cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Normative and Recognitional Concepts

I can ask myself what to do, and I can ask myself what I oughr to do. Are these the same question? We can imagine conjuring up a distinction, I’m sure. Suppose, though, I just told you this: “I have figured out what I ought to do, and I have figured out what to do.” Would you understand immediately what distinction I was making? To do so, you would have to exercise ingenuity. I have in mind here an “all things considered” ought that I can use in my thinking, an ought that is not specifically moral, in that it doesn’t settle by sheer rules of language that I ought always to abide by morality. For this ought, the question of what I ought to do seems just to be the question of what to do Let’s experiment, then, with accepting this suggestion. It commits us to something of theoretical import. The answer to an ought question is a statement; I can state this: I ought to speak loudly enough in public that people can hear. If I settle what to do, though, I voice my conclusion not with a statement, but with something like an imperative: “Speak audibly,” I might tell myself. If the question of how loudly to speak is open, then my words express a decision-whereas if I say “I ought to speak audibly,” my words seem to express a belief, a belief as to what I ought to do. Can a decision, then, also be a belief? And if so, what is the content of this belief? To explore the hypothesis I have broached, I shall look not at how our words and concepts do work, but at how they might work if the hypothesis were correct. The claim I’ll argue is this: Being in the business of acting and planning commits us to something ought-like. If the ought I have suggested we find in our thoughts did not exist, we’d be committed to its invention. It is in the nature of living, deciding, and planning that the thinking involved acts as if it were coping with facts-with facts of a special kind, facts of what one ought to do. What kinds of facts are these? My answer will be a little complex, and i t will be somewhat Moorean: it will fit a plausible reading and emendation of G. E. Moore’s doctrines. At this point in my exposition, I’ll have to be
Landslides caused due to ignorance — Case studies from northeast India

Landslides may be caused either by natural process or human activity or combination of both. In many cases, modifications in hill slopes are carried out with or without proper slope stability analysis, even though the consequences are well known. In other cases, stable slopes are converted into unstable slopes by the people residing in the area by artificial modification/alterations of the hill slope without basic knowledge of hill slope management. Such cases are very common in the hilly terrain including northeast India and they have caused loss of many lives even though the size of such landslide are very small. The present paper describes four examples from different parts of the northeast India where the terraced hill slopes that remained stable for an appreciable length of time have been converted to unstable slopes.
Touch and gravitropic set-point angle interact to modulate gravitropic growth in roots

Plant roots must sense and respond to a variety of environmental stimuli as they grow through the soil. Touch and gravity represent two of the mechanical signals that roots must integrate to elicit the appropriate root growth patterns and root system architecture. Obstacles such as rocks will impede the general downwardly directed gravitropic growth of the root system and so these soil features must be sensed and this information processed for an appropriate alteration in gravitropic growth to allow the root to avoid the obstruction. We show that primary and lateral roots of Arabidopsis do appear to sense and respond to mechanical barriers placed in their path of growth in a qualitatively similar fashion. Both types of roots exhibited a differential growth response upon contacting the obstacle that directed the main axis of elongation parallel to the barrier. This growth habit was maintained until the obstacle was circumvented, at which point normal gravitropic growth was resumed. Thus, the gravitational set-point angle of the primary and lateral roots prior to encountering the barrier were 95 degrees and 136 degrees respectively and after growing off the end of the obstacle identical set-point angles were reinstated. However, whilst tracking across the barrier, quantitative differences in response were observed between these two classes of roots. The root tip of the primary root maintained an angle of 136 degrees to the horizontal as it traversed the barrier whereas the lateral roots adopted an angle of 154 degrees. Thus, this root tip angle appeared dependent on the gravitropic set-point angle of the root type with the difference in tracking angle quantitatively reflecting differences in initial set-point angle. Concave and convex barriers were also used to analyze the response of the root to tracking along a continuously varying surface. The roots maintained the a fairly fixed angle to gravity on the curved surface implying a constant resetting of this tip angle/tracking response as the curve of the surface changed. We propose that the interaction of touch and gravity sensing/response systems combine to strictly control the tropic growth of the root. Such signal integration is likely a critical part of growth control in the stimulus-rich environment of the soil. c2003 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Effect of forward-voltage ion-drift on the operation of lithium-drifted silicon junction detectors

Abstract The lithium-drifted junction in p-type silicon exhibits first an increase in depletion-layer thickness and then a loss of rectification as ion-drift is continued. The loss of rectification appears as an increase in reverse current, and a reduction in forward current, when lithium-donor-atoms accumulate near a metal contact on the p-type surface. Larger reverse currents reduce the electric field that can be maintained within the device and impair charge collection. This deterioration of diode and detector properties is turned back by drifting lithium ions with forward voltage applied to the detector. Six detectors have been so treated and each exhibits the same behavior. Their response to internal conversion electrons from Pb207m and to 6–9 MeV alpha particles shows retraction of the sensitive region from the p-type surface as a result of treatment. Deterioration of such detectors during use can therefore be corrected by intermittent reversal of some portion of the applied voltage.
Tillage and herbicide incorporation effects on residue cover, runoff, erosion, and herbicide loss

Abstract A natural rainfall study was conducted to evaluate the effect of tillage and herbicide application methods on crop residue cover, surface runoff volume, erosion, and herbicide losses with sediment and runoff water. Sediment, water, and three herbicides (atrazine [(6-chloro-N-ethyl)-N-(1-methylethyl-1,3,5 triazine)-2-4-diamine], metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)], and cyanazine [2-{{4-chloro-6-(ethylamino)-1,3,4-triazin-2-yl}amino}-2-methylpropionitrile]) losses were measured from continuous corn runoff plots ( 1.7×12.0 m long) in 1993 and 1994. Four tillage/herbicide application treatments were studied: no-till/herbicide broadcast sprayed (NT), fall chisel plow-spring disk/herbicide broadcast sprayed after disking (DS), fall chisel plow-spring disk/herbicide broadcast sprayed before disking (SD) and fall chisel plow-spring “mulch master”/herbicide applied with John Deere’s Mulch Master (MM). Results showed that herbicide incorporation with the MM and SD treatments reduced herbicide losses. Residue measurements after any tillage and planting showed that percent residue cover was greatest on NT plots, second on MM plots, and least and similar on SD and DS plots. By runoff event, NT plots generally had the least erosion and often the lowest runoff volumes. Herbicides concentrations in both sediment and runoff water were generally in the order NT>DS>MM>SD, with herbicide concentrations 2–10 times higher in sediment than in the runoff water. Since the herbicides used were not strongly adsorbed, more than 95% of the runoff loss in each case was in the dissolved phase. Lack of incorporation and/or more interception with the greater crop residue with NT were believed to be responsible for the higher herbicide concentrations with that treatment. Total losses for all three herbicides each year were less than 2% of that applied, and ranged from 1.5% for atrazine in 1993 to 0.07% for metolachlor in 1994, both for the NT treatment. Relative herbicide losses with NT by event were variable, sometimes being the greatest, sometimes the least; depending primarily on runoff volumes, which in turn were dependent on the storm volume and intensity, and the time of year; however, for the other three treatments, losses were usually in the order DS>MM>SD.
Increasing childhood immunization coverage by improving the effectiveness of primary health care systems for children.

PEDIATRICIANS AND other child health care professionals can act to raise the low levels of immunization coverage of US children. At the end of the 1980s, the range of coverage was only 11% to 60% 1 in several major US cities, and the result was the largest measles epidemic since the early 1970s. 2 By comparison, European countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway report rates of coverage of more than 80%, 3 and even most developing nations exceed US levels after a decade of active, expanded programs on immunization. 4 While childhood immunization coverage has received a great deal of attention from the Clinton administration, Congress, and advocacy groups, their policy formulations have not always been based on a sound empirical diagnosis of problems or solutions. We need to understand the key determinants of the low level of immunization coverage to develop strategic approaches to resolving the problem. While
Concanavalin A–Polysaccharides binding affinity analysis using a quartz crystal microbalance

Abstract There is no comparative data available on the binding constants of Concanavalin A (Con A) and glycogen and Con A–mannan using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), cost and time efficient system for biosensor analysis. It is hypothesized that a QCM can be used in its flow injection mode to monitor the binding affinity of polysaccharides to an immobilized lectin, Con A. The biosensor is prepared by immobilizing Con A on a 5 MHz gold crystal by carbodiimide crosslinking chemistry. The attachment efficiency is monitored by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Equilibrium association and dissociation constants describing Con A–polysaccharides interaction are determined in a saturation binding experiment, where increasing concentrations of polysaccharides are run on a Con A-immobilized gold crystal surface, and the frequency shifts recorded on the frequency counter. The molecular weights (MW) of glycogen from Oyster and mannan from Saccharomyces cerevisiae are determined by size exclusion chromatography. The MW for glycogen and mannan are 604±0.002 kDa and 54±0.002 kDa, respectively. The equilibrium association and dissociation constants for Con A–glycogen and Con A–mannan interactions are K A = 3.93 ± 0.7 × 10 6 M − 1 / K D = 0.25 ± 0.06 μ M and K A = 3.46 ± 0.22 × 10 5 M − 1 / K D = 2.89 ± 0.20 μ M (n=3), respectively. Their respective frequency and motional resistance shifts relationship (ΔF/ΔR) are 37.29±1.55 and 34.86±0.85 Hz/Ω (n=3), which support the validity of Sauerbrey׳s rigidity approximation. This work suggests that Con A–mannan complex could be potentially utilized for insulin delivery and the targeting of glucose-rich substances and glycoproteins when fast drug release is desired.
There's no place like home: Examining the emotional consequences of Hurricane Katrina on the displaced residents of New Orleans

Using survey data from the Displaced New Orleans Residents Pilot Study (DNORPS), I examine the emotional consequences of Hurricane Katrina on the displaced residents of New Orleans. First, I employ an established framework within disaster research to investigate whether the stress level of displaced residents varies by race, income, and gender. As the residents in this dataset remained uprooted from their homes, I also examine three housing variables, including homeownership status, house type, and four levels of home damage. Contrary to previous research, home damage and homeownership status are significant predictors of displaced residents' emotional distress while the effect of race disappears. These findings suggest that future research on the mental health of disaster survivors, especially for displaced residents, expand the traditional analytical framework to consistently include housing variables, especially different categories of home damage, in addition to race, income, and gender.
An Equation for Assessing Language Development

Samples of language from the speech of 200 children, ranging in age from two years and six months to twelve years, were used to obtain an equation for predicting the degree of language development ...
Effects of the presence of the mother on responses of domestic goat kids (Capra hircus) to novel inanimate objects and humans

Abstract The effects of the presence (MP) and absence (MA) of their mothers on the responses of 13 goat kids to novel inanimate objects (IO) and novel unfamiliar humans (H) were investigated. During a 3-min presentation the observer scored: (1) if the kid approached or contacted the stimulus; (2) the latency to approach and to contact the stimulus; (3) the number of approaches, contacts, and vocalizations; (4) the distance to the stimulus and to the mother at intervals of 30 s. All of the kids approached the stimulus in the MA-IO, MP-IO, and MP-H combinations, but a significantly lower number of them approached in the MA-H combination. The number of kids that contacted the stimulus was significantly higher for the MA-IO than for the MA-H. When the mothers were present the latency to approach was reduced and there were increases in the number of approaches by kids (only in the MP-H), in the number of kids that contacted the stimulus and in the time spent near the stimulus. The kids spent significantly more time near their mothers and oriented towards the stimulus when the stimulus was human. The kids vocalized more in the presence of the inanimate object, even when their mothers were present. It was concluded that the presence of the mother facilitated the inspection and contact of both stimulus types, albeit more so when the source of novelty was human, and that kids were more wary of the human than of the inanimate objects. Vocalizations were not a good predictor of avoidance responses.
Primary care for women under managed care: clinical issues.

M anaged care has become a dominant force among systems for health care delivery in the United States. Over three quarters of persons obtaining health care through their employers do so under some form of managed care plan. Although resistance to managed care has surfaced, ’ there is no doubt that organizations to manage health care cost, quality, and access will proliferate in years to come. Women use health care services at higher rates than men.* For this reason alone, changes in health care delivery c’ould be said to have a disproportionate effect on women. It is noteworthy that among the earliest legislative efforts to regulate managed care practices was the restriction of “drive-through deliveries.” Recently “drive-through mastectomies” have come under scrutiny, and large settlements in litigation against health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that denied coverage of bone marrow transplants for breast cancer have made headlines.’ Women also use ambulatory services more frequently than men.’ Although management of expensive inpatient care was among the earliest initiatives of managed care, primary (care has received greater emphasis in recent years. This emphasis is congruent with a commitment among managed care organizations to controlling the costs of care and to improving health status at the population level. This article examines the clinical issues in primary care for women under managed care delivery systems, considering ways in which such systems present opportunities for addressing unmet needs in women’s health care, as well as potential threats to optimal care for women.
The Application Of Permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Ligation in the Mouse

Focal cerebral ischemia is among the most common type of stroke seen in patients. Due to the clinical significance there has been a prolonged effort to develop suitable animal models to study the events that unfold during ischemic insult. These techniques include transient or permanent, focal or global ischemia models using many different animal models, with the most common being rodents. The permanent MCA ligation method which is also referred as pMCAo in the literature is used extensively as a focal ischemia model in rodents. This method was originally described for rats by Tamura et al. in 1981. In this protocol a craniotomy was used to access the MCA and the proximal regions were occluded by electrocoagulation. The infarcts involve mostly cortical and sometimes striatal regions depending on the location of the occlusion. This technique is now well established and used in many laboratories. Early use of this technique led to the definition and description of "infarct core" and "penumbra", and it is often used to evaluate potential neuroprotective compounds. Although the initial studies were performed in rats, permanent MCA ligation has been used successfully in mice with slight modifications. This model yields reproducible infarcts and increased post-survival rates. Approximately 80% of the ischemic strokes in humans happen in the MCA area and thus this is a very relevant model for stroke studies. Currently, there is a paucity of effective treatments available to stroke patients, and thus there is a need for good models to test potential pharmacological compounds and evaluate physiological outcomes. This method can also be used for studying intracellular hypoxia response mechanisms in vivo. Here, we present the MCA ligation surgery in a C57/BL6 mouse. We describe the pre-surgical preparation, MCA ligation surgery and 2,3,5 Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining for quantification of infarct volumes.
EXCITED STATES OF IODINE-127

The lifetime of the 59-keV first excited state of ${\mathrm{I}}^{127}$ has been measured using both xenon and tellurium parents. An average of the two results is 1.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3 nsec. In addition, angular correlation studies have shown the multipolarity of the 59-keV gamma ray to be predominantly magnetic dipole with an electric quadrupole admixture of 0.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6%. Angular correlation studies have also been carried out on two other cascades of ${\mathrm{I}}^{127}$. One of these, the 175-200-keV cascade, showed an anisotropy of 5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3% when the ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{127}$ source was in the gaseous form; but when the source was adsorbed on charcoal, an anisotropy of 30% was found. The smearing of the angular correlation is attributed to the highly ionized states of the gamma emitters resulting from electron capture. The other, the 356-59-keV cascade, exhibited an anisotropy of 0.498\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07 after geometric corrections. This permits assignment of the value $\frac{5}{2}$ for the spin of the 415-keV state, while the 356 gamma ray is either 9.3 or 85% electric quadrupole, depending on which of the two possible solutions is selected. The lifetime of the 59-keV state after correction for internal conversion is longer by a factor 67\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}14 than predicted by the Weisskopf estimate for an allowed magnetic dipole transition. This is consistent with the values observed for other $l$-forbidden $M1$ transitions and with the most recent theoretical estimates.
Broad-band millimetre wave spectroscopy of common materials

Millimetre wave transmittance measurements of common materials have been performed from 30 to 120 GHz. A free space quasi-optical millimetre wave spectrometer, equipped with a set of high power sources of tuneable coherent radiation has been successfully applied. Frequency dependences of real and imaginary parts of the dielectric permittivity have been obtained in a broad-band millimetre wave frequency range. It has been shown that the quasi-optical free-space spectrometer is a promising, fast, non-contact instrumentation for the collection of the spectral "signature" data of various types of materials. This study turns out to be a step towards identifying both hoax elements and biologically and/or chemically active materials, including warfare agents and explosives.
Two-dimensional physical-based inversion of confined and unconfined aquifers under unknown boundary conditions

An inverse method is developed to simultaneously estimate multiple hydraulic conductivities, source/sink strengths, and boundary conditions, for two-dimensional confined and unconfined aquifers under non-pumping or pumping conditions. The method incorporates noisy observed data (hydraulic heads, groundwater fluxes, or well rates) at measurement locations. With a set of hybrid formulations, given sufficient measurement data, the method yields well-posed systems of equations that can be solved efficiently via nonlinear optimization. The solution is stable when measurement errors are increased. The method is successfully tested on problems with regular and irregular geometries, different heterogeneity patterns and variances (maximum Kmax/Kmin tested is 10,000), and error magnitudes. Under non-pumping conditions, when error-free observed data are used, the estimated conductivities and recharge rates are accurate within 8% of the true values. When data contain increasing errors, the estimated parameters become less accurate, as expected. For problems where the underlying parameter variation is unknown, equivalent conductivities and average recharge rates can be estimated. Under pumping (and/or injection) conditions, a hybrid formulation is developed to address these local source/sink effects, while different types of boundary conditions can also exert significant influences on drawdowns. Local grid refinement near wells is not needed to obtain accurate results, thus inversion is successful with coarse inverse grids, leading to high computation efficiency. Furthermore, flux measurements are not needed for the inversion to succeed; data requirement of the method is thus not much different from that of interpreting classic well tests. Finally, inversion accuracy is not sensitive to the degree of nonlinearity of the flow equations. Performance of the inverse method for confined and unconfined aquifer problems is similar in terms of the accuracy of the estimated parameters, the recovered head fields, and the solver speed.
Citizen Science as an Ecological Research Tool: Challenges and Benefits

Citizen science, the involvement of volunteers in research, has increased the scale of ecological field studies with continent-wide, centralized monitoring efforts and, more rarely, tapping of volunteers to conduct large, coordinated, field experiments. The unique benefit for the field of ecology lies in understanding processes occurring at broad geographic scales and on private lands, which are impossible to sample extensively with traditional field research models. Citizen science produces large, longitudinal data sets, whose potential for error and bias is poorly understood. Because it does not usually aim to uncover mechanisms underlying ecological patterns, citizen science is best viewed as complementary to more localized, hypothesis-driven research. In the process of addressing the impacts of current, global “experiments” altering habitat and climate, large-scale citizen science has led to new, quantitative approaches to emerging questions about the distribution and abundance of organisms across spa...
Gambling Behavior of Students in Grades Seven and Eight in Alberta, Canada

This article reports results from a survey of gambling activities of seventh and eighth grade students in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Results confirmed that gambling practices are common among young adolescents. During the 12 months preceding the survey, virtually all respondents (98%) had gambled. Playing scratch tickets was the gambling activity most often played by young adolescents, followed by bingo. Boys were more likely than girls to engage in all forms of gambling activities. Sports betting and wagering on games of skill dimension were mostly male domains, whereas games of chance were female pursuits. Survey implications for public health officials are discussed.
Improving Semantic Concept Detection through the Dictionary of Visually-Distinct Elements

A video captures a sequence and interactions of concepts that can be static, for instance, objects or scenes, or dynamic, such as actions. For large datasets containing hundreds of thousands of images or videos, it is impractical to manually annotate all the concepts, or all the instances of a single concept. However, a dictionary with visuallydistinct elements can be created automatically from unlabeled videos which can capture and express the entire dataset. The downside to this machine-discovered dictionary is meaninglessness, i.e., its elements are devoid of semantics and interpretation. In this paper, we present an approach that leverages the strengths of semantic concepts and the machine-discovered DOVE by learning a relationship between them. Since instances of a semantic concept share visual similarity, the proposed approach uses softconsensus regularization to learn the mapping that enforces instances from each semantic concept to have similar representations. The testing is performed by projecting the query onto the DOVE as well as new representations of semantic concepts from training, with non-negativity and unit summation constraints for probabilistic interpretation. We tested our formulation on TRECVID MED and SIN tasks, and obtained encouraging results.
On the separation method for calculating the nuclear reaction matrix

Abstract The separation method for calculating the nuclear reaction matrix that was presented by Moszkowski and Scott (1) has been investigated. Estimates are made which suggest that their dispersion, interference, and Pauli corrections are underestimated. A modification in the treatment of these terms is presented that gives considerable improvement. Our treatment also permits good insight into the nature of the approximations. The errors in the new method are discussed. An alternative approximation that involves an iteration of the dispersion correction is also suggested.
Differential Expression and Transcriptional Analysis of the α-2,3-Sialyltransferase Gene in Pathogenic Neisseria spp.

α-2,3-Sialyltransferase (Lst) is expressed on the outer membrane of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis and sialylates surface lipooligosaccharide (LOS), facilitating resistance to complement-mediated killing. The enzyme is constitutively expressed from a single gene (lst) and does not undergo antigenic or phase variation. We observed that Triton X-100 extracts of N. gonorrhoeae strain F62 contain about fivefold more sialyltransferase (Stase) activity than extracts of N. meningitidis strain MC58 ⊄3 a serogroup B acapsulate mutant. We confirmed and expanded upon this observation by showing that extracts of 16 random N. gonorrhoeae isolates contain various amounts of Stase activity, but, on average, 2.2-fold-more Stase activity than extracts of 16 N. meningitidis clinical isolates, representing several serogroups and nongroupable strains. Northern and real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis of lst transcript levels in N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis revealed that N. gonorrhoeae strains express more lst transcript than N. meningitidis strains. Although transcript levels correlate with average Stase activity observed in the two species, there was not a direct correlation between lst transcript levels and Stase activity among individual isolates of each species. Comparison of lst upstream (5′lst) regions of N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis revealed striking sequence differences characteristic of the two pathogens. N. gonorrhoeae 5′lst regions possess 30-bp and 13-bp elements present as single elements or as tandem repeats that exist only as single elements in the 5′lst regions of N. meningitidis isolates. In addition, the 5′lst regions of N. meningitidis strains have 105-bp transposon-like Correia elements which are absent in N. gonorrhoeae. Chromosomal N. gonorrhoeae 5′lst::lacZ translational fusions expressed 4.75 ± 0.09-fold (n = 4) higher β-galactosidase (β-gal) activity than N. meningitidis 5′lst::lacZ fusions in a host-independent manner, indicating differential expression is governed at least in part by sequence variations in the 5′lst regions. Reporter fusion assays and promoter-mapping analysis revealed that N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis use different promoters with different strengths to transcribe lst. In N. gonorrhoeae, a strong sigma 70 promoter 80 bp upstream of the translational start site is used to transcribe lst, whereas this promoter is inactive in N. meningitidis. In N. meningitidis, a weak sigma 70 promoter at the 3′ terminus of a 105-bp Correia repeat-enclosed element 99 bp upstream of the translational start site is used to transcribe lst. We conclude that differential Stase expression between N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis is due at least in part to differential lst gene transcription.
Cover crop effect on soil carbon fractions under conservation tillage cotton

Cover crops may influence soil carbon (C) sequestration and microbial biomass and activities by providing additional residue C to soil. We examined the influence of legume [crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)], nonlegume [rye (Secale cereale L.)], blend [a mixture of legumes containing balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum Savi), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), and crimson clover], and rye + blend mixture cover cropson soil C fractions at the0‐150 mmdepth from 2001 to 2003. Active fractions of soil C includedpotentialCmineralization(PCM)andmicrobialbiomassC(MBC)andslowfraction assoilorganicC(SOC).Experiments were conducted in Dothan sandy loam (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic, Plinthic Kandiudults) under dryland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in central Georgia and in Tifton loamy sand (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic, Plinthic Kandiudults) under irrigated cotton in southern Georgia, USA. Both dryland and irrigated cotton were planted in strip tillage system where planting rows were
Community organizing, schools, and the right to the city

One of the central tenets of the neoliberal world view is that there is no alternative to market-based societies with their focus on competition, individualism, and the abandonment of social safety nets and environmental protections. This vision has become the new common sense. As neoliberal policies and practices have spread across the planet, communities and regions have been turned into winners and losers with seemingly little voice in the matter. Alternatives, however, are in fact being invented in places that have been most victimized by this process. Much can be learned from them. Non-formal and formal educators in Detroit, Michigan and Roxbury, Massachusetts are demonstrating how young people can become participants in efforts to resist this vision and join with their communities in inventing solutions that promise to be healthier for human beings and the natural world.
PRENDAS‐NGANGAS‐ENQUISOS: Turbulence and the Influence of the Dead in Cuban‐Kongo Material Culture

Cuban-Kongo praise of the dead in Havana turns insistently around complex agglomerations of materials called "prendas,""ngangas," and "enquisos." This article addresses the ontological status of "prendas-ngangas-enquisos," which practitioners of Cuban-Kongo affliction practices care for as entities that determine the very possibility of their healing and harming craft. Cuban-Kongo societies of affliction, in Havana collectively referred to as "Palo," stake their claim to influence others in and through these entities. In this essay I seek to position the influence generated in prendas-ngangas-enquisos as a problem for Euro-American materialism, to be addressed not through symbolic or representational solutions but, rather, by refocusing the problem itself via alternate distributions of its epistemological, historical, and ethnographic elements. Contextualized within ethnographic description, I first propose that prendas-ngangas-enquisos do not conform to dialectical logic, and should thus be positioned conceptually as something other than "objects" or "fetishes." From there, I consider Creole turns on the term prenda and explore scholarly accounts of 19th-century Cuban slavery and manumission, which I place alongside what is known about pawn slavery among BaKongo people prior to and during the Atlantic slave trade. Having established a basic series of conceptual and historiographic coordinates, I then suggest ethnographically how prendas-ngangas-enquisos come to command others, thereby guaranteeing Cuban-Kongo healing and harming sovereignty in Cuba today.
Alexithymia is associated with blunted anterior cingulate response to social rejection: implications for daily rejection

Social rejection elicits distress through the brain’s alarm system, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The distress of rejection facilitates subsequent inclusion. As a result, traits that blunt this dACC response to social rejection might then threaten group membership, leading to further subsequent rejection. Alexithymia, the inability to identify and describe affective states, is associated with social impairment and reduced dACC activity under conditions of negative affect. Thus, we expected that alexithymia would relate to less dACC activation during rejection and that this blunted response would explain an association between alexithymia and greater rejection in everyday life. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and daily diaries, we found that subclinical individual differences in the core feature of alexithymia, difficulty identifying affect, was associated with a blunted dACC response to social rejection. Deficits in affect identification were also associated with greater daily rejection and that this effect was mediated and suppressed by dACC activation to rejection. Our findings emphasize the crucial role of the dACC in response to social rejection and extend the literature on alexithymia’s ability to dampen neural responses and contribute to poor social functioning. The suppressing role of the dACC suggests future directions for clinical interventions on those with affective disorders.
Juxtaposition of the HPFH2 enhancer is not sufficient to reactivate the γ-globin gene in adult erythropoiesis

Previous studies have suggested that juxtaposition of a downstream enhancer to the fetal g-globin gene results in reactivation of the g-gene in adult erythrocytes of individuals with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). To test the hypothesis in a much stricter basis, we produced b locus YAC transgenic mice carrying an exact b locus replicate of a deletional HPFH mutation, HPFH 2. Although the g-globin gene was expressed in the HPFH 2/b locus YAC (HPFH2/YAC) transgenic mice in the early stage of development, it was completely silenced in the adult mice. The failure of g-gene reactivation by the juxtaposed HPFH2 enhancer contradicts the results of previous studies. We speculate that the discrepant results reflect differences in the distance between the locus of region (LCR) and the g-globin gene characteristic of the plasmid, cosmid or YAC constructs used for production of transgenic mice. The difference in the phenotype of the HPFH2/YAC transgenic mice and the humans with HPFH2 mutation suggests that in addition to juxtaposition of HPFH enhancers, the upstream region that is absent in the b-YAC construct might be involved in g-gene reactivation in HPFH individuals. The DNase I hypersensitive sites of the LCR were well formed and the chromatin histones were acetylated. A moderate level of pol II binding was detected in the LCR, despite the fact that no transcription occurred in the globin-genes of the adult HPFH2/YAC transgenic mice. The results suggest that formation of the LCR chromatin structure in erythroid cells is independent of globin-gene transcription in the locus.
Some Questions in Hume's Aesthetics

The central problem posed in Hume's essay ‘Of the Standard of Taste’ concerns the mutual adjustment of two things: a skepticism about the correctness of tastes, and a belief that artistic productions genuinely differ in their merits. In response, Hume modifies the skepticism by proposing that the ‘joint verdict of true judges’ is the standard of taste. This article surveys three sets of issues in connection with this solution: the role of rules in grounding verdicts; the possibility of circularity in the judge-verdict relation; and the relevance of the judges’ verdicts to those that non-judges would or should make.
Childhood Serum Anti-Fetal Brain Antibodies Do Not Predict Autism

Autoimmune hypotheses for autism include in utero transplacental exposure to maternal antibodies and acquired postnatal insults. Previous work demonstrated that some mothers of children with autistic disorder have specific antibodies against human fetal brain that differentiate them from mothers with typical children. In the present study, Western immunoblotting was used to determine whether children with autistic spectrum disorders (n = 29) have serum reactivity against human fetal brain that differs from that of controls (n = 14). There was no significant difference in reactivity, corrected for serum immunoglobulin G content and brain actin content and with special attention to reactive bands at 36, 39, 61, and 73 kDa, between autistic children and normal control subjects. Thus, in contrast to mothers, antibody reactivity against human fetal brain as measured in children ages 3-12 years does not appear to be a useful biomarker for autism.
Using experiential learning and OSCEs to teach and assess tobacco dependence education with first-year dental students.

Previous research has indicated that dentists do not routinely engage in tobacco cessation interventions with their patients due, in part, to a lack of training in the predoctoral curriculum. From 2010 to 2012, this study at one U.S. dental school evaluated the effectiveness of experiential learning and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) to improve first-year dental students’ knowledge and beliefs about tobacco dependence and cessation interventions. Analysis indicated acceptable reliability and student performance for the OSCE. In all three years, there were statistically significant increases in student knowledge (p
Horizontal Gene Transfer Among Bacteria in Aquatic Systems: Effects of Nutrient Concentrations

A wide range of bacterial metabolic capabilities, such as resistance to many antibiotics and utilization of novel carbon and energy sources, are carried on plasmids, many of which are transmissible among bacteria. Under laboratory conditions, such transfer has been demonstrated to occur among diverse groups of bacteria (Reanney et al., 1982). However, the frequency and importance of such genetic exchange in natural aquatic systems is, as yet, unclear.
Persistence and Properties

If for every portion of space-time there is an object composed of its contents, four-dimensionalism will be true of these objects. But ordinary objects—trees, stones, persons, etc.—are not among these objects (although the series of events that make up their careers will be). The properties of ordinary objects, including sortal properties, are temporally local and have causal profiles that incorporate transtemporal persistence conditions of the things that have them, and this supports a rejection of four-dimensionalism in favor of three-dimensionalism as an account of the nature of these ordinary objects. Also rejected is the stage theory that takes ordinary objects to be momentary stages (whose transtemporal sameness is not identity), and the argument (of Katherine Hawley) that holds that stage theory is supported by the fact that there can be cases in which it is indeterminate whether the same thing exists at different times.
Interactions of NO2 with Zinc (Hydr)oxide/Graphene Phase Composites: Visible Light Enhanced Surface Reactivity

Composites of zinc hydr(oxide) with either graphite oxide or graphene (ZnGO/ZnGr) were obtained using an in situ precipitation method. The surface properties were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, potentiometric titration, and adsorption of nitrogen. The materials were exposed to NO2 to evaluate their suitability as adsorbents of toxic industrial compounds at ambient conditions. The highest NO2 adsorption capacities were found on Zn(OH)2 and its composite with graphite oxide either in an as-received form or heated at 600 °C. In the majority of cases zinc nitrates were found as the main reaction products. In the case of zinc hydroxide the high efficiency for NO2 retention was linked to: (1) developed porosity, (2) presence of OH groups in the zinc hydroxide phase, (3) photocatalytic activity of Zn(OH)2. That activity was enhanced when graphite oxide, being able to activate oxygen and spatially separate the electron–hole pairs, was added as a composi...
Studies on in vivo stability of an iron chelate.

SummaryThe Fe59 tagged ferric chelate of disodium N-hydroxyethylethylenediamine triacetate was administered to 2 subjects made iron-deficient by repeated phlebotomies. Intramuscular injection in one subject resulted in a rapid uptake from the injection site, early incorporation into circulating RBC, and effective utilization of Fe59 by the RBC. Oral and intraduodenal administration of the tagged chelate to the second subject showed that iron in this form was not readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
All Visual, all the Time: Towards a Theory of Visual Practices for Pastoral Theological Reflection

Visual culture deeply influences those whom pastoral care providers serve, and contemporary practices with images complicate images’ contribution to personal or social suffering. I begin by describing the mobile, networked dynamics of contemporary visual practices, which include receiving but also creating, curating, and sharing images in emergent and shifting visual communities. I then utilize visual studies theorist Gary Shapiro’s concept of visual regimes, outlining how images work as a kind of soft power that influences the social construction of meaning. I illustrate these practices through a selection of images surrounding the police shooting of Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, and the protests and online debates that arose from that tragic event. I suggest throughout this paper that images play a major part in the social construction of subjective worlds and thus contribute both to our suffering and to the meaning we make from our suffering.
Changing weather patterns in North America. Final progress report, 5/1/98- 4/30/01

The main focus of our ongoing investigation is to find out how important the natural component of climate is in the current global warming. In a closely coordinated paleoclimatic study, partly supported by NSF, the environmental and climatic changes in the declining phase of the last interglaciation have been analyzed (Kukla et al., 1997; Kukla 2000a). The current geographic and seasonal shift of insolation is qualitatively similar to the changes that took place in the transition from the last interglacial into the glacial. The last warm episode ended with the warming of the tropical east Pacific about 115,000 years ago.
Longitudinal Effects on Early Adolescent Language: A Twin Study.

Purpose We evaluated genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in language skills during early adolescence, measured by both language sampling and standardized tests, and ex...
ULSI-quality gate oxide on thin-film-silicon-on-insulator

Gate oxide quality for sub-0.5 /spl mu/m applications on Thin-Film-Silicon-On-Insulator (TFSOI) substrates is described. Intrinsic thermal oxide properties such as I-V, Q/sub BD/ and charge trapping rates, as well as device effective mobilities, of TFSOI are comparable to bulk. However, increased surface micro-roughness on SOI materials leads to a higher thermal oxide defect density relative to that of bulk silicon. The use of wafer polish or stacked thermal/LPCVD oxide is found to be effective in achieving bulk-quality oxide defect densities on TFSOI while maintaining intrinsic I-V, Q/sub BD/ and charge trapping properties. >
Feeding behaviour of sable Hippotragus niger niger (Harris, 1838) in the Rhodes Matopos National Park, Zimbabwe

Sable, Hippotragus niger niger (Harris, 1838) were studied in the Rhodes Matopos National Park, Zimbabwe. They spent more time feeding during the hot dry months than the hot wet months, cropped grass at 40 to 140 mm above the ground, showed preference for a grass sward of below 160 mm when feeding and were highly species selective. Selection of food components was directed at a high crude protein content and low crude fibre content in plant parts eaten.
Survivorship After High-Energy Geriatric Trauma.

Objectives To evaluate in-hospital, 1-year, and 5-year survivorship of geriatric patients after high-energy trauma, to compare survivorship of geriatric patients who sustained high-energy trauma with that of those who sustained low-energy trauma, and to identify predictors for mortality. Design Retrospective. Setting Urban Level I trauma center. Patients Study group of 1849 patients with high-energy trauma and comparison group of 761 patients with low-energy trauma. Intervention Each patient was observed from the time of index admission through the end of the study period or until death or readmission. Main outcome measurement Long-term survivorship based on the Social Security Death Index. Results Survivorship between patients with high-energy and low-energy injuries was statistically significant. Among patients who sustained high-energy injuries, in-hospital mortality was 8%, 1-year mortality was 15%, and 5-year mortality was 25%. Among patients who sustained low-energy injuries, in-hospital mortality was 3%, 1-year mortality was 23%, and 5-year mortality was 40%. Low-energy mechanism of injury was an independent predictor for 1-year and 5-year mortality, even when controlling for Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Injury Severity Score (ISS), age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. Conclusions Geriatric patients with high-energy injuries and those with low-energy injuries seem to represent different patient populations, and low-energy mechanism seems to be a marker for frailty. High-energy mechanism was associated with lower long-term mortality rates, even when controlling for CCI, ISS, age, sex, BMI and admission GCS score. Level of evidence Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Enzymes, egg white, and eccentrics: Memories from 37 years of research in the brewing industry

I was 10 years old and already I had a rather respectable chemistry lab in our home near Wigan, in Lancashire, England. It was shared with my elder brother John, who taught me the essentials of val...