cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sub-weekly coral linear extension measurements in a coral reef

Abstract Coral growth rates are often used as a metric of coral health and are measured extensively in the laboratory under controlled conditions to better understand the potential impacts of future climate change scenarios. However, in the field, corals live in dynamic environments, which can be subjected to multiple types of stressors that can not be mimicked in the laboratory. Furthermore, the temporal scales over which many environmental conditions can vary in the reef, such as extreme temperature anomalies, tidal fluctuations, and point source pollution events are far shorter than most field estimates of coral growth, which are generally at annual or seasonal scales. To measure the impact to coral growth of environmental variables that vary on time scales of less than a year or a few months requires developing new growth measurement techniques. With the goal of measuring coral growth at sub-weekly scales in the field, we developed a technique to measure 5-day linear extension growth rates. We tested our approach on colonies of Acropora hyacinthus living in a shallow back-reef ecosystem with routine extreme daily fluctuations in temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen saturation. Using serial skeletal staining and petrographic thin sectioning we measured linear extension in A. hyacinthus during three consecutive 5-day growth periods that had differing amounts of environmental variability. At our field site in American Samoa, the second growth period had the largest tidal swings, resulting in higher variability: within a day temperature ranged up to 5.4 °C (reaching a maximum of 31.9 °C) and pH ranged up to 0.41 units (with a minimum of pH 7.78). We tested whether corals are able to maintain even linear extension rates across these short periods of time or not. After confocal microscopy analysis of stained skeletal samples we found that linear extension rates were similar across the three growth periods. Our fine-scale measurements suggest that during periods with different magnitudes of tidally driven environmental variability, but constant mean conditions, short-term linear extension growth rates remain consistent.
Application of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for environmental, chemical, and biological sensing

The Army is interested in sensors capable of characterizing/monitoring the environment (battlefield or military training ranges) at proximal distances. Recently, we evaluated laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) systems (hand-held, proximal, and bench top) for the characterization of metals (antimony, copper, lead, tungsten, and zinc) in soils obtained from military training ranges. We then compared the results to findings obtained with standard field and laboratory instrumentation for metals analysis - X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively Couple Plasma- Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES).
Surface reactions and the effects of oxygen on Pb atomization in graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

Previous papers have shown a pronounced shift in appearance temperatures of Pb as a result of O2 in the system. This paper briefly summarizes the surface chemistry occurring on graphite as a result of exposure to O2. Chemisorbed oxygen and an altered surface are suggested as the cause for the pulse shift of the Pb absorbance signal. A significant shift with an oxygenated surface but no gas phase O2 present supports this conclusion. Time and spatially resolved absorbance traces suggest multiple release processes and readsorption of Pb on the surface. Pb/O2 gas phase reactions do not appear to significantly alter the atomization efficiency and cannot explain the observed shifts. Similarly, O2/Pb x O y(s) reactions cannot account for the “first shot back” and may play only a secondary role in the presence of O2 in the gas phase. It was also observed that a significant (> 30%) amount of Pb remained on the surface after the solution was deposited and withdrawn 10 s later. This is attributed to binding of Pb to surface functionalities before the sample is desolvated.
Moving Encounters: Actin Treadmilling in the Brush Border.

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Meenderink et al. (2019) describe how treadmilling of the actin core of nascent microvilli on the apical surface of epithelial cells underlies their motility across the cell surface, collision with each other, and ultimately clustering to form the "brush border."
Empirische Untersuchung III: Ergebnis

Insgesamt nahmen 124 Personen an der Untersuchung teil. Zwei Drittel der Vpn sind Frauen. Das Durchschnittsalter liegt bei 56.81 (SD=4.33) Jahren.
A World of False Promises: International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, and the Plea of Workers Under Neoliberalism.

Occupational health and safety is poorly served by United Nations agencies designated to protect workers: the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The neo...
The transsortative structure of networks

Network topologies can be highly non-trivial, due to the complex underlying behaviours that form them. While past research has shown that some processes on networks may be characterized by local st...
Studying the Weaponization of Social Media: Case Studies of Anti-NATO Disinformation Campaigns

Social media provides a fertile ground for any user to find or share information about various events with others. At the same time, social media is not always used for benign purposes. With the availability of inexpensive and ubiquitous mass communication tools, disseminating false information and propaganda is both convenient and effective. In this research, we studied Online Deviant Groups (ODGs) that conduct cyber propaganda campaigns in order to achieve strategic and political goals, influence mass thinking, and steer behaviors or perspectives about an event. We provide case studies in which various disinformation and propaganda swamped social media during two NATO exercises in 2015. We demonstrate ODGs’ capability to spread anti-NATO propaganda using a highly sophisticated and well-coordinated social media campaign. In particular, blogs were used as virtual spaces where narratives are framed. And, to generate discourse, web traffic was driven to these virtual spaces via other social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and VKontakte. By further examining the information flows within the social media networks, we identify sources of mis/disinformation and their reach, i.e., how far and how quickly the mis/disinformation could travel and consequently detect manipulation. The chapter presents an in-depth examination of the information networks using social network analysis (SNA) and social cyber forensics (SCF) based methodologies to identify prominent information brokers, leading coordinators, and information competitors who seek to further their own agenda. Through SCF tools, e.g., Maltego, we extract metadata associated with disinformation-riddled websites. The extracted metadata helps in uncovering the implicit relations among various ODGs. We further collected the social network of various ODGs (i.e., their friends and followers) and their communication network (i.e., network depicting the flow of information such as tweets, retweets, mentions, and hyperlinks). SNA helped us identify influential users and powerful groups responsible for coordinating the various disinformation campaigns. One of the key research findings is the vitality of the link between blogs and other social media platforms to examine disinformation campaigns.
Building footprint-derived landscape metrics for the identification of informal subdivisions and manufactured home communities: A pilot application in Hidalgo County, Texas

Abstract Informal subdivisions and manufactured home communities make up a substantial share of the United States’ housing stock but receive relatively little attention in the scholarly literature. The time-intensive nature of identifying these often-invisible communities through the analysis of satellite imagery and property records limits their systematic study. What research does exist on these communities suggests that they are often exposed to concentrated forms of economic, social, and environmental vulnerability. This paper uses big data to develop building footprint-derived landscape metrics capable of identifying and distinguishing between informal subdivisions and manufactured home communities based on their morphology. We use a data set of building footprints developed by Microsoft and released publicly in 2018 to measure the size, type, orientation, placement, and uniformity of housing in more than 2000 residential neighborhoods Hidalgo County, Texas, where more than 1000 informal subdivisions have been documented by prior research. Support vector machines (SVMs) and cross-validation are used to test the ability of these metrics to distinguish between three neighborhood types: informal subdivisions, manufactured housing communities, and formal subdivisions (or traditionally planned neighborhoods). Our models can accurately classify these three types of community approximately 91 % of the time. We then examine whether there is evidence to support the further disaggregation of these types of neighborhood, as is the case in both policy and scholarship. Our analysis of the morphology of these communities points to little evidence for the current distinction in state and federal law between pre- and post-1990 informal subdivisions; we do, however, find evidence for the need to distinguish between manufactured home communities with distinct tenure arrangements: namely, land-lease communities that we call manufactured home parks and land-owner communities that we call manufactured home subdivisions. We conclude by offering new research directions made possible by this novel identification method.
Quantifying nitrate leaching to groundwater from a corn-peanut rotation under a variety of irrigation and nutrient management practices in the Suwannee River Basin, Florida

Abstract Nitrate leaching from agricultural fields is a significant contributor of groundwater pollution globally, threatening drinking water resources and downstream ecosystems. Quantifying nitrate leaching driven by variable climate, soils, and management practices is challenging, but it is critical for developing sustainable agricultural production systems. While irrigation and fertilizer “best management practices” (BMPs) have been widely implemented to reduce agricultural nitrate leaching, their ability to meet environmental protection goals remains uncertain. In this study, we used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate crop yields and nitrate leaching for corn-peanut rotations under a variety of nutrient and irrigation management practices in the Suwannee River Basin (Florida), where groundwater feeds springs that are protected by a federally mandated nutrient criteria of 0.35 mg/L Nitrate-Nitrogen (NO3-N). Data from a field experiment of nine irrigation and nitrogen (N) management treatments were used to calibrate SWAT, with good to excellent results (Nash Sutcliffe Efficiencies from 0.72 to 0.97 for soil moisture, 0.85–0.96 for crop yield, 0.48–0.96 for crop N uptake, and 0.15–0.82 for soil nitrate). The calibrated model was then used to quantify differences in crop yields, irrigation applied and nitrate leaching among practices over a range of historical weather. Soil moisture sensor-based irrigation with 246 kg N/ha for corn and 0 kg N/ha for peanut had no statistical difference in yields compared to common practices in the region (calendar-based irrigation, fertilization of 336 kg N/ha corn and 17 kg N/ha peanut), while reducing N leaching by 40% and irrigation applied by 45% (reductions of ~70 kg N/ha/yr and ~300 mm/year, respectively). Planting a rye cover crop reduced leaching by an additional ~50 N/ha/yr for all treatments. These results show the potential for widespread adoption of nutrient and water conservation practices to achieve the reductions in NO3-N load needed to meet environmental and regulatory goals without impacting crop yields.
Γ-extensions of the spectrum of an orbifold

We introduce the -extension of the spectrum of the Laplacia n of a Riemannian orbifold, where is a finitely generated discre te group. This extension, called the -spectrum, is the union of the Laplace spectra of the -sectors of the orbifold, and hence constitutes a Riemanni an invariant that is directly related to the singular set of the orbifold. We compare the - spectra of known examples of isospectral pairs and families of orbifolds and demonstrate that in many cases, isospectral orbifolds need not be -isospectral. We additionally prove a version of Sunada's theorem that allows us to construct pairs of orbifolds that are -isospectral for any choice of .
A Radical Embodied Perspective on the Translation Process

This chapter develops a post-cognitivist perspective of the translation process based on the dynamic systems approach of Chemero’s radical embodied theory of cognition. We introduce the notion of translation affordances, extend it with a probabilistic layer, and show how probabilistic translation affordances are optimized with respect to environmental (e.g., textual) features and the subjects’ (e.g., translators’) abilities. The model is compatible with research in bilingualism studies, as well as the monitor model and with Schaeffer and Carl’s recursive model of shared representations. Probabilistic translation affordances explain translation abilities as effects of horizontal (priming) processes and the optimization of textual material during visual search as vertical monitoring processes. The proposed dynamic system account views translation affordances as basic units of translational cognition and sheds new light on the conception of translation units as cycles of perception-action in translation production.
12. Social Pathologies As Second-Order Disorders

It should be clear that the social pathologies of reification represent second-order disorders: first-order objectivating cognitions and interactions (whether of and with other persons, one's own feelings and dispositions, or the objective world) are disconnected from a second-order grasp of them as temporally and conceptually dependent on a prior act of recognition, yielding reifying cognitions and interactions properly speaking. Many of the different social pathologies that Axel Honneth has analysed can be productively understood as exhibiting the conceptual structure of second-order disorders. This chapter is a call for more attention to the explanatory tasks of social theory to complement the theory of recognition's ontogenetic and normative strengths, and render the provocative diagnoses of social pathologies useful for a reinvigorated critical social theory. Keywords: Axel Honneth; second-order disorders; social pathologies; Theory of Recognition
The Interconversion and Reutilization of Injected 75Se-Selenomethionine in the Rat

Abstract Some aspects of the immediate and long term metabolic fate of injected 75Se-selenomethionine were studied in the rat. In addition to the radioselenomethionine, two radioseleno compounds were detected in the precursor amino acid pool of the liver as well as in the hydrolysates of liver proteins and serum albumin. The two compounds had the chromatographic mobility of l-cysteine and l-cystine in two solvent systems. "Specific activity" of a sulfur amino acid was defined as the 75Se radioactivity associated with a measured quantity of the chromatographically separated amino acid. The changing specific activity of l-methionine and l-cysteine + l-cystine in the precursor pool, liver protein hydrolysate, and serum albumin resembles a precursor-product relationship. The serum albumin synthesis rates calculated from these curves are consistent with the known turnover rates of serum albumin in the rat. The data suggest the formation in tissues of the radioseleno analogues of l-cysteine and l-cystine. Evidence is presented which indicates the efficient reutilization of one or more of the selenoamino acids.
Comparative Metabolism of Vegetative and Sporulating Cultures of Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum

Cultures of Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum, under conditions of restricted growth achieved by slow feeding of glucose, showed a high degree of sporulation. Analysis of the end products showed an accumulation of ethyl alcohol in addition to butyrate and acetate, whereas, in the nonsporulating cultures, acetate and butyrate were the principal products. Incorporation of uniformly labeled (14)C-glucose by sporulating cells was three to four times higher than by nonsporulating cells. The efficiency of acetate assimilation into the lipid fraction of sporulating cells was at least two times higher than that of glucose. When starch was used as the carbon source, the growth rate was reduced; sporulation occurred, and the end products and carbon distribution were similar. Alcohol dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were preferentially formed by sporulating cells. In vegetative cells, the formation of these enzymes was repressed if the glucose concentration in the medium was increased. The change in enzyme activity appeared to be related to a morphological change in the cells and indicated an altered metabolic pattern for sporulating cells.
Visceral Geographies: Mattering, Relating, and Defying

This study explores the task of doing ‘visceral geographies,’ enrolling many areas of body-centered scholarship in the task of better understanding the visceral realm including geographies of affect and emotion, non-representational theory, sensuous and haptic geographies, health and disability studies, and scholarship on performance and movement. The authors desire to open lines of connection and communication between and beyond the current bounds of this scholarship. In doing so, the authors attempt to clarify the goals of visceral geography, particularly in terms of political action and social change. Three goals stand out: first, visceral geographies advance understandings of the agency of physical matter, both within and between bodies. Second, visceral geographies move beyond static notions of the individual body and toward more contextualized and interactive versions of the self and other. And third, visceral geographies encourage a skepticism of boundaries by insisting on the imagining and practicing of our (political) lives in, through, and beyond dualistic tensions.
OBSERVATIONS ON BLOOD CULTURES WITH EXCHANGE TRANSFUSION OF THE NEWBORN INFANT.

Two hundred seventy-one blood cultures taken with exchange transfusions of 80 newborn infants were studied. It was found that 13.4% of the pre-exchange and 3.6% of the post-exchange cultures were positive. Fifteen patients had positive cultures; thirteen of these patients were referred from other hospitals. Most of the bacteria isolated are common inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract. The possibility is discussed that contamination from the umbilical cord can be reduced by discarding the first blood withdrawn. Further studies are needed to determine the significance of blood cultures which are positive at the time of exchange transfusion.
GENETICS OF HEMOGLOBIN IN THE DEER MOUSE, PEROMYSCUS MANICULATUS. I. MULTIPLE α- AND β-GLOBIN STRUCTURAL LOCI

Genetic data, together with molecular structure studies, have demonstrated that the complex hemoglobin phenotypes in four subspecies of P. maniculatus are generated by at least four, and probably five, globin structural loci. The Hba and Hbc loci apparently arose by duplication of an ancestral α-type locus, while Hbb, Hbd, and Hbe apparently were derived from a β-type locus. The Hba and Hbb structural loci are electrophoretically monomorphic, while Hbc, Hbd, and Hbe are each polymorphic for at least two electrophoretic alleles. Alleles at Hbc and Hbd segregate independently. The globin products of Hbc and Hbd are electrophoretically indistinguishable; therefore, it is impossible to enumerate true gene frequencies in population surveys. Combined evidence from Peromyscus, Mus and Rattus indicates a remarkable similarity in the numbers of duplicated globin structural loci and in their linkage relationships to coat color loci.
Dietary fat and cholesterol effects on plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase activity in cebus and squirrel monkeys.

Abstract Plasma LCAT activity was assessed in cebus and squirrel monkeys fed diets containing either corn or coconut oil with or without 0.1% cholesterol. In vitro enzyme activity was determined by measuring the incorporation of [1,2- 3 H] cholesterol into cholesteryl ester. Three assay conditions were used to assess overall enzyme activity and to differentiate between the concentration of enzyme and substrate effects. LCAT activity was affected primarily by species and dietary fat and to a lesser extent by dietary cholesterol in squirrel monkeys. Specifically, plasma from both species of monkeys fed corn oil diets had comparable overall rates of LCAT activity (percent esterification and mass esterified/h). In all monkeys fed the coconut oil diets percent esterification was lower than in those monkeys fed the corn oil diets, and was lowest in squirrel monkeys, particularly those fed cholesterol. Coconut oil feeding also resulted in lower substrate activity in all monkeys, whereas cholesterol feeding had no significant effect on substrate activity. Squirrel monkeys always had lower substrate activity than cebus for any diet group. Coconut oil feeding resulted in a lower p]S ratio of HDL phospholipid fatty acids in both species, but the decrease was greater for cebus monkeys. In terms of the mass of cholesterol ester formed (molar rate) during the in vitro assay, plasma from cebus monkeys fed coconut oil diets had greater activity than plasma from other groups. Evaluation of enzyme activity indicated that the greater esterification in cebus monkeys fed the coconut oil diet was associated with the ability of cebus, but not squirrel monkeys, to increase their enzyme activity. In essence, cebus monkeys maintained greater LCAT substrate and enzyme activities than squirrel mon keys when made hypercholesterolemic with coconut oil feeding.
Improved stent characteristics for prophylaxis of post-ERCP pancreatitis

Abstract Background & Aims: Pancreatic stenting is an effective method to prevent post—endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis in high-risk patients. This retrospective study evaluated the impact of modified stent characteristics on the rate of post-ERCP pancreatitis, spontaneous stent dislodgment, and stent-related sequelae. Methods: A total of 2283 patients underwent 2447 ERCPs over a 6-year period with placement of 3–4F diameter, unflanged pancreatic stents. The indication for stenting was pancreatitis prophylaxis predominantly in suspected sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD), pancreas divisum therapy, and precut sphincterotomy. An abdominal radiograph was obtained 10–14 days later to assess spontaneous stent passage. Post-ERCP pancreatitis was defined according to established criteria. A total of 479 patients underwent repeat ERCPs after an initial ERCP with pancreatic stent placement. The prestenting pancreatogram was then compared with follow-up studies. Results: The pancreatitis rate with 3F, 4F, 5F, and 6F stents was 7.5%, 10.6%, 9.8%, and 14.6%, respectively (3F vs. 4F, 5F, 6F: P = 0.047). Spontaneous stent dislodgment was 86%, 73%, 67%, and 65%, respectively (3F vs. 4F, 5F, 6F: P
Examination of the subdiencephalic rat brain for sites mediating PGE1-induced pyrexia

Abstract The subdiencephalic rat brain was mapped for sites capable of mediating prostaglandin-induced pyrexia. In conscious rats, PGE 1 , 200 ng in a volume of 1 ωl, was injected unilaterally into 412 sites between the midmesencephalon and the caudal medulla. Injections into only 12 sites caused a reproducible, short-latency core temperature increase of at least 0.5°C. None of these was located in the paramedian brainstem, which was considered a likely site of PGE 1 action because of the presence there of thermosensitive and pyrogen-sensitive neurons. Rather, the reactive loci were found in the hippocampus (5 sites) and in the vicinity of the cochlear nuclei (7 sites). Injections into only 2 sites in the latter region failed to produce pyrexia. In the hippocampus, however, injections at 31 sites in the same frontal planes as the reactive loci produced no effect. The possibility that the active hippocampal sites were associated with a distribution of injectate to PGE 1 -sensitive neurons located within hippocampal cleavage planes rather than in a circumscribed region is discussed.
Experimentally induced attenuation of neuropeptide-Y gene expression in transgenic mice increases mortality rate following seizures.

Previous experiments have reported increased seizure susceptibility in transgenic mice lacking normal neuropeptide-Y (NPY) gene expression (i.e. NPY 'knock-out' mice). A critical issue inherent in such experiments concerns the confounding of developmental influences of NPY and its neurotransmitter functions in the mature organism. The present experiments directly addressed this issue by studying seizure susceptibility in transgenic mice possessing an inducible antisense transcript that can be experimentally manipulated to attenuate NPY synthesis. NPY-deficient and control mice were injected with kainic acid (40 mg/kg, i.p.) and several seizure-related behaviors were measured. Consistent with previously reported effects in NPY knock-out mice, significantly more NPY-deficient mice died within 24 h than control mice. In situ hybridization analyses confirmed a decrease in prepro-NPY gene expression in transgenic mice. The experiments support the hypothesis that the control of neural excitability is a prominent function of NPY.
A group-theoretical approach to optimal estimation and control

Abstract The symplectic group structure associated with the Riccati equation is exploited to derive a unifying group-theoretical framework encompassing a large number of well-known results, such as partitioning, doubling, and Chandrasekhar algorithms, the algebraic Riccati equation, and the discrete-time case. It is also used to derive a new integration-free Chandrasekhar type algorithm, and to present a fairly complete characterization of the solutions of the Riccati equation in the periodic case.
The Fatimid Caliph al-Aziz and His Daughter Sitt al-Mulk: A Case of Delayed but Eventual Succession to Rule by a Woman

In his youth the future al-Aziz, then merely the third son of the caliph al-Muizz, acquired a concubine, most likely a Greek-speaking captive, and produced with her a daughter who was to become the famous Sitt al-Mulk. Not only did her mother remain al-Aziz’s favorite long after he rose to the Fatimid throne in 975, she remained so until her death twenty years later, and the daughter continued throughout to hold a claim on his attention many considered unusually intense and extraordinary. This favor, combined with her own political acumen and sharp intelligence, enabled Sitt al-Mulk to exercise authority throughout her lifetime until she finally became the real ruler of the empire upon the disappearance of her eccentric half-brother, al-Hākim, in 1021. Drawing on chronicles written by both Fatimid and anti-Fatimid historians, this article considers the context for Sitt al-Mulk’s rise to power amid the unusual dynamics of the Fatimid royal family. It reveals the implausibility of accounts that attempt to discredit her and demonstrates that when at last she governed the empire, she did so quite competently through a difficult time of transition.
Modafinil effects on middle-frequency oscillatory power during rule selection in schizophrenia.

Control-related cognitive processes such as rule selection are associated with cortical oscillations in the theta, alpha and, beta ranges, and modulated by catecholamine neurotransmission. Thus, a potential strategy for improving cognitive control deficits in schizophrenia would be to use pro-catecholamine pharmacological agents to augment these control-related oscillations. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled (within-subjects) study, we tested the effects of adjunctive single-dose modafinil 200 mg on rule-related 4–30 Hz oscillations in 23 stable schizophrenia patients, using EEG during cognitive control task performance. EEG data underwent time-frequency decomposition with Morlet wavelets to determine the power of 4–30 Hz oscillations. Modafinil (relative to placebo) enhanced oscillatory power associated with high-control rule selection in theta, alpha, and beta ranges, with modest effects during rule maintenance. Modafinil treatment in schizophrenia augments middle-frequency cortical oscillatory power associated with rule selection, and may subserve diverse subcomponent processes in proactive cognitive control.
Unified resolution bounds for conventional and stochastic localization fluorescence microscopy.

Superresolution microscopy enables imaging in the optical far field with $\ensuremath{\sim}20\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{nm}$-scale resolution. However, classical concepts of resolution using point-spread and modulation-transfer functions fail to describe the physical limits of superresolution techniques based on stochastic localization of single emitters. Prior treatments of stochastic localization microscopy have defined how accurately a single emitter's position can be determined, but these bounds are restricted to sparse emitters, do not describe conventional microscopy, and fail to provide unified concepts of resolution for all optical methods. Here we introduce a measure of resolution, the information transfer function (ITF), that gives physical limits for conventional and stochastic localization techniques. The ITF bounds the accuracy of image determination as a function of spatial frequency and for conventional microscopy is proportional to the square of the modulation-transfer function. We use the ITF to describe how emitter density and photon counts affect imaging performance across the continuum from conventional to superresolution microscopy, without assuming emitters are sparse. This unified physical description of resolution facilitates experimental choices and designs of image reconstruction algorithms.
Utilizing microwaves for the determination of moisture content independent of density

Abstract Bulk density and moisture content are both very important powder-processing parameters that affect, among other things, the material's flowability and compressibility, as well as the final product's quality. Many traditional microwave methods to determine these parameters rely on the calculation of the real (e′) and imaginary (e″) components of the sample's relative complex permittivity. These parameters can also be calculated directly from raw sensor measurements. Using the conductance and frequency at resonance of an open-reflection microwave resonance sensor allowed the determination of a sample's moisture content (MC) with a high degree of accuracy. The method was applied to static samples of microcrystalline cellulose (MC range 0.568–6.163% and density range 0.280–0.499 g/cm3) and α-lactose monohydrate (MC range 5.59–8.69% and density range 0.346–0.691 g/cm3). The results indicated that the described method predicts moisture content accurately and independent of density fluctuations. As a result, the described method has been shown to be a viable alternative to other established microwave moisture content calibrations.
Meiotic Regulators Ndt80 and Ime2 Have Different Roles in Saccharomyces and Neurospora

Meiosis is a highly regulated process in eukaryotic species. The filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa has been shown to be missing homologs of a number of meiotic initiation genes conserved in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but has three homologs of the well-characterized middle meiotic transcriptional regulator NDT80. In this study, we evaluated the role of all three NDT80 homologs in the formation of female reproductive structures, sexual development, and meiosis. We found that none of the NDT80 homologs were required for meiosis and that even the triple mutant was unaffected. However, strains containing mutations in NCU09915 (fsd-1) were defective in female sexual development and ascospore maturation. vib-1 was a major regulator of protoperithecial development in N. crassa, and double mutants carrying deletions of both vib-1 (NCU03725) and fsd-1 exhibited a synergistic effect on the timing of female reproductive structure (protoperithecia) formation. We further evaluated the role of the N. crassa homolog of IME2, a kinase involved in initiation of meiosis in S. cerevisiae. Strains containing mutations in ime-2 showed unregulated development of protoperithecia. Genetic analysis indicated that mutations in vib-1 were epistatic to ime-2, suggesting that IME-2 may negatively regulate VIB-1 activity. Our data indicate that the IME2/NDT80 pathway is not involved in meiosis in N. crassa, but rather regulates the formation of female reproductive structures.
Theory of Optimal Gammas

Ross1 asks for a definition of the goodness of a game. A reasonable answer, though presumably incomplete, is that a game is good in so far as it involves skill. A measure, γ, for the degree to which a game is one of skill may also be of legalistic interest in those countries where gambling is somewhat against the law. Several years ago I suggested a definition for γ, and it may now be appropriate to publish it. The definition is relative to a population of learners and trainers and to the number of learners, and is relative to the training time and to the duration of play. If we assume all these parameters to be fixed we should find that the players would fall into γ grades, C 1, C 2, C 3, …, C γ such that, on average, a player in grade C g would have a probability of say 2/3 of beating a player in grade C g+1 (g = 1, 2, …, γ − 1). The number, γ, of grades, is then the suggested measure of the degree to which the game is one of skill. It is not a good measure of difficulty, since some games, such as the child's game of ‘boxes’, are so difficult for human beings that training and ability do not count for much.
The Influence of a Biologically Relevant Substratum Topography on Human Aortic and Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

A topographically patterned substrate with stochastic surface order that closely mimics the topographic features of native basement membranes has been fabricated to investigate the influence of topographic biophysical cueing on human aortic and umbilical vein endothelial cells. The stochastic substrate was fabricated by first generating a highly porous polyelectrolyte multilayer film of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) followed by replicate production of this biomimetic topography via soft lithography. These substrates, which are easy to prepare and replicate, possess a number of prominent features associated with in vivo vascular basement membrane (interwoven ridges and grooves, bumps, and pores), which have typically been studied as singular features that frequently possess anisotropic surface order (e.g., alternating ridges and grooves). When compared to a flat surface of identical chemistry, these biomimetic topographies influenced a number of important cellular behaviors associated with the homeostasis and degradation of vascular tissues. These include modulating cell migration rate and directional persistence, proliferation rate, and gene expression associated with regulation and remodeling of vascular tissues as well as inflammation.
Pediatric Dermatology Training During Residency: A Survey of the 2014 Graduating Residents

Background Knowledge of pediatric dermatology is considered a core competency of dermatology training and should be expected of all practicing dermatologists. While the numbers of both pediatric dermatology fellowships and board certified pediatric dermatologists in the workforce have increased over the years, recent reports suggest that there is a gap in pediatric dermatology education during dermatology residency. The goal of this study is to assess the current state of pediatric education during residency, as well as the clinical experience, satisfaction and expectations of graduating dermatology residents. Methods A 31-question self-report survey was distributed electronically to 294 third-year dermatology residents with questions pertaining to demographics, didactic education, resident experience in pediatric dermatology training, satisfaction with pediatric training and future plans. Results One hundred and twenty-three residents responded (41.8% response rate) representing approximately 29.1% of the total number of graduating residents. 69 (56.1%) residents reported academic time specifically devoted to pediatric dermatology, the majority (79.7%) of which was led by pediatric dermatologists. 82% of residents reported dedicated pediatric dermatology clinics at their program. 86.8% of respondents felt that their training in pediatric dermatology will allow them to confidently see pediatric dermatology patients in practice. Conclusions This survey highlights a promising state of pediatric dermatology training among current graduating dermatology residents. The majority of current graduating dermatology residents are satisfied with their pediatric dermatology education, feel confident treating pediatric patients, and plan to see pediatric patients in clinical practice.
Using TPCK as a scaffold to self-assess the novice online teaching experience

How does one evaluate one’s own online teaching? Do novice online instructors depend on end-of-semester course evaluations or a Quality Matters rubric? Perhaps their professional development is driven by a personal belief that seeking multiple perspectives from different lenses is core to reflective practice. This work explores one way to interrogate one’s own online teaching practices through a systematic reflection on technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). It involved identifying and reflecting upon instances in which TPCK was evident in the design and facilitation of the online learning environment in an undergraduate online course. Ways to improve online teaching based on increased meta-cognitive awareness of TPCK are considered. Implications of this self-study for distance learning professional development are discussed.
Environment-sensitive two-photon dye

We present a detailed study of the local environmental sensitivity of the commercially available laser dye, Styryl-9M. Positions of the one-photon and two-photon absorption maxima and two-photon absorption minimum of the dye are sensitive to the solvent polarity. In aqueous solution its absorption and fluorescence spectra consist of two peaks whose relative strength depend on the surrounding pH-s. The dye shows one of the highest two-photon absorption cross sections, 700-1300 GM at the peak, among widely available compounds. Comparison of the linear and nonlinear properties shows that its maximum cross section can be described by an effective two-level model. Based on the properties of Styryl-9M we propose a new method of sensing local environment polarity in solutions and biological phantoms. We show that the dye is a promising candidate for two-photon biological imaging and microscopy.
Two-gluon correlations in heavy–light ion collisions

Abstract We derive the cross-section for two-gluon production in heavy–light ion collisions in the saturation/Color Glass Condensate framework. This calculation includes saturation effects to all orders in one of the nuclei (heavy ion) along with a single saturation correction in the projectile (light ion). The calculation of the correlation function predicts (qualitatively) two identical ridge-like correlations, near- and away-side. This prediction was later supported by experimental findings in p + A collisions at the LHC. Concentrating on the energy and geometry dependence of the correlation functions we find that the correlation function is nearly center-of-mass energy independent. The geometry dependence of the correlation function leads to an enhancement of near- and away-side correlations for the tip-on-tip U + U collisions when compared with side-on-side U + U collisions, an exactly opposite behavior from the correlations generated by the elliptic flow of the quark–gluon plasma.
American Microbreweries and Neolocalism: "Ale-ing" for a Sense of Place

Local brewing operations, a part of the cultural landscape since the beginning of civilization, held fast in the United States until the arrival of mass production techniques. After a 100-year decline in the number of United States microbreweries, there has been a remarkable resurgence in the last 15 years. Following on the coattails of Britain's microbrewery revolution, the cultural innovation spread outward from California and has recently affected the Great Plains and the South. One may explain the microbrewery proliferation as a response to changing tastes and a growing beer connoisseur subculture. These are significant elements, but just as important is the neolocal craving that is being satisfied. Cultural geography has much to learn from a careful look at the recent changes in the United States brewing industry.
D sub 3 spicules and the lower chromosphere

High resolution filtergrams of the solar limb in D sub 3 and off-band H-alpha have been used to investigate the spatial structure of the D sub 3 chromosphere. It was found that spicules provide the major contribution to the intensity of the D sub 3 emission band observed above the limb, with the remainder of the emission coming from a semi-homogeneous background component at low heights. The observations can be understood on the basis of the photoionization model, whereby it is found that helium is only slightly ionized at the height of peak intensity in the D sub 3 emission band, and that spicules are at least three times denser than their surroundings at this height. In coronal holes, the D sub 3 emission is confined to isolated emission patches, and these patches contain a fine structure resembling normal chromospheric spicules.
Electrochemical and Spectroelectrochemical Investigations into the Nature of Charge-Trapping in Electrochemically-Generated Homopolymer Films of Tris(4-vinyl-4‘-methyl-2,2‘-bipyridine)ruthenium(II)†

Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies were conducted on thin films of poly- tris(4-vinyl-4‘-methyl-2,2‘-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) which were formed by electrochemical reductive-polymeri...
Land Sales and Rental Markets in Transition: Evidence from Rural Vietnam

The extent to which households should be allowed to transfer their land rights in post-socialist transition economies is of considerable policy interest. The authors use data from Vietnam, a transition country that allows rental and sales of land use rights, to identify factors conducive to the development of land markets and to assess the extent to which land transfers enhance productive efficiency and transfer land to the poor. They find that activity in both rental and sales markets has increased rapidly, enhanced by the possession of long-term use rights and off-farm employment, and contributing to greater equity and efficiency of land use. While there is evidence for distress sales by households that experience a shock (death), the scope for such sales is reduced by well-functioning credit markets. Well-defined land rights and appropriate safety nets will thus help transition economies to realize the benefits from the operation of land markets.
A new species of bromeliad-feeding Cephaloleia Chevrolat (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae) from Costa Rica: evidence from DNA barcodes, larval and adult morphology and insect diets.

The Neotropical genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) includes 214 species distributed from the south of Mexico to Argentina. Cephaloleia beetles feed mostly on plants from the order Zingiberales. The interactions between Cephaloleia beetles and their Zingiberales host plants is proposed as one of the oldest and most conservative associations. Here we describe a new species of Cephaloleia (Cephaloleia kuprewiczae sp. n.) that feeds on two species of bromeliads (Pitcairnia arcuata and Pitcairnia brittoniana, Bromeliaceae: Pitcairnioideae). Cephaloleia kuprewiczae was previously described as Cephaloleia histrionica. This study includes evidence from DNA barcodes (COI), larval and adult morphology and insect diets that separates Cephaloleia kuprewiczae from Cephaloleia histrionica as a new species.
Exploring the potential of second/foreign language writing for language learning: The effects of task factors and learner variables

Abstract This investigation aimed at examining the potential of second/foreign language (L2/FL) writing for language learning through the manipulation of task complexity and learner-related variables, including L2 proficiency levels and performance levels on task. It focused on task complexity in essay writing and measures of syntactic complexity, linguistic accuracy, and fluency (CAF). Analysis was based on the data from two separate studies the author conducted on this topic with undergraduate FL learners of Spanish in an American university at two distinct levels of language proficiency: advanced and intermediate. Findings indicated that task complexity in L2/FL writing as determined by familiarity of topic, genre, and/or task type, and reasoning demands seemed to have an impact on writing as a possible context for language learning, namely on CAF measures, in two ways: First, within given levels of language proficiency, results showed a tendency towards a trade-off effect among measures of linguistic production in writing affected by task complexity. Second, findings also suggest that the relationship between task complexity in L2/FL writing and the effect on attentional resources and CAF measures may be associated with the language proficiency level ( Norris & Ortega, 2009 ) in conjunction with the level of expertise in writing of the learner. These findings shed further light on the connection between L2/FL writing and task-based language teaching (TBLT) ( Byrnes & Manchon, 2014 ). Limitations of the study as well as suggestions for future research are stated.
Association study of phosphodiesterase genes in the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression sample.

A recent study has reported a significant association of variants in phosphodiesterase (PDE) genes with antidepressant treatment outcome in a Mexican American sample. We set out to investigate these findings in a large sample of patients from the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study. STAR*D is a longitudinal study of antidepressant outcome in depressed outpatients. We genotyped three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PDE11 A (rs1880916), PDE1A (rs1549870), and PDE9A (rs729861) for replication and we also report three additional SNPs in PDE11A (rs3770016, rs4893975, rs6433687) that had been genotyped for a previous study. Single marker analysis of remission within the Hispanic subsamples (n=268) revealed no significant evidence of association with markers in PDE11A, PDE9A, or PDE1A. Additional analyses of remission within the total STAR*D sample (n=1914) were also largely negative, as were analyses utilizing a narrower definition of remission. Haplotype analyses were carried out with the four PDE11A SNPs we genotyped; these also failed to show significant evidence of association in the STAR*D sample. In conclusion, we could not reproduce the reported association between PDE genes and antidepressant outcome in a sample of participants comparable to that reported previously. We conclude that PDE11 A, PDE9A, and PDE1A are unlikely to play an important role in antidepressant outcome in this sample.