cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Fabric of Wet Kaolinite

A method is described for quantitatively expressing orientation of kaolinite particles in a wet clay mass. Wet clay is impregnated with a polyalcohol which permits grinding of a very flat surface (without disrupting the original fabric) for quantitative X-ray measurement. In the specific procedure discussed, a Norelco diffractometer equipped with a pole figure device and a Geiger detector was employed to measure by reflection the diffracted intensity of the 002 and 020 kaolinite reflections. The amplitude of the 002 peak to the amplitude of the 020 peak is called the peak ratio, PK, which quantitatively expresses particle orientation at any chosen angle to the specimen surface. Limits of orientation are random and maximum orientation. For the kaolinite tested, truly random orientation was achieved which gave a PR = 2.0. Maximum orientation found experimentally was PR = 200 for thoroughly dispersed slurry slowly dried on a glass slide. Vertical and lateral variations can be measured either continuously or in steps of any chosen size.
Why Are There Different Age Relations in Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Comparisons of Cognitive Functioning?

A major challenge for researchers interested in investigating relations between aging and cognitive functioning is distinguishing influences of aging from other determinants of cognitive performance. For example, cross-sectional comparisons may be distorted because people of different ages were born and grew up in different time periods, and longitudinal comparisons may be distorted because performance on a second occasion is influenced by the experience of performing the tests on the first occasion. One way in which these different types of influences might be investigated is with research designs involving comparisons of people of different ages from the same birth cohorts who are all tested for the first time in different years. Results from several recent studies using these types of designs suggest that the age trends in some cognitive abilities more closely resemble those from cross-sectional comparisons than those from longitudinal comparisons. These findings imply that a major reason for different age trends in longitudinal and cross-sectional comparisons of cognitive functioning is that the prior experience with the tests inflates scores on the second occasion in longitudinal studies.
Collective Intelligence in Disaster: Examination of the Phenomenon in the Aftermath of the 2007 Virginia Tech Shooting

We report on the results of an investigation about the “informal,” public-side communications that occurred in the aftermath of the April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech (VT) Shooting. Our on-going research reveals several examples of on-line social interaction organized around the goal of collective problem-solving. In this paper, we focus on specific instances of this distributed problem-solving activity, and explain, using an ethnomethodological lens, how a loosely connected group of people can work together on a grave topic to provide accurate results.
How can professional activity at the student level be increased

For some of us, professional activity is part of who we are as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant. It is respected in the milieu of academia, clinical practice, and administration. However, the type and amount of professional activity we are involved in is and has been an issue for discussion and debate for decades along with the establishment of minimal standards of expectations.
The future prospects for large scale applications of superconductivity

Predictions of future market growth for large scale applications of superconductivity are very bullish. This paper discusses there predictions in the context of research applications, defense and space, instruments for science and medicine, machine tools, materials processing, transportation, energy and national security. The status and the technical and non-technical market factors likely to influence growth for each of these applications are discussed.
Automatic Inspection and Diagnostic System for Army Tactical Vehicles

A tactical system designed to inspect and diagnose malfunctions in all army tactical vehicles including jeeps, trucks, and tanks is known as Ready Multipurpose Automatic Inspection and Diagnostic System (READYMAIDS). The laboratory model developed to prove the feasibility of design is discussed together with design problems such as instrumenting a vehicle without modifications. The system uses a small digital computer in addition to switching, measurement, and loading devices. These devices are integrated into a small transportable unit. Results to date, problem areas, and possible solutions are described.
Utilizing Variational Optimization to Learn Markov Random Fields

Markov random field, or MRF, models are a powerful tool for modeling images. While much progress has been made in algorithms for inference in MRFs, learning the parameters of an MRF is still a challenging problem. In this paper, we show how variational optimization can be used to learn the parameters of an MRF. This method for learning, which we refer to as variational mode learning, finds the MRF parameters by minimizing a loss function that penalizes the difference between ground-truth images and an approximate, variational solution to the MRF. In particular, we focus on learning parameters for the field of experts model of Roth and Black. In addition to demonstrating the effectiveness of this method, we show that a model based on derivative filters performs quite similarly to the field of experts model. This suggests that the field of experts model, which is difficult to interpret, can be understood as imposing piecewise continuity on the image.
The effect of water on the ground nesting habits of the giant tropical ant, Paraponera clavata

The large predatory ant, Paraponera clavata, exerts measurable top-down effects in wet and moist Neotropical forests, and therefore its distribution has potential ecological implications. To determine how water affects the presence of this important predator, the ground nesting ecology of P. clavata was examined with respect to various habitat characteristics. Four hectares of disturbed Costa Rican lowland rain forest were surveyed for ant colonies to determine nest distribution patterns in wet and dry habitat; significantly more colonies were found in dry habitat. Seventeen of 19 nests built on slopes of > 5° inclination were positioned on the downward side of the tree, possibly using the trunk as a shield against runoff during rain showers. Moisture and pH inside nests were significantly different from adjacent soil. These results suggest that water influences the ground nesting habits of P. clavata, thus ecological differences between comparatively wet and dry portions of tropical forests may arise from the relative abundance of this ant species.
Homosexuality and the Military: A Review of the Literature

Homosexual men and women have been subjected to constant discrimination and stigma while trying to do what most heterosexual individuals take for granted, serving their country. It is somewhat paradoxical that gays and lesbians who are treated as second-class citizens by their own country and government, with limited rights, would want to risk their lives and potentially die for that same country. As the literature illustrates, many homosexual men and women have chosen such a profession in order to justify their existence and demonstrate that they are worthy of the same rights as others. Just as women and African Americans eventually earned their status as equal members of society and proved their worthiness to serve in the military, homosexuals are now trying to achieve the same.
On-line chiral analysis using the kinetic method

Chiral analysis of constituents in solution-phase reaction mixtures can be performed by tandem mass spectrometry using the kinetic method to determine the enantiomeric excess (ee). Simply diluting an aliquot of a reaction mixture, adjusting the pH, and adding reagents necessary to form a chiral cluster ion allows chiral analysis. The product of a stereospecific N-selective alkylation reaction, 2-(3-(2-methoxyethoxy)-5-oxo-1,6-naphthyridin-6(5H)-yl)propanoic acid, was monitored for ee during the course of reaction, and it showed the expected inversion without ee erosion. Base-catalyzed racemization of the reaction product showed the expected decrease in ee as the reaction proceeded. The base-catalyzed racemization of ibuprofen was monitored on-line, providing near real-time data on ee.
Computer tomography (CT) orientated rotary stereotactic system - A technical note

The system consists of an inverted U-shaped frame with right angled corners, so mounted that it can be adjusted vertically, antero-posteriorly and made to rotate on an axis (“the axis of the frame”) formed by its free ends. The frame carries an arc probe carrier whose probe holder slides on an arc which is centred on the axis of the frame. The centre of the probe holder and axis of fram lie in one plane “The plane of probe”. After positioning the patient in the frame on the CT table, using either table indexing or laser positioning light, the plane of the probe is brought in the CT plane of the target. Once in this CT plane, direct measurements can be obtained so as to bring the axis of the frame passing through the target and centring the arc on the target. The frame can then be rotated to any desired angle and the probe holder can be moved to any position on the arc without altering the direction of the probe with respect to the target. As the structures in the probe plane are constructed of plastic, it can be used within the scanner with practically no artifacts, and direct measurements can be obtained without any calculations. This system can be used in any total body scanner with standard features and no special computer programming is necessary. This is a simple and truly CT-oriented stereotactic system with a high degree of accuracy.
Characterization of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from shrunken-2 and brittle-2 mutants of maize

Electrophoretic characterization of adenosine diphosphate glucose pyrophosphorylase from the developing endosperms of nine shrunken-2 and four brittle-2 mutants revealed that (1) all mutants had low but detectable levels of activity, (2) mutation at either locus decreased activity of pyrophosphorylases A and B, and (3) differences in mobility were not found. However, pyrophosphorylase B extracted from several shrunken-2 and brittle-2 mutants differed from normal in extent of urea denaturation, K m (glucose-1-phosphate) or type of glucose-1-phosphate saturation kinetics. Pyrophosphorylase B from sh2-m (association of Dissociation with the sh2 locus) appears to differ from normal in K m (glucose-1-phosphate).
On the trace and norm maps from Γ0(p) to GL2(A)

Let f be a Drinfeld modular form for Γ0(p). From such a form, one can obtain two forms for the full modular group GL2(A): by taking the trace or the norm from Γ0(p) to GL2(A). In this paper we show some connections between the arithmetic modulo p of the coefficients of the u-series expansion of f and those of a form closely related to its trace, and of the coefficients of f and those of its norm.
Hybrid Control of Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Robust Wireless Communication Networking

This paper presents an effective hybrid control approach for building stable wireless sensor networks between heterogeneous unmanned vehicles using high endurance aerial vehicles. For optimal deployment of the aerial vehicles in communication networks, a gradient descent based self-estimating control algorithm is utilized to locate the aerial platforms to maintain maximum communication throughputs between distributed multiple nodes. The autonomous aerial robots, which function as communication relay nodes, harness thermal energy from the atmosphere to improve their flight endurance within specified communication coverage areas. The rapidly-deployable communication networks with the high-endurance aerial vehicles can be used for various application areas including environment monitoring, surveillance, tracking, and decision-making support. Flight test and simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid control technique for robust communication networks.
The estrogen metabolite 2-methoxyestradiol regulates eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and inhibits protein synthesis in MG63 osteosarcoma cells

Osteosarcoma is a primary bone tumor that affects children and young adults. The estrogen metabolite 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) induces cell death in osteosarcoma cells. To determine whether 2-ME actions involve the control of protein synthesis, we studied the effect of 2-ME on eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and eIF4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) in MG63 osteosarcoma cells. Our results show that 2-ME treatment increases the association of eIF4E with 4E-BP1 in osteosarcoma cells. Also, 2-ME decreases the binding of eIF4E protein to 7-methyl-guanosine cap structure, indicating that 2-ME treatment results in the inhibition of translational initiation. These findings are further supported by the inhibition of protein synthesis in 2-ME-treated osteosarcoma cells. Taken together, our studies show that 2-ME-mediated antitumor effects in osteosarcoma cells involve the regulation of protein synthesis, and translational machinery could serve as a target in the treatment of osteosarcoma.
Effect of CVT Additional Phase Error on On-Line Monitoring of Dielectric Loss Factor for Capacitive Equipment

Capacitor voltage transformer(CVT) has been widely used in electrical power system for its high dielectric strength and low cost, and is also used to supply voltage reference signal in on-line monitoring of dielectric loss factor for capacitive equipment. Research indicates that phase error of CVT can affect measurement results of dielectric loss. In this paper, the additional phase error of CVT is analyzed, and the influence quantity of CVT phase error caused by power system frequency and ambient temperature is tested. Results indicate that the influence quantity of additional phase error is of the same magnitude as the dielectric loss angle caused by insulation defect of capacitive high-voltage apparatus, therefore is easy to cause the misjudgment of capacitive high-voltage insulation status. Research on on-line calibration of CVT error should be done to improve the precision of reference signal voltage, which is helpful for on-line monitoring of dielectric loss factor for capacitive equipment.
Selective Flotation of a Copper-Molybdenum Bulk Concentrate from Inner Mongolia

Mineralogical characteristics of a copper-molybdenum bulk concentrate from Inner Mongolia have been investigated. And the presence of chalcopyrite wrapped by covellite and filamentous molybdenite accompanied with quartz make the separation of the chalcopyrite and the molybdenum difficult. In this work,the grinding size, the flotation p H value and the reagents were examined in the laboratory. The results indicated that,when the particle size of concentrate was 76.12% less than 0.043 mm,p H was 10.5,pulp density was 30%, the temperature was controlled at 40 ℃ and the amount of sodium sulphide, sodium silicate,kerosene and pine camphor oil were 15 kg/t,1.0 kg/t,100 g/t and 100 g/t respectively,then after the closed circuit experiments of once rougher flotation, six times of cleaner flotation and three times of scavenger flotation,the molybdenum ore concentrate product contained 46.32% Mo and 0.88% Cu,and the recovery rate of molybdenum was 95.11%. The copper ore concentrate product contained 21.17% Cu and containing 0.07% Mo and the recovery rate of copper was 99.92%. The selective separation of copper and molybdenum has been achieved successfully.
Unusual manifestations of chordoma. A report of two cases.

Unusual behavior in two cases of chordoma are reported. The first is a sacral primary tumor with widespread metastases. Review of the literature indicates that [See table in the PDF file] well documented instances of metastases from these neoplasms are an uncommon occurrence; and that in the majority of cases the sacral area is the primary site. The second report is of a vertebral chordoma that underwent sarcomatous histological transformation three and one-half years after radiation therapy. This is apparently a previously unreported phenomenon.
The Benefits of Balance: Credibility, the Rule of Law, and Investment in Latin America

Research surrounding political institutions and credible commitment to the rule of law is integral to recent efforts to tie democracy to economic development. I identify the determinants of rule-of-law perceptions in Latin America and argue that constraining elected officials facilitates a commitment to democracy that makes government policies credible. I also argue that aspects of politics leading to deadlock might have a hidden upside in generating policy credibility. I test my arguments against pooled cross-sectional, time series data for twenty Latin American countries between 1996 and 2012. Ultimately, my research demonstrates the benefits of functioning checks and balances among elected officials for the rule of law and provides a uniform framework linking democratic inputs to legal and economic outcomes. RESUMEN: Investigaciones de instituciones politicas y compromisos creibles al estado de derecho es emblematico de esfuerzos recientes para atar la democracia al desarrollo economico. Identifico los factores determinantes de las percepciones del estado de derecho en America latina. Sostengo que limitaciones efectivas sobre funcionarios oficiales actuan como mecanismos democraticos de compromiso y se ponen creibles las politicas del gobierno. Tambien afirmo que aspectos de la politica que llevan a la paralisis podrian llevar beneficios escondidos en la generacion de la politica creible. Pruebo mis hipotesis contra datos de panel para veinte paises Latinoamericanos entre 1996 y 2012. Al fin y al cabo, mi investigacion demuestra los beneficios de funcionamiento de controles y equilibrios entre oficiales publicos para el estado de derecho y ofrece un marco uniforme que vincula entradas democraticas con resultados legales y economicos.
Science and The Simpsons

Until recently I was surely the only person who hadn't seen The Simpsons, the cartoon series about a dysfunctional family that is the longest-running animated series of all time and a classic of American popular culture. Then I heard that Stephen Hawking had made a cameo appearance in one episode, declared it "one of the cleverest shows on television" and said "it always has a moral"
Elderly Perceptions of Social Capital and Age-Related Disaster Vulnerability.

Objective Elderly individuals are considered at elevated risk of disaster impacts owing to increased health concerns, reduced mobility, and fixed economic resources. Social capital can counteract these vulnerabilities by increasing the likelihood of hearing disaster warnings, providing social ties to assist with preparation and evacuation, and providing access to financial or nonfinancial resources. I aimed to analyze the relationship between age and perceptions of disaster-related social capital. Methods I used mailed surveys and in-person interviews with a sample of residents from 2 Florida counties to study perceptions of social capital available for disaster. Results The results showed that age has a negative effect on perceptions of social capital resources available during a disaster. The elderly reported fewer social ties overall and much fewer social ties that could provide financial assistance, if necessary, during a disaster. Conclusions These results indicate that social capital may not counteract the social vulnerabilities of elderly persons to disaster impacts. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:48–55)
Disparities in recommended preventive care usage among persons living with diabetes in the Appalachian region

Objective To examine disparities in the receipt of preventive care recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties and within Appalachian counties. Research design and methods Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data for 2008–2010 were used to identify individuals with diabetes and their preventive care usage. Each Appalachian respondent county of residence was categorised into one of the five economic levels: distressed, at-risk, transitional, competitive and attainment counties. Competitive and attainment counties were combined and designated as competitive counties. We used logistic regressions to compare receipt of ADA preventive care recommendations by county economic level, adjusting for respondent demographic, socioeconomic, health and access-to-care factors. Results Compared to the most affluent (competitive) counties, less affluent (distressed and at-risk) counties demonstrated equivalent or higher rates of self-care practices such as daily blood glucose monitoring and daily foot checks. But they showed 40–50% lower uptake of annual foot and eye examinations and 30% lower uptake of diabetes education and pneumococcal vaccinations compared to competitive counties. After adjusting for demographic factors, significant disparities still existed in the uptake of annual foot examinations, annual eye examinations, 2 or more A1c tests per year and pneumococcal vaccinations in distressed and at-risk counties compared to competitive counties. Appalachian counties as a whole were similar to non-Appalachian counties in the uptake of all recommendations with the absolute differences of ≤3%. Conclusions Our results show that there are significant disparities in the uptake of many recommended preventive services between less and more affluent counties in the Appalachian region.
Heat Pump Driven by Diesel Engine

Under the European Communities’ programme for fuel saving in buildings M.A.N, constructed and tested a heat pump driven by a diesel engine. Test readings were also taken. One of the main specifications to be met was the construction of an installation as compact as possible. This requirement was complied with by installing the heat pump, together with its test and control systems, in a truck container. This container is now situated on the roof of an M.A.N, factory building in Munich. Ambient air is used as energy source. The system has been operating fully automatically since the middle of 1982. Energetic readings have also been taken over this period.
Pay Attention to the Ending:Strong Neural Baselines for the ROC Story Cloze Task

We consider the ROC story cloze task (Mostafazadeh et al., 2016) and present several findings. We develop a model that uses hierarchical recurrent networks with attention to encode the sentences in the story and score candidate endings. By discarding the large training set and only training on the validation set, we achieve an accuracy of 74.7%. Even when we discard the story plots (sentences before the ending) and only train to choose the better of two endings, we can still reach 72.5%. We then analyze this “ending-only” task setting. We estimate human accuracy to be 78% and find several types of clues that lead to this high accuracy, including those related to sentiment, negation, and general ending likelihood regardless of the story context.
Divine Action and the Meaning of Eternity

In theological and philosophical analysis of divine eternity today there are debates about whether the notion of a ‘timeless’ or ‘atemporal’ God coheres with a Christian understanding of creation and divine action in time. In this article I seek to illumine the coherence of God’s transcendence of time and his presence and action in time by analyzing the concept of motion and the role it might play in an account of divine action and divine eternity. This will involve considering the reflections of some major authors of the Christian tradition on divine eternity and divine action and then exploring how those reflections are rooted in scriptural teaching on God and his relationship to the world. After describing how a right understanding of divine action bears on our understanding of God’s eternity, I will then suggest some specific ways in which this approach can shed light on the nature of God’s action in creation and providence.
Concentration Waves in Aggregation Fields of a Cellular Slime Mold

A model developed previously for signal relay and adaptation in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is applied in the context of wave propagation during aggregation. The ability of the sensory system in D. discoideum to adapt to constant background stimulus levels underlies wave propagation, and a brief general analysis of adaptation is given first. We then present the model for D. discoideum and show how the requirement of adaptation places constraints on the parameters in the model. Even with these constraints the model exhibits excitability or periodic oscillations for ranges of the parameters. Lastly we discuss some numerical results on wave propagation. It is found that the computed amplitude and speed of the axisymmetric cyclic AMP waves (or target patterns) that exist in the model agree well with the experimentally-observed values.
Effective interventions to improve cancer screening rates in adult Medicaid beneficiaries.

322Background: The Affordable Care Act (Section 1139B) requires the Secretary of HHS to identify and publish a core set of health care quality measures for adult Medicaid beneficiaries aimed at standardizing health care quality measurement across state Medicaid programs. On January 1, 2013, the Medicaid Quality Measurement Program was established to fund the development, testing, and validation of the adult health quality measures. The Medicaid Adult Core Set of Adult Health Care Quality includes two cancer screening measures (Exhibit 1). With grants from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), three state Medicaid agencies carried out quality improvement projects (QIPs) aimed at increasing breast and cervical cancer screening rates. This study describes a qualitative assessment of these states’ QIPs. Methods: Data included grantee applications, semi-annual, and annual progress reports to CMS, as well as in-depth interviews with grantees. Qualitative content analysis (using both structured abs...
Loss of TP73 function contributes to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis

Much remains unknown about the genetics and pathophysiology underlying the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We analyzed exome sequences from a cohort of 87 sporadic ALS (SALS) patients and 324 healthy individuals. TP73, a homolog of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene, had five rare deleterious protein-coding variants; in a separate collection of >2,900 ALS patients we identified an additional 19 rare deleterious variants in TP73. An in vitro C2C12 myoblast growth assay confirmed that these variants impair or alter TP73 function. In vivo mutagenesis of zebrafish tp73 using CRISPR led to impaired motor neuron development and abnormal axonal morphology, concordant with ALS pathology. Together, these results demonstrate that TP73 is a risk factor for ALS, and identifies a novel dysfunctional cellular process in the pathogenesis of ALS.
Three-dimensional localization microscopy by incoherent holography

Super-resolution imaging of volumes as large as whole cells in three-dimensions (3D) is required to reveal unknown features of cellular organization which cannot be resolved by conventional fluorescence microscopy. We propose a new 3D high resolution imaging technique based on the principles of single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) and fluorescence incoherent correlation holography (FINCH). FINCH enables hologram acquisition and three-dimensional (3D) imaging of large objects emitting incoherent light. This technique combines FINCH and SMLM to enable single-molecule volumetric imaging over large axial ranges without scanning the sample using a simple and robust setup, hence making it a viable solution for whole cell super-resolution imaging of biological samples. Here, we present the underlying theory and simulations demonstrating the extended depth of field. We image a single 0.2-μm fluorescent microsphere using this approach and discuss the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) requirements for an experimental implementation.
Near-Field MIMO-SAR Millimeter-Wave Imaging With Sparsely Sampled Aperture Data

The primary challenge of a cost-effective and low-complexity near-field millimeter-wave (mmWave) imaging system is to achieve high resolution with a few antenna elements as possible. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar using simultaneous operation of spatially diverse transmit and receive antennas is a good candidate to increase the number of available degrees of freedom. On the other hand, higher integration complexity of extremely dense transceiver electronics limits the use of MIMO only solutions within a relatively large imaging aperture. Hybrid concepts combining synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques and sparse MIMO arrays present a good compromise to achieve short data acquisition time and low complexity. However, compared with conventional monostatic sampling schemes, image reconstruction methods for MIMO-SAR are more complicated. In this paper, we propose a high-resolution mmWave imaging system combining 2-D MIMO arrays with SAR, along with a novel Fourier-based image reconstruction algorithm using sparsely sampled aperture data. The proposed algorithm is verified by both simulation and processing real data collected with our mmWave imager prototype utilizing commercially available 77-GHz MIMO radar sensors. The experimental results confirm that our complete solution presents a strong potential in high-resolution imaging with a significantly reduced number of antenna elements.
The Effect of Icon Prediction on College Students' Recall of Icon Codes.

The influence of icon prediction and length of icon sequence on college students' recall of 24 ironically encoded messages was investigated. Findings indicated that using an icon prediction feature resulted in increased recall. The length of the icon sequence also had a significant effect on recall. Three-icon sequences were more easily recalled than two-icon sequences.
East Asian Perspective in Transmedia Storytelling | The Storyteller Who Crosses Boundaries in Korean Reality Television: Transmedia Storytelling in New Journey to the West

The Korean reality TV franchise New Journey to the West ( NJW ) is an illustrative case to unpack how the Korean media industry has offered viewers transmedia and intertextual experiences in the realm of reality television. Korean reality show directors, who have acknowledged their profoundly reshaped, collaborative, and interdependent relationship with consumers in an era of convergence culture, attempt to fragment everyday realities throughout multiple media texts. The current article focuses on Young-seok Na, a television director who created NJW , revamping characters and episodes from his previous works, coalescing Korean television channels and online streaming sites, and integrating a Chinese classic and its Japanese manga adaptation into the Korean reality show franchise. By analyzing the six seasons of NJW and its spin-off series, Kang’s Kitchen and Youth Over Flowers — Winner , this article proposes that the aura of a reality show director as a storyteller is essential in producing a regionally formulated transmedia franchise.
Normal (Unenhanced) Raman Scattering from Pyridine Adsorbed on the Low-Index Faces of Silver

Despite several years of intense investigation by a number of laboratories, the origin of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) remains the subject of a lively debate. Several review articles and a book summarize the current state of thinking on the subject [1–3]. The debate focuses upon the relative importance of two classes of enhancement mechanisms, which are termed electromagnetic (classical) and molecular (sometimes referred to as chemical or local). In the former, enhanced scattering arises from an increase in the local electric field of the exciting light at metal surfaces of high curvature, e.g., submicroscopically rough surfaces or diffraction gradings. In the latter, the enhancement is thought to arise from an increase in the molecular polarizability derivative that could occur when a molecule is chemisorbed to a metal surface. New optical transitions could result from charge transfer excitations which may be resonant with the exciting laser frequency, thus leading to resonance Raman scattering. Although there is general agreement as to the existence of both classes of enhancement mechanisms, the separation of their relative contributions, even for the best-studied case, pyridine on silver, remains elusive.
Co-option of wing-patterning genes underlies the evolution of the treehopper helmet

Understanding the origin of novelty is a key question in evolutionary developmental biology. In arthropods, the body wall has served as a repeated source of morphological novelty. In treehoppers, an ancestrally flat part of the dorsal body wall (the pronotum) was transformed into a three-dimensional structure (the helmet), which was subsequently moulded by natural selection into diverse shapes. Here, we test three hypotheses for the developmental origin of the helmet by comparing body-region transcriptomes in a treehopper and a leafhopper that retains more ancestral morphology. In leafhoppers, pronotal gene expression is most similar to that of its serial homologue, the mesonotum. By contrast, in treehoppers, helmet gene expression is most similar to that of wings, supporting the wing-patterning network co-option hypothesis for the origin of the helmet. These results suggest that serial homologues may diverge evolutionarily through replacement of, rather than tinkering with, their ancestrally shared patterning network.
Plant-Based Nutrition

Despite improvements in cardiovascular mortality rates over the past several decades, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death in the USA. The rising prevalence of heart disease is strongly related to lifestyle factors. While a healthy diet is a well-established powerful tool for the prevention and treatment of CVD, nutrition counseling is insufficiently addressed by healthcare professionals, potentially from lack of education and awareness. Multiple studies have linked dietary patterns with incidence of CVD and found that consuming predominantly plant-based foods, versus animal-based, is associated with lower rates of heart disease. Plant-based dietary patterns are becoming increasingly popular because of a variety of reported health benefits to overall health and disease cardiovascular risk in particular.
Analytic evaluation of hydrogen neutron elastic scattering moments with free-gas thermal treatment compared to NJOY

Abstract In this paper, we present an analytic approach to evaluate Legendre moments of hydrogen neutron elastic scattering differential cross section, with and without free-gas thermal treatment. The results for the zero-th ( P 0 ) and first ( P 1 ) moments are given and compared against a 138-group cross sections produced by NJOY. An MCNP thin-wire test was employed as an independent verification for our analytic model for the free-gas zero-th moment. Excellent agreement was observed between the analytic result and MCNP prediction. They both suggest that an increased thermal cut-off in NJOY THERMR module is advisable for higher accuracy. Discrepancy was also found between the analytic model and NJOY multi-group cross section for the first order Legendre moments of the differential cross section, which might indicate a numerical anomaly in NJOY.
Phase competition in HfO 2 with applied electric field from first principles

In this work, the results of first-principles density-functional-theory calculations are used to construct the energy landscapes of ${\mathrm{HfO}}_{2}$ and its Y and Zr substituted derivatives as a function of symmetry-adapted lattice-mode amplitudes. These complex energy landscapes possess multiple local minima, corresponding to the tetragonal, oIII ($Pca{2}_{1}$), and oIV ($Pmn{2}_{1}$) phases. We find that the energy barrier between the nonpolar tetragonal phase and the ferroelectric oIII phase can be lowered by Y and Zr substitution. In ${\mathrm{Hf}}_{0.5}{\mathrm{Zr}}_{0.5}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ with an ordered cation arrangement, Zr substitution makes the oIV phase unstable, and it becomes an intermediate state in the tetragonal to oIII phase transition. Using these energy landscapes, we interpret the structural transformations and hysteresis loops computed for electric-field cycles with various choices of field direction. The implications of these results for interpreting experimental observations, such as the wake-up and split-up effects, are also discussed. These results and analysis deepen our understanding of the origin of ferroelectricity and field cycling behaviors in ${\mathrm{HfO}}_{2}$-based films and allow us to propose strategies for improving their functional properties.
Activity locations, residential segregation and the significance of residential neighbourhood boundary perceptions:

The inadequacies of residential census geography in capturing urban residents’ routine exposures have motivated efforts to more directly measure residents’ activity spaces. In turn, insights regard...
Do black/white differences in telomere length depend on socioeconomic status?

Social and economic disadvantage are hypothesized to increase the risk of disease and death via accelerated biological aging. Given that US blacks are socially and economically disadvantaged relati...
“My Heart Said It’s Swollen”: A Rare Case of Clozapine-Induced Myocarditis in a Schizophrenic Patient

Clozapine is a Food and Drug Administration-approved, second-generation antipsychotic used to treat treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Known for its benefits in reducing extrapyramidal symptoms typically seen with antipsychotics, this drug carries a risk of agranulocytosis and, to a lesser-known extent, myocarditis. A 49-year-old patient, who was initially admitted to psychiatry with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, was started on clozapine. After three weeks of being on clozapine, the patient developed fevers and was admitted under internal medicine for further workup of presumed systemic inflammatory response syndrome due to noninfectious etiology. The patient was also asymptomatic. He was subsequently found to have elevated cardiac markers and C-reactive protein levels as well as decreased left ventricular ejection fraction and findings consistent with myocarditis using echocardiography. Clozapine was discontinued and the patient was transferred to the cardiology service for guideline-directed medical management of myocarditis and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The overall mechanism of clozapine cardiotoxicity is not well understood. Proposed hypotheses include IgE-mediated acute hypersensitivity and cardiac myocyte damage via the release of proinflammatory cytokines. However, when suspecting myocarditis after initiating clozapine, continuous monitoring and cessation of the medication are crucial in preventing permanent damage to the myocardium. Given the cardiac risk of medication and potential lethality of myocarditis via progression to heart failure, it is important to observe physical examination findings as well as symptoms of the condition when initiating a patient on clozapine.
Fibrinogen binding potentiates FGF‐2 but not VEGF induced expression of u‐PA, u‐PAR, and PAI‐1 in endothelial cells

Summary. Endothelial cell responses at sites of injury occur in a fibrin matrix and are regulated by growth factors including those of the FGF and VEGF families. The pericellular proteolytic balance is important in these responses, and FGF-2 and VEGF up-regulate endothelial cell u-PA, u-PAR and PAI-1. Because both VEGF and FGF-2 bind to fibrinogen, we have examined the capacity of fibrinogen to modulate the up-regulation of these proteins by FGF-2 and VEGF. Confluent cultures of endothelial cells were exposed to FGF-2, VEGF, and fibrinogen or to combinations of growth factors with fibrinogen. Changes in mRNA levels of u-PA, u-PAR and PAI-1 were measured by Northern blot. FGF-2 increased u-PA, u-PAR, and PAI-1 mRNA, but there was a significantly greater induction when fibrinogen was added to FGF-2 at all concentrations. The potentiation by fibrinogen was particularly evident at an FGF-2 concentration of 0.1 ng mL−1, which resulted in non-significant change in transcript levels by itself, but significantly increased up to 2.6-fold with fibrinogen. VEGF also increased endothelial cell expression of u-PA, u-PAR and PAI-1, but this effect was not potentiated by fibrinogen. Addition of LM609, a monoclonal antibody to αVβ3, significantly inhibited induction of u-PA mRNA and activity by fibrinogen–bound FGF-2 compared to FGF-2. A monoclonal antibody to FGFR1 also inhibited u-PA mRNA expression induced by fibrinogen-bound FGF-2. We conclude that fibrinogen increases the capacity of FGF-2, but not of VEGF, to up-regulate u-PA, u-PAR, and PAI-1 in endothelial cells and that fibrinogen-bound FGF-2 requires αVβ3 binding to up-regulate endothelial cell u-PA.
Did the Asian Financial Crisis Scare Foreign Investors Out of Japan

Foreigners became net sellers of Japanese equities during the Asian financial crisis in 1997. In this study, I examine whether this shift in aggregate foreign portfolio investment activity in Japan exacerbated the effect of the crisis on markets, or whether it simply reflected positive feedback trading behavior. The data draws from weekly reports to the Tokyo Stock Exchange of aggregate purchases and sales of Japanese equities by foreigners and local institutional and individual investors. I find evidence of consistent positive-feedback trading before and during the Asian crisis among foreign investors, while Japanese banks, financial institutions, investment trusts and companies were aggressive contrarian investors. There is no evidence that this trading activity by foreigners destabilized the markets during the crisis.
Experimental antioxidant therapy in ataxia telangiectasia

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by immunodeficiency, early onset neurological degeneration, hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation and a high incidence of lymphoid cancers. The disease results from bi-allelic mutations in the AT mutated (ATM) gene involved in cell cycle checkpoint control and repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Evidence has been accumulating that oxidative stress is associated with AT and may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. This led to a hypothesis that antioxidant therapy may mitigate the symptoms of AT, especially neurological degeneration and tumorigenesis. Consequently, several studies examined the effect of antioxidants in Atm deficient mice used as an animal model of AT. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), EUK-189, tempol and 5-carboxy-1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindolin- 2-yloxyl (CTMIO) have been tested for their chemopreventive properties and had some beneficial effects. In addition to antioxidants, cancer therapeutic agent dexamethasone was examined for cancer prevention in Atm deficient mice. Of the tested antioxidants, only NAC has wide clinical applications due to safety and efficacy and is available as an over-the-counter dietary supplement. In this article, we review chemoprevention studies in Atm deficient mice and, in more detail, our findings on the effect of NAC. The short-tem study showed that NAC suppressed genome rearrangements linked to cancer. The long-term study demonstrated that NAC reduced both the incidence and multiplicity of lymphoma.
Ray Method Expansions for Surface and Internal Waves in Inhomogeneous Oceans of Variable Depth

Abstract : A ray method formalism is developed for the analysis of surface and internal waves in an inhomogeneous ocean of variable depth. This method, deduces from the governing system of equations a system of first order ordinary differential equations, for the group lines (rays of the ray method) and the propagation of phase and amplitude on them. The dispersion relation for these waves arises as an eigen-condition on an eigenvalue problem involving an ordinary differential equation in the depth variable. The deduced equation for amplitude propagation has the interpretation of a statement of conservation of action. (Author)
Roots and Root Systems

Roots, together with stems and leaves, constitute the major organs of vascular plants. The main functions of the root system are to anchor and support the plant; to seek out, absorb and transport water and ions from the soil; and to transport and store the products of photosynthesis from the shoot system. Each root can be arbitrarily subdivided into several zones each with different functions: the apical zone of cell division, the source of all cells in the root; zone of cell elongation; zone of cell differentiation; zone of cell maturation. A root system is achieved by branchng of the primary root to produce one or more orders of lateral roots. Root hairs are epidermal enations that are functional in water and ion uptake and are an entry site for nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Key Concepts: Roots, stems and leaves are the major organs of vascular plants. Total extent of the root system usually greatly exceeds that of the shoot system. The root apical meristem contains self-perpetuating cells, now called stem cells, whose mitotic products differentiate into the cell types of the root. Root tissues are arranged in concentric cylinders from the exterior inward are epidermis, cortex, endodermis, pericycle and vascular tissue consisting of alternating of bands of phloem and xylem. Lateral roots are initiated in acropetal sequence from the pericycle tissue. Adventitious roots are initiated in response to wounding or other environmental stimuli and disrupt the sequence of lateral root initiation. Tropistic responses of roots to environmental stimuli such as gravitropism, phototropism, thigmotropism and hydrotropism are regulated by internally produced hormones such as auxin, ethylene and abscisic acid. Root–microbial interactions result in formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules or mycorrhizal associations that are important in phosphorous uptake. Keywords: acropetal; apical meristem; apoplastic; lateral root; pericycle; root hairs; root nodules; root specialisations; stem cells; tropism
An Adolescent Substance Prevention Model Blocks the Effect of CHRNA5 Genotype on Smoking During High School.

INTRODUCTION Prevention intervention programs reduce substance use, including smoking, but not all individuals respond. We tested whether response to a substance use prevention/intervention program varies based upon a set of five markers (rs16969968, rs1948, rs578776, rs588765, and rs684513) within the cluster of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit genes (CHRNA5/A3/B4). METHODS Participants (N = 424) were randomly assigned to either control condition, or a family-based intervention in grade 6 and a school-based drug preventive intervention in grade 7. Smoking in the past month was assessed in grades 9-12 using a four-point scale (0 = never smoked, 1 = smoked but not in last month, 2 = one or a few times, 3 = about once a week or more). RESULTS There was a main effect of both the intervention (b = -0.24, P < .05) and genotype at rs16969968 (b = 0.14, P < .05) on high school smoking. Using dummy coding to allow for nonlinear effects, individuals with the A/A genotype smoked more often than those with G/G (b = 0.33, P < .05). A genotype × intervention effect was found with reduced smoking among those with A/A and G/A genotypes to levels similar to those with the G/G genotype (G/G vs. A/A: b = -0.67, P < .05; A/G vs. A/A: b = -0.61, P < .05; G/G vs. A/G ns). Results were nonsignificant for the other four markers. CONCLUSIONS Preventive interventions can reduce the genetic risk for smoking from rs16969968.