cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase transformation effects on the wear properties of alumina gel–polymer matrix nanocomposites

A phase transformation in an alumina gel provided an elegant means of isolating the effect of filler properties on the wear resistance of particle-reinforced thermosetting polymer–matrix composites. This transformation was useful because it takes place without significantly altering filler porosity. This produced a wear surface apparently reflecting the vermicular growth patterns in the γ-alumina in the δ-aluminum monohydrate matrix. Nucleation of γ-alumina in the gel matrix produced wear rates comparable to commercial composites.
Improving tantalum's oxidation resistance by Al+ ion implantation

Tantalum was implanted with 180 keV Al+ ions to fluences up to 3×1018 Al+/cm2. Subsequent microchemical and microstructural observations showed that an amorphous layer covered the surface and extended to depths near 3000 A for fluences above 2.4×1018 Al+/cm2. The layer, comprised of ∼70 at. pet Al and ∼30 at. pet Ta, crystallized at temperatures above 500°C. Oxidation measurements, performed in one atmosphere of air and at temperatures below 600°C, showed that the layer stopped oxidation of the implanted tantalum, while unimplanted tantalum oxidized rapidly. The protection provided by the implantation deteriorated somewhat by temperatures near 735°C but still reduced the oxidation rate by a factor of 5. The deterioration is caused by localized rupturing of the implanted layer and the resulting oxidation of the underlying tantalum. At 910°C, the implanted tantalum oxidized almost as rapidly as unimplanted tantalum.
Injecting Charter School Best Practices into Traditional Public Schools: Evidence from Field Experiments

This study examines the impact on student achievement of implementing a bundle of best practices from high-performing charter schools into low-performing, traditional public schools in Houston, Texas, using a school-level randomized field experiment and quasi-experimental comparisons. The five practices in the bundle are increased instructional time, more effective teachers and administrators, high-dosage tutoring, data-driven instruction, and a culture of high expectations. The findings show that injecting best practices from charter schools into traditional Houston public schools significantly increases student math achievement in treated elementary and secondary schools—by 0.15 to 0.18 standard deviations a year—and has little effect on reading achievement. Similar bundles of practices are found to significantly raise math achievement in analyses for public schools in a field experiment in Denver and program in Chicago. JEL Codes: I21, I24, I28, J24.
Association Between Fusarium spp. on Spartina alterniflora and Dieback Sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts

Sudden vegetation dieback (SVD) is defined as the loss and lack of recovery of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) in salt marshes. A new species of a moderately pathogenic fungus called Fusarium palustre is consistently found in SVD sites, but greenhouse tests revealed that it is not capable of causing mortality of healthy plants. Similarly, root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spartinae) are also found in SVD sites, but their incidence in marshes affected by SVD is not known. To understand more about the ecology of F. palustre and M. spartinae, salt marshes along Connecticut's Long Island Sound and Massachusetts' Cape Cod that exhibited SVD and those that did not, were visited during the summers of 2007, 2008, and 2009. Belowground and aboveground tissues of smooth cordgrass plants from 18 marshes were removed, washed, and assayed for Fusarium spp. to determine if patterns between the incidence of the different species of Fusarium, their virulence on S. alterniflora, root-knot nematodes (M. spartinae), and the health of the marsh could be revealed. There were significantly more colonies of Fusarium growing from plants in SVD sites (6.1%) than in healthy marshes where no SVD was present (<1.0%). The incidence of Fusarium spp. from plants at the perimeter of the SVD site was not statistically different from asymptomatic plants 10-20 m from the SVD edge. The majority of isolates could be assigned to one of two species, F. palustre or another slightly pathogenic group called Fusarium cf. incarnatum (88% in 2007, 62% in 2008, and 96% in 2009). The ratio of F. palustre to F. cf. incarnatum was 6.7, 2.7, or 2.1 for 2007, 2008, or 2009, respectively. Greenhouse tests on healthy S. alterniflora revealed that isolates of F. palustre were more virulent than F. cf. incarnatum, regardless of whether they were recovered from plants in healthy marshes or in SVD sites. Root-knot nematodes were found sporadically and could not be associated with SVD. Factorial greenhouse experiments did not demonstrate any interaction between F. palustre and M. spartinae providing no experimental evidence that combining Fusarium and root-knot nematodes could cause mortality. The presence of Fusarium on S. alterniflora in healthy marshes also suggests an endophytic relationship that may subsequently function in the breakdown of tissue when plants are compromised.
Executive function predicts risk of falls in older adults without balance impairment

Executive dysfunction has previously been found to be a risk factor for falls. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between executive dysfunction and risk of falling and to determine if this association is independent of balance. Participants were 188 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 and older. All participants underwent baseline and annual evaluations with review of health history, standardized neurologic examination, neuropsychological testing, and qualitative and quantitative assessment of motor function. Falls were recorded prospectively using weekly online health forms. During 13 months of follow-up, there were 65 of 188 participants (34.6%) who reported at least one fall. Univariate analysis showed that fallers were more likely to have lower baseline scores in executive function than non-fallers (p = 0.03). Among participants without balance impairment we found that higher executive function z-scores were associated with lower fall counts (p = 0.03) after adjustment for age, sex, health status and prior history of falls using negative binomial regression models. This relationship was not present among participants with poor balance. Lower scores on executive function tests are a risk factor for falls in participants with minimal balance impairment. However, this effect is attenuated in individuals with poor balance where physical or more direct motor systems factors may play a greater role in fall risk.
Nested clade analysis: an extensively validated method for strong phylogeographic inference.

Petit (2007) speculates that three papers (Knowles, Maddison, 2002; Panchal, Beaumont, 2007; Petit, Grivet, 2002) have delivered the coup de grâce for nested clade phylogeographic analysis (NCPA). As Petit (2007) notes, NCPA is one of the most frequently used analytical tools in the area of phylogeography, so this speculation must be evaluated carefully.
Gene array analysis of the hepatic response to endotoxin in glutathione peroxidase-deficient mice

Abstract Glutathione peroxidase-1 (Gpx1) is a major defense enzyme against peroxides. Gpx1-deficient mice (Gpx1−/−) are more susceptible than wild-type (WT) mice to neutrophil-induced oxidant stress and liver injury produced by 700 mg/kg galactosamine and 10 μg/kg endotoxin (Gal/ET). However, it is unclear if Gal/ET modulates redox-sensitive genes in Gpx1−/− mice before the injury. Hepatic RNA was isolated 1.5 and 6 h after Gal/ET administration and subjected to gene expression analysis using Clontech customer-designed mouse toxicology array (600-gene). Gal/ET induced a significant increase in the expression of genes encoding inflammatory response, oxidative stress, growth arrest and responses to DNA damage and/or its repair. In general, more marked alterations were seen in Gpx1−/− as compared with WT mice, supporting the role of Gpx1 in cellular defense against oxidant stress to cope with aberrant gene expression. However, comparison with previous functional studies indicated that not all changes of gene expression are relevant for the pathophysiology. Thus, only a combination of gene array analysis with functional studies allows valid conclusions regarding mechanisms of cell injury.
An evaluation of total body electrical conductivity to estimate body composition of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides

Abstract Measurement of total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC) recently has been used to estimate the body composition of several fish species in a noninvasive manner. The present study was conducted to evaluate the use of TOBEC in estimating body composition of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). A total of 85 largemouth bass weighing 154 to 3 245 g were measured for electrical conductivity after which their proximate composition was determined by chemical means. Significant linear relationships existed between the natural logarithm of whole-body ash, lean body mass, lipid, protein, and water content and the natural logarithm of length and/or weight with r2 values ranging from 0.860 to 0.999. Inclusion of the TOBEC value did not significantly improve the prediction accuracy of these models. Equations were developed to allow the prediction of body composition of largemouth bass based on length and weight measurements. Prediction models including only length and weight as variables provided estimates of body components of an independent set of fish that were not significantly different from chemically derived measurements of these components. These models should allow the rapid, nondestructive estimation of body composition of largemouth bass varying in size and condition without the added cost and processing time associated with measurement of TOBEC, although large prediction errors might prevent the detection of ecologically significant differences in body composition. However, with additional data involving narrower fish-size ranges and constant temperatures for the development of prediction equations, TOBEC may improve the prediction accuracy of body composition estimates for largemouth bass.
A retrospective study on perfusion incidents and safety devices

Despite the acceptance of extracorporeal circulation as an effective modality to facilitate cardiac surgery, patient outcomes can be negatively influenced by the occurrence of perfusion incidents. A perfusion survey was conducted to identify safety techniques and incidents related to cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). An 80-question survey was mailed to chief perfusionists of all 1030 USA cardiac surgical centers using CPB. The survey was designed to examine practices and incidents that occurred during a 2-year period (July 1996 to July 1998). Five-hundred-and-fifty-two (54% response rate) surveys were returned, which accounted for 797 hospitals (79% of all cardiac centers) and 653,621 surgical procedures. Of the 27 identified CPB safety devices, the highest utilization was arterial line filters (98.5%) and the lowest arterial line bubble traps (3.4%). Of the reported cases, a CPB incident occurred once every 138 cases. The most common occurring incidents were protamine reactions (1:783), coagulation problems (1:771), and heater/cooler failures 11:1809). The rate of occurrence of an incident resulting in a serious injury or death was one for every 1453 procedures. Although techniques and safety devices create a relatively secure environment for CPB, lower incident rates may be achieved with further improvements in coagulation monitoring and incident reporting.
Classification and management of Coats disease: the 2000 Proctor Lecture.

Abstract PURPOSE: To review the methods and results of management in a large series of patients with Coats disease, to determine risk factors for poor visual outcome and enucleation, and to propose a practical classification of Coats disease. METHODS: In a retrospective consecutive series in 150 patients, Coats disease was defined as idiopathic retinal telangiectasia with intraretinal or subretinal exudation without appreciable signs of retinal or vitreal traction. We reviewed our experience with management, including observation, laser photocoagulation, cryotherapy, and various techniques of retinal detachment surgery and enucleation. The anatomic outcome, complications of treatment, visual results, and reasons for enucleation were tabulated. Factors predictive of poor visual outcome (20/200 or worse) and enucleation were determined using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Based on these observations, a staging classification of Coats disease, applicable to treatment selection and ocular prognosis, is proposed. RESULTS: In 117 patients (124 eyes) with a mean follow up of 55 months (range, 6 months to 25 years) primary management was observation in 22 eyes (18%), cryotherapy in 52 (42%), laser photocoagulation in 16 (13%), various methods of retinal detachment surgery in 20 (17%), and enucleation in 14 (11%). Anatomic improvement or stability was achieved in 76% of eyes, and final visual acuity was 20/50 or better in 17 eyes (14%), 20/60 to 20/100 in eight (6%), 20/200 to finger counting in 30 (24%), and hand motion to no light perception in 49 (40%) Enucleation was ultimately necessary in 20 eyes (16%). Risk factors predictive of poor visual outcome (20/200 or worse) included postequatorial ( P = .01), diffuse ( P = .01), or superior ( P = .04) location of the telangiectasias and exudation, failed resolution of subretinal fluid after treatment ( P = .02), and presence of retinal macrocysts ( P = .02). The main risk factors for enucleation were elevated intraocular pressure (greater than 22 mm Hg; P less than or equal to .001) and iris neovascularization ( P less than or equal to .001). Coats disease was classified into stage 1, telangiectasia only; stage 2, telangiectasia and exudation (2A, extrafoveal exudation; 2B, foveal exudation) stage 3, exudative retinal detachment (3A, subtotal; 3B, total); stage 4, total detachment and secondary glaucoma; and stage 5, advanced end-stage disease. Poor visual outcome (20/200 or worse) was found in 0% of eyes with stage 1, 53% with stage 2, 74% with stage 3, and 100% of stages 4 and 5 Coats disease. Enucleation was ultimately necessary in 0% of stages 1 and 2, 7% of stage 3, 78% of stage 4, and 0% of stage 5 disease. CONCLUSIONS: Carefully selected treatment can anatomically stabilize or improve the eye with Coats disease in 76% of eyes. However, poor visual outcome of 20/200 or worse commonly results. Patients who present with stages 1 to 3 Coats disease have the best visual prognosis, and patients with stages 4 and 5 have a poor visual prognosis.
Acute superficial venous thrombophlebitis associated with pregnancy

Abstract Among 25,082 pregnant patients observed during a 14 year period (1951 through 1964), 381 had either superficial or deep venous thrombosis during or after pregnancy. Three hundred and thirty-four patients had superficial thrombophlebitis; 37 had the onset during pregnancy and 297 had it after termination of pregnancy. Although anticoagulant drugs were not employed for superficial thrombophlebitis during pregnancy, they were commonly administered for severe superficial thrombophlebitis during the postpartum period. Sixty per cent of the patients required additional hospitalization because of the superficial thrombophlebitis. The one patient who developed postpartum pulmonary embolism recovered uneventfully.
Behavior-Grounded Representation of Tool Affordances

This paper introduces a novel approach to representing and learning tool affordances by a robot. The tool representation described here uses a behavior-based approach to ground the tool affordances in the behavioral repertoire of the robot. The representation is learned during a behavioral babbling stage in which the robot randomly chooses different exploratory behaviors, applies them to the tool, and observes their effects on environmental objects. The paper shows how the autonomously learned affordance representation can be used to solve tool-using tasks by dynamically sequencing the exploratory behaviors based on their expected outcomes. The quality of the learned representation was tested on extension-of-reach tool-using tasks.
Advice from Youth: Some Lessons from the Study of Adolescent Relationships:

Our research program has focused on middle school and high school adolescents' social networks and more recently on adolescents' romantic relationships. The adolescents in our studies have taught us a number of lessons about studying personal relationships. We use examples from our research to illustrate these lessons and discuss their implications for studying adult, as well as adolescent, relationships. In particular, adolescents have taught us to recognize the multi-leveled nature of networks and to distinguish among the interactional, dyadic relationship, group and overall levels of networks. The diversity of adolescent relationships presents researchers with the methodological and conceptual challenge of identifying and taking into account the similarities and differences among relationships. Research with adolescents also makes one appreciate the developmental trans-formations that relationships undergo. We describe changes in the absolute level and relative level of characteristics, the stability a...
Randomness extractors and their many guises

Since its introduction by Nisan and Zuckerman at STOC '93 (1996) nearly a decade ago, the notion of a randomness extractor has proven to be a fundamental and powerful one. Extractors and their variants have found widespread application in a variety of areas, including pseudorandomness and derandomization, combinatorics, cryptography, data structures, and computational complexity. Equally striking has been a sequence of discoveries showing that, under different interpretations, extractors are close relatives of a number of other important objects, such as expander graphs, hash functions, error-correcting codes, pseudorandom generators, and sampling algorithms. Through these connections, extractors have unified the study of these objects and have led to new and improved constructions of each. We give an introduction to the study of extractors. The article is built around the connections between extractors and the other objects mentioned above. Within the context of these connections, we hope to convey an understanding of the definition of extractors, some intuition for how they are constructed, and a glimpse of their use in applications.
Identification, Instruction, and Assessment of Gifted Children: A Construct Validation of a Triarchic Model

This article presents a unified model — the triarchic theory of human intelligence — for the identification, instruction, and assessment of the achievement of gifted children. The article opens with a discussion of the need for a unified model of identification, instruction, and assessment. The triarchic model is then offered as one potential model. Next the article discusses how the triarchic model could be implemented in a variety of subject matter areas. Finally, it describes a construct-validation of the model in the context of one subject matter area, college-level psychology taught to high-school students. The results show promise for the model's use in gifted education. Students performed better when their triarchic ability pattern was matched, rather than mismatched, to instruction and assessment.
After the Shooting Stops: Insights on Postwar Economic Growth

Most studies in peace research consider only the conditions preceding war, with little attention to the outcomes of war beyond how long it lasted, how many people were killed, or which state was victorious. This article reviews the research that has been done on postwar economic growth. We first outline two competing theoretical perspectives on the intrinsic effects of war on economic growth. A review of case studies of the World Wars and broader, cross-sectional studies follows. Generally, it is found that the immediate economic effects are negative; the long-term impact of war and the utility of external aid are uncertain. The impact of war seemed to be less intrinsic than it was conditioned by the policies pursued after the war. Generally, policies designed to restructure the domestic and international economies and promote international trade were successful in promoting postwar recovery. In the concluding section, we offer a number of suggestions for future research. These include a broader spatial-t...
Lognormal Moment Closures for Biochemical Reactions

In the stochastic formulation of chemical reactions, the dynamics of the first M-order moments of the species populations generally do not form a closed system of differential equations, in the sense that the time-derivatives of first M-order moments generally depend on moments of order higher than M. However, for analysis purposes, these dynamics are often made to be closed by approximating the needed derivatives of the first M-order moments by nonlinear functions of the same moments. These functions are called the moment closure functions. Recent results have introduced the technique of derivative-matching, where the moment closure functions are obtained by first assuming that they exhibit a certain separable form, and then matching time derivatives of the exact (not closed) moment equations with that of the approximate (closed) equations for some initial time and set of initial conditions. However, for multi-species reactions these results have been restricted to second order truncations, i.e, M = 2. This paper extends these results by providing explicit formulas to construct moment closure functions for any arbitrary order of truncation M. We show that with increasing M the closed moment equations provide more accurate approximations to the exact moment equations. Striking features of these moment closure functions are that they are independent of the reaction parameters (reaction rates and stoichiometry) and moreover the dependence of higher-order moment on lower order ones is consistent with the population being jointly lognormally distributed. To illustrate the applicability of our results we consider a simple bi-molecular reaction. Moment estimates from a third order truncation are compared with estimates obtained from a large number of Monte Carlo simulations
A 1500 MHz niobium cavity made of electropolished half-cells

A 1500 MHz niobium cavity has been fabricated with two half-cells, which are pre-electropolished with a very simple and compact system. In this paper, we present half-cell electropolishing, cavity fabrication and first test results.
Did the Great Recession influence retirement plans

The recent recession constitutes one of the macro forces that may have influenced workers’ retirement plans. We evaluate a multilevel model that addresses the influence of macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors on retirement plans, changes in these plans, and expected retirement age. Using data from Waves 8 and 9 of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 2,618), we find that individuals with defined benefit plans are more prone to change toward plans to stop work before the stock market declined, whereas the opposite trend holds for those without pensions. Debts, ability to reduce work hours, and firm unionization also influenced retirement plans. Findings suggest retirement planning education may be particularly important for workers without defined pensions, especially in times of economic volatility.
EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF CONTAGIOUS ASEXUALITY IN DAPHNIA PULEX

Asexual taxa are short-lived, suggesting that transitions to asexuality represent evolutionary dead-ends. However, with high rates of clonal origin and coexistence of asexuals and sexuals via selective asymmetries, asexuality may persist in the long term as a result of a dynamic equilibrium between clonal origin and extinction. Few such systems have been studied in detail. Here, we investigate the evolutionary history of asexual lineages of Daphnia pulex, which are derived from sexual relatives via the inheritance of a dominant female-limited meiosis-suppressing locus and inhabit ponds throughout northeastern North America (NA). Our extensive sampling and subsequent phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial sequence data reveals a young and genetically diverse asexual assemblage, reflecting high rates of clonal origin due to the contagious nature of asexuality. Yet, asexuality is restricted to two phylogroups (B and C) with historical and/or present associations with northeastern NA and is absent from a northwestern phylogroup (A), supporting a recent northeastern origin of asexuality in this species. Furthermore, macrogeographic patterns of genetic variability indicate that phylogroups B and C recolonized northeastern NA from opposite directions, yet their presently overlapping geographic distributions are similarly divided into an eastern asexual and a western sexual region. We attribute these patterns to a recent contagious spread of asexuality from a northeastern source. If environment-mediated selective asymmetries play no significant role in determining the outcome of competitive interactions between sexuals and asexuals, regions of contact may be setting the stage for continued asexual conquests.
Review of Computer-Supported Collaborative Work Systems

The advent of computer -supported collaborative work (CSCW) systems significantly impacts group collaboration. This paper reviews three CSCW systems: Lotus Notes, Xerox DocuShare, and SevenMountains Integrate. We focus on their different capabilities and uses in distributed group projects.
ISSUES AND IMAGES The Influence of Media Reliance in Voting Decisions

The research question examined is whether reliance on television makes a difference in the way people make voting decisions. Considerable support was shown for the hypothesis that television reliant voters use candidate image characteristics in making their voting choices more than do the newspaper reliant. Little support was given to a second hypothesis that the perceptions of candidates' stands on issues will play a stronger role among the newspaper reliant. The generally strong image findings did not obtain for the judgments of the third candidate, John Anderson, nor among the voters deciding early in the campaign. Possible reasons for these exceptions are discussed. It is also shown that the media reliance image findings were not replicated by differences in the relative use of public affairs content in the two media, thus indicating the need for research attention to the meaning of television and newspaper reliance.
Estimation of stratum variances in planning of crop acreage surveys

Abstract A modelling approach is used to obtain initial estimates of stratum crop acreage variances for designing crop surveys, particularly those using the remote sensing technology. The present methodology is developed based on the concept of stratum variance as a function of the sampling unit size and it uses primarily the historical crop statistics which are commonly available in most countries. Methods are proposed for the determination of stratum variances corresponding to unit sizes different from the sampling unit size and for which the historical crop statistics can be used. The methodology is applied to estimate stratum variances for wheat in the U.S. Great Plains. An evaluation of these estimates made by comparing them to those obtained from certain satellite sample data shows that the proposed method leads to reliable stratum variance estimates for a fairly large size (5×6 nautical miles area segment) sampling unit.
(Dis)Placing Empire: Renegotiating British Colonial Geographies – Edited by Lindsay J. Proudfoot and Michael M. Roche

The article reviews the book "(Dis)Placing Empire: Renegotiating British Colonial Geographies," edited by Lindsay J. Proudfoot and Michael M. Roche.
A Game-Theoretic Model of Marketing Skin Whiteners.

Empirical studies consistently find that people in less developed countries tend to regard light or “white” skin, particularly among women, as more desirable or superior. This is a study about the marketing of skin whiteners in these countries, where over 80 percent of users are typically women. It proceeds from the following premises: a) Purely market or policy-oriented approaches toward the risks and harms of skin whitening are cost-inefficient; b) Psychosocial and informational factors breed uninformed and risky consumer choices that favor toxic skin whiteners; and c) Proliferation of toxic whiteners in a competitive buyer's market raises critical supplier accountability issues. Is intentional tort a rational outcome of uncooperative game equilibria? Can voluntary cooperation nonetheless evolve between buyers and sellers of skin whiteners? These twin questions are key to addressing the central paradox in this study: A robust and expanding buyer's market, where cheap whitening products abound at a high ...
Initial mechanistic studies of a new antioxidant approach for cancer prevention

B25 Beneficial effects of dietary supplements for human health have been proposed for years. However, although trials of cancer prevention by antioxidant supplements have been analyzed in a number of studies, most of these results have been discouraging. It has been suggested that single ingredient is not sufficient to eliminate all of the physiological/pathological mediators during cancer development, and a combination of multiple ingredients provides a possible solution. Traditional oriental medicines from food or plant have documented activities that make them excellent candidates for this approach. Protandim, a composite of extracts of five widely studied medicinal plants (B. monniera, S. marianum, W. somnifera, green tea, and turmeric), is such a product. The possibility of this new approach for cancer prevention has been examined in the well-established skin carcinogenesis model. Cancer development is caused by multifactors including cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, all of which have been clearly examined in the skin carcinogenesis model. At first, as proof of principle, mouse skin was treated with Protandim extracts and skin tissues were collected for analysis. >The initial studies first demonstrated that mice on Protandim diet showed 50% reduction in tumor incidence and multiplicity. To investigate the molecular mechanism, a single application of Protandim significantly suppressed TPA-induced increases in Jun D and PCNA expression, which was further confirmed in skin epidermal JB6 (P+) cells. The results also demonstrated that Protandim inhibited mitochondrial translocation of the tumor suppressor p53 and its target, Bax, suggesting that Protandim plays an important role in regulating both cell proliferation and apoptotic cell death. In addition, the initial studies also demonstrated that TPA induced cutaneous inflammatory response, evidenced by the increases in expression of the adhesion molecules ICAM-1/VCAM-1 in both skin epidermal tissues and keratinocytes. Protandim suppressed these increases. To seek the molecular mechanisms of Protandim’s bioactivities, the effects of Protandim as a dietary supplement on reducing oxidative stress has been investigated. The studies demonstrated that Protandim diet could induce both SOD expression and activities in mouse skin, which provides an essential support for the whole studies and for the hypothesis that Protandim may reduce skin tumor formation by reducing oxidative stress and hence modulating cell proliferation, cell death and inflammation. Finally, this combination (Protandim) is suitable for translational research and may serve as a therapeutic approach for cancer prevention.
The Hopi Clown Ceremony (Tsukulalwa)

Images of kachinas and clowns are found throughout books, journals, and magazines that celebrate the arts of American Indian peoples, including the Hopi. As familiar as we are with these visual images, for the most part they are one-dimensional and suggest little of their meaningful contexts in Hopi thought and ritual. There are other more subtle contexts that contribute to the meaning of tsukulalwa (clowning), including the plaza in which the ceremony is performed and the events the clowns address through their humor. This article provides an introduction to the narrative and ritual contexts of the clown ceremony and considers the changing historical circumstances of clowning.1 Here in the spring and early summer the katsinas (katsinam) come to the Hopi villages as “messengers” to receive the prayers and prayer offerings of the Hopi people in complex two-day ritual performances called katsina dances (katsintithu) and to reciprocate with food and assurances that their prayers have been heard.2 These masked figures are the spirits of the ancestors and the spiritual essence of all things and beings within the Hopi world. As intermediaries, they not only carry human prayers to the gods, but also they return as rain for the corn plants that sustain Hopi life. The katsinam are spoken of as “beautiful beings” for they are the embodiment of the Hopi way (hopi): “Katsina soosok qatsit yuwsi’ta, katsinas wear all things of life.”3 Clowns (tsukskut) participate in a ritual drama called tsukulalwa during these katsina ceremonies. In their being and behavior the tsukskut are the opposite of the katsinas. The katsinam embody the colors of the cardinal directions and the six varieties of Hopi corn—a form of “chromatic prayer,” while the tsukskut are “earth-colored” and wear strips of cast-off clothing and corn husks in their hair. More importantly, the clowns “depict life as it should not be,” that is, behavior that is qahopi (bad, misbehaving, nonconforming). Although they are clowns, these tsukskut are also priests whose role is sacred and serious.
Insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of Chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) repeat expansions

The identification of a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in a non-coding region of C9orf72 as a major cause of both frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drastically changed the field of research on both of these conditions. Yet, despite the vast amount of work aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of this repeat in disease, the exact pathomechanisms are still unclear. A reduction in the expression of the C9orf72 gene is observed in patients, but a gain-of-function model is now preferred. The hexanucleotide repeat expansion forms RNA foci in the central nervous system (CNS) of repeat-positive FTD and ALS patients, and these foci are believed to sequester RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and impair their function in RNA processing. At the same time, the repeat undergoes repeat-associated non-ATG translation to produce dipeptide repeat proteins that also form inclusions in the patient CNS. Studies from cells and flies suggest that these proteins may also be an important factor in the disease. Finally, the hexanucleotide repeat also induces the mislocalization and aggregation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) through an as yet unknown mechanism. This review covers the different potential pathogenic factors that have been put forth for C9orf72-repeat-associated FTD and ALS (C9-FTD/ALS), while highlighting some remaining questions. A repeat expansion in C9orf72 is a common cause of both frontal temporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Although there is a decrease in C9orf72 expression in patients, this repeat is believed to induce disease primarily through an unknown gain-of-function mechanism involving the RNA, repeat-associated non-AUG translation, or both. This review summarizes and discusses current knowledge on C9orf72 repeat-associated pathophysiology. This article is part of the Frontotemporal Dementia special issue.
Individual Differences and Online Health Information Source Selection

Online information sources are become increasingly diverse. The selection of sources for health information has significant implications for people's healthcare decision-making. However, little is known about how individual differences influence users' selection of online sources for health information. This study intends to fill this gap by exploring the impact of a number of individual characteristics on users' selection of five online sources (search engines, social Q&A sites, social networking sites (SNSs), online health communities, and crowdsourcing sites) for three distinct types of health-related search task (factual, exploratory, and personal experiences). We found that individuals' health literacy and frequency of using a source are the most significant predictors of their source selections across task types. Preference for information has an impact on users' selection of SNSs for exploratory tasks. Extraversion personality has an impact on users' selection of search engines for tasks that seek personal experiences. Nevertheless, demographic factors, including gender, income, and health status, do not predict users' selection of online sources for health information.
The scheduling of discriminative cues in successive discrimination learning

The proportion of negative cues and the frequency of switching the discriminative cues in the presentation sequence of the successive discrimination paradigm were treated in a 2 by 2 design, having nine rats per cell. In support of a suggestion by Hull, negative-to-positive cue ratios larger than one increased discrimination accuracy following pretraining with the positive cue. To a lesser extent, the data also suggested that infrequent cue switches led to better discrimination than frequent ones, a finding noted to be consistent with the cue ratio outcome but in disagreement with the Bush-Mosteller frequent cue switching principle.
Guidelines for the evaluation of new anti-infective drugs for the treatment of urinary tract infection: additional considerations.

Anti-Infective Drug Products are most grateful to the many members of the Infectious Diseases Society of America who worked hard to produce the general guidelines and diseasespecific guidelines that were published as a supplement to Clinical Infectious Diseases last month [1]. The editors and contributors discussed ways of solving difficult and often controversial issues and of providing a document that would be useful to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the investigators, and the sponsors. The guidelines will need to be revised as new knowledge becomes available. It is easy to imagine how experts in the same field may have strong views and honest differences of opinion about information presented in the guidelines. For example, the guideline for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs), by Rubin and colleagues [2], is an outstanding contribution to the disease-specific guidelines and was published in the exact form submitted by the committee; however, I have differing views on some components of the guideline and offer them in this editorial comment.
Research on the Development of Henan Sports Turism under the Background of Central Plains Economic Circle

With the popularization of tourism and sports activities,the mixed two industries have entered a period of rapid development,and the sports tourism is very popular with the national policy and people's demand.The article attempts to conduct a comprehensive study on the development of sports tourism in Henan Province and points out the existing problems,providing a theoretical basis and reference for the future development.
Surgical management of soft tissue infections.

Severe soft tissue infections are infrequent but demand prompt recognition of their clinical signs to insure rapid surgical treatment. Basing a classification of these infections on the type of surgical care required offers the most satisfactory approach. The principles of care of the most frequent and the most lethal infectious entities, as well as the infectious lesion most often causing confusion in diagnosis, are discussed.
Exploring Senior Level Athletic Training Students' Perceptions on Burnout and Work-Life Balance

Context: The professional socialization process enables athletic training students (ATSs) to gain insights into behaviors, values, and attitudes that characterize their chosen profession. However, ...
Production of spin-one resonances in gamma gamma collisions.

The decay of a ${J}^{\mathrm{PC}}$${=1}^{++}$ resonance into one real and one virtual photon is studied in a qq\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} bound-state model. The decay rate is proportional to ${Q}^{2}$/${M}^{2}$ if ${Q}^{2}$, the mass squared of the virtual photon, is small compared to ${M}^{2}$, the mass squared of the resonance. The cross section for production in ${e}^{+}$${e}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ collisions of a resonance with ${J}^{\mathrm{PC}}$${=1}^{++}$ is derived in terms of the partial width of the resonance to decay into one real and one virtual photon. The angular distributions for the three-body decays of ${1}^{++}$ and ${1}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}+}$ states produced by the two-photon process are presented.
Progressive Focal Gray Matter Volume Loss in a Former High School Football Player: A Possible Magnetic Resonance Imaging Volumetric Signature for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Here a case is presented of a 51-year-old former high school football player with multiple concussions, including one episode with loss of consciousness. The patient experienced 6 years of cognitive and mood decline, and his wife corroborated increasing memory loss, attentional difficulties, and depressed mood without suicidal ideation. He had been unable to maintain full-time employment because of progressive decline. Based on his presentation, he had been previously diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder, type II. Neuropsychological tests indicated domain-specific cognitive impairment, and longitudinal volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed progressive brainstem, diencephalic, and frontal lobe atrophy. This regional volume loss correlated with the increased signal seen on tau and amyloid imaging (FDDNP-PET scan) of a separate case of suspected chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Visual assessment of the MRI also showed evidence of old petechial hemorrhages in the frontal and temporal-parietal lobe white matter. This case raises the possibility of distinct quantitative and visual brain MRI findings in suspected CTE.
A 20uA/MHz at 200MHz microcontroller with low power memory access scheme for small sensing nodes

Motion sensing technology has been applied in a wide range of fields of IoT. In the future, sensor device can be highly expected to be applied in the field of sports, but in order to achieve this, we need to reduce the size and weight while maintaining high performance as shown in Figure 1. It is necessary to sample a signal from the 9D sensor (3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis compass) by more than 1 K/s of rate to measure the max speed (over 300km/h) for a detailed motion analysis in the sports, and necessary to provide 100–200MHz performance to CPU. Also, in order to put sensor on the body, we must reduce the size of the battery, which is largest and heaviest parts of all. When a button type battery is used for as a power source, the average current in the system will be less than 10mA during operation. In this paper, by using the following two techniques, we have successfully reduced power consumption during system operation while maintaining the high performance. Those two techniques include low-power parallel cache and cache memory with address-mapped mode. They help reduce power consumption of flash memory, memory system, and overall system respectively. By using these techniques, we have succeeded in reducing power consumption during sensing application operation at 20uA/MHz at 200MHz.
Dialectics and catastrophe

The Catastrophe Theory of Rene Thorn and E. C. Zeeman1 suggests a mathematical interpretation of certain aspects of Hegelian and Marxist dialectics. Specifically, the three ‘classical’ dialectical principles2, (1) the transformation of quantity into quality, (2) the unity and struggle of opposites, and (3) the negation of negation, can be modeled with the seven ‘elementary catastrophes’3 given by Thorn, especially the catastrophes known as the ‘cusp’ and the ‘butterfly.’ Far from being empty metaphysics or scholasticism, as critics have argued, the dialectical principles embody genuine insights into a class of phenomena, insights which can now be expressed within a precise mathematical formalism. This fact does not, however, support the claim that these principles, possibly modified or supplemented, constitute the laws of motion for human thought and for natural and social processes — or even just the last of these.
Pop Music and the Search for the Numinous: Exploring the Emergence of the “Secular Hymn” in Post-Modern Culture

ABSTRACTA growing body of research suggests that traditional religious institutions are failing to meet the spiritual needs of their adherents, who are now abandoning traditional worship and turning to pop music to fill the void. This article defines and explores the phenomenon of the “secular hymn.” While nonreligious in nature or intent, the secular hymn is a pop song that allows the listener to experience the numinous by creating an affective state that parallels a spiritual or religious state of mind. This article outlines the phenomenon of the secular hymn in pop culture, defines its characteristics, and evaluates several pop songs against these criteria. While some secular hymns may be used in some church settings, the overall trend may exemplify the continuing erosion of traditional religion and the use of explicitly religious music in both public and private settings.
SlangSD: building, expanding and using a sentiment dictionary of slang words for short-text sentiment classification

Sentiment information about social media posts is increasingly considered an important resource for customer segmentation, market understanding, and tackling other socio-economic issues. However, sentiment in social media is difficult to measure since user-generated content is usually short and informal. Although many traditional sentiment analysis methods have been proposed, identifying slang sentiment words remains a challenging task for practitioners. Though some slang words are available in existing sentiment lexicons, with new slang being generated with emerging memes, a dedicated lexicon will be useful for researchers and practitioners. To this end, we propose to build a slang sentiment dictionary to aid sentiment analysis. It is laborious and time-consuming to collect a comprehensive list of slang words and label the sentiment polarity. We present an approach to leverage web resources to construct a Slang Sentiment Dictionary (SlangSD) that is easy to expand. SlangSD is publicly available for research purposes. We empirically show the advantages of using SlangSD, the newly-built slang sentiment word dictionary for sentiment classification, and provide examples demonstrating its ease of use with a sentiment analysis system.