cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardioplegia prevents ischemia-induced transcriptional alterations of cytoprotective genes in rat hearts: A DNA microarray study

Background Energy conservation and calcium homeostasis contribute to myocardial protection provided by hyperkalemic cardioplegia during ischemia. Complimenting these established mechanisms of protection, previous work suggested that activation of cytoprotective signaling pathways also contributes to reduced injury with cardioplegia. We proposed that cardioplegia would recruit cytoprotective pathways and investigated the transcriptional response of the heart after cardioplegia-protected ischemia compared with that after ischemia alone. Methods Isolated perfused rat hearts underwent 40 minutes of global ischemia alone or with St Thomas cardioplegia, followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion. The expression profiles of isolated RNA were determined by using Affymetrix microarrays and assessed by comparing cardioplegia-protected hearts and hearts undergoing unprotected ischemia with time-matched control hearts. The content of selected proteins was assessed by means of immunoblotting. Results Cardioplegia preserved the expression of multiple genes involved in carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism, glycolysis, and electron transport compared with ischemia alone. The expression of the sodium-calcium exchanger and ryanodine receptor was preserved in line with the ability of cardioplegia to decrease calcium overload. The expression of multiple cytoprotective molecules, including protein-tyrosine kinase, calcineurin B, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, voltage-dependent anion channel, protein kinase C ϵ, heat shock protein 70, and manganese superoxide dismutase all showed decreased expression in ischemia but were preserved to near nonischemic levels by cardioplegia. Conclusion Cardioplegia during ischemia maintained an expression profile similar to that seen in nonischemic hearts for genes involved in energy conservation, calcium homeostasis, and cytoprotective pathways, whereas ischemia alone did not. Exposing the transcriptional differences in cytoprotective genes during untreated and cardioplegia-treated ischemia provides valuable insight into an additional mechanism of cardioprotection induced by cardioplegia.
Dexamethasone-induced accumulation of neuropeptide-Y by aggregating fetal brain cells in culture: a process dependent on the developmental age of the aggregates.

Neuropeptide-Y (NPY) and glucocorticoid receptors are coexpressed in many neurons in the brain. We addressed the question: Do glucocorticoids regulate the accumulation and/or secretion of immunoreactive (IR) NPY by fetal rat brain cells in culture, April and if so, is the effect developmental stage dependent? Aggregates, formed from dissociated cells obtained from the hypothalamus-olfactory tubercle of 17-day-old fetuses, were cultured in serum-free medium for 23 days. On day 23, the aggregate NPY content was 6 ng/flask, and secretion (last 2 days) was approximately 12 ng/24 h. Exposure to dexamethasone (Dex; 20 nM) between days 0–23 led to a 1.9-fold increase in the aggregate content of NPY, whereas NPY secretion was not altered. When Dex exposure was limited to days 12–23, 16–23, 19–23, or 21–23, only a 12- to 23-day exposure induced NPY accumulation, and it was as effective as a 0- to 23- day exposure. The Dex-induced increase in NPY content was evident after a lag period of 4 days or more. When Dex ex...
Urban disamenities and the measure of economic welfare

Abstract A labor market model is used to estimate elasticities between various disamenity factors of urban areas and the wage in those areas. The results are used to calculate a correction to the personal income (PI) data for use in the construction of an index to be used as a measure of economic welfare. The labor supply equation of the model includes some population-related variables which Tobin and Nordhaus have hypothesized represent disamenities of urban living. The labor demand equation is derived from a production function which includes a measure of agglomeration economies. A two-stage least-squares regression analysis provides results which indicate that the hypothesized factors are actually amenity factors. The resulting correction to the personal income data is thus an addition: Economic welfare is higher than that indicated by the PI statistics.
Flux limiting embedded boundary technique for electromagnetic FDTD

A general approach for incorporating embedded boundaries into an electromagnetic finite difference time domain (FDTD) code is presented. This algorithm is shown to satisfy Gauss's law and enforces no magnetic monopoles while maintaining a globally second-order result (first-order at physical boundaries), with no added time-step restriction. Theoretically predicted superior results are shown with an 11% time-step reduction from the Courant stability limit. This is achieved through a physics-based flux limiting scheme near physical boundaries. Stability, local truncation error and energy conservation analysis are also provided.
Transmission Characteristics of Silver Nanoapertures

The polarization-dependent transmission spectra of silver nanoapertures are investigated. A strong transmission loss in the region of plasmonic resonance and a suppression of cut-off attenuation in the donut aperture are observed.
Social networks and tourism in the Roanoke River Valley

Increased attention has been given to social networks in rural tourism (Ahmad, 2005; Tinsley & Lynch, 2007). Social networks are linkages between various participants to achieve a common goal, repr...
Regulation of hepatic lipin‐1 by ethanol: Role of AMP‐activated protein kinase/sterol regulatory element‐binding protein 1 signaling in mice

Lipin-1 is a protein that exhibits dual functions as a phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase (PAP) enzyme in the triglyceride synthesis pathways and a transcriptional co-regulator. Our previous studies have shown that ethanol causes fatty liver by activation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP-1) and inhibition of hepatic AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in mice. Here, we tested the hypothesis that AMPK-SREBP-1 signaling may be involved in ethanol-mediated up-regulation of lipin-1 gene expression. The effects of ethanol on lipin-1 were investigated in cultured hepatic cells and in the livers of chronic ethanol-fed mice. Ethanol exposure robustly induced activity of a mouse lipin-1 promoter, promoted cytoplasmic localization of lipin-1 and caused excess lipid accumulation both in cultured hepatic cells and in mouse livers. Mechanistic studies showed that ethanol-mediated induction of lipin-1 gene expression was inhibited by a known activator of AMPK or overexpression of a constitutively active form of AMPK. Importantly, overexpression of processed nuclear form of SREBP-1c (nSREBP-1c) abolished the ability of AICAR to suppress ethanol-mediated induction of lipin-1 gene expression level. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays further revealed that ethanol exposure significantly increased association of acetylated Histone H3 at lysine 9 (Lys9) with the SRE-containing region in the promoter of the lipin-1 gene. In conclusion, ethanol-induced up-regulation of lipin-1 gene expression is mediated through inhibition of AMPK and activation of SREBP-1.
Adsorption and thermal reactions of disilane and the growth of Si films on Ge(100)-(2×1)

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), core-level photoemission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation, and electron diffraction were employed to study the vapor-phase epitaxial growth of Si on Ge(100)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) using disilane (${\mathrm{Si}}_{2}$${\mathrm{H}}_{6}$). The dissociative chemisorption of a ${\mathrm{Si}}_{2}$${\mathrm{H}}_{6}$ molecule on Ge(100)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) at room temperature results in two Si-trihydride (${\mathrm{SiH}}_{3}$) radicals bonded onto two adjacent Ge dangling bonds. Some ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{2}$ and GeH species are also formed as a result of decomposition of ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{3}$. An initial sticking coefficient of \ensuremath{\sim}0.5 is deduced from STM images. An exposure of more than 2 langmuirs (1 langmuir=${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}6}$ Torr s) of disilane at room temperature saturates the surface with ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{3}$, ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{2}$, and GeH species, and the resulting surface is disordered. The total amount of Si on the saturated surface is about 1/2 monolayer (ML). Successive annealing of the saturated surface to higher temperatures causes the conversion of ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{3}$ to ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{2}$, the conversion of ${\mathrm{SiH}}_{2}$ to SiH, and the desorption of H from GeH. These processes become complete at about 600 K, and the resulting surface is a clean Ge(100)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) interspersed with about 1/2 ML of Si-monohydride (SiH)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) islands. Desorption of hydrogen from these SiH islands occurs at even higher annealing temperatures, and is accompanied by indiffusion of Si into the Ge substrate. This process becomes complete at about 690 K, and the final system configuration is a clean Ge(100)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) with about 1/2 ML of Si buried in the subsurface region. Multilayer Si deposition was performed by atomic layer epitaxy, i.e., cyclic disilane adsorption at \ensuremath{\sim}340 K followed by thermal conversion at 820 K. For up to 18 cycles, the resulting surface consists of Ge only. The change in surface morphology is studied by STM. Differences between the clean Si(100)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) and Ge(100)-(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) surfaces as observed by STM are also reported.
The Intimate Partner Violence Stigmatization Model and Barriers to Help Seeking

The intimate partner violence (IPV) stigmatization model identifies how three stigma components hinder IPV help-seeking behaviors: cultural stigma, stigma internalization, and anticipated stigma. Cultural stigma highlights societal beliefs that delegitimize people experiencing abuse. Stigma internalization involves the extent to which people come to believe that the negative stereotypes about those who experience IPV may be true of themselves. Anticipated stigma emphasizes concern about what will happen once others know about the partner abuse (e.g., rejection). We provide an integrative literature review that supports the IPV stigmatization model and its role in reducing help-seeking behaviors.
A comparison of managerial skills of middle managers with MBAs, with other masters’ and undergraduate degrees ten years after the Porter and McKibbin report

Multiple initiatives have been taken to address the lack of managerial skills of MBA graduates since the Porter and McKibbin report. How effective or widespread these initiatives have been has been questioned. Before proceeding, 11 managerial skills were identified and tested for their relevance to performance. Support was found that nine of the 11 skills were associated with managerial performance. Why these two skills were not associated with performance was explored. To test for the effectiveness of the initiatives to teach managerial skills in MBA programs, multiple comparisons of the managerial skills of recent and past MBA graduates and other graduates were made. In general, the comparisons failed to find that MBAs have a significant advantage in managerial skills. Reasons for these findings are explored in the paper. In addition, the challenge this represents to MBA programs is also discussed.
Anxiety sensitivity and breath-holding duration in relation to PTSD symptom severity among trauma exposed adults.

The present investigation examined the main and interactive effects of anxiety sensitivity and behavioral distress tolerance, indexed using the breath-holding task, in relation to PTSD symptom severity among trauma-exposed adults. Participants were 88 adults (63.6% women; M(age)=22.9, SD=9.1, range=18-62), recruited from the community, who met DSM-IV-TR PTSD Criterion A for lifetime trauma exposure. Covariates included number of potentially traumatic events, nonclinical panic attack history, and participant sex. Anxiety sensitivity was significantly incrementally associated with PTSD total symptom severity, as well as Avoidance and Hyperarousal symptom severity (p's .05). However, breath-holding duration emerged as a significant moderator of the association between anxiety sensitivity and PTSD Avoidance symptom severity, such that lower breath-holding duration exacerbated the effect of heightened anxiety sensitivity with regard to PTSD Avoidance symptom severity.
A psbA mutation in Kochia scoparia (L) Schrad from railroad rights-of-way with resistance to diuron, tebuthiuron and metribuzin†

Kochia [Kochia scoparia (L) Schrad] has become resistant to many herbicides used in cropland and railroad rights-of-way in North Dakota and Minnesota. Kochia scoparia plants that had survived annual treatments with diuron and tebuthiuron were sampled along railroad rights-of-way in North Dakota and Minnesota. The samples were screened in the greenhouse for resistance to diuron, tebuthiuron, metribuzin and bromoxynil from 0.5x to 32x the recommended use rates. A resistant K scoparia accession (MN-3R) was confirmed with resistance up to 16-fold higher than recommended use rates for tebuthiuron and diuron and up to 4-fold higher for metribuzin. However, the resistant K scoparia accession was susceptible to bromoxynil even at 50% of the recommended use rate. The herbicide binding region of the psbA gene fragment of eight resistant (R) and seven susceptible (S) K scoparia accessions was PCR-amplified and sequenced for detection of mutations. The psbA gene of four R K scoparia accessions was mutated at residue 219 with substitution of isoleucine for valine (GenBank accession number AY251265). The seven S K scoparia accession sequences were wild-type at this residue (GenBank accession number AY251266). The other four R accessions sequences showed a previously known triazine R mutation with substitution of glycine for serine at residue 264. All 15 K scoparia accessions were wild-type at all other psbA residues within the region analyzed. Resistance to diuron, tebuthiuron and metribuzin among the railroad rights-of-way K scoparia is probably due to the mutation at residue 219 of the psbA gene in some plants, but due to the previously reported Ser(264)Gly substitution in other plants. Target-site resistance associated with a change of valine to isoleucine at residue 219 of the psbA target-site in weeds has previously been reported for Poa annua L selected in diuron-treated grass seed fields, and for Amaranthus powelli S Wats selected in linuron-treated carrot fields. This is the first report of the mutation in herbicide-resistant K scoparia.
Long-term female cancer survivors: quality of life issues and clinical implications.

The purpose of this research was to identify concerns and issues related to quality of life in long-term female cancer survivors and to discuss the implications of these issues for nursing. Data were collected by mailed questionnaire to 188 female long-term cancer survivors whose mean age was 61 years. Respondents were recruited through a Michigan tumor registry. The newly developed Long-Term Quality of Life (LTQL) instrument was used to measure quality of life in four domains: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. We hypothesized that physical concerns would be minimal, whereas psychological, social, and spiritual areas would encompass salient issues. Our hypotheses were supported, with the lowest levels of quality of life found in the areas of spiritual/philosophical views, diet and exercise habits, and social/emotional support; the highest area of quality of life was physical, i.e., the absence of somatic concerns. Long-term survivors have resolved many of the physical concerns resulting from their illness and treatment. However, nursing interventions can still improve quality of life in the psychological, social, and spiritual areas. A multipurpose support group for survivors is recommended, including "exercise partners" to support regular exercise, group discussions of spirituality and philosophical views of life, and community service activities with women's organizations and/or newly diagnosed women.
Initial stages of Schottky barrier formation: Temperature effects

Recent experiments on the formation of Schottky barriers reveal a temperature-dependent pinning of the Fermi level (E F ) which cannot be explained in terms of the current published models. Al, Au, Ag, In, and Sn are evaporated on room temperature (RT) and low temperature (LT= 80 K) cleaved n- and p-GaAs(110). We find a substantial decrease in surface metal clustering at LT, leading to more homogeneous films, especially with Al, In, and Sn. Interface mixing and chemical reaction are also partly inhibited. Cancellation of the semiconductor surface relaxation is observed for Al and Sn. From the electronic point of view, low temperature has opposite effects on the pinning rate of E F on n- andp-GaAs. Pinning on n-GaAs as a function of coverage is dramatically retarded. Pinning on p-GaAs remains faster than on n-GaAs, as fast as at RT, faster for Al and In. These asymmetric rates make it impossible to explain the initial stages of Schottky barrier formation for all substrates with a single mechanism. They suggest that several independent but concomitant mechanisms might be at work in the pinning process.
Countertransference and reality

The psychoanalytic situation provides many opportunities for people to observe their analysts closely. These observations are inevitably woven into the fabric of patients’ transference experience. Because the observations can be uncomfortable for the analyst, there is a constant temptation to ignore or deny the plausibility of patients’ perceptions. They can be, and often are, quickly reinterpreted as derivatives of sexual or aggressive urges. Psychoanalytic drive theory, with its emphasis on impulse rather than observation as the force behind transference experience, can encourage counter‐transferential disclaimers and lead to blind spots. Some technical suggestions are offered to avoid this tendency and are based on a relational understanding of the nature of transference.
Radio Detection of Formaldehyde Emission from Comet Halley

The J(K-1 K1) = -1(11) -10(10) transition of H2CO was detected in emission at 4829.659 MHz from Comet Halley. The H2CO emission line had a peak intensity of 2.66 + or - 0.78 mJy/beam with a small blueshift of -0.76 + or - 0.40 km/s, which is consistent with the anisotropic outgassing of the nucleus in the solar direction found for other cometary species. Data analysis suggests that cometary H2CO was produced from an extended source in the coma as well as directly from the nucleus and that it was not refrigerated as in interstellar dark nebulae. The derived H2CO production rate of 1.5 x 10 to the 28th molecules/s is obtained which is consistent with observational and theoretical findings.
Learning Business Law Online vs. Onland: A Mixed Method Analysis

This is a follow-up study to â€œA Comparative Analysis of Online and Traditional Undergraduate Business Law Classesâ€ (Shelley, Swartz & Cole, 2007) designed to further examine two critical areas of e-learning, that is, student satisfaction with, and student learning in, an online environment as compared with an onland, or traditional classroom environment. While the initial study found no significant difference between the two, the second study did find statistically significant differences between the online and the onland course formats with regard to two elements of student satisfaction: (1) student satisfaction with the instructor, and (2) student satisfaction with the course structure. The second study went further to look at the effects, if any, of gender, age and nationality on student satisfaction. There was no significant difference found with age or nationality. There was a significant difference between males and females with regard to two of the research questions.
Structural Consequences of the Ionization of Internal Lys Residues in a Protein

Internal ionizable residues in proteins play important functional roles in a variety of biological processes. The molecular determinants of their pKa values are poorly understood. Previously we measured the pKa of Lys, Asp, Glu and Arg at 25 internal groups in staphylococcal nuclease. 98 of these 100 variants are fully folded and native-like at pH 7. The pKa values of the majority of these groups are perturbed, some by as much as 5 pKa units, all in the direction that favors the neutral state. NMR spectroscopy was used to examine the structural and dynamic consequences of ionization of the internal lysine residues. In 9 of 10 crystal structures of Lys-containing variants the Lys side chain is completely buried, some in entirely hydrophobic microenvironments. In some cases the buried amino group makes contact with polar residues. The NMR experiments showed that in two variants the ionization of an internal Lys causes global unfolding. In five variants the ionization of the internal Lys triggers local structural changes and increased dynamics. The presence of conformational exchange in response to ionization appears to be correlated with the global stability of the variant proteins. Surprisingly, in the majority of cases, the changes in structure coupled to the ionization of the internal Lys residues are modest. These data demonstrate that proteins can tolerate internal ionizable residues, even those that exhibit large shifts in pKa values, and even in their charged states. The internal charged groups somehow manage to become solvated without disrupting the overall fold of the protein.
Effectiveness of Small, Increasing Doses of Intramuscular Reserpine in Hypertension

An “intermediate” schedule for the treatment of patients with moderately severe hypertension has been developed using intramuscular reserpine in gradually increasing doses. Twenty-one of 22 patients responded to this regimen with a mean decrease in diastolic blood pressure of 41 mm Hg. No patient developed hypotension.
Ion mobility-mass spectrometry applied to cyclic peptide analysis: conformational preferences of gramicidin S and linear analogs in the gas phase.

In this paper, we present an investigation of the gas-phase structural differences between cyclic and linear peptide ions by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-ion mobility-mass spectrometry. Specifically, data is shown for gramicidin S (cyclo-VOLFPVOLFP where phenylalanines are D rather than L-type amino acids and the O designates the non-standard amino acid ornithine) and five linear gramicidin S analogues. Results are interpreted as evidence for a β-sheet (or β-hairpin) conformational preference in both linear-protonated and sodiated-cyclic gramicidin S gas-phase peptides, and a preference for the protonated-cyclic peptide to adopt a collapsed, random coil-type conformation. A comparison with solution-phase circular dicrhoism measurements is performed, and structures similar to those observed in the gas phase appear to be favored in low-dielectric solvents such as 2,2,2-triflouroethanol. The utility of ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) as a means of rapidly distinguishing between linear and cyclic peptide forms in also discussed.
The oblique intersection of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with Charlie-Gibbs transform fault☆

Abstract The junction angle between the western Charlie-Gibbs transform fault and the spreading axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge diverges by 40° from the orthogonal intersection assumed in many studies of plate boundaries. This has been established by a surface-ship reconnaissance and by mapping fault trends in a transponder-navigated deep-tow survey of the fracture valley 25 km from the intersection. One set of normal faults trends 325–330°, parallel to the obliquely spreading ridge axis, and another set trends 275°, parellel to the direction of relative plate motion. Although the near-bottom survey was in the theoretically inactive part of the fracture zone, beyond the transform fault section, there is evidence for recent motion on faults that cut the thick sediment fill of the fracture valley. Oblique spreading of a ridge axis near a transform fault may result from distortion of the regional stress field by a strike-slip couple. Tension parallel to the long axis of the strike-slip strain ellipse, which is responsible for oblique normal faulting in transform valleys, causes oblique dike injection and oblique faulting in the axial rift valley. These effects extend further from transfrom fault intersections on slow-spreading ridges than on fast-spreading rises.
On self-reducibility and weak P-selectivity

Abstract Self-reducible sets and some low sets, including p -selective sets, and weakly p -selective sets are studied. Several different formulations of self-reducible sets are given and compared with each other. A new characterization of p -selective sets is found, and weakly p -selective sets are introduced as a generalization of p -selective sets based on this characterization. It is proved that self-reducible sets are not polynomial-time Turing reducible to these sets. As a consequence, ⩽ p m -completeness and ⩽ p T -completeness in NP are not likely to be distinguished by weakly p -selective sets.
A Review of Relationships Among Centropagid Copepod Genera and Some Species Found in Australasia

Relationships among Australasian centropagid calanoid copepods are reviewed. A revision of the generally accepted phylogenetic scheme culminating in the invasion of athalassic saline waters is proposed. Arguments leading to the proposed revision are presented.
Possibilistic particle swarms for optimization

We present a new approach for extending the particle swarm optimization algorithm to multi-optima problems by using ideas from possibility theory. An elastic constraint is used to let the particles dynamically explore the solution space in two phases. In the exploratory phase, particles explore the space in an effort to track the global minima while also traversing the local minima. In the exploitatory phase, particles disperse in the local neighborhoods to locate the best local minima. The proposed PPSO has been applied to data clustering and object detection. Our preliminary results indicate that the proposed approach is efficient and robust.
An enzymic method for measurement of glycogen.

An enzymic method for measuring glycogen has been described in detail. Glycogen plus inorganic phosphate and TPN+ are converted in one analytical step to 6-P-gluconolactone and TPNH. The TPNH is measured by its fluorescence or ultraviolet absorption. The method uses commercially available enzymes: phosphorylase a, P-glucomutase, and glucose-6-P dehydrogenase. It takes advantage of the fact that most phosphorylase preparations contain sufficient transglucosylase and glucosidase to permit complete degradation of glycogen. The specificity is such that whole tissue can be analyzed directly. The sensitivity is sufficient to measure 0.05 μg of glycogen with precision.
A discrete, stochastic model for microbial filter feeding : a model for feeding of ciliated protists on spatially uniform, nondepletable suspensions

Suspension-feeding ciliates, either bacteriovorous or planktonic, are adapted to feed on particulate food matter of size much smaller than their own size. These microorganisms collect their prey by generating water currents that draw prey toward their capture surfaces. Under such conditions food particles are treated in bulk, and captures of individual food particles from a suspension by individual single-celled organisms are discrete events that occur at random intervals of time. Each such event is followed by a sequence of additional events that also occur at random intervals of time. This sequence culminates in the incorporation of the digestible portion of the food particle into the cell's cytoplasm and the expulsion of the indigestible portion from the cell. In theory, the rate of the overall ingestion-digestion process can be limited by the passage of particles through any stage of this sequence of events. In this paper, we assume that only the initial events in the sequence, those that occur in the oral region of the cell, limit the rate of the ingestion-digestion process, and we develop a discrete, stochastic model of filter feeding based on that assumption. We use the model to show how advanced instrumentation, such as flow cytometry, can be used to measure parameters of the model and also to answer a number of important questions about the mechanism of filter feeding. We show also how the model can be applied to nonhomogeneous cell populations for which parameters of the model are distributed.
Thermal Inactivation of Salmonella senftenberg and Micrococcus freudenreichii in Retentates from Ultrafiltered Milks

Abstract Heat resistance of Salmonella senftenberg 775W and Micrococcus freudenreichii MS66 in unconcentrated milks and in retentates from ultrafiltration (and sometimes diafiltration) of the same lots of milk was determined. Age (
ATOMIC STRUCTURE OF A TRYPTOPHAN-ZIPPER PENTAMER

Coiled-coil motifs are ubiquitous mediators of specific protein-protein interactions through the formation of interlocking hydrophobic seams between α-helical chains. Residues that form these seams occur at the first (a) and fourth (d) positions of a characteristic 7-aa repeat and are primarily aliphatic. The potential of aromatic residues to promote helix association in a coiled coil was explored by engineering a “Trp-zipper” protein with Trp residues at all 14 a and d positions. The protein forms a discrete, stable, α-helical pentamer in water at physiological pH. Its 1.45-A crystal structure reveals a parallel, five-stranded coiled coil, a previously uncharacterized type of “knobs-into-holes” packing interaction between interfacial Trp side chains, and an unusual ≈8-A-diameter axial channel lined with indole rings that is filled with polyethylene glycol 400 and water and sulfate ion molecules. The engineered Trp-zipper pentamer enlarges current views of coiled-coil assembly, molecular recognition, and protein engineering, and may serve as a soluble model for membrane ion channels.
Changes in lean body mass and total body weight are weakly associated with physical functioning in patients with HIV infection.

Context For clinicians managing weight loss in patients with HIV, it would be useful to understand how changes in lean body mass (LBM) effect physical functioning, and whether LBM is more strongly related to physical functioning than total body weight (TBW). Objective To determine the relationship of changes in LBM and changes in total body weight (TBW) to changes in self-reported physical functioning in men and women with HIV infection. Methods Study design was longitudinal analysis of 1474 patient-intervals (each interval was approximately 6 months long) in 486 persons. Patients were participants in Nutrition for Healthy Living, a cohort study of HIV positive persons in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The main outcome measure was change in self-reported physical functioning. Results Of the 1474 intervals, 1165 were contributed by men and 309 by women. The mean CD4 count for the 1474 intervals was 383 cells/µL. In men, 5 kg changes in LBM and TBW were associated with 2.2 (95% confidence interval, 0.9, 3.4, P= 0.001) and 2.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.3, 3.9, P= 0.0002) point changes in physical functioning (on a 100-point scale), respectively, after adjusting for covariates. The relationships of changes in LBM and TBW to changes in physical functioning were linear. In women, there were no significant relationships between changes in LBM or TBW to changes in physical functioning. Conclusions In this longitudinal analysis of relatively healthy persons with HIV infection, changes in LBM and TBW were significantly related to changes in physical functioning in men, but the magnitude of the relationship was small. In women, changes in LBM and TBW were not related to changes in physical functioning. Our data suggest that it is not necessary to measure body composition (lean and fat compartments) to understand the impact of changes in weight on physical functioning – it is sufficient to follow total body weight.
Influence of diet palatability on the noradrenergic feeding response in the rat

Abstract Adult male rats which displayed a reliable feeding response to intrahypothalamic injections of norepinephrine (NE) on a chow diet were subsequently tested on one of three diets: an unpalatable quinine-adulterated meal, a palatable fat-adulterated meal, or a “neutral” unadulterated meal. The quinine diet completely blocked the NE feeding response, while the fat diet produced a small and unreliable reduction in the feeding response. When food deprived all groups increased their food intake, although the fat diet group tended to overeat, and the quinine diet group tended to undereat relative to the unadulterated diet group. The failure of the palatable fat diet to potentiate the NE feeding response does not support the hypothesis that this response mimics the ventromedial hypothalamic hyperphagia syndrome. The blocking effect of the quinine diet on NE feeding is consistent with other evidence which suggests that NE mediates the eating behavior induced by glucoprivation.
Development of group decision-support model and system for combined transportation and utility construction

As more and more transportation projects are located in highly congested metro settings, many projects require that adjacent utilities be aligned to make room for new or expanded highway facilities. The adjustment of utilities prior to highway construction is a highly challenging operation from many perspectives. One major strategic approach that has emerged over the last 15 years is for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to combine utility adjustment work with highway contractor’s scope of work, thereby eliminating or reducing some of the associated complications and risks. While many benefits can result from this combined approach, it does have its disadvantages and own sets of challenges. Hence, in the highway planning and design phase, a decision support model and a Group Decision-Support System (GDSS) were proposed to provide guidance to both state DOTs and utility decision-makers as to when the combined approach could be applied. This paper discusses the design of the decision support model and its system. With the use of GDSS, state DOTs and utility decision-makers can quickly realize the most important problems that need to be addressed and discuss solutions. A scenario using the proposed system on a hypothetical utility adjustment is presented.
Vattel's theory of the international order: Commerce and the balance of power in the Law of Nations

Vattel's Law of Nations (1758) claimed that a system of independent states could maintain the liberty of each without undermining the ideal of an international society. The chief institution serving this purpose was the balance of power. In Vattel's account, the balance of power could be stabilized if it operated primarily through a process of commercial preferences and restrictions. These limits on how states ought to defend themselves were grounded in Vattel's thoroughly forgotten writings on the mid-eighteenth-century luxury debates, which addressed the political economy of reforming the state and pacifying the international order. An examination of Vattel's Law of Nations in this context shows that his approach to the law of nations should not be dismissed as a capitulation to the harsh reality of international politics.
On an inventory decision model with Pareto distributed demands

Within the framework of a stock replenishing model the paper studies the effect of a Pareto demand distribution in the determination of the reorder point. The stock in hand and the replenishment lead time are considered to be random variables. >
Soil, water and crop management alternatives in rainfed agriculture in the Sahel: an economic analysis

Abstract Most agriculture in the Sahel Region is carried out under rainfed conditions where low and uncertain soil moisture levels limit productivity. Improved soil, water and crop management practices are required to reverse the steady decline in per capita food production and sustain output over the long term. Several technological innovations and related farm management practices are evaluated in a case study of a typical farm in Mali. Through use of a soil–water balance model and a whole-farm economic model an optimal mix of these measures is identified. Compared to a base case where no modern inputs are utilized, the combination of animal traction (oxen team), low levels of NPK fertilizer, tied-ridges, traditional long-season food grain crops and early planting was most effective: food grain output was 35% higher than with the traditional base case; soil erosion was reduced by 72%; and even with residual future soil erosion damage capitalized into current income, net farm income was larger by a factor of almost 45.
Identification of APOBEC3DE as Another Antiretroviral Factor from the Human APOBEC Family

A tandem arrayed gene cluster encoding seven cytidine deaminase genes is present on human chromosome 22. These are APOBEC3A, APOBEC3B, APOBEC3C, APOBEC3DE, APOBEC3F, APOBEC3G, and APOBEC3H. Three of them, APOBEC3G, APOBEC3F, and APOBEC3B, block replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and many other retroviruses. In addition, APOBEC3A and APOBEC3C block intracellular retrotransposons and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), respectively. In opposition to APOBEC genes, HIV-1 and SIV contain a virion infectivity factor (Vif) that targets APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G for polyubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Herein, we studied the antiretroviral activities of the human APOBEC3DE and APOBEC3H. We found that only APOBEC3DE had antiretroviral activity for HIV-1 or SIV and that Vif suppressed this antiviral activity. APOBEC3DE was encapsidated and capable of deaminating cytosines to uracils on viral minus-strand DNA, resulting in disruption of the viral life cycle. Other than GG-to-AG and AG-to-AA mutations, it had a novel target site specificity, resulting in introduction of GC-to-AC mutations on viral plus-strand DNA. Such mutations have been detected previously in HIV-1 clinical isolates. In addition, APOBEC3DE was expressed much more extensively than APOBEC3F in various human tissues and it formed heteromultimers with APOBEC3F or APOBEC3G in the cell. From these studies, we concluded that APOBEC3DE is a new contributor to the intracellular defense network, resulting in suppression of retroviral invasion.
Preference for equivalent random variables: A price for unbounded utilities

Abstract Savage's expected utility theory orders acts by the expectation of the utility function for outcomes over states. Therefore, preference between acts depends only on the utilities for outcomes and the probability distribution of states. When acts have more than finitely many possible outcomes, then utility is bounded in Savage's theory. This paper explores consequences of allowing preferences over acts with unbounded utility. Under certain regularity assumptions about indifference, and in order to respect (uniform) strict dominance between acts, there will be a strict preference between some pairs of acts that have the same distribution of outcomes. Consequently in these cases, preference is not a function of utility and probability alone.
Basis for Subcritical Limits in Proposed Criticality Safety Standard for Mixed Oxides

Subcommittee 8 of the Standards Committee of the American Nuclear Society has proposed a standard providing subcritical limits for operations with mixed oxides of plutonium and uranium. The subcritical limit is the limiting value assigned to a controlled parameter that results in a system known to be subcritical, provided the limiting value of no other controlled parameter of the system is violated. The proposed standard includes subcritical limits for mixed oxides containing up to 30 wt% plutonium in Pu + U. A review was made of the available experimental data and validations undertaken that serve as the basis of the limits, and the assertion that they are, indeed, subcritical as given.
Transfer of inhibition after serial and simultaneous feature negative discrimination training

Abstract Three experiments examined the nature of inhibitory learning in Pavlovian simultaneous (A+, XA-) and serial (A+, X → A-) feature negative discrimination prodecures in a conditioned suppression situation with rat subjects. The feature (X) trained with simultaneous procedures readily inhibited suppression conditioned to another excitor (B) that was not involved in the feature negative discrimination with X. But the feature trained with serial procedures showed little or no ability to inhibit suppression conditioned to other excitors. These results were obtained with both between- and within-subjects designs, with a variety of test procedures, and after extinction of the A excitor used to establish the inhibition to X. They suggest that nature of the inhibition learned in feature negative discriminations depends on the temporal arrangement of stimuli. We favored the possibility that inhibitors established using simultaneous stimulus arrangements modulate behavior by acting on a representation of the unconditioned stimulus, but inhibitors established with serial procedures act on particular conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus associations.
Variability of apatite fission-track annealing kinetics: I. Experimental results

Annealing rates for fission tracks in apatite vary markedly as a complex function of composition, based on an experimental study of 15 well-characterized, compositionally diverse apatites. Extensive annealing data were obtained in 69 experiments (durations of 1, 10, 100, and 1000 h at temperatures from 75 to 400 °C) on each of four apatites, three with near end-member occupancy of the halogen site by F, Cl, and OH, plus the well-known apatite from Durango, Mexico. These results were supplemented by less-comprehensive annealing data from 12 experiments over the same range of time and temperature on each of the remaining 11 apatites. Measurements of initial fission-track length, a parameter of considerable importance to the derivation of time-temperature paths from fission-track data, reveal substantial variations from one apatite to another; initial lengths are best predicted from etch figures. Interlaboratory comparisons of data on annealing kinetics highlight discrepancies that appear to result largely from differences in the precision and accuracy of experimental temperatures. None of the factors previously proposed as the dominant compositional controls on annealing rates can account completely for annealing behavior over the full range of compositions studied. Nevertheless, relative rates of annealing among all apatites are highly systematic, which allows this data set to be used in its entirety to constrain multikinetic annealing models that predict fission-track lengths as a function of time and temperature. In this article, we present experimental data on the rates of fission-track annealing in 15 well-characterized apatites of widely diverse chemistry, and compare our results to previously published experimental work. Companion articles present a technique for increasing the precision of analyses of natural and experimental fission-track measurements by accounting for the dependence of annealing rate on crystallographic orientation (Donelick et al. 1999, this volume), and introduce (Ketcham et al. 1999, this volume) a multikinetic empirical model, based on these new experimental data, that can be used to predict the thermal annealing behavior of apatite in compositionally diverse populations as a function of time and temperature. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS
Regulation of GTP cyclohydrolase I expression by orphan receptor Nurr1 in cell culture and in vivo

Nurr1 is an orphan nuclear transcription factor essential for the terminal differentiation of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral midbrain (VM). To identify the Nurr1-target genes, we carried out microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analyses of Nurr1 null and wild-type mice in VM at embryonic day (E) 12.5 and shortly after birth (P0). In addition to the absence of mRNAs of DA synthesizing enzymes, the guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP) cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH) was also substantially reduced in the VM of Nurr1-null mice. GTPCH is the first enzyme in the synthesis pathway of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), an essential cofactor for tyrosine hydroxylase in DA synthesis. In the mouse, Nurr1 and GTPCH mRNA were first detected at E10.5, and GTPCH transcription paralleled that of Nurr1. Small interfering RNA targeted against Nurr1 decreases GTPCH expression in MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts in cell culture. Cotransfection of Nurr1 and the GTPCH-luciferase (luc) reporter increased the luc activity by about threefold in N2A cells. Additional analysis using 5'-deletions and mutants revealed that Nurr1 activates GTPCH transcription indirectly through the proximal promoter region, in the absence of the nerve growth factor-induced clone B (NGFI-B) responsive element-like sites, similarly, as recently reported for DA transporter regulation by Nurr1.
Generalization of the postulates of special relativity

The suggestion is made that the general particle-wave velocity equation vgroup Vphase = c2 should be taken as a basic postulate of special relativity, rather than the more limited electromagnetic velocity equation vgroup = Vphase = c, that is customarily invoked. The equation vV = c2 applies to both massive and massless systems, as does the special theory of relativity itself, whereas the equation v = V = c applies only to massless systems. A relativistically spinning sphere that exhibits de Broglie’s « internal particle frequency » ω0 is described, and its Lorentz transformation properties are calculated numerically.
A novel pathological role of p53 in kidney development revealed by gene-environment interactions

Gene-environment interactions are implicated in congenital human disorders. Accordingly, there is a pressing need to develop animal models of human disease, which are the product of defined gene-en...
The Supervisory Alliance as Quintessential Integrative Variable

The concept of alliance in psychotherapy supervision is now a half century old. But over the course of its first 50 years, how has the supervisory alliance come to generally be viewed by supervision scholars and practitioners? and What is its specific place now within different visions of supervision? In this paper, I would like to consider those two questions by: (a) describing the two enduring perspectives on the supervisory alliance that have dominated and continue to dominate the supervisory scene; and (b) examining the ways in which the alliance appears to currently be conceptualized and implemented across several distinct views of supervision. Each view of supervision is also presented as containing and actuating its own message and meaning about the role of alliance in supervision, and those messages and meanings are accordingly identified. The supervisory alliance appears to now be widely regarded as being a transtheoretical common factor that binds by means of: (a) bond/rapport; (b) supervision goals; and (c) supervision tasks. Much like the therapeutic alliance in psychotherapy, the supervisory alliance has increasingly come to be seen as the very heart and soul of supervision itself and may indeed be the quintessential integrative variable in psychotherapy supervision.
Chaos in a soda can: Non-periodic rocking of upright cylinders with sensitive dependence on initial conditions

It has been known for over a hundred years that all physically realizable motions of an ideal axisymmetric cylinder, rolling without slip on its flat circular bottom atop a flat horizontal surface, are periodic in the cylinder’s angular rates and quasi-periodic overall. Here, we show that slight asymmetries in the cylinder, say the addition of an off-center point-mass, result in non-periodic motions with exponentially increasing sensitivity to initial conditions, making the dynamics chaotic.