Social networks and citizen election forecasting: the more friends the better

Most citizens correctly forecast which party will win a given election, and such forecasts usually have a higher level of accuracy than voter intention polls. How do citizens do it? We argue that social networks are a big part of the answer: much of what we know as citizens comes from our interactions with others. Previous research has considered only indirect characteristics of social networks when analyzing why citizens are good forecasters. We use a unique German survey and consider direct measures of social networks in order to explore their role in election forecasting. We find that three network characteristics – size, political composition, and frequency of political discussion – are among the most important variables when predicting the accuracy of citizens’ election forecasts

Estudo da desidratação osmótica de abóbora utilizando metodologia de superfície de resposta.

Suplemento 1. Edição dos Resumos do 43 Congresso Brasileiro de Olericultura, Recife, jul. 2003

Evidence of Low-Temperature Superparamagnetism in Mn3O_{3}O_{4}$ Nanoparticle Ensembles

Please refer to the abstract within the main body of the paper

Influence of osmotic dehydration and high temperature short time processes on dried sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.).

The puffing operation is carried out at as intermediate stage in the drying process. When reconstituted, the dehydrated puffed productpresents a more pleasing appearance than the material that has not been puffed. The high temperature and short time process (HTST) was employed to obtain puffed sweet potato slices from both in natura and osmotically pretreated with sucrose and salt solutions samples. Processing time was the most significant variable affecting moisture content, water activity and rehydration. All the empirical models obtained using response surface methodology were considered predictive. The best conditions for the HTST sweet potato slices were obtained using a temperature of 160 C and time of 22 min for samples with no osmotic treatment and a temperature of 150 C and time of 10 min for samples submitted to the osmotic treatment. Scanning electronic microscopy confirmed the formation of pores within the tissue, and surface sealing during the HTST process as the samples puffed up (volume increase). The shortest convective drying time corresponded to the sample treated only by the HTST process. 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Effect of concentration on the physical properties of cashew juice.

Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, density and viscosity of cashew juice were measured at 30 oC for soluble solids content ranging from 5.5 to 25 oBrix. Thermal conductivity and diffusivity were determined using a linear hest source probe. Both properties were found to decrease with the increase of soluble solids content, while density and viscosity increased. Empirical models were fitted to the experimental data for each property and the accuracy of those models was checked

Estudo reológico de polpa de caju em diferentes concentrações.

Neste estudo foi avaliado o comportamento reológico de polpa de caju em diferentes concentrações (5,5 a 25,0°Brix) na temperatura de 30°C. Os resultados indicaram um aumento da viscosidade com o aumento da concentração. A polpa de caju teve o comportamento de um fluido não Newtoniano com características pseudoplásticas. Palavras-chave: Anacardium occidentale L., reologia, viscosidade

Plasma levels of nitric oxide related amino acids in demented subjects with Down syndrome are related to neopterin concentrations

Subjects with Down syndrome (DS) have abnormalities in virtually all aspects of the immune system and almost all will be affected with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is thought that nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the pathophysiology of AD. In the present study, including a total of 401 elderly DS subjects, the spectrum of plasma amino acids and neopterin was investigated and related to development of AD. Concentrations of nearly all amino acids in DS subjects differed significantly from those of healthy controls. Neopterin was increased in DS subjects, especially in dementia. The production of NO as reflected by an increased citrulline/arginine ratio (Cit/Arg ratio) was enhanced during development of clinical dementia. Neopterin concentrations correlated to the Cit/Arg ratio only in the group of prevalent demented subjects (ρ = 0.48, P = 0.006). The results of this study are suggestive for an increase in oxidative processes in DS subjects with AD

A comparison of the mechanical behavior of AlSi7Mg alloy produced through additive manufacturing and subjected to different heat treatment and aging conditions

The versatility and adaptability of Aluminum F357 (AlSi7Mg) make it a popular material in the aerospace and defense industries. In this study, two different laser powder bed fusion systems, EOS M290, and SLM 280HL were used to create specimens of Aluminum F357. These specimens were subjected to five different heat treatments: As-built, stress relief (SR), hot isostatic pressing (HIP), T6, and HIP+T6) as per ASTM F3318-18 standard. The printed specimens were then reduced to tensile bars through machining and tested for mechanical properties as per ASTM E28 using an MTS Landmark tensile testing system. In addition to the mechanical behavior analysis, the study used a JEOL JSM-IT500 SEM to observe and document the fracture produced by the tensile test and a Qness 30 CHD Master+ microhardness testing system to obtain hardness (HV) values of the alloy. The results showed that specimens fabricated in the Z direction had a tendency for higher yield strengths of approximately 225 MPa and although these results were similar between LPBF systems some variances can still be seen. However, these differences between the LPBF systems were observed to be partially mitigated by heat treatments. In conclusion, this study highlights the significance of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of Aluminum F357. The results provide valuable information for the aerospace and defense industries to optimize their processes and produce high-quality components. The compatibility of LPBF system fabrication and the mitigation of differences observed between LPBF machines by heat treatments, further demonstrate the potential of this method for producing high-quality Aluminum F357 components.Mechanical Engineerin