cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relation of leptin to left ventricular hypertrophy (from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).

Increasing adiposity increases the risk for left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. Adipokines are hormone-like substances from adipose tissue that influence several metabolic pathways relevant to LV hypertrophy. Data were obtained from participants enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and who also had fasting venous blood assayed for 4 distinct adipokines (adiponectin, leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α, and resistin). One-thousand four hundred sixty four MESA participants had complete data. The mean age was 61.5 years, the mean body mass index was 27.6 kg/m 2 , and 49% were women. With adjustment for age, gender, race, height, and weight, multivariate linear regression modeling revealed that a 1-SD increment in leptin was significantly associated with smaller LV mass (s: −4.66% predicted, p
Homogeneous binary zirconocenium catalyst systems for propylene polymerization. 1. Isotactic/atactic interfacial compatibilized polymers having thermoplastic elastomeric properties

Polypropylene with thermoplastic elastomeric properties was synthesized by homopolymerization of propylene using two metallocene catalysts of different stereospecificities: rac-ethylenebis-(1-η 5 -indenyl)zirconium dichloride or rac-dimethylsilylenebis(1-η 5 -indenyl)zirconium dichloride as iso-specific catalyst precursors and ethylenebis(9-η 5 -fluorenyl)zirconium dichloride as an aspecific precursor. The catalysts formed by activation of the precursors with triphenylcarbenium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)-borate and triisobutylaluminum exhibit a very high activity of 5 x 10 7 g of PP/([Zr][C 3 H 6 ]h). Products ranging from tough plastomers to weak elastomers were obtained by varying the ratio of the two types of precursors. The polymers containing less than half of the isotactic fraction display excellent thermoplastic elastomeric properties, which is attributable to an interconnected crystalline superstructure in an amorphous continuum compatibilized and bound together by a stereoblock copolymer at the interface against macrophase separation. Materials exhibiting elastic recoveries of 97-98%, which are relatively independent of elongation up to 500%, were obtained.
Decreased progesterone receptor expression in the intermediate trophoblastic cells of spontaneous abortions

Abstract Objective: To determine whether there are differences in the expression of progesterone receptor (PR) in intermediate trophoblastic cells of pregnancies ending in either spontaneous abortion (SAB) or elective abortion. Design: Immunohistochemical identification of PR in intermediate trophoblastic cells. Setting: Academic medical center. Patient(s): Subjects were 86 patients who either underwent first trimester SAB or elective abortion. Intervention(s): All SAB and elective abortion specimens were serially sectioned and immunohistochemically stained for PR and for melanoma cell adhesion molecule. Melanoma cell adhesion molecule immunohistochemical staining was used as a sensitive and specific marker to identify intermediate trophoblastic cells on the adjacent tissue section. Main Outcome Measure(s): The PR staining of intermediate trophoblastic cells by semiquantitative immunostaining score. Result(s): The PR expression in intermediate trophoblastic cells was significantly greater in elective abortion specimens than in SAB specimens. When controlling for estimated gestational age, the difference in PR expression was even greater. Conclusion(s): The quantity of PR in intermediate trophoblastic cells is significantly less in SAB when compared to elective abortion pregnancies. Although it is unknown whether this is a primary or secondary event, this information may be an important finding in attempting to characterize both the molecular etiology of implantation and the molecular pathophysiology of SAB.
An 8-factor prognostic model predicted early death in patients with traumatic bleeding.

Source Citation Perel P, Prieto-Merino D, Shakur H, et al. Predicting early death in patients with traumatic bleeding: development and validation of prognostic model. BMJ. 2012;345:e5166. 22896030
Conservation attitudes in Southern Africa: A comparison between KwaZulu and Swaziland

The opinions of rural people living near conservation areas have largely been ignored by conservationists. Several studies, however, have attempted to rectify this oversight, including two from southern Africa, whose findings can be compared. This paper examines the attitudes to nature conservation of people living near the Umfolozi-Hluhluwe Corridor Complex Game Reserve in southeastern South Africa with those of people living near the northeastern game reserve complex in Swaziland. Although the former study used a questionnaire survey and the latter semi-structured interviews, comparisons are possible because of common objectives. This paper concludes: (1) general support for nature conservation exists in both areas, (2) there is, however, little support for local conservation areas, (3) there appears to be little active hostility toward the conservation authorities managing protected lands, and (4) rural people's attempts to reconcile conservation and economic development are largely unsatisfactory.
Effects of impurities on CO2/CH4 separations through SAPO-34 membranes

Abstract The effects of H2O, N2, C2H4, C3H8, and n-C4H10 impurities on CO2/CH4 separation were studied for SAPO-34 membranes on stainless steel supports. The CO2 permeance decreased by 12%, but the CO2/CH4 selectivity was stable after 12 days of exposure to 170 ppm. Permeances and selectivity were not significantly affected when 3% N2 was in the feed. Adding 1% hydrocarbons (C2–C4) to the feed decreased both permeance and selectivity; C4 hydrocarbon caused the largest decrease because heavier hydrocarbons have higher heats of adsorption and thus inhibit CO2 permeation more significantly. Higher hydrocarbon concentrations decreased the permeance and selectivity more. When four impurities were in the feed, a SAPO-34 membrane separated CO2 from CH4 with selectivity as high as 55 and a CO2 permeance of 4.9 × 10−8 mol/(m2 s Pa) at 297 K and a feed pressure of 2.2 MPa. The percent impurity in the feed at low pressure was a good indication of the separation behavior at higher pressures. Higher impurity partial pressures did not result in more loss in permeance or selectivity when the CO2 and CH4 partial pressures were corresponding increased. The permeances and selectivities were not permanently reduced by impurities, but were restored by removing the impurity from the feed or by calcining.
Thick‐section reformatting of thinly collimated computed tomography for reduction of skull‐base‐related artifacts in dogs and horses

Computed tomography (CT) of the caudal fossa of 10 canine and nine equine cadaver heads was performed with conventional slice widths of 5 and 10 mm, respectively, and with thin collimations of 1 and 2 mm, respectively. Reformatting of thinly collimated slices was done by addition of thinly collimated slices to section thicknesses of 5 and 10 mm, respectively. Seventy-six pairs of conventional and reformatted images of identical anatomic locations were evaluated for magnitude of skull-base-related artifacts and image noise. A film-based subjective evaluation of artifact and noise was performed by four radiologists on a five-point score system. There was a statistically significant reduction of artifacts of canine and equine heads by 33% and 50%, respectively, on reformatted images compared with conventional ones but no difference in image noise. On objective artifact assessment based on the magnitude of standard deviation of attenuation values in the interpetrosal region, there was a statistically significant reduction of artifacts of canine and equine heads by 23% and 39%, respectively, on reformatted images. Thick-section reformatting significantly improves image quality of CT scans of the caudal fossa in dogs and horses.
Anion Permeation in Ca2+-Activated Cl− Channels

Ca2+-activated Cl channels (ClCaCs) are an important class of anion channels that are opened by increases in cytosolic [Ca2+]. Here, we examine the mechanisms of anion permeation through ClCaCs from Xenopus oocytes in excised inside-out and outside-out patches. ClCaCs exhibited moderate selectivity for Cl over Na: PNa/PCl = 0.1. The apparent affinity of ClCaCs for Cl was low: Kd = 73 mM. The channel had an estimated pore diameter >0.6 nm. The relative permeabilities measured under bi-ionic conditions by changes in Erev were as follows: C(CN)3 > SCN > N(CN)2 > ClO4 > I > N3 > Br > Cl > formate > HCO3 > acetate = F > gluconate. The conductance sequence was as follows: N3 > Br > Cl > N(CN)2 > I > SCN > COOH > ClO4 > acetate > HCO3 = C(CN)3 > gluconate. Permeant anions block in a voltage-dependent manner with the following affinities: C(CN)3 > SCN = ClO4 > N(CN)2 > I > N3 > Br > HCO3 > Cl > gluconate > formate > acetate. Although these data suggest that anionic selectivity is determined by ionic hydration energy, other factors contribute, because the energy barrier for permeation is exponentially related to anion hydration energy. ClCaCs exhibit weak anomalous mole fraction behavior, implying that the channel may be a multi-ion pore, but that ions interact weakly in the pore. The affinity of the channel for Ca2+ depended on the permeant anion at low [Ca2+] (100–500 nM). Apparently, occupancy of the pore by a permeant anion increased the affinity of the channel for Ca2+. The current was strongly dependent on pH. Increasing pH on the cytoplasmic side decreased the inward current, whereas increasing pH on the external side decreased the outward current. In both cases, the apparent pKa was voltage-dependent with apparent pKa at 0 mV = ∼9.2. The channel may be blocked by OH− ions, or protons may titrate a site in the pore necessary for ion permeation. These data demonstrate that the permeation properties of ClCaCs are different from those of CFTR or ClC-1, and provide insights into the nature of the ClCaC pore.
Convergence and divergence in state political behavior, 1970–2004

Abstract In view of the ongoing debate about the degree and direction of political polarization in the U.S., we assess whether the 50 states are converging or diverging in their behavior in state and federal elections. We find that states are diverging in their behavior in federal elections but converging in their behavior in state elections. Previous scholars have shown the need to distinguish between the degree of polarization of elites and ordinary citizens. Our findings demonstrate the further need to distinguish between trends in partisan polarization at the federal and state level.
Multiprocessors May Reduce System Dependability under File-Based Race Condition Attacks

Attacks exploiting race conditions have been considered rare and "low risk". However, the increasing popularity of multiprocessors has changed this situation: instead of waiting for the victim process to be suspended to carry out an attack, the attacker can now run on a dedicated processor and actively seek attack opportunities. This change from fortuitous encountering to active exploiting may greatly increase the success probability of race condition attacks. This point is exemplified by studying the TOCTTOU (Time-of- Check-to-Time-of-Use) race condition attacks in this paper. We first propose a probabilistic model for predicting TOCTTOU attack success rate on both uniprocessors and multiprocessors. Then we confirm the applicability of this model by carrying out TOCTTOU attacks against two widely used utility programs: vi and gedit. The success probability of attacking vi increases from low single digit percentage on a uniprocessor to almost 100% on a multiprocessor. Similarly, the success rate of attacking gedit jumps from almost zero to 83%. These case studies suggest that our model captures the sharply increased risks, and hence the decreased dependability of our systems, represented by race condition attacks such as TOCTTOU on the next generation multiprocessors.
Warning labels as cheap-talk: why regulators ban drugs

Abstract One explanation for drug bans is that regulators know more than consumers about product quality. But why not just communicate the information in their ban, perhaps via a ‘would have banned’ label? Because product labeling is cheap-talk, any small market failure tempts regulators to lie about quality, inducing consumers who suspect such lies to not believe everything they are told. In fact, when regulators expect market failures to result in under-consumption of a drug, and so would not ban it for informed consumers, regulators ex ante prefer to commit to not banning this drug for uninformed consumers.
Observations of the marginal incision and lateral crura alar cartilage asymmetry in rhinoplasty: a fixed cadaver study.

Abstract Objective This anatomical cadaver study was intended to incrementally determine the precise relationship between the alar rim skin margin and the caudal aspect of the lateral crus of the nose. The second intention was to preliminarily test the hypothesis of sexual dimorphism in the lateral crura size and of right to left asymmetry of the lateral crura in the same individual. Study design Demographic information of 39 Caucasian cadavers was collected. Dissection of 28 unilateral and 11 bilateral noses included the removal of all of the soft tissue from the lateral surface of lateral crura cartilages. The distance from the caudal edge of the lateral crus to the alar margin was measured beginning at the junction of the middle and lateral crura moving posteriorly. The lateral crus was then completely dissected out from the remaining surrounding soft tissue for measurement of the length, height, and thickness. Results Comparison of the cartilage dimensions between the sexes showed significant differences between the length, height, and thickness of the cartilages. The distance between the caudal aspect of the lateral crus and alar skin margin was less than 6.7 mm on average for the anterior 15 mm of the lateral crus. Comparison for intraindividual right to left asymmetry showed significant differences in 3 infracartilaginous–alar skin margin distance measurements and in cartilage length and height. Conclusion The marginal incision can be close to the alar skin margin in the first 15 mm. Right to left intraindividual asymmetry in the first 20 mm was significant. Intraindividual right to left asymmetry was significant in the lateral crura length and height. Sexual dimorphism in the lateral crura length, height, and thickness was observed.
Inexpensive fabric antenna for off-body wireless sensor communication

Emerging trends in monitoring people (patients, soldiers, athletes, etc.) have led to numerous recent advances in body area communication networks (BAN). Wireless sensor communication opens up tremendous potential for wireless patient monitoring. Body centric wireless networks use RF sensor nodes in close proximity to the human body. Body networks include on body, body to body and off body communication. Antenna design and analysis plays an important part in the development of sensors for BAN. Antennas for on-body communication include the inverted F antenna, (IFA) and the planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) [3], low profile microstrip patch antenna [2], sleeve dipole[1], printed-F antenna [1], wearable (fabric) antennas [3]-[6], broadband discone antennas [7] etc. In this paper we discuss a low cost, nearly circularly polarized truncated patch antenna design on Zelt [11] fabric and Felt substrate for performing off-body communication centered at 915 MHz for monitoring patients after operation. This low cost antenna provides good return loss and high directivity and efficiency comparable to the fabric antennas designed in the literature. The antenna also has a 10-dB bandwidth of 75 MHz which accounts for the frequency shifting due to the bending of the antenna.
Social responsibility theory and the digital nonprofits: Should the government aid online news startups?:

As the size and scope of the commercial media shrink, some veteran journalists are picking up the mantle of socially responsible journalism by establishing nonprofit news websites. Numerous reports have noted the potential of these outlets to fill gaps in public affairs reporting and serve vital information needs in American democracy. The economic sustainability of these startups is tenuous, however. While some scholars have called for more government intervention to ensure community journalism survives, the Internal Revenue Service has questioned the nonprofit eligibility of news outlets. The purpose of this study is to determine how leaders of these civic journalism startups view the government’s role in ensuring their survival. Findings show the online news managers view their nonprofit status favorably. Most are not open to direct government subsidies, but have not ruled out assistance in the form of advertising, contracts for services, and payments in kind.
Shallow structure from a seismic‐reflection profile across the Borah Peak, Idaho, Fault Scarp

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from “http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com”.
Mechanical characterization of the interfaces in laminated composites

A new mechanical model representing the interfaces in laminated composites is proposed in this paper. The interfaces are treated as a three dimensionally anisotropic entity of distinct mechanical characteristics from both the bulk adhesives and the constitutional laminae in the composites. The classical composite laminate theory is generalized by including the interfaces (termed bonding-layers in this paper) as additional laminae in the composite system, thus establishing the basis for the analysis of the interface problem. Compared to existent three-dimensional models for the interfaces, the proposed approach is more convenient to acquire the mechanical parameters of the interfaces, avoiding complicated laboratory tests. A numerical example demonstrates the use of the method to give various mechanical properties of the interfaces in laminate composites, exhibiting the promises of the method in tackling the problems of strength and debonding for laminated composites.
Magnetostratigraphy and paleomagnetic poles from Late Triassic-earliest Jurassic strata of the Newark basin

The Newark basin contains a 7-km-thick sedimentary section, which spans approximately 25 m.y. of the Late Triassic and earliest Jurassic (middle Carnian to Hettangian). Previously paleomagnetic study of the Newark red beds has demonstrated that complete progressive thermal demagnetization can effectively isolate a high-temperature characteristic magnetization. In the lower Newark strata (middle Carnian to early Norian in age), this magnetization yielded a pole position at 54°N, 102°E, and in the upper Newark strata (Hettangian in age) a pole position at 55°N, 95°E. Results from 23 new sites in the middle and upper Norian red beds of the Passaic Formation, including 15 sites from the Jacksonwald region that yield a positive fold test, fill the temporal gap between our two prior studies and yield a pole position at 56°N, 95°E (A 95 = 4.4°). These results from the middle Newark confirm that North American apparent polar wander was very slow (∼0.2°/m.y.) during the Late Triassic through earliest Jurassic. These new sites define reversed and normal polarity magnetozones that are stratigraphically consistent with and extend our previous results. The Newark reversed and normal polarity characteristic magnetizations form a correlatable pattern of 12 magnetozones that are stratigraphically coherent throughout the basin with respect to independent lithostratigraphic marker units that reflect synchronous, basinwide variations in water depth. Temporal calibration of the Newark magnetostratigraphy on the basis of biostratigraphy, radiometric age determinations, and Milankovich-driven cyclostratigraphy indicates that geomagnetic polarity was reversed 70% of the time and that the mean polarity duration was 2 m.y. or less during the Late Triassic and earliest Jurassic.
The Relationship between Firms' Characteristics in the Periods Prior to Bankruptcy Filing and Bankruptcy Outcome

This study examines the association between firms’ characteristics in the years prior to bankruptcy filing and bankruptcy outcome for firms filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy petitions. Our results indicate that, up to three years prior to bankruptcy filing, the characteristics of firms that liquidate differ from those of firms that reorganize. Three years prior to bankruptcy, the firms that subsequently reorganize are larger and have higher leverage than the firms that subsequently liquidate. (This relationship remains constant for all three years studied.) Two years prior to bankruptcy filing, firms that eventually reorganize are more solvent and have higher levels of discretionary accruals than firms that eventually liquidate. In the year prior to filing, firms that subsequently liquidate are more likely to have positive discretionary accruals. These findings suggest that stakeholders can predict the eventual outcome of Chapter 11 filings long before the court ruling.
International Perspective: RURAL NURSING IN THE UNITED STATES: WHERE DO WE STAND AS WE ENTER A NEW MILLENNIUM?

: Approximately one-fourth of all Americans live in rural communities; and, of the 50 States, 31 have more than 60% of their counties designated as rural. No matter what indicator is used, United States residents in non-metropolitan areas have less than metropolitan counterparts (e.g. per capita income, health status, access to care, level of education and employment opportunities) and are more likely to need help from human services and health professionals. Additionally, rural people often must confront unique obstacles not experienced by most urban residents to access those services. As nurses live and work in rural communities they, too, must be aware of and contend with similar factors in their practice settings. In some ways rural nursing practice has changed dramatically over the last decade but in other ways things remain much the same. This article will examine common nursing issues associated with caring for clients in a rural environment. The information in this article is based on a review of the literature and the author's personal and professional nursing experiences.
An Empirical Examination of Characteristics of Mexican Migrants to Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas of the United States

This research examines differences between those Mexican migrants choosing metropolitan destinations and those choosing destinations outside metropolitan areas of the United States. Using general estimating equations, the study presents data indicating that since the 1960s migrants choosing rural destinations are less fluent in English, slightly older, much less educated, far more likely to be unskilled, more likely to be married, and more likely to be undocumented. The picture is more complex when consideration is restricted to those migrants arriving in rural areas since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement. These migrants are far more likely to be single, have more education but have less English fluency, have less work experience, and have less family experience with migration to the United States. They are more likely to come from small towns and rural areas of Mexico.
Inaccuracies in numerical calculation of scattering near natural frequencies of penetrable objects

Calculated scattering from a nonconducting cylindrical ring shows great variability with small changes in the material or geometric parameters within certain ranges of these parameters. The observations are explained by a resonance phenomenon in which the operating frequency is found to lie close to a complex natural frequency of the scattering object. This resonance is a real, observable effect predicted by analytical solutions and not the spurious numerical resonances which have been widely discussed and which one wishes to suppress. Attempts have been made to reproduce near-resonance scattering results using the method of moments and finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) codes. These have failed despite the use of widely accepted discretization densities. Thus, the existence of such resonances requires additional care when interpreting computed results for scattering from similar nonconducting objects have electric and/or magnetic properties. >
Photonic band structures for a class of 2D periodic dielectric materials

In recent years, there has been extensive interest in the development of artificial electrical or optical materials. By tailoring the material electrical characteristics, one is able to control the flow of electromagnetic waves from microwave to optic frequencies. This paper presents the guided wave properties of a class of two dimensional photonic crystals made of periodic dielectric rods. An efficient finite difference method is developed for the calculation of propagation constants of guided or evanescent waves in an arbitrary direction (in-plane or out-of-plane propagation). The emphasis is on the existence of photonic bandgaps within which the in-plane propagation is prohibited. Possible applications of photonic bandgap materials are also discussed.
Additive Behavior during Copper Electrodeposition in Solutions Containing Cl - , PEG, and SPS

This paper documents an experimental investigation of additive behavior in acidic copper plating solutions containing chloride ions, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and bis-(3-sodiumsulfopropyl disulfide) (SPS). These solutions represent a simplified model of solutions used industrially for electroplating copper interconnects. Experiments were conducted with use of a rotating disk electrode under both galvanostatic and potentiostatic conditions and the transient behavior was observed. Linear sweep voltammetry was also performed. A transition time for the system to reach steady state was observed under both galvanostatic and potentiostatic conditions and found to be a strong function of SPS concentration. Superfilling is made possible by the existence of a long transition time that permits establishment of a significant rate difference between the top and bottom of the cavity. Experimental results provide evidence for slow adsorption and desorption of the accelerator and SPS incorporation into the deposit. Linear sweep voltammetry indicates that behavior of the accelerator is potential dependent. The same mechanism used to explain superfilling can be applied to explain the leveling/brightening of copper surfaces in these solutions.
Opioid agonist and antagonist behavioural effects of buprenorphine

1 The agonist and antagonist effects of a range of buprenorphine doses (0.08-20 mg/kg) were studied on the responding of pigeons under a multiple fixed-ratio, fixed-interval schedule of grain presentation. Various doses (0.02-10 mg/kg) of buprenorphine were also tested in pigeons trained to discriminate between injections of 0.05 mg/kg of fentanyl and injections of distilled water. 2 Buprenorphine, over a broad dose range (0.08-5 mg/kg), increased the rates of responding in the fixed-interval component of the multiple schedule and disrupted patterning of responding within the fixed-interval, without affecting fixed-ratio responding even at a dose of 40 mg/kg. The effects of some of the high doses on fixed-interval responding were still evident one and two days after buprenorphine injection. 3 Doses of buprenorphine which produced increases in fixed-interval responding were also effective as antagonists of the behavioural depression produced by 40 mg/kg of morphine, and were discriminated as fentanyl-like by pigeons trained to discriminate between injections of fentanyl and injections of water. 4 These results show that buprenorphine produces marked agonist and antagonist effects over an extremely broad dose range without producing behavioural depressant effects.
Rotational distortion in conventional allometric analyses

Three data sets from the recent literature were submitted to new analyses to illustrate the rotational distortion that commonly accompanies traditional allometric analyses and that often causes allometric equations to be inaccurate and misleading. The first investigation focused on the scaling of evaporative water loss to body mass in passerine birds; the second was concerned with the influence of body size on field metabolic rates of rodents; and the third addressed interspecific variation in kidney mass among primates. Straight lines were fitted to logarithmic transformations by Ordinary Least Squares and Generalized Linear Models, and the resulting equations then were re-expressed as two-parameter power functions in the original arithmetic scales. The re-expressed models were displayed on bivariate graphs together with tracings for equations fitted directly to untransformed data by nonlinear regression. In all instances, models estimated by back-transformation failed to describe major features of the arithmetic distribution whereas equations fitted by nonlinear regression performed quite well. The poor performance of equations based on models fitted to logarithms can be traced to the increased weight and leverage exerted in those analyses by observations for small species and to the decreased weight and leverage exerted by large ones. The problem of rotational distortion can be avoided by performing exploratory analysis on untransformed values and by validating fitted models in the scale of measurement.
Constructing citizenship: framing unauthorized immigrants in market terms

We show how conceptions of ‘market citizenship’ hold a central place in three distinct arenas: political theory; mainstream cultural narratives, and the views expressed by middle class Latino immigrants. Our analyses of both print media coverage and interviews with middle class Latino immigrants demonstrate that the narrative of market citizenship has heavily influenced the collective US understanding of state membership. This project not only finds a clear market framing in news coverage of the immigration issue, but finds that members of the Latino community have directly engaged with this frame and use it to refute the largely negative contentions of the popular press.
A Review of Flexible and Weaveable Fiber-Like Supercapacitors

The rapid development of small, thin, lightweight, and even flexible wearable electronic devices has led to a growing need for matchable textile energy storage devices with high performance. Among different sources, supercapacitors are capable of providing higher power density than their counterparts and are drawing tremendous interest from both research and engineering communities. Just in the past two years, flexible and weaveable fiber-like supercapacitors have emerged and attracted increasing research attention. In this up-to-date review, after a brief introduction of supercapacitor principle, performance, and electrode/electrolyte materials, we summarize the current development of two types of fiber-like supercapacitors, as well as various advanced fiber electrode materials that have been utilized. Finally, we discuss integrated fiber-like power systems incorporated with fiber-like supercapacitors and fiberlike energy harvesting and conversion devices, and identify new research trends in materials, fabrication, and future applications.
Witchcraft and the Polis

Witchcraft beliefs and practices are widespread in contemporary Africa. In this short essay, which is forthcoming in the University of Chicago's Journal of Religion, I review an important new ethnography concerning occult beliefs in Soweto, a large urban township on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Although witch hunts themselves are relatively rare, fear of the occult pervades everyday life. Citizens' complaints of injustice at the hands of witches have implications for democratic governance. How ought a constitutional democracy respond to their demands for protection? After describing two ideal-typical responses, I argue that the government has recently moved in the direction of an approach that calls for regulating witchcraft itself - a policy that addresses certain problems but also carries significant danger for the new democracy.
Chromosomal regulation by MeCP2: structural and enzymatic considerations

The unique properties of eukaryotic DNA modified via methylation of cytosine residues are believed to result from the action of a conserved family of proteins, the MBD family. The prototype member of this family, MeCP2, was isolated independently in two laboratories. One group isolated MeCP2 as a methylated DNA-binding protein, the second as a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that MeCP2 functions in assembly of specialized chromatin architecture. While initial findings pointed to an enzymatic mechanism involving histone modification for transcriptional repression mediated by MeCP2, emerging studies clearly provide exceptions to this model. In a recent study, highly compacted, unique chromatin structures were generated by stoichiometric binding of MeCP2 to model chromatin fibers. These findings support the likelihood that MeCP2 can utilize two independent, but not mutually exclusive, mechanisms to repress transcription: enzymatic and structural mechanisms.
A Framework For Consumer Behavior Analysis in Dental Care Marketing

Expanded opportunities and related choice behavior make it imperative that an indepth knowledge of consumers be gained by providers of dental care services so that more effective marketing efforts can be designed and implemented. In view of these perspectives, this paper is concerned with investigating the dental consumers’ perceptions and satisfactions in relation to providers of dental care services.
Race, Medical Mistrust, and Segregation in Primary Care as Usual Source of Care: Findings from the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities Study.

Compared to White Americans, African-Americans are less likely to use primary care (PC) as their usual source of care. This is generally attributed to race differences in socioeconomic status and in access to primary care services. Little is known about the relationship between race differences in medical mistrust and the usual source of care disparity. Using data from the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities (EHDIC) study, we examined the role of medical mistrust in choosing usual source of care in 1408 black and white adults who were exposed to the same healthcare facilities and low-income racially integrated community. Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated to examine the relationship between race, medical mistrust, and usual source of care. After adjusting for demographic and health-related factors, African-Americans were more likely than whites to use the emergency department (ED) (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.43 (95 % confidence interval (CI) [1.06–1.94])) and hospital outpatient department (RRR1.50 (95 %CI [1.10–2.05])) versus primary care as a usual source of care. When medical mistrust was added to the model, the gap between African-Americans’ and whites’ risk of using the ED versus primary care as a usual source of care closed (RRR = 1.29; 95 % CI [0.91–1.83]). However, race differences in the use of the hospital outpatient department remained even after accounting for medical mistrust (RRR = 1.67; 95 % CI [1.16–2.40]). Accounting for medical mistrust eliminated the ED-as-usual-source of care disparity. This study highlights the importance of medical mistrust as an intervention point for decreasing ED use as a usual source of care by low-income, urban African-Americans.
Response to “Discourse over a contested technology on Twitter: A case study of hydraulic fracturing”—Word choice as political speech:

Hopke and Simis (Public Understanding of Science, online 4 October 2015) find that #fracking, the most popular of five shale-related hashtags analyzed from a 2013 period, is associated with pro-shale attitudes only 13% of the time and note that the dominant voice of the activist community, coupled with a lack of engagement from industry, is unexpected. This comment offers additional perspective on the sentiment- and actor-skewed result by noting that the term “fracking” is highly political, specifically because the spelling “frack” versus “frac” is associated with activism. Furthermore, in public speech, the industry tends to deemphasize the hydraulic fracturing process in favor of the product, consistent with the findings that #natgas is a relatively pro-industry hashtag.
Building brains that can evolve: Challenges and prospects for evo-devo neurobiology

Evo-devo biology involves cross-species comparisons of entire developmental trajectories, not just of adult forms. This approach has proven very successful in general morphology, but its application to neurobiological problems is still relatively new. To date, the most successful area of evo-devo neurobiology has been the use of comparative developmental data to clarify adult homologies. The most exciting future prospect is the use of comparative developmental data to understand the formation of species differences in adult structure and function. An interesting «model system» for this kind of research is the quest to understand why the neocortex folds in some species but not others.
Cosmopolitanism: Liberal and Otherwise

This paper critically examines the familiar claim that the view John Rawls sets out in his The Law of Peoples is not really a cosmopolitan view. It develops Rawls's view as a coherent and attractive liberal cosmopolitanism and suggests that cosmopolitans not drawn to it ought to come clean about the extent to which they have abandoned some key liberal, or at least Rawlsian liberal, commitments.
Critical Memories: A Black-Queer-Christian Dilemma (Re)Experienced in Five Flashbacks

This autoethnographic performance life piece captures my early adolescent dilemmas with my Black-queer-Christian identities. Told through five flashbacks, I conjure critical moments turned critical...
Instructional Technology Practices in Developmental Education in Texas.

The purpose of this study was to examine the current state of technology integration in developmental education in Texas higher education. Analyzing survey data from developmental education faculty members in 70 2- and 4-year colleges in Texas, researchers identified instructor-reported best instructional technology practices in developmental education and barriers impeding technology integration into developmental education instruction. Based on the findings, practical implications were drawn to supplement instructional and learning practices in developmental education courses.
Time-Delayed Duffing Oscillator

In this chapter, bifurcation trees of periodic motions in a periodically forced, time-delayed, Duffing oscillator are predicted by a semi-analytical method. From the finite discrete Fourier series, harmonic frequency–amplitude curves for stable and unstable period-1 to period-4 motions are developed for a better understanding of quantity levels, singularity and catastrophes of harmonic amplitudes in the frequency domain.
Curriculum Theory and the Welfare State

How do states make citizens? The question is as old as states themselves. Surprisingly, however, the approaches to answering it have emerged as a form of parallel play, uncoordinated (and poorly understood) across fields. This essay attempts to reconcile disparate realms of social research that address the question. The first, curriculum theory, grows out of educational research that for a century has focused almost exclusively on schools, schooling, and intentional settings for academic knowledge transmission. The second realm draws primarily on research from psychology, sociology, and political science to look empirically for effects of exposure to particular kinds of social phenomena. These include, but are not exclusive to, public institutions and policies. This essay begins by developing a mainstream conception of curriculum theory. It then compares and contrasts social science traditions that engage questions related to the state’s role in civic identity formation. Finally, it offers a case study on New York City’s controversial policing strategy known as Stop, Question, and Frisk, exploring how curriculum theory (developed in the context of mass schooling) can be a useful framework for understanding the educational features of a distinct social policy.
Effect of Chestbands on the Global and Local Response of the Human Thorax to Frontal Impact

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of chestbands on both global and local thoracic response. A total of twenty-two frontal impacts were imposed on two post-mortem human surrogates, using a 23 kg pneumatic impactor. Impacts were at speeds of 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 m/s, and there were either 0, 1, or 2 chestbands on the subject. The baseline configuration of 0.8 m/s with zero chestbands was tested initially, then was repeated intermittently throughout testing. For each impact speed, the difference between response with and without chestbands was calculated. Results showed average changes of +0.79 mm in chest deflection, -0.42 N/mm in thoracic stiffness, and -96 µS in rib strain when chestbands were used, none of which were statistically significant (t test, p = 0.35, p = 0.42 and, p = 0.42, respectively). The results provide support for the commonly employed assumption that chestbands do not alter the response of the thorax in frontal impact.
Tobacco industry marketing and consumer harm perceptions

Tobacco industry marketing strategies, including use of natural imagery, corporate social responsibility claims, and terms such as ‘light' and ‘mild' are employed by many tobacco companies and coul...
A systematic review of sound-based intervention programs to improve participation in education for children with sensory processing and integration challenges

ABSTRACTThis systematic review evaluates current evidence for using sound-based interventions (SBIs) to improve educational participation for children with challenges in sensory processing and integration. Databases searched included CINAHL, MEDLINE Complete, PsychINFO, ERIC, Web of Science, and Cochrane. No studies explicitly measured participation-level outcomes in education. Ten studies provided limited evidence supporting the use of SBIs based on preliminary positive effects on occupations, client factors, and performance skills related to participation in education. Stronger experimental designs are needed measuring educational participation. Therapists should use caution using SBIs for this population and outcome until further research clearly substantiates or refutes this intervention.
The Impact of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports on School Suspensions: A Statewide Quasi-Experimental Analysis:

This study explored the effects of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) on school suspensions and behavioral incidents for elementary and intermediate schools in Georgi...
Middle Class Desire: Ornament, Industry, and Emulation in 19th-Century Art Education

At the beginning of the 19th century, the arts were ornamental subjects in the education of young ladies and gentlemen. Artistic accomplishments were displayed in pleasing social performances that appeared effortless but demonstrated good taste and idea! values, knowledge, and skill. Art education was one component of a process of vernacular refinement that spread from the wealthy to the middling sort and included the beautification of houses, churches, and eventually school buildings. As an American middle class coalesced in the contexts of industrialization and urbanization, education in the arts was positioned as work for self-improvement not as social display, as industry rather than ornament. This change coincided with the institutionalization of schooling as a technology for class and gender reproduction. Here I examine the emergence of the middle class as a precondition to formal arts education. I will argue that art education affirmed traditional social hierarchies, aligned young people with emerg...
Reliability Growth Program Ensures High Availability for Next Generation Industrial Instrumentation Systems

Abstract Customers of high-technology industrial process control instrumentation systems are demanding that these systems provide enhanced functionality, features, and flexibility. Examples are: an integrated system with a distributed architecture, user-friendly configuration and reconfiguration control and monitoring from an operator's console, supervisory and optimizing contiol through the use of Computer Interfacing, trend and other historical recording, built-in diagnostics and error message handling, and other Management Information Systems capabilities. Customers are also demanding that these systems give improved performance, including reliability, maintainability, and availability (RMA). To ensure that these RMA performance characteristics are met during the design, development, manufacture, and deployment (use) of the equipment requires Reliability, Quality Control, and Quality Assurance Programs be put in place. The Design and Development Program must include redundancy and back-up operating modes for any critical functions, methods of operating around any single, critical hardware failure (this may include software methods) and, in cases of critical control loops, the back-up operating modes also need to include continuous automatic control even for the unusual case of the operator losing all communication to the control process instrumentation. This also would need to allow repair by replacement of the local primary Controllers while operating online in a back-up mode. These capabilities plus built-in diagnostics will improve maintainability, reduce downtimes, and thereby improve availability. Improving reliability will then reduce required maintenance actions, which will also improve availability. The entire Reliability Program is aimed at assuring and improving reliability. The Reliability Program includes the following major parts: Component Qualifications IC Screening to the Equivalent of MIL-STD-883 Quality Level B-2 Component Design Derating Requirements Design Reviews, including Stress and Application Analyses Hardware and Software Reliability Growth Testing The Reliability Growth Testing consists of: Board Level Testing Subsystem Testing Software Integration Testing System Functional and Hardware Testing This paper describes the Reliability Growth Testing that has taken place for the Taylor™ MOD 300™ System product line, the advantages that are being experienced from that testing for that 3rd-generation microprocessor-based control instrumentation equipment, and also some of the improvement results. In the manufacturing area the expected results of getting further Reliability Growth (reducing infant mortality failures from getting into the field) by applying an all-equipment Environmental Stress Screening (consisting of a powered and monitored temperature cycling test) is also described.
Subjective cognitive concern in multiple sclerosis is associated with reduced thalamic and cortical gray matter volumes.

ObjectiveBrain atrophy has been correlated with objective cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis but few studies have explored self-reported subjective cognitive concerns and their relationshi...
Dynamic electro-optic responses of holographically patterned polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (Conference Presentation)

Recently, we have prepared holographic reflection gratings in polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (H-PSCLCs) prepared by a 365 nm UV laser using a single prism. The H-PSCLC samples are prepared using various CLC mixtures, formulated from 2wt% photoinitiator, 5~20 wt% liquid crystal monomers, chiral dopants, and positive or negative dielectric anisotropy liquid crystals. Higher order reflection peaks, such as the second and third order reflections, are observed from the H-PSCLC samples without application of the electric field. Spectral position and bandwidth of the higher order diffraction peaks in the H-PSCLCs are tuned in blue, green, and red colors by the application of the direct current (DC) field. Tunablity of the higher order reflection band in H-PSCLCs will be discussed.