cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Photophysical Studies of Ruthenium-Based Complexes and the Performance of Nanostructured TiO2 Based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted enormous attention in the last couple of decades due to their relatively small size, low cost and minimal environmental impact. DSSCs convert solar energy to electrical energy with the aid of a sensitizing dye. In this work, two ruthenium-based dyes, tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride (Rubpy) and ruthenium(II)2,2’-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)-4,4’-bipyridine (RubbbpyH2), were synthesized, characterized, and investigated for use as dye sensitizers in the fabrication of DSSCs. The photovoltaic performance of the ruthenium-based DSSCs was assessed. The solar-to-electric power efficiency of the RubbbpyH2 DSSC was 0.2% and that of the Rubpy was 0.03%. The RubbbpyH2 was also deprotonated and analyzed to study the effect of deprotonation on the efficiency of the solar cell. The deprotonated species, Rubbbpy, recorded an average efficiency of 0.12%. Thus, a change in pH did not enhance the efficiency of the solar cell. The cells were further characterized by impedance measurements. The photocurrent-photovoltage results were not consistent with the absorption spectra since Rubbbpy showed a more prominent band than RubbbpyH2 but had a lower efficiency.
Fracture Analysis of Full-Thickness Clad Beam Specimens

Finite-element analyses were performed on full-thickness clad beam specimens to quantify fracture toughness for shallow cracks in material for which metallurgical conditions are prototypic of those found in reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). The beam specimens are fabricated from a section of an RPV wall (removed from a canceled nuclear plant) that includes weld, plate, and clad material with metallurgical factors potentially influencing fracture toughness for shallow cracks. A summary of the testing program is provided and the analyses of the test data are discussed, including comparisons of measured displacements with finite-element analysis results, applications of toughness estimation techniques, and interpretations of constraint conditions implied by stress-based constraint methodologies. Fracture toughness estimates were obtained from displacement data using finite-element techniques and estimation schemes based on the {eta}-factor method. The J-Q methodology was used to assess crack-tip stress triaxiality in the clad beam specimens. The shallow-crack clad beam specimens showed a significant loss of constraint similar to that of other shallow-crack single-edge notch bend specimens. The stress-based Dodds-Anderson scaling model was also utilized to analyze constraint conditions in the clad beam specimens and appears to be effective in adjusting the test data to account for loss of in-plane constraint for uniaxially testedmore » beams.« less
Effect of surface characteristics and environmental aging on wetting of Cr-coated Zircaloy-4 accident tolerant fuel cladding material

Abstract With the goal of increasing the performance and safety of existing nuclear power plants, the research and development of Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATFs) are of high priority within the nuclear community. Two widely studied ATF concepts are the replacement of currently used zirconium alloy for other cladding materials that provide resistance to hydrogen production during accident conditions or the deposition of protective functional coatings on the Zircaloy cladding that mitigate the risk. While different protective coating options are being considered, Cr-coating is predominant. In this study, Cr-coating on Zircaloy-4 substrates were produced by Plasma Assisted Physical Vapor Deposition (PAVD), aiming at investigating their surface characteristics that may have an impact on the efficiency of heat transfer. The thickness, structure, and mechanical properties of the coatings were examined by scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam, X-ray diffraction, and microindentation. Furthermore, surface topography, surface energy conditions, and surface chemistry were assessed using contact profilometry, atomic force microscopy, contact angle goniometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The static contact angle reduced from 75° for as-received substrates to almost 20° after coating. This significant increase in wettability observed after chromium deposition on Zircaloy changed with aging. For instance, over time, a hydrophobic recovery on the plasma-treated surfaces was detected. Correlations between surface chemistry and surface energy studies helped to explain the variation in contact angle with aging time. Results demonstrated that the formation of chromium oxides and hydroxides, and other carbonaceous species affected the surface coating affinity with water upon ambient exposure.
Fresh autologuos pericardium for reconstruction of new pulmonary arterial root in arterial switch operation

Objective To evaluate the result of fresh autologuos pericardium for the reconstruction of new pulmonary arterial root in arterial switch operation (ASO). Methods Between January 2004 and June 2010, 63 consecutive infants with congenital heart disease were treated with ASO. A new pulmonary arterial root was reconstructed with a fresh autologuos pericardium which clipped pants-like. The followed up time was 3 months to 6 years after discharge. Patients were reexamined consecutively at 3- and 6-month; 1-, 2- and 6-year. Two-dimensional echocardiography was performed for measuring the pulmonary artery diameter. The pulmonary arterial blood speed was measured by continuous Doppler during systole. The pulmonary flow and the pulmonary artery diameter of healthy children of same age were also measure as control group. Simplified Bernoulli formula was adopted to calculate the pressure gradient through pulmonary artery anastomose for, evaluating whether it had pulmonary stenosis or not. Results Fifty seven infants were cured and discharged. Forty nine patients were finished follow up with a mean duration of( 18 ±4) months. The blood speed in the pulmonary artery anastomosis was 0.70 -2.16 m/s with a mean of (1.31 ±0.40) m/s. No pulmonary stenosis was found with the simplified Bernoulli formula. There was no significant difference regarding the pulmonary diameter and the pulmonary artery flow velocity as compared with the normal children of the same age. Conclusion The fresh autologuos pericardium is reliable for reconstruction of new pulmonary arterial root in ASO. Key words: Heart defects, congenital; Pericardium; Pulmonary artery; Cardiac surgical procedures
Outcomes of Surgical Management of Borderline Hip Dysplasia: A Systematic Review.

Background Multiple reports have detailed clinical outcomes in surgically treated patients with borderline hip dysplasia. The purpose of this systematic review was to define patient outcomes following these surgical interventions. Methods Searches were developed using an iterative process of gathering and evaluating terms. Comprehensive strategies including both index and keyword methods were devised for the following databases: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Independent review and data abstraction was performed by two authors. Inclusion criteria were clear delineation of outcomes for patients with borderline hip dysplasia (Lateral center edge angle (LCEA) 18-25°) and outcomes following hip arthroscopy and/ or periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), including patient reported outcomes (PROs), revision arthroscopy, and conversion to Total Hip Arthroplasty. Exclusion criteria included alternative surgical procedures including "shelf" or "salvage" osteotomies, studies without patient outcomes or clearly delineated results for patients with borderline dysplasia, inclusion of <5 borderline patients, or inadequate follow-up defined as < 12 months. Results Thirteen of 2109 articles met inclusion criteria for full data analysis. 505 patients (mean age 29.6 years, 67.7% female) with borderline dysplasia (mean LCEA 22.3°) were treated with hip arthroscopy. The majority of studies reported outcomes using the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) and Hip Outcome Score Sports Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS); all showed post-operative improvement with mean increase of 21.0 and 26.8 points, respectively. Revision arthroscopy rate was 7.5% (31/412), and a total hip arthroplasty conversion rate was 4.0% (18/455). The average combined total reoperation rate was 13.7% (69/505). Conclusion Arthroscopic management of borderline hip dysplasia is associated with meaningful improvement in PRO scores. However, there appears to be a high reoperation rate including both arthroscopic and open revision procedures. There is a paucity of studies reporting outcomes of PAO in patients with borderline hip dysplasia.Level of evidence: Systematic review of Level III and Level IV studies.
Language Ideology and Its Manifestations: Exploring Implications for Japanese Language Teaching

Language teaching is often seen as an ideologically neutral activity. Linguists have traditionally believed that what people say about language use or structure does not represent ‘real’ linguistic data (Schieffelin, et al, 1998:11). However, it is precisely this dismissal that modern linguistic anthropologists hope to dispel. This paper attempts to lay bare the workings of language ideology and how it impacts language teaching in general and Japanese language pedagogy in particular. The ideological orientation of what constitutes ‘standard’ Japanese language involves inclusion of certain components that are motivated by Nihonjinron discourses of ‘identity, aesthetics, morality and epistemology’ and processes of exclusion that ‘erase’ deviations from the ‘norm’ (Schieffelin, et al, 1998:3). Ideas about ‘native speaker’ understanding, selection of language materials, inclusion and exclusion of syntactical, lexical, and pragmatic forms in teaching manuals, etc., are all affected by these perspectives, some of which this paper will hope to enumerate. With concrete examples it will be demonstrated how flawed these processes are and how a critical pedagogical approach may help solve these issues.
Evolutionary trade-offs in the chemical defense of floral and fruit tissues across genus Cornus.

Premise Defense investment in plant reproductive structures is relatively understudied compared to the defense of vegetative organs. Here the evolution of chemical defenses in reproductive structures is examined in light of the optimal defense, apparency, and resource availability hypotheses within the genus Cornus using a phylogenetic comparative approach in relation to phenology and native habitat environmental data. Methods Individuals representing 25 Cornus species were tracked for reproductive phenology over a full growing season at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Floral, fruit, and leaf tissue was sampled to quantify defensive chemistry as well as fruit nutritional traits relevant to bird dispersal. Native habitat environmental characteristics were estimated using locality data from digitized herbarium records coupled with global soil and climate data sets. Results The evolution of later flowering was correlated with increased floral tannins, and the evolution of later fruiting was correlated with increased total phenolics. Leaves were found to contain the highest tannin activity, while inflorescences contained the highest total flavonoids. Multiple aspects of fruit defensive chemistry were correlated with fruit nutritional traits. Floral and fruit defensive chemistry were evolutionarily correlated with aspects of native habitat temperature, precipitation, and soil characteristics. Conclusions Results provide tentative support for the apparency hypothesis with respect to both flower and fruit phenology, while relative concentrations of secondary metabolites across organs provide mixed support for the optimal defense hypothesis. The evolution of reproductive defense with native habitat provides, at best, mixed support for the resource availability hypothesis.
A Buddhist Alternative

This chapter concludes with a summary of essential features of a Buddhist approach to thinking about the world, our role in it, and the type of political environments conducive to our higher nature. It notes that Buddhism has historically shaped a wide variety of societies in Asia and is adaptable to the Western world and to contemporary international challenges. Further, rather than being unscientific or otherworldly, Buddhist concepts are remarkably consistent with emerging findings in the natural and biological sciences.
Stabilizing lanthanide periodate compounds by slowing periodate reduction at elevated temperatures with NaBiO3, a sacrificial oxidant

Abstract A series of neodymium periodate, mixed periodate-iodate and iodate structures have been synthesized via periodic acid flux reactions and characterized through single-crystal x-ray diffraction. Critically, the utilization of a sacrificial oxidant, sodium bismuthate (NaBiO3), helps to stave off the thermal reduction of periodate. Through the precise control of reaction time and amount of NaBiO3, this facile synthetic technique illuminates new pathways to creating mixed valent iodine compounds and a route to new iodate compounds as well. Herein, we explore the in-situ periodic acid flux redox reactions with neodymium nitrate and sodium bismuthate. The resulting products reveal the evolution of compounds formed as these redox reactions proceed forward with time and presence of NaBiO3.
Oxidative stress and postmortem meat quality in crossbred lambs.

The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of different levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated oxidative stress on fresh meat quality. Crossbred lambs (n = 29) were blocked by weight and fed a standard finishing ration for the duration of the study. Lambs were individually housed and treatment groups were administered one of three intravenous injections every 72 h across a three-injection (9-day) cycle: saline control (control), 50 ng LPS/kg body weight (BW) (LPS50), or 100 ng LPS/kg BW (LPS100). Rectal temperatures were measured to indicate inflammatory response. Lambs were harvested at the Loeffel Meat Laboratory and 80 mg of pre-rigor Longissimus lumborum were collected in control and LPS100 treatments within 30 min postmortem for RNA analysis. Wholesale loins were split and randomly assigned 1 or 14 d of wet aging. Chops were fabricated after aging and placed under retail display (RD) for 0 or 7 d. Animal was the experimental unit. LPS-treated lambs had increased (P 0.05) in sarcomere length, proximate composition, fatty acid composition, or isoprostane content were found. These results suggest that defined upregulation of oxidative stress has no detriment on fresh meat color, but may alter biological pathways responsible for muscle stress response, apoptosis, and enzymatic processes, resulting in changes in tenderness early postmortem.
A Novel Integrated MWCNTs/PDMS based Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator

A novel integrated multi-wall carbon nanotube /polydimethylsiloxane (MWCNTs/PDMS) and Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) based flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) was fabricated for energy harvesting application. The TNEG consists of minimal parts: aluminium (AI) electrode, PVDF layer and MWCNTs/PDMS layer. A surface roughness and thickness of −0.45 µm was measured for the fabricated MWCNT/PDMS respectively. The capability of the TENG in term of open circuit voltage (OCV) and short circuit current (SCC) was investigated by subjecting it to a force of 5 N, 10 N and 15 N at varying frequencies of 3 Hz, 5Hz and 7 Hz respectively. The maximum OCV of 21.6 V and SCC of 1.7 µA was obtained for an applied force of 15 N at frequency 7 Hz, respectively.
The Changing of Cellular Activities by Treatment with Cellular Ribonucleic Acids

The cellular RNA transformation of bacterial cells has already been briefly discussed in part X above, in connection with the well established field of genetic transformation of bacterial cells by DNA. Several important cellular RNA-induced ‘transformations’ or changes of animal cells have also been described. These changes can be classified into four major groups: (a) changes which seem to be related to cellular differentiation; (b) changes resulting in specific antibody formation; (c) changes resulting in cellular immunity; and (d) changes which seem to be the result of the transfer of a specific item of learned behavior. These four groups should not be considered as mutually exclusive. An interesting review of these phenomena has appeared recently (Olenov 1968).
Mutated luciferases with altered bioluminescence emission spectra.

Abstract Mutationally altered bacterial luciferases have been found which exhibit a light emission whose color is shifted to the red by as much as 12 to 15 nm, both in vivo and in vitro. These mutants have been found among those previously shown to possess a decreased affinity for the flavin substrate in the in vitro bioluminescence reaction. The effect is postulated to be due to a change in the interaction between the emitter and luciferase; the contribution of individual amino acid residues to this interaction can be studied using these luciferases.
A No-Arbitrage Approach to Range-Based Estimation of Return Covariances and Correlations (Second Version)

We extend range-based volatility estimation to the multivariate case. In particular, we propose a range-based covariance estimator motivated by a key financial economic consideration, the absence of arbitrage, in addition to statistical considerations. We show that this estimator is highly efficient yet robust to market microstructure noise arising from bid-ask bounce and asynchronous trading.
Analysis of a concept: stand density.

Abstract As a measure of tree crowdedness, density is a relative concept and, therefore, requires two quantities for its definition, one of which is specific to each forest stand and the other is a standard common to all stands of a given species. This conclusion follows from both the semantics of “density” and the need for a single variable to describe the tree environment where effects of competition among trees are paramount. Each of the quantities should be a function of tree number per unit area and their average diameter. This function should be derived from processes affecting availability of resources such as shading. This measure should conform with our perception of tree crowdedness (understocked, fully stocked, overstocked), a quality absent in the two most popular measures, number of trees and basal area.
Criteria for Urinary Tract Infection in the Elderly: Variables that Challenge Nursing Assessment

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in the elderly, yet there is much disagreement in the literature regarding many aspects of this condition. To assist the nurse in developing optimum care strategies, UTI criteria in the elderly are discussed. Using the most recent knowledge to guide clinical assessment and intervention skills, the longterm care facility nurse and nurses who care for the elderly can influence positive outcomes in this challenging population.
Aesthetic Labor for the Sociologies of Work, Gender, and Beauty

Amid the growing literature on the costs and rewards of physical appearance for labor market outcomes, an economistic emphasis on looks as an investment strategy has gained prominence. The concept of aesthetic labor is a useful sociological intervention for understanding how the value of certain looks is constructed, and how looks matter for social stratification. Aesthetic labor is the practice of screening, managing, and controlling workers on the basis of their physical appearance. The concept advances research on the service economy by moving beyond a focus on emotions to emphasize worker corporeality. This article first untangles aesthetic labor from related concepts, including body work, emotional labor, and embodied cultural capital. Next is a review of three contexts in which scholars have applied aesthetic labor to the workplace: the organization, freelance labor, and the market. Because it situates the value of beauty in context, aesthetic labor foregrounds those power relations that define aesthetics, such as class, race, and gender. The concept incorporates insights from field theories of bodily capital, such that aesthetic labor denaturalizes beauty and seeks to explain the processes through which looks translate into economic and symbolic rewards.
An Expectation-Based Framework of Object Schemas and Port-Based Agents for Disparate Feedback Assimilation

Robotic manipulation systems that operate in unstructured environments must be responsive to feedback from sensors that are disparate in both location and modality. This paper describes a distributed framework for assimilating the disparate feedback provided by force and vision sensors, including active vision sensors, for robotic manipulation systems. The main components of the expectation-based framework include object schemas and port-based agents. Object schemas represent the manipulation task internally in terms of geometric models with attached sensor mappings. Object schemas are dynamically updated by sensor feedback, and thus provide an ability to perform three dimensional spatial reasoning during task execution. Because object schemas possess knowledge of sensor mappings, they are able to both select appropriate sensors and guide active sensors based on task characteristics. Port-based agents are the executors of reference inputs provided by object schemas and are defined in terms of encapsulated control strategies. Experimental results demonstrate the capabilities of the framework in two ways: the performance of manipulation tasks with active camera-lens systems, and the assimilation of force and vision sensory feedback.
The Complexity of Genetic Redundancy

Genetic redundancy is often associated with the duplication of an open reading frame within a genome or a multiplicity of regulatory elements sharing a target. Genetic redundancy is inferred when the modification or deletion of a portion of functional genetic material results in minimal changes to a trait or organismal phenotype – robustness – and when this genetic information is surplus to a reference, non-robust, genome. Robustness has been attributed to buffering mechanisms promoted by duplicates and to compensatory pathways that can be independent of duplication. Most redundant duplicates are rapidly lost from genomes by mutation and drift. The preservation of redundancy requires some form of epistasis or pleiotropy, typically evolving through subfunctionalization of gene products. The term redundancy is too coarse to capture the full range of phenomena that it is used to describe and new concepts are required for dealing with multi-locus and context-dependent robustness. Key Concepts: Redundancy arises through mechanisms that compensate for the loss of functional genetic information. Redundancy can be achieved through a duplication of a structural or regulatory gene. Redundancy arises neutrally through partial or whole-genome duplication and can persist without selection for short periods of time. The long-term preservation of redundancy requires specific genetic mechanisms, epistastis or pleiotropy, and on-going selection pressures. Redundancy is most common in species found in small populations with large genomes for whom neutral processes, dominated by drift, play a significant role. Genetic or structural similarity among perturbed (knockout or knockdown) duplicates, to imply functional interchangeability, is empirically the strongest predictor of genetic redundancy. Alternative, functionally equivalent pathways, that do not share genetic duplicates, can provide mechanisms of redundancy. Redundancy is context-dependent and often involves numerous factors to include epigenetic modification, environmental compensation, not just genetic loci. Recent studies showing a very high incidence of loss-function variants in human genomes provide strong support for the prevalence of mechanisms of redundancy. New concepts are required to capture the robustness of genomes that go beyond mechanisms of redundancy. These new concepts will need to deal effectively with the contribution of numerous loci and factors – collective robustness. Keywords: robustness; canalisation; genome architecture; evodevo; regulatory network; evolution; subfunctionalization
Effect of mestranol and chlormadinone acetate on urinary excretion of FSH and LH

Abstract Urinary excretion of FSH and LH was studied in normal ovulating women during 27 control cycles and during 37 cycles when various doses of mestranol and/or chlormadinone acetate were given singly, sequentially, or in combination. During the first cycle of treatment, the major effect of mestranol was a suppression of FSH excretion, with the effect diminishing as dosage levels were decreased from 100 to 80 to 60 μg per day. The effect on LH was definite but less consistent. Commencement of therapy on cycle day 1 was more suppressive than commencement on day 5. Repeated cyclic administration of mestranol suppressed both FSH and LH excretion. However, sporadic detectable levels of LH were seen occasionally even after 12 cycles of treatment. A dose of 10 μg mestranol per day had a stimulatory rather than a suppressive action on the excretion of both FSH and LH. Chlormadinone acetate at 2 mg. per day affected both FSH and LH excretion in rather unpredictable fashion. Simultaneous administration of chlormadinone acetate and mestranol appeared to have an additive effect.
Managing Distributed Software Development

Dispersion of resources between remote software development centers has been widely noted to decrease project performance. However distributed software development is becoming pervasive in the software industry as companies vie to leverage global resources. In this dissertation I analyze the effect of quality management processes in mitigating the negative impact of dispersion on project performance. First, I analyze the relative effects of prevention, appraisal and failure –based quality management approaches on distributed project productivity and conformance quality. Based on a field study of forty two large scale software projects, I show that higher investments in failure-based quality approaches that encourage immediate feedback and iterative development improve productivity and quality in a distributed environment. Further, I highlight that current generic quality frameworks do not specifically address key processes necessary for distributed software product development. I identify 24 new key process areas based on theoretical concepts of collaboration readiness, mutual knowledge, coupling in work and technology readiness. I arrange the new key process areas in an evolutionary framework that helps firms to assess their current distributed process maturity and plan for future improvements. Based on a field study of sixty large enterprise software development projects, I show that higher distributed process maturity as per the new framework is associated with higher customer satisfaction and product quality. Finally based on the above findings, I build a canonical model to aid managers allocate resources for distributed software product development.
Wavelength Doesn't Matter: Optical vs. X-ray Luminosities of Galaxy Clusters

We examine the relationship between the total X-ray and optical luminosities of groups and clusters of galaxies taken from various samples in the literature. The clusters and groups were drawn from four different catalogs: (1) the Abell/ACO catalog, (2) the Edinburgh-Durham Cluster Catalog, (3) the RASS Bright Cluster Sample, and (4) galaxy groups selected from the CfA redshift survey. These catalogs represent a significant cross-section of cluster selection tchniques as well as a wide range in mass scale and can be considered statistically independent. We have calculated new cluster X-ray and optical luminosities if not available in the literature. Based on 126 systems, our analysis shows that the total optical luminosity of a cluster is directly proportional to the total X-ray luminosity over a wide mass range and across all four cluster samples studied herein. We also show that total cluster optical luminosity is a good indicator of cluster virial mass, but richness is not. Our results suggest that (1) the selection method of galaxy clusters may not be crucial, providing wider latitude in assembling catalogs, (2) the luminosity per baryon does not vary systematically between systems ranging from groups to very rich clusters. We propose that future optical catalogs of clusters use the total optical luminosity of a cluster, instead of galaxy richness, as luminosity appears to be a better measure of cluster mass and can be directly related to X-ray catalogs of clusters. This will also facilitate the first direct comparison between the growing number of X-ray and optical catalogs.
The state of private pensions: Current 5500 data

Every year, pension plan sponsors are required to file a return with the U.S. Department of Labor. These returns, known as the Form 5500 series, contain detailed information about the plans' finances, participants, and administrators that allows government agencies to monitor compliance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code. The comprehensive nature of the Form 5500 series makes them a primary source for examining the state of the private pension world: from participation rates to financial health to 401(k) investment in company stock to the size of employer contributions - it is all there. Unfortunately, these rich data are not available in a timely manner. The data from the Private Pension Plan Bulletins Abstract of Form 5500 Annual Reports - the official tabulations put out by the Department of Labor commonly used by practitioners and researchers - have a five-year lag. Sponsors have up to ten months to file the forms, and it can take up to two years to convert the raw forms, which generally are filed in paper, into a manageable and complete dataset. Then, these data must be cleaned, analyzed, and tabulated. The resulting lag meant that as of early 2006, official tabulations were available only up to 2000. This brief uses raw 5500 Form data from the Department of Labor to extend the tabulations to 2003 - the latest year in which the datasets are available. The estimations are done for the 1990-2003 period, and are presented as a data appendix to this brief. The 1990-2000 numbers match closely those from official reports; the 2001-2003 calculations bring the tabulations as up-to-date as currently possible. Using these recent data, this brief highlights trends that are impossible to observe in the current official releases: a notable increase in pension contributions for defined benefit plans; the decline and recovery of pension assets in the 2001-2003 period; the continued use of cash balance plans; and the sustained move in coverage towards defined contribution plans.
Effect of baking and fermentation on the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of grain-based food.

Rationale Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) is used extensively to reconstruct general attributes of prehistoric and modern diets in both humans and animals. In order to apply these methods to the accurate determination of specific intakes of foods/nutrients of interest, the isotopic signature of individually consumed foods must be constrained. For example, 86% of the calories consumed in the USA are derived from processed and prepared foods, but the relationship between the stable isotope composition of raw ingredients and the resulting products has not been characterized. Methods To examine the effect of common cooking techniques on the stable isotope composition of grain-based food items, we prepared yeast buns and sugar cookies from standardized recipes and measured bulk δ13C and δ15N values of samples collected throughout a 75 min fermentation process (buns) and before and after baking at 190°C (buns and cookies). Simple isotope mixing models were used to determine if the isotopic signatures of 13 multi-ingredient foods could be estimated from the isotopic signatures of their constituent raw ingredients. Results No variations in δ13C or δ15N values were detected between pre- and post-baked yeast buns (pre: –24.78‰/2.61‰, post: –24.75‰/2.74‰), beet-sugar cookies (pre: –24.48‰/3.84‰, post: –24.47‰/3.57‰), and cane-sugar cookies (pre: –19.07‰/2.97‰, post: –19.02‰/3.21‰), or throughout a 75 min fermentation process in yeast buns. Using isotopic mass balance equations, the δ13C/δ15N values of multi-ingredient foods were estimated from the isotopic composition of constituent raw ingredients to within 0.14 ± 0.13‰/0.24 ± 0.17‰ for gravimetrically measured recipes and 0.40 ± 0.38‰/0.58 ± 0.53‰ for volumetrically measured recipes. Conclusions Two common food preparation techniques, baking and fermentation, do not substantially affect the carbon or nitrogen isotopic signature of grain-based foods. Mass-balance equations can be used to accurately estimate the isotopic signature of multi-ingredient food items for which quantitative ingredient information is available. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Microgrid architecture: a reliability constrained approach

Today's power delivery infrastructure is operating under extreme stress. The last few decades have seen minimal investment in infrastructure, and little has been done to prepare the ageing equipment for increasing load growths and the demands of open access. Consequently, the deployment of distributed energy resources (DER) is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to the expensive and time consuming processes of upgrading and augmenting the transmission and distribution systems. DERs are small, modular sources (generation or storage) of energy which are often more efficient and controllable than traditional power plants. These devices are installed at or near centers of utilization. Eventually, as their penetration increases considerably, they are interconnected in a grid-like fashion for stability and enhanced reliability. These grids are called 'microgrids'. This paper presents a rational method of building microgrids optimized for cost and subject to reliability constraints. The method is based on dynamic programming and consists of determining the optimal interconnection between microsources and load points, given their locations and the rights of way for possible interconnections. A new approach, called 'unit link addition', is also introduced. The method is demonstrated using a 22-bus system.
Inflammation, infection, cancer and all that…the role of paraoxonases.

The paraoxonase (PON) gene family consists of three members, PON1, PON2 and PON3. All PON proteins possess antioxidant properties and lipo-lactonase activities, and are implicated in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and cancer. Despite the role of PON proteins in critical cellular functions and associated pathologies, the physiological substrates and molecular mechanisms by which PON proteins function as anti-inflammatory proteins remain largely unknown. PON1 is found exclusively extracellular and associated solely with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles in the circulation, and, in part, confers the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties associated with HDL. Recent studies demonstrated that the intracellular PON proteins; PON2 and PON3 (i) are associated with mitochondria and mitochondria-associated membranes, (ii) modulate mitochondria-dependent superoxide production, and (iii) prevent apoptosis. Overexpression of PON2 and PON3 genes protected (i) mitochondria from antimycin or oligomycin mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and (ii) ER stress and ER stress mediated mitochondrial dysfunction. These studies illustrate that the anti-inflammatory effects of PON2 and PON3 may, in part, be mediated by their role in mitochondrial and associated organelle function. Since oxidative stress as a result of mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the development of inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis and cancer, these recent studies on PON2 and PON3 proteins may provide a mechanism for the scores of epidemiological studies that show a link between PON genes and numerous inflammatory diseases. Understanding such mechanisms will provide novel routes of intervention in the treatment of diseases associated with pro-inflammatory oxidative stress.
Balloon dilation atrial septostomy for advanced pulmonary hypertension in patients on prostanoid therapy.

Background: Prostanoid therapy improves quality of life and may increase survival in patients with advanced pulmonary hypertension (PH). Balloon dilated atrial septostomy (BDAS) can palliate or bridge to transplantation for patients resistant to medical therapy. The safety and efficacy of BDAS in the prostanoid era has not previously been reported. Methods: All patients had progressive symptoms despite prostanoid therapy at the time of their first BDAS. Sixteen patients who underwent a total of 23 septostomies between 2004 and 2014 were included in this retrospective case series. Results: Patients were aged 47.6 years ± 11.3 with 12/16 women. Etiologies included idiopathic (7), methamphetamine (6), scleroderma (1), and anorexigen (2). One patient died within 24 hr post-procedure. Thirty-day and 1-year survival were 75% and 64%, respectively. Six of the septostomies were revisions, including two which were ultimately stented. Three subjects were successfully bridged to transplant. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) increased from a mean of 13 to 17 mm Hg, cardiac index increased from 2.1 to 2.4 L/min/m2, and arterial saturation decreased from 90.7 ± 4.3 to 82.5 ± 5.6%. All non-survivors at 30 days were male and had higher baseline serum creatinine, mean RAP, right ventricular end diastolic pressure (RVEDP), and left ventricle (LV) filling pressures, and lower right ventricle (RV) ejection fraction. Mortality was associated with unchanged post-septostomy cardiac output despite an increase in left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP). Conclusions: BDAS may be an alternate therapy for select PH patients who have symptomatic progression despite prostanoid therapy. Survival is comparable to prior reports of BDAS in the pre-prostanoid era. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Hermeneutic of Charity: Response To Heather Landrus

This response to the article of Heather Landrus appreciates the way that studying how the life experiences (or, social locations) of believers influ ence how they interpret Scripture can invite students to receive these testi mony-enriched readings with respect and to respond to them both charitably and critically, for the glory of God. A response to a reading one cannot endorse completely critiques the reading charitably when it (1) discerns the gospel intention in the reading; (2) rejoices in the good fruit borne through the reading; (3) seeks to preserve the good fruit while re-rooting the gospel intention in Scripture texts (or acts of the Christian meta-narrative) in which that intention is expressed more clearly, with fewer hermeneutical difficul ties, and more fully, with the voicing of more of the 'whole counsel of God'; and (4) offers one's own critical-faith reading, not to discredit another's but to build up others. This 'hermeneutic of charity' contemporizes the similar approach of Augustine in De doctrina christiana and, in this article, uses Oral Roberts' reading of 3 Jn 2 as an example.
Avidin as a precipitant for biotin-labeled antibody in a radioimmunoassay for carcinoembryonic antigen.

Abstract Avidin is used in conjunction with polyethylene glycol to coprecipitate biotin-labeled carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) antibody and the CEA-antibody complex together with biotin-labeled normal serum proteins. The procedure provides a reliable separation technique for a CEA radioimmunoassay. The technique is broadly applicable to assays employing immune precipitation.
Evidence for the rapid conversion of stephacidin B into the electrophilic monomer avrainvillamide in cell culture.

We report that the dimeric alkaloid stephacidin B (1) and the monomeric alkaloid avrainvillamide (2) function equivalently within experimental error to inhibit the growth of four different cultured human cancer cell lines. We also show that the proportion of the monomer greatly outweighs that of the dimer in the medium of incubation, and that the half-life for the transformation of 1 to 2 is short relative to the half-life of cell division. Finally, using a monomer-based affinity reagent, we provide evidence that the monomer (2) interacts with intracellular thiol-containing proteins, likely by covalent modification.
2-Morpholinoethylisocyanide as a coupling agent for hapten-protein conjugates

Conjugation of haptens to proteins and enzymes is essential for the production of antibodies and development of ELISAs for these low molecular weight compounds. In this study, protein conjugates of several carboxylic haptens were prepared using the peptide synthesis reagent, 2-morpholinoethylisocyanide. The haptens included derivatives of benzimidazole and pyridoxine. The main advantage of this conjugation procedure is its simplicity involving only small volumes of water-miscible organic reagents. The resulting conjugates were purified by dialysis and could be used to elicit antibodies and establish immunoassays.
Ordered Alloys for High Temperature Applications

This paper will provide an overview of the current status of the development of ordered alloys for high temperature structural applications. The physical and mechanical properties of ordered alloys will be reviewed with particular emphasis on aluminides and (FeNiCo)3V alloys. Alloy theory, slip systems, yielding, strain hardening, fatigue, wear resistance and processing are among the subjects to be covered. Current research programs in the U.S. and abroad will be outlined, and the kinds of scientific and application-oriented research needed in the future will be discussed.
Feasibility of School-Based ADHD Interventions: A Mixed-Methods Study of Perceptions of Adolescents and Adults

Objective: Little is known about perceptions surrounding academic interventions for ADHD that determine intervention feasibility. Method: As part of a longitudinal mixed-methods research project, representative school district samples of 148 adolescents (54.8%), 161 parents (59.4%), 122 teachers (50.0%), 46 health care providers (53.5%), and 92 school health professionals (65.7%) completed a cross-sectional survey. They also answered open-ended questions addressing undesirable intervention effects, which were analyzed using grounded theory methods. Results: Adolescents expressed significantly lower receptivity toward academic interventions than adult respondents. Stigma emerged as a significant threat to ADHD intervention feasibility, as did perceptions that individualized interventions foster inequality. Conclusion: Findings suggest that adolescents’ viewpoints must be included in intervention development to enhance feasibility and avoid interventions acceptable to adults, but resisted by adolescents.
Appearance of sedoheptulose 1,7-diphosphatase activity on conversion of chloroplast fructose 1,6-diphosphatase from dimer form to monomer form

Chloroplast fructose 1,6-diphosphatase isolated at pH 5.5 as the dimer dissociated to the monomer at pH 8.5. When the pH was adjusted from 8.5 back to 5.5, the newly formed monomer partly reassociated to form the dimer. The monomer lacked the fructose diphosphatase activity characteristic of the dimer (measured in the presence of a saturating concentration of Mg++) but retained ferredoxin-dependent activity (measured in the presence of Mg++ plus protein factor and either reduced ferredoxin or dithiothreitol). In addition, the monomer acquired sedoheptulose 1,7-diphosphatase activity that was dependent on either reduced ferredoxin or dithiothreitol and the protein factor.
Circadian Rhythm in Aspirin (ASA)-Induced Injury to the Stomach of the Fasted Rat

Circadian rhythms exist in several gastric parameters affecting ulcerogenesis. This study investigated possible circadian rhythmicity in observed aspirin (ASA)-induced gastric lesions in the rat. In five experiments 183 rats were studied at 14 time points over a 24-hr period. Rats were adapted for three weeks on a 12-hr light schedule, fasted 18 hr, then given oral acidified ASA. One hour later, the rats were sacrificed, the stomachs were removed, stretched flat, photographed, scanned, and measured for percent area of gross lesions in the gastric corpus by computer planimetry. Cosinor rhythmometric analysis showed a significant (P<0.001) rhythm. Mean of rhythm (MESOR) was 5.60±0.25% of total corpus. Amplitude was 25.80±6.07% of MESOR. Peak time (acrophase) was 1909±0101 hr after lights on. Thus, gastric vulnerability to ASA injury exhibited circadian rhythmicity with peak injury during the dark period in this species.
On the worst-case arithmetic complexity of approximating zeros of polynomials

Abstract Let Pd(R) denote the set of degree d complex polynomials with all zeros ζ satisfying |ζ| ≤ R. For d ≥ 2 fixed, we show that with respect to a certain model of computation, the worst-case computational complexity of obtaining an e-approximation either to one, or to each, zero of arbitrary f ∈ Pd(R) is Θ(log log(R/e)), that is, we prove both upper and lower bounds. A new algorithm, based on Newton's method, is introduced for proving the upper bound.
Alternative dispersal strategies in a North American ant

Chez cette espece de Leptothorax, il existe 2 morphes de femelles: femelles gyromorphes, et femelles intermorphes. Les observations sur le terrain et en laboratoire montrent que ces 2 morphes se dispersent differemment
Efficient Regeneration of Curcuma amada Roxb. Plantlets from Rhizome and Leaf Sheath Explants

A protocol is outlined for direct and indirect regeneration of a medicinally valuable Curcuma amada Roxb. using rhizome and leaf sheath explants. Multiple shoots were obtained from rhizome explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with 4.44 µM BA and 1.08 µM α-napthaleneacetic acid (NAA). For indirect regeneration, semi-friable callus obtained from leaf sheath explants on MS medium with 9.0 µM 2,4-D was used. Transfer to 8.88 µM BA and 2.7 µM NAA containing medium produced optimum shoot initiation and development. The regenerated plantlets were transferred to the field. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of regenerated plantlets revealed 103 scorable bands from 10 primers, including nine polymorphic bands, which were absent in control. However, most of the regenerated plantlets were similar to the mother plants.
Models of supervision in early childhood programs: Implications for training

Many child care directors inherit their role of supervisor without having had adequate training or experience. Given the wide disparity in the field with respect to staff preparation, child care directors, in their role as supervisors, are called on to develop, train, evaluate, and appraise child care workers on a daily basis. The literature in the field suggests that there are common threads among supervisory models in early childhood and that directors of child care programs can benefit from in-service training that specifically addresses their supervisory functions.
The responses of African American men to dominant norms of masculinity within the United States

In this study, responses of White/European American and African American men to dominant norms of masculinity within the United States were investigated. A general model for male identity formation is presented including the influence of cultural perspectives, dominant cultural norms, and specific circumstances. A questionnaire identifying 24 specific male gender role messages was administered to 451 White/European American men and 58 African American men. Results of this study suggest that at age 18 African American men report similar perspectives about masculinity as do White/European American men, but as they grow older their views of masculinity tend to diverge from the views held by White/European Americans.