Effect of Holding Time on Populations of Microparticles in Spheroidal Graphite Irons

Non-metallic microparticles in spheroidal graphite irons are a product of the inoculation and the Mg-treatment of the liquid melt. Besides the influence on the mechanical properties of these iron–carbon–silicon alloys, they are also responsible for the nucleation and the morphology of the graphite phase. The present investigation is undertaken to study holding time effects of a (Ba, Ca, Al)–ferrosilicon (called Ba-inoculant) and (Ca, Al)–ferrosilicon (called Ca-inoculant) inoculants on the overall distribution of microparticles. Using the 2D to 3D conversions method, which is typically used for graphite nodules, the non-metallic microparticles’ statistical parameters, such as size distributions and number densities, are quantified. The total number of particles is similar after Mg-treatment and inoculation for Ca-inoculant but not for Ba-inoculated samples, which lose approximately 25 pct of microparticles after 1 minute of holding time. Iron treated with the Ca-inoculant loses about 37 pct of its nodules after 5 minutes, while the Ba-inoculated melts maintain their performance even after 10 minutes. Based on extrapolating the trend of the undercooling, Ba-inoculated samples would reach the uninoculated undercooling values in 48 minutes, while Ca-inoculated samples in only 11 minutes. By evaluating the size distributions of the non-metallic microparticles, the Ostwald ripening hypothesis or particle aggregation can be verified. The results suggest that sulfides are more critical for graphite nucleation since they can be correlated with the graphite number densities. However, due to the small difference in the microparticle population of the uninoculated sample with Ca-inoculated samples, other aspects of the fading mechanism need to be considered, such as transient metastable states, since the central hypothesis of loss of inclusions cannot alone explain the decrease in the nucleation frequency of graphite.

Investigating vertical social media impact through influencer on risky sexual behavior among adolescents in Indonesia

Social media has been identified as a factor in adolescents' adoption of risky sexual behavior. This research is here to answer whether social media has a vertical effect on adopting risky sexual behavior, given the increasing number of influencers on the platform. We sought the connection of whether influencers can influence the dating standards of adolescents, which will end up contributing to the adoption of risky sexual behavior. As risky sexual behavior is becoming more prevalent in Makassar, we picked Makassar adolescents as our study object. We also compared urban and rural by including Maros adolescents. Data were collected data with an online survey. Four surveyors are employed to find targeted respondents: youth in their 15-18 years old. Respondents filled out an online questionnaire from September 7, 2020, to September 14, 2020. As many as 313 responses were valid, 50.5 percent of the respondents were domiciled in Makassar, and the remaining 49.5 percent came from Maros. Two out of three respondents are women (63.3 percent). A series of independent t-tests, and Andy F Hayes PROCESS scheme, were used to analyze the data. The independent t-test results showed that male urban adolescents are more likely to exhibit risky sexual behavior. The central hypothesis test results showed that social media influencers indirectly affect risky sexual behavior mediated by adolescent dating styles, answering the study's initial assumption.

Parasitic Architectural Forms (PAF) S01.E02 “Methodology and Ontology”

This paper is to present the chosen methodology for research and thus approach the design process through biomimicry. The described methodology is applied in parasitic architecture research, focusing on developing the experimental design of architectural structure using artificial intelligence and thus approach and support the central hypothesis of the work -the effort to create self-designing and self-growing / developing architecture. Furthermore, the paper outlines the ontology as a model of knowledge, a source of data for the developed software © PAF A.I. and a source of inspiration influencing the final design of the proposed architectural structure. The way in which such an ontological resource is processed for research purposes and how it participates in the final design within the verification and validation of the whole conceptual design is also described. Besides, the paper explains why the ontology in question is essential and what was established as its content.

Cohort Differences in Swedish Union Membership 1956–2019 and the Role of Individualization

Discussions of the role of cohort differences have long been part of academic research on union membership, with a central hypothesis being that the general decline in unionization is caused by changes toward more individualistic values in the younger generations. However, the short time span of most studies makes it uncertain if they can separate cohort effects from age effects. Using survey data going back to 1956, we test the individualization hypothesis. Our main result is that later Swedish cohorts are indeed less prone to join unions. In particular, the differences between cohorts born before and after ca 1970 are striking. We also provide evidence that the erosion in union membership in Sweden is not related to changes toward more individualistic values in later cohorts, or even to more negative views of unions per se.

Herbivore feeding preference corroborates optimal defense theory for specialized metabolites within plants

Numerous plants protect themselves from attackers by using specialized metabolites. The biosynthesis of these deterrent, often toxic metabolites is costly, as their synthesis diverts energy and resources on account of growth and development. How plants diversify investments into growth and defense is explained by the optimal defense theory. The central prediction of the optimal defense theory is that plants maximize growth and defense by concentrating specialized metabolites in tissues that are decisive for fitness. To date, supporting physiological evidence relies on the correlation between plant metabolite presence and animal feeding preference. Here, we use glucosinolates as a model to examine the effect of changes in chemical defense distribution on feeding preference. Taking advantage of the uniform glucosinolate distribution in transporter mutants, we show that high glucosinolate accumulation in tissues important to fitness protects them by guiding larvae of a generalist herbivore to feed on other tissues. Moreover, we show that the mature leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana supply young leaves with glucosinolates to optimize defense against herbivores. Our study provides physiological evidence for the central hypothesis of the optimal defense theory and sheds light on the importance of integrating glucosinolate biosynthesis and transport for optimizing plant defense.

O Projeto de Desintegração do Foro para o Progresso e Integração da América do Sul (Prosul): um Bloco de regressividade autônoma | The (Dis)Integration Project of the Forum for the Progress and Development of South America (PROSUL): a regressive autonomy block

A segunda década do século XXI apresentou um cenário de fragilidades socioeconômicas com sucessivas crises políticas, ampliando a vulnerabilidade externa e a incapacidade estatal de planejamento na América do Sul. No plano regional, constata-se a proeminência da fragmentação, do regionalismo aberto e da retomada de projetos hemisféricos e/ou tratados de livre-comércio. O presente artigo possui o objetivo de ensejar o debate da integração sul-americana na década de 2020, a partir das experiências políticas deste início de século. Utilizando o método qualitativo da análise de documentos oficiais do embrionário Foro para o Progresso e Integração da América do Sul (PROSUL), a hipótese central é de que este novo bloco consiste numa tentativa de substituir o modelo prévio de integração autônoma por uma integração conservadora alinhada aos interesses liberais e estadunidenses. Por conseguinte, conclui-se que a América do Sul vem sendo afligida por um processo de desintegração regional.Palavras-chave: integração regional; América do Sul; PROSUL.ABSTRACTIn the second decade of the 21st century, South America presented socioeconomic fragilities with successive political crises, increasing the external vulnerability and the state's incapacity for planning. At the regional level, it was verified the prominence of fragmentation, open regionalism and the resurgence of hemispheric projects and free trade agreements. This article aims to promote the debate on South American integration in the 2020 decade, based on the political experiences of the beginning of this century. By Using the qualitative method of analyzing official documents of The Fórum para o Progresso e Integração da América do Sul (PROSUL), this article presents as its central hypothesis that this new block consists in an attempt to replace the previous model of autonomous integration with a conservative integration aligned to liberal and American interests. Consequently, this research concludes that there is a process of regional disintegration affecting South America in the last years.Keywords: regional integration; South America; PROSUL. Recebido em: 02 abr. 2021 | Aceito em: 05 out. 2021.

Introduction: Aim and Scope of the Book and Its Structure

The introduction lays out the two main aims pursued by the research carried out in the book, its methodology, and its structure. One aim is to investigate how implementation and compliance with norms and policies relating to equality and non-discrimination adopted in the course of EU enlargement could be improved and the likelihood of sustainability (or continuation) of reforms after enhanced accession be enhanced. The central hypothesis is that conditionality is not able to achieve these goals and that reflexive governance is the mode of governance most conducive to an effective and sustainable implementation of the equality acquis through its emphasis on cooperation between all relevant actors and a reflexive learning process. A case study on Croatia has revealed that the lack of consistent and transparent monitoring, as well as insufficient attention to the pooling of results and learning from successes and failures, are among the elements of reflexive governance that have not yet been sufficiently developed. The second aim of this research is, therefore, to make a contribution to both these issues. On the basis of a comparative review of transposition and practical implementation of selected parts of the RED and the EED in EU Member States, it identifies good practices and challenges in the implementation and enforcement of the selected policy options. Drawing from this, indicators are proposed, on the basis of which the progress in the transposition and practical implementation of the EU acquis in the field of equality and non-discrimination can be evaluated.

Glycosuria alters uropathogenic Escherichia coli global gene expression and virulence

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the principal etiology of more than half of urinary tract infections (UTI) in humans with diabetes mellitus. Epidemiological data and studies in mouse model of ascending UTI have elucidated various host factors responsible for increasing the susceptibility of diabetic hosts to UPEC-UTI. In contrast, the nature of alterations in UPEC physiology mediated by diabetic urinary microenvironment and the contributions of altered UPEC physiology in shaping UPEC-UTI pathogenesis in diabetes have not been examined. Our central hypothesis is that glycosuria directly induces urinary virulence of UPEC. We compared virulence characteristics and gene expression in human UPEC strains UTI89 (cystitis) and CFT073 (pyelonephritis) exposed for 2h, in vitro to human urine either in the presence or absence of glycosuria (600mg/dl glucose). Compared to control UPEC exposed to nutrient-rich culture medium LB, glycosuria-exposed UPEC exhibited significant increase in biofilm formation and reduction in the hemagglutination of Guinea pig erythrocytes (a surrogate measure of type 1 piliation). In addition, analysis of UTI89 transcriptome by RNA sequencing revealed that 2h-long, in vitro exposure to glycosuria also significantly alters expression of virulence and metabolic genes central to urinary virulence of UPEC. In summary, our results provide novel insights into how glycosuria-mediated early changes in UPEC fitness may facilitate UTI pathogenesis in the diabetic urinary microenvironment.

The contribution of semantics to the sentence superiority effect

When a sequence of written words is presented briefly and participants are asked to report the identity of one of the words, identification accuracy is higher when the words form a correct sentence. Here we examined the extent to which this sentence superiority effect can be modulated by semantic content. The central hypothesis guiding this study is that the sentence superiority effect is primarily a syntactic effect. We therefore predicted little or no modulation of the effect by semantics. The influence of semantic content was measured by comparing the sentence superiority effect obtained with semantically regular sentences (e.g., son amie danse bien [her friend dances well]) and semantically anomalous but syntactically correct sentences (e.g., votre sac boit gros [your bag drinks big]), with effects being measured against ungrammatical scrambled versions of the same words in both cases. We found sentence superiority effects with both types of sentences, and a significant interaction, such that the effects were greater with semantically regular sentences compared with semantically anomalous sentences. We conclude that sentence-level semantic information can constrain word identities under parallel word processing, albeit with less impact than that exerted by syntax.

WEIRD People and The Western Church: who made who?

Henrich’s The WEIRDest People in the World explains how the West came to be psychologically and culturally WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic), and the economic and social effects this has had on the last two thousand years of human history. One of the many strengths of WEIRDest People in the World is that it synthesizes evidence from psychology, economics, anthropology, and history into an integrated, compelling, and coherent theoretical framework. In this book, kinship is positioned at the forefront of narratives about the evolution of human societies – something that has long been recognized within anthropology but often missing from grand history narratives (Diamond, 1999; Harari, 2014). This work is highly readable while still making clear, empirically testable causal hypotheses. A central hypothesis of Henrich (2020) is that the Western Christian Church’s Marriage and Family Program (MFP) caused changes in European kinship systems. Here we evaluate the evidence presented in support of this hypothesis by reviewing the available information on pre-MFP kinship systems in Europe and re-analyzing cross-national associations between MFP and kinship structures using phylogenetic comparative methods. We raise alternative hypotheses about the relationships between the Western Christian Church and kinship structures and suggest that further research is needed to arbitrate these hypotheses.