cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Revisiting the Sanderson pressure–area curve: Defining parameters that influence ice pressure

Abstract There is a strong perception in the ice mechanics community that during ice–structure interaction, the ice pressure always decreases as the area of contact increases. This understanding is often based on the pressure–area plot published by Sanderson (1988), which combines a large number of data sources and ice interaction situations on a single plot and shows a definite decrease in pressure with increasing area. This paper examines the data sources in the Sanderson plot as well as some more recent data, and discusses the definitions of global, local, spatial and process pressure–area. It is found that the pressure over a defined local geometric area or over the full global ice contact area can either show no dependence on area or a decrease with increasing area, depending on the interaction scenario. Factors other than area are examined to determine their influence on pressure including the loading rate, aspect ratio, ice failure mode, and ice properties. It is shown that in many cases, these factors are more important than the area in predicting ice pressure. The theory of Palmer et al. (2009) provides a reasonable explanation for some of the observed trends in pressure–area behavior. Examples from field data are provided to illustrate the application of pressure–area relationships for offshore structures in icy waters.
Experimental aspects of use of the quartz crystal microbalance in solution

Abstract TTL-based circuitry is described for measuring the resonant frequency of an oscillating quartz crystal having one face in contact with an electrolytic solution. The circuitry facilitates application of the quartz crystal microbalance technique to in situ electrogravimetric studies of submonolayer and many monolayer thick electrodeposited and electrosorbed films. The effect of solution temperature and viscosity, and height of liquid above the crystal were investigated and the results correlated with theory. An in situ solution method for determining the mass sensitivity of the crystal is described and the latter sensitivity is shown to be the same as the calculated vacuum sensitivity. The effect of double layer structure and specific adsorption is discussed.
Skin photosensitizing agents and the role of reactive oxygen species in photoaging.

In this paper, the role of reactive oxygen species in photoaging is presented. Many photosensitizing agents are known to generate reactive oxygen species (singlet oxygen (1O2), superoxide anion (O2.-) and .OH radicals). Although photoaging (dermatoheliosis) of human skin is caused by UVB and UVA radiation, the hypothesis tested here in the pathogenesis of photoaging of human skin is the free radical theory involving the generation of reactive oxygen species by UVA (320-400 nm) radiation and their damaging oxidative effects on cutaneous collagen and other model proteins. The UVA-generated reactive oxygen species cause cross-linking of proteins (e.g. collagen), oxidation of sulfydryl groups causing disulfide cross-links, oxidative inactivation of certain enzymes causing functional impairment of cells (fibroblasts, keratinocytes, melanocytes, Langerhans cells) and liberation of proteases, collagenase and elastase. The skin-damaging effects of UVA appear to result from type II, oxygen-mediated photodynamic reactions in which UVA or near-UV radiation in the presence of certain photosensitizing chromophores (e.g., riboflavin, porphyrins, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), etc.) leads to the formation of reactive oxygen species (1O2, O2.-, .OH). Four specific observations are presented to illustrate the concept: (1) the production of 1O2 and O2.- by UVB, UVA and UVA plus photosensitizing agents (such as riboflavin, porphyrin and 3-carbethoxypsoralens) as a function of UV exposure dose, the sensitizer concentration and the pH of the irradiated solution; (2) the formation of protein cross-links in collagen, catalase and superoxide dismutase by 1O2 and O2.- (.OH) and the resulting denaturation of proteins and enzyme activities as a function of UVA exposure dose; (3) the protective role of selective quenchers of 1O2 and O2.- (e.g. alpha-tocopherol acetate, beta-carotene, sodium azide, ascorbic acid, etc.) against the photoinactivation of enzymes and the prevention of the protein cross-linking reaction; (4) the possible usefulness of certain antioxidants or quenchers that interact with the UVA-induced generation of reactive oxygen species in the amelioration of the process of photoaging.
Metabolic compensation to temperature in the salamander Desmognathus ochrophaeus from a high elevation population

1. 1. Rates of O2 consumption were measured at 5, 10, 15 and 20°C in montane Desmognathus ochrophaeus from the southern Appalachians acclimated at these temperatures. 2. 2. Partial metabolic compensation was demonstrated over a range of seasonal temperatures (10–20°C) encountered by active D. ochrophaeus. 3. 3. Temperature-insensitivity was shown in acute metabolic rates during short-term changes in temperatures (5–10°C) similar to those encountered by active D. ochrophaeus during early spring and fall. 4. 4. Inverse metabolic compensation was shown in the 5°C acclimation group at a temperature (5°C) commonly encountered during their brumation. 5. 5. These adaptive patterns of metabolic compensation are similar to those in D. ochrophaeus from the northwestern extreme of its range in Ohio.
Perturbation-variational methods revisited

We describe a simple expansion of the Krylov type for the estimation of the electronic correlation energy of the ground state of closed-shell systems and show its relationship with Brillouin–Wigner perturbation theory. We demonstrate the Brillouin–Wigner perturbation theory can be quickly solved in a noniterative fashion. Examples are presented using the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap model Hamiltonian (INDO/1), which indicates that this scheme captures well over 95% of the configuration interaction over double excitations method (CID) in a fraction of the computational effort. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent – By Robert W. Merry

A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent. By Robert W. Merry. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009. 376 pp. This is a book for aficionados of dramatically focused popular history. Merry, a former newspaperman and a nonfiction author of note, retells the story of the extraordinary accomplishments of the hardly dramatic President Polk, who did dramatic things during his busy single term in office in the 1840s, concentrating on the war with Mexico that followed the annexation of Texas. Rooted in the exuberant populism of the trans-Alleghany west, mentored by his fellow Tennessean, Andrew Jackson, Polk, an ambitious, seasoned and shrewd Democratic leader, was the youngest man to hold the presidency when he entered office. He was determined to carry out his party's agenda, in particular, extending America's boundaries across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. Merry tells a straightforward, sprawling, occasionally overdetailed, story. In covering familiar ground he takes his material "largely from" one or another scholarly account (p. 154), relying on the standard historiography from Eugene McCormac's biography (James K. Polk: A Political Biography [University of California Press, 1922]) and Claude Bowers' populist interpretation of the era, published in the 1920s and 1930s (e.g., The Party Battles of the Jackson Period [Houghton Mifflin, 1922]), to many of the more sophisticated monographs and biographies appearing over the last generation. He also makes use of a limited number of the available printed primary source collections relying primarily on Polk's diaries and several newspapers, especially the administration's flagship organ, the Washington Union, as well as a short list of the correspondence of other leaders and some relevant web sites. In addition to his description of events, Merry offers succinct and tart judgments about Polk's demeanor, attitudes, and behavior toward others, as well as how he sought to accomplish his aims. He pays a great deal of attention to the jealousies, fears, petty intrigues, and personal loathing endemic among those at the top in Washington, fueled by the demanding president's "impatience ... penchant for intrigue ... willingness to stir political animosity," as well as his "self-righteousness" and "bold--or reckless--political calculus," in carrying through his initiatives (p. 159). Determined to be the leader of his administration, he worked closely with his cabinet in formulating policy and with members of Congress to get his way, overworking himself with every aspect of affairs, often revealing unnecessary involvement and "meddlesome ways" (p. 269). What did this add up to? Merry's position, other than his comments about Polk's personality and approach to people and events, goes back and forth. …
Fault Collapsing Using a Novel Extensibility Relation

Fault Collapsing of a target fault-list can help in obtaining a compact test set, decreasing test-generation/fault simulation time, and indirectly reducing test data volume and test application time during Manufacturing Test. These factors have a direct impact on test economics, thus obtaining a compact fault list is essential. In this paper, we propose a novel extensibility relation that aids in identifying non-trivial dominance relationships among fault-pairs. We show that our technique supersedes existing dominance-based collapsing techniques and thus may identify more dominance relations among faults. To this end, we learn several necessary assignments for faults in a low-cost fault independent manner, in which memory requirements are also low. Further, from a theoretical point of interest, we theorize a lower bound on the size of a collapsed fault-list. Experimental results on ISCAS85 and full-scan versions of ISCAS89 circuits indicate that, on an average, our technique can eliminate 5% of faults from the collapsed fault list reported by the best known fault collapsing engine. Further, our technique consumed only 2% -4% of the memory used by the best known engine, which also provided for a 2:3x average speed-up!
Quantitative characteristics of phagocytic organs.

Organ and tissue phagocytosis of intravenously injected cobaltic oxide was studied quantitatively over a wide range of dose levels by means of radioassay of Co260O3 in rats. There is a single linear relationship between the amount of particulate administered and the amount recovered from liver, spleen, and lung combined. The same is true for the uptake by the liver alone. However, the spleen and lung each has two linear relationships. For the spleen the two different linear trends are related to the dose administered, while for the lung the determining parameter is the weight and (or) age of the animal. Notwithstanding these different linear trends, the uptake by spleen and lung is interdependent. Although the liver is the main phagocytic organ, per unit weight the phagocytic uptake of the spleen exceeds that of the liver at amounts of cobaltic oxide larger than 40 mg. The reverse is true for amounts less than or equal to 40 mg. The phagocytic uptake by other components of the RES was not sufficient for reliable quantitative estimation.
Effects of computer-mediated communication on group negotiation: an empirical study

A laboratory experiment was conducted to test the impact of communication medium (computer mediated versus face-to-face) on the performance of three-person groups with an integrative negotiation task. Negotiation process variables this study investigated were: conflict management behavior, judgment accuracy and negotiation time. Negotiation outcome variables considered were joint profit and satisfaction. Results showed that computer-mediated groups used more distributive approach, perceived other group members' priorities less accurately and took more time to reach a group agreement than did groups that used the face-to-face communication medium. It was also found that computer-mediated groups achieved lower joint profit and showed less satisfaction with the communication medium than did face-to-face groups. >
Persistent Viral Pathogens and Cognitive Impairment Across the Life Course in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Cognitive impairment is a major contributor to disease burden among the elderly in the United States, with morbidity expected to increase as the US population ages [1]. The etiology of cognitive decline remains unclear, however; thus, there is a need to identify novel factors that increase risk for cognitive impairment across the life course. Persistent pathogens such as herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) have been linked to several neurological disorders of aging of which cognitive impairment is a major component, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia [2, 3]. These pathogens are capable of infecting the central nervous system [4, 5], where they may exert neurodegenerative effects that negatively affect cognition [6], as evidenced by the adverse neurological and cognitive consequences of HSV encephalitis and congenital CMV infection [7, 8]. Viral replication within the brain may lead to cell death and morphological changes at sites of infection [9]; atrophy and loss of gray matter have been observed in the brains of both individuals with HSV encephalitis [10] and HSV-1–seropositive individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders [11, 12]. Such changes have been further linked to cognitive impairment among these populations [10–12]. Even in the absence of severe infection, however, herpesviruses undergo subclinical reactivation, triggering the release of proinflammatory cytokines [13], which are also hypothesized to affect cognitive impairment via neuroinflammatory pathways [14]. Although more than one-third of the US population is seropositive for HSV-1 and/or CMV by early childhood [15, 16], previous studies examining the association between herpesviruses and cognitive impairment have been largely limited to middle-aged and older populations with psychiatric disorders and/or from specific geographic regions [11, 12, 17–29]. Thus, little is known about the association between herpesviruses and cognitive impairment in the general US population, or whether these pathogens affect cognition beginning early in life, setting the stage for poor cognitive trajectories over the life course. Therefore, the present study aims to examine the association between CMV and HSV-1 seropositivity and cognitive impairment among children (aged 6–16 years), middle-aged adults (aged 20–59 years), and elderly adults (aged ≥60 years) in the US population.
Solid-state electrochromic devices: relationship of contrast as a function of device preparation parameters

The establishment of a relationship between device performance parameters such as switch speed and photopic contrast with device composition, electrochromic polymer thickness, and gel electrolyte composition is reported here for a versatile one-step preparation method of relatively large area, 105 cm2, solid-state electrochromic devices. The electrochromic polymer, hereby, generated from a monomer after device construction, i.e. in situ, is a way to simplify the fabrication of electrochromic devices by reducing waste generation and assembly time as well as by increasing the versatility of device manufacturing in an open atmosphere. Photopic contrast is a critical property for electrochromic displays, windows, and lenses necessitating the study of how changing the selected material and device properties such as monomer diffusion, thickness of the electrochromic polymer layer, and ionic conductivity of the electrolyte impact electrochromic device functionality. More specifically photopic contrast performance is evaluated as a function of polymerization time, effective electrochromic polymer layer thickness, monomer loading, salt loading, thickness of the gel electrolyte, and in situ conversion temperature. Photopic contrasts of 47% for polybiphenylmethyloxymethyl-3,4-propylenedioxythiophene (BPMOM-ProDOT), 46% for poly2,2-dimethyl-3,4-propylenedioxythiophene (PProDOT-Me2), and 40% for poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) without background correction were achieved.
Dynamics of cell-mediated immune responses to cytomegalovirus in pediatric transplantation recipients.

CMI responses, combined with quantification of CMV DNA (DNAemia), may identify transplantation recipients at risk for invasive disease. PBMC were collected in pediatric transplantation candidates at one, three, and six months post-transplant in 10 subjects (six renal, three cardiac, one stem cell) and at single time points in eight HC and 14 children greater than one yr post-transplant (LTTx). Cells were stimulated with anti-CD3mAb or CMV pp65 peptide pools and responses assessed by IFNG enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay and cytokine secretion. IFNG responses to anti-CD3mAb were significantly lower pretransplant relative to HC and were further decreased at one and three months post-transplant, but recovered to levels comparable to HC by six months. Responses to pp65 among CMV-seropositive recipients followed a similar pattern but recovered by three months. CMV-seropositive LTTx and HC showed a Th1 cytokine response to pp65 stimulation. Three LTTx subjects developed CMV DNAemia; two demonstrated decreased responses to anti-CD3mAB (and pp65 in the CMV seropositive subject) at the onset of DNAemia, which recovered as DNAemia resolved. Monitoring CMI in children is feasible and may provide an adjunct biomarker to predict CMV progression and recovery.
Genetic-algorithm-based fuzzy control of spacecraft autonomous rendezvous

Abstract The combination of the control capabilities of fuzzy logic with the learning capabilities of genetic algorithms is investigated. Fuzzy logic allows for the uncertainty inherent in most control problems to be incorporated into conventional expert systems. Although fuzzy-logic-based expert systems have been used successfully for controlling a number of physical systems, the tasks of selecting acceptable fuzzy membership functions and rule sets have generally been accomplished via subjective decision-making. In this paper, high-performance fuzzy membership functions and efficient rules for a fuzzy logic controller that manipulates a mathematical model simulating the autonomous rendezvous of spacecraft are discovered using a genetic algorithm, a search technique based on the mechanics of natural genetics. The membership functions and rules discovered by the genetic algorithm provide for a more efficient fuzzy logic controller than membership functions selected by the authors for the rendezvous problem. Thus, genetic algorithms are potentially an effective and structured approach for designing fuzzy systems.
Diagnostic techniques for the IBM S/390 600 MHz G5 microprocessor

This paper describes strategies and techniques used to diagnose failures in the IBM 600 MHz G5 (Generation 5) CMOS microprocessor and associated cache chips. Time-to-market pressure demands quick diagnostic turnaround time while the complexity, density, cycle time, and technology issues of the hardware increase the difficulty of diagnosis. Since G5 first silicon, intense diagnostics and physical failure analysis (PFA) have successfully identified the root cause of many failures, including examples of process, design, and random manufacturing defects. This success is attributed to the three techniques described in this paper. For each technique, an example is presented to demonstrate its effectiveness.
SENSATIONS, SWATCHES, AND SPECKLED HENS

: We argue that there is a interesting connection between the old problem of the Speckled Hen and an argument that can be traced from Russell to Armstrong to Putnam that we call the “gradation argument.” Both arguments have been used to show that there is no “Highest Common Factor” between appearances we judge the same – no such thing as “real” sensations. But, we argue, both only impugn the assumption of epistemic certainty regarding introspective reports.
High-aspect-ratio Si vertical micromirror arrays for optical switching

Arrays of bulk-micromachined high-aspect-ratio vertical Si mirrors were designed, fabricated, and characterized for optical switching applications. These 50-/spl mu/m-tall vertical mirrors were fabricated by the deep-etch shallow-diffusion process. The released Si mirrors have smooth sidewalls with 5-nm surface roughness. An electrostatic comb drive applied to actuate the mirrors which were supported by folded or serpentine beams. For 800-/spl mu/m-long, 3-/spl mu/m-wide, and 50-/spl mu/m-thick folded suspension beams, a lateral mirror movement of 34 /spl mu/m was achieved by a driving voltage of 30 V. Resonant frequency of 987 Hz was obtained for similar devices at atmospheric pressure. There are tradeoffs between mirror displacement and resonant frequency. The mirror displacement increases with beam length (BL) and decreases with beam width (BW). However, the resonant frequency increases with BW, but decreases with BL, which is in agreement with the theoretical calculations. These vertical Si micromirrors were coated with Au to increase the reflectivity. Magnetron sputtering of Au at low pressure was applied to achieve uniform and smooth sidewall coverage. Optical measurement on 50-/spl mu/m-tall Au-coated Si mirrors showed a reflectivity of 85% (-0.71 dB). Dynamic response of the Si micromirror switches was measured, and the switching function was successfully demonstrated at a frequency up to 1.2 KHz.
The Accidental Revolutionary: George Whitefield and the Creation of America. By Jerome Dean Mahaffey. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2011. Pp. xii, 214. $24.95.)

This new book opens with a provocative counterfactual question: would there have been an American Revolution without George Whitefield, the eloquent, itinerant, mid‐eighteenth‐century evangelical p...
The words of children's television

The dialogue and nonverbal formal features of six children's television programs are described. The findings of this study have implications for models of young viewers' information processing when viewing, and possible effects of the medium on children's language development.
Integrating lidar, GIS and hedonic price modeling to measure amenity values in urban beach residential property markets

Hedonic property price models have been used extensively in the economics literature to measure the value households place on locating properties close to a given resource, such as a beach, river, or lake. This proximity premium consists of two components. First, property owners derive benefit from living close to the resource for access purposes. Second, they also derive benefit from the view of the resource. Critical to the analyses is the identification and measurement of these two components. We augment previous research by providing more accurate and objective measures of access and view for urban beach residential properties. Using GIS, we calculate the distance from each property to the nearest designated public access point. Using lidar data, we calculate the ocean view from each property. These measures are then integrated into a hedonic property price model to disentangle and estimate households’ willingness to pay for beach access and view.
Roles of AP-2 in clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Background: The notion that AP-2 clathrin adaptor is an essential component of an endocytic clathrin coat appears to conflict with recent observations that substantial AP-2 depletion, using RNA interference with synthesis of AP-2 subunits, fails to block uptake of certain ligands known to internalize through a clathrin-based pathway. Methodology/Principal Findings: We report here the use of in vivo imaging data obtained by spinning-disk confocal microscopy to study the formation of clathrin-coated structures at the plasma membranes of BSC1 and HeLa cells depleted by RNAi of the clathrin adaptor, AP-2. Very few clathrin coats continue to assemble after AP-2 knockdown. Moreover, there is a total absence of clathrin-containing structures completely lacking AP-2 while all the remaining coats still contain a small amount of AP-2. These observations suggest that AP-2 is essential for endocytic coated-pit and coated-vesicle formation. We also find that AP-2 knockdown strongly inhibits light-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-mediated endocytosis, as long as cells are maintained in complete serum and at 37uC. If cells are first incubated with LDL at 4uC, followed by warming, there is little or no decrease in LDL uptake with respect to control cells. LDL uptake at 37uC is also not affected in AP-2 depleted cells first deprived of LDL by incubation with either serum-starved or LDL-starved cells for 24 hr. The LDL-deprived cells display a significant increase in endocytic structures enriched on deeply invaginated tubes that contain LDL and we suggest that under this condition of stress, LDL might enter through this alternative pathway. Conclusions/Significance: These results suggest that AP-2 is essential for endocytic clathrin coated-pit and coated-vesicle formation. They also indicate that under normal conditions, functional endocytic clathrin coated pits are required for LDL internalization. We also show that under certain conditions of stress, cells can upregulate alternative endocytic structures with the potential to provide compensatory trafficking pathways.
Taxonomic Revision of Ruellia Section Chiropterophila (Acanthaceae): a Lineage of Rare and Endemic Species from Mexico

Abstract Ruellia section Chiropterophila as here recognized contains 11 species endemic to areas in and around the transnational Volcanic Belt of Mexico: the Sierra Madre del Sur, the Balsas Depression, and the Altiplano. Most of these species are rare, and nearly half are known only from one or two collections. Of the remaining six, two are restricted to single states. One species described as new to science, Ruellia laslobasensis , is distinguished from a close relative by its smaller corollas, calyces, and fruits. Ruellia chilpancingana is placed into synonymy with R. sororia. Ruellia section Urceolata is synonymized with sect. Chiropterophila. Two species previously treated in sect. Chiropterophila, Ruellia petiolaris (as R. palmeri) and R. carmenaemiliae, are excluded from the section. Phylogenetic analyses using three chloroplast markers (trnC-trnR, trnG-trnS, psbA-trnH) and one nuclear marker (ITS + 5.8S) were conducted to test the monophyly of sect. Chiropterophila and to reconstruct relationships...
Shirking, Opportunism, Self-Delusion and More: The Agency Problem Lives On

What factors explain the behaviors of corporate leaders who engage in spectacular frauds? Is it greed? Is it power? Are these leaders, as some critics allege, simply psychopaths? Or is something else going on? In this Essay created for a symposium on the “agency problem,” Professor Barnard explores the greed, power, and psychopathy theories. She also suggests that a hormonal phenomenon – an overabundance of testosterone – may explain these men’s behavior. In many animal populations, success in competition leads to an elevation of testosterone. Repeated successes – accompanied by increasing levels of testosterone – often lead to rash, ill-considered, and dangerously risky behaviors. Animal biologists call this progression “the winner effect.” Barnard suggests that a similar progression may be seen in human competitors, both in athletic environments (think Lance Armstrong) and in business environments (think Jeff Skilling, Richard Scrushy, and Rajat Gupta). She concludes that some agency problems may be physiologically driven.
Allosteric heat shock protein 70 inhibitors block hepatitis C virus assembly

The human molecular chaperones heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and heat shock cognate protein 70 (Hsc70) bind to the hepatitis C viral nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) and regulate its activity. Specifically, Hsp70 is involved in NS5A-augmented internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-mediated translation of the viral genome, whilst Hsc70 appears to be primarily important for intracellular infectious virion assembly. To better understand the importance of these two chaperones in the viral life cycle, infected human cells were treated with allosteric Hsp70/Hsc70 inhibitors (AHIs). Treatment with AHIs significantly reduced the production of intracellular virus at concentrations that were non-toxic to human hepatoma Huh7.5 cells. The supernatant of treated cultures was then used to infect naive cells, revealing that AHIs also lowered levels of secreted virus. In contrast to their effects on virion assembly, AHIs did not impact the stability of NS5A or viral protein translation in IRES assays. These results suggest that Hsc70 plays a particularly important and sensitive role in virion assembly. Indeed, it was found that combination of AHIs with a peptide-based viral translation inhibitor exhibited additive antiviral activity. Together these results suggest that the host Hsc70 is a new antiviral target and that its inhibitors utilise a new mechanism of action.
Faculty Publications and Citations: A Longitudinal Examination

This investigation seeks to study the publication and citation activity of faculty at research universities, as defined by membership in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). It constitutes the fourth iteration in a study of publishing behaviors, conducted over more than twenty years. The present data indicate a substantial rise in publications, both in total and as measured on a per capita basis. These data are compared with those of the previous three studies. In addition, and for the first time, citation data are also examined. The reason for the addition of citations is that there is cause to believe that citations are becoming common evaluative criteria for individuals, academic programs, and departments. There are implications for academic libraries with regard to all these data.
What Is the Polar Vortex and How Does It Influence Weather

AbstractThe term polar vortex has become part of the everyday vocabulary, but there is some confusion in the media, general public, and science community regarding what polar vortices are and how they are related to various weather events. Here, we clarify what is meant by polar vortices in the atmospheric science literature. It is important to recognize the existence of two separate planetary-scale circumpolar vortices: one in the stratosphere and the other in the troposphere. These vortices have different structures, seasonality, dynamics, and impacts on extreme weather. The tropospheric vortex is much larger than its stratospheric counterpart and exists year-round, whereas the stratospheric polar vortex forms in fall but disappears in the spring of each year. Both vortices can, in some circumstances, play a role in extreme weather events at the surface, such as cold-air outbreaks, but these events are not the consequence of either the existence or gross properties of these two vortices. Rather, cold-ai...
The Personal Politics of Empowerment: An Empirical Investigation of Maasai Women's Empowerment Projects in Northern Tanzania

What are the different components of the process of empowerment, and how are they defined, measured, and achieved? In this paper we present findings from research conducted in two districts in Northern Tanzania involved to different degrees in similar women’s empowerment projects. We look at different pathways to empowerment, categorized as personal, political, and economic, based on interventions of education, involvement in political processes, micro-enterprise development projects, and leadership training. We show that these different empowerment processes interact and strengthen each other; and that shifts in societal gender norms are directly linked to shifts in personal and economic agency in the household. We highlight the importance of increased agency in the empowerment process, and show that increased agency in the household is positively correlated with increased political participation, as well as adherence to non-traditional gender norms. We outline the role that different projects play in achieving these ends - and how they relate to Maasai women’s own conceptions of empowerment.
A Few Good (Wo)Men: Integrating the US Submarine Force

The US Navy admitted women into the submarine force in 2010, then one of the last male-only professions remaining in the Armed Forces. Examining rhetorical ecologies surrounding the integration decision, this essay charts the contextual forces and stakeholder discourses that shaped submarine assignment policy over a critical fifteen-year period. It also traces shifting assumptions about gender and space within that policy and their consequences for women. Time, then, is a vital component of policy analysis, permitting feminist rhetoricians to identify gendering processes in the workplace and discursive patterns of organizational change.
Biological Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are known for their exceptional mechanical and unique electronic properties. The size dependant properties of nanomaterials have made them attractive to develop highly sensitive sensors and detection systems. This is especially true in biological sciences, where the efficiency of detection systems reflect on the size of the detector and the sample required for detection. At approximately 1.5 to 10nm wide, and approximately 1.5 to 2μm long, the use of carbon nanotubes as sensors in biological systems would greatly increase the sensitivity of detection and diagnostics, for a reduced sample size consisting of few individual proteins and antibodies. Since all the atoms in carbon nanotubes are surface atoms, binding proteins or antibodies to the surfaces can greatly affect their surface states, and thus their electrical and optical properties. This effect can be exploited as a basis for detecting biological surface reactions in a single protein or antibody attached to carbon nanotube surfaces.
Copper Film Deposition by Hydrogen Atom Reactions with Copper Compounds

A novel low temperature CVD process — atom reaction CVD process for metal film depositions has been developed by using hydrogen atoms reacting with metal compounds. High purity copper films, with low resistivity of ~ 2 μΩ cm, good step coverage to submicron holes and good adhesion to various substrates, were obtained by using this process with Cu(HFA)2 source at substrate temperatures below 150°C.
Pulsed Laser Deposition of Collagen Thin Films

Thin films of collagen were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at room temperature on Si substrates using a KrF laser (248 nm) over a fluence range from 0.2–1.5 Jcm−2. The effects on film composition and morphology of ambient gas (Ar, Ar/H2O vapor), quenching atmosphere (Ar, Ar/H2O vapor), and fluence were examined. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) demonstrated that, independent of deposition parameter, the PLD films contained the characteristic Amide I and II functionalities of the collagen target and indicated that the secondary structure was altered by the PLD process. The surface morphology of the films was a function of the laser fluence and the gas environment during either film deposition or quenching at the end of deposition. Preliminary gel electrophoresis examination of deposited films suggested the collagen had not maintained the triple helical structure of the native collagen. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that all of the films, deposited under any conditions, were predominantly amorphous.
Development situation and countermeasures of Guangdong rice industry in 2013

There is a great increase of rice production and yield in Guangdong. The rice planting area slightly raises and the peasants' income greatly increases. Rice insurance has been experimented and enlarged. The contribution rate of science and technological progress continues improving, and the material input contribution is relatively lower. Scientific research institutes have become new rice varieties innovation backbone. But the Guangdong rice production is seriously influenced by "Cadmium Rice Event". Under the new situation, the paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions such as continuing to make greater efforts to protect farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain, strengthening the industry supervision and control, as soon as possible to establish circulation of classification guidance and differential pricing policy, and continuing to construct the rice insurance system.
Paediatrics: Diagnostic yield of paediatric lower gastrointestinal endoscopy.

In a recent study, Kawada et al. conducted a retrospective analysis of paediatric patients who had undergone lower gastrointestinal endoscopy to evaluate its use as a diagnostic tool. This under-studied area deserves critique within a modern framework of expectation for the routine yield for this invasive investigation in standard paediatric gastroenterology practice.
Molecular dynamics simulation of single crystal Nickel nanometric machining

Molecular dynamics simulation is carried out to study the nanometric machining of single crystal Nickel (Ni). Through an investigation of atomic displacement and the variation of cutting force, it is found that the latter is in accordance with the number variation of elastic displaced atoms in the workpiece. It is further found that the generation of complex stacking faults is the predominant cause of cutting force fluctuation, and the stacking faults with complex structures lead to work-hardening. The temperature of the cutting tool and workpiece is studied during the machining process. It is concluded that the selection of averaging steps has a significant influence on the system temperature distribution. Thus, the time-spatial averaging method, which has a high accuracy and consistency in temperature distribution, is proposed.
Insulin and heregulin-β1 upregulate guanylyl cyclase C expression in rat hepatocytes

Abstract Guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) is the receptor for the hormones guanylin and uroguanylin. Although primarily expressed in the rat intestine, GC-C is also expressed in the liver during neonatal or regenerative growth or during the acute phase response. Little is known about the hepatic regulation of GC-C expression. The influence of various hepatic growth or acute phase regulators on GC-C expression was evaluated by immunoblot analysis of protein from primary rat hepatocytes grown in a serum-free medium. Insulin and heregulin-β1 strongly stimulated GC-C expression by 24 h of cell culture. Several different hormones and agents suppressed this action, including transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), as well as inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3-kinase) and phosphodiesterase 3 (PDE-3, an insulin- and PI-3-kinase-dependent enzyme). The compartmental downregulation of cAMP levels by PDE-3 may be a critical step in the hormonal action that culminates in GC-C synthesis.
Computational simulations of hydrogen circular migration in protonated acetylene induced by circularly polarized light

The hydrogens in protonated acetylene are very mobile and can easily migrate around the C2 core by moving between classical and non-classical structures of the cation. The lowest energy structure is the T-shaped, non-classical cation with a hydrogen bridging the two carbons. Conversion to the classical H2CCH+ ion requires only 4 kcal/mol. The effect of circularly polarized light on the migration of hydrogens in oriented C2H3+ has been simulated by Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics. Classical trajectory calculations were carried out with the M062X/6-311+G(3df,2pd) level of theory using linearly and circularly polarized 32 cycle 7 μm cosine squared pulses with peak intensity of 5.6 × 1013 W/cm2 and 3.15 × 1013 W/cm2, respectively. These linearly and circularly polarized pulses transfer similar amounts of energy and total angular momentum to C2H3+. The average angular momentum vectors of the three hydrogens show opposite directions of rotation for right and left circularly polarized light, but no direction...
The impact of the surface macro-roughness on the surface shear stress and rate under the oblique linear cylindrical nozzle jet as pertinent to particles detachment

Abstract Particles mitigation and decontamination by impinging jets is commonly used in various engineering in both indoor and outdoor settings. The current research is concerned with advancing the understanding of the phenomena occurring under the specific linear cylindrical nozzle, as well as under the oblique linear nozzle in general. The numerical method is extensively validated using published experimental data before being applied to the configuration of interest. The results demonstrate large differences between the forward and leeward maximal shear stress and rate at the surface impacted by the oblique jet and the impact of the macro-roughness on their values.
Translation and localization of children’s rights in youth-produced digital media in the Global South: A hermeneutic exploration

Through the study of two UNICEF-supported youth media initiatives from Palestine, this article theorizes and generates new empirical knowledge about the encounter between constructions of youth in ...
Professional sporting events and traffic: Evidence from U.S. cities

Sporting events concentrate people at specific locations on game day. No empirical evidence currently exists linking sporting events to local traffic conditions. We analyze urban mobility data from 25 US etropolitan areas with MLB teams over the period 1990 to 2014 to assess the relationship between local traffic and Major League Baseball (MLB) games. Instrumental variable regression results indicate MLB attendance causes increases in local vehicle-miles traveled. At the sample average attendance of 2.8 million, average daily vehicle-miles traveled increases by about 6.9% in cities with MLB teams. Traffic congestion increases by 2%, suggesting that MLB games generate congestion externalities.
A Multi-interface VR Platform For Rehabilitation Research

With the introduction of new Virtual Reality (VR) devices such as Microsoft HoloLens, Oculus, HTC Vive etc., one cannot ignore the fact that research related to Human and VR interaction is bound to take a big leap. One of the main areas that has already gain momentum, is the area of VR based stroke rehabilitation research. Although many VR based research studies have been performed for lower and upper extremity training purposes, very few research studies are related to development of VR based research platforms. However, these platforms are usually single device dedicated, and therefore cannot be used to add another device. This study contributes to the field of HCI by achieving three major goals-- 1) explore the design aspects of VR based training research; 2) innovate the field of VR based training research by developing a multi-interface platform; and 3) inspire future researchers by providing an open source SDK so as to expand the horizon for human VR interaction. A pilot study was conducted in order to test the applicability of our platform, using 25 healthy subjects across four different interfaces. From the promising results achieved during the pilot study we are currently in the process of evaluating our platform using stroke patients at the Spain Rehabilitation Center at the University of Alabama, in Birmingham. Our findings and insights could inform future VR based rehabilitation system designs and help researchers and other stakeholders to assess the viability of using VR based scenarios for training purposes.
Development of dietary soluble fibres by enzymatic synthesis and assessment of their digestibility in in vitro, animal and randomised clinical trial models

The aim was to develop novel fibres by enzymatic synthesis, to determine their total dietary fibre by AOAC method 2009.01 and to estimate their potential digestibility and assess their digestibility in vivo using glycaemic and insulinaemic responses as markers in mice and randomised clinical trial models. We found that fibre candidates to which α-(1,2) branching was added were resistant to digestion in the mouse model, depending on the amount of branching. These results show that in vivo models are needed to reliably assess the digestibility of α-glycosidic-linked oligomeric dietary fibre candidates, possibly due to absence of brush border α-glucosidase activity in the current in vitro assessment. α-(1,3)-linked and α-(1,6)-linked glucose oligomers were completely digested in humans and mice. In conclusion, it is possible to develop dietary soluble fibres by enzymatic synthesis. Adding α-(1,2) branching increases their resistance to digestion in vivo and can thus improve their suitability as potential fibre candidates. Clinical Trial Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02701270.
Tears of the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex

Tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) are relatively common but can be difficult to diagnose and treat. These injuries are classified based on the chronicity of the injury and the location of the tear, and the Palmer classification is most commonly used. Nonoperative management can be effective for certain injury patterns. Operative treatment may involve debridement or repair of the tear, ulnar shortening osteotomy, or the wafer procedure.
Secant approximation methods for convex optimization

The methods discussed are based on local piecewise-linear secant approximations to continuous convex objective functions. Such approximations are easily constructed and require only function evaluations rather than derivatives. Several related iterative procedures are considered for the minimization of separable objectives over bounded closed convex sets. Computationally, the piecewise-linear approximation of the objective is helpful in the case that the original problem has only linear constraints, since the subproblems in this case will be linear programs. At each iteration, upper and lower bounds on the optimal value are derived from the piecewise-linear approximations. Convergence to the optimal value of the given problem is established under mild hypotheses. The method has been successfully tested on a variety of problems, including a water supply problem with more than 900 variables and 600 constraints.
Beyond blanqueamiento: black affirmation in contemporary Puerto Rico

If, according to turn-of-the-twentieth-century observers, black Puerto Ricans were destined to become racially white in a few generations, how did 12.4 per cent of the population manage to remain b...
The long and the short of ceramides

The sphingolipid ceramide is not only a precursor of more complex sphingolipids, but also a potent signaling molecule. Specific ceramide species have distinct cellular functions, and each ceramide synthase therefore has particular roles in cells and organisms. Tidhar and colleagues, utilizing two ceramide synthases differing widely in fatty acid specificity, have identified a short amino acid sequence that is critical for this specificity. This work represents a crucial first step in the understanding of both the enzymology and the biology driving the diverse functions of ceramide.
VNTR and microsatellite polymorphisms within the subtelomeric region of 7q

The molecular basis of a highly polymorphic RFLP marker, HTY146c3 (D7S591), within the subtelomeric region of human chromosome 7q was determined by restriction-fragment and DNA sequence analysis. Two polymorphic systems were found--a simple base-substitution polymorphism and a GC-rich VNTR element with a core structure of C3AG2C2. In addition, a compound-imperfect CA dinucleotide-repeat element was identified approximately 10-20 kb from the telomeric sequence repeat (T2AG3), demonstrating that microsatellites can extend essentially to the ends of human chromosomes. The microsatellite marker, sAVH-6 (D7S594), is highly polymorphic, with 10 alleles and an observed heterozygosity of 84% found with the CEPH (Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain) reference pedigree collection. In combination with the RFLPs, the informativeness of the markers contained within 240 kb at the telomere approaches 100%. A unique genetic and physical STS marker, sAVH-6, defines the endpoint of the long arm of human chromosome 7.