cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association of JNK1 with p21waf1 and p53: modulation of JNK1 activity.

Exposure of mammalian cells to genotoxic stress results in activation of the c-jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK)-stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) pathway and induction of DNA repair enzymes and cell cycle-regulatory proteins such as p53 and p21waf1. The p53 tumor suppressor protein transmits signals that activate p21waf1 gene expression. The p21waf1 protein then restricts cell-cycle progression, thereby allowing time for DNA repair to occur. In this study, we investigated the effects of modulation of the level of wild-type and mutant p53 protein on basal JNK1 activity in the A1-5 rat fibroblast cell line. This cell line contains a p53 gene coding for a temperature-sensitive p53 protein, which allows us to regulate the relative level of wild-type and mutant p53 protein produced in cells. Using the immune complex kinase assay to measure JNK1 activity, we demonstrated that cells expressing the wild-type-conformation p53 protein (when grown at 32.5 degrees C) exhibited a very low level of JNK1 activity. When cells were grown at 37 degrees C or 39 degrees C to express predominantly mutant p53 protein, basal level of JNK1 activity was significantly higher than at 32.5 degrees C. We also demonstrated protein-protein interactions between the p53, p21waf1, and JNK1 proteins in this cell line. Both wild-type p53 protein (expressed at 32.5 degrees C) and mutant p53(val135) protein (expressed at 37 degrees C and 39 degrees C) were present in immunocomplexes of JNK1 protein. Under conditions where wild-type p53 protein was present to induce p21waf1 expression (at 32.5 degrees C), a higher level of p21waf1 protein was also detected in the JNK1 immunocomplexes than in those at 37 degrees C and 39 degrees C. We next investigated the effect that co-association of p53 protein and p21waf1 protein would have on JNK1 activity. We measured basal levels of JNK1 activity in cells expressing wild-type p53 and p21waf1, or in p21waf1-null cells, and demonstrated that cells expressing both p53 and p21waf1 proteins exhibited an approximately threefold lower basal level of JNK1 activity when compared with p21waf1-null cells. To confirm that p21waf1 protein expression in cells resulted in reduced JNK1 activity, we transfected p21waf1-/- cells with a p21waf1 expression vector. We observed that JNK1 activity was inhibited after exogenous p21waf1 protein was expressed in these cells. Our results provide evidence for modulation of the JNK1 pathway by p53 and p21waf1 proteins and support the hypothesis that modulation of JNK1 activity occurred through protein-protein interactions between JNK1, p53, and p21waf1 proteins.
HERBERT BLUMER'S CONCEPTUAL IMPACT

Blumer's conceptual development was particularly crucial to the development of sociology. Despite his many talents, Blumer's importance as a sociologist stems from his profound theoretical contributions. He affected the discipline through his insistence on precision of thought in a field that let fuzzy ideas and meaningless numbers take its place. In addition, he offered a serious axiomatic-deductive theory to sociology. Although we do not always recognize his impact, few sociologists are untouched by his work. Ultimately Blumer's impact is what we make it by our own practice.
Fibonacci Anyons From Abelian Bilayer Quantum Hall States

The possibility of realizing non-Abelian statistics and utilizing it for topological quantum computation (TQC) has generated widespread interest. However, the non-Abelian statistics that can be realized in most accessible proposals is not powerful enough for universal TQC. In this Letter, we consider a simple bilayer fractional quantum Hall system with the 1/3 Laughlin state in each layer. We show that interlayer tunneling can drive a transition to an exotic non-Abelian state that contains the famous "Fibonacci" anyon, whose non-Abelian statistics is powerful enough for universal TQC. Our analysis rests on startling agreements from a variety of distinct methods, including thin torus limits, effective field theories, and coupled wire constructions. We provide evidence that the transition can be continuous, at which point the charge gap remains open while the neutral gap closes. This raises the question of whether these exotic phases may have already been realized at ν=2/3 in bilayers, as past experiments may not have definitively ruled them out.
Influence of exercise and ethanol on cholinesterase activity and lipid peroxidation in blood and brain regions of rat

1. This study elucidates the interaction of acute exercise and single ethanol intake on cholinergic enzyme and its relationship to lipid peroxidation in the blood and brain regions of the rat. 2. Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in plasma and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in brain regions as well as lipid peroxidation (MDA) were assayed in 1) sedentary control rats; 2) after acute exercise (100% VO2max); 3) ethanol 20% (1.6 gm/kg, p.o.); 4) exercise and then ethanol 20% (1.6 gm/kg, p.o.). 3. Acute exercise significantly increased BuChE activity (155% of control) in plasma and decreased AChE activity (60% of control) in the corpus striatum with a significant increase in the striatal MDA level (254% of control). Ethanol significantly decreased AChE activity only in striatum (86% of control) with a significant increase in striatal MDA level (132% of control). 4. The combination of exercise and ethanol 20% (1.6 gm/kg, p.o.) significantly increased BuChE activity (123% of control) in plasma, and decreased AChE activity (76% of control) in striatum with significant increase in striatal MDA level (147% of control). 5. Acute exercise, single ethanol 20% (1.6 gm/kg, p.o.) intake and the combination selectively inhibited striatal AChE, and the inhibition was correlated with increased lipid peroxidation indicating perturbation of motor function. The combination reduced the peripheral stress response caused by exhaustive exercise.
Delayed Auditory Feedback with Children

There is a controversy in the literature concerning the effects of delayed auditory feedback (DAF) on the speech of subjects of varying ages, In the current experiment the subjects were five-year-o...
Fluorescent detection of carbon-carbon bond formation.

We have developed a new spectroscopic system for detecting carbon−carbon bond formation by fluorescence to enhance high-throughput catalyst screening and rapid characterization of catalysts on a small scale. Fluorogenic substrates composed of a fluorophore possessing an amino group are readily prepared as amides of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and generally exhibit low fluorescence, while Michael or Diels−Alder reactions of these fluorogenic substrates provide products of significantly increased fluorescence. The product's fluorescence is approximately 20- to 100-fold higher than that of the substrate. The assay system was validated by screening potential catalysts of the Michael reaction and in solvent optimization experiments. The covalent combination of fluorophores possessing an amino group with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds should provide a diverse range of fluorogenic substrates that may be used to rapidly screen catalysts and to optimize reaction conditions.
The residual finiteness of positive one-relator groups

It is proven that every positive one-relator group which satisfies the $ {\rm C}'({1\over6}) $ condition has a finite index subgroup which splits as a free product of two free groups amalgamating a finitely generated malnormal subgroup. As a consequence, it is shown that every $ {\rm C}'({1\over6}) $ positive one-relator group is residually finite. It is shown that positive one-relator groups are generically $ {\rm C}'({1\over6}) $ and hence generically residually finite. A new method is given for recognizing malnormal subgroups of free groups. This method employs a 'small cancellation theory' for maps between graphs.
Human Papillomavirus: Current Concepts

The articles reported in this issue of theArchivesraise several questions about warts that dermatologists and other physicians must deal with daily. How are human papillomaviruses (HPV) transmitted? How are warts clinically detected, when will HPV typing be available, and when should we use it? What is the significance of infection with HPV types associated with cancer? How do warts resolve and what is the role of the immune system? Although definitive answers cannot be provided, I will attempt a selective interpretation of current data (for a more complete literature review see reference 1). EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HPV Rudlinger et al 2 describe a periungual wart with dysplastic pathology in a patient with chronic genital bowenoid papulosis. The identification of HPV-35, an uncommon HPV type usually limited to the genital region, in both lesions suggested spread from the vulvar disease. The case report of Ostrow et al 3 provides another
A mechanism for African monsoon breaks: Mediterranean cold air surges

[1] Surges of cold air from the Mediterranean into northern Africa during the boreal summer are documented, and their influence on monsoon breaks is analyzed using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission rainfall estimates and reanalysis products. Between 1998 and 2006, 6–10 cold air surges occurred each summer, with low-level temperature anomalies ranging from less than −1 K to over −6 K. Composite analysis indicates that cold air surges over northern Africa persist for 2–10 days and travel equatorward at approximately 5.5 m s–1, which is 0.5–1.5 m s–1 faster than the observed climatological low-level meridional flow. Northern African cold surges have characteristics similar to surges observed elsewhere in the world, including a hydrostatically induced ridge of surface pressure and an amplified upper tropospheric ridge/trough pattern. The African cold surge is preceded by the passage of a shortwave trough and an intensification of the upper tropospheric subtropical westerly jet streak over the Mediterranean Sea. These events are associated with increased confluence in the jet entrance region over the central Mediterranean, an enhanced direct secondary circulation, subsidence, and low-level ageostrophic northerly flow over northeastern Africa. Composite analysis shows that the passage of a cold surge is associated with an enhancement in convective activity over southern Algeria, western Niger, northern Mali, and Mauritania 2 to 5 days before the surge reaches the eastern Sahel (∼17.5°N), when northeasterly flow channeled between the Atlas and Ahaggar Mountains strengthens and transports relatively moist air from the western Mediterranean and eastern North Atlantic over the region and increases moisture convergence over western Africa north of 20°N. Over the eastern Sahel of Sudan and eastern Chad, the composite results reveal a break in convective activity and decrease in low-level convergence when the surge arrives that persists for about 6 days. These results offer great promise for improving the short-range prediction of rainfall over northern Africa.
Numerical feasibility analysis of an epidermal glucose sensor based on time-resolved fluorescence

This paper presents numerical simulations predicting the time-resolved reflectance and autofluorescence of human skin exposed to a pulse of collimated light at 337 nm and pulse width of 1 ns. Moreover, the feasibility of using an embedded time-resolved fluorescence sensor for monitoring glucose concentration is also studied. Skin is modeled as a multilayer medium with each layer having its own optical properties and fluorophore absorption coefficients, lifetimes and quantum yields. The intensity distributions of excitation and fluorescent light in skin are then determined by solving the transient radiative transfer equation using the modified method of characteristics. In both cases, the fluorophore lifetimes are recovered from the simulated fluorescence decays and compared with the actual lifetimes used in the simulations. It was found that the fluorescence lifetime of the fluorophore contributing the least to the fluorescence signal could not be recovered while the other lifetimes could be recovered within 2.5% of input values. Such simulations could be valuable in interpreting data from time-resolved fluorescence experiments on healthy and diseased tissue as well as in designing and testing the feasibility of various optical sensors for biomedical diagnostics.
Profiles and treatment of attempted suicide by self-immolation

Self-immolation represented 3.9% of patients (N = 7) at this burn unit over the last 18 months. Charts of these patients were retrospectively reviewed for demographics, hospital course, and discharge plan. All had a major psychiatric diagnosis, although no clear patient profile emerged. These patients required complex individualized care, but the psychosocial treatment challenges had many common elements. Psychiatric aspects of these patients proved problematic for the burn unit staff. Physical sequelae of the burns raised problems in arranging subsequent psychiatric treatment. Follow-up information was obtained by brief telephone interviews. The survivors appeared to be functioning well given their psychopathology and physical sequelae.
Knowledge Transfer within Organizations: A Social Network Perspective

Knowledge is regarded as a key strategic resource for organizations. The proliferation of knowledge management systems reflects the importance of the creation, transfer, storage, retrieval, and use of knowledge within firms and across firm boundaries. A variety of conceptual models exist describing mechanisms through which knowledge is transferred between individuals within an organization. However, the synthesis of various conceptualizations of knowledge transfer remains undeveloped. The application of networking theories could be useful in describing how knowledge disseminates throughout an organization in accordance with technological diffusion and assimilation. Drawing upon extant literature, a network view of knowledge transfer and creation is presented. The proposed model portrays knowledge as complicated and multifaceted, containing both tacit and explicit elements, and describes how knowledge is created and transferred through the routines and directives shared between individuals within an organization.
Analysis and Evaluation for STEP-Based Electro-Mechanical Assemblies: An Integrated Fuzzy AHP Approach

Assemblability analysis and evaluation play a key role in assembly design, assembly operation analysis and assembly planning. This paper proposes an integrated approach to assemblability analysis and evaluation for STEP (STandard for the Exchange of Product model data, officially ISO 10303) based electro-mechanical products. In the paper, two assembly representation models are first brought up and elaborated: the EXPRESS/XML schema based model and the NIST object-oriented UML-based Open Assembly Model (OAM). These two models are then integrated together; the OAM incorporates the EXPRESS/XML schema based assembly model to completely capture the detailed geometric information. Based on STEP, the proposed assembly evaluation approach uses the EXPRESS/XML schema based model as the information source, and the evaluation structure covers not only the assembly parts’ geometric and physical characteristics but also takes into account the assembly operation data necessary to assemble the parts. The feature of this approach is the linkage of the STEP product definition to the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for assembly evaluation. The proposed approach has the flexibility to be used in various assembly methods and different environments. The case study shows that the proposed approach is feasible.© 2004 ASME
Toughening mechanism of heterogeneous aliphatic polyurethanes

Abstract Highly cross-linked polyurethanes have a high elastic modulus and creep resistance, but they undergo a brittle fracture below the glass transition temperature. The lack of substantial toughness in these polymers limits their use in practical engineering applications. One method that has shown promise in recent years is the creation of local regions of reduced modulus that absorb strain energy and act to toughen the polymer. For instance, rubbers are typically added to epoxy which phase separate upon polymerization and create local elastic regions that significantly toughen the polymer. Here a variety of two-phase polyurethanes in the form of single inclusions is designed to study the toughening mechanism of the local regions of reduced modulus with an embedded crack. Synthesized heterogeneous polyurethanes show a transition from brittle to ductile behavior in addition to a drastic increase in the maximum load that the polymer can withstand. Fracture mechanics experiments demonstrate that a small reduction in the inclusion's Young's modulus (∼10%) leads to an increase in the toughness by factor of 7 (∼700%). The finite element method and digital image correlation are utilized to study this toughening mechanism. Optical strain measurements confirm the numerical simulation results and possible toughening and strengthening mechanisms.
Defective cyclic GMP accumulation in spontaneously hypertensive rat aorta in response to atrial natriuretic factor.

Les mecanismes biochimiques responsables d'une alteration de la reponse a la vasodilatation induite par le facteur ANF sont etudies chez le rat presentant une hypertension arterielle spontanee
Phorbol ester/calcium ionophore activate fish leukocytes and induce long-term cultures.

Abstract This study documents that phorbol ester (TPA) and calcium ionophore (A23187) in combination are potent mitogens for channel catfish peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL), stimulating both catfish T and B cells. Unlike T-cell responses to Concanavalin A (ConA), these responses to TPA/A23187 did not appear to require monocytes and were not strongly inhibited by low culture temperature. These results support the notion that catfish lymphocytes utilize the bifurcating phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate second-messenger system for transmembrane signaling during the activation process, as do mammalian lymphocytes. Furthermore, it was unexpectedly found that TPA/A23187 stimulation of normal catfish PBL reproducibly (≥95%) resulted in the generation of long-term leukocyte cultures that did not require restimulation or the addition of exogenous factors for continued proliferation. These TPA/A23187-induced leukocyte cultures were refractory to cloning and appeared to contain 10–40% monocytes and 50–80% putative T cells with no detectable B cells or neutrophils.
Faith and Works: Church-Based Social Capital Resources and African American Political Activism

This study seeks to examine the relationship between church-based social capital resources and political activism among black Americans. Our results suggest that simply attending church does not provide enough social capital resources to propel blacks into voting and nonvoting political activities. Rather, it is largely those churches that espouse a civic culture where members are exposed to political discussions and are encouraged to be activists that lead to black political engagement. In addition, involvement in church committee life is important to black civic skill development (e.g., communication, writing, and organizing skills), which increases these church activists’ competence and confidence to participate in costly and risky political acts. This study also sought to investigate the class composition of such politicized church networks. It is largely the case that such networks are stratified by socioeconomic status, such that middle-class blacks disproportionately hear political messages in church and serve as church activists. This article investigates the relationship between church-based resources and political activism among African Americans. Increasing our current level of knowledge about the degree of influence that religious resources have on black activism is important, given that churches are often the only nongovernmental institution in black communities (Billingsley 1999; Gronbjerg 1990). Moreover, religious congregations often serve as the largest organized expression of black * This research was partially funded by a subgrant of the National Institute of Mental Health grant 5 P01 MH058565-05. We would like to thank Robert J. Taylor and Brian D. McKenzie for reading and offering helpful insight and comments during the preparation of this article. Direct correspondence to R. Khari Brown, Program for Research on Black Americans, 5062 Institute for
Hands-On Graduate Courses in Lean Manufacturing (LM) Emphasizing Green and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

The author developed and taught the second hands-on graduate course in a series of three Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing (EFM) courses offered at the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering and Technology (MMET) Masters Program at the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT), Portland Center. Courses in this series include Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing (ECM-1), Lean Manufacturing (LM) emphasizing Green and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and Emission Control in Manufacturing (ECM-II). The first two-thirds of the course curriculum consisted of regular classroom lectures, limited homework, two case studies, discussions, videos, and visits to two companies that were implementing or had implemented LM. In addition, a guest lecturer from Washington State Department of Ecology discussed relevant LM and environmental case studies. The final third of the course curriculum consisted of hands-on industry-based case studies. Students gained real-world experience in the manufacturing facilities of the four companies that elected to participate in the pilot project. The LM course, taught from an engineer’s point of view, emphasized the engineer’s role at the initial product design stage, and or manufacturing process design, including building design. This paper describes the course content of the LM curriculum, the innovative methods developed to teach the course, and the methods used to teach LM to graduate students with different undergraduate educational backgrounds including individuals with no prior industrial experience. It discusses three industry-based case studies, company profiles, and the benefits derived by participating companies and graduate students. Curriculum effectiveness was determined at the end of the course in part through students’ and industry participant’s comments. Future publication will describe the contents and case studies of the third ECM II in the EFM course curricula.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
IBM eServer z900 I/O subsystem

The IBM eServer z900 is the first in a generation of future eServers that continues its leadership via a new I/O subsystem with enhancements in capability, performance, configuration management, and qualities of service. Significant features of the I/O subsystem are included to support the 64-bit z/Architecture™ and configuration-management enhancements [e.g., assignable channel path identifiers (CHPIDs) and dynamic channel path management (DCM)]. A 1GB/s self-timed interface (STI), I/O infrastructure, and I/O card cage are described which support the high-bandwidth I/O (e.g., FICON™, Ethernet). These improvements yield enhanced configuration flexibility and connectivity, as well as reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS), while providing for future bandwidth growth. The various types of I/O ports supported by the IBM eServer z900 platform are also discussed. A common I/O platform is discussed which has been used to provide a uniform, high-bandwidth attachment of industry-standard peripheral computer interface (PCI) cards, while maintaining the leadership functionality and RAS of the eServer zSeries™. A high-density (16-port) ESCON® I/O card has been designed by exploiting IBM advanced CMOS and state-of-the-art fiber optic technologies. Finally, a high-performance, high-density intersystem channel (ISC-3) coupling link I/O card has been developed for the IBM eServer z900 by leveraging advanced technology and packaging techniques.
Ontogeny of seizure incidence, latency, and severity in genetically epilepsy prone rats

The Genetically Epilepsy-Prone Rat (GEPR) is a widely studied model of epileptiform disorders. While there is considerable evidence that neurotransmitter abnormalities contribute to the unusual sensitivity of these animals to seizures, the possibility that seizure susceptibility may reflect developmental changes in the central nervous system has not been fully addressed. In the present study, 91 GEPR-9 pups were tested for incidence, latency and severity of an audiogenically induced seizure at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, or 30 days postpartum (1 test per pup) and retested at 60 days. Seizure incidence, latency, and severity were significantly greater on Days 27, 28, 29, and 30 than on all previous days. The first observation of running fits occurred in Day 18 pups and the first evidence of seizures occurred in Day 21 pups. When retested at Day 60, seizure incidence and severity were significantly greater than on initial tests while latency declined. The results suggest that seizure susceptibility in the GEPR-9 occurs as the result of developmental events in the CNS occurring on or shortly after Day 18 postpartum.
Identification of membrane-bound calcium, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in canine heart.

Abstract Phospholamban, the putative regulatory proteolipid of the Ca2/Mg2+ ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, was selectively phosphorylated by a Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase associated with a cardiac membrane preparation. This kinase also catalyzed the phosphorylation of two exogenous proteins known to be phosphorylated by the multifunctional Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II Ca2+/CaM-kinase II), i.e., smooth muscle myosin light chains and glycogen synthase a. The latter protein was phosphorylated at sites previously shown to be phosphorylated by the purified multifunctional Ca2+/CaM-kinase II from liver and brain. The membrane-bound kinase did not phosphorylate phosphorylase b or cardiac myosin light chains, although these proteins were phosphorylated by appropriate, specific calmodulin-dependent protein kinases added exogenously. In addition to phospholamban, several other membrane-associated proteins were phosphorylated in a calmodulin-dependent manner. The principal one exhibited a Mr of approximately 56,000, a value similar to that of the major protein (57,000) in a partially purified preparation of Ca2+/CaM-kinase II from the soluble fraction of canine heart that was autophosphorylated in a calmodulin-dependent manner. These data indicate that the membrane-bound, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase that phosphorylates phospholamban in cardiac membranes is not a specific calmodulin-dependent kinase, but resembles the multifunctional Ca2+/CaM-kinase II. Our data indicate that this kinase may be present in both the particulate and soluble fractions of canine heart.
Stimulation of RNA polymerase II transcription initiation by recruitment of TBP in vivo

Eukaryotic transcriptional activators may stimulate RNA polymerase II activity by promoting assembly of preinitiation complexes on promoters through their interactions with one or more components of the basal machinery. On the basis of its central role in initiating transcription-complex formation upon binding to the TATA box, the general transcription factor TFIID, which includes the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and several TBP-associated factors, has been implicated as a target for activators. Consistent with this idea, an increasing number of activators have been reported to bind directly to TBP. To assess the functional importance of these in vitro interactions for transcriptional regulation in vivo, we made use of a novel strategy in yeast to show that a physical interaction with TBP is sufficient for a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein to increase initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. These results imply that binding of TFIID to promoter elements is a limiting step in transcription complex assembly in vivo.
Finite element dynamic analysis of soft tissues using state-space model

A finite element (FE) model is employed to investigate the dynamic response of soft tissues under external excitations, particularly corresponding to the case of harmonic motion imaging. A solid 3D mixed 'u-p' element S8P0 is implemented to capture the near-incompressibility inherent in soft tissues. Two important aspects in structural modelling of these tissues are studied; these are the influence of viscous damping on the dynamic response and, following FE-modelling, a developed state-space formulation that valuates the efficiency of several order reduction methods. It is illustrated that the order of the mathematical model can be significantly reduced, while preserving the accuracy of the observed system dynamics. Thus, the reduced-order state-space representation of soft tissues for general dynamic analysis significantly reduces the computational cost and provides a unitary framework for the 'forward' simulation and 'inverse' estimation of soft tissues. Moreover, the results suggest that damping in soft-tissue is significant, effectively cancelling the contribution of all but the first few vibration modes.
Relationship of Pica Practice to Iron and Zinc, Social Support, and Infant Birthweight

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: Examine the relationship of the extent of pica behavior and trace elements, social support, and infant birthweight among southern, rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged pregnant women. The effect of dietary levels of the trace elements iron and zinc and social support on extent of pica practice as well as the effect of pica practice on infant birthweight was studies in an analysis of 128 socioeconomically disadvantaged women receiving prenatal care from two rural community health agencies. Demographic and sociocultural data were collected as well as samples of plasma and the pica substances ingested. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Pearson product-moment correlation, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The majority of the sample were single, African-American women. Decreased plasma zinc levels were associated with pica practice and in African-American women, the practice of pica was associated with birthweight. No significant correlational relationships were found between social support and pica or between iron and pica. This study has numerous implications for practice, education, and research. Patient questioning regarding pica should be open, directive, and culturally sensitive. Studies are needed to investigate the interaction of iron and zinc, as ingested via dietary and vitamin supplementation, and pica and the subsequent changes in bioavailability. Also, it would be beneficial to conduct studies with larger samples practicing pica to investigate the relationship of pica to trace elements iron and zinc and pregnancy outcome.
Pax-6 and lens-specific transcription of the chicken delta 1-crystallin gene

The abundance of delta-crystallin in the chicken eye lens provides an advantageous marker for tissue-specific gene expression during cellular differentiation. The lens-specific expression of the delta 1-crystallin gene is governed by an enhancer in the third intron, which binds a positive (delta EF2) and negative (delta EF1) factor in its core region. Here we show by DNase I footprinting, electrophoretic mobility-shift assays, and cotransfection experiments with the delta 1-promoter/enhancer fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene that the delta 1-crystallin enhancer has two adjacent functional Pax-6 binding sites. We also demonstrate by DNase I footprinting that the delta EF1 site can bind the transcription factor USF, raising the possibility that USF may cooperate with Pax-6 in activation of the chicken delta 1- and alpha A-crystallin genes. These data, coupled with our recent demonstration that Pax-6 activates the alpha A-crystallin gene, suggest that Pax-6 may have been used extensively throughout evolution to recruit and express crystallin genes in the lens.
Simplifying structure analysis projects with customizable chime-based templates*.

Structure/function relationships are fundamental to understanding the properties of biological molecules, and thus it is imperative that biochemistry students learn how to analyze such relationships. Here we describe Chime-based web page templates and tutorials designed to help students develop their own strategies for exploring macromolecular three-dimensional structures like those on our course website. The templates can easily be customized for any structure of interest, and some templates include a Command Entry Line and a Message Recall Box for more refined macromolecular exploration using RasMol/Chime image modification commands. The tutorials present students with an integrated overview of the image modification capabilities of the Chime plug-in and its underlying RasMol-based command structure as accessed through the Command Entry Line. The tutorial also illustrates how RasMol/Chime command syntax addresses specific formatted structural information in a standard Protein Data Bank file. Judging by the high quality of structure-based presentations given by students who have used these templates and tutorials, it appears that these resources can help students learn to analyze complex macromolecular structures while also providing them with convenient tools for creating scientifically meaningful and visually effective molecular images to share with others. (The templates, tutorials, and our course website can be viewed at the following URLs, respectively: tutor.lscf.ucsb.edu/instdev/sears/biochemistry/presentations/demos-downloads.htm, tutor.lscf.ucsb.edu/instdev/sears/biochemistry/tutorials/pdbtutorial/frontwindow.html, and tutor.lscf.ucsb.edu/instdev/sears/biochemistry/.)
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Is Associated With a Genetic Variant in the 3′ Flanking Region of the CTLA4 Gene

Background & Aims: Genetic variation is invoked as a strong component underlying primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and other autoimmune disorders. Data suggest that some of this genetic risk is shared, affecting function of the immune mechanisms controlling self-tolerance. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) encodes a coinhibitory immunoreceptor that is a key regulator of self-tolerance with established genetic associations to multiple autoimmune diseases but conflicting evidence of involvement with PBC. We aimed to perform a more comprehensive assessment of CTLA4 genetic variation in PBC using a haplotype-tagging based approach. Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 402 PBC patients and 279 controls and evaluated for association with PBC and with antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) status and prior orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) among the PBC patients, both individually and as inferred haplotypes, using logistic regression. Results: All SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We identified a novel and relatively strong association between PBC and rs231725, a SNP in the 3′ flanking region of CTLA4 located outside of the area previously investigated in PBC. This SNP tags a common CTLA4 haplotype that contains a number of functionally implicated autoimmune CTLA4 SNPs, which was also found to be associated with PBC and to a lesser extent AMA status and prior OLT. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that CTLA4 has an impact on the risk of PBC and possibly plays a role in influencing AMA development as well as progression to OLT among PBC patients. Replication in a suitable, independent PBC cohort is needed.
The Belly Dancer Strategy: Israeli Educational Television and its Alternatives

By the 1960s, the question of instituting a television service in Israel had become the subject of a public controversy and a political debate. Hailed as a great educational tool by some and a dangerous ‘culture bomb’ by others, television facilitated a process of cultural self-definition as Israelis struggled to set the wouldbe service apart and shield it from the cultural influences of American television on the one hand and Arab television on the other. All the while, official imaginings of television as an educational, national utility clashed with public speculations about popular entertainment and commercial content. This article traces the cultural pressures, political anxieties, public speculations and industry marketing campaigns that accompanied the initial planning stages and establishment of an Israeli educational television service. In particular, it illustrates how conceptions of television galvanized a national debate over cultural taste, national identity, political ideology and Israeli di...
A Competency-Based Medical Student Curriculum:: Taking the Medication History in Older Adults

Older adults are the largest consumers of prescription medications. Taking multiple medications, which interact with medical, psychological, and socioeconomic factors, increases a person's risk of nonadherence and adverse events. A curriculum was developed to train medical students to identify these risks and make recommendations for improving medication safety. The curriculum, consisting of a self-study computer tutorial, a small-group simulated-patient (SP) experience, and an online competency assessment, was implemented in the students' second year of training. Groups (N = 28) of five to seven students interviewed the SP and were assessed on their ability to identify medication concerns (N = 18) and make recommendations (N = 18) on improving medication safety. On average, student groups identified 16.1 concerns and made 15.4 recommendations. On the competency assessment several months later, students were given a case scenario and again asked to identify concerns (N = 7) and make recommendations (N = 7). Students (N = 176) were required to achieve a preset performance standard on the assessment. A high percentage (97.2%) of students achieved the standard (a score of 8/14) on their first attempt; the remainder achieved the standard on their second attempt. Student evaluations indicated high levels of satisfaction with the curriculum. The learning objectives, competency assessment, and instructional activities were closely aligned. Instructional activities provided students with an opportunity to practice the competency in a nonthreatening environment. The SP session materials are available through MedEdPORTAL and can readily be incorporated by other institutions into existing curricula.
Group Visits and Chronic Disease Management in Adults: A Review

Chronic disease management using the traditional 15-minute appointment is exceptionally challenging and arguably inadequate to provide comprehensive, prospective, patient-centered primary care. A model of care designed to promote patient education, patient self-management, and improved access to their physicians and other health care providers is needed. Group visits have been identified as one model that allows physicians to deliver extensive patient education and self-management instruction while enhancing financial productivity. A thorough review of the literature on group visits was performed. Fairly consistent results from level I and II quality of evidence from a revised Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) rating system indicate that patients who attended group visits demonstrated improved standards of care, improved quality of life, greater patient and physician satisfaction, lower rates of hospitalization and emergency department utilization, and reduced specialty costs. Discrepancies from ...
Ultraviolet astronomy instrumentation for sounding rocket and Shuttle/Spacelab missions

The paper deals with an electrographic Schmidt camera for wide-field imaging and objective-spectrographic sky surveys, and with a nebula spectrograph designed to obtain slit spectra of nebulae and other diffuse sources. Each of these ultraviolet astronomy instruments has been successfully used in sounding rocket flights. It is seen that, with some minor modifications, both instruments should be readily adaptable to Spacelab missions.
Increased fructose production by the brain in alloxan diabetes.

Summary The production of fructose by dog brainin vivo has been calculated from measurements of the turnover of fructose in the cerebrospinal fluid. The rate of fructose production was found to increase approximately 20-fold in animals with alloxan diabetes.
Clinical and CT features of benign pneumatosis intestinalis in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant and oncology patients.

Background Pneumatosis intestinalis in children is associated with a wide variety of underlying conditions and often has a benign course. The CT features of this condition have not been systematically investigated.
COOPERATION, COOPTATION, AND REBELLION UNDER DICTATORSHIPS

Dictatorships are not all the same: some are purely autocratic but many exhibit a full panoply of seemingly democratic institutions. To explain these differences, we develop a model in which dictators may need cooperation to generate rents and may face a threat of rebellion. Dictators have two instruments: they can make policy concessions or share rents. We conclude that when they need more cooperation dictators make more extensive policy concessions and share fewer rents. In turn, when the threat of rebellion is greater, they make larger concessions but also distribute more spoils. Assuming that policy concessions require an institutional setting of legislatures and parties, we test this prediction statistically for all dictatorships that existed between 1946 and 1996.
The Dynamic Compact Control Language: A compact marshalling scheme for acoustic communications

The Dynamic Compact Control Language (DCCL) extends the ubiquitous Extensible Markup Language (XML) to provide a structure for defining very short messages comprised of bounded basic variable types, suitable for transmission over a low throughput acoustic channel. Algorithms are provided to consistently encode and decode the fields of these messages, and an implementation of DCCL with encryption is provided as a open source C++ library. Furthermore, DCCL has been incorporated into a publish/subscribe robotic autonomy architecture and used on numerous simulations and field trials involving heterogeneous networks of vehicles; we present the results of several. The ease of reconfiguration and error checking provided by DCCL make it well suited for collaborative autonomous underwater vehicle operations, where the flexibility to quickly change the message set, combined with low incidence of error, is necessary for success.
Further evidence for a role of 2-phenylethylamine in the mode of action of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol

Abstract In rabbits, Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol ( Δ 9 -THC) increased the recovery of labeled 2-phenylethylamine (PEA) from brain following its intraventricular administration. Δ 9 -THC also enhanced the excitatory effect of iontophoretic PEA on cortical unit potentials. Although Δ 9 -THC induced sedation in mice, the subsequent injection of reserpine induced transient excitement. Low doses of PEA, which do not significantly alter the behavior of mice, induced marked excitement in mice pretreated with Δ 9 -THC. In mice treated with pargyline, Δ 9 -THC induced excitement (instead of sedation); this excitement was increased by PEA and reduced by phenylethanolamine. These results suggest that Δ 9 -THC inhibits the disposition of PEA. Since endogenous PEA may be one of the adrenergic ergotropic modulators, it may play a role in the euphoriant effect of marihuana.
Vagal-Sparing Esophagectomy: The Ideal Operation for Intramucosal Adenocarcinoma and Barrett with High-Grade Dysplasia

Objective: Our aim was to compare outcome of vagal-sparing esophagectomy with transhiatal and en bloc esophagectomy in patients with intramucosal adenocarcinoma or high-grade dysplasia. Background Data: Intramucosal adenocarcinoma and high grade dysplasia have a low likelihood of lymphatic or systemic metastases and esophagectomy is curative in most patients. However, traditional esophagectomy is associated with significant morbidity and altered gastrointestinal function. A vagal-sparing esophagectomy offers the advantages of complete disease removal with the potential for reduced morbidity and a better functional outcome. Method: Retrospective review of outcome in patients with intramucosal adenocarcinoma or high grade dysplasia that had a vagal-sparing (n = 49), transhiatal (n = 39) or en bloc (n = 21) esophagectomy. Results: The length of hospital stay and the incidence of major complications was significantly reduced with a vagal-sparing esophagectomy compared with a transhiatal or en bloc resection. Further, postvagotomy dumping and diarrhea symptoms were significantly less common, and weight was better maintained postoperatively with a vagal-sparing esophagectomy. Recurrent cancer has developed in only 1 patient. Conclusion: Survival with intramucosal adenocarcinoma or Barrett's with high-grade dysplasia is independent of the type of resection. A vagal-sparing esophagectomy is associated with significantly less perioperative morbidity and a shorter hospital stay than a transhiatal or en bloc esophagectomy. Further, late morbidity including weight loss, dumping, and diarrhea are significantly less likely after a vagal-sparing approach. Consequently a vagal-sparing esophagectomy is the preferred procedure for patients with intramucosal adenocarcinoma or high grade dysplasia.
Does exercise environment enhance the psychological benefits of exercise for women

Two experiments examined the psychological benefits of exercise environment. In Experiment 1, 128 female college students were assigned to 1 of 3 laboratory conditions that differed only in with whom they were exercising; in Experiment 2, 88 students were assigned to 1 of 4 walking conditions that differed in the environment (i.e., indoors vs. outdoors) and whom they were with. Before and after exercise, participants completed several mood and enjoyment measures. Participants in Experiment 1 were most calm when exercising alone than with others, and participants in Experiment 2 found the experience most enjoyable if outdoors. Our findings suggest that perceived enjoyment and outdoor exercise may account for some of the psychological benefits of exercise for women.
Empirical econometric modelling of food consumption using a new informational complexity approach

This paper is concerned with empirical econometric modeling of food consumption in the USA and the Netherlands. Using autoregressive distributed lag models (ADLs) selected via the Informational Complexity (ICOMP) criterion, we study the relationship between food consumption and income. Whether food consumption obeys the homogeneity postulate is tested using information criteria. Using information-theoretic techniques, we identify the optimal information set and lag order for a Vector Autoregressive (VAR) forecast of food consumption in the Netherlands we demonstrate how multisample cluster analysis, a combinatorial grouping of samples or data matrices, can be used to determine when the pooling of data sets is appropriate, and how ICOMP can be used in conjunction with the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to determine the optimal predictors in the celebrated seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) model framework.
Syphacia obvelata as an anthelmintic test organism.

Summary Natural S. obvelata infections in laboratory mice have been used extensively for screening chemical compounds for anthelmintic activity. The host-parasite system has advantages because only small quantities of drugs are required, and the infected mice are readily available. However, lack of a standardized infection can cause difficulty in interpretation and reproduction of results. When reporting anti-oxyurid activity, investigators frequently overlook the influence exerted by developmental stages and other inherent limitations in the test system.