cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans

Chromatin modifiers regulate lifespan in several organisms, raising the question of whether changes in chromatin states in the parental generation could be incompletely reprogrammed in the next generation and thereby affect the lifespan of descendants. The histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) complex, composed of ASH-2, WDR-5 and the histone methyltransferase SET-2, regulates Caenorhabditis elegans lifespan. Here we show that deficiencies in the H3K4me3 chromatin modifiers ASH-2, WDR-5 or SET-2 in the parental generation extend the lifespan of descendants up until the third generation. The transgenerational inheritance of lifespan extension by members of the ASH-2 complex is dependent on the H3K4me3 demethylase RBR-2, and requires the presence of a functioning germline in the descendants. Transgenerational inheritance of lifespan is specific for the H3K4me3 methylation complex and is associated with epigenetic changes in gene expression. Thus, manipulation of specific chromatin modifiers only in parents can induce an epigenetic memory of longevity in descendants.
Low-Temperature, Solution-Based Routes to Nanocrystalline InS Powders and Thin Films

We have developed several solution-based preparations for nanocrystalline orthorhombic InS, which is a mid band gap semiconductor (2.44 eV) with potential applications in photovoltaics. Various reagents were used as indium (t-Bu3In, t-Bu2InCl) and sulfur (H2S, (TMS)2S) sources. Growth of crystalline powders was dependent upon the addition or in-situ generation of indium metal. These reactions represent the first reported use of a Solution-Liquid-Solid (SLS) mechanism by which semiconductors are grown from a molten metal flux for a system other than the III-V family of semiconductors. The studies on powder preparations were used to develop a new, low-temperature (185 °C) chemical-bath process for depositing a polycrystalline InS thin film. The film was deposited from a solution of t-Bu3In and elemental sulfur onto an indium-coated fused-silica substrate; the indium film acted as the crystallization medium.
Concerning the use of weight tables to categorize patients with eating disorders

The notion of using weight tables to categorize patients with eating disorders is at best simplistic and at worst inappropriate. Available tables suffer from serious conceptual, sampling, and methodological deficiencies and are especially unsuited for use with young, white middle-class females: the population at particular risk for eating disorders. For purposes of research, there is no substitute for assessments of lean body mass, percent body fat, and maturational status. For purposes of simple classification, standards based on an appropriate reference population are preferable to the obsolete Metropolitan Life Insurance tables (1959; 1983) and the NCHS (Abraham, Johnson, &Najjar, 1979a, b) tables based on weighted NHANES I weight data.
Leadership In The Fortune 500: Women At The Executive Level Of Corporate Management

This study examines the influence of executive women in business using a sample of firms included in the Fortune 500. Our analysis looks at the movement of female executives on or off corporate management to determine whether an increase of female representation at the highest levels of corporate management signals an increased commitment of a firm to a higher representation of females on their boards of directors. Our sample includes a group of 73 corporations for which we longitudinally examined the data for women at the director and executive manager levels for the period from 1999 through 2003. Our data indicate that, while the number of firms having multiple female directors increased over this period, the increase was even more pronounced for women at the executive management level. Our data also indicate that, while the number of executive level managers was relatively stable (increased) between 1999 and 2001 (2001 and 2003), the number of women at this level increased by 25.5 (27.1) percent.
Intervention Across Bisecting Borders

Case studies of the 1828-9 and 1877-8 Russian interventions in Turkey-in-Europe and of the 1947-8 and 1965 Pakistani interventions in Kashmir show that revisionist states which intervene in communal strife across nation-bisecting borders do so at considerable cost to their power/security interests despite minimal opportunity for offsetting or lasting gains at the expense of the target state. These interventions cannot be attributed to miscalculation, as revisionist state leaders are aware of external constraints that limit the possible gains while heightening the risks of intervention. This is contrary to both traditional realist and neorealist theory. The finding is important because it explicitly demonstrates that nationalism and domestic politics are of causal importance in some classes of war that realist theory does not explain. Nationalism influences intervention via a three-stage process in which communal/ethnic strife in the target state diffuses across the bisecting border, then mobilizes public opinion and non-state actors in the revisionist state; finally, it pressures state leaders to adopt hardline policies at odds with their own past policies towards the target state. This process model reveals a more complex nexus between domestic and international politics than conventional second-image models allow for.
Epilepsy surgery outcome among US veterans.

Abstract We retrospectively studied the outcome of anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) among a population of veterans and evaluated outcome related to comorbidities. Veterans who underwent ATL between 1990 and 2001 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, were included. Data related to postoperative seizure outcome, quality of life outcome, and employment outcome were collected. Factors associated with favorable outcome and outcome related to comorbidities were evaluated. Twenty-seven patients were entered into the study. The mean age at onset of seizures was 25 years (±10.2). History of a non-substance abuse psychiatric diagnosis, and substance abuse was present in 26% (7/27) and 30% (9/27), respectively, prior to surgery. While 66.6% (18/27) had a good outcome (Engel’s Class I), no difference in the frequency of good outcome was seen among the patients with a history of substance abuse, other psychiatric diagnosis (71%), or no psychiatric diagnosis (67%). There was a significant correlation between seizure outcome and quality of life score (rs=0.67, p
SOI and bulk CMOS frequency dividers operating above 15 GHz

Dual-phase dynamic pseudo-NMOS ([DP]/sup 2/) frequency dividers have been implemented in a partially scaled 0.1 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. For 4:1 dividers on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and bulk substrates, the maximum speed, power consumption, and extracted [DP]/sup 2/ latch delays are 18.75 and 15.4 GHz, 13.5 and 9.8 mW and 13.3 and 16.2 ps, respectively, at 1.5 V.
Sea-Level Rise Implications for Coastal Regions

ABSTRACT Williams, S.J., 2013. Sea-level rise implications for coastal regions. In: Brock, J.C.; Barras, J.A., and Williams, S.J. (eds.), Understanding and Predicting Change in the Coastal Ecosystems of the Northern Gulf of Mexico, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 63, pp. 184–196, Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Sea-level rise, a dominant driving force of change for coastal regions, is becoming increasingly important as a hazard to humans and urban areas in the coastal zone worldwide as global climate change takes effect. The geologic record shows that sea level, due to past natural climate factors, has been highly variable, as much as 6-8 m higher than present during the last interglacial warm period and 130 m lower during the last glacial period. Sea level was fairly stable for the past 3,000 years until about the mid- 19th century. During the 20th century, sea level began rising at a global average rate of 1.7 mm/yr. The current average rise rate is 3.1 mm/yr, a 50% increase over...
ARC: A compact, high-field, fusion nuclear science facility and demonstration power plant with demountable magnets

The affordable, robust, compact (ARC) reactor is the product of a conceptual design study aimed at reducing the size, cost, and complexity of a combined fusion nuclear science facility (FNSF) and demonstration fusion Pilot power plant. ARC is a ∼200–250 MWe tokamak reactor with a major radius of 3.3 m, a minor radius of 1.1 m, and an on-axis magnetic field of 9.2 T. ARC has rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconducting toroidal field coils, which have joints to enable disassembly. This allows the vacuum vessel to be replaced quickly, mitigating first wall survivability concerns, and permits a single device to test many vacuum vessel designs and divertor materials. The design point has a plasma fusion gain of Qp ≈ 13.6, yet is fully non-inductive, with a modest bootstrap fraction of only ∼63%. Thus ARC offers a high power gain with relatively large external control of the current profile. This highly attractive combination is enabled by the ∼23 T peak field on coil achievable with newly available REBCO superconductor technology. External current drive is provided by two innovative inboard RF launchers using 25 MW of lower hybrid and 13.6 MW of ion cyclotron fast wave power. The resulting efficient current drive provides a robust, steady state core plasma far from disruptive limits. ARC uses an all-liquid blanket, consisting of low pressure, slowly flowing fluorine lithium beryllium (FLiBe) molten salt. The liquid blanket is low-risk technology and provides effective neutron moderation and shielding, excellent heat removal, and a tritium breeding ratio ≥ 1.1. The large temperature range over which FLiBe is liquid permits an output blanket temperature of 900 K, single phase fluid cooling, and a high efficiency helium Brayton cycle, which allows for net electricity generation when operating ARC as a Pilot power plant.
Hulls, Engines, and Instruments: Washington I. Chambers' Drive for Safety in Naval Aviation

Captain Washington Irving Chambers was the first officer in charge of Naval Aviation. Overseeing the development of early Naval Aviation, Chambers recognized that flying was a potentially dangerous activity, and that even a single fatal accident could turn opinion in the Navy against further expenditure for aviation’s development. Hence, Chambers pursued what he described as a “safe and sane” policy of development, aimed at doing everything possible to keep his aviators safe. These included pursuing greater reliability in aero engines and developing an early form of autopilot. But perhaps the most important part of Chambers’ multi-prong approach to airplane safety, and the most overlooked, was his early and insistent desire for flight and navigational instruments. Chambers recognized very early that flying over the open ocean presented many problems not faced by pilots flying over land and that Naval Aviators would need instruments to help them both to fly and to navigate successfully over open water. Thus, the Navy had a particular interest in developing the altimeter, artificial horizon, turn-and-bank indicator, aeronautical magnetic compass, directional indicator, and airspeed indicator, as well as instruments to monitor engine performance with displays of engine temperature, oil pressure, and the amount of oil, fuel, and water left in the system. These instruments addressed issues of safety and navigation which needed to be solved before airplanes could be useful to the Navy.
Models of parasite virulence

Several evolutionary processes influence virulence, the amount of damage a parasite causes to its host. For example, parasites are favored to exploit their hosts prudently to prolong infection and avoid killing the host. Parasites also need to use some host resources to reproduce and transmit infections to new hosts. Thus parasites face a tradeoff between prudent exploitation and rapid reproduction-a life history tradeoff between longevity and fecundity. Other tradeoffs among components of parasite fitness also influence virulence. For example, competition among parasite genotypes favors rapid growth to achieve greater relative success within the host. Rapid growth may, however, lower the total productivity of the local group by overexploiting the host, which is a potentially renewable food supply. This is a problem of kin selection and group selection. I summarize models of parasite virulence with the theoretical tools of life history analysis, kin selection, and epidemiology. I then apply the theory to recent empirical studies and models of virulence. These applications, to nematodes, to the extreme virulence of hospital epidemics, and to bacterial meningitis, show the power of simple life history theory to highlight interesting questions and to provide a rich array of hypotheses. These examples also show the kinds of conceptual mistakes that commonly arise when only a few components of parasite fitness are analysed in isolation. The last part of the article connects standard models of parasite virulence to diverse topics, such as the virulence of bacterial plasmids, the evolution of genomes, and the processes that influenced conflict and cooperation among the earliest replicators near the origin of life.
Schedule-based multi-dimensional retiming on data flow graphs

Transformation techniques are usually applied to get optimal execution rates in parallel and/or pipeline systems. The retiming technique is a common and valuable tool in one-dimensional problems, represented by data flow graphs (DFGs) such as digital signal processing (DSP) filters, which can maximize the parallelism of a loop body represented by a DFG. Since most scientific or DSP applications are recursive or iterative, to increase the parallelism of the loop body can substantially decrease the overall computation time. This paper develops a novel multi-dimensional retiming technique that considers the final schedule as part of the process. The description and the correctness of our algorithm are presented. >
10 Valuing Foreign Disasters in International Environmental Law

This book chapter argues that explicit valuation of foreign disasters can help policymakers think through the relative value of foreign and international disaster policies as against other demands on the public’s resources. It identifies the valuation decisions that policymakers inevitably face when developing international disaster policy, and argues that foreign disaster contexts present distinctive political, philosophical, psychosocial, and practical features that should be understood to distinguish foreign disaster valuation from domestic disaster valuation. In light of the complexity of foreign disaster valuation, the chapter argues that explicit — rather than implicit — valuation processes offer useful features to policymakers, by helping to systemize the complexity of competing risks and obligations, and by acting as a tonic to the intuitive and heuristic psychological processes that may otherwise underlie implicit valuations of foreign harms. Finally, the chapter identifies specific opportunities in international environmental law for incorporating explicit valuation into policymaking. These opportunities include verifying the satisfaction of threshold conditions to trigger legal requirements; choosing among multiple feasible compliance strategies; adding content to common but differentiated responsibilities; operationalizing the precautionary principle; and justifying the creation of legal strategies for special disaster risks such as those that are truly uncertain or those with extremely damaging potential outcomes.
“Having it All” on Social Media: Entrepreneurial Femininity and Self-Branding Among Fashion Bloggers

Against the backdrop of the widespread individualization of the creative workforce, various genres of social media production have emerged from the traditionally feminine domains of fashion, beauty...
Axial-Stereo 3-D Optical Metrology for Inner Profile of Pipes Using a Scanning Laser Endoscope

As the rapid progress in the development of optoelectronic components and computational power, 3D optical metrology becomes more and more popular in manufacturing and quality control due to its flexibility and high speed. However, most of the optical metrology methods are limited to external surfaces. This paper proposed a new approach to measure tiny internal 3D surfaces with a scanning fiber endoscope and axial-stereo vision algorithm. A dense, accurate point cloud of internally machined threads was generated to compare with its corresponding X-ray 3D data as ground truth, and the quantification was analyzed by Iterative Closest Points algorithm.
Epidemiology of risk factors for osteoarthritis: systemic factors.

Osteoarthritis (OA) appears to be a mechanically driven but chemically mediated disease process in which there is attempted (or aberrant) repair. Well established risk factors for OA include aging, obesity, gender, and, in selected subgroups, congenital anomalies. This review addresses less well est
The Effect of Spiritual Exercises on the Integration of Self-System

The application of a symbolic interactionist approach to the phenomenon of the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola suggests that individuals engage in this experience in an attempt to reconcile conflicting self-systems that arise in disparate social situations. A study of forty-six Jesuit novices was conducted over a four-month period, during which novices underwent intensive spiritual exercises. Results of the analysis confirm that the thirty-day initiatory experience did have a significant integrative effect on the self-systems of individuals in the sample. From the standpoint of symbolic interactionism as stated by G. H. Mead (1934), an individual's affinity for experiences such as the Jesuits' thirty-day spiritual exercises may arise from the failure of interpersonal relationships to generate for the individual a consistent definition of self. Mead (1934: 154) states that the ultimate outcome of the socialization process is the emergence of a unified definition of self embodied, so to speak, in the generalized other; however, Cottrell (1969: 553) has maintained that, within our "complex urban society," role expectations in various social situations may be so mutually exclusive as to preclude the successful emergence of a unified self-system. Thus, a constellation of self-other systems arises-each significant to the individual and yet incompatible with its counterparts-rather than a single generalized other, as postulated by Mead. Assuming that such conflict is abhorrent to the individual, as the vast literature
Improving estimates of N and P loads in irrigation water from swine manure lagoons

The implementation of nutrient management plans for confined animal feeding operations requires recording N and P loads from land-applied manure, including nutrients applied in irrigation water from manure treatment lagoons. By regulation, lagoon irrigation water nutrient records in Mississippi must be based on at least one lagoon water nutrient analysis annually. Research in Mississippi has shown that N and P levels in lagoon water, and the N:P ratio, vary significantly through the year. Nutrient estimates based on one annual analysis do not account for this variability and may overestimate or underestimate N and P loads. The present study reports an improved method to more precisely estimate N and P loads in irrigation water from swine manure lagoons. The method is based on predictable annual cycles of N and P levels in lagoon water and employs simple curve-fitting of lagoon-specific formulas derived by analyses of historical data. Similarity of curves from analyses of Mississippi lagoons and other lagoon studies suggests that the method can be applied using the often limited nutrient data for a lagoon to more precisely estimate seasonal shifts of N and P and to improve the precision of estimates for N and P in irrigation water. Although the present study focused on swine manure lagoons in the southern US, recognition that the annual N cycle in lagoon water is temperature driven, suggests that additional research incorporating temperature into future models could extend these models to other types of waste treatment lagoons and climates.
Faculty prefer continuity with medical students in the emergency department

Introduction The aim of this investigation was to better understand emergency medicine (EM) faculty opinions as they relate to continuity with students. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of faculty supervising students completing an EM clerkship. Student schedules were aligned to maximise continuity with faculty. Faculty completed surveys prior to the start of the study and again at the end of the study period. Results Faculty generally indicated a favourable opinion regarding continuity with students. Significant change was noted in two survey questions from pre- to post-intervention: faculty reported higher motivation to teach and felt the students9 learning experience was better with improved continuity. Conclusion EM faculty express theoretical optimism regarding the value of improved continuity between teacher and learner. This positive sentiment persisted after actual experience with students on a shift allocation model that aligns faculty and student schedules.
Integrated Thermal-Fluids System Modeling of an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Power Plant for Analysis and Optimization

This report focuses on the development of an integrated model of a closed-cycle Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power plant for the purpose of analyzing the relative effects of key design parameters on the performance of the plant’s main sub-systems. The model was then used to analyze the effects of cascaded stages within the power cycle, as an example of using the model for analysis and optimization. The analysis led to the conclusion that 2–5 stages are most beneficial. A simplified thermodynamic model of the power cycle was developed to estimate the power produced, as well as the water mass flow rates required for the necessary heating and cooling rates. A simplified pipe flow model was then integrated into the power plant model to calculate the pumping power required to run the power cycle. The pumping power demand was subtracted off the thermodynamic model to provide the net power out of the cycle. Since the thermodynamic efficiency of the OTEC power cycle is inherently low, the water flow rates are substantial, and so are the power requirements of their pumps. Therefore, it is important to optimize the design parameters of an OTEC plant to minimize water mass flow rate relative to the power output of the plant. The thermodynamic performance analysis consists of first establishing a base-line reference power plant and a reference set of input variables. Plant design variables, such as the number of power cycle stages, are then varied up and down about the reference point; the outputs are then compared to the reference output.© 2011 ASME
Analysis on test results of rural drinking water quality from 2009 to 2011 in Chuzhou,Huai′an

Objective: To analyse the rural drinking water quality status and the water quality change pattern in different seasons from 2009 to 2011 in Chuzhou,Huai′an,and provide the reference for improving the rural drinking water quality.Methods: The monitoring data of rural drinking water quality from 2009 to 2011 were analysed.Sample examination and evaluation were done according to "Standard examination methods for drinking water" and "Sanitary standard for drinking water".Results: Among 2254 samples examined in 3 years,1985 samples were qualified with the qualified rate of 88.1%.The qualified rate during 2009-2011 were 83.1%(432/520),87.5%(763/872) and 91.6%(790/862),respectively,increasing year by year(χ2= 23.16, P0.001).The qualified rate was 91.7%(871/950) in the withered water period and 85.4%(1114/1304)in the high flow period.There was significant difference between them(χ2= 20.52,P0.001).The qualified rate of microbiological index was lowest(88.5%).Conclusion: Chuzhou rural drinking water quality is improved year by year.The microbiological index is the main factor for affecting the drinking water quality in Chuzhou.
The staging of Hodgkin's disease revisited.

The conventional staging of Hodgkin’s disease (HD) including lymphangiography and staging laparotomy with spelenectomy is well-known and commonly utilized. However, recent data on new imaging modalities (e.g. ultrasound, computed tomographic scanning) and prognostic factors (e.g. size of the mediastinal mass, extent of splenic involvement, etc.) suggest that a more rational approach to staging based on treatment considerations is now possible. In addition, careful restaging of patients in apparent remission, including surgical evaluation in selected patients, is also important. In this paper, these new concepts of the staging of HD are reviewed.
Electroconvulsive therapy and structural neuroplasticity in neocortical, limbic and paralimbic cortex

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective and rapidly acting treatment for severe depression. To understand the biological bases of therapeutic response, we examined variations in cortical thickness from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in 29 patients scanned at three time points during an ECT treatment index series and in 29 controls at two time points. Changes in thickness across time and with symptom improvement were evaluated at high spatial resolution across the cortex and within discrete cortical regions of interest. Patients showed increased thickness over the course of ECT in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior and superior temporal, parahippocampal, entorhinal and fusiform cortex and in distributed prefrontal areas. No changes across time occurred in controls. In temporal and fusiform regions showing significant ECT effects, thickness differed between patients and controls at baseline and change in thickness related to therapeutic response in patients. In the ACC, these relationships occurred in treatment responders only, and thickness measured soon after treatment initiation predicted the overall ECT response. ECT leads to widespread neuroplasticity in neocortical, limbic and paralimbic regions and changes relate to the extent of antidepressant response. Variations in ACC thickness, which discriminate treatment responders and predict response early in the course of ECT, may represent a biomarker of overall clinical outcome. Because post-mortem studies show focal reductions in glial density and neuronal size in patients with severe depression, ECT-related increases in thickness may be attributable to neuroplastic processes affecting the size and/or density of neurons and glia and their connections.
Time-Quality Trade-offs in Search

In this paper, I propose a research agenda surrounding the notion of slow search, where retrieval speed may be traded for improvements in result quality. This time-quality trade- off leads to a number of implications in the areas of human- computer interaction and information retrieval algorithms, and I plan to explore this space along various dimensions, including adjustments in user behavior when exposed to new search paradigms, investigating the utility a user perceives when given the option to use slow search in addition to traditional search, and examining different notions of 'quality'. I have conducted preliminary studies to probe user behavior and attitudes towards a particular implementation of slow search, and how users? expected behaviors compare to their actual behaviors. I will provide an outline of these studies, and propose future work in this as well as related areas.
An isolated bi-directional soft-switched three-phase DC-AC matrix-based converter with novel unipolar SPWM and Synchronous Rectification

This paper presents a novel unipolar SPWM-oriented modulation technique for the isolated bi-directional DC to three-phase-AC converter. The converter consists of a full bridge stage and a single-to-three phase matrix converter with high frequency link (HFL). With the proposed modulation technique, zero-voltage switching (ZVS) is realized for the full bridge and zero-voltage zero-current switching (ZVZCS) is realized for the matrix converter for all load range. Synchronous Rectification (SR) is achieved for switches operated in complementary and synchronous modes. In addition, the voltage spike induced by leakage inductance is mitigated with proposed modulation method without additional snubber circuits. Moreover, synchronous rectification is implemented to further improve the converter efficiency. The simulation results provided well validate the functionality and effectiveness of the proposed modulation technique.
Survival rates in T1 and T2 gastric cancer: A Western report.

Background and Objectives The purpose of this study was to identify clinicopathologic factors associated with overall survival (OS) in early T stage gastric cancer in a Western population. Methods Patients with stage T1 or T2 gastric or gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma who had undergone upfront gastrectomy from 1995 to 2013 were identified in an institutional database. Results We identified 121 patients with pathologic stage T1 or T2 tumors (49 [41%] T1a; 49 [41%] T1b; and 23 [19%] T2) who underwent R0 resection without preoperative treatment. Of these, 53% were white, 9% African American, 17% Hispanic, and 22% Asian. The median follow-up was 5.7 years, and the 5-year OS rate was 89% (98%, 93%, and 66% for patients with T1a, T1b, and T2 tumors, respectively). Univariate analysis revealed a higher risk of death in patients with T2 tumors and those of African American race. On multivariate analysis, T2 stage was the only variable independently associated with OS (hazard ratio, 2.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–7.12; P = 0.03). Conclusion In this study of a Western population of patients with T1 or T2 gastric cancer, T2 stage was associated with diminished OS, whereas nodal status and race were not. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:602–606. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An empirical investigation of the situationally-induced impairments experienced by blind mobile device users

In this paper, we describe a study specifically focusing on the situationally-induced impairments and disabilities (SIIDs) which individuals who are blind encounter when interacting with mobile devices. We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight legally-blind participants, and presented them with three scenarios to inspire discussion relating to SIIDs. Nine main themes emerged from analysis of the participant interviews, including the challenges faced when using a mobile device one-handed while using a cane to detect obstacles along the intended path, the impact of using a mobile device under inhospitable conditions, and concerns associated with using a mobile device in environments where privacy and safety may be compromised (e.g. when using public transport). These were found to reduce the quality of the subjective interaction experience, and in some cases limiting use of mobile technologies in public venues. Insights from our research can be used to guide the design of future mobile interfaces to better meet the needs of users whose needs are often excluded from the design process.
“Capture” Revisited, Representation, and Religious Activists

Mobilization matters, but it matters far less than the Christian Right Thesis and the Secular Backlash Thesis allege. In fact, in the last chapter, mobilization contributed very little to the rise of Evangelical activists on the Republican side or to the rise of Secular activists on the Democratic side. Despite popular and scholarly attention to the mobilization efforts of the Christian Right and a backlash among Seculars, mobilization appears to have played a larger role among the groups that make up the Christian Left. That said, the long-term trends may obscure more recent mobilization among two Christian Right groups, Evangelical Republicans and Catholic Republicans. Perspective matters and one of the reasons others find that mobilization matters is, undoubtedly, a function of having focused on shorter-term changes. Nevertheless, recent gains in Evangelical campaign participation on the Republican side represent a return to 1960s levels, not record highs. Also, it is curious that activism among Evangelical Republicans remained flat during the George W. Bush presidential elections (see Figure 7.1.A) given the lore that Karl Rove and Christian Right organizations were exceptionally active in those elections. More to the point, pinpointing exactly how much and when mobilization matters is ultimately less important than establishing that other factors matter, such as basic demographic changes. The bigger point is that mobilization is only one of several factors that shape the activist pools. Toward that end the previous four chapters have undertaken detailed analyses of several forces with potential to shape the composition of the activist pools. Especially when it comes to understanding long-term change in the activist pools, the evidence speaks loudly on the question of whether other factors matter and reveals that basic demographic changes dominate in many cases. This chapter is different, focusing instead on the implications of the representation-based approach for understanding change among activists in contrast to the implications of the mobilization-centric approaches.
Triboelectric Nanogenerator: Single-Electrode Mode

The two modes presented in Chap. 2 and 3 require that the two electrodes must be interconnected. In practice, if one part of the contact media is a freely moving object, such as a moving vehicle or a walking person, there is no way to connect a lead to the vehicle or the person. To meet this challenge, two new modes have been introduced to overcome this drawback: including single-electrode TENGs (SETENGs) (Yang et al. Adv Mater 25(45): 6594–6601 2013 [1]) and freestanding-triboelectric-layer nanogenerators (FTENGs). In this chapter, we will mainly discuss the single-electrode TENGs. Single-electrode TENGs have similar working mechanism of contact electrification. However, in this structure, only one electrode is attached to (or serves as) the triboelectric layer. The other electrode serves as an electric potential reference and can be placed anywhere in the space, even directly be the ground. In this regard, the moving part of the TENG is not connected with any electrode, which substantially simplifies the device fabrication process and improves the operation convenience. On the other hand, a major drawback is that the overall output performance will be lower due to the electrostatic shield effect of the primary electrode, but it is a good approach for touch sensors. The theory, working mechanism and the potential applications of this mode will be systematically introduced.
Pathobiology of breast cancer: Hypothesis of biological predetermination and long-term survival

The pathobiology of breast cancer is complex: clinically “early” breast cancer may be tumorbiologically “late” progressing rapidly toward death. Accordingly, it has been suggested that two different breast cancer populations (slow tumor growth and long survival — fast tumor growth and short survival) exist, which cannot be identified by pathohistological criteria. However, these “populations” are most likely either patients with localized disease and occult metastases (long survival) or with diagnosable regional and occult or overt systemic spread (short survival). Since even small tumors (0.1 to 0.3 cm in diameter) can spread systemically, in most patients breast cancer upon clinical diagnosis may be considered an inevitably lethal disease. Present treatment modalities can only improve the quality of life and delay death, even though the overall long-term survival rates of breast cancer are better or at least equal to those of other cancers. However, with other cancers (Table 2) it is decided within the first 5 years which patients are cured because the survival rates for 5, 10, 15, and 20 years are similar. In contrast, survival rates of patients with breast cancer steadily decline and there is no point in time when patients can feel really safe; this is indicative of a peculiar tumor pathobiology of this disease, the nature of which remains to be investigated. Progress in the fight against breast cancer is only possible by application of sensitive physical, reliable immunological, and specific biochemical methods for early diagnosis and development of efficient therapeutic modalities for inhibition of growth or complete eradication of metastasized cancer cells.
Review of John D. Lantos and Diane S. Lauderdale, Preterm Babies, Fetal Patients, and Childbearing Choices1

Preterm birth is defined as any birth that occurs prior to 37 weeks gestation, and is a leading cause of infant mortality, neurological disabilities, breathing, feeding and vision problems, and hea...
Birth order and Prominence in the History of Psychology

The Birth Order Effect refers to the greater likelihood of first-born rather than later born children achieving eminence. In the present study, birth order information was obtained for 79 prominent figures in the history of psychology. The History of Psychology in Autobiography series was used as an indicator of prominence and as a primary source for family data for 61 individuals. This was supplemented by biographies of other historically important individuals. Nearly 52% of the subjects were found to have been either first-borns or only children, a figure significantly higher than one would have expected given the number of siblings present in their families. Using more selective criteria, such as APA presidency or election to the National Academy of Sciences, did not change the proportion of first-born to later born. The results demonstrate a birth order effect among prominent figures in the history of psychology. This would be expected from previous findings that first-borns are more likely to complete college and graduate education, thus admitting them to occupations in which eminence may be achieved.
Information Flow in the 21st Century: The Dynamics of Agenda-Uptake

Although the theory of agenda-setting is a pillar of political communication research, understanding the dynamics of public attention remains an important challenge as the communication system beco...
Contending Perspectives on Multistakeholder Global Governance: Theory, Conceptual Framework, Data, and Methods

In this chapter we focus on contending perspectives of global governance and highlight the explanatory power and resilience of international regime theory. We propose a critical reformulation of international regime theory to incorporate the important role of transnational networks of non-state actors. We also explain the concept of Conference Diplomacy, and its evolution into Multistakeholder Conference Diplomacy. Finally, we discuss the concept of Transnational Advocacy Networks and describe the role they might play in international regime formation and multistakeholder conference diplomacy. We end with a brief discussion of the data available for this study, and the multiple methodologies employed. Methodologies used to analyze this data include not only traditional descriptive and predictive statistical modeling, but also social network analysis, along with inductive and deductive text-mining techniques.
Thousand Hands Bodhisattva: Aesthetics, Affect, Sensational Disability

This project examines the performance Thousand Hands Bodhisattva by hearing impaired dancers and the ways in which the invisible disability might provoke divergent viewing experiences and feelings contingent upon how the performance is contextualized. This performance showcases formal dancing techniques to elicit the sensation of beauty and the valorization of virtuosity, the presumed spectating responses to the aesthetic value of the performance. However, if the external knowledge of the dancers' disability is prefigured to the spectators, the contextualized performance would stir unexpected responses among the viewers, such as a feeling of shame, admiration and so on, because their taken-for-granted assumptions are challenged that beauty is unquestionably associated with completeness, wholeness, and ability, and that disabled individuals are radically less self-sufficient than the able-bodied. Eventually, I attempt to argue that this performance exemplifies a certain type of queer formalism because, by simultaneously sticking with the conventional form of dance while mobilizing the sensation of disability to queer the viewing experience, it disrupts the presupposed, normative and predictable relationship between an artistic form and its reception.
"Xylella fastidiosa pil-chp operon" is involved in regulating key structural genes of both type I and IV pili

Xylella fastidiosa is the causal agent of Pierce's disease (PD) in grapevines. It has type I and type IV pili, which are both virulence factors involved in the PD-associated processes of motility, aggregation, and biofilm formation. Many questions remain as to how the two pili are regulated. We previously identified a X. fastidiosa pil-chp chemosensory-like cluster as an operon composed of genes pilG-I-J-L-chpB-C. In this study, we deleted pilG (resulting in a ∆pilG-I strain) and pilJ and discovered that both mutants (∆pilG-I and ∆pilJ) had reduced virulence after 24 weeks post-inoculation, whereas ∆chpB and ∆chpC did not. Both ∆pilG-I and ∆pilJ lost motility and were impaired in biofilm formation in rich artificial media and xylem sap. Gene expression was significantly downregulated for representative fimbrial adhesin and motility genes in ∆pilG-I, and to a lesser extent in ∆pilJ. Our data suggest that Pil, but not Chp, proteins are virulence factors, and pilG-I-J are involved in transcriptional regulation of type I and IV pili virulence genes and therefore motility and biofilm formation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a chemotaxis-like operon involved in the regulation of key structural genes of both type I and type IV pili.
Pathways through which higher neighborhood crime is longitudinally associated with greater body mass index

Although crime and perceived safety are associated with obesity and body mass index (BMI), the pathways are less clear. Two likely pathways by which crime and perceived safety may impact obesity are through distress and physical activity. We examined data from 2013 to 2014 for 644 predominantly African-American adults (mean age 57 years; 77% female) living in low-income Pittsburgh, PA neighborhoods, including self-reported perceptions of safety and emotional distress, interviewer-measured height/weight, and physical activity measured via accelerometry. We used secondary data on neighborhood crime from 2011 to 2013. We built a structural equation model to examine the longitudinal direct and indirect pathways from crime to BMI through perceived safety, distress and physical activity. Long-term exposure to crime was positively associated with lack of perceived safety (β = 0.11, p = 0.005) and lack of perceived safety was positively associated with BMI (β = 0.08, p = 0.03). The beneficial association between physical activity and BMI (β = −0.15, p < 0.001) was attenuated by a negative association between crime and physical activity (β = −0.09, p = 0.01). Although crime was associated with distress we found no evidence of a path from crime to BMI via distress. Our findings suggest decrements in perceived safety and physical activity are important processes that might explain why neighborhood crime is associated with greater BMI.
Incentive use for improving maternal health: Perspective from behavioral science

Incentive use to improve maternal health behavior has been controversial, and guidelines to effectively design and implement such an intervention have been published. This commentary briefly describes a perspective from behavioral science for the existing guideline on the development of an incentive-based intervention to change maternal health behaviors. It is recommended to emphasize the saliency of incentives as an important variable to maintain the intervention effect while addressing barriers to feasibility and sustainability.
Corrected implicit Monte Carlo

Abstract In this work we develop a set of nonlinear correction equations to enforce a consistent time-implicit emission temperature for the original semi-implicit IMC equations. We present two possible forms of correction equations: one results in a set of non-linear, zero-dimensional, non-negative, explicit correction equations, and the other results in a non-linear, non-negative, Boltzman transport correction equation. The zero-dimensional correction equations adheres to the maximum principle for the material temperature, regardless of frequency-dependence, but does not prevent maximum principle violation in the photon intensity, eventually leading to material overheating. The Boltzman transport correction guarantees adherence to the maximum principle for frequency-independent simulations, at the cost of evaluating a reduced source non-linear Boltzman equation. We present numerical evidence suggesting that the Boltzman transport correction, in its current form, significantly improves time step limitations but does not guarantee adherence to the maximum principle for frequency-dependent simulations.
Motion in an Externally Generated Velocity Field

Suppose that the velocity of each point on the implicit surface is given as V↦(V↦); i.e., assume that V↦(V↦) is known for every point (V↦ with φ(V↦) = 0. Given this velocity field V↦ = (u, v, w), we wish to move all the points on the surface with this velocity. The simplest way to do this is to solve the ordinary differential equation (ODE) $$ \frac{{d\overrightarrow x }}{{dt}} = \overrightarrow V \left( {\overrightarrow x } \right) $$ for every point V↦ on the front, i.e., for all V↦ with φ(V↦) = 0. This is the Lagrangian formulation of the interface evolution equation. Since there are generally an infinite number of points on the front (except, of course, in one spatial dimension), this means discretizing the front into a finite number of pieces. For example, one could use segments in two spatial dimensions or triangles in three spatial dimensions and move the endpoints of these segments or triangles. This is not so hard to accomplish if the connectivity does not change and the surface elements are not distorted too much. Unfortunately, even the most trivial velocity fields can cause large distortion of boundary elements (segments or triangles), and the accuracy of the method can deteriorate quickly if one does not periodically modify the discretization in order to account for these deformations by smoothing and regularizing inaccurate surface elements.