The effect of explanation on the art preferences of liberals and conservatives

One hundred thirteen subjects at the University of Richmond were shown twenty-four slides of paintings from four categories of art: simple representational, simple abstract, complex representational, complex abstract. Half of the paintings in each category were accompanied by a one-paragraph explanation. Based on their scores on the Conservatism Scale (Wilson & Patterson, 1968), subjects were divided into two groups: liberals and conservatives. Using Wilson’s (1973) theory of conservatism as the theoretical base, it was hypothesized that, for the unexplained paintings, conservatives would prefer simple art while liberals would prefer complex art

Organizing Watersheds in South Dakota

Wherever you live, you are within a watershed. Your farm, ranch, home on a town lot, or your business in the city are all within the natural boundaries of some watershed. All the lands and waters of the nation are bounded by natural drainage divides

Evidence for Domesticated and Wild Populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is predominantly found in association with human activities, particularly the production of alcoholic beverages. S. paradoxus, the closest known relative of S. cerevisiae, is commonly found on exudates and bark of deciduous trees and in associated soils. This has lead to the idea that S. cerevisiae is a domesticated species, specialized for the fermentation of alcoholic beverages, and isolates of S. cerevisiae from other sources simply represent migrants from these fermentations. We have surveyed DNA sequence diversity at five loci in 81 strains of S. cerevisiae that were isolated from a variety of human and natural fermentations as well as sources unrelated to alcoholic beverage production, such as tree exudates and immunocompromised patients. Diversity within vineyard strains and within saké strains is low, consistent with their status as domesticated stocks. The oldest lineages and the majority of variation are found in strains from sources unrelated to wine production. We propose a model whereby two specialized breeds of S. cerevisiae have been created, one for the production of grape wine and one for the production of saké wine. We estimate that these two breeds have remained isolated from one another for thousands of years, consistent with the earliest archeological evidence for winemaking. We conclude that although there are clearly strains of S. cerevisiae specialized for the production of alcoholic beverages, these have been derived from natural populations unassociated with alcoholic beverage production, rather than the opposite

Chauffeur braking

An experienced driver will `feather' the brakes so as to unwind the suspension compliance and stop the vehicle with only just enough torque in the brakes to hold the vehicle stationary on any gradient, or against the residual torque from an automatic transmission’s torque converter. An optimal stopping problem that minimises the total jerk was formulated and solved. This model was extended by including a linear relationship between the brake pressure and the acceleration of the car where the coefficients are estimated by linear regression. Finally, a Kalman filter estimates the state of the car using the tone wheel

Repeated exposure to chlorpyrifos is associated with a dose-dependent chronic neurobehavioral deficit in adult rats

Organophosphate (OP) chemicals include commonly used pesticides and chemical warfare agents, and mechanistically they are potent inhibitors of the cholinesterase (ChE) enzyme. Epidemiological studies report long-term neuropsychiatric issues, including depression and cognitive impairments in OP-exposed individuals. Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most widely used pesticides worldwide. Multiple laboratory studies have reported on either the long-term behavioral effect of an acute high-dose CPF (30-250 mg/kg) or studied sub-chronic behavioral effects, particularly the motor and cognitive effects of repeated low-dose CPF. However, studies are lacking on chronic mood and depression-related morbidities following repeated CPF doses that would mimic occupationally relevant OP exposures. In this study, adult male rats were injected with CPF (1, 3, 5, or 10 mg/kg/d, s.c.) for 21 consecutive days. Dependent on the CPF dose, ChE activity was inhibited approximately 60-80% in the blood and about 20-50% in the hippocampus at 2-days after the end of CPF exposures. Following a 12-week washout period, a complete recovery of ChE activity was noted. However, CPF-treated rats exhibited a dose-dependent increase in signs related to anhedonia (sucrose preference test), anxiety (open-field and elevated plus-maze), and despair (forced swim test) at this stage. To the best of our knowledge, this could be the first laboratory study that demonstrates a cause-effect relationship between occupational-like CPF exposures in adult rats and the development of long-term depression-related outcomes and could provide an experimental system to study molecular mechanisms underlying environmental OP exposures and the elevated risk for chronic behavioral deficits

Sufficient conditions for curvature invariants to avoid divergencies in Hyperextended Scalar Tensor theory for Bianchi models

We look for sufficient conditions such that the scalar curvature, Ricci and Kretchmann scalars be bounded in Hyperextended Scalar Tensor theory for Bianchi models. We find classes of gravitation functions and Brans-Dicke coupling functions such that the theories thus defined avoid the singularity. We compare our results with these found by Rama in the framework of the Generalised Scalar Tensor theory for the FLRW models.Comment: 13 page

Expansion of Melanoma-specific Cytolytic CD8+ T Cell Precursors in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma Vaccinated with CD34+ Progenitor-derived Dendritic Cells

Cancer vaccines aim at inducing (a) tumor-specific effector T cells able to reduce/eliminate the tumor mass, and (b) long-lasting tumor-specific memory T cells able to control tumor relapse. We have shown earlier, in 18 human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*0201 patients with metastatic melanoma, that vaccination with peptide-loaded CD34–dendritic cells (DCs) leads to expansion of melanoma-specific interferon γ–producing CD8+ T cells in the blood. Here, we show in 9 out of 12 analyzed patients the expansion of cytolytic CD8+ T cell precursors specific for melanoma differentiation antigens. These precursors yield, upon single restimulation with melanoma peptide–pulsed DCs, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) able to kill melanoma cells. Melanoma-specific CTLs can be grown in vitro and can be detected in three assays: (a) melanoma tetramer binding, (b) killing of melanoma peptide–pulsed T2 cells, and (c) killing of HLA-A*0201 melanoma cells. The cytolytic activity of expanded CTLs correlates with the frequency of melanoma tetramer binding CD8+ T cells. Thus, CD34-DC vaccines can expand melanoma-specific CTL precursors that can kill melanoma antigen–expressing targets. These results justify the design of larger follow-up studies to assess the immunological and clinical response to peptide-pulsed CD34-DC vaccines

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 19, No. 2

• Powwowing in Berks County • Belsnickling in Paxtonville • The Folk Tradition of the Sweetheart Tree • Pigpens and Piglore in Rural Pennsylvania • Gravestones and Ostentation: A Study of Five Delaware County Cemeteries • Notes on Eighteenth-Century Emigration to the British Colonies • A Siegerland Emigrant List of 1738 • Local Place Names: Folk-Cultural Questionnaire No. 14https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1038/thumbnail.jp

African forest elephant movements depend on time scale and individual behavior.

The critically endangered African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) plays a vital role in maintaining the structure and composition of Afrotropical forests, but basic information is lacking regarding the drivers of elephant movement and behavior at landscape scales. We use GPS location data from 96 individuals throughout Gabon to determine how five movement behaviors vary at different scales, how they are influenced by anthropogenic and environmental covariates, and to assess evidence for behavioral syndromes-elephants which share suites of similar movement traits. Elephants show some evidence of behavioral syndromes along an 'idler' to 'explorer' axis-individuals that move more have larger home ranges and engage in more 'exploratory' movements. However, within these groups, forest elephants express remarkable inter-individual variation in movement behaviours. This variation highlights that no two elephants are the same and creates challenges for practitioners aiming to design conservation initiatives

Key Topics on End-of-Life Care for African Americans

Racial classifications of human populations are politically and socially determined. There is no biological or genetic basis for these racial classifications. Health behaviors may be influenced by culture and poverty. Disparities in health outcomes, sometimes resulting in higher mortality rates for African-Americans appear to influence end of life decision-making attitudes and behaviors. To improve the quality of end of life care in African-American communities, health care professionals must better understand and work to eliminate disparities in health care, increase their own skills, knowledge and confidence in palliative and hospice care, and improve awareness of the benefits and values of hospice and palliative care in their patients and families