cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of the genetic, molecular, and biochemical basis of the Arabidopsis thaliana thiamin auxotroph th1.

Abstract 2-Methyl-4-amino-5-hydroxymethylpyrimidine phosphate kinase/thiamin monophosphate pyrophosphorylase (HMPPK/TMPPase) is a key enzyme involved in thiamin biosynthesis. A candidate HMPPK/TMPPase gene identified in the Arabidopsis genome complemented the thiamin auxotrophy of the th 1 mutant, thus proving that the th 1 locus corresponds to the structural gene for the HMPPK/TMPPase. Sequence comparisons between the wild-type HMPPK/TMPPase gene and the th 1–201 mutant allele identified a single point mutation that caused the substitution of a phenylalanine for a conserved serine residue in the HMPPK domain. Functional analyses of the mutant HMPPK/TMPPase in Escherichia coli revealed that the amino acid substitution in the HMPPK domain of mutant enzyme resulted in a conformational change that severely compromised both activities of the bifunctional enzyme. Studies were also performed to identify the chloroplast as the specific subcellular locale of the Arabidopsis HMPPK/TMPPase.
Treponemal infections in the pediatric population.

The venereal and nonvenereal treponematoses serve as a major world health concern for those caring for the pediatric population.1 Despite the introduction of penicillin therapy in the mid-twentieth century, the hope for eradication for these diseases was never accomplished. The treponematoses continue to be a source of morbidity and mortality, particularly in many developing countries. The causative organisms of these diseases belong to the order Spirochaetaceae. Treponema pallidum, the agent of venereal syphilis, is both indistinguishable morphologically and antigenically from Treponema pertenue, T. pallidum subspecies T. endemicum and T. carateum, which causes yaws (framboesia, tropica, pian, parangi, paru, bouba), endemic syphilis (bejel, firjal, loath) and pinta (carate, mal del pinto, azu), respectively.2,3 Despite these similarities, venereal syphilis differs from the nonvenereal treponematoses in their epidemiology, modes of transmission and clinical presentation.1 The treponematoses, however, do share in their ability to cause the affected child disfigurement, disability, and even death.
Isotope effects in water formation on Pt(111)

Abstract The formation of water from chemisorbed oxygen and hydrogen (deuterium) atoms on Pt(111) has been investigated at 135 K where the water remains adsorbed and at 400 K where it desorbs immediately upon forming. Under the conditions of our study, there is at 400 K no detectable hydrogen isotope effect on the kinetics of water formation as measured by transient gas phase water mass spectra. At 135 K isotope effects are readily identified in both the induction time, which lengthens, and the maximum rate, which slows, upon substitution of deuterium. These results are consistent with a model in which deuterium diffuses slower than hydrogen.
Morphology of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(vinyl acetate) blends

Abstract The morphology of poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(vinyl acetate) (PEO/PVAc) blends was examined using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and optical microscopy. The morphological and structural parameters of the blends are dependent on both composition and crystallization conditions. Optical microscopy revealed that blend samples prepared by solution casting crystallized with volume-filling crystals up to a composition of 30/70 wt% PEO/PVAc; at higher PVAc content there was no evidence of crystallization in the temperature range studied. Pure PEO always crystallized with a spherulite-hedrite morphology. The formation of spherulites was relatively favoured at lower crystallization temperatures and by addition of PVAc to PEO. Small angle X-ray intensity profiles were analyzed using a recently developed methodology and it was found that, for a given crystallization temperature, the amorphous and interphase thicknesses increased with increasing PVAc content but that the average crystalline thickness was independent of composition. The morphological and structural properties of the PEO/PVAc blends were attributed to the presence of non-crystallizable material in both the interlamellar and interfibrillar regions.
Mao's War against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China

Introduction 1. Population, dams and political repression 2. Deforestation, famine, and utopian urgency 3. Grainfields in lakes and dogmatic uniformity 4. War preparations and forcible relocations 5. The legacy.
The methodology of studying decline in Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: To present a new model for analyzing longitudinal data. The trilinear model is superior to the commonly used linear model that includes the flawed assumption that decline is uniform throughout the course of disease—an assumption that does not correspond to clinical observations. Design: A longitudinal cohort sample was used to compare the linear and trilinear models. Simulated longitudinal data were generated to assess classification errors with the trilinear model. Subjects and Setting: The subjects were 80 patients with Alzheimer's disease tested in a hospital out-patient clinic. Methods: The trilinear model describes Alzheimer's disease as proceeding through three periods: An initial period of stability before detectable decline, a period of decline, and a final period of stability during which there is no further detectable decline. A program for the Apple Macintosh computer is available at no charge to apply the model to data. Findings: The analyses indicated that the trilinear model provides a better reflection of decline in Alzheimer's disease than does the linear model. This advantage is present whether the periods of stability reflect a “true” lack of decline or insensitivity of a measurement instrument. Conclusions: The trilinear model provides not only a more accurate estimate of the average rate of change, but also (when possible) estimates of the point at which decline begins and ends. Also, more detailed comparisons of tests could be made by using the trilinear parameters. The trilinear model would benefit researchers engaged in longitudinal research of progressive disorders.
The Incidence of HIV drug resistance and its impact on progression of HIV disease among antiretroviral-naïve participants started on three different antiretroviral therapy strategies.

AbstractBackground: Treatment-naive participants were randomized to three antiretroviral strategies (all with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor [NRTI] background): protease inhibitor (PI), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), or PI+NNRTI. The strategies were compared for drug resistance at first virologic failure (VF; HIV RNA >1000 copies/mL). The impact of resistance on AIDS or death was determined. Method: Drug resistance was determined by genotype. Cox models were used to compare the strategies for VF with resistance and to determine the impact of resistance on AIDS or death. Results: Of 1,360 participants, 866 experienced VF; 226 experienced AIDS or death (median follow-up 5 years). Rates (per 100 personyears) for VF with resistance were 14.9 (PI), 10.8 (NNRTI), and 11.5 (PI+NNRTI); hazard ratio (HR) was 0.78 (95% CI 0.61–0.99) for NNRTI versus PI. Compared to those with no VF, there was a significantly increased risk of AIDS or death for participants with solitary NNRTI re...
Optical parameters for the elastic scattering of 3He by 4He

Abstract Angular distributions of the elastic scattering of 3 He by 4 He over an angular range θ cm = 30° to 150° have been measured for five 3 He bombarding energies from 12.0 to 19.0 MeV. A simple optical model with and without a spin-orbit potential has been used to fit the angular distributions. In the resonance free region above 13.5 MeV bombarding energy the optical parameters vary little from U = 100 MeV and W = 10 MeV. These values are more characteristic of alpha-particle scattering than of 3 He scattering. The spin-orbit potential of about 20 MeV is much larger than that found with heavier targets.
Potential broad-band services

Optical fibers offer many new opportunities to system planners interested in broad-band video or other services. This paper examines the existing and foreseen optical component technology and discusses how it might be exploited. The wide-band systems already announced are reviewed and the possible development of a future wide-band integrated network from the existing community antenna television system (CATV) and telecommunications networks is discussed.
The effect of spironolactone on genital skin 5α-reductase activity

The effect of spironolactone (S) on genital skin 5α-reductase activity (5α-RA) of hirsute women (HW) in vivo as well as in normal genital skin in vitro was evaluated. Thirteen HW (Ferriman-Gallwey score of 23.3 ± 2.8) received S 100mg twice a day for a month. Twenty-three non-hirsute women were selected as controls for the assessment of genital skin 5α-RA. S was added to incubations of genital skin from 9 additional controls in vitro in concentrations from 1.2 × 10−8 to 10−5 M. HW had significantly higher conversion ratios (CR) of T to DHT compared to controls (P < 0.05). Post treatment values for the CR T to DHT were significantly lower than prior to S (17.5 ± 1.7 and 8.05 ± 1.2%, P < 0.05) and the mass of DHT produced also decreased by 37 ± 9% (P < 0.05). The CR T to 3α-diol decreased by 30 ± 9% (P < 0.05). In 11 of 13 women, a significant reduction of 5α-RA was demonstrated while in 2 patients the activity remained unchanged. The maximum in vitro inhibitory effect of S on the CR T to DHT occurred with a concentration of 1.2 × 10−5 M (P < 0.01). In conclusion, S has a direct inhibitory effect on 5α-RA. The beneficial effect of S treatment in HW may be related, in part, to this inhibition of 5α-RA.
Central limit theorem for linearly dependent fields of continuous elements

The central limit theorem for stationary linearly dependent sequences is extended for elements in the space of continuous functions on a compact metric space. The proof is based on a new estimate for exponential-type moments of sums of independent random variables.
IONOSPHERIC RESPONSE TO PARTICLE PRECIPITATION BY f/sub min/-BLACKOUT TECHNIQUE.

Using the f min-blackout method of studying auroral absorption, data from over 50 ionosonde stations in the northern hemisphere are analyzed during the geomagnetic storm with SC 0810 UT on 28 October 1961. Injun I energetic particle measurements are available during the main phase. It is demonstrated that auroral absorption is present on both sides of the high-latitude boundary of the trapping region for electrons greater than 40 keV. The increased auroral absorption observed during the morning hours is apparently associated with the increased precipitation of energetic electrons during the morning hours reported by several investigators. Large fluxes of electrons with energies between 10 keV and 40 keV, reported north of the 40 keV boundary, and the associated auroral absorption observed north of the boundary suggest that the high-latitude trapping boundary for 10 keV electrons might be at a greater latitude than the high-latitude trapping boundary for 40 keV electrons. Ionospheric responses to isolated high-latitude spikes of 40 keV electrons have not yet been detected.
Wnt/β-catenin signaling induces proliferation, survival and interleukin-8 in human endothelial cells

Wnts are secreted signaling proteins able to control diverse biological processes such as cell differentiation and proliferation. Many Wnts act through a canonical, β-catenin signaling pathway. Here, we report that Wnt receptors and transcriptional effectors are expressed in primary human endothelial cells and that Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes angiogenesis. Human umbilical vein and microvascular endothelial cells express Wnt receptors, Frizzled-4, -5, -6, and β-catenin-associated transcription factors, Tcf-1, -3, -4 and Lef-1. In endothelial cells, ectopic expression of Wnt-1 stabilized cytosolic β-catenin, demonstrating activation of the Wnt/β-catenin canonical signaling pathway. Expression of Wnt-1 or a stabilized and active form of β-catenin, β-cateninS37A, promoted endothelial cell proliferation. Proliferation induced by Wnt/β-catenin signaling was optimal in the presence of bFGF. β-cateninS37A expression in endothelial cells promoted survival after growth factor deprivation. Using matrigel assays, Wnt-1 or β-cateninS37A expression promoted the formation of capillary-like networks. To help define the effectors of Wnt angiogenic function, microarray analysis was used to compare endothelial cells expressing Wnt-1 to control cells. Interleukin-8, a known angiogenic factor, was identified as a transcriptional target of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in endothelial cells. Expression of either Wnt-1 or β-cateninS37A induced Interleukin-8 transcripts and secreted protein. We thus conclude that Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes angiogenesis possibly via the induction of known angiogenic regulators such as Interleukin-8.
Nanoscale limitations in metal oxide electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution.

Metal oxides are attractive candidates for low cost, earth-abundant electrocatalysts. However, owing to their insulating nature, their widespread application has been limited. Nanostructuring allows the use of insulating materials by enabling tunneling as a possible charge transport mechanism. We demonstrate this using TiO2 as a model system identifying a critical thickness, based on theoretical analysis, of about ∼4 nm for tunneling at a current density of ∼1 mA/cm2. This is corroborated by electrochemical measurements on conformal thin films synthesized using atomic layer deposition (ALD) identifying a similar critical thickness. We generalize the theoretical analysis deriving a relation between the critical thickness and the location of valence band maximum relative to the limiting potential of the electrochemical surface process. The critical thickness sets the optimum size of the nanoparticle oxide electrocatalyst and this provides an important nanostructuring requirement for metal oxide electrocatal...
The simultaneous determination of neurotensin and its major fragments by on-line trace enrichment HPLC with electrochemical detection

Abstract An HPLC assay using on-line cation exchange trace enrichment and acetonitrile gradient elution, ion pair reverse phase separation with electrochemical detection (EC) is described for the simultaneous determination of the tridecapeptide neurotensin (NT) and six of its fragments. Cyclic voltammetric analysis indicated that the oxidative electrochemical properties of NT and its fragments is not merely a function of the sum of its electroactive amino acids (i.e. tyrosine) but reflects the presence and association of other amino acids (e.g. the arginine-arginine pair at position 8–9). Using the described method, NT 1–6 NT 1–8 NT 1–10 NT 1–11 , NT 8–13 , NT 9–13 NT 1–13 were baseline resolved within 20 min with a limit of detection varying from 1 to 5 ng peptide/injection. Other structurally similar or quantitatively significant neuropeptides (e.g. substance P, somatostatin, bombesin) did not interfere. Initial application of this on-line trace enrichment HPLC-EC assay to the question of the molecular nature of NT in unprocessed human CSF indicated the predominance of NT 1–13 with an apparent formation of NT 1–8 and NT 9–13 resulting from more vigorous sample preparation techniques. The improvements in assay specificity, signal-to-noise ratios, biomatrix compatibility and assayable sample volume compared to non-enrichment HPLC-EC are discussed.
Gold absorbing film for a composite bolometer

The principles governing the design of metal films are reviewed, with attention also given to the choice of metals. A description is then given of the characteristics of a bolometer with a gold absorbing film. It is demonstrated that gold is effective as an absorbing film for a millimeter bolometer operated at 1.5 K. At 1.5 K, gold is significantly better than bismuth since gold has a lower heat capacity for the absorbing film. At 0.3 K, gold and bismuth are both suitable. It is pointed out that at temperatures below 0.3 K, a superconducting absorbing film can have a heat capacity low enough not to dominate the heat capacity of the detector; for this reason, it may give better performance than a nonsuperconducting absorbing film.
Neuronal diversification: development of motor neuron subtypes

Recent progress has been made in defining the developmental mechanisms that contribute to the diversification of motor neuron subtypes, which differ in transcription factor gene expression and synaptic connections. These studies suggest that progenitor cells acquire specific motor neuron identities through the coordinate actions of multiple factors. Current evidence suggests that Sonic hedgehog initiates a common pathway for motor neuron differentiation, while positionally distributed factors act to assign subtype identities.
Work in Progress: The Role of Physics in an Engineering Education

This paper describes a work in progress to redesign the freshman physics course to address the needs of engineering students. Specific ways in which the redesign has been done are (1) synchronizing certain physics labs to illustrate certain concepts that are necessary to carry out engineering projects in the freshman engineering class (2) Redesigning the remaining lab classes to emphasize fundamental concepts of physics using event prediction as opposed to focus on measurements (3) Improved student practices with emphasis on "diagnosis" as will be explained below.
TU-F-BRF-03: Effect of Radiation Therapy Planning Scan Registration On the Dose in Lung Cancer Patient CT Scans

Purpose: To characterize the effect of deformable registration of serial computed tomography (CT) scans on the radiation dose calculated from a treatment planning scan. Methods: Eighteen patients who received curative doses (≥60Gy, 2Gy/fraction) of photon radiation therapy for lung cancer treatment were retrospectively identified. For each patient, a diagnostic-quality pre-therapy (4–75 days) CT scan and a treatment planning scan with an associated dose map calculated in Pinnacle were collected. To establish baseline correspondence between scan pairs, a researcher manually identified anatomically corresponding landmark point pairs between the two scans. Pre-therapy scans were co-registered with planning scans (and associated dose maps) using the Plastimatch demons and Fraunhofer MEVIS deformable registration algorithms. Landmark points in each pretherapy scan were automatically mapped to the planning scan using the displacement vector field output from both registration algorithms. The absolute difference in planned dose (|ΔD|) between manually and automatically mapped landmark points was calculated. Using regression modeling, |ΔD| was modeled as a function of the distance between manually and automatically matched points (registration error, E), the dose standard deviation (SD_dose) in the eight-pixel neighborhood, and the registration algorithm used. Results: 52–92 landmark point pairs (median: 82) were identified in each patient's scans. Average |ΔD| across patients was 3.66Gy (range: 1.2–7.2Gy). |ΔD| was significantly reduced by 0.53Gy using Plastimatch demons compared with Fraunhofer MEVIS. |ΔD| increased significantly as a function of E (0.39Gy/mm) and SD_dose (2.23Gy/Gy). Conclusion: An average error of <4Gy in radiation dose was introduced when points were mapped between CT scan pairs using deformable registration. Dose differences following registration were significantly increased when the Fraunhofer MEVIS registration algorithm was used, spatial registration errors were larger, and dose gradient was higher (i.e., higher SD_dose). To our knowledge, this is the first study to directly compute dose errors following deformable registration of lung CT scans.
Performance and activity of hyperactive and normal boys as a function of distraction and reward.

Twenty-five hyperactive boys and 25 controls matched for age, social class, and race were compared on three performance tasks (coding, tone discrimination, and connecting dots) in two settings (nondistracting and highly distracting). Control Ss performed significantly better than did hyperactives in all conditions, except during tone discrimination and connecting dots in the nondistracting setting. Distraction decreased performance for both groups on the coding task and for hyperactives on the tone discrimination task, but significantly improved performance for controls on the connecting dots task. Distraction, where detrimental, was not significantly more so for hyperactives than for controls. The effect of reward on coding performance was studied in the distracting condition; reward produced the best performance for both groups, but significant differences between groups were not found.
The Teacher's Corner: Unbiased Estimation of the Standard Deviation

(1968). The Teacher's Corner: Unbiased Estimation of the Standard Deviation. The American Statistician: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 22-22.
Behavior of a single-degree-of-freedom system with a generalized friction law

Abstract Although single-degree-of-freedom systems with classical dry (Coulombic) friction have been studied extensively, the properties of systems damped with generalized friction laws have not been thoroughly examined. This paper is concerned with the properties of a system damped by a combination of viscous damping, dry friction with constant normal force, dry friction with amplitude-dependent normal force, and dry friction with rate-dependent normal force. This system is studied first by using an “exact” time domain method and then by using first order harmonic balance. The stick-slip behavior of the system is also studied. It is seen that amplitude-dependent normal force gives rise to a viscous-like damping characteristic. It is also seen that the response amplitude can be decreased or increased by the addition of amplitude-dependent friction.
Patterning Vertically Oriented Graphene Sheets for Nanodevice Applications

Graphene has attracted growing interest in the past few years. Growing vertically oriented graphene sheets with a designed pattern is practically attractive for device applications based on graphene. Here we report a patterned synthesis of vertical graphene nanosheets using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Both experimental and modeling results suggest that the electric field distribution above the substrate material plays a key role in the graphene coverage. Vertical graphene patterns can thus be designed through artificially designing the surface electric field distribution. A field-effect transistor (FET) sensor device has been demonstrated for detection of low-concentration gases using vertically patterned graphene sheets bridging a metal electrode gap.
Area-level risk factors for heat-related illness in rural and urban locations across North Carolina, USA

Abstract An improved understanding of heat vulnerable populations and locations is needed, especially in rural communities. The objective of this study was to identify area-level risk factors for heat-related illness (HRI) at the ZIP code level for urban and rural locations. We aggregated ZIP code-level emergency department visits into rural and urban locations based on population density. Area-level risk factors included previously established heat health risk factors (e.g. poverty, minority) and unexamined area-level risk factors common to rural locations (e.g. mobile homes, agriculture). Due to high spatial autocorrelation, a spatial error regression model was applied to identify risk factors with a significant relationship with HRI. Our results suggest that rural locations are also heat vulnerable, with greater rates of HRI compared to urban locations. Previously unexamined heat-health risk factors, including the number of mobile homes, non-citizens, and the labor-intensity of the agriculture, were all associated with increases of HRI in rural locations. In urban locations, previously established risk factors for heat-related mortality, such as decreased vegetation, living in poverty, and low education attainment were associated with increases in HRI.
Modified AASHTO Design S-N Curves for Post-Weld Treated Welded Details

Post-weld enhancement of the fatigue resistance of common attachment details such as transverse stiffeners, cover-plates, gusset plates, bulkheads and other welded details that experience crack growth from a weld toe is essential for efficient use of modern high-performance steels. Recently fatigue performance of treated welded joints was evaluated in large-scale rolled and built-up ferrite-steel beam specimens having yield strength of 345 to 690 MPa. The welded details consisted of transverse welds at the cover-plate terminus and at the transverse stiffener to tension flange joint. The welds were treated at the toe by ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT). In as-welded condition, these details are characterized as categories C′ and E′ in the AASHTO specification. Accelerated constant amplitude fatigue tests were conducted at various treatments of tensile minimum stress and stress range, resulting in positive stress ratios up to 0.6. The test results confirmed that the post-weld impact treatments substantiall...
Purification of human lactate dehydrogenases by general ligand affinity chromatography.

Abstract Lactate dehydrogenases were highly purified from three different human tissues by employing the techniques of general ligand affinity chromatography. After passing the crude extracts through an 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-5′-AMP-Sepharose column, the adsorbed enzymes were readily eluted from the column with a solution of 0.2 m m of reduced NAD-pyruvate adduct. The eluted enzymes in the peak fractions appeared to be homogeneous from the results of the SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. With an 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-NAD-Sepharose column, the adsorbed enzymes could not easily be eluted with the aduct under the same experimental conditions. As a result, the purity of the eluted enzymes obtained from 8-substituted-NAD-Sepharose column is much lower than that obtained from the corresponding 8-substituted-5′-AMP-Sepharose column. Compared to the conventional lengthy procedures, selective purification of human lactate dehydrogenases by affinity chromatography provides not only a fast and efficient means of obtaining the enzymes but also a high degree of recovery.
Representing Blue Representative Bureaucracy and Racial Profiling in the Latino Community

This study examines whether the presence of Latino police officers reduces the racial disparity in traffic stops in divisions in which they work. Specifically, the link between passive and active r...
Obstetrical Sonography: Opportunities for "Teachable Moments" in Patient Care

The routine obstetric ultrasound examination can provide multiple opportunities to promote good prenatal health habits. Four common scenarios (Obtaining Routine Fetal Measurments, Obsering Fetal Breathing Mvements Demonstrat the Umbilical Cord, and Demonstrate the Plaenta) are presented as "teachable moments" that ithe sonographer mayuse to promote principles ofigood health care:durin preancy.
Study of collisional relaxation of ions by two-photon photodissociation

Abstract Collisional relaxation of bromobenzene molecular ion by several neutral molecules has been measured by a two-photon photodissociation method. This new technique allows a quantitative estimation of energy loss in the relaxation process. Collisional relaxation rates have been found to be much slower than expected from orbiting collision rates.
Partial match retrieval

The study of partial match file designs is continued. This study is concerned with a class of file designs which properly contains theABD designs of Rivest. A new family of partial match files is presented, the worst case performance is determined, and the implementation of these files is discussed.
Play and Video Effects on Mood and Procedure Behaviors in School-Aged Children Visiting the Pediatrician

This study examines how different types of activities, including medical play, typical play, and videos, affect the mood and behaviors of children visiting a pediatric office. Seventy-two school-aged children visiting a pediatrician's office were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: medical play, medical information video, typical play, and nonmedical information video control. Children completed a mood self-report measure and their behaviors were recorded during triage by nurses. The medical information video improved the school-aged children's mood. Children in the medical information video displayed less difficult behaviors during procedures than the medical play group. The findings suggest that providing information about medical equipment through a video of a child engaging in medical play may benefit children visiting the pediatrician.
Apical polarity of Na,K-ATPase in retinal pigment epithelium is linked to a reversal of the ankyrin-fodrin submembrane cytoskeleton.

In striking contrast to most other transporting epithelia (e.g., urinary or digestive systems), where Na,K-ATPase is expressed basolaterally, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells display Na,K-ATPase pumps on the apical membrane. We report here studies aimed to identify the mechanisms underlying this polarity "reversal" of the RPE Na,K-ATPase. By immunofluorescence on thin frozen sections, both alpha and beta subunits were localized on the apical surface of both freshly isolated rat RPE monolayers and RPE monolayers grown in culture. The polarity of the RPE cell is not completely reversed, however, since aminopeptidase, an apically located protein in kidney epithelia, was also found on the apical surface of RPE cells. We used subunit- and isoform-specific cDNA probes to determine that RPE Na,K-ATPase has the same isoform (alpha 1) as the one found in kidney. Ankyrin and fodrin, proteins of the basolateral membrane cytoskeleton of kidney epithelial cells known to be associated with the Na,K-ATPase (Nelson, W. J., and R. W. Hammerton. 1989. J. Cell Biol. 110:349-357) also displayed a reversed apical localization in RPE and were intimately associated to Na,K-ATPase, as revealed by cross-linking experiments. These results indicate that an entire membrane-cytoskeleton complex is assembled with opposite polarity in RPE cells. We discuss our observations in the context of current knowledge on protein sorting mechanisms in epithelial cells.
Two kinds of self-preserving size spectra of a cloud of particles

The population balances describing the time dependence of the size distribution can, under some conditions, be trasformed by means of a similarity transformation into an ordinary integro-differential equation containing two instead of three variables. If there is compatibility between the transformed equation and the constraints given by the total mass conservation equation and the equation for the total number of particles, a self-preserving spectrum of the first kind can be obtaiened. There are, however, many situations such as the sintering controlled aging of supported metal catalysts, coagulation of colloidal particles in laminar shear flow, and coagulation of colloidal particles in a turbulent flow when the particles are smaller than the size of the smallest eddy for which, although a similarity transformation is possible, the transformed equation has no solution because of incompatibility with the above mentioned constraints. A second kind of self-preserving spectrum is suggested for these situations. The new variables are induced from a particular case for which an analytical result is available. A detailed presentation of the sintering controlled aging of supported metal catalysts is presented.
Observing a Molecular Knife at Work

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy has been employed to study the molecular interactions between a single substrate supported lipid bilayer and an amphiphilic antibiotic compound 1, with a design based on the common structural motif of natural antimicrobial peptides. The interfacial sensitivity of SFG allows real-time in situ monitoring of ordering changes in both leaflets of the bilayer and orientation of 1 simultaneously. A critical concentration of about 0.8 μg/mL of 1 is found, above which the inner leaflet of the bilayer is significantly perturbed. This concentration corresponds well to the minimum inhibition concentration of 1 that is obtained from bacterial experiments. Orientation of 1 in the bilayer is shown to be perpendicular to the bilayer surface, in agreement with simulation results. SFG can be developed into a very informative technique for studying the cell membrane and the interactions of membrane-active molecules.
Development of solid state materials with negative index of refraction and "perfect" lenses

We demonstrate that a photonic structure consisting of materials with positive and negative dielectric permittivity can exhibit left-handedness. Examples of plasmonic (Ag) and phononic (SiC) building blocks will be used. SiC is also attractive for a near-field "perfect" lens which dramatically enhances resolution of near-field imaging.
Rubric Use in Formative Assessment: A Detailed Behavioral Rubric Helps Students Improve Their Scientific Writing Skills

A detailed rubric initially designed as a scoring instrument for grading APA-style empirical research reports was tested for its ability to help students improve their scientific writing skills. Students who used the rubric while preparing their reports wrote a higher quality report than did students who did not. Students also improved the quality of their own reports after using the rubric to grade a report written by one of their classmates. These findings provide some of the first empirical evidence of the important role that rubrics can play in the process of formative assessment.
Personal area networks: near-field intrabody communication

As electronic devices become smaller, lower in power requirements, and less expensive, we have begun to adorn our bodies with personal information and communication appliances. Such devices include cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pocket video games, and pagers. Currently there is no method for these devices to share data. Networking these devices can reduce functional I/O redundancies and allow new conveniences and services. The concept of Personal Area Networks (PANs) is presented to demonstrate how electronic devices on and near the human body can exchange digital information by capacitively coupling picoamp currents through the body. A low-frequency carrier (less than 1 megahertz) is used so no energy is propagated, minimizing remote eavesdropping and interference by neighboring PANs. A prototype pan system allows users to exchange electronic business cards by shaking hands.
Decision-Making Biases, Antisocial Personality, and Early-Onset Alcoholism

Background: Disinhibited, antisocial traits increase the risk for early-onset alcoholism. Research also suggests that decision biases which favor immediate large rewards regardless of long-term consequences may be important mechanisms associated with the biological substrates of antisocial traits. This study tested the hypothesis that early-onset alcoholism with antisocial personality (ASP) would be associated with favoring immediate larger rewards despite their being associated with long-term losses. Methods: Twenty-seven early-onset alcoholics with and without a diagnosis of ASP, eight subjects with ASP but no alcohol dependence, and 32 controls were tested on a task that manipulated the magnitude of immediate rewards and the magnitude of long-term punishments. The sample was recruited from the community via advertisements. Results: Compared with subjects without ASP, subjects with ASP favored larger immediate rewards despite long-term losses regardless of alcohol dependence; however, they learned to shift their decisions in a more advantageous direction over time. A disadvantageous decision bias also was associated with drinking greater quantities of alcohol and having a lower IQ. Conclusions: This study suggests that ASP in a young adult noninstitutionalized sample was associated with a pattern of disadvantageous decision making similar to that observed in patients with antisocial behavioral characteristics associated with lesions in the ventromedial frontal cortex. The data also suggest that this pattern of disadvantageous decision making is associated with consuming larger quantities of alcohol but not consuming alcohol more frequently.
Neuropsychological investigation of motor impairments in autism

It is unclear how standardized neuropsychological measures of motor function relate to brain volumes of motor regions in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An all-male sample composed of 59 ASD and 30 controls (ages 5-33 years) completed three measures of motor function: strength of grip (SOG), finger tapping test (FTT), and grooved pegboard test (GPT). Likewise, all participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging with region of interest (ROI) volumes obtained to include the following regions: motor cortex (precentral gyrus), somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus), thalamus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and caudal middle frontal gyrus. These traditional neuropsychological measures of motor function are assumed to differ in motor complexity, with GPT requiring the most followed by FTT and SOG. Performance by ASD participants on the GPT and FTT differed significantly from that of controls, with the largest effect size differences observed on the more complex GPT task. Differences on the SOG task between the two groups were nonsignificant. Since more complex motor tasks tap more complex networks, poorer GPT performance by those with ASD may reflect less efficient motor networks. There was no gross pathology observed in classic motor areas of the brain in ASD, as ROI volumes did not differ, but FTT was negatively related to motor cortex volume in ASD. The results suggest a hierarchical motor disruption in ASD, with difficulties evident only in more complex tasks as well as a potential anomalous size-function relation in motor cortex in ASD.
Remote classification of head and backfire types from MODIS fire radiative power and smoke plume observations

The classification of savanna fires into headfire and backfire types can in theory help in assessing pollutant emissions to the atmosphere via relative apportionment of the amounts of smouldering and flaming combustion occurring, and is also important when assessing a fire's ecological effects. This paper provides a preliminary assessment of whether a combination of visible and thermal satellite remote sensing can be used to classify fires into head and backfire categories. Remote determination of the fire radiative power, alongside assessments of the prevailing direction of the wind (through identification of the fire-related smoke plumes) and the fire front propagation (through its relation to the previously burned area) were used to infer the fire type category and to calculate 'radiative' fireline intensity (FLI). The ratio of radiative FLI for the head and backfire categories was found similar to that of in situ fireline intensity measurements, but the magnitudes of the radiative FLI values were around an order of magnitude lower. This agrees with other data suggesting that a fire's radiative energy is around an order of magnitude lower than the fuel's theoretical heat yield, and suggests that the remote measurement of radiative FLI and classification of headfire and backfire types is a realistic proposition for large wildfire activity.
Acute antihypertensive effects of chlorothiazide.

Abstract The acute antihypertensive effects of chlorothiazide are associated with a depletion of extracellular and plasma volumes. Evidence is presented to suggest that the reduction in plasma volume is an important part of the mechanism which initiates the reduction in blood pressure. Since the plasma and extracellular fluid volumes return over a period of weeks or months toward pretreatment values despite a continued reduction of blood pressure, the maintenance of the antihypertensive effect during long term therapy remains unexplained.
The religious construction of sanctuary provision in two congregations

This research examines how two congregations constructed their participation in the sanctuary movement for Central American refugees as “religious” activity. Although members of Morristown Quaker meeting and Smithville United Methodist Church framed sanctuary provision as religious, political, and humanitarian activity, they needed to validate further the primary religious motivation and essence of their refugee sponsorship. Members established the religiosity of sanctuary participation through four main definitional and strategic negations: (a) they worked within conventional religious networks and appropriated official religious symbolism, minimizing use of available secular alternatives; (b) they enacted sanctuary as nonpolitical, humanitarian, and thus religious action; (c) they defined and experienced sanctuary decision making as extraordinary and sacred, and (d) they designated and experienced costly and risky sanctuary activism as religious activity. This last definition and strategy illustrates th...
Causes and presenting features of pulmonary infarctions in 43 cases identified by surgical lung biopsy.

Background: Although pulmonary infarction is usually associated with pulmonary thromboembolism, it can occur with other disorders such as vasculitis, angioinvasive infections, sickle-cell disease, tumor embolism, and pulmonary torsion. Study objective: To identify causes and presenting features of pulmonary infarctions diagnosed by surgical biopsy in a consecutive series of patients encountered at a single institution. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Tertiary care, referral medical center. Patients: Forty-three patients with pulmonary infarction identified on surgical lung biopsy over a period of 7 years, January 1996 through December 2002. Results: The median age of these 43 patients was 55 years (range, 22 to 85 years); 17 patients (40%) were women, and 26 patients (60%) were men. Thirty-five patients (81%) had a smoking history. Twenty-eight patients (65%) presented with solitary or multiple lung nodules/masses of undetermined etiology. The underlying cause was identifiable in 31 cases (72%) based on a review of clinical, laboratory, radiologic, and histopathologic data. The two most common causes were pulmonary thromboembolism (18 cases, 42%) and pulmonary infections (5 cases, 12%). Thromboembolic pulmonary infarctions typically presented as solitary or multiple nodules located in the subpleural regions. Other causes included diffuse alveolar damage in two cases (5%), pulmonary torsion in two cases (5%), and one case each of lung cancer, amyloidosis, embolotherapy, and catheter embolism. In 12 cases (28%), the underlying cause was not directly identifiable but was probably due to previous pulmonary thromboembolism. Conclusion: We conclude that although pulmonary thromboembolism is the most common cause of pulmonary infarction identified by surgical lung biopsy, a variety of other causes are clinically encountered, including infections, inflammatory or infiltrative lung diseases, pulmonary torsion, malignancy, and nonthrombotic embolism. Pulmonary infarction should be considered in the differential diagnosis of peripheral lung nodules or masses. (CHEST 2005; 127:1178–1183)
Critical variables in the conversion of marrow cells to skeletal muscle.

We have studied conversion of marrow cells to skeletal muscle in cardiotoxin-injured anterior tibialis muscle in a green fluorescent protein (GFP) to C57BL/6 transplantation model and ascertained that total body irradiation (TBI) with establishment of chimerism is a critical factor. Local irradiation has little effect in lower doses and was detrimental at higher doses. Whole body (1000 cGy) with shielding of the leg or a combination of 500 cGy TBI and 500 cGy local radiations was found to give the best results. In non-obese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) recipients, we were able to show that conversion could occur without radiation, albeit at relatively lower levels. Within 3 days of cardiotoxin injury, GFP-positive mononuclear cells were seen in the muscle, and within 2 weeks GFP-positive muscle fibers were identified. Conversion rates were increased by increasing donor-cell dose. Timing of the cardiotoxin injury relative to the transplantation was critical. These studies show that variables in transplantation and injury are critical features of marrow-to-muscle conversions. Irradiation primarily effects conversion by promoting chimerism. These data may explain the differences in the literature for the frequency of marrow-to-skeletal muscle conversion and can set a platform for future models and perhaps clinical protocols. (Blood. 2005;106:1488-1494)
Molecular Characterization and Evolution of a Gene Family Encoding Both Female- and Male-Specific Reproductive Proteins in Drosophila

Gene duplication is an important mechanism for the evolution of new reproductive proteins. However, in most cases, each resulting paralog continues to function within the same sex. To investigate the possibility that seminal fluid proteins arise through duplicates of female reproductive genes that become "co-opted" by males, we screened female reproductive genes in Drosophila melanogaster for cases of duplication in which one of the resulting paralogs produces a protein in males that is transferred to females during mating. We identified a set of three tandemly duplicated genes that encode secreted serine-type endopeptidase homologs, two of which are expressed primarily in the female reproductive tract (RT), whereas the third is expressed specifically in the male RT and encodes a seminal fluid protein. Evolutionary and gene expression analyses across Drosophila species suggest that this family arose from a single-copy gene that was female-specific; after duplication, one paralog evolved male-specific expression. Functional tests of knockdowns of each gene in D. melanogaster show that one female-expressed gene is essential for full fecundity, and both female-expressed genes contribute singly or in combination to a female's propensity to remate. In contrast, knockdown of the male-expressed paralog had no significant effect on female fecundity or remating. These data are consistent with a model in which members of this gene family exert effects on females by acting on a common, female-expressed target. After duplication and male co-option of one paralog, the evolution of the interacting proteins could have resulted in differential strengths or effects of each paralog.
Mechanisms of progression of chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs in all age groups, including children. Regardless of the underlying cause, CKD is characterized by progressive scarring that ultimately affects all structures of the kidney. The relentless progression of CKD is postulated to result from a self-perpetuating vicious cycle of fibrosis activated after initial injury. We will review possible mechanisms of progressive renal damage, including systemic and glomerular hypertension, various cytokines and growth factors, with special emphasis on the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS), podocyte loss, dyslipidemia and proteinuria. We will also discuss possible specific mechanisms of tubulointerstitial fibrosis that are not dependent on glomerulosclerosis, and possible underlying predispositions for CKD, such as genetic factors and low nephron number.