cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leadership: Unrecognized Variables to Success

This article presents variables not commonly considered in presenting leadership theory. Effective leadership requires more than a list of attributes of the leader; it requires the potential leader's ability to understand specific nuances of those expected to follow. In a culturally diverse organization, significant behavioral norms, part of each individual's cultural heritage, are uniquely present and potentially different in each workplace subordinate. A leader's understanding of these cultural variances can significantly reduce communication mishaps and avoid many nonproductive leadership challenges. The variables discussed are the cultural differences in the concept of time, allowable social and workplace expressiveness, oculesic and kinesetic (paralinguistic) variances, counseling dynamics and forgiveness in the organizational culture, and the groupthink phenomenon.
Non-energy benefits of the US Weatherization Assistance Program: a summary of their scope and magnitude

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the findings reported recently in the literature on non-energy benefits attributable to the weatherizing of low-income homes. Non-energy benefits are divided into three major categories: (1) ratepayer benefits; (2) household benefits; and (3) societal benefits. The ratepayer benefits can be divided into two main subcategories: payment-related benefits and service-provision benefits. Similarly, there are two key types of household benefits: those associated with affordable housing and those related to safety, health and comfort. Societal benefits can be classified as either environmental, social, or economic. Our study found the total lifetime value for all non-energy benefit-categories to be $3346 (in 2001 dollars) per household, which is slightly greater than the average value of energy savings for houses heated by natural gas, and substantially higher than the total cost per low-income weatherization. Societal benefits were much larger than either ratepayer or household benefits.
Chemically Targeting the Emergent Properties of a Chaperone Complex

In this issue, Chang et al. (2011) report a small molecule screen against the reconstituted DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE chaperone cycle. Through this approach, they identified myricetin as an inhibitor of DnaJ-stimulated DnaK ATPase activity, indicating the potential for their screening approach to identify modulators of emergent properties of protein complexes.
Three-dimensional membrane crystals in amphibian cone outer segments: 2. Crystal type associated with the saddle point regions of cone disks.

In light-adapted, perfusion fixed retinas of the Congo eel salamander, Amphiuma, we have observed distinctive 3-D crystalline domains within the axial array of cone outer segment disks. These crystalline domains, each involving 2–12 disks, have been observed in the distal half of cone outer segment, and are associated with saddle point regions and immediately adjacent segments of the cone disk perimeter. In longitudinal sections, the crystals typically display an axially oriented array of cytoplasmic filaments with lateral spacings in the range of 12–13 nm. The width of the intradiskal compartment is expanded to 8–10 nm within the crystal, and approximates the width of the cytoplasmic compartment. In some sections, the cytoplasmic filaments are axially aligned with intradiskal filaments of similar length and width. In transverse sections, the projected lattice appears to be approximately rectangular, with unit cell dimensions of ∼ 12 nm × 12·5 nm. In shape, orientation, dimension, location, projection symmetry and associated membrane spacing relationships, the cone outer segment crystal filaments share a strong resemblance with lattice filaments located along the perimeters and preincisures of rod disks. These similarities suggest that the cone crystal filaments may be related to the rim protein of rod disks. Lastly, the preferential association of these crystals with saddle point regions indirectly supports the hypothesis that reductions in COS disk area with apical displacement are accomplished by resorption of disk membrane components through the saddle points.
Melanin pattern morphs do not differ in metabolic rate: implications for the evolutionary maintenance of a melanophore polymorphism in the green swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri

Variation in melanin patterns among individuals, populations, and species is common in fishes of the genus Xiphophorus. In the variable platyfish, Xiphophorus variatus, variation in metabolic rate is associated with melanin coloration and the color morphs appear to be physiological specialists adapted to particular environmental conditions. This study investigates whether a melanin polymorphism in the green swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri, is likewise associated with variation in metabolic rate. We measured metabolic rate as oxygen consumption rate of both adult male and juvenile X. helleri in static respirometers. The oxygen consumption rate does not differ significantly between the spotted and nonspotted morphs in either group, suggesting that-unlike in X. variatus-selection on metabolic rate is not involved in maintaining the polymorphism in X. helleri. We suggest that explanations need to be sought for the evolution of melanophore diversity in Xiphophorus that are pertinent to each melanin pattern polymorphism or groups of similar polymorphisms.
Palladium-Catalyzed Coupling of Optically Active Amines with Aryl Bromides

The coupling of enantiomerically enriched amines with aryl bromides produces the corresponding N-aryl derivatives. The choice of ligand in the palladium-catalyzed coupling is critical to the format...
Sources of Resistance to Sunflower Diseasesin a Global Collection of Domesticated USDA Plant Introductions

Basal stalk rot (BSR) and head rot (HR) caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary are traditionally major diseases of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in the United States, while Phomopsis stem canker (PSC) caused by Phomopsis helianthi Munt.-Cvet. et al. has become increasingly damaging in recent years. Host resistance is the most effective approach to managing these diseases. Here we report new sources of resistance to these diseases identified in the USDA sunflower Plant Introduction (PI) collection. A total of 260 PIs, including USDA-ARS–developed inbred lines, were tested in multiple years and locations of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. The effects of genotype (G), environment (E), and G × E interaction were significant. Broad sense heritability (H²) for BSR, HR, and PSC were estimated as 0.70, 0.79, and 0.83, respectively, reflecting a large genetic variation in the panel for these diseases. A total of 6.2, 29.6, and 36.9% of the genotypes showed significantly higher resistance than checks against BSR, HR, and PSC, respectively. Two PIs, 531389 and 531366, were significantly more resistant than checks against all three diseases. Head rot disease incidence was positively correlated with PSC (r = 0.52, p < 0.0001), while it was negatively correlated with BSR (r = −0.16, p < 0.05). A total of 13 PIs, mostly from Hungary, exhibited dual resistance against HR and PSC. Overall, sufficient variation exists among germplasm sources to facilitate further resistance breeding of sunflower against BSR, HR, and PSC diseases.
Order reduction of forced nonlinear systems using updated LELSM modes with new Ritz vectors

Enhanced modal-based order reduction of forced structural dynamic systems with isolated nonlinearities has been performed using the updated LELSM (local equivalent linear stiffness method) modes and new Ritz vectors. The updated LELSM modes have been found via iteration of the modes of the mass normalized local equivalent linear stiffness matrix of the nonlinear systems. The optimal basis vector of principal orthogonal modes (POMs) is found via simulation and used for POD-based order reduction for comparison. Two new Ritz vectors are defined as static load vectors. One of them gives a static displacement to the mass connected to the periodic forcing load and the other gives a static displacement to the mass connected to the nonlinear element. It is found that the use of these vectors, which are augmented to the updated LELSM modes in the order reduction modal matrix, reduces the number of modes used in order reduction and considerably enhances the accuracy of the order reduction. The combination of the new Ritz vectors with the updated LELSM modes in the order reduction matrix yields more accurate reduced models than POD-based order reduction of the forced nonlinear systems. Hence, the LELSM modal-based order reduction is enhanced via new Ritz vectors when compared with POD-based and linear-based order reductions. In addition, the main advantage of using the updated LELSM modes for order reduction is that, unlike POMs, they do not require a priori simulation and thus they can be combined with new Ritz vectors and applied directly to the system.
Multiple Forms of Arginase Are Differentially Expressed from a Single Locus in Neurospora crassa

Abstract The Neurospora crassa catabolic enzyme, arginase (l-arginine amidinohydrolase, EC 3.5.3.1), exists in multiple forms. Multiple forms of arginase are found in many vertebrates, but this is the only reported example in a microbial organism. The two major forms are structurally similar with subunit sizes of 36 and 41 kDa, respectively. The larger form is produced by mycelia growing in arginine-supplemented medium. Both forms are localized in the cytosol. The structural gene for arginase,aga, has been cloned and sequenced; it contains a 358-codon open reading frame with three in-frame ATGs at the amino terminus. Mutagenesis of these ATGs revealed that the first ATG initiates the 41-kDa protein and the third ATG initiates the 36-kDa protein. Mutation of the second ATG has no effect on translation. Northern analysis demonstrated that a 1.4-kilobase (kb) transcript is synthesized in minimal medium and both a 1.4- and 1.7-kb transcript are produced in arginine-supplemented medium. Primer extension identified the 5′ ends of each transcript and demonstrated that the first and third ATG of the open reading frame are the initial AUGs of the 1.7- and 1.4-kb mRNA, respectively. The results suggest that a basal promoter produces the 1.4-kb transcript and an arginine “activated” promoter is responsible for the 1.7-kb transcript. Tandem promoters are rare in eukaryotic organisms, and they often regulate developmental or tissue-specific gene expression. The possibility that arginase has a role in differentiation in N. crassa is being investigated.
The L-characteristics of linear operators on L1α([0, 1])

Let Lα be the usual Lp spaces on [0, 1] with p = 1α. A linear operator T is said to be of type (1α, 1β), 0 ⩽ α ⩽ 1, 0 ⩽ β < ∞, if T can be extended to a continuous map from Lαto Lβ. The L-characteristic of T is the set {(α, β): T is of type (1α, 1β)}. A necessary and sufficient condition that a point set Ω in the strip 0 ⩽ α ⩽ 1, 0 ⩽ β < + ∞, be the L-characteristic of some linear operator T is that Ω be convex, monotone, and Fσ. (The set Ω is monotone if (α0, β0) ϵ Ω implies (α, β) ϵ Ω, α ⩽ α0, β ⩾ β0.) Further, it is shown that the operators constructed for the proof of sufficiency are completely continuous.
INTERPERSONAL CHOICE IN AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS

Sociometric scores were obtained for 1,437 male and 1,505 female students in eight high schools throughout the U. S. Four scores were obtained for each student: attractiveness to members of the sam...
Rice Yield and Soil Chemical Properties as Affected by Precision Land Leveling in Alluvial Soils

In 1998 and 1999, two soil series representative of a large percentage of rice (Oryza sativa L.) growing hectarage in the Mississippi Delta were sampled in increments to a depth of 120 cm. Measurements were made to determine how extractable levels of Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, and Zn as well as the total N content and soil pH varied with respect to soil profile depth. Total N, extractable P, Zn, Ca, and pH all tended to decrease with depth while Na tended to increase. Only small differences were seen in Mg and K concentrations. An on-farm study was conducted in 2000 and 2001 to further investigate the effects of precision land leveling on pH and concentrations of organic matter and extractable nutrients. This study was conducted on seven farms, all of which possessed yield monitor-equipped combines. Field elevation sheets and GPS/GIS technologies were utilized to investigate soil nutrient and yield data for areas of cut and fill at each location. Yields were lower in the cut areas than the fill areas on five of the seven fields. Results from the soil nutrient data were similar to those findings in 1998 and 1999. A nutrient deficiency was apparent in only one of the five fields where yields were reduced. However, the percentage yield loss in the cut areas compared with the fill areas was directly proportional to the volume of soil moved per hectare during the precision land-leveling process (r 2 = 0.78). This research indicates that yields can be reduced after precision land leveling in many soil types, but the reduction may or may not be nutrient related.
Theophylline reversal of alkylator-induced replicon initiation inhibition: no correlation with DDP-induced cytotoxicity☆

The synergistic cytotoxic activity exhibited by bifunctional alkylating agents in the presence of methylxanthines has been associated with methylxanthine-induced reversal of alkylator-induced DNA replicon initiation inhibition. This has also been seen with methylxanthines and ionizing irradiation. Methylxanthines do not appear exacerbate drug or ionizing radiation-induced damage. We report here a situation in which methylxanthine-induced reversal of DNA replicon initiation inhibition is not associated with increased cytotoxicity of the alkylator. Murine L1210 leukemia cells were assayed for cytotoxicity following treatment with either L-PAM or cis-DDP in the presence or absence of theophylline. Theophylline increased the cytotoxicity seen after L-PAM treatment but failed to increase the cis-DDP induced cytotoxicity. Analysis of pulse-labeled DNA on alkaline sucrose gradients revealed the expected decrease in DNA replicon initiation in L1210 cells treated with either L-PAM or cis-DDP. Theophylline had no effect on replicon initiation in untreated cells. Theophylline reversed the replicon initiation inhibition in cells treated with either L-PAM or cis-DDP. The reason for the apparent lack of added toxicity of the replicon initiation inhibition reversal in L1210 cells treated with theophylline and DDP is unknown.
Aging leads to increased levels of protein O-linked N -acetylglucosamine in heart, aorta, brain and skeletal muscle in Brown-Norway rats

Changes in the levels of O-linked N-acetyl-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) on nucleocytoplasmic protein have been associated with a number of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes; however, there is relatively little information regarding the impact of age on tissue O-GlcNAc levels. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether senescence was associated with alterations in O-GlcNAc in heart, aorta, brain and skeletal muscle and if so whether there were also changes in the expression of enzymes critical in regulating O-GlcNAc levels, namely, O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), O-GlcNAcase and glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT). Tissues were harvested from 5- and 24-month old Brown-Norway rats; UDP-GlcNAc, a precursor of O-GlcNAc was assessed by HPLC, O-GlcNAc and OGT levels were assessed by immunoblot analysis and GFAT1/2, OGT, O-GlcNAcase mRNA levels were determined by RT-PCR. In the 24-month old animals serum insulin and triglyceride levels were significantly increased compared to the 5-month old group; however, glucose levels were unchanged. Protein O-GlcNAc levels were significantly increased with age (30–107%) in all tissues examined; however, paradoxically the expression of OGT, which catalyzes O-GlcNAc formation, was decreased by ∼30% in the heart, aorta and brain. In the heart increased O-GlcNAc was associated with increased UDP-GlcNAc levels and elevated GFAT mRNA while in other tissues we found no difference in UDP-GlcNAc or GFAT mRNA levels. These results demonstrate that senescence is associated with increased O-GlcNAc levels in multiple tissues and support the notion that dysregulation of pathways leading to O-GlcNAc formation may play an important role in the development of age-related diseases.
ACTH secretion in mouse pituitary tumor cells in culture: inhibition of CRF-stimulated hormone release by somatostatin

Abstract Synthetic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) stimulates ACTH secretion in the clonal mouse pituitary cell strain AtT20/D16v (D16) in a dose-dependent manner with a half-maximal effect at 2×10 −9 M. A single dose of 5×10 −9 M CRF maximally stimulates the rate of ACTH secretion during the initial two hrs of treatment. During the period of maximal CRF stimulation intracellular hormone concentration declines progressively to a nadir at 4 hrs. During the ensuing 24 hrs of incubation intracellular hormone levels in CRF-stimulated cells increase gradually toward control values. Somatostatin (SRIF) inhibits the secretory response to CRF. This action of SRIF is dose-dependent with a half-maximal effect at 1×10 −9 M and results in decreased maximal ACTH secretion with little effect on the ED 50 for CRF.
Breast cellulitis after conservative surgery and radiotherapy

Purpose: Cellulitis is a previously unreported complication of conservative surgery and radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer. Patients who presented with breast cellulitis after conservative therapy are described. Methods and Materials: Eleven patients that developed cellulitis of the breast over a 38-month period of observation are the subject of this report. Clinical characteristics of patients with cellulitis and their treatment and outcome are reported. Potential patient and treatment-related correlates for the development of cellulitis are analyzed. Results: The risk of cellulitis persists years after initial breast cancer therapy. The clinical course of our patients was variable: some patients required aggressive, long-duration antibiotic therapy, while others had rapid resolution with antibiotics. Three patients suffered from multiple episodes of cellulitis. Conclusion: Patients with breast cancer treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy are at risk for breast cellulitis. Systematic characterization of cases of cellulitis may provide insight into diagnosis, prevention, and more effective therapy for this uncommon complication.
Everyday Tao: Conversation and contemplation

This essay suggests that the perspective of philosophical Taoism may be a means of transforming everyday conversations into instances of contemplation where our ordinary encounters become sites for spiritual practice and mystical experience. A different kind of communicating ability is explored through the awareness of certain principles of philosophical Taoism during the course of our conventional conversations with one another.
Rapid corticosterone pulses: Confirmation by an alleged disconfirmation?

Data from a paper reporting a failure to confirm our report of rapid corticosterone pulses and suggesting that our data were artifactual were reanalyzed and reevaluated. It is shown that these data actually appear to confirm our original report. Artifacts in their procedure tend to introduce smearing that minimizes the observed effect. In addition, their method of data presentation combined with the lack of appropriate data analysis apparently led to their failure to draw the proper conclusions.
On the performance and energy efficiency of FPGAs and GPUs for polyphase channelization

Wideband channelization is an important and computationally demanding task in the front-end subsystem of several software-defined radios (SDRs). The hardware that supports this task should provide high performance, consume low power, and allow flexible implementations. Several classes of devices have been explored in the past, with the FPGA proving to be the most popular as it reasonably satisfies all three requirements. However, the growing presence of low-power mobile GPUs holds much promise with improved flexibility for instant adaptation to different standards. Thus, in this paper, we present optimized polyphase channelizations for the FPGA and GPU, respectively, that must consider power and accuracy requirements in the context of a military application. The performance in mega-samples per second (MSPS) and energy efficiency in MSPS/watt are compared between the two classes of hardware platforms: FPGA and GPU. The results show that by exploiting the flexible datapath width of FPGAs, FPGA implementations generally deliver an order-of-magnitude better performance and energy efficiency over fixed-width GPU architectures.
Quantification and immunolocalization of apolipoprotein E in experimental atherosclerosis.

Abstract We developed a radioimmunoassay for rabbit apolipoprotein E (apo E) for studying their plasma apo E levels and its accumulation in the aorta of rabbits fed a cholesterol diet. Delipidation of plasma did not increase the apo E immunoreactivity and this immunoreactivity was indistinguishable from that in an apo E-phospholipid complex. The antigenic determinants of apo E in lipoprotein particles were therefore fully reacted with our goat anti-apo E antibodies. In our assay system, the non-ionic detergent Tween-20 was found to be necessary to significantly reduce the non-specific binding of 125I-labeled apo E to polystyrene tubes, and yet not interfere with the assay. In rabbits (n = 6) fed a high cholesterol (1%) diet, plasma apo E increased at least 10-fold above baseline levels and reached maximal levels within 17–20 days after the onset of cho-diet feeding. These levels were sharply reduced only 10 days after resuming a normal diet. Plasma total cholesterol levels went through a similar pattern. Thus, the plasma cholesterol concentration can simply be used to monitor the increase of apo E in cholesterol-fed rabbits. All the cholesterol-fed rabbits developed atherosclerotic fatty streak lesions and apo E located mostly in the thoracic region and was significantly correlated with the accumulation of lipids in the areas of lesion. In addition, the apo E deposition was limited to the aortic areas where lipids were present. On the other hand, apo A-I was not detectable in any lesion area. Our data suggest that apo E or apo E-containing lipoproteins, may be involved in the development of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits.
Transcription Profiling of the Model Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC 7002 by Next-Gen (SOLiD™) Sequencing of cDNA.

The genome of the unicellular, euryhaline cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 encodes about 3200 proteins. Transcripts were detected for nearly all annotated open reading frames by a global transcriptomic analysis by Next-Generation (SOLiDTM) sequencing of cDNA. In the cDNA samples sequenced, ~90% of the mapped sequences were derived from the 16S and 23S ribosomal RNAs and ~10% of the sequences were derived from mRNAs. In cells grown photoautotrophically under standard conditions (38 °C, 1% (v/v) CO2 in air, 250 µmol photons m-2 s-1), the highest transcript levels (up to 2% of the total mRNA for the most abundantly transcribed genes (e. g., cpcAB, psbA, psaA)) were generally derived from genes encoding structural components of the photosynthetic apparatus. High light exposure for one hour caused changes in transcript levels for genes encoding proteins of the photosynthetic apparatus, Type-1 NADH dehydrogenase complex and ATP synthase, whereas dark incubation for one hour resulted in a global decrease in transcript levels for photosynthesis-related genes and an increase in transcript levels for genes involved in carbohydrate degradation. Transcript levels for pyruvate kinase and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex decreased sharply in cells incubated in the dark. Under dark anoxic (fermentative) conditions, transcript changes indicated a global decrease in transcripts for respiratory proteins and suggested that cells employ an alternative phosphoenolpyruvate degradation pathway via phosphoenolpyruvate synthase (ppsA) and the pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (nifJ). Finally, the data suggested that an apparent operon involved in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis and fatty acid desaturation, acsF2-ho2-hemN2-desF, may be regulated by oxygen concentration.
A Survey of Literature on Controls over International Capital Transactions

This paper reviews recent theoretical and empirical work on controls over international capital movements. Theoretical contributions reviewed focus on "second-best" arguments for capital market restrictions, as well as arguments based on multiple equilibria. The empirical literature suggests that controls have been "effective" in the narrow sense of influencing yield differentials. But there is little evidence that controls have helped governments meet policy objectives, with the exception of reducing the governments' debt-service costs, and no evidence that controls have enhanced economic welfare in a manner suggested by theory.
Application of New Nonlinear Filtering Theory

A new exact nonlinear filtering theory is applied to a practical radar tracking problem. The standard extended Kalman filter for this application suffers from a fundamental flaw due to linearization. The new nonlinear filter does not require this linear approximation.
Anterior Chamber Aspirate Cultures After Uncomplicated Cataract Surgery

We cultured anterior chamber aspirates of 30 patients who had uncomplicated extracapsular cataract extraction or phacoemulsification. The aspirate was obtained at the time of wound closure. Of 30 patients, 13 (43%) had culture-positive anterior chamber aspirates. The total number of organisms recovered was 18, with three patients having multiple organisms identified. The most commonly isolated organisms were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus sp., occurring in eight of 18 isolates (44%). No eyes in our study developed endophthalmitis, even though almost one half had viable organisms growing from the anterior chamber aspirates. Inoculum sizes were extremely small (10 to 20 colony-forming units/ml). This study suggests that in humans, the anterior chamber is capable of clearing a low inoculum of bacteria after cataract surgery without the development of endophthalmitis.
Flickermeter Design: An Improved Method to evaluate Short term Flicker Severity Index (Pst) using Walsh Hadamard Transform (WHT)

This paper proposes a method to estimate the flicker severity index using the Walsh Hadamard transform (WHT). A weighting filter in the sequency domain is utilized for direct computation of the flicker index. The proposed method is compared with a flicker meter in the frequency domain that uses the fast Fourier transform (FFT). It is seen by numerical simulations that the proposed method yields flicker severity indices within the stipulated range for six test signals prescribed by the IEC. The computational simplicity of the Hadamard transform is explained with respect to floating point operations(flops). complexity of FFT increases as order of N Increases and computational savings of Hadamard transform over FFT is shown with respect to number of floating point operations through the simulations carried in MATLAB and C platforms.
Effect of reactive and un-reactive substrates on photopolymerization of self-etching adhesives with different aggressiveness

The study investigated the influence of reactive (enamel) and un-reactive (glass) substrates on photo-polymerization of self-etching adhesives. Two commercial adhesives Adper Prompt L-Pop (APLP, pH~0.8) and Adper Easy Bond (AEB, pH~2.5) were applied onto prepared enamel and glass substrates using the same protocol. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was employed to determine the degree of conversion (DC) and the involved mechanism. DC of APLP was dramatically enhanced from ~9.4% to ~82.0% as when changing from glass to enamel, while DC of AEB on both substrates showed no difference. The DC distributions along the adhesive layers of the APLP and AEB on enamel showed descending and constant trends, respectively. Spectral analysis disclosed that the difference in chemical reaction of the two adhesives with enamel might be associated with the results. The chemical reaction of the adhesives with enamel significantly improved the DC of the strong APLP, but not that of the mild AEB.
Fluorescent intercalator displacement analyses of DNA binding by the peptide-derived natural products netropsin, actinomycin, and bleomycin.

Abstract The response of the high-throughput fluorescent intercalator displacement (HT-FID) assay reported recently by Boger et al. to peptide-based DNA binding intercalators and metal complexes was examined through the study of actinomycin and Co(III) · bleomycin-B2. Along with a validation of netropsin that illustrated the good laboratory-to-laboratory reproducibility of the assay, our examination of actinomycin revealed results for a four base pair cassette library of DNA hairpins that paralleled the known DNA site-selectivity of this agent and also indicated the involvement of the flanking sequences of the hairpin oligonucleotide. In addition, for Co(III) · bleomycin-B2 the established cleavage site-selectivity for 5′-GT and 5′-GC sites was correlated to drug-DNA association in this binding-only assay; our results also suggest a tetranucleotide site-selectivity for metallobleomycin involving cross-strand, ‘back-to-back’ 5′-GT and 5′-GC sites such as 5′-ACGT and 5′-ACGC.
Oil weathering after the Deepwater Horizon disaster led to the formation of oxygenated residues.

Following the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the effect of weathering on surface slicks, oil-soaked sands, and oil-covered rocks and boulders was studied for 18 months. With time, oxygen content increased in the hydrocarbon residues. Furthermore, a weathering-dependent increase of an operationally defined oxygenated fraction relative to the saturated and aromatic fractions was observed. This oxygenated fraction made up >50% of the mass of weathered samples, had an average carbon oxidation state of −1.0, and an average molecular formula of (C5H7O)n. These oxygenated hydrocarbon residues were devoid of natural radiocarbon, confirming a fossil source and excluding contributions from recent photosynthate. The incorporation of oxygen into the oil’s hydrocarbons, which we refer to as oxyhydrocarbons, was confirmed from the detection of hydroxyl and carbonyl functional groups and the identification of long chain (C10–C32) carboxylic acids as well as alcohols. On the basis of the diagnostic ratios of alkanes and pol...
Sequencing of the rat β-catenin gene (Ctnnb1) and mutational analysis of liver tumors induced by 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline

Abstract β-Catenin, a protein that functions in cadherin-mediated cell–cell adhesion as well as in signal transduction, has received increasing attention in recent years due to its role as an oncogene in various human cancers. The primary sequence of the human β-catenin gene (CTNNB1) has been known for some time, but that of the rat β-catenin gene (Ctnnb1) has not heretofore been studied in detail. We report here the primary structure of Ctnnb1 using PCR-based methods and direct sequencing. The size of the complete Ctnnb1 gene was determined to be 9082 bp. We found the rat Ctnnb1 gene to contain 14 exons, ranging in size from 61 to 356 bp, and 13 introns ranging in size from 76 to 2524 bp. The transcription start site appears to be 157 bp upstream of the ATG codon located in exon 1. The resulting transcript is 2650 nucleotides long (encoding a protein of 781 amino acids). We found the 5′ UTR to consist of 157 nucleotides and the 3′ UTR to be 147 nucleotides long. The region coding for the glycogen synthase kinase-3β domain of β-catenin is located in exon 2 of rat Ctnnb1, in contrast to human CTNNB1 in which it is found in exon 3. Based on the newly acquired knowledge of the primary sequence, more than a dozen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ)-induced rat liver tumors were screened for the presence or absence of mutations in all 14 exons of rat Ctnnb1. Surprisingly, no mutations were found. The results are discussed in the context of the organ-specificity of IQ-induced mutations in β-catenin, being highly prevalent in colon tumors, but much less common in liver tumors.
Blood characteristics, tracheal volume and heart mass of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) and bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)

1. Measurements of certain hematological and morphological characteristics were made in burrowing owls and bobwhite in search of features that could be associated with the previously described ventilatory adaptations of the burrowing owl to hypoxia and hypercarbia. 2. Values for burrowing owls and bobwhite, respectively, were: P50 = 44.9, 46.0 torr; Hct = 36.6, 38.8 vol%, Hb = 12, 12.3 (g/100 ml); RBC = 2.72 X 10(6), 3.02 X 10(6); log P50/pH = -0.412, -0.485; delta log PCO2/delta pH = -1.39, -1.585. 3. The owls had greater heart weights and smaller tracheal volumes than the bobwhite or the predicted value. 4. No hematological characteristics of the burrowing bird distinguish it from the non-burrowing bird.
An in-vitro model for tumor immunotherapy with antibody heteroconjugates.

Abstract The use of monoclonal antibodies in cancer therapy has been largely unsuccessful in producing long-term therapeutic effects. In this article, Gundram Jung and Hans Muller Eberhard describe an in-vitro model in which two different antibody heteroconjugates (AHCs), employed jointly, activate resting human T cells on the surface of tumor cells. Activation is independent of accessory cells and proceeds in the presence of human serum. Once activated, the T cells destroy the tumor cells that provided the surface for their AHC-induced activation. These results suggest that certain AHCs may both induce and mediate T-cell cytotoxicity on the surface of tumor cells in vivo . This model provides the rationale for the combined in-vivo use of the two AHCs.
Eighteenth-Century Models of French Recitative

As a repertory where recitative and air were not always delineated and where lyrical, mellifluous recitative was the most essential element, eighteenth-century French opera confronts historians and critics with a situation rather different from that of other operatic repertories. Whereas we can delve with relative confidence into questions about the style, shape and content of da capo arias, for example, we are confronted in French opera with a host of nagging details that make even the simplest assertions problematic. How did composers and audiences think about recitative and air? How and to what extent did the distinction between the two matter to them? Given that purely musical values, the kind informing Italian arias, resided elsewhere in French opera – primarily in its divertissements – how did one judge the musical content of recitative and to what end?
Studies in the Repair of Bone

Conclusions1. Epiphyseal tissue will regenerate new bone in immature dogs. 2. Cancellous bone will bridge bony defects without the aid of periosteum. 3. Periosteum will hasten callus formation of cancellous bone grafts. 4. Free bone marrow and endosteum will bridge bone defects without the aid of periosteum with a rapid forming callus. 5. The clinical use of bone marrow and endosteum is suggested in bone grafting.The supremacy accorded the periosteum in osteogenesis has led to an almost complete neglect of the role played by other bone elements. Work on epiphyseal tissue has indeed been very scant, but there is both clinical and experimental evidence that cancellous bone plays an important role in bone repair, while the osteogenic properties of bone marrow and endosteum though often mentioned have been little studied.Epiphyseal Tissue Transplants. A set of experiments were carried out on 6 immature dogs. A quarter inch extraperiosteal resection of each fibula was filled on one side with ground epiphyseal ...
Personality characteristics of adolescent suicide attempters

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore both the personality characteristics and the symptoms of personality disorder of adolescent suicide attempters, as well as the relationship between personality variables and hopelessness in this population. Method: Two sample populations were used in this study. First, 102 adolescent suicide attempters between 13 and 18 years of age completed the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI) and the Hopelessness Scale for Children (HSC). A second group of 35 adolescent suicide attempters were administered the HSC and the revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB). Results: No distinctive personality characteristics or symptoms of personality disorders were found. However, affective distress seemed to be the most prominent feature in the presentation of these adolescents. Additionally, high scores on the HSC were associated with elevated scores on the Personality Style scales of the MAPI and higher (more dysfunctional) scores on Affect Regulation on the DIB. Conclusions: The results suggest that clinicians should focus most on the personality characteristic of sensitivity and on affect regulation when assessing adolescent suicide attempters. In addition, hopelessness is important to systematically assess because it appears to be related to a variety of dysfunctional personality characteristics that may affect follow-up outcome.
Relationships among the seed rain, seed bank and vegetation of a Hawaiian forest

. Hawaiian ecosystems are prone to invasion by alien plant species. I compared the seed rain, seed bank, and vegetation of a native Hawaiian forest to examine the potential role that seed ecology plays in allowing alien species to invade native forest. Absolute cover of seed plants in the forest was 126 %, annual seed rain was 5 713 seeds m-2 yr-1, and the mean density of seedlings emerging from the seed bank averaged across four seasons was 1 020/m2. The endemic tree Metrosideros polymorpha was the most abundant species in the vegetation, seed rain and winter seed bank. Overall, native seed plants comprised 95 % of the relative cover in the vegetation and 99 % of the seeds in the seed rain, but alien species comprised 67 % of the seeds in the seed bank. Alien species tended to form persistent seed banks while native species formed transient or pseudo-persistent seed banks. Dominance of the seed bank by alien species with persistent seed banks suggests that aliens are favorably placed to increase in abundance in the vegetation if the forest is disturbed.
Retinotopic organization of primary visual cortex in glaucoma: a method for comparing cortical function with damage to the optic disk.

PURPOSE. To demonstrate that the relationship between the functional organization of primary visual cortex (V1) and damage to the optic disc in humans with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) can be measured using a novel method for projecting scotomas onto the flattened cortical representation. METHODS. Six subjects participated in this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. Structural damage to the optic disc and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was measured by three techniques: scanning laser polarimetry (GDx ECC; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA), confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT II; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), and optical coherence tomography (StratusOCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.). Cortical activity for viewing through the glaucomatous versus fellow eye was compared by alternately presenting each eye with a contrast-reversing checkerboard pattern. The resultant fMRI response was compared to interocular differences in RNFL or mean height contour for analogous regions of the visual field. RESULTS. fMRI responses to visual stimulation were related to differences in RNFL thickness or mean height contour between eyes. The correlation between fMRI responses and measurements of optic disc damage for OCT (RNFL), HRT (mean height contour), and GDx (RNFL) were r = 0.90 (P = 0.02), r = 0.84 (P = 0.04), and r = 0.79 (P = 0.063), respectively. The probability of observing all three correlations by chance was low (P = 0.0003). CONCLUSIONS. Cortical activity in human V1 was altered in these six POAG subjects in a manner consistent with damage to the optic disc. fMRI is a possible means for quantifying cortical neurodegeneration in POAG.
Telemedicine cardiovascular risk reduction in veterans.

Background Patients with co-occurrence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Comprehensive programs addressing both tailored patient self-management and pharmacotherapy are needed to address barriers to optimal cardiovascular risk reduction. We are examining a Clinical pharmacy specialist–, telephone-administered intervention, relying on home monitoring, with a goal of providing tailored medication and behavioral intervention to Veterans with CVD risk. Methods Randomized controlled trial including patients with hypertension (blood pressure >150/100 mm Hg) or elevated low density liporotein (>130 mg/dL). Longitudinal changes in CVD risk profile and improvement in health behaviors over time will be examined. Conclusion Given the national prevalence of CVD and the dismal rates of risk factor control, intensive but easily disseminated interventions are required to treat this epidemic. This study will be an important step in testing the effectiveness of a behavioral and medication intervention to improve CVD control among Veterans.
Mechanistic aspects of promoter binding and chain initiation by RNA polymerase

The physicochemical properties of the interactions of RNA polymerase (RPase) with promoter and nonspecific DNA sequences have been investigated. These show that nonspecific binding is principally an ionic interaction and that promoter binding is more complex, involving nonionic interactions. Nonspecific binding has been shown to be very important in the promoter search, and one-dimensional diffusion can account for the rate at which RPase finds the promoter. Significant differences have been reported in the binding process for various promoters and in the effects of regulatory proteins. Further investigation of these differences will lead to a better understanding of the selectivity and regulation of the initiation process. The pathways of the initiation process have been outlined, by recent studies and considerable progress has been made in determining the rates of interconversion of the intermediate states. A number of questions remain about the detail of initiation and the effects of various parameters on the reactions. Of particular importance is the identification of the point at which the enzyme becomes truly processive. In addition, the step which is rate limiting has not been identified in either the productive or nonproductive process. The mechanistic features of the steps after bond formation are just beginning to yield to investigation. Use of substrate analogs with RPase has led to a picture of the polymerization site according to the ability of the enzyme to incorporate analogs. Base specificity appears to be determined primarily by interaction with the template rather than the enzyme, but the ribose moiety must interact with the site quite specifically. The orientation of the phosphate residues has been determined by NMR, which has also proved to be a valuable probe of the initiation site. At this site base specificity is resident in the enzyme and expressed through the interaction of the base and intrinsic metal, as shown by studies with the Cobalt substituted enzyme. In both initiation and polymerization, the reaction has been shown to proceed by inversion of configuration. Techniques similar to those used for initiation will probably be applied to the polymerization reaction as well, which has not recently received as much attention with respect to mechanism. Functional phenomena such as pausing make the polymerization process particularly promising for producing insight into RPase reactions.
Quantitative and immunocytochemical studies of APUD cells in airways and gut. The effects of priming with L-dopa and 5-HTP.

The amine precursor uptake and decarboxylase (APUD) cells in airways and small intestine of adult hamsters have been studied by quantitative, histochemical and immunocytochemical methods for the presence of argyrophilia, ACTH, hGH, calcitonin, bombesin and prolactin in control animals and following priming with two amine precursors: L-dopa and 5-hydroxytryptophane (5-HTP). APUD cells have been defined by the presence of intracytoplasmic argyrophilic granules. A method that related them to airway or gut perimeter length or total epithelial cell numbers has been applied. Calcitonin-like-immunoreactivity (CLIR) is present in epithelial cells in the tracheal epithelium and glands. The presence of ACTH, hGH, bombesin or prolactin is not detected. Priming with L-Dopa and 5-HTP results in up to 12 fold increases in densities of argyrophilic APUD cells in airways and ileum when ratios of APUD cells/100 nuclei are compared to those in control animals. Exposure to 5-HTP induces no significant changes in densities of cells with CLIR in the trachea but CLIR is not detected in animals exposed to L-DOPA. Ratios of APUD cells/100 epithelial cells appear to be more sensitive than those of APUD cells/mm in detecting significant changes in APUD cell densities. Priming with amine precursors is a valuable tool in quantitative studies of neuroendocrine cells.
Analysis of functional domains of interferon regulatory factor 7 and its association with IRF-3.

IRF-7 plays an essential role in virus-activated transcription of IFNA genes. To analyze functional domains of IRF-7 we have constructed an amino-terminal deletion mutant of IRF-7 (237-514) which exerted a dominant negative (DN) effect on virus-induced expression of the endogenous Type I IFN genes. Focusing on the molecular mechanism underlying the dominant negative effect of IRF-7 DN, we found that virus-activated transcription of endogenous IFNA genes requires full-length IRF-7 and that Serine 483 and 484 play an essential role. While IRF-7 DN had no effect on virus-stimulated nuclear translocation of IRF-3 and IRF-7, the binding of IRF-7 DN to IRF-3 and IRF-7 was detected by GST pull-down assay as well as by immunoprecipitation in infected cells, indicating that IRF-7 DN targets both IRF-7 and IRF-3. The region by which IRF-7 interacts with IRF-3 was mapped between amino acid 418 and 473. Overexpression of IRF-7 DN in virus-infected 2FTGH cells resulted in an inhibition of IFN synthesis and in a significant reduction of binding of both IRF-3 and IRF-7 to the IFNA1 promoter. Interestingly, the IRF-7 DN-mediated suppression of IFNA gene expression can be negated by overexpression of IRF-3. Altogether these results suggest that the IRF-3/IRF-7 complexes are biologically active and are involved in virus-activated transcription of endogenous IFNA genes.
Widely tunable waveguide filters based on long-range surface plasmon polaritons

We report widely tunable waveguide filters based on long-range surface plasmon polaritons. A 0.004 variation in the refractive index of the top filter cladding dielectric translates into 210 nm of bandpass tuning at telecom wavelengths.
The diverse and pervasive chemistries of the α-keto acid dependent enzymes

The number of identified and confirmed α-keto acid dependent oxygenases is increasing rapidly. All of these enzymes have a relatively simple liganding arrangement for a single ferrous ion but collectively conduct a highly diverse set of chemistries. While hydroxylations and a variety of oxidation reactions have been most commonly observed, new reactions involving dealkylations, epimerizations and halogenations have recently been discovered. In this minireview we present what is known of the α-keto acid dependent enzymes and offer an argument that the chemistry that is unique to each enzyme occurs only after the production of a pivotal ferryl-oxo intermediate.