cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Post-transcriptional regulation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa heme assimilation system (Has) fine-tunes extracellular heme sensing

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that utilizes heme as a primary iron source within the host. Extracellular heme is sensed via a heme assimilation system (has) that encodes an extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factor system. Herein, using has deletion mutants, quantitative PCR analyses, and immunoblotting, we show that the activation of the σ factor HasI requires heme release from the hemophore HasAp to the outer-membrane receptor HasR. Using RT-PCR and 5′-RACE, we observed that following transcriptional activation of the co-transcribed hasRAp, it is further processed into specific mRNAs varying in stability. We noted that the processing and variation in stability of the hasAp and hasR mRNAs in response to heme provide a mechanism for differential expression from co-transcribed genes. The multiple layers of post-transcriptional regulation of the ECF signaling cascade, including the previously reported post-transcriptional regulation of HasAp by the heme metabolites biliverdin IXβ and IXδ, allow fine-tuning of the cell-surface signaling system in response to extracellular heme levels. We hypothesize that the complex post-transcriptional regulation of the Has system provides P. aeruginosa an advantage in colonizing a variety of physiological niches in the host.
Herpes Simplex Virus: Aspects of Structure and Regulation of Viral Rna and Protein Synthesis

This paper summarizes briefly two aspects of Herpesvirus research of interest to us: the structure and composition of the Herpesvirion and the mechanism by which Herpesviruses regulate their own replication.
Detecting Adversarial Attacks in the Context of Bayesian Networks.

In this research, we study data poisoning attacks against Bayesian network structure learning algorithms. We propose to use the distance between Bayesian network models and the value of data conflict to detect data poisoning attacks. We propose a 2-layered framework that detects both one-step and long-duration data poisoning attacks. Layer 1 enforces “reject on negative impacts” detection; i.e., input that changes the Bayesian network model is labeled potentially malicious. Layer 2 aims to detect long-duration attacks; i.e., observations in the incoming data that conflict with the original Bayesian model. We show that for a typical small Bayesian network, only a few contaminated cases are needed to corrupt the learned structure. Our detection methods are effective against not only one-step attacks but also sophisticated long-duration attacks. We also present our empirical results.
Influences of cognitive load on sensorimotor contributions to working memory: An EEG investigation of mu rhythm activity during speech discrimination

Abstract Sensorimotor activity during speech perception is highly variable and is thought to be related to the underlying cognitive processes recruited to meet task demands. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of cognitive load on sensorimotor-based attention and working memory processes during speech perception. Manipulations of set size and signal clarity were employed to alter cognitive load. Raw EEG data recorded from 42 subjects during accurate discrimination of CV syllable pairs were decomposed by Independent component analysis; identifying sensorimotor mu components from 37 subjects. Time-frequency analyses revealed event related desynchronization (ERD) across alpha and beta frequency bands during and following stimulus presentation in all conditions, reflecting working memory maintenance through covert articulatory rehearsal. No early attentional activity was observed, suggesting adaptation to tasks. However, modulation of late working memory activity was observed between degraded and non-degraded conditions. Weak and delayed alpha and beta ERD in degraded conditions were interpreted as evidence of delayed implementation of covert rehearsal due to the prolonged time necessary to extract a phonological representation from the auditory signal. Findings are interpreted within Analysis by Synthesis to characterize the multi-faceted and temporally distinct contributions of anterior sensorimotor regions to working memory in support of speech discrimination.
Reflecting After Learning for Understanding.

Today, image classification is a common way for systems to process visual content. Although neural network approaches to classification have seen great progress in reducing error rates, it is not clear what this means for a cognitive system that needs to make sense of the multiple and competing predictions from its own classifiers. As a step to address this, we present a novel framework that uses meta-reasoning and meta-operations to unify predictions into abstractions, properties, or relationships. Using the framework on images from ImageNet, we demonstrate systems that unify 41% to 46% of predictions in general and unify 67% to 75% of predictions when the systems can explain their conceptual differences. We also demonstrate a system in "the wild" by feeding live video images through it and show it unifying 51% of predictions in general and 69% of predictions when their differences can be explained conceptually by the system. In a survey given to 24 participants, we found that 87% of the unified predictions describe their corresponding images.
Centralized Regionalism: The rise of regional fiscal-military states in China, 1916–28

Warlordism in early Republican China was more than political fragmentation and intensive warfare. It involved serious efforts and breakthroughs in state-making at the regional level. Warlords or regional forces that centralized and bureaucratized their fiscal and governing institutions would eventually outcompete those who did not. Geopolitical advantages and access to modern economic and financial resources added to their competitiveness. The Guangdong-based Guomindang force prevailed over all others precisely because of a combination of all these factors in its state-building efforts by 1928. Central to state-making in early twentieth-century China, therefore, was the rise of regional fiscal-military states and their rivals for national dominance. China joined some of the most prominent latecomers to nation states in other parts of the modern world in their shared bottom-up path of state-building.
Osimertinib-Induced Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Osimertinib is the preferred treatment in patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations. The authors report a case series of acute cardiomyopathy with heart failure exacerbation during osimertinib treatment. These cases suggest that cardiotoxicity from osimertinib is reversible and occurs at a dose of 80 mg/day. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.)
The Empiricism Strikes Back: Strategies for Avoiding a Post-truth World

Despite a seismic shift in humanity’s ability to locate, analyze, and share data, we nevertheless appear to be careening toward a “post-truth” world in which little matters beyond whatever people want to believe. The challenge before us, then, is to become more careful consumers of information as a means of self-empowerment. Though national and international institutions can aid in this effort, this chapter submits that this form of empowerment must necessarily take root at the individual-level. Toward this end, after documenting scholarly research on the patterns and pitfalls of motivated reasoning, the chapter offers readers a concise set of strategies for thinking about and evaluating empirical evidence in global affairs. Only by treating the objective pursuit of knowledge about our world as a shared value—i.e., to treat the pursuit of accuracy as its own ethos—can we begin to talk with, rather than past, one another about the most pressing issues of our time. Absent such a shared commitment, those in power may be increasingly able to construct reality as they see fit, and with little fear of censure from their followers.
Microbial community structure across grazing treatments and environmental gradients in the Serengeti

As one of the last remaining naturally grazed ecosystems on Earth, the Serengeti National Park is an ideal location to study the influence of migratory mammals on the structure of microbial communities and the factors that generate biogeography of soil microbes. Furthermore, volcanic inputs generate environmental gradients that may also structure microbial communities. We studied 16S rRNA amplicons in a 13-year herbivore removal experiment to examine the influence of grazing and environmental gradients on the natural distribution of soil microbes. Removal of mammalian herbivores shifted microbial community structure, with 31 taxa that were significant indicator taxa of the ungrazed treatment and three taxa that were indicators of the grazed treatment. The abundance of many taxa were correlated with soil texture, phosphorus, iron, calcium and rainfall, and the evenness of taxa within samples was also correlated with these variables. Bayesian general linear mixed effects models with single predictors of multiple, highly correlated variables of beta diversity were consistent with a significant, but weak (2%), effect of grazing, and stronger effects of phosphorus (14%). Beta diversity of microbial communities was greater in grazed than in ungrazed plots; suggesting that the impacts of grazing on community assembly of microbes results from deterministic environmental filtering caused by the influence of herbivores on plant communities and soil properties rather than stochastic dispersal via herds of large mammals. These herbivore effects are superimposed on deterministic environmental filtering by natural soil and precipitation gradients across the Serengeti.
An Exploration of the Deterrents to Adult Basic Education Among Blue Collar Workers

This phenomenological study explored how blue collar workers employed in a north Mississippi manufacturing facility described their reasons for not participating in adult basic education (ABE) when nonparticipation would result in termination. The structure of the ABE classes was designed to reduce the costs and time constraints to participation. A group of 8 respondents constituted the sample from a population of 23 nonparticipating workers and maximal variation sampling was used to increase gender, race, and age diversity within the sample. Three major themes emerged as deterrents to participation: (a) Test of Adult Basic Education and ABE classes were not perceived as relevant, (b) fear of embarrassment, and (c) low self-efficacy (i.e., a self-perceived lack of capability to perform successfully). However, lack of relevancy and fear of embarrassment were found to be used as reasons for nonparticipation when low self-efficacy in learning new material, reading, and math problem solving were present.
Targeted Memory Reactivation of Face-Name Learning Depends on Ample and Undisturbed Slow-Wave Sleep

Face memory, including the ability to recall the name of a familiar person, is often crucial in social interactions, and like many other memory functions, it may rely on sleep. We investigated whether targeted memory reactivation during sleep could improve associative and perceptual aspects of face memory. Participants studied 80 face-name pairs, and then a subset of spoken names was presented unobtrusively during a daytime nap. This reactivation preferentially improved recall for those face-name pairs, as modulated by two factors related to sleep quality. That is, the memory benefit was positively correlated with the duration of stage N3 sleep (slow-wave sleep) and with the extent to which cues presented during SWS did not produce a sleep disruption indexed by increased alpha-band electroencephalographic activity in the 5 seconds after a cue. Follow-up analyses showed that a memory benefit from presenting spoken names during sleep was evident in participants with high amounts of SWS or with low amounts of sleep disruption. We conclude that sleep reactivation can strengthen memory for specific face-name associations and that the effectiveness of reactivation depends on uninterrupted N3 sleep.
Breast Reduction and Cancer Surveillance and Risk

The incidence of breast cancer and cancer screening are both influenced by reduction mammoplasty. Breast reduction has been shown to decrease the incidence of breast cancer through mechanisms that are still not fully understood. Despite risk reduction, screening mammography should be performed in accordance with national guidelines. Postoperative findings after reduction mammoplasty on screening mammography are predictable and include skin thickening, transverse retroareolar bands, oil cysts, calcifications, parenchymal redistribution, and nipple-areolar complex displacement. Importantly, these signs change over time and must be differentiated from possible unrelated proliferative and neoplastic findings. Better understanding of these changes has led to similar rates of recall and additional imaging in patients who have undergone breast reduction compared to those who have not without hindrance of diagnostic sensitivity.
Caregiver Reported Quality of End-of-Life Care of Adolescent and Young Adult Decedents With Cancer

Background:The quality of palliative and end-of-life (EOL) care for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer remains largely unknown.Objective:To describe caregivers of AYA cancer decedents ...
Ion channels and the aging brain

Abstract Ion channels comprise a large family of integral membrane proteins that operate in any organism, from bacteria to mammals, and are present in virtually any cell. Without channels, life, as we know would not be possible, and it is not coincidental that channels are implicated in aging as well. Here, we review the role of calcium (Ca2+) and potassium (K+) channels in the mechanisms underlying cognitive decline. As a result of modifications primarily due to oxidation of thiol groups by the reactive oxygen species that are liberated in the cells during aging, channels dysregulate calcium and potassium homeostases. Altered levels of calcium affect fundamental cellular properties such as phosphorylation and impact excitability both directly and indirectly by shifting the threshold for activation of calcium-activated K+ (K(Ca)) channels. Furthermore, oxidation of voltage-gated K+ channels dysregulate K+ homeostasis leading to hyperexcitability, inflammation, and neuronal loss. All together, these effects contribute to the cognitive decline of the normally aging and diseased brain. Therapeutic avenues that could treat neurological disease related to ion channel dysfunction are reviewed.
High energetic radiation from thunderstorms and lightning

Electrical discharges in gases can be roughly divided into two categories: those whose behavior is governed by low-energy electrons, with energies less than a few tens of eV, and those whose behavior is governed by high-energy electrons, with energies often reaching several tens of MeV. The first category, which we shall refer to as low-energy discharges, is also called conventional discharges, which includes a wide range of phenomena such as corona discharges, including streamer and glow discharges, Trichel pulses, Townsend discharges, and spark breakdown [Loeb, 1965]. In this chapter, we first review the observations of high-energy atmospheric physics processes within our atmosphere, including x-ray emissions from lightning and gamma-ray emissions, such as gamma-ray glows and TGFs, from thunderclouds. We then introduce and explain the mechanisms involved in high-energy discharges and compare these mechanisms to their low-energy counterparts. We also discuss recent models that have been developed to explain TGFs, including “dark lightning.”
Some aspects of vitamin D action; calcium absorption and the vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein.

Publisher Summary This chapter examines calcium absorption and the vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein (CaBP). The investigations on the physiology of calcium absorption on CaBP indicated that there is nearly a 1:1 correspondence between the concentration of intestinal CaBP and the capacity of the intestine to absorb calcium. These correlations strongly indicate that CaBP has a significant role in the calcium translocation process. Calcium-binding protein of calf kidney was found exclusively in the cortex. Quantitative measurements on a single animal indicated that the concentration in the kidney cortex was about one-sixth that of the duodenum when expressed on the basis of total protein. Studies have shown that diphenylhydantoin and phenobarbital, the drugs used for anticonvulsant therapy of epileptics, are associated with the production of bone lesions in such patients if inadequate levels of vitamin D are provided. A unique system for the study of the intestinal calcium absorptive mechanism has been developed utilizing the embryonic chick duodenum maintained in organ culture.
Factors That Influence Photon Transport Measurements in Dense Random Media

The possibility for study of localization effects in optically-disordered systems has spurred a renewed interest in the study of light scattering from dense random media, as evidenced by the numerous contributions to this volume. For several years, strong photon localization has been anticipated in composite materials possessing sufficiently high density of scatterers with sufficiently high cross sections for scattering photons.1 Unfortunately, no unambiguous observation of strong photon localization in the visible or infrared wavelength range has yet been reported. Recent work has, however, indicated strong photon localization in the microwave regime for a randomly disordered system.2 The difficulty in achieving localization of visible light arises from the lack of suitable materials possessing dielectric contrast sufficient to cause a localization transition in a completely random system. The conventional approach has been to rely on random suspensions of particles with large single-scattering Mie resonances, large cross-sections obtained for certain ratios of particle size to wavelength.3 Determination of the optimal situation for realization of strong photon localization may be the most pressing theoretical challenge of classical wave localization.4 Of particular interest is one theoretical approach that finds the presence of order underlying the disorder, such as in a disordered optical superlattice (e.g., a colloidal crystal), will be beneficial in achieving photon localization.5
MR Imaging of the Wrist: 3-DFT Volume Acquisition with Multiplanar Reformatting

Conventional 2-DFT MR imaging of the hand and wrist usually requires image acquisition in the coronal and axial plane, and, in selected cases, also in the sagittal plane. When T1 and T2-weighted scans are generated, the total imaging and reconstruction time for 2-DFT MR imaging frequently amounts to significantly more than one hour. In this study, we evaluated the potential use of 3-DFT volume acquisitions in MR imaging of the wrist.
Statistical occurrence and dynamics of the Harang discontinuity during steady magnetospheric convection

[1] The Harang discontinuity is a longitudinally extended ionospheric signature near midnight of flow reversal from westward to eastward with decreasing latitude. Its occurrence indicates enhanced convection in the magnetotail that requires an upward field-aligned current from the ionosphere due to diamagnetic ion drift. Previous reports using event studies have been conflicting as to the occurrence of the Harang discontinuity during a mode of enhanced magnetotail response called steady magnetospheric convection (SMC). With a comprehensive list of SMC events from 1997 through 2007, we utilize data from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network and a novel spatial superposition technique to statistically examine the occurrence of the Harang discontinuity during SMC events. We find that the statistical signature of the Harang discontinuity begins before SMC starts and strengthens as the SMC events progress. We also detail the typical size and strength of the Harang discontinuity and find that it is more pronounced during interplanetary magnetic field +By conditions.
Chapter 198 Neutron scattering studies of spin fluctuations in high-temperature superconductors

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the neutron scattering studies of the spin fluctuations in the CuO2 planes. The rare earths that form an important constituent of almost all high-Tc materials are viewed as somewhat passive spectators. The fact that many candidate theories of high-temperature superconductivity include spin fluctuations as a central feature of the mechanism for superconductivity increases the importance of obtaining a detailed picture of the energy, momentum, temperature, and doping dependence of the magnetic dynamics of the cuprates. Many of the anomalous normal-state properties of the doped cuprates are likely related to the proximity of antiferromagnetism in the phase diagram and the manifestation of this instability in the excitations. Even in the absence of a magnetic mechanism for high temperature superconductivity, the spin fluctuations are an important degree of freedom of the quasi particles that form the superconducting condensate, and therefore a probe of the nature of that transition. The properties of a magnetic system close to instability such as an antiferromagnetic ordering transition are characterized by divergences in various physical properties. Neutron scattering can access several of the important parameters through the energy integrated cross-section or critical scattering, which is proportional to the Fourier transform of the instantaneous spin–spin correlation function.
Grid resource broker using application benchmarking

While the Grid is becoming a common word in the context of distributed computing, users are still experiencing long phases of adaptability and increased complexity when using the system. Although users have access to multiple resources, selecting the optimal resource for their application and appropriately launching the job is a tedious process that not only proves difficult for the naive user, but also leads to ineffective usage of the resources. A general-purpose resource broker that performs application specific resource selection on behalf of the user through a web interface is required. This paper describes the design and prototyping of such a resource broker that not only selects a matching resource based on user specified criteria but also uses the application performance characteristics on the resources enabling the user to execute applications transparently and efficiently thereby providing true virtualization.
Absorption of estrogen and progesterone by intrauterine devices

Abstract Polyethylene intrauterine devices were tested for their capacity to absorb steroids in vitro. Both 6-7- 3 H-estradiol-17β and 7α- 3 H-progesterone were found to be absorbed in amounts increasing with time. There was no evidence that in vivo absorption would be of sufficient magnitude to exert a local effect upon the endometrium.
Crisis, Slump, Superstition and Recovery: Thinking and acting beyond vulgar Keynesianism

The intellectual and practical response to the worldwide crisis of 2007-2009 has exposed the poverty of prevailing ideas about how economies work and fail. The transformative opportunity presented by the crisis has largely been squandered; but the opportunity for insight has not. Insight today can support transformation tomorrow. The present debate about the crisis and the subsequent slump has largely suppressed two themes of major importance. The first theme is the relation of finance to the productive agenda of society. The second theme is the link between redistribution and recovery. A pseudo-democratization of credit has been made to do the work of redistribution. Yet the most important form of redistribution is not retrospective and compensatory; it is the reshaping of economic and educational arrangements to broaden opportunity and enhance capabilities.Fiscal and monetary stimulus is rarely enough to redress the effects of a major economic crisis. The proper role of a stimulus is to play for time by preventing the aggravation of crisis and prefiguring a program of recovery and reconstruction.The vulgar Keynesianism embraced by many contemporary progressives fails to offer a theoretical guide to such a program of recovery. However, the fault does not lie solely in the vulgarized version of Keynes’s ideas; it lies in the ideas themselves and in the whole mainstream of economic analysis that grew out of the marginalist revolution. Law and legal thought are integral to the theoretical alternative explored in this essay, because they provide the institutional imagination with indispensable equipment.This essay takes a first step in the effort to develop an intellectual alternative. It does so by outlining an approach to our present problems of crisis, slump, and recovery.
Synchronization of hair cell regeneration in the chick cochlea following noise damage

Pure-tone overstimulation for prolonged time leads to hair cell death in frequency-specific regions of the cochlear epithelium. Unlike mammals, birds replace missing hair cells by stimulating mitosis in an uncharacterized precursor cell. Regenerated hair cells, initially identifiable by their immature stereocilia and small surface areas, differentiate into mature cells in a manner which parallels embryonic development. In the current study, we examined whether hair cell regeneration is initiated during noise exposure or after the end of acoustic trauma. We exposed 7-to 15-day-old chicks to a 1500 Hz pure tone at 120 dB SPL (re 20 muPa) for 4, 12, and 24 hours and examined the recovering cochlear epithelium with scanning electron microscopy to determine when regenerated hair cells were first identifiable. The earliest evidence of new hair cells appeared roughly 96 hours after the onset of 4-, 12-, and 24-hour exposures. Our previous studies initially identified new hair cells 96 hours after the start of a 48-hour exposure. Therefore, hair cell regeneration follows a similar time course relative to the onset of noise exposure, regardless of the ultimate duration of exposure. Since we estimate that hair cells take at least 48 hours after their genesis to form immature stereocilia, the signal which induces hair cell precursors to re-enter the cell cycle and to divide probably has its initial effects very early during the exposure period. (A previous report of these data was given at the 1991 American Society for Cell Biology conference.)
Abstract B12: PTEN modulates sensitivity to a novel ERK inhibitor in BRAFV600E-mutant melanomas

The presence of activating BRAF mutations in approximately 50% of melanomas, the majority of which are BRAFV600E, has prompted the development of selective inhibitors of the BRAF/MAPK/ERK pathway for targeted therapy. RAF inhibitors, including vemurafenib and GSK2118436, have shown striking results in clinical trials, highlighting this pathway as a suitable target for melanoma therapy. A number of other pharmacological agents targeting this pathway are currently in pre-clinical or clinical development. However, therapy with MAPK pathway inhibitors results in a wide range of response patterns in patients with BRAF-mutant tumors. Furthermore, even in patients with measurable responses, tumors eventually develop resistance and patients relapse. It has been previously reported that activation of the PI3K pathway may play a role modulating the response to RAF and MEK inhibitors. Here we report that melanoma cells which harbor the BRAFV600E mutation and express PTEN have low levels of phospho-AKT and are sensitive to a novel ATP-competitive ERK inhibitor. In contrast, BRAFV600E mutant melanoma cell lines that do not express PTEN have higher levels of phospho-AKT and are less sensitive to ERK inhibition. Importantly, we have confirmed these findings in an in vivo xenotransplantation model of melanoma. Additionally, we found that siRNA-mediated PTEN silencing in a PTEN wild-type cell line modestly decreases sensitivity to ERK inhibition. Conversely, PTEN overexpression in a PTEN-null cell line partially sensitizes cells to the ERK small molecule inhibitor. Consistent with these findings, targeting PI3K in melanoma cells lacking functional PTEN sensitizes them to ERK inhibition. Our studies suggest that the presence or absence of functional PTEN can modulate response to ERK inhibitors and warrant further evaluation of combination strategies to treat melanomas refractory to inhibitors of the MAPK pathway.
Pseudopotential study of electron-hole excitations in colloidal free-standing InAs quantum dots

Excitonic spectra are calculated for free-standing, surface passivated, InAs quantum dots using atomic pseudopotentials for the single-particle states and screened Coulomb interactions for the two-body terms. We present an analysis of the single particle states involved in each excitation in terms of their angular momenta and Bloch-wave parentage. We find that (i) in agreement with other pseudopotential studies of CdSe and InP quantum dots, but in contrast to $k\ensuremath{\cdot}p$ calculations, the dot wave functions exhibit strong odd-even angular momentum envelope function mixing (e.g., s with $p)$ and large valence-conduction coupling. (ii) While the pseudopotential approach produced very good agreement with experiment for free-standing, colloidal CdSe and InP dots, and for self-assembled (GaAs-embedded) InAs dots, here the predicted spectrum does not agree well with the measured (ensemble average over dot sizes) spectra. (1) Our calculated excitonic gap is larger than the photoluminescence measured one, and (2) while the spacing between the lowest excitons is reproduced, the spacings between higher excitons is not fit well. Discrepancy (1) could result from surface state emission. As for (2), agreement is improved when account is taken of the finite-size distribution in the experimental data. (iii) We find that the single-particle gap scales as ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}1.01}$ (not ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}2}),$ that the screened (unscreened) electron-hole Coulomb interaction scales as ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}1.79}$ ${(R}^{\ensuremath{-}0.7}),$ and that the excitonic gap scales as ${R}^{\ensuremath{-}0.9}.$ These scaling laws are different from those expected from simple models.
Anatomical Repair of Transposition of the Great Arteries with Intact Ventricular Septum in the Neonate: Guidelines to Avoid Complications

Anatomical repair of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) seems more attractive than the more conventional atrial baffle procedures because of resultant left ventricular-aortic continuity. The results of anatomical repair in 16 consecutive neonates with TGA and intact ventricular septum were reviewed; special consideration was given to technique and guidelines to avoid complications. Infants underwent repair within 6 days of life (average weight, 3.3 kg). Survival was 88% (14 of 16 patients). One death occurred from pulmonary hypertension and atrial shunt reversal causing cyanosis after an uncomplicated procedure; the other was due to myocardial ischemia caused by kinking of an anomalous coronary artery after attempted repair. Complications of ventricular swelling and coronary tension or kinking were successfully treated by Silastic skin patches in 2 patients and pericardial aortic patches in 2, respectively. One patient had successful repair of supravalvular pulmonary stenosis. Because anatomical repair of TGA must be performed in the first week of life, special consideration must be given to meticulous anatomical dissection, careful coronary transfer, and optimal myocardial preservation. The excellent short-term results favor the continued application of anatomical repair of TGA with intact ventricular septum in infancy.
A structural gene for seryl-tRNA synthetase in Escherichia coli K12.

Abstract Two serine auxotroph mutants of E. coli K12 with altered seryl-tRNA synthetases have been isolated and characterized. The position of the structural gene, serS , has been located between 17 and 19 minutes on the Taylor and Trotter genetic map. The partially purified synthetases have been characterized with respect to their K m towards serine, their temperature sensitivity and their ability to charge five separated species of tRNA Ser .
Differential sensitivity of protein synthesis in human retina to a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and cyclic nucleotides

When human retinas are cultured in the presence of various phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors or cyclic nucleotide analogues, rod photoreceptors undergo degenerative changes followed by cell death within 8 hours of incubation, whereas cone photoreceptors and other retinal cells are affected minimally (1,2). In the present study we found that the PDE inhibitor, isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), as well as the dibutyryl analogues of cGMP and cAMP, inhibited protein synthesis in short-term cultures of human retinas under conditions where uptake of exongenously supplied 3H-leucine was not diminished (relative to controls). The results of an autoradiographic analysis suggested that inhibition of protein synthesis by these drugs occurred to a greater extent in rod photoreceptors than in cones or other retinal cells, and that this phenomenon happened prior to the onset of any morphological changes. When retinas incubated in IBMX for 4 hours were returned to control medium for an additional incubation, rods recovere...
Parliamentary elites in times of political transition: The case of Eastern Germany

This article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of elite and institutional (in this case parliamentary) changes in times of political transitions, and more specifically, to a better understanding of the political changes currently under way in Germany. In doing so, it illuminates patterns of elite change by looking at the composition of the state diets (Landtage) in the five new federal states which were created in October 1990. The focus is on predictors of explanation in elite recruitment and elite replacement. Elite replacement in 1990 was thorough and continued in 1994. Members of parliament display remarkably similar background and career characteristics within and across states. In turn, commonalities of origin and career have facilitated efficiency in parliamentary work.
Disease relapse after segmental resection and free flap reconstruction for mandibular osteoradionecrosis

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the outcomes, complications, and incidence of disease recurrence of mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN) after resection and microvascular free flap reconstruction.Study Design: Case series with chart review.Setting: Academic medical center.Subjects And Methods: Retrospective patient data review of 40 patients with mandibular ORN who were treated by segmental mandibulectomy and microvascular reconstruction between 1995 and 2009. All patients received radiation therapy for previous head and neck cancer, and 12 of 40 patients received concurrent chemotherapy. All patients failed to respond to conservative management. There were 26 males and 14 females, with a median age of 62 years. Median follow-up was 17.4 months.Results: There were no free flap failures. The incidence of wound-related complications was 55 percent. Median time to complication was 10.6 months. Ten (25%) patients developed symptoms of residual or recurrent ORN, with 70 percent of the recur...
Isolation and composition of Forssman hapten from sheep erythrocytes

Abstract Forssman hapten was isolated from sheep erythrocytes by a combination of franctional crystallization, solvent extraction, column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. Nine mg of purified material with an activity of 600 inhibition-hemolysis units/μg was obtained from 351. of sheep blood. This preparation was homogeneous by thin-layer chromatography on Silica Gel G in five solvent systems. After hydrolysis this Forssman hapten contained galactose, glucose and galactosamine in the ratio 2:1:1, dihydrosphingosine, and nervonic and lignoceric acids in equal amounts with a trace of behenic acid. This report is the first on the natures of the fatty acid and sphingosine components of highly purified material. The carbohydrate composition corresponds to that reported by Makite et al. (1966) rather than that by Siddiqui and Hakomori (1971), both for horse spleen.
Adolescent social defeat alters markers of adult dopaminergic function

Stressful experiences during adolescence can alter the trajectory of neural development and contribute to psychiatric disorders in adulthood. We previously demonstrated that adolescent male rats exposed to repeated social defeat stress show changes in mesocorticolimbic dopamine content both at baseline and in response to amphetamine when tested in adulthood. In the present study we examined whether markers of adult dopamine function are also compromised by adolescent experience of social defeat. Given that the dopamine transporter as well as dopamine D1 receptors act as regulators of psychostimulant action, are stress sensitive and undergo changes during adolescence, quantitative autoradiography was used to measure [(3)H]-GBR12935 binding to the dopamine transporter and [(3)H]-SCH23390 binding to dopamine D1 receptors, respectively. Our results indicate that social defeat during adolescence led to higher dopamine transporter binding in the infralimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex and higher dopamine D1 receptor binding in the caudate putamen, while other brain regions analyzed were comparable to controls. Thus it appears that social defeat during adolescence causes specific changes to the adult dopamine system, which may contribute to behavioral alterations and increased drug seeking.
Vocalizations of rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and Japanese (M. Fuscata) macaques cross‐fostered between species show evidence of only limited modification

Two rhesus and two Japanese macaque infants were cross-fostered between species in order to study the effects of auditory experience on vocal development. Both the cross-fostered and normally raised control subjects were observed over the first 2 years of life and their vocalizations were tape-recorded. We classified 8053 calls by ear, placed each call in one of six acoustic categories, and calculated the rates at which different call-types were used in different social contexts. Species differences were found in the use of "coo" and "gruff" vocalizations among control subjects. Japanese macaques invariably produced coos almost exclusively. In contrast, rhesus macaques produced a mixture of coos and gruffs and showed considerable interindividual variation in the relative use of one call type or the other. Cross-fostered Japanese macaques adhered to their species-typical behavior, rarely using gruffs. Cross-fostered rhesus subjects also exhibited species-typical behavior in many contexts, but in some situations produced coos and gruffs at rates that were intermediate between those shown by normally raised animals of the two species. This outcome suggests that environmentally mediated modification of vocal behavior may have occurred, but that the resulting changes were quite limited.
A Response to Snow's Comment on Business Policy Teaching Research

In this article the author responds to comments made over a research paper that examined the effectiveness of business education. He defends his work noting that the ideal research design will most likely be compromised to some degree and that designing the perfect research instrument is impossible. He also adds that his research was focused on the internal validity of teaching formats while the comments directed at his work were related to the external validity of teaching methods. He recognizes that this is an area that needs research; however, this was not the focus of his work.
A two-dimensional radial outflow model of plasma at Jupiter

An analytic solution illustrating the behavior of incompressible irrotational plasma outflow in two dimensions is given for application to the Jovian magnetosphere. Plasma is assumed to emanate from the Alfven surface and is channeled downtail by the confining magnetopause surface. Conformal transformation methods are used to map this complex magnetotail geometry into a rectangular box for which the solution to Laplace's equation is expressed in simple form. The model suggests that a dipole layer is formed on the dawn side in the vicinity of the Alfven surface where the flow bifurcates into clockwise and counterclockwise motion. An electric field discontinuity of this type fixed in local time may be able to account for several anomalous spin-periodic phenomena, namely, the modulation of Io-independent radio emissions and the injection of energetic electrons into interplanetary space.
Data management integration for biomedical core facilities

We present the design, development, and pilot-deployment experiences of MIMI, a web-based, Multi-modality Multi-Resource Information Integration environment for biomedical core facilities. This is an easily customizable, web-based software tool that integrates scientific and administrative support for a biomedical core facility involving a common set of entities: researchers; projects; equipments and devices; support staff; services; samples and materials; experimental workflow; large and complex data. With this software, one can: register users; manage projects; schedule resources; bill services; perform site-wide search; archive, back-up, and share data. With its customizable, expandable, and scalable characteristics, MIMI not only provides a cost-effective solution to the overarching data management problem of biomedical core facilities unavailable in the market place, but also lays a foundation for data federation to facilitate and support discovery-driven research.
Collisionless magnetic reconnection via Alfvén eigenmodes.

We propose an analytic approach to the problem of collisionless magnetic reconnection formulated as a process of Alfv\'en eigenmodes' generation and dissipation. Alfv\'en eigenmodes are confined by the current sheet in the same way that quantum mechanical waves are confined by the ${tanh﻿}^{2}$ potential. The dynamical time scale of reconnection is the system scale divided by the eigenvalue propagation velocity of the $n=1$ mode. The prediction of the $n=1$ mode shows good agreement with the in situ measurement of the reconnection-associated Hall fields.
Overview of transient liquid phase and partial transient liquid phase bonding

Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding is a relatively new bonding process that joins materials using an interlayer. On heating, the interlayer melts and the interlayer element (or a constituent of an alloy interlayer) diffuses into the substrate materials, causing isothermal solidification. The result of this process is a bond that has a higher melting point than the bonding temperature. This bonding process has found many applications, most notably the joining and repair of Ni-based superalloy components. This article reviews important aspects of TLP bonding, such as kinetics of the process, experimental details (bonding time, interlayer thickness and format, and optimal bonding temperature), and advantages and disadvantages of the process. A wide range of materials that TLP bonding has been applied to is also presented. Partial transient liquid phase (PTLP) bonding is a variant of TLP bonding that is typically used to join ceramics. PTLP bonding requires an interlayer composed of multiple layers; the most common bond setup consists of a thick refractory core sandwiched by thin, lower-melting layers on each side. This article explains how the experimental details and bonding kinetics of PTLP bonding differ from TLP bonding. Also, a range of materials that have been joined by PTLP bonding is presented.
Myosin-10 and actin filaments are essential for mitotic spindle function

Mitotic spindles are microtubule-based structures responsible for chromosome partitioning during cell division. Although the roles of microtubules and microtubule-based motors in mitotic spindles are well established, whether or not actin filaments (F-actin) and F-actin–based motors (myosins) are required components of mitotic spindles has long been controversial. Based on the demonstration that myosin-10 (Myo10) is important for assembly of meiotic spindles, we assessed the role of this unconventional myosin, as well as F-actin, in mitotic spindles. We find that Myo10 localizes to mitotic spindle poles and is essential for proper spindle anchoring, normal spindle length, spindle pole integrity, and progression through metaphase. Furthermore, we show that F-actin localizes to mitotic spindles in dynamic cables that surround the spindle and extend between the spindle and the cortex. Remarkably, although proper anchoring depends on both F-actin and Myo10, the requirement for Myo10 in spindle pole integrity is F-actin independent, whereas F-actin and Myo10 actually play antagonistic roles in maintenance of spindle length.
Patriotism and the Skirl of the Pipes: The Scottish Highland Pipe Band and World War I British Recruiting in New York, 1916–18

During World War I pipe bands were used by the British Armed Services as a component of recruitment and fundraising activities in the United States. Featured events were the July 1917 “British Recruiting Week,” the Allied Bazaar, and “Wake Up America,” in which the Canadian Highlanders and New Brunswick Kilties, as well as American pipe bands, took part. Activities and events that were held in the greater New York City area between 1916 and 1918 led to pipe bands being credited with increasing recruitment and interest in both the British and American war efforts.
Effect of glyburide on glycogen metabolism in cultured rat hepatocytes

Abstract Sulfonylurea agents decrease hepatic glucose production and fasting glucose levels in type II diabetic patients without changing fasting insulin concentrations. This raises the possibility that these drugs may act directly on hepatic carbohydrate metabolism. Cultured rat hepatocytes were used to test this hypothesis. To ascertain whether this in vitro system was suitable to demonstrate an effect of sulfonylurea agents (eg, the well-documented insulin-potentiating action), we initially measured the effect of glyburide (2 μg/mL) on insulin-stimulated net glucose- 14 C incorporation into glycogen. Glyburide increased sensitivity to insulin (ie, shifted the dose-response curve to the left) without affecting either responsiveness or insulin binding. Thus, the ED 50 was significantly lowered (8.4 v 15.2 ng/mL), whereas the percent increase (181% v 170%) over the basal level, specific tracer insulin binding (5.3% v 5.1% per mg protein), and the Scatchard plots were similar. Since an effect of sulfonylurea agents could be demonstrated in this system, and the glycogen pathways supply 75% of hepatic glucose production after an overnight fast, we next measured the direct effect of glyburide (2 μg/mL) on glycogen storage and breakdown. Glycogenolysis was assessed by measuring the breakdown of prelabeled glycogen (from galactose- 14 C) and glycogen synthesis by the incorporation of glucose-C 14 into glycogen. Glyburide significantly inhibited glycogenolysis and stimulated glycogen synthesis. Furthermore, glyburide significantly stimulated glycogen synthase while glycogen phosphorylase was unaffected. In conclusion, glyburide directly inhibited glycogenolysis, stimulated glycogen synthesis and glycogen synthase, and potentiated the action of insulin on glycogen synthesis at a postbinding site in cultured rat hepatocytes. These effects, if expressed in vivo, could account for the decreased hepatic glucose production and fasting glucose concentrations in type II diabetic patients.