cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ca2+ dependence of loaded shortening in rat skinned cardiac myocytes and skeletal muscle fibres.

1This study examined the effects of activator Ca2+ on loaded shortening and power output in skinned rat cardiac myocyte preparations, and fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscle fibres at 12 °C. 2Shortening velocities were slowed at nearly all relative loads when Ca2+ activation levels were reduced to ≈70 % maximal isometric force (P4.5) in cardiac myocyte preparations, as well as in fast-twitch and slow-twitch skeletal muscle fibres. 3Peak absolute power outputs declined significantly as Ca2+ activation levels were progressively reduced from maximal to 30 %P4.5 in all three striated muscle types, with the greatest change in fast-twitch fibres. In cardiac myocyte preparations, even peak relative power output progressively fell when Ca2+ activation levels were lowered to ≈70, 50 and 30 %P4.5. Peak relative power output also progressively fell in fast-twitch fibres as Ca2+ activation levels were lowered from maximal down to 50 %P4.5. However, in slow-twitch fibres, peak relative power output decreased only at 70 %P4.5 and then remained unchanged with further reductions in Ca2+ activation levels. The greater Ca2+ dependence of peak relative power output in cardiac myocytes and fast-twitch fibres may arise from a shared mechanism such as cooperative inactivation of the thin filament, which is likely to be slowest in less cooperative slow-twitch fibres. 4During submaximal Ca2+ activations, the time course of shortening became markedly curvilinear during isotonic shortening in all three muscle types. The progressive slowdown in shortening velocity during isotonic contractions was greatest in fast-twitch fibres, consistent with the higher degree of cooperativity of Ca2+ activation in fast-twitch fibres. Additionally, fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibre stiffness decreased in concert with the curvature of length traces during loaded shortening. These results are consistent with the idea that cooperative inactivation of the thin filament occurs during loaded shortening and such a mechanism may contribute to the progressive slowing and overall Ca2+ dependence of loaded shortening velocity.
Grid-layout visualization method in the microarray data analysis interactive graphics toolkit

The expression levels of thousands of genes in different tissues or cells in different conditions can be detected all at one time by DNA microarray technology. A new, grid-layout method for the visualization results of hierarchical cluster analysis of DNA microarray data is proposed and incorporated in the microarray interactive graphics toolkit (MIGT). The grid-layout consists of a set of regular, two-dimensional grid units. Each unit represents a cluster or a group of gene clusters. The units are connected to adjacent ones by the neighborhood relation of the clusters in a hierarchical tree. Nodes lying near each other in the hierarchical tree are mapped onto nearby grid-layout units. The number of units may vary on a scale from a few dozen up to several thousands, depending on the number of the nodes in a hierarchical tree. Different colors are assigned to the units with RGB value according to the coordinates of the units, and the inter-distances, which are the distances between clusters in a hierarchical tree, and the intra-distances, which are the distances between genes within one cluster. The closer the inter-distances, the more similar the color of the units are, the smaller the intra-distances, the warmer the color of the unit is.
Technology and the future bioeconomy

New discoveries in life sciences and the challenge of climate change are leading to the emergence of the bioeconomy where basic methods of advanced biology are applied to produce a wide array of products while also improving environmental quality. The emergence of the bioeconomy is a continuing evolutionary process of transition from systems of mining nonrenewable resources to farming renewable ones. This transition benefits from the modern tools of molecular biology that have expanded the human capacity to breed new organisms and utilize them to increase productivity in agriculture and fisheries as well as produce a wide array of products that were extracted in the past. This transition is leading to the integration of the agricultural sector with the energy and mineral sectors. The introduction of biotechnology has already improved the productivity of medicine as well as agriculture but, in the case of agriculture, has encountered resistance and regulatory constraints. The evolution of the bioeconomy requires continuous public investment in research and innovation as well as the establishment of a regulatory framework and financial incentives and institutions that would lead to continuous private sector investment in the development and commercialization of new products. One of the biggest challenges is the development of a regulatory framework that would control possible human and environmental externalities from new biotechnology products and, at the same time, not stifle innovation. JEL classifications: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5
Strong laws of large numbers for triangular arrays of exchangeable random variables

Let be an array of row-wise exchangeable random elements in a separable Banach space. Strong laws of large numbers are obtained for under certain moment conditions on the random variables and a condition relating to nonorthogonality. By using reverse martingale techniques, similar results are obtained for triangular arrays of random elements inseparable Banach spaces which are row-wise exchangeable
Narsto Model Comparison and Evaluation Study (NMCES)

A major study comparing regional air quality modeling systems used for regulatory purposes in the USA and Canada is being conducted under the auspices of NARSTO. Groups from the Meteorological Service of Canada, US Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, North Carolina Supercomputing Center, Environ International, and ICF Consulting are participating. These groups, their sponsors, the models they used and the gridding schemes employed are shown in Table 1.
Phase Relations and Electrical Parameters in the Ferroelectric-Antiferroelectric Region of the System PbZrO3–PbTiO3-PbNbO2O6

Characteristics of temperature and field-induced ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transitions are reported as a function of composition. The ferroelectric compositions were found to exhibit remanent polarizations of the order of 30 μcoul per cm2, coupled with low dielectric constants and piezoelectric response. Evidence is presented for the existence of a polymorphic transition in the ferroelectric rhombohedral region of the system PbZrO3-PbTiO3 and the existing phase diagram modified accordingly.
Immunoglobulin D: properties, measurement, and clinical relevance.

Discovered in 1965 ([134][1]), immunoglobulin D (IgD) is a unique immunoglobulin with a concentration in serum far below those of IgG, IgA, and IgM but much higher than that of IgE. Despite studies extending for more than 4 decades, a specific role for serum IgD has not been defined while for IgD
Mapping and monitoring cheatgrass dieoff in rangelands of the Northern Great Basin, USA.

ABSTRACT Understanding cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) dynamics in the Northern Great Basin rangelands, USA, is necessary to effectively manage the region's lands. This study's goal was to map and monitor cheatgrass performance to identify where and when cheatgrass dieoff occurred in the Northern Great Basin and to discover how this phenomenon was affected by climatic, topographic, and edaphic variables. We also examined how fire affected cheatgrass performance. Land managers and scientists are concerned by cheatgrass dieoff because it can increase land degradation, and its causes and effects are not fully known. To better understand the scope of cheatgrass dieoff, we developed multiple ecological models that integrated remote sensing data with geophysical and biophysical data. The models' R2 ranged from 0.71 to 0.88, and their root mean squared errors (RMSEs) ranged from 3.07 to 6.95. Validation of dieoff data showed that 41% of pixels within independently developed dieoff polygons were accurately classifie...
CURRENT AND POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC USES OF GROWTH HORMONE AND INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR I

The research on the therapeutic uses of IGF-I is at a much earlier state of development compared with growth hormone. The use of growth hormone in the treatment for children with growth hormone deficiency is well accepted, and its use in the treatment for short stature or renal failure also is widely accepted. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of growth hormone in children with short stature caused by growth hormone insufficiency and renal failure. The use of growth hormone in patients with Turner syndrome has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, although it has been approved in several other countries. The use of growth hormone for the treatment of adults with growth hormone deficiency is approved in several countries but not in the United States. With the exception of the cases with growth hormone insensitivity syndrome, the use of IGF-I as a therapeutic agent cannot yet be regarded as of proven usefulness. The potential uses of growth hormone and IGF-I are an active area of investigation and will continue to enlighten our understanding of disease and disorders of growth.
Motivation In Public Sector Unionized Organizations

Developing creative ways to motivate unionized public sector employees is a growing concern. The concept of motivation within the public sector work place is something that is generally understood but unfortunately not often practiced. This paper looks deeper at the perception that public sector unions receive overly generous compensation and pension plans while their members deliver substandard performance.
Structural control considering soil–structure interaction effects

A discussion of the effects of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) on the formulation of active structural control algorithms is presented. Two approaches for incorporating SSI effects in linear optimal control theory are developed: one which performs the control analysis on a structure with a fixed base and then considers the effects of SSI on the controlled structural response; and another which performs the control analysis using a structural equation of motion reformulated to include SSI effects. The two control formulations are studied and compared using a single-degree-of-freedom structure supported through a rigid foundation resting on a linear, elastic half-space. Results show that control effectiveness is affected by the approach used in formulating the equations of motion of the interacting system.
Equivalence of five forms of the Selective Reminding Test in young and elderly subjects.

Summary.-This study evaluated the equivalence of five forms of the SeIective Reminding Test, a widely used measure of verbal learning. 45 normal young and 45 normal elderly subjects were randomly administered three of the five test forms on three separate sessions. The five forms generally correlated well with one another and were of comparable di££iculty, suggesting adequate test equivalence. Four of the five forms were particularly well matched. The Buschke Selective Reminding Test (Buschke, 1973) is a procedure widely used to evaluate verbal learning in patients with dementia (Fuld, Katzman, Davies, & Terry, 1982) and other neurological disorders (Levin, Benton, & Grossman, 1982). The test offers a unique method for assessing memory in that, hypothetically, it permits differentiation among various subcomponents of memory functioning including long-term storage, long-term retrieval, and short-term recall. In addition to its clinical utility in the evaluation of memory disorders, the test has been employed in pharmacological studies which assessed possible memory-enhancing effects of experimental agents (Peters & Jivin, 1977, 1979; Thal & Fuld, 1983) as well as in studies which assessed the adverse effects of commonly prescribed psychotropic drugs (Block & Berchou, 1983; Branconnier, DeVitt, Cole, & Spera, 1982; Pomara, Stanley, Block, Berchou, Stanley, Greenblatt, Newton, & Gershon, 1985; Pomara, Deptula, Medel, Block, & Greenblatt, 1989). Typically, these treatment studies required several equivalent test forms to administer predrug and multiple postdrug assessments.
Newton-Raphson version of stochastic approximation over discrete sets

This paper considers the problem of optimizing a complex stochastic system over a discrete set of feasible values of a parameter when the objective function can only be estimated through simulation. We propose a new gradient--based method that mimics the Newton--Raphson method and makes use of both the gradient and the Hessian of the objective function. The proposed algorithm is designed to give guidance on how to choose the sequence of gains which plays a critical role in the empirical performance of a gradient--based algorithm. In addition to the desired fast convergence in the first few steps of the procedure, the proposed algorithm converges to a local optimizer with probability one as n goes to infinity with rate 1/n where n is the number of iterations.
Cross-bridge kinetics in rat myocardium: effect of sarcomere length and calcium activation.

We tested the hypotheses that Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]) and sarcomere length (SL) modulate force development via graded effects on cross-bridge kinetics in chemically permeabilized rat cardiac tr...
Interaction of dietary energy and protein on growth performance, carcass characteristics and digestibility in finishing barrows when fed at a constant digestible lysine to metabolizable energy ratio

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the performance response to changes in dietary fat, protein, and fiber content in finishing barrows while maintaining a constant apparent ileal digestible (AID) Lys to metabolizable energy (ME) ratio (AID Lys:ME). The experiment was conducted in 2 trials, each containing 25 individually penned pigs. In both trials, barrows (initial wt=85.3 kg) were blocked by weight and assigned to one of five experimental diets (0.40, 0.44, 0.48, 0.52, and 0.56% digestible Lys) with a constant AID Lys:ME (1.44 g/MCal). Lysine content was changed by altering the proportions of corn and soybean meal and energy was altered by the addition or removal of cellulose and fat. Diets contained 0.2% titanium dioxide as a digestibility marker. Pigs were fed experimental diets for 28 d, and body weights, feed intakes, and ultrasound measurements of tenth rib backfat (BF) and loin eye area (LEA) were recorded on d 14 and 28. Blood samples were taken on d 28 to determine serum urea nitrogen (SUN), insulin, T3, and T4. A quadratic effect of increasing dietary Lys was seen on ADG on d 28 showing that the addition of Lys increased gain (P
Evolutionary Conservation of a GPCR-Independent Mechanism of Trimeric G Protein Activation

Trimeric G protein signaling is a fundamental mechanism of cellular communication in eukaryotes. The core of this mechanism consists of activation of G proteins by the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity of G protein coupled receptors. However, the duration and amplitude of G protein-mediated signaling are controlled by a complex network of accessory proteins that appeared and diversified during evolution. Among them, nonreceptor proteins with GEF activity are the least characterized. We recently found that proteins of the ccdc88 family possess a Gα-binding and activating (GBA) motif that confers GEF activity and regulates mammalian cell behavior. A sequence similarity-based search revealed that ccdc88 genes are highly conserved across metazoa but the GBA motif is absent in most invertebrates. This prompted us to investigate whether the GBA motif is present in other nonreceptor proteins in invertebrates. An unbiased bioinformatics search in Caenorhabditis elegans identified GBAS-1 (GBA and SPK domain containing-1) as a GBA motif-containing protein with homologs only in closely related worm species. We demonstrate that GBAS-1 has GEF activity for the nematode G protein GOA-1 and that the two proteins are coexpressed in many cells of living worms. Furthermore, we show that GBAS-1 can activate mammalian Gα-subunits and provide structural insights into the evolutionarily conserved determinants of the GBA-G protein interface. These results demonstrate that the GBA motif is a functional GEF module conserved among highly divergent proteins across evolution, indicating that the GBA-Gα binding mode is strongly constrained under selective pressure to mediate receptor-independent G protein activation in metazoans.
In defense of forensic social science

Like the navigation tools that freed ancient sailors from the need to stay close to the shoreline—eventually affording the discovery of new worlds—Big Data might open us up to new sociological possibilities by freeing us from the shackles of hypothesis testing. But for that to happen we need forensic social science: the careful compilation of evidence from unstructured digital traces as a means to generate new theories.
Abstract 263: Evaluation of Survival Benefit of Statins in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Propensity Score Matching Study

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a multifactorial disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. In line with this, pleiotropic effects of statins have been found beneficial in PH resulting in hemodynamic improvement. However, the role of statins in subgroups of PH, especially inflammation triggered chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown and their effect on mortality has not yet been studied. Methods: Consecutive patients ≥18 years with severe PH (pulmonary artery systolic pressure ≥60 mmHg) and preserved left ventricular function (ejection fraction ≥50%) defined by transthoracic echocardiograms were included from January 2002 to August 2012. Patients were divided into two groups based on being on statin therapy for 12 consecutive months after diagnosis of PH. Propensity score matching was performed for all baseline demographics, comorbidities, labs, lipid profile, and medications with ratio matching of 1 (treated) to 5 (untreated controls). Subgroup analysis...
TIMP-3 Accumulation in Bruch’s Membrane and Drusen in Eyes From Normal and Age-Related Macular Degeneration Donors

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss in individuals over the age of 50 in the Western hemisphere.1 ARMD is characterized by the accumulation of debris (drusen) within Bruch’s membrane during the early stages of the disease, with the subsequent development of choroidal neovascularization or atrophy of the choriocapillaris and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) at later stages. The latter events are thought to be causally involved in the death of macular photoreceptors. While the ophthalmological changes during the progression of the various forms of ARMD have been described, and end-stage histopathological descriptions of ARMD are available, little is known about the cellular mechanisms associated with the normal maintenance and turnover of Bruch’s membrane, the events that lead to drusen formation, or the cause of subretinal neovascularization and atrophy of the RPE and choriocapillaris.
Initial measurements of two- and three-dimensional ordering, waves, and plasma filamentation in the Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment

The Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment at Auburn University has been operational for over one year. In that time, a number of experiments have been performed at magnetic fields up to B = 2.5 T to explore the interaction between magnetized plasmas and charged, micron-sized dust particles. This paper reports on the initial results from studies of: (a) the formation of imposed, ordered structures, (b) the properties of dust wave waves in a rotating frame, and (c) the generation of plasma filaments.
Hypocalcemic activity of serum in patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid.

We have studied the hypocalcemic effect of serum from three patients with disseminated medullary carcinoma. Only one of three patients studied revealed significant hypocalcemic activity. The procedure we have described is simple to perform and, quite possibly, diagnostic when positive, but it is not sensitive enough to justify its use as a screening procedure in patients with suspected thyroid tumor. It might, however, be of interest and possible value in follow-up studies of patients with known medullary carcinoma, or in studies of the relatives of such patients. More sensitive methodology will be required for the consistent detection of this tumor and its hormonal by-products.
Our Common History: The Transformation of Europe. Edited by Paul R. Thompson with Natasha Burchardt. Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press, 1982. 334 pp. Hardcover, $19.95.

(1983). Our Common History: The Transformation of Europe. The Oral History Review: Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 131-134.
Functionalization of Poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)s with Hindered Fluorene Side Chains for Anion Exchange Membranes

Functionalization of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)s (PPO) was achieved by grafting hindered fluorene-based side chains to PPO via the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction using an appropriate catalyst/ligand system. Using the resulting functionalized PPO, anion-conductive copolymers, PPO with fluorene side chains with pendant alkyltrimethylammonium groups, were synthesized via the Menshutkin reaction. The quaternized copolymers yielded ductile, transparent membranes which were soluble in dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and methanol at room temperature. The fluorene side chain containing membranes showed considerably higher hydroxide ion conductivities, up to 176 mS/cm at 80 °C, compared to that of typical anion exchange membranes based on the benzyltrimethylammonium motif. The results of titration and hydroxide ion conductivity measurements demonstrated excellent chemical stability of the fluorene side chain containing anion exchange membranes (AEMs), even after 1000 h immersion in 1 M NaOH at...
Research on Workshop Production Process Management Based on Workflow

The development and implement of Manufacturing Execution System(MES)based on workflow have been put forward in the text.The workflow environment for design and running of MES has been conducted.Taking the parts production in workshop as an example,the template of process has been established.The automatic flow of MES in the production process has been realized by use of workflow tool.Finally,the system indicates its effectiveness and feasibility in the practical production of some factory workshop.
Results of a nurse-delivered intervention on proficiency and nodule detection with breast self-examination.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To determine group differences in breast self-examination (BSE) frequency, proficiency, and nodule detection as a result of belief and/or informational interventions. DESIGN Prospective, randomized, experimental design using a control group and three intervention groups. Data on outcome measures were collected one year following intervention to determine intervention effect on BSE outcome measures. SAMPLE Women without breast cancer ranging in age from 35-88 years. METHODS Graduate research assistants conducted in-home interviews and completed intervention delivery and data collection using a standardized protocol for each experimental group. Interventions included counseling about beliefs regarding BSE and informational counseling with BSE demonstration. A second in-home interview was conducted one year after the intervention to determine its effect on BSE outcome measures. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Self-recorded frequency, observer-rated proficiency scores, and nodule detection scores. FINDINGS The group receiving both the belief and information interventions had significantly higher frequency (t = 2.22, p < or = 0.05) and higher proficiency scores (t = 3.22, p < or = 0.01) for BSE than the control group. The control group had significantly lower rates than the belief/information group for observed proficiency of BSE (t = 7.72, p < or = 0.01) and for nodule detection (t = 8.91, p < or = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The intervention consisting of information, BSE demonstration, and follow-up demonstration significantly increased logged frequency, logged proficiency, observed proficiency, and nodule detection one year postintervention. The group receiving both the belief intervention and information intervention demonstrated the highest nodule detection. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE BSE teaching should include assessment and discussion about belief toward breast cancer and BSE while providing instruction with return demonstration.
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors: a review on the progress of patent literature (2011–2016)

ABSTRACTIntroduction: A large area of carbonic anhydrase (CA) research focuses on the inhibition of human CA IX and CA XII, as these isoforms have been designated as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for various cancer types.Areas covered: Recently, the majority of CA inhibitor (CAI) patents cover compound design, synthesis, and delivery methods for the treatment of glaucoma and cancer. The analysis of included patents highlights the need for isoform specific inhibitors. This review covers the patents of medically relevant carbonic anhydrase inhibitors between 2011–2016.Expert opinion: The improvement of structure-based drug design methods and access to the crystal structures of human CA isoforms have improved inhibitor development. This progress can be observed in relation to the selective inhibition of CA IX for cancer treatments, with one inhibitor in clinical trials. However, the design of nonclassical CAIs is essential to further improve isoform specificity and prevent sulfur allergies.
Production and Characterization of Monospecific Antibodies to Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase Subunit Polypeptides

Production of antibodies in rabbits to individual subunit polypeptides of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) has historically presented problems of low titer and low specificity (Feierabend, Wildner, 1978; Gray, Kekwick, 1974). Here we describe production of polyclonal antibodies to alfalfa RuBPCO subunit polypeptides in mice, adapting previously reported procedures (Sartorelli et al., 1966; Tung et al., 1976). These mouse antibodies are monospecific and suitable for immunochemical analyses of RuBPCO large (LS) and small (SS) polypeptides from a variety of plant species.
Exchangeable graph-valued Feller processes

The transition law of every exchangeable Feller process on the space of countable graphs is determined by a $$\sigma $$ -finite measure on the space of $$\{0,1\}\times \{0,1\}$$ -valued arrays. In discrete time, this characterization gives rise to a construction from an independent, identically distributed sequence of exchangeable random functions. In continuous time, the behavior is enriched by a Levy–Ito–Khintchine-type decomposition of the jump measure into mutually singular components that govern global, vertex-level, and edge-level dynamics. Every such process almost surely projects to a Feller process in the space of graph limits.
The effect of smoking on ACL reconstruction: a systematic review

ABSTRACTObjective: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) depends on proper healing of the graft or bone plug at the cellular level. The effect of cigarette smoke on ACLR was not commonly reported until recently. The primary purpose of this review was to determine if smoking has a negative effect on subjective or objective outcome scores after ACLR. The secondary purpose was to identify any increased risk of complications, infection, ACL re-tear, or revision procedures.Methods: A systematic literature review of the MEDLINE, SCOPUS and PubMed databases was performed to identify all studies that compared outcomes of ACLR surgery between smokers and nonsmokers. The frequency-weighted mean was calculated for outcome measures that were similar across several studies.Results: Seventeen studies were identified that met inclusion criteria for patients undergoing ACLR (mean age, 26.8 years) with a mean follow-up of 37 months. Smokers had significantly worse subjective outcome measures and worse side-to-s...
Participants’ Satisfaction With Family Involvement Meetings Implications for Child Welfare Practice

Purpose:Bivariate and logistics regression analyses were conducted to examine the effectiveness of child welfare agencies’ Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) practices focused on strengthening fam...
Violence, addiction, recovery: An anthropological study of Mexico's anexos.

Informal, coercive residential centers for the treatment of addiction are widespread and growing throughout Latin America. In Mexico these centers are called “anexos” and they are run and utilized ...
Towards reducing carbon content in silicon/carbon anodes for lithium ion batteries

Abstract Conducting carbon is added to electrodes of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) to provide electrical conductivity. Because this carbon does not contribute to capacity, there is a drive towards decreasing its content with a goal of lowering the mass of the electrode. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) has a high electrical conductivity, and is a potential alternative to traditionally used conductive carbon black (CB) in anodes for LIBs. Because of its high aspect ratio, RGO is expected to form a conducting network at lower volume loadings than CB. We report the use of this concept to significantly reduce carbon loading in silicon-carbon anodes for LIBs formed by emulsion-templating. Anodes with 1 wt% RGO and 14 wt% CB (15 wt% total carbon) showed specific capacities and capacity retentions that were comparable to anodes with 30 wt% CB with or without RGO. The capacity retention was significantly lower for anodes with 15 wt% total carbon that had no RGO. Cryo-SEM and SEM images, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, confirmed the formation of a conducting carbon network at 15 wt% total carbon loading when 1 wt% of the CB was replaced with RGO, and the lack of a well-connected network without the RGO.
A deep learning-based cyber-physical strategy to mitigate false data injection attack in smart grids

Application of computing and communications intelligence effectively improves the quality of monitoring and control of smart grids. However, the dependence on information technology also increases vulnerability to malicious attacks, such as false data injection attacks. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based cyber-physical protocol to identify and mitigate the information corruption in the problem of maintaining the transient stability of Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMSs). The proposed strategy implements the deep learning technique to analyze the real-time measurement data from the geographically distributed Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) and leverages the physical coherence in the power systems to probe and detect the data corruption. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed strategy through the simulation by using the New England 39-bus power system.
Pediatric Endoscopic Instrumentation

The indications for the use of endoscopic equipment for pediatric surgical conditions primarily involve those that relate to gastrointestinal endoscopy and airway endoscopy, including tracheoscopy and bronchoscopy. The instrumentation for pediatric endoscopy routinely utilized by pediatric surgeons includes a broad spectrum of both flexible and rigid endoscopic tools. The main interventions for pediatric upper intestinal endoscopy, colonoscopy, and airway endoscopy along with commentary of the instrumentation available for these procedures are discussed in this chapter.
Ligands of Therapeutic Utility for the Liver X Receptors

Liver X receptors (LXRs) have been increasingly recognized as a potential therapeutic target to treat pathological conditions ranging from vascular and metabolic diseases, neurological degeneration, to cancers that are driven by lipid metabolism. Amidst intensifying efforts to discover ligands that act through LXRs to achieve the sought-after pharmacological outcomes, several lead compounds are already being tested in clinical trials for a variety of disease interventions. While more potent and selective LXR ligands continue to emerge from screening of small molecule libraries, rational design, and empirical medicinal chemistry approaches, challenges remain in minimizing undesirable effects of LXR activation on lipid metabolism. This review provides a summary of known endogenous, naturally occurring, and synthetic ligands. The review also offers considerations from a molecular modeling perspective with which to design more specific LXRβ ligands based on the interaction energies of ligands and the important amino acid residues in the LXRβ ligand binding domain.
How Humanlike Should a Social Robot Be: A User-Centered Exploration.

Robot designers commonly emphasize humanlikeness as an important design feature to make robots social or user-friendly. To understand how users make sense of the design characteristics of robots, we asked 6 participants to classify and interpret the appearance of existing robots in relation to their function and potential usefulness. All the robots had humanlike aspects in their design, and participants most commonly remarked on these humanlike features of the robots. However, the commonsense logic of the “Uncanny Valley” (UV) in HRI design, which suggests that robots should be similar to humans to some degree without being too humanlike, was not supported by participant comments, which did not correlate humanlikeness to user-friendliness in line with the UV hypothesis. Rather, participants related the design features of robots to their everyday contexts, and focused their commentary on context-dependent design implications. As a result, we suggest our understanding of the design characteristics of robots should include the perspectives of users from the earliest stages of design so we can understand their contextual interpretations of different design characteristics. Open and modularized technical platforms could support the inclusion of users in the creation of future social robots.
Ecological scenario planning and the question of the best regime in the political theory of Hans Jonas

ABSTRACTIn The Imperative of Responsibility, Hans Jonas elevates the practice of ecological scenario planning in political analysis. Not only does he provide an ethical justification for ecological scenario planning, but he also uses it as a means to discern an ethical imperative for the technological age. Jonas engages in regime analysis while keeping before him a vision of the worst-case ecological scenario, a combination that is morally and politically necessary due to the colossal consequences of cumulative human actions. Jonas’s work thus provides a good, even necessary, starting point for examining the relevance of scenario planning for environmental political theory.
Rethinking the Concept of "Minority": A Task for Social Scientists and Practitioners

Although sociologists have articulated the components and scope of the minority concept, many of the characteristics are no longer germane. Originally those placed in the category were viewed as subordinate and as possessing cultural or physical qualities not approved or preferred by the larger population. There has been no systematic questioning of ingrained seductive words and value-based constructions like minority. This brief critique offers an evaluation of the minority conception that is so pervasive in the social and behavioral sciences, the print and broadcast media, politics, and the entire language system
Internal-short-mitigating current collector for lithium-ion battery

Abstract Mechanical abuse often causes thermal runaway of lithium-ion battery (LIB). When a LIB cell is impacted, radial cracks can be formed in the current collector, separating the electrode into petals. As separator ruptures, the petals on positive and negative electrodes may contact each other, forming internal short circuit (ISC). In this study, we conducted an experimental investigation on LIB coin cells with current collectors modified by surface notches. Our testing results showed that as the current collector contained appropriate surface notches, the cracking mode of electrode in a damaged LIB cell could be adjusted. Particularly, if a complete circumferential crack was generated, the petals would be cut off, which drastically reduced the area of electrode involved in ISC and the associated heat generation rate. A parameterized study was performed to analysis various surface-notch configurations. We identified an efficient surface-notch design that consistently led to trivial temperature increase of ISC.
Responsible Translation of Psychiatric Genetics and Other Neuroscience Developments: In Need of Empirical Bioethics Research.

In recent years, billions of dollars have been allocated to large-scale neuroscience projects with the goal of advancing our understanding of neural function, developing neurotechnologies, and, ult...
Advocating for Educational Standards in Counselor Licensure Laws

As the counseling profession evolves, educational standards for counselor licensure must be standardized from state to state. In this article, the authors discuss historical and current influences and present an advocacy model that has been used to standardize educational requirements in state counselor licensure laws.
Toward a Theory of Supply-Side Mobility Constraints: Assessing Value Creation and Value Capture

The human capital literature has generally cited firm-specificity as the determining factor for value capture. However, in recent years, several scholars have challenged this consensus and called f...
Strategies in Probation: Treating Gay Offenders:

Strategies for enabling probation officers to become more effective in treating gay clients are discussed in conjunction with supporting literature. Professionals who are same-sex oriented or posse...
Implicit candidate traits in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: Replicating a dual-process model of candidate evaluations

Abstract A major challenge to understanding the causes and consequences of how citizens assess political candidates is the extent to which relevant attitudinal evaluations are accessible at the conscious and unconscious level. The current research examines a dual-process model of candidate trait perceptions in the context of the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections. We expected that implicit evaluations of the warmth and competence of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would predict explicit evaluations of the presidential candidates and related political groups, as well as voting behavior. We find that these implicit constructs, especially competence, demonstrated predictive validity for outcomes of interest in the context of the 2016 election, above and beyond explicit analogs, demographics variables, and partisan identification. The larger role of implicit competence, compared to implicit warmth, may be due, in part, to increased assimilation of implicit associations into explicit evaluations on the warmth but not the competence dimension. These findings are suggestive of the possibility that warmth assessments were also consequential in this electoral context, consistent with other research examining the impact of gender stereotypes on evaluations of females in positions of leadership. Implications and future directions for the study of political cognition, gender bias, candidate evaluations, and electoral decision-making are discussed.
New Left Encounters with Marx

The article uses the ideal of a New Left to conceptualize the underlying unity of diverse political experiences during the past half century. Although Marx is not the direct object of this reconstruction, his specter is a recurring presence at those “nodal points” where the imperative to move to “another element” becomes apparent. These are moments when the spirit that has animated a movement can advance no further; it is faced with new obstacles, which may be self-created. The article analyzes from a participant’s perspective the development of the New Left in the U.S., France and West Germany as it tried to articulate what is dubbed the "unknown dimension" of Marx’s theoretical project. ***Novos encontros da esquerda com Marx*** O artigo parte do ideal de uma Nova Esquerda para conceituar a unidade subjacente a diversas experiencias politicas durante o ultimo meio seculo. Embora Marx nao seja o objeto direto dessa reconstrucao, seu espectro e uma presenca recorrente naqueles "pontos nodais", onde o imperativo de se mudar para "outro elemento" torna-se aparente. Estes sao os momentos em que o espirito que animou um movimento nao pode avancar mais, sendo confrontado com novos obstaculos, que podem ser auto-criados. O artigo analisa, do ponto de vista de um participante, o desenvolvimento da Nova Esquerda nos EUA, Franca e Alemanha Ocidental, enquanto tentava articular o que e denominado de "dimensao desconhecida" do projeto teorico de Marx.
Surgical Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Premature Neonates Weighing Less Than 1,000 grams: Contemporary Outcomes.

Objective:The safety of surgical closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in very low birth weight premature neonates has been questioned because of associated morbidities. However, these studies ...
Fast Multilevel Support Vector Machines.

Solving different types of optimization models (including parameters fitting) for support vector machines on large-scale training data is often an expensive computational task. This paper proposes a multilevel algorithmic framework that scales efficiently to very large data sets. Instead of solving the whole training set in one optimization process, the support vectors are obtained and gradually refined at multiple levels of coarseness of the data. The proposed framework includes: (a) construction of hierarchy of large-scale data coarse representations, and (b) a local processing of updating the hyperplane throughout this hierarchy. Our multilevel framework substantially improves the computational time without loosing the quality of classifiers. The algorithms are demonstrated for both regular and weighted support vector machines. Experimental results are presented for balanced and imbalanced classification problems. Quality improvement on several imbalanced data sets has been observed.
The gate-trait/contextual approach to assessment: A person-environment interactional model

Abstract Social workers are increasingly employing self-report inventories in both clinical practice and research. However, a framework for interpreting the results of these instruments based upon a person-environment interactional model of human behavior is lacking. This paper outlines a psycho-social approach for interpreting self-report test data: the Gate-Trait/ Contextual model. This approach suggests that scores on self-report inventories represent an interaction between the context of the testing situation and higher-order individual difference variables, referred to as Gate-Traits, through which the testing environment is interpreted. Gate-Traits act as filters between the internal structure of the individual and the environment. Gate-Traits influence perceptions of the testing environment and the adoption of a self-presentational strategy. Cultural background, gender and public/private self-consciousness are potential Gate-Traits warranting further study. Individuals are not passive participants ...
Plate models in chromatography: analysis and implications for scale-up

Detailed chromatographic rate theories from the literature can be used to determine the appropriate plate count for a plate model of linear chromatography so that the bandspreading generated by the detailed rate model is reproduced by the plate model. This process provides a link between the plate count and the physical parameters that cause bandspreading. Each sample component can be assigned an appropriate plate count, thus allowing the accurate simulation of multicomponent separations even for widely differing adsorbates. Analytical solutions are presented for the Craig distribution and the continuous plate model for both finite-pulse elution and frontal chromatography. The Craig model is widely considered unsuitable because it assumes discontinuous flow; it is shown that, for a suitably corrected plate count, the Craig model is as accurate as the continuous-flow plate theory (except for the case of an unretained solute). Direct calculation of effluent histories from these plate models show excellent agreement between themselves and with results from complex rate models available in the literature. Reasonable agreement is also found when the plate models are used a priori to predict experimental scale-up results.
High Spatiotemporal Resolution Imaging with Localized Plasmonic Structured Illumination Microscopy

Localized plasmonic structured illumination microscopy (LPSIM) provides multicolor wide-field super-resolution imaging with low phototoxicity and high-speed capability. LPSIM utilizes a nanoscale plasmonic antenna array to provide a series of tunable illumination patterns beyond the traditional diffraction limit, allowing for enhanced resolving powers down to a few tens of nanometers. Here, we demonstrate wide-field LPSIM with 50 nm spatial resolution at video rate speed by imaging microtubule dynamics with low illumination power intensity. The design of the LPSIM system makes it suitable for imaging surface effects of cells and tissues with regular sample preparation protocols. LPSIM can be extended to much higher resolution, representing an excellent technology for live-cell imaging of protein dynamics and interactions.
Exploring Layer Trajectory LSTM with Depth Processing Units and Attention

Traditional LSTM model and its variants normally work in a frame-by-frame and layer-by-layer fashion, which deals with the temporal modeling and target classification problems at the same time. In this paper, we extend our recently proposed layer trajectory LSTM (ltLSTM) and present a generalized framework, which is equipped with a depth processing block that scans the hidden states of each time-LSTM layer, and uses the summarized layer trajectory information for final senone classification. We explore different modeling units used in the depth processing block to have a good tradeoff between accuracy and runtime cost. Furthermore, we integrate an attention module into this framework to explore wide context information, which is especially beneficial for uni-directional LSTMs. Trained with 30 thousand hours of EN-US Microsoft internal data and cross entropy criterion, the proposed generalized ltLSTM performed significantly better than the standard multi-layer time-LSTM, with up to 12.8% relative word error rate (WER) reduction across different tasks. With attention modeling, the relative WER reduction can be up to 17.9%. We observed similar gain when the models were trained with sequence discriminative training criterion.