cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU-E-T-371: Validation of Organ Doses Delivered During Craniospinal Irradiation with Helical Tomotherapy

Purpose: New techniques have been developed to deliver more conformal treatments to the craniospinal axis. One concern, however, is the widespread low dose delivered and implications for possible late effects. The purpose of this work is for the first time to validate the organ doses calculated by the treatment planning system (TPS), including out-of-field doses for a pediatric craniospinal treatment (CSI). Methods: A CSI plan prescribed to 23.4 Gy and a posterior fossa boost plan to 30.6 Gy (total dose 54.0 Gy) was developed for a pediatric anthropomorphic phantom representing a 13 yearold- child. For the CSI plan, the planning target volumes (PTV) consisted of the brain and spinal cord with 2 mm and 5 mm expansions, respectively. Organs at risk (OAR) were contoured and included in the plan optimization. The plans were delivered on a helical tomotherapy unit. Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were used to measure the dose at 54 positions within the PTV and OARs. Results: For the CSI treatment, the mean percent difference between TPS dose calculations and measurements was 5% for the PTV and 10% for the OARs. For the boost, the average was 3% for the PTV. The percent difference for the OARs, which lie outside the field and received a small fraction of the prescription dose, varied from 15% to 200%. However in terms of absolute dose, the average difference between measurement and TPS per treatment Gy was 2 cGy/Gy and 3 mGy/Gy for the CSI and boost plans, respectively. Conclusion: There was good agreement between doses calculated by the TPS and measurements for the CSI treatment. Higher percent differences were observed for out-of-field doses in the boost plan, but absolute dose differences were very small compared to the prescription dose. These findings can help in the estimation of late effects after radiotherapy for pediatric patients.
Texture Changes of Frozen Stored Cod and Ocean Perch Minces

During frozen storage, minced cod and ocean perch were examined by expressible moisture (EM), water binding potential (WBP) and computerized texture profile analysis (TPA). The results suggested that a microcomputer interfaced with the Instron efficiently performed TPA. The texture and water loss of all fish minces changed more rapidly at -7°C storage than at -20°C and -40°C. Furthermore, cod, a gadoid with the ability to degrade trimethylamine oxide to dimethylamine and formaldehyde, deteriorated faster than ocean perch, which did not have this ability. EM was useful for examining the water loss of frozen fish at - 7°C only during the first two weeks of storage. The WBP at -7°C storage showed a good correlation with storage time for cod and ocean perch. This suggests that WBP might be a good indicator for examining water holding ability of fish proteins.
A Preliminary Investigation of a Novel Series of Silica Gels

Silica gels may be produced by the hydrolytic polycondensation of organic silicates such as tetraethyl ortho silicate (TEOS) under appropriate conditions. These systems are of interest to the ceramic industry for making high purity silicate glasses at low temperatures. These silica gels may have application as drug delivery systems.The gelation rates due to the hydrolytic polycondensation process depend on the concentration of TEOS and water, the temperature, and the presence of acid or base catalysts. A wide variety of polymeric silica gels having different polymeric matrices and pore sizes are possible. Of the alcohols and glycols screened for silica gel formulation, ethanol and glycerol appear to have a unique role in the gelation process although they do not appear to contribute directly to the hydrolytic polycondensation process.
David Hume and the Mysterious Shroud of Turin

In a footnote to ‘Of Miracles’, David Hume defined the miraculous as ‘… a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent.’ In the opening pages of the essay itself, however, Hume dropped the reference to agency in favour of the simpler declaration that any ‘ … miracle is a violation of the laws of nature …’ This preference for the simpler formulation was deliberate. According to Hume, it was their violation of natural law that provided the genuinely intimidating obstacle against miracles. As the course of his argument makes clear, Hume believed that the massive accumulation of evidence supporting the regularity of nature invariably would overwhelm any meagre reports to the contrary. For this reason alone, questions of divine agency could be ignored as purely academic.
Labor Standards and Labor Market Flexibility in East Asia

Since the 1980s, de jure labor standards have improved in Northeast and Southeast Asia and de jure labor market flexibility has decreased. For most countries in the region, however, de facto labor standards are much worse than de jure standards, and de facto flexibility is much higher than de jure flexibility. International pressure has rarely produced meaningful change in either labor standards or labor market flexibility. Authoritarian regimes have proven the most immune to international pressures to improve labor standards and to increase labor market flexibility. The most significant improvements to labor standards usually follow democratization, with international influences working in tandem with domestic pressures. International actors have had little effect on improving labor standards in semi-democracies, with the exception of Cambodia, but progress there depended on a carrot, not a stick. Demands by the international financial institutions to increase labor market flexibility have been minimal, with the notable exception of South Korea. Both democracies and authoritarian regimes have adopted laws that reduce labor market flexibility, and domestic political concerns rather than international influences were the primary driving force.
PUFL, An "Almost-Lagrangian" Gasdynamic Calculation for Pipe Flows with Mass Entrainment

Abstract An “almost-Lagrangian” formulation in quasi-one-dimensional geometry for the conservation equations of gasdynamics is presented that considers zones with mass sources and sinks. The differential equations are first derived by an integral approach. Then, the corresponding finite-difference equations and the calculational scheme used in the PUFL code for advancing the difference equations is given. By considering uniform flows, analytical solutions for the PUFL equations with both mass sources and sinks are obtained. Stability of the “almost-Lagrangian” equations is empirically discussed and tested by comparison of PUFL calculations with the analytical solutions. It is found that when the fraction of mass in a zone changes by no more than ∼1% in any one calculational cycle, excellent agreement with the analytical solution is obtained. By using an additional time-step control which limits the amount of mass change per cycle, the “almost-Lagrangian” formulation appears to be feasible.
Economic History of Puerto Rico: Institutional Change and Capitalist Development

This is a comprehensive and detailed account of the economichistory of Puerto Rico from the period of Spanish colonial dominationto the present. Interweaving findings of the "new" Puerto Ricanhistoriography with those of earlier historical studies, and usingthe most recent theoretical concepts to interpret them, James Dietzexamines the complex manner in which productive and class relationswithin Puerto Rico have interacted with changes in its placein the world economy.Besides including aggregate data on Puerto Rico's economy, theauthor offers valuable information on workers' living conditionsand women workers, plus new interpretations of development sinceOperation Bootstrap. His evaluation of the island's export-orientedeconomy has implications for many other developing countries.
Electro-Thermal Analysis of Multi-Fin Devices

As device dimensions shrink into the nanometer range, power and performance constraints prohibit the longevity of traditional MOS devices in circuit design. FinFETs, a quasi-planar double-gated device, has emerged as a replacement. While flnFETs provide promising electrostatic characteristics, they have the potential to suffer from significant self heating. We study in this paper self heating in multi-fin devices. We first develop thermal models for an individual fin with flared channel extensions and for multi-fin devices. We analyze several fin geometric parameters (fin width, and (gate) length) and investigate how fin spacing, fin height, gate oxide thickness and gate height affect the maximum fin temperatures in rectangular and flared channel extensions. Our data derived from numerical simulation validates our findings. We develop a novel metric, metric for electro-thermal sensitivity (METS), for measuring device thermal robustness. We use the metric to investigate electro-thermal device sensitivities. The metric, while applied to finFETs in this paper, is general and can be applied to any type of device for which coupled electrical and thermal models exist. Our work is the first to address thermal issues within multi-fin devices and to develop a widely-applicable electro-thermal metric.
Competing Value Networks, Incomplete Contracts and IT

Does the nature of industry competition shift from the level of firm to the level of whole value networks/chains? What is the role of IT in that process? We analyze the structure of competition between value networks in a setting where partners invest in quality and the end-consumer market is vertically differentiated. The main result is that as quality at the end-consumer market becomes more important the industry structure is more likely to shift to competition between value networks. IT is a crucial enabler of the industry shift through a demand-side and a supply-side effect: (a) IT can make quality more important for consumers, and (b) IT reduces the cost of investment in non-contractibles in buyer-supplier relationships.
Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in carcinoma of the bladder: a clinical study.

Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme changes were studied in tissue specimens from patients with transitional cell cancer of the bladder. The ratio of LDH-V/I was determined in each specimen and compared to the histological grade of malignancy. The LDH-V/I ratio was found to be less than 1 in grades I and II and higher than 1 in grades III and IV, with an apparent higher value the higher the grade of malignancy. The significance of these elevated values and the possibility of future clinical applications are discussed.
Introducing environmental sustainability in a manufacturing processes course

Traditional heavy manufacturing processes such as casting and forging contribute significantly to environmental pollution and waste generation. These processes are energy intensive and require approximately one-fourth of the energy generated in the U.S. yearly. With future expectations of even higher energy demands, the acceptance of a manufacturing ideology that includes an emphasis on environmental sustainability is clearly needed. Introductory manufacturing processes courses in undergraduate curricula have traditionally covered processes used in heavy manufacturing with little emphasis being put on environmental issues. Since there are a myriad of processes available and currently being used in manufacturing, the typical course subject matter concentrated primarily on the specifics of the process and associated economics. This project involves the integration of environmental sustainability subject matter into a beginning manufacturing processes course. The approach involves addressing green issues and sustainability not as a separate course item but rather during each specific discussion on a particular manufacturing process. An effort was made to evaluate student performance by comparing test scores on "green" questions with those of other subject matter
Providers' Perspectives of Survivorship Care for Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer.

We examined healthcare providers’ perceptions of the goals of survivorship care and survivor programs, systems-level barriers and individual patient-level barriers to engaging patients in survivorship care, and potential resources for increasing engagement. In 2012, we recruited 21 healthcare providers of young adult survivors of childhood cancers from a children’s hospital and a cancer center in the Southeastern USA to complete telephone-based semi-structured interviews. The sample was 45.95 years old (SD = 7.57) on average, 52.4 % female, and 81.0 % MDs. The major goals of survivorship programs identified were medical care management (e.g., addressing late and long-term effects, providing survivorship care plans (SCPs), assisting in transition of care) and holistic care including addressing psychosocial issues and promoting healthy lifestyles. Systems-level barriers to engagement in survivorship care included limited resources (e.g., time), role confusion (e.g., within cancer centers, from treatment team to survivorship care, role of primary care providers), communication challenges within the medical system (e.g., limited tracking of patients, lack of understanding of the role of survivorship clinic), communication challenges with patients (e.g., setting expectations regarding transition to survivorship care), and lack of insurance coverage. Perceived patient-level factors included psychological barriers (e.g., fear, avoidance), resistance to survivorship care, and physical barriers (e.g., distance from survivorship clinics). Resources to address these barriers included increased access to information, technology-based resources, and ensuring valuable services. There are several systems-level and patient-level barriers to survivorship care, thus requiring multilevel interventions to promote engagement in care among young adult survivors of childhood cancer.
Finite element modeling and simulation of piezoelectric wafer active sensors interaction with the host structure for structural health monitoring

Crack detection with piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) is emerging as an effective and powerful technique in structural health monitoring (SHM). Modeling and simulation of PWAS and host structure play an important role in the SHM applications with PWAS. For decades finite element method has been extensively applied in the analysis of piezoelectric materials and structures. The advantage of finite element analysis over analytical solutions is that stress and electrical field measurements of complex geometries, and their variations throughout the device, are more readily calculated. FEM allows calculation of the stress and electric field distributions under static loads and under any applied electrical frequency, and so the effect of device geometry can be assessed and optimized without the need to manufacture and test numerous devices. Coupled field analysis taking both mechanical motions and electrical characteristics into account should all be employed to provide a systemic overview of the piezoelectric sensors/actuators (even arrays of them) and the host structures. This use of PWAS for SHM has followed two main paths: (a). Wave propagation (b). Electromechanical impedance; Previous research has shown that PWAS can detect damage using wave reflections, changes in wave signature, or changes in the electromechanical (E/M) impedance spectrum. The primary goal of this paper is to investigate the use of finite element method (FEM) to simulate various SHM methods with PWAS. For the simulation of Electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance technique, simple models, like free PWAS of different shapes and 1-dimmension beam with PWAS are investigated and the simulated structural E/M impedance was presented. For the wave propagation SHM technique, a long beam with several PWAS installed was studied. One PWAS is excited by tone burst signals and mechanical wave will propagate along the beam. The existence of a crack will affect the structure integrity and the echo reflected by crack can be observed through the simulations.
Understanding network effects in software markets: evidence from web server pricing

Prior theoretical research has established that many software products are subject to network effects and exhibit the characteristics of two-sided markets. However, despite the importance of the software industry to the world economy, few studies have attempted to empirically examine these characteristics, or several others which theory suggests impact software price. This study develops and tests a research-grounded model of two-sided software markets that accounts for several key factors influencing software pricing, including network externalities, cross-market complementarities, standards, mindshare, and trialability. Applying the model to the context of the market for Web server software, several key findings are offered. First, a positive market share to price relationship is identified, offering support for the network externalities hypothesis even though the market examined is based on open standards. Second, the results suggest that the market under study behaves as a two-sided market in that firms able to capture market share for one product enjoy benefits in terms of both market share and price for the complement. Third, the positive price benefits of securing consumer mindshare, of supporting dominant standards, and from offering a trial product are demonstrated. Last, a negative price shock is also identified in the period after a well-known, free-pricing rival has entered the market. Nonetheless, network effects continued to remain significant during the period. These findings enhance our understanding of software markets, offer new techniques for examining such markets, and suggest the wisdom of allocating resources to develop advantages in the factors studied.
Ideas, Institutions, and the Gorbachev Foreign Policy Revolution

This article explores the influence of cognitive and institutional factors in shaping state behavior. In particular, the author examines their role in the Gorbachev foreign policy revolution, developing an analytic framework that integrates domestic and international sources of state behavior. While it is dear that a new ideology of international affairs—one developed and conveyed by Soviet specialists—played a critical role in shaping Gorbachev's “new thinking,” its ability to influence policy was at different times constrained or magnified by institutional and political variables. Moreover, the relevance of this new ideology to policy debates, particularly during the early years of the Gorbachev era, depended crucially upon the efforts of individual “policy entrepreneurs” and open policy windows. How wide these windows opened was, in turn, partly a function of the USSR's international environment.
Mechanism-based design of labile precursors for chromium(I) chemistry

Dinitrogen complexes of the type TpR,RCr–N2–CrTpR,R are not the most labile precursors for Cr(I) chemistry, as they are sterically protected from obligatory associative ligand substitution. A mononuclear alkyne complex – TptBu,MeCr(η2-C2(SiMe3)2) – proved to be much more reactive.
IT-based Capabilities, Service Innovation, and Quality in Health Care

Rapid advancements in information technology (IT) and changing consumer requirements are forcing organizations to move from a product-based economy to a service-based economy. Tremendous opportunities await organizations that set themselves apart from their competition through service innovation. One industry which traditionally lags behind in the using IT to effectively deliver services is health care. Successful application of IT in health care could facilitate service innovation by creating new business models that redefine the traditional relationships between providers and patients. Increased data availability and transparency can bring data and process driven methods to improve health care service delivery. In this study, we examine theoretically and empirically the role of “service” in health care. Specifically, our research questions are: “what is the role of IT-based capabilities in health care facility performance?”, and “what roles do service innovation and quality play in mediating the relationship between IT-based capabilities and health care facility performance?”
The use of public randomization in discounted repeated games

This paper presents an example where the set of subgame-perfect equilibrium payoffs of the infinitely repeated game without public randomization is not convex, no matter how large the discount factor is. Also, the set of pure-strategy equilibrium payoffs is not monotonic with respect to the discount factor in this example. These results are in sharp contrast to the fact that the equilibrium payoff set is convex and monotonic if public randomization is available.
Effects of Ethanol on Leptin Secretion and the Leptin‐Induced Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Release From Late Juvenile Female Rats

Background : Chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure lowers serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and also delays female puberty, similar to the deficits in the reproductive system that occur during leptin deficiency. Leptin administration restores fertility and gonadotropin secretion in the ob/ob mouse and can induce recovery of reproductive function in food-restricted animals. This study assessed the effects of EtOH on serum leptin levels, and whether exogenous leptin administration could restore IGF-1 and LH levels in the EtOH-treated animals. Methods : In the first study, 29-day-old female rats were divided into control and EtOH-treated groups, each of which received their respective diet regimen for 5 consecutive days. The EtOH-treated animals were subdivided and received an intraperitoneal injection of either leptin (100 μg/0.1 ml) or saline twice daily. Control animals also received intraperitoneal saline injections twice daily. On day 34, animals were killed, and serum leptin, LH, and IGF-1 were measured by RIA. In a second study we assessed the acute effects of a single 3 g/kg dose of EtOH on the ability of leptin to act centrally to induce LH release. For this, leptin (1 mu;g) was administered via a third ventricular (3V) cannula and blood sampling via jugular cannula. In a third experiment, animals were again subjected to a chronic feeding regimen. When 34 days old, they were killed and the anterior pituitaries removed and incubated in a static incubation system for 60 min to establish basal LH release, then for an additional 60 min in medium containing leptin (10-7 M). Results : Chronic EtOH exposure lowered serum leptin (p < 0.01), IGF-1 (p < 0.01), and LH (p < 0.05) levels. Leptin administration to EtOH-treated animals did not restore serum IGF-1 levels. This peptide did, however, effectively restore LH levels to normal, but did not advance the timing of puberty. Acute EtOH administration was found to block leptin-induced LH release following central administration of the peptide. Conversely, anterior pituitaries from control and 5-day EtOH-treated animals that were incubated in vitro released (p < 0.01) equal amounts of LH in response to leptin (10-7 M). Conclusions : These data demonstrate that EtOH administration not only can suppress peripheral levels of leptin, but also blocks its central action to facilitate LH secretion. Although replacement of leptin can reverse the EtOH-induced suppression of LH by a direct action at the level of the pituitary, it cannot elevate serum IGF-1; a peripheral signal that acts centrally to stimulate LH releasing-hormone (LHRH)/LH release during the juvenile-peripubertal transition period, and thus accelerates the initiation of female puberty. These results demonstrate further the complex actions and interactions of multiple hormones involved in the pubertal process and the vulnerability of their actions to the toxic effects of EtOH.
Coronary artery reoperation through the left thoracotomy with hypothermic circulatory arrest.

Background. The left thoracotomy approach to avoid injury of the patent old graft and the myocardium with mid sternal reentry at coronary artery reoperation. Methods. The left thoracotomy approach was used in 13 patients. There were 11 men and 2 women with a mean age of 63 years, ranging from 39 to 75 years. Three patients were having their third coronary bypass operation. In 11 patients, distal anastomoses were performed under circulatory arrest with moderate hypothermia. In the other 2 patients, distal anastomoses were performed on a beating heart. No aortic cross-clamp was applied in all patients. The mean number of distal anastomoses was 1.8; the grafted vessels were 11 anterior descending, 3 diagonal, 8 circumflex, and 1 posterolateral coronary arteries. Used grafts were 17 saphenous veins, 4 left internal thoracic arteries, and 2 gastroepiploic arteries. Inflow sites of the free graft were descending aorta in 10 patients and left subclavian artery in 3 patients. Results. All patients were alive and well at the mean follow-up of 16 months, and all grafts were patent. Conclusions. The left thoracotomy approach is safe and effective for reoperation on the left coronary artery system, and circulatory arrest is convenient and safe for performing distal anastomosis.
Losing control of design definition

It is argued that the traditional textbook approach to setting new product development requirements is no longer applicable to modern market needs. The view that marketing "experts" must identify product requirements and features at the beginning of a programme, then ensure that engineers do not deviate from their specification, may sound sensible but has serious practical limitations. The case is put for allowing development teams to do their own thing.
Team Scaffolds: How Meso-Level Structures Support Role-based Coordination in Temporary Groups

This paper shows how meso-level structures support effective coordination in temporary groups. Prior research on coordination in temporary groups describes how roles encode individual responsibilities so that coordination between relative strangers is possible. We extend this research by introducing key tenets from team effectiveness research to theorize when role-based coordination might be more or less effective. We develop these ideas in a multi-method study of a hospital emergency department (ED) redesign. Before the redesign, people coordinated in ad-hoc groupings, which provided flexibility because any nurse could work with any doctor, but these groupings were limited in effectiveness because people were not accountable to each other for progress, did not have shared understanding of their work, and faced interpersonal risks when reaching out to other roles. The redesign introduced new meso-level structures that bounded a set of roles (rather than a set of specific individuals, as in a team) and gave them collective responsibility for a whole task. We conceptualized the meso-level structures as team scaffolds and found that they embodied the logic of both role and team structures. The team scaffolds enabled small group interactions to take the form of an actual team process with team-level prioritizing, updating, and helping, based on new-found accountability, overlapping representations of work, and belonging – despite the lack of stable team composition. Quantitative data revealed changes to the coordination patterns in the ED (captured through a two-mode network) after the team scaffolds were implemented and showed a forty percent improvement in patient throughput time.
Are essentialist beliefs associated with prejudice

Gordon Allport (1954) proposed that belief in group essences is one aspect of the prejudiced personality, alongside a rigid, dichotomous and ambiguity-intolerant cognitive style. We examined whether essentialist beliefs-beliefs that a social category has a fixed, inherent, identity-defining nature-are indeed associated in this fashion with prejudice towards black people, women and gay men. Allport's claim, which is mirrored by many contemporary social theorists, received partial support but had to be qualified in important respects. Essence-related beliefs were associated strongly with anti-gay attitudes but only weakly with sexism and racism, and they did not reflect a cognitive style that was consistent across stigmatized categories. When associations with prejudice were obtained, only a few specific beliefs were involved, and some anti-essentialist beliefs were associated with anti-gay attitudes. Nevertheless, the powerful association that essence-related beliefs had with anti-gay attitudes was independent of established prejudice-related traits, indicating that they have a significant role to play in the psychology of prejudice.
The Wajin’s Whiteness: Law and Race Privilege in Japan (批判的人種理論と日本法―和人の人種的特権について)

Over the past thirty years, American law scholars have drawn attention to the pervasive role of race in shaping the development of law and legal processes in the United States. Their studies highlighted the relevance of race beyond obvious fields such as civil rights, constitutional, and criminal law, emerging as a coherent doctrine known as Critical Race Theory. This article contends that Critical Race Theory can be applied usefully in the Japanese law context by helping to understand minorities and racial circumstances in Japan. Moving beyond theory, the article explores the practical implications of Critical Race Theory for minority movements in Japan and suggests areas for promising future study. The SSRN posting includes the article in English as well as in Japanese translation. The Japanese translation by Prof. Ichiro Ozaki, Hokkaido University Law School, Sapporo, Japan, was published in Horitsu Jiho, Vol. 80, No. 2, pp. 80-91, Feb. 2008. The English original is unpublished.
Social Anxiety and Social Performance: Why Don't We See More Catastrophes?

This article surveys the recent literature with regard to social phobia and social anxiety as they affect social performance. It suggests that some of the inconsistent findings in this area might be alleviated by the application of Fazey and Hardy's (1988) catastrophe model to ongoing research in the area of social performance.
‘Nobody canna cross it’: language-ideological dimensions of hypercorrect speech in Jamaica

The concept of speaky-spoky, a pejorative label for hypercorrect speech in Jamaica, has thus far been described in the context of shared speech community norms (Patrick 1999 ). In this article, I analyze a stretch of speaky-spoky discourse and its recontextualization. The theoretical perspectives from which the data are examined are that of the sociolinguistics of globalization (Blommaert 2010 ) and of entextualization (Bauman & Briggs 1990 ; Silverstein & Urban 1996 ). The method of analysis draws on Goffman's writing on frames ( 1974 ) and production formats ( 1981 ). I argue that the ideological dimensions and interactional versatility of the speaky-spoky concept have thus far not received enough empirical attention. To address this gap, I propose to interpret speaky-spoky as a dynamic and relational ‘construct resource’ (Fabricius & Mortensen 2013 ) that speakers draw upon to highlight social meaning in interaction.
Insensitivity of tryptophan fluorescence to local charge mutations.

The steady state fluorescence spectral maximum (λmax) for tryptophan 140 of Staphylococcal nuclease remains virtually unchanged when nearby charged groups are removed by mutation, even though large electrostatic effects on λmax might be expected. To help understand the underlying mechanism of this curious result, we have modeled λmax with three sets of 50-ns molecular dynamics simulations in explicit water, equilibrated with excited state and with ground state charges. Semiempirical quantum mechanics and independent electrostatic analysis for the wild-type protein and four charge-altering mutants were performed on the chromophore using the coordinates from the simulations. Electrostatic contributions from the nearby charged lysines by themselves contribute 30–90 nm red shifts relative to the gas phase, but in each case, contributions from water create compensating blue shifts that bring the predicted λmax within 2 nm of the experimental value, 332 ± 0.5 nm for all five proteins. Although long-range collec...
Two-photon microwave transitions and strong-field effects in a room-temperature Rydberg-atom gas

We investigate two-photon Autler-Townes splitting and strong-field effects of $^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ Rydberg atoms in a room-temperature vapor cell. To observe the level structure we employ electromagnetically induced transparency. We first study the two-photon $62{S}_{1/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}63{S}_{1/2}$ microwave transition using an electric-field reference measurement obtained with the one-photon $62{S}_{1/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}62{P}_{3/2}$ transition. We then study the $61{D}_{5/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}62{D}_{5/2}$ transition where the microwave electric-field range is extended up to $\ensuremath{\sim}40\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{m}$. A Floquet analysis is used to model field-induced level shifts and state-mixing effects present in the strongly driven quantum systems under consideration. Calculations are found to be in good agreement with experimental observations.
Effect of Aging on Electrophoretic Behavior of Sol-Gel Derived Aluminas

Sample alumina powder prepared with the procedures described by Yoldas [1,2] was suspended in 10−3 M NaCl and contained in precleaned polypropylene cups with air tight lids. Electrophoretic mobilities of the samples were measured at various pH’s using a microelectrophoretic technique. The points of zero charge (PZC) were determined from plots of electrophoretic mobility vs pH of the sample suspensions. The initial values of PZC are 10.6 for γ-Al2O3. and 8.3 for α-Al2O3, The corresponding BET surface areas are 206 m2/g and 3m2/g respectively. Upon aging, the PZC decreased in 2 days and then increased by reaching maximum values of 10.4 for γ-Al2O3 and 8.8 for α-Al2O3 in 20 days. Aging of sol-gel derived aluminas and commercial alumina derived by precipitation are compared and differences are discussed.
Maximal induced paths and minimal percolating sets in hypercubes

For a graph $G$, the \emph{$r$-bootstrap percolation} process can be described as follows: Start with an initial set $A$ of "infected'' vertices. Infect any vertex with at least $r$ infected neighbours, and continue this process until no new vertices can be infected. $A$ is said to \emph{percolate in $G$} if eventually all the vertices of $G$ are infected. $A$ is a \emph{minimal percolating set} in $G$ if $A$ percolates in $G$ and no proper subset of $A$ percolates in $G$. An induced path, $P$, in a hypercube $Q_n$ is maximal if no induced path in $Q_n$ properly contains $P$. Induced paths in hypercubes are also called snakes. We study the relationship between maximal snakes and minimal percolating sets (under 2-bootstrap percolation) in hypercubes. In particular, we show that every maximal snake contains a minimal percolating set, and that every minimal percolating set is contained in a maximal snake.
Contamination of food by chemical and other hazards in Maanshan city in 2010-2011

Objective To understand the contamination status of marketed food by chemical and other hazards in Maanshan city,and to provide a scientific evidence for establishing an efficient monitoring system in order to maintain the safety of food. Methods A stratified sampling method was used to collect food samples in market according to the national "Handbook for monitoring chemical contaminants and other hazards".A total of 2 034contaminants including food additives,heavy metals,pesticide residues and aflatoxin M1were detected and data were analyzed using Chi-square and t tests. Results In 2010,the content of heavy medal in almost half of fried food samples(42.86%)tested exceeded the limit level,followed by meat(26.67%),mushrooms(20.00%),vegetables(13.3%)and sea foods(6.67%).However,in 2011,vegetable samples(26.67%)came to the top in heavy medal level followed by mushrooms(10.00%),meat(6.67%)and grains(1.86%).Lead,cadmium,mercury,and aluminum,were the major heavy medals found in food.Food additives such as nitrite,sulfur dioxide,sodium saccharin and cyclamate also exceeded the limit level in candied fruit(20%),roasted seeds and nuts(10.00%),wine(6.67%)and pickled foods(6.25%)only in 2010.Although pesticide residue detection rate and exceeding limit rate in 2011decreased compared to that in 2010(2.22%vs 7.69%,0vs 1.29%),no significant differences were found.Pyrethroids was the only pesticide detected.Even though aflatoxin M1content in dairy products did not exceed the limit level,there was a big difference between 2010and 2011(0.046μg/kg vs 0.131μg/kg)(P0.001).None of the illegal additives as potassium bromate,clenbuterol,Sudan were detected. Conclusions Contamination of food by chemical and other hazards is still one of the major food safety issues in Maanshan,especially heavy medal contaminants.Except for the satisfactory founding about aflatoxin M1and illegal additives as well as the downward trend of pesticide residue in foods surveyed in the study,excessive heavy metal residues in food need to draw higher attention and comprehensive preventive measures should also be adopted.
Analysis on the Tripping Accident of Transformer Owing to Arrester Single-Phase Ground

One main transformer is tripped due to low voltage winding ground fault owing to arrester single-phase ground in a 220 k V substation. In order to analyze the process and the reason of the accident and to avoid the similar incidents,on-site inspections are carried out and the accident record wave is checked. Analysis is made with combination of the associated electrical tests and disintegration checking. The result shows that insulation defect exists in the manufacturing process of the main transformer low-voltage winding axial compression, and there has not enough insulation margin and has high air humidity in the switchgear,which leads to a ground fault of high voltage side arrester. The high electrodynamic force generated by the high short circuit current through the low voltage winding results in short circuit and grounding between the winding and the earth through the core. The tripping of main transformer therefore is caused by various factors combined.
Effect of Administration of 3-Methylcholanthrene on the Salt-Extractable Chromatin Proteins of Rat Liver

It had previously been demonstrated than an increase in the efficiency of the template function of liver chromatin occurs after the administration of 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) to rats. The difference between control and 3-MC systems is eliminated by extraction of the chromatin with 2 M NaCl, a procedure which removes many of the nuclear proteins. The profile of 2 M NaCl-extractable protein components of liver chromatin differs after treatment of rats with 3-MC, as determined by either disc electrophoretic or gel filtration techniques. The earliest change was seen 3-6 hr after drug treatment. The kinetics of incorporations of [ 14 C] lysine into these components is also altered after drug treatment. After a 30-min pulse with the labeled precursor, a progressive increase in the specific activity of the 2 M NaCl-extractable proteins of liver chromatin was noted up to 24 hr after 3-MC treatment. At this time, a 100% increase over control levels was observed. Under the same conditions, the incorporation of [ 14 C] L-tryptophan into the 2 M NaCl-extractable compo nents of liver was unaffectd by drug treatment. These changes may be related to the subsequent activation of the chromatin template for RNA synthesis.
An efficient and inexpensive method for measuring long-term thermoregulatory behavior

Thermoregulatory ability and behavior influence organismal responses to their environment. By measuring thermal preferences, researchers can better understand the effects that temperature tolerances have on ecological and physiological responses to both biotic and abiotic stressors. However, because of funding limitations and confounders, measuring thermoregulation can often be difficult. Here, we provide an effective, affordable (~$50 USD per unit), easy to construct, and validated apparatus for measuring the long-term thermal preferences of animals. In tests, the apparatus spanned temperatures from 9.29 to 33.94°C, and we provide methods to further increase this range. Additionally, we provide simple methods to non-invasively measure animal and substrate temperatures and to prevent temperature preferences of the focal organisms from being confounded with temperature preferences of its prey and its humidity preferences. To validate the apparatus, we show that it was capable of detecting individual-level consistency and among individual-level variation in the preferred body temperatures of Southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris) and Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) over three-weeks. Nearly every aspect of our design is adaptable to meet the needs of a multitude of study systems, including various terrestrial amphibious, and aquatic organisms. The apparatus and methods described here can be used to quantify behavioral thermal preferences, which can be critical for determining temperature tolerances across species and thus the resiliency of species to current and impending climate change.
The Effectiveness of International Law: Torture and Counterterrorism

This paper sets out to address the following question: to what extent has international law effectively curtailed the practice of torture in a democratic society within the context of the ‘war against terror’? This paper will first provide an overview of the current regime of international law prohibiting torture. Next, this paper will discuss the absolute ban on torture and violations that have occurred in the name of the ‘war against terror.’ This paper will then address the consequences of the use of torture as a counterterrorism measure. Finally, this paper will critically analyze the effectiveness of international law on addressing torture. This paper will ultimately conclude on the topic and offer recommendations.
Teach & thrive: wisdom from an urban teacher’s career narrative

Teach & Thrive: Wisdom from an Urban Teacher’s Career Narrative by Kristina Valtierra is a valuable research book on urban teacher education. It is one of the series of Research, Theory, Policy, an...
Multitargeted Imidazoles: Potential Therapeutic Leads for Alzheimer's and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a complex, multifactorial disease in which different neuropathological mechanisms are likely involved, including those associated with pathological tau and Aβ species as well as neuroinflammation. In this context, the development of single multitargeted therapeutics directed against two or more disease mechanisms could be advantageous. Starting from a series of 1,5-diarylimidazoles with microtubule (MT)-stabilizing activity and structural similarities with known NSAIDs, we conducted structure–activity relationship studies that led to the identification of multitargeted prototypes with activities as MT-stabilizing agents and/or inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase (COX) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) pathways. Several examples are brain-penetrant and exhibit balanced multitargeted in vitro activity in the low μM range. As brain-penetrant MT-stabilizing agents have proven effective against tau-mediated neurodegeneration in animal models, and because COX- and 5-LOX-derived eicosanoids are...
Design of real-time and long-term hydrologic and water quality wetland monitoring stations in South Florida, USA

Abstract Hydrologic regimes in tropical and subtropical regions (e.g. hurricanes, tropical storms, and droughts) impact biogeochemical processes in created and restored wetlands with variability of wet/dry seasons and extreme weather events. Our South Florida Wetland Monitoring Network (SFWMN) with three real-time hydrologic, water quality, and meteorological field stations was established by the Everglades Wetland Research Park of Florida Gulf Coast University in the subtropical Southwest Florida, USA, beginning in 2012. The stations include a restored freshwater marsh (RFM) and adjacent meteorological field station; a restored brackish water marsh (RBM); and a created freshwater treatment wetland system and adjacent meterological station (CFTW). Continuous observations of water depth, temperature, salinity, and pH for the period of January 2012 to January 2016 indicate significant differences among the restored freshwater marsh, the restored brackish marsh, and the created freshwater treatment wetlands for water temperature and pH for wet and dry seasons. The brackish wetland salinity fluctuated between 26.16 (in the dry season) to 1.03 ppt (in the wet season). The real-time dataset allowed up-to-date information of the frequency and duration of severe weather events illustrating, for example, that 70% of the 2012 annual rainfall (1129 mm) occurring in July and August with a 75.4 mm precipitation during one event—tropical storm Isaac on August 26–28, 2012. This storm led to a water stage peak in the brackish wetland due to excessive watershed runoff, not tidal surges, and salinity decreased from 22.3 to 5.5 ppt. The coefficient of variation (CV) for water depth and water quality from all wetland monitoring stations exhibited similar variations during all seasons, except when the salinity for the brackish marsh (RBM) had the highest CV values (1.02) in the wet season. Principal component analysis (PCA) at each station identified the variance in water depth and water quality parameters as due to seasonal changes of precipitation in distinct wet and dry seasons. The data from these monitoring stations are also used for research by scholars and students as well as for teaching a better understanding of wetlands dynamics and function in the classroom. As a whole, these stations are being used to bring awareness about the fragile and unique hydrological conditions of wetlands in subtropical Southwest Florida, especially for long-term conditions related to sea level changes and more frequent tropical storms.
Comparison of Health-Related Quality of Life Between Patients with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators and Pacemaker Recipients

Both Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD) and pacemakers are life-saving cardiac devices, however they may have a negative impact on Quality of Life (QoL). The implantation of an ICD may increase the risk of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. A few studies examining the devices used to regulate the heart rate report that sudden, but also lifelong mental disorders occur much more frequently in patients with ICDs than those with PM. Compared to healthy population, they experience more anxious states. As for depression, a slight prevalence can be seen in ICD patients as compared to PM patients and healthy population. After the implantation of the pacemaker, the patients’ quality of life changes. Before implementation, patients fear a sudden heart failure or loss of conscience the most. After implantation, the stress related to fear of reduced self-sufficiency gradually disappears. If the patient is prepared for the operation in time and educated, as well as rehabilitated after the operation, anxiety and depression disappear as well. With increasing time elapsing from the operation, the problems decrease.
funSentiment at SemEval-2017 Task 5: Fine-Grained Sentiment Analysis on Financial Microblogs Using Word Vectors Built from StockTwits and Twitter.

This paper describes the approach we used for SemEval-2017 Task 5: Fine-Grained Sentiment Analysis on Financial Microblogs. We use three types of word embeddings in our algorithm: word embeddings learned from 200 million tweets, sentiment-specific word embeddings learned from 10 million tweets using distance supervision, and word embeddings learned from 20 million StockTwits messages. In our approach, we also take the left and right context of the target company into consideration when generating polarity prediction features. All the features generated from different word embeddings and contexts are integrated together to train our algorithm