicable across different legal systems and social-political-economic environments.
Searches for beyond-Riemann gravity

Many effective field theories describing gravity cannot arise from an underlying theory based on Riemann geometry or its extensions to include torsion and nonmetricity but may instead emerge from another geometry or may have a nongeometric basis. The Lagrange density for a broad class of such theories is investigated. The action for fermions coupled to gravity is linearized about a Minkowski background and is found to include terms describing small deviations from Lorentz invariance and gravitational gauge invariance. The corresponding nonrelativistic Hamiltonian is derived at second order in the fermion momentum. The implications for laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations with fermions are studied, with primary focus on anomalous spin-gravity couplings. First constraints on some coefficients are extracted from existing data obtained via measurements at different potentials, comparisons of gravitational accelerations, interferometric methods, and investigations of gravitational bound states. Some prospects for future experimental studies are discussed.
Which Jobs for Which Boys? Party Finance and the Politics of State Job Distribution in Africa:

Much of the literature on clientelism views the distribution of state jobs in the same way it does other forms of clientelistic exchange: as a mechanism of political mobilization. Despite its preva...
The unintended consequences of national regulations: Large-scale-small-scale relations in Philippine and Indonesian nickel mining

Abstract Debates on large-scale and small-scale mining (ASM) relations are divided between those who argue between cohabitation and autonomy. While the former holds that states and organizations need to help large-scale mining and ASM work together, the latter suggests that states need to institute different policy frameworks, goals, and organizations for ASM. Arguing in favor of autonomy, I contend that cohabitation arrangements suffered from the unintended consequences of indirectly related national regulations. These national regulations, which in the Philippines are intended to protect communities and in Indonesia are designed to enhance the country's economic development, instead transformed large-scale-small-scale relations. A counter reaction to these regulations occurred in the context of surging Chinese nickel demand. Large-scale mining firms were emboldened to maximize their nickel concessions, withdrawing from their informal agreements with and inevitably displacing the adjacent ASM groups. Financiers and other large-scale mining firms took advantage of the situation by employing the newly-displaced ASM miners to compete over high-grade nickel, operate illicitly in other large-scale mining concessions, or become underpaid workers. These competitive dynamics externalized the political, social, and environmental costs onto the communities. Drawing from fieldwork in Mindanao and Central Sulawesi, I find that a newer iteration of the extractive monopoly in the Philippines and an industrial oligopsony in Indonesia engendered new forms of competition between and within large-scale mining firms and ASM groups.
Involving the life inside: The complex interplay between reproductive axis hormones and gut micorbiota

Abstract The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis feedback loop is critical in the regulation of the endocrine system. Dysregulation or dysfunction of the HPG axis can impact reproductive, psychiatric, and metabolic health. The gut microbiota is suggested to influence the endocrine system; however, causal effects of the gut microbiota on the HPG axis are unknown. This review summarizes current knowledge of gut microbial influence on components of the HPG axis, including gonadotropin-releasing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and sex steroids and their subsequent impact on host physiology. Understanding the role of the gut microbiota in modulating the HPG axis may contribute to the development of novel therapeutics for HPG axis-related illnesses.
Bladder infection with uropathogenic Escherichia coli increases the excitability of afferent neurons.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) cause bladder hyperactivity and pelvic pain, but the underlying causes of these symptoms remain unknown. We investigated whether afferent sensitization contributes to the bladder overactivity and pain observed in mice suffering from experimentally induced bacterial cystitis. Inoculation of mouse bladders with the uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain UTI89 caused pelvic allodynia, increased voiding frequency, and prompted an acute inflammatory process marked by leukocytic infiltration and edema of the mucosa. Compared to controls, isolated bladder sensory neurons from UTI-treated mice exhibited a depolarized resting membrane potential, lower action potential threshold and rheobase, and increased firing in response to suprathreshold stimulation. To determine whether bacterial virulence factors can contribute to the sensitization of bladder afferents, neurons isolated from naive mice were incubated with supernatants collected from bacterial cultures with or depleted of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Supernatants containing LPS prompted the sensitization of bladder sensory neurons with both TTX-R and TTX-S action potentials. However, bladder sensory neurons with TTX-S action potentials were not affected by bacterial supernatants depleted of LPS. Unexpectedly, ultrapure LPS increased the excitability only of bladder sensory neurons with TTX-R action potentials, but the supplementation of supernatants depleted of LPS with ultrapure LPS resulted in the sensitization of both population of bladder sensory neurons. In summary, our studies indicate that multiple virulence factors released from UTI89 act on bladder sensory neurons to prompt their sensitization. These sensitized bladder sensory neurons mediate, at least in part, the bladder hyperactivity and pelvic pain seen in mice inoculated with UTI89.
Oscillatory Field Potentials in the Presence of Irregular Single Cell Discharge Patterns

While cortical oscillations in the 30 to 70 Hz range are robust and commonly found in local field potential measurements in both cat and monkey visual cortex (Gray et al., 1990; Eckhorn et al., 1993), they are much less evident in single spike trains recorded from behaving monkeys (Young et al., 1992; Bair et al., 1994). We show that a simple neural network with spiking “units” and a plausible excitatory-inhibitory interconnection scheme can explain this discrepancy. The discharge patterns of single units is highly irregular and the associated single-unit power spectrum flat with a dip at low frequencies, as observed in cortical recordings in the behaving monkey (Bair et al., 1994). However, if the local field potential, definsd as the smnwed spiking activity of all “units” within a particular distance, is computed over an area large enough to include significant inhibitory interactions among cell pairs, a prominent peak around 30-50 Hz becomes visible.
Trigeminal Nuclei, Trigeminal Neuralgia, and Epileptic Mechanisms

ABSTRACT.The paroxysms of excruciating pain in trigeminal neuralgia are most likely due to epileptiform discharges in the trigeminal system. Drugs that prevent these attacks, such as carbamazepine and phenytoin, depress excitatory transmission and facilitate segmental or afferent inhibition in the trigeminal nucleus. Baclofen resembles carbamazepine and phenytoin in its ability to depress segmental excitation and facilitate segmental inhibition in the trigeminal nucleus. Clinical trials have shown that baclofen is also an effective drug for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. In contrast to carbamazepine and phenytoin, baclofen does not depress the excitatory or inhibitory mechanisms descending from the reticular formation, and clinical trials showed that baclofen is not an antiepileptic drug. These observations imply that the facilitation of segmental inhibition is an important characteristic of drugs effective against trigeminal neuralgia, and that the ability to prevent the propagation of paroxysmal...
The γ-subunit of the coatomer complex binds Cdc42 to mediate transformation

The Ras-related GTP-binding protein Cdc42 is implicated in a variety of biological activities including the establishment of cell polarity in yeast, the regulation of cell morphology, motility and cell-cycle progression in mammalian cells and the induction of malignant transformation1,2. We identified a Cdc42 mutant (Cdc42F28L) which binds GTP in the absence of a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, but still hydrolyses GTP with a turnover number identical to that for wild-type Cdc42 (ref. 3). Expression of this mutant in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts causes cellular transformation, mimicking many of the characteristics of cells transformed by the Dbl oncoprotein, a known guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Cdc42 (ref. 4). Here we searched for new Cdc42 targets in an effort to understand how Cdc42 mediates cellular transformation. We identified the γ-subunit of the coatomer complex (γCOP) as a specific binding partner for activated Cdc42. The binding of Cdc42 to γCOP is essential for a transforming signal distinct from those elicited by Ras.
A statistical analysis of murine stem cell suicide techniques

The clinical application of soft agar cloning techniques for granulocyte-macrophage stem cells (CFU-C) has resulted in a number of contradictory reports that may in part be due to an inadequate data base. Growth of murine CFU-C is more reproducible and less variable than that of human CFU-C. We utilized in vivo hydroxyurea suicide of murine marrow CFU-C to address the question of how many experiments are needed to detect a specific difference with a p of less than 0.05. In 66 experiments the mean marrow CFU-C hydroxyurea kill was 23.3%; 6–9 separate experiments were necessary to detaect differences of 25%-30%. In order to be sure that a 25%-30% difference is not present, 15–21 experiments were required. Using a Dec-20 computer, 1000 samples of sample size 3, 4, or 10 were drawn from the 66 experiments; it was found that with 3 experiments and a true value of 23%, the actually observed value was below 10%, 17% of the time, and was over 40% in 10% of the samplings. In a smaller number of experiments similar results were obtained analyzing 3HTdR suicide of pluripotent stem cells and CFU- C. These data could provide a base from which to judge the validity of studies utilizing the CFU-C technique.
Possible explanation for the decline of hypercalcemia

In his continuing efforts to promote optimum child growth and development, the peditrician often finds social action to be one of his most effective tools. The "foster grandparent" program properly falls in this category. The purpose of this communication is to describe another such social action program that the pediatrician can initiate and help develop. We have called this the "foster grandchild program." Serving as a consultant to the foster grandparent program at Dixon State School (for the inception and development of which the Illinois State Department of Mental Health and others deserve great praise), one of us (R.S.M.) participated in the successful creation of artificial families.
An Empirical Investigation of Information Technology Returns: The Role of IT and Market Structure as Determinants of Efficiency

The impact of information technology on productivity has been debated for two decades. While some studies in the1980s found no contribution of IT to output, more recent studies have found a positive return to IT investment in several industries. However, we have a limited understanding of industry differences in these returns, in particular as to why productivity enhancements in the trade and service sectors, which are ITintensive, have been low. A few previous studies have reported the different impacts of IT on productivity across industries. This paper aims at developing an in-depth understanding of why we witness different IT returns across industries. In our analysis, we find that while the trade sector is more efficient than other industries, the direct impact of IT is masked by the impact of competition on efficiency. This finding provides us with insight not just into why we did not observe productivity gains in the service and trade sectors, but also provides justification for the large IT investment in this sector. We take several different paths to study the impacts of IT. First, we employ the concept of efficiency as an alternative to productivity to capture the impact of IT. This approach allows us to examine the relative contribution of IT and market structure to firms’ efficiency levels. Second, we explicitly incorporate market structure under the behavioral assumptions of imperfect competition and profit maximization to characterize IT returns. We find that a firm’s efficiency is negatively associated with market power while IT is seen to be an enabler of efficiency gains as expected. Interestingly, firms tend to deploy more IT and utilize it better when the market is more competitive. Taken together, our results suggest that market structure as well as IT are strong determinants of efficiency gain. It also explains why IT has different observed impact across industries.