cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Data representing two separate LC-MS methods for detection and quantification of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins in tears and blood serum

Two separate liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) methods were developed for determination and quantification of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins in human tear and blood serum samples. The water-soluble vitamin method was originally developed to detect vitamins B1, B2, B3 (nicotinamide), B5, B6 (pyridoxine), B7, B9 and B12 while the fat-soluble vitamin method detected vitamins A, D3, 25(OH)D3, E and K1. These methods were then validated with tear and blood serum samples. In this data in brief article, we provide details on the two LC-MS methods development, methods sensitivity, as well as precision and accuracy for determination of vitamins in human tears and blood serum. These methods were then used to determine the vitamin concentrations in infant and parent samples under a clinical study which were reported in "Determination of Water-Soluble and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Tears and Blood Serum of Infants and Parents by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry DOI:10.1016/j.exer.2016.12.007 [1]". This article provides more details on comparison of vitamin concentrations in the samples with the ranges reported in the literature along with the medically accepted normal ranges. The details on concentrations below the limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) are also discussed. Vitamin concentrations were also compared and cross-correlated with clinical data and nutritional information. Significant differences and strongly correlated data were reported in [1]. This article provides comprehensive details on the data with slight differences or slight correlations.
Combatting Use Case Points’ Limitations with COCOMO(R) II and Relative Difficulty

Software cost estimates become more accurate as more information becomes available, but are needed early for business case analyses, bids, and resource management. Use Case Points satisfy the ability to make software size estimates early in the lifecycle because they only require understanding how an actor will use the system. Though Use Case Points are easy to calculate, they might over-simplify a project's size and lead to inaccurate estimates. The Use Case Points method has also been heavily criticized for its technical and environmental factors, since they were not calibrated and verified with data. COCOMO(R) II possesses a rich knowledge base of factors that were calibrated and verified with data and expert judgment. Calculating and calibrating an effort model on Unified Code Count (UCC)'s project set using COCOMO(R) II's parameters and Use Case Points needed an additional relative difficulty factor for greatly improved effort estimates.
Dangertalk: Voices of abortion providers

Researchers have described the difficulties of doing abortion work, including the psychosocial costs to individual providers. Some have discussed the self-censorship in which providers engage in to protect themselves and the pro-choice movement. However, few have examined the costs of this self-censorship to public discourse and social movements in the US. Using qualitative data collected during abortion providers' discussions of their work, we explore the tensions between their narratives and pro-choice discourse, and examine the types of stories that are routinely silenced - narratives we name "dangertalk". Using these data, we theorize about the ways in which giving voice to these tensions might transform current abortion discourse by disrupting false dichotomies and better reflecting the complex realities of abortion. We present a conceptual model for dangertalk in abortion discourse, connecting it to functions of dangertalk in social movements more broadly.
Southern Osmanthus and Northern Pear: The Garden of Xiang Ziyin as a Site of Memory in the Writings of Southern Song Literati

Taking an interdisciplinary perspective from cultural memory studies, this article examines how the garden of the northern refugee Xiang Ziyin 向子諲 (1085–1152), Aromal Arbor 薌林, became a site of memory for two generations of Southern Song literati following the collapse of the Northern Song dynasty in 1126–27. Investigating the dialogue of major figures such as Li Gang (1083–1140), Hu Hong (1105–61), Zhou Bida (1126–1204), Fan Chengda (1126–93), Lou Yue (1137–1213), and Zhu Xi (1130–1200) writing in a range of genres ( shi poetry, song lyrics, personal letters, travel diaries, and the preface and postface to Xiang's collected works) on Aromal Arbor, the article concludes that the reason the space of his garden became a site of memory was due to the way it captured the tension between setting down roots and a nostalgic desire for return that defined the literati ethos of twelfth-century China during the "migration south."
Fascial Anatomy of the Inguinal Region

The overwhelming majority of all hernias in humans occur in the area of the inguinal canal and the femoral canal. Approximately 750,000 inguinal hernias are repaired annually in the United States. In the past, most were repaired by an anterior approach. Consequently, most surgeons are familiar with the inguinal anatomy from the anterior perspective. As laparoscopic techniques were applied to inguinal hernia repair, it became important to understand the inguinal anatomy from a new and largely unfamiliar preperitoneal perspective. The recent literature on laparoscopy describes the musculoaponeurotic, vascular, and nervous structures of the inguinal area from a transabdominal or preperitoneal vantage point. However, there remains significant confusion regarding the transversalis fascia and the multilayered preperitoneal fascia. The etiology of inguinal hernia involves the transversalis fascia, the peritoneum, and the preperitoneal fascia. The latter two structures are especially important in the case of congenital indirect hernias that develop as a consequence of a patent processus vaginalis. There is also a general misunderstanding regarding the presence of the posterior rectus sheath below the level of the arcuate line.
Acquired Pigmentary Alterations

Acquired pigmentary alterations are some of the most commonly identified skin issues in children of color, ranging from traumatic melanonychia to postinflammatory pigmentary alteration. Recognition of abnormal lesions and treatment options, where available, are herein reviewed.
The Online Socialization of Citizenship Norms and Political Participation of Youth

This paper explores how specific uses of the Internet influence voting behavior through the fostering of dutiful or engaged norms of citizenship. Research on the changing nature of citizenship norms suggests that younger generations are more prone to adopt engaged or actualizing norms of citizenship rather than dutiful norms commonly associated with voting. We utilize a repeated cross-sectional design to compare five nationally representative post-election surveys from 2002 to 2010. Our findings show that using the Internet for dutiful activities predicts higher rates of participation in dutiful activities, such as voting, but using the Internet for engaged activities does not; these findings are most prevalent among the 18-to-30-year-old age group.
Phonon Propagation in Liquid Helium

In this paper we will review recent research on phonon propagation and scattering in superfluid helium. The study of phonons in helium has been a very active research area in the last few years for two reasons. Firstly, phonon experiments have been a useful way to study the low-energy part of the dispersion relation. It is difficult to study this part of the dispersion curve in other ways. Secondly, some of the experiments that have been performed provide striking confirmation of the most basic concepts of phonon propagation and phonon interactions. While such experiments are possible in principle in other materials, in practice the effects are much more clearly observed in helium. This is because experiments in other materials are nearly always complicated by crystalline anisotropy, defects, impurities, etc. These are effects which either do not exist or which can be safely ignored in helium.
Effect of the Adoption of a Comprehensive Electronic Health Record on Graduate Medical Education: Perceptions of Faculty and Trainees.

OBJECTIVES Health systems are adopting electronic health records (EHRs). There are few studies on the effects of EHR implementation on graduate medical education. The authors sought to longitudinally assess perceptions of the impact of EHRs on graduate medical education during implementation and 2 years after implementation. METHODS A survey was distributed to faculty and trainees during the first year (2013) of adoption of the EHR system. A follow-up survey was distributed 2 years later (2015). The χ2 test was used to compare the quantitative responses, and factor analysis was conducted to identify correlations between items. Free text responses were analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS The initial survey (in 2013) included 290 faculty and 106 trainees; the follow-up survey (in 2015) included 353 faculty and 226 trainees. In 2013, respondents had a positive impression of EHRs. During the implementation phase, participants believed that face-to-face teaching was negatively affected (P = 0.001). Faculty believed EHRs had a negative effect on trainees' ability to take a history/conduct physical examinations (P = 0.002) and to formulate a differential diagnosis/plan independently (P = 0.003). In 2015, faculty opinions of the impact of the EHR remained unchanged; trainee responses were more positive than in 2013 in some areas. Qualitative analysis showed that the most frequent strategies to enhance the educational process were the development of EHR skills and improved chart access and note assistance. CONCLUSIONS Respondents remain positive about the EHR 2 years after implementation. Faculty remain concerned about its effect on the educational process, whereas residents appear more positive regarding the potential for EHRs to enhance their education.
Shifting Needs and Preferences: Supporting Young Adult Cancer Patients During the Transition from Active Treatment to Survivorship Care

Purpose: This study was designed to identify and explore the social support needs and preferences of young adult cancer patients during the transition process from active treatment to survivorship ...
A randomized clinical trial of the Recovery Line among methadone treatment patients with ongoing illicit drug use.

Abstract Background Relapse, drug use, and treatment dropout are common challenges facing patients receiving methadone. Though effective, multiple barriers to face-to-face counseling exist. The Recovery Line (RL), an automated, self-management system based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is a phone-based adjunctive treatment that provides low cost, consistent delivery and immediate therapeutic availability 24 h a day. Methods The current study was a 12-week randomized clinical efficacy trial of treatment-as-usual (TAU) only or RL + TAU for methadone treatment patients with continued illicit drug use (N = 82). Previous small trial phases evaluated methods to increase participant engagement and use of the RL and were incorporated into the current RL version. Primary outcomes were days of self-reported illicit drug abstinence and urine screens negative for illicit drugs. Results Days of self-reported illicit drug abstinence improved for patients in RL + TAU but not in TAU. Percent of urine screens negative for illicit drugs, coping skills efficacy, and retention in methadone treatment did not differ by condition. Patients in RL + TAU attended more substance use disorder treatment and self-help group sessions during treatment than those in TAU. RL system use was generally low and more system use was correlated with abstinence outcomes. Conclusions Although the RL did not impact urine screen outcomes, it increases self-reported abstinence. Additional methods to increase patient engagement with automated, self-management systems for substance use disorder are needed.
Practice Standards and Test Selection

This chapter addresses three important areas of practice: test standards, ethics, and test selection. The first two topics are routinely considered in assessment texts but often not in a separate chapter so as to give them substantial emphasis. The issue of test selection is oft ignored. Intelligence tests are becoming available in numerous shapes, sizes, and varieties. The last section of this chapter suggests to the clinician a framework for selecting a test in order to maximize the effectiveness of a given evaluation.
Characterization of confocal sputtered molybdenum thin films for aluminum nitride growth

Abstract Molybdenum is commonly deposited as a seed layer for piezoelectric Aluminum Nitride (AlN) growth, whose properties are dependent on the quality of the Mo thin film, which includes the crystal orientation and stress. This paper investigates the morphology effects of varying sputtering parameters using confocal sputtering of Mo thin films. DC and pulsed DC sputtered Mo and bilayers of AlN/Mo on Si were deposited using confocal sputtering techniques by varying power and temperature. Films were characterized by measuring crystallinity properties of the film, electrical resistivity, and stresses. Results demonstrated that controlling parameters of pulsed DC deposition produced lower compressive film stress (−0.13 GPa) compared to DC sputtered film (−1.6 GPa). The crystal structure of the films was analyzed by measuring the full-width-half-maximum values on the 2θ X-ray diffraction scans. Increasing surface mobility by increasing power and temperature resulted in an increased crystallinity of (110) Mo with increased crystallite size and lower electrical resistivity and stress. Pulsed DC sputtered Mo further enhanced the crystallinity of the film. It was determined that depositing pulsed DC AlN as an interlayer for Mo growth resulted in an increase in crystallinity and lower stress compared to DC sputtered Mo.
A Novel ADP-Ribosyl Cyclase (ARC) Regulators

CD38, which is the main NADase enzyme with its ADP-ribose cyclase (ARC) activity, has been proposed to be involved in many human diseases. Therefore, regulating its activity is the main target of this research. This study proposed four novel regulators; nicotinamide, nicotinic acid, gallic acid, and benzamide, these regulators have a remarkable effect on the cyclase activity of ARC. The cyclase activity of ARC was measured using fluorimetric assay, the reaction was initiated with the addition of enzyme to its substrate nicotinamide guanine dinucleotide (NGD) and the production of cyclic GDP-ribose (cGDPR) was measured with different concentrations from proposed activators. The rate of ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity was increased with the addition of low concentrations of Nicotinamide and Nicotinic acid. However, Nicotinamide and Nicotinic acid are known as ARC inhibitors at high concentrations. The increase of ARC activity was also observed with Gallic acid; it is clear that Gallic acid has a strong effect on the activation of ARC and the formation of cGDPR. The last product was Benzamide, these data reflected the activation effect on ARC. Finally, the search for new ADP-ribosyl cyclase activators and the determination of their roles might provide a new therapeutic strategy for several metabolic and inflammatory conditions. How to cite this article: Al-Abady, Z.N., Abdullah Al-Ibadi, I.N., Hatem, O.A., Jabbar, N.K. and Enad, M.A. (2019). A Novel ADP-Ribosyl Cyclase (ARC) Regulators. International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology, 9(4): 640-644. Source of support: Nil. Conflict of interest: None.
Southern Pomo syncope is metrically conditioned: Metrical opacity and stratal derivation

Southern Pomo displays a process of rhythmic vowel deletion that appears to be sensitive to a metrical structure that is incompatible with surface stress, and is thus metrically opaque. This pattern implicates a metrical reversal, which is best accounted for by re-ranking constraints at different derivational stages in Stratal OT. The first stratum defines weak positions by building structure from left to right, while the second stratum deletes vowels in those weak positions and reassigns prominence from right to left. Some prior work has asserted that stratal models of rhythmic phonotactics overgenerate, making typologically strange predictions. This literature has argued that cases like Southern Pomo should instead be analyzed in surface-oriented, parallel systems. This paper demonstrates that Southern Pomo syncope cannot be generated in parallel, nor in derivational frameworks that are more restrictive, i.e. Harmonic Serialism. This work suggests strata are necessary, with further evidence coming from phrasal and word-internal processes, and diachronic change.
The Intergenerational Transmission of Mathematics Attitudes

Cold sweats, head shakes, and memories of hardship are the common reactions when adults are introduced to a high school mathematics teacher. These negative reactions contribute to an attitude towards mathematics that continues to permeate American society. Unfortunately, there is a growing concern that these negative attitudes may be passed from adults to susceptible youth resulting in a never-ending cycle of dislike towards mathematics. The current study aimed to investigate the ways in which students internalize the mathematics attitudes of their parents in light of mathematics capital theory. Instruments measuring self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics, as well as value placed on learning content were administered to all juniors, seniors, and their parents in a suburban school district. The survey data was analyzed to identify candidates for interviews. Interviews of eight parents and their children were conducted to explore the sources of the students’ self-efficacy beliefs. Findings revealed that the relationship between a parent and child’s belief systems is complex and varies according to the parent’s level of mathematics beliefs.
5 – Skin grafts

: The ideal replacement for missing skin is skin itself. To date, there remains no permanent off-the-shelf replacement that provides the physical and physiologic functions of human skin. This chapter will discuss the biology of skin, the history of skin graft use, the immunology of skin and, finally, the techniques of autograft, allograft and xenograft usage.
Galectin-9 Is a Novel Regulator of Epithelial Restitution

Increasingly, the s-galactoside binding lectins, termed galectins, are being recognized as critical regulators of cell function and organismal homeostasis. Within the context of the mucosal surface, galectins are established regulators of innate and adaptive immune responses, microbial populations, and several critical epithelial functions, including cell migration, proliferation, and response to injury. However, given their complex tissue distribution and expression patterns, the role within specific processes remains poorly understood. We took a genetic approach to understand the role of endogenous galectin-9 (Gal-9), a mucosal galectin that has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease, within the context of the murine intestine. We found that Gal-9–deficient (Gal9−/−) animals show increased sensitivity to chemically induced colitis and impaired proliferation in the setting of acute injury. Moreover, our results show that Gal9−/−-derived enteroids show impaired growth ex vivo. Consistent with a model in which endogenous Gal-9 controls epithelial growth and repair, we found that Gal9−/− animals showed increased sensitivity to intestinal challenge in multiple models of epithelial injury, including acute irradiation injury and ectopic wound biopsies. Finally, our results show that regenerating crypts from patient biopsy specimens show increased expression of Gal-9, indicating these processes may be conserved in humans. Taken together, these studies implicate Gal-9 in the regulation of cellular proliferation and epithelial restitution after intestinal epithelial injury.
School Reform and Schools as Organizations.

The organizational characteristics of schools stack the deck against reform. Teacher norms and values put a premium on time, autonomy, and order, whereas student norms and values are oriented to pe...
On contact point motion in the vibration analysis of elastic rods

Abstract We present a systematic method for analyzing the vibrations of elastic rods whose effective length is variable, with particular emphasis on rods in unilateral contact with rigid surfaces. Problems of this type abound in engineering applications at all length scales, from the laying of submarine pipelines to the stiction of cantilevers in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). By a careful treatment of boundary conditions, we elucidate the circumstances under which a rod of variable length can be treated as one of fixed length for the sake of analyzing small-amplitude vibrations. In applying our method to a simple free vibration problem, we encounter an unusual singular limit and observe a close connection between vibration, stability, and existence.
Characterization of trap geometry in flow through dielectrophoretic-microfluidic device for particle trapping

Dielectrophoresis, an electrokinetic technique can be used for contactless isolation and separation of micro- and nano-sized particles suspended in a fluid. We present a lab-on-a-chip microfluidic device based on negative-dielectrophoretic system to isolate particles based on their physical and dielectric properties. Effect of three different micro-trap geometries were studied experimentally for single particle trapping. A finite element model of the microfluidic device was developed and simulated to analyze direction and magnitude of dielectrophoretic force field for single-level particle trapping. These analysis of different shape μ-traps provide important insight on predicting trapping location, strength of the trapping zone and optimize geometry for high throughput particle trapping.
Valvular Heart Disease

Valvular heart disease (VHD) affects approximately 1–2% of young individuals, many of whom choose to participate in competitive sports or maintain highly active lifestyles. VHD is a broad entity, encompassing a wide spectrum of valvular structure and function for each of the cardiac valves. The 2014 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology classification of the progression of valve disease (stages A to D) provides a basis to guide recommendations regarding sports participation for athletes with VHD. This classification system incorporates not only the severity of the valve lesion but also secondary phenomenon such as ventricular remodeling and symptoms related to valve dysfunction that have a particular impact for athletes. This chapter will review and outline strategies for evaluation and surveillance, and recommendations for sports participation, for athletes with stages A to D VHD, with a focus on aortic valve disease (aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation) and mitral valve disease (mitral stenosis, mitral regurgitation).
Kinetics of tau aggregation reveals patient-specific tau characteristics among Alzheimer’s cases

The accumulation of tau aggregates throughout the human brain is the hallmark of a number of neurodegenerative conditions classified as tauopathies. Increasing evidence shows that tau aggregation occurs in a 'prion-like' manner, in which a small amount of misfolded tau protein can induce other, naive tau proteins to aggregate. Tau aggregates have been found to differ structurally among different tauopathies. Recently, however, we have suggested that tau oligomeric species may differ biochemically among individual patients with sporadic Alzheimer disease, and have also showed that the bioactivity of the tau species, measured using a cell-based bioassay, also varied among individuals. Here, we adopted a live-cell imaging approach to the standard cell-based bioassay to explore further whether the kinetics of aggregation also differentiated these patients. We found that aggregation can be observed to follow a consistent pattern in all cases, with a lag phase, a growth phase and a plateau phase, which each provide quantitative parameters by which we characterize the aggregation kinetics. The length of the lag phase and magnitude of the plateau phase are both dependent upon the concentration of seeding-competent tau, the relative enrichment of which differs among patients. The slope of the growth phase correlates with morphological differences in the tau aggregates, which may be reflective of underlying structural differences. This kinetic assay confirms and refines the concept of heterogeneity in the characteristics of tau proteopathic seeds among individuals with Alzheimer's disease and is a method by which future studies may characterize longitudinal changes in tau aggregation and the cellular processes which may influence these changes.
ReduNet: A White-box Deep Network from the Principle of Maximizing Rate Reduction.

This work attempts to provide a plausible theoretical framework that aims to interpret modern deep (convolutional) networks from the principles of data compression and discriminative representation. We argue that for high-dimensional multi-class data, the optimal linear discriminative representation maximizes the coding rate difference between the whole dataset and the average of all the subsets. We show that the basic iterative gradient ascent scheme for optimizing the rate reduction objective naturally leads to a multi-layer deep network, named ReduNet, which shares common characteristics of modern deep networks. The deep layered architectures, linear and nonlinear operators, and even parameters of the network are all explicitly constructed layer-by-layer via forward propagation, although they are amenable to fine-tuning via back propagation. All components of so-obtained ``white-box'' network have precise optimization, statistical, and geometric interpretation. Moreover, all linear operators of the so-derived network naturally become multi-channel convolutions when we enforce classification to be rigorously shift-invariant. The derivation in the invariant setting suggests a trade-off between sparsity and invariance, and also indicates that such a deep convolution network is significantly more efficient to construct and learn in the spectral domain. Our preliminary simulations and experiments clearly verify the effectiveness of both the rate reduction objective and the associated ReduNet. All code and data are available at this https URL.
Structural Variation and Polysaccharide Profiling of Intervessel Pit Membranes

Abstract Functional roles of intervessel pit membrane (PM) depend on its structure and polysaccharide composition, which are mostly unknown or lack of accurate information. This study uses grapevine as a model plant and an immunogold-scanning electron microscopy technique to simultaneously analyze structures and polysaccharide compositions of intervessel PMs in relation to their functions. Intervessel PMs with different structural integrity were found in functional xylem with about 90 % of them being intact with a smooth or relatively smooth surface and the rest 10 % with progressively degraded structures. The results also elucidated details of the removal process of wall materials from surface toward its depth during the natural intervessel PM degradation. Four groups of pectic and hemicellulosic polysaccharides were present in intervessel PMs but displayed differential spatial distributions and quantities: weakly methyl-esterified homogalacturonans abundant in the surficial layers, heavily methyl-esterified homogalacturonans and xylans mostly in deep layers, and fucosylated xyloglucans relatively uniform in presence at different depths of an intervessel PM. This information is crucial to reveal the polysaccharide profiling of primary cell wall and to understand intervessel PM’s roles in the safety and regulation of water transport as well as the plant susceptibility to vascular diseases.
Reduction mechanism of high-chromium vanadium-titanium magnetite pellets by H 2 -CO-CO 2 gas mixtures

The reduction of high-chromium vanadium–titanium magnetite as a typical titanomagnetite containing 0.95wt% V2O5 and 0.61wt% Cr2O3 by H2–CO–CO2 gas mixtures was investigated from 1223 to 1373 K. Both the reduction degree and reduction rate increase with increasing temperature and increasing hydrogen content. At a temperature of 1373 K, an H2/CO ratio of 5/2 by volume, and a reduction time of 40 min, the degree of reduction reaches 95%. The phase transformation during reduction is hypothesized to proceed as follows: Fe2O3 → Fe3O4 → FeO → Fe; Fe9TiO15 + Fe2Ti3O9 → Fe2.75Ti0.25O4 → FeTiO3 → TiO2; (Cr0.15V0.85)2O3 → Fe2VO4; and Cr1.3Fe0.7O3 → FeCr2O4. The reduction is controlled by the mixed internal diffusion and interfacial reaction at the initial stage; however, the interfacial reaction is dominant. As the reduction proceeds, the internal diffusion becomes the controlling step.
Acoustics and the Behavior of Sperm Whales

The first good recordings of underwater sperm whale sounds that we have were made 27 years ago (22 April 1952, R/V Caryn at 38°29′N, 69°29′W) and five years later the sounds were identified definitely and described (Worthington and Schevill 1957). At every opportunity since then, we have stopped with these whales and listened underwater (Watkins 1977). Repeated observations have gradually sorted out many of the sounds. The overlapping clatter of click series that are usually heard in the presence of these whales have given way with time to acoustic sequences that apparently have characteristics identifiable with individuals. The unorganized welter of sound can be simplified to series of pulses that are related and that can sometimes be traced for hours. Whales underwater have been located and tracked by their own sounds. Yet with all this, the sounds are still not well enough correlated with the whales’ actions to provide anything but glimpses into the role that acoustics plays in the behavior of sperm whales.
Morphology and porosity of poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) beads containing styrene–ethylene, butylene–styrene triblock copolymer

Abstract Because crosslinked, porous poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) is an attractive substrate for sensors and actuators based on polymer swelling, its properties were studied as a function of formulation. Polymer beads were formed by suspension copolymerization of vinylbenzyl chloride and divinylbenzene in the presence of xylene/dodecane and Kraton G1652, a styrene–ethylene, butylene–styrene triblock copolymer. As polymerization proceeds, the dodecane phase separates forming aliphatic domains within the aromatic polymer. After polymerization, the xylene/dodecane is removed to yield a porous material. These materials were examined by scanning electron microscopy and mercury porosimetry. It was found that including Kraton G1652 in the formulation leads to morphologies with greatly increased surface area compared with morphologies observed without Kraton G1652. Formulations with 2% Kraton contained a large number of small pores in a continuous aromatic polymer matrix. Formulations with 8 and 14% Kraton have a morphology consisting of small connected spheres surrounded by empty void space.
The End of Olympic Nationality

Sport supplies useful terrain on which to explore meanings of loyalty and identity. At the international level, the preferences of consuming publics break down along national lines. In perhaps no other context are states and their citizens as unified as they are with respect to international competition, overcoming political, social, and cultural cleavages. The Olympic Games represents an apex of this national solidarity.This paper describes the hybrid public/private regime of Olympic nationality, the baseline of which requires athletes to be citizens of the countries for which they compete. The regime obstructs transfer of Olympic nationality in important respects. This regime has been justified as a shield against instrumental naturalization and lax state naturalization regimes, and ostensibly works to maintain some correlation between an athlete’s organic national identity and the flag for which she competes. But eligibility requirements relating to eligibility are easily gamed. They create barriers to movement and discriminate against naturalized citizens inconsistent with human rights norms. The paper argues that nationality requirements should be abandoned. Olympic competition should move to a club sports model in which athletes can play for any national team that will have them. This change would not detract from the quality of Olympic competition nor would it diminish sentimental attachment to national teams.
The biogeochemistry of hypersaline microbial mats.

Microbial mats are structurally coherent macroscopic accumulations of microorganisms. Photosynthetic mats offer an opportunity to examine the dynamics of a complete microbial ecosystem. Microbial mats construct laminated “miniature reefs” called stromatolites, which occur typically as carbonate rocks and are among the oldest, most abundant fossil evidence of ancient life on Earth (Walter, 1976). Mats built by cyanobacteria created the most obvious and best-studied stromatolites in the fossil record (Walter, 1976; Walter et al., 1992).
On the effectiveness of decoupling capacitors in reducing EM radiation from PCBs

The effectiveness of using decoupling capacitors (decaps) between power and ground planes in a typical PC or workstation printed circuit board (PCB) is studied from an electromagnetic-compatibility (EMC) point of view. By examining the radiation from the board, the effects of the total number of decaps, the placement of decaps, and lead inductances are investigated. The novelty of the present studies is that they focus directly on electromagnetic radiation as opposed to the more traditional investigation of decaps by only examining their equivalent impedances. >
Neuroligand-Evoked Calcium-Dependent Release of Excitatory Amino Acids from Schwann Cells

Bradykinin caused a receptor-mediated increase in release of the excitatory amino acids (EAAs) glutamate and aspartate from Schwann cell cultures obtained from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) together with an increase in the cytoplasmic level of free calcium. Perturbations which inhibited brady-kinin-induced calcium mobilization prevented the release of EAAs from glia. The addition of ionomycin caused a calcium- dependent release of EAAs. Therefore, bradykinin causes calcium dependent-release of EAAs from DRG Schwann cells. Bradykinin did not cause cell swelling and p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid, an inhibitor of the electrogenic glutamate transporter, did not reduce bradykinin-induced EAA release. Therefore, bradykinin stimulates EAA release from Schwann cells through a mechanism that is neither the previously described volume regulated release mechanism nor due to the reversal of the glutamate transporter.
Platform qualification methodology: Face recognition

Platforms may be developed with a range of new features. We describe a methodology to qualify a platform for operational stability and functional reliability. This includes determining feature-specific goals and use conditions to achieve the desired user experience quality and reliability. We present detailed results for a client PC face recognition feature.
Kumaraswamy-Half-Cauchy Distribution: Characterizations and Related Results

We present various characterizations of a recently introduced distribution (Ghosh 2014), called KumaraswamyHalf- Cauchy distribution based on: (i) a simple relation between two truncated moments; (ii) truncated moment of certain function of the 1 st order statistic; (iii) truncated moment of certain function of the random variable; (iv) hazard function; (v) distribution of the 1 st order statistic; (vi) via record values. We also provide some remarks on
A quantitative approach in environmentally conscious product design support

This paper presents a quantitative methodology for multi-objective environmentally conscious design. Environmental objectives include disassemblability, recyclability, material selection and serviceability. Some of them are qualitative in nature, leading to large uncertainties of measurement and comparison. Thus it is necessary to develop a generic methodology for quantitative measurement on specific environmental aspects as well as on overall environmental performance. The proposed methodology is based on fuzzy theory, graph theory, and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) theory.
High-Tech Invention Examining the Relationship Between Technology and Idea Generation in the Document Design Process

This article proposes a more complex consideration of the idea-generation stage of the document design process. Survey data collected from multiple sections of graphic design and technical communic...
Doha round of WTO negotiations and trade liberalization in Serbian agriculture

The accession of Serbia to the WTO is expected in 2008. In negotiations process, the most difficult is to reach agreement in agriculture. This sector is very sensitive in market access for biotechnological, economical and social reasons. The level of sensitivity varies between production branches. In the course of defining the schedules of market access commitments, it is crucial to keep in mind the need of reconciliation dynamics and level of market liberalization with the obligations comprised in the EU Stabilization and Association Agreement. Export support policy also must conform to the Doha negotiations commitments.
Quantitative Analysis and Alkaline Stability Studies of Allopurinol

Methods for quantitative chromatographic separation and spectrophotometric analysis are reported for allopurinol [4-hydroxypyrazolo(3,4,- d ) pyrimidine] in the presence of its alkaline decomposition products. Stability data are presented using rate constants obtained from Arrhenius-type plots; t 90 % for an unbuffered sodium allopurinol solution is approximately 150 days at 25°. The formate salt of 3-amino-4-pyrazolecarboxamide accounts for essentially all the degradation under pharmaceutically usable conditions.
The Cambridge Seven, Late Victorian Culture, and the Chinese Frontier

While some gender studies have examined dimensions of British masculinity with regard to the empire, they often have neglected the constitutive role that Christian faith played in the formation of British masculinity and the ways that British Christians constructed ideal masculine character. This essay reassesses the Cambridge Seven’s significance in the construction of a British evangelical masculinity in the late Victorian period. It argues that British evangelicals utilized the ideals the Seven collectively represented to construct a Christian masculinity in relation to the foreign frontier. This analysis suggests that both faith and the foreign mission field were integral dimensions of British evangelical masculinity. Ultimately, the Seven’s experiences in China challenged and subverted many of these ideal constructions.
Exendin-4 normalizes islet vascularity in intrauterine growth restricted rats: potential role of VEGF.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) induced by uterine artery ligation in pregnant rats leads to low birth weight and early insulin secretory defects followed by the development of insulin resistance, decline in β-cell mass, and diabetes in adulthood. Neonatal administration of Exendin-4 (Ex-4) prevents the deterioration of β-cell mass and the onset of adult-onset diabetes. Our aim was to determine whether this effect occurs through preservation of islet vascularization. In 2 wk-old IUGR rats, endothelial-specific lectin staining revealed a 40% reduction in islet vascular density (p = 0.027), which was normalized by neonatal Ex-4. VEGF-A protein expression was reduced in IUGR islets compared with controls at postnatal d 1 (P). Neonatal Ex-4 normalized islet VEGF protein expression at P7. Neither IUGR nor Ex-4 administration to IUGR rats affected relative VEGF splice isoform RNA levels. Together, the reduced vascularity in IUGR islets before the deterioration of β-cell mass, and the enhancement of VEGF expression and normalization of islet vascularity by neonatal Ex-4, suggest islet vascularity as an early determinant of β-cell mass and as a potential therapeutic target for diabetes prevention.
Image understanding as a second course in AI: preparing students for research

This paper describes the development and structure of a second course in artificial intelligence that was developed to meet the needs of upper-division undergraduate and graduate computer science and computer engineering students. These students already have a background in either computer vision or artificial intelligence, and desire to apply that knowledge to the design of algorithms that are able to automate the process of extracting semantic content from either static or dynamic imagery. Theory and methodology from diverse areas were incorporated into the course, including techniques from image processing, statistical pattern recognition, knowledge representation, multivariate analysis, cognitive modeling, and probabilistic inference. Students read selected current literature from the field, took turns presenting the selected literature to the class, and participated in discussions about the literature. Programming projects were required of all students, and in addition, graduate students were required to propose, design, implement, and defend an image understanding project of their own choosing. The course served as preparation for and an incubator of an active research group.
Oxidation of aqueous sulfur dioxide by peroxymonosulfate

Recent model calculations suggest that peroxymonosulfate may constitute a significant fraction of the total sulfur budget in remote tropospheric water droplets such as cloud, fog, and rain. However, little is known about the oxidation of dissolved SO_2 by peroxymonosulfate (HSO_5^-). We have found in aqueous solution that the rate of S(IV) oxidation is comparable to the rate of oxidation of S(IV) by hydrogen peroxide and that HSO_4^- is the only detectable oxidation product. We propose a mechanism in which the rate-determining step involves the acid-catalyzed decomposition of a peroxide-bisulfite intermediate to disulfate ion, S2_7O^(2-), and ultimately to sulfuric acid. The rate equation for this mechanism is -d[HSO_3^-]/dr = k_1(k_2/k_(-1))K_(a1){H^+}[HSO_5^-][S(IV+)]/(1 + (k_2/k_(-1){H^+})(k_(al) + {H+))), where k_1 = 1.21 x 10^6 M^(-1) s^(-1), k_2/k_(-1) = 5.9 M^(-1), k_1k_2/k^(-1) = 7.14 x 10^6 M^(-2) s^(-1), K_(a1) = 2.64 x 10^(-2) M at 5 oC, and µ = 0.2 M. The activation parameters are ΔH_(k1) = 25.74 ± 0.77 kJ mol^(-1) and ΔS_(k1)^*= -88.1 ± 2.7 J mol^(-1) K^(-1).
Surface functionalization of electrospun nanofibers for detecting E. coli O157:H7 and BVDV cells in a direct-charge transfer biosensor

Electrospinning is a versatile and cost effective method to fabricate biocompatible nanofibrous materials. The novel nanostructure significantly increases the surface area and mass transfer rate, which improves the biochemical binding effect and sensor signal to noise ratio. This paper presents the electrospinning method of nitrocellulose nanofibrous membrane and its antibody functionalization for application of bacterial and viral pathogen detection. The capillary action of the nanofibrous membrane is further enhanced using oxygen plasma treatment. An electrospun biosensor is designed based on capillary separation and conductometric immunoassay. The silver electrode is fabricated using spray deposition method which is non-invasive for the electrospun nanofibers. The surface functionalization and sensor assembly process retain the unique fiber morphology. The antibody attachment and pathogen binding effect is verified using the confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The electrospun biosensor exhibits linear response to both microbial samples, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) sample. The detection time of the biosensor is 8 min, and the detection limit is 61 CFU/mL and 10(3)CCID/mL for bacterial and viral samples, respectively. With the advantage of efficient antibody functionalization, excellent capillary capability, and relatively low cost, the electrospinning process and surface functionalization method can be implemented to produce nanofibrous capture membrane for different immuno-detection applications.
Role of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in cataract formation

Cataract is a multifactorial disease, and a large variety of stressors induce cataracts. Many cataractogenic stressors and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stressors induce the unfolded protein response (UPR) in various cell types. The UPR is known to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) prior to the inducement of apoptosis. We investigated whether ER stressors induce the UPR in lens epithelial cells (LECs) or whole rat lenses. Our results showed that higher levels of ER stressors activated Bip/GRP78, ATF4, and caspase-12. In addition, ROS were produced, free glutathione was decreased, and apoptosis was induced. LECs in the mitotic zone were the most susceptible to the UPR while the central LECs were the most resistant. The UPR induced the production of ROS in the ER and probably in the mitochondria. The detectable ROS production in cultured lenses is limited to the epithelial cells. These findings indicate that ER stressors induce the UPR in LECs with and without the induction of apoptosis, and we conclude that the UPR is probably one of the initiating factors of many types of cataracts.
Rho(D) Genotype and Red Cell Rho(D) Antigen Content

The Rho(D) content of red cells obtained from different individuals as determined with I181 anti-Rho(D) showed a bimodal distribution. Family studies indicate that the cells with the lower antigen content represent the heterozygous Rho(D) state and that the cells with 1.6 times more Rho(D) correspond to the homozygous state.
Penetration of concrete targets with deceleration-time measurements

Abstract We conducted two sets of penetration experiments with concrete targets that had average compressive strengths of 23 and 39 MPa (3.3 and 5.7 ksi). The 76.2-mm-diameter, 530-mm-long, ogive-nose projectiles were machined from 4340 R C 45 steel and designed to contain a single-channel acceleration data recorder. Thus, we recorded acceleration during launch and deceleration during penetration. An 83-mm-diameter powder gun launched the 13 kg projectiles to striking velocities between 140 and 460 m/s. Measured penetration depths and deceleration-time data were analyzed with a previously published model. In addition, we compared the results of this study with results obtained from smaller diameter projectiles and this comparison suggested a projectile diameter scale effect.