cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidural Analgesia During the Second Stage of Labor: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

At first glance, the randomized controlled trial by Shen et al1 may be interpreted to suggest that laboring women with epidurals do not need more time to labor in the second stage than those without epidurals. This would contradict joint recommendations2 that women with epidurals be allowed an extra
Paleoseismology and Landslides

Most moderate to large earthquakes trigger landslides (Fig. 1). In many environments, landslides preserved in the geologic record can be analyzed to determine the likelihood of seismic triggering. If evidence indicates that a seismic origin is likely for a landslide or group of landslides, and if the landslides can be dated, then a paleoearthquake can be inferred, and some of its characteristics can be estimated. Such paleoseismic landslide studies thus can help reconstruct the seismic shaking history of a site or region (Jibson 2009). Paleoseismic landslide studies differ fundamentally from paleoseismic fault studies (▶ Paleoseismic History of the Dead Sea Fault Zone,▶ Paleoseismic History of the North Anatolian Fault Zone, ▶ Paleoseismic History of the San Andreas Fault Zone). Whereas fault studies seek to characterize the movement history of a specific fault, landslide studies characterize the shaking history of a site or region irrespective of the earthquake source. In regions that contain multiple seismic sources and in regions where surface faulting (▶ Seismic Actions due to Near-Fault Ground Motion) is absent, paleoseismic ground-failure studies thus can be valuable tools in hazard and risk studies that are more concerned with shaking hazards than with interpretation of the movement histories of individual faults. In fact, paleoseismic studies in some parts of the world typically rely more on ground failure than on surface fault ruptures. The practical lower bound earthquake that can be interpreted from paleoseismic landslide investigations is about magnitude 5–6 (▶Earthquake Magnitude Estimation). This range is comparable or perhaps slightly lower than that for paleoseismic fault studies. Obviously, however, larger earthquakes tend to leave much more abundant and widespread evidence of landsliding than smaller earthquakes; thus, available evidence and confidence in interpretation increase with earthquake size. Paleoseismic landslide analysis involves three steps: (1) identify a feature as a landslide, (2) date the landslide, and (3) determine if the landslide was triggered by earthquake shaking. This article addresses each of these steps and discusses methods for interpreting the results of such studies. Only subaerial landslides are discussed here; submarine landslides are analyzed using different methods. In this article, landslide is used as a generic term to include all types of downslope movement of earth material, including types of movement that involve little or no true sliding. Thus, rock falls, debris flows, etc., are considered types of landslides. The classification system of Varnes (1978) is used, which categorizes landslides by the type of material involved (soil or rock) and by the type of movement (falls, topples, slides, slumps, flows, or spreads). Other modifiers commonly are used to indicate velocity of movement, degree of internal disruption, state of activity, and moisture content.
Landsat Observations of Fractal Cloud Structure

LANDSAT Thematic Mapper (TM) data, with 30m spatial resolution, has been employed to study the spatial structure of boundary-layer and ITCZ clouds. Statistical parameters characterizing the cloud size, shape, and spacing have been determined. The probability distributions of cloud areas and cloud perimeters are found to be approximately power-law, with the power related to the fractal dimension. Stratocumulus clouds conform to a single power more closely than do fair weather cumulus, which exhibit a clear change in the fractal dimension at a diameter of about 0.5 km. The fractal dimension also changes with the reflectivity threshold. As the threshold is raised from cloud base to cloud top, the perimeter fractal dimension increases, perhaps indicative of the increased turbulence at cloud top. The distribution of nearest-neighbor spacings between cloud centers is shown to deviate from that expected for independendy distributed centers due to cloud clustering. The cloud spacing distribution is better approximated by a Levy flight. Results of this study are being used to develop statistical simulations of broken cloud fields. Properties of the associated radiation fields will then be computed by Monte Carlo methods.
Models for SNeIa and Evolutionary Effects with Redshift

Based on detailed models for the explosions, light curves and NLTE-spectra, evolutionary effects of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) with redshift have been studied to evaluate their size on cosmological time scales,how the effects can be recognized and how one may be able to correct for them. We show that delayed detonation models can account for the majority of observations of spectra and LCs. IR observations are a new and powerful tools to constrain explosion models, e.g. by a strong MgII line at propagation in the WD. A strong Mg II line at 1.05 mu shows that nuclear burning takes place at the outer, low density layers. This requires a transition from the deflagration to the detonation regime of the nuclear burning front, or a very fast deflagration. We put the models into context with the empirical brightness decline relation which is widely applied to use SNe Ia as yardsticks on cosmological distance scales. This relation can be well understood in the framework of M(Ch)-WDs as a consequence of the opacity effects in combination with the amount of 56Ni which determines the brightness. We show that evolution may produce an offset in the brightness decline relation but it is restricted to a few tenth of a magnitude. Effects reveal themself by changes in the U and UV fluxes, and in a change in the maximum brightness/decline relation by DM is about 0.1Dt where Dt is the do difference between local and distant SN-samples. According to new data by Alde- ring et al.(2000), Dt<1day and, likely, evolution will not eliminate Lambda.
Integrating Functional Genomics With Salinity and Water Deficit Stress Responses in Wine Grape - Vitis Vinifera

Wine grape (Vitis vinifera) is the world’s most important fruit crop both in terms of crop production and economic value. For most crops, water deficit stress has negative implications for production and quality. For wine grape, however, vegetative growth is more sensitive to water-deficit stress than fruit growth. Thus, moderate water-deficit can positively influence the quality of wine produced from grapes harvested from vines grown under regulated (water) deficit irrigation (RDI) and partial root zone drying (PRD) conditions. However, the interaction between water deficit stress and berry composition is complicated by the ability to accurately measure water potential under field conditions and can be influenced by many parameters including timing of stress application within a season and across several seasons, grapevine variety and canopy, leaf to fruit ratio, and soil structure. The mechanistic basis for observed quality differences are poorly understood. However, recent studies using integrated transcriptome and metabolome data sets have revealed potential underlying changes in gene expression and determinants of fruit characteristics that explain the major effects that water deficit treatment can be expected to have on wine quality. Major responses include gene expression changes resulting in alterations in sugar content, anthocyanin accumulation, and decreased organic acid accumulation
Review of Wanni W. Anderson, Mapping Thai Muslims: Community Dynamics and Change on the Andaman Coast

Anthropologists who continue to revisit areas where they have conducted fieldwork sometimes produce ethnographic memoirs about the changes that they have seen evolve over time in a community. If decades have gone by, they can write about people they once knew as children and provide a longue duree, or longitudinal analysis. This book is one such type of memoir, although it is written with a number of scholarly goals in mind and with numerous (if very short) references to a range of perspectives about globalization and Islam. The author’s stated goal is to present a non-monolithic portrait of Muslims in Thailand by focusing on the lesser-known Thai Muslims of the southern Andaman coast. Overall, this short book highlights how the Thai Muslim community in this region has responded to new occupational opportunities associated with tourism and increased economic interconnectedness, how a more globalized Islamic consciousness has affected their beliefs and practices, and how they view the ongoing violence that has engulfed the Muslim area on the other side of the country. Set on the island of Nipa, across the water from Krabi town in southwestern Thailand, the area was first visited by the author in 1979. She returned in 1981 to investigate Muslim children’s play culture in order to compare with her earlier work on Buddhist children’s play culture in central Thailand (e.g., p. 5). She returned for a longer stay in 1982 as a member of one of Harvard University’s research teams on cross-cultural studies of adolescents in a changing world. She also investigated local villagers’ notions of ethnic and religious consciousness. Subsequent revisits in 1984, Cont Islam (2013) 7:245–247 DOI 10.1007/s11562-011-0170-y
Understanding why anger predicts intention to complain among high but not low power customers: A test of competing models

Abstract While anger is a strong predictor of customer complaining, it is possible that some angry customers do not complain, and some customers who are not angry do complain. To better understand anger's role in customer complaining, the current work tests the hypothesis that the relationship between anger and complaining intention is contingent on the customer's power state. Specifically, anger is posited to relate positively to complaining intention among high but not low power consumers. More importantly, two competing models are tested which explain why anger may not predict complaining among low power customers (i.e., low power suppressing vs. low power compensating). Two experiments reveal that a low-power state reduces the relationship between anger and complaining, resulting in a moderate level of complaining intention overall, supporting a hybrid model integrating the low power suppressing and low power compensating models. Theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are discussed.
Sex-dependent regulation of social reward by oxytocin receptors in the ventral tegmental area

Social reward is critical for social relationships, and yet we know little about the characteristics of social interactions that are rewarding or the neural mechanisms underlying that reward. Here, we investigate the sex-dependent role of oxytocin receptors within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in mediating the magnitude and valence of social reward. Operant and classical conditioning tests were used to measure social reward associated with same-sex social interactions. The effects of oxytocin, selective oxytocin receptor agonists, antagonists, and vehicle injected into the VTA on social reward was determined in male and female Syrian hamsters. The colocalization of FOS and oxytocin in sites that project to the VTA following social interaction was also determined. Females find same-sex social interactions more rewarding than males and activation of oxytocin receptors in the VTA is critical for social reward in females, as well as males. These studies provide support for the hypothesis that there is an inverted U relationship between the duration of social interaction and social reward, mediated by oxytocin; and that in females the dose-response relationship is initiated at lower doses compared with males. Same-sex social interaction is more rewarding in females than in males, and an inverted U relationship mediated by oxytocin may have a critical role in assigning positive and negative valence to social stimuli. Understanding these sex differences in social reward processing may be essential for understanding the sex differences in the prevalence of many psychiatric disorders and the development of gender-specific treatments of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Using commonsensical cardinal directions to describe bordering objects

Geographic information systems (GIS) customarily encode spatial information using geometric objects (points, polylines and polygons) and their locations. But people frequently use qualitative relations, such as topological relations (e.g., connection or overlap) or cardinal direction relations (e.g. North or Southeast), to describe spatial scenes. While topological relations have been integrated into modern GIS, direction relations have remained isolated from GIS and are not available for user interaction. Instead, a user must visually infer them from map depictions. This work uses the problem of generating and interpreting cardinal direction labels that describe the direction between a region and its surrounding neighbors (e.g., all neighbors of a US state) to identify principles for computing more qualitative descriptions of directions that are intuitive to people and to correctly interpret descriptions commonly used by people. This is a step towards bridging the qualitative-quantitative divide between spatial information systems and human conceptualizations of space.
Fabrication of a Silver-Based Thermistor on Flexible, Temperature-Sensitive Substrates Using a Low-Temperature Inkjet Printing Technique

Inkjet printing has been identified as a cost-effective method to fabricate sensors on polymeric substrates. However, substrate materials suitable for printing are limited by the annealing temperature required by conventional inks. In this article, we describe the fabrication of an inkjet-printed thermistor on polyethylene and cellophane substrates that are not thermally compatible with the conventional inkjet printing processes. Fabrication on these substrates is made possible by a novel plasma-based postprint treatment step that limits the substrate temperature to <50 °C. The sensors exhibited a temperature sensitivity of 0.25 Ω°C−1 that was independent of substrate material. The utility of the fabrication process was demonstrated by fabricating thermistors for common indoor and outdoor applications.
Ominous Reversal of Health Gains in the United States: Time to Rethink Research Priorities?

This commentary describes the recent reversal of health gains in the United States due to increases in midlife mortality rates among many groups. The authors' solution is to equally emphasize resea...
Transformations in the pyridine series. An improved preparation of 3-methyl-4-phenylpyridine

An improved, large-scale preparation of 3-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (V) is described. This compound was converted to 3-methyl-4-phenylpicolinic acid (VII) which could not be reduced to the desired piperidine congener (IV).
Defoliation and Atmospheric Deposition Influences on Spring Baseflow Chemistry in 56 Pennsylvania Mixed Land-Use Watersheds

Using samples of spring baseflow chemistry on 56Pennsylvania watersheds with predominantly forested to mixedland-uses and widely varying geology/physiography, weattempted to determine spatial patterns in stream chemistrydue to insect defoliation and atmospheric deposition. Landuse and land form relations to stream chemistry wereexamined as well. Defoliation effects on stream chemistrydue to repeated, and sometimes intense, insect defoliationover the past several years were seen as reduced streamnitrate concentrations in a watershed data set (n = 11) thatincluded 100% forested lands only. Basins in regions withhigher atmospheric sulfate deposition loads had higherstream concentrations of sulfate in 100% forested basins.Significant positive correlations of stream nitrogen andpotassium with agricultural land use indicated possiblecontamination of stream waters by excess fertilizers and/oranimal wastes. Weak positive correlations were also foundwith many of the stream chemistry parameters and percentageurban/barren land use. Ridge-top versus valley bottomwatersheds also showed differences in baseflow chemistry dueto changing surficial geology and/or land use. Overall, thestudy showed that agricultural, urban, geologic, andphysiographic influences on spring baseflow chemistry maskthe effects of insect defoliation and atmospheric depositionon mixed land-use basins (<100% forest). Regionaldifferences in atmospheric deposition on 100% forestedbasins were directly reflected in spring baseflow SO4concentrations. When restricted to 100% forested basinswith relatively uniform geology, insect defoliation appearedto reduce stream nitrogen concentrations in the long term.This is believed to be due in part to nitrogen bound invegetative growth and a dilution of nitrogen from increasedflows as a result of defoliation and tree mortality bringingabout reduced evapotranspiration.
CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN) improves survival after tumor resection in an orthotopic murine model of rhabdomyosarcoma

709 CpG ODN are synthetic DNA sequences that mimic bacterial DNA and have been shown to have potent immunostimulatory effects on dendritic cells, B-cells and NK cells. CpG 1585 is a CpG ODN that also contains a poly G sequence. Poly G sequences have been shown to stimulate immune mediated responses and may enhance the anti-tumor effects of CpGs. To evaluate the effect of CpG 1585 on rhabdomyosarcoma in vivo, the 76-9 (MHC class I low, II -) embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma cell line was injected into an orthotopic location (im) on day 0. CpG 1585 was most effective when administered prophylactically 2 days prior to tumor inoculation compared to therapeutically at day 0 or day 2 after inoculation (p=0.0007). Continuing to use CpG 1585 therapeutically we next evaluated CpG administration route and determined that local (im) injection was significantly better than systemic intraperitoneal (ip) (p=0.003). Because surgery is a major therapeutic modality for the treatment of solid tumors such as rhabdomyosarcoma, we further sought to determine if the administration of CpGs in the state of minimal residual disease that occurs post-operatively could improve survival. Once the tumors were palpable (day14) the mice underwent resection of the tumor ± resection of the draining lymph node. Mice were treated with CpG 1585 at days 14, 17, 21 and continued weekly for 4 weeks. Survival was significantly improved when the draining lymph node was not resected and CpG 1585 was administered via the im route at the site of tumor resection (p=0.041) when compared to the survival of mice if the lymph node was left in situ. Collectively, these data indicate that CpG 1585 is most effective when administered locally and may have a role in preventing tumor progression in a minimal residual disease model such as occurs post surgical resection.
Waiting to vote: the effect of administrative irregularities at polling locations and voter confidence

ABSTRACTWhen citizens experience an irregularity while voting, their confidence in elections is diminished, and they are more likely to perceive the results of the election as illegitimate. Althoug...
Perianal Histoplasmosis Presenting as a Mass Suspicious for Malignancy: A Case Report with Review of Gastrointestinal Manifestations of Histoplasmosis

BACKGROUND Disseminated histoplasmosis, a disease that can present years after exposure to the causative organism, may manifest in many diverse ways. Although the gastrointestinal tract is involved in most cases, the initial presentation occurring along the gastrointestinal tract, including the colon and rectum, is infrequent. CASE REPORT This case report describes a 66-year-old male patient who presented with an indurated painful perianal lesion that appeared highly suspicious for malignancy on imaging. The patient had no known history of well-established immunocompromised state except for a short course of prednisolone for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management. A biopsy of the mass was performed, showing chronic inflammation with clusters of epithelioid histiocytes containing characteristic, PAS-fungus stain-positive, intracellular yeast forms consistent with histoplasmosis. There was no evidence of malignancy. A subsequent work-up revealed perihilar nodularity on chest X-ray suggestive of calcified granuloma, a positive Histoplasma Capsulatum Antigen test result, and mildly decreased CD4: CD8 ratio of unknown significance. HIV testing was negative. Treatment with itraconazole and terbinafine was initiated, and at 5-months follow-up, the patient reported significant improvement in signs and symptoms, with undetectable Histoplasma antigen on repeat testing. CONCLUSIONS This case represents an extremely rare presentation of histoplasmosis infection, and highlights the fact that presenting symptoms of histoplasmosis can be vague and may mimic other disease processes, including neoplasia. Biopsy of the lesion with PAS staining and serologic testing is critical in establishing the correct diagnosis.
Subchronic feeding toxicity studies of drought-tolerant transgenic wheat MGX11-10 in Wistar Han RCC rats

A subchronic toxicity study were conducted in Wistar Han RCC rats to evaluate the potential health effects of genetically modified (GM), drought-tolerant wheat MGX11-10. Rats were fed a rodent diet formulated with MGX11-10 and were compared with rats fed a diet formulated with its corresponding non-transgenic control Jimai22 and rats fed a basal diet. MGX11-10 and Jimai22 were ground into flour and formulated into diets at concentrations of 16.25, 32.5, or 65%, w/w% and fed to rats (10/sex/group) for 13 weeks. Compared with rats fed Jimai22 and the basal-diet group, no biologically relevant differences were observed in rats fed the GM diet with respect to body weight/gain, food consumption/efficiency, clinical signs, mortality, ophthalmology, clinical pathology (hematology, prothrombin time, urinalysis, clinical chemistry), organ weights, and gross and microscopic pathology. Under the conditions of this study, the MGX11-10 diets did not cause any treatment-related effects in rats following at least 90 days of dietary administration as compared with rats fed diets with the corresponding non-transgenic control diet and the basal-diet group. The MGX11-10 diets are considered equivalent to the diets prepared from conventional comparators. The results demonstrated that MGX11-10 wheat is as safe and wholesome as the corresponding non-transgenic control wheat.
Evaluating Potential Racial Inequities in Low-dose Computed Tomography Screening for Lung Cancer.

Abstract Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the US, and significant racial disparities exist in lung cancer outcomes. For example, Black men experience higher lung cancer incidence and mortality rates than their White counterparts. New screening recommendations for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) promote earlier detection of lung cancer in at-risk populations and can potentially help mitigate racial disparities in lung cancer mortality if administered equitably. Yet, little is known about the extent of racial differences in uptake of LDCT. Objective To evaluate potential racial disparities in LDCT screening in a large community-based cancer center in central North Carolina. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of the initial patients undergoing LDCT in a community-based cancer center (n = 262). We used the Pearson chi-squared test to assess potential racial disparities in LDCT screening. Results Study results suggest that Black patients may be less likely than White patients to receive LDCT screening when eligible (χ2 = 51.41, p Conclusion Collaboration among healthcare providers, researchers, and decision makers is needed to promote LDCT equity.
Hacking the host: exploitation of macrophage polarization by intracellular bacterial pathogens

Macrophages play an integral role in host defenses against intracellular bacterial pathogens. A remarkable plasticity allows for adaptation to the needs of the host to orchestrate versatile innate immune responses to a variety of microbial threats. Several bacterial pathogens have adapted to macrophage plasticity and modulate the classical (M1) or alternative (M2) activation bias towards a polarization state that increases fitness for intracellular survival. Here, we summarize the current understanding of the host macrophage and intracellular bacterial interface; highlighting the roles of M1/M2 polarization in host defense and the mechanisms employed by several important intracellular pathogens to modulate macrophage polarization to favor persistence or proliferation. Understanding macrophage polarization in the context of disease caused by different bacterial pathogens is important for the identification of targets for therapeutic intervention.
The rise and fall of OPEC in the twentieth century

No book about oil and the world economy has had more of an impact than Daniel Yergin’s 1990 masterpiece The Prize.1 1 Daniel Yergin, The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power (New York: S...
Detection of spark discharges in an agitated Mars dust simulant isolated from foreign surfaces

Abstract Numerous laboratory experiments, starting in the Viking Lander era, have reported that frictional interactions between Martian analog dust grains can catalyze electrostatic processes (i.e. triboelectrification). Such findings have been cited to suggest that Martian dust devils and dust storms may sustain lightning storms, glow discharges, and other complex electrostatic phenomena. However, in many cases (if not most), these experiments allowed Martian dust simulant grains to contact foreign surfaces (for instance, the wall of an environmental chamber or other chemically-dissimilar particles). A number of authors have noted that such interactions could produce charging that is not representative of processes occurring near the surface of Mars. More recently, experiments that have identified and corrected for collisions between dust simulants and chemically dissimilar laboratory materials have either failed to replicate near-surface Martian conditions or directly measure discharging. In this work, we experimentally characterize the triboelectrification of a Martian dust simulant resulting from both isolated particle–particle collisions and particle–wall collisions under a simulated Martian environment. We report the direct detection of spark discharges in a flow composed solely of natural basalt grains and isolated from artificial surfaces. The charge densities acquired by the fluidized grains are found to be of order 10-6 Cm-2 (in excess of the theoretical maximum charge density for the near-surface Martian environment). Additionally, we demonstrate that the interaction of simulant particles with experimental walls can modulate the polarity of spark discharges. Our work supports the idea that small-scale spark discharges may indeed be present in Martian granular flows and may be qualitatively similar to small-scale discharges in terrestrial volcanic vents.
Are Creative People Better than Others at Recognizing Creative Work

It is often assumed that people with high ability in a domain will be excellent raters of quality within that same domain. This assumption is an underlying principle of using raters for creativity tasks, as in the Consensual Assessment Technique. While several prior studies have examined expert-novice differences in ratings, none have examined whether experts' ability to identify the quality of a creative product is being driven more by their ability to identify high quality work, low quality work, or both. To address this question, a sample of 142 participants completed individual difference measures and rated the quality of several sets of creative captions. Unbeknownst to the participants, the captions had been identified a prior by expert raters as being of particularly high or low quality. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that after controlling for participants' background and personality, those who scored significantly higher on any of three external measures of creativity also rated low-quality captions significantly lower than their peers; however, they did not rate the high-quality captions significantly higher. These findings support research in other domains suggesting that ratings of quality may be driven more by the lower end of the quality spectrum than the high end.
Ziv-aflibercept for Better Regulating Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ZEBRA): A Prospective, Randomized Trial.

The purpose of this study is to determine if ziv-aflibercept is a safe and effective maintenance drug for nAMD. This is a randomized, prospective, single-blinded trial. Inclusion criteria were acti...
Is there a Method/Methodology for Literary Research?

While English Studies as an academic discipline is roughly a century old within the Western academia, research method/methodology in literary research is of a recent phenomenon. On the other hand, research methods in ELT as a branch of applied linguistics are objective and scientific as they are borrowed from social sciences. Research methods and methodologies in English studies seem to be irrelevant within Indian academia though they can produce paradigm-shifting, stunning results. The failure to employ them causes textual interpretations either repetitive or subjective. Interpretation does not mean repetition of the text. The present article argues that there are well-defined research methods and they are guided by methodologies. Also, there is a need to nurture research culture and skills that must be explicitly and compulsorily incorporated into research programmes. Training in research skills and techniques is a key element in the development of a research student.
Influence of the terminal group on the thermal decomposition reactions of carboxylic acids on copper: nature of the carbonaceous film

The effect of the terminal groups on the nature of the films formed by the thermal decomposition of carboxylic acids on copper is studied in ultrahigh vacuum using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The influence of the presence of vinyl or alkynyl terminal groups and chain length is studied using heptanoic, octanoic, 6-heptenoic, 7-octenoic, 6-heptynoic and 7-octynoic acids. The carboxylic acids form strongly bound carboxylates following adsorption on copper at room temperature, and thermally decompose between ∼500 and 650 K. Previous work has shown that this occurs by the carboxylate plane tilting towards the surface to eliminate carbon dioxide and deposit a hydrocarbon fragment. The fragment can react to evolve hydrogen or form oligomeric species on the surface, where the amount of carbon increases for carboxylic acids that contain terminal functional groups that can anchor to the surface. These results will be used to compare with the carbonaceous films formed by the mechanochemical decomposition of carboxylic acids on copper, which occurs at room temperature. This is expected to lead to less carbon being deposited on the surface than during thermal decomposition.
Assessment in Early Childhood Science Education

The state of research and practice in early childhood science education is at a critical tipping point. The encouraging news is the considerable national, state and local activity around early childhood science education. An increased focus on science has the potential for improving multiple areas of school readiness through learning opportunities that draw on young children’s natural curiosity to understand their world. Active engagement in doing science also provides young children with a foundation for thinking and problem solving that can serve as cognitive models for the challenging years of school that lie ahead. The flip side, however, is the dearth of empirical research validating the effectiveness of science activities and early childhood science curricula. A major barrier to conducting such research is the lack of reliable and valid assessments to provide a strong evidence base on best practices in science education, key factors that support these practices and how these practices affect young children’s competence in science. This chapter presents an assessment framework for programs seeking solid evidence to understand what constitutes best practices in early childhood science consistent with the recently published Next Generation Science Standards. The current state of assessment in early childhood science is also reviewed. Chapter sections cover summative, screening and formative assessments of children’s science competence, teacher’s science pedagogical knowledge, teaching practices, and attitudes and beliefs about science, and assessing classrooms for facilitating science learning. Although very little critically needed assessment work has been published, promising work is underway and is also reviewed.
Linewidth measurements of the ν2 + ν4 R+(29) absorption in CF4

Abstract Linewidth measurements of the ν 2 + ν 4 R + (29) A 1 4 + E 9 + F 1 14 absorption at 1073.279 cm −1 were made in the pressure range of 0.5 to 50 Torr CF 4 . The data, after correction for Doppler broadening, reduce to a self-broadening coefficient of 10.8 ± 0.4 MHz/Torr. Comparisons of the linewidth for pure CF 4 with the linewidth of an Ar-CF 4 mixture and with the prediction of the hard-sphere, gas-kinetic model imply a relaxation mechanism that is not dominated by a resonant (V-V) process, and has an effective cross section that is intermediate in size between the cross sections associated with dipole-dipole and hard-sphere collisions.
An assessment of measures of body image, body attitude, acculturation, and weight status among Mexican American women

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study was to establish the validity and reliability of the measurement of body image and body attitudes among Mexican American women. Data sources: Completed measures of height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index, acculturation, body image, and body attitude of 35 U.S.-born Mexican American women between the ages of 18 and 65 years of age. Also included were repeated measures of body image and body attitude and verbatim face-to-face interviews with 13 study participants. Conclusions: Most study participants were overweight; however, body image discrepancy (difference between perceived actual and ideal body image) did not increase as anticipated and was negatively related to body mass index; suggesting those participants' perceptions of ideal body image increased with increasing body size and was reliable. Body attitude subscale scores had varying relationships to weight status. Implications for practice: Further study is warranted examining why an acceptance of a greater body image occurs, potentially leading to a greater understanding of the influences of body image integration on health behaviors. Clinicians working with Mexican American women should consider weight reduction interventions that are based on an individual assessment of the perceptions of body image and body attitudes.
In situ measurement of conformational changes in proteins at liquid interfaces by circular dichroism spectroscopy

A new circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy technique for studying conformational changes in proteins in situ at the air-water interface is described. By using this technique, conformations of four proteins, viz., beta-casein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme, and fibrinogen in the adsorbed state at the air-water interface have been studied. beta-Casein, which is predominantly in a disordered state in solution, assumes a beta-sheet conformation at the air-water interface. On the other hand, lysozyme and fibrinogen, which are alpha+beta-type proteins in solution, become beta-type proteins by completely transforming their alpha-helix structure into beta-sheets. Bovine serum albumin, which is an alpha-type protein in solution, loses its alpha-helix and becomes a disordered protein at the air-water interface. The results indicated that during unfolding and film formation at the interface, structural changes in proteins, regardless of their initial native state, follow the course of increasing beta-sheet and disordered structure and decreasing alpha-helix content. Although this seems to be the general trend, the exceptional case of BSA suggests, however, that this is not universal.
Local optimization using simulated annealing

The authors present a tool for general purpose local optimization. Randomized combinatorial search heuristics such as simulated annealing (SA) are an effective means of exploring function space to find regions of high performance. Their ability to optimize functions once regions of high performance are found is limited. To improve, and accelerate, their local optimization capabilities, a perturbation operator that selectively perturbs the solution string was created. During the initial phases of optimization, the significance of each bit position is monitored. As the search continues, the probability of perturbations is shifted away from the most significant bits to the least. As the strength of techniques such as SA is achieved through their ability to sample a diverse set of hyperplanes, the perturbation probability is never allowed to decrease to zero for any bit position. This technique was tested on twelve problems, including problems in which the significance of each bit position was nonstatic through the search progression. The local optimization tool was also tested on K. DeJong's five-problem test set (1975). >
Quadrupolar NMR of Semiconductors

After a background discussion of aspects of semiconductors that are relevant to NMR investigations, we discuss the NMR of the generally abundant quadrupolar nuclei in inorganic semiconductors with reference to the various terms in the appropriate NMR spin Hamiltonian. The emphasis is on physical insight rather than mathematical detail. The terms include magnetic shielding due to chemical shifts and Knight shifts, electron hyperfine interactions, indirect exchange and direct dipolar couplings between pairs of nuclei, and nuclear quadrupole couplings. Selected examples of NMR measurements of each are provided. In disentangling and interpreting these various interactions, the relative simplicity of the atomic structure of semiconductors is often counterbalanced by the complexity of their electronic structure, since electron or hole carriers have strong influences on both spectral appearance and relaxation. Successful approaches to disentangling these interactions are discussed. Examples are given where the quadrupole interaction is the principal source of information about polytypes and polymorphs, structural parameters and atomic environments, electric field effects, strain effects, defect and dopant concentrations, ordering in semiconductor alloys, and dynamics. Keywords: NMR; quadrupolar; semiconductors; dopants; EFG; dynamics; Knight shifts; Korringa relaxation; Stark effect; stress/strain
Bad Water: Nature, Pollution, and Politics in Japan, 1870-1950, by Robert Stolz

For decades, Marxist critical theory and environmental history were barely on speaking terms. For the theorists, a politics beholden to environmentalism either dragged us back to a romanticized, su...
Answering Questions from Natural Language Using A-Prolog

The topic of this research is the development of methodology for building computer systems capable of answering questions from natural language (NL) texts. Existing methodologies take the NL text and question as an input, transform it to a logical form, and use reasoning systems to obtain the answer. Sometimes little or no commonsense knowledge is added to the original input. However, we believe that most answers are commonsense answers and we want to investigate how additional knowledge can be used to produce them.
On a Lemma of Minkowski

In this paper we show that a generalization of a lemma of Minkowski can be applied to solve two problems concerning kissing numbers of convex bodies. In the first application we give a short proof showing that the lattice kissing number of tetrahedra is eighteen. Moreover, it turns out that for any tetrahedron T there exist a unique 18-neighbour lattice packing of T and an essentially unique 16-neighbour lattice packing of T. Secondly we show that for every integer d ≥ 3 there exists a d-dimensional convex body K such that the difference between its translative kissing number and lattice kissing number is at least 2d-1.
Preference for signaled or unsignaled shock in goldfish

Unsignaled, inescapable shocks were presented to five goldfish. By making a shuttle response, subjects could change the condition to signaled shocks for 2 min, after which unsignaled shocks were automatically reinstated. All subjects changed from the unsignaled to the signaled condition. Three different extinction conditions were administered, to assess the extent to which the shock and shock-free periods controlled changeover performance. The performance of the fish was compared with the performance of rats obtained in previous studies. This comparison showed a number of similarities. The argument, by some, that subjects choose the signaled shock condition because of modifiable shock, was disputed.
Eosinophil accumulation and activation in antigen-induced late asthmatic response in Guinea pigs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the participation of airway eosinophils in the antigen-induced late asthmatic response (LAR) and increased airway responsiveness in the guinea pig model of asthma. After antigen challenge, guinea pigs sensitized with aerosolized ovalbumin showed a late-phase decrease in specific airway conductance, which was accompanied by airway hyperresponsiveness to histamine, eosinophilia in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), decreased BALF eosinophil density, and increased generation of superoxide anions from purified BALF eosinophils. We demonstrated an association of the LAR with eosinophil accumulation and activation in the airway.
Effect of various parameters on properties of composite steel foams under variety of loading rates

Abstract Steel–steel composite metal foams (CMF) are manufactured using steel hollow spheres (with variety of different sphere sizes, surface roughness and carbon content) embedded in a stainless steel matrix through powder metallurgy technique and are investigated experimentally under compression loading with variety of loading rates. The microstructural and mechanical properties of the material were studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, quasi-static, and dynamic compressive loading up to 26 m/s. It is observed that the yield and plateau strength as well as the energy absorption capabilities of the composite foams are increased with increasing loading rate and by decreasing sphere sizes. Such mechanical properties improved by additional carbon content in the sphere wall at strains below 17% while the effect of density, resulted from porosity content, showed an improvement on the densification strain and plateau strengths at higher than 17% strain. The effect of spheres surface roughness and carbon content on mechanical properties of CMF seemed to be minimal compared to other parameters. As a result, the features controlling the life time and performance of composite metal foams under static and dynamic loading have been categorized into two main groups. The first group that controls the yield and plateau strength of the foam at lower strain levels includes bonding strength between the spheres and matrix which is a function of the sphere surface roughness and the gradient chemical composition between the spheres and matrix. The second group that controls the relative density, densification strain and plateau strength at higher strain levels belongs to the sphere diameter and the porosity content in both spheres and matrix. Moreover, increasing the loading rate improves the yield strength of all CMF samples.
High efficiency NiO/ZnO heterojunction UV photodiode by sol–gel processing

We studied the thin film heterojunction photodiode made of nickel oxide (NiO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) deposited by low cost energy-efficient sol–gel spin coating. The highly visible-transparent heterojunction photodiode with a smooth interface gives rise to a good photoresponse and quantum efficiency under ultra-violet (UV) light illumination. With an applied reverse bias of 5 V, a very impressive peak photo responsivity of 21.8 A W−1 and an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 88% at an incident light wavelength of 310 nm were accomplished.
Exploring consumers' privacy concerns: Does data from three years of student samples support the 'conventional wisdom?'

It is generally accepted that consumers' privacy concerns negatively affects their willingness to participate in e-commerce. Additionally, factors such as gender and internet experience are thought to influence the relationship between privacy and online buying behaviours and intentions. Using three years of data from a student sample, the effects of these concerns, the 'conventional wisdom' as it were, is investigated. Results indicate that the direct effects of concerns over privacy are largely absent. Implications are discussed.
Approach to the diagnosis of hereditary autoinflammatory syndromes

Anna Simon National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal & Skin diseases (NIAMS), Genetics & Genomics Branch, National Institute of Health (NIH), Building 10, Room 9N214, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-1820, USA Tel.: +1 301 435 3694; Fax: +1 301 402 0012; Simona2@mail.nih.gov ‘Genetic testing in the hereditary autoinflammatory syndromes is often a useful tool, but should only be used as an adjunct to clinical diagnosis.‘
The impact of more complex family structure upon marital earnings premiums

This article employs a unique data set from Trinidad and Tobago to examine the impact of their more complex family structures upon marital earnings premiums. While family structure includes the single married couple structure common in the US, families in Trinidad and Tobago often have more adults living in the household, multiple married couples living in the same family, and multigenerational families. Marital premiums for family members most likely to invest in labor market production are estimated to increase with more complex family structure. In contrast, estimated marital premiums for members most likely to invest in home production are decreased with more complex family structure. Results suggest that specialization within the larger family help explain the existence of marital premiums.
Evidence for modulated immune response to Anaplasma phagocytophila sensu lato in cats with FIV-induced immunosuppression

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is an emerging infectious disease in which some patients experience unusual opportunistic infections. In this study, cats infected with the HGE agent, Anaplasma phagocytophila s.l., had clinical granulocytic ehrlichiosis (GE), anti-nuclear antibodies and increased IFN-γ mRNA. In FIV-immunosuppressed cats with GE, there was upregulated IL-10 transcription but not IFN-γ. Cats with FIV had poor response to vaccines, regardless of GE status. This preliminary report demonstrates that cats with FIV-infection make a good model of ehrlichiosis in an immunocompromised host, and that viral immunosuppression may not increase the severity of ehrlichiosis but may attenuate immune responses to the pathogen.
Multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) applications in fishery management

This paper provides an up-to-date review of multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) applications in fishery management since the last review conducted by Mardle and Pascoe in 1999. The review will primarily draw on the published literature in the English language. This review will also include the author's experience in developing MCDM models to assist policy decision making in fishery management both in Hawaii and Norway. Two multi-objective programming models and two applications of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) – separately developed for Hawaii and Norway – will be highlighted.