cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THREE PROTEINS DEFINE A CLASS OF HUMAN HISTONE DEACETYLASES RELATED TO YEAST HDA1P

Gene expression is in part controlled by chromatin remodeling factors and the acetylation state of nucleosomal histones. The latter process is regulated by histone acetyltransferases and histone deacetylases (HDACs). Previously, three human and five yeast HDAC enzymes had been identified. These can be categorized into two classes: the first class represented by yeast Rpd3-like proteins and the second by yeast Hda1-like proteins. Human HDAC1, HDAC2, and HDAC3 proteins are members of the first class, whereas no class II human HDAC proteins had been identified. The amino acid sequence of Hda1p was used to search the GenBank/expressed sequence tag databases to identify partial sequences from three putative class II human HDAC proteins. The corresponding full-length cDNAs were cloned and defined as HDAC4, HDAC5, and HDAC6. These proteins possess certain features present in the conserved catalytic domains of class I human HDACs, but also contain additional sequence domains. Interestingly, HDAC6 contains an internal duplication of two catalytic domains, which appear to function independently of each other. These class II HDAC proteins have differential mRNA expression in human tissues and possess in vitro HDAC activity that is inhibited by trichostatin A. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicate that these HDAC proteins are not components of the previously identified HDAC1 and HDAC2 NRD and mSin3A complexes. However, HDAC4 and HDAC5 associate with HDAC3 in vivo. This finding suggests that the human class II HDAC enzymes may function in cellular processes distinct from those of HDAC1 and HDAC2.
The State of Cardiac Troponin Assays: Looking Bright and Moving in the Right Direction

Cardiac troponin assays have evolved substantially over 20 years, owing to the efforts of manufacturers to make them more precise and sensitive. These enhancements have led to high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays, which ideally would give measureable values above the limit of detection (LoD)4 for 100% of healthy individuals and demonstrate an imprecision (CV) of ≤10% at the 99th percentile. Complete integration and proper use of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays into clinical practice will be an important step forward for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction and will allow cardiologists to use cardiac troponin as a prognostic indicator for risk-based outcomes assessment. As laboratorians, we wish to comment on the recently published “ACCF 2012 Expert Consensus Document on Practical Clinical Considerations in the Implementation of Troponin Elevations” (1). Our purpose is to address 8 analytical issues that we believe have the potential to cause confusion and that therefore deserve clarification. Input from the field of laboratory medicine is important for emphasizing our role as analytical-content experts in the process of strengthening our collaborative relationships with various clinical societies. Since the initial publications by the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB) in 1999 and by the European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology in 2000, when both organizations endorsed cardiac troponin I (cTnI) or cTnT as the preferred biomarker for the detection of myocardial infaction, numerous other organizations have followed suit and promoted the sole use of cardiac troponin in this clinical application. The American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) 2012 Expert Consensus Document (1) summarizes the recently published 2012 Third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction by the Global Task Force (2), thus providing some practical recommendations on the use and interpretation of cardiac troponin in clinical practice. The integration and acceptance of cardiac troponin testing over the past 13 years has …
THE RELATIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ß- AND γ-RAYS UPON THE EGG OF NEREIS

When Nereis eggs are exposed to radiations from a tube of radium emanation, the walls of which absorb all the α-rays, the resulting physiological change is produced by rays having a coefficient of absorption of the order of 23.9 cm.–1 This fact indicates that the physiological effect is due almost exclusively to β-rays. The γ-rays alone can produce the reaction. To produce equivalent physiological effects exposure to γ-rays alone must be approximately 60 times as long as exposure to β- and γ-rays together.
Primary cutaneous zygomycosis in two immunocompromised children.

: Zygomycosis, often referred to as ‘‘mucormycosis’’ or ‘‘phycomycosis,’’ is a rapidly progressive fungal infection which usually occurs in immunocompromised individuals, and is characterized by soft tissue destruction and invasion of blood vessels. The rare and easily misdiagnosed primary cutaneous form may present as a superficial erosion with a painless, gradual onset and slow progression of symptoms or a gangrenous, necrotic ulceration due to rapid tissue and vascular invasion. With the latter form, the mortality rate among affected individuals is high even after aggressive surgical debridement and amphotericin B administration, emphasizing the importance of early recognition and proper diagnosis. We present two instances of gangrenous cutaneous zygomycosis in immunocompromised children and review the literature with regard to etiology, diagnosis and treatment, highlighting the pediatric population.
Dependence of sub-critical crack growth on effective stress intensities

Abstract Sub-critical crack growth in high strength steels exhibit three regions of growth rates. In region I and III the growth is dependent on the stress intensity (computed for a sharp crack tip), while in region II the growth rate appears insensitive to the stress intensity. An investigation of the behavior in region II indicates that the insensitivity may be due to blunting of the crack tip resulting in a lower effective stress intensity. Based on experimental results a ratio for approximation of the effective stress intensity at the crack tip is proposed, and the cause of the anomalous behavior in region II is suggested.
Isolation and characterization of a maltose transport mutant in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Yeast strains carrying a functional MAL locus are inducible for the co-ordinate synthesis of both maltase and maltose permease when grown in the presence of maltose. Whether the maltose permease is encoded by a gene at the MAL loci has remained unclear due to the lack of mutants in this function. To isolate mutants defective in maltose transport, a positive selection strategy was employed in which a number of Mal− mutants were obtained. Among these one Mal- mutant was isolated which had normal levels of wild-type maltase in cell free extracts. This isolate, designated MGT1, has a defect in maltose transport (malT1), detected by its markedly lower uptake of [14C]maltose, and by its growth on media containing 10% but not 2% maltose. Since the Km of maltose uptake is altered 10-fold in this mutant and the Vmax remains unchanged, it is suggested that the mutation alters the structure of the maltose permease involved in transport of the disaccharide into the cell rather than its regulation.
Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation of plants with tomato golden mosaic virus DNAs

We have adapted the “agroinfection” procedure of Grimsley and co-workers [4,5] to develop a simple, efficient, reproducible infectivity assay for the insect-transmitted, split-genome geminivirus, tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV). Agrobacterium T-DNA vectors provide efficient delivery of both components of TGMV when used in mixed inoculation of wild-type host plants. A greater increase in infection efficiency can be obtained by Agrobacterium delivery of the TGMV A component to “permissive” transgenic plants. These “permissive” plants contain multiple tandem copies of the B component integrated into the host genome. An inoculum containing as few as 2000 Agrobacterium cells can produce 100% infection under these conditions. Further, our results show that there is a marked effect of the configuration of the TGMV A components within the T-DNA vector on time of symptom development. We have also found that transgenic plants carrying tandem copies of the A component do not complement the B component. Possible mechanisms to explain these results and the potential use of this system to further study the functions of the geminivirus components in infection are discussed.
Service utilization and the life cycle of youth homelessness

The study sought to describe service utilization patterns of homeless youth based on their life cycle stage. Ninety-nine percent of participants accessed services. Medical service utilization was highest among youth who were attempting to leave the street. Drug-related service utilization was lowest among youth most entrenched in street life.
High-pressure densification of amorphous silica.

Molecular-dynamics simulations using a recently proposed two-body potential were employed to study the structure of amorphous ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$ at ambient pressure and the densification that occurs at high pressure. The structures obtained at ambient conditions are in good agreement with experiment. The oxygen coordination number about silicon atoms in the network increases from 4 to about 5 in the material taken to 15 GPa and reaches 6 at high pressures. A densification with a volume reduction of about 20% was calculated for samples subjected to pressures of 15 GPa and higher and then recovered at 1 bar. The transformation is primarily driven by the increased stability of the higher Si-O coordination at high pressures. The oxygen coordination number of amorphous ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$ is calculated to be about 4.2--4.4 for samples recovered from 15--20 GPa. The calculations suggest that a new crystalline phase is formed at about 100 GPa.
Apologetic Behavior Among Female Athletes A New Questionnaire and Initial Results

Most studies that report apologetic behavior by female athletes employ observation or in-depth interviews. Although these studies provide great insight, they do not enable us to systematically compare apologetic behavior across a wide variety of athletes, sports, geographical locations, and time periods. The authors developed a questionnaire for such comparative purposes. The authors then used this questionnaire to study apologetic behavior on three collegiate teams. Most respondents reported that they either engaged in numerous apologetic behaviors on an occasional basis or a few apologetic behaviors on a more regular basis. The most common apologetic behaviors involved efforts to look feminine, apologize for aggression, and mark themselves as heterosexual. Softball players engaged in more apologetic behavior than soccer and basketball players. The authors urge others to utilize this questionnaire for comparative purposes.
Estrogen and tamoxifen induce cytoskeletal remodeling and migration in endometrial cancer cells

Much research effort has been directed toward understanding how estrogen [17beta-estradiol (E2)] regulates cell proliferation and motility through the rapid, direct activation of cytoplasmic signaling cascades (i.e. nongenomic signaling). Cell migration is critical to cancer cell invasion and metastasis and involves dynamic filamentous actin cytoskeletal remodeling and disassembly of focal adhesion sites. Although estrogen is recognized to induce cell migration in some model systems, very little information is available regarding the underlying pathways and potential influence of selective estrogen receptor modulators such as 4-hydroxytamoxifen on these processes. Using the human endometrial cancer cell lines Hec 1A and Hec 1B as model systems, we have investigated the effects of E2 and Tam on endometrial nongenomic signaling, cytoskeletal remodeling, and cell motility. Results indicate that both E2 and Tam triggered rapid activation of ERK1/2, c-Src, and focal adhesion kinase signaling pathways and filamentous actin cytoskeletal changes. These changes included dissolution of stress fibers, dynamic actin accumulation at the cell periphery, and formation of lamellipodia, filopodia, and membrane spikes. Longer treatments with either agent induced cell migration in wound healing and Boyden chamber assays. Agent-induced cytoskeletal remodeling and cell migration were blocked by a Src inhibitor. These findings define cytoskeletal remodeling and cell migration as processes regulated by E2 and 4-hydroxytamoxifen nongenomic signaling in endometrial cancer. This new information may serve as the foundation for the development of new clinical therapeutic strategies.
Correlations between pyrolysis mass spectra of Rocky Mountain coals and conventional coal parameters

Abstract Correlations between Curie-point pyrolysis m.s. data on 102 coal samples from the US Rocky Mountain coal province and a set of 25 conventional parameters, including ultimate, proximate, petrographic and mineralogic measurements, obtained from the Penn State Coal Data Bank were investigated using computerized multivariate statistical analysis techniques. Strong correlations were found between both data sets with regard to rank-related parameters as well as sulphur parameters, whereas moderately strong correlations exist with regard to petrographic and mineralogical parameters as well as nitrogen content. Independent factor analysis of both data matrices provides factor score plots showing remarkably similar relations between samples from different coal regions, fields and seams. In fact, up to 80% of common variance is found in the conventional and pyrolysis m.s. data sets. The large proportion of variance common to both data sets permits the calculation of numerical models which enable direct prediction of technologically important parameters such as rank, calorific value and, possibly, aromaticity from pyrolysis m.s. patterns.
Confidence Curves: An Omnibus Technique for Estimation and Testing Statistical Hypotheses

Abstract A standard practice of physical scientists is to report estimates (“measurements”) accompanied by their standard errors (or alternatively “average errors” or “probable errors”). Such reports are interpreted flexibly as appropriate in various contexts of application. With the usual normality assumption, such reports may be read as representing confidence intervals or limits at the various confidence levels, and this omnibus character largely accounts for the convenience and flexibility of such reports and interpretations. For estimators not normally distributed, a formal analogue of such reports is provided by confidence curves, which are estimates of an omnibus form incorporating confidence intervals and limits at various levels. The definition and computation of such estimates, and their graphical representation and interpretation, are discussed and illustrated by an example.
A third form for the major glycoprotein of the human erythrocyte membrane in sodium lodecyl sulfate: Electrophoresis as band PAS-4 and high ionic strength

Summary A third form for the major glycoprotein of the human erythrocyte membrane in SDS is described. At ionic strengths greater than 0.25 both PAS-1 and PAS-2 are converted almost quantitatively into a form which migrates in SDS-polyacrylamide gels with a mobility intermediate between them in the position usually associated with PAS-4. This conversion is reversed by reduction of the ionic strength. A novel feature of the conversion to this third form is that it is observed to take place during electrophoresis on a high ionic strength gel, although loaded on the gel in a low ionic strength solubilizing solution. Models for the three forms of this glycoprotein in SDS are proposed.
Does Elevated Body Ni Concentration Protect Insects Against Pathogens? A Test Using Melanotrichus boydi (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Abstract I hypothesized that the naturally elevated Ni concentration of Melanotrichus boydi (718–789 μg g−1) might protect this insect species against pathogen attack. I contrasted survival of M. boydi against survival of the low-Ni mirid Lygus hesperus when treated with three entomopathogenic biocontrol agents. Biocontrol agents used were the fungus, Beauveria bassiana, and infective juveniles of two nematode species (Steinernema carpocapse and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora). Biocontrol agents suspended in water were sprayed onto insects placed in petri plates in the laboratory. Control treatments consisted of spraying water onto comparable replicates. Separate experiments examined effects of biocontrol agents on nymphs and adults of each species. I monitored insect survival for 4 d after treatment and used survival analysis to contrast survival of individuals receiving control and biocontrol treatments for each species. Biocontrol agents significantly reduced the survival of L. hesperus in all but two t...
Effects of low-efficiency pollinators on plant fitness and floral trait evolution in Campanula americana (Campanulaceae).

Floral visitors vary in their pollination efficiency and their preferences for floral traits. If low-efficiency pollinators decrease the amount of pollen available to higher efficiency visitors, then low-efficiency visitors may actually have negative fitness consequences for the plants that they visit. We used experimental arrays in two populations to determine the floral preferences and the fitness effects of low-efficiency (or “ugly”) pollinators on Campanula americana. These ugly pollinators (halictid bees) preferentially visited flowers with pollen over flowers that had had their pollen removed. C. americana pollen color varies quantitatively from light tan to dark purple, and we found that natural variation in pollen color influenced the magnitude of halictid preferences for flowers with pollen. In general, preferences for flowers with pollen were stronger when the ugly pollinators foraged in arrays of flowers with tan-colored pollen than in arrays with purple-colored pollen. When plants received few visits by efficient Bombus pollinators, visits by ugly pollinators significantly decreased siring success relative to plants where visits by ugly pollinators were prevented. In contrast, ugly pollinators did not influence siring success when higher efficiency pollinators were more abundant. Thus, the relationship between low-efficiency pollinators and the plants that they visit varies from commensalistic to antagonistic depending on the presence of other pollinators in the community. Our findings suggest that the negative fitness effects and floral preferences of low-efficiency or “ugly” pollinators may contribute to the maintenance of a pollen color polymorphism in C. americana.
Seasonal Biology of Ferrisia gilli (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in California Sierra Foothill Vineyards

The mealybug Ferrisia gilli Gullan is an emerging pest of wine grapes grown in California's Sierra foothills. A relatively new species, it had previously been recorded as a pest of pistachio, almond, and ornamentals. It was first reported on grape in El Dorado County in 2003 and has since established and spread. Nondestructive monitoring of grape vine sections was conducted in untreated vineyard plots and compared with destructive sampling conducted in grower-treated plots in 2008 and 2009 to determine F. gilli life stage seasonal presence, number of generations, location on the vine during the season, and damage potential to fruit clusters. Two generations were observed to be completed during the season. F. gilli overwintered under the bark at the base of the trunk, trunk, and cordon as second and third instars. Adults were found at the base of emerging shoots (spring) or on and under bark of old and new spurs. Live crawlers were born in June (first generation) and late August to September (second generation), and migrated to leaves to feed before moving to protected locations under bark or into fruit clusters. Lower mealybug densities and fruit damage were recorded on vines with than without insecticide treatment(s). Parasitized mealybugs were collected in low numbers and an Acerophagus sp. was the dominant parasitoid.
Quantifying phosphorus uptake using pulse and steady-state approaches in streams

Steady-state approaches to the study of stream nutrient processing have several limitations. Dynamic (time series) approaches are more flexible, and allow interpretation of nutrient additions introduced as unsteady slugs (pulses). We compared soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) uptake metrics from experimental nutrient pulses modeled dynamically with those from continuous injections modeled with a steady-state approach. For six southern Wisconsin streams, uptake metrics from these two methods were similar despite low nutrient demand. Linear regression of paired-pulse versus steady-state estimates of the first-order uptake coefficient (λ; r 2 = 0.84, slope = 1.21) and uptake velocity (v f ; r 2 = 0.95, slope = 1.03) were highly significant. There was a tendency for slightly higher uptake with pulses, possibly due to P sorption. Sampling across five stations of one stream yielded a similar longitudinal pattern between experimental pulse SRP flux and steady-state (plateau) SRP concentration. Conservative transport parameters for pulse and continuously injected tracer data were also similar. These results suggest that unsteady nutrient amendments can provide usable nutrient uptake values, even in low-uptake situations for which uncertainty is high. The flexibility of dynamic approaches to nutrient spiraling facilitates research in poorly understood situations, including conditions of high water residence time, high discharge, and changing discharge or background chemistry.
Simulation and Analysis of Hospital Operations and Resource Utilization Using RFID Data

We have constructed a simulation model of operations and resource utilization in a hospital. The inputs for the model have been derived from the data recorded over daily periods by RFID devices attached to hospital assets. The RFID data was obtained from the Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee, FL. The raw data contains the information about the location of critical resources (e.g., IV pumps) recorded at 10-second time intervals. This data can be processed and used for inferring general statistical distributions of assets utilization time and rules characterizing the operations of a hospital. The ARENA simulation model was created to study the process of patient flow through the hospital system and identify potential sources and locations of delays associated with equipment utilization. The output of the ARENA model is analyzed. The primary observation is that the hospital system is functioning well under the scenarios of low or moderate patient load, and the most significant delays under the conditions of high patient load appear in a specific hospital unit (Labor and Delivery). We also identify the directions for further extensions and generalizations of the model with the ultimate goal of lowering operating expenses and improving patient safety.
Photovoltaic Power Systems: A Brief Introduction

Energy substitution is not a recent innovation. In the 5th century B.C., the ancient Greeks burned charcoal for cooking and space heating. They eventually recognized the ongoing deforestation and consequent charcoal shortage and they were exhorted by no less a personage than Socrates to use passive solar energy. Fortunately, many heeded his advice. Today there is widespread belief that the realization and commercialization of solar energy is inevitable. However, solar energy utilization is a very complex problem for many reasons: the population, and therefore, the needs of the world have increased vastly; our expectations about the quality of life have continued to rise; and our complex societies and their structures have become intricately integrated. We also have many more choices about utilizing solar energy because we are no longer limited to the passive methods of the ancient Greeks who, by the way, were not the only ones employing them. We have at our disposal several forms of active solar energy, but while our choices are greater, our constraints today are more numerous. They include not only consideration of technological performance, but also evaluation of the economic factors and financing, sociological expectations and public acceptance, environmental issues and, last but not least, institutional/legal traditions. Clearly the widespread adoption of solar energy requires a multidimensional, interdisciplinary approach. One of the main uses of solar energy is through Photovoltaic (PV) Power Systems.
METHODOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOMETRIC ISSUES IN SETTING CUTOFF SCORES USING THE ANGOFF METHOD

The present study examined several psychometric issues relevant to the use of a favored technique (the Angoff method) used to set standards in criterion referenced testing. The research was conducted within a setting which allowed (a) confident identification of expert and non-expert judges, and (b) estimation of “true” scores for items judged so that accuracy of judgments in addition to reliability could be examined. Results suggested that expertise of judges does make a difference in producing more accurate and reliable data, underscoring the importance of using true subject matter experts (SMEs) in the judgment process. A rater analysis technique (rater-total correlations) was illustrated, which might prove useful in improving the quality of data obtained using the Angoff method, particularly when there is some question regarding the internal consistency of ratings and expertise of some of the raters. Finally, a rater accuracy adjustment/calibration technique was examined and proved to be a potentially useful method to maximize accuracy of a standard derived using the Angoff method in settings where archival normative test data can be obtained. Other methods that could potentially be used to improve Angoff data were discussed.
Effect of zinc, copper, and sodium on formation of polychlorinated dioxins on MSW incinerator fly ash

Previous studies showed that zinc, copper and sodium concentrations were correlated with dioxin concentrations on fly ash from municipal solid waste incinerators. Statistically designed experiments were performed to study the effects of these elements on PCDD formation. The elements were deposited as zinc nitrate, copper hydroxide and sodium hydroxide on silica gel. Pentachlorophenol was used as a model precursor. Zinc nitrate promoted PCDD formation. Both copper hydroxide and sodium hydroxide inhibited PCDD formation.
A Novel Lineage of Proteobacteria Involved in Formation of Marine Fe-Oxidizing Microbial Mat Communities

Background. For decades it has been recognized that neutrophilic Fe-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) are associated with hydrothermal venting of Fe(II)-rich fluids associated with seamounts in the world’s oceans. The evidence was based almost entirely on the mineralogical remains of the microbes, which themselves had neither been brought into culture or been assigned to a specific phylogenetic clade. We have used both cultivation and cultivation-independent techniques to study Ferich microbial mats associated with hydrothermal venting at Loihi Seamount, a submarine volcano. Methodology/Principle Findings. Using gradient enrichment techniques, two iron-oxidizing bacteria, strains PV-1 and JV-1, were isolated. Chemolithotrophic growth was observed under microaerobic conditions; Fe(II) and Fe 0 were the only energy sources that supported growth. Both strains produced filamentous stalk-like structures composed of multiple nanometer sized fibrils of Feoxyhydroxide. These were consistent with mineralogical structures found in the iron mats. Phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene demonstrated that strains PV-1 and JV-1 were identical and formed a monophyletic group deeply rooted within the Proteobacteria. The most similar sequence (85.3% similarity) from a cultivated isolate came from Methylophaga marina. Phylogenetic analysis of the RecA and GyrB protein sequences confirmed that these strains are distantly related to other members of the Proteobacteria. A cultivation-independent analysis of the SSU rRNA gene by terminalrestriction fragment (T-RF) profiling showed that this phylotype was most common in a variety of microbial mats collected at different times and locations at Loihi. Conclusions. On the basis of phylogenetic and physiological data, it is proposed that isolate PV-1 T (=ATCC BAA-1019: JCM 14766) represents the type strain of a novel species in a new genus, Mariprofundus ferrooxydans gen. nov., sp. nov. Furthermore, the strain is the first cultured representative of a new candidatus class of the Proteobacteria that is widely distributed in deep-sea environments, Candidatus f (zeta)-Proteobacteria cl. nov.
Meniscal repair using an exogenous fibrin clot. An experimental study in dogs.

To evaluate the ability of a fibrin clot to stimulate and support a reparative response in the avascular portion of the meniscus, two-millimeter-diameter full-thickness lesions in the avascular portion of the medial meniscus of twelve adult dogs were filled with an exogenous fibrin clot that had been prepared from each animal. The healing response was then examined using histology and autoradiography with 35SO4 at intervals from one week to six months. The defects that had been filled with a fibrin clot healed through a proliferation of fibrous connective tissue that eventually modulated into fibrocartilaginous tissue. The fibrin clot appeared to act as a chemotactic and mitogenic stimulus for reparative cells and to provide a scaffolding for the reparative process. The origin of these reparative cells was not determined in this study, but they were thought to arise from the synovial membrane as well as the adjacent meniscal tissue. Control defects remained empty. While the reparative tissue was grossly and histologically different from the normal adjacent meniscal tissue, it was morphologically similar to the reparative tissue that was previously observed in the vascular area of the meniscus. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The ability of an exogenous fibrin clot to stimulate and support a reparative response in the avascular portion of the meniscus may represent a potential method of avascular meniscal repair.
Report of the Committee on Snow, 1954–1965

In Colorado, under supervision of B. C. Goodell, Fort Collins, Colorado, studies are under way in five watersheds where snow is the primary source of stream-flow. Logging is under way on two of the five watersheds and will be completed during 1955. Continued stream-flow comparisons will show the effect of timber removal on stream-flow, and indirectly, the effects on snow and accumulation and rate of melt. From one watershed the timber is being removed in a strip-wise pattern, strip widths varying from 66 to 396 ft, and strip directions ranging through 180°. Cut-over strips alternate with uncut strips. During years following the completion of cutting, measurements will be made to determine the effects of strip width and orientation on the accumulation, drifting and melting of snow.
Mitochondrial DNA extraction and sequencing of formalin-fixed archival snake tissue

Formalinized specimens used in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) studies have shown shortcomings with respect to efficacy of DNA isolation and subsequent PCR amplification. In order to pinpoint the source of some of the problems with formalinized tissues in reptiles, we compared the efficacy of isolation and amplification of mtDNA from two different snake species Micrurus fulvius and Lampropeltis triangulum—that differ in composition of tissues typically sampled (intercostal muscle tissue) by researchers performing mtDNA analyses in snakes and other reptiles. This study shows clearly that the more muscle-fiber rich L. triangulum tissues yield higher quality mtDNA that is easier to manipulate with PCR than the myocyte depauperate Micrurus tissues. We suggest that curatorial practice in making available formalin preserved specimens in reptiles should focus on tissue type, most appropriately on muscle-rich tissues. We reiterate previous caution about minimizing amplicon size and maximizing controls for contamination...
Overall ED efficiency is associated with decreased time to percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Abstract Background Performance of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 90 minutes of hospital arrival for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients is a commonly cited clinical quality measure. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services use this measure to adjust hospital reimbursement via the Value-Based Purchasing Program. This study investigated the relationship between hospital performance on this quality measure and emergency department (ED) operational efficiency. Methods Hospital-level data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on PCI quality measure performance was linked to information on operational performance from 272 US EDs obtained from the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance annual operations survey. Standard metrics of ED size, acuity, and efficiency were compared across hospitals grouped by performance on the door-to-balloon time quality measure. Results Mean hospital performance on the 90-minute arrival to PCI measure was 94.0% (range, 42-100). Among hospitals failing to achieve the door-to-balloon time performance standard, median ED length of stay was 209 minutes, compared with 173 minutes among those hospitals meeting the benchmark standard ( P P Conclusion Better performance on measures associated with ED efficiency is associated with more timely PCI performance.
Tensile and mixed-mode strength of a thin film-substrate interface under laser induced pulse loading

Laser induced stress waves are used to characterize intrinsic interfacial strength of thin films under both tensile and mixed-mode conditions. A short-duration compressive pulse induced by pulsed-laser ablation of a sacrificial layer on one side of a substrate is allowed to impinge upon a thin test film on the opposite surface. Laser-interferometric measurements of test film displacement enable calculation of the stresses generated at the interface. The tensile stress at the onset of failure is taken to be the intrinsic tensile strength of the interface. Fused-silica substrates, with their negative nonlinear elasticity, cause the compressive stress wave generated by the pulse laser to evolve a decompression shock, critical for generation of the fast fall times needed for significant loading of surface film interfaces. By allowing the stress pulse to mode convert as it reflects from an oblique surface, a high amplitude shear wave with rapid fall time is generated and used to realize mixed-mode loading of thin film interfaces. We report intrinsic strengths of an aluminum/fused silica interface under both tensile and mixed-mode conditions. The failure mechanism under mixed-mode loading differs significantly from that observed under pure tensile loading, resulting in a higher interfacial strength for the mixed-mode case. Inferred strengths are found to be independent, as they should be, of experimental parameters.
Analysis and prediction of insurgent influence for U.S. military strategy

Given that many of the U.S. Military's current conflicts involve insurgent groups, it is critical that the military understands the nature, motivations, and workings of these non-traditional forces. Many models have attempted to predict successful insurgent conflicts; however, most fail to incorporate the different types of factors collectively, namely: political, geographic, social, economic and cultural. With the creation of a model that incorporates all of these factors, predicting the success of an insurgent group before they gain influence will become a more attainable pursuit. We focused on researching past insurgencies to identify factors that lead to their successes or failures in gaining influence. Once the historical conflict data was compiled, we used the information to train and test statistical models to predict the success or failure of future insurgent conflicts. Our results indicate that certain factors have a strong correlation with the success and failure of an insurgent conflict. For historical conflicts in the testing set, the model accurately predicted the outcome of the conflict 27 out of 36 times. We discuss our data collection and modeling work in detail and offer insights into future work in this area.
The effects of group members' personalities on a test taker's L2 group oral discussion test scores

The second language group oral is a test of second language speaking proficiency, in which a group of three or more English language learners discuss an assigned topic without interaction with inte...
Locus of mammary gland infections of Corynebacterium bovis.

Abstract Corynebacterium bovis was shed in 33.5 and 38% of aseptically drawn milk samples from two university dairy herds. Individual quarters were examined to determine locus of infection. C. bovis was cultured from only 5 of 20 samples drawn by syringe from the teat cistern but was in each of the 20 samples drawn through the streak canal. Counts of C. bovis averaged 23,000 from cross sections of streak canal of about 1mm thickness. Numbers of C. bovis were fewer in Furstenberg's rosette and none was recovered from sections of the teat cistern. C. bovis was microscopically visible in ultra-thin sections of streak canal and appeared closely associated with keratinaceous tissues. Numbers were greater than those enumerated by the broth method. There was no microscopic evidence of damage to streak canal tissue from C. bovis in infected and noninfected tissues after staining with hematoxylin and eosin. Results suggest that C. bovis is not established past Furstenberg's rosette.
Influence of Grazing by Bison and Cattle on Deer Mice in Burned Tallgrass Prairie

Abstract We studied the influence of grazing by bison (Bos bison) and by cattle (B. taurus) on deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) in tallgrass prairie at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in 1997 and 1998. Small mammals were sampled by one 10-station trapline in each of four bison-grazed enclosures, four cattle-grazed enclosures and four ungrazed sites. Enclosures were 4.9 ha and the biomass of grazers in each was similar. All sites were burned annually. We sampled small mammals for 4 consecutive nights in spring before fire, in spring after fire and in autumn. Deer mice were the most abundant species (n = 285; 83% of all small mammals) captured in all treatments and in each trapping period. Deer mice were significantly more abundant in bison-grazed and cattle-grazed sites than in ungrazed sites in spring before fire (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively), but were similar in abundance in grazed and ungrazed sites following fire. Abundance of deer mice was significantly higher in bison-grazed sites than...
Climate change stressors destabilize the microbiome of the Caribbean barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta

Abstract The effect of climate change, both thermal stress and ocean acidification, on coral reefs is of increasing concern with the effects on calcification at the organismal level, and changes in the ratio of accretion to erosion on larger spatial scales of particular interest. But far fewer studies have been done on non-calcifying organisms, such as sponges, that have important ecological roles on coral reefs. Here we report the results of a combined thermal stress and ocean acidification experiment on the ecologically dominant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta , found on coral reefs throughout the Caribbean basin. The results show that ocean acidification alone, as well as its interaction with elevated seawater temperature, has significant effects on the sponge microbiome. Specifically, the significant interactive effects of thermal stress and ocean acidification led to a decline in the productivity potential of the symbiotic cyanobacteria in these sponges with a subsequent impact on nutrient transfer, as carbohydrate, between symbiont and host. Additionally, while neither environmental stressor predictably changed sponge microbiome community composition, ocean acidification alone reduced the stability of sponge microbiomes and their predicted functions. Future changes in ocean acidification and thermal stress predicted by current climate models could negatively impact the microbiomes of coral reef organisms and therefore also affect their organismal performance and fitness in the future.
The Influence of the Expression of Subtle and Blatant Sexual Prejudice on Personal Prejudice and Identification With the Expresser

Although the negative consequences of subtle and blatant prejudice for the targets of prejudice are clear in the psychological literature, the impact of exposure to subtle and blatant prejudice on ...
Mechanisms of hemolysis in liver disease

Liver disease, particularly alcoholic cirrhosis, is associated with a number of interesting chemical changes which result in structural and metabolic abnormalities of the erythrocyte membrane leading to microscopically observable cell shape changes and hemolytic anemia varying from very mild to potentially lethal. Increase in unesterified serum cholesterol owing to lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase (LCAT) deficiency in cirrhosis leads to expansion of the lipid bilayer and macrocytosis without megaloblastic changes in precursors. Substitutions of phosphatidyl choline (PC) moieties in the erythrocyte lipid bilayer lead to echinocytes (disaturated PC) or to stomatocytes (diunsaturated PC). In some patients, high density lipoprotein (HDL) abnormalities lead to erythrocyte surface changes causing rapid formation of echinocytes. The rapidity and reversibility of these changes suggest blockade of metabolic transport channels critical to the maintenance of erythrocyte membrane shape. Metabolic changes involving vitamin E deficiency leading to lipid peroxidation and pyruvate kinase instability leading to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) reduction have also been invoked to explain hemolysis associated with acute liver damage. The most severe hemolysis in liver disease is associated with acanthocytes (spur cells) and a marked imbalance in cholesterol-phospholipid ratio. These patients usually have hypersplenism, as well as rigid erythrocyte membrane transformations which are irreversible. Any of the other erythrocyte membrane shape changes described appear to be reversible if the liver disease abates, but they too may become irreversible if bits of projecting membrane are repeatedly removed by the macrophages of an enlarged spleen.
Present and Prospective Policy Problems of U.S. Agriculture: As Viewed by an Economist

W HAT is the present state of agricultural policy? Understanding the present state of affairs always involves knowing some previous state. What policy decision makers are doing today is not only conditioned but also predetermined in a major degree by the successes and failures of time past-as well as by the changing structure of our political, economic, and social institutions. I want to look at each of these matters in turn. But first, where are we today and how did we get there? Clearly we are at another node in agricultural policy. Over the decade ending in 1963 two alternative approaches to the farm problem were attempted. Both failed for lack of political acceptance. During the Eisenhower years, Secretary Benson made a valiant attempt, as he would put it, to return the farmer to the free market. Following that, the Kennedy Administration attempted to implement a system of government-run supply managment using direct mandatory controls. Both of these approaches are now denied us. What is left? One must look at the successes of these two administrations to answer this. The Eisenhower Administration presided over the creation of PL 480, the Soil Bank, and a great enlargement of domestic supplemental and special food programs. The Soil Bank was not an unalloyed success, but it was the experiment from which we have learned much of what we know today about how to withdraw land from farm production. The Kennedy Administration passed an emergency feed grain bill in 1961 which is genuinely popular with farmers and which contains several ideas since extended to wheat and now extended to cotton in the 1965 Omnibus Farm
Atomic Resolution Studies of Sterol Interactions by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Sterols, vital and abundant components of plasma membranes, are involved in numerous cellular biochemical processes such as regulation of membrane properties and signaling events. However, these sterol interactions are not completely elucidated at the atomic level; this impedes further investigations into disorders related to these biological activities. Combining solid-state NMR (SSNMR), high yield biosynthesis of isotopically labeled sterols, and molecular dynamics, we aim to understand the key interactions that determine the sterol-specificity to amphotericin B (AmB), a powerful but toxic antifungal drug used to treat life-threatening fungal infections. AmB forms large aggregates that are neither crystalline nor soluble, making structural information difficult or impossible to obtain via x-ray crystallography or solution-state NMR. We have recently determined that AmB kills yeast cells primarily by binding to ergosterol1 (Erg) and forming a large extramembranous sterol sponge.2 These findings were enabled by the biosynthesis of fractionally 13C labeled Erg and state-of-the-art SSNMR techniques. The sterol sponge model hypothesizes that interactions of AmB with Erg determine its ability to kill yeast, whereas binding to cholesterol is responsible for determining its toxicity in human cells. SSNMR spectroscopy is uniquely able to detect and quantify the binding of sterols to AmB in the sterol sponge in atomistic detail. These studies provide a roadmap towards an improved therapeutic index3 for this drug while simultaneously elucidating additional details about the molecular mechanism of AmB-sterol interactions.(1)“Amphotericin primarily kills yeast by simply binding ergosterol”, Gray et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2011, 109, 2234-2239.(2)“Amphotericin forms an extramembranous sterol sponge”, Anderson et al. Nat. Chem. Bio. 2014, 10, 400-406.(3)“C2’-OH of amphotericin B plays an important role in binding the primary sterol of human cells but not yeast cells”, Wilcock et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 8488-8491.
Acid hydrolases in slices of articular cartilage and synovium from normal and abnormal joints.

SummaryFive acid hydrolases, i.e., glu-cosaminidase, sulfatase, phosphatase, cathepsin, and glucuronidase were identified in normal articular cartilage and synovium of rabbit knee joints by incubating tissue slices with appropriate substrates. These enzymes were also assayed in cartilage and synovium of rabbit knee joints which had been subjected to continuous compression from 1 to 21 days. Significant elevation of enzyme activity occurred in the first two enzymes in the cartilage and in the first four enzymes from the synovium of the treated joints. Studies with tissue slices preincubated with and without substrate suggest that most of the hydrolysis of substrate occurs within the tissue, rather than as a result of enzyme liberation into the incubation medium.
A Note on the Effect of Salt (NaCl) upon the Apparent Viscosity of Egg Yolk, Egg White, and Whole Egg Magma

Abstract IN THE process of treating egg yolks and whole egg magma with salt (NaCl) preparatory to freezing and storing them in a home-type freezer, Jordan et al. (1952) observed that the whole egg product seemed less viscous when salt was added in the proportions of approximately 2.5 and 5.0 percent, but the yolks so treated appeared much more viscous. This observation led to an interest in comparing the effect of salt (NaCl) added to egg yolk, egg white, and whole egg magma upon their respective viscosities. The viscosity of egg products has received some consideration by various investigators in the field of egg processing. Various devices have been used in its measurement; however, the usefulness of some of these has been limited by the wide range of consistency found in various egg products. Since the gelation of frozen egg yolks and whole egg magma has been a problem in their …