cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of intermediate filament gene expression.

Publisher Summary Intermediate filament (IF) proteins are present in virtually every cell and every tissue of higher organisms and their expression is highly regulated during different stages of cell growth, development, and differentiation. This chapter describes a general background and studies on K5 and K14 gene regulation. It also presents procedures for the identification of the regulatory cis elements, testing the activity of regulatory cis elements , and the identification and analysis of the transcription factors binding to the cis elements. The IF gene family provides an interesting model system to study the diverse processes of development and differentiation in different cell types. In many of these cells, the IF proteins provide not only a mechanical scaffold, but are also involved in many dynamic cellular processes. Although, many of the regulatory regions for IF genes have been identified, most of them remain unexplored; therefore, continuing studies about the regulation of the IF gene expression is important, and should lead to a better understanding of the regulation of important properties of a cell or tissue such as cell fate, shape, development, and differentiation.
Europa's Ocean--the Case Strengthens

The possibility of a subsurface ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa has been suggested on the basis of theoretical, geological, and spectroscopic arguments. But, as Stevenson explains in his Perspective, none of these arguments were compelling. In contrast, the magnetic field data obtained by the Galileo spacecraft and presented in the report by Kivelson et al., provide persuasive evidence for a conducting layer--most likely a global water ocean--near Europa's surface.
Reservations About White Privilege Analysis

The turn toward “whiteness” in various disciplines, including philosophy of education, has proven a fruitful direction and framework. From a moral point of view, a focus on whiteness can be a powerful force for encouraging white students to recognize their complicity in racial injustice. Yet here I want to express some reservations about a key component of whiteness: “white privilege.” White privilege analysis (WPA) rests on a presumption that white privilege is a structural feature of the Western sociopolitical order, particularly in the United States, and that there is something morally and politically wrong with its being so. Without challenging this core insight, with which I completely agree, I think that the way that WPA has proceeded involves some important limitations.
O Canada!: The Story of Rafferty, Oldman, and the Great Whale

In the late twentieth century, environmental policy swept the world, and among its primary instruments were processes for evaluating the adverse impacts of proposed actions. In all countries these processes quickly came into conoict with established bureaucracies, none more powerful and resistant to change than those in charge of water resources development. They also conoicted, in many cases, with established ideas of governance, right down to principles of federalism, judicial review, and the separation of powers. So it was in Canada, where in the late l980s three water resources development schemes, each one more enormous, initiated the commonwealth’s approach to environmental impact assessment and challenged the ability of the national government to protect environmental values at all. The litigation was heavy and prolonged. In the end, federal environmental authority gained a signiacant foothold, but one insufacient to protect the natural and human resources at stake. The litigation also illustrated, as has been the experience in the United States, the critical importance of citizen enforcement actions and judicial review in securing the objectives of environmental law.
Nano/Microporous Materials: Metal‐Ion Sorption Materials

This paper provides a literature review from 2004 to the present, summarizing studies evaluating the use of nanomaterials and microporous materials as sorbents for the separation of metal ions from aqueous solutions. Materials such as microporous titanosilicates, mesoporous silicas, metal oxide nanoparticles, and carbon nanotubes exhibit increased loading and removal kinetics for a variety of metal ions compared to conventional sorbent materials. Also, incorporation of functional groups into these materials has shown promise to provide enhanced selectivity for a variety of metal ions. Keywords: adsorption; selectivity; affinity; separations; hazardous; surface area; pores
Characterization of ZrO2 buffer layers for sequentially evaporated Y-Ba-CuO on Si and Al2O3 substrates

A large variety of techniques have been employed for the formation of thin films of the high temperature superconducting oxides on many different substrates. These efforts have been driven by the desire to investigate and develop electronic applications of these materials. Several of the substrates that have been used possess undesirable electronic properties, such as the large dielectric constant of SrTiO3. For many applications it is desirable to obtain the superconducting films on silicon or, for high frequency applications, on substrates such as Al2O3 or GaAs. Unfortunately, the deleterious interactions between the films and these substrates or common dielectrics1, such as silicon dioxide, result in unacceptable degradation of both the superconductor and the substrate. This has led to the investigation of the use of thin films of materials such as ZrO2 2 or silver3 as buffer layers between the superconductor and the substrate.
Activation of inositol phospholipid breakdown in HL60 cells by P2-purinergic receptors for extracellular ATP. Evidence for mediation by both pertussis toxin-sensitive and pertussis toxin-insensitive mechanisms.

The mechanisms whereby P2-purinergic receptors for extracellular ATP are coupled to the inositol phospholipid-signaling system were studied in the HL60 human promyelocytic leukemia cell line. Brief pretreatment of either undifferentiated or differentiated HL60 cells with various activators of protein kinase C Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme (e.g. phorbol myristate acetate) produced a 50-fold decrease in the potency of extracellular ATP to induce mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. The ATP-induced increase in rate of inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) accumulation in these 4-beta-phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate-treated cells was characterized by a 40% decrease in the maximal rate of InsP3 accumulation. Incubation of the cells with NaF also induced mobilization of the same Ca2+ stores released in response to extracellular ATP; this provided indirect evidence that the transmembrane signaling actions of P2-purinergic receptors may be mediated by GTP-binding regulatory proteins. This latter possibility was further supported by the finding that treatment of either undifferentiated or differentiated HL60 cells with pertussis toxin produced a significant, but partial, inhibition of ATP-induced signaling actions. These included: 1) a 60-70% decrease in the maximum rate of InsP3 accumulation, and 2) a 1.5 log unit increase in the half-maximally effective [ATP] required for mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. In cells treated with both pertussis toxin and 4-beta-phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate, there was an 80% decrease in maximal rate of ATP-induced InsP3 accumulation and near-complete inhibition of ATP-induced Ca2+ mobilization. Significantly, the residual, pertussis toxin-insensitive portion of ATP-induced signaling was observed in the same samples of differentiated HL60 cells wherein pertussis toxin treatment produced complete abolition of InsP3 accumulation and Ca2+ mobilization in response to occupation of chemotactic peptide receptors. These results indicate that the activation of inositol phospholipid breakdown by P2-purinergic receptors in HL60 cells may be mediated by both pertussis toxin-sensitive and toxin-insensitive mechanisms; this suggests that these myeloid progenitor cells may express two distinct types of GTP-binding proteins coupled to phospholipase C.
Adiabatic Invariants of Rydberg Electrons in Crossed Fields

In summary, we have shown that the Hamiltonian of an electron in combined Coulomb and crossed external electric and magnetic fields can be usefully approximated by combining Normal Form theory and Lie algebra. Despite the enormous size of the parameter and phase space of the original problem, the special status assigned to some intricate periodic motions of the electron by recent experiments is connected to adiabatic invariants through our treatment. While deviations from the Coulomb potential require slight changes in our arguments due to finite core size, the success of the adiabatic invariants in explaining key features of the experiment shows their potential value for simplifying other aspects of this complex problem in the future.
Teacher Preparation and Diversity: When American Pre-service Teachers Aren’t White and Middle Class

The majority of American educators are White, middle class, and female. Most textbooks and articles for pre-service teachers assume their readers reflect these characteristics. However, as the K-12 student population becomes increasingly diverse, so do the pre-service teacher candidates at our Southern California public university. This article describes a prerequisite education course on diversity, showing how its original assumption that students needed to be convinced of the importance of diversity changed to a focus on improving the academic achievement and opportunities for linguistically and culturally diverse K-12 students.
Correlates of physical activity for adults with disability.

INTRODUCTION This study was designed to determine factors that influence the physical activity level of adults with disability as identified in a large representative sample of U.S. adults. METHODS Data were taken from the District of Columbia and the 12 states that administered the Quality of Life and Caregiving Module of the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Adults with disability (n = 4038) were defined as those who required special equipment because of a health problem or who required the assistance of another person either for their personal care or routine needs. Adequate physical activity was defined as meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American College of Sports Medicine recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderate activity per day at least 5 days per week. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios were computed for demographic, health status, health care access, and health behavior variables. RESULTS Only one fourth of the study population met the recommendation for moderate activity level. African American race, age of 50 years or older, annual income of $50,000 or higher, and being in good, fair, or poor health were all significantly related to activity level; sex, education level, health care access, and years of disability were not. CONCLUSION Adults with disability are not meeting basic recommendations for physical activity. Some correlates of physical activity found in general populations are also related to activity level for people with disability (age, general health, race), whereas others (sex, education level) are not. These factors should be considered when planning physical activity interventions for people with disability.
“Mind” as Humanizing the Brain: Toward a Neurotheology of Meaning

The concept “mind” refers to the human and humanlike features of the brain. A historical review of thinking about the mind contextualizes humanity's search to understand itself by sketching biblical and philosophical perspectives from the Hebrew scriptures through the Greeks and Descartes to the German philosophers Goethe, Kant, and Hegel. These provide an enlarged context for an analytic approach to mind as focusing on the interface between physical signals and experiential symbolic expressions. Drawing on a holistic paradigm, several features are discernible: empathic rationality, imaginative intentionality, meaningful memory, and adaptability. These reflect the evolutionary development of uncommitted cortex that contributes to the brain's explosive capacity for order, complexity, and novelty. The basic issue continues, namely, how are the distributed modules of information-processing integrated into the meaning-making reality of human beings?
Hole size and crack length models for spacecraft walls under oblique hypervelocity projectile impact

All long-duration spacecraft in low-earth-orbit are subject to high speed impacts by meteoroids and orbital debris. In the event of a perforation, the pressure wall of a dual-wall structure impacted by a high-speed particle can also experience cracking and petalling. If such cracking were to occur on-orbit, unstable crack growth could develop which could lead to an unzipping of the impacted spacecraft module. The analysis presented in this paper extends the applicability of a crack length and hole size model developed previously for a normally impacted spacecraft wall to the case of obliquely incident particles. Predictions of the oblique impact model are compared with experimental data and the predictions of empirical hole size and crack length models. Modifications to the model that are required to bring its predictions in closer agreement with the experimental results are then presented and discussed.
Chronic subdural empyema.

Abstract A review of the literature reveals that most chronic sub-dural empyemas occur within four to six months of the initial insult. It appears that only 1 case of a chronic sub-dural empyema, which occurred four years after extensive facial trauma, has been described. Our patient developed chronic subdural empyema thirteen years after drainage of a subdural hematoma. Current treatment modalities are reviewed.
Diplomacy and War at NATO: The Secretary General and Military Action After the Cold War – By Ryan C. Hendrickson

As perhaps the most successful military alliance in history, NATO is lauded by many observers for helping win the Cold War without the organization firing a shot. Yet that conflict's demise led som...
On an Implicit ENO Scheme

Essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) schemes, which have high order accuracy in regions where solutions are smooth and effectively capture shocks and discontinuities, have been developed for numerical solution of hyperbolic equations. These methods have traditionally been implemented using explicit Euler or explicit Runge-Kutta time marching schemes and consequently suffer from the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) time step restriction. This restriction is significant for steady-state problems and for transient problems with fronts whose speed is slow compared to the propagation speed in the rest of the domain. In this paper, a novel implicit time marching implementation of the ENO Roe scheme is developed. Simulation results which demonstrate the benefits of this implicit implementation are presented.
Reflections on Grant writing for unions lists

Coty is information specialist, National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, SUNY/Buffalo. During a three-year tenure as administrator of special projects at the Western New York Library Resources Council (WNYLRC), the author wrote and administered over $280,000 in competitive grants for eleven union listing projects. Most consisted of retrospective conversion of serials holdings projects, but a tape-load onto OCLC, the associated tape-load clean-up activities, and an initial union list product were also funded. Funding was through the New York State Office of Library Development, including LSCA Title III and the Regional Bibliographic Databases program of the state library. This paper presents some of the considerations that were important in writing the union list grants for the WNYLRC. The author hopes that these considerations will be helpful to others writing union list proposals. Since the Western New York Union List of Serials was created on OCLC, many of the examples given in this article will relate to that utility; however, the processes and principles remain the same for any union list grant proposal.
Home environment and psychosocial predictors of obesity status among community-residing men and women

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Prior research indicates that features of the home environment (for example, televisions, exercise equipment) may be associated with obesity, but no prior study has examined objective features of the home food environment (for example, location of food) in combination with behavioral (for example, food purchasing), psychological (for example, self-efficacy) and social factors among obese adults. This study identified factors associated with obesity status from measures of home environment, food purchasing behavior, eating behavior and psychosocial functioning. SUBJECTS/METHODS: One hundred community-residing obese (mean body mass index (BMI)=36.8, s.e.=0.60) and nonobese (mean BMI=23.7, s.e.=0.57) adults (mean age=42.7, s.e.=1.50; range=20-78 years) completed an observational study with 2-h home interview/assessment and 2-week follow-up evaluation of food purchases and physical activity. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance and logistic regression, controlling for sex. RESULTS: Univariate analyses revealed that homes of obese individuals had less healthy food available than homes of nonobese (F(1,97)=6.49, P=0.012), with food distributed across a greater number of highly visible locations (F(1,96)=6.20, P=0.01). Although there was no group difference in household income or size, obese individuals reported greater food insecurity (F(1,97)=9.70, PCONCLUSIONS: The overall pattern of results reflected that home food environment and psychosocial functioning of obese individuals differed in meaningful ways from that of nonobese individuals. In particular, lower self-esteem may be an important psychosocial aspect of obesity, especially in the context of greater food consumption and food storage/availability. Language: en
Physiological responses to prolonged treadmill walking with external loads.

Limited information is available regarding the physiological responses to prolonged load carriage. This study determined the energy cost of prolonged treadmill walking (fixed distance of 12 km) at speeds of 1.10 m·s−1, 1.35 m·s−1, and 1.60 m·s−1, unloaded (clothing mass 5.2 kg) and with external loads of 31.5 and 49.4 kg. Fifteen male subjects performed nine trials in random order over a 6-week period. Oxygen uptake (VO2) was determined at the end of the first 10 min and every 20 min thereafter. A 10-min rest period was allowed following each 50 min of walking. No changes occurred in VO2 over time in the unloaded condition at any speed. The 31.5 and 49.4 kg loads, however, produced significant increases (ranging from 10 to 18%) at the two fastest and at all three speeds, respectively, even at initial exercise intensities less than 30% VO2max. In addition, the 49.4 kg load elicited a significantly higher (P<0.05) VO2 than did the 31.5 kg load at all speeds. The measured values of metabolic cost were also compared to those predicted using the formula of Pandolf et al. In trials where VO2 increased significantly over time, predicted values underestimated the actual metabolic cost during the final minute by 10–16%. It is concluded that energy cost during prolonged load carriage is not constant but increases significantly over time even at low relative exercise intensities. It is further concluded that applying the prediction model which estimates energy expenditure from short-term load carriage efforts to prolonged load carriage can result in significant underestimations of the actual energy cost.
Positivity and boundedness of solutions of impulsive reaction-diffusion equations

Employing the generalized quasilinearization for nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations, existence of positive bounded solution is proved.
Variability in laboratory reporting practices for regions of homozygosity indicating parental relatedness as identified by SNP microarray testing

Variability in laboratory reporting practices for regions of homozygosity indicating parental relatedness as identified by SNP microarray testing
The Massachusetts Mental Health/Substance Abuse managed care program: The providers' view

This paper reviews the differential impacts of the Massachusetts Mental Health/Substance Abuse Program from the viewpoints of the providers. The program is a state wide managed care system, providing services for adult and children's mental health and substance abuse care. Interviews found that even though the severity of illness of most clients in the program was greater than before managed care, most providers believed that the quality of care and access to services for these clients was the same or better than before managed care. Providers' concerns about the future suggested that savings in a managed care program primarily occur in its initial stages and that future reductions have the potential for negative impacts upon clients and providers.
Order and disorder across geopolitical space: the effect of declining dominance on interstate conflict

While scholars have long noted that violent conflicts appear to cluster in certain geographic spaces, we propose that the underlying contextual cause behind this empirical finding is the presence of dominance vacuums, where hierarchical relationships between states are unclear. The absence of a dominant state within these vacuums provides greater opportunity for all other states to engage in substantial conflicts in pursuit of their foreign policy objectives. Building on recent research that reconceptualises capabilities and hierarchy to incorporate the influence of geography, we provide a key contribution to hierarchical approaches to international politics by identifying geographic areas with a greater propensity for conflict. We test this approach to conflict through a series of statistical analyses using different units of analysis and provide findings suggesting that, within dominance vacuums, the odds of observing a conflict between states more than triple.
Computer Experience with Very Low-Level Gamma Analyses of Oceanographic Specimens

The techniques used to radioassay for fallout nuclides, in particular 137Cs, by gamma ray spectrometry are described. Details are given of the computer analysis of the spectra, of the internal energy standardization by the 0.511 MeV annihilation and 40K photopeaks, and of the use of smoothed background spectra. Agreement is shown between the computer method and a previously-used freehand graphical method.
Direct searches for dark matter: Recent results

There is abundant evidence for large amounts of unseen matter in the universe. This dark matter, by its very nature, couples feebly to ordinary matter and is correspondingly difficult to detect. Nonetheless, several experiments are now underway with the sensitivity required to detect directly galactic halo dark matter through their interactions with matter and radiation. These experiments divide into two broad classes: searches for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) and searches for axions. There exists a very strong theoretical bias for supposing that supersymmetry (SUSY) is a correct description of nature. WIMPs are predicted by this SUSY theory and have the required properties to be dark matter. These WIMPs are detected from the byproducts of their occasional recoil against nucleons. There are efforts around the world to detect these rare recoils. The WIMP part of this overview focuses on the cryogenic dark matter search (CDMS) underway in California. Axions, another favored dark matter candidate, are predicted to arise from a minimal extension of the standard model that explains the absence of the expected large CP violating effects in strong interactions. Axions can, in the presence of a large magnetic field, turn into microwave photons. It is the slight excess of photons above noise that signals the axion. Axion searches are underway in California and Japan. The axion part of this overview focuses on the California effort. Brevity does not allow me to discuss other WIMP and axion searches, likewise for accelerator and satellite based searches; I apologize for their omission.
Sensory and receptor responses to umami: an overview of pioneering work

This article provides a selective overview of the early studies of umami taste and outlines significant questions for further research. Umami compounds such as the amino acid glutamate [often in the form of the sodium salt monosodium glutamate (MSG)] and the nucleotide monophosphates 5'-inosinate and 5'-guanylate occur naturally in, and provide flavor for, many foods and cuisines around the world. Early researchers in the United States found that the flavor of pure MSG was difficult to describe. But they all agreed that, although humans found umami compounds, when tasted alone, to be unpalatable, subjects reported that these compounds improved the taste of foods. This taste "dichotomy" may be partly unlearned because it is also observed in very young infants. The uniqueness of umami perception is based on several lines of evidence. First, numerous perceptual studies have shown that the sensation aroused by MSG is distinct from that of the other 4 taste qualities. Second, biochemical studies that show the synergy of the binding of MSG and 5'-guanylate to tongue taste tissue mirror this hallmark perceptual effect. Third, several specific receptors that may mediate umami taste have recently been identified. There remain, however, a number of puzzles surrounding the umami concept, including the molecular basis for an apparent tactile component to umami perception, the reason for the unpalatability of pure umami, and the functional significance for human health and nutrition of umami detection. Future work aimed at understanding these and other open issues will profitably engage scientists in umami research well into the next century.
A front end for multipetawatt lasers based on a high-energy, high-average-power optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier

We report on a high-energy, high-average-power optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier developed as the front end for the OMEGA EP laser. The amplifier provides a gain larger than 109 in two stages leading to a total energy of 400 mJ with a pump-to-signal conversion efficiency higher than 25%.
A critical review of the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology: 2012–2015

I have had the privilege of serving as Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Physiology: Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology from 1/1/2012 to 1/1/2015 and have been reappointed for another ...
A brief fermentation biotechnology guide to biochemical engineering, industrial microbiology and fermentation literature

"Biotechnology" useage is examined, and equated with a revised conception of fermentation. Basic, core meaning of biotechnology terminology is considered in relation to such areas as genetic engineering, bioengineering, food-beverage microbiology, biomass conversion and microbiological synthesis. A variety of indexing conventions are compared and a polarity of core vs wider applications is posed as a bibliographic consideration. A separate selected bibliography of narrower core treatise and serial titles is presented.
CANONICAL ANALYSIS IN SEVERAL POPULATIONS WITH PREDICTOR WEIGHTS CONSTRAINED ACROSS POPULATIONS

An extension of canonical analysis to several populations is considered in which, at each stage in the analysis, one set of canonical weights is constrained to be equivalent across the several populations. Estimation and hypothesis testing are discussed with respect to the first-stage canonical variates, and an iterative procedure for obtaining an approximate solution for higher-stage canonical variates is presented.
SU-E-T-368: Effect of a Strong Magnetic Field On Select Radiation Dosimeters

Purpose: To determine the effect of a strong magnetic field on TLD-100, OSLD (Al2O2:C), and PRESAGE dosimetry devices. This study will help to determine which types of dosimeters can be used for quality assurance and in-vivo dosimetry measurements in a magnetic resonance imaginglinear accelerator (MRI-linac) system. Methods: The dosimeters were separated into two categories which were either exposed or not exposed to a strong magnetic field. In each category a set of dosimeters was irradiated with 0, 2, or 6 Gy. To expose the dosimeters to a magnetic field the samples in that category were place in a Bruker small animal magnetic resonance scanner at a field strength slightly greater than 2.5 T for at least 1 hour preirradiation and at least 1 hour post-irradiation. Irradiations were performed with a 6 MV x-ray beam from a Varian TrueBeam linac with 10×10 cm2 field at a 600 MU/min dose rate. The samples that received no radiation dose were used as control detectors. Results: The readouts of the dosimeters which were not exposed to a strong magnetic field were compared with the measurements of the dosimetry devices which were exposed to a magnetic field. No significant differences (less than 2% difference) in the performance of TLD, OSLD, or PRESAGE dosimeters due to exposure to a strong magnetic field were observed. Conclusion: Exposure to a strong magnetic field before and after irradiation does not appear to change the dosimetric properties of TLD, OSLD, or PRESAGE which indicates that these dosimeters have potential for use in quality assurance and in-vivo dosimetry in a MRI-linac. We plan to further test the effect of magnetic fields on these devices by irradiating them in the presence of a magnetic fields similar to those produced by a MRI-linac system. Elekta-MD Anderson Cancer Center Research Agreement
Isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans chromosome-specific probes using expressed sequence tags.

Clinical and environmental isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans exhibit a high degree of karyotypic variability. Analysis of the molecular basis of karyotypic differences requires a large set of chromosome-specific probes. We have determined the chromosomal distribution of a set of randomly selected C. neoformans cDNA clones and have explored the feasibility of identifying these clones through partial DNA sequencing. Forty-four randomly selected cDNA clones were labelled and hybridized to PFGE blots of C. neoformans. Expressed sequence tags were generated by sequencing the 5′-end of each clone. Thirty-five clones hybridized to single bands on PFGE blots. At least seven chromosomes were recognized by these probes. Homology searches identified potential homologs of several groups of proteins not previously studied in C. neoformans. PFGE hybridization and sequencing of random cDNA clones is an efficient method for identifying chromosomal-specific probes in fungi that lack extensive sets of genetic markers.
The hemagglutinin of reovirus type 3

1. The production of type 3 reovirus hemagglutinins is synchronous with that of infectious particles but their release into the fluid of infected tissue cultures proceeds at a very slow rate. 2. The hemagglutinin titre of the infected tissue culture fluids left at 37° C remains without significant change for at least eight months, long after the loss of infectivity. 3. The lack of correlation between the appearance of hemagglutinins and the infectious virus particles in the infected tissue culture fluid and the persistence of hemagglutinins in such fluids long after their loss of infectivity, appear to suggest that the hemagglutinins and infectious particles exist as separate entities.
Nuclear scaffolds and scaffold-attachment regions in higher plants.

Abstract DNA in the nuclei of eukaryotic organisms undergoes a hierarchy of folding to be packaged into interphase and metaphase chromosomes. The first level of packaging is the 11-nm nucleosome fiber, which is further coiled into a 30-nm fiber. Evidence from fungal and animal systems reveals the existence of higher order packaging consisting of loops of the 30-nm fibers attached to a proteinaceous nuclear scaffold by an interaction between the scaffold and specific DNA sequences called scaffold-attachment regions (SARs). Support for the ubiquitous nature of such higher order packaging of DNA is presented here by our work with plants. We have isolated scaffolds from tobacco nuclei using buffers containing lithium diiodosalicylate to remove histones and then using restriction enzymes to remove the DNA not closely associated with the scaffold. We have used Southern hybridization to show that the DNA remaining bound to the scaffolds after nuclease digestion includes SARs flanking three root-specific tobacco genes. This assay for SARs is termed the endogenous assay because it identifies genomic sequences as SARs by their endogenous association with the scaffold. Another assay, the exogenous assay, depends upon the ability of scaffolds to specifically bind exogenously added DNA fragments containing SARs. The tobacco scaffolds specifically bind a well-characterized yeast SAR, and cloned DNA fragments derived from the 3'-flanking regions of the root-specific genes are confirmed to contain SARs by this exogenous assay.
Substrate Throughprint In Low Scatter Mirrors

Data is presented which details investigations of substrate throughprint in low scatter nickel plated aluminum mirrors. Effects of fabrication procedures are examined. A novel method is described for photographically recording the visible light scattering of mirror surfaces at near specular angles. Application of the technique to quantitative scatter measurement is considered. Use of the test for inprocess inspection is described.© (1976) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Implantable defibrillators for high-risk patients with heart failure who are awaiting cardiac transplantation

Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the operative risk and efficacy of implantable defibrillators for preventing sudden death in patients with heart failure awaiting transplantation. The average waiting time for elective cardiac transplantation is 6 months to 1 year. Sudden cardiac death is the major source of mortality in outpatients in stable condition awaiting cardiac transplantation. The efficacy of implantable defibrillator therapy in this population is not established. We analyzed the operative risk, time to appropriate shock, and sudden death in 15 patients determined to be at high risk of sudden death who were accepted onto the outpatient cardiac transplant waiting list. Nonfatal postoperative complications occurred in two (13%) subjects with epicardial defibrillating lead systems and in none with transvenous lead systems. Defibrillation energies were 16 ± 2 J versus 24 ± 2 J with epicardial and transvenous lead systems, respectively. Sudden death free survival until transplantation was 93%. Most of the patients (60%) had an appropriate shock during a mean follow-up of 11 ± 12 months. The mean time to an appropriate shock was 3 ± 3 months. Hospital readmission was required in three (20%) subjects to await transplantation on an urgent basis. However, two of these subjects had received appropriate shocks before readmission. In selected patients at high risk for sudden death while on the outpatient cardiac transplant waiting list, the operative risk is low and adequate defibrillation energies can be obtained to allow implantable defibrillator placement. Most subjects will have an appropriate shock as outpatients before transplantation, and sudden death free survival is excellent. Even in patients eventually requiring readmission to await transplantation on an urgent basis, there is a high likelihood of appropriate device discharge before decompensation.
Experimental studies of seismic behavior of rocks under crustal conditions

Abstract Earthquakes associated with reservoir filling seem to be restricted to the shallow crust and, therefore, occur under modest confining pressure and temperature in rocks which are probably saturated with water under pressure and in which joints and other discontinuities play an important role. With the exception of scale, all of these parameters can be simulated in the laboratory. Only two mechanisms probably need to be considered for shallow crustal earthquakes — brittle fracture and frictional stick—slip. Both of these phenomena have received considerable attention because of their potential application to seismicity. The two types of laboratory experiment currently being carried out involve either specimens a few centimeters in size, which can be subjected to the full range of crustal pressure, temperature, and pore pressure, or specimens several meters in size which are studied in situ at atmospheric pressure and temperature. We review progress in experimental studies for both these procedures, with particular attention to the role of effective pressure, rock type, gouge thickness, and temperature. The scaling of laboratory results to geologic conditions is still uncertain, although efforts have been made to determine directly the size effect and parameters such as stiffness, which are probably critical in scaling.
HIV infection and sexual risk among men who have sex with men and women (MSMW): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives To estimate the number of men who have sex with men and women who are HIV-positive in the United States, and to compare HIV prevalence rates between men who have sex with men and women, men who have sex with men only, and men who have sex with women exclusively. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of reports referencing HIV prevalence and men who have sex with men and women. We searched PubMed and Ovid PsycINFO for peer-reviewed, U.S.-based articles reporting on HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men and women. We conducted event rate, effect size, moderation and sensitivity analyses. Results We estimate that 1.0% of U.S. males are bisexually-behaving, and that 121,800 bisexually-behaving men are HIV-positive. Men who have sex with men and women are less than half as likely to be HIV-positive as men who have sex with men only (16.9% vs. 33.3%; OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.54), but more than five times as likely to be HIV-positive as men who have sex with women exclusively (18.3% vs. 3.5%; OR = 5.71, 95% CI: 3.47, 9.39). They are less likely to engage in unprotected receptive anal intercourse than men who have sex with men only (15.9% vs. 35.0%; OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.28, 0.46). Men who have sex with men and women in samples with high racial/ethnic minority proportions had significantly higher HIV prevalence than their counterparts in low racial/ethnic minority samples. Conclusions This represents the first meta-analysis of HIV prevalence in the U.S. between men who have sex with men and women and men who have sex with men only. Data collection, research, and HIV prevention and care delivery specifically tailored to men who have sex with men and women are necessary to better quantify and ameliorate this population’s HIV burden.
The geography of adult homelessness in the US: Validation of state and county estimates

This study models geographic variations in the US in lifetime occurrence of homelessness, length of homeless experience, and point-in-time estimates based on socioeconomic, demographic, and disability indicators, among 13,931 respondents in the National Comorbidity Replication and the National Latino Asian American surveys. It uses a small area estimation methodology to estimate county and state levels of homelessness. This study demonstrates high validity for the state estimates, but not for counties. Overall, the model generates a point-in-time estimate of adult homeless persons at 377,000, and an adult lifetime rate of 4.7% of the household adult population.
Fuel Reforming using a Microdischarge Assisted Dielectric Barrier Discharge and the Reformed Fuel Effects on Bunsen Flame Structure

Summary form only given. In order to obtain fuel quality tolerant and stable lean combustion technology we explored the feasibility of plasma fuel reforming and applying the reformed fuel on combustion. Three different plasma sources are used as a non-thermal plasma source for reforming fuels into hydrogen and low hydrocarbons, which are dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD), and microdischarge assisted DBD discharge. The effects of the reformed fuel on combustion characteristics have been experimentally investigated in Bunsen burner flame. When microdischarges are incorporated with large volume diffuse feature of DBD, we can obtain the large volume stable uniform discharge plasma with higher density and the breakdown voltage of DBD can be lowered owing to the generation of reactive radicals and high energy electrons by microdischarges at low-voltages. The reformed fuel species are also numerically calculated using a KINEMA/ELENDIF and compared with experimental results.
2B4 Utilizes ITAM-Containing Receptor Complexes to Initiate Intracellular Signaling and Cytolysis

2B4 is a member of the SLAM receptor family capable of activating NK cell cytotoxicity in the context of EBV infection. SAP (SLAM Associated Protein) deficiency causes defective signaling downstream of SLAM family receptors and high susceptibility to EBV. 2B4 costimulates natural cytotoxicity receptor (NCR) and TCR initiated signals to induce cellular cytotoxicity and cytokine release. The 2B4-SAP signal transduction pathway is not predicted to overlap with the TCR-ITAM pathway, although SAP is required for some TCR-induced signals. We therefore examined the functional relationship between SLAM family receptor 2B4 and ITAM-containing adaptor complexes. Removal of FcɛRIγ or CD3ζ-containing complexes, using genetically manipulated cell lines or siRNA specific suppression, significantly reduces 2B4-initiated functions in NK and T cells, respectively. Consistent with this relationship, Syk and ZAP-70 are capable of transducing 2B4 signals for calcium mobilization and cytolysis. Furthermore, ITAM-containing molecules constitutively associate with SAP. These results suggest a potential physical association between 2B4 and the ITAM receptor complexes that is required for 2B4-initiated signaling and cell-mediated killing.
Pharmacokinetics of atenolol in patients treated with chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.

Atenolol is a relatively selective beta1-adrenoceptor blocking agent devoid of partial agonist or membrane stabilizing properties.1,2 The drug is not significantly bound to plasma proteins and it is excreted in the urine unchanged.3,4 The elimination half-life in subjects with normal renal function is six to seven hours.3,5 However, since the elimination of the drug is closely related to glomerular filtration rate (GFR), its half-life is prolonged in subjects with impaired renal function proportionately to the decrease in GFR.6 In dialysis patients, there is very little elimination of the drug during the interdialytic period. The apparent plasma half-life of atenolol in these patients ranges between 42 and 73 hours.7–10 However, during a standard hemodialysis procedure of four hours, plasma concentration decreases by approximately 50%.10 No data are available on the effects of peritoneal dialysis on the elimination half-life of this drug. The purpose of this study was to determine the plasma half-life of this drug in patients treated with chronic peritoneal dialysis or chronic hemodialysis.
Central city fiscal strains: the public costs of private growth

Corporate and union power shaped city responses to the violent breakdown in social control. Public employment expanded rapidly in the wake of the riots, as cities attempted to pacify those who found little place in the city’s emerging economy. This imposed new costs on the public budget. Corporate and union power also shaped the city response to the constraints on economic growth. Public capital spending, such as urban renewal, also grew in response to the emerging office economy. This too imposed new costs on the public budget. Did the public policies of social control and economic growth have a role in generating fiscal strain, the symptoms of which first became visible in the 1970s? How effective was the new economic growth in counteracting the fiscal strains normally attributed to industrial and residential decline?
Neuromuscular junction blocking agents: an initial screening bioassay.

A simple, rapid and sensitive in vivo bioassay for the initial screening of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) blocking agents has been accomplished. The i.v. retro-orbital plexus (IVROP) mode of injection was utilized, for the first time, in conjunction with the mouse inclined screen bioassay.
Undulator fields and electron trajectories at the end of a helical undulator

Abstract The magnetic field structure outside the entrance to a bifilar helically wound free electron laser (FEL) undulator is calculated and used to determine the incoming electron beam trajectories. The beam focusing or defocusing effects due to the stray magnetic fields are calculated and compared for different winding configurations to evaluate the optimum design.
Antimicrobial action of the American cranberry constituents; phenolics, anthocyanins, and organic acids, against Escherichia coli O157:H7

We investigated the antimicrobial effect of constituents of the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon); sugar plus organic acids, phenolics, and anthocyanins, against Escherichia coli O157:H7. Each fractional component was assayed over a 24-h period with 5-log initial inocula to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), and log CFU/ml reductions, at their native pH and neutral pH. Each fraction produced significant reductions (P<0.05) at the native pH: MICs for sugars plus organic, phenolics, and anthocyanins were 5.6/2.6 Brix/acid (citric acid equivalents) 2.70g/L (gallic acid equivalent), and 14.80mg/L (cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent), respectively. Sugars plus organic acids at native pH (3) produced a reduction below detectable limits (<1 log CFU/ml) compared to the control at 24h for 11.3/5.2 and 5.6/2.6 Brix/acid. Phenolics at native pH (4) produced reductions below detectable limits compared to the control at 24h and initial inocula for treatments of 5.40 and 2.70g/L. Anthocyanins at native pH (2) produced reductions below detectable limits for treatments of 29.15 and 14.80mg/L cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents. Neutralized phenolics and anthocyanins had the same MIC and MBC as those at their native pH. Neutralized sugars plus organic acids did not inhibit bacterial growth compared to the control. Neutralized phenolics reduced bacteria below detectable limits in treatments of 5.40g/L and 2.70g/L compared to the control. Neutralized anthocyanins reduced bacterial growth below detectable limits at the concentration of 29.15mg/L, but at 14.80mg/L there was no significant reduction. Stationary-phase cells of E. coli O157:H7 were treated with 5% of each fraction in 0.8% NaCl for 20min and viewed under transmission electron microscopy. All fractions caused significant damage compared the control. Sugars plus organic acids caused visible osmotic stress, while phenolics and anthocyanins caused disintegration of the outer membrane.