cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Secondary interventions after elective thoracic endovascular aortic repair for degenerative aneurysms

Objective We assessed the incidence and outcomes of graft-related secondary interventions (ie, open conversion or proximal or distal extensions) after elective thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for aneurysmal disease. Methods An institutional review of TEVAR for descending thoracic aortic aneurysms (DTAAs), between 2000 and 2011, was performed. Only elective TEVAR for DTAA using commercially available endografts was selected. Emergent cases, nonaneurysmal aortic pathology (ie, transection, pseudoaneurysm, dissection), and cases that used physician-modified devices were excluded. The incidence of unplanned graft-related secondary interventions was examined and outcomes were analyzed. Results During the study period, 83 patients underwent elective TEVAR for DTAA that met the inclusion criteria. Subsequent graft-related secondary interventions were required in eight patients (10%). The mean interval to the secondary intervention was 31.8 months. Endoleak was the most common indication. Patients who required secondary interventions were significantly younger (mean age, 58 ± 12 vs 69 ± 11 years; P P = .05) and extent of graft coverage in the proximal landing zone P Conclusions Intermediate and long-term results of elective TEVAR for DTAA demonstrate good durability, with acceptable rates of graft-related secondary interventions. Age, fusiform aneurysm morphology, and extent of proximal landing zones
The many important facets of T-cell repertoire diversity

In the thymus, a diverse and polymorphic T-cell repertoire is generated by random recombination of discrete T-cell receptor (TCR)-αβ gene segments. This repertoire is then shaped by intrathymic selection events to generate a peripheral T-cell pool of self-MHC restricted, non-autoaggressive T cells. It has long been postulated that some optimal level of TCR diversity allows efficient protection against pathogens. This article focuses on several recent advances that address the required diversity for the generation of an optimal immune response.
Contrast effects accompanying shifts in sucrose concentration during the acquisition of a brightness discrimination

Twenty-eight rats were randomly assigned to four groups representing a factorial combination of two levels of preshift and two levels of postshift sucrose concentration. Following 220 preshift trials, the subjects were required to learn a brightness discrimination, and they either shifted to a novel reward concentration or maintained on the preshift magnitude. The results of an analysis of response speed indicated significant magnitude effects as well as NCE but no indication of PCE. Analysis of the number of errors indicated NCE but not PCE. The results were discussed with reference to perceptual and sequential theories of contrast effects.
Coherent detection in optical fiber systems

The drive for higher performance in optical fiber systems has renewed interest in coherent detection. We review detection methods, including noncoherent, differentially coherent, and coherent detection, as well as a hybrid method. We compare modulation methods encoding information in various degrees of freedom (DOF). Polarization-multiplexed quadrature-amplitude modulation maximizes spectral efficiency and power efficiency, by utilizing all four available DOF, the two field quadratures in the two polarizations. Dual-polarization homodyne or heterodyne downconversion are linear processes that can fully recover the received signal field in these four DOF. When downconverted signals are sampled at the Nyquist rate, compensation of transmission impairments can be performed using digital signal processing (DSP). Linear impairments, including chromatic dispersion and polarization-mode dispersion, can be compensated quasi-exactly using finite impulse response filters. Some nonlinear impairments, such as intra-channel four-wave mixing and nonlinear phase noise, can be compensated partially. Carrier phase recovery can be performed using feedforward methods, even when phase-locked loops may fail due to delay constraints. DSP-based compensation enables a receiver to adapt to time-varying impairments, and facilitates use of advanced forward-error-correction codes. We discuss both single- and multi-carrier system implementations. For a given modulation format, using coherent detection, they offer fundamentally the same spectral efficiency and power efficiency, but may differ in practice, because of different impairments and implementation details. With anticipated advances in analog-to-digital converters and integrated circuit technology, DSP-based coherent receivers at bit rates up to 100 Gbit/s should become practical within the next few years.
Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of chromium(III) pyridinecarboxylate complexes

Abstract The 1H and 2H NMR spectra of a number of chromium(III) pyridinecarboxylates have been obtained. In contrast to previous reports (C. L. Broadhurst et al., J. Inorg. Biochem 66, (1997) 119), paramagnetically broadened and shifted resonances were observed as expected for ligands bound to the d3 metal center. Using the combination of both 1H and 2H NMR and compounds with selective replacement of hydrogen with deuterium, all the hydrogen or deuterium resonances for some compounds could be located and assigned. The results indicate that paramagnetic NMR can be a valuable tool in characterizing Cr(III) pyridinecarboxylate complexes and that chromium(III) trispicolinate has complex behavior in solution.
Ergodicity of eigenfunctions for ergodic billiards

We give a simple proof of ergodicity of eigenfunctions of the Laplacian with Dirichlet boundary conditions on compact Riemannian manifolds with piecewise smooth boundaries and ergodic billiards. Examples include the “Bunimovich stadium”, the “Sinai billiard” and the generic polygonal billiard tables of Kerckhoff, Masur and Smillie.
Ionic polymer-metal composites: fundamentals and phenomenological modeling

In this paper we present an extended summary of the fundamental properties and characteristics of Ionic Polymeric-Metal Composites (IPMCs) as biomemetic sensors, actuators, and artificial muscles. Als, the phenomenological modeling of the underlying sensing and actuation mechanisms in IPMCs is presented based on linear irreversible thermodynamics with two driving forces; an electric field and a solvent pressure gradient and two fluxes, electric current and solvent flux. The importance of capacitors which arise from nanoparticles residing at the surface/subsurface of IPMCs is also discussed. We also present some quantitative experimental results on the Onsager coefficients.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Generating THz radiations from gallium arsenide photoconductive switches with optimized pulse amplitude

Summary form only given. Terahertz radiations, which have a frequency range between 100 GHz and 30 THz, have applications in many fields, including nanotechnology, and photonics1. The use of femto-second laser pulses and a gallium arsenide photoconductive switch (PCSS) to generate THz radiations is well known. THz radiation waves occur when the signal generated in the substrate moves along the PCSS material (which acts as a transmission line for the signal) to reach the contacts which acts as the radiator or antenna. The PCSS based radiators characteristics are determined by the contact shape 2 and the materials properties of the substrate where charge carriers accelerate 3.
Organizational politics and organizational support as predictors of work attitudes, job performance, and organizational citizenship behavior.

This study investigated the relationship of organizational politics and organizational support to various work attitudes and behaviors among a field sample of 128 participants. Consistent with our hypothesis, politics and support were related to job satisfaction, commitment, turnover intentions, and supervisor ratings of organizational citizenship behaviors. However, only support was related to job performance. We also examined whether or not organizational politics and organizational support comprise two distinct constructs or one global factor. The evidence here was ambiguous. Fit indices obtained from confirmatory factor analysis suggested that it is more parsimonious to treat politics and support as opposite ends of the same construct, though the two-factor model did show a slightly better fit. On the other hand, subsequent multiple regression analyses showed that support tended to account for additional criterion variance beyond the effect of politics, implying that there may be some practical utility to retaining politics and support as distinct constructs. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Primary central nervous system lymphoma in acquired immune deficiency syndrome: a clinical and pathological study

Twenty cases of primary lymphoma of the central nervous system associated with acquired immune deficiency syndrome were seen over a period of four years and were studied clinically and pathologically. Biopsy established the diagnosis in 11 cases, and autopsy confirmed it in 9. Multicentricity was demonstrated in all cases for which there was adequate autopsy material. Both large-cell immunoblastic and small noncleaved lymphomas were seen, and marker studies in 5 patients established that the lymphomas were of B-cell origin. Neurological symptoms and signs, cerebrospinal fluid characteristics, and radiographic appearance were reviewed. The clinical and radiographic picture is nonspecific and histological confirmation is essential for diagnosis. Although the tumor appears to be radiosensitive, prognosis is extremely poor, with an average survival of less than two months.
Comparative effectiveness of a rapid point-of-care test for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis among women in a clinical setting

Objectives To compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a promising new point-of-care (POC) chlamydia test with traditional nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), and to determine the characteristics that would make a POC test most cost-effective. Methods A decision tree was constructed to model chlamydia screening visits to a sexually transmitted disease clinic by a hypothetical cohort of 10 000 women. The model incorporated programmatic screening costs, treatment costs and medical costs averted through prevention of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and its sequelae. Parameter values and costs were estimated for each node in the decision tree based on primary data, published data and unpublished health data. Results For the base-case scenario (POC sensitivity 92.9%; 47.5% of women willing to wait 40 min for test results; test cost $33.48), POC was estimated to save US$5050 for each case of PID averted compared with NAAT. One-way sensitivity analyses indicated that POC would dominate NAAT if the POC test cost is Conclusions A promising new chlamydia POC test is likely to be cost-effective compared with traditional NAAT. The POC test sensitivity, cost and proportion of women willing to wait for the POC test result are key elements to determining the cost-effectiveness of any new POC test strategy.
Isoflurane blocks temporary tinnitus

Temporary tinnitus is a common consequence of noise exposure, and may share important mechanisms with chronic tinnitus. Noise-induced hearing loss is the most prevalent cause of chronic tinnitus. The reversibility of temporary tinnitus offers some practical experimental advantages. We therefore adapted a behavioral method based on gap detection to measure temporary tinnitus following brief acoustic trauma. Although anesthesia is often used during acoustic trauma exposure, many anesthetics can protect against noise-induced hearing loss. Whether anesthesia during acoustic trauma affects temporary tinnitus therefore remains an open question that directly affects experimental design in tinnitus studies. Here we tested whether anesthetizing rats with isoflurane during trauma had any effect on tinnitus. We found that gap-detection deficits, a behavioral measure of tinnitus, were 5 times stronger and lasted 10 times longer when isoflurane was not used. This suggests that isoflurane largely prevents temporary noise-induced tinnitus.
Introduction: Global actors, markets and rules driving the diffusion of genetically modified (GM) crops in developing countries

The theme of this special issue – genetically modified (GM) crops – goes to the heart of the process of globalisation, technology and development. This introductory essay explains how this new technology is being driven by the actors (multinational corporations), markets (large global markets) and rules (intellectual property) of globalisation. But it is also shaped by the other national and global actors (farmers, research scientists, anti-globalisation and environmental NGOs), markets (national priorities) and rules (national biosafety). The papers in this issue address some policy questions for developing countries: markets that are too small for corporate sector, or to be kept GM free, or dominated by monopoly products; the rules of intellectual property rights and the enforcement of biosafety regulation. Developing countries need to develop policy approaches that are specific to its own unique set of circumstances.
Energy transport in metal nanoparticle chains via sub-radiant plasmon modes

We investigate the propagation of surface plasmon polaritons through coupling of light to sub-radiant dipole modes in finite chains of Ag nanoparticles. End excitation of collections of closely spaced particles reveals a band of sub-radiant modes whereby the decay of surface plasmon polaritons due to radiative losses is minimized. We show that excitation of any of these sub-radiant modes results in the most efficient energy transfer throughout the optical spectrum, with smaller interparticle separations resulting in the longest propagation.
Implications of Surface Contaminants in a BPSG Deposition and Reflow Process

Chemically vapor deposited borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) has been widely used in microelectronic device fabrication as interlayer dielectric film due to its excellent planarization, gettering and flow properties. A BPSG reflow step, performed either in a diffusion furnace or a RTP reactor, normally follows the deposition step. With device geometry reducing to sub micron levels, there is an increasingly greater emphasis on detection and elimination of surface contaminants and sub micron defects particularly on deposited film. In this paper, we report on the implications of surface contaminants in a BPSG deposition/reflow process. The deposition and reflow processes have been carried out in an atmospheric-pressure CVD system and a vertical diffusion furnace respectively. Ellipsometric measurements, SIMS, TXRF, and vapor phase dissolution (VPD) methods have been used to detect both metallic and non-metallic contaminants as a function of both BPSG deposition and furnace reflow process parameters. It was found that surface contaminants emanating under specific deposition conditions can cause an uncontrolled, enhanced oxidation during the reflow process. Process modifications and in line defect monitoring schemes are discussed.
Multi-band radio-frequency integrated circuits for multiband and multimode wireless communication, radar and sensing systems in harsh environments

Some recently developed 0.18-μm SiGe BiCMOS radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for multiband multimode wireless communications, radar and sensing systems, which provides many benefits for sensing and communications in uncertain environments with harsh operational scenarios, are presented. The multiband low-noise amplifier has measured peak gain of 21.9/16.6 dB at 23.5/35.7 GHz and best measured noise figure of 5.1/7.2 dB at 22/35.6 GHz, respectively. The multiband power amplifier exhibits gain of 21.4 and 17 dB, maximum output power of 16 and 13 dBm, and maximum power add efficiency (PAE) of 10.6 % and 4.9 % at 25.5 and 37 GHz respectively. The ultra-wideband pulse generator exhibits -1.9 dB (loss) to 1.1 dB (gain) from 31 to 37.1 GHz and produces very narrow RF pulses of 200 ps with extremely low RF leakage. The up-conversion mixer exhibits a conversion gain of 25.7 dB, 1-dB input power of -23 dBm, 1-dB output power of 1.36 dBm, and maximum output power of 2.7 dBm at 24.5 GHz.
New rotating non-extremal black holes in D=5 maximal gauged supergravity

Abstract We obtain new non-extremal rotating black hole solutions in maximal five-dimensional gauged supergravity. They are characterised by five parameters, associated with the mass, the two angular momenta, and two independently-specifiable charge parameters. Two of the three charges associated with the U ( 1 ) 3 Cartan subgroup of the SO ( 6 ) gauge group are equal, whilst the third can be independently specified. These new solutions generalise all the previously-known non-extremal rotating solutions in five-dimensional gauged supergravity with independent angular momenta. They describe regular black holes, provided the parameters lie in appropriate ranges so that naked singularities and closed-timelike curves (CTCs) are avoided. We also construct the BPS limit, and show that regular supersymmetric black holes or topological solitons arise if the parameters are further restricted in an appropriate manner.
Markets and Morality

A persuasive case for the market process cannot ignore the issue of morality. Unfortunately, while markets and market behavior depend on a moral foundation, it is one that seems inconsistent with the prevailing view of morality. This apparent inconsistency obscures in the minds of many the beneficial, even moral, outcomes of markets. We believe that making the moral case for markets is best done by recognizing this moral conflict and arguing that markets enhance the good realized from the prevailing view of morality by allowing the best use to be made of our limited moral capacities.
THE FORMAL CONSEQUENCES OF USING VARIABLES IN CCG CATEGORIES

Combinatory Categorial Grammars, CCGs, (Steedman 1985) have been shown by Weir and Joshi (1988) to generate the same class of languages as Tree-Adjoining Grammars (TAG), Head Grammars (HG), and Linear Indexed Grammars (LIG). In this paper, I will discuss the effect of using variables in lexical category assignments in CCGs. It will be shown that using variables in lexical categories can increase the weak generative capacity of CCGs beyond the class of grammars listed above.
USE OF THE BIRD‐LEIDER EQUATION IN FOOD RHEOLOGY

Shear stress development at inception of a constant shear rate was studied for marshmallow cream, peanut butter, squeeze margarine, tub margarine, whipped butter, whipped cream cheese and whipped dessert topping using the cone and plate geometry of the Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer. For most foods studied transient shear stresses showed increasing shear stress oversoots with increasing shear rate. At the highest shear rate of 100 s−1, transient stresses were as large as 425% of the steady state shear stresses, with the actual magnitude of overshoot depending on the particular food investigated. The Bird-Leider equation was chosen to model this time dependent flow behavior by incorporating both steady viscous and elastic properties of the foods. By assuming that the viscosity function and primary normal stress coefficient followed power-law behavior, and constructing a time constant from the calculated parameters, the Bird-Leider model provided a good prediction of maximum and steady state stresses as well as the time at which they occur, but only a crude prediction of shear stress decay. The model supplied two more empirical constants “a” and “b” where “a” can be regarded as a pseudo-elastic modulus. Variation in “a” with shear rate shows that all materials studied are nonlinear viscoelastic.
Posttranscriptional Induction of Two Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase Genes in Arabidopsis Is Mediated by Downregulation of miR398 and Important for Oxidative Stress Tolerance

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of regulatory RNAs of ∼21 nucleotides that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression by directing mRNA cleavage or translational inhibition. Increasing evidence points to a potential role of miRNAs in diverse physiological processes. miR398 targets two closely related Cu/Zn superoxide dismutases (cytosolic CSD1 and chloroplastic CSD2) that can detoxify superoxide radicals. CSD1 and CSD2 transcripts are induced in response to oxidative stress, but the regulatory mechanism of the induction is unknown. Here, we show that miR398 expression is downregulated transcriptionally by oxidative stresses, and this downregulation is important for posttranscriptional CSD1 and CSD2 mRNA accumulation and oxidative stress tolerance. We also provide evidence for an important role of miR398 in specifying the spatial and temporal expression patterns of CSD1 and CSD2 mRNAs. Our results suggest that CSD1 and CSD2 expression is fine-tuned by miR398-directed mRNA cleavage. Additionally, we show that transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing a miR398-resistant form of CSD2 accumulate more CSD2 mRNA than plants overexpressing a regular CSD2 and are consequently much more tolerant to high light, heavy metals, and other oxidative stresses. Thus, relieving miR398-guided suppression of CSD2 in transgenic plants is an effective new approach to improving plant productivity under oxidative stress conditions.
Information needs of physicians

Quantitative estimates of physician information need reported in the literature vary by orders of magnitude. This article offers a framework for explicitly defining the types of information that clinicians use and the various states of information need on which different studies have focused. Published reports seem to be in agreement that physicians have many clinical questions in the course of patient care, but most of their questions are never answered. Examination of the clinical questions themselves reveals that they tend to be highly complex, embedded in the context of a unique patient's story. The heavy reliance of physicians on human sources of information has implications for the nature of their information needs, including the narrative structure of their knowledge and the need for more than information alone when solving clinical problems. Evaluation of clinical information systems must move beyond measures of the relevance of retrieved information to assessing the extent to which information systems help practitioners solve the clinical problems they face in practice. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
An implementation of time synchronization in low-power wireless sensor networks

Time synchronization plays an important role in wireless sensor networks, enabling correlation of diverse measurements from distributed sensor nodes, shared channel communication, and energy conservation. When designing time synchronization algorithms for wireless sensor networks, a number of parameters needs to be carefully considered, including precision, processing time overheads, memory requirements, and energy costs. In this paper we describe an implementation of time synchronization on a wireless sensor network custom designed for traffic monitoring applications. Each node consists of a magnetic sensor, a microcontroller, and a low-power Nordic nRF24L01+ radio chip. We describe various aspects of our time synchronization implementation, including hardware interfacing, low-level event time-stamping, time synchronization mechanism, and software implementation. We discuss the results of our experimental study focusing on precision and performance overhead.
Subject-Specific Myoelectric Pattern Classification of Functional Hand Movements for Stroke Survivors

In this study, we developed a robust subject-specific electromyography (EMG) pattern classification technique to discriminate intended manual tasks from muscle activation patterns of stroke survivors. These classifications will enable volitional control of assistive devices, thereby improving their functionality. Twenty subjects with chronic hemiparesis participated in the study. Subjects were instructed to perform six functional tasks while their muscle activation patterns were recorded by ten surface electrodes placed on the forearm and hand of the impaired limb. In order to identify intended functional tasks, a pattern classifier using linear discriminant analysis was applied to the EMG feature vectors. The classification accuracy was mainly affected by the impairment level of the subject. Mean classification accuracy was 71.3% for moderately impaired subjects (Chedoke Stage of Hand 4 and 5), and 37.9% for severely impaired subjects (Chedoke Stage of Hand 2 and 3). Most misclassification occurred between grip tasks of similar nature, for example, among pinch, key, and three-fingered grips, or between cylindrical and spherical grips. EMG signals from the intrinsic hand muscles significantly contributed to the inter-task variability of the feature vectors, as assessed by the inter-task squared Euclidean distance, thereby indicating the importance of intrinsic hand muscles in functional manual tasks. This study demonstrated the feasibility of the EMG pattern classification technique to discern the intent of stroke survivors. Future work should concentrate on the construction of a subject-specific EMG classification paradigm that carefully considers both functional and physiological impairment characteristics of each subject in the target task selection and electrode placement procedures.
Comparing symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders using the current DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria and the proposed DSM-V diagnostic criteria

Abstract The American Psychiatric Association has proposed major revisions for the diagnostic category encompassing Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which will reportedly increase the specificity and maintain the sensitivity of diagnoses. As a result, the aim of the current study was to compare symptoms of ASD in children and adolescents ( N = 208) who met criteria for ASD according to only the DSM-IV-TR to those who met criteria according to the forthcoming version of the DSM and to those that were typically developing. Participants comprising the DSM-IV-TR and DSM-V groups did not score significantly different from each other on overall autism symptoms, but both groups scored significantly different from the control group. However significant differences emerged between the DSM-IV-TR and DSM-V groups in the core domain of nonverbal communication/socialization. Implications of the results and the proposed changes to the ASD diagnostic category are discussed.
Propagation Time Affects Winter Survival and Finishing Date for Ornamental Grasses

Five grasses: little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash; prairie dropseed, Sporobolus heterolepis (A. Gray) A. Gray; feather reedgrass, Calamagrostis xacutiflora (Schrad.) DC. ‘Karl Foerster’; redflame miscanthus, Miscanthus Anderss. ‘Purpurascens’; and variegated Japanese silvergrass, Miscanthus sinensis Anderss. ‘Variegatus’; were propagated in fall and spring by plugs or field divisions into 480 ml (4 in round), 2.7 liter (#1), or 6.2 liter (#2) nursery containers. Plants were evaluated for finish date and winter survival. Three fall handled species consistently finished as a salable plant within one year: Schizachyrium scoparium plugs, Calamagrostis xacutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ divisions, and Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ divisions. Sporobolus heterolepis and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ grew faster and finished with significantly higher survival rates from spring divisions. Spring planted plugs of S. heterolepis and S. scoparium finished within 9 weeks. The two smaller container sizes finished significantly ahead of the larger size.
Disorders of Cardiac Rhythm

A fundamental understanding of cardiac electrophysiology allows the clinician to manipulate cardiac conduction in the clinical setting. The normal myocardium has the ability to generate, contract in response to, and propagate an action potential. Cardiac cells maintain an ion gradient with an overall negative intracellular charge. This transmembrane gradient allows for ion flow and the generation of the action potential, which is driving force for cardiac activity (Fig. 29-1). Cardiac cells maintain high intracellular potassium (140 mM) and low intracellular sodium (10 mM) concentrations as the major source of the transmembrane gradient. Low intra-cytoplasmic calcium levels (10−4 mM) also contribute to the resting equilibrium potential. These values have clinical implications, For example, a rise of the extracellular potassium concentration (hyperkalemia) decreases the cardiac transmembrane potential that, if severe, can ultimately lead to asystole. Conversely, bolus intravenous calcium administration augments the calcium component of the transmembrane gradient, and counteracts some of the negative electrophysiologic effects of hyperkalemia.
An Elegant Fission Machine

Dynamin, best studied for its role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, is the prototypical member of a multi-domain GTPase family involved in fission and remodeling of multiple organelles. Dynamin alone can catalyze fission of membrane tubules and vesicle formation from planar lipid templates, and thus constitutes a minimal fission apparatus. Through extensive structure/function analyses using in vitro and in vivo assays we have identified the conformational changes and biochemical requirements for dynamin-catalyzed membrane fission. More recently, based on available structural information we have engineered conformationally trapped dynamin molecules and examined their ability to drive distinct stages in membrane remodeling and scission. Together these studies suggest a two-stage model for dynamin-catalyzed fission. In stage one, mechanochemical activities of assembled dynamin helices and wedging activity due to two hydrophobic loops in the membrane-interacting pleckstrin homology domain (PHD) constrict the underlying membrane. GTPase driven cycles of assembly/disassembly restrict and optimize the length of the assembled helical collars enforcing highly localized curvature stress. In the GTP-hydrolysis transition-state, the wedging activity of the tightly packed PHDs is increased and together they create a catalytic center that guides lipid remodeling and drives the formation of a hemi-fission intermediate. Resolution of this intermediate requires GTP hydrolysis and loosening of the otherwise stabilizing protein scaffold. Twisting and/or expansion of the scaffold likely also contribute to fission in stage two. Although dynamin is a self-contained, elegant fission machine, dynamin-catalyzed fission remains an inefficient and stochastic process that is presumably aided in vivo by coat and other curvature generating endocytic accessory proteins. Many current and former lab members including Hanna Damke, Dale Warnock, Jenny Hinshaw, Rajesh Ramachandran, Josh Chappie, Thomas Pucadyil, Ya-Wen Liu, Sylvia Neumann, Juha-Pekka Mattila and Saipraveen Srinivasan, as well as outstanding collaborators, including Vadim Frolov, Anna Shnyrova and Fred Dyda have contributed to these studies.
Early Clonal Survival and Growth of Poplars Grown on North Carolina Piedmont and Mountain Marginal Lands

The western half of North Carolina has abundant marginal pasturelands that vary greatly in altitude. Studies have demonstrated high Populus productivity on coastal plains and eastern Piedmont regions. Our objective was to identify best-performing Populus clones on marginal pasturelands representing upper Piedmont (Salisbury, 215 m above sea level, m.a.s.l.), northern Blue Ridge Mountains (Laurel Springs, 975 m.a.s.l.), and southern Blue Ridge Mountains (Mills River, 630 m.a.s.l.). At Salisbury, height and basal diameter (BD) were significantly related to clones (p < 0.0001), and some clones were affected by clone-spacing interaction while spacing affected aboveground wood volume significantly (p < 0.0001). At Mills River, clonal survival (p < 0.0011), height, and volume (p < 0.0051) varied with contrasting significance of some clonal differences between spacings. At Laurel Springs, survival varied among clones in 1 m × 1 m spacing (p = 0.003) but not 2 m × 2 m spacing while heights and volumes differed in both spacings (p < 0.0058). Clone 185 was consistently in the top 10 % for height, BD, and survival at all sites and spacings while other clones performed variably. Height-BD regressions were affected by clones, spacing, and sites. Volume had no clear correlations with precipitation, photosynthetically active radiation, temperature, and altitude across sites while height correlated with precipitation. Our results compared favorably with published results in other US regions, and show short rotation poplars have efficacy in Piedmont and mountain regions if the right clones in terms of growth/productivity, survival, and disease resistance are selected. Larger clonal performance variations are expected as competition increases, and highlight importance of experimentally determining suitable clones for specific sites.
Common Core Creativity: Not So Fast

AbstractHow do the Common Core State Standards measure up to the previous versions of state academic standards in terms of higher-order thinking skills? Researchers who investigated this question caution teachers to carefully review the standards and substandards to determine areas that must be augmented to provide higher-order thinking opportunities to all students.
Deformation Mapping in Micro- and Nanoscale Fibers

Small-scale natural fibers are among the biological materials being studied by researchers seeking innovative methods to create new high performance materials. For example, spider dragline silk fibers are being studied because of their unique combination of high strength-to- weight ratio and high extensibility, which leads to a tough and lightweight fiber. Biomimetic fibers based on spider silk have been a focus of research for the past decade. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the mechanisms by which silk achieves its unique mechanical properties, as well as challenges in mechanical testing of biomimetic silk fibers (which is often hindered by both small diameters and limited material availability). A method to characterize local mechanical behavior in small diameter fibers was developed to both improve understanding of structure-property relationships in natural fibers and provide a method for comparing mechanical behavior in natural and biomimetic fibers. The deformation mapping technique described in this paper, which utilizes a piezoelectric micromanipulator with pulled glass tips, an inverted microscope with attached camera, and an image processing MATLAB program, is also applicable to the characterization of other micro- and nanoscale fibers where local deformation mechanisms may be of interest (e.g., for mechanical characterization of electrospun fibers).
Influence of Standardized Orientation on Patient Perception of Perioperative Care Following Alveolar Cleft Repair: A Survey Based Study of Patients Treated in a Large Academic Medical Center.

Objective: This study aims to better understand patient-reported outcomes for iliac bone grafting surgery for alveolar cleft repair and to determine how standardizing perioperative patient instruction affects patient-reported outcomes. Design: Retrospective survey-based assessment of patients undergoing iliac bone grafting with and without hospital-based systems standardization. Setting: Academic tertiary care hospital. Patients: Of the 195 identified patients, 127 participated. Interventions: Survey on pain and satisfaction regarding iliac bone grafting surgery. Main Outcome Measures: Survey answers measured patient opinions about the surgery. Answers of the pre- and poststandardization patients were compared to determine the effect of standardizing patient instructions. Results: Patients rated their satisfaction with the surgery and recovery a 4.5 and 4.4 out of 5, respectively. They rated their overall pain in the hospital a 5.5 out of 10 (4.9 in the mouth, 5.7 in the hip). Patients were dischar...
Ion measurements in sea urchin sperm.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses methods used to measure ion changes important to activation of sea urchin sperm motility and the acrosome reaction. The methods used to measure pH i , ion fluxes, and membrane potentials in sea urchin sperm are described. Methods available for measurement of pH i include uptake of radiolabeled weak acids and bases, 31 P-nuclear magnetic resonance, and incorporation of molecular probes such as carboxyfluorescein that undergo spectral or fluorescent shifts with changes in pH i . Simple ionic manipulation, regulation of pH i , and [Ca 2+ ] are of fundamental importance to sperm physiology. pH i is discussed as it is an important regulatory component of sperm motility and the acrosome reaction. pH i changes in sea urchin sperm correlate with or are linked with other cation movements also. In particular, a Na + /H + exchange is a component of the sperm plasma membrane that can either raise or lower the pH i . Induction of the acrosome reaction results in multiple changes in the sperm cation composition. Na + and Ca 2+ enter the sperm and K + (and H + ) exit. Of these Ca 2+ entry is a crucial requirement for the acrosome reaction regardless of the method used to initiate it.
Fabrication of optical interconnect components for free-pace OXC using PDMS and thermoplastics

We present the design and fabrication of a spot displacement device to be used on a White cell-based binary optical cross-connect system. The implementation is done via soft lithography using PDMS and polysterene sheets for beam displacements of 3mm and 7mm.
Is repeated head computed tomography necessary for traumatic intracranial hemorrhage

This study was performed to determine the need for repeat head computed tomography (CT) in patients with blunt traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) who were initially treated nonoperatively and to determine which factors predicted observation failure or success. A total of 1,462 patients were admitted to our level II trauma center for treatment of head injury. Seventeen per cent (255/1,462) were diagnosed with ICH on initial head CT. Craniotomy was initially performed in 15.7 per cent (40/255) of patients with ICH. Two hundred sixteen patients with ICH were initially observed. Ninety-seven per cent (179/184) of observed patients with ICH and repeat head CT never underwent a craniotomy, 2.7 per cent (5/184) of patients with ICH initially observed underwent craniotomy after repeat head CT, and four patients (80%) had deteriorating neurologic status. Multivariate analysis revealed the following significant admission risk factors were associated with a need for repeat head CT indicating the need for craniotomy: treatment with anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet medications, elevated prothrombin time (PT), and age greater than 70 years. In patients with blunt traumatic intracranial hemorrhage initially observed, there is little utility of repeated head CT in the absence of deteriorating neurologic status. The only admission risk factors for a repeat CT indicating the need for craniotomy were advanced age and coagulopathy.
Complexity Because of the Number of Components in the Chemical System

In the past rare gases provided the testing ground for theories and simulations on the liquid state; today liquid water has assumed that role. The added complexity in the intermolecular interactions and the importanc of water as a solvent are two of the reasons for this shift. Pioneering studies in this direction have been presented by Baker, et al.(144) where Monte Carlo simulations based on empirical water-water potentials were considered. In the following we shall be mainly concerned with quantum-mechanically derived potentials.
The Seventh Day: Extended Hours for Shoppers

This study provides a demographic and psychographic profile of the Sunday shopper. Cluster analysis indicates that Sunday shoppers can be segmented into distinct groups with particular product needs and requiring different marketing strategies. While there are some similarities between Sunday and weekday shoppers, Sunday shopping does have special appeal to certain shopper types.
A Performance-Based Manual for Mental Health Counseling Internships

The literature finds that mental health counseling internship programs face two challenges. One challenge is the lack of systematic learning instruments in internship settings. The second challenge is that there is continuous pressure by professional accrediting associations to have counseling programs submit verifiable evidence of student learning outcomes in all academic programs. In response to these two challenges, a performance-based manual was designed by two instructors at Touro College in New York City. This manual replaces one which is content-based to comply with the recently created performance-based standards of the Council for Accrediting Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This manual is a systematic learning instrument containing program designed performance goals, performance activities related to these goals, and rubrics to determine whether CACREP standards are met. As interns strive to meet these standards, their accomplishments produce the evidence of the knowledge and skills learned to professional accrediting association which determine the effectiveness of the college's counseling program. Furthermore, the evidence of learning outcomes is provided to federal and state agencies to meet their accountability requirements. Finally, there are two surveys designed to enable interns and the college supervisor to evaluate the effectiveness of the performance-based manual.
Correlates and Consequences of Worker Polymorphism in Ants

Body size is a key life-history trait influencing all aspects of an organism's biology. Ants provide an interesting model for examining body-size variation because of the high degree of worker polymorphism seen in many taxa. We review worker-size variation in ants from the perspective of factors internal and external to the colony that may influence body-size distributions. We also discuss proximate and ultimate causes of size variation and how variation in worker size can promote worker efficiency and colony fitness. Our review focuses on two questions: What is our current understanding of factors influencing worker-size variation? And how does variation in body size benefit the colony? We conclude with recommendations for future work aimed at addressing current limitations and ask, How can we better understand the contribution of worker body-size variation to colony success? And, what research is needed to address gaps in our knowledge?
Assessing the Impact of Mindfulness and Life Stress on Maternal Well-Being

Dispositional mindfulness has been shown to protect against affective symptoms in the general population. However, little is known about whether and how these benefits may extend to a particularly high-risk period for affective distress—early parenthood. In this study, we tested within-person and between-person associations between maternal mindfulness and symptoms of anxiety and depression across the first 18 months postnatal. We further investigated whether mindfulness moderated the effect of life stress on mothers’ symptoms. Participants were 89 mothers aged 18–44 years (M = 27.01, SD = 5.39) from a larger longitudinal study on mother-infant stress regulation. Mothers completed measures of dispositional mindfulness, life stress, anxiety, and depression at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months postnatal. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess the associations between mindfulness and life stress and symptoms of both anxiety and depression over time. Absolute levels of maternal mindfulness predicted lower maternal depressive symptoms at 18 months (β = − 314, SE = .123, p = .013), and relative increases in mindfulness predicted concurrent decreases in anxiety (β = − .251, SE = .076, p = .002) and depressive symptoms (β = − .464, SE = .088, p < .001) across time points. There was no evidence for moderated effects; rather, life stress related independently to overall levels of anxiety (β = .495, SE = .170, p = .005) and depression (β = .341, SE = .147, p = .023) at 18 months. Implications for understanding mindfulness as a dynamic construct and potential applications to improving perinatal mental health are discussed.
Uncertainty, Alert and Distress: The Precarious Position of NGO Search and Rescue Operations in the Central Mediterranean

Abstract: The international framework for maritime search and rescue relies on state actors establishing regions of responsibility supported by private shipmasters acting in compliance with traditional duties to rescue persons in distress at sea. Despite revisions to the framework’s foundational treaty, questions persist about the extent of state responsibilities and the interaction between those responsibilities and international human rights law. Over the past three years, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have provided significant support to the efforts of sovereign actors responding to the migration crisis in the Central Mediterranean. Regional governments and civil society initially praised NGO operations, but in recent months these groups have come to criticize and challenge such operations. Italian authorities have threatened criminal prosecution of NGO deployers and proposed closing national ports to them. Libyan authorities have harassed NGO vessels and sought to exclude them from international waters. These actions are consistent with non-entree strategies employed by Mediterranean states in recent years, but are in certain cases of questionable legality. Although controlling irregular migration is properly the responsibility of state actors, recent policies are inconsistent with principles of rule of law and good governance. Keywords : irregular migration; maritime law; Search and Rescue regime; NGOs; Italy; Libya; human rights.
Intercultural Expertise and Public Policy

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the intercultural expertise and public policy. Every culture's customs and beliefs rest on largely inexplicit categorizations of phenomena by which people perceive and order their world and the natural, social, and imaginary events within it. People's more explicit customs and beliefs are formulated in terms of these categorizations. In anthropological jargon, an emic description of a culture is one that seeks to delineate these fundamental categorizations and to state the culture's norms for behavior in terms of them. By contrast, an etic description is one that states its norms in terms of categories extrinsic to the culture being described. Etic description is, of course, necessary for delineating the basic categories intrinsic to a culture, what amount to that culture's primitive terms, but a fully emic description confines its use of etic categories and concepts to this task. Anthropologists are increasingly being trained to learn and describe the emic categories of cultures. The methods by which they do this are still being developed. Furthermore, just as it takes time and effort to become competent in another language, it takes as much or more time and effort to acquire a command of another culture. To gain this competence, moreover, an anthropologist must rely on the already acquired competence of the people whose culture he/she seeks to learn. They are the experts. Most of these persons grow up with that other culture and through, later, formal education and job experience acquire competence in the planners' culture.
Medical education meets health care reform.

There are four key elements of health system reform that medical educators must endeavor to implement. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.