Brookings supports breastfeeding: using public deliberation as a community-engaged approach to dissemination of research.

Empirical evidence demonstrates myriad benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child, along with benefits to businesses that support breastfeeding. Federal and state legislation requires workplace support for pumping and provides protections for public breastfeeding. Yet, many are unaware of these laws, and thus, support systems remain underdeveloped.

A re-examination of the mere exposure effect: The influence of repeated exposure on recognition, familiarity, and liking.

To evaluate the veracity of models of the mere exposure effect and to understand the processes that moderate the effect, we conducted a meta-analysis of the influence of repeated exposure on liking, familiarity, recognition, among other evaluations. We estimated parameters from 268 curve estimates drawn from 81 articles and revealed that the mere exposure effect was characterized by a positive slope and negative quadratic effect consistent with an inverted-U shaped curve. In fact, such curves were associated with (a) all visual, but not auditory stimuli; (b) exposure durations shorter than 10 s and longer than 1 min; (c) both homogeneous and heterogeneous presentation types; and (d) ratings that were taken after all stimuli were presented.

Recent Advances in Nonlinear Optical Analyses of Pharmaceutical Materials in the Solid State.

The past decade has seen an increase in the use of nonlinear optical (NLO) techniques such as second harmonic generation, coherent antistokes Raman scattering, stimulated Raman scattering, and two-photon fluorescence for the solid-state characterization of pharmaceutical materials. These combined techniques offer several advantages (e.g.

Trombones Elicit Bitter More Strongly Than Do Clarinets: a Partial Replication of Three Studies of Crisinel and Spence.

We present a partial replication of the crossmodal pitch/taste correspondence of Crisinel and Spence. Male college students (n=46) were asked to judge the pitch (F1-C4 on trombone; F3-C6 on clarinet) that best corresponded with each of four tastants (unsweetened coffee, unsweetened chocolate, salt, and sugar). With trombone there was a significant effect of tastant [F(3,135)=7.

Dark states enhance the photocell power via phononic dissipation.

The high efficiency of the photon-to-charge conversion process found in photosynthetic complexes has inspired researchers to explore a new route for designing artificial photovoltaic materials. Quantum coherence can provide a mean to surpass the Shockley-Quiesser device concept limit by reducing the radiative recombination. Taking inspiration from these new discoveries, we consider a linearly-aligned system as a light-harvesting antennae composed of two-level optical emitters coupled with each other by dipole-dipole interactions.

Structural transitions and hysteresis in clump- and stripe-forming systems under dynamic compression.

Using numerical simulations, we study the dynamical evolution of particles interacting via competing long-range repulsion and short-range attraction in two dimensions. The particles are compressed using a time-dependent quasi-one dimensional trough potential that controls the local density, causing the system to undergo a series of structural phase transitions from a low density clump lattice to stripes, voids, and a high density uniform state. The compression proceeds via slow elastic motion that is interrupted with avalanche-like bursts of activity as the system collapses to progressively higher densities via plastic rearrangements.

Collective ratchet effects and reversals for active matter particles on quasi-one-dimensional asymmetric substrates.

Using computer simulations, we study a two-dimensional system of sterically interacting self-mobile run-and-tumble disk-shaped particles with an underlying periodic quasi-one-dimensional asymmetric substrate, and show that a rich variety of collective active ratchet behaviors arise as a function of particle density, activity, substrate period, and the maximum force exerted by the substrate. The net dc drift, or ratchet transport flux, is nonmonotonic since it increases with increased activity but is diminished by the onset of self-clustering of the active particles. Increasing the particle density decreases the ratchet transport flux for shallow substrates but increases the ratchet transport flux for deep substrates due to collective hopping events.

Evolutionary history of chloridoid grasses estimated from 122 nuclear loci.

Chloridoideae (chloridoid grasses) are a subfamily of ca. 1700 species with high diversity in arid habitats. Until now, their evolutionary relationships have primarily been studied with DNA sequences from the chloroplast, a maternally inherited organelle.

Enhancing student retention of prerequisite knowledge through pre-class activities and in-class reinforcement.

To foster the connection between biochemistry and the supporting prerequisite concepts, a collection of activities that explicitly link general and organic chemistry concepts to biochemistry ideas was written and either assigned as pre-class work or as recitation activities. We assessed student learning gains after using these activities alone, or in combination with regularly-integrated clicker and discussion questions. Learning gains were determined from student performance on pre- and post-tests covering key prerequisite concepts, biochemistry course exams, and student self-evaluation.

An expanded framework for biomolecular visualization in the classroom: Learning goals and competencies.

A thorough understanding of the molecular biosciences requires the ability to visualize and manipulate molecules in order to interpret results or to generate hypotheses. While many instructors in biochemistry and molecular biology use visual representations, few indicate that they explicitly teach visual literacy. One reason is the need for a list of core content and competencies to guide a more deliberate instruction in visual literacy.

Influence of stimulus size on revealing non-cardinal color mechanisms.

Multiple studies have shown that performance of subjects on a number of visual tasks is worse for non-cardinal than cardinal colors, especially in the red-green/luminance (RG/LUM) and tritan/luminance (TRIT/LUM) color planes. Inspired by neurophysiological evidence that suppressive surround input to receptive fields is particularly sensitive to luminance, we hypothesized that non-cardinal mechanisms in the RG/LUM and TRIT/LUM planes would be more sensitive to stimulus size than are isoluminant non-cardinal mechanisms. In Experiment 1 we tested 9-10 color-normal subjects in each of the three color planes (RG/TRIT, RG/LUM, and TRIT/LUM) on visual search at four bull's-eye dot sizes (0.

Avalanches, plasticity, and ordering in colloidal crystals under compression.

Using numerical simulations we examine colloids with a long-range Coulomb interaction confined in a two-dimensional trough potential undergoing dynamical compression. As the depth of the confining well is increased, the colloids move via elastic distortions interspersed with intermittent bursts or avalanches of plastic motion. In these avalanches, the colloids rearrange to minimize their colloid-colloid repulsive interaction energy by adopting an average lattice constant that is isotropic despite the anisotropic nature of the compression.

Stronger Limits on Hypothetical Yukawa Interactions in the 30-8000 nm Range.

We report the results of new differential force measurements between a test mass and rotating source masses of gold and silicon to search for forces beyond Newtonian gravity at short separations. The technique employed subtracts the otherwise dominant Casimir force at the outset and, when combined with a lock-in amplification technique, leads to a significant improvement (up to a factor of 10^{3}) over existing limits on the strength (relative to gravity) of a putative force in the 40-8000 nm interaction range.

α-Tocopherol Is Well Designed to Protect Polyunsaturated Phospholipids: MD Simulations.

The presumptive function for alpha-tocopherol (αtoc) in membranes is to protect polyunsaturated lipids against oxidation. Although the chemistry of the process is well established, the role played by molecular structure that we address here with atomistic molecular-dynamics simulations remains controversial. The simulations were run in the constant particle NPT ensemble on hydrated lipid bilayers composed of SDPC (1-stearoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylcholine, 18:0-22:6PC) and SOPC (1-stearoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine, 18:0-18:1PC) in the presence of 20 mol % αtoc at 37°C.

Sequential unfolding of the hemolysin two-partner secretion domain from Proteus mirabilis.

Protein secretion is a major contributor to Gram-negative bacterial virulence. Type Vb or two-partner secretion (TPS) pathways utilize a membrane bound β-barrel B component (TpsB) to translocate large and predominantly virulent exoproteins (TpsA) through a nucleotide independent mechanism. We focused our studies on a truncated TpsA member termed hemolysin A (HpmA265), a structurally and functionally characterized TPS domain from Proteus mirabilis.

Pathophysiological role of microRNA-29 in pancreatic cancer stroma.

Dense fibrotic stroma associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a major obstacle for drug delivery to the tumor bed and plays a crucial role in pancreatic cancer progression. Current, anti-stromal therapies have failed to improve tumor response to chemotherapy and patient survival. Furthermore, recent studies show that stroma impedes tumor progression, and its complete ablation accelerates PDAC progression.

Synthesis of high contrast fluorescein-diethers for rapid bench-top sensing of palladium.

A new series of palladium sensors based on fluorescein bis(allyl ether) compounds has been designed. We utilized reduced fluoresceins as key synthetic intermediates. These probes exhibit negligible background fluorescence and rapid reaction with palladium, allowing a concentration of <100 ppt to be detected in minutes using a handheld UV lamp.

Policies aren't enough: the importance of interpersonal communication about workplace breastfeeding support.

Background: Formal policies can establish guidelines and expectations for workplace breastfeeding support. However, interpersonal communication between employees and managers is the context where such policies are explained, negotiated, and implemented. As such, this article focuses on interpersonal communication about breastfeeding support in the workplace.

Post-training cocaine administration facilitates habit learning and requires the infralimbic cortex and dorsolateral striatum.

Human drug addiction is a complex disorder, in which exogenous substances are able to recruit and maintain behaviors involved in drug taking. Many drugs that are addictive in humans are able to act on natural brain systems for learning and memory, and while many memory systems may be affected by addictive drugs, work with operant tasks has shown that addictive drugs (e.g.

The Children's Social Understanding Scale: construction and validation of a parent-report measure for assessing individual differences in children's theories of mind.

Children's theory of mind (ToM) is typically measured with laboratory assessments of performance. Although these measures have generated a wealth of informative data concerning developmental progressions in ToM, they may be less useful as the sole source of information about individual differences in ToM and their relation to other facets of development. In the current research, we aimed to expand the repertoire of methods available for measuring ToM by developing and validating a parent-report ToM measure: the Children's Social Understanding Scale (CSUS).

The orientation and dynamics of estradiol and estradiol oleate in lipid membranes and HDL disc models.

Estradiol (E2) and E2 oleate associate with high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). Their orientation in HDLs is unknown. We studied the orientation of E2 and E2 oleate in membranes and reconstituted HDLs, finding that E2 and E2 oleate are membrane-associated and highly mobile.

Youth with autism spectrum disorder comprehend lexicalized and novel primary conceptual metaphors.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty comprehending metaphors. However, no study to date has examined whether or not they understand conceptual metaphors (i.e.

Rationality in conspiracy beliefs: the role of perceived motive.

Previous work has raised the possibility that the perception of motive may contribute to conspiracy beliefs. The current study tested the prediction that conspiracy beliefs will strengthen as the apparent motive of the alleged conspirators strengthens. Participants (N = 57) rated the plausibility of fictional conspiracy theories, manipulated for the strength of direct evidence for the conspiracy and the type of outcome (gain vs.

Cloning, expression, purification and characterization of an iron-dependent regulator protein from Thermobifida fusca.

Iron-dependent regulators (IdeRs) control the transcription of a variety of genes associated with iron homeostasis in Gram-positive bacteria. In this study we report the cloning of a putative IdeR gene from the moderate thermophile Thermobifida fusca into the pET-21a(+) expression vector. The expressed protein, Tf-IdeR, was purified using immobilized metal affinity and size-exclusion chromatography, and yielded approximately 12-16 mg of protein per liter of culture.