cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A yeast protein possesses the DNA-binding properties of the adenovirus major late transcription factor.

Abstract The adenovirus major late transcription factor (MLTF), or upstream stimulatory factor, is a human promoter-specific transcription factor which recognizes the near-palindromic sequence GGCCACGTGACC (R. W. Carthew, L. A. Chodosh, and P. A. Sharp, Cell 43:439-448, 1985; L. A. Chodosh, R. W. Carthew, and P. A. Sharp, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:4723-4733, 1986; M. Sawadogo and R. G. Roeder, Cell 43:165-175, 1985). We describe here a protein found in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae which possesses DNA-binding properties that are virtually identical to those of human MLTF. These two proteins recognize the same DNA-binding site, make the same purine nucleotide contacts, and are affected in the same manner by mutations in the MLTF-binding site.
COMPLETENESS IN CHARACTERIZING THE DOG: A STUDY OF IGBO FOLKTALES

It is generally assumed that all folktale characters are type characters because they are not fully portrayed, and normally, each is identified with just a single idea or quality. But this assumption is wrong because ideas about a particular character may be shared in many tales since the children for whom these tales were composed have a limit to the extent to which they can absorb ideas. This and more reasons are why the information about Dog is scattered in many tales. When these tales are studied, a lot of ideas can be gathered about the animal. These ideas trace the animal’s early stage of living in the wild to its domestication through its eating habits, behaviour, physique, etc. These facts can also be seen in Igbo proverbs. In this way, this essay is of the view that characterization done on this mammal is so complete that the animal as it appears in Igbo folktales cannot be a type character.
Designing durable icephobic surfaces

Ice accretion has a negative impact on critical infrastructure, as well as a range of commercial and residential activities. Icephobic surfaces are defined by an ice adhesion strength τice < 100 kPa. However, the passive removal of ice requires much lower values of τice, such as on airplane wings or power lines (τice < 20 kPa). Such low τice values are scarcely reported, and robust coatings that maintain these low values have not been reported previously. We show that, irrespective of material chemistry, by tailoring the cross-link density of different elastomeric coatings and by enabling interfacial slippage, it is possible to systematically design coatings with extremely low ice adhesion (τice < 0.2 kPa). These newfound mechanisms allow for the rational design of icephobic coatings with virtually any desired ice adhesion strength. By using these mechanisms, we fabricate extremely durable coatings that maintain τice < 10 kPa after severe mechanical abrasion, acid/base exposure, 100 icing/deicing cycles, thermal cycling, accelerated corrosion, and exposure to Michigan wintery conditions over several months.
Longitudinal Associations of Homophobic Name-Calling Victimization With Psychological Distress and Alcohol Use During Adolescence

Abstract Purpose Homophobic victimization, and specifically name-calling, has been associated with greater psychological distress and alcohol use in adolescents. This longitudinal study examines whether sexual orientation moderates these associations and also differentiates between the effects of name-calling from friends and nonfriends. Methods Results are based on 1,325 students from three Midwestern high schools who completed in-school surveys in 2012 and 2013. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations among homophobic name-calling victimization and changes in anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and alcohol use one year later, controlling for other forms of victimization and demographics. Results Homophobic name-calling victimization by friends was not associated with changes in psychological distress or alcohol use among either students who self-identified as heterosexual or those who self-identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). In contrast, homophobic name-calling by nonfriends was associated with increased psychological distress over a one-year period among LGB students and increased drinking among heterosexual students. Conclusions Homophobic name-calling victimization, specifically from nonfriends, can adversely affect adolescent well-being over time and, thus, is important to address in school-based bullying prevention programs. School staff and parents should be aware that both LGB and heterosexual adolescents are targets of homophobic name-calling but may tend to react to this type of victimization in different ways. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which homophobic victimization increases the risk of psychological distress and alcohol use over time.
Has Ebola Infected the Market: A Contagious Reaction to a (Media) Health Care Crisis?

We examine the impact of Ebola headline news days on media-highlighted stocks. An Ebola news day (negative or positive in nature) is associated with increased trading, higher share volume, higher dollar volume, and increased share turnover. OLS regressions on industry-specific portfolios reveal that airline, restaurant, and cruise ship returns reverse themselves one day after the Ebola news event, a result that is consistent with behavioral overreaction literature. Empirical findings could be used to prepare market participants for analogous epidemics.
The acute effects of AICAR on purine nucleotide metabolism and postischemic cardiac function.

The purine precursor AICAR (5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide) has been advocated as a substrate for myocardial adenine nucleotide repletion during postischemic reperfusion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of this agent on adenine nucleotides, inosine monophosphate, and postischemic ventricular function in an isolated rat heart preparation. The hearts were perfused at constant flow, either continuously for 90 minutes or for a 30 minute period followed by 10 minutes of global normothermic (37° Q ischemia. The ischemic hearts were then reperfused for 15, 30, and 60 minutes. Both groups were treated with AICAR in a concentration of 100 μmol/L throughout the perfusion protocols. In the nonischemic time control group there was no effect on the levels of adenosine nucleotides or developed pressure over 90 minutes of perfusion. In contrast, AICAR treatment increased tissue inosine monophosphate content fourfold and sevenfold at 60 and 90 minutes, respectively (p
Beauty, knowledge, and terror: A phenomenological-syllogistic exploration of the aesthetics of the educative moment

In this text, I outline the relationship between beauty, knowledge, and terror through a syllogism and an exploration of each term individually. Before undertaking a full analysis of the interrelat...
Adherence to healthy lifestyle factors and risk of death in men with diabetes mellitus: The Physicians' Health Study.

Summary Background & aims The relationship between healthy lifestyle factors and mortality in people with type 2 diabetes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine whether healthy lifestyle factors are associated with mortality in people with type 2 diabetes. Methods We prospectively studied 1163 men with type 2 diabetes from the Physicians' Health Study. Lifestyle factors consisted of currently not smoking, moderate drinking (1–2 drinks/day), vigorous exercise (1+/week), BMI 2 , and being in the top 2 quintiles of the alternate healthy eating index-2010 (AHEI-2010). Multivariate Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of mortality. Results At baseline, average age was 69 years and mean follow up was 9 years. About 22% of study participants had ≤1 healthy lifestyle factor, 37% had two, 29% had three, and 12% had four or more healthy lifestyle factors. An inverse relationship was found between the number of lifestyle factors and total mortality. Compared with participants who had ≤1 healthy lifestyle factor, the risk of death was 42% (95% CI; 19%–58%) lower for those with two healthy lifestyle factors, 41% (95% CI; 18%–58%) lower for those with three, and 44% (95% CI; 12%–64%) lower for those with 4 or more healthy lifestyle factors. Conclusion Adherence to modifiable healthy lifestyle factors is associated with a lower risk of death among adult men with type 2 diabetes. Our study emphasizes the importance of educating individuals with diabetes to adhere to healthy lifestyle factors.
RGS10 Negatively Regulates Platelet Activation and Thrombogenesis

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins act as GTPase activating proteins to negatively regulate G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. Although several RGS proteins including RGS2, RGS16, RGS10, and RGS18 are expressed in human and mouse platelets, the respective unique function(s) of each have not been fully delineated. RGS10 is a member of the D/R12 subfamily of RGS proteins and is expressed in microglia, macrophages, megakaryocytes, and platelets. We used a genetic approach to examine the role(s) of RGS10 in platelet activation in vitro and hemostasis and thrombosis in vivo. GPCR-induced aggregation, secretion, and integrin activation was much more pronounced in platelets from Rgs10-/- mice relative to wild type (WT). Accordingly, these mice had markedly reduced bleeding times and were more susceptible to vascular injury-associated thrombus formation than control mice. These findings suggest a unique, non-redundant role of RGS10 in modulating the hemostatic and thrombotic functions of platelets in mice. RGS10 thus represents a potential therapeutic target to control platelet activity and/or hypercoagulable states.
No Changes in Postural Control or Near-Point Convergence Following an Acute Bout of Soccer Heading (I13.008)

Objective: To identify changes in postural control and near-point convergence (NPC) immediately following an acute bout of 12 purposeful soccer headers. Background: Recently, there has been increased concern regarding the adverse effects of repetitively heading soccer balls on brain function. While some studies have shown impaired balance and vision, it is unclear if these deficits are acute or chronic adaptations. Methods: Fifteen male collegiate soccer players (age=21±1years; height=181±5cm; weight=77.2±6.4kg) completed a two-minute bipedal stance with the eyes open as well as a NPC assessment before (Pre) and immediately (Post) following a series of 12 soccer headers, in which the ball was projected at 11.2m/s. Dependent t-tests compared postural control outcome measures: 95[percnt] area, velocity, mediolateral (M/L) and anteroposterior (A/P) approximate entropy (APEn), and NPC. Results: There was no significant change in area (Pre=7.01±2.45cm2, Post=8.39±4.95cm2, p=0.341), velocity (Pre=2.14±0.54cm/s, Post=2.27±0.61 cm/s, p=0.149), ApEn (M/L Pre=0.36±0.10, Post=0.37±0.10, p=0.326; A/P Pre=0.47±0.07, Post=0.47±0.10, p=0.900), or NPC (Pre=2.01±2.79cm, Post=1.70±2.31cm, p=0.430) between Pre and Post. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in postural control or NPC following an acute bout of purposeful soccer heading in collegiate male soccer players. Although some have suggested that there may be long-term deficits from repeated heading of a soccer ball, these deficits do not present themselves after a single incidence of 12 soccer headers. The data presented only includes one time period, so we cannot determine if there is a delayed-onset of neurological deficits following heading. Additionally, the data presented only includes collegiate male soccer players, and cannot be extrapolated to other populations. Furthermore, concussion history was not analyzed and may influence changes seen with repeated heading of a soccer ball. Disclosure: Dr. Jaclyn Caccese has nothing to disclose. Dr. Buckley has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kaminski has nothing to disclose.
Empirically Derived Sensitivity of Vegetation to Climate across Global Gradients of Temperature and Precipitation

The natural composition of terrestrial ecosystems can be shaped by climate to take advantage of local environmental conditions. Ecosystem functioning (e.g., interaction between photosynthesis and temperature) can also acclimate to different climatological states. The combination of these two factors thus determines ecological–climate interactions. A global empirical map of the sensitivity of vegetation to climate is derived using the response of satellite-observed greenness to interannual variations in temperature and precipitation. Mechanisms constraining ecosystem functioning are inferred by analyzing how the sensitivity of vegetation to climate varies across climate space. Analysis yields empirical evidence for multiple physical and biological mediators of the sensitivity of vegetation to climate at large spatial scales. In hot and wet locations, vegetation is greener in warmer years despite temperatures likely exceeding thermally optimum conditions. However, sunlight generally increases during warmer years, suggesting that the increased stress from higher atmospheric water demand is offset by higher rates of photosynthesis. The sensitivity of vegetation transitions in sign (greener when warmer or drier to greener when cooler or wetter) along an emergent line in climate space with a slope of about 59 mm yr^(−1) °C^(−1), twice as steep as contours of aridity. The mismatch between these slopes is evidence at a global scale of the limitation of both water supply due to inefficiencies in plant access to rainfall and plant physiological responses to atmospheric water demand. This empirical pattern can provide a functional constraint for process-based models, helping to improve predictions of the global-scale response of vegetation to a changing climate.
SoccerMate: A personal soccer attribute profiler using wearables

The use of smartphone and wearable devices in various sporting events is an optimistic opportunity to profile player's physical fitness and physiological health conditioning attributes. Recently a variety of commercial wearables with respect to different sports are available in the market. As these wearables differ for distinctive sports, it becomes a hassle to effectively profile them for multiple sports sessions in day to day practice events. Wrist worn devices like smartwatches are becoming a trend in sports analytics recently and researchers are leveraging them to infer various contexts of the players to improve the quality, tactics, strategy of playing matches against the opponents. Visual observation is the most popular way to track a player's abilities in soccer, but as a player it is not always possible to self-assess your own strengths and weaknesses in a field. In this paper, we propose to exploit the wrist worn devices with built in accelerometer to help represent attributes of technical judgement, tactical awareness and physical aspects of a soccer player. We propose to use deep learning to build our classification model which analyzes different soccer events like in-possession, pass, kick, sprint, run and dribbling. Based on these soccer events, we evaluate the overall ability of a soccer player. Our experiments show that, these wearable technology guided attributes profiling can help a coach or scout to better understand the competence of a player in addition to traditional visual observation.
Simplifying profiles of comorbidity in bipolar disorder

Background Comorbid psychiatric symptoms in bipolar disorder (BD) predict poorer course of illness and treatment outcome. The sheer number of comorbid symptoms has thwarted developing treatments to address these comorbid concerns. The goal of this study was to develop a more parsimonious approach to understanding clusters of comorbid symptoms within BD.
Gender disparity in angel financing

This study uses unique hand-collected data from a televised entrepreneurial pitch competition to examine gender differences in obtaining angel financing. Results indicate that while the yield rates between male and female teams do not differ, a gender disparity in the amount of angel funding does in fact exist. Female teams receive less capital and provide more equity relative to their male counterparts, even when controlling for typical determinants of investment, such as industry and prior company success. Further, we find that female teams receive investments with lower valuations than their male counterparts largely because they initially offer higher equity stakes for less capital. Thus, this suggests that limitations to angel financing of female entrepreneurial ventures may be partly self-imposed.
Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide Levels and Temperature on the Life History of the Madeira Mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and temperatures are increasing and, thus, the interactions between insect herbivores and their host plants in environments of elevated CO2 concentration a...
Establishment of epithelial lines from cryopreserved lenses and capsule-epithelial preparations.

Purpose. To determine if lens epithelial lines can be established from cryopreserved whole rabbit lenses and from cryopreserved capsule-epithelial preparatins (CEPs). Methods. Lenses or freshly isolated CEPs were cryopreserved and subsequently thawed. Thawed whole lenses were cultured for 48 hours in growth medium and fixed, and whole mounts were examinated for mitosis. In addition, CEPs were peeled from cryopreserved lenses and placed in tissue culture. Viability of cryopreserved cells was assessed measuring attachment efficiency and growth. Results. Whole mounts from cryopreserved lenses that were thawed and placed in organ culture in a serum-containing medium exhibited numerous mitotic figures. Freshly isolated CEPs that were cryopreserved and CEPs from cryopreserved lenses generated cell lines. Attachment efficiency was 90% within 3 hours of plating. When 50,000 cells from cyropreserved CEPs were cultured in growth medium, 10 6 cells were noted after 7 days of culture. The cells completed 27 population doublings and showed no sign of senescence. Conclusions. Rabbit lens epithelial cell lines can be initiated from cryopreserved lenses or CEPs
Moving target defense for securing smart grid communications: Architecture, implementation & evaluation

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition(SCADA) communications are often subjected to various sophisticated cyber-attacks mostly because of their static system characteristics, enabling an attacker for easier profiling of the target system(s) and thereby impacting the Critical Infrastructures(CI). In this Paper, a novel approach to mitigate such static vulnerabilities is proposed by implementing a Moving Target Defense (MTD) strategy in a power grid SCADA environment, leveraging the existing communication network with an end-to-end IP-Hopping technique among trusted peers. The main contribution involves the design and implementation of MTD Architecture on Iowa State's PowerCyber testbed for targeted cyber-attacks, without compromising the availability of a SCADA system and studying the delay and throughput characteristics for different hopping rates in a realistic environment. Finally, we study two cases and provide mitigations for potential weaknesses of the proposed mechanism. Also, we propose to incorporate port mutation to further increase attack complexity as part of future work.
Lived Experiences of Adolescent Athletes Following Sport-Related Concussion:

Background:Previous studies have identified the effect of sport-related concussion on health-related quality of life through the use of patient-reported outcome measures. However, there has been li...
Brand Management in the Era of Social Media: Social Visibility of Consumption and Customer Brand Identification:

Despite consumers’ increasing use of social media channels to make their travel experiences more visible to people within their social networks, brand management research in the tourism literature lacks a clear understanding of how social visibility of consumption affects consumer perceptions of their relationships with the brand. Drawing upon social identity theory and the theory of conspicuous consumption, this study extends the current brand management literature by investigating the role of consumption’s social visibility in the formation of customer brand identification in the era of social media. Using the airline industry as the study context, this study suggests that social visibility of consumption leads to cognitive, affective, and evaluative identifications. The results also indicate that the three components of customer brand identification interact with each other in realizing positive word of mouth communication. The findings highlight the significant benefits of making customers’ travel exp...
Practice pearl: liraglutide and cardiovascular and renal events in type 2 diabetes.

ABSTRACTReview of:Marso S, Daniels G, Brown-Frandsen K, et al. Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med 2016; 375: 311–322.Mann J, Orsted D, Brown-Frandsen K, et al. Liraglutide and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med 2017; 377: 839–848.This comprehensive research project, LEADER, led to two reports, one focusing on the effect of liraglutide on cardiovascular events, and the second one reporting on the renal effects on the same study population. The study group included 9340 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients were required to have type 2 diabetes and an age 50 with a previous cardiovascular problem or chronic heart failure, or an age of 60 with at least one cardiovascular risk factor. Patients were randomized to 1.8 mg (or the maximum tolerated dose) of liraglutide, or placebo. The median follow up was 3.8 years. The primary cardiovascular outcome, a combined endpoint of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke, ...
A modular and generic virtual reality training framework for micro-robotic cell injection systems

Cell injection is a common biological method used in procedures like in-vitro fertilization and targeted drug delivery. Due to very fine movements and precision required in such pro­cedures, they are prone to failure when done manually. Human error can be reduced using the micro-robotic systems which are controlled remotely using video feed from the microscope. However, they also require training for learning of skills like hand-eye coordination, depth perception and remote handling. Training methods that require use of real cells like human oocytes have ethical concerns and they lack evaluation of an operator's skill improvement. In order to overcome these issues, this paper presents in detail a virtual reality training system for micro-robotic cell injection systems. To the best of our knowledge, no such commercial training system is currently available. With regards to training, the two most significant features of the system are its method of graduated training, having both basic exercises as well as complete procedures and its performance evaluation of the users. Another very important aspect of the system is its genericity having been built with a target to provide training for a set of commonly available micro-robotic cell injection systems. Moreover, the system is built with a modular design in mind to facilitate its reproducibility and extension.
Creating Value: Evolution and Management of Financial Derivatives

Financial derivatives have been in the headlines over the past decade as the source of generous profits for many financial and non-financial firms. However, during the same period, derivatives have been a source of dramatic losses for a few users. While derivatives have created much more financial value than financial loss overall, this chapter describes some of the problems that caused losses in order to illustrate how derivatives problems are solved through the efforts of what is known in the management literature as the technological community (Van de Ven, 1993), and also through learning by firms. The problems encountered with development and sales of derivatives are those typically encountered with new product development and sales. This chapter shows how the technological community, via learning, systematically develops solutions to the sets of problems that emerge as the financial services industry evolves and extends its use of this relatively new product--financial derivatives.
Danazol in the treatment of endometriosis: analysis of 100 cases with a 4-year follow-up

A prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of danazol in the treatment of endometriosis was initiated in 1976. One hundred patients with endometriosis, as demonstrated by laparoscopy, were entered into the study. The mean length of patient follow-up was 49 months. All patients were treated with 800 mg of danazol per day. The mean duration of danazol therapy was 17.3 weeks. Eighty-nine percent of the patients reported symptomatic improvement, and 94% were improved, as demonstrated by repeat laparoscopy or laparatomy. After completing a course of danazol therapy, 57% of the patients underwent conservative laparotomy for fertility enhancement, pain control, or ovarian masses. Two patients underwent total abdominal hysterectomy-bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for advanced disease poorly responsive to danazol therapy. In those patients desiring fertility (56), there were 38 pregnancies in 26 women, for an overall fertility rate of 46%. The overall recurrence rate was 33%, as determined by symptoms and physical findings. Significant side effects from danazol were reported by 85% of the patients. The major side effects were weight gain, edema, decrease in breast size, oily skin, hirsutism, and deepening of the voice. Only one patient discontinued danazol therapy due to side effects. Clinical tissues concerning the use of danazol with or without surgery and the miscarriage rate following danazol therapy are discussed.
Animal models of Helicobacter gastritis.

Development of animal models of Helicobacter gastritis has been a priority since Marshall and Warren first identified the association between gastritis, peptic ulcer, and infection with Helicobacter pylori (Marshall and Warren 1984). In the approximately 10 years since the introduction of the first animal model (the germ-free piglet; Krakowka et al. 1987; Lambert et al. 1987), a bewildering array of new animal models has been introduced, involving host species as disparate as monkeys and mice, and bacterial species isolated from primates, carnivores, and pigs as well as humans. Investigators have used different methods to induce Helicobacter-associated disease in animals, and have examined aspects of Helicobacter-associated disease ranging from mechanisms of bacterial colonization and induction of gastritis to carcinogenic potential. The result is a large body of sometimes conflicting information regarding animal models, their uses, and their relevance to the pathogenesis of human disease associated with H. pylori.
Study protocol: a cluster-randomized trial implementing Sustained Patient-centered Alcohol-related Care (SPARC trial).

Experts recommend that alcohol-related care be integrated into primary care (PC) to improve prevention and treatment of unhealthy alcohol use. However, few healthcare systems offer such integrated care. To address this gap, implementation researchers and clinical leaders at Kaiser Permanente Washington (KPWA) partnered to design a high-quality program of evidence-based care for unhealthy alcohol use: the Sustained Patient-centered Alcohol-related Care (SPARC) program. SPARC implements systems of clinical care designed to increase both prevention and treatment of unhealthy alcohol use. This clinical care for unhealthy alcohol use was implemented using three strategies: electronic health record (EHR) decision support, performance monitoring and feedback, and front-line support from external practice coaches with expertise in alcohol-related care (“SPARC implementation intervention” hereafter). The purpose of this report is to describe the protocol of the SPARC trial, a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, stepped-wedge implementation trial to evaluate whether the SPARC implementation intervention increased alcohol screening and brief alcohol counseling (so-called brief interventions), and diagnosis and treatment of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in 22 KPWA PC clinics. The SPARC trial sample includes all adult patients who had a visit to any of the 22 primary care sites in the trial during the study period (January 1, 2015–July 31, 2018). The 22 sites were randomized to implement the SPARC program on different dates (in seven waves, approximately every 4 months). Primary outcomes are the proportion of patients with PC visits who (1) screen positive for unhealthy alcohol use and have documented brief interventions and (2) have a newly recognized AUD and subsequently initiate and engage in alcohol-related care. Main analyses compare the rates of these primary outcomes in the pre- and post-implementation periods, following recommended approaches for analyzing stepped-wedge trials. Qualitative analyses assess barriers and facilitators to implementation and required adaptations of implementation strategies. The SPARC trial is the first study to our knowledge to use an experimental design to test whether practice coaches with expertise in alcohol-related care, along with EHR clinical decision support and performance monitoring and feedback to sites, increase both preventive care—alcohol screening and brief intervention—as well as diagnosis and treatment of AUDs. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.Gov: NCT02675777. Registered February 5, 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02675777 .
Medicare shared savings programs: Higher cost accountable care organizations are more likely to achieve savings

In the United States, Medicare’s flagship Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), is under close scrutiny to improve healthcare quality and decrease...
Did Performing Community Health Needs Assessments Increase Community Health Program Spending by North Carolina's Tax-Exempt Hospitals?

Abstract As of March 23, 2012, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires tax-exempt hospitals to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every 3 years. This study assessed whether the ...
Key Issues Hindering a Practical Lithium-Metal Anode

The sluggish progress of battery technologies has drastically hindered the rapid development of electric vehicles and next-generation portable electronics. The lithium (Li) metal anode is critical to break the energy-density bottleneck of current Li-ion chemistry. After being intensively studied in recent years, the Li-metal field has developed new understanding and made unprecedented progress in preventing Li-dendrite growth and improving Coulombic efficiency, especially through development of advanced electrolytes and novel analytical tools. In this Opinion, we revisit the controversial issues surrounding Li metal as an anode based upon recent advances, revealing the underlying cause of Li-metal failure and the true role of ‘solid electrolyte interphase' in Li-metal anodes. Finally, we propose future directions that must be taken in order for Li-metal batteries to become commercially viable.
MMT-Cam: A New Miniature Multispectral Thermal Infrared Camera System for Capturing Dynamic Earth Processes

We have developed a new portable, ground-based imaging system primarily to investigate the thermal properties of volcanic processes during lava propagation and cooling, although it is potentially applicable to any dynamic geologic process. The miniature multispectral thermal camera (MMT-Cam) is an imaging system that acquires six wavelength bands of thermal infrared (TIR) data between 8 and $12~\mu \text{m}$ nearly simultaneously. The spatial and temporal resolutions of the camera system are high, $640 \times 512$ pixels, and 1 s, respectively. The imaging system is calibrated using full-aperture blackbody experiments at a range of temperatures from 283 to 1023 K to account for all instrumental, optical, and transmission effects. In addition, the baseline drift due to changing internal camera temperature is measured and removed. As a result, the accurate multispectral TIR image data are acquired of dynamic surfaces such as propagating and cooling lava flow surfaces captured at the critical temporal (seconds) and thermal (initial rapid cooling) scales. These improved acquisition parameters provide valuable data for both compositional and textural spatiotemporal variability analyses of these volcanic surfaces. Furthermore, the MMT-Cam specifications are designed to be comparable to current and proposed Earth-orbiting TIR instruments to better evaluate the potential for future TIR data sets to deliver similar data sets.
Characterization and mechanism of the esophago-esophageal contractile reflex of the striated muscle esophagus.

An esophago-esophageal contractile reflex (EECR) exists, which is directed in the orad direction only. EECR of the proximal esophagus can appear similar to and be mistaken for secondary peristalsis...
A multi-criteria assessment of the passengers’ level of comfort in urban railway rolling stock

Abstract Transit agencies concentrate their efforts to satisfy most commuters and convince them to abandon the use of the private car in daily trips, which is a key element in promoting environmentally sustainable cities. Travel time and cost have been widely investigated as travelers’ satisfaction factors, while human aspects such as comfort are mostly neglected. Management of urban transit systems should ensure a convenient transit service with adequate levels of ride and quality (time and cost) as well as users’ comfort, health and safety to achieve sustainable societies. This study proposes an approach to quantitatively measure railway riders’ comfort in terms of humidity, temperature, vibration, the concentration of CO2, noise, and lighting. Such indexes can be used to direct the allocation of investments for improvement of comfort in urban transit infrastructures as well as capture reality in demand prediction modeling. A case study of several lines in the Montreal metro network is presented to illustrate the applicability and usefulness of the proposed approach. The newer trains in the Montreal metro are an improvement over older trains when it comes to rider comfort; however, they could still be better, especially when it comes to auditory comfort.
Study on the Intelligent Matching of Power Big Data Based on the Chinese Word Segmentation Technology

The big data sources within an enterprise include physical power grid operation and maintenance, power supply marketing service and grid enterprise operation. Currently, various unstructured data shows an explosive growth, how to use the data-intensive science brought about by big data to make technological innovation still needs to be studied so as to serve the society better. This paper studies the intelligent matching of power big data based on the Chinese word segmentation technology.
Invaders induce coordinated isotopic niche shifts in native fish species

Food-web investigations inform management strategies by exposing potential interactions between native and nonnative species and anticipating likely outcomes associated with species removal efforts...
Sex differences in renal ammonia metabolism

Sexual dimorphic variations are present in many aspects of biology and involve the structure and/or function of nearly every organ system. Acid-base homeostasis is critical for optimal health, and ...
Identifying clinical and biochemical phenotypes in acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to coronavirus disease-2019.

Abstract Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by substantial heterogeneity in clinical, biochemical, and physiological characteristics. However, the pathophysiology of severe COVID-19 infection is poorly understood. Previous studies established clinical and biological phenotypes among classical ARDS cohorts, with important therapeutic implications. The phenotypic profile of COVID-19 associated ARDS remains unknown. Methods We used latent class modeling via a multivariate mixture model to identify phenotypes from clinical and biochemical data collected from 263 patients admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital intensive care unit with COVID-19-associated ARDS between March 13 and August 2, 2020. Findings We identified two distinct phenotypes of COVID-19-associated ARDS, with substantial differences in biochemical profiles despite minimal differences in respiratory dynamics. The minority phenotype (class 2, n = 70, 26·6%) demonstrated increased markers of coagulopathy, with mild relative hyper-inflammation and dramatically increased markers of end-organ dysfunction (e.g., creatinine, troponin). The odds of 28-day mortality among the class 2 phenotype was more than double that of the class 1 phenotype (40·0% vs.· 23·3%, OR = 2·2, 95% CI [1·2, 3·9]). Interpretation We identified distinct phenotypic profiles in COVID-19 associated ARDS, with little variation according to respiratory physiology but with important variation according to systemic and extra-pulmonary markers. Phenotypic identity was highly associated with short-term mortality. The class 2 phenotype exhibited prominent signatures of coagulopathy, suggesting that vascular dysfunction may play an important role in the clinical progression of severe COVID-19-related disease.
Formularization Method for Calculating the Breakaway and Break-in Points and the Corresponding Gain of Root Locus Graphs

Break points, break-away and break-in points, are an essential part in root locus technique for single input single output linear invariant control systems. The importance of Break points comes from the fact that at the Break points at least two roots of the characteristic equation of the closed loop control system change their type from real to a complex at the break away point, and from complex to real at break-in point. This change affects the response of the system which can be crucial for some of systems’ applications. The conditions for being a Break point are analysed and a new formulated systematic method for finding the Break points and their corresponding gains is presented. An efficient algorithm was developed and can be solved analytically. There is no mathematical differentiation during calculation, and the algorithm can be programmed easily. The developed algorithm is applicable for any order of transfer function of a linear invariant control system. This method is compared with other common methods to show its merits and effectiveness.
Optimal Structure of the Ginning Industry in the Southern High Plains of Texas

This study addresses the optimal structure of the cotton ginning industry in the Southern High Plains of Texas, assuming a monopolistically competitive market structure. Employing survey, regression, simulation, and mathematical programming techniques, the study determines the optimal structure of the ginning industry. Results indicate that a restructuring of the ginning industry in the Southern High Plains of Texas could save the industry about $15 million per season.
archer at SemEval-2021 Task 1: Contextualising Lexical Complexity.

Evaluating the complexity of a target word in a sentential context is the aim of the Lexical Complexity Prediction task at SemEval-2021. This paper presents the system created to assess single words lexical complexity, combining linguistic and psycholinguistic variables in a set of experiments involving random forest and XGboost regressors. Beyond encoding out-of-context information about the lemma, we implemented features based on pre-trained language models to model the target word’s in-context complexity.
Immunoaffinity chromatography

Immunoaffinity chromatography is a process in which the binding affinity of an antigen to a parent antibody is utilized as a basis of separation. Owing to the customized avidity and specificity, monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) have become indispensable for both protein characterization and purification. The immunosorbent performance is dependent on the support matrix upon which the antibody is immobilized and on the activation chemistry used couple the antibody to the matrix. This report details, protocols to immobilize Mabs on commercially available supports, and a method to compute immunosorbent efficiency.
Comparison of Conventional and SDM-Based Read-Out Systems for Gamma-Ray Imaging

One relatively inexpensive way a gamma-ray imaging system can be upgraded is by updating the read-out electronics system and, as a consequence, modernizing the digitization and data-processing methods. The objective of this project is to replace the front-end electronics of modular gamma-ray cameras utilized in multiple small-animal PET and SPECT systems developed at the University of Arizona within the last 20 years. We have previously presented the new front-end board, which utilizes 1-bit sigma-delta modulation (SDM) for energy estimation and a non-uniform 2-bit SDM architecture for timing estimation and triggering. One advantage of this digitization method is that instead of ADC integrated circuits, only a few analog components per channel are utilized, which reduces the complexity and power consumption of the system. The board also includes, among other resources, a Xilinx FPGA combined with an ARM-based processor, DDR3 SDRAM and QSPI flash memory. This project presents the comparison between the original and the new SDM-based front-end electronics board, implemented in a 9-channel modular gamma-ray camera, by obtaining the spectrum of each individual photomultiplier tube (PMT) with both frontend boards. The results show an improvement of 1.5x to 2x in the PMT spectrum resolution with the new approach.
Business-to-business salespeople and political skill: Relationship building, deviance, and performance

Abstract Previous research has explored the role of political skill as an intra-organizational skill but not in the context of business-to-business seller’s customer relationships and sales performance. In this paper, we: (i) develop a framework to explore the relationships between political skill, customer-oriented selling, customer-relationship-building competence, and customer-directed deviance; and (ii) investigate whether these relationships improve sales performance. The empirical analysis includes 240 business-to-business salespeople. Structural equation modeling is used to test the study’s hypotheses. Results suggest political skill directly affects salesperson customer-oriented selling, relationship building competence, and sales performance. Customer-relationship-building competence is positively related to customer-oriented selling, which is inversely related to the frequency of customer-directed deviance. Contrary to expectations, customer-directed deviance is not negatively related to both political skill and sales performance. Managerial implications and directions for future research are provided.
Local implementation evaluation of a suicide prevention predictive model at a large VA health care system.

Background The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) implemented REACH VET, which analyzes health records to identify veterans at statistically elevated risk for suicide and other adverse outcomes compared to other veterans in VHA. This project evaluated REACH VET program implementation at a large VA health care system by examining program fidelity and treatment engagement, receipt of suicide prevention interventions, and suicide-related behaviors in the 6 months following identification. Methods Over a 12-month period, 218 unique cases were identified by REACH VET within a local VA system. Data were extracted from the VA's electronic medical records. Results Protocol adherence for required clinical and administrative steps was 94% and above. After identification, 88% received outpatient mental health treatment, 21% had a psychiatric hospitalization, and 83% engaged in Safety Planning around the time of identification or in the following six months. Twenty-six percent of cases were identified by another existing method for identifying high-risk veterans. Five percent had a medically documented suicide attempt, and none were known to die by suicide in the following 6 months. Conclusions Local evaluation suggested high protocol fidelity and high engagement in mental health and suicide prevention services following identification among veterans who remained at elevated risk in the 6 months that followed.
Children's behavioral regulation and literacy: the impact of the first grade classroom environment

Classroom learning environments are an important source of influence on children's development, particularly with regard to literacy achievement and behavioral regulation, both of which require the coordination of task inhibition, attention, and working memory. Classroom observations were conducted in 18 schools and 51 first grade classrooms for 500 children. The non-instructional activities were recorded for each student in the classroom. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that children with weaker fall behavioral regulation were more likely to attend classrooms where more time was spent in disruptions and wasted instructional time over the course of the school year, such as waiting for the teacher to gather materials before beginning instruction. For literacy outcomes, children who were in classrooms where more time in disruptions, transitions, and waiting was observed showed weaker literacy skill gains in the spring compared to children in classrooms with lesser amounts of such unproductive non-instructional time and this effect was generally greater for students with initial weaker skills. These results also reveal that the classroom environment and the incoming characteristics of the students themselves influence students' development of behavioral regulation and literacy.
Chapter 6. Interoceptive Discriminative Stimuli in the Development of CNS Drugs and a Case of an Animal Model of Anxiety

Publisher Summary This chapter identifies the new animal procedures to quantitatively measure interoceptive discriminative stimuli (IDS) produced by many psychoactive and other drugs. These economical and reliable procedures lend themselves too many problems of drug development including, but not limited to, the identification of new drugs. This is illustrated by describing IDS produced by pentylenetetrazol, and its applications in identifying anxiolytic drugs as well as anxiogenic side effects of new chemicals. It is interesting to note that the anxiogenic property of cocaine is not the dominant IDS produced by this drug, and is thus not recognized in the animals that are not specifically trained to attend to the anxiomimetic effect. Animals trained only to discriminate cocaine from saline learn to perceive more predominant IDS that is related to euphoria and that can be readily blocked by dopamine antagonist drugs. In contrast, cocaine generalization to pentylenetetrazol in animals trained to discriminate pentylenetetrazol from saline is not blocked by haloperidol as is the case with human anxiety, but instead the anxiogenic IDS of cocaine is antagonized by diazepam. To develop new drugs, novel animal models that are reliable, efficacious, and rapid in predicting the clinical usefulness of new chemicals are continuously needed. It is because of the availability of this wealth of recent evidence that the discriminative stimulus properties of drugs have become the focus of interest in developing new bioassays for drug development. It is because of the availability of this wealth of recent evidence that the discriminative stimulus properties of drugs have become the focus of interest in developing new bioassays for drug development.
Advanced monolithic packaging concepts for high performance circuits and antennas

Unwanted electromagnetic coupling between neighboring elements is a common problem in high frequency planar circuits. This paper reports on the elimination of crosstalk in planar circuits using conformal micromachined packaging. In the 5 to 30 GHz range, a back-to-back right-angle bend in microstrip has cross-coupling as high as -20 dB. The use of monolithic packaging concepts reduces this coupling by as much as 20-30 dB down to the noise level of the measurement system.