cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein comparisons in selected Phureja-haploid Tuberosum families

Quantitative measurements were made of soluble and total proteins in a study of tuber protein inheritance in selected Phureja-haploid Tuberosum families. The effects of ploidy and location were also examined. A preliminary study comparing methods for measuring tuber proteins revealed that the technique described by Gusta et al., (1), was most suitable for total protein; while the TCA technique was satisfactory for analyzing soluble proteins. The method described by Potty (2) was used in both classes for final protein determination. Both protein classes appeared to be directly influenced by ploidy level and growing location. More important, the relative amounts of tuber protein were substantially increased in the first generation of selection.
Pseudo-almost valuation domains are quasilocal going-down domains, but not conversely

Ayman Badawi has recently introduced the PAVDs, a class of (commutative integral) domains which is found strictly between the class of APVDs (“almost pseudo valuation domains”) and that of the (necessarily quasilocal) domains having a linearly ordered prime spectrum. It is known that the latter class strictly contains the class of quasilocal going-down domains; it is proved that the class of quasilocal going-down domains strictly contains the class of PAVDs. Consequently, each seminormal PAVD is a divided domain. Moreover, for each n, 1 ≤ n ≤ ∞, an example is constructed of a divided domain (necessarily a quasilocal going-down domain) of Krull dimension n which is not a PAVD. Keywords Pseudo-almost valuation domain, Prime ideal, Going-down domain, Divided domain, Quasilocal, Valuation overring, Root extension, Seminormal, D+M construction, Krull dimension Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) Primary 13B24, 13G05, Secondary 13A15, 13F05
Employment after spinal cord injury: differences related to geographic region, gender, and race

Abstract Objective: To compare employment outcomes after spinal cord injury (SCI) as a function of several important participant characteristics. Design: Field study survey of the employment history of two large samples of people with SCI. Outcomes were compared as a function of multiple participant characteristics. Setting: A large rehabilitation hospital in the Southeast, with the collaboration of two Midwestern hospitals. Participants: One thousand thirty-two individuals with SCI, 597 from the Southeast and 435 from the Midwest. Main Outcome Measures: The Life Situation Questionnaire-revised (LSQ-R), a self-report measure, was used to identify biographic status and to document employment history. Results: On the average, currently employed participants were Caucasian, were younger when injured, had paraplegia, and had completed more years of education. Geographic differences in employment rates disappeared when controlled for multiple factors, including years of education. However, even after controlling for years of education, Caucasian participants were 2.8 times more likely than minority participants to be working at the time of the study. Conclusions: Rehabilitation professionals need to find creative means to identify and neutralize barriers to employment among individuals from minority groups and to identify meaningful avocations for individuals who are injured when they are near retirement.
Constructing material interfaces from data sets with volume-fraction information

We present a new algorithm for material boundary interface reconstruction from data sets containing volume fractions. We transform the reconstruction problem to a problem that analyzes the dual data set, where each vertex in the dual mesh has an associated barycentric coordinate tuple that represents the fraction of each material present. After constructing the dual tetrahedral mesh from the original mesh, we construct material boundaries by mapping a tetrahedron into barycentric space and calculating the intersections with Voronoi cells in barycentric space. These intersections are mapped back to the original physical space and triangulated to form the boundary surface approximation. This algorithm can be applied to any grid structure and can treat any number of materials per element/vertex.
CLB5-Dependent Activation of Late Replication Origins in S. cerevisiae

Abstract Replication origins in chromosomes are activated at specific times during the S phase. We show that the B-type cyclins are required for proper execution of this temporal program. clb5 cells activate early origins but not late origins, explaining the previously described long clb5 S phase. Origin firing appears normal in clb6 mutants. In clb5 clb6 double mutant cells, the late origin firing defect is suppressed, accounting for the normal duration of the phase despite its delayed onset. Therefore, Clb5p promotes the timely activation of early and late origins, but Clb6p can activate only early origins. In clb5 clb6 mutants, the other B-type cyclins (Clb1–4p) promote an S phase during which both early and late replication origins fire.
SELECTION FOR YIELD AND STABILITY AMONG OAT LINES

Methods to simultaneously select for yield and stability need to be compared to determine which index is the best choice to identify high-yielding, stable genotypes. A comparison of the repeatability of different measures of stability would be useful because stability statistics with high repeatability should be superior to identify stable genotypes. Stability measures were evaluated for 116 oat (Avena sativa L.) lines in 36 Iowa environments (.)
Multispectral processing of combined visible and x-ray fluorescence imagery in the Archimedes palimpsest

The Archimedes palimpsest is one of the most significant early texts in the history of science that has survived to the present day. It includes the oldest known copies of text from seven treatises by Archimedes, along with pages from other important historical writings. In the 13th century, the original texts were erased and overwritten by a Christian prayer book, which was used in religious services probably into the 19th century. Since 2001, much of the text from treatises of Archimedes has been transcribed from images taken in reflected visible light and visible fluorescence generated by exposure of the parchment to ultraviolet light. However, these techniques do not work well on all pages of the manuscript, including the badly stained colophon, four pages of the manuscript obscured by icons painted during the first half of the 20th century, and some pages of non-Archimedes texts. Much of the text on the colophon and overpainted pages has been recovered from X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imagery. In this work, the XRF images of one of the other pages were combined with the bands of optical images to create hyperspectral image cubes and processed using standard statistical classification techniques developed for environmental remote sensing to test if this improved the recovery of the original text.
Analysis of Combined Radiation and Convection in a Particulate-Laden Liquid Film

This paper presents a simple but complete model of the interaction of radiative flux with convective transport in an absorbing, emitting, and scattering falling film. The method also accounts for the spectral and angular variations of the radiative emissions, reflections, refractions, scattering, and of the radiative properties and intensities. Such a model is required to design direct absorption solar receivers and to numerically evaluate their performance. Previous analyses in the literature have either neglected the flow field or have not considered scattering in the film and have assumed the properties to be spectrally constant. The present model has no such drawbacks, and is easy to understand and to numerically implement on the computer.
Some optimal pointwise ergodic theorems with rate

Abstract Let T be a Dunford–Schwartz operator on the probability space ( X , Σ , μ ) and p > 1 . For f in the range of suitable operators of L p ( X , Σ , μ ) , we obtain pointwise ergodic theorems with rate, using a method of Derriennic and Lin (2001). When T is induced by a μ-preserving transformation, these results are shown to be optimal. The proof of the optimality is inspired from a construction of Deniel (1989). To cite this article: C. Cuny, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 347 (2009).
Ray-based gridded tomography for tilted transversely isotropic media

Reflection tomography in the migrated domain can help reconstruct heterogeneous, anisotropic velocity fields needed for accurate depth imaging of complex geologic structures. The presence of anisotropy, however, increases the uncertainty in velocity analysis and typically requires a priori constraints on the model parameters. Here, we develop a 2D P-wave tomographic algorithm for heterogeneous transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI) and investigate the conditions necessary for stable estimation of the symmetry-direction velocity VP0 and the anisotropy parameters e and δ. The model is divided into rectangular cells, and the parameters VP0, e, δ, and the tilt ν of the symmetry axis are defined at the grid points. To increase the stability of the inversion, the symmetry axis is set orthogonal to the imaged reflectors, with the tilt interpolated inside each layer. The iterative migration velocity analysis involves efficient linearized parameter updating designed to minimize the residual moveout in image gathers for all available reflection events. The moveout equation in the depth-migrated domain includes a nonhyperbolic term that describes long-offset data, which are particularly sensitive to e. Synthetic tests for models with a “quasi-factorized” TTI syncline (i.e., e and δ are constant inside the anisotropic layer) and a TTI thrust sheet demonstrate that stable parameter estimation requires either strong smoothness constraints or additional information from walkaway VSP (vertical seismic profiling) traveltimes. If the model is quasifactorized with a linear spatial variation of VP0, it may be possible to obtain the interval TTI parameters just from long-spread reflection data.
Asymptomatic monoclonal IgA hypergammaglobulinemia: A three year study

Abstract An asymptomatic subject with consistently increased monoclonal IgA globulin is described, possibly representing a preclinical phase of IgA globulin multiple myeloma. The abnormality was not apparent in the paper electrophoretic pattern but was obvious by quantitative immunoglobulin assay.
Boundary crossing in research literatures as a means of interdisciplinary information transfer

Contemporary models of interdisciplinary information transfer treat disciplines as such sharply bounded groups that boundary-crossing publication (contributions to disciplinary literatures authored by researchers from other disciplines) should be very difficult, if not impossible. Yet boundary-crossing authors can be identified in many disciplinary literatures. A study of four core journals in political science and sociology identified 199 articles with first authors from other disciplines published between 1971 and 1990. Two-thirds of these articles had single authors, and only one in six had coauthors from the discipline of the journal in which they were published. Readership and use of these articles, as measured by citation rates, was only slightly below normal. The articles were judged successful in interdisciplinary information transfer in that they received more citations from the disciplines in which they were published than from the disciplines with which their first authors were affiliated, and more citations from other disciplines than from either the discipline of publication or the first author's discipline. Results suggest that disciplinary boundaries are less restrictive than the literature suggests, and that boundary-crossing publications are involved in complex patterns of interdisciplinary information transfer.
Biochemical evidence for a distinct type of primary gout.

IN recent years several reports1–3 have called attention to a disorder occurring in the paediatric age group which is characterized by marked over-production of uric acid. The clinical features include haematuria and uric acid stone disease, and often, but not always, mental retardation, neurological signs, and self-mutilation. Intravenous injection of glycine-14C into such patients results in a rapid incorporation1 of isotope into urinary uric acid, signifying the presence of a shunt pathway whereby precursor is incorporated into uric acid without previous incorporation into nucleic acid purines.
Uncertainty and latency of verbal naming responses as correlates of pattern goodness

Summary Ratings of pattern goodness have been shown to correlate with the size or uncertainty of the perceived set of equivalent patterns. If this pattern uncertainty is considered the stimulus uncertainty, then dependent variables known to correlate with stimulus uncertainty also should correlate with ratings of pattern goodness. The experimental hypothesis was that ratings of pattern goodness, uncertainties of verbal naming responses, and latencies of these responses are all highly correlated. Stimuli were two sets of 50 patterns each. One set included patterns of five dots placed in an imaginary three-by-three square matrix. The other set consisted of patterns made by filling various squares in an imaginary nine-by-nine square matrix. Thirty S s rated all patterns for goodness on a seven-point scale. Sixty different S s were required to give one-word verbal naming responses to the patterns, with the latency and content of each response being recorded. All correlations among ratings of goodness, response uncertainties, and response latencies were significant at the 0.001 level, and a single factor was found to underlie the correlations (all loadings on this factor were above 0.80). It is inferred that these dependent variables are concomitants of perceived pattern uncertainty.
Same-Sex Marriage and the Future of the LGBT Movement SWS Presidential Address

In this article, I respond to queer critiques of the pursuit of same-sex marriage. I first examine the issue of (homo)normalization through a consideration of the everyday lives of same-sex couples with children, a subject about which queer critics are strangely silent. Children force same-sex couples to be out in multiple areas of their lives and recent court cases explicitly challenge the idea that same-sex couples do not make fit parents. Second, I examine whether same-sex marriage will address structural inequalities or will mainly benefit white, middle-class people. Access to marriage has disparate benefits depending on people’s structural locations, but is a movement goal supported by a broad array of LGBT people. Third, I examine the relationship between marriage, regulation, and the state. I argue for a broader understanding of the relationship between the state and different types of relationships, suggesting that it is impossible to escape regulation. If we consider marriage and family forms cro...
Consequences of modified fasting in obese pediatric and adolescent patients II. Metabolic effects of glucose compared to fat non-protein calories

Abstract We examined the effect of hypocaloric protein and fat compared to protein and carbohydrate-containing diets on 8 obese inpatients 154–226% of ideal body weight. When the carbohydrate-containing diet followed the fat-containing diet, weight loss slowed and nitrogen balance improved from −0.4±0.5 g/day to 3.9±0.8 g/day during the first week of the carbohydrate-containing diet (p 3 and lower β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations on the carbohydratecontaining diet. Although metabolic differences exist between isocaloric high and low carbohydrate-containing weight reduction diets, equivalent weight loss and nitrogen balance can be anticipated by the third week of therapy.
First Southeast U.S. records for Lacconotus punctatus Leconte (Coleoptera: Mycteridae), an early seasonal canopy specialist?

A recent project carried out within the Oconee River watershed in northeastern Georgia produced six specimens of Lacconotus punctatus LeConte, a species formerly known only from the northeastern United States (New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan) and Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia) ( Majka and Selig 2006, and references therein). Georgia represents a new state record for this beetle.
Thermodynamic Parameters and Group Additivity Ring Corrections for Three- to Six-Membered Oxygen Heterocyclic Hydrocarbons

Ideal gas thermodynamic properties (ΔHf°298, S°298, and Cp(T), 300 ≤ T/K ≤ 1500) for 34 cyclic oxygenated hydrocarbons are calculated using the PM3 method, including 12 species on which data are not previously reported. Enthalpies of formation obtained using PM3 are further corrected by −1.642 + 0.882ΔHf°298,PM3, which is obtained by comparison to experimentally-determined ΔHf°298 of 10 cyclic oxygenated hydrocarbon molecules. Enthalpies of formation (ΔHf°298, in kcal mol-1) and entropy (S°298, in cal mol-1 K-1) for 12 species are calculated as follows: −57.24 and 64.10 for 1,3-dioxetane, 25.08 and 61.36 for dioxirene, −4.62 and 68.16 for 1,2-dioxolene, −49.03 and 66.11 for 1,3-dioxolene, 16.72 and 68.21 for 1,2,3-trioxolene, −32.96 and 73.79 for 1,2-dioxane, −11.45 and 75.07 for 3,4-dihydro-1,2-dioxin, −57.44 and 72.62 for 2,4-dihydro-1,3-dioxin, −59.82 and 73.30 for 1,2,4-trioxane, −13.05 and 74.80 for 1,2,3-trioxane, −38.08 and 74.68 for 1,2,4-trioxene, and 9.14 and 74.68 for 1,2,3-trioxane, respectiv...
The Effect of the Polyethylene Intrauterine Device on Peritoneal Fluid Cell Distribution of Adult Female Mice

At Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital in Philadelphia researchers attempted to determine whether uterine cavity IUD-induced inflammation extends into the abdominal cavity. Adult female mice were used. In each experimental animal (14) a piece of polyethylene intramedic tubing (1.3 cm long) was fixed in place by suture within each uterine horn. In the sham-operated controls (15) a silk suture was sutured into each horn. 3 weeks later peritoneal fluid specimens were obtained from the 2 groups and compared. The IUD resulted in significant increases in histiocytes (pl.001) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (pl.001). Mesothelial cells were significantly decreased (pl.001) but mesothelial cells were somehwat higher in the controls than is usually found. No significant changes in lymphocytes or monocytes were observed. Only experimental animals showed daisy cells. Thus the IUD resulted in a definite abdominal inflammatory effect. Judging by the spontaneous activity measured on an Electronic Activity Monitor the IUD produced no animal discomfort. 25% of the IUDs were expelled.
Metastatic carcinoma to testicle.

Abstract Metastatic carcinoma to the testicle, epididymis, and their tunics is unusual and adenocarcinoma of the small bowel is extremely rare. The combination of primary adenocarcinoma of the jejunum with metastasis to the tunica vaginalis of the testis has not been reported previously. An unusual case of a scrotal mass in a twenty-seven-year-old black man is presented and the literature reviewed.
Natural Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity among A-bomb Survivors Residing in the United States

SummaryNatural cell-mediated cytotoxicity (NCMC) by lymphocytes from Japanese atomic bomb survivors now living in the United States was measured. Seventy-one individuals were exposed to an estimated ‘0·00’ Gy (‘0 rads’) (S0 group) and 58 to greater than ‘0·00 Gy’ (S+ group) at the time of the bomb. Of this 58, 51 (88 per cent) received less than 0·50 Gy and 30 (52 per cent) received less than 0·10 Gy. NCMC was measured against 51Cr-labelled K562 target cells. Activity by lymphocytes from S+ group donors was significantly greater than that for the S0 group (p = 0·028 by the stratified Wilcoxon rank-sum test). This difference between the S+ and S0 populations was detected 35 years after exposure to the bomb. It is therefore feasible and important to examine appropriate biologic parameters to elucidate the effects of low doses of radiation in humans.
Human protein tyrosine phosphatase-like gene: expression profile, genomic structure, and mutation analysis in families with ARVD.

Abstract The mouse protein tyrosine phosphatase-like gene ( Ptpla ) was recently cloned and data suggested that it plays a role in myogenesis and cardiogenesis. The human homologue ( PTPLA ) was mapped to chromosome 10p13–14, a region where we have mapped a locus responsible for arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD). As a positional candidate gene, we characterized PTPLA by determining its tissue expression, its genomic structure, and we also screened for mutations in the ARVD patients. Northern analysis demonstrated PTPLA is preferentially expressed in both adult and fetal heart. A much lower expression was detected in skeletal and smooth muscle tissues. Virtually no expression was observed in other tissues. The protein-encoding sequences of PTPLA consist of seven exons. A sequence variation (Lys64Gln) was found in all the affecteds in a large ARVD family. However, the same variant was also detected in normal control subjects (three alleles/100 chromosomes). Thus, the variant (Lys64Gln) is not responsible for ARVD in our family and is a benign polymorphism. Nevertheless, its tissue-specific expression in the developing and adult heart suggest PTPLA has a role in regulating cardiac development, differentiation, or other cellular events. The genomic structure and intragenic polymorphism of PTPLA should be useful for further clinical and genetic studies such as gene targeting of PTPLA .
NF‐κB and the intestine: Friend or foe?

The biological impact of the NF-kappaB transcriptional system in various intestinal biological processes such as cellular proliferation, differentiation and survival, inflammation, and carcinogenesis is a relatively young field of research. Less than a decade ago, reviews addressing NF-kappaB regulation and function in the intestine had to borrow concepts and hypotheses from other bodily systems such as the joints (rheumatoid arthritis), the lungs (asthma), or the cardiovascular system (systemic inflammatory states, sepsis). Since then, important progress has been made in defining the various functional aspects of NF-kappaB signaling in intestinal homeostasis and diseases, and exciting new paradigms have emerged from this research. This review will discuss the function of NF-kappaB in intestinal homeostasis and diseases in relation to injury responses and microbial colonization/infection.
Clostridial septicemia complicating the course of leukemia

The authors report an analysis of 47 leukemia patients (including 9 from our own medical center) whose courses were complicated by 48 episodes of clostridial septicemia. There were 36 adults and 11 children; acute myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia accounted for 61.7% and 14.9% of cases, respectively. All patients for whom remission status was known were in leukemic relapse. Fever was a presenting complaint in at least 36 patients whereas neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and gastrointestinal lesions were noted in 100%, 90.9%, and 87.9%, respectively, of the patients for whom information on these parameters was available. Overall mortality from clostridial septicemia was 78%; none of the children and none of the patients with intravascular hemolysis survived. Overall, antibiotic therapy resulted in a 40% survival rate. However, among patients receiving beta lactam and/or chloramphenicol therapy, 57% survived their episode of clostridial septicemia. Prompt initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy offers the best chance of survival in leukemia patients with clostridial septicemia.
Organic Brain Syndrome: A Psychosomatic Approach

Abstract Organic brain syndromes are common enough to justify frequent review by all psychiatrists and other health workers. An incidence of about 1% of all admissions was found among some 55,000 patients admitted to the University of Arkansas Medical Center in a five-year period. Psychiatric drugs were of value in symptomatic relief of varying degrees of agitation, but must not be relied on to the exclusion of other valuable approaches: medical surgical measures against the basic damaging process, reality orientation, protective measures, and eventual rehabilitation.
Chain formation and the origin of structure in the Raman spectrum of a-SiSe 2

We have used a first-principles method based on the density functional theory to investigate the Raman spectrum of $a\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{SiSe}}_{2}.$ By calculating vibrational frequencies and associated Raman intensities for a series of cluster models, we arrive at an interpretation of the observed spectrum that directly links spectral features to structural units in the glass. The results indicate that edge-sharing chains containing three tetrahedra are a dominant structural motif in the stoichiometric glass.
Adenosine triphosphate levels in steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs: an examination of turnover, localization and role

The dynamics of energy production and utilization in fish eggs before and shortly after fertilization may be critical for embryo survival. Therefore, the current study examined the turnover of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as well as examined the possible role and localization of ATP in unfertilized steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs and early embryos. The mean ATP level in unfertilized steelhead eggs was 1.92+/-0.10 (mean+/-S.E.M., n=17) nmol ATP per egg. Exposure of the unfertilized egg to 10 degrees C water (water activation) and fertilization resulted in comparable and substantial decreases (approx. 20-50%) in egg ATP levels within 3 min. This suggests that the energy expended at fertilization is used in response to water activation rather than fertilization per se. Unfertilized eggs maintained in ovarian fluid for 9 days at 10 degrees C under air showed a progressive decline of fertility that reached zero after 6 days. In contrast, no significant changes were seen in ATP levels throughout this 9 days period. Thus, fertility does not positively correlate with egg ATP levels in stored eggs. In the unfertilized egg, the ATP stored in the yolk accounted for approximately 1.5% of the total egg ATP. After fertilization, the concentration of ATP in the yolk increased approximately seven-fold, with the yolk and blastoderm each now accounting for approximately 20% of the total remaining ATP. Finally, to estimate the changes in oxidative metabolism following fertilization, the cyanide (KCN)-sensitive decline in total ATP was determined for unfertilized eggs and 1 day embryos. In the presence of KCN, ATP levels declined to approximately 50% within 24 h in both unfertilized eggs as well as embryos; the rates of ATP decline were not different. Therefore, there was not a discernible increase in ATP generation by oxidative phosphorylation at the time of fertilization.
Cohesin protein SMC1 represses the nuclear receptor CAR-mediated synergistic activation of a human P450 gene by xenobiotics

CAR (constitutive active/androstane receptor) regulates both the distal enhancer PBREM (phenobarbital-responsive enhancer module) and the proximal element OARE [OA (okadaic acid) response element] to synergistically up-regulate the endogenous CYP2B6 (where CYP is cytochrome P450) gene in HepG2 cells. In this up-regulation, CAR acts as both a transcription factor and a co-regulator, directly binding to and enhancing PBREM upon activation by xenobiotics such as TCPOBOP {1,4-bis-[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene} and indirectly associating with the OARE in response to OA [Swales, Kakizaki, Yamamoto, Inoue, Kobayashi and Negishi (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 3458-3466]. We have now identified the cohesin protein SMC1 (structural maintenance of chromosomes 1) as a CAR-binding protein and characterized it as a negative regulator of OARE activity, thus repressing synergy. Treatment with SMC1 small interfering RNA augmented the synergistic up-regulation of CYP2B6 expression 20-fold in HepG2 cells, while transient co-expression of spliced form of SMC1 abrogated the synergistic activation of a 1.8 kb CYP2B6 promoter. SMC1 indirectly binds to a 19 bp sequence (-236/-217) immediately downstream from the OARE in the CYP2B6 promoter. Both DNA affinity and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that OA treatment dissociates SMC1 from the CYP2B6 promoter, reciprocating the indirect binding of CAR to OARE. These results are consistent with the conclusion that SMC1 binding represses OARE activity and its dissociation allows the recruitment of CAR to the OARE, synergizing PBREM activity and the expression of the CYP2B6 gene.
Simple and fast approximations for generalized stochastic Petri nets

Abstract A primary problem with generalized stochastic Petri nets (GSPNs) is the exponential explosion in the number of reachable states. This limits the GSPN modeling capability. We present an algorithm that circumvents the problem by not enumerating the entire state space to find a solution. Instead, it considers token flow balance and the preferred cycle heuristic to reduce the number of reachable states by an order of magnitude. This provides fast approximations of performance measures of systems modeled as GSPNs. Comparisons show how accurate the approximations are. We also give criteria that help system modelers ensure high approximation accuracy.
Identification of a Binding Sequence for the 14-3-3 Protein within the Cytoplasmic Domain of the Adhesion Receptor, Platelet Glycoprotein Ibα (∗)

The ζ-form 14-3-3 protein (14-3-3ζ) regulates protein kinases and interacts with several signaling molecules. We reported previously that a platelet adhesion receptor, glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX, was associated with a 29-kDa protein with partial sequences identical to 14-3-3ζ. In this study, the interaction between GPIb-IX and recombinant 14-3-3ζ is reconstituted. Further, we show that the 14-3-3ζ binding site in GPIb is within a 15 residue sequence at the C terminus of GPIbα, as indicated by antibody inhibition and direct binding of 14-3-3ζ to synthetic GPIbα cytoplasmic domain peptides. The 14-3-3ζ binds to recombinant wild type GPIb-IX but not to the GPIbα mutants lacking C-terminal 5 or more residues, suggesting that the C-terminal 5 residues of GPIbα are critical. Similarity between the GPIbα C-terminal sequence and the serine-rich regions of Raf and Bcr kinases suggests a possible serine-rich recognition motif for the 14-3-3 protein.
Smooth estimation of the reliability function.

Problems with censored data arise quite frequently in reliability applications. Estimation of the reliability function is usually of concern. Reliability function estimators proposed by Kaplan and Meier (1958), Breslow (1972), are generally used when dealing with censored data. These estimators have the known properties of being asymptotically unbiased, uniformly strongly consistent, and weakly convergent to the same Gaussian process, when properly normalized. We study the properties of the smoothed Kaplan-Meier estimator with a suitable kernel function in this paper. The smooth estimator is compared with the Kaplan-Meier and Breslow estimators for large sample sizes giving an exact expression for an appropriately normalized difference of the mean square error (MSE) of the two estimators. This quantifies the deficiency of the Kaplan-Meier estimator in comparison to the smoothed version. We also obtain a non-asymptotic bound on an expected ℒ1-type error under weak conditions. Some simulations are carried out to examine the performance of the suggested method.
Meiosis suppression by caffeine in female mice

The effects of caffeine on meiosis of mouse ova in vitro and in vivo have been studied. Concentrations of 200 μg/cc or more suppressed entry of ova into in vitro meiosis without production of any numerical or structural abnormalities at dose levels above or below that. Acute superovulation by the standard technique was prevented at a dose of 0.25 mg/g/body weight and examination of the intrafollicular ova revealed presistence of the germinal vesicle stage. Chronic administration of the same dose (0.25 mg/g/bw) throughout the period from weaning to puberty did not induce any cytologically detectable meiotic abnormalities in ova studied in vitro at the end of that period. It is suggested that the reduced fertility seen by some previous authors may have been due to the suppression of entry into meiosis of the ova with diminished numbers of ova being ovulated.
Platform presentation—Late-breaking research—Multivariate Clinical Predictors of Huntington Disease (HD): Prospective Results from the PREDICT-HD Study

Background An original primary aim of PREDICT-HD was identification and quantification of clinical marker sets predictive of HD diagnosis. Such models would add substantial power and efficiency to eventual clinical trials to prevent or delay HD onset. Since the study's inception, skepticism has grown regarding the utility of “diagnosis” as an HD concept. For this analysis, we assume that illness transition can at least be crudely dichotomized by an abstract point of “diagnosis.” Nonetheless, we see substantial evidence of inter-rater variability in defining this point and make appropriate statistical adjustments. Methods As of April 2009, 2179 years of pre-diagnosis follow-up were available on 718 participants, 126 of whom had been diagnosed by UHDRS confidence level 4. We constructed multivariate models predicting “diagnosis” from the study's non–brain-imaging baseline measures. Various criteria consistently selected from among candidate variables each individually predictive of diagnosis were used. Models were tested for additional prediction beyond that achieved by CAG length and age. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used, with stratification by rater in order to minimize systematic differences in diagnostic thresholds and motor scoring. Results The combined baseline measures of maximum tapping speed, paced tapping precision, Stroop inference, and smell identification accuracy were highly predictive. Estimated hazard ratio increased 5.39 across the interquartile range of estimated risk ( p Conclusion The relative risk of transition to HD “diagnosis” is predictable using measures that have played little traditional role defining diagnosis. This demonstrates important practical utility for these predictors. Absent a highly reliable, continuous measure of early HD, the success of these results also affirms the potential value of reliable discrete endpoints for early-HD trials.
Yeast Alcohol Dehydrogenase Structure and Catalysis

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) alcohol dehydrogenase I (ADH1) is the constitutive enzyme that reduces acetaldehyde to ethanol during the fermentation of glucose. ADH1 is a homotetramer of subunits with 347 amino acid residues. A structure for ADH1 was determined by X-ray crystallography at 2.4 A resolution. The asymmetric unit contains four different subunits, arranged as similar dimers named AB and CD. The unit cell contains two different tetramers made up of “back-to-back” dimers, AB:AB and CD:CD. The A and C subunits in each dimer are structurally similar, with a closed conformation, bound coenzyme, and the oxygen of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol ligated to the catalytic zinc in the classical tetrahedral coordination with Cys-43, Cys-153, and His-66. In contrast, the B and D subunits have an open conformation with no bound coenzyme, and the catalytic zinc has an alternative, inverted coordination with Cys-43, Cys-153, His-66, and the carboxylate of Glu-67. The asymmetry in the dimeric subunits of the tetram...
FMRFamide-related gene family in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans.

Abstract Many organisms, including mammals, use short peptides as neurotransmitters. The family of FMRFamide (Phe–Met–Arg–Phe–NH 2 )-like neuropeptides, which all share an -RFamide sequence at their C-termini, has been shown to have diverse functions, including neuromodulation and stimulation or inhibition of muscle contraction. In the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans , FMRFamide-like peptides (FaRPs) are expressed in approximately 10% of the neurons, including motor, sensory, and interneurons that are involved in movement, feeding, defecation, and reproduction. At least 14 genes, designated flp-1 through flp-14 , encode FaRPs in C. elegans . Here, we present data that all 14 flp genes are transcribed in C. elegans , and several of these genes are alternatively spliced. Each flp gene encodes a different set of FaRPs, yielding a predicted total of 44 distinct FaRPs. Using staged RNA for reverse-transcription/polymerase chain reactions (RT/PCR), we determined that most flp genes are expressed throughout development. These results suggest that a complex family of FaRPs have varied roles through all stages of development and in adulthood in C. elegans .
Relativistic charged particle precipitation into Jupiter's sub-auroral atmosphere

Abstract Longitudinal variations of energetic charged particle precipitation into the jovian sub-auroral atmosphere are modeled based on weak diffusion scattering and variations in the local loss-cone size associated with asymmetries in the VIP-4 magnetic field model. Our scattering model solutions suggest that low latitude observations of enhanced H 3 + and X-ray emissions are at least partially due to precipitating energetic particles. The correlation between model results and observations is best in the northern hemisphere at low L (1.5), where the surface magnetic field variation is largest and observations have the highest resolution. Weaker correlations in the southern hemisphere and at higher latitudes, particularly for H 3 + emissions, are likely due to the presence of other energy sources, lack of resolution in the observations and limitations in the sub-auroral surface magnetic field model.
Utilization of Immersive Collaborative Student Laboratory Simulations Developed Using a Game Engine

Recently, commercial game engines and the associated software development kits have reached a level of maturity where it becomes feasible to rapidly and efficiently develop and deploy software for generating virtual environments. This paper will discuss the various possible ways of developing interactive multiplayer simulations for student laboratory instruction and professional training. Instead of developing software from the ground up, an existing commercial game engine and its corresponding software development kit (SDK) can be used as development tools for building such educational content. In doing so, the developers can take advantage of the game engines' advanced methods for generating animated graphics, simulating physical interactions between 3D objects, as well as facilitating multiplayer dynamics. Based on this approach, various usage scenarios can be developed cost-effectively. These can then be explored by the students or trainees in an inherently safe and immersive manner. Furthermore, the educational content can be tailored to address the students' different learning modalities. A number of predefined scenarios can be constructed, which exercise the students' problem solving skills by mimicking typical problems that might occur when carrying out actual hands-on experiments. In addition, the experimental scripts imbedded within the system allow one to monitor - and possibly even enforce - active participation and collaboration by all students of a laboratory group, which are considered two crucial factors in improving learning. This multi-disciplinary research is being carried out at Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) with funding from a multi-year grant by the National Science Foundation's Information Technology Research program.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Sulfate Radical Anion as a New Reagent for Fast Photochemical Oxidation of Proteins

The focus is to expand the original design of fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) and introduce SO4−•, generated by 248 nm homolysis of low millimolar levels of persulfate, as a radical reactant in protein footprinting. FPOP is a chemical approach to footprinting proteins and protein complexes by “snapshot” reaction with free radicals. The radical used until now is the OH radical, and it provides a measure of residue-resolved solvent accessibility of the native protein. We show that FPOP can accommodate other reagents, increasing its versatility. The new persulfate FPOP system is a potent, nonspecific, and tunable footprinting method; 3−5 times less persulfate is needed to give the same global levels of modification as seen with OH radicals. Although solvent-exposed His and Tyr residues are more reactive with SO4−• than with •OH, oxidation of apomyoglobin and calmodulin shows that •OH probes smaller accessible areas than SO4−•, with the possible exception of histidine. His64, an axial ligand i...
Heparan sulfate signaling in cancer.

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a biopolymer consisting of variably sulfated repeating disaccharide units. The anticoagulant heparin is a highly sulfated intracellular variant of HS. HS has demonstrated roles in embryonic development, homeostasis, and human disease via non-covalent interactions with numerous cellular proteins, including growth factors and their receptors. HS can function as a co-receptor by enhancing receptor–complex formation. In other contexts, HS disrupts signaling complexes or serves as a ligand sink. The effects of HS on growth factor signaling are tightly regulated by the actions of sulfyltransferases, sulfatases, and heparanases. HS has important emerging roles in oncogenesis, and heparin derivatives represent potential therapeutic strategies for human cancers. Here we review recent insights into HS signaling in tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and differentiation. A cancer-specific understanding of HS signaling could uncover potential therapeutic targets in this highly actionable signaling network.
Radiation Hardness of a New Magnetic Thin-Film Recording System

Magnetic thin-film memory units of a new transient-recording system designed for nuclear data acquisition were tested for radiation hardness. The films were exposed to neutron and gamma doses on the order of 1012 n/cm2 and 104 R, respectively. Analog signals stored in the films were photographed using a Suchow powder technique before and after the exposure.
Maintaining Situational Awareness: The Role of Visual Attention:

This study examined the relationship between the UFOV® test (Ball, et al. 1993), and measures of situational awareness (SA) for the purpose of identifying those components of visual attention that ...
Bulk value of the central charge in conformally invariant critical phenomena

Abstract The concept of the central charge in a two-dimensional conformally invariant critical system is discussed. It is shown how this concept is related to a hyperuniversal amplitude ratio. In turn we illustrate the computation of its value by means of high-temperature series expansions for the cases of the Ising model and the three-state Potts model. The results are quite satisfactory and agree with the known results in these sample cases.
OXIDATIVE ENZYMES AND THE INJURY METABOLISM OF DIAPAUSING CECROPIA SILKWORMS

The remarkable control of insect growth by the hormone ecdyson is readily apparent in the events that transform a diapausing Cecropia pupa into a developing adult moth. The pupal diapause, as shown by Williams,' is a state of developmental arrest enforced by the failure of the insect's endocrine system to supply the hormonal stimulus required for growth and development. In essence, what the individual diapausing tissues require is ecdyson, secreted by the prothoracic glands. The latter become inactive after pupation and remain so for many months; but when the prothoracic glands recover their secretory function under neuroendocrine stimulation from the brain, the individual tissues once again begin to grow, and commence a sequence of rnorphogenetic changes that culminates in three weeks' time with the emergence of the adult moth.' One of the principal tasks of present-day insect endocrinology is to seek an understanding of how ecdyson is able to exert its control over the growth process. In molecular terms, one avenue of approach to the problem lies in elucidating the biochemical changes that occur a t the termination of diapause in response to the growth-promoting action of ecdyson. The properties of the diapausing insect itself are likewise of interest for understanding the physiological and biochemical adaptations of cells to life in a state of arrested developmen t. Both these matters were discussed by Williams2s3 about ten years ago in papers that called attention to the suitability of diapausing and developing silkmoths as subjects for examining biochemical mechanisms in insect growth and metamorphosis. At the time of these papers i t was already clear that alterations in oxidative enzymes a t the onset and termination of diapause had an important bearing on the probIems just mentioned. In particular, and of special interest for the present paper, was the evidence that a synthesis of oxidative enzymes within the pupal tissues represented one type of change promoted by ecdyson in favoring growth. This matter has subsequently been explored in detail in a number of publication^.^-* In the present paper I propose to review recent progress in our understanding of respiratory metabolism and respiratory enzymes in relation to the diapause and development of the Cecropia silkworm. After a brief rCsum6 of the metabolic and enzymatic changes during the course of metamorphosis, two principal topics will be considered: (1) the peculiar properties of respiratory metabolism in diapausing tissues and recent changes in our ideas as to their physiological basis; and (2) the close parallel between respiratory changes normally associated with the termination of diapause and those that follow * The work described in this article was supported in part by research grants from the Faculty Research Fund of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., and by Research Grant RG-6101 from the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, Bethesda, Md.
Role of LYS271 and LYS279 residues in the interaction of cytochrome P4501A1 with NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase.

It has been proposed that negatively charged amino acids on the surface of reductase and positively charged amino acids on the surface of P450 mediate the binding of both proteins through electrostatic interactions. In this study, we used a site-directed mutagenesis approach to determine a role for two lysine residues (Lys271 and Lys279) of cytochrome P4501A1 in the interaction of P4501A1 with reductase. We prepared two mutants P4501A1Ile271 and P4501A1Ile279 with a mutation of the lysine at positions 271 and 279, respectively. We observed a strong inhibition (>80%) of the 7-ethoxycoumarin and ethoxyresorufin deethylation activity in the reductase-supported system for both mutants. In the cumene hydroperoxide-supported system, P4501A1Ile279 exhibited wild-type activity, but the P4501A1Ile271 mutant activity remained low. The CD spectrum and substrate-binding assay indicated that the secondary structure of P4501A1Ile271 is perturbed. To evaluate further the involvement of these P4501A1 lysine residues in reductase binding, we measured the KM of reductase for wild type and mutants. Both wild type and P4501A1Ile271 reached saturation in the range of reductase concentrations tested with KM values 5.1 and 11.2 pM, respectively. The calculated KM value for P4501A1Ile279 increased 9-fold, 44.4 pM, suggesting that the mutation affected binding of reductase to P4501A1. Stopped-flow spectroscopy was employed to evaluate the effect of mutations on electron transfer from reductase to heme iron. Both wild type and P450Ile279 showed biphasic kinetics with a ∼40% participation of the fast step in the total activity. On the other hand, only single-phase kinetics for iron reduction was observed for P450Ile271, suggesting that the low activity of this mutant can be attributed not only to major structural changes but also to a disturbance in the electron transport.