cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Unsteady Wake With Trailing Edge Coolant Ejection on Turbine Blade Film Cooling

Detailed film cooling effectiveness distributions along a modeled turbine rotor blade under the combined effects of an upstream trailing edge unsteady wake with coolant ejection are presented using the pressure sensitive paint (PSP) mass transfer analogy method. The experiment is conducted in a low speed wind tunnel facility with a five blade linear cascade. The exit Reynolds number based on the axial chord is 370,000. Unsteady wakes and trailing edge coolant jets are produced by a spoked wheel-type wake generator with hollow rods equipped with several coolant ejections from holes. The coolant-to-mainstream density ratios for both the blade and trailing edge coolant ejection range from 1.5 to 2.0 for simulating realistic engine conditions. Blade blowing ratio studies are 0.5 and 1.0 on the suction surface and 1.0 and 2.0 on the pressure surface. The trailing edge jet blowing ratio and Strouhal numbers are 1.0 and 0.12, respectively. The results show that the unsteady wake reduces the overall film cooling effectiveness. However, the unsteady wake with trailing edge coolant ejection enhances the overall effectiveness. The results also show that the overall filming cooling effectiveness increases by using heavier coolant for trailing edge ejection and for blade surface film cooling.
Biliary epithelial cells from mice with congenital polycystic kidney disease are hyperresponsive to epidermal growth factor.

Biliary Epithelial Cells from Mice with Congenital Polycystic Kidney Disease Are Hyperresponsive to Epidermal Growth Factor
New method for mechanistic studies of cardiomyoplasty: Three-dimensional MRI reconstructions

Abstract The imaging modalities used to study the mechanism of cardiomyoplasty, such as echocardiography and radionuclide scintigraphy, are seriously limited by their two-dimensional format. Radiofrequency-pulse-tagged magnetic resonance imaging was used to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of the left ventricle throughout the cardiac cycle after cardiomyoplasty. In 2 dogs that had undergone conditioned, right anterior cardiomyoplasty, wrap stimulation with alternating heartbeats was found to produce marked translation of the left ventricle in the short-axis plane, rotation around the long axis, and displacement along the long axis with net long-axis compression; there was no augmentation of radial squeeze. The findings from this study suggest that any Systolic augmentation produced by the right anterior wrap is due primarily to long-axis compression. Our study demonstrates a new, more accurate technique of assessing the mechanical effects of cardiomyoplasty in three dimensions, thus permitting a more rational optimization of wrap configurations, and emphasizes the perils of using standard two-dimensional imaging modalities in this setting of exaggerated three-dimensional motion.
Effect of center block structure on the physical and rheological properties of ABA block copolymers. Part II. Rheological properties

The effect of the chemical structure of the center block on the rheological properties of ABA block copolymers with polystyrene end blocks has been investigated. The chemical structure of the center blocks investigated in the present paper are polybutadiene, polyisoprene, ethylene/butene copolymer, ethylene/propylene copolymer and polydimethyl-siloxane. The chemical structure of the center block was found to have a pronounced effect on the rheological properties of the ABA block copolymer melts. The long range relaxation times of these block copolymer melts increases with increasing incompatibility between the styrene block and the center block. However, the rheological properties of the block copolymers are not influenced significantly by the glass transition or the entanglement molecular weight of the center block.
Cerebral capillary telangiectasias: a meta-analysis and review of the literature

As a result of their presumed benign natural history, cerebral capillary telangiectasias (CCTs) are infrequently addressed in the neurosurgical literature. We performed a comprehensive review of CCTs via the PubMed database to synthesize overall epidemiological, radiographic, natural history, and treatment results. Across ten series with 203 patients, mean age was 47, and 45 % were male [95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.30-0.65]. Notably, 78 % of CCTs were in the pons (95 % CI, 0.58-1.0). Six percent of CCTs were symptomatic. Across five radiographic series, all lesions enhanced after gadolinium, and all were hypointense on gradient echo sequences. Thirty-three percent were hypointense on T1-weighted pre-contrast imaging (95 % CI, 0.2-0.51), 49 % were hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging (95 % CI, 0.31-0.72), and 74 % were hypointense on diffusion-weighted imaging (95 % CI, 0.5-1.0). Notably, 37 % were associated with a prominent draining vein (95 % CI, 0.21-0.6), and 11 % with a developmental venous anomaly (95 % CI, 0.04-0.25). Across four observational studies with 47 patients, there was no observed change in lesion morphology or hemorrhage in 65.7 patient-years of follow-up. Although the vast majority of CCTs are managed conservatively, we found ten cases of patients treated with surgical excision. We confirm that CCTs are a benevolent entity with a predilection for the pons. They have distinctive radiographic features including their lack of mass effect, consistent enhancement on T1-weighted sequences and hypointensity on gradient echo sequences, and common isointensity on pre-contrast T1-weighted and T2-weighted images. Management for these lesions has been nonoperative in almost all cases.
The Influence of Perceived Task Difficulty and Importance on Automation Use

Automation use can be analyzed by looking at compliance rates (agreeing with automated alerts) and reliance rates (agreeing with automated nonalerts). The authors investigated how compliance and reliance rates in a target detection task depend on the perceived difficulty and importance of the trials and on the feedback given after each trial. Results show that focusing on trial importance significantly increased participants' compliance rates while reliance rates remained stable. When no feedback was presented, participants were more likely to comply with the automated aid in trials they perceived as difficult, but this trend reversed when importance was introduced and correlated with difficulty.
An optimal load flow study by the generalized reduced gradient approach

Abstract A new operations research model of optimal load flow solved by nonlinear programming methods (the generalized reduced gradient algorithm) is presented. As compared to existing optimal power flow models, this model incorporates network performance variables such as scheduled bus voltages as well as topological and elemental constraints. In addition, the development, sensitivity, optimality and efficiency of the model are explored. Several example problems are implemented and solved. Detailed discussions about the ability of the model to work under a wide variety of network contingencies such as loss of generation or load, loss of a line, and network faults are presented. The model is also briefly examined for its use in the study of network voltage regulation.
Integration of cellular adhesion and Wnt signaling: Interactions between N-cadherin and LRP5 and their role in regulating bone mass†

The integration of cellular adhesion with transcriptional outputs of the Wnt signaling pathway has long been an important topic of study (1). Previous work has focused on the dual functionality of β-catenin, in adhesion and in transcriptional activation downstream of Wnt ligands, as the key nexus in mediating this integration. New work by Hay and colleagues presented in this volume of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research has identified another point of interaction (2). The authors also provide evidence that manipulating this interaction can have functional consequences in regulating bone mass.
The search for million degree gas through the N VII hyperfine line

Gas in the million degree range occurs in a variety of astronomical environments, and it may be the main component of the elusive missing baryons at low redshift. The N VII ion is found in this material and has a hyperfine spin-flip transition with a rest frequency of 53.042 GHz, which can be observed for z > 0.1, when it is shifted into a suitably transparent radio band. We used the 42-48 GHz spectrometer on the Green Bank Telescope to search for both emission and absorption from this N VII transmission. For absorption studies, 3C 273, 3C 279, 3C 345, and 4C +39.25 were observed, but no features were seen above the 5 σ level. For emission line studies, we observed Abell 1835, Abell 2390, and the star-forming galaxy PKS 1345+12, but no features were seen exceeding 5 σ. We examine whether the strongest emission feature, in Abell 2390 (3.7 σ), and the strongest absorption feature, toward 4C +39.25 (3.8 σ), might be expected from theoretical models. The emission feature would require ~1010 M☉ of 106 K gas, which is inconsistent with X-ray limits for the O VII Kα line, so it is unlikely to be real. The N VII absorption feature requires a N VII column of 6 × 1016 cm-2, higher than model predictions by at least an order of magnitude, which makes it inconsistent with model expectations. The individual observations were less than 1 hr in length, so for lengthy observations, we show that N VII absorption line observations can begin to be useful in the search for hot intergalactic gas.
The (bi)sexual brain. Science & Society Series on Sex and Science.

Most animals begin their lives as a single cell, grow and develop into one of two sexes and, when mature, interact with the other sex to conceive a new single cell that starts the cycle anew. This basic equation underlies all aspects of sexuality; that is, specific traits evolved to attract members of the opposite sex, ensure copulation and thereby reproduction. It also suggests that all life forms evolved from ancestors that could adopt both male and female roles (Fig 1)—bisexual life forms—and we can find elements of bisexuality throughout all life processes, including the brain functions in higher animals that control sexual behaviour. But, semantics can manipulate perception: the general view still defines male and female in regard to the opposite sex and focuses on differences rather than similarities. However, to explain sexual behaviour, there is a new perspective that regards it as an emergent property of specific areas of the brain. Figure 1. Hermaphrodite, from a Pompeian fresco, c . 1800 (coloured engraving), French School (nineteenth century)/Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France/Archives Charmet/The Bridgeman Art Library. How the brain controls sexual behaviour is the topic of an interdisciplinary science that is rooted in ancient myths and scriptures [[1],[2]]. Initially, humans and animals were regarded as innately bisexual: an individual's sexuality could be placed on a continuum between masculinity and femininity. Two centuries ago, the Viennese psychiatrists Richard von Krafft‐Ebing and Sigmund Freud, and the German otolaryngologist Wilhelm Fleiss, posited that the mechanisms controlling sexual behaviours were equally represented in specific ‘centres’ in the brain, and that a dynamic tension between these centres accounts for the degree of masculinity or femininity. Their view was based on the discovery that, during embryogenesis, the ovaries and testes developed from a common anlagen (precursor), whereas the accessory sex structures developed …
A method for complex interpolation of spectral segments

Abstract A method for complex interpolation of FT NMR spectra is presented. The technique assumes the periodic extension of a complex spectral segment and makes use of a discrete Fourier transformation. Spectral resolution is increased to the predicted 1/THz, where T is the acquisition time, for previously nonzero supplemented FID's. In addition, spectral definition of peak positions, intensities and linewidths is enhanced. This procedure significantly reduces additional computer data storage requirements over that of the more conventional interpolation technique of zero filling and is easily implemented on existing NMR computer systems.
Light hadrons with improved staggered quarks: Approaching the continuum limit

We have extended our program of QCD simulations with an improved Kogut-Susskind quark action to a smaller lattice spacing, approximately 0.09 fm. Also, the simulations with $a\ensuremath{\approx}0.12$ fm have been extended to smaller quark masses. In this paper we describe the new simulations and computations of the static quark potential and light hadron spectrum. These results give information about the remaining dependences on the lattice spacing. We examine the dependence of computed quantities on the spatial size of the lattice, on the numerical precision in the computations, and on the step size used in the numerical integrations. We examine the effects of autocorrelations in ``simulation time'' on the potential and spectrum. We see possible effects of decays, or coupling to two-meson states in the ${0}^{++}$ and ${1}^{+}$ meson propagators. A state consistent with $\ensuremath{\pi}+K$ is seen as a ``parity partner'' in the Goldstone kaon propagator, and we make a preliminary mass computation for a radially excited ${0}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ meson.
Variability in psychometric test scores: The importance of the practice effect in patient study design

Abstract Johnson, Brian F., Kathleen Hoch and Johanna Johnson: Variability in Psychometric Test Scores: The Importance of the Practice Effect in Patient Study Design. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. & Biol. Psychiat. 1991, 15 (5): 625–635. 1. 1. Practice effect was determined for six types of psychometric tests given on eight occasions. 2. 2. No plateau occurred. Stepwise mean decrease in Choice Reaction Time, Short Term Memory Errors, and Card Sorting Time, and stepwise mean increase in Mathematical, Visual Vigilance, and Digit-Symbol Substitution scores developed progressively. 3. 3. Pre-trial training will usually fail to prevent practice effect from confounding effect of any intervention. 4. 4. Design of drug intervention studies must take account of the continuing practice effect.
Site-matched calcaneal measurements of broad-band ultrasound attenuation and single X-ray absorptiometry: Do they measure different skeletal properties?

Because of the differences in the interactions of ultrasound and x-ray waves with bone, quantitative ultrasound (QUS) techniques may yield information about skeletal status not accessible by regular bone densitometry (BD) techniques. However, relatively strong correlations have been reported between broad-band ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and several x-ray-based BD methods. We assessed the precision and association of single x-ray absorptiometry (SXA) and BUA of the calcaneus. We examined both BUA and SXA at the calcaneus using special software for matching the regions of interest. An algorithm was derived and applied to correct the observed correlation coefficients for the attenuation effect caused by the precision errors for BUA and SXA. In a group of 33 volunteers covering a wide range of age and calcaneal bone mineral densities, the site-matched and precision-adjusted correlation coefficient between BUA and SXA was r = 0.58, with a standard error of the estimate (SEE) of 14.41 dB/MHz, or 17.08%. For the subgroup of 25 women the correlation was stronger, with r = 0.72 and SEE = 11.53 dB/MHz, or 14.33%. SXA precision was 0.79% for the regular region of interest (ROI) and 1.22% for the site-matched ROI. BUA precision was 2.76% for the entire subject group and 1.63% for women of age 40 or older. The observed correlation coefficient between ultrasound and x-ray based techniques of the order of 0.7 is significant, but it leaves about 50% of the variability unexplained. It remains to be investigated to what extent the unexplained 50% is related to bone strength or structure or whether it reflects a variability unrelated to osteoporosis status.
A biocompatible condensation reaction for controlled assembly of nanostructures in living cells

Through controlled synthesis and molecular assembly, biological systems are able to organize molecules into supramolecular structures that carry out sophisticated processes. Although chemists have reported a few examples of supramolecular assembly in water, the controlled covalent synthesis of large molecules and structures in vivo has remained challenging. Here we report a condensation reaction between 1,2-aminothiol and 2-cyanobenzothiazole that occurs in vitro and in living cells under the control of either pH, disulfide reduction or enzymatic cleavage. In vitro, the size and shape of the condensation products, and the nanostructures subsequently assembled, were different in each case and could thus be controlled by tuning the structure of the monomers. Direct imaging of the products obtained in the cells revealed their locations-near the Golgi bodies under enzymatic cleavage control-demonstrating the feasibility of a controlled and localized reaction in living cells. This intracellular condensation process enabled the imaging of the proteolytic activity of furin.
ALTERED VENTRICULAR FUNCTION DURING SEPTAL AND RIGHT VENTRICULAR ISCHEMIA IN ANESTHETIZED DOGS

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of right and septal coronary arterial ligation on ventricular function. Regional myocardial flow was measured using 9 micron radioactive microspheres. Following septal coronary ligation septal flow decreased 45.6% from control; following right coronary arterial ligation right ventricular free wall flow fell 41.2% indicating nearly equivalent degrees of ischemia were produced. Although ventricular systolic pressures and stroke volumes remained stable during septal and right coronary arterial ligations, right ventricular function was significantly depressed as evidenced by a fall in right ventricular peak dP/dt by 19% and 14% respectively, and a significant (P < 0.05) shift in the Frank-Starling function curve to the right. Septal coronary arterial ligation did not cause a significant shift in the left ventricular function curves. Following selective ligation, elevation of aortic pressure significantly increased coronary flow to the septum but failed to increase flow to the right or left ventricular free walls. The fact that left coronary arterial flow failed to increase with greater left ventricular pressure loads indicates loss of coronary autoregulation. This suggests that acute ischemia in one region may result in significant coronary vasoconstriction in a nonischemic region. The acute changes in right ventricular function demonstrate that contraction of the ventricular septum contributes more to right ventricular than left ventricular performance.
Implementation and evaluation of an automated patient death notification policy at a tertiary pediatric oncology referral center.

Abstract Background Not knowing about a child's death can result in poor quality of care coordination among staff and poor quality bereavement care for families. The purpose of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate an automated Patient Death Notification policy and procedure (PDNPP). Measures Baseline and follow-up surveys of clinical staff. Intervention Implementation of a PDNPP that created an automated, systematic process for staff notification of patient deaths. Outcomes Ninety-six percent of the staff rated the PDNPP as a significant improvement; 91% reported being "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with the PDNPP, whereas only 44% of the staff were satisfied with the process at baseline. Conclusions/Lessons Learned Implementation of an automated PDNPP was feasible and improved staff satisfaction about how they were informed of patient deaths. Staff also reported being notified about patient deaths more quickly, performing their jobs more efficiently, being able to avoid doing something that might upset the deceased patient's family, and being able to better provide support to bereaved families.
Bone repletion in vitro: Evidence for a locally regulated bone repair response to PTH treatment

Abstract Normally bone formation and resorption are balanced by coupling, but in some conditions such as dietary Ca deficiency, bone resorption exceeds formation, resulting in bone loss (termed bone depletion in previous animal studies). When conditions causing depletion return to normal, a compensatory decrease in resorption and increase in formation occurs, leading to replacement of the lost bone. To test if this recovery process, termed bone repletion, might be locally regulatedupling we determined whether cellular and metabolic changes associated with repletion in vivo would as in co occur in vitro in neonatal mouse calvaria. To increase resorption and decrease formation, serumfree cultures were treated with parathyroid hormone (10 nM bovine PTH 1–84 ). Although formation was inhibited ([ 3 H]proline incorporation into [ 3 H]hydroxyproline), the number of bone cells increased during PTH treatment. To simulate repletion, PTH was removed after 3–9 days. Within 6 days of removal of PTH, resorption (osteoclast numbers and 45 Ca release) decreased to control levels and bone formation increased to exceed untreated control levels. Autoradiographs of [ 3 H]proline incorporation suggested an increase in the number of active bone forming cells (compared to untreated controls) after removal of PTH. These cellular and metabolic changes were similar to changes which occur during depletion and repletion in vivo . The results support the hypothesis that reversal of the resorptive processes initiated by PTH in organ cultures can occur in the absence of circulating factors. The apparent increase in the components of bone formation that were observed after PTH withdrawal may have resulted from generation of increased numbers of osteoblastic cells during PTH treatment.
Gastroesophageal reflux in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis referred for lung transplantation.

Objectives The association between gastroesophageal reflux disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has not been fully characterized. The aims of this study were to determine in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (1) the prevalence of reflux symptoms, (2) the esophageal manometric profile, and (3) the prevalence of proximal and distal esophageal reflux. Methods Between May 1999 and March 2006, 30 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were referred to the Swallowing Center at the University of California San Francisco. Each patient underwent a structured symptom assessment, esophageal manometry, and 24-hour dual sensor ambulatory pH monitoring. Results Twenty (67%) patients had abnormal esophageal reflux. Typical reflux symptoms, although more common in those with reflux, were not reliable as a screening test (sensitivity 65%, specificity 71%). Sixty-five percent of patients with abnormal reflux had a hypotensive lower esophageal sphincter. Abnormal esophageal peristalsis was more common among those with reflux (50% vs 10%; P = .03). In 9 (30%) patients, acid refluxed into the proximal esophagus for over 1% of the study time. Conclusions A majority of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis have pathologic reflux. Symptoms do not distinguish between those with and without reflux. In these patients, reflux is associated with a hypotensive lower esophageal sphincter and abnormal esophageal peristalsis, and often extends into the proximal esophagus.
Problems of the commons: group behavior, cooperation and sanctioning in a two-harbor experiment

This paper analyzes individual and group behavior in an experimental commons. Different factors that can help avoid the tragedy of the commons are studied in four experimental settings: separation of a larger commons into smaller commons (two harbors), knowledge/experience available to appropriators, communication within appropriator groups and the possibility of formal and informal sanctioning of group members. Subject populations include undergraduate students as well as professionals working in the Maine lobster and groundfish industries. This design enables a behavioral comparison between students and professionals, as well as a comparison between professionals in these two mutually exclusive fisheries. Results show that group size, communication, geographic separation and subjects' ability to solve the coordination game caused by this separation all contribute to appropriation efficiency on the commons.
Small cell carcinoma versus other lung malignancies: diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration cytology.

BACKGROUND When a diagnosis of small cell carcinoma is reached in a patient with a lung mass, a surgical treatment approach is no longer considered and chemotherapy becomes the treatment of choice. The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of small cell carcinoma with the diagnoses of other lung malignancies. The capacity of this technique to distinguish between these two categories is assessed. METHODS Two hundred fifty-nine consecutive transthoracic fine needle aspirations of lung tissue from 235 patients with histologic diagnosis of malignancy were reviewed. The aspirates were performed over a 10-year period at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, Miami, Florida. Two hundred and forty-two fine-needle aspirations from 221 patients yielded satisfactory smears and were included in the study. Fourteen patients were excluded. The cytologic diagnoses were classified into 5 categories: 1) small cell carcinoma (18 smears, 7%); 2) other lung malignancies (158 smears, 65%); 3) suspicious for malignancy (19 smears, 8%); 4) inflammatory process (7 smears, 3%); and 5) negative for malignancy (40 smears, 17%). RESULTS The histologic diagnoses were divided into two groups: small cell carcinomas (29 smears, 12%), and other lung malignancies (213 smears, 88%). The efficiency of fine-needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of these two groups was 96% versus 88%, respectively, with an equal specificity of 100%, and a sensitivity of 67% versus 81%. Once the diagnosis of malignancy was established, fine-needle aspiration cytology was found to be highly accurate in distinguishing small cell carcinoma from other neoplasms. CONCLUSION We conclude that fine-needle aspiration cytology of the lung is an accurate diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of lung malignancies and is an excellent technique for distinguishing small cell carcinoma from other malignant neoplasms. It can be used with confidence to select treatment modalities and to avoid unnecessary surgeries in patients with lung malignancies. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2000;90:279–85. © 2000 American Cancer Society.
Soluble immune complexes in patients with diabetes mellitus: detection and pathological significance

A series of 148 diabetic patients were studied for the presence of soluble immune complexes using five different screening techniques. The percentage of positive results was 26% with direct nephelometry and PEG-C4, 27% with PEG-IgG, 33% with radiolabelled Clq binding and 57% with a specific technique for detection of insulin-anti-insulin immune complexes. The percentages of positivity in a group of 40 healthy donors were 2.5% for direct nephelometry and radiolabelled Clq binding, 5% for the PEG-C4 technique, and 10% for the PEG-IgG technique. Sixteen percent of the patients studied had positive results in three or more of the screening tests. When the results of the different screening tests in all patients and controls were compared among themselves, we found correlation coefficients between-0.01 (p = 0.854) when the direct nephelometry and the PEG-C4 tests were compared and 0.29 (p < 0.0003) when the direct nephelometry and PEG-IgG tests were compared. When the results of each test for the whole group of patients and the group of normal healthy donors were compared, significant differences were found for direct nephelometry (p = 0.004), PEG-IgG, PEG-C4, and insulin-anti-insulin immune complexes (p < 0.0001), as well as for anti-insulin antibodies (p < 0.001); no significant difference was observed when the results of radiolabelled Clq binding in diabetics and controls were compared (p = 0.2). Significant correlations were found between the results of several screening tests for soluble immune complexes, insulin dosage, and clinical or biochemical expressions of microangiopathy, nephropathy, or vasculopathy. These correlations were more consistent when we divided the patients into normal or abnormal groups for proteinuria, microangiopathy, and diabetic complications and considered the number of positive tests in each patient rather than the results of individual tests.
Cooperative Interactions between RUNX2 and Homeodomain Protein-binding Sites Are Critical for the Osteoblast-specific Expression of the Bone Sialoprotein Gene

The bone sialoprotein (Bsp) gene provides an excellent model for studying mechanisms controlling osteoblast-specific gene expression. Although the RUNX2 transcription factor directly regulates many osteoblast-related genes, its function in Bsp expression remains uncertain. By using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis in MC3T3-E1 (clone MC-4) preosteoblast cells, RUNX2 was shown to bind a chromatin fragment containing the proximal Bsp promoter. Two putative RUNX2-binding sites (R1 and R2) were identified within this region of the mouse, rat, and human genes and were shown to bind RUNX2 in vitro and in vivo (by ChIP assay). Site-specific mutagenesis established that both sites act as osteoblast-specific transcriptional enhancers and together account for nearly two-thirds of the total promoter activity. In addition, functional cooperativity was observed between the R2 site and an adjacent homeodomain protein-binding site previously characterized by this laboratory (the C site). All three sites (R1, R2, and C) are necessary for maximal promoter activity in osteoblasts. DLX5 in MC-4 cell nuclear extracts binds to the C site in vitro. Furthermore, ChIP assays revealed that DLX5 is selectively associated with chromatin in the vicinity of the C site only when Bsp is transcriptionally active. Finally, co-immunoprecipitation assays detected a physical complex containing DLX5 and RUNX2. Taken together, our data show that RUNX2 is a direct regulator of Bsp in osteoblasts and that it functions in cooperation with DLX5 or a related factor to activate osteoblast-specific gene expression.
Comparison of national and regional sediment quality guidelines for classifying sediment toxicity in California

A number of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) have been developed for relating chemical concentrations in sediment to their potential for effects on benthic macroinvertebrates, but there have been few studies evaluating the relative effectiveness of different SQG approaches. Here we apply 6 empirical SQG approaches to assess how well they predict toxicity in California sediments. Four of the SQG approaches were nationally derived indices that were established in previous studies: effects range median (ERM), logistic regression model (LRM), sediment quality guideline quotient 1 (SQGQ1), and Consensus. Two approaches were variations of nationally derived approaches that were recalibrated to California-specific data (CA LRM and CA ERM). Each SQG approach was applied to a standardized set of matched chemistry and toxicity data for California and an index of the aggregate magnitude of contamination (e.g., mean SQG quotient or maximum probability of toxicity) was calculated. A set of 3 thresholds for classification of the results into 4 categories of predicted toxicity was established for each SQG approach using a statistical optimization procedure. The performance of each SQG approach was evaluated in terms of correlation and categorical classification accuracy. Each SQG index had a significant, but low, correlation with toxicity and was able to correctly classify the level of toxicity for up to 40% of samples. The CA LRM had the best overall performance, but the magnitude of differences in classification accuracy among the SQG approaches was relatively small. Recalibration of the indices using California data improved performance of the LRM, but not the ERM. The LRM approach is more amenable to revision than other national SQGs, which is a desirable attribute for use in programs where the ability to incorporate new information or chemicals of concern is important. The use of a consistent threshold development approach appeared to be a more important factor than type of SQG approach in determining SQG performance. The relatively small change in classification accuracy obtained with regional calibration of these SQG approaches suggests that further calibration and normalization efforts are likely to have limited success in improving classification accuracy associated with biological effects. Fundamental changes to both SQG components and conceptual approach are needed to obtain substantial improvements in performance. These changes include updating the guideline values to include current use pesticides, as well as developing improved approaches that account for changes in contaminant bioavailability. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2012; 8: 597–609. © 2012 SETAC
Debugging support tool for MCAPI applications

The recently proposed MCAPI (Multicore Association Communication API) specification provides multicore programs developers with a standard API for inter-core messages-based communication and stream-based communication. Debugging MCAPI programs that use message-based communication is expected to be very challenging due to the non-determinism associated with the order of messages' arrivals at a core. In this paper we present a tool that uses an off-the-shelf SMT solver to symbolically explore all possible orders of messages arrival in an MCAPI program. If there is a specific order of messages arrival that leads to an error state, this order is presented to the user as a debugging aid.
Characterization of salt-extractable protein antigens from Brucella abortus by crossed immunoelectrophoresis and isoelectricfocusing

Salt-extractable protein antigens (CSP) from Brucella abortus strains 19 and 2308 (vaccine and virulent strains, respectively) were analysed by crossed immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) using rabbit antisera to protein antigens and by isoelectricfocusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide gels. The reference immunoelectrophoretic profiles developed for proteins from strain 19 and 2308 of B. abortus contained 20 and 25 immunoprecipitates, respectively. Serum from cows experimentally infected or hyperimmunized with live organisms produced up to 5 immunoprecipitates in CIE with the protein antigens. Absorption of rabbit sera with homologous B. abortus cells reduced, but did not eliminate all of the immunoprecipitates from rabbit sera, suggesting that the majority, but not all of the protein components, are exposed on the surface of the cell. In contrast, antibody to protein antigens in agglutinin-free absorbed serum from infected cattle could still be demonstrated by CIE, even though CIE with protein extracts from whole cells radioiodinated with the cell surface labeling reagent, diazoiodusulfanilic acid, indicated that these antigens may be at or near the surface of the cell. From CIE in heterologous systems we concluded that all proteins present in strain 19 preparations were partially or completely identical to those in strain 2308. The IEF studies paralleled the CIE studies and revealed that the protein profile from strain 2308 was more complex than the profile from strain 19. Major differences between the 2 strains were found in the pH region from 3.9 to 5.0, where strain 2308 exhibited 4 additional protein bands.
Saving wild tigers: A case study in biodiversity loss and challenges to be met for recovery beyond 2010

Wild tigers are being annihilated. Tiger range countries and their partners met at the 1st Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation in January 2010 to mandate the creation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program to double the number of tigers by 2022. Only 3200-3600 wild adult tigers remain, approximately half of the population estimated a decade ago. Tigers now live in only 13 countries, all of which are experiencing severe environmental challenges and degradation from the effects of human population growth, brisk economic expansion, rapid urbanization, massive infrastructure development and climate change. The overarching challenge of tiger conservation, and the conservation of biodiversity generally, is that there is insufficient demand for the survival of wild tigers living in natural landscapes. This allows the criminal activities of poaching wild tigers and their prey and trafficking in tiger derivatives to flourish and tiger landscapes to be diminished. The Global Tiger Recovery Program will support scaling up of practices already proven effective in one or more tiger range countries that need wider policy support, usually resources, and new transnational actions that enhance the effectiveness of individual country actions. The program is built on robust National Tiger Recovery Priorities that are grouped into themes: (i) strengthening policies that protect tigers; (ii) protecting tiger conservation landscapes; (iii) scientific management and monitoring; (iv) engaging communities; (v) cooperative management of international tiger landscapes; (vi) eliminating transnational illegal wildlife trade; (vii) persuading people to stop consuming tiger; (viii) enhancing professional capacity of policy-makers and practitioners; and (ix) developing sustainable, long-term financing mechanisms for tiger and biodiversity conservation.
An Electrical Effect on the Growth of Ice Crystals

IN the course of an investigation of electrical properties of ice1, it was noted that the structure of polycrystalline ice grown from liquid water was sensitive to whether or not an electric field was impressed on the sample during growth. In that work, samples were grown in a set of identical cells between gold-plated brass electrodes. Some of these cells were connected to a battery, some were open-circuited, and some were short-circuited. The qualitative observation was made that the crystallites produced in the cells connected to a battery during growth were substantially smaller than those in open-circuited cells and that these in turn were somewhat smaller than those of samples grown in short-circuited cells.
Obesity-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in obese and non-obese urban Philadelphia female adolescents.

Objectives: To examine relationships between knowledge, attitudinal and behavioral factors, and obesity and to determine how these factors influence obesity status in west Philadelphia female adolescents. Research Methods and Procedures: A matched-pairs study was conducted with 32 stature- and age-matched pairs of obese (body mass index and triceps skinfold ≥95th percentile of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I) and non-obese (body mass index and triceps skinfold between the 15th and 85th percentiles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I) female African American adolescents (aged 11 to 15 years), selected from a school-based study sample, based on obesity status and matching criteria. Adolescents were compared on the following measures: physical activity, inactivity, dietary intake, eating attitudes, health behavior knowledge, body image, self-esteem, and maturation status. Differences between obese and non-obese females were tested using paired t tests and Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank tests. Results: Physical activity, inactivity, and perception of ideal body size emerged as the most important contributory factors to obesity status. There were no statistically significant matched-pair differences in macronutrient and micronutrient intakes, self-esteem, eating attitudes, health behavior knowledge, or maturation status of these adolescents. Obese adolescents had significantly lower levels of physical activity, higher inactivity, and a larger perception of ideal body size than non-obese adolescents. Discussion: Knowledge and attitudinal factors (with the exception of perception of ideal body size) had far less association with obesity than activity-related behavioral factors. These findings suggest that future intervention strategies should pay particular attention to physical activity, inactivity, and body image attitudes.
Married to the Minister: The Status of the Clergy Spouse as Part of a Two-Person Single Career

Clergy spouses have long been considered unpaid partners in two-person single careers, but a number of social forces may have begun to challenge that, including the ordination of women and increasingly accepted alternatives to traditional family forms. This study surveyed more than 3,000 United Methodist clergy spouses to assess the status of that role, focusing especially on gender, age, and region of the United States. It was determined that gender has the strongest effect, as male spouses are significantly more likely to be nontraditional than their female counterparts. To a lesser degree, younger spouses and those not from the South are also more likely to act in nontraditional ways. Higher income and higher education were also found to be correlated with nontraditional behaviors. Although the large majority of respondents continue to replicate the traditional clergy spouse model, changes seem to be underway, led primarily by the male spouses of clergy women.
Long-term RNA interference from optimized siRNA expression constructs in adult mice

DNA constructs for small interfering RNA (siRNA) expression in mammalian cells have the potential for longer-term target gene knockdown than synthetic siRNAs. We compared in adult mice the efficacy and longevity of target gene knockdown from siRNA expression cassettes contained in plasmids, PCR-generated linear constructs or PCR constructs containing "dumbbell" ends using the hydrodynamic delivery method. Plasmid siRNA expression constructs were more effective than PCR constructs for target gene knockdown. The efficacy of the PCR constructs was improved by addition of short extensions beyond the transcription termination signal and greatly improved by addition of dumbbell ends. Constructs containing the H1 promoter were significantly less effective in mice than those containing the U6 promoter, whereas both promoters functioned equally well in cultured cells. Target gene knockdown perdured for at least 20 weeks in mice after delivery of either PCR or plasmid siRNA expression cassettes. These results will help guide RNAi vector design.
Variational methods on periodic and quasi-periodic solutions for the N-body problem

The purpose of this article is two fold. First, we show how quasi-periodic solutions for the N-body problem can be constructed by variational methods. We illustrate this by constructing uncountably many quasi-periodic solutions for the four- and six-body problems with equal masses. Second, we show by examples that a system of N masses can possess infinitely many simple or multiple choreographic solutions. In particular, it is shown that the four-body problem with equal masses has infinitely many double choreographic solutions and the six-body problem with equal masses has infinitely many simple and double choreographic solutions. Our approach is based on the technique of binary decomposition and some variational properties of Keplerian orbits.
Transcriptional control in the prereplicative phase of T4 development

Control of transcription is crucial for correct gene expression and orderly development. For many years, bacteriophage T4 has provided a simple model system to investigate mechanisms that regulate this process. Development of T4 requires the transcription of early, middle and late RNAs. Because T4 does not encode its own RNA polymerase, it must redirect the polymerase of its host, E. coli, to the correct class of genes at the correct time. T4 accomplishes this through the action of phage-encoded factors. Here I review recent studies investigating the transcription of T4 prereplicative genes, which are expressed as early and middle transcripts. Early RNAs are generated immediately after infection from T4 promoters that contain excellent recognition sequences for host polymerase. Consequently, the early promoters compete extremely well with host promoters for the available polymerase. T4 early promoter activity is further enhanced by the action of the T4 Alt protein, a component of the phage head that is injected into E. coli along with the phage DNA. Alt modifies Arg265 on one of the two α subunits of RNA polymerase. Although work with host promoters predicts that this modification should decrease promoter activity, transcription from some T4 early promoters increases when RNA polymerase is modified by Alt. Transcription of T4 middle genes begins about 1 minute after infection and proceeds by two pathways: 1) extension of early transcripts into downstream middle genes and 2) activation of T4 middle promoters through a process called sigma appropriation. In this activation, the T4 co-activator AsiA binds to Region 4 of σ70, the specificity subunit of RNA polymerase. This binding dramatically remodels this portion of σ70, which then allows the T4 activator MotA to also interact with σ70. In addition, AsiA restructuring of σ70 prevents Region 4 from forming its normal contacts with the -35 region of promoter DNA, which in turn allows MotA to interact with its DNA binding site, a MotA box, centered at the -30 region of middle promoter DNA. T4 sigma appropriation reveals how a specific domain within RNA polymerase can be remolded and then exploited to alter promoter specificity.
Construction of a self-excisable bacterial artificial chromosome containing the human cytomegalovirus genome and mutagenesis of the diploid TRL/IRL13 gene

The full-length genome of human cytomegalovirus strain AD169 was cloned as an infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) plasmid, pAD/Cre. The BAC vector, flanked by LoxP sites, was inserted immediately after the Us28 open reading frame without deletion of any viral sequences. The BAC vector contained the Cre recombinase-encoding gene disrupted by an intron under control of the simian virus 40 early promoter. When pAD/Cre was transfected into primary human foreskin fibroblast cells, Cre was expressed and mediated site-specific recombination between the two LoxP sites, excising the BAC DNA backbone. This gave rise to progeny virus that was wild type with the exception of an inserted 34-bp LoxP site. We performed site-directed mutagenesis on pAD/Cre to generate a series of viruses in which the TRL/IRL13 diploid genes were disrupted and subsequently repaired. The mutants reach the same titer as the wild-type virus, indicating that the TRL/IRL13 open reading frames are not required for virus growth in cell culture. The sequence of the TRL13 open reading frame in the low-passage Toledo strain of human cytomegalovirus is quite different from the corresponding region in the AD169 strain. One of multiple changes is a frameshift mutation. As a consequence, strain Toledo encodes a putative TRL13 protein whose C-terminal domain is larger (extending through the TRL14 coding region) and encodes in a reading frame different from that of strain AD169. We speculate that the strain AD169 coding region has drifted during passage in the laboratory. We propose that TRL13 has been truncated in strain AD169 and that the partially overlapping TRL14 open reading frame is not functional. This view is consistent with the presence of both TRL13 and -14 on all mRNAs that we have mapped from this region, an organization that would include the much longer strain Toledo TRL13 open reading frame on the mRNAs.