cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Molecular Genetics of Trisomy 18: Phenotype–Genotype Correlations

The trisomy 18 syndrome can result from a full, mosaic, or partial trisomy 18. The main clinical findings of full trisomy 18 consist of prenatal and postnatal growth deficiency, characteristic facial features, clenched hands with overriding fingers and nail hypoplasia, short sternum, short hallux, major malformations, especially of the heart, and profound intellectual disability in the surviving older children. The phenotype of partial trisomy 18 is extremely variable. The aim of this article is to systematically review the scientific literature on patients with partial trisomy 18 in order to identify regions of chromosome 18 that may be responsible for the specific clinical features of the trisomy 18 syndrome. We confirmed that trisomy of the short arm of chromosome 18 does not seem to cause the major features. However, we found candidate regions on the long arm of chromosome 18 for some of the characteristic clinical features, and thus a phenotypic map is proposed. Our findings confirm the hypothesis that single critical regions/candidate genes are likely to be responsible for specific characteristics of the syndrome, while a single critical region for the whole Edwards syndrome phenotype is unlikely to exist. Key Concepts: The phenotype of human chromosomal syndromes is comprised of the individual component manifestations of the condition. Using case descriptions of patients with partial trisomy of a segment of a chromosome, an investigator can potentially map the well-defined and more specific phenotypic findings to a region of the chromosome. Narrowing a region allows for review of the known genes in the region and for hypothesising the causative gene(s) for the phenotype. The certainty in inferring a causative region or individual gene for a component manifestation depends on the specificity and consistency of occurrence of the individual feature. Correlations of phenotypes with genotypes can lead to detection of candidate genes which provide insight into disease mechanisms and ideally into the development of strategies for therapeutic intervention and prevention. The findings in this paper confirm the hypothesis that single critical regions/candidate genes are likely to be responsible for specific characteristics of the syndrome, while a single critical region for the whole Edwards syndrome phenotype is unlikely to exist. Keywords: trisomy 18; Edwards syndrome; genotype–phenotype correlation; phenotypic map; 18p duplication; 18q duplication; intellectual disability
The Evaluation of Developing Shoreline Communities and Potential for Natural Vegetation in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona-Utah

The study of the riparian plant community along the shoreline of Lake Powell offers a unique opportunity to observe the development of a plant community from a very early stage. This annual report discusses some of the results of the initial phase of this study, which was designed to describe the structure of the plant community as it occurs today and to describe preliminary results of experiments begun to assess interactions between the exotic tamarisk and native riparian plant species.
Project GRAD: two-year outcomes of a randomized controlled physical activity intervention among young adults. Graduate Ready for Activity Daily.

Abstract Introduction: Project Graduate Ready for Activity Daily evaluated a program to promote physical activity through the transition of university graduation in a randomized controlled trial. Methods: Three hundred thirty-eight university seniors participated in either a cognitive-behavioral intervention course or a knowledge-oriented general health course during the semester before graduation. Behaviorally oriented phone and mail follow-up was delivered to the intervention group for 18 months. Physical activity outcomes and mediating variables were assessed at baseline, 1 and 2 years (93% retention rate). Results: There were no significant intervention effects on physical activity outcomes at 2 years for either men or women. Experiential and behavioral processes of change were significantly improved for intervention women over 2 years. Conclusions: Despite excellent participation in a theoretically based, well-attended intervention, few long-term effects on physical activity or its mediators were found. Additional research is needed to determine optimal interventions for physical activity and to validate or alter current behavior change theory.
Three‐dimensional high‐conductivity trees for volumetric cooling

SUMMARY Here, we show how the cooling performance of a volumetrically heated solid can be increased by embedding high-conductivity tree-shaped designs in it. The volume fraction occupied by the high-conductivity material is fixed. Embedding the high-conductivity material as trees in the solid decreases the maximum temperature more than three times compared with distributing the high-conductivity material uniformly throughout the solid. The maximum temperature decreases as the number of the bifurcation levels and the volume fraction of the highly conductive material increase. The thermal resistance of the cube is the lowest when the diameter ratio of the mother and daughter branches at each pairing junction is 2. Changing from T-shaped to Y-shaped designs and from two-dimensional to three-dimensional designs decrease the maximum and the volume averaged temperatures. The peak temperature is the lowest in three-dimensional and Y-shaped designs. This paper shows that the peak temperature of the heated solid can be decreased by only varying the shape of the high-conductivity tree embedded in it. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Risk-sensitive control of stochastic hybrid systems

A stochastic hybrid system of a form arising in various applications and system formulations (e.g. power, manufacturing, fault-tolerant control) is considered. The most common approach in control design for hybrid systems with a random jump parameter is to use optimal control methods. We study risk-sensitive control for hybrid systems with a Markovian jump parameter. In particular, the objective of the control is to minimize an infinite-horizon risk-sensitive cost functional. It is shown that the relationship between H/sup /spl infin// control, linear differential games and risk-sensitive control does not hold. The main reason for this is that the risk-sensitivity cost functional measures the risk sensitivity of the system to transitions caused by the random jump parameter as well as the noise input. The risk sensitivity of the cost functional to transitions induced by the jump parameter may be of a great value in the design of systems where it is desired to make the system as insensitive to the effects of the jump parameter as possible.
Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn Due to Anti‐Dib

Summary A child with mild hemolytic disease due to anti-Dib was born to a Mexican woman. The diagnosis was made with antisera which identified high frequency antigens. An earlier case of anti-Dib due to maternal sensitization is also noted.
Prevalence and comparison of serologic assays, necropsy, and tongue examination for the diagnosis of porcine cysticercosis in Peru.

Abstract Swine cysticercosis, a severe zoonotic disease which is part of the Taenia solium life cycle, causes major economic losses in pig husbandry. Throughout South America, farmers diagnose cysticercosis by examining the tongues of their pigs for cysticercus nodules. Farmers do not bring pigs believed to be infected to the slaughterhouse for fear of confiscation. Therefore, reliable statistics on porcine cysticercosis can only be acquired at the household level. We examined the utility of the tongue test as a diagnostic tool for porcine cysticercosis. The results of the tongue test was compared with 2 serologic methods for the detection of cysticercosis, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot assay (EITB), and with necropsy results. We examined 11 animals from an endemic area (Huancayo) and 42 animals from an area free of cysticercosis (Lima). The tongue test has a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 100%, the EITB a sensitivity and specificity of 100%, and the ELISA a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 75%. Thus, the tongue examination, being a test essentially without cost and having fair sensitivity and high specificity, can be useful in epidemiological surveys. Prevalence for porcine cysticercosis in Huancayo is 23.4% by tongue examination, 31.2% by necropsy, 37.7% by ELISA, and 51.9% by EITB.
Flp recombinase promotes site-specific DNA recombination in embryonic stem cells and transgenic mice

Site-specific recombinases are being developed as tools for "in vivo" genetic engineering because they can catalyze precise excisions, integrations, inversions, or translocations of DNA between their distinct recognition target sites. Here it is demonstrated that Flp recombinase can effectively mediate site-specific excisional recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells, in differentiating embryonal carcinoma cells, and in transgenic mice. Broad Flp expression is compatible with normal development, suggesting that Flp can be used to catalyze recombination in most cell types. These properties indicate that Flp can be exploited to make prescribed alterations in the mouse genome.
Neither transgenic Bt maize (MON863) nor tefluthrin insecticide adversely affect soil microbial activity or biomass: A 3-year field analysis

Abstract Laboratory and greenhouse studies on transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize have drawn attention to the persistence and activity of the Cry proteins in soil and their potential effects on soil microorganisms, but there have been few field assessments that evaluate the effects of Bt maize with those of insecticides on soil microbial populations. This study was conducted to determine the effects of Cry3Bb Bt maize with those of the insecticide tefluthrin on soil microbial biomass and activity in the field over a 3-year cropping cycle. The recently commercialized maize variety YieldGard ® Rootworm (MON863), which produces the Cry3Bb protein, was grown along with a non-Bt isoline with and without tefluthrin applied at planting. Microbial biomass, nitrogen (N) mineralization potential, short-term nitrification rate, and respiration rate were measured in rhizosphere and bulk soil samples collected from three replicate field plots just before planting, at anthesis, and at harvest in each year. There were clear seasonal effects on microbial biomass and activity in the field soils—as represented by the consistent changes in all measured variables across years and sampling times. Differences in the measured variables were also sometimes observed between bulk and rhizosphere soil. However, there were no adverse effects of either the Bt or non-Bt maize with insecticide applied compared to the non-Bt controls; on the contrary, microbial biomass and soil respiration data suggested a stimulatory effect of the Bt genotype, particularly in comparison to the non-Bt isoline. Although ‘higher’ does not necessarily mean ‘better’, the higher microbial biomass and respiration rates observed in the Bt and insecticide-applied soils compared to non-Bt soils does allay concerns that either the Bt protein or the tefluthrin typically used to control the corn rootworm reduce microbial biomass or its respiratory activity in field soils. Similarly, the higher N mineralization potential and nitrification rates observed in some soil samples from the Bt and tefluthrin-treated plots indicate higher activity of N-mineralizing microorganisms, a potentially positive consequence as both ammonium and nitrate are effective N sources for maize during grain filling. Our data suggest that cropping MON863 Bt maize is unlikely to adversely affect soil ecology in the short term. Longer-term monitoring of transgenic cropping systems should assure that the biotic functioning of the soil is maintained as a part of studies on overall ecosystem integrity.
Professional discourse in winning images: objectivity and professional boundaries in environmental news images in the World Press Photo contest, 1992–2011

This article applies the ecological theory of professions to analyze professional discourse in the World Press Photo (WPP) contest, an international photojournalism contest held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The article analyzes the content of 148 photojournalism works that received environmental awards in the period 1992 to 2011, the two decades after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The article seeks to understand the representation and negotiation of objectivity and the claims of professional boundaries by the media of both developed and developing countries as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It also seeks to interpret the professional discourse of the WPP in relation to ideologies and power dynamics in both journalism and global environmental politics. The results suggested that the media of developed countries dominated the discourse, and the conventional notion of journalistic objectivity remained intact. However, the results also showed that global environmental politics and...
Inhibition of cadmium teratogenesis by a mercaptoacrylic acid (MFA).

The teratogenic effect of cadmium can be diminished by a number of mechanisms including zinc and pretreatment with cadmium and mercury. In this study, the oral administration of α-mercapto-β-(2-furyl)-acrylic acid (MFA) protects against cadmium-induced malformations and embryonic death. This protection is probably mediated by the chelation of the cadmium ion rather than metallothioneim (MT) synthesis.
Scopolamine effects on a one-trial test of fear conditioning

Conditioned suppression was demonstrated in rats trained under nondrug conditions and tested under either drug or nondrug conditions. When training occurred under drug conditions, suppression occurred only when testing was also under the drug. Results are interpreted in terms of dissociation between drug and nondrug states rather than as effects on mechanisms of learning and memory.
Analysis of a temperature inversion event in the lower mesosphere

[1] Rayleigh lidar measurements of stratospheric and lower mesospheric temperatures obtained at the Urbana Atmospheric Observatory (40.1°N, 88.1°W) on 17/18 November 1997 revealed large temperature inversions at altitudes between 55 to 65 km. Prior to and during a large increase (by up to about 50K) in the amplitude of the mesosphere inversion layer (MIL), a clear and persistent vertical wave structure between 30 and 65 km was observed. The wave has a vertical wavelength of about 12 km and an apparent period of about 12 hours. However, the intrinsic characteristics of the wave are uncertain due to the lack of information regarding the background wind profile and the relative direction of the wave propagation vector with respect to the background wind vector. Two different cases, corresponding to small and large background wind speeds projected onto the horizontal direction of wave propagation, are studied numerically to represent two scenarios with different intrinsic wave characteristics devised to explain the development of the MIL event observed. When the projected background wind is small, the wave is likely to be an inertial-gravity wave. It is shown that the breaking of such a wave does not produce the large heating rate observed. However, the numerical modeling shows that such an inertial-gravity wave can modulate the stability of a separate internal gravity wave, and the breaking of this internal gravity wave produces a heating rate similar to the observed rate. When the projected background wind is large, however, the observed wave could be an internal gravity wave with a large intrinsic phase speed. The analysis shows that the breaking of this wave can generate a large heating rate and a MIL that is similar to the observed event. We close with a discussion of the observational implications of these two scenarios. Possible wave sources are also discussed, and it appears that the observed MIL event might be related to a developing frontal system in the tropopause region observed just prior to the onset of the observed event.
Osteochondral Tissue Cell Viability Is Affected by Total Impulse during Impaction Grafting.

Objective Osteochondral graft transplantation has garnered significant attention because of its ability to replace the lesion with true hyaline cartilage. However, surgical impaction of the graft to anchor it into the defect site can be traumatic and lead to cell death and cartilage degeneration. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that increasing impulse magnitude during impaction of osteochondral plugs has a direct effect on loss of cell viability. Design In this controlled laboratory study, the impaction force was kept constant while the impulse was varied. Ninety-six osteochondral plugs were extracted from the trochlea of bovine stifle joints and were randomly assigned into 3 experimental and 1 (nonimpacted) control group. The transferred impulse of the experimental groups reflected the median and the lower and upper quartiles of preceding clinical measurements. Data were obtained at day 0, day 4, and day 8; at each point, cell viability was assessed using the Live/Dead staining kit and histological assessments were performed to visualize matrix structural changes. Results After impaction, cartilage samples stayed intact and did not show any histological signs of matrix disruption. As expected, higher impulse magnitudes introduced more cell death; however, this relationship was lost at day 8 after impaction. Conclusion Impulse magnitude has a direct effect on cell viability of the graft. Because impulse magnitude is mostly governed by the press-fit characteristics of the recipient site, this study aids in the definition of optimal insertion conditions for osteochondral grafts.
Malware analysis reverse engineering (MARE) methodology & malware defense (M.D.) timeline

Currently there exist no formal or structured method for analyzing malware, the implications of a hodgepodge method leads to inconsistencies and incomplete findings of analyzed malware. Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering (MARE) is a methodology that introduces a structured approach to malware analysis. A structured approach leads to a more consistent and complete analysis report. The MARE methodology is designed to take a malware analyst from the moment of detecting malware to the end of fully grasping the analyzed malware's full functionality and capabilities. The MARE methodology presents helpful tools and more importantly, a structured process flow to help analyst better understand how to analyze malware. The Malware Defense (M.D.) timeline maps out our ultimate research goal and presents where we are currently at in reaching that goal - eliminate the threat of malware. Finally, the applicability of MARE to the judicial system and teaching is discussed.
Separating content from form: A language for formatting on-line documentation and dialog

Recent research has demonstrated the advantages of separating management of the user interface from the application program. A user interface system should integrate access to on-line help and documentation with other dialog for interacting with the program into a uniform environment. We describe such a user interface management system, called ICE, with emphasis on its facilities for authoring networks of frames containing help information and menus for interacting with the application program. Authors can write help and dialog using a language similar to the SCRIBE document processing system, widely used at CMU and elsewhere. But instead of generating hardcopy documents for different printing devices, ICE produces interactive “softcopy” documents, consisting of a network of frames combining documentation and interface.In ICE the screen layout of frames and the style of interaction is specified in a format file which is separate from the dialog file that contains the text to appear in the frames. This separation allows the dialog author to write the text without having to worry much about its precise appearance on the screen. The display designer can specify the actual format independently. The same text can be formatted in different ways to make use of different display devices and to allow experimentation with alternative formats and styles of interaction.
Generalized melanosis secondary to malignant melanoma. Report of a case with serum and tissue tyrosinase studies

A case of generalized melanosis secondary to malignant melanoma is described. The tyrosinase activity of serum and tissues from this patient has been measured. The first 2 steps of melanogenesis (tyrosine dopa and dopa dopachrome) have been separately assayed. Serum and homogenates from skin and spleen showed the highest activity in both steps. Weak activity was detected in vagina and lung, but no activity was detected in the adrenals, kidney, liver, and rectum. An endogenous compound which inhibits the enzymic activity as well as the auto-oxidation of dopa is found to be present in almost all of the tissues analyzed. Tyrosinase activity was not found in serum samples from control patients without malignant melanoma nor from other patients with malignant melanoma without generalized melanosis. Inhibition of tyrosinase activity by endogenous substances, however, was present in all serum samples analyzed.
An ultrastructural study of cultured human meningioma cells.

Ultrastructural alterations in human meningioma cells grown in vitro are reported. In early passages the cells retain some of the characteristic features of the original tumors. These include interdigitations associated with intercellular junctional devices (e.g., desmosomes, gap junctions). However, with repeated subculture these features tend to be less frequent. Typical whorl formations are observed only in primary cultures. The nunber of cytoplasmic filaments, lipid inclusions and other dense bodies increases with time in culture. Cytoplasmic invaginations into nuclei and the appearance of very large cells become more frequent in repeatedly transferred cultures.
Progesterone regulation of RUSH/SMARCA3/HLTF includes DNA looping.

RUSH/SMARCA3 (SWI/SNF-related matrix-associated actin-dependent regulator of chromatin subfamily A, member 3) is capable of sequence-selective DNA binding and ATP-dependent DNA unwinding. In rabbit uterine epithelial cells, RUSH-1α (113 kDa) is the progesterone-dependent splice variant and RUSH-1β (95 kDa) is the oestrogen-dependent splice variant. Rabbit RUSH / SMARCA3 mRNA is primarily regulated at the proximal promoter (−162/+90) via a PRE (progesterone-response element) half-site/overlapping Y-box domain (−38/−26) and two Sp (specificity protein) 3 sites centred at −128 and −58. We investigated hormone regulation by exploring binding of transcription factors to a putative RUSH / SMARCA3 site (−616/−611) and the distal Sp3 (−131/−126) site. In response to progesterone, RUSH-1α binds the RUSH site and the Sp3 site becomes a functional binding site for Egr-1 (early growth-response gene product 1)/Sp (specificity protein)1/3/MAZ (Myc-associated zinc-finger protein)/MZF1 (myeloid zinc finger 1)/c-Rel. TransSignal TF–TF Interaction Arrays, supershift assays and ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation) analyses confirmed strong physical interactions between RUSH and Egr-1/c-Rel. Higher-order long-range interactions between RUSH and the Egr-1/c-Rel derivative of the anisotropic flexibility of the intervening DNA sequence were shown with 3C (chromosome conformation capture) assays. Transient transfection assays with mutant constructs showed the co-operative interaction between RUSH and Egr-1 mediates repression by c-Rel. Thus DNA-bound RUSH/SMARCA3 communicates with its own proximal promoter by looping the intervening DNA. Moreover, progesterone-dependent DNA looping is an adjunct to progesterone induction of the RUSH / SMARCA3 gene because the availability of RUSH isoforms and relevant binding partners is progesterone-regulated.
Fortified Human Milk Improves the Health of the Premature Infant. 217

Background: The use of human milk for premature infants is increasing but the contributions of standard fortified human milk (FHM) to host defense are unclear. Subjects: Premature infants were evaluated in hospital: Group I (n=38) fed FHM only, Group II (n=82) fed FHM and preterm formula (PF), Group III (n=43) fed PF only. Interventions: Measures of infant morbidity. Results: The mean (±SD) birth weight (1.0±0.2 kg), gestational age(28±1 wk), gender, ethnicity, use of central venous catheters, amount of milk consumed, and receipt of antenatal steroids were similar among groups. The groups had similar incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and duration of parenteral nutrition. Necrotizing enterocolitis differed significantly among groups (p < 0.05): Group I=3%, Group II=18%, Group III=9%. Group I had significantly fewer positive blood cultures, episodes of sepsis, and less antibiotic usage than Groups II and III, p < 0.05. The use of the mother-infant skin-to-skin protocol was significantly greater in Group I than II & III p < 0.001. Group I had a shorter hospital stay (69±25 d) than Group II (85±37 d) or III (86±45 d),p=0.01. Conclusion: These data suggest that the exclusive use of FHM contributes to healthier premature infants who have shorter hospital stays, potentially reducing the cost of medical care.
Concept Learning: What Happens when Hypothesis Testing Fails?.

The dominant model of concept learning in experimental psychology, the hypothesis testing model, is described and its applicability to education is questioned. One issue related to the generality of this model was tested by an experiment in which subjects attempted to figure out a simple but difficult to discover concept presented by exemplars over a long series of trials. Based on their performance on this task, subjects were categorized into three levels of concept attainment. It is argued that hypothesis testing theory adequately describes only the behavior of the most successful (Level 1) subjects. Based on the differential levels of performance on old vs. new items and the subjects’ verbal reports of their selection strategies, Level 2 subjects appear to have relied heavily on memorization of previously seen exemplars. However, their above-chance performance on the new (postcriterion) items indicates some level of concept attainment. Since most of these adult subjects were totally unable to v...
PLUTONIUM MOBILIZATION AND MATRIX DISSOLUTION DURING EXPERIMENTAL SLUDGE WASHING OF BISMUTH PHOSPHATE, REDOX, AND PUREX WASTE SIMULANTS

Consecutive washing of simulant sludges from the BiPO4 (Cycle 3), Redox, and PUREX processes shows less than 4.5% of sorbed Pu(III/IV) or Pu(VI) is mobilized during CrO4 2− dissolution by the 0.01 M NaOH + 0.01 M NaNO2 sluice or 3.0 M NaOH leach solutions to be used for sludge pretreatment at Hanford. Experimental sludge washing with 2.0 M HNO3 results in 5.8-65.5% dissolution of Pu(III/IV) or Pu(VI) from all simulants and dissolution of Nd(III), Cr(III), and Fe(III) (where present) from BiPO4 simulants. The dissolution of Pu(III/IV) and Pu(VI) from BiPO4 sludge simulants by strongly chelating media is accompanied by dissolution and reduction of Mn(IV) to a Mn(III) complex. Details of radioanalytical and spectroscopic investigations of sludge simulant washing are discussed in the context of understanding actinide behavior during alkaline leaching of radioactive sludge wastes.
A survey on the information practices of engineers at western electric

A stratified random sample of engineers by vertical classification (engineers, occupational engineers and senior engineers), from locations thought to be representative of all locations in the Company, were asked to complete a survey on Company information practices. Through the use of statistical tests and analyses of the trends of the data, it can now be assumed that the engineers, regardless of vertical engineering classification or location, are similar in respect to their technical information activities and needs. Furthermore, we determined the information activities and needs of engineers and adequacy of the information facilities. Based on the results of the survey, we established that a Company-Wide Technical Information Storage and Retrieval System is needed at Western Electric. Such a system should keep the engineer informed on what he needs to know and reduce the amount of unknown duplication of effort.
Proliferation of AXC/SSh rat prostate cancer cells in vitro is androgen modulated.

We used heterogeneous parental cultures of AXC/SSh rat prostate cancer cells to isolate clonally derived prostate cancer cell lines. Light and electron microscopic analyses established that parental and clonally isolated cells possess features characteristic of secretory epithelium. Biochemical analyses showed that these cells contained androgen receptors and acid phosphatase and 5a-reductase activity; phenotypic markers characteristic of differentiated prostate epithelium. Content of these prostate epithelial cell markers was variable and cell line specific. We used selected cell lines to examine androgen modulation of AXC/SSh rat prostate cancer cell proliferation in vitro. We found that proliferation of C-family or D-family cells, those respectively maintained on medium without additions or medium containing 10−7 M 5α-dihydrotestosterone, was not affected by changes in medium testosterone concentration through the range 10−6 -10−9M. In contrast, testosterone modified proliferation of T-family cells, those maintained on medium containing 10−7M testosterone, and effects were antagonized by the anti-androgen RU 23908. Preliminary studies established that AXC/SSh rat prostate cancer cells elaborate polypeptide components which stimulate in vitro cell proliferation. Both the ability to elaborate these components and their effects on in vitro cell proliferation appeared to be cell line specific.
Theoretical analysis of competitive conformational transitions in torsionally stressed DNA

Abstract This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the conformation of a torsionally deformed segment of DNA containing two sites susceptible to stress-induced transitions in secondary structure. A mechanical analysis of the ensuing competitive behavior is developed and applied to several phenomena of possible biological relevance. First, a molecular lesion which disrupts base pairing without strand breakage (such as a pyrimidine dimer) is shown to provide an effective nucleation site for further stress-induced denaturation. A competition is established between strand separation at this lesion site and at the A + T-richest portion of the molecule. The relative importance of these two forms of melting is shown to depend upon the A + T-content of the sites involved, segment length, local environmental conditions and the magnitude of the imposed torsional deformation. A possible alternative mode of behavior of a stressed segment of DNA involves transitions from B-form to Z-form. The second application of this theory analyzes the interplay between B → Z transitions and local denaturation in torsionally stressed DNA. Finally, local melting is shown to be energetically preferred over transitions to A-form under physiologically reasonable conditions in vitro , due primarily to the greater degree of unwinding involved in melting. The mechanical theory presented here makes several simplifying assumptions regarding the nature of the transitions and the sequences involved. First, the theory is developed explicitly for the competition between two sites of possible transition, with no further consideration given to conformational degeneracy or sequence effects. These sites are regarded as being uniform in composition. A multistate, heteropolymeric statistical mechanical transition theory is required to account rigorously for degeneracy and the influence of base sequence. A preliminary formulation of such a theory is used to analyze the denaturation of a segment containing a site of disrupted base pairing.
Consistent propagator approximations

A propagator approximation scheme is presented in the context of an abstract*-algebra approach. The representation theory of such algebras is shown to play a crucial role in the definition of consistent approximations, i.e., approximate propagators based on model time evolutions and states. This procedure places superoperator methods of approximation on a sound Hilbert space footing. A generalization of the Fock vacuum property is introduced which leads to a simplification in the form of the model propagators. Finally a concrete example is considered that fulfills the conditions developed in this article showing that a consistent approximation to the electron propagator results in the Hartree–Fock–Boguliubov equations.
Evolution and speciation on holey adaptive landscapes

Sewall Wright's powerful metaphor of rugged adaptive landscapes has formed the basis for discussing evolution and speciation for more than 60 years. However, this metaphor, with its emphasis on adaptive peaks and valleys, is to a large degree a reflection of our three-dimensional experience. Both genotypes and phenotypes of biological organisms differ in numerous characteristics, and, thus, the dimension of 'real' adaptive landscapes is much larger than three. Properties of multidimensional adaptive landscapes are very different from those of low dimension. Consequently, something that is seen as a theoretical challenge in a low-dimensional case might be a trivial problem in a multidimensional context and vice versa. In particular, the problem of how a population crosses an adaptive valley on its way from one adaptive peak to another, which Wright attempted to solve with his shifting balance theory, may be non-existent. A new framework is emerging for deepening our understanding of evolution and speciation, which provides a plausible multidimensional alternative to the conventional view of rugged adaptive landscapes.
Epigenomic strategies at the interface of genetic and environmental risk factors for autism

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been increasing in prevalence over the last two decades, primarily because of increased awareness and diagnosis. However, autism is clearly a complex human genetic disorder that involves interactions between genes and environment. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, act at the interface of genetic and environmental risk and protective factors. Advancements in genome-wide sequencing has broadened the view of the human methylome and revealed the organization of the human genome into large-scale methylation domains that footprint over neurologically important genes involved in embryonic development. Future integrative epigenomic analyses of genetic risk factors with environmental exposures and methylome analyses are expected to be important for understanding the complex etiology of ASD.
Suppression of MeCP2β expression inhibits neurite extension in PC12 cells

Regulation of gene expression is critical to the proper development of neuronal cells. The methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) operates as a transcriptional repressor by facilitating histone deacetylation and DNA methylation-dependent transcriptional silencing. This study examined the importance of MeCP2 in the regulation of neurite formation in PC12 cells. Expression of MeCP2 increased in a time-dependent manner after induction of neuronal differentiation. Expression was assessed at both the transcriptional and translation levels, and reached a maximum at 24 h post-induction. In addition, a marked inhibition of neurite extension and proper localization of a marker for synapse formation, synapsin I, were observed when MeCP2 expression was decreased by the addition of an antisense morpholino oligomer directed to the translational initiation site for MeCP2β. The removal of the antisense oligomer allowed neurite extension to progress. However, the addition of antisense oligomer to previously differentiated PC12 cells did not affect established neurite processes. Taken collectively, our results indicate a role for MeCP2β early in the events of neurite formation and that the relative levels of MeCP2α and MeCP2β may be different in early differentiating neurons than is found in the adult brain. In addition, unique functions may exist for the two isoforms of MeCP2. Our results indicate that the inhibition of neurite elaboration caused by a reduction in MeCP2 may be reversible.
Reduction of coding artifacts in video compression

The comparison of video sequences at low bit-rates is object of an intense study. For high compression ratios, standard techniques produce noticeable artifacts in the reconstructed images. This article proposes a method for the post- processing of motion compensated hybrid coded video data. The technique uses a stochastic regularization approach which can be implemented with a simple and fast iterative algorithm. The approach has been applied to color video sequences produced by h.261 and h.263 standard compression methods. The post-processed sequences are aesthetically superior to the sequences obtained using the standard technique.
Identification and Characterization of the Cell Type-specific and Developmentally Regulated α7 Integrin Gene Promoter

Expression of α7 is mainly confined to skeletal and cardiac muscle in which it appears to be the major laminin-binding integrin. When myoblasts differentiate to myotubes, α7 mRNA and protein expression is up-regulated. To explore the mechanisms involved in the tissue-specific and developmentally regulated expression of α7, we isolated and characterized a genomic clone containing ~2.8 kilobase pairs (kb) of the 5′-flanking region of the murine α7 gene. The 5′-flanking region lacks both TATA and CCAAT boxes but contains five putative Sp1 binding sites located in a CpG island. Two transcription start sites, located near an initiator-like sequence, are 176 and 170 base pairs upstream of the translation start site. There are numerous binding sites for developmental and cell type-specific transcription factors, including AP-1, AP-2, GATA, and several AT-rich sites. There are also eight consensus E-boxes that bind the basic helix-loop-helix family of muscle-specific transcription factors. The ~2.8-kb 5′-flanking region was an active promoter in C2C12 skeletal myoblasts and exhibited increased expression upon conversion to myotubes but was inactive in HtLM2 cells, a mouse breast carcinoma epithelial cell line that does not express α7. Deletion analysis identified both positive and negative regulatory elements within the ~2.8-kb fragment. In 10T1/2 fibroblasts the ~2.8-kb α7 promoter was trans-activated by the myogenic basic helix-loop-helix proteins myogenin and MyoD but not by MRF4 and myf5. These results suggest that muscle-specific transcription factors play a role in regulating the cell-type expression of the α7 gene during development.
Conductivity of complementary error function n-type diffused layers in gallium arsenide

Abstract The average conductivity of n-type erfc diffused layers in Gallium Arsenide have been calculated for background doping levels of 1015 cm−3, 1016 cm−3 and 1017 cm−3. The curves are confined to surface concentrations below 1019 cm−3 because of the strong dependence of diffusion coefficient upon concentration at higher concentrations.
Collision Efficiency of Water Drops in the Atmosphere

Abstract A study has been made of the growth through collision of water drops in the atmosphere. The method of superposition of flow fields obtained from the numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations was used for the calculations, and only inertia, gravity and drag force were considered. The calculated linear collision efficiency is significantly less than the geometric collision efficiency between a large collector drop and a small collecting drop because of the effect of hydrodynamic forces. The linear collision efficiency is substantially higher than the geometric collision efficiency between similarly sized drops because of the wake effect. To verify the validity of the calculations, the analytical results were compared with available experimental data. Satisfactory agreement was obtained for most drop sizes. It is concluded that in the absence of electricity and turbulence the dominant factor in the formation of precipitation is the collisional growth of similarly sized drops.
Encouraging Innovative Behavior: The Effects of Leader-Member Exchange and Public Service Motivation

Innovation within organizations has captured the attention of public and private sector scholars and managers due to its links to organizational performance, effectiveness and even survival. While ...
Adjustment of gynecological and breast cancer patients to the cancer diagnosis: comparisons with males and females having other cancer sites.

Newly diagnosed cancer patients (N = 133) were studied to determine gender‐based differences in initial adjustment and whether, within the female population, women with gynecological or breast cancer adjust differently. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Rand Health Insurance Study‐General Weil‐Being Schedule (HIS‐GWB) were used to measure anxiety, depression, hostility, somatization, and general psychological distress or psychological well‐being. There were no gender differences on any of the measures when men were compared with women. However, when gynecological/breast cancer patients were analyzed separately from women with other forms of cancer, they were significantly less depressed, anxious, and hostile; they had less somatization, less psychological distress, and greater psychological well‐being. These findings may be related to the perception of their illness as being less serious than that of other females with cancer.
A constraint on possible stoichiometries of myocardial sodium-calcium exchange.

We have examined the sodium-calcium exchange stoichiometry in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts using gamma-emitting tracers under conditions of sodium pump inhibition. Following a 60-min perfusion with 105 acetylstrophanthidin, and extracellular concentrations [Na]o=70 mM and [Ca]o=300 μM, intracellular sodium rose to 59.2 mM. At this point an increase in extracellular calcium [Ca]o=1.52 mM) caused a net efflux of sodium, but an increase in sodium [Na]o=105 mM) caused no measurable change. When sodium and calcium were simultaneously increased according to the ratio [Na]o)n/[Ca]o=[Na]o′)n/[Ca]o′, a sodium efflux is observed when n=4, but not when n=3. These results are consistent with an exchange stoichiometry of 3 Na+ for each Ca2+ ion, but not values of 4 or more.
Cyclic Carboalumination of Alkynylsilanes Forming Exocyclic Alkenes

The reaction of 6-trimethylsilylhex-1-en-5-yne with i-Bu3Al (1.1 equivalents) and a catalytic amount of Cl2ZrCp2 in 1,2-dichloroethane or CH2Cl2 at room temperature produces, after protonolysis, trimethylsilylmethylenecyclopentane in 85% yield. Upon iodinolysis of the reaction mixture, the corresponding iodide is obtained in 68% yield. Under the same reaction conditions, 7-trimethylsilylhept-1-en-6-yne is converted into trimethylsilylmethylenecyclohexane in 72% yield upon protonolysis of the reaction mixture. Attempts to produce four- or seven-membered ring compounds have not been successful. The i-Bu3Al–Cl2ZrCp2 reaction of 6-trimethylsilyl-4-methylhex-1-en-5-yne is nonstereoselective. However, the use of I2ZrCp2 in place of Cl2ZrCp2 improves the E/Z ratio to ca 80/20. The reaction of 1-trimethylsilylhex-5-en-1-yn-3-ol with i-Bu3Al–Cl2ZrCp2 gives the ca 90% pure Z isomer under “kinetic” conditions and the ca 97% E isomer under thermally equilibrating conditions in excellent yields.
Chemical excitation of the A2Σ+-X2Π system of SH and SD

Abstract The emission spectrum of a low-pressure diffusion flame of a mixture of SOCl 2 and CHCl 3 burning in potassium vapor includes the (0, 0) band of the A 2 Σ + - X 2 Π system of SH. When CDCl 3 is substituted for CHCl 3 the flames emit the (0, 0) and (0, 1) bands of the A - X system of SD. The (0, 1) band has not been observed previously. Together with data from the high-resolution study of the (0, 0) band by Ramsay, analysis of the (0, 1) band permits determination of the vibrational and rotational constants of the ground state of SD. Isotope relations then provide good values for SH. Absence of emission from v ′ > 0 in both SH and SD is interpreted to mean that both molecules probably are predissociated between v ′ = 0 and 1.
From planar to three-dimensional structural transition in gold clusters and the spin–orbit coupling effect

Abstract The transition from the planar to three-dimensional structures in Au clusters occurs at the cluster consisting of 15 Au atoms, which is predicted based on the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations including the spin–orbital coupling. The results show that the spin–orbit coupling does not alter the relative stability of Au clusters but increases the binding energy of the cluster by about 0.08 eV/atom for all the clusters studied here. The energy gap between the highest occupied and the lowest unoccupied orbitals, on the other hand, decreases when the spin–orbit coupling is included.
Refusing Prenatal Diagnosis: The Meanings of Bioscience in a Multicultural World:

This article explores the reasons women of diverse class, racial ethnic, national, and religious backgrounds give for their decisions not to accept an amniocentesis or, having accepted one, not to pursue an abortion after diagnosis of serious fetal disability. The narratives of refusers reveal conflicts and tensions between the universalizing rationality of biomedical interventions into pregnancy and the wider heterogeneous social frame work to which women respond in their decision-making processes.
Predictors of serious suicide attempts among patients with panic disorder

Of 74 panic disorder subjects followed up after 7 years, five reported serious suicide attempts and three had completed suicide. Compared with subjects who had not made serious attempts, the serious suicide attempters (including the three suicides) were younger, and fewer of them were married. Also, the serious attempt group had an earlier, more gradual onset of illness. More of the serious attempters had personality disorders and coexisting major depression. At the time of original assessment, the serious attempters had more severe symptoms. These data suggest that among patients with panic disorder, serious suicidal behavior is associated with more severe psychopathology.
Evaluation of new clinical criteria for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis

Abstract purpose: The clinical diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) can be difficult. A new diagnostic schema for IE (the Duke criteria) has been proposed, utilizing clinical, microbiologic, and echocardiographic data. We evaluated the Duke criteria in a cohort of prospectively enrolled patients suspected of having IE and compared the diagnostic efficiency of these criteria with the previously published criteria of von Reyn. patients: Sixty-three febrile patients with suspected IE at a nonreferral, municipal hospital were evaluated. All patients had the following parameters defined: the presence and nature of underlying heart disease; recent abuse of intravenous drugs; peripheral stigmata of IE; blood culture results; findings on two-dimensional transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TTE, TEE); and the results of open heart surgery. results: Twelve of 63 patients underwent open heart surgery, at which time IE was pathologically confirmed in 10 patients and excluded in 2 patients. All 10 patients with pathologically confirmed IE were classified as "clinically definite" by Duke criteria, whereas 5 of 10 were rejected by von Reyn criteria (p −5 ). Similarly, significantly fewer cases were rejected as IE by the Duke criteria as compared with the von Reyn criteria (p −6 ). Duke criteria were also significantly better at diagnosing IE than von Reyn criteria in the following clinical settings: suspected right-sided IE (p −2 ); and IE complicating Staphylococcus aureus or viridans streptococcal bacteremias (p −5 ; p conclusion: The Duke criteria are superior to the von Reyn criteria for the clinical diagnosis of IE, predominately reflecting use of two-dimensional echocardiographic demonstration of valvular vegetations in the Duke schema.