cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Formation of structural intermetallics by reactive metal penetration of Ti and Ni oxides and aluminates

Alumina-aluminum composites can be prepared by reactive metal penetration (RMP) of mullite by aluminum. The process is driven by a strong negative free energy for the reaction (8 +x)Al + 3Al6Si2013 → 13Al2O3 + 6Si + xAl. Thermodynamic calculations reveal that titanium oxide, aluminum titanate, nickel oxide, and nickel aluminate all have a negative free energy of reaction with aluminum from 298 to 1800 K, indicating that it may be possible to form alumina-intermetallic composites by reactions of the type (2 +x)Al + (3/y) MOy → Al2O3 + AlxM3/y. Experiments revealed that aluminum reacts with titanium oxide, nickel oxide, and nickel aluminate, but not aluminum titanate, at 1673 K. Reaction with the stoichiometric amount of aluminum (x = 0) leads to the formation of alumina and either titanium or nickel. In some cases, reactions with excess aluminum (x > 0) produce intermetallic compounds such as TiAl3 and NiAl.
Grafting of polymer onto filler particles used to reinforce an elastomer

The in-situ hydrolysis technique developed to precipitate reinforcing filler into an elastomer was extended so as to produce silica-type particles containing methacryloxy groups. Methyl methacrylate absorbed into these filled networks was then radically polymerized to give poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) most of which is unextractable and therefore presumably grafted onto the particles. The PMMA thus introduced was found to further increase the ultimate strength of the networks.
Introduction to the Special Issue on the Use of Data to Inform Early Childhood Practice and Policy

In the milieu of data-driven practice, the demand for meaningful, relevant data quickly accessible to program specialists and policymakers has increased. As a result, the relationship between resea...
Isolation of nuclei from yeast.

A method for isolation of nuclei from Saccharomyces cervisiae in high yield is described. The DNA/protein ratio of the isolated nuclei is 10 times higher than that of whole cells. Examination of these nuclei in phase and electron microscopes has shown them to be round bodies having a double membrane, microtubules, and a dark crescent at one end. The optimum conditions for extraction and resolution of histones of these nuclei on acrylamide gels have been investigated. The nuclei have an active RNA polymerase (E.C. 2.7.7.6) and are able to synthesize RNA in vitro. They are also readily stainable with Giemsa's, Feulgen's, and acridine orange methods.
Resistance to Tithes in the Middle Ages

The system of compulsory tithes in the Middle Ages has long been used by protestant and liberal historians as a stick with which to beat the medieval Church. ‘This most harassing and oppressive form of taxation’, wrote H. C. Lea in his well-known History of the Inquisition, ‘had long been the cause of incurable trouble, aggravated by the rapacity with which it was enforced, even to the pitiful collections of the gleaner’. Von Inama-Sternegg remarked on the growing hatred of tithes in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries, especially among the small free landholders, ‘upon whom the burden of tithes must have fallen most heavily’. Gioacchino Volpe said that tithes were ‘the more hated because they oppressed the rich less than the poor, the dependents on seigneurial estates less than the small free proprietors to whose ruin they contributed…. At that time tithes were both an ecclesiastical and secular oppression, a double offence against religious sentiment and popular misery’. G. G. Coulton, writing before the introduction in England of an income tax at a rate of over ten per cent., proclaimed that before the Reformation tithes ‘constituted a land tax, income tax and death duty far more onerous than any known to modern times, and proportionately unpopular’.
Surface diffusion of hydrogen on Ru(001) studies using laser-induced thermal desorption

Diffusion of adsorbates on surfaces plays a central role in surface chemistry. Surface diffusion experiments can reveal Information about the nature of the surface potential parallel to the substrate surface. This Information is generally un-attainable from other experiments. Despite their importance, only a few surface diffusion studies have been performed for gas adsorbates on single- crystal surfaces due to experimental difficulties.
Bridging past and present: Embodied intergenerational trauma and the implications for dance/movement therapy

This paper explores the role of the body in intergenerational transmission of trauma using examples of wartime sexual violence (WSV) during World War II in Germany. It is argued that traumatic memory held in the body is transmitted between generations in a similar fashion to how implicit body memory is passed on from body to body. In relationship, the body shapes subjectivity and intersubjectivity and therefore represents a vessel for transmission of trauma on a familial and cultural level. Silence and culture as source of perpetuation of trauma are taken into account. Furthermore, the severe long-term effects of rape, underlying body defences and relational consequences are outlined. Somatic implications for descendents of WSV survivors are unknown and require research. Dance/movement therapy is offered as a body-focused modality to help transform intergenerational trauma caused by WSV. Implications for further research in body-to-body transmission of trauma are highlighted.
Runt disease in adult tolerant mice induced by intravenous injection of immunologically competent cells.

Summary1. Runt disease in adult mice of the Z(C3H) strain made previously tolerant of A tissue by antigenic exposure at birth was obtained by injecting these animals intravenously with large numbers of immunological competent spleen cells taken from A strain donors. 2. The main pathological findings in these animals were: a) marked body weight loss; b) Splenomegally and c) Atrophy of lymphoid tissue followed by death.
Multi-scale modeling of heterogeneous adhesives: Effect of particle decohesion

Abstract We examine the microscopic toughening mechanisms and their effect on the macroscopic failure response of heterogeneous adhesives made of stiff particles embedded in a more compliant matrix. The analysis relies on a multi-scale cohesive framework first described in Matous et al. [Matous, K., Kulkarni, M., Geubelle, P., 2008. Multiscale cohesive failure modeling of heterogeneous adhesives. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 56, 1511–1533]. Two microscopic constitutive failure models are incorporated: an isotropic damage model to capture the fracture response of the matrix and a cohesive law to model the inclusion-matrix interfacial debonding. A detailed study of the RVE size is presented followed by a set of examples that illustrate the effect of filler size, volume fraction and particle–matrix interface properties on the macroscopic effective traction-separation law of heterogeneous adhesives.
Finite Element Analysis for the Collapse Accident of One 110kV Transmission Tower

One collapse tower of 110 kV transmission line was taken as an example and a finite element model for the coupled tower-line system was established for investigating the effects of the strong wind on the transmission tower and line. The result shows that the selected standard of material of some rod members is lower, and the area of their section is relatively small. Main legs present buckling instability because of being in compression under action of the strong wind, which leads to the collapse accident of the towers.
America, the UN and decolonization: Cold War conflict in the Congo

John Kent, London and New York, Routledge, 244 pp The Congo's collapse into chaos, succession, and violence after its independence from Belgium was one of the few African issues to involve directly...
ISX — A Tokamak for surface and impurities studies

The ISX (Impurity Study Experiment) is a moderate size tokamak slightly larger than the ORMAK tokamak. ISX is being built explicitly for the study of impurities and plasma-wall interactions. It is scheduled to begin experiments in the spring of 1977. Several features have been deliberately designed into the ISX which make it particularly adaptable to surface studies. The first is a welded stainless steel vacuum system, bakeable to 400$sup 0$C, with a projected base pressure greater than or equal to 2 x 10$sup -9$ torr. Another feature is that of ''easy'' demountability of the vacuum system. Replacement of the entire vacuum system should take about two weeks. A third feature is diagnostic access to the edges of the plasma. The initial surface physics question to be answered is how best to keep surfaces clean: by baking, by direct or indirect wall bombardment discharges, or by gettering. Later experiments will involve using wall materials other than stainless steel to determine their effects on the plasma. (auth)
Nuclear, optical, and magnetic resonance imaging in a mouse mammary window chamber model

An orthotopic mouse mammary window chamber (MWC) model has been developed for multimodal in-vivo functional and anatomical imaging of breast cancer xenografts. Capabilities to image numerous physiological aspects of the same tumor microenvironment over time has important applications such as in experiments studying the efficacies of therapeutic interventions, improvement of cancer detection and investigating basic cancer biology. The compatibility of this MWC model with optical, nuclear and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) makes it possible to perform a multitude of studies ranging from cellular imaging to whole body imaging. Thus, the MWC represents a powerful tool for breast cancer research. Here, two imaging applications are highlighted, namely the nuclear imaging of glycolytic metabolism with 18FFDG and MRI of tissue perfusion. Nuclear imaging is performed with the use of a 3μm thin phosphor scintillator placed directly in contact with the tissue and visible light from the scintillation is directly detected in a low noise, light tight imaging system. Tissue perfusion is imaged either qualitatively with a dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) MRI technique or quantitatively with an arterial spin labeling flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery-rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (FAIR-RARE) technique.
The Impact of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Epinephrine

Objectives Epinephrine is the first-line medical treatment for anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic syndrome. To treat anaphylaxis, backcountry recreationalists and guides commonly carry epinephrine autoinjectors. Epinephrine may be exposed to cold temperatures and freezing during expeditions. An epinephrine solution must contain 90% to 115% of the labeled epinephrine amount to meet United States Pharmacopeia standards. The purpose of this study was to determine whether freeze-thaw cycles alter epinephrine concentrations in autoinjectors labeled to contain 1.0 mg/mL epinephrine. A further objective was to determine whether samples continued to meet United States Pharmacopeia concentration standards after freeze-thaw cycles. Methods Epinephrine from 6 autoinjectors was extracted and divided into experimental and control samples. The experimental samples underwent 7 consecutive 12-hour freeze cycles followed by 7 12-hour thaw cycles. The control samples remained at an average temperature of 23.1°C for the duration of the study. After the seventh thaw cycle, epinephrine concentrations were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatography assay with mass spectrometry detection. Results The mean epinephrine concentration of the freeze-thaw samples demonstrated a statistically significant increase compared with the control samples: 1.07 mg/mL (SD ± 8.78; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.11) versus 0.96 mg/mL (SD ± 6.81; 95% CI, 0.94 to 0.99), respectively. The maximal mean epinephrine concentration in the experimental freeze-thaw group was 1.12 mg/mL, which still fell within the range of United States Pharmacopeia standards for injectables (0.90 to 1.15 mg/mL). Conclusions Although every attempt should be made to prevent freezing of autoinjectors, this preliminary study demonstrates that epinephrine concentrations remain within 90% to 115% of 1.0 mg/mL after multiple freeze-thaw cycles.
Pineal biosynthetic activity and neuroendocrine physiology in the aging hamster and gerbil

Abstract The effects of advancing age on the ability of the pineal gland to produce melatonin and on the neuroendocrine physiology of Syrian hamsters and Mongolian gerbils were investigated. In 2-month-old male and female hamsters the nocturnal rise in pineal melatonin levels is on the order of 8-fold. As hamsters age the nighttime increases become progressively more depressed until in 18-month-old animals the nighttime rise in pineal melatonin is only twice the levels measured during the daylight hours. In male gerbils, the normal nocturnal increase in pineal melatonin levels observed in 2-month-old animals has completely disappeared by the time gerbils reach 19 months of age. The results suggest a marked reduction in pineal biosynthetic activity as animals age. In hamsters, neither hypothalamic norepinephrine nor dopamine levels were altered in 18-month-old animals compared to those in hamsters killed 8 weeks after birth. The reproductive system of both male and female hamsters and male gerbils seem to function relatively normally until the animals are 1 1 2 years old. Thus, the majority of the 18-month-old female hamsters exhibit normal vaginal cyclicity. Likewise, the patterns of gonadotrophin and prolactin secretion are quite similar to those in the young females. At the light microscope level, most of the ovaries of the old hamsters, like those of the young animals, were found to contain pre-antral and antral follicles and corpora lutea. The uteri of the old hamsters exhibited the most pronounced changes. There was an obvious paucity of endometrial glands and the submucosa appeared fibrous. The testes of neither the old (18 month) hamsters nor the old (19 month) gerbils appeared greatly different from those of the young animals. Likewise, in advancing age there were no marked effects on circulating levels of gonadotrophins and prolactin in male hamsters. Finally, old male gerbils had plasma levels of testosterone similar to those observed in much younger animals.
On the mutual admittance between clavin elements

A slot straddled by two parasitic monopoles (Clavin element) is known to be capable of producing equal E - and H -plane patterns and thus offers the promise of lower mutual coupling than the slot alone. An analysis is presented which demonstrates that this promise is realized. A comparison with an experiment is offered, together with a procedure for designing linear and planar arrays of Clavin elements in the presence of mutual coupling. Such arrays have the advantage of very low far-out sidelobes in all \phi cuts.
The Escherichia coli starvation gene cstC is involved in amino acid catabolism.

Escherichia coli strains mutant in the starvation gene cstC grow normally in a mineral salts medium but are impaired in utilizing amino acids as nitrogen sources. They are also compromised in starvation survival, where amino acid catabolism is important. The cstC gene encodes a 406-amino-acid protein that closely resembles the E. coli ArgD protein, which is involved in arginine biosynthesis. We postulate that CstC is a counterpart of ArgD in an amino acid catabolic pathway. The cstC upstream region contains several regulatory consensus sequences. Both ςS and ς54 promoters are probably involved in cstC transcription and appear to compete with each other, presumably to match cstC expression to the cellular amino acid catabolic needs.
Effects of a reduction in circulating insulin by metformin on serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in nondiabetic men

Evidence suggests that hyperinsulinemic insulin resistance may reduce serum levels of the adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulfate in humans. This study was conducted to assess the influence of physiological concentrations of insulin on serum adrenal steroid levels by lowering circulating insulin in nondiabetic men through the administration of the biguanide metformin. A total of 28 nondiabetic men were studied. The study group consisted of 16 obese and hypertensive men, and the control group of 12 nonobese and normotensive men. The men were studied at baseline and after the oral administration of 500 mg metformin, 3 times daily, for 21 days. Metformin administration resulted in significant reductions in serum insulin levels and concurrent increases in serum DHEA sulfate levels in both groups of men. The mean fasting serum DHEA sulfate concentration rose by 48% in the obese hypertensive men (from 5.9 +/- 0.8 to 8.7 +/- 0.7 mumol/L; P < 0.02) and by 80% in the nonobese normotensive men (from 3...
Recording from the body surface of arrhythmogenic ventricular activity during the S-T segment.

Abstract Recent experimental reports have documented the delay of epicardial potentials beyond the QRS complex as a result of infarction, and the degree of delay was directly associated with the onset of ventricular arrhythmias. This study describes a method using high amplification, band pass filtering and signal averaging for recording from the body surface these delayed potentials presaging ventricular arrhythmias. This technique, has been used for recording low level cardiac potentials masked by noise. In 10 dogs control records of the electrocardiogram and surface averaged lead were obtained during sinus rhythm, atrial pacing and premature atrial beats. Subsequently, the left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated in each dog. Nine dogs survived the surgical procedure and underwent similar recordings 3 to 6 days after infarction. Electrocardiographic changes were consistent with a recent infarction. During the pacing protocol discrete multiphasic wave forms appeared during the S-T segment of the surface averaged lead, and concomitant changes in the terminal portions of the QRS complex were observed in seven dogs. In five of these dogs ventricular arrhythmias were observed at the faster pacing rates or after closely coupled premature atrial beats. The chest was then reopened and the pacing procedure repeated during recording of direct epicardial electrograms with a multicontact bipolar electrode. This electrogram validated the existence of potentials during the S-T segment in all but one dog and late activity that was not repeatable on a beat to beat basis in another. Thus, when late activity was confirmed with the epicardial electrogram, seven of eight dogs showed a corresponding change in the surface averaged lead. This technique may prove to be a sensitive indicator of abnormal electrical activity preceding ventricular arrhythmias.
A Low-Cost Microfluidic Chip for Rapid Genotyping of Malaria-Transmitting Mosquitoes

Background: Vector control is one of the most effective measures to prevent the transmission of malaria, a disease that causes over 600,000 deaths annually. Around 30–40 Anopheles mosquito species are natural vectors of malaria parasites. Some of these species cannot be morphologically distinguished, but have behavioral and ecological differences. Emblematic of this is the Anopheles gambiae species complex. The correct identification of vector species is fundamental to the development of control strategies and epidemiological studies of disease transmission. Methodology/Principal Findings: An inexpensive, disposable, field-deployable, sample-to-answer, microfluidic chip was designed, constructed, and tested for rapid molecular identification of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles arabiensis. The chip contains three isothermal amplification reactors. One test reactor operates with specific primers to amplify Anopheles gambiae DNA, another with specific primers for Anopheles arabiensis DNA, and the third serves as a negative control. A mosquito leg was crushed on an isolation membrane. Two discs, laden with mosquito tissue, were punched out of the membrane and inserted into the two test chambers. The isolated, disc-bound DNA served as a template in the amplification processes. The amplification products were detected with intercalating fluorescent dye that was excited with a blue lightemitting diode. The emitted light was observed by eye and recorded with a cell-phone camera. When the target consisted of Anopheles gambiae, the reactor containing primers specific to An. gambiae lit up while the other two reactors remained dark. When the target consisted of Anopheles arabiensis, the reactor containing primers specific to An. arabiensis lit up while the other two reactors remained dark. Conclusions/Significance: The microfluidic chip provides a means to identify mosquito type through molecular analysis. It is suitable for field work, allowing one to track the geographical distribution of mosquito populations and community structure alterations due to environmental changes and malaria intervention measures.
Roles of allocortex and centrencephalon in intentionality and consciousness

“Decortication” does not distinguish between removing all cerebral cortex, including three-layered allocortex or just six-layered neocortex. Functional decortication, by spreading depression, reversibly suppresses only neocortex, leaving minimal intentionality. Removal of all forebrain structures except a hypothalamic “island” blocks all intentional behaviors, leaving only tropisms. To what extent do Merker's examples retain allocortex, and how might such residues affect his interpretations?
The “cultural filter,” human transport of mussel shell, and the applied potential of zooarchaeological data

Large assemblages of animal bones and/or shells from archaeological sites can provide data valuable for modern conservation efforts, e.g., by providing accurate historical baselines for species reintroductions or habitat restoration. Such data are underused by natural scientists, partly due to assumptions that archaeological materials are too biased by prehistoric human actions (the so-called “cultural filter”) to accurately reflect past biotic communities. In order to address many paleobiological, archaeological, or applied research questions, data on past species, communities, and populations must first be demonstrated to be representative at the appropriate level. We discuss different ways in which one kind of cultural bias, human transport of specimens, can be tested at different scales, using freshwater mussel shells from prehistoric sites in the Tombigbee River basin of Mississippi and Alabama to show how representativeness of samples can be assessed.
Human Cytomegalovirus UL50 and UL53 Recruit Viral Protein Kinase UL97, Not Protein Kinase C, for Disruption of Nuclear Lamina and Nuclear Egress in Infected Cells

Herpesvirus nucleocapsids traverse the nuclear envelope into the cytoplasm in a process called nuclear egress that includes disruption of the nuclear lamina. In several herpesviruses, a key player in nuclear egress is a complex of two proteins, whose homologs in human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) are UL50 and UL53. However, their roles in nuclear egress during HCMV infection have not been shown. Based largely on transfection studies, UL50 and UL53 have been proposed to facilitate disruption of the nuclear lamina by recruiting cellular protein kinase C (PKC), as occurs with certain other herpesviruses, and/or the viral protein kinase UL97 to phosphorylate lamins. To investigate these issues during HCMV infection, we generated viral mutants null for UL50 or UL53. Correlative light electron microscopic analysis of null mutant-infected cells showed the presence of intranuclear nucleocapsids and the absence of cytoplasmic nucleocapsids. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that UL50 and UL53 are required for disruption of the nuclear lamina. A subpopulation of UL97 colocalized with the nuclear rim, and this was dependent on UL50 and, to a lesser extent, UL53. However, PKC was not recruited to the nuclear rim, and its localization was not affected by the absence of UL50 or UL53. Immunoprecipitation from cells infected with HCMV expressing tagged UL53 detected UL97 but not PKC. In summary, HCMV UL50 and UL53 are required for nuclear egress and disruption of nuclear lamina during HCMV infection, and they recruit UL97, not PKC, for these processes. Thus, despite the strong conservation of herpesvirus nuclear egress complexes, a key function can differ among them.
Real-time speaker-independent large vocabulary continuous speech recognition

In this dissertation, a real-time decoding engine for speaker-independent large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) is presented. An overview is first given covering the state-of-the-art decoding algorithms for LVCSR. Since accuracy, speed, and memory cost are three indispensable and correlated performance measurements for a practical continuous speech recognition system, all three aspects are carefully considered, with the main innovations in fast and memory-efficient decoding algorithms. For accuracy, crossword triphone based Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is used in the developed system, which has been proved to generate significantly higher accuracy than within-word triphone HMM. With the use of crossword triphone model, the search space dramatically increases compared with the system using within-word triphone model. Crossword Language Model lookahead and fan-out arc tying are used to make the search space as compact as possible. Five heuristic pruning methods and two lookahead techniques are also exploited to reduce the search space with little or no loss of accuracy. For the aspects of speed and memory cost, a novel algorithm, Order-Preserving Language Model Context Pre-computing (OPCP) is proposed for fast Language Model (LM) lookup, resulting in significant improvement in both overall decoding time and memory space without any decrease of recognition accuracy. OPCP is a novel integration of two previously proposed methods: Minimum Perfect Hashing (MPH) and Language Model Context Pre-computing (LMCP). By reducing hashing operations through order-preserving access of LM scores, OPCP cuts down LM lookup time effectively. In the meantime, OPCP significantly reduces memory cost because of reduced size of hashing keys and the need for only last word index of each N-gram in LM storage. Experimental results are reported on two LVCSR tasks (Wall Street Journal 20K and Switchboard 33K) with three sizes of trigram LMs (small, medium, large). In comparison with MPH and LMCP methods, OPCP reduced LM lookup time from about 30∼80% of total decoding time to about 8%∼14%, without any loss of word accuracy. Except for the small LM, the total memory cost of OPCP for LM lookup and storage was about the same or less than the original N-gram LM storage, and was much less than the compared methods. The time and memory savings in LM lookup by using OPCP became more pronounced with the increase of LM size. By using the OPCP method and other optimizations mentioned above, our one-pass LVCSR decoding engine, named TigerEngine, reached real-time speed in both tasks of Wall Street Journal 20K and Switchboard 33K, on the platform of a Dell workstation with one 3.2 GHz Xeon CPU.
Impact of high level functional constraints on testability

When a logic module is embedded in a large circuit, the architectural level functional constraints usually cause don't cares at the interface of this module. If the logic of the module is not synthesized using these don't cares, then redundancy may exist making the circuit very hard to test. In this paper, architectural level circuit structural and instruction behavioral information is exploited to analyze functional constraints and extract don't cares. The don't cares are used to optimize the logic of the module and to remove many redundant faults. >
Improving Fault Detection Capability by Selectively Retaining Test Cases during Test Suite Reduction

Software testing is a critical part of software development. As new test cases are generated over time due to software modifications, test suite sizes may grow significantly. Because of time and resource constraints for testing, test suite minimization techniques are needed to remove those test cases from a suite that, due to code modifications over time, have become redundant with respect to the coverage of testing requirements for which they were generated. Prior work has shown that test suite minimization with respect to a given testing criterion can significantly diminish the fault detection effectiveness (FDE) of suites. We present a new approach for test suite reduction that attempts to use additional coverage information of test cases to selectively keep some additional test cases in the reduced suites that are redundant with respect to the testing criteria used for suite minimization, with the goal of improving the FDE retention of the reduced suites. We implemented our approach by modifying an existing heuristic for test suite minimization. Our experiments show that our approach can significantly improve the FDE of reduced test suites without severely affecting the extent of suite size reduction
Warning for the 26 December 2004 tsunamis

Purpose – To investigate whether or not people at risk from the 26 December 2004 tsunamis could have had better warning of the event.Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines short‐term actions related to warning following the earthquake and long‐term actions related to setting up an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system prior to the disaster. The evidence is presented in the context of the long‐term processes needed to create and maintain successful warning systems.Findings – The evidence shows that, based on the knowledge and procedures existing at the time, any expectation of effective warning prior to the tsunamis was unreasonable. On 26 December 2004, as much action was taken as feasible. Prior to the catastrophe, the Indian Ocean tsunami risks were acknowledged but no warning systems were implemented because other priorities were deemed to be higher.Research limitations/implications – This paper presents a snapshot of the complex issue of warning system development and implementation. Each nat...
Bringing the Media in: Newspaper Readership and Human Rights*: NEWSPAPER READERSHIP AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Cross-national studies examining human rights outcomes have seldom considered the role of the news media. This is unfortunate, as a large body of work in media studies suggests that the news industry effectively educates citizens, shapes public attitudes, and stimulates political action. I juxtapose these two literatures in a cross-national context to examine the print media’s impact on a state’s human rights performance. First, examining micro-level evidence from the World Values Survey, I show that an individual’s level of media consumption, including newspaper readership, is positively associated with participation in human rights organizations. Next, I present macro-level evidence regarding the aggregate effect of a society’s newspaper readership on its human rights record. Analyzing an unbalanced dataset with a maximum of 459 observations across 138 countries covering four waves during the 1980–2000 period, I use ordered probit regression to examine the relationship between a state’s newspaper readership and its Amnesty International rating. I find that newspaper readership exerts strong, positive effects on a state’s human rights practices net of other standard predictors and temporal/regional controls. Moreover, the effect of readership is robust to a number of alternative specifications that address concerns with ceiling effects, measurement bias, influential observations, sample composition, mediation, endogeneity, and the impact of alternative forms of media consumption (i.e., the Internet and television).
Access: Reflections on studying up in Hollywood

This is an article about the difficulties of doing ethnography in relatively enclosed and secretive communities, based on my experience of trying to launch an ethnographic study of Hollywood. I consider (separately) the problems of doing participant observation in ‘inside’ locations, and the problems of gaining access to industry insiders for interviews. In response to the problem of doing participant observation, I propose the practice of what I call ‘interface ethnography’, attending events in which the closed institution presents itself to ‘the public’. In response to the problem of gaining access to insiders for interviews, I discuss the important role of the interviewee’s ‘interest’, whether practical or intellectual, in the project.
Localizing the neonatal and fetal spontaneous brain activity by hilbert phase analysis

We propose a novel method to characterize the spontaneous brain signals using Hilbert phases. The Hilbert phase of a signal exhibits phase slips when the magnitude of the successive phase difference exceeds π. To this end we use standard deviation (σΔτ) of the time (Aτ) between successive phase slips to characterize the signals. We demonstrate the application of this approach to neonatal and fetal magnetoencephalographic signals recorded using a 151-sensor array to identify the sensors containing the neonatal and fetal brain signals. To this end we propose a spatial filter using σ(Ατ) as weights to reconstruct the brain signals.
Using a Case Study to Develop the Transformational Teaching Theory

Leadership educators teach Transformational Leadership Theory in their classrooms, but could transformational theory be used as a pedagogical model to deepen students’ understanding of leadership? This article presents Erin Gruwell, a first-year teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach and subject of the 2006 movie The Freedom Writers , as a case study where an educator practiced the components of transformational leadership in the classroom to transform students’ lives. Gruwell used idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration to transform a classroom of gang members into a community of scholars and authors. Following the case examples, leadership educators are provided examples of how to incorporate the four components of transformational leadership in their instructional methods. The purpose is to not only demonstrate the theory in action, but to deepen students’ learning of leadership theory.
Collision frequencies of microbial aggregates with small particles by differential sedimentation.

Collision and coagulation rates between microbial aggregates and small particles were measured for individual aggregates (1.0−2.5 mm) that settled through a suspension of fluorescent yellow-green (YG) particles (2.83 μm) placed in a settling column. The microbial aggregates, with an average fractal dimension of 2.26, were generated in a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and also collected from a full-scale activated sludge (AS) treatment system. As calculated from comparisons between the settling velocities observed and those predicted by Stokes' law for impermeable particles, the average fluid collection efficiencies were 0.08 for the SBR aggregates and 0.14 for the AS flocs, which were much lower than those previously reported for nonbiological aggregates of latex microspheres. The collision frequency functions between microbial aggregates and small YG particles were 2 orders of magnitude lower than predicted by the rectilinear model but 1 order of magnitude greater than predicted by a curvilinea...
Toward a reverse adaptation view in cross-cultural management

Purpose – Contrasting local adaptation, which focusses on foreign multinationals learning about and adapting to local (host country) culture and environment, reverse adaptation refers to the case where an MNE’s local employees learn, assimilate and modify their personal behavior (e.g. values, norms) and professional competence (e.g. standards, goals, language, knowledge, capabilities) in order to fit the MNE’s global mindset and global competence set so that they can be internationally reassigned. The purpose of this paper is to take the first step toward addressing this nascent phenomenon and practice. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses combined inductive and ethnographic methods to explore the importance, process and practice of reverse innovation. This study defines reverse adaptation, illustrates the major driving forces underlying reverse adaptation, and suggests how MNEs should prepare for it. As reverse adaptation is a promising area for research, this paper also proposes a research agen...
Challenges of Administering Pancrelipase in Pancreatitis Patients

Objective: This study evaluated nutrition status to determine the impact of a novel approach using elemental nutrition compared to pancrelipase administration in patients with pancreatitis.Methods: This retrospective study included adult patients with pancreatitis who were nil per os (NPO) and received elemental nutrition from August 2008 to 2010 (n = 24) or pancrelipase enzyme supplementation (PES) plus nonelemental enteral nutrition from August 2011 to 2013 (n = 41) at a large academic medical center. The primary outcome is the percentage of diarrhea-free days. Secondary outcomes include time-to-goal enteral nutrition from the enteral nutrition initiation and pre-albumin and albumin changes pre- and postenteral nutrition.Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in percentage of diarrhea-free days (46.80% ± 29.03% vs 53.45% ± 36.76%, p = 0.45). Additionally, there were no differences in secondary outcomes of time-to-goal enteral nutrition and pre-albumin and album...
From photons to phonons and back: a THz optical memory in diamond.

Optical quantum memories are vital for the scalability of future quantum technologies, enabling long-distance secure communication and local synchronization of quantum components. We demonstrate a THz-bandwidth memory for light using the optical phonon modes of a room temperature diamond. This large bandwidth makes the memory compatible with down-conversion-type photon sources. We demonstrate that four-wave mixing noise in this system is suppressed by material dispersion. The resulting noise floor is just $7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ photons per pulse, which establishes that the memory is capable of storing single quanta. We investigate the principle sources of noise in this system and demonstrate that high material dispersion can be used to suppress four-wave mixing noise in $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type systems.
Parallel synthesis and screening of peptide conjugates.

Peptide conjugates represent an emerging class of therapeutics. However, in contrast to that of small molecules and peptides, the discovery and optimization of peptide conjugates is low in throughput, resource intensive, time-consuming, and based on educated decisions rather than screening. A strategy for the parallel synthesis and screening of peptide conjugates is presented that (1) reduces variability in the conjugation steps; (2) provides a new method to rapidly and quantitatively measure conversion in crude conjugation mixtures; (3) introduces a purification step using an immobilized chemical scavenger that does not rely on protein-specific binding; and (4) is supported by robust analytical methods to characterize the large number of end products. Copper-free click chemistry is used as the chemoselective ligation method for conjugation and purification. The productivity in the generation and screening of peptide conjugates is significantly improved by applying this strategy as is demonstrated by the ...
Circadian System and Glucose Metabolism: Implications for Physiology and Disease

The circadian system serves one of the most fundamental properties present in nearly all organisms: it generates 24-h rhythms in behavioral and physiological processes and enables anticipating and adapting to daily environmental changes. Recent studies indicate that the circadian system is important in regulating the daily rhythm in glucose metabolism. Disturbance of this circadian control or of its coordination relative to the environmental/behavioral cycle, such as in shift work, eating late, or due to genetic changes, results in disturbed glucose control and increased type 2 diabetes risk. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms underlying glucose regulation by the circadian system and its disturbance may help in the development of therapeutic interventions against the deleterious health consequences of circadian disruption.
Surface Morphological Changes of Polyimide with Oxygen Reactive Ion Beam Etching (RIBE)

At the beginning of etching, surface asperities appeared on the top plane of the polyimide (PI) film. The formation of surface asperities is due to the ordered phase in PI film. The known dimension of the ordered phase measured by X-ray diffraction is consistant with the size of surface asperities, 100 A, observed by TEM. Further ion doses made these asperties evolve into smooth bumps which then eroded into cones as a result of etch yield difference as a function of the angle of beam incidence Y(θ)/Y(0) which has a maximum at θ=70. Finally cones led to the development of grass-likestructure on the top plane of the PI film. The formation of platelike structure on the cross-sectional plane of PI indicates that the structural inhomogeniety of the PI film(the ordered and disordered phase) is the main cause for the surface morphological changes of PI.
Determination of Se in the Hair,Whole Blood and Urine from Healthy People

Se contents in hair,whole blood and urine from healthy people in Shenyang city have been determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry,and the content differences among the people at different ages have also been studied.The linear response was given by the equation y=102.17x+52.281(r=0.9996).The detection limit of Se was 0.62 ng/mL,the relative standard deviation(RSD) of this method was in the range 2.9~9.0% and the recoveries were in the range 86.0~120.0%.The results showed that there were obvious differences in Se contents from people at different ages(P0.01).
Song listening does not affect pattern reversal visual evoked potentials.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The pattern reversal visual evoked response has been defined as a reproducible cortical response upon stimulation of the eyes. This response depends on the intensity of th...
Identification of muscarinic receptor subtypes in mouse parotid gland.

Immunoprecipitation of muscarinic receptors from mouse parotid membranes by specific subtype antisera showed that M3 and M1 receptors represented 75 and 15% of the total number of precipitable receptors, respectively. [N-methyl-3H]methylscopolamine (NMS) labeled a single class of high-affinity binding sites in membranes from parotid glands with a dissociation constant of 0.67 +/- 0.02 nM and a maximum binding capacity of 176 +/- 15 fmol/mg protein. Competition curves for NMS, atropine, 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (4-DAMP) and para-fluoro-hexahydro-sila-difenidol fit best to a one-site binding model, whereas pirenzepine and methoctramine fit best to a two-site binding model, indicating 76-90% M3 receptors. Results from the use of pirenzepine indicated that the second mouse parotid receptor subtype, unlike that of the submandibular gland, has atypical characteristics for an M1 receptor. The rank order of potency of muscarinic antagonists in inhibiting phosphoinositide turnover and biphas...
The potential of a single enhancer.

In this issue of Blood , [Avellino et al][1] characterize an enhancer element within the CCAAT enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) locus that is essential for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) differentiation and the development of mature myeloid cells.[1][2] ![Figure][3] Schematic of the
Management of HIV Infection during Pregnancy in the United States: Updated Evidence-Based Recommendations and Future Potential Practices

All HIV-infected women contemplating pregnancy should initiate combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), with a goal to achieve a maternal serum HIV RNA viral load beneath the laboratory level of detection prior to conceiving, as well as throughout their pregnancy. Successfully identifying HIV infection during pregnancy through screening tests is essential in order to prevent in utero and intrapartum transmission of HIV. Perinatal HIV transmission can be less than 1% when effective cART, associated with virologic suppression of HIV, is given during the ante-, intra-, and postpartum periods. Perinatal HIV guidelines, developed by organizations such as the World Health Organization, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the US Department of Health and Human Services, are constantly evolving, and hence the aim of our review is to provide a useful concise review for medical providers caring for HIV-infected pregnant women, summarizing the latest and current recommendations in the United States.
Spread and Skepticism: Metrics of Propagation on Twitter

Social media has become part of modern news reporting, used by journalists to spread information and find sources, or as a news source by individuals. The quest for prominence and recognition on sites like Twitter can sometimes eclipse accuracy and lead to the spread of false information. Could we use the so-called "wisdom of crowds" to predict the likelihood that a claim may be true or false? This paper, part of ongoing research, offers evidence that most false claims do not spread like true ones, and that the reaction of the audience to a claim on Twitter is correlated with its validity.
Modeling pronunciation variation with context-dependent articulatory feature decision trees.

We consider the problem of predicting the surface pronunciations of a word in conversational speech, using a model of pronunciation variation based on articulatory features. We build context-dependent decision trees for both phone-based and feature-based models, and compare their perplexities on conversational data from the Switchboard Transcription Project. We find that a fully-factored model, with separate decision trees for each articulatory feature, does not perform well, but a feature-based model using a smaller number of “feature bundles” outperforms both the fully-factored model and a phonebased model. The articulatory feature-based decision trees are also much more robust to reductions in training data. We also analyze the usefulness of various context variables.
Mast cell activation and arterial hypotension during proximal aortic repair requiring hypothermic circulatory arrest

Abstract Objective Aortic surgeries requiring hypothermic circulatory arrest evoke systemic inflammatory responses that often manifest as vasoplegia and hypotension. Because mast cells can rapidly release vasoactive and proinflammatory effectors, we investigated their role in intraoperative hypotension. Methods We studied 31 patients undergoing proximal aortic repair with hypothermic circulatory arrest between June 2013 and April 2015 at Duke University Medical Center. Plasma samples were obtained at different intraoperative time points to quantify chymase, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and white blood cell CD11b expression. Hypotension was defined as the area (minutes × millimeters mercury) below a mean arterial pressure of 55 mm Hg. Biomarker responses and their association with intraoperative hypotension were analyzed by 2-sample t test and Wilcoxon rank sum test. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between clinical variables and elevated chymase levels. Results Mast cell-specific chymase increased from a median 0.97 pg/mg (interquartile range [IQR], 0.01-1.84 pg/mg) plasma protein at baseline to 5.74 pg/mg (IQR, 2.91-9.48 pg/mg) plasma protein after instituting cardiopulmonary bypass, 6.16 pg/mg (IQR, 3.60-9.41 pg/mg) plasma protein after completing circulatory arrest, and 7.64 pg/mg (IQR, 4.63-12.71 pg/mg) plasma protein after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (each P value P = .0255) and after ( P = .0221) cardiopulmonary bypass. Increased temperatures at circulatory arrest and low presurgical hemoglobin levels were independent predictors of increased chymase responses. Conclusions Mast cell activation occurs in cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermic circulatory arrest and is associated with intraoperative hypotension.