Gravitational Geometric Phase in the Presence of Torsion

We investigate the relativistic and non-relativistic quantum dynamics of a neutral spin-1/2 particle submitted an external electromagnetic field in the presence of a cosmic dislocation. We analyze the explicit contribution of the torsion in the geometric phase acquired in the dynamic of this neutral spinorial particle. We discuss the influence of the torsion in the relativistic geometric phase. Using the Foldy-Wouthuysen approximation, the non-relativistic quantum dynamics are studied and the influence of the torsion in the Aharonov-Casher and He-McKellar-Wilkens effects are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, no figur

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

Elevated protein concentrations in newborn blood and the risks of autism spectrum disorder, and of social impairment, at age 10 years among infants born before the 28th week of gestation

Among the 1 of 10 children who are born preterm annually in the United States, 6% are born before the third trimester. Among children who survive birth before the 28th week of gestation, the risks of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and non-autistic social impairment are severalfold higher than in the general population. We examined the relationship between top quartile inflammation-related protein concentrations among children born extremely preterm and ASD or, separately, a high score on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS total score ≥65) among those who did not meet ASD criteria, using information only from the subset of children whose DAS-II verbal or non-verbal IQ was ≥70, who were assessed for ASD, and who had proteins measured in blood collected on ≥2 days (N = 763). ASD (N = 36) assessed at age 10 years is associated with recurrent top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins during the first post-natal month (e.g., SAA odds ratio (OR); 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.5; 1.2–5.3) and IL-6 (OR; 95% CI: 2.6; 1.03–6.4)). Top quartile concentrations of neurotrophic proteins appear to moderate the increased risk of ASD associated with repeated top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins. High (top quartile) concentrations of SAA are associated with elevated risk of ASD (2.8; 1.2–6.7) when Ang-1 concentrations are below the top quartile, but not when Ang-1 concentrations are high (1.3; 0.3–5.8). Similarly, high concentrations of TNF-α are associated with heightened risk of SRS-defined social impairment (N = 130) (2.0; 1.1–3.8) when ANG-1 concentrations are not high, but not when ANG-1 concentrations are elevated (0.5; 0.1–4.2)

Children\u27s Television Advertising and Brand Choice: A Laboratory Experiment

This experiment attempts to investigate the vulnerability of children to television advertising. Subjects between six and eight years of age were exposed to commercial stimuli under varying conditions. Groups were randomly assigned to view segments of “Jeannie,” a network children\u27s show, either with an experimenter-produced commercial of a previously-unknown brand or a control ad inserted into the program context. In addition, the effects of traditional methodologies employed in related literature to one which minimizes reactance effects were studied. Children\u27s brand choices were found to be influenced significantly by the communication of the commercial message for the previously-unknown brand

Information Content in Television Advertising: A Replication and Extension

Conducted a replication of A. Resnik and B. L. Stern\u27s (1977) analysis of information content in TV advertising. The informativeness of 340 network advertisements was compared with 122 ads broadcast by 6 cable networks. No significant difference was found between the original and replication samples in overall proportion of informative ads. However, the proportion of informative evening ads dropped significantly, while informative ads during weekday afternoons increased. The most frequently communicated types of information cues related to components or contents, performance, and price or value. Seven of the 14 cues showed significant differences in the proportion of their occurrence between the original and replication samples. A larger proportion of cable ads were judged to be informative, while the types of cues communicated did not differ much between network and cable ads

An Analysis of Information Content in Television Advertising

THERE appears to be widespread controversy between advertising practitioners and critics as to the usefulness of information communicated through advertising—especially television advertising.1 The vast integration of TV into our daily lives, and its potential for shaping viewers’ behavior, makes television commercial content a critical area for public-policy decisions.2In the words of Robert Pitorsky, the FTC\u27s former head of Consumer Protection: Those forms of advertising which are essentially non-informative in character may raise questions as to their fundamental fairness, their conformity with traditional economic justifications for advertising upon which a free and reasonably informed choice may be made, and the extent to which such advertising is designed to exploit such fears or anxieties as social acceptance or personal wellbeing without fulfilling the desires raised.

Integrating Results From Children\u27s Television Advertising Research

Children\u27s television advertising is rapidly becoming a major concern to government agencies, citizens\u27 groups and researchers in many areas of the social sciences. To this point there has been little integration of research efforts. This article presents a model of the processing of television advertising by children in order to organize and integrate previous research results and to act as the basis for suggesting future directions for research. The authors indicate that more involvement by advertisers is needed