cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patterns and Universals of Mate Poaching Across 53 Nations: The Effects of Sex, Culture, and Personality on Romantically Attracting Another Person's Partner

As part of the International Sexuality Description Project, 16,954 participants from 53 nations were administered an anonymous survey about experiences with romantic attraction. Mate poaching--romantically attracting someone who is already in a relationship--was most common in Southern Europe, South America, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe and was relatively infrequent in Africa, South/Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Evolutionary and social-role hypotheses received empirical support. Men were more likely than women to report having made and succumbed to short-term poaching across all regions, but differences between men and women were often smaller in more gender-egalitarian regions. People who try to steal another's mate possess similar personality traits across all regions, as do those who frequently receive and succumb to the poaching attempts by others. The authors conclude that human mate-poaching experiences are universally linked to sex, culture, and the robust influence of personal dispositions.
The Author's Edition of H. C. Andersen's Works: An American‐Danish Collaboration

The Author's Edition of H.C. Andersen's works, published by Hurd and Houghton of Boston between 1869 and 1871, is the only edition of collected writings by Andersen in English and reflects the most important episode in the relationship between him and the United States. While variously illuminated by Andersen scholarship, the edition has never been the subject of a specialized investigation. Following an introduction to the life and work of Horace E. Scudder, the editor in charge of the undertaking, the present study traces the origin and progress of the edition primarily as observed in the correspondence between Scudder and Andersen, correcting certain misapprehensions found in earlier research. In the process it examines matters such as the original intention to include a volume of poetry and plays and offers concrete reasons for the ultimate failure of the edition as well as evidence that its failure may not have been as great as commonly thought.
Cloud tracing in convection-diffusion systems

The paper describes a highly interactive method for computer visualization of simultaneous three-dimensional vector and scalar flow fields in convection-diffusion systems. This method allows a computational fluid dynamics user to visualize the basic physical process of dispersion and mixing rather than just the vector and scalar values computed by the simulation. It is based on transforming the vector field from a traditionally Eulerian reference frame into a Lagrangian reference frame. Fluid elements are traced through the vector field for the mean path as well as the statistical dispersion of the fluid elements about the mean position by using added scalar information about the root mean square value of the vector field and its Lagrangian time scale. In this way, clouds of fluid elements are traced not just mean paths. We have used this method to visualize the simulation of an industrial incinerator to help identify mechanisms for poor mixing. >
Eagle Ford and the State of Texas

The Eagle Ford Shale formation has had wide ranging effects in South Texas. For the larger 20-county area, Eagle Ford Shale activity generated over $61 billion in economic impact and supported 116,000 jobs in 2012. These impacts are being felt across some of the traditionally poorest counties in the state of Texas. The build-out of supporting infrastructure such as rail and pipelines has been substantial. There have also been strains on other types of infrastructure such as roads, water and wastewater treatment, and housing. The implications of unconventional shale oil and gas development also have global implications, such as the prospect for exporting natural gas from the United States. Yet, community sustainability remains a key concern for local leaders. In order to assuage concerns about the prospects for an eventual slowdown, community leaders are looking for ways to build high-quality infrastructure and diversify their economies.
Local and Global Compact Attractors Arising in Nonlinear Elasticity: The Case of Noncompact Nonlinearity and Nonlinear Dissipation

Asymptotic behavior of solutions to a von Karman system with nonlinear dissipation is considered. In the case of boundary dissipation alone, existence of local compact attractors is established. Instead, in the case of interior dissipation, it is shown that the compact attractor is also global. The novelty and difficulty of the problem stems from the fact that the nonlinear and nondissipative term in the equation is not a compact perturbation (unlike other von Karman models which account for rotational forces).
Lower Bounds for Multi-Echelon Stochastic Inventory Systems

We establish lower bounds on the minimum cost of managing certain production-distribution networks with setup costs at all stages and stochastic demands. These networks include serial, assembly, and one-warehouse multi-retailer systems. We obtain the bounds through novel cost-allocation schemes. We evaluate the bounds' performance for one-warehouse multi-retailer systems by comparing them with simple, heuristic policies. The bounds are quite tight for systems with a small number of retailers. We also present simplified proof of known optimality results for serial and assembly systems.
Father-Child Involvement in English-Speaking Caribbean Countries: Links to Childhood Development

The social-structural familial arrangements, beliefs about fatherhood and fathering, levels of father involvement, and the meaning of paternal involvement for childhood development are considered in English-speaking Indo-Caribbean and African-Caribbean families. Fatherhood occurs in diverse mating unions and fathers hold traditional beliefs about men’s roles that are steeped in hegemonic models of manhood. Levels of involvement are comparable to those of fathers in other developing societies. Family process variables such as stable living arrangements, cohesion, warmth and affection, and adaptability appear more influential in determining developmental outcomes than family structure. Policies and practices that may encourage male participation with children are suggested.
Maternal depressive symptoms and low literacy as potential barriers to employment in a sample of families receiving welfare: are there two-generational implications?

SUMMARY This study examines the role of maternal depressive symptoms and low maternal literacy in predicting outcomes in two generations in families receiving welfare: mothers' employment and children's development. The sample consists of 351 African-American families, each with a preschool-age child, in which the mother had applied for or was receiving welfare. Close to the start of the study, 52.6 percent of the mothers in the sample had scores indicating lower literacy, 39.5 percent reported moderate to high levels of depressive symptoms, and 24.6 percent had a co-occurrence of these. Using continuous scores, in multivariate analyses of variance, neither level of literacy, extent of depressive symptoms, nor the interaction of these, were found to predict two measures of subsequent employment (any employment across the two year follow-up period, and current employment at the time of the follow-up). However, when cut points were used (low literacy; moderate to high depressive symptoms), mothers with low ...
Tropeless in Seattle: the cure for insomnia

The causal relation has relata, but it is disputed just what those relata are. The best known accounts are Davidson's (concrete events) and Kim's (property instances). Elsewhere (1997) I defend the property instance view as against Davidsonian events, and here I defend the thesis that property instances, qua causal relata, are tropes, not exemplifications of universals as against Kim (which I also earlier defended (1997) on very different grounds). My argument centres around certain causal truths that are consistent with the trope view, but cannot easily be made consistent with the exemplification view. Specifically, I argue that the most natural solution to the difficult issue of how it is that dispositional/functional property instances can have effects is sustainable only if causal relata are tropes, not exemplifications of universals. For Kim, causal relata are events and an event is a property instance or the exemplification of a universal by an object at a time. (Kim 1993: 3-21). Each such event/property instance has a unique constitutive attribute, the property the exemplification of which by the object is the event. The event of Socrates' dying at t has as its constitutive property 'dying'. In addition, that event exemplifies other, nonconstitutive properties, such as occurring in a prison. For Kim, an event's causal relations are determined by its unique constitutive property and no other properties of the event. On the trope view, causal relata are individual properties that are themselves unshareable spatio-temporal particulars, not exemplifications of universals. The cause of your snow blindness is a particular whiteness, not the exemplification of the universal 'whiteness' by the snow. Tropes differ from exemplifications in that tropes do not include a separate component that determines their nature, akin to a universal and another that determines their particularity, akin to a bare particular or an object. The trope's nature is not separable from its particularity, and to think of tropes otherwise would collapse them into exemplifications of universals. With this contrast in mind, let's turn to the problem of dispositional causation. A second-order property is the property of having some property X or other that satisfies a certain specification H. Functional properties specify H in terms of causes and effects and dispositional properties specify H in terms of just effects in various circumstances C. Now consider the dispositional property of 'being dormitive', the property of having some property or other that causes sleep in certain circumstances. Suppose that a pill has this property in virtue of having a certain chemical property P. Jones takes
ASSESSING WINTER WHEAT RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE SCENARIOS: A SIMULATION STUDY IN THE U.S. GREAT PLAINS

Hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major crop in the Great Plains region of the U.S. The goal of this assessment effort was to investigate the influence of two contrasting global climate change projections (U.K. Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research and Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis) on the yield and percent kernel nitrogen content of winter wheat at three locations in Nebraska. These three locations represent sub-humid and semi arid areas and the transition between these areas and are also representative of major portions of the winter wheat growing areas of the central Great Plains. Climate scenarios based on each of the projections for each location were developed using the LARS-WG weather generator along with data from automated weather stations. CERES-Wheat was used to simulate the responses for two contrasting cultivars of wheat using two sowing dates. The first sowing date represented current sowing dates appropriate for each location. The second sowing date was later and represents the approximate date when the mean air temperature from the climate scenarios is the same as the mean air temperature from the actual climate data at the current sowing dates. The yield and percent kernel nitrogen content using the two climate scenarios generally decrease going from the sub-humid eastern to the semi arid western parts of Nebraska. Results from these simulations indicate that yield and percent kernel nitrogen content using the two climate scenarios could not both be maintained at levels currently simulated. Protein content (directly related to kernel nitrogen content) and end-use quality are the primary determinants for the use of hard red winter wheat in baked goods. Nitrogen management and new cultivars, which can enhance the uptake and translocation of nitrogen, will be proactive steps to meet the challenges of global climate change as represented by these climate scenarios.
Development of the Electronic Portfolio Student Perspective Instrument: An ePortfolio integration initiative

WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF EPORTFOLIOS and their organizational uses in higher education, it is important for educators and other relevant stakeholders to understand the student perspective. The way students view and use ePortfolios are revealing elements to aid educators in the successful integration of ePortfolio systems. This research describes the development of the Electronic Portfolio Student Perspective Instrument (EPSPI) and initial validation (N=204) efforts in the context of an ePortfolio initiative in a College of Education. The EPSPI incorporates four domains from a student perspective: employment, visibility, assessment, and learning; and connects those domains with four relevant stakeholders: students, administrators, faculty, and employers. Descriptive analyses, exploratory factor analysis, and a qualitative analysis using grounded theory were used. Results indicate that student perspectives towards ePortfolios are multidimensional with three distinct, internally consistent underlying constructs: learning, assessment, and visibility. Qualitative analysis revealed four interrelated themes from a student perspective: system characteristics, support structure, purpose, and personal impact.
No Company is an Island. Sector-Related Responsibilities as Elements of Corporate Social Responsibility

In this paper, I analyze the moral responsibilities that companies have with regard to the development of their sector, especially when there are path dependences that can lead sectors on more or less morally acceptable paths, e.g., with regard to market access for disadvantaged groups. The interdependencies between companies in a sector are underexplored in the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Reflections on the normative status of profit-seeking and on the normative bases of CSR, however, provide us with reasons for seeing sector-related responsibilities as an important component of CSR. Based on a case study of a financial institution, I analyze various morally relevant ways in which the strategic decisions of companies relate to those of other companies in their sector. I argue that companies have a co-responsibility to contribute to the development of the moral dimensions of their sectors, especially when they deal with vulnerable customers.
Incorporating tutoring principles into interactive knowledge acquisition

This paper argues that interactive knowledge acquisition systems would benefit from a tighter and more thorough incorporation of tutoring and learning principles. Current acquisition systems learn from users in a passive manner, and could instead be designed to incorporate the proactive capabilities that one expects of a good student. We first describe our analysis of the literature on teacher-student interaction and present a compilation of tutoring and learning principles that are relevant to interactive knowledge acquisition systems. We then point out what tutoring and learning principles have been used to date in the acquisition literature, though unintentionally and implicitly, and discuss how a more thorough and explicit representation of these principles would help improve how computers learn from users. We present our design and an initial implementation of an acquisition dialogue system called SLICK that represents acquisition principles and goals explicitly and declaratively, making the system actively reason about various acquisition tasks and generate its interactions dynamically. Finally, we discuss promising directions in designing acquisition systems by structuring interactions with users according to tutoring and learning principles.
Cryptanalysis of a Cognitive Authentication Scheme (Extended Abstract)

We present attacks against two cognitive authentication schemes [9] proposed at the 2006 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy. These authentication schemes are designed to be secure against eavesdropping attacks while relying only on human cognitive skills. They achieve authentication via challenge response protocols based on a shared secret set of pictures. Our attacks use a SAT solver to recover a user's secret key in a few seconds, after observing only a small number of successful logins. These attacks demonstrate that the authentication schemes of [9] are not secure against an eavesdropping adversary.
Positive Control of a Regulon for Defenses against Oxidative Stress and Some Heat-Shock Proteins in Salmonella typhimurium

Summary S. typhimurium become resistant to killing by hydrogen peroxide and other oxidants when pretreated with nonlethal levels of hydrogen peroxide. During adaptation to hydrogen peroxide, 30 proteins are induced. Nine are constitutively overexpressed in dominant hydrogen peroxide-resistant oxyR mutants. Mutant oxyR1 is resistant to a variety of oxidizing agents and overexpresses at least five enzyme activities involved in defenses against oxidative damage, Deletions of oxyR are recessive and uninducible by hydrogen peroxide for the nine proteins overexpressed in oxyR1, demonstrating that oxyR is a positive regulatory element. The oxyR1 mutant is also more resistant than the wild-type parent to killing by heat, and it constitutively overexpresses three heat-shock proteins. The oxyR regulatory network is a previously uncharacterized global regulatory system in enteric bacteria.
Physiologic hypoxia and oxygen homeostasis in the healthy intestine. A Review in the Theme: Cellular Responses to Hypoxia

In recent years, the intestinal mucosa has proven to be an intriguing organ to study tissue oxygenation. The highly vascularized lamina propria juxtaposed to an anaerobic lumen containing trillions of metabolically active microbes results in one of the most austere tissue microenvironments in the body. Studies to date have determined that a healthy mucosa contains a steep oxygen gradient along the length of the intestine and from the lumen to the serosa. Advances in technology have allowed multiple independent measures and indicate that, in the healthy mucosa of the small and large intestine, the lumen-apposed epithelia experience Po2 conditions of <10 mmHg, so-called physiologic hypoxia. This unique physiology results from a combination of factors, including countercurrent exchange blood flow, fluctuating oxygen demands, epithelial metabolism, and oxygen diffusion into the lumen. Such conditions result in the activation of a number of hypoxia-related signaling processes, including stabilization of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor. Here, we review the principles of mucosal oxygen delivery, metabolism, and end-point functional responses that result from this unique oxygenation profile.
Thermal Isolation Using Air Gap and Mechanically Flexible Interconnects for Heterogeneous 3-D ICs

This paper presents a set of thermal isolation technologies to provide a measure to thermally insulate low-power temperature-sensitive tiers from the time-varying power dissipation of high-power tier in heterogeneous 3-D integrated circuits. The proposed technologies use an air gap and mechanically flexible interconnects (MFIs) to replace conventional microbumps and underfill. A two-tier testbed is fabricated to emulate a heterogeneous 3-D stack. The results are then benchmarked with a standard 3-D stacking approach that is simulated using finite-volume modeling. Compared with the conventional approach using microbumps and underfill, a temperature reduction of 35.9% can be achieved in the low-power tier by implementing the air gap and MFIs. Four-point and daisy-chain resistances of the MFIs are measured to verify the electrical connectivity between the tiers during temperature cycling.
The Third Voice of American Politics

This article describes the people's voice in American politics by contrasting it to those of the nation's leaders and the working press. Based on a content analysis of all three actors (with letters to the editor serving as a stand-in for the citizenry), we find the people situated midway between politicians and the press. Citizen-writers show greater rhetorical optimism than media operatives but not as much as White House aspirants. Citizens also complain about politics, but it is the management of their buoyancy that makes them special. By understanding the people's voice, the roles of politicians and the press become eminently clearer.
Effect of angiotensin on the cardioaccelerator response to sympathetic nerve stimulation in isolated rabbit hearts.

SummaryThe accelerator response to sympathetic nerve stimulation in perfused rabbit hearts was significantly greater during than before angiotensin infusions. A similar effect of angiotensin at other adrenergic neuroeffector sites has been reported previously, and mechanisms of action that have been suggested for this influence include sensitization of the receptor site to the action of norepinephrine, prevention of the re-uptake or facilitated release of norepinephrine. Evidence is presented in the experiments reported here that at cardiac neuroeffector sites angiotensin does not sensitize the receptor sites nor prevent the uptake of norepinephrine, since the accelerator responses to norepinephrine were similar before and during angiotensin infusions. It appears most likely, therefore, that the mechanism by which angiotensin causes an increased accelerator response to sympathetic nerve stimulation in these preparations is to potentiate the release of norepinephrine from the active adrenergic nerve endings.
Calosoma sayi: Seasonal History and Response to Insecticides in Soybeans

Pitfall traps were used to monitor Calosoma sayi DeJean (Coleoptera: Carabidae) populations in soybean fields to determine the species' seasonal history, patterns of colonization, and response to insecticides. C. sayi adults were detected from mid-July into mid-Oct. Adults of the 1st and 2nd generations were separated by ca. 4 wk. Usually only 1 generation developed annually, but a 2nd generation developed in some instances. C. sayi adults quickly established populations in most areas where noctuid larvae were plentiful. However, no C. sayi were detected, even though abundant prey were available, in 2 relatively isolated soybean fields which had not been previously planted to soybeans. Methyl-parathion and methomyl treatments reduced the numbers of C. sayi larvae when these insecticides were applied when these forms were active. However, applications made before C. sayi activity began often resulted in higher adult and larval numbers later. Insecticide induced reductions of the beetles' biotic control agents and, more likely, a resurgence of noctuid prey in treated areas may have led to the increase in numbers of C. sayi after insecticide treatment.
Hybrid TiO2–SnO2 Nanotube Arrays for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Tin oxide (SnO2) is a promising wide band gap semiconductor material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) because of its high bulk electron mobility. Employing vertically ordered 1-D nanostructures of SnO2 as the photoanode may overcome the limit of current DSCs by using new redox mediators with faster kinetics than currently used ones. Synthesizing such nanostructures and integrating them into DSCs, however, has been proven challenging. Here, we demonstrate that, by using ZnO nanowires as a sacrificial template, vertically aligned SnO2 nanotube arrays may be feasibly synthesized through a liquid-phase conversion process, and the synthesized SnO2 nanotubes can be further coated with a thin layer of TiO2 to form hybrid TiO2–SnO2 nanotube arrays. Both the resulting SnO2 and hybrid TiO2–SnO2 nanotube arrays are used to fabricate DSCs, and the best performing cell delivers a promising efficiency of 3.53%. Transient photovoltage measurements indicate that the electron recombination lifetime in hybrid TiO2–SnO...
A New Genus of the Tremellaceae

The genus Seismosarca was established by Cooke (Grevillea 18: 25. 1889) for a gelatinous fungus collected in New South Wales, which he called 5\ hydrophora. Little attention was paid to the genus until Lloyd (Myc. Writ. 5, Letter 62: 6-7. 1916) referred a second collec? tion from Australia to Cooke's species, noting its possession of gloeo? cystidia. Lloyd had examined Cooke's type at Kew and pointed out the errors in Cooke's description. The following year (Myc. Writ. 5, Myc. Notes 629-630. 1917) he comments further on the second collec? tion, stating that the spores are pale yellow and that the basidia are like those of an Exidia. Lloyd had previously shown that a common species of temperate North America, often listed as Tremella albida Huds. ex Fries, the identity of which is not certain, was unlike any European spe? cies and proposed for it the name Exidiopsis alba (Myc. Writ. 4, Letter 44: 8-9. 1913). In 1917, he decided that Seismosarca hydrophora and Exidiopsis alba were congeneric and transferred the latter to Seismo? sarca as 6\ alba (Lloyd) Lloyd. Burt (Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 8: 366. 1921) transferred the American species to Exidia as E. alba (Lloyd) Burt, noting that it would be the only member of the genus with gloeocystidia, but adding the comment: "it seems unnecessary and a great pity to segregate already small genera on the basis of every positive character which would make a species noteworthy." Another species which must be considered in this connection is Tremella pululahuana Pat. (Bull. Soc. Myc. Fr. 9: 138. 1893), origi? nally described from Ecuador and also characterized by gloeocystidia. Bourdot and Galzin (Hymen. Fr. 48. 1929) transferred it to Bour? dotia, believing it to be represented in Europe by two subspecies, B. pululahuana ssp. Galzinii (Bres.) B. & G. and B. pululahuana ssp. caesia (Bres. & Torr.) B. & G. Rogers (Univ. Iowa Stud. Nat. Hist. 17: 38. 1935) transferred Patouillard's species to Sebacina as .9. pulu-
The rotational partition function for linear molecules

An important function in the statistical treatment of a gas of linear molecules is $$S(\alpha ) = \sum\limits_{J = 0}^\infty {(2J + 1)e^{ - \alpha J(J + 1)} } $$ This sum is convenient to use mainly when α is large and alternate expressions, generally asymptotic expansions, are often used when α is small. In this paper, the sum is evaluated to yield a single expression that is valid for large and small values of α. The expression is composed of three terms, each of which involves the theta functions of Jacobi. One term is in the form of an integral, but is small relative to the other two and easily evaluated by numerical means. The expression is readily differentiated and can be used for the general evaluation of the rotational partition function for gases of linear molecules at all temperatures.
“A Postgame Interview for the Ages”: Richard Sherman and the Dialectical Rhetoric of Racial Neoliberalism

This essay analyzes articulations of race and power as they surfaced in the media uproar surrounding National Football League (NFL) star Richard Sherman’s notorious 2014 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship post-game “interview for the ages.” It charts two dialectical poles of representation: overtly racist denunciations of Sherman as a classless “thug” and counter-representations of self-enterprising talent. I argue these competing images register “permissible narratives of difference” that underwrite a neoliberal, post-racial project. The article thus explores how Sherman’s newfound celebrity authorizes “official antiracisms” of post-racial rhetoric, which foreclose alternatives to the privatization and depoliticization of racial discourse.
Sensing delamination in epoxy encapsulant systems with fiber Bragg gratings

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are well-suited for embedded sensing of interfacial phenomena in materials systems, due to the sensitivity of their spectral response to locally non-uniform strain fields. Over the last 15 years, FBGs have been successfully employed to sense delamination at interfaces, with a clear emphasis on planar events induced by transverse cracks in fiber-reinforced plastic laminates. We have built upon this work by utilizing FBGs to detect circular delamination events at the interface between epoxy films and alumina substrates. Two different delamination processes are examined, based on stress relief induced by indentation of the epoxy film or by cooling to low temperature. We have characterized the spectral response pre- and post-delamination for both simple and chirped FBGs as a function of delamination size. We show that delamination is readily detected by the evolution of a non-uniform strain distribution along the fiber axis that persists after the stressing condition is removed. These residual strain distributions differ substantially between the delamination processes, with indentation and cooling producing predominantly tensile and compressive strain, respectively, that are well-captured by Gaussian profiles. More importantly, we observe a strong correlation between spectrally-derived measurements, such as spectral widths, and delamination size. Our results further highlight the unique capabilities of FBGs as diagnostic tools for sensing delamination in materials systems.
Molecular Typing of Non-poliovirus and Characteristic Analysis of Echovirus 13 in Yunnan,2002

Objective To describe the molecular typing of non-polio viruses(NPV) from AFP cases in Yunnan province in 2002,and the genetic characteristics of echovirus 13(E13).Methods Tweenty-one strains of non-poliovirus isolated in Yunnan provential AFP laboratory in 2002 were detected according to Oberste's method by sequencing.Results In 2002,a total of 267 AFP cases were reported in Yunnan province,257 stool samples from cases aged under 15 years were collected,from which 43(16.7%) NPV strains were detected,22(8.6%) strains of polioviruses was detected,and were all vaccine strains.No wild polioviruses was detected;21(8.4%) non-polio viruses were detected.Among 21 EV strains,12 strains were HEV-B(11 serotypes,of which,3 strains were E13),3 strains were HEV-C(1 serotypes).HEV-A and HEV-D viruses were not detected.Conclusion In 2002,the NPV carrying rate of AFP patients in Yunnan province was not high.The phyloginetic analysis showed the genetic diversity of E13 in Yunnan province.
The long transition from a natural state to a liberal economic order

Abstract Magna Carta is often heralded as the foundation stone for the subsequent emergence of the rule of law in England. But what made it enforceable and ensured that its terms were adhered to by subsequent monarchs? This paper develops an institutional account of the emergence of the rule of law in medieval England that draws on the work of North, Wallis and Weingast (2009) . I argue that the Magna Carta should be seen as just one episode in the long process of establishing a centralized but constrained state in England. Similar documents to Magna Carta were common throughout medieval Europe. It was the subsequent development of a consensus-based tax state that was of decisive important for the later emergence of the rule of law in medieval and early modern England.
In Vitro and In Vivo Characterization of Biodegradable Poly(organophosphazenes) for Biomedical Applications

The need and the growing interest in polymers as biomaterials have led to the synthesis of new polymers with a variety of physico-chemical properties. Biomedical application of such materials not only depends on their physical properties but also on biocompatibility and biodegradability. Polyphosphazenes are a family of ‘hybrid inorganic–organic polymers’ with inorganic elements in the backbone and organic side-groups. The polyphosphazenes constitute a family of greatly diverse performance materials with a broad spectrum of properties. The present review focuses on the biodegradable polyphosphazenes, their biocompatibility, and degradation behavior both in vitro and in vivo. This review also covers the use of biodegradable polyphosphazenes as controlled release devices.
2014 Annual Site Environmental Report Summary Pamphlet for Sandia National Laboratories New Mexico.

This ASER Summary Pamphlet presents the environmental protection, restoration, and monitoring programs in place at SNL/NM during calendar year 2014. It also discusses Sandia’s compliance with environmental regulations, and it highlights significant environmental program efforts and accomplishments. The environmental programs and waste management activities at SNL/NM meet or exceed the requirements of federal, state, and local environmental regulations, as well as DOE directives in the contract between Sandia and DOE. This document, prepared in accordance with and as required by DOE Order 231.1B, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, is a key component of DOE’s efforts to keep the public informed about environmental conditions throughout the DOE/NNSA nuclear weapons complex.
Drug Rediscovery: Glybenclamide Exhibits Thromboxane Receptor-Dependent Antithrombotic Activity.

Abstract 2994 Poster Board II-971 While proper platelet function is a vital component of hemostasis, inappropriate activation of platelets contributes to occlusive disorders such as myocardial infarction, and stroke. One pathway for platelet activation involves the synthesis of the lipid mediator thromboxane A2 (TXA2), which acts by binding to its seven-transmembrane receptor (abbreviated as TPR). Although this signaling pathway participates in the genesis of thrombosis, currently, there are no TPR antagonists that are available for clinical use; and aspirin remains the sole agent targeting this pathway. However, since aspirin is associated with multiple adverse effects, there is still considerable interest in developing TPR antagonists. To this end, we took the “drug rediscovery” approach to identify TPR antagonists. Since the sulfonylurea glybenclamide appeared to possess most of the pharmacophores known to exist in the TPR antagonist SQ29,548, we predicted it would interact with TPRs (and exhibit antiplatelet/antithrombotic activity). It was found that glybenclamide: 1) inhibited human platelet aggregation induced by the TPR agonist U46619 (1μM) and the TXA2 precursor arachidonic acid (0.5mM), concentration-dependently (1-10μM); 2) displaced SQ29,548 from its binding sites; 3) lacked any detectable effects on aggregation stimulated by 15μM ADP, or the thrombin receptor activating-peptide 4 (40μM); 4) failed to raise cAMP levels; 5) selectively (at 10mg/kg) blocked mouse TPR-mediated aggregation, under ex vivo settings; 6) prolonged (at 10mg/kg) the tail bleeding time in mice; and 6) prolonged (at 10mg/kg) the time for occlusion in a mouse carotid artery thrombosis model. Taken together, these findings indicate that glybenclamide exerts inhibitory effects on platelet function by interacting with TPR, and exhibits antithrombotic activity. Thus glybenclamide, or a rationally designed derivative, has the potential to be applied in the management of thrombotic disorders. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Performance and Identity in the Classical World: The Actor's Freedom: Roscius and the Slave Actor at Rome

I n book 2 of vergil's aeneid , the trojans are persuaded to bring the wooden Horse inside the walls of Troy because they believe the lies of Sinon. Sinon, a Greek agent of Ulysses posing as a deserter, tells the Trojans that the Greeks created the Horse as an offering to the gods for their safe passage home; he assures the Trojans that they will win divine favor – and thwart the Greeks' attempts to do the same – if they bring the Horse inside their city walls. That the Trojans do so to their ultimate ruin is, as they say, history. One of the interesting aspects of this passage is the narrator's “editorial comment” in lines 105–6: he notes that Sinon was able to fool the Trojans because they had no experience of theater. In other words, the Trojans – ancestors of the Romans – could not differentiate lies from truth, because they had not institutionalized (yet) a form of lying. The Trojans were simple, honest – sincere. The Vergilian narrator draws an obvious contrast with Greece; despite the existence of native Italian dramatic traditions, the Romans were fond of regarding drama as a corrupting Greek import. Vergil here inserts a bit of Roman antitheatrical sentiment into his epic “history” of the rise of Rome from the ashes of Troy. The dissembling of one Greek actor was responsible for the fall of Troy.
Robust, Solvent-Free, Catalyst-Free Click Chemistry for the Generation of Highly Stable Densely Grafted Poly(ethylene glycol) Polymer Brushes by the Grafting To Method and Their Properties

Herein we report a robust, highly selective, and efficient method to prepare dense poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymer brushes on silicon substrates via solvent-free, catalyst-free, strain-promoted acetylene–azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) reaction. First, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) was grafted to the silicon substrate as an anchoring layer to immobilize cyclopropenone-caged dibenzocyclooctyne-amine (photo-DIBO-amine) via an epoxy ring-opening reaction providing protected, stable, and functionalized substrates. Next, three synthesized α-methoxy-ω-azido-PEGs of different molecular weights (5, 10, and 20 kg/mol) were successfully grafted to the photo-DIBO-modified silicon substrates from melt after the deprotection of DIBO with UV-irradiation. PEG molecular weight, reaction temperature, and reaction time were all used to control the grafting reaction for targeted brush thicknesses and grafting densities. The highest grafting density obtained was close to 1.2 chains/nm2 and was achieved for 5 kg/mol PEG. The pr...
Quantitative Chemical Imaging of Nonplanar Microfluidics.

Confocal and multiphoton optical imaging techniques have been powerful tools for evaluating the performance of and monitoring experiments within microfluidic devices, but this application suffers from two pitfalls. The first is that obtaining the necessary imaging contrast often requires the introduction of an optical label which can potentially change the behavior of the system. The emerging analytical technique stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy promises a solution, as it can rapidly measure 3D concentration maps based on vibrational spectra, label-free; however, when using any optical imaging technique, including SRS, there is an additional problem of optical aberration due to refractive index mismatch between the fluid and the device walls. New approaches such as 3D printing are extending the range of materials from which microfluidic devices can be fabricated; thus, the problem of aberration can be obviated simply by selecting a chip material that matches the refractive index of the desired...
The emerging roles of carbon dots in solar photovoltaics: a critical review

Since their discovery over a decade ago, fluorescent carbon nanodots, or C-dots, have seen a drastic rise in various synthetic approaches as well as widespread applicability across diverse research fields. More recently, carbon nanodots have shown particular promise in a wide range of photovoltaic devices as inexpensive sensitizer candidates and as functional dopants within photoactive materials, electrolytes, and counter electrodes. While still in their infancy, carbon nanodot-incorporated devices already show encouraging enhancements in device performance, although due to current limiting factors such as poor charge collection and photocurrent generation, there is still much room for further discovery and improvement. Herein, we provide a detailed overview of the current state-of-the-art carbon nanodot-incorporated devices (and their limitations) and suggest some paths forward in the hopes of sparking new ideas on how to better synthesize and purify these materials, which will ultimately lead to a more thorough understanding of their properties so that further performance enhancements within carbon nanodot-incorporated solar-energy harvesting systems may be realized.
Association of genetic polymorphisms of macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) and B-cell activating factor (BAFF) with the detection of donor specific antibodies in kidney allograft recipients

Abstract The posttransplant development of donor specific antibodies (DSA) initiates the antibody mediated rejection (AMR), which is associated with the increased rate of graft loss. One of the characteristics of AMR is the infiltration of innate immune system including macrophages, monocytes, neutrophils or NK cells. Macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) and B-cell activating factor (BAFF) are well known cytokines that are associated with the activation of the innate immune system which can damage kidney allograft. In this article, the association of the genetic polymorphisms of MIF and BAFF with the development of DSA including Class I and II in kidney transplant patients is investigated. A total of 231 renal transplant patients between 2008 and 2012 at St. Vincent Medical Center, CA were studied in a retrospective study design. DSA were determined by Luminex technology, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of MIF and BAFF were determined by the real time PCR based on 5′ nuclease allelic discrimination assay. The genetic polymorphisms of MIF rs1007888 (C/T) was associated with increased risk of positive DSA detection (p = 0.04) after transplantation, and consistently significant after 1 year (p = 0.016). Furthermore, the presence of C allele were associated with the increased risk of Class I DSA detection (OR 1.816, CI 1.141–2.889, p = 0.011). Also, genetic polymorphisms of BAFF rs12583006 were associated with the increased risk of Class II DSA detection (p = 0.033). In conclusion, the genetic polymorphisms of MIF and BAFF may increase the risk of posttransplant development of DSA. This result suggests the association between the development of posttransplant DSA and the activation of innate immune system.
The Structure of Thymidylate Kinase from Candida albicans Reveals a Unique Structural Element

The structure of thymidylate kinase from Candida albicans, determined by X-ray crystallography, is reported to a resolution of 2.45 A with a final Rfree of 0.223. Thymidylate kinase from C. albicans possesses a unique 15-residue loop that is not seen in thymidylate kinases from other genera. The structure reported here reveals that the conformation of this loop is constrained by both intra- and intersubunit hydrogen bonding, and a number of key residues in this loop are conserved among different Candida species that are medically important. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was determined using a novel nuclear magnetic resonance-based assay as well as a traditional coupled assay. The enzyme is active against 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine monophosphate and moderately active with dGMP. The distinct functional and structural differences between the C. albicans enzyme and the human enzyme suggest that thymidylate kinase is an appropriate target for the development of new antifungal agents.
Growing the natural man: the hirsute face in the antebellum North

ABSTRACTThis article examines shifts in public attitudes toward beards in the North before the Civil War. While newspapers and magazines depicted beards as unsavory, unnatural, and unhealthy in the 1820s and 1830s, but by the mid-1850s, opinion had shifted completely. It argues that this change resulted from an expanding influence of the Romantic movement and a greater emphasis on sentiment and emotion in northern culture.
Kindergarten through Grade 12 Standards: A Philosophy of Grading

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the grading process from kindergarten to 12th standard to figure out what improvements are required for a better education system. As students progress from kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12), they are presumed to be continually in a process of growth. Growth is expected across physical, social, and academic (skills and content) domains. The chapter lists and explains four principles of grading that have the capability to improve many aspects of the education process. These principles (clear and understandable, communicable, fair, and support, enhance, and inform the instructional process) can provide a framework for understanding and improving the grading systems of individual teachers and schools. The chapter also describes the components of grading. These components, leading from instructional goals through collection of evidence of student achievement to the assignment and reporting of grades, correspond to the flow of the instructional process as well. Therefore, the implementation of an effective grading system that flows from these four principles provides an opportunity for improving many other aspects of the educational process.
Biostatistics and Research Design for Clinicians

The objective of this chapter is to provide the reader with a basic understanding of core statistical concepts that will aid in the translation of meaningful research results. We emphasize the importance of a well-defined study design as a strong foundation that will lead to sound evidence. First, we define foundational statistical terminology; we then discuss the steps to generating and testing hypotheses through development of a solid research question and review how to choose an appropriate study design. Second, we describe a twofold approach to data analysis that uses descriptive statistics followed by inferential statistics. Finally, we cover essentials for sound evidence, based on a systematic point-based approach to judge the quality of data and strength of recommendations produced by research studies.
A Framework for Comparing Vascular Hemodynamics at Different Points in Time.

Abstract Computational simulations of blood flow contribute to our understanding of the interplay between vascular geometry and hemodynamics . With an improved understanding of this interplay from computational fluid dynamics (CFD), there is potential to improve basic research and the targeting of clinical care. One avenue for further analysis concerns the influence of time on the vascular geometries used in CFD simulations. The shape of blood vessels changes frequently, as in deformation within the cardiac cycle, and over long periods of time, such as the development of a stenotic plaque or an aneurysm. These changes in the vascular geometry will, in turn, influence flow within these blood vessels. By performing CFD simulations in geometries representing the blood vessels at different points in time, the interplay of these geometric changes with hemodynamics can be quantified. However, performing CFD simulations on different discrete grids leads to an additional challenge: how does one directly and quantitatively compare simulation results from different vascular geometries? In a previous study, we began to address this problem by proposing a method for the simplified case where the two geometries share a common centerline. In this companion paper, we generalize this method to address geometric changes which alter the vessel centerline. We demonstrate applications of this method to the study of wall shear stress in the left coronary artery. First, we compute the difference in wall shear stress between simulations using vascular geometries derived from patient imaging data at two points in the cardiac cycle. Second, we evaluate the relationship between changes in wall shear stress and the progressive development of a coronary aneurysm or stenosis.
Social tag: finding the person with the pink hat

At the AAAI 2005 Robot Exhibition, the robot GRACE (Graduate Robot Attending a ConferencE, Fig. 1) will be playing a game that involves human-robot social interaction, navigation, and interface design. The task is for Grace to locate and rendezvous with one of our team members, who will be wearing a pink hat. The game can be seen as a social version of “tag” or “Marco Polo,” where the the robot finds the target not through the modalities of sight or sound, but rather through social interactions with strangers in the environment. The task has four phases (Fig. 2), which are repeated until the pink hat is located visually: