cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consumer evaluation of intra-sustainable trade-offs in pig production – A mixed-method approach to analyze different consumer segments

ABSTRACT In the ongoing public debate about livestock production systems and especially for pig production, natural living conditions, including sufficient space for each individual animal, outdoor access and litter bedding are the most discussed public issues. In contrast, many consumers are very price sensitive and additionally demand products to have high food safety and high quality. Thus, trade-offs arise for farmers, policymakers and all actors in the supply chain. Up to now, it is widely unknown how people react and deal with intra-sustainable trade-offs in conventional pig farming systems. Typical trade-offs occur, for example, when using farrowing crates for sows, or outdoor access for slaughter pigs. Against a background of little knowledge, a mixed-method approach was used. First, ten qualitative in-depth interviews with German citizens were conducted. There followed an online survey with 1,298 German citizens. Realistic pictures and texts (formulated in cooperation with farmer associations and association for the protection of farm animals) were used to provide the participants with information about trade-offs (farrowing crate and outdoor access). Participants were confronted with trade-offs regarding farrowing crate and outdoor access and were asked to evaluate the systems. Using a cluster analysis, four clusters (“Unsure,” “Vague decision makers”, “Animal welfare supporters,” and “Animal and environmental protectionists”) were identified to characterize consumers´ evaluation of the trade-offs. The findings of this exploratory multi-method approach show that the given information about the farrowing crate did not lead to more acceptance. Furthermore, the presented negative aspects about outdoor access did not change its positive image. This could be useful for policymakers and all actors in the pig supply chain.
Exploring strong-field deviations from general relativity via gravitational waves

Two new observational windows have been opened to strong gravitational physics: gravitational waves, and very long baseline interferometry. This suggests observational searches for new phenomena in this regime, and in particular for those necessary to make black hole evolution consistent with quantum mechanics. We describe possible features of ``compact quantum objects'' that replace classical black holes in a consistent quantum theory, and approaches to observational tests for these using gravitational waves. This is an example of a more general problem of finding consistent descriptions of deviations from general relativity, which can be tested via gravitational wave detection. Simple models for compact modifications to classical black holes are described via an effective stress tensor, possibly with an effective equation of state. A general discussion is given of possible observational signatures, and of their dependence on properties of the colliding objects. The possibility that departures from classical behavior are restricted to the near-horizon regime raises the question of whether these will be obscured in gravitational wave signals, due to their mutual interaction in a binary coalescence being deep in the mutual gravitational well. Numerical simulation with such simple models will be useful to clarify the sensitivity of gravitational wave observation to such highly compact departures from classical black holes.
No guts, no glory: Gut content metabarcoding unveils the diet of a flower-associated coastal sage scrub predator

Invertebrate generalist predators are ubiquitous and play a major role in food‐web dynamics. Molecular gut content analysis (MGCA) has become a popular means to assess prey ranges and specificity of cryptic arthropods in the absence of direct observation. While this approach has been widely used to study predation on economically important taxa (i.e., pests) in agroecosystems, it is less frequently used to study the broader trophic interactions involving generalist predators in natural communities such as the diverse and threatened coastal sage scrub communities of Southern California. Here, we employ DNA metabarcoding‐based MGCA and survey the taxonomically and ecologically diverse prey range of Phymata pacifica Evans, a generalist flower‐associated ambush bug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). We detected predation on a wide array of taxa including beneficial pollinators, potential pests, and other predatory arthropods. The success of this study demonstrates the utility of MGCA in natural ecosystems and can serve as a model for future diet investigations into other cryptic and underrepresented communities.
Lifeworld Discourse, Translingualism, and Agency in a Discourse Genealogy of César Chávez’s Literacies

Translingual scholarship emphasizes the temporal dimensions of language use, and frame language practices as emergent phenomena shaped by repertories of discursive activities sedimented through prior experience. This essay adapts Gee’s concept of lifeworld Discourse in order to theorize (1) how Discourse competencies are cultivated through the sedimentation of discourse practices over time, and (2) how actors occupy thresholds or dwell on borders while they draw on repertoires sedimented through prior experience in response to emergent rhetorical situations. I activate the lifeworld Discourse conceptual framework in an analytical approach that I call a Discourse genealogy in order to trace out the palimpsestic emergence and blending of Discursive competencies throughout labor and community organizer Cesar Chavez’s life. The argument focuses on the archival record of Chavez’s literacy practices in order to understand his emergent lifeworld Discourses from birth in 1927 through the late 1950s, up to the point at which he began to organize the migrant farmworkers under the auspices of the Community Service Organization in Oxnard, California (1957-8). Using textual analysis of Chavez’s writings and oral history records, the following essay shows how one thread of Chavez’s lifeworld Discourse – responding to social injustice – binds together a number of Chavez’s varied Discursive repertoires. My central argument is that when we occupy thresholds that connect Discourses, our repertoires of practice may be blended with new practices to form emergent potentials for responding to rhetorical situations. The thread of repertoires sedimented throughout a lifetime bind together the various social Discourses we encounter and engage with in our public lives.
Human-Robot Collaboration in Construction: Opportunities and Challenges

The last decade of robotic advances in manipulation, sensing, and computing is starting to enable the use of robots in unstructured environments, such as construction, to assist in hazardous, repetitive, and strenuous manual tasks. The construction field poses considerable technical challenges that have led to complex setups and programming as well as unsafe robots that are not suited for human-robot collaboration. Human-robot collaboration through haptic interfaces, utilized in other fields, could help integrate the workers’ expertise with the robots’ accuracy, safety, repeatability, and speed, but have not yet been widely applied to the construction industry. By using the SAI robotic simulation environment and human-safe compliant robots, this paper introduces a method to study the potential of haptics for five construction tasks: drywall installation, painting, bolting, welding, and pouring concrete.
Grey water footprints of U.S. thermoelectric power plants from 2010–2016

Abstract Water demands for power generation within the energy-water nexus focus on both consumptive and withdrawn water for thermoelectric power plant cooling. However, the consumptive-based approach of water footprinting is incongruent with withdrawn water. Grey water footprints of thermoelectric power plants associated with thermal pollution offer a proxy method to integrate the consumptive (blue) water footprint concept with withdrawn water. In this study, we compute the monthly grey water footprints of thermoelectric power plants from 2010–2016 in the United States. The calculation of grey water footprint relies on return flow and temperature effluent data, which are available through the Energy Information Administration. However, in cases where these data are unavailable, we present a model for estimating grey water footprints based on fuel type, return flow, and generation. Grey water footprints show a peak in the winter and summer months with lower volumes in the spring and fall. Additionally, the national grey water footprint was 18% greater in 2016 than 2010 (408 km3 versus 347 km3), peaking in 2015 at 505 km3. Grey water footprints of electricity generally occur in the eastern area of the United States, where once-through cooling systems are most prevalent. We discuss the potential of grey water footprints as a policy tool for assessing aquatic ecosystem impacts of thermal pollution. Our study provides the first quantification of grey water footprints due to thermoelectric power plant pollution in the United States and provides a means of estimating grey water footprints with limited data.
On Low-Energy Tail Distortions in the Detector Response Function of X-Ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometers

We use narrow spectral lines from the X-ray spectra of various highly charged ions to measure low-energy tail-like deviations from a Gaussian response function in a microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometer with Au absorbers at energies from 650 to 3320 eV. We review the literature on low-energy tails in other microcalorimeter X-ray spectrometers and present a model that explains all the reviewed tail fraction measurements. In this model, a low-energy tail arises from the combination of electron escape and energy trapping associated with Bi X-ray absorbers.
Secondary Structure Ensemble Analysis via Community Detection

We explored the extent to which graph algorithms for community detection can improve the mining of structural information from the predicted Boltzmann/Gibbs ensemble for the biological objects known as RNA secondary structures. As described, a new computational pipeline was developed, implemented, and tested against the prior method RNAStructProfiling. Since the new approach was judged to provide more structural information in 75% of the test cases, this proof-of-principle analysis supports efforts to improve the data mining of RNA secondary structure ensembles.
Bidirectional and state-dependent modulation of brain activity by transcranial focused ultrasound in non-human primates.

Abstract Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) stimulation under MRI guidance, coupled with functional MRI (fMRI) monitoring of effects, offers a precise, noninvasive technology to dissect functional brain circuits and to modulate altered brain functional networks in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here we show that ultrasound at moderate intensities modulated neural activity bi-directionally. Concurrent sonication of somatosensory areas 3a/3b with 250 kHz FUS suppressed the fMRI signals produced there by peripheral tactile stimulation, while at the same time eliciting fMRI activation at inter-connected, off-target brain regions. Direct FUS stimulation of the cortex resulted in different degrees of BOLD signal changes across all five off-target regions, indicating that its modulatory effects on active and resting neurons differed. This is the first demonstration of the dual suppressive and excitative modulations of FUS on a specific functional circuit and of ability of concurrent FUS and MRI to evaluate causal interactions between functional circuits with neuron-class selectivity.
An Unusual Freshwater Mussel Shell Morphology from Three Archaeological Sites in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Basin

We discuss a previously undescribed shell morphology in unionid mussels from three archaeological sites in western Mississippi. Similar shell features are observed across multiple genera, indicatin...
The Online Market’s Invisible Hand: Internet Media and Rising Populism:

Given the recent surge of global populism, this article explores the relationship between Internet/social media and support for populist parties by focusing on the structure of the online marketpla...
Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies?

1. Do Christians need souls?: theological and biblical perspectives on human nature 2. What does science say about human nature?: physics, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience 3. Did my neurons make me do it?: reductionism, morality, and the problem of free will 4. What are the philosophical challenges?: human distinctives, divine action, and personal identity.
Leading proton production in deep inelastic scattering at HERA

The semi-inclusive reaction e(+)p -> e(+) Xp was studied with the ZEUS detector at HERA with an integrated luminosity of 12.8 pb(-1). The final-state proton, which was detected with the ZEUS leading proton spectrometer, carried a large fraction of the incoming proton energy, x(L) > 0.32, and its transverse momentum squared satisfied p(T)(2) <0.5GeV(2); the exchanged photon virtuality, Q(2), was greater than 3 GeV2 and the range of the masses of the photon-proton system was 45 <W <225GeV. The leading proton production cross section and rates are presented as a function of x(L), p(T)(2), Q(2) and the Bjorken scaling variable, x.
Taxation, money, and credit, in a liberalizing socialist economy

Understanding the system of financial control in the pre-existing regime of ‘classical’ socialism is a key to understanding what might go wrong in the transition. Accordingly, this paper proceeds in four steps by examining: (1) how domestic fiscal and monetary processes complement central planning in the classical socialist economy; (2) why this mechanism for securing domestic financial control under classical socialism tends to break down naturally into inflation when decentralization begins and central planning though direct materials balancing is weakened; (3) how, in a more deliberate transition, domestic tax and monetary arrangements might be better managed to keep the price level stable as prices of individual goods and services are freed; and (4) how, in moving toward free foreign trade, explicit policies governing tariffs and foreign exchange convertibility could best parallel and complement the evolving restraints on money and credit in domestic commerce.
Biosynthesis of Peptidoglycan in Gaffkya homari: Role of the Peptide Subunit of Uridine Diphosphate-N-Acetylmuramyl-Pentapeptide

The incorporation of N-acetylmuramyl (MurNAc)-peptides from nucleotide-activated precursors (reference: uridine diphosphate [UDP]MurNAc-Ala1-dGlu2-Lys3- dAla4-dAla5) with incomplete or modified peptide subunits into peptidoglycan was studied with membrane preparations from Gaffkya homari. The effectiveness of their utilization at low and high concentrations was compared on the basis of the values of Vmax/Km and Vmax, respectively. At low concentration, replacement of alanine by glycine in position 5 has a small effect on the activity of the peptidoglycan synthesizing system, whereas it has a significantly larger effect in positions 1 and 4. The importance of d-alanine in position 4 at low substrate concentrations is also observed with the incomplete UDP-MurNAc-peptides. For UDP-MurNAc-tripeptide and -tetrapeptide, Vmax/Km is 0.06 and 0.55, respectively, of the value for the -pentapeptide. At high substrate concentration, replacement of d-alanine by glycine in either position 1 or 5 decreases the activity to 0.37 of the value for the reference nucleotide, whereas replacement in position 4 has a smaller effect (0.74). The profiles established from Vmax and Vmax/Km with UDP-MurNAc-tripeptide, -tetrapeptide, and -pentapeptide show good correlation. At low concentration the specificity profiles of phospho-MurNAc-pentapeptide translocase, catalyzing the initial membrane reaction, are similar to those for the peptidoglycan synthesizing system; at high concentration, however, the profiles differ. The translocase appears to provide a primary specificity barrier at high substrate concentration for UDP-MurNAc-Ala-dGlu-Lys-dAla-dAla and UDP-MurNAc-Ala-dGlu-Lys-Gly-dAla, and at low concentration for UDP-MurNAc-Ala-dGlu-Lys and UDP-MurNAc-Ala-dGlu-Lys-Gly-dAla. Moreover, it is suggested that an additional specificity barrier exists in the peptidoglycan synthesizing system for certain nucleotides. Thus, the cytoplasmic enzymes and the membrane-associated enzyme(s) cooperate to insure the formation of functioning peptidoglycan in this organism.
Uniparental disomy in humans: development of an imprinting map and its implications for prenatal diagnosis

Uniparental disomy (UPD) in humans is caused primarily by meiotic nondisjunction events, followed by trisomy or monosomy 'rescue'. The majority of cases appear to be associated with advanced maternal age, and may be initially detected as mosaic trisomies during routine prenatal diagnosis by chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. In addition, structural abnormalities including Robertsonian translocations, reciprocal translocations and supernumerary marker chromosomes appear to be associated with an increased risk of UPD. Predicting the phenotypic effects of UPD is complex, as three independent factors are involved : (i) effects of trisomy on the placenta or the fetus ; (ii) autosomal recessive disease due to reduction to homozygosity ; and (iii) imprinted gene effects for some chromosomes. To date, UPD in humans has been reported for 25 of the 47 possible uniparental types. Imprinting effects have been established with certainty for four human chromosomes that have homology to mouse chromosomes which have been shown to have significant phenotypic effects in uniparental animals. A normal phenotype has been reported for 14 other UPD types. Thus, collection of data on UPD cases in humans is providing an imprinting map analogous to the experimentally derived imprinting map in mouse. This human imprinting map has important clinical implications, particularly in the area of prenatal diagnosis.
Photometric and Astrometric Surveys for Low-Mass Field Stars

Most of what we know about the luminosity function of low-mass stars has been derived from analysis of large-scale photometric and astrometric surveys. In this paper I present a selective, biased review of our current understanding of the field (literally, since cluster studies are covered ably elsewhere in this conference) and pinpoint what I believe are likely to be the most important areas for future work.
Modification of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer for Analysis of Plutonium Impurities

The current status of inductively coupled plasma development for use in determining impurities in plutonium metal at Rockwell International's Rocky Flats Plant is discussed in this paper. The design and installation of the facility are discussed in detail, and the proposed chemical procedure is mentioned briefly. To provide protection to personnel, the plasma torch is installed inside an open-faced hood. Light from the torch is transferred to the polychromator through a quartz window or to supplemental monochromators using quartz fiber-optic cables. After the plutonium and americium are removed by a solvent extraction procedure, the impurities remaining in the aqueous phase are analyzed with the aid of an autosampler and peristaltic pump located in an adjacent glove box.
Shielding of the hip prosthesis during radiation therapy for heterotopic ossification is associated with increased failure of prophylaxis.

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) is frequently administered to prevent heterotopic ossification (HO) after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an increased risk of HO after RT prophylaxis with shielding of the THA components. Methods and Materials: This is a retrospective analysis of THA patients undergoing RT prophylaxis of HO at Brigham and Women's Hospital between June 1994 and February 2004. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the relationships of all variables to failure of RT prophylaxis. Results: A total of 137 patients were identified and 84 were eligible for analysis (61%). The median RT dose was 750 cGy in one fraction, and the median follow-up was 24 months. Eight of 40 unshielded patients (20%) developed any progression of HO compared with 21 of 44 shielded patients (48%) ( p = 0.009). Brooker Grade III-IV HO developed in 5% of unshielded and 18% of shielded patients ( p = 0.08). Multivariate analysis revealed shielding ( p = 0.02) and THA for prosthesis infection ( p = 0.03) to be significant predictors of RT failure, with a trend toward an increasing risk of HO progression with age ( p = 0.07). There was no significant difference in the prosthesis failure rates between shielded and unshielded patients. Conclusions: A significantly increased risk of failure of RT prophylaxis for HO was noted in those receiving shielding of the hip prosthesis. Shielding did not appear to reduce the risk of prosthesis failure.
Using mechanistic models to understand synchrony in forest insect populations: the North American gypsy moth as a case study.

Abstract: In many forest insects, subpopulations fluctuate concurrently across large geographical areas, a phenomenon known as population synchrony. Because of the large spatial scales involved, empirical tests to identify the causes of synchrony are often impractical. Simple models are, therefore, a useful aid to understanding, but data often seem to contradict model predictions. For instance, chaotic population dynamics and limited dispersal are not uncommon among synchronous forest defoliators, yet both make it difficult to achieve synchrony in simple models. To test whether this discrepancy can be explained by more realistic models, we introduced dispersal and spatially correlated stochasticity into a mechanistic population model for the North American gypsy moth Lymantria dispar. The resulting model shows both chaotic dynamics and spatial synchrony, suggesting that chaos and synchrony can be reconciled by the incorporation of realistic dynamics and spatial structure. By relating alterations in model ...
Types, meanings and ambivalence in intergenerational exchanges among Cambodian refugee families in the United States

This article aims to answer the following question: how have refugee families in the United States (US) modified attitudes and behaviours surrounding intergenerational exchanges within the context of filial piety? This research reports on one 31-member extended family in a community of Cambodian refugee families living along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The family members in this study have changed types, found new meanings in, and are often ambivalent about, intergenerational exchanges. Moreover, they have held onto those aspects of Cambodian culture that were considered essential, such as filial piety and elder reverence, while adapting and redefining types and meanings of intergenerational exchanges the better to reflect their current lives in the United States. These findings illuminate ways in which changed life circumstances and cultural transitions shaped attitudes, preferences and behavioural patterns associated with intergenerational exchanges. The findings also show how and why refugee families have negotiated and modified their beliefs and behaviours surrounding intergenerational exchanges in the context of massive social and cultural disruption.
Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer experiment: Stellar observations

Photoelectric spectra have been obtained for a number of early-type stars in the 1100- to 2000-angstrom region with the Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer. The resonance lines of H I, Si IV, and C IV are easily identified, as are features due to C II, C III, Si III, Fe II, N IV. The absolute energy distribution derived from the data lie about 20 percent below those of OAO-2 in the 1200- to 2000-angstrom region.
Innocents Abroad, Part II: A Glimpse at Chemical Education in India

The pursuit of effective teaching and student learning is an activity and often a passion of the readers of this Journal, and even a brief look at the author list for a recent volume would help convince us that this is indeed an international phenomenon. Our colleagues all over the world are likely to have the same basic concerns and expectations, often manifested in the circumstances associated with the infrastructures and traditions of their institutions and location. Some observations and reflections from a recent visit to India make these points abundantly clear.
Walsh-Fourier series for functions of n variables with localization

Abstract When it is desired to represent a function of n variables by a series of the Fourier type, it is customary to construct the relevant complete orthogonal set by taking a set of functions each of which is a product of n functions of single variables. With Walsh functions, an alternative is possible, feasible, and practically implementable. The principal advantage of the alternative scheme is that localization holds in the same sense as for a function of a single variable represented by a series of the Fourier type. Another feature of the alternative method is that the Walsh-Fourier series for certain types of discontinuous functions behave essentially as if those functions were continuous.
Viscosity scaling and protein dynamics

The rates of molecular motions in the interior of some proteins were found to scale with an inverse power of the external solvent viscosity. The data were explained by a flexible protein structure whose dynamics is partially controlled by the solvent. Reaction dynamics in the presence of structural fluctuations with finite lifetimes lead to a dynamic friction coefficient defined by a generalized Langevin equation and a fluctuation-dissipation theorem. A model for the dynamic friction is derived assuming that the fluctuation spectrum at the reaction site involves two components: solvent-independent diffusion of local structural defects in the protein matrix and global fluctuations coupled to the solvent. The theory is applied to the viscosity dependence of molecular oxygen-binding rates in sperm whale myoglobin.
Investigation of optically generated transient electronic defects and protonic transport in hydrogen-bonded molecular solids. Isomorphs of potassium dihydrogen phosphate

Abstract Recent results are reported from our study of a new class of transient electronic defects generated with ultraviolet (UV) photons in hydrogen-bonded molecular solids represented by isomorphs of dihydrogen phosphate. At room temperature, the defect forms 1.6 ± 0.4 ps after UV two-photon excitation, decays nonexponentially in ≈ 20 s, and absorbs from the UV to the near-IR. The defect is identified as a HPO·−4 radical and supports proposed formation and decay mechanisms based on protonic transport. These findings also call into question interpretations of ionizing radiation results.
Heat transfer and fluid flow during electron beam welding of 21Cr–6Ni–9Mn steel and Ti–6Al–4V alloy

Electron beam welding (EBW) of two important engineering alloys, Ti–6Al–4V and 21Cr–6Ni–9Mn, was studied experimentally and theoretically. The temperatures at several monitoring locations in the specimens were measured as a function of time during welding and the cross-sections of the welds were examined by optical microscopy. The theoretical research involved numerical simulation of heat transfer and fluid flow during EBW. The model output included temperature and velocity fields, fusion zone geometry and temperature versus time results. The numerically computed fusion zone geometry and the temperature versus time plots were compared with the corresponding experimentally determined values for each weld. Both the experimental and the modelling results were compared with the corresponding results for the keyhole mode laser beam welding (LBW).Both experimental and modelling results demonstrate that the fusion zone size in Ti–6Al–4V alloy was larger than that of the 21Cr–6Ni–9Mn stainless steel during both the electron beam and laser welding. Higher boiling point and lower solid state thermal conductivity of Ti–6Al–4V contributed to higher peak temperatures in Ti–6Al–4V welds compared with 21Cr–6Ni–9Mn stainless steel welds. In the EBW of both the alloys, there were significant velocities of liquid metal along the keyhole wall driven by the Marangoni convection. In contrast, during LBW, the velocities along the keyhole wall were negligible. Convective heat transfer was important in the transport of heat in the weld pool during both the laser and the EBW. The computed keyhole wall temperatures during EBW at low pressures were lower than those during the LBW at atmospheric pressure for identical heat input.
Mining proteomic data to expose protein modifications in Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1.

Proteomic tools identify constituents of complex mixtures, often delivering long lists of identified proteins. The high-throughput methods excel at matching tandem mass spectrometry data to spectra predicted from sequence databases. Unassigned mass spectra are ignored, but could, in principle, provide valuable information on unanticipated modifications and improve protein annotations while consuming limited quantities of material. Strategies to “mine” information from these discards are presented, along with discussion of features that, when present, provide strong support for modifications. In this study we mined LC-MS/MS datasets of proteolytically-digested concanavalin A pull down fractions from Methanosarcina mazei Go1 cell lysates. Analyses identified 154 proteins. Many of the observed proteins displayed post-translationally modified forms, including O-formylated and methyl-esterified segments that appear biologically relevant (i.e., not artifacts of sample handling). Interesting cleavages and modifications (e.g., S-cyanylation and trimethylation) were observed near catalytic sites of methanogenesis enzymes. Of 31 Methanosarcina protein N-termini recovered by concanavalin A binding or from a previous study, only M. mazei S-layer protein MM1976 and its M. acetivorans C2A orthologue, MA0829, underwent signal peptide excision. Experimental results contrast with predictions from algorithms SignalP 3.0 and Exprot, which were found to over-predict the presence of signal peptides. Proteins MM0002, MM0716, MM1364, and MM1976 were found to be glycosylated, and employing chromatography tailored specifically for glycopeptides will likely reveal more. This study supplements limited, existing experimental datasets of mature archaeal N-termini, including presence or absence of signal peptides, translation initiation sites, and other processing. Methanosarcina surface and membrane proteins are richly modified.
Multiwavelength Emission from Blazars - Conference Summary

Presentations at the Guangzhou Conference on Multiwavelength Emission from Blazars confirmed our understanding of blazars as relativistic jets closely aligned with the line of sight. Powerful new studies have been enabled by the Fermi gamma-ray satellite and new groundbased TeV facilities, which are an order of magnitude more sensitive than their predecessors. Combining gamma-ray data with VLBA radio and with optical/IR photometry has shed new light on the emission mechanisms and the jet geometry. This conference summary sets the context for the 4th blazar conference and presents some of the highlights from the meeting, as well as the questions that remain outstanding.
The nucleus retroambigualis controls laryngeal muscle activity during vocalization in the cat

The purpose of this study was to determine (1) whether the nucleus retroambigualis (NRA) plays an essential role in periaqueductal gray (PAG)-induced vocalization and (2) which NRA neurons are involved in the projection from the PAG to laryngeal motoneurons. Bilateral injections of the neurotoxin kainic acid into the NRA in decerebrate cats abolished PAG-induced vocalization; PAG stimulation after the injections no longer modulated vocal fold adductor or tensor activity, and only tonically, but no longer phasically, activated the abdominal muscles. In contrast, PAG-induced inspiratory excitation remained even after the injections. These results suggest that the NRA is essential for the vocal activation of the laryngeal adductor and abdominal muscles, and that an additional pathway from the PAG to respiratory motoneurons other than through the NRA is important for mediating PAG-induced inspiratory activation. Secondly, axonal projections of NRA neurons to the contralateral nucleus ambiguus (NA) were studied electrophysiologically. Five expiratory neurons, which had decrementing (n=4) or constant (n=1) firing patterns, were identified as both having axonal projections to the NA and receiving inputs from the PAG. Furthermore, following NA stimulation many constant-latency action potentials of silent cells were recorded in the vicinity of the NRA, where many silent cells were also orthodromically activated by PAG stimulation. No NRA augmenting expiratory neurons could be antidromically activated from the NA. It is suggested that the NRA and adjacent reticular formation integrate inputs from the PAG and send outputs to laryngeal motoneurons for vocalization.
Evaluation of protection coordination with distributed generation in distribution networks

During the last decade, the needs for exploitation of distributed generation (DG), including renewable energy such as photovoltaic, wind turbine, fuel cells, etc., has been growing. In spite of many economic and technical advantages of DG, high penetration of DG in distribution systems would cause some negative impacts on distribution network operation such as increase of fault current level, false tripping, etc. In this paper, the impacts of DG's on protection coordination and operation of distribution network are analyzed including increase of the level of fault current, malfunctioning of protective devices and protection coordination of CB-reclosers. And Test of directional recloser and directional distribution automation FRTUs is also carried out to validate the directional elements and fault indication function of these bidirectional devices using real-time power system simulator. These directional overcurrent elements and fault indication of bidirectional devices are tested and is validated in various fault condition in distribution network with distributed generation using real-time power system simulator. (5 pages)
SPARK CHAMBER USING HELIUM OR HYDROGEN AT HIGH DENSITY

Abstract Efficiency data and threshold voltages are given for a four-gap helium spark chamber in which the pressure was varied from 1 to 30 atm (gauge) while the voltage was varied from 13 to 30 kV. Data is also presented for the same spark chamber using un-adulterated hydrogen gas up to 6 atm pressure.
Nonzero θ 13 signals nonmaximal atmospheric neutrino mixing

From recent groundbreaking experiments, it is now known that the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata mixing differs significantly from the tribimaximal model in which ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{13}=0$ and ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{23}=\ensuremath{\pi}/4$. Flavor symmetry can require that the departures from these two equations are linearly related. ${T}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and ${A}_{4}$, which successfully accommodated the pre-T2K Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata matrix, predict that $38.07\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ensuremath{\le}{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{23}\ensuremath{\le}39.52\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ at 95% C.L. The best fit values, combining the model predictions with T2K, MINOS, Double Chooz, Daya Bay, and RENO data, are ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{23}=38.7\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ and ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{13}=8.9\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$.
A prospective analysis of life events, problem behaviours and depression in adults with intellectual disability.

Background Life events have consistently been found to be associated with behaviour problems and depression among individuals with intellectual disability (ID). However, prior findings have typically been based on correlational or retrospective analyses of case files. The current study attempted to replicate prior findings from life events with concurrent data and extend them to the prospective prediction of behaviour problems and depression. The influence of impact ratings of life events was also explored. Methods Seventy-four informants rated 104 adults with ID on measures of life events, behaviour problems and depressive symptoms. Life events were rated as having either a positive, negative or no impact on the life of the individual with ID. Measures were completed twice, at a 4-month interval. Results Behaviour problems were both correlated with and predicted by frequency counts of life events and life events perceived as negative. However, the predictive ability depended on which measure of problem behaviour was selected. Positive life events were not associated with concurrent behaviour problems. Depressive symptoms were correlated with all life changes, but only predicted by frequency counts of life events and life events perceived as negative. Again, the predictive ability depended on which measure of depression was selected. Findings were corroborated with a group of individuals with clinical diagnoses of major depression. Conclusions Frequency counts of all life events and life events perceived as negative play a role in the development of behaviour problems and depressive symptoms among adults with ID. The results have implications for interventions for behaviour problems following a life event, and for reducing depressive symptoms for adults with mild ID.
Enlarging soft tissue mass involving the mandibular left alveolar ridge

The central giant-cell granuloma is a benign, fairly uncommon lesion that can appear clinically and radiographically similar to many other lesions. When histopathological examination discloses a giant-cell lesion of bone, clinical, radiographic, and laboratory data must be obtained and carefully analyzed to rule out such conditions as hyperparathyroidism, Paget's disease, and cherubism, and to confirm the diagnosis of central giant-cell granuloma. Once the diagnosis is established, thorough curettage or surgical excision of the tumor is recommended to assure complete removal. Although recurrence is rare, periodic postoperative examination is also suggested.
Structure of a diruthenium(II,III) complex with benzamidato bridging ligands

Abstract The compound Ru2Cl(C6H5CONH)4 has now been obtained in crystalline form and the crystal and molecular structure determined by X-ray met
Review of “Short Bowel Syndrome in Childhood” by Michael Hollwarth, published by Morgan & Claypool Life Sciences (eBook) www.morganclaypool.com

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) remains a significant disease process for pediatric surgeons. As such, the book on this topic by Michael Hollwarth is both timely and important. While most books are quite lengthy and have in-depth chapters on adaptation and physiologic principals, this book is actually quite unique. Dr. Hollwarth’s book is quite succinct (just under 100 pages), yet covers a wide range of topics from physiology, gut adaptation to medical and surgical management. Thus, the book might be an excellent compendium to residents, nutritionists or other medical professionals who need a quick primer on this very challenging subject. I particularly liked the chapters on the complications of SBS, including bacterial overgrowth. As well, there is a very nice section which makes recommendations on the laboratory values which need close monitoring. These are key areas which require careful management and long-term follow-up in SBS patients. Due to the book’s length, there are some limitations to be noted. First, the placement of GLP-2 treatment under ‘‘Conservative Therapy for SBS Humans’’ might be a bit of a misstatement. While the drug was just approved for adults last year, it is still under investigation for the use in children. Thus, its use should be viewed as experimental in childhood. As well, the book has a very limited reference to the use and outcomes of intestinal transplantation. While this latter therapy has been on the decline due to improved clinical outcomes, it still is a key element in the overall care of children with SBS. As the lives of children with SBS are improving and children are gaining greater life expectancies, books such as the one by Michael Hollwarth will have a key role in the education of many healthcare workers who will eventually encounter these highly complex children.
Optimization of two methods for the analysis of hydrogen peroxide: High performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection in direct current mode

Abstract Two complementary methods were optimized for the separation and detection of trace levels of hydrogen peroxide. The first method utilized reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC–FD). With this approach, hydrogen peroxide was detected based upon its participation in the hemin-catalyzed oxidation of p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid to yield the fluorescent dimer. The second method utilized high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC–ED). With this approach, hydrogen peroxide was detected based upon its oxidation at a gold working electrode at an applied potential of 400 mV vs. hydrogen reference electrode (Pd/H2). Both methods were linear across the range of 15–300 μM, and the electrochemical method was linear across a wider range of 7.4–15,000 μM. The limit of detection for hydrogen peroxide was 6 μM by HPLC/FD, and 0.6 μM by HPLC/ED. A series of organic peroxides and inorganic ions were evaluated for their potential to interfere with the detection of hydrogen peroxide. Studies investigating the recovery of hydrogen peroxide with three different extraction protocols were also performed. Post-blast debris from the detonation of a mixture of concentrated hydrogen peroxide with nitromethane was analyzed on both systems. Hydrogen peroxide residues were successfully detected on this post-blast debris.
Spaces of Worship in Islam in the West

The role of the modern interior is redefined in this era of globalization, when boundaries blur among diverse communities to create new narratives. Regional influences are juxtaposed against cultur...
Textural development of clayey and quartzofeldspathic fault gouges relative to their sliding behavior

Abstract Many of the secondary fault structures developed during triaxial friction experiments have been generally correlated with the structures of natural fault zones. Therefore, any physical differences that can be found between laboratory samples that slide stably and those that show stick-slip motion may help to identify the cause of earthquakes. We have examined petrographically the run products of many triaxial friction experiments using clayey and quartzofeldspathic gouges, which comprise the principal types of natural fault gouge material. The examined samples were tested under a wide range of temperature, confining and fluid pressure, and velocity conditions. The clayey and quartzofeldspathic gouges show some textural differences, owing to their different mineral contents and grain sizes and shapes. In the clayey gouges, for example, a clay mineral fabric and kink band sets are commonly developed, whereas in the quartzofeldspathic gouges fracturing and crushing of the predominately quartz and feldspar grains are important processes. For both types of gouge, however, and whatever the pressure-temperature-velocity conditions of the experiments, the transition from stable sliding to stick-slip motion is correlated with: (i) a change from pervasive deformation of the gouge layer to localized slip in subsidiary shears; and (ii) an increase in the angle betweem the shears that crosscut the gouge layer (Riedel shears) and ones that form along the gouge-rock cylinder boundaries (boundary shears). This suggests that the localization of shear within a fault zone combined with relatively high Riedel-shear angles are somehow connected with earthquakes. Secondary fracture sets similar to Riedel shears have been identified at various scales in major strike-slip faults such as the San Andreas of the western United States (Wallace, 1973) and the Luhuo and Fuyun earthquake faults of China (Deng and Zhang, 1984; Deng et al. , 1986). The San Andreas also contains locked and creeping sections that correspond to the stick-slip and stably sliding experimental samples, respectively. We plan to study the physical structure of the San Andreas fault, to see if the experimentally observed differences related to sliding behavior can also be distinguished in the field.
Fusogenic pairings of vesicle-associated membrane proteins (VAMPs) and plasma membrane t-SNAREs--VAMP5 as the exception.

Background Intracellular vesicle fusion is mediated by the interactions of SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins on vesicles (v-SNAREs) and on target membranes (t-SNAREs). The vesicle-associated membrane proteins (VAMPs) are v-SNAREs that reside in various post-Golgi vesicular compartments. To fully understand the specific role of each VAMP in vesicle trafficking, it is important to determine if VAMPs have differential membrane fusion activities. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we developed a cell fusion assay that quantifies SNARE-mediated membrane fusion events by activated expression of β-galactosidase, and examined fusogenic pairings between the seven VAMPs, i.e., VAMPs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8, and two plasma membrane t-SNARE complexes, syntaxin1/SNAP-25 and syntaxin4/SNAP-25. VAMPs 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 drove fusion efficiently, whereas VAMP5 was unable to mediate fusion with the t-SNAREs. By expressing VAMPs 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8 at the same level, we further compared their membrane fusion activities. VAMPs 1 and 3 had comparable and the highest fusion activities, whereas VAMPs 4, 7 and 8 exhibited 30–50% lower fusion activities. Moreover, we determined the dependence of cell fusion activity on VAMP1 expression level. Analysis of the dependence data suggested that there was no cooperativity of VAMP proteins in the cell fusion reaction. Conclusions/Significance These data indicate that VAMPs have differential membrane fusion capacities, and imply that with the exception of VAMP5, VAMPs are essentially redundant in mediating fusion with plasma membrane t-SNAREs.
Theory of the energy-band lineup at an abrupt semiconductor heterojunction

We present a refined model for the prediction of the energy-band lineup at an abrupt semiconductor heterojunction. The position of the energy bands with respect to the electrostatic potential is calculated by a self-consistent pseudopotential,for the bulk semiconductors. The lineup of the electrostatic potentials is then calculated from an ionic model in which the ionic charges are determined by the electronegativities of the atomic species. The resulting band lineups are independent of the crystallographic orientation of the heterojunction. They are also generally consistent with experimental data.
On the Problem of Adopting Pragmatism in Public Administration

Answering the question, “Should public administration adopt pragmatism?” requires some agreement on what pragmatism means and what that adoption might entail. This article argues that such agreement does not currently exist and, without it, calls by administrative theorists for adoption will not receive their intended responses.