cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phosphorylation by Cyclin-dependent Protein Kinase 5 of the Regulatory Subunit of Retinal cGMP Phosphodiesterase: I. IDENTIFICATION OF THE KINASE AND ITS ROLE IN THE TURNOFF OF PHOSPHODIESTERASE IN VITRO

Abstract Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) is an essential component in retinal phototransduction. PDE is regulated by Pγ, the regulatory subunit of PDE, and GTP/Tα, the GTP-bound α subunit of transducin. In previous studies (Tsuboi, S., Matsumoto, H., Jackson, K. W., Tsujimoto, K., Williamas, T., and Yamazaki, A. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 15016–15023; Tsuboi, S., Matsumoto, H., and Yamazaki, A. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 15024–15029), we showed that Pγ is phosphorylated by a previously unknown kinase (Pγ kinase) in a GTP-dependent manner in photoreceptor outer segment membranes. We also showed that phosphorylated Pγ loses its ability to interact with GTP/Tα, but gains a 10–15 times higher ability to inhibit GTP/Tα-activated PDE than that of nonphosphorylated Pγ. Thus, we propose that the Pγ phosphorylation is probably involved in the recovery phase of phototransduction through shut off of GTP/Tα-activated PDE. Here we demonstrate that all known Pγs preserve a consensus motif for cyclin-dependent protein kinase 5 (Cdk5), a protein kinase believed to be involved in neuronal cell development, and that Pγ kinase is Cdk5 complexed with p35, a neuronal Cdk5 activator. Mutational analysis of Pγ indicates that all known Pγs contain a P-X-T-P-R sequence and that this sequence is required for the Pγ phosphorylation by Pγ kinase. In three different column chromatographies of a cytosolic fraction of frog photoreceptor outer segments, the Pγ kinase activity exactly coelutes with Cdk5 and p35. The Pγ kinase activity (∼85%) is also immunoprecipitated by a Cdk5-specific antibody, and the immunoprecipitate phosphorylates Pγ. Finally, recombinant Cdk5/p35, which were expressed using clones from a bovine retina cDNA library, phosphorylates Pγ in frog outer segment membranes in a GTP-dependent manner. These observations suggest that Cdk5 is probably involved in the recovery phase of phototransduction through phosphorylation of Pγ complexed with GTP/Tα in mature vertebrate retinal photoreceptors.
Questioning CDC's "Select Agent" Criteria

The new antiterrorism legislation that D. Malakoff and M. Enserink discuss in their News of the Week article “New law may force labs to screen workers” (2 Nov., p. [971][1]) could result in the imposition of onerous security measures in laboratories doing research with any of the organisms on
A complete and durable response to denileukin diftitox in a patient with mycosis fungoides

We describe a patient with stage IA mycosis fungoides treated with denileukin diftitox as part of a randomized phase III trial. The patient had a rapid and complete response and has remained in remission for more than 5 years without maintenance therapy. Although denileukin diftitox is not usually considered for patients with early-stage mycosis fungoides, our experience provides anecdotal evidence that fusion toxin therapy may be worth considering as a treatment for patients with stage I disease.
Descending Thoracic Aorta to Femoral Artery Bypass: Surgical Technique

Failed abdominal aortic reconstructions, because of infection or intraabdominal catastrophe, have necessitated the use of bypasses that would avoid the infrarenal aorta. Such was the case in the first two separate descriptions of bypass from the descending thoracic aorta to the femoral arteries by Stevenson' and Blaisdell' in 1961. Shortly after, the 1963 Blaisdell3 described for the first time the axillofemoral graft as a simple technique to bypass the aortoiliac segment. Because of its technical ease, axillofemoral bypass rapidly became the extraanatomical bypass of choice when avoidance of a transabdominal aortic reconstruction was advisable. For that reason, bypass from the descending thoracic aorta to the femoral arteries was rarely used. During the last 10 years, a few series of extraanatomical bypasses using the descending thoracic aorta as an inflow source have clarified the indications and documented excellent results despite the challenging situations in which such bypasses were employed. The most important features of the bypass from the descending thoracic aorta to the femoral arteries are avoidance of the peritoneal cavity, use of a superb inflow source, and placement of the graft in a deep lateral retroperitoneal position remote from the peritoneal cavity.
Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Social Skills Interventions for Elementary Students: Step-by-Step Procedures Based on Actual School-Based Investigations

This article presents a step-by-step, empirically validated method for designing, implementing, and evaluating a formal social skills intervention based on specific skill deficits as identified by the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; F. M. Gresham & S. N. Elliott, 1990). The 6 steps include (a) identifying students for participation, (b) identifying specific skill deficits and designing the intervention program, (c) organizing intervention groups, (d) preparing intervention leaders, (e) implementing the intervention, and (f) monitoring student progress.
Plastics to fuel: a review

The thermal and catalytic processes of converting waste plactics into fuels are promising techniques to eliminate the refuse which otherwise is harmful to the enivironment, and decrease the dependence on fossil fuels. Thermal degradation decomposes plastic into three fractions: gas, crude oil, and solid residue. Crude oil from non-catalytic pyrolysis is usually composed of higher boiling point hydrocarbons. The optimization of conversion parameters such as the choice of catalyst, reactor design, pyrolysis temperature, and plastic-to-catalyst ratio plays a very important role in the efficient generation of gasoline and diesel grade fuel. The use of a catalyst for thermal conversion lowers the energy required for conversion, and the catalyst choice is important for efficient fuel production. The suitable selection of catalysts can increase the yield of crude oil with lower hydrocarbon content. Co-pyrolysis of plastics with coal or shale oil improves crude oil quality by decreasing its viscosity. A large number of publications have appeared on various processes, and continued improvements and/or innovations are expected in the future. Further investigations on the catalytic systems are required in order to advance the field, particularly to enhance the added value of fuels and to minimize the use of energy. This review aims to provide both the highlights of the remarkable achievements of this field and the milestones that need to be achieved in the future.
Exchange Rate Liberalization in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries Successes, Failures, and Lessons

Many sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries liberalized their economies in the 1980s and early 1990s. This paper reviews the foreign exchange regime reforms in selected SSA, and their associated macroeconomic policies and economic performance during and after these reforms were undertaken. Before liberalization, most of the reviewed countries were characterized by extensive foreign exchange rationing, sizeable black market premiums, and declining per capita real income. Today, the countries that successfully reformed look markedly different. Rationing and parallel market spreads are a distant memory, and per capita income has increased sharply.
A comparative study of the mechanical properties, fracture behavior, creep, and shrinkage of chemically based self-consolidating concrete

This study presents the results of an experimental investigation that compares the mechanical properties, fracture behavior, creep, and shrinkage of a chemically-based self-consolidating concrete (SCC) mix with that of a corresponding conventional concrete (CC) mix. The CC and SCC mix designs followed conventional proportioning in terms of aggregate type and content, cement content, air content, water-cementitiuos materials (w/cm) ratio, and workability. Then, using only chemical admixtures, the authors converted the CC mix to an SCC mix with all of the necessary passing, filling, flowability, and stability requirements typically found in SCC. The high fluidity was achieved with a polycarboxylate-based high-range water-reducing admixture, while the enhanced stability was accomplished with an organic, polymer-based viscosity-modifying admixture. The comparison indicated that the SCC and CC mixes had virtually identical tensile splitting strengths, flexural strengths, creep, and shrinkage. However, the SCC mix showed higher compressive strengths and fracture energies than the corresponding CC mix.
The effect of moisture absorption on the physical properties of polyurethane shape memory polymer foams

The effect of moisture absorption on the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the stress/strain behavior of network polyurethane shape memory polymer (SMP) foams has been investigated. With our ultimate goal of engineering polyurethane SMP foams for use in blood-contacting environments, we have investigated the effects of moisture exposure on the physical properties of polyurethane foams. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the effects of moisture absorption at varying humidity levels (non-immersion and immersion) on the physical properties of polyurethane SMP foams. The SMP foams were exposed to differing humidity levels for varying lengths of time, and they exhibited a maximum water uptake of 8.0% (by mass) after exposure to 100% relative humidity for 96 h. Differential scanning calorimetry results demonstrated that water absorption significantly decreased the Tg of the foam, with a maximum water uptake shifting the Tg from 67 to 5 °C. Samples that were immersed in water for 96 h and immediately subjected to tensile testing exhibited 100% increases in failure strains and 500% decreases in failure stresses; however, in all cases of time and humidity exposure, the plasticization effect was reversible upon placing moisture-saturated samples in 40% humidity environments for 24 h.
Model-Based Analyses to Compare Health and Economic Outcomes of Cancer Control: Inclusion of Disparities

Background Disease simulation models of the health and economic consequences of different prevention and treatment strategies can guide policy decisions about cancer control. However, models that also consider health disparities can identify strategies that improve both population health and its equitable distribution.
Effects of antimicrobial agents on growth and chemotaxis of Trichomonas vaginalis.

The motility of viable Trichomonas vaginalis organisms is readily demonstrable in a clinical wet mount or cultured specimens. We attempted to determine whether migration is a dynamic process such that the organisms move to avoid exposure to toxic antimicrobial agents. With the use of axenic cultures of T. vaginalis that were radiolabeled and assayed for chemotaxis in plastic multiwelled plates with a membrane filter inserted to trap organisms, the response of clinical isolates to various antimicrobial agents was studied. Chemotaxis was readily demonstrable and dependent upon factors including time of incubation, media used, and viscosity of media. Nitroimidazoles (e.g., metronidazole) which readily inhibited the growth of these organisms also caused significant chemorepulsion after minutes of exposure. The antifungal imidazoles ketoconazole and miconazole inhibited growth nearly as readily and caused chemorepulsion, but to a lesser degree. The spermicide Nonoxynol-9 also inhibited growth and caused significant chemorepulsion. The minimal concentrations of many compounds which inhibited growth were very similar to those which caused significant chemorepulsion. Imidazole and antibiotics (e.g., penicillin) which did not inhibit growth did not induce any chemotactic effects. Chemotaxis of T. vaginalis is an active and dynamic process, and the organisms display chemorepulsion shortly after exposure to toxic antimicrobial agents, well before toxicity can be demonstrated.
Prm1p, a Pheromone-Regulated Multispanning Membrane Protein, Facilitates Plasma Membrane Fusion during Yeast Mating

Cell fusion occurs throughout development, from fertilization to organogenesis. The molecular mechanisms driving plasma membrane fusion in these processes remain unknown. While yeast mating offers an excellent model system in which to study cell fusion, all genes previously shown to regulate the process act at or before cell wall breakdown; i.e., well before the two plasma membranes have come in contact. Using a new strategy in which genomic data is used to predict which genes may possess a given function, we identified PRM1, a gene that is selectively expressed during mating and that encodes a multispanning transmembrane protein. Prm1p localizes to sites of cell–cell contact where fusion occurs. In matings between Δprm1 mutants, a large fraction of cells initiate zygote formation and degrade the cell wall separating mating partners but then fail to fuse. Electron microscopic analysis reveals that the two plasma membranes in these mating pairs are tightly apposed, remaining separated only by a uniform gap of ∼8 nm. Thus, the phenotype of Δprm1 mutants defines a new step in the mating reaction in which membranes are juxtaposed, possibly through a defined adherence junction, yet remain unfused. This phenotype suggests a role for Prm1p in plasma membrane fusion.
Influence of Hen Age on the Response of Turkey Poults to Cold Stress, Escherichia coli Challenge, and Treatment with a Yeast Extract Antibiotic Alternative

Two battery experiments were conducted to evaluate a commercial yeast extract feed supplement, Alphamune, in a cold stress-Escherichia coli challenge of 1-wk-old turkeys. Experiment 1 used 1-d-old male poults that were the progeny of 33-wk-old hens in their second week of lay. Experiment 2 used male poults of the same genetic line from 40-wk-old hens in their eighth week of lay. Poults were fed a standard unmedicated turkey starter diet or the same diet with either a low level (504 g/t) or a high level (1,008 g/t) of yeast extract. Challenged birds were exposed to intermittent cold stress during wk 1 to 3 and to a respiratory E. coli challenge at 1 wk of age. In both experiments, BW at wk 1 was increased by feeding yeast extract. In experiment 1, challenged, control-fed birds had decreased BW at wk 3 and feed conversion was protected by both levels of yeast extract supplementation. In experiment 2, challenge had no effect on control-fed birds; however, yeast extract decreased the BW of challenged birds. In experiment 1, total leukocyte numbers were decreased by challenge of control-fed birds only, and there was no effect of challenge on the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio. In experiment 2, total leukocyte numbers were decreased and the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio was increased in challenged, control-fed birds. Percentage mortality was not affected by challenge in experiment 1; however, in experiment 2, mortality was increased by challenge of control-fed birds and those fed the lower level of yeast extract. These results suggest that hen age should be considered when designing studies to evaluate antibiotic alternatives and in making decisions for incorporating such alternatives into production.
Strain evolution after fiber failure in a single-fiber metal matrix composite under cyclic loading

The evolution of in situ elastic strain with cyclic tensile loading in each phase of a single Al 2O3-fiber/aluminum-matrix composite was studied using neutron diffraction (ND). An analytical model appropriate for metal matrix composites (MMCs) was developed to connect the measured axial strain evolution in each phase with the possible micromechanical events that could occur during loading at room temperature: fiber fracture, interfacial slipping, and matrix plastic deformation. Model interpretation showed that the elastic strain evolution in the fiber and matrix was governed by fiber fracture and interface slipping and not by plastic deformation of the matrix, whereas the macroscopic stress–strain response of the composite was influenced by all three. The combined single-fiber composite model and ND experiment introduces a new and quick engineering approach for qualifying the micromechanical response in MMCs due to cyclic loading and fiber fracture. 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
The GTPase Rab4 Interacts with Chlamydia trachomatis Inclusion Membrane Protein CT229

Chlamydiae, which are obligate intracellular bacteria, replicate in a nonlysosomal vacuole, termed an inclusion. Although neither the host nor the chlamydial proteins that mediate the intracellular trafficking of the inclusion have been clearly identified, several enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Rab GTPases, including Rab4A, are recruited to chlamydial inclusions. GFP-Rab4A associates with inclusions in a species-independent fashion by 2 h postinfection by mechanisms that have not yet been elucidated. To test whether chlamydial inclusion membrane proteins (Incs) recruit Rab4 to the inclusion, we screened a collection of chlamydial Incs for their ability to interact with Rab4A by using a yeast two-hybrid assay. From our analysis, we identified a specific interaction between Rab4A and Chlamydia trachomatis Inc CT229, which is expressed during the initial stages of infection. CT229 interacts with only wild-type Rab4A and the constitutively active GTPase-deficient Rab4AQ67L but not with the dominant-negative GDP-restricted Rab4AS22N mutant. To confirm the interaction between CT229 and Rab4A, we demonstrated that DsRed-CT229 colocalized with GFP-Rab4A in HeLa cells and more importantly wild-type and constitutively active GFP-Rab4A colocalized with CT229 at the inclusion membrane in C. trachomatis serovar L2-infected HeLa cells. Taken together, these data suggest that CT229 interacts with and recruits Rab4A to the inclusion membrane and therefore may play a role in regulating the intracellular trafficking or fusogenicity of the chlamydial inclusion.
Long-term use of mesalamine enemas to induce remission in ulcerative colitis

The courses of 90 patients with left-sided ulcerative colitis that was unresponsive or intolerant to conventional therapy were retrospectively reviewed. They had been treated with 5-aminosalicylic acid enemas (mesalamine) on a long-term basis. After an initial 12-week course of treatment, 87% of the patients had improved by at least one grade of inflammation (improvement), and 54% of these were asymptomatic with normal colonic mucosa (remission). Overall, there was an 80% remission rate by 34 weeks. Remission rate was not affected by extent of sigmoid or left-sided colon disease before treatment or prior medication use for ulcerative colitis. Treatment with mesalamine enemas allowed patients to decrease or discontinue glucocorticoid treatment. Patients treated for relapse episodes responded as well as they did to the first course of treatment, whether the relapse occurred after discontinuation of mesalamine or during a tapering of the dose. In conclusion, extending mesalamine treatment to at least 34 weeks was beneficial in inducing a complete remission in 80% of patients unresponsive to conventional therapy.
Engineering and verifying requirements for programmable self-assembling nanomachines

We propose an extension of van Lamsweerde's goal-oriented requirements engineering to the domain of programmable DNA nanotechnology. This is a domain in which individual devices (agents) are at most a few dozen nanometers in diameter. These devices are programmed to assemble themselves from molecular components and perform their assigned tasks. The devices carry out their tasks in the probabilistic world of chemical kinetics, so they are individually error-prone. However, the number of devices deployed is roughly on the order of a nanomole (a 6 followed by fourteen 0s), and some goals are achieved when enough of these agents achieve their assigned subgoals. We show that it is useful in this setting to augment the AND/OR goal diagrams to allow goal refinements that are mediated by threshold functions, rather than ANDs or ORs. We illustrate this method by engineering requirements for a system of molecular detectors (DNA origami “pliers” that capture target molecules) invented by Kuzuya, Sakai, Yamazaki, Xu, and Komiyama (2011). We model this system in the Prism probabilistic symbolic model checker, and we use Prism to verify that requirements are satisfied, provided that the ratio of target molecules to detectors is neither too high nor too low. This gives prima facie evidence that software engineering methods can be used to make DNA nanotechnology more productive, predictable and safe.
Alternating Copolymerization of Propylene Oxide with Biorenewable Terpene-Based Cyclic Anhydrides: A Sustainable Route to Aliphatic Polyesters with High Glass Transition Temperatures†

The alternating copolymerization of propylene oxide with terpene-based cyclic anhydrides catalyzed by chromium, cobalt, and aluminum salen complexes is reported. The use of the Diels–Alder adduct of α-terpinene and maleic anhydride as the cyclic anhydride comonomer results in amorphous polyesters that exhibit glass transition temperatures (Tg) of up to 109 °C. The polymerization conditions and choice of catalyst have a dramatic impact on the molecular weight distribution, the relative stereochemistry of the diester units along the polymer chain, and ultimately the Tg of the resulting polymer. The aluminum salen complex exhibits exceptional selectivity for copolymerization without transesterification or epimerization side reactions. The resulting polyesters are highly alternating and have high molecular weights and narrow polydispersities.
Insights into metabolic efficiency from flux analysis.

The efficiency of carbon and energy flows throughout metabolism defines the potential for growth and reproductive success of plants. Understanding the basis for metabolic efficiency requires relevant definitions of efficiency as well as measurements of biochemical functions through metabolism. Here insights into the basis of efficiency provided by 13 C-based metabolic flux analysis (MFA) as well as the uses and limitations of efficiency in predictive flux balance analysis (FBA) are highlighted. 13 C-MFA studies have revealed unusual features of central metabolism in developing green seeds for the efficient use of light to conserve carbon and identified metabolic inefficiencies in plant metabolism due to dissipation of ATP by substrate cycling. Constraints-based FBA has used efficiency to guide the prediction of the growth and actual internal flux distribution of plant systems. Comparisons in a few cases have been made between flux maps measured by 13 C-based MFA and those predicted by FBA assuming one or more maximal efficiency parameters. These studies suggest that developing plant seeds and photoautotrophic microorganisms may indeed have patterns of metabolic flux that maximize efficiency. MFA and FBA are synergistic toolsets for uncovering and explaining the metabolic basis of efficiencies and inefficiencies in plant systems.
Photovoice: Use of a Participatory Action Research Method to Explore the Chronic Pain Experience in Older Adults

Photovoice is a participatory action research method in which individuals photograph their everyday health and work realities. The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of photovoice as a unique and innovative method examining the pain experiences of clinic and nonclinic-based Black and White adults older than 50 years of age. Participants took photographs and composed written narratives based on their experiences with pain. Respondents also completed several open-ended questions focusing on their daily experiences with chronic pain. Some respondents identified their participation as a way of helping others cope with pain. Others felt it was a way of sharing their experiences with others. Photovoice might be used as an alternative method to enhance the understanding of the pain experience, thereby allowing researchers, health care providers, and policy makers to understand more fully and identify the dimensions of the pain experience not captured through quantitative measures.
Gifted Education in the Balance: Building Relationships With General Education:

This article focuses on the relationship of gifted education to both special education and general education and traces the growing importance for gifted education of establishing linkages to general education and various aspects of the reform movement. The author advocates careful consideration by the field of the curriculum reform enterprise and suggests natural connections through the emphasis on mathematics, science, and technology; the emphasis on international education; the movement to infuse thinking skills into the curriculum; and the measurement-driven instructional focus. Moreover, the article considers recent research on teaching and learning and draws implications for practice by educators of the gifted. The effective schools literature and practice are also discussed in light of their effect on education for gifted learners. The author advocates a closer working relationship with general educators in order to address the major needs of the field in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and e...
Longitudinal signatures in global electron total content associated with stratospheric warmings

Significant changes in the ionosphere associated with stratospheric warming events have been clearly demonstrated in the analysis of global total electron content (TEC) maps that utilize measurements from networks of ground-based GPS receivers. In the American longitude sector, studies of the equatorial region show increases in the TEC of 50–150% over the background during the morning sector and decreases of approximately 50% in the afternoon sector. We have extended this study to include all longitude sectors with the addition of COSMIC and JASON TEC to allow for better global TEC coverage, especially over the oceans.
Synthesis of polychlorinated biphenyls and their metabolites with a modified Suzuki-coupling

A modified procedure for the synthesis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) utilizing the Suzuki-coupling, a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction, is described. The coupling of (chlorinated) benzene boronic acids with bromochlorobenzenes, using Pd(dppf)(2)Cl(2) (dppf = 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene) as the catalyst and aqueous sodium carbonate as the base, gave the desired PCB congeners in moderate to good yields. Eleven PCB congeners, including environmentally important PCB congeners and metabolites, were synthesized using this modified procedure. This new catalyst Pd(dppf)(2)Cl(2) offers the advantage of being less air-sensitive and has a longer shelf life compared to Pd(PPh(4))(4). Three new (di-)methoxylated PCB congeners were synthesized using the same procedure by either coupling a chlorinated benzene boronic acid with a bromo (di-)methoxybenzene or by coupling a (di-)methoxy benzene boronic acid with a chlorinated bromobenzene. The dimethoxylated PCB congeners were readily converted into the respective dihydroxylated PCB derivatives using boron tribromide in dichloromethane. This approach offers the advantage of high selectivity and moderate to good yields compared to conventional methods such as the Cadogan reaction and allows the use of less toxic starting materials.
Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis : Modulation of bad by a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathway

Abstract —Our objective was to define the signaling mechanisms by which mitogens such as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) regulate vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) apoptosis. We confirmed that IGF-I inhibits serum withdrawal–induced apoptosis of cultured VSMCs in a dose-dependent and time-dependent fashion. To test the hypothesis that the phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase signaling pathway regulates VSMC survival, we examined the relationship between PI 3-kinase activity and cell fate. PI 3-kinase was elevated in viable VSMCs maintained in serum-containing medium, declined significantly in response to serum withdrawal, and increased in response to IGF-I–induced survival. Moreover, blockade of PI 3-kinase with 2 structurally dissimilar inhibitors (wortmannin or LY294002) abolished the capacity of IGF-I to maintain VSMC viability. Similarly, transient transfection of a dominant-negative Δp85 PI 3-kinase mutant construct abrogated the capacity of IGF-I to prevent VSMC death. Thus, PI 3-kinase is a critical antiapoptotic signal in VSMCs. To define the distal element of the antiapoptotic cascade, we tested the hypothesis that IGF-I inhibits the influence of the proapoptotic gene Bad. Indeed, IGF-I stimulates increased expression of the inactive, phosphorylated form of Bad by a PI 3-kinase–dependent pathway. Moreover, the proapoptotic effect of Bad was attenuated by the stimulation of IGF-I. Thus, growth factors appear to prevent VSMC death by activating signal transduction pathways linked to apoptotic regulatory genes.
A RecQ Protein-like 5 Haplotype is Associated With Colon Cancer

Background: Emerging murine model data suggests RecQ protein-like 5 (RECQL5) is a tumor suppressor gene. The goal of our study was to test whether RECQL5 gene variants are associated with colon cancer susceptibility. Methods: We examined the association of two haplotype-tagging SNPs in RECQL5 and colon cancer in a population-based study of 390 colon cancer cases and 464 population controls. Results: While both crude and covariate-adjusted single SNP analyses were only suggestive for an association with borderline significance (p = 0.07), haplotype analysis shows that individuals carrying the T-G haplotype (rs820196 common allele and rs4789223 minor allele) were at significantly increased risk for colon cancer (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.02-1.76, p = 0.05). Adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory use and family history of colon cancer did not alter the results. Conclusions: These results suggest that a haplotype harboring the minor allele of rs4789223 is associated with colon cancer risk. Further study of RECQL5 as a colon cancer susceptibility gene is warranted, particularly with respect to variants in linkage disequilibrium with rs4789223.
Digital Practices and Literacy Identities: Preservice Teachers Negotiating Contradictory Discourses of Innovation.

This paper presents the results of a research study on preservice English teachers’ understandings of the interconnection of literacy and technology in relation to their teaching practices. The study was conducted in an English education program among preservice teachers enrolled in a year-long internship. The data analyzed consisted of interview and group discussion transcripts as well as semiotic artifacts (inquiry papers, written reflections, and short videos) produced by the seven participants. Particular attention was given to the ways school structures were affecting possibilities for productive transformations in the use of technology and the ways contradictory discourses were negotiated by the participants. Two contrasting approaches to the role of technology in the teaching of literacy were identified, which adopting Newman and Holzman’s (1993) terminology, were termed “tool-for-result” and “tooland-result.” The paper concludes with an identification of the conditions afforded by the teacher education program and the school setting that facilitated the development of tool-and-result understandings among the preservice teachers.
Bubble Dynamics in Oceanic Ambient Noise

A concise review of the physical processes involving bubbles which appear to have a bearing on oceanic ambient noise is presented. In the second part of the paper elements of a theory of bubble-related noise in the ocean are outlined.
FRIZZLED7 Is Required for Tumor Inititation and Metastatic Growth of Melanoma Cells

Metastases are thought to arise from cancer stem cells and their tumor initiating abilities are required for the establishment of metastases. Nevertheless, in metastatic melanoma, the nature of cancer stem cells is under debate and their contribution to metastasis formation remains unknown. Using an experimental metastasis model, we discovered that high levels of the WNT receptor, FZD7, correlated with enhanced metastatic potentials of melanoma cell lines. Knocking down of FZD7 in a panel of four melanoma cell lines led to a significant reduction in lung metastases in animal models, arguing that FZD7 plays a causal role during metastasis formation. Notably, limiting dilution analyses revealed that FZD7 is essential for the tumor initiation of melanoma cells and FZD7 knockdown impeded the early expansion of metastatic melanoma cells shortly after seeding, in accordance with the view that tumor initiating ability of cancer cells is required for metastasis formation. FZD7 activated JNK in melanoma cell lines in vitro and the expression of a dominant negative JNK suppressed metastasis formation in vivo, suggesting that FZD7 may promote metastatic growth of melanoma cells via activation of JNK. Taken together, our findings uncovered a signaling pathway that regulates the tumor initiation of melanoma cells and contributes to metastasis formation in melanoma.
Application of the Embedded Atom Method to Hydrogen Embrittlement

This paper is concerned with atomistic simulations of the mechanical properties of metals and the effects of hydrogen. Figure 1 shows an example of such a simulation-a slab of Ni atoms which originally started with a small crack and a hydrogen atom at the crack tip. We performed molecular dynamics simulations on this slab using the Embedded Atom Method (1) to give us the forces for Newton’s Law. External stress was applied and the result was that dislocations were emitted from the crack. The first dislocation originated near the hydrogen atom and subsequent dislocations came out from other areas. The same calculation without the hydrogen shows a lower dislocation emission rate. These calculations suggest that the process of hydrogen embrittlement may actually involve an enhancement of crack tip plasticity, as has been suggested by the work of Lynch (2) and Birnbaum and co-workers (3). In this paper, we will discuss how the calculations are done and what we conclude from them.
Can Altering the Delivery Technique of PMRT Reduce Complication Rates for Patients With Staged Reconstruction in an Urban Population

Multiparametric Evaluation of Preoperative MRI in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Prognostic Impact of Peritumoral Fat J.P. Obeid, R. Stoyanova, M. Patel, K.R. Padgett, J. Slingerland, C. Takita, A. Pollack, N. Alperin, M. Yepes, and Y. Zeidan; University of Miami, Miami, FL, Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL, University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL, Department of Radiology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, Radiation Oncology Department, /Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL
Deprotonated Water Dimers: The Building Blocks of Segmented Water Chains on Rutile RuO2(110)

Despite the importance of RuO2 in photocatalytic water splitting and catalysis in general, the interactions of water with even its most stable (110) surface are not well understood. In this study we employ a combination of high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy imaging with density functional theory based ab initio molecular dynamics, and we follow the formation and binding of linear water clusters on coordinatively unsaturated ruthenium rows. We find that clusters of all sizes (dimers, trimers, tetramers, extended chains) are stabilized by donating one proton per every two water molecules to the surface bridge bonded oxygen sites, in contrast with water monomers that do not show a significant propensity for dissociation. The clusters with odd number of water molecules are less stable than the clusters with even number and are generally not observed under thermal equilibrium. For all clusters with even numbers, the dissociated dimers represent the fundamental building blocks with strong intradimer ...
Prison Privatization: Possibilities and Approaches to the Privatization of Prisoner Security and Services

This examination of prison privatization begins with an explanation of prison privatization and its place in the recent debates over California prison reform. Focusing on the privatization at the staff level, it continues by exploring the difficulties in any analysis and implementation of prison privatization: the calculation of costs savings, the making and enforcement of contract at the state level, and the California State Civil Service Act. The four proposals for privatization at the staff-level focus on the ability of the state to maneuver around the civil service act by serving specialized groups of inmates in both private and public facilities.
Ground State of F 20

It is shown that in order to describe some properties of the ${\mathrm{F}}^{20}$ ground state, the $K=1$ and $K=2$ states of the Nilsson model must be strongly mixed. The primary ingredient in the description is, therefore, the rotational Coriolis term rather than the interaction between the odd neutron and odd proton.
New Transport Phenomenon in a Semiconductor "Superlattice"

We report electronic transport properties in a GaAs-AlAs periodic structure known as a "superlattice" prepared by a molecular-beam epitaxy. Its differential conductance in the superlattice direction first gradually decreases, followed by a rapid drop to negative values, then, at high fields, exhibits an oscillatory behavior with respect to applied voltages. This observation is interpreted in terms of the formation and expansion of a high-field domain. The voltage period of the oscillation provides the energy of the first-excited band which is in good agreement with that predicted by the theory.
Experimentelle adoptive Therapie von Lebermetastasen: systematische und locoregionäre Administration im Vergleich

Cellulare (oder adoptive) Immuntherapie von malignen Tumoren hat bislang unterschiedliche Ergebnisse erbracht. Die Verwendung von mit herkommlichen Methoden in vitro in Interleukin-2 (IL2) kultivierten Lymphokin-aktivierten Killerzellen (LAK Zellen) zum Beispiel hat experimentell wie auch klinisch zu erfolgversprechenden Resultaten bei Vorliegen gewisser Tumoren gefiihrt (1) . Der bei weitem uberwiegende Anteil der in vitro LAK Antitumor-cytotoxizitat wird durch IL2-aktivierte Naturliche Killerzellen (NK Zellen) vermittelt. Unser Labor hat eine Methodik zur Isolierung dieser plastikadharenten IL2-aktivierten NK Zellen (= ALAK Zellen) entwickelt, und vorausgegangene Experimente haben gezeigt, das ALAK Zellen herkommlichen LAK Zellen sowohl bezuglich Tumorcytotoxizitat in vitro als auch hinsichtlich antimetastatischer Aktivitat in vivo vielfach liberlegen sind (2) . Der vorgestellte Versuch untersucht die Auswirkungen von ALAK/ IL2-Immuntherapie von Lebermetastasen mit systemisch oder locoregionar/intraportal verabreichten Zellen auf Tumorreduktion und Gesamtuberleben am Rattenmodell.
Mysteries in a Minimal Genome

In a feat of synthetic biology, Craig Venter and team construct a minimal bacterial genome from scratch.
The Quality Analysis of Cause of Death Registration Information in Foshan Medical Institutions in 2010

Objective:To analyse the quality of monitoring network and assess the cause of death in order to find the solution and improve data accuracy and provide the scientific basis for health decision-making.Methods:Data from China’s cause of death monitoring network which was used to establish a database by EXCEL 2010 and also used SPSS 19.0 to evaluate the index of death cause.Results:The crude mortality reported the Foshan district was 96.10/10 5 .It was far not reaching the crude mortality rate of 600/10 5 ,which was the requirements of the national cause of death monitoring.The compliance rate of reporting in general hospital was lower than hospital in the town of street,while the reporting rate needs to be raised in the underdeveloped areas.The DC timely audit needs to be strengthened.The main cause of death in the report which was inconsistent with the ICD10 coding requirement was 5.85%.While the index of evaluation the cause of death including cardiovascular disease lacked of diagnostic significance,the proportion of cause of death was unknown etc was at low level,it fited the requirements of coding evaluation meets quality.Conclusion:It’s necessary to strengthen leadership and the implementation of the performance appraisal assessment.We should improve coding of cause of death information reporting timeliness,audit timeliness and the quality of the report.Strengthen training and learning to fill the requirements of the encoding rules of cause of death,coroner’s chain fill method and the underlying cause of death.Improve the ability of coders coding as soon as possible.
A retrospective study of eye disease among first grade children in Los Angeles.

Background The prevalence of ocular disease among children in one school district in Los Angeles, California was studied to better understand the types of eye disorders among this population as well as to develop appropriate preventive programs. Methods A computer-assisted retrospective analysis of date was performed from charts of 2,204 first grade children examined in the UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic. Results One or more ocular disorders were observed in 22.3 percent of the subjects. Uncorrected best monocular visual acuity was 20/40 or worse in 3.4 percent of the children. Refractive errors were diagnosed in 15.7 percent of the subjects, astigmatism in 7.6 percent, hyperopia in 6.2 percent, and myopia in 6.0 percent. Color vision deficiencies (red-green) were found in 2.6 percent of boys. The prevalences of heterophorias and heterotropias were 1.2 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively. Conclusions The variety of ocular disorders diagnosed in this demographic setting attests to the importance of performing early and effective screening eye examinations for children.
“Faith and Social Justice Are So Connected in My Book”: Scriptures, Scrolls, and Scribes as Technologies of Diaspora

In the crafting and rhetoric of El Plan de Santa Barbara, Chicanx students, faculty, and staff articulated a commitment to the relationality of “scriptures,” whereby the needs and aspirations of a broader Chicanx community should always be a locus of authority higher than the text on its own. In the years after it was published, the text persisted as a central locus, a good/no place where utopian aspirations and inspirations for Chicanismo might be found and reworked. Both El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan and El Plan de Santa Barbara, as with Revelation, remained powerful texts as ideas and icons from which pieces continued to be retrieved, read, reread, displayed, and performed in varying manners. Both Planes also pursued alternative relationships to scriptures, seeking out alternative sources of authority that diverged from more dominantized Protestant Euro-US practices. Because movement challenges to dominantized scripturalization left some practices of coercive authority unchecked, feminist and queer critics, often still informed by a utopian drive, not only questioned which scriptures could be scriptural, but they also came to question the nature of the relationship between people and their scriptures, advocating more ambivalent and less hierarchal interpretive practices in the process. How then, did approaches to scriptures shift after the Chicanx movement? How might scriptures be rethought as a critical category in the study of religion, especially the study of American religions, in light of the Chicanx movement?
The Gallant Novel and the German Enlightenment (1670–1750)

The focus of this essay is the period of transition from Baroque to Enlightenment as expressed in the gallant novel and the Moral Weeklies. It is argued here that there occurred a natural, uninterrupted evolution of language and ethos in the narrative prose of the late seventeenth century to the novel of the eighteenth. In fact, it is suggested that the Moral Weeklies assumed a mediatory role in this evolutionary process.
Morphologic Markers of Neurodevelopmental Paths: Revisited

Recent decades have seen a transformation in attitudes, both lay and scientific, about the causes of schizophrenia. There is no longer much debate that schizophrenia reflects brain dysfunction, but there remain many questions about the nature of this dysfunction and its basic causes. Gerald Edelman (1988) presented compelling arguments that all function (or dysfunction) is ultimately rooted in structure (or dysmorphology). Functioning of the brain may be altered by structural abnormalities at the level of individual molecules (i.e., those comprising receptors and membrane elements), at the level of molecular aggregates comprising cells and their interactions, or at the level of interconnected networks of cells, comprising functional anatomic systems. To understand the causes of schizophrenia it is important to determine what structural anomalies exist at the molecular, cellular, and gross anatomic levels, and how these structural abnormalities are related to physiologic abnormalities. Although ultimately even gross anatomic features are explicable in terms of more microscopic processes, it is striking that in schizophrenia, we have clues to pathophysiology that are so obvious -- on a scale that they may be observed by the unaided eye. Characterizing the gross anatomic abnormalities in schizophrenia therefore offers a useful starting point in our attempts to appreciate the fundamental causes of schizophrenia. Once abnormalities on the macroscopic level are more clearly understood, in terms of their population distributions, antecedents, and associated features, organized searches for the more molecular changes underlying these abnormalities may be conducted.
Novel Application of Extracorporeal Photopheresis as Treatment of Graft-versus-Host Disease Following Liver Transplantation

A 48-year-old man with hepatitis C virus (HCV) cirrhosis complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma underwent liver transplantation. His course was complicated by fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and pancytopenia. He developed a diffuse erythematous rash, which progressed to erythroderma. Biopsies of the colon and skin were consistent with acute graft-versus-host disease. Donor-derived lymphocytes were present in the peripheral blood. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and cyclosporine; however, he had minimal response to intensive immunosuppressive therapy. Extracorporeal photopheresis was initiated as a salvage therapy. He had a dramatic response, and his rash, diarrhea, and pancytopenia resolved. He is maintained on minimal immunosuppression 24 months later.
Rwanda: Setting the Stage for 2017 and Beyond

Tertsakian describes Rwanda’s post-genocide trajectory, juxtaposing the country’s remarkable development with tight restrictions on freedom of expression. This chapter outlines the 2015 constitutional revision process that paved the way for President Paul Kagame to stand in the 2017 elections. It details patterns of repression since the genocide, including the silencing of internal dissent in the ruling party, the weakness of opposition parties and independent media, and the destruction of independent civil society. Tertsakian contrasts donors’ reactions to Rwanda’s actions in neighbouring countries with a broadly tolerant approach to persistent human rights violations inside Rwanda. She concludes that continuing repression risks jeopardising Rwanda’s progress since the genocide.