Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasmonic Materials for Surface-Enhanced Sensing and Spectroscopy

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation in silver and gold nanoparticles produces strong extinction and scattering spectra that in recent years have been used for important sensing and spectroscopy applications. This article describes the fabrication, characterization, and computational electrodynamics of plasmonic materials that take advantage of this concept.Two applications of these plasmonic materials are presented: (1) the development of an ultrasensitive nanoscale optical biosensor based on LSPR wavelength-shift spectroscopy and (2) the use of plasmon-sampled and wavelength-scanned surface-enhanced Raman excitation spectroscopy (SERES) to provide new insight into the electromagnetic-field enhancement mechanism.
The architecture and implementation of a distributed hypermedia storage system

Our project is studying the process by which groups of individuals work together to build l3rge, complelC stru~tures of ideas and is d<Jveloping a distributed hypermedia collaboration environment (called ADC) to suppor.t that process. This paper focuses on the architecture and implementation of the Distributed Graph Stor age (DGS) component of ABC. The OGS supportS a graph· based data model, conservatively extended to meet hypermedia requirements. Some important issues addressed in the system int;lude scale, performance, concurrency semantics, access protection, location independence, and replicMion (for fauh tolerance).
Systematic Reviews and Meta-and Pooled Analyses A Meta-Analysis and Multisite Time-Series Analysis of the Differential Toxicity of Major Fine Particulate Matter Constituents

Health risk assessments of particulate matter less than 2.5 lm in diameter (PM2.5) often assume that all constituents of PM2.5 are equally toxic. While investigators in previous epidemiologic studies have evaluated health risks from various PM2.5 constituents, few have conducted the analyses needed to directly inform risk assessments. In this study, the authors performed a literature review and conducted a multisite time-series analysis of hospital admissions and exposure to PM2.5 constituents (elemental carbon, organic carbon matter, sulfate, and nitrate) in a population of 12 million US Medicare enrollees for the period 2000–2008. The literature review illustrated a general lack of multiconstituent models or insight about probabilities of differential impacts per unit of concentration change. Consistent with previous results, the multisite time-series analysis found statistically significant associations between short-term changes in elemental carbon and cardiovascular hospital admissions. Posterior probabilities from multiconstituent models provided evidence that some individual constituents were more toxic than others, and posterior parameter estimates coupled with correlations among these estimates provided necessary information for risk assessment. Ratios of constituent toxicities, commonly used in risk assessment to describe differential toxicity, were extremely uncertain for all comparisons. These analyses emphasize the subtlety of the statistical techniques and epidemiologic studies necessary to inform risk assessments of particle constituents.
Lightweight GPS-Tags, One Giant Leap for Wildlife Tracking? An Assessment Approach

Recent technological improvements have made possible the development of lightweight GPS-tagging devices suitable to track medium-to-small sized animals. However, current inferences concerning GPS performance are based on heavier designs, suitable only for large mammals. Lightweight GPS-units are deployed close to the ground, on species selecting micro-topographical features and with different behavioural patterns in comparison to larger mammal species. We assessed the effects of vegetation, topography, motion, and behaviour on the fix success rate for lightweight GPS-collar across a range of natural environments, and at the scale of perception of feral cats (Felis catus). Units deployed at 20 cm above the ground in sites of varied vegetation and topography showed that trees (native forest) and shrub cover had the largest influence on fix success rate (89% on average); whereas tree cover, sky availability, number of satellites and horizontal dilution of position (HDOP) were the main variables affecting location error (±39.5 m and ±27.6 m before and after filtering outlier fixes). Tests on HDOP or number of satellites-based screening methods to remove inaccurate locations achieved only a small reduction of error and discarded many accurate locations. Mobility tests were used to simulate cats' motion, revealing a slightly lower performance as compared to the fixed sites. GPS-collars deployed on 43 cats showed no difference in fix success rate by sex or season. Overall, fix success rate and location error values were within the range of previous tests carried out with collars designed for larger species. Lightweight GPS-tags are a suitable method to track medium to small size species, hence increasing the range of opportunities for spatial ecology research. However, the effects of vegetation, topography and behaviour on location error and fix success rate need to be evaluated prior to deployment, for the particular study species and their habitats.
Control of microtubule nucleation and stability in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells: the occurrence of noncentrosomal, stable detyrosinated microtubules

The microtubule-nucleating activity of centrosomes was analyzed in fibroblastic (Vero) and in epithelial cells (PtK2, Madin-Darby canine kidney [MDCK]) by double-immunofluorescence labeling with anti- centrosome and antitubulin antibodies. Most of the microtubules emanated from the centrosomes in Vero cells, whereas the microtubule network of MDCK cells appeared to be noncentrosome nucleated and randomly organized. The pattern of microtubule organization in PtK2 cells was intermediate to the patterns observed in the typical fibroblastic and epithelial cells. The two centriole cylinders were tightly associated and located close to the nucleus in Vero and PtK2 cells. In MDCK cells, however, they were clearly separated and electron microscopy revealed that they nucleated only a few microtubules. The stability of centrosomal and noncentrosomal microtubules was examined by treatment of these different cell lines with various concentrations of nocodazole. 1.6 microM nocodazole induced an almost complete depolymerization of microtubules in Vero cells; some centrosome nucleated microtubules remained in PtK2 cells, while many noncentrosomal microtubules resisted that treatment in MDCK cells. Centrosomal and noncentrosomal microtubules regrew in MDCK cells with similar kinetics after release from complete disassembly by high concentrations of nocodazole (33 microM). During regrowth, centrosomal microtubules became resistant to 1.6 microM nocodazole before the noncentrosomal ones, although the latter eventually predominate. We suggest that in MDCK cells, microtubules grow and shrink as proposed by the dynamic instability model but the presence of factors prevents them from complete depolymerization. This creates seeds for reelongation that compete with nucleation off the centrosome. By using specific antibodies, we have shown that the abundant subset of nocodazole- resistant microtubules in MDCK cells contained detyrosinated alpha- tubulin (glu tubulin). On the other hand, the first microtubules to regrow after nocodazole removal contained only tyrosinated tubulin. Glu- tubulin became detectable only after 30 min of microtubule regrowth. This strongly supports the hypothesis that alpha-tubulin detyrosination occurs primarily on "long lived" microtubules and is not the cause of the stabilization process. This is also supported by the increased amount of glu-tubulin that we found in taxol-treated cells.
Hazards Of Heavy Metal Contamination In Ground Water

Heavy metal pollution is a problem associated with areas of intensive industry, road ways, areas of dumpsites and automobiles. Usage and their un controlled discharge in to the environment has caused last of hazards to man, other organisms and the environment itself. Over last three decades there has been increasing global Concern over the public health impacts attributed to environmental pollution, in particular, the global burden of disease. Improper management of solid waste is one of the main causes of environmental pollution and degradation in many cities , especially in developing countries many of these cites lack solid most regulations and proper disposal facilities, including for harmful waste. In high Dosages, these heavy metals are highly toxic to human, even deadly. The study was therefore aimed at evaluating the implication of Heavy metals on the groundwater surrounding a municipal solid waste. Different literatures dealt with heavy metals contamination on ground water were assessed. Contamination assessment revealed heavy metals to be extremely contaminated in the Groundwater. Heavy metals are found to be from anthropogenic source and correlated significantly with each other. Thus, Heavy metals if not checked could lead to major health problems like tooth discoloration, low mental development and kidney problems on the public. Key terms: Heavy metals, waste treatment, cadimium, ground water.
Novel Feature Extraction for Face Recognition using Multiscale Principal Component Analysis

A method of face recognition based on multiscale principal component analysis (MSPCA) is presented in this paper. Initially face area is extracted from the given face image using Adaboost face detection algorithm. From the face area, regions of interest such as eyes, nose and mouth part are extracted by dividing it along horizontal and vertical directions. Then MSPCA is employed on these regions of interest to extract the features. Multiscale Principal Component Analysis (MSPCA) combines the ability of PCA to decor relate the variables by extracting a linear relationship with that of wavelet analysis to extract deterministic features and approximately decor relate the auto correlated measurements. MSPCA computes the principal component analysis (PCA) of the wavelet coefficients at each scale, followed by combining the results at relevant scales. K-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) classifier is used for recognition. The proposed methodology exhibits better recognition rate when compared to conventional principal component analysis.
Arguing about cases as practical reasoning

In this paper we apply a general account of practical reasoning to arguing about legal cases. In particular, we describe how the reasoning in one very well known property law case can be reconstructed in terms of our account. We begin by summarising our general approach which uses instantiations of an argumentation scheme to provide presumptive justifications for actions, and critical questions to identify arguments which attack these justifications. These arguments and attacks are organised into argumentation frameworks to identify the status of individual arguments. Different beliefs about, and perspectives on, the issue are represented by different agents based on the Belief-Desire-Intention model, and conditions under which these agents may advance justifications and attack them are described. We model the different views of our case in these terms, describe the resulting argumentation frameworks, and relate them to the original majority and dissenting opinions. We contend that this approach both shows the worth of the general approach and its applicability to the legal domain.
Straddling the Fence: Implementing Best Practices in an Age of Accountability

Educators in contemporary public schools face tremendous challenges: implementing classroom practices aligned with their beliefs about effective teaching and learning while still balancing the need to prepare students for success on state-mandated, high-stakes tests. Teachers, attempting to straddle the fence between what they believe to be the most sound curricular and instructional practices and test-focused experiences for learners struggle to find a path that balances these seemingly contradictory demands. However, increased pressure to meet state testing goals appears to directly affect teachers' instructional and assessment behaviors, as they increasingly provide students with experiences that closely resemble, if not directly mimic state tests (McNeil, 2000; McNeil & Venezuela, 2000; Moon, 2001; Quality Counts, 1999; Shepard, 2000).
Toward a dialectical notion and praxis of scientific literacy

Received conceptualizations of scientific literacy are grounded in (1) the notions of ‘knowledge’, ‘concepts’, and ‘skills’ that science students have to ‘acquire’, ‘appropriate’, or ‘construct’ or (2) the notion of ‘practices’ to which they have to be ‘enculturated’ so that they become part of a ‘community of practice’. All such notions articulate scientific literacy in a static form, which does not correspond to the dynamic nature of the literacies that can be observed in society. This study proposes a dialectical notion of scientific literacy, which makes thematic its nature as a situated, distributed, collective, emergent, indeterminate, and contingent process. It articulates the idea that knowing a (scientific) language is indistinguishable from knowing one's way around the world. As a consequence, the goal of science education can no longer be to make individual students exhibit particular forms of knowledge but to provide them with contexts in which it is more important to deal with, select, and negotiate different forms of expertise and knowledgeability. This leads one to think of science education as but a part of a democratic liberal education that allows students to become competent to participate in any conversation that includes others with different forms and levels of expertise than their own.
LAS ESTRATEGIAS DE INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN EN LA TRADUCCIÓN PUBLICITARIA

In the era of globalisation, multinational companies, as well as those who aim at having an international presence, are confronted with the choice to internationalise or to localise the promotion of their products. Internationalisation (i.e. the production of a promotional message that will appeal to the widest target audience possible, irrespective of their cultural setting) has emerged as an attractive strategy for cross-cultural communication, because of the assumption that a shared set of values and cultural elements exists globally. Arguable though this may be, an exploration of the impact that the deployment of internationalising strategies has on the work of translators is required. It is posited here that there is a degree of coincidence between translation theory and the principles of international marketing, which is elaborated upon vis-a-vis three common factors: the aim, the relation between the emitter and the recipient and the semiotic approach. It is concluded that the limits of translation, as conventionally perceived, need to be broadened, and that a shift towards the perception of translators as fully-fledged cross-cultural communicators, rather than linguists, is desirable.
Examining spatial concordance of genetic and species diversity patterns to evaluate the role of dispersal limitation in structuring headwater metacommunities

Abstract Given the unique spatial structure of stream habitat and the stochasticity characteristic of lotic ecosystems, metacommunity approaches hold much promise in the field of stream ecology. We take advantage of the tight parallels between neutral theories of molecular evolution and community assembly and present a novel conceptual approach to evaluating the role of stochasticity and dispersal limitation in structuring stream metacommunities. The analogous neutral frameworks generate similar expectations for the spatial structure of species comprising communities and genes comprising populations, particularly among patchily distributed, isolated local habitats (e.g., headwater streams) where among-stream dispersal is expected to be limited. Our emphasis is on the conceptual value of this approach, but we also used a limited data set composed of intensively sampled community and population-genetic data collected from 5 to 7 Rocky Mountain alpine streams for illustrative purposes. We characterized neutral population genetic structure as mitochondrial haplotype distributions for the blackfly Prosimulium neomacropyga, which shows strong genetic isolation by distance across the study region. We assessed community structure as the relative frequencies of ecologically similar species in the family Chironomidae collected annually over 2000–2003. Species richness was positively correlated with haplotype richness across streams (r = 0.55), and analogous methods revealed significant &bgr; diversity at both the population-genetic (FST = 0.23) and the community (FST = 0.16) levels. However, a more spatially explicit comparison of pairwise community dissimilarity and genetic distance revealed no evidence of correlation (Mantel test, r = −0.18, p = 0.54), a result suggesting no effect of spatial distance on community similarity at the relatively fine spatial scale of our study. We discuss 2 key arguments to explain the lack of community distance decay: 1) unaccounted environmental differences among streams, and 2) varying spatial and temporal scales of neutral processes (including genetic drift and ecological drift; i.e., stochastic temporal change) between population-genetic and community levels. Evidence for both selective and neutral explanations is compelling in this system. The explanations cannot be disentangled with the current data, but the study has strong heuristic value that we hope will stimulate future efforts in stream metacommunity analysis.
Protocol Paper: A Randomized Trial of 2 Creams in the Skin Care of Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer in the Tropics

Background: Nurses working in a northern Australia Radiation Therapy Unit advise all patients undergoing radiation therapy to use a readily available nonprescription moisturizing cream to minimize the severity of radiation skin reactions. However, patients report that the cream is thick and difficult to use in the humid tropical climate, and nurses anecdotally suspect an increase in severe skin reactions during the summer months. Objective: This article presents the protocol for a randomized controlled trial that addressed a lack of evidence pertaining to the use of topical creams to prevent acute radiation skin reactions in a tropical climate. Methods: Two skin care creams were used in the trial. The trial’s primary outcome measure was the incidence of moist desquamation during treatment and 1 month after treatment completion. The secondary outcome was the participants’ acceptance of the allocated cream at similar time points. Results: Recruitment to the trial has been completed. Findings of the research will be reported in a separate publication. Conclusions: This article presents the protocol for a randomized controlled trial that addresses a lack of evidence pertaining to the use of topical creams to prevent acute radiation skin reactions in a tropical climate. Implications for Practice: This protocol can be adapted by other researchers conducting practice-based research.
Symplectic homology as Hochschild homology

These are (heavily revised) notes from lectures given at the AMS Algebraic Geometry meeting in Seattle, 2005. The main topic is symplectic homology seen from the point of view of Lefschetz fibrations. Most of the content is speculative, but some supporting evidence is included.
Vita Contemplativa

Years ago, I believed that rationality could manufacture understanding. I lived in physical and social environments that were real and I wanted to understand the social realities. I wanted to create a genuine ‘behavioral science’ based on mathematical models, computer simulation, and systematic experiments. Various experiences over the years have challenged these beliefs. I discovered that rationality can not only be a deceptive tool but a potentially dangerous one, and I learned a few techniques to help me challenge my rational thought. I discovered that research . ndings have very low reliabilities, that some . elds make no discernible progress over many decades, and that societal cultures strongly in.uence researchers’ judgments about what constitutes useful knowledge. I saw that much that passes for research is merely random noise dressed up in pretentious language. Rather than realities, the social systems I was studying proved to be arbitrary categories created by observers or social conventions. I became an advocate for research that actively attempts to change situations rather than merely to observe what happens spontaneously.
Frequency of primary iron overload and HFE gene mutations (C282Y, H63D and S65C) in chronic liver disease patients in north India.

AIM To identify the frequency of iron overload and study the three mutations in the HFE gene (C282Y, H63D, and S65C) in patients with chronic liver disorders (CLD) and controls. METHODS To identify patients with iron overload (transferrin saturation > 45% in females and > 50% in males and serum ferritin > 1000 ng/mL) we evaluated 236 patients with CLD, including 59 with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), 22 with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), 19 of cirrhosis due to viruses (HBV, HCV), and 136 with cryptogenic cirrhosis. Mutations of the HFE gene were analyzed by PCR-RE. hundred controls were screened for iron status and the mutations. RESULTS Seventeen patients with CLD showed evidence of iron overload. Fifteen cases of iron overload had cryptogenic cirrhosis and two had ALD. None of the controls showed iron overload. We did not find any individual with 282Y or 65C either in the cases or in the controls. The prevalence of H63D heterozygosity was 12% in normal individuals, 14.8% in 236 patients (16.9% in NASH, 13.6% in ALD, 26.3% in viral and 12.5% in cryptogenic cirrhosis) and the overall prevalence was 13.98%. Only two of the 17 patients with primary iron overload were heterozygous for H63D. One patient with NASH and one normal individual who were homozygous for H63D showed no iron overload. CONCLUSION Primary iron overload in Indians is non-HFE type, which is different from that in Europeans and further molecular studies are required to determine the defect in various iron regulatory genes.
Using global student rating items for summative evaluation.

Research has established the multidimensional nature of student ratings of teaching, but debate continues concerning the use of multiple- versus single-item ratings for summative evaluation. In this study the usefulness of global items in predicting weighted-composite evaluations of teaching was evaluated with a sample of 17,183 classes from 105 institutions. In separate regression analyses containing 2 global items―one concerning the instructor, the other concerning the course―each global item accounted for more than 50% of the variance in the weightedcomposite criterion measure. Student, class, and method items generally added much less variance