Cultural and Philosophical Beliefs in Tea Poetry

Tea is a commodity that has greatly changed the course of history. One example of the influence of tea is in poetry. This project analyzes some examples of tea poetry from China and Japan to understand how tea in poetry conveys cultural and philosophical beliefs of given time periods. China and Japan are looked at collectively because their histories are very entwined. In the two Chinese poems, tea is tied to hierarchical relations and the importance of Taoism. In the Japanese poems, tea is greatly related to nature and appreciating simplicity. Three of the four poems are a reaction to living in times of turbulence; thus, tea was used as a means of escape. Lastly, tea is so valued by these poets for its positive connection to physical and mental wellbeing

Selective Lanthanide Sensing with Gold Nanoparticles and Hydroxypyridinone Chelators.

The octadentate hydroxypyridinone chelator 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO) is a promising therapeutic agent because of its high affinity for f-block elements and noncytotoxicity at medical dosages. The interaction between 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO) and other biomedically relevant metals such as gold, however, has not been explored. Gold nanoparticles functionalized with chelators have demonstrated great potential in theranostics, yet thus far, no protocol that combines 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO) and colloidal gold has been developed. Here, we characterize the solution thermodynamic properties of the complexes formed between 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO) and Au3+ ions and demonstrate how under specific pH conditions the chelator promotes the growth of gold nanoparticles, acting as both reducing and stabilizing agent. 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO) ligands on the nanoparticle surface remain active and selective toward f-block elements, as evidenced by gold nanoparticle selective aggregation. Finally, a new colorimetric assay capable of reaching the detection levels necessary for the quantification of lanthanides in waste from industrial processes is developed based on the inhibition of particle growth by lanthanides

Patterned probes for high precision 4D-STEM bragg measurements.

Nanoscale strain mapping by four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) relies on determining the precise locations of Bragg-scattered electrons in a sequence of diffraction patterns, a task which is complicated by dynamical scattering, inelastic scattering, and shot noise. These features hinder accurate automated computational detection and position measurement of the diffracted disks, limiting the precision of measurements of local deformation. Here, we investigate the use of patterned probes to improve the precision of strain mapping. We imprint a "bullseye" pattern onto the probe, by using a binary mask in the probe-forming aperture, to improve the robustness of the peak finding algorithm to intensity modulations inside the diffracted disks. We show that this imprinting leads to substantially improved strain-mapping precision at the expense of a slight decrease in spatial resolution. In experiments on an unstrained silicon reference sample, we observe an improvement in strain measurement precision from 2.7% of the reciprocal lattice vectors with standard probes to 0.3% using bullseye probes for a thin sample, and an improvement from 4.7% to 0.8% for a thick sample. We also use multislice simulations to explore how sample thickness and electron dose limit the attainable accuracy and precision for 4D-STEM strain measurements

The Paradoxical Impact of Scalia\u27s Campaign Against Legislative History

Beginning in 1985, Judge and then Justice Antonin Scalia advocated forcefully against the use of legislative history in statutory interpretation. Justice Scalia’s position, in line with his textualism, was that legislative history was irrelevant and judges should avoid invoking it. Reactions to his attacks among Justices and prominent circuit judges had an ideological quality, with greater support from ideological conservatives. In this Article, we consider the role that political party and timing of judicial nomination played in circuit judges’ use of legislative history. Specifically, we hypothesize that Republican circuit judges were more likely to respond to the attacks on legislative history than their Democratic counterparts, and that judges who joined the bench during or after these attacks were more likely to be influenced than their counterparts who were appointed before the attacks. Utilizing a dataset containing all published federal appellate court majority opinions between 1965 and 2011 (more than 240,000 opinions), we find that, for both hypotheses, the judges whom we would expect to be more influenced by the attacks on legislative history were in fact less likely than their counterparts to cite statements from floor debates or committee hearings, traditionally regarded as among the least reliable forms of legislative history. But they were more likely than their counterparts to cite committee reports, traditionally regarded as the most reliable form of legislative history. The attacks on legislative history thus seem to have had the effect of pushing judges who might be expected to be influenced to (re)examine their treatment of legislative history but not (as Scalia had advocated) to avoid citing it. Instead, they adopted what had been the consensus approach for most of the twentieth century. Scalia influenced, but he did not persuade

Calcium-binding capacity of organic and inorganic ortho- and polyphosphates

The aim of this research was to determine the calcium-binding capacity of inorganic and organic ortho- and polyphosphates. This calcium-binding capacity can be used to influence the stability of, for example, casein micelles in dairy systems. Four phosphates were selected: disodium uridine monophosphate (Na2UMP, organic orthophosphate), disodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4, inorganic orthophosphate), sodium phytate (SP, organic polyphosphate), and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP, inorganic polyphosphate). Concentrations of up to 100 mmolL-1 phosphate were added to a 50 mmolL-1 CaCl2 solution. The samples were prepared at pH 8.0 and were analyzed before and after sterilization for calcium-ion activity, conductivity, pH, sediment, and turbidity. Both SHMP and SP are strong chelators, as calcium ions bind to these phosphates in the ratio of 3:1 and 6:1, respectively. Calcium ions also strongly bind to Na2HPO4, but in a ratio of 3:2 with insoluble Ca3(PO4)2 complexes as result. The equilibrium position of Na2UMP is not strong towards the chelated complex, and significant levels of free calcium and free phosphate can exist. An equilibrium constant of Lmol-1 was determined for calcium uridine monophosphate (CaUMP) complexes. Both calculation of the equilibrium constant and analysis on the CaUMP precipitate confirmed a reactivity of 1:1 between calcium and Na2UMP. The CaUMP complexes are well soluble at ambient temperature, and insoluble complexes appear after sterilization, because the solubility of CaUMP decreases during heating. Finally, we concluded that the structure of phosphate molecules determines their calcium-binding capacity rather than organic or inorganic origin of phosphate

Oxygen persufflation as adjunct in liver preservation (OPAL): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early graft dysfunction due to preservation/reperfusion injury represents a dramatic event after liver transplantation. Enhancement of donor organ criteria, in order to cope with the ever increasing donor shortage, further increases graft susceptibility to ischemic alterations.</p> <p>Major parts of post-preservation injury, however, occur at the time of warm reperfusion but not during ischemic storage; successful reperfusion of ischemic tissue in turn depends on an adequate redox and intracellular signal homeostasis. The latter has been shown experimentally to be favorably influenced by oxygen persufflation within short time spans. Thus viability of marginally preserved liver grafts could still be augmented by transient hypothermic reconditioning <b><it>even after </it></b>normal procurement and static cold storage. The present study is aimed to confirm the conceptual expectations, that hypothermic reconditioning by gaseous oxygen persufflation is a useful method to suppress injurious cellular activation cascades and to improve post-ischemic recovery of marginally preserved liver grafts.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>OPAL is a prospective single center randomized proof of concept study, including two parallel groups in a total of 116 liver transplant patients. The effect of an in hospital treatment of the isolated liver graft by 2 hours of oxygen persufflation immediately prior to transplantation will be assesses as compared to standard procedure (cold storage without further intervention). The primary endpoint is the peak transaminase serum level (AST) during the first three days after transplantation as a surrogate readout for parenchymal liver injury. Other outcomes comprise patient and graft survival, time of intensive care requirement, hepatic tissue perfusion 1h after revascularisation, early onset of graft dysfunction based on coagulation parameters, as well as the use of a refined scoring-system for initial graft function based on a multi-parameter (AST, ALT, Quick and bilirubin) score. Furthermore, the effect of OPAL on molecular pathways of autophagy and inflammatory cell activation will be evaluated. Final analysis will be based on all participants as randomized (intention to treat).</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN00167887">ISRCTN00167887</a></p

The Effect of NAFTA on Mexican Agricultural Exports to the United States: The Case of Coffee Beans, 1970-2003

Since its implementation in 1994, NAFTA\u27s impacts on trade have been extensively and positively evaluated at an aggregate level, but not so much at a regional or sectorial level. Through time series analysis, this paper studies NAFTA\u27s impact on Mexican exports of coffee beans to the U.S. The study shows a NAFTA\u27s positive, although short-lasting effect (for two-three years) on the studied variable, mainly because the international market of coffee beans used to function on a quota system, thus preventing Mexico from capitalizing (and furthering) on the comparative advantage derived from its location, close to the U.S. market