cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How close to the theoretical diffusion limit do bacterial uptake systems function

Using a 10cm flow-through cuvette in a high precision spectrophotometer linked to a mini-computer, the growth rate dependence of Escherichia coli on glucose concentration has been studied. The specific growth rate vs bacterial mass of single cultures consuming small amounts of glucose was followed. The data were analyzed with the computer programs described previously. For neither batch nor chemostat-cultured organisms did growth follow the monod growth law. Rather, the growth rate vs residual glucose concentration has an almost abrupt change in slope, indicative of a passive diffusion barrier prior to an uptake system possessing hyperbolic dependency. Calculations showed that the diffusion through the outer membrane via the porin channels could quantitatively account for the deviations from hyperbolic dependency. Long term chemostat culture alters the bacteria so that the maximum specific growth rate is reduced, but the initial dependence on glucose concentration is increased approaching more closely the theoretical limit. Therefore there was both a change in the outer membrane channels and the uptake activity of the cytoplasmic membrane.
The Impact of Party Identification and Socially Supplied Disagreement on Electoral Choices in Turkey

The relative impacts of social influence and political party affiliation on electoral choices depend on the maturity of the political party system. In established democracies political party affiliation has a decisive impact on electoral choices whereas in democratizing countries political discussion influences over-time volatility in electoral outcomes. This paper investigates the significance of both factors on individual attitudes toward political candidates in Turkey. Findings from an experiment where social disagreement and candidate political party affiliation are manipulated indicate that young voters are sensitive to both partisan cues and socially supplied disagreement in forming and changing their attitudes toward political candidates. The results also show that, unlike most developing countries with weak parties, party label in Turkey is an important heuristic for making electoral choices. However, social disagreement can make political attitudes unstable. The findings suggest that Turkey prese...
Fractional-difference stochastic model of evolutionary substitutions in DNA sequences

Abstract The number of molecular substitutions occurring in a DNA sequence over a given time is described by a fractional-difference random walk model. This is an empirically motivated stochastic model of molecular evolution and does not address the detailed evolutionary mechanisms that lead to the substitution of nucleotides. This fractal stochastic process yields a Fano Factor, the ratio of the variance to the mean in the number of molecular substitutions, that increases as a power law in time. This prediction agrees with the observed statistics across 49 different genes in mammals. The fractional-difference model of molecular evolution is episodic and can be made consistent with the punctuated equilibrium model of macroevolution.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Express c-kit

To the Editor: I read with interest the article by Hatzistergos et al1 showing that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells stimulate cardiac stem cell proliferation and differentiation. The authors described that endogenous c-kit+ cardiac stem cells (CSCs) increased 20-fold in …
Use of information entropy measures of sitting postural sway to quantify developmental delay in infants

By quantifying the information entropy of postural sway data, the complexity of the postural movement of different populations can be assessed, giving insight into pathologic motor control functioning. In this study, developmental delay of motor control function in infants was assessed by analysis of sitting postural sway data acquired from force plate center of pressure measurements. Two types of entropy measures were used: symbolic entropy, including a new asymmetric symbolic entropy measure, and approximate entropy, a more widely used entropy measure. For each method of analysis, parameters were adjusted to optimize the separation of the results from the infants with delayed development from infants with typical development. The method that gave the widest separation between the populations was the asymmetric symbolic entropy method, which we developed by modification of the symbolic entropy algorithm. The approximate entropy algorithm also performed well, using parameters optimized for the infant sitting data. The infants with delayed development were found to have less complex patterns of postural sway in the medial-lateral direction, and were found to have different left-right symmetry in their postural sway, as compared to typically developing infants. The results of this study indicate that optimization of the entropy algorithm for infant sitting postural sway data can greatly improve the ability to separate the infants with developmental delay from typically developing infants.
The generalized scalar wave equation and linear differential invariants in linear elasticity

Abstract The generalized scalar wave equation with the generalized linear differential invariant is defined for linear elastic analysis. The media which admit this differential equation form are investigated. Green's medium, a transverse isotropic medium, and an orthotropic medium were found to satisfy the scalar wave equation form. The isotropic elastic medium is a special case of the results.
Migration trends in Central Eurasia: Politics versus economics

Abstract The post-Soviet ethnic migration wave was quickly followed by the contraction of population territorial mobility. The growing role of socioeconomic factors in defining the character and intensity of migration flows, including the expansion of temporary, labor and undocumented migration, has been especially pronounced. These changes indicate the evolving relationship between migration and conflicts developing in Central Eurasia. Initially as an indicator of ethnic tensions and discrimination of minorities, migration is becoming a mechanism of market transition, providing for the economic survival of population under crisis conditions. With the depletion of the number of ethnic Russian migrants, the influx of ethnic aliens, moving primarily from Central Asia and the Transcaucasus to Russia, is increasing in importance. The present paper discusses the impact of new migration flows on the economies, welfare mechanisms, financial systems, labor markets, and societies of Central Eurasia. Special attention is given to the governmental response to migration phenomenon—from labor migration criminalization to attempts to stimulate the flow of specific migrant groups.
Mucosal immunopathogenesis of HIV infection: implications for vaccine development

Recent discoveries in the immunology and pathogenesis of HIV infection have fundamentally changed our understanding of primary HIV infection, and have the potential to revolutionize future HIV vaccine and therapeutic strategies. What was once thought of as a slow or even ‘latent’ viral infection, is now known to be an infection that rapidly infects and destroys the majority of memory CD4+CCR5+ T cells within days, or at least weeks, of primary infection, particularly those residing in mucosal effector sites. Unfortunately, these cells may be critical for generating or maintaining effective immune responses for both humoral and cell-mediated arms of the immune system, which could explain why the vast majority of HIV-infected patients develop AIDS, and our continuing difficulty in developing an effective vaccine. Recent advances in our understanding of acute HIV infection, the importance of the mucosal immune system in HIV pathogenesis, and the implications of these aspects in relation to vaccine approaches...
Modified Optimal Prediction and its Application to a Particle-Method Problem

The paper is concerned with system reduction by statistical methods and, in particular, by the optimal prediction method introduced in (Chorin, A.J., Hald, O.H., Kupferman, R., Optimal prediction with memory, Phys. D 166:239---257, 2002). The optimal prediction method deals with problems that possess large and small scales and uses the conditional expectation to model the influence of the small scales on the large ones. In the current paper, we develop a different variant of the optimal prediction method as well as introduce and compare several approximations of this method. We apply the original and modified optimal prediction methods to a system of ODEs obtained from a particle method discretization of a hyperbolic PDE and demonstrate their performance in a number of numerical experiments.
The effect of overcoats on the ablative writing characteristics of tellurium films

The change in the ablative writing sensitivity of Te films due to SiO2 and polymethyl methacrylate overcoats of various thicknesses were measured. These experimental data were compared to results of thermal calculations. We found that thermal losses of the absorbed laser energy to the overcoat layer is usually not negligible even for very thin (≲500 A thick) overcoat layers. In addition to thermal effects which degrade the writing sensitivity of Te films, we found that rigid overcoats combined with rigid substrates can constrain the ablative writing process of Te and hence cause further degradation in the writing sensitivity and in the read‐during‐write signal.
Left ventricular outflow tract reconstruction and translocation of the aortic valve for annular erosion: early and midterm outcomes.

Objective Aortic annular erosion is a serious complication of aortic valve endocarditis or previous aortic valve replacement without endocarditis, and its surgical management is challenging. We present the early and midterm results of a technique for left ventricular outflow tract and aortic root reconstruction with a polyester tube graft and translocation of the aortic valve and coronary arteries. Methods A polyester tube graft is placed into the left ventricle and sutured to the left ventricular outflow tract below the area of erosion. The graft is then everted and sutured to a composite graft. Interposition polyester grafts from the coronary arteries are attached to the composite graft above the valve. This technique has been used in 12 cases. All but 1 patient had previously undergone aortic root or aortic valve replacement, and 4 had endocarditis of prosthetic (n = 2) or aortic allograft (n = 2) valves. Results There were no in-hospital deaths. There was 1 early death from pulmonary embolism at 1 postoperative month and 2 late deaths at 15 and 64 postoperative months, both resulting from heart failure. The remaining 9 patients are alive at 3 to 132 postoperative months. Actuarial 5-year survival is 75%. Conclusions Left ventricular outflow tract reconstruction with translocation of the aortic valve and coronary arteries for annular erosion is a useful technique that safely excludes the area of annular erosion and eliminates left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. The procedure can be safely performed with satisfactory early outcomes and 5-year survival.
Evaluation of guidelines for ordering prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times.

Objectives: Existing clinical practice guidelines for ordering prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) tests in the emergency department (ED) include physician expectation of an invasive procedure as a criterion. This study sought to determine whether this criterion accurately identifies patients who undergo an invasive procedure and whether an amalgam of these guidelines identifies patients at low risk of an adverse medical outcome. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study of adults treated in a university medical center ED between July 1997 and March 1998. Physicians were surveyed at order placement to determine the presence of guideline criteria. Adverse clinical outcomes defined as an International Normalized Ratio [INR] > 1.3 or PTT > 39.9 seconds combined with consequent directed medical therapy were abstracted from ED and the first 24 hours of inpatient medical records. Results: The sensitivity of ED physician expectation of an invasive procedure was 60.0%; therefore, it was excluded from both the PT and PTT guidelines. There were 553 patients with a PT test order; test order indications were absent in 190 (34.4%), of which one (0.5%, 95% CI = 0.1% to 2.9%) had adverse outcomes. There were 547 patients with a PTT test; test order indications were absent in 226 (41.3%), of which three (1.3%, 95% CI = 0.4 to 3.8%) had adverse outcomes. All three were taking warfarin when they presented to the ED. Conclusions: Emergency department physician expectation of an invasive procedure for patients with PT or PTT test orders is an insensitive predictor of patients who undergo such procedures. Clinical practice guidelines that exclude this criterion identify ED patients at the time of ED presentation at low risk for adverse medical outcomes in the ED or shortly after admission.
Growth of carbon nanotubes: a molecular dynamics study

Abstract Molecular dynamics with realistic many-body atomic potentials was used to study the growth of carbon nanotubes. Analysis of the bond switching and ring migration processes has led to an identification of tube growth mechanisms. Wide tubes, initially open, were found to grow straight maintaining an all-hexagonal structure, while narrow tubes were found to develop permanent pentagonal rings that lead to tube closure upon further deposition. Continued deposition on the top of a closed tube yields a disordered cap structure, implying that open tubes are critical for defect-free growth.
Algorithms for Global Routing

This paper presents several algorithms for global routing, including a very fast shortest path connection algorithm based on wave propagation and diffraction, a heuristic minimum tree algorithm using 'Common Edge' analysis, an overflow control method, and global rerouting treatment. These algorithms have been implemented in C and very good experimental results have been obtained.
Handling in infancy: increased levels of the hypothalamic corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) following exposure to a novel situation.

SummaryThe levels of the corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) were determined in the hypothalamus of rats by injecting crude extracts of the median eminence into assay animals pretreated with dexamethasone phosphate. Exposure to ether caused a 64% increase in hypothalamic CRF levels within 5 min and return to normal by 3 hr. Hypothalamic levels of CRF were then determined in 2 groups of adult rats following exposure to a novel environment; 1 group had been handled in infancy and a second group constituted the nonhandled controls. No significant difference was noted between the two groups at 5 min but the handled group had a significantly greater amount of CRF present than the nonhandled controls at 15 min after exposure to the novel environment. This agrees with previous findings that handled animals release less corticosterone than nonhandled animals when exposed to a novel environment and suggest that a functionally different mechanism for release of CRF may exist as a result of infantile stimulation.
A primary method for determination of optical parameters of turbid samples and application to intralipid between 550 and 1630nm

The lack of a primary method for determination of optical parameters remains a significant barrier in optical study of turbid media. We present a complete system of experimental setups and Monte Carlo modeling tools for fast and accurate solution of the inverse problem from the measured signals of homogeneous turbid samples. The calibration of the instrument and validation of the Monte Carlo modeling have been carried out to ensure the accuracy of the inverse solution. We applied this method to determine the optical parameters of turbid media of 10% intralipid between 550 and 940nm and 20% intralipid between 550 and 1630nm.
Ring resonator induced data timing skew in on-chip WDM optical interconnects

Device induced data timing skew in optical interconnects is investigated. Up to 28 ps timing skew is induced by ring-resonator cavity Q variation in 10 Gb/s NRZ on-chip scenario, which may lead to 6 dB signal eye opening penalty.
Experiments and modeling of the dynamic nature of continuous laser ablation of tissue

The dynamic process of ablation during continuous laser irradiation was simulated using a finite-difference model. A summary of experimental results suggested a typical ablation velocity and the parameters of the model were adjusted to match this value. Then the model was perturbed by systematically varying each parameter to observe how sensitive ablation velocity was on that particular parameter.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Flawed evidence should not derail sound policy: the case remains strong for population-wide sodium reduction.

A recent report from Institute of Medicine (IOM)1 along with misinterpretation of its findings by the press2 has generated considerable confusion among the general public, scientists, and policy makers about the health effects of sodium reduction. A subsequent communication by members of the IOM committee summarized the report’s findings in an attempt to clarify their position.3 The purpose of this editorial is to comment on the evidence used by the IOM committee to reach its conclusions and to provide our opinion about the use of this IOM report to guide policy on sodium reduction.
The 1.5-Liter Merit Function

This PDF file contains the editorial “The 1.5-Liter Merit Function” for OE Vol. 41 Issue 10
Using a stages of change approach to explore opportunities for increasing bicycle commuting

Abstract Given the potential benefits of bicycling to the environment, the economy, and public health, many U.S. cities have set ambitious goals for increasing the bicycle share of commute trips. The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, which seeks to describe how positive and permanent change can be fostered in individuals, may shed light on how cities can most effectively increase bicycle commuting. We use the model’s “stages of change” framework to explore the potential for increased bicycle commuting to the UC Davis campus in Davis, California. Our analysis uses data from the 2012 to 2013 UC Davis Campus Travel Survey, an annual online survey that is randomly administered to students and employees at UC Davis. Based on their responses to questions about current commute mode and contemplation of bicycle commuting, respondents are divided into five stages of change: Pre-contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance. We construct a Bayesian multilevel ordinal logistic regression model to understand how differences in socio-demographic characteristics, travel attributes, and travel attitudes between individuals explain their membership in different stages of change. In addition, we use this model to explore the potential of various intervention strategies to move individuals through the stages of change toward becoming regular bicycle commuters. Our results indicate that travel attitudes matter more to progression toward regular commute bicycling than travel attributes, tentatively supporting the efficacy of “soft” policies focused on changing travel attitudes.
Starburst: a target expansion algorithm for non-uniform target distributions

Acquiring small targets on a tablet or touch screen can be challenging. To address the problem, researchers have proposed techniques that enlarge the effective size of targets by extending targets into adjacent screen space. When applied to targets organized in clusters, however, these techniques show little effect because there is no space to grow into. Unfortunately, target clusters are common in many popular applications. We present Starburst, a space partitioning algorithm that works for target clusters. Starburst identifies areas of available screen space, grows a line from each target into the available space, and then expands that line into a clickable surface. We present the basic algorithm and extensions. We then present 2 user studies in which Starburst led to a reduction in error rate by factors of 9 and 3 compared to traditional target expansion.
A parsimonious model for simulating flow in a karst aquifer

Abstract This paper describes the hydrologic system associated with the Barton Springs portion of the Edwards aquifer and presents a lumped parameter model capable of reproducing general historical trends for measured water levels and spring discharge. Recharge to the aquifer was calculated based on flow loss studies of the creeks crossing the recharge zone and on estimates of the rate of diffuse infiltration of rainfall. Flow measurements on each creek above and below the recharge zone were used to develop a relationship between flow above the recharge zone and the rate of recharge. The five-cell groundwater model, each cell corresponding to one of the watersheds of the five main creeks crossing the recharge zone, was developed to support the management objectives of the City of Austin. The model differs from previous models in that the aquifer properties within cells are allowed to vary vertically. Each cell was treated as a tank with an apparent area and the water level of a single well in each cell was used to characterize the conditions in that cell. The simple representation of the hydrologic system produced results comparable to traditional groundwater models with fewer data requirements and calibration parameters. ©1997 Elsevier Science B.V.
Immunodetection of Two Curtoviruses Infecting Sugar Beet.

Durrin, J. S., Nikolaeva, O. V., Strausbaugh, C. A., and Karasev, A. V. 2010. Immunodetection of two curtoviruses infecting sugar beet. Plant Dis. 94:972-976. Beet leafhopper-transmitted curly top virus is a serious problem in many different crops in the semiarid western United States, including sugar beet, tomatoes, and beans. Curly top is caused by a genetically diverse complex of phloem-limited curtoviruses. Due to the phloem restriction of curtoviruses and the lack of a convenient laboratory host–vector system for curly top virus propagation and purification, no commercial immunodetection tests are available for curtoviruses. Routine diagnostics for curly top rely either on visual symptoms or on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Lack of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system is one of the factors hampering development and screening of the curly top resistant germplasm in, for instance, sugar beet and bean breeding programs. To fill in this gap, we developed an ELISAbased detection system for curtoviruses which utilizes virus-specific antibodies generated against bacterially expressed capsid protein (CP) of Beet mild curly top virus. Bacterially expressed CP was affinity purified and used as an antigen for antibody production in two animal species. Specificity of the resulting antisera was tested in Western blots and various tripleantibody sandwich (TAS)-ELISA formats with sugar beet, bean, and Nicotiana benthamiana leaf tissue. We demonstrate reliable detection of two curtoviruses in different crops in TAS-ELISA format, suitable for large-scale screening of germplasm in breeding programs.
Maporal Viral Infection in the Syrian Golden Hamster: A Model of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a severe and often fatal rodent-borne zoonosis. Maporal (MAP) virus is a newly discovered hantavirus that originally was isolated from an arboreal rice rat captured in central Venezuela. The results of this study indicate that MAP virus in the Syrian golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) can cause a disease that is clinically and pathologically remarkably similar to HPS. The similarities include the time course of clinical disease, presence of virus-specific IgG at the onset of clinical disease, subacute pneumonitis, rapid onset of diffuse alveolar edema in the absence of necrosis, hepatic-portal triaditis, mononuclear-cellular infiltrate in lung and liver, widespread distribution of hantaviral antigen in endothelial cells of the microvasculature of lung and other tissues, and variable lethality. These similarities suggest that the MAP virus-hamster system is a useful model for studies of the pathogenesis of HPS and for the evaluation of potential therapeutic agents.
Massive number of antigen-specific CD4 T cells during vaccination with live attenuated Salmonella causes interclonal competition.

The clonal burst size of CD4 T cells is predicted to be less than that of CD8 T cells. In this study, we demonstrate that massive numbers of Ag-specific CD4 T cells respond during vaccination of mice with live attenuated Salmonella, reaching a peak frequency of ∼50% of CD4 T cells. Salmonella-specific T cells persisted at high frequency for several weeks and could be detected in the memory population for months after infection. Surprisingly, the expansion of endogenous Salmonella-specific CD4 T cells prevented the persistence of adoptively transferred Salmonella-specific T cells in vivo, demonstrating interclonal competition for access to the memory compartment.
Testing soil phytolith analysis as a tool to understand vegetation change in the sagebrush steppe and pinyon-juniper woodlands of the Great Basin Desert, USA

Better biological proxy methods are needed to understand changes in arid ecosystems over the recent past. Our objective in this study was to examine the utility of soil phytolith analysis to reflect vegetation changes over the past 200 years, from the end of the ‘Little Ice Age’ to present. The sensitivity of phytoliths to record vegetation changes for this time period was tested by sampling in locations where vegetation changes were known to have occurred based on human records. We used extraction weights to test for the trend in reduction of grasses and increase in woody vegetation over time. We used the relative abundance of soil phytolith morphotypes from native versus introduced grasses to look for the increase in non-native grasses. Then, we examined the phytolith assemblages from soils in a continuous core sampling method with 1 cm increments. Extraction weights decreased by half from the surface to ‘Little Ice Age’ layers and may reflect increasing pinyon-juniper woodland cover. The relative abund...
A slicing connection strategy for constructing PRMs in high-dimensional cspaces

This paper presents a connection strategy for PRM-based motion planning in high-dimensional configuration spaces. The connection strategy identifies components of motion during the roadmap construction and plans the roadmap edges on a sequence of configuration slices approximating the configuration spaces of the components. The goal of the approach is to extend the dimensionality of the problems PRM planners can solve, and the strategy it deploys is dimensional subdivision. We report experimental results on serpentine robots with up to 150 degrees-of-freedom and multi-robot systems with up to 144 degrees-of-freedom. The test problems are beyond the capability of a representative state-of-the-art PRM based planner, and the approach presented in this paper enables the use of motion planning methods in solving new high-dimensional problems
Match between late Pleistocene Great Bahama Bank and deep-sea oxygen isotope records of sea level

Throughout the Pliocene and Pleistocene, a hierarchy of sea-level fluctuations alternately flooded and exposed the Great Bahama Bank, controlling its sedimentary evolution. The persistent rhythm of sea level is best shown in the upper Pleistocene to Holocene section in which 10 cycles of sea-level rise and fall are identified in core borings on the lee side of the bank. The same number of sea-level oscillations is indicated within the Brunhes chron of the deep-sea oxygen isotope record. In the Bahamas, sea-level oscillations are inferred from meter-scale parasequences of shallow-marine carbonates, interpreted largely as transgressive and highstand deposits, sandwiched between discontinuity horizons interpreted as subaerial-exposure horizons that developed during lower sea level. Subaerial exposure shifted from being largely restricted to the platform interior during the late Pliocene (Olduvai chron), to occurring across the entire lee side of the platform at the beginning of the Brunhes chron. This change on the platform is highly suggestive of the deep-sea oxygen isotope proxy of sea level which indicates a fundamental paleoclimatic shift at approximately the same time. Despite dating limitations, results from the Bahamian cores can be used to push the calibration of the sea-level record back to the late Pliocene.
A systems biology approach identifies new regulators of poplar root development under low nitrogen

In Populus, low nitrogen (LN) elicits rapid and vigorous lateral root (LR) proliferation, which is closely mirrored by corresponding transcriptomic changes. Using transcriptomic data, we built a genetic network encompassing a large proportion of the differentially regulated transcriptome. The network is organized in a hierarchical fashion, centered on 11 genes. Transgenic manipulations of only three of the 11 genes had a strong impact on root development under LN. These three genes encoded an F-box protein similar to Hawaiian Skirt (PtaHWS) and two transcription factors (PtaRAP2.11 and PtaNAC1). Up- and downregulation of the three genes caused increased and decreased root proliferation under LN conditions, respectively. The transgenic manipulations had a strong positive effect on growth under greenhouse conditions including increased shoot and root biomass. The three genes appeared to encompass a putative yet-unknown mechanism that underlies root development under LN. Specifically, the genes are predominantly expressed in roots and have a similar temporal response to LN. More importantly, transgenic manipulation for each of the three genes had a highly significant impact on the expression of the other two. The transgenic manipulations appear to also affect the expression of the regulatory miRNA (PtamiRNA164e) of one of the transcription factors (PtaNAC1), albeit in an opposite fashion. Consistent with a putative function of PtaHWS in proteasome degradation, treatment with proteasome inhibitor reversed the expression changes in the transgenic plants. The insights from this study will allow genetic modifications of root architecture for more efficient and dynamic nitrogen foraging in biofuel crops like poplar.
A NEW SPECIES OF FUNNEL-EARED BAT (NATALIDAE: NATALUS) FROM MEXICO

A new species in the genus Natalus is described on the basis of 71 specimens found in museum collections. The body pelage of the new bat is unique among natalids in having hair bases much darker than hair tips. This new species is also characterized by short tibiae, legs and feet notably hairy, a long braincase, and a shallow rostrum. This species is known from 16 localities in Mexico, from both mountain and lowland areas. At some localities, it has been collected together with the previously known species Natalus stramineus. This constitutes the 1st known case of sympatry among species of the genus Natalus (sensu stricto).
Tyranny of the majority: re‐enfranchisement of African‐American teacher educators teaching for democracy

This article examines the tensions related to multicultural pre‐service teacher education for professors of color. Using two tenets of Critical Race Theory, counterstory and Whiteness as property, ...
Living liver donor mortality: where do we stand?

OBJECTIVE: To explore the use of medical journals, lay media, registries, and transplant center websites to discuss living liver donor mortality. METHODS: To study the incidence of and circumstances relating to living liver donor death, medical journals and lay print media were searched to create a case summary of worldwide living liver donor deaths. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR) were also queried for information regarding living liver donor deaths. Lastly, the Websites of United States transplant centers offering living liver donation were reviewed to identify whether or not death was stated as a donor risk. RESULTS: Literature review revealed 14 living liver donor deaths. One of the five deaths occurring in the United States had been reported to UNOS. One of the 14 cases had been reported only in lay literature, and another only in the ELTR. In at least five cases, surgical complications were not the cause of donor death. Among the 62 transplant center Websites, only 12 centers (19%) specifically mentioned death as a donation risk. Eight of these 12 centers (67%) mentioned death in terms of percent mortality risk; however, risk rates spanned a 10-fold range from 0.2% to 2%. CONCLUSION: Potential living liver donors are best served by accurate information about donor mortality. Access to such data is difficult and these individuals would benefit by a worldwide living liver donor registry and peer-reviewed publication of donor mortality.
Cultural differences in the visual processing of meaning: Detecting incongruities between background and foreground objects using the N400

East Asians have been found to allocate relatively greater attention to background objects, whereas European Americans have been found to allocate relatively greater attention to foreground objects. This is well documented across a variety of cognitive measures. We used a modification of the Ganis and Kutas (2003) N400 event-related potential design to measure the degree to which Asian Americans and European Americans responded to semantic incongruity between target objects and background scenes. As predicted, Asian Americans showed a greater negativity to incongruent trials than to congruent trials. In contrast, European Americans showed no difference in amplitude across the two conditions. Furthermore, smaller magnitude N400 incongruity effects were associated with higher independent self-construal scores. These data suggest that Asian Americans are processing the relationship between foreground and background objects to a greater degree than European Americans, which is consistent with hypothesized greater holistic processing among East Asians. Implications for using neural measures, the role of semantic processing to understand cultural differences in cognition, and the relationship between self construal and neural measures of cognition are discussed.
Comment on new physics contributions to Γ 12 s

Abstract A recent measurement by the D0 Collaboration finds a like-sign di-muon charge asymmetry in the B system that is roughly 3σ larger than the value predicated by the Standard Model. This suggests new physics contributing to B − B ¯ mixing. For the current central value of the CP asymmetry, the required size of Γ 12 s is larger than the Standard Model estimate. In this Letter, we will explore the constraints on new physics contributions to Γ 12 s . We find that all but two dimension six operators of Standard Model fields are excluded from contributing an O ( 1 ) amount to Γ 12 s due to bounds from B decays. We argue that a more precise measurement of τ ( B s ) / τ ( B d ) , which is possible with currently available data, could either support or strongly constrain the existence of new physics in Γ 12 s .
A novel method of removal of a broken drill bit in the femoral medullary canal during internal fixation of a type C distal femoral fracture: a case report.

Abstract Breakage of surgical instruments and implants during operative procedures is not uncommon in any surgical discipline. The need for removal and the outcome of leaving the broken instruments and implants in the surgical area have not been described in detail. Few studies have suggested removal if they are lying loosely in the tissues or joint, close to neurovascular structures. Challenges and the amount of time spent in the retrieval of broken in-struments and implants are well known among surgeons, so most choose to leave them in situ. We reported a novel method of retrieval of a broken drill bit in the femoral medullary canal during internal fixation of a type C distal femoral fracture.
Phonon softening of Nb/sub 3/Sn in (zetazetazeta)T modes

Neutron scattering measurements have been extended to the (zetazetazeta) transverse branch of Nb/sub 3/Sn. In contrast to the prediction of Gor'kov, this branch also shows a pronounced phonon softening. We conclude that all phonon branches in Nb/sub 3/Sn exhibit softening for a wide range of q towards the martensitic transition at 45 K.
Magnetic megabits

Improvements in recording densities that are allowing magnetic storage to pack more data than its optical counterparts are examined. The technologies that have driven the advances are discussed. They consist of highly sensitive magnetoresistive heads, ultra-low-noise magnetic media, and advanced signal detection techniques. Disk and tape performances are compared. >
Locomotion of microorganisms near a no-slip boundary in a viscoelastic fluid.

Locomotion of microorganisms plays a vital role in most of their biological processes. In many of these processes, microorganisms are exposed to complex fluids while swimming in confined domains, such as spermatozoa in mucus of mammalian reproduction tracts or bacteria in extracellular polymeric matrices during biofilm formation. Thus, it is important to understand the kinematics of propulsion in a viscoelastic fluid near a no-slip boundary. We use a squirmer model with a time-reversible body motion to analytically investigate the swimming kinematics in an Oldroyd-B fluid near a wall. Analysis of the time-averaged motion of the swimmer shows that both pullers and pushers in a viscoelastic fluid swim towards the no-slip boundary if they are initially located within a small domain of ``attraction'' in the vicinity of the wall. In contrast, neutral swimmers always move towards the wall regardless of their initial distance from the wall. Outside the domain of attraction, pullers and pushers are both repelled from the no-slip boundary. Time-averaged locomotion is most pronounced at a Deborah number of unity. We examine the swimming trajectories of different types of swimmers as a function of their initial orientation and distance from the no-slip boundary.
Quantitative assessment of the driving force for twin formation utilizing Nye tensor dislocation density mapping

Abstract Transmission electron microscopy was coupled with precession electron diffraction methods to determine the role of local defect distributions in the formation and growth behavior of twin nuclei. Three distinct cases were observed that are indicative of three separate formation mechanisms, two as the result of annealing and the third as a result of deformation. While all of the observed cases are consistent with the proposed mechanisms for twin formation found in literature, this study marks the first experimental evidence to support all three mechanisms occurring simultaneously in the same microstructure.
A Research on the Origin of Abbreviations

As a concise linguistic unit, abbreviations are used more and more frequently in Chinese. They are characterized by multifarious formation, generativity, dualphonetic. In fact, the rapid development of abbreviations has its profound social and culture reasons, and are closely linked with the Chinese ways of thinking and habits of expression. It is resulted from cofunctioning of various factors.
An Exploratory Examination of the Theoretical Foundations of Collectivistic Leadership

Due to the ideological,political,cultural and social differences between China and western countries,the concepts of leadership are quite different in Chinese versus western organizations.Since the beginning of China's reform,Chinese academics have borrowed a variety of leadership concepts and theories from the West.However,they overlooked a unique leadership concept evolved in the Chinese context,i.e.,collectivistic leadership.This paper reviews theoretical foundations of collectivistic leadership,and constructs its theoretical framework.This concept is differentiated from extant western leadership concepts.
Summary of expression methods and index control of SF_6 gas humidity

SF6 gas humidity control index expressed by volume fraction brings drawbacks and insufficience in domestic general electric equipment,by analyzing the expression methods such as volume fraction,dew point and relative humidity,draws the conclusion that using pressure dew point or relative humidity as the control index of electric equipment SF6 gas humidity.
Building Exporting Capabilities: Korea’s Emergence as a Marketing Power

South Korea has evolved into a world marketing powerhouse during the past twenty five years. The country has been able to develop its exporting capabilities by inducing comparative advantages in certain key sectors such as textiles, apparels, consumer electronics and automobiles. This paper discusses how the Koreans have mounted an orchestrated and systematic effort to reach international markets. Industry and government collaborated to set exporting targets, monitor export performance and identify new sectors appropriate for future export penetration. Their national drive for exporting success has paid off. Developing countries can learn much from the Korean experience.
Stent type used does not impact complication rate or placement time but can decrease treatment cost for benign and malignant esophageal lesions.

Stent type used does not impact complication rate or placement time but can decrease treatment cost for benign and malignant esophageal lesions
SU-F-J-73: Simple Approach for Quantification of Metal Artifact Reduction Capabalities of Dual-Energy CT

Purpose: To present a simple method for quantification of dual-energy CT metal artifact reduction capabilities Methods: A phantom was constructed from solid water and a steel cylinder. Solid water is commonly used for radiotherapy QA, while steel cylinders are readily available in hardware stores. The phantom was scanned on Siemens Somatom 64-slice dual-energy CT system. Three CTs were acquired at energies of 80kV (low), 120kV (nominal), and 140kV (high). The low and high energy acquisitions were used to generate dual-energy (DE) monoenergetic image sets, which also utilized metal artifact reduction algorithm (Maris). Several monoenergetic DE image sets, ranging from 70keV to 190keV were generated. The size of the metal artifact was measured by two different approaches. The first approach measured the distance from the center of the steel cylinder to a location with nominal (undisturbed by metal) HU value for the 120kV, DE 70keV, and DE 190keV image sets. In the second approach, the distance from the center of the cylinder to the edge of the air pocket for the above mentioned three image sets was measured. Results: The DE 190keV synthetic image set demonstrated the largest reduction of the metal artifacts. The size of the artifact was more than three times the actual size of the milled hole in the solid water in the DE 190keV, as compared to more than 7.5 times larger as estimated from the 120kV uncorrected image Conclusion: A simple phantom for quantification of dual-energy CT metal artifact reduction capabilities was presented. This inexpensive phantom can be easily built from components available in every radiation oncology department. It allows quick assessment and quantification of the properties of different metal artifact reduction algorithms, available on modern dual-energy CT scanners.
The Transfer of Information and Mobile Computing

During the last 15 years, we have seen a tremendous increase in the number of Internet users around the world. This increase coincides with enormous increases in the number of web enabled mobile devices, creating a unique opportunity for the transfer of information on a massive scale, regardless of geological and political boundaries. On one hand, with networks of millions of connected computers and web enabled mobile devices and on the other hand with the enormous amount of resources available on the Internet, it is not surprising that the Internet has emerged as a primary source of information. Recent developments in delivering high speed Internet to residential and mobile users make even more resources available worldwide. New web-based application has become more and more prevalent and available to the end users. Consequently, new services and new platforms of disseminating knowledge and information are becoming available. With a huge increase in the traffic of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, one can expect an even further expansion in transferring information all around the world. Internet savvy individuals armed with high speed web enabled mobile devices can access enormous amount of knowledge while at the same time contributing to the body of knowledge from every corner of the world. In this article, we examine recent developments in different technology areas such as ultra high speed Internet connections and web enabled mobile devices with multimedia applications, and their implication on the transfer of information around the world.
MEMORIAL FOR NORMAN DENNIS NEWELL(1909-2005)

Little more than three weeks after the appearance of his 188th publication, the infirmities of age prevailed over a resilient spirit and Norman Newell's life ended in his ninety-sixth year. At his death on 18 April 2005, the Paleontological Society lost one of its most distinguished members—a past-president and medalist who led and embodied major changes in the thinking and practices of invertebrate paleontologists. Along the way, he mentored a host of talented graduate students, including four who became presidents of this society and three winners of its medal. As a boy in Stafford, Kansas, Norman was strongly influenced by his father's interest in natural history. The elder Newell did not live to see his son enter college but Norman never forgot the excitement he felt as a six-year-old when his father explained the significance of a mammoth tooth that had been plowed up in a wheat field. At the University of Kansas, Newell majored in geology and received BS (1929) and MA (1931) degrees. During these years, he was mentored by Raymond C. Moore, whose forceful personality and single-minded determination to excel made a lasting impression. In 1931, Moore recommended him for a fellowship at Yale where, …
Facile Synthesis and Electrochemistry of Si-Sn-C Nanocomposites for High-Energy Li-Ion Batteries

Author(s): Xu, J; Ling, M; Terborg, L; Zhao, H; Qiu, F; Urban, JJ; Kostecki, R; Liu, G; Tong, W | Abstract: Si-Sn-C nanocomposites were synthesized via a facile mechanical milling method. Phase composition and morphologies of the asproduced Si-Sn-C nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. Both XRD and Raman studies revealed the amorphization of Si after mechanical milling process, while Sn remained as the crystalline phase in both Si-Sn and Si-Sn-C nanocomposites. Meanwhile, the particle size was significantly reduced, but Si tended to agglomerate during the milling and it was alleviated through the addition of carbon. The galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements were carried out to evaluate the electrochemical performance. Compared to milled Si, Si-Sn nanocomposites, Si-Sn-C nanocomposites exhibited a higher initial capacity of ∼1000 mAh/g, and its capacity was retained at ∼80% after 50 cycles. The possible buffering effect of Sn and carbon at different operating potentials during the lithiation/delithiation process was discussed.