cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Large-Scale Protests Succeed in China: The Story of Issue Opportunity Structure, Social Media, and Violence

Based on analysis of 26 large-scale protests in mainland China from 2011 to 2013, this study finds that the most important factor shaping large-scale protest outcome is issue opportunity structure. I argue that the issue opportunity structure in mainland China opens space for environmental protesters to use social media as an organizational tool in a way that defuses tension/violence and increases the chance of success. Emboldened and empowered by abundant political opportunities in the environmental issue area, protesters are able to organize via social media—a rather risky mode of organizing—to construct inclusive, flexible, consistent collective action frames to further exploit political opportunities and generate the high online visibility that renders police brutality less likely. This study suggests that analysis of the causal mechanism of protest success in China must be situated in the issue opportunity structure. 72 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
Student understanding of time dependence in quantum mechanics

Investigation of student difficulties regarding the time dependence of wave functions and probability densities.
Initial Stroke Evaluation

The acute stroke evaluation can be stressful. When a patient arrives at an Emergency Department, they will be surrounded by EMS, nurses, techs, ED physicians, and students. As a stroke neurologist, it is your job to phase out the noise and focus on the patient. It is important to remember that it is a very systematic evaluation requiring only an abbreviated history and physical examination, with the initial goal of deciding if the patient is a candidate for thrombolysis. Your evaluation must be done calmly and efficiently, because ultimately it is only your opinion that matters!
Comparison of semi-automated hippocampal subfield segmentation methods in a pediatric sample

Episodic memory function has been shown to depend critically on the hippocampus. This region is made up of a number of subfields, which differ in both cytoarchitectural features and functional roles in the mature brain. Recent neuroimaging work in children and adolescents has suggested that these regions may undergo different developmental trajectories--a fact that has important implications for how we think about learning and memory processes in these populations. Despite the growing research interest in hippocampal structure and function at the subfield level in healthy young adults, comparatively fewer studies have been carried out looking at subfield development. One barrier to studying these questions has been that manual segmentation of hippocampal subfields--considered by many to be the "gold standard" approach for defining these regions--is laborious and can be infeasible for large cross-sectional or longitudinal studies of cognitive development. Moreover, manual segmentation requires some subjectivity and is not impervious to bias or error. In a developmental sample of individuals spanning 6-30 years, we compared the performance of two semi-automated segmentation approaches, Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTs) and Automated Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields (ASHS), to manual subfield delineation on each individual by a single expert rater. Across several quantitative metrics, we found negligible differences in subfield reliability across the child, adolescent, and adult age groups, suggesting that these methods can be reliability applied to developmental studies. We conclude that ASHS outperforms ANTs overall, and is thus preferable for analyses carried out in individual subject space. However, we underscore that ANTs is also acceptable, and may be well-suited for analyses requiring normalization to a single group template (e.g., voxelwise analyses across a wide age range). Previous work has validated the use of such methods in healthy young adults, as well as several special populations such as older adults and those suffering from mild cognitive impairment. Our results extend these previous findings to show that ASHS and ANTs can also be used in pediatric populations as young as six.
Generational Fossil Fuel Emissions and Generational Warming: A Note

Moving generational trends in global mean temperature anomalies and moving generational average fossil fuel emissions for the study period 1850-2015 do not show a statistically significant detrended correlation that can be interpreted in terms of the theory of anthropogenic global warming which implies a measurable effect of emissions on temperature trends. The findings are consistent with prior results in which a decadal moving window was used.
Radical Cyclopropanol Ring Opening Initiated Tandem Cyclizations for Efficient Synthesis of Phenanthridines and Oxindoles

β-Keto radicals can be readily generated from single-electron oxidation and ring opening of cyclopropanols. Herein, we report new ways of trapping β-keto radicals derived from Mn(III)-mediated oxidative cyclopropanol ring opening with biaryl isonitriles and N-aryl acrylamides derived from anilines. Through tandem radical cyclization processes, substituted phenanthridines and oxindoles can be synthesized in one step and good to excellent yield. These new synthetic methods feature broad substrate scope and mild reaction conditions, efficiently form two carbon–carbon bonds, and use cheap and commercially available manganese salts as oxidants. Concomitant installation of ketone functionality in the final products provides a handle for further functionalization of these important and biologically relevant scaffolds.
Whole Body Vibration Exposures in Long-haul Truck Drivers:

Many professional truck drivers experience low back pain (LBP) which is believed to be associated with exposure to whole body vibration (WBV). As a part of a randomized controlled trial, this study...
Promoting Informed Decision Making: Hormone Replacement Therapy

Although most gynecologists recognize the importance of discussing hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) with their patients, the controversies regarding the association between HRT and cancers, the questions about HRT use in women with a high risk of breast cancer, and the increasing number of women with breast cancer and menopausal symptoms make HRT a significant cancer issue. The scope is immense and growing as the “baby boom” generation approaches menopause. Currently, over 30 million woman are postmenopausal, and the average life expectancy after menopause is 30 years.[1] Despite the well-recognized benefits of HRT with regards to heart disease and osteoporosis, concern about the risk of cancer seems to prevent some physicians from prescribing HRT and many patients from using HRT.
Bapsi Sidhwa's An American Brat: Becoming American, but “not yet”

Bapsi Sidhwa's An American Brat (1993) portrays the transformation that Feroza, a Parsee girl dispatched by her parents to the U.S., mainly to escape the Islamization in Zia-ul-Haq's Pakistan, unde...
The Map and the Territory

I have in my hand a road map of the state of California. Like all such ordinary objects it is philosophically astounding and I am going to explore some of its astounding features. The interest that the map has for me is not just in the specifics of map productions and cartographic representations, but I have a series of questions of a much more philosophical and indeed almost metaphysical kind about the relation between representation and reality and the implications that these have for our relations to the world.
How to conduct a qualitative meta-analysis: Tailoring methods to enhance methodological integrity.

AbstractAlthough qualitative research has long been of interest in the field of psychology, meta-analyses of qualitative literatures (sometimes called meta-syntheses) are still quite rare. Like quantitative meta-analyses, these methods function to aggregate findings and identify patterns across primary studies, but their aims, procedures, and methodological considerations may vary. Objective: This paper explains the function of qualitative meta-analyses and their methodological development. Recommendations have broad relevance but are framed with an eye toward their use in psychotherapy research. Rather than arguing for the adoption of any single meta-method, this paper advocates for considering how procedures can best be selected and adapted to enhance a meta-study’s methodological integrity. Method: Through the paper, recommendations are provided to help researchers identify procedures that can best serve their studies’ specific goals. Meta-analysts are encouraged to consider the methodological integrit...
Interventional electrophysiology: catheter ablation for patients with cardiac arrhythmias.

Catheter ablative procedures are assuming an increasing role in the management of patients with cardiac rhythm disturbances. Catheter ablation of the AV junction is the preferred approach for patients with drug-resistant supraventricular tachycardia. The catheter ablative technique appears very promising for patients with posteroseptal accessory pathways but is considered highly experimental for patients with ventricular tachycardia because of limited experience.
A beta-adrenergic receptor of the turkey erythrocyte. I. Binding of catecholamine and relationship to adenylate cyclase activity.

Abstract The interaction of catecholamines with the β-adrenergic receptor and activation of adenylate cyclase were studied with plasma membranes prepared from turkey erythrocytes. The apparent affinity of isoproterenol, determined by measuring [3H]isoproterenol, for receptor was virtually identical with the apparent Km for activation of adenylate cyclase by isoproterenol. Binding of catecholamine to receptor was necessary but not sufficient for activation of adenylate cyclase. The dihydroxyphenyl function of the catecholamine molecule was required for binding as well as for activation of adenylate cyclase. The secondary alcohol function at the β-carbon, stereoconfiguration at the β-carbon, and an amine function, primary or secondary, at the α-carbon were functions essential for adenylate cyclase activation but not for specific binding at the catechol site. Those compounds that bound but did not stimulate adenylate cyclase were effective inhibitors of isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. Propranolol, a β-adrenergic blocker, was a potent inhibitor of adenylate cyclase activity but a weak inhibitor of binding. It was concluded that in addition to catechol-specific binding, a further interaction between plasma membrane and hormone is necessary for activation of adenylate cyclase. This further interaction appears to involve a site specific for the ethanolamine portion of the catecholamine molecule.
Experimental results with NGE

The Each program has been tested in several domains, using two different configurations of the program. The results presented below used four different problems: (1) predicting the recurrence of breast cancer, (2) classifying iris flowers, (3) predicting survival for heart attack victims, and (4) predicting the dependent variable in a discrete event simulation. The simulation problem was based on a very simplified stock market model. In the process of testing Each on these problems, the algorithm has been tuned in various ways, and much has been learned about the kinds of problems on which Each performs well, and those on which it performs poorly. In particular, in the test runs for the simulation, I was able to vary such things as the number of variables and the complexity of the underlying relationships quite freely. For the real data used in the other sets of test runs, the variables were fixed. Thus the simulation allowed me to test the system in a more controlled way, while the real data offered a chance to test the system with data which was in some cases very noisy and incomplete, and, most importantly, to compare Each with other systems.
Engaging publics through climate math: Lessons from Boulder’s 2016 Climate Action Plan

Abstract Energy democracy hopes to foster community engagement and participation in shaping our transition from fossil fuels to a renewable energy-based economy. These considerations result from critiques by environmental justice, climate justice, and just transition advocates. Although many are sympathetic to energy democracy ideals, climate goals often are articulated in math terms. This essay defines the aforementioned key terms and asks: what are the limitations and possibilities of engaging publics when climate action solely is articulated in numbers? A compelling case study is the City of Boulder – recognized as a global leader in climate science and a national leader in innovative environmental planning. This essay shares work from 2016, when the City shared a climate action plan for public feedback, supported several public participation events, and passed climate action legislation goals. We argue a just transition and energy democracy ideals are hindered if we reduce climate goals to math.
Effects of droplet size and perfluorocarbon boiling point on the frequency dependence of acoustic vaporization threshold.

Phase shift liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC) droplets vaporizable by ultrasound into echogenic microbubble above a threshold pressure, termed acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), are used for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. This study systematically investigated the effect of excitation frequency (2.25, 10, and 15 MHz) on the ADV and inertial cavitation (IC) thresholds of lipid-coated PFC droplets of three different liquid cores—perfluoropentane (PFP), perfluorohexane (PFH), and perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB)—and of two different sizes—average diameters smaller than 3 μm and larger than 10 μm—in a tubeless setup. This study found that the ADV threshold increases with frequency for the lowest boiling point liquid, PFP, for both large and small size droplets. For higher boiling point liquids, PFH and PFOB, this study did not detect vaporization for small size droplets at the excitation levels (maximum 4 MPa peak negative) studied here. The large PFOB droplets experienced ADV only at the highest excitation frequency 15 MHz. For large PFH droplets, ADV threshold decreases with frequency that could possibly be due to the superharmonic focusing being a significant effect at larger sizes and the higher excitation pressures. ADV thresholds at all the frequencies studied here occurred at lower rarefactional pressures than IC thresholds indicating that phase transition precedes inertial cavitation.
The Parameter Estimation Problem

We now turn to an important problem for the biomedical scientist of fitting an appropriate compartmental model to data that has been gathered from an experiment. At this point it is assumed that a linear compartmental model, based on known physiologic and anatomic considerations, has been constructed for the system under investigation. Moreover, we suppose that the design of the tracer experiment and the choice of data sampling locations has been determined, and the compartmental model has been shown to be (uniquely) structurally identifiable. Thus the problem now comes down to one of estimating parameters of the model, that is, of deriving all of the parameter values of the model from the available data.
The “New Normal” in Supreme Court Confirmation Voting: Hyper-Partisanship in the Trump Era

Much of the public debate over Supreme Court nominees focuses on assessments of each nominee’s qualifications, experience, and legal opinions, and how senators’ votes on these nominees seem to be d...
When Do Details Matter? Source Rating Summaries and Details in the Fight against Fake News on Social Media

The rise of fake news has become a major concern for social media platforms and their users. One possible solution is to attach a rating of the source that produced the article (based on past fact-checking results) to every article when it is first published (as opposed to a rating for each article individually). We conducted two online experiments to investigate the effects of a summary indicator of source rating (an icon) and detailed source rating information (a descriptive label) on user’s belief in news articles on social media. We found that negative summary indicators reduced social media users’ beliefs in the articles, but positive summary indicators had little influence. In contrast, the detailed rating information both increased and decreased belief, with positive rating details increasing belief and negative rating details decreasing belief. We also found confirmation bias to be prominent; users were more likely to believe articles that aligned with their prior opinions. Users were more likely to exert cognitive effort to examine the rating details when the articles aligned with their pre-exiting opinions, but the nature of the summary indicator (positive or negative) had no effect on this choice.
On Scheduling with AoI Violation Tolerance

We study an Age of Information (AoI) scheduling problem where AoI for each source at the base station (BS) can tolerate occasional violations, which we define as a violation tolerance constraint. The problem is to determine whether a set of users with given AoI deadlines, tolerance rates, and packet loss rates (due to each source’s channel condition) is schedulable, and if so find a feasible scheduler. We study two cases: (i) the stable tolerant case where the tolerance rate is higher than the packet loss rate for all sources; (ii) the unstable tolerant case where the tolerance rate is lower than the packet loss rate for at least one source. For stable tolerant case, we design an algorithm called stable tolerant scheduler (STS), which can find a feasible scheduler for any network when system load is no greater than ln 2. For unstable tolerance case, we develop unstable tolerant scheduler (UTS) and identify a schedulability condition for it. Through extensive simulations, we show that STS and UTS match our theoretical results.
Draw mir a Sheep: A Supersense-based Analysis of German Case and Adposition Semantics

Adpositions and case markers are ubiquitous in natural language and express a wide range of meaning relations that can be of crucial relevance for many NLP and AI tasks. However, capturing their semantics in a comprehensive yet concise, as well as cross-linguistically applicable way has remained a challenge over the years. To address this, we adapt the largely language-agnostic SNACS framework to German, defining language-specific criteria for identifying adpositional expressions and piloting a supersense-annotated German corpus. We compare our approach with prior work on both German and multilingual adposition semantics, and discuss our empirical findings in the context of potential applications.
Long-Term Domiciliary Noninvasive Ventilation for COPD

COPD can lead to abnormalities in oxygenation as well as ventilation. Thanks to pioneering work by Dr Thomas Petty, supplemental oxygen therapy has been shown to improve morbidity and mortality for individuals with COPD and severe daytime hypoxemia. However, efforts to augment ventilation have been less uniformly successful. Recent studies employing a so-called high-intensity noninvasive ventilation strategy, which used high inspiratory pressures and backup breathing frequency to reduce arterial carbon dioxide levels, have shown improved quality of life and reduced mortality. Thus, efforts are underway to better identify and treat patients with COPD who might benefit from noninvasive ventilation, though many practical questions remain.
A hybrid approach to inferring a consistent temporal relation set in natural language text

This dissertation investigates the temporal relation identification task. The goal is to construct consistent temporal relations between temporal entities (e.g., events and time expressions) in a narrative. Constructing consistent temporal relations is challenging due to the exponential increase in the number of candidates for temporal relations proportional to the number of pairs of temporal entities. When we use transitive constraints to construct consistent temporal relations, performance improvement can be expected because the application of transitive constraints reduces the number of possible relation candidates in a narrative. The primary objective of this study is to develop a temporal relation identification (TRI) system that is composed of three modules: 1) a module that classifies the temporal relation of a pair of temporal entities, 2) a module that extracts conflicting classified relations using transitive constraints, and 3) a module that restores consistent temporal relations from the conflicting relations using transitive constraints. In developing a TRI system, this dissertation examines whether the application of transitive constraints to such a system can lead to performance improvement. The first step in developing the system was to implement a rudimentary temporal relation classification module. The module labels a pair of temporal entities with a temporal relation among eleven possible temporal relations. Next, a method for extracting conflicting relations among classified relations is proposed. The extraction method is based on heuristics because of NP-hard complexity in extracting all conflicting relations. Finally, two heuristic methods are proposed that restore consistent temporal structure from conflicting relations using transitive constraints. The performance of the developed system is tested using TimeBank and AQUAINT temporal corpora. The results of this work indicate that a performance improvement through the application of transitive constraints to TRI task is not guaranteed. Furthermore, this study empirically shows the limitations on performance improvement through the application of transitive constraints to the TRI task and identifies the bottlenecks in the TRI task. INDEX WORDS: computational linguistics, natural language processing, temporal information processing, temporal relation extraction, temporal relation classification, temporal relation identification
Treatment of primary insomnia

Although Jacques Montplaisir may be correct in his assertion that shorter and longer acting benzodiazepines differ in their profiles of adverse effects on the central nervous system, this was not evident in our systematic review.[1][1] Many of the studies published on amnesia and rebound insomnia
Data Placement, Logging and Recovery in Real-Time Active Databases

In the past, real-time transaction processing systems have largely considered transaction characteristics such as deadlines and criticality when scheduling or aborting transactions, and when performing concurrency control and buffer management. Active database researchers have been involved in the development of system models that incorporate the Event- Condition-Action paradigm. They have examined issues related to the specification and recognition of different types of events and conditions and the relationships of triggering and triggered actions. With the growing need to provide for both active and real-time capabilities, novel techniques, combining the two areas must be developed. Existing techniques have several deficiencies. Data characteristics have not been explicitly considered to do transaction processing. The impact of data characteristics on data placement, logging and recovery issues have not been studied. We show that exploiting the characteristics of data for transaction processing, placing the data at the appropriate level of the memory hierarchy, and performing logging and recovery of data appropriate for each type of data is crucial to achieve high performance in real-time active database systems.
U.S. Secondary Stock Markets: A Survey of Current Regulatory and Structural Issues and a Reform Proposal to Enhance Competition

U.S. stocks trade on an increasing number of structurally diverse and competitive stock markets. However, there is concern about the type of competition that has emerged and its implications for investor protection and market efficiency. For instance, the increasing challenge posed to the principal stock exchanges (like the NYSE) by alternative markets raises concerns about excessive order flow fragmentation and its implications for stock price efficiency and liquidity. The controversial practice of payment for order flow (POF), whereby dealers pay brokers to route customers' orders to them whether or not such routing results in the best price for the customer, also causes concern because it significantly reduces investors' choice over where their trades will occur. The paper considers these and other contemporary issues (like market transparency and collusion in dealer markets) in considerable detail. It also provides a useful survey of the financial economics literature on these topics. The paper argues that the current regulatory framework (the National Market System) inadequately addresses the above concerns. In light of technological and regulatory changes over the past two decades, the theoretical framework upon which the present regulatory system is based is no longer appropriate. In particular, recent developments cast doubt on the view that the primary exchanges are natural monopolies. Therefore, I propose a fundamentally different approach to the regulation of U.S. secondary trading markets: a genuinely competitive regime that gives issuers and, derivatively, investors a genuine choice over where their shares will trade.
A Granular Analysis of Corporate Investment

Capital expenditures by the top 100 firms make up more than 60% of aggregate investment by publicly traded firms, and explain most of the variation in aggregate net fixed private non-residential investment. Surprisingly, these firms have the highest investment-cash flow sensitivity in the economy, despite being the least financially constrained. Further, contrary to the trend among smaller firms, the investment-cash flow sensitivity of the top capital spenders has not disappeared over time. For these firms, we find that cash flows provide better information about future investment opportunities than proxies for Tobin’s q. In general, the results from our granular approach indicate that most of the existing evidence based on the behavior of the average firm does not apply to the firms that drive most of the aggregate fluctuations in investment.
Electric vehicles: Market penetration and positive externalities☆

Abstract In this paper, we develop a methodology for approximating the market penetration potential for electric vehicles (EVs). The model is dynamic in nature and explicitly accounts for the competitive effects of conventional vehicles. Unlike many previous models, it does not require an estimation of the time required to achieve a 50% market share. Instead, the model allows one to endogenously determine the rate of market penetration, as well as the ceiling level. We note that some electric vehicle characteristics limit marketability to consumers unaffected by the disadvantages associated with operating EVs. These characteristics are accounted for in the model by the use of a substitution index. The addition of the substitution index allows one to explicitly account for variations in prices, climate, and geographic contour, all of which affect market potential. Electric vehicles are expected to result in positive social benefits by way of reduced pollution emissions and because of the concomitant decrease in the consumption of gasoline that market adoption would bring about. However, the social benefits will not be captured in the market and will not, therefore, encourage the use of these alternatives to conventional vehicles. This means that the rate of adoption of electric vehicles will be slower than is socially optimal, which is a potential argument for government subsidies for electric vehicles. In this paper, we explore a method for analyzing the benefits associated with the adoption of electric vehicles.
Economic Thought in Eighteenth CenturyAmerica Prior to Indepencence

Abstract. This paper examines the state of economic thought in the United States during the time period 1700 to 1775, an era that marks the end of the colonial age for the new nation. This essay starts with an over view of economic conditions during the final phase of colonialism in America. This is followed by a discussion of American economic thinking, divided into three distinct yet overlapping perspectives: (1) mainstream economic thought, which represents the dominant point of view about economics in America prior to the end of colonial status; (2) other voices, or economic perspectives focused on particular economic issues of the time and not the general state of economic thought; and (3) a crosscurrent or contrary view to mainstream economics, a way of viewing economics and economic thinking that takes exception to the popular economic paradigm of the time. Keywords. Slavery, Compulsion, Libertarianism. JEL. K29.
Treatment of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease by Debriding The Bladder Mucosa: First Do No Harm

Based on current knowledge and understanding about the cases and biologic behavior of feline lower urinary tract diseases, debridement of the bladder mucosa is likely to increase rather than decrease the morbidity associated with these diseases. It is not recommended.
The J3 Process for Building Autonomic Enterprise Java Bean Systems

Autonomic computer systems aim to reduce the configuration, operational, and maintenance costs of distributed enterprise applications. This paper provides two contributions to the development of autonomic computing systems using Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs). First, we describe a model-driven development (MDD) tool that formally captures the design of EJB systems, their quality of service (QoS) requirements, and the autonomic properties that will be applied to the EJBs to support the rapid development of autonomic EJB applications. Second, we describe how this MDD tool can generate code to plug EJBs into a Java component framework that provides an autonomic structure to monitor, configure, and execute EJBs and their adaptation strategies at run-time
MUSAR AND MODERNITY: THE CASE OF NOVAREDOK

The pietistic current in Lithuanian Jewry known as the Musar movement has recently begun to attract the serious attention of Jewish historians. The work of Immanuel Etkes on Rabbi Israel Salanter, the founding father of Musarism, and of Shaul Stampfer on the Lithuanian yeshivas of the nineteenth century are two important scholarly contributions which have appeared of late in this area.1 The revival of scholarly interest in Musarism, after many years of neglect, is richly deserved. Musarism shares with Hasidism the distinction of being an original pietistic movement which was unique to the East European Jewish milieu. Like the latter, it produced in the course of one or two generations an impressive array of original religious personalities, each with his own distinct school of thought. And like Hasidism, Musarism grew and flourished in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; that is, at the very time when secularizing cultural and political movements exerted increasing influence in Jewish society. But whereas modern scholarship has lavished a good deal of attention on Hasidism-its doctrines, history, and confrontations with modernity-the analogous work on Musarism has only just begun. One focal point of the recent scholarship has been the relationship between Musarism and modernity; specifically, its relationship to the complex of social and cultural changes which overtook European Jewry in the nineteenth century. Etkes has suggested that, to no small extent, Salanter's religious ideology was born out of a sense of crisis and alarm at the decline in religious sensitivity and punctilious halakhic observance among Lithuanian Jews. For Salanter, the growth of Haskalah circles in Vilna and Kovna which he witnessed during the 1840's was an ominous symptom of a greater spiritual crisis facing Jewry. As an antidote to the growing process of spiritual decay he proposed the institutionalized study of musar (moralistic) literature; not as an intellectual discipline, but as an emotional experience of spiritual regeneration. The study of musar in a dark shadowy room, with a melancholy melody, and passionate repetition of key phrases and verses, would cultivate one's religious self-awareness,
SCF MO calculations of polyene spectra

A computationally simple "variable fl" procedure within the Pariser-ParrPople formalism has been applied with success to the calculation of aromatic hydrocarbon spectra [1]. The method has now been extended to encompass linear polyenes and cr co-diphenylpolyenes. In the variable/7 approach the precise molecular geometry need not be specified and it is not necessary to assume bond alternation. Bond lengths were all set at 1.40 tix and bond angles at 120 ~ The core resonance integrals,/~ ---Alp + Ao, were adjusted at each iteration but the twocenter repulsion integrals, ypq = 14.394/(1.294 + rpq) eV were kept fixed. A 1 --0.51 eV is appropriate for all C-C bonds [1] and a good fit for the trans-butadiene spectrum is obtained with A 0 = -2 . t0 eV. Since this latter quanti ty is close to the value used for benzene, it was employed for all bonds in the polyenes and diphcnylpolyenes. PLATT has classified the polyene transitions by means of configuration interaction t rea tment [2]. The transitions to 1B, ~D, and 1F (PLATT'S 1D2) are allowed. Labeling the occupied orbitals l, 2, 3 . . . (in order of decreasing energy) and the vacant orbitals t ' , 2', 3' . . . (in order of increasing energy), 1B +1A is essentially I -~ t ' , but I -+ 2' and 2 -+ 1', degenerate in the zeroth order, are mixed by configuration interaction to form the IC and 1L c states. Transitions to both of these states arc forbidden in the all-trans isomers, but 1C +1A becomes allowed when the center of symmetry is destroyed (cis band) I f the SCF MO method with extensive configuration interaction is to be useful for routine computations, the results cannot be greatly dependent on the amount of configuration interaction. To obtain the higher transition energies it is useful to include the nine configurations arising from the set 3, 2, t --, t ' , 2', 3'. For convenience in machine calculations additional configurations were included. This only results in an increase in the number of low-lying states of 1L character, to which transitions are forbidden in all configurations, but the energies and intensities of the allowed transitions are essentially unaltered. The linear polyene results are compared with experiment in Tab. 1. This comparison is complicated by solvent effects [3], but the results are comparable to those obtained by assuming bond alternation [3, 4]. The oscillator strengths calculated by a "molecules in molecules" method [3] were smaller than those observed, but in the present work the calculated f nos. exceed experiment, a result
Cyclic phosphatidic acid — A unique bioactive phospholipid

Cyclic phosphatidic acid (CPA) is a naturally occurring analog of the growth factor-like phospholipid mediator, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). The sn-2 hydroxy group of CPA forms a 5-membered ring with the sn-3 phosphate. CPA affects numerous cellular functions, including anti-mitogenic regulation of the cell cycle, induction of stress fiber formation, inhibition of tumor cell invasion and metastasis, and regulation of differentiation and survival of neuronal cells. Interestingly, many of these cellular responses caused by CPA oppose those of LPA despite the activation of apparently overlapping receptor populations. Since the early 1990s, studies on CPA actions gradually developed, and we are now beginning to understand the importance of this lipid. In this review, we focus on the current knowledge about CPA, including enzymatic formation of CPA, unique biological activities and biological targets of CPA, and we also explore metabolically stabilized CPA analogs.
Minimal genomes, maximal productivity: comparative genomics of the photosystem and light-harvesting complexes in the marine cyanobacterium, Prochlorococcus

Although Prochlorococcus isolates possess the smallest genomes of any extant photosynthetic organism, this genus numerically dominates vast regions of the world’s subtropical and tropical open oceans and has evolved to become an important contributor to global biogeochemical cycles. The sequencing of 12 Prochlorococcus genomes provides a glimpse of the extensive genetic heterogeneity and, thus, physiological potential of the lineage. In this study, we present an up-to-date comparative analysis of major proteins of the photosynthetic apparatus in 12 Prochlorococcus genomes. Our analyses reveal a striking diversity within the Prochlorococcus lineage in the major protein complexes of the photosynthetic apparatus. The heterogeneity that has evolved in the photosynthetic apparatus suggests versatility in strategies for optimizing photosynthesis under conditions of environmental variability and stress. This diversity could be particularly important in ensuring the survival of a lineage whose individuals have evolved minimal genomes and, thus, relatively limited repertoires for responding to environmental challenges.
Matrix elements of an arbitrary potential in the harmonic oscillator basis

Abstract We derive a formula for the matrix elements of any potential V ( x ) in the one-dimension harmonic oscillator representation. It is f nm = n!m! π2 n+m 1 2 ∑ k=0 n 2 K K!(n−K)!(m−K)! T n+m−2K· For an N × N matrix only 2 N − 1 T r 's need to be calculated. Each T r is proportional to the top row matrix element f 0, r and several ways are given to calculate them. This method of evaluating the elements is particularly useful if the potential is given numerically. We also give a useful four-term recursion relation between the matrix elements. Examples worked out are the potentials x j and a shifted Gaussian e −( x − a ) 2 .
The effects of molecular elongation on defective DNA electronics

A defective double stranded poly(dG)-poly(dC) DNA molecule under axial mechanical strain is analyzed using a tight-binding computational model which allows calculation of the transmission and current characteristics of the system as a function of electron energy. Results show the existence of highly sensitive electron transmission behavior with respect to the on-site energy perturbations.
Antihypertensive Effect of Carteolol in Thiazide‐Treated Hypertensive Subjects

The antihypertensive effect of carteolol, a new potent nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonist, was investigated in a double-blind, parallel study of 35 patients with mild-to-moderate, essential hypertension whose blood pressures were not adequately controlled with a diuretic. Patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo, carteolol 5 mg, or carteolol 20 mg once a day in addition to hydrochlorothiazide 50 mg for six weeks. Thirty-four patients completed the study: 11 patients received placebo (group 1), 12 patients received carteolol 5 mg (group 2), and 11 patients received carteolol 20 mg (group 3). After six weeks of treatment, the two groups that received carteolol had significant reductions in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure from baseline in both the supine and standing positions. In group 2, mean SBP decreases for supine and standing positions were 11 ± 2.1 and 11 ± 1.9 mm Hg, respectively (P < .01) and 8 ± 1.2 and 9 ± 1.3 mm Hg, respectively, for DBP (P < .01); whereas in group 3, values were 8 ± 2.8 and 12 ± 3.0 mm Hg for SBP, in 5 ± 1.9 and 9 ± 3.1 mm Hg, respectively, for DBP (P < .01). The hypotensive effect was associated with slight but significant decreases in heart rate (P < .01 in group 2 and P < .05 in group 3). Reductions in SBP and DBP with the 20-mg dose were not significantly different from those with the 5-mg dose. With both carteolol regimens, the fall in mean blood pressure did not correlate with the initial level; but in the group taking the 5-mg dose, it did correlate significantly with the decrease in heart rate (r = .72, P < .01). Side effects attributable to carteolol were infrequent and did not persist during continued therapy. It is concluded that carteolol, when combined with hydrochlorothiazide, is effective in reducing blood pressure in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
Aggregation of grains in space

Persistent electrostatic charge is a characteristic feature in lunar soil and results in cohesion forces between the grains ranging in the order of 102 dyn. We suggest that this phenomenon is responsible for the initial aggregation of grains in the formative era of the solar system. The effect would become important when the relative velocity between particles at grazing incidence or collision has been reduced to order of 102 m s−1. The electrostatic adhesion mechanism would also explain the suggestion from optical polarization measurements that small asteroids accumulate silicate dust. Electrostatic accretion and bonding would consequently appear to be a process of basic importance in the solar system, both in the formative era and today.
Differences in infrared spectroscopic data of connective tissues in transflectance and transmittance modes

Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy (FT-IRIS) has been used extensively to characterize the composition and orientation of macromolecules in thin tissue sections. Earlier and current studies of normal and polarized FT-IRIS data have primarily used tissues sectioned onto infrared transmissive substrates, such as salt windows. Recently, the use of low-emissivity ("low-e") substrates has become of great interest because of their low cost and favorable infrared optical properties. However, data are collected in transflectance mode when using low-e slides and in transmittance mode using salt windows. In the current study we investigated the comparability of these two modes for assessment of the composition of connective tissues. FT-IRIS data were obtained in transflectance and transmittance modes from serial sections of cartilage, bone and tendon, and from a standard polymer, polymethylmethacrylate. Both non-polarized and polarized FTIR data differed in absorbance, and in some cases peak position, between transflectance and transmittance modes. However, the FT-IRIS analysis of the collagen fibril orientation in cartilage resulted in the expected zonal arrangement of fibrils in both transmittance and transflectance. We conclude that numerical comparison of FT-IRIS-derived parameters of tissue composition should account for substrate type and data collection mode, while analysis of overall tissue architecture may be more invariant between modes.
Scattering-Matrix Method in Lattice Dynamics

Localized vibrational modes of plane defects in crystals can be studied by using the scattering matrix originally introduced by Saxon and Hutner for a one-dimensional crystal model. The method is generalized and illustrated for a (001) defect plane in the rocksalt structure with general first-nearest-neighbor forces.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN MEXICO: DISENTANGLING COLOR, ETHNICITY, AND CLASS

In a recent ASR article (2010), Andres Villarreal (hereafter AV) presents evidence of dramatic skin color stratification and indigenous disadvantage in contemporary Mexico based on the 2006 MIT Mexico Panel Study. AV uses regression models to predict educational attainment, occupational status and household income for Mexicans by ethnicity and according to three skin color categories. He finds that the darkest skin tone individuals have the lowest socioeconomic status followed by those with intermediate skin colors on all these outcomes, even after controlling for individual characteristics. AV does us an important service by drawing our attention to the role of skin color in Mexican social stratification, which has generally been denied or overlooked. However, we argue that AV overstates the effects of skin color on class in Mexican society because he ignores class origins, he uses a highly subjective skin color indicator that is itself affected by class, and he misidentifies indigenous ethnicity. In this comment, we find general support for AV’s conclusions about the effect of skin color in the Mexican stratification system, especially in educational attainment, but class origins are a more dominant factor in Mexican social stratification and they explain some of the apparent skin color differences that AV found. By controlling for class origins and by using more accurate measures of color and indigenous ethnicity, we discover that the magnitude of indigenous and skin color disadvantage is smaller than AV finds in the case of educational attainment. Class origins and educationi largely explain color differences in occupational status while color and indigenous identity have virtually no effect. We have sought to replicate AV’s analysis on most variables since we believe it is excellent methodologically, except that we use innovative and new data that better capture color, indigenous ethnicity, and class origins. We show that the rest of our coefficients are very similar to those in a model that replicates the same variables used in one of AV’s models, suggesting that our data, variables and statistical methods closely match his. We realize that the shortcomings we find for AV are mostly due to his use of a data set that was not designed for this end.
Black Power in the 1960s: A Study of Its Impact on Women's Liberation.

Too often the research done on ethnic populations in the United States is designed to determine the impact the American culture has had on its ethnic groups. For example, black religions are examined for the purpose of determining how the African forms were altered to accommodate American slavery and morals; African languages are said to have been altered to accommodate American form, hence shaping what is commonly referred to as black English. However, seldom have studies been done for the purpose of determining what impact Afro-American culture and history have had in altering, reshaping, and redirecting American history and culture. Contrary to myths, the Afro-American community was not, and is not, an empty vase waiting for America to fill her with culture, but rather a vibrant community that has interacted with the larger society and, because of her richness, highly influenced and altered American culture. Whether consciously or not, Afro-Americans have altered, reshaped, and redefined much of American history and culture. American music owes its originality and form to jazz, a creation of the Afro-American. Religions have also been