cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arrest of the cell cycle by the tumour-suppressor BRCA1 requires the cdk-inhibitor p21waf1/cip1

Much of the predisposition to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer has been attributed to inherited defects in the BRCA1 tumour-suppressor gene. The nuclear protein BRCA1 has the properties of a transcription factor, and can interact with the recombination and repair protein RAD51. Young women with germline alterations in BRCA1 develop breast cancer at rates 100-fold higher than the general population, and BRCA1-null mice die before day 8 of development. However, the mechanisms of BRCA1-mediated growth regulation and tumour suppression remain unknown. Here we show that BRCA1 transactivates expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1 in a p53-independent manner, and that BRCA1 inhibits cell-cycle progression into the S-phase following its transfection into human cancer cells. BRCA1 does not inhibit S-phase progression in p21-/- cells, unlike p21+/+ cells, and tumour-associated, transactivation-deficient mutants of BRCA1 are defective in both transactivation of p21 and cell-cycle inhibition. These data suggest that one mechanism by which BRCA1 contributes to cell-cycle arrest and growth suppression is through the induction of p21.
Environmentally persistent free radicals decrease cardiac function before and after ischemia/reperfusion injury in vivo.

Exposure to airborne particles is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. During the combustion of chlorine-containing hazardous materials and fuels, chlorinated hydrocarbons chemisorb to the surface of transition metal-oxide-containing particles, reduce the metal, and form an organic free radical. These radical-particle systems can survive in the environment for days and are called environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs). This study determined whether EPFRs could decrease left ventricular function before and after ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) in vivo. Male Brown–Norway rats were dosed (8 mg/kg, intratracheal) 24 h prior to testing with particles containing the EPFR of 1, 2-dichlorobenzene (DCB230). DCB230 treatment decreased systolic and diastolic function. DCB230 also produced pulmonary and cardiac inflammation. After ischemia, systolic, but not diastolic function was significantly decreased in DCB230-treated rats. Ventricular function was not affected by I/R in cont...
Longitudinal changes in MRI markers in a reversible unilateral ureteral obstruction mouse model: Preliminary experience

Purpose To evaluate longitudinal changes in renal oxygenation and diffusion measurements in a model of reversible unilateral ureteral obstruction (rUUO) which has been shown to induce chronic renal functional deficits in a strain dependent way. C57BL/6 mice show higher degree of functional deficit compared with BALB/c mice. Because hypoxia and development of fibrosis are associated with chronic kidney diseases and are responsible for progression, we hypothesized that MRI measurements would be able to monitor the longitudinal changes in this model and will show strain dependent differences in response. Here blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) and diffusion MRI measurements were performed at three time points over a 30 day period in mice with rUUO. Materials and Methods The studies were performed on a 4.7T scanner with the mice anesthetized with isoflurane before UUO, 2 and 28 days postrelease of 6 days of obstruction. Results We found at the early time point (∼2 days after releasing the obstruction), the relative oxygenation in C57Bl/6 mice were lower compared with BALB/c. Diffusion measurements were lower at this time point and reached statistical significance in BALB/c Conclusion These methods may prove valuable in better understanding the natural progression of kidney diseases and in evaluating novel interventions to limit progression. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:835–841. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Decoupling approximations applied to an infinite array of fluid loaded baffled membranes

Abstract Application of a time-dependent nonlocal radiation boundary condition, used in conjunction with the finite difference technique, is applied to the acoustic problem of scattering from an infinite array of baffled, fluid-loaded membranes. The new boundary operator is compared with the second-order Engquist and Majda boundary operator and with several fluid/structure decoupling approximation techniques in the determination of scattering amplitudes.
Unique quality assurance aspects of INAA for reference material homogeneity and certification

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has become one of the primary analytical techniques for certification of elemental content in biological Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). One important reason why INAA has become so widely used and valuable in the certification of NIST SRMs is that INAA has unique inherent quality assurance (QA) characteristics which provide the capability for accurate analysis and which often allow the analytical values obtained to be internally evaluated and cross checked. While the NAA technique has the general characteristics of most spectroscopic techniques, the specific characteristics include uniform activation, long and well-documented excited states, highly penetrating emitted radiation, and an excited state decay process which is statistically random in nature. These characteristics work together to provide an analytical technique which can provide highly reliable analytical results and is particularly suitable for the certification of major, minor, and trace elements in biological reference materials.
Estimation of Variance Components by the Expectation-Maximization Algorithm for Restricted Maximum Likelihood in a Repeatability Model for Semen Production

Abstract Restricted maximum likelihood by the expectation-maximization algorithm was used to estimate variance components in a mixed linear model parameterized to separate additive genetic from nonadditive genetic and permanent environmental sources of variation. In this model, heritability is not estimable unless animals are related and the inverse numerator relationship matrix is incorporated in the mixed model equations. The expectation-maximization algorithm guarantees that variance components will remain positive with positive priors. However, convergence of the algorithm tends to zero if any variance component tends to zero. In practice, some form of acceleration routine may be required to speed convergence. The procedure was applied to analyze 2,216 semen output measures for first ejaculates of volume, concentration, and total sperm on 200 young bulls from one bull stud. Heritabilities and repeatabilities were .12, .00, .02 and .24, .45, .44 for volume, concentration, and total sperm.
Vaccinia virus exhibits cell-type-dependent entry characteristics.

Differing and sometimes conflicting data have been reported regarding several aspects of vaccinia virus (VV) entry. To address this, we used a β-galactosidase reporter virus to monitor virus entry into multiple cell types under varying conditions. Entry into HeLa, B78H1 and L cells was strongly inhibited by heparin whereas entry into Vero and BSC-1 cells was unaffected. Bafilomycin also exhibited variable and cell-type-specific effects on VV entry. Entry into B78H1 and BSC-1 cells was strongly inhibited by bafilomycin whereas entry into Vero and HeLa cells was only partially inhibited suggesting the co-existence of both pH-dependent and pH-independent VV entry pathways in these cell types. Finally, entry into HeLa, B78H1, L and BSC-1 cells exhibited a lag of 6–9 min whereas this delay was undetectable in Vero cells. Our results suggest that VV exploits multiple cell attachment and entry pathways allowing it to infect a broad range of cells.
Degradation of Pulmonary Surfactant Protein D by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Elastase Abrogates Innate Immune Function

The alveolar epithelium is lined by surfactant, a lipoprotein complex that both reduces surface tension and mediates several innate immune functions including bacterial aggregation, alteration of alveolar macrophage function, and regulation of bacterial clearance. Surfactant protein-D (SP-D) participates in several of these immune functions, and specifically it enhances the clearance of the pulmonary pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. P. aeruginosa secretes a variety of virulence factors including elastase, a zinc-metalloprotease, which degrades both SP-A and SP-D. Here we show that SP-D is cleaved by elastase to produce a stable 35-kDa fragment in a time-, temperature-, and dose-dependent manner. Degradation is inhibited by divalent metal cations, a metal chelator, and the elastase inhibitor, phosphoramidon. Sequencing the SP-D degradation products localized the major cleavage sites to the C-terminal lectin domain. The SP-D fragment fails to bind or aggregate bacteria that are aggregated by intact SP-D. SP-D fragment is observed when normal rat bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is treated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase, and SP-D fragments are present in the BAL of CF lung allograft patients. These data show that degradation of SP-D occurs in the BAL environment and that degradation eliminates many normal immune functions of SP-D.
Josephson-type superconductive tunnel junctions and applications

The physics and applications of the Josephson effect are reviewed in detail. A brief introduction to superconductivity and tunneling is provided. The configuration most fully discussed is the oxide junction. However, properties of bridges, point-contacts, and solder-blobs are also described. Among the applications reviewed are magnetometers, infrared detectors, microwave generators and mixers, voltmeters, computer logic and memory devices, relaxation oscillators, thermometers, and spectrometers.
Projecting military housing needs with decision support systems

The Department of the Army must provide its personnel with acceptable housing within the vicinity of military installations. To achieve this housing goal, the Army must often enter into agreements for the construction of housing or for leasing of existing housing. Any housing construction or leasing request must be accompanied by a Segmented Housing Market Analysis (SHMA), a time-consuming and costly forecasting process that requires many manual labor tasks. As described elsewhere, a Housing Analysis System (HANS) was developed to support these tasks on a micro computer with very user-friendly computer programs. Recently, the original version of HANS has been modified and incorporated into a larger computer system now under development. At the heart of both the original and modified systems is a set of econometric and heuristic programming models that deliver the required analyses and evaluations. This paper describes these models, explains how they drive the modified HANS, and presents the results and benefits of the use of the modified computer system. 33 refs.
A life-span behavioral mechanism relating childhood conscientiousness to adult clinical health.

OBJECTIVE To investigate a life-span health-behavior mechanism relating childhood personality to adult clinical health. METHODS Childhood Big Five personality traits at mean age 10, adult Big Five personality traits, adult clinically assessed dysregulation at mean age 51 (a summary of dysregulated blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipids), and a retrospective, cumulative measure of life-span health-damaging behavior (lifetime smoking, physical inactivity, and body mass index from age 20) were assessed in the Hawaii Personality and Health Cohort (N = 759). Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model with direct and indirect paths from a childhood Conscientiousness factor to an adult Conscientiousness factor, life-span health-damaging behaviors, educational attainment, adult cognitive ability, and adult clinical health. RESULTS For both men and women, childhood Conscientiousness influenced health-damaging behaviors through educational attainment, and life-span health-damaging behaviors predicted dysregulation. Childhood Conscientiousness predicted adult Conscientiousness, which did not predict any other variables in the model. For men, childhood Conscientiousness predicted dysregulation through educational attainment and health-damaging behaviors. For women, childhood Conscientiousness predicted dysregulation through educational attainment and adult cognitive ability. CONCLUSIONS Assessing cumulative life-span health behaviors is a novel approach to the study of health-behavior mechanisms. Childhood Conscientiousness appears to influence health assessed more than 40 years later through complex processes involving educational attainment, cognitive ability, and the accumulated effects of health behaviors, but not adult Conscientiousness.
Primary Acquired Melanosis of the Conjunctiva: Risks for Progression to Melanoma in 311 Eyes: The 2006 Lorenz E. Zimmerman Lecture

Purpose To evaluate the clinical features and risks for transformation of conjunctival primary acquired melanosis (PAM) into melanoma. Design Noncomparative case series. Participants Three hundred eleven eyes with conjunctival PAM without melanoma at initial examination from a single-center tertiary referral center. Methods Retrospective chart review with evaluation of the clinical features of PAM at initial presentation and follow-up. Times to PAM enlargement, recurrence, and transformation into melanoma were assessed using Kaplan–Meier estimates. Risk factors for these outcomes were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regressions. Main Outcome Measures Primary acquired melanosis enlargement, recurrence, and transformation into melanoma. Results Mean patient age at diagnosis of PAM was 56 years (range, 15–90), 62% were female, and 96% were Caucasian. The conjunctival quadrant(s) affected by PAM were temporal (57%), inferior (45%), nasal (42%), and superior (37%). The anatomic location(s) of PAM included bulbar conjunctiva (91%), limbal conjunctiva (55%), cornea (23%), forniceal conjunctiva (13%), palpebral conjunctiva (12%), and caruncle (11%). Primary acquired melanosis extended for a mean of 3 clock hours (range, 1–12). Initial management included observation (n = 194 eyes [62%]), biopsy combined with cryotherapy (n = 107 eyes [34%]), and topical chemotherapy and/or cryotherapy without biopsy (n = 10 [4%]). Of PAM that was observed, Kaplan–Meier estimates at 10 years revealed PAM enlargement in 35% and transformation into melanoma in 12%. Of those that underwent incisional or excisional biopsy, 10-year estimates of PAM recurrence and transformation into melanoma were 58% and 11%, respectively. Progression to melanoma occurred in 0% of cases of PAM without atypia, 0% of cases of PAM with mild atypia, and 13% of cases of PAM with severe atypia. Of the 9 patients with PAM who developed melanoma, none have developed systemic metastasis. Multivariable analysis revealed that the most significant factor for both PAM recurrence and progression to melanoma was extent of PAM in clock hours. Conclusion Primary acquired melanosis without atypia or with mild atypia shows 0% progression to melanoma, whereas PAM with severe atypia shows progression to melanoma in 13%. The greater the extent of PAM in clock hours, the greater the risk for transformation to melanoma.
Opioid-mediated regulation of A11 diencephalospinal dopamine neurons: Pharmacological evidence of activation by morphine

Dopamine (DA) neurons of the A11 diencephalospinal system represent the sole source of DA innervation to the spinal cord in mice, serving neuromodulatory roles in the processing of nociceptive input and movement. These neurons originate in the dorso-caudal diencephalon and project axons unilaterally throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the spinal cord, terminating predominantly in the dorsal horn. The density of A11 DA axon terminals in the lumbar region is greater in males compared to females, while in both sexes the activity of neurons terminating in the thoracic spinal cord is greater than those terminating in the lumbar region. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that A11 DA neurons are activated by opioids. To test this hypothesis, male and female mice were systemically treated with agonists or antagonists acting at the μ-opioid receptor, and spinal cord concentrations of DA and its metabolite DOPAC were determined in the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detection. Systemic administration of the μ-opioid agonist morphine led to a dose- and time-dependent increase in spinal cord DOPAC/DA ratio (an estimate of DA neuronal activity) in both male and female mice, with greater changes occurring in the lumbar segment. Blockade of opioid receptors with the opioid antagonist naloxone reversed the stimulatory effects of morphine on A11 DA neurons in both male and female mice, but had little to no effect on the activity of these neurons when administered alone. Present findings are consistent with the conclusion that spinal cord-projecting axon terminals of A11 DA neurons are activated by opioids in both male and female mice, most likely through a dis-inhibitory mechanism.
Low Levels of Zinc in Hair, Anorexia, Poor Growth, and Hypogeusia in Children

Extract: Concentrations of zinc in hair were determined for 338 apparently normal subjects living in Denver with ages ranging from 0–40 years. Mean concentrations of zinc in hair were: neonates (25) 174 ± 8 (1 sem); 3 months-4 years (93) 88 ± 5; 4–17 years (132) 153 ± 5, and 17–40 years (88) 180 ±4. Ten children more than 4 years of age had levels of zinc in hair of less than 70 ppm. Seven of these ten children had a history of poor appetite and eight had heights on or below the 10th percentile; the high incidence of low growth percentiles was not explicable on a familial basis. Taste acuity was tested in six of these children, and five had evidence of objective hypogeusia. After supplementing the diet with small quantities of zinc, taste acuity was normalized in each of these children and levels of zinc in hair increased. Speculation: The correlation between low levels of zinc in hair, anorexia, and low growth percentiles in these children indicates that poor appetite and growth, in addition to the hypogeusia, may have been attributable to zinc deficiency. The low mean concentration of zinc in hair of infants and children under 4 years of age indicates that stores of zinc in the body may be low in this age group.
Multiple Conformations of RGDW and dRGDW: A Theoretical Study and Comparison with NMR Results

The utility of molecular dynamics simulations in complementing limited NMR data for small peptides is demonstrated by an application to the important cell adhesion peptide Arg-Gly-Asp-Trp (RGDW) and its synthetic analogue, d-Arg-Gly-Asp-Trp (d-RGDW). The results of an earlier NMR study of these peptides were interpreted in terms of a type II‘ β-turn conformation (Kieffer, B.; Mer, G.; Mann, A.; Lefevre, J. F. Int. J. Pept. Protein Res. 1994, 44, 70−79). The present simulations provide additional insight into the solution structure of the RGDW and d-RGDW peptides by identifying extended conformations of both peptides in aqueous solution that are also compatible with the NMR data. The extended conformations have similar values for the NMR observables as the type II‘ β-turn, including the pH titration behavior, coupling constants, ROESY proton distances and pKa values of the Asp side chain and the C-terminal end. Thus it is difficult to distinguish the two conformations by NMR alone. Poisson−Boltzmann contin...
Comparison of 3D two-point Dixon and standard 2D dual-echo breath-hold sequences for detection and quantification of fat content in renal angiomyolipoma.

Abstract Purpose To assess the utility of a 3D two-point Dixon sequence with water–fat decomposition for quantification of fat content of renal angiomyolipoma (AML). Methods 84 patients underwent renal MRI including 2D in-and-opposed-phase (IP and OP) sequence and 3D two-point Dixon sequence that generates four image sets [IP, OP, water-only (WO), and fat-only (FO)] within one breath-hold. Two radiologists reviewed 2D and 3D images during separate sessions to identify fat-containing renal masses measuring at least 1 cm. For identified lesions subsequently confirmed to represent AML, ROIs were placed at matching locations on 2D and 3D images and used to calculate 2D and 3D SIindex [(SIIP − SIOP)/SIIP] and 3D fat fraction (FF) [SIFO/(SIFO + SIWO)]. 2D and 3D SIindex were compared with 3D FF using Pearson correlation coefficients. Results 41 AMLs were identified in 6 patients. While all were identified using the 3D sequence, 39 were identified using the 2D sequence, with the remaining 2 AMLs retrospectively visible on 2D images but measuring under 1 cm. Among 32 AMLs with a 3D FF of over 50%, both 2D and 3D SIindex showed a statistically significant inverse correlation with 3D FF (2D SIindex: r = −0.63, p = 0.0010; 3D SIindex: r = −0.97, p Conclusion 3D two-point Dixon sequence may provide a reasonable alternative to 2D dual-echo sequence for detection of renal AML and may have additional value for quantification of fat content of these lesions given the observation that 3D FF, unlike 2D and 3D SIindex, is not limited by ambiguity of water or fat dominance. This may assist clinical management of AML given evidence that fat content predicts embolization response.
On a fixed point theorem for partially ordered sets

Abstract An elementary combinatorial proof is presented of the following fixed point theorem: Let P be a finite partially ordered set with a cut-set X . If every subset of X has either a meet or a join, then P has the fixed point property. This theorem is strengthened to include a certain class of infinite partially ordered sets, as well.
Emplacement of a xenolith-rich sill, Lajitas, Texas

Abstract A 2–15 m thick hawaiite sill in the Cretaceous Boquillas Formation west of the Big Bend National Park, Texas, locally contains a zone 1–12 m thick containing 25 vol% xenoliths. The inclusions, ranging in size from 2 cm to 1 m, are dominated by cumulate gabbros and white quartzite. The mafic inclusions broke from the sidewall cumulates in a reservoir that fed the hawaiite sill. Many xenoliths show contacts between quartzite and igneous rock, marked by clinopyroxene crystals perpendicular to the contacts. The quartzite xenoliths are permeated variably by quenched mafic liquid (now devitrified glass with plagioclase+clinopyroxene+smectite), and some quartz grains are fringed by inverted tridymite. Stratigraphic reconstruction indicates that the sill was emplaced at a depth shallower than 0.5 km, but the source of the Paleozoic quartzite and sidewall cumulate xenoliths was at least 1 km below the sill. The high concentration of xenoliths, their lack of imbrication, orientation, or sorting, the preservation of unbroken thin slabs of limestone, and the absence of xenoliths at the top and bottom of the sill all support emplacement by plug flow of xenolith-charged magma in the center, lubricated by less viscous xenolith-free magma at the margins. Crystal-size distribution of plagioclase indicates that mean crystal-residence time for cumulates was about 75 years, and crystallization time at the aphyric upper margin of the sill was about 2 years.
A novel textured ferrite ground plane for low-profile spiral antenna

This paper presents a novel textured ferrite ground plane for the metallic cavity used as a ground plane for spiral antennas. Impedance-matched ferrite is used at the outer rim of the ground plane, and a high impedance ferrite is employed in the inner section of the cavity. Simulations show that this textured ferrite ground plane improves the spiral performance at both low frequencies and high frequencies.
Omphalocele and gastroschisis in the state of New York, 1992-1999

BACKGROUND Variations in the temporal distribution and risk factors for omphalocele and gastroschisis have been suggested although results have not been conclusive. This study examines the trend and risk factors for both conditions among live births in New York State. METHODS Analysis of surveillance data from the New York Congenital Malformation Registry for the years 1992–1999. RESULTS Five hundred and ninety-five (595) infants with either omphalocele (287) or gastroschisis (308) were identified. It appeared that the prevalence of gastroschisis was rising from 1992–1999, while prevalence of omphalocele was decreasing. Cases of gastroschisis were clustered among younger mothers while the maternal age distribution among omphalocele infants was U-shaped. As compared to Whites, Black infants were more likely to present with omphalocele (OR = 1.73; 95% confidence interval = 1.28–2.33) and Hispanic infants with gastroschisis (OR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.12–2.00). For both anomalies, residents of rural New York were significantly at higher risk than those living in urban New York. Twenty-three chromosomal aberrations were detected, all among omphalocele babies. Infant survival was substantially greater among gastroschisis (92%) as compared to omphalocele newborn (81%)[p < 0.0001]. CONCLUSIONS Prevalence of gastroschisis has been on the rise while that of omphalocele has been declining in New York State. Geographical and racial/ethnic variations were observed, further confirming the notion of different etiologies for the two congenital anomalies. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 67:630–636, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Inverse problem for coefficient identification in the Euler-Bernoulli equation

A special technique has been developed for the identification of the solution and the unknown coefficient in the Euler-Bernoulli equation. The original problem of the unknown coefficient identification from over-posed data is transferred into a higher-order well-posed problem following the idea of the Method of Variational Imbedding. The new boundary value problem is solved by means of an iterative finite difference scheme. The scheme is thoroughly validated and is shown to have a second-order truncation error.
Control Surface Reversal in the Transonic Regime Including Viscous Effects

This paper investigates control surface reversal in the transonic flight regime. Surface-pressure distributions on a rigid and deformable wing are presented using linear and nonlinear aerodynamic methods, which incorporate the effects of surface shocks and viscosity with an interactive boundary layer. Transonic small-disturbance (TSD) aerodynamics is used to determine reversal of a typical fighter wing to study the interactions among control surface deflections, structural flexibility, and embedded shocks in a flowfield where significant viscous effects can exist. Pressure distributions on the wing are examined, and control surface reversal calculations are presented. The results show that the reduction of the reversal dynamic pressure can be as much as 30% when an aerodynamic method capable of representing a shock is used. A limited number of Euler computational fluid dynamic (CFD) results are presented for the purpose of comparison with transonic small disturbance results. The adequacy of using TSD theory in reversal prediction as compared to that obtained from either Euler or Navier-Stokes CFD aerodynamics is discussed. It is suggested that the inviscid transonic small disturbance aerodynamic provides a capability of representing shocks with only a modest increase of computer time beyond that necessary with the linear surface panel method. It is recommended that the inviscid version of TSD be incorporated in the preliminary design of aircraft operating at transonic speeds.
An Algorithm for Degenerate Nonlinear Programming with Rapid Local Convergence

This paper describes and analyzes an algorithmic framework for solving nonlinear programming problems in which strict complementarity conditions and constraint qualifications are not necessarily satisfied at a solution. The framework is constructed from three main algorithmic ingredients. The first is any conventional method for nonlinear programming that produces estimates of the Lagrange multipliers at each iteration; the second is a technique for estimating the set of active constraint indices; the third is a stabilized Lagrange--Newton algorithm with rapid local convergence properties. Results concerning rapid local convergence and global convergence of the proposed framework are proved. The approach improves on existing approaches in that less restrictive assumptions are needed for convergence and/or the computational workload at each iteration is lower.
Effect of data placement on the reliability of data storage systems

Data redundancy, in the form of replication or advanced erasure codes, is used to protect data from storage node failures. It is known that that the placement of this redundant data across storage nodes can have a significant impact on the reliability, especially for large-scale storage systems. In particular, a declustered placement of redundant data is shown to have significantly higher reliability than the traditionally-used clustered placement for many redundancy schemes. This implies that significant gains in reliability can be obtained without losing storage efficiency by choosing the declustered placement scheme. Approximate expressions for the mean time to data loss of the system in terms of the various parameters of the system are obtained by considering the shortest paths to data loss when node failures occur and rebuild processes commence. These expressions are shown to hold true for parameters of practical interest through detailed event driven simulations.
Barack Obama's Political Theology: Pluralism, Deliberative Democracy, and the Christian Faith

AbstractObama won the 2008 election precisely because he crafted a political theology that enabled him to create a truly progressive Democratic Party religious and racial-ethnic minority platform that welcomed pro-choice and pro-life social-justice leaning Catholics and Evangelicals into a new coalition. His political theology was directly influenced by Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright and the black church civil rights tradition, white liberal Protestantism, his mother Ann Dunham's skepticism and free spirit, and Evangelical and Catholic leaders, advisors and opponents. Obama's best and most comprehensive statement on his political theology is his chapter on "Faith" in his New York Times No.1 best-selling autobiography The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (2006). Obama contends that religiously motivated people must learn the art of compromise, proportion, and how to find shared values. They must translate their religious concerns and vision for America into universal rather than religio...
Overstory and shrub effects on natural regeneration processes in native Pinus radiata stands

Abstract Native Monterey pine ( Pinus radiata D. Don) stands on the Monterey peninsula have been significantly modified by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The exclusion of fire and the introduction of pitch canker (caused by Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg & O’Donnell) created a need for the examination of these changing ecosystems with respect to regeneration, especially as these stands reach mature ages. We established 210 plots on 35 transects distributed throughout five stands in order to describe the current stand structure and quantify the extent and condition of regeneration. The results indicated that Monterey pine seedling establishment varies throughout the peninsula depending on percent canopy cover, duff and litter depth, and percent shrub cover while seedling growth is influenced by percent shrub cover. Canopy cover was also found to inversely influence shrub cover. Our study highlights the importance of understory removal to increase Monterey pine regeneration and seedling growth as canopy cover decreases, especially in areas where coast live oak ( Quercus agrifolia Nee) and poison-oak ( Toxicodendron diversilobum E. Greene) are abundant.
The effects of inlet liner configuration and septum purge flow rate on discrimination in splitless injection

An unmodified split/splitless inlet system using forward-pressure controlled pneumatics was operated in splitless injection mode with several inlet liners under a range of septum purge flow rates. The relative recovery (discrimination) of hydrocarbons ranging from n-C8 to n-C20 depended strongly upon the injected sample volume with open-ended liners at high septum purge flow rates of e.g. 50 mL/min. Little or no discrimination was observed at septum purge flows of 2–3 mL/min. The same inlet was also operated in a back-pressure regulated configuration that produced mass discrimination similar to that observed with the higher septum purge flows in the forward-pressure configuration. An inlet liner with a restricted inlet and outlet gave mass-discrimination levels independent of septum purge flow rate, but in the reverse sense of that observed with open-ended liners. Preferential volatile-component losses out of the inlet liner to the septum purge vent are principally responsible for the observed mass discrimination with openended liners, while mass-dependent losses with doubly-restricted liners seem due to slow sample evaporation.
Performance of tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum, cv. ‘Jose’) irrigated with saline-high boron drainage water: Implications on ruminant mineral nutrition

Abstract Tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum, cv. ‘Jose’) (TWG) has been identified as a salt-tolerant forage that has acceptable nutritional value and shows considerable promise for reducing saline drainage volumes in California's San Joaquin Valley (SJV). The SJV drainage water also contains high concentrations of boron (B), selenium (Se) and molybdenum (Mo), which may affect the production potential and mineral nutritional value of the forage. A greenhouse study was conducted with soil-filled pots using irrigation waters that varied in B (0.7–20 mg L−1) and sodium-sulfate dominated salinity (0.5–20 dS m−1), a quality characteristic of the SJV, with a constant background of 0.5 mg L−1 Se and Mo. Our experiment confirms that TWG is very tolerant to salinity. For example forage production in treatments with irrigation water with an ECw of 10 dS m−1 (ECe of 16.8 dS m−1) was 74% of those irrigated with non-saline water. We found that the stable carbon isotope fractionation in shoot tissue was a good cumulative stress indicator of the crop as the discrimination value (Δ) decreased with increased salinity and reduced shoot biomass. Moreover, this forage crop is extremely tolerant to B, tolerating up to 20 mg L−1 in the irrigation water without a significant reduction in cumulative biomass. Tissue B concentrations increased with increased B to values above 2000 mg kg−1 dry matter (DM). However as salinity increased within a particular B treatment, tissue B decreased. Forage quality, from a ruminant mineral nutrition perspective, raised concerns. Forage samples contained high levels of B, Se, Mo and sulfur near or above the recommended maximum tolerable level (MTL). Although ruminant grazing of pastures containing forage of this quality is not recommended, it has considerable potential as a forage supplement if rations can be controlled. Livestock consuming forage of this quality should be monitored for signs of B, Se and sulfur toxicity and molybdenum–sulfur induced copper deficiency.
The distribution of carbonate in enamel and its correlation with structure and mechanical properties

The correlation of carbonate content with enamel microstructure (chemical and crystal structure) and mechanical properties was evaluated via linear mapping analyses using Raman microspectroscopy and nanoindentation. Mappings started at the outer enamel surface and ended in the inner enamel near the dentin-enamel junction (DEJ) in lingual and buccal cervical and cuspal regions. The carbonate peak intensity at 1070 cm-1 gradually increased from outer to inner enamel. Moreover, the phosphate peak width, as measured by the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the peak at 960 cm-1, also increased, going from ~9 cm-1 in outer enamel to ~13 cm-1 in enamel adjacent to the DEJ, indicating a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of hydroxyapatite from outer to inner enamel. In contrast, Young's modulus decreased from 119±12 to 80±19 GPa across outer to inner enamel with a concomitant decrease in enamel hardness from 5.9±1.4 to 3.5±1.3 GPa. There were also significant correlations between carbonate content and associated crystallinity with mechanical properties. As carbonate content increased, there was an associated decrease in crystallinity and both of these changes correlated with decreased modulus and hardness. Collectively, these results suggest that enamel carbonate content and the associated change in the crystal structure of hydroxyapatite, i.e. degree of crystallinity, may have a direct effect on enamel mechanical properties. The combination of Raman microspectroscopy and nanoindentation proved to be an effective approach for evaluating the microstructure of enamel and its associated properties.
A model for the control of the batch culture growth rate of enteric bacteria

It is shown that the growth of enteric bacteria can be reasonably well simulated by first-order differential equations. The equations express the notion that one or more classes of protein are rate-limiting under any condition of growth. The model is used to calculate the effect of regulatory mutations that impose a new protein burden on cells, and the roles of genetic regulation and of feedback inhibition in maximizing the growth rate are discussed.
Accident involvement rate and car size

Abstract In order to determine if accident involvement rate depends on car size, accidents per unit distance of travel were examined as a function of car mass using police reported crashes for North Carolina. When disaggregated by driver age, accident involvement rate is found to increase with car mass. Without such disaggregation, the trend is in the opposite direction because of a confounding relationship between driver age and car mass. Similar effects are found using data from two other states (New York and Michigan). All nine subsets of data examined (three states times three age groups) consistently indicate that accident involvement rates are lower for small cars than they are for larger cars driven by drivers of similar age. For example, the rate for 900 kg cars is estimated to be, on average, 28% lower than for 1800 kg cars. This is interpreted to be due to driver behavior changes related to how drivers perceive protection to vary with car size. The result fits, both qualitatively and quantitatively, into an increasingly complete description of interactions in the complex traffic system that has an one output total national traffic fatalities. For example, combining the present result that the accident involvement rate for a 900 kg car is 0.72 that for a 1800 kg car with an earlier result that given a single car crash, the driver of a 900 kg car is 2.6 times as likely to be killed as is a driver of a 1800 kg car gives 0.72 × 2.6 = 1.9 as an estimate of the number of driver fatalities per registered car in 900 kg cars to those in 1800 kg cars. This estimate may be compared to the previously reported directly estimated value of this ratio of 1.7.
Thermal performance of oxide-free lithographic VCSELs

Oxide-free lithographic vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are characterized for their thermal properties. VCSELs with minimum threshold temperatures &#60; 20 °C demonstrate lasing at heat sink temperatures ≥ 190 °C, with high rollover cavity temperatures.
Maslow's Puzzle: A Reconfiguration

Abstract A.H. Maslow (1963, 1993) characterized the “creative attitude” in ways such as giving up the past and future, loss of ego or self-forgetfulness, Taoistic receptivity, and innocence. He suggested that underlying these and related characteristics may be “certain prerequisites,” which he offered to us as a “puzzle.” “Maslow's puzzle” may be considered in relation to what he regarded as a sine qua non of creativeness: “fusion of person and world.” The greater intimacy of such a relationship means that the individual has more fully extended self into that which lies beyond self, that is, into transpersonal realms or fields. A study of such fields, based on representations of fields in general, may provide a different insight into “Maslow's puzzle” and the enhanced creativity with which it is associated.
Repair of lesions induced in human liver cell DNA by N-nitroso compounds as measured by the bromodeoxyuridine photolysis method

Abstract Chang human liver cells were treated with the carcinogens N -methyl- N ′-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and nitrosomorpholine (NM). In addition, cells were exposed to the folic acid analog, 2-hydroxy- N 10 nitrosofolic acid. Repair of the damage to DNA was estimated by selective photolysis of BUdR-containing repaired regions with 313 nm radiation. The influence of the co-carcinogen Arlacel A was estimated with the three compounds. Results indicated significant repair synthesis with MNNG- and NM-treated cells. 2-Hydroxy- N 10 nitrosofolic acid elicited no damage to the liver DNA. Arlacel A prevented repair synthesis in cells treated with NM and MNNG.
A neutralized welding generator

By reducing the magnetic energy stored in the generator field, transient currents in d-c. welding machines can largely be eliminated. Providing such generators with neutralizing windings reduces this energy to a minimum.
The Drosophila trithorax proteins contain a novel variant of the nuclear receptor type DNA binding domain and an ancient conserved motif found in other chromosomal proteins

Abstract The products of the trithorax gene are required to stably maintain homeotic gene expression patterns established during embryogenesis by the action of the transiently expressed segmentation genes. We have determined the intron/exon structure of the trx gene and the large alternatively spliced trx RNAs, which are capable of encoding only two protein isoforms. These very large trx proteins differ only in a long Ser- and Gly-rich N-terminal extension, encoded by exon II, which is present only in the larger trx isoform. We have identified a novel variant of the highly conserved nuclear receptor type of DNA binding domain. We have found that the previously identified Cys-rich central region contains multiple novel zinc finger motifs which are also present in the Polycomb-like protein and RBP2, a retinoblastoma binding protein. The trx proteins terminate with another novel conserved domain which we have identified in proteins from three kingdoms, including plants and fungi, indicating that has an ancient origin. Many of these proteins are chromosomally associated, suggesting that this domain may be involved in interactions between trx and other highly conserved components of chromatin involved in transcription regulation. The sequence alterations of trx mutations identify the highly conserved regions of trx as critical for the function of these large proteins. We show that zygotically expressed trx RNAs encoding the larger protein isoform are initially expressed in a spatially restricted pattern which overlaps the expression domains of the BX-C genes Ubx, abd-A and Abd-B . This pattern is transient and evolves into a broader expression domain encompassing the entire germ band during the extended germ band stage.
‘Abnormal’ diastolic Doppler patterns in patients over age 65 with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction

Abstract Objective : The purpose of this study was to determine whether Doppler diastolic filling patterns of the left ventricle are altered in patients over age 65 with poor left ventricular function, compared to patients with normal left ventricular systolic function. Background : In elderly, healthy subjects, the mitral valve Doppler inflow pattern exhibits an increase in atrial contribution to left ventricular filling. Myocardial disease, which results in stiffness, may also cause an increase in A wave velocity. Methods : Twenty-seven patients over age 65, with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, were age and sex-matched with 19 patients with normal left ventricular systolic function. Patients with significant mitral or aortic valvular disease were excluded. Maximal early inflow velocity, maximal atrial inflow velocity, heart rate, acceleration time and deceleration time were calculated. Results : Comparing the group with normal left ventricular systolic function, the group with decreased left ventricular systolic function had pseudonormalization of the maximal early flow/atrial flow velocity ratio (1.7 ± 1.3 vs. 0.9 ± 0.3; P = 0.003), E wave velocity was similar (82 ± 28 vs. 70 ± 24 cm/s; P = n.s.), and A wave velocity was diminished (66 ± 30 vs. 84 ± 20 cm/s; P = 0.02). The acceleration time was similar for the groups (53 ± 17 vs. 46 ± 21 ms), but the deceleration time was shorter in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (122 ± 33 vs. 192 ± 80 ms; P Conclusion : Such differences may relate to increased left atrial pressure, increased left ventricular diastolic pressure and/or decreased atrial systolic function. These findings are important when interpreting left ventricular filling indices by Doppler echocardiography in elderly patients.
Native Variants of the MRB1 Complex Exhibit Specialized Functions in Kinetoplastid RNA Editing.

Adaptation and survival of Trypanosoma brucei requires editing of mitochondrial mRNA by uridylate (U) insertion and deletion. Hundreds of small guide RNAs (gRNAs) direct the mRNA editing at over 3,000 sites. RNA editing is controlled during the life cycle but the regulation of substrate and stage specificity remains unknown. Editing progresses in the 3’ to 5’ direction along the pre-mRNA in blocks, each targeted by a unique gRNA. A critical editing factor is the mitochondrial RNA binding complex 1 (MRB1) that binds gRNA and transiently interacts with the catalytic RNA editing core complex (RECC). MRB1 is a large and dynamic complex that appears to be comprised of distinct but related subcomplexes (termed here MRBs). MRBs seem to share a ‘core’ complex of proteins but differ in the composition of the ‘variable’ proteins. Since some proteins associate transiently the MRBs remain imprecisely defined. MRB1 controls editing by unknown mechanisms, and the functional relevance of the different MRBs is unclear. We previously identified two distinct MRBs, and showed that they carry mRNAs that undergo editing. We proposed that editing takes place in the MRBs because MRBs stably associate with mRNA and gRNA but only transiently interact with RECC, which is RNA free. Here, we identify the first specialized functions in MRBs: 1) 3010-MRB is a major scaffold for RNA editing, and 2) REH2-MRB contains a critical trans-acting RNA helicase (REH2) that affects multiple steps of editing function in 3010-MRB. These trans effects of the REH2 include loading of unedited mRNA and editing in the first block and in subsequent blocks as editing progresses. REH2 binds its own MRB via RNA, and conserved domains in REH2 were critical for REH2 to associate with the RNA and protein components of its MRB. Importantly, REH2 associates with a ~30 kDa RNA-binding protein in a novel ~15S subcomplex in RNA-depleted mitochondria. We use these new results to update our model of MRB function and organization.