cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
11 – Ionic liquids for post-combustion CO2 capture

Ionic liquids (ILs) and “reversible” ionic liquids (RevILs) have been touted as alternatives to aqueous amine solutions for post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC). Over the past 15+ years, the use of ILs and RevILs for PCC has been the focus major research efforts by academics, national labs, and industry. Yet, despite the great deal of knowledge and intellectual property generated during this period, there has yet to be a PCC pilot or demonstration project that has utilized ILs or RevILs as the absorbent. This chapter reviews the fundamentals of ILs and RevILs as well as the various approaches that have been taken to utilize some unique reaction mechanisms within these solvents to reversibly capture CO2. An assessment of the advantages and disadvantages associated with their use for PCC and the limitations that ILs and RevILs have yet to overcome is presented.
A rare case of Phialemonium obovatum keratitis

Abstract Purpose We report a rare case of Phialemonium obovatum fungal keratitis in a patient sustaining a corneal laceration from impact with a piece of moldy plaster. Observations The patient was treated with topical voriconazole with resolution of active keratitis and formation of a stromal scar. The patient's final visual acuity was 20/20 in the affected eye. Conclusions and importance There is only one other case of Phialemonium obovatum keratitis reported in the literature. The patient in the previous case required amniotic membrane transplantation for persistent stromal melting with resultant visual acuity of hand motions only. The present case demonstrates that the early use of topical antifungal medication with close follow-up can prevent corneal perforation and result in excellent visual acuity.
Cryoelectron Microscopy Maps of Human Papillomavirus 16 Reveal L2 Densities and Heparin Binding Site

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant health burden and leading cause of virus-induced cancers. The current commercial vaccines are genotype specific and provide little therapeutic benefit to patients with existing HPV infections. Host entry mechanisms represent an excellent target for alternative therapeutics, but HPV receptor use, the details of cell attachment, and host entry are inadequately understood. Here we present near-atomic resolution structures of the HPV16 capsid and HPV16 in complex with heparin, both determined from cryoelectron micrographs collected with direct electron detection technology. The structures clarify details of capsid architecture for the first time, including variation in L1 major capsid protein conformation and putative location of L2 minor protein. Heparin binds specifically around the capsid icosahedral vertices and may recapitulate the earliest stage of infection, providing a framework for continuing biochemical, genetic, and biophysical studies.
Drought stress in Pinus taeda L. induces coordinated transcript accumulation of genes involved in the homogentisate pathway

Phenylalanine is a central amino acid in plants and is the precursor of many key secondary metabolites such as lignin, phenylpropanoids, and flavonoids. Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PheH, EC 1.14.16.1) is not detected by sequence similarity in angiosperms, but it is present in gymnosperms and mosses where it is known to hydroxylate phenylalanine to produce tyrosine in vitro. However, its physiological role in gymnosperms is unclear. This study aimed to clarify the role of the gene encoding PheH in Pinus taeda (PtPheH), an economically and ecologically important tree native to the southern USA. The PtPheH gene is present as a single copy and consists of five exons and four introns. Comparison of two PtPheH alleles in P. taeda revealed a mobile element specific to the genus Pinus that was upstream of the transcriptional start site. PtPheH transcript abundance increased after introduction of exogenous phenylalanine and during water limitation. Similar highly and statistically significant shifts in transcript abundance were found for the genes involved in tyrosine synthesis and in the homogentisate pathway, but not for genes of phenylpropanoid metabolism. The coordinated accumulation of transcripts implies that under conditions of limited water availability, PtPheH may reroute phenylalanine away from lignin synthesis and into the degradative homogentisate pathway. Because PtPheH has homologs in pine, moss, and animals, it is presumably an ancient gene that has been lost in the angiosperm lineage of plants.
Role of Angular Momentum in Complete Fusion Reactions: B 11 + Tb 159 , C 12 + Gd 158 , O 16 + Sm 154

Measurements are reported for the complete-fusion cross sections in the reactions of ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}$ + ${\mathrm{Tb}}^{159}$, ${\mathrm{C}}^{12}$ + ${\mathrm{Gd}}^{158}$, and ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$ + ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{154}$ at bombarding energies such that the excitation energy of the ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{170}$ compound nuclei that are formed is 107 MeV. The results indicate that the complete-fusion cross sections are determined by dynamical processes in the entrance channel rather than by the equilibrium properties of the compound system.
Drug-Free ROS Sponge Polymeric Microspheres Reduce Tissue Damage from Ischemic and Mechanical Injury

The inherent antioxidant function of poly(propylene sulfide) (PPS) microspheres (MS) was dissected for different reactive oxygen species (ROS), and therapeutic benefits of PPS-MS were explored in models of diabetic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and mechanically induced post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). PPS-MS (∼1 μm diameter) significantly scavenged hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hypochlorite, and peroxynitrite but not superoxide in vitro in cell-free and cell-based assays. Elevated ROS levels (specifically H2O2) were confirmed in both a mouse model of diabetic PAD and in a mouse model of PTOA, with greater than 5- and 2-fold increases in H2O2, respectively. PPS-MS treatment functionally improved recovery from hind limb ischemia based on ∼15–25% increases in hemoglobin saturation and perfusion in the footpads as well as earlier remodeling of vessels in the proximal limb. In the PTOA model, PPS-MS reduced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity by 30% and mitigated the resultant articular cartilage dama...
Ethical and Political Implications of Reflective Practice among Preservice Teachers

AbstractThis study investigates the ethical and political implications of reflective practice among preservice teachers. The author reviewed previous research which suggests the need for a more critical analysis of teacher education programs to implement more intensive reflective methodologies that foster authentic, caring, dispositional development as a moral obligation toward socially just practice rather than mere audited compliance with standards-based technical training. This position paper then analyzes preservice teacher education as an interdependent process of methodological development, perceptive development, and cognitive/affective development. Finally, the author makes recommendations for program modification to better prepare preservice teachers to conceptualize their transformative role in society.
Comparing KRAS mutation testing by pyrosequencing versus allele specific primary extension methods in colorectal cancer specimens.

e14522 Background: KRAS mutation status is an important clinical variable for targeting treatment in metastatic colon cancer. Many community practices send out mutational analysis to laboratories w...
Recovering alcoholic: Competing construals of a socially constructed identity category

Abstract This paper examines the competing construals of the phrase recovering alcoholic, which, as a Membership Categorization Device (Sacks 1992), serves to fulfill a commitment to an identity category and at the same time evokes other category-bound activities, often with unintended consequences. Former problem drinkers are routinely referred to by themselves and others as recovering alcoholics, yet they are not ‘recovering’ in the canonical sense of the word, and they participate in a behavior – not drinking – which is a negation of the behavior that originally qualified them as alcoholics. This use of the relatively new identity marker recovering alcoholic may discourage a problem drinker from attempting sobriety, as it implies an unbounded, never-ending period of recovery, unlike recovery from other diseases (and, oddly, unlike the full recovery proffered by Alcoholics Anonymous).
Wildavsky on budget reform

A large part of the literature on budgeting in the United States is concerned with reform. The goals of proposed reforms are couched in similar language - economy, efficiency, improvement, or just better budgeting ... However, any effective change in budgetary relationships must necessarily alter the outcomes of the budgetary process. Otherwise, why bother? Far from being a neutral matter of ‘better budgeting,’ proposed reforms inevitably contain important implications for the political system, that is, the ‘who gets what’ of governmental decisions (Wildavsky, 1961: p. 186). ... budgeting is a subsystem of politics, not vise versa - because of the current tendency to overload budgeting. As much as I respect the importance of budgeting and the talents of budgeteers, to substitute budgeting for governing will not work (Wildavsky, 1992b: p. 439).
Characterization of Active Barley α-Amylase 1 Expressed and Secreted by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Recombinant barley α-amylase 1 isozyme was constitutively secreted by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ultrafiltration and affinity chromatography. The protein had a correct N-terminal sequence of His-Gln-Val-Leu-Phe-Gln-Gly-Phe-Asn-Trp, indicating that the signal peptide was efficiently processed. The purified α-amylase had an enzyme activity of 1.9 mmol maltose/mg protein/min, equivalent to that observed for the native seed enzyme. The k cat/K m was 2.7 × 102 mM−1.s−1, consistent with those of α-amylases from plants and other sources.
Differences in trauma mortality between ACS-verified and state-designated trauma centers in the US.

Background Traumatic injury is a leading cause of deaths worldwide, and designated trauma centers are crucial to preventing these. In the US, trauma centers can be designated as level I-IV by states and/or the American College of Surgeons (ACS), reflecting the resources available for care. We examined whether state- and ACS-verified facilities of the same level (I-IV) had differences in mortality, complications, and disposition, and whether differences varied by center level. Materials and methods Using all admissions reported to the National Trauma Data Bank 2010-2015, we estimated risk ratios for the association between current ACS verification (vs. state designation) and patient mortality and complications, adjusting for trauma level and facility, injury, and demographic characteristics. We tested the interaction between trauma level and ACS verification, stratifying by trauma level in the presence of significant statistical interaction. Results Overall, patients admitted to ACS-verified vs state-designated facilities had similar adjusted mortality risk [RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.91-1.03] and lower risk of discharge to intermediate care facilities [RR 0.58; 95% CI 0.44 to 0.78]. However, Level III and IV facilities had lower adjusted mortality risk when ACS-verified, with much lower mortality risk in ACS-verified Level IV facilities [RR 0.25; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.54]. Discussion Findings suggest that while outcomes are similar between ACS-verified and state-designated Level I and II centers, state-designated Level III and particularly Level IV centers show poorer outcomes relative to their ACS-verified counterparts. Further research could explore mechanisms for these differences, or inform potential changes to state designation processes for lower-level centers.
The Intelligibility of Children’s Speech

Summary descriptions are included for 19 procedures that have been, or could be, used to assess the intelligibility of pediatric subjects. Most procedures can be placed in one of the following cate...
WEIGHTED HARDY SPACES ON THE UNIT DISK

Poletsky and Stessin introduced (Indiana Univ Math J 57:2153–2201, 2008) weighted Hardy spaces $$H^p_u(D)$$ on a hyperconvex domain $$D$$ in $$\mathbb {C}^n$$ . For their definitions they used a plurisubharmonic exhaustion function $$u$$ on $$D$$ and related measures $$\mu _{u,r}$$ . In this paper we study such spaces when the domain $$D$$ is the unit disk $$\mathbb {D}$$ . We show that if the exhaustions are chosen so that the total mass of their Laplacian is 1, then the intersection of the unit balls $$B_{u,p}(1)$$ in $$H^p_u(\mathbb {D})$$ as $$u$$ ranges over all such exhaustions is the unit ball $$B_\infty (1)$$ in $$H^\infty (\mathbb {D})$$ . Demailly (Math Z 194:519–564, 1987) has proved that the measures $$\mu _{u,r}$$ converge weak- $$*$$ in $$C^*(\overline{D})$$ to a non-negative boundary measure $$\mu _u$$ as $$r\rightarrow 0^-$$ . We show that these measures converge weak- $$*$$ to $$\mu _u$$ also in the space dual to the weighted space $$h^p_u(\mathbb {D})$$ of harmonic functions. For the function $$f \in H^p_u(\mathbb {D})$$ , we define the dilations $$f_t(z) = f(tz), 0 < t < 1,$$ and prove that these dilations converge to the function $$f$$ in the $$H^p_u$$ -norm.
“I Wouldn’t Bring in Anything that Could Be Challenged”: Educators as Moral Educators:

Rooted in protectionist discourses, would-be censors regularly frame censorship and book challenges as defenses against portrayals of deviance and social ills. Such concerns often feed into social ...
Local nucleosome dynamics and eviction following a double-strand break are reversible by NHEJ-mediated repair in the absence of DNA replication

Although the molecular events required for the repair of double-strand breaks (DSB) have been well characterized, the role of epigenetic processes in the recognition and repair of DSBs has only been investigated at low resolution. We rapidly and synchronously induced a site-specific DSB in Saccharomyces cerevisiae upstream of the PHO5 locus, which has well-positioned nucleosomes. Utilizing MNase-seq epigenome mapping we interrogated the order of chromatin changes that occur immediately following a DSB by generating a base-pair resolution map of the chromatin landscape. In wild type cells, the first nucleosome left of the break was rapidly evicted. The eviction of this flanking nucleosome was dynamic and proceeded through an early intermediate chromatin structure where the nucleosome was repositioned in the adjacent linker DNA. Other nucleosomes bordering both sides of the break were also shifted away from the break; however, their loss was more gradual. These local changes preceded a broader loss of nucleosome eviction that was marked by increased MNase sensitivity in the regions ~8 kb on each side of the break, while the positioning of nucleosomes on the remaining unbroken chromosomes was largely unchanged. The broad loss of chromatin organization around the DSB was dependent on the end-processing complex, Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2 (MRX), but the early remodeling and repositioning of the nucleosome adjacent to the break was independent of the MRX and YKU70/80 complexes. We also examined the temporal dynamics of NHEJ-mediated repair in a G1-arrested population, where 59 to 39 end-resection of DSB ends is blocked. Concomitant with DSB repair, we observed the re-deposition and precise re-positioning of nucleosomes at the originally-occupied positions. This re-establishment of the pre-lesion chromatin landscape suggests that a DNA replication-independent mechanism exists in G1 cells to preserve epigenome organization following DSB repair.
Balancing Exploration and Exploitation in a Declining Industry: Antecedents to Firm Adaptation Strategy and Performance

This paper utilizes the theoretical framework of Raisch and Birkinshaw (2008: 381) to investigate the performance implications of three strategic adaptation approaches (exploitation, exploration, and organizational ambidexterity) in 94 small firms supplying tools and materials to the U.S. - based furniture industry. We measured four organizational antecedents to strategic adaptation as well as the performance outcomes associated with adaptation choice. Results demonstrate that organizational deftness, group potency, elements of communication and cooperation within the firm, and low centralization were significantly related to organizational ambidexterity, and that ambidexterity was positively related to revenue and profit growth. The implications focus on steps that organizational leaders can take to improve the ambidextrous posture of their organizations.
Complete Genome Sequence of Mycobacteriophage Faze9.

ABSTRACT Mycobacteriophage Faze9 is a novel lytic phage that was isolated from soil collected in Scranton, PA, using the host Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155. Faze9 has a double-stranded DNA genome composed of 67,503 kbp, has a G+C content of 68.9%, encodes 91 predicted proteins, and is closely related to mycobacteriophages in the B2 subcluster.
A Framework for Product Impact-Weighted Accounts

While there has been significant progress in the measurement of an organization’s environmental and social impacts from their operations, metrics to evaluate the impact of products once they come to market lag far behind. In this paper we provide a framework for systematic measurement of product impact in monetary terms and delve into the rationale for the framework’s seven elements. We then apply the whole framework to two competitor companies to show the feasibility of measuring product impact and the actionability of the framework. We indicate the value of impact-weighted financial statement analysis with examples of insights enabled by industry-wide product impact measurement. We see our results as a first step, rather than a definitive answer, towards more systematic measurement of product impact in monetary terms that can then be reflected in financial statements with the purpose of creating impact-weighted financial accounts.
Open Hartmann’s Procedure

This chapter describes the technical aspects of open Hartmann’s procedure, including patient positioning, instrumentation, type of incision, approach, steps of dissection and resection, and steps of reconstruction. In addition, the authors provide pearls and pitfalls.
Assessment of Hearing Aid Benefit Using Patient-Reported Outcomes and Audiologic Measures.

PURPOSE To determine the contributions to hearing aid benefit of patient-reported outcomes and audiologic measures. METHODS Independent review was conducted on audiologic and patient-reported outcomes of hearing aid benefit collected in the course of a middle ear implant FDA clinical trial. Unaided and aided data were extracted from the preoperative profiles of 95 experienced hearing aid users, and the relationships between a patient-reported outcome and audiologic measures were assessed. The following data were extracted: unaided and aided pure-tone or warble-tone thresholds (PTA), word recognition in quiet (NU-6), Speech Perception in Noise (low-/high-context SPIN), and patient-reported benefit (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, APHAB). Hearing aid benefit was defined as the difference in thresholds or scores between unaided and aided conditions, as measured in the sound field. Correlations were computed among audiologic measures and global APHAB and subscale scores of hearing aid benefit. RESULTS Significant improvements in all audiologic measures and APHAB scores were observed comparing unaided to aided listening (all p 0.0125), and significant relationships for hearing aid benefit were absent with only few exceptions. Hearing aid benefit defined by global APHAB using NU-6 and SPIN scores showed significant but weak positive correlations (r = 0.37, p < 0.001; r = 0.28, p = 0.005, respectively) and ease of communication APHAB subscale scores (r = 0.32, p < 0.001; r = 0.33, p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION Hearing aid benefit assessed with audiologic measures were poor predictors of patient-reported benefit. Thus, patient-reported outcomes may provide a unique assessment of patient-perceived benefit from hearing aids, which can be used to direct hearing aid programming, training, or recommendations of alternative hearing services.
The U.S. Federal Response to COVID-19 During the First 3 Months of the Outbreak: Was an Evidence-Based Approach an Option?

This essay is a commentary on the U.S. Federal government response to the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. The focus is on the response of the Trump Administration during the first 3 months of the outbreak, specifically the period between January 20, 2020, and May 15, 2020. The following question is addressed: To what extent was the strategy implemented by the U.S. federal government guided by evidence-based decisions? While nobody was a COVID-19 expert at the beginning of the outbreak, this being a novel virus, the essay argues that the U.S. federal government failed to use evidence from previous pandemics and natural disasters and from the experience of other countries. In addition, the essay warns of the current lack of consistency in following data generated by U.S. agencies and institutions.
Hybrid intervention approach to coronary artery and valvular heart disease.

Coronary angiography is used to assess the burden of coronary artery disease prior to surgical valve repair/replacement and often leads to concomitant bypass and valve surgery. We sought to evaluat...
Photodetachment spectroscopy of quasibound states of the negative ion of lanthanum

The negative ion of lanthanum, $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}^{\text{--}}$, has one of the richest bound state spectra observed for an atomic negative ion and has been proposed as a promising candidate for laser-cooling applications. In the present experiments, $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}^{\text{--}}$ was investigated using tunable infrared photodetachment spectroscopy. The relative signal for neutral atom production was measured with a crossed ion-beam--laser-beam apparatus over the photon energy range 585--920 meV (2120--1350 nm) to probe the continuum region above the La neutral atom ground state. Eleven prominent peaks were observed in the $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}^{\text{--}}$ photodetachment cross section due to resonant excitation of quasibound transient negative ion states in the continuum, which subsequently autodetach. In addition, thresholds were observed for photodetachment from several bound states of $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}^{\text{--}}$ to both ground and excited states of La. The present results provide information on the excited state structure and dynamics of $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}^{\text{--}}$ that depend crucially on multielectron correlation effects.
The Clinical Utility of High-Resolution Vessel Wall Imaging in Screening for Meningovascular Neurosyphilis

Meningovascular neurosyphilis is a common cause of stroke in young adults, particularly when HIV co-infection is present. Contemporary screening for neurosyphilis relies on invasive testing. High r...
Faulty ribosome biogenesis underlies the ribosomopathy alopecia, neurological defects, endocrinopathy (ANE) syndrome.

Most cells spend the vast majority of their energy making ribosomes, the machines that translate messenger RNA into protein. The ribosome is a tremendously elaborate machine comprising over 80 individual ribosomal proteins and four ribosomal RNAs. The biogenesis of these machines requires an additional 200 different factors. This amazing assembly feat is accomplished 30 times per second in a growing yeast cell (1) and 125 times per second in a growing human tissue culture cell (2). Given the complexity, frequency, and significance of the task, it is no wonder that human syndromes exist in which ribosome biogenesis is disrupted by a genetic mutation, such as the one described in PNAS (3). Fig. 1. ANE syndrome is a ribosomopathy characterized by alopecia and neurological and endocrine defects. The syndrome is caused by biallelic mutations in RBM28 that create greater than 50% loss of function. RBM28 encodes a nucleolar protein that supports the processing of ribosomal RNAs for inclusion in the 60S large ribosomal subunit. Ribosome biogenesis is a spatially organized process in cells. The genes encoding three of the ribosomal RNAs (18S, 5.8S, and 28S) are located in a specialized part of the nucleus known as the nucleolus. The nucleolus is where these RNAs are transcribed as a single transcript, which is then further processed and modified by a host of nucleolar factors that include exonucleases and endonucleases. Due to the demand for ribosomes, genes encoding the ribosomal RNAs are present in many copies that are simultaneously transcribed. Transcription of the ribosomal RNAs takes place via the specialized RNA polymerase I and RNA polymerase III, whereas genes encoding the ribosomal proteins are transcribed by RNA polymerase II, making ribosome biogenesis a process that requires the action of all three major nuclear RNA polymerases. Ribosomal proteins are translated in the cytoplasm and then … [↵][1]1Email: jeg{at}stowers.org. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Sectorial Analysis of the U.S. and China Trade Conflict

The impact of the U.S - China trade conflict extends beyond both nations' economies to the economies of trade allies and non-trading partners caught in the web of the trade impasse. This paper conducts a sectoral analysis of the trade conflict on the U.S economy using the manufacturing, agriculture, and technology sectors as metrics. We explore data from the databases of the U.S Census Bureau and the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis from 2001 to 2019. The trade conflict has led to a significant reduction in trades between both nations. The 25% counter tariff imposed by China reduced U.S exports by $30 billion between 2018 and 2019. Primary income receipts declined 10%, and secondary income receipts declined further in the negative territory. China's counter-tariffs increased component costs for the U.S automobile industry, leading to a reduction in the number of new and used vehicles sold during the period. We identify an incentive-driven trade policy framework against the current punitive stance, the resumption of trade negotiations, and leveraging the WTO's instrumentality as measures to resolve the current trade conflict.
"I need to have a fulfilling job": A qualitative study of surgeon well-being and professional fulfillment.

Abstract Background Burnout, often regarded as an individual failing, rather than a systemic one, negatively impacts quality of care, patient safety and healthcare costs. Focusing on improving well-being can help mitigate burnout. This study examined protective factors that promote well-being and professional fulfillment in surgeons. Methods Using a purposive sample, 32 semi-structured 30-60-min interviews were conducted with surgeons of varying sub-specialties and rank. Abductive exploratory analysis was used to code and interpret interview transcripts and to build a conceptual model of surgeon well-being. Results Emergent protective factors were placed into one of three levels of implementation: individual, team-level, and institutional (figure). Individual factors for well-being included autonomy and adequate time to pursue non-clinical endeavors. Team-level factors consisted of adaptability, boundaries, and cohesion. Institutional factors related to diversifying performance evaluations and celebrating and recognizing individual value and contributions. Conclusions The conceptual model developed from the results of this study highlights factors important to surgeons’ professional well-being. This model can be used to guide quality improvement efforts.
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy for Primary and Secondary Trauma in Female and Minority Natural Sciences Undergraduates During COVID

Teaching primarily female and people of color (POC) undergraduates in a natural sciences college during COVID demanded sensitivity to issues of trauma, such as forced relocation, illness and disability, and psychological crises. It required openness to learning about and responding to issues of racial and gender-related trauma. The author details her experiences during the pandemic with suggestions for teaching minority groups during periods of collective but unequally distributed stress. Creating an appropriate psychological container for learning online during the pandemic was challenging and required ongoing consideration of Trauma-Informed Practice (TIP) for ethical, compassionate pedagogy and instructor mental health.
Chapter 3 Chloride-Dependent Cation Cotransport and Cellular Differentiation: A Comparative Approach

Publisher Summary Monovalent-cation fluxes tightly coupled to the presence of chloride constitute a major portion of the ouabain-resistant (OR) “leak” cation transport in a variety of biological membranes. This chapter describes the properties and the occurrence of Cl-dependent cation transport in differentiated cells or cell lines and discusses their changes during cellular differentiation and development. One of the measures for changes throughout differentiation is the response of Cl-dependent cation transport during cell activation commissioned by a variety of stimuli, such as culture media, hormonal, and ionic effectors, which are used to gain insight into the role of other passive and active membrane transport systems, such as the Na–H exchanger or the Na–K pump in differentiation. Unlike the Na–H or K–H antiports, the K–Cl, Na–Cl, and Na–K–2Cl cotransporters do not play a primary role in the signal transduction for the cell to rise from the quiescent to the proliferating state and to grow and differentiate. Rather, the cotransport systems with their enormous mass transport capability serve to re-establish quickly the cellular volume perturbed by growth initiation events involving other transport systems.
Purification and characterization of the SegA protein of bacteriophage T4, an endonuclease related to proteins encoded by group I introns.

Abstract Although not encoded by an intron, the bacteriophage T4 SegA protein shares common amino acid motifs with a family of proteins found within mobile group I introns present in fungi and phage. Each of these intron-encoded proteins is thought to initiate the homing of its own intron by cleaving the intronless DNA at or near the site of insertion. Previously, we have found that SegA also cleaves DNA. In this report, we have purified the SegA protein and characterized this endonuclease activity extensively. SegA protein cleaved circular and linear plasmids, DNA containing unmodified cytosines, and wild-type T4 DNA containing hydroxymethylated, glucosylated cytosines. In all cases, certain sites on the DNA were highly preferred for cleavage, but with increasing protein concentration or time of incubation, cleavage occurred at many sites. SegA cleaving activity was stimulated by the presence of ATP or ATP gamma S. Sequence analysis of three highly preferred cleavage sites did not reveal a simple consensus sequence, suggesting that even among highly preferred sites, SegA tolerates many different sequences. A T4 segA amber mutant that we constructed had no phenotype, and PCR analyses indicated that several T-even-related phages lack the segA gene. Taken together, our results show that SegA is an endonuclease with a hierarchy of site specificity, and these results are consistent with the insertion of segA DNA into the T4 genome some time after the divergence of the closely consistent with the insertion of segA DNA into the T4 genome some time after the divergence of the closely related T-even phages.
Not all ants are equal: obligate acacia ants provide different levels of protection against mega‐herbivores

In obligate ant–plant mutualisms, the asymmetric engagement of a single plant species with multiple ant species provides the opportunity for partners to vary in their behaviour. Variation in behaviour has implications for the interactions with third-party species such as herbivores. This study assessed the effect of obligate ant-mutualists (Crematogaster mimosae, Crematogaster nigriceps and Tetraponera penzigi) inhabiting the African ant-acacia (Acacia drepanolobium) on three mega-herbivore browsers: the Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi), the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa c. reticulata) and the black rhino (Diceros bicornis). Giraffes are abundant and wide-ranging herbivores of the acacias, whereas black rhinos are localized and perennial herbivores of the acacias. Multiyear field studies comparing the ants’ aggressive behaviour and browsing by mega-herbivores suggested differences between the tending abilities of the primary ant species inhabiting A. drepanolobium. Trees occupied by the aggressive ant species C. mimosae had significantly less browsing by giraffes and black rhino than trees occupied by other ant species. The results of this study provide evidence that ant-mutualists on African acacias can serve as deterrents to mega-herbivores and that different ant species vary in their tending abilities. Resume Dans des mutualismes restreints – ou symbioses – fourmis-vegetaux, l’engagement asymetrique d’une seule espece vegetale avec de multiples especes de fourmis offre aux partenaires la possibilite de faire varier leur comportement. La variation du comportement a des implications pour les interactions avec des especes tierces telles que les herbivores. Cette etude evalue l’effet de fourmis (Crematogaster mimosae, C. nigriceps, Tetraponera penzigi) vivant en symbiose sur l’acacia africain Acacia drepanolobium sur trois megaherbivores: la girafe masaiGiraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi, la girafe reticulee Giraffa c. reticulata , et le rhino noir Diceros bicornis. Les girafes sont abondantes et ce sont des consommateurs tres repandus des acacias, alors que les rhinos noirs sont des consommateurs permanents et tres localises. Des etudes de plusieurs annees portant sur le caractere agressif des fourmis et sur la consommation des megaherbivores ont suggere des differences entre les capacites de protection des premieres especes de fourmis habitant A. drepanolobium. Les arbres occupes par l’espece de fourmi agressive C. mimosaeetaient sensiblement moins consommes par les girafes et par les rhinos noirs que ceux qui etaient occupes par d’autres especes de fourmis. Les resultats de cette etude donnent des preuves que les fourmis mutualistes des acacias africains peuvent servir de repulsifs pour les megaherbivores et que la capacite de proteger les arbres varie selon les differentes especes de fourmis.
Cell-specific translational regulation of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase mRNA. Dependence on translation and coding capacity of the cis-acting upstream open reading frame.

The mRNA encoding S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) has a 330-nucleotide 5'-transcript leader containing an open reading frame (uORF) that codes for the hexapeptide MAGDIS. The uORF restricts the intracellular distribution of AdoMetDC mRNA primarily to monosomes in normal T-lymphocytes and in T-cell lines. In contrast, non-lymphoid cells normally carry an average of seven to nine ribosomes per AdoMetDC mRNA molecule (Hill, J.R., and Morris, D. R. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 21886-21893). Several alterations abolish the negative regulatory effect of the uORF in T-cells. These include removing the site of translational initiation; weakening the context of the translational initiation site; changing the coding capacity of the fourth, fifth, and sixth codons; increasing the length of the uORF at either the 5' or 3' end; or changing the primary order of the codons. In contrast, altering the nucleic acid sequence of the uORF at degenerative positions without changing the amino acid coding capacity did not cause deregulation. The uORF does not regulate translation in the trans-configuration. Our results support a model in which translation of the uORF generates a nascent hexapeptide that interacts with its translating ribosome to suppress translation of AdoMetDC mRNA in a cell-specific manner. Structural features of the carboxyl-terminal 3 amino acids of the putative hexapeptide govern the interaction of the peptide with a component of the translation machinery.
On the initial stage in peptidoglycan synthesis. Effect of 5-fluorouracil substitution on phospho-N-acetylmuramyl-pentapeptide translocase (uridine 5'-phosphate).

Abstract The initial stage in the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan is catalyzed by phospho-N-acetylmuramyl-pentapeptide translocase (uridine 5'-phosphate) according to the reaction UDP-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide + lipid-glycerol-phosphate ⇄ lipid-glycerol-diphosphate-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide + UMP When Staphylococcus aureus is grown in the presence of 5-fluorouracil, 5-fluoro-UDP-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide accumulates. The rate of transfer of phospho-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide from 1.6 x 10-5 m 5-fluoro-UDP-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide to lipid-glycerol-phosphate is less than 2% of of that observed with 1.9 x 10-5 m UDP-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide. 5-Fluoro-UDP-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide is a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 1.2 x 10-4 m) in the transfer reaction. In addition to the transfer reaction, the translocase catalyzes the exchange of uridylic acid-3H with the UMP moiety of UDP-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide. If UMP-3H is replaced with 5-fluoro-UMP-3H, the rate of exchange is less than 0.5% of that observed with uridylic acid-3H. 5-Fluoro-UMP is a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 5 x 10-5 m) of the exchange reaction. In contrast to the translocase, 5-fluoro substitution has no significant effect on the reaction catalyzed by UDP-N-acetyl-muramoyl-l-alanyl-d-glutamate:l-lysine ligase (ADP) (EC 6.3.2.7). Since 5-fluoro-UDP-NAc-muramyl-pentapeptide is a poor substrate in the reaction catalyzed by the translocase, peptidoglycan synthesis is inhibited and the fluoro-substituted precursor accumulates.
Offshoring At Acesco Medical Devices

The medical device industry is highly profitable and projected to experience double digit growth well into the future. The five top performing American medical device companies offshore some core and non-core value chain activities to realize lower production costs, higher innovation, and faster time to market. This case examines the offshoring decision of Acesco Medical Devices - a medium-size company that produces neurology, orthopedics, and cardiovascular products. It considers the tradeoffs between corporate social responsibility, as it pertains to workforce reductions in the United Sates, and the substantial strategic benefits of offshoring to India.
Comparative Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization Mapping of a 431-kb Arabidopsis thaliana Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Contig Reveals the Role of Chromosomal Duplications in the Expansion of the Brassica rapa Genome

Comparative genome studies are important contributors to our understanding of genome evolution. Most comparative genome studies in plants have been based on genetic mapping of homologous DNA loci in different genomes. Large-scale comparative physical mapping has been hindered by the lack of efficient and affordable techniques. We report here the adaptation of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques for comparative physical mapping between Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa. A set of six bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) representing a 431-kb contiguous region of chromosome 2 of A. thaliana was mapped on both chromosomes and DNA fibers of B. rapa. This DNA fragment has a single location in the A. thaliana genome, but hybridized to four to six B. rapa chromosomes, indicating multiple duplications in the B. rapa genome. The sizes of the fiber-FISH signals from the same BACs were not longer in B. rapa than those in A. thaliana, suggesting that this genomic region is duplicated but not expanded in the B. rapa genome. The comparative fiber-FISH mapping results support that chromosomal duplications, rather than regional expansion due to accumulation of repetitive sequences in the intergenic regions, played the major role in the evolution of the B. rapa genome.
The Determinants of Western European Government Growth 1950-1980

European publics and politicians are concerned about big and growing governments. Such concern is not ill founded: Government size, measured as the ratio of government expenditures to gross domestic product, has marched upwards steadily since 1950 in the 12 European nations examined here. The present research represents an initial step toward solving the mystery of why these governments have grown. To begin, a modest theoretical framework for understanding government growth is advanced. Next, specific hypotheses of growth are fitted into the framework, and operationalized for empirical testing. Finally, statistical models to account for public sector expansion in each of the dozen nations over the 1950-1980 period are developed. The models suggest that a variety of forces have worked to enlarge European governments, with perhaps the most important being pressure for government assistance from groups disadvantaged by sour economic conditions.
Forecasting Cattle Prices

This article represents primarily a report on an attempt to forecast the prices of fat cattle for a few months in advance. It is necessary first to describe the nature of the phenomena studied and the peculiar conditions which prescribe the methods to be used. In accordance with these conditions we must then select data which stand in certain relationships to the prices of cattle and develop a method capable of discovering their significance for the cattle prices of the future dates under consideration. Next, the method needs to be applied and its results examined critically in comparison with the actual prices which it was attempted to forecast; the question of the dependability of the relationships found in other periods of time must be considered. Finally something will need to be said about the application of the results to practical price problems.
Ground-penetrating radar methods used in surface-water discharge measurements

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operates a network of about 7,000 streamflow-gaging stations that monitor open-channel water discharge at locations throughout the United States. The expense, technical difficulties, and concern for the safety of operational personnel under some field conditions have led to the search for alternate measurement methods. Ground- penetrating radar (GPR) has been used by the USGS in hydrologic, geologic, environmental, and bridge-scour studies by floating antennas on water or mounting antennas in boats. GPR methods were developed to measure and monitor remotely the cross-sectional area of rivers by suspending a 100-megahertz (MHz) radar antenna from a cableway car or bridge at four unstable streams that drained the slopes of Mount St. Helens in Washington. Based on the success of these initial efforts, an experiment was conducted in 1999 to see if a combination of complementary radar methods could be used to calculate the discharge of a river without having any of the measuring equipment in the water. The cross-sectional area of the 183- meter (m) wide Skagit River in Washington State was measured using a GPR system with a single 100-MHz antenna suspended 0.5 to 3 m above the water surface from a cableway car. A van- mounted, side-looking pulsed-Doppler (10 gigahertz) radar system was used to collect water-surface velocity data across the same section of the river. The combined radar data sets were used to calculate the river discharge and the results compared closely to the discharge measurement made by using the standard in-water measurement techniques. The depth to the river bottom, which was determined from the GPR data by using a radar velocity of 0.04 meters per nanosecond in water, was about 3 m, which was within 0.25 m of the manually measured values.
Persistent hypernatremia due to abnormal thirst mechanism in a 13-year-old child with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

A 13-year-old mentally retarded boy with the clinical features of Prader-Willi syndrome and Pitressin-resistant polyuria was found to have persistent hypernatremia despite free access to water. His total body water, extracellular fluid, and plasma volume were reduced, and peripheral venous renin activity was increased. He drank 6 to 8 liters of fluid per 24 hours but still had a blunted thirst response as reflected by changes in serum sodium concentration, which varied as much as 12 mEq. per liter from morning to evening. His chronic hypernatremia is regarded as due to deranged thirst regulation and dehydration.
Construction of an Escherichia coli knockout strain for functional analysis of tRNA(Asp).

The specific aminoacylation of tRNA is critical for translation of the genetic code. A molecular description of aminoacylation requires knowledge of the relevant three-dimensional structures, biochemical parameters and the structure-function relationship of the synthetase and its substrate tRNA. Extensive structural and biochemical data are available on the aspartic acid system of Escherichia coli, but there is a paucity of cellular functional data. We have developed a system to overcome this deficiency by engineering an E. coli knockout tRNA(Asp) strain, thereby allowing a penetrating analysis of tRNA(Asp) structure and function under conditions that prevail in the cell.
The Effect of Graded Doses of Thyroxine on Plasma Thyrotropin Concentration in Rats Made Hypothyroid by Thyroidectomy or Propylthiouracil

Adult male rats were made chronically hypothyroid by surgical thyroparathyroidectomy or by feeding propylthiouracil. In one set of experiments, each rat was injected ip daily with doses of T4 ranging from 0.01–3.0 μg/100 g BW, which were progressively increased every 3 days. Compared to the saline-treated controls, there was no statistically significant depression of plasma TSH until doses of 0.3 μg T4/100 g BW daily had been exceeded; there was no significant rise in plasma TSH with any dose of T4. No difference was detected in the quantitative suppression of plasma TSH concentration in the thyroidectomized or propylthiouracil-treated rats, even though a given dose of T4 caused a greater rise in plasma T4 concentration in the latter. In a separate experiment, chronically thyroidectomized rats injected for 3 days with saline or with 0.01, 0.1, or 1 μg T4 for 3 days were given 100 ng TRH/100 g BW iv. There was no effect on the rise in plasma TSH produced by TRH in any group, except in the group receiving t...
Identification of genes required for pollen‐stigma recognition in Arabidopsis thaliana

In higher plants, cell-cell recognition reactions taking place following pollination allow the selective restriction of self-pollination and/or interspecific pollination. Many of these systems function by regulating the process of water transfer from the cells found at the stigmatic surface to the individual pollen grain. Interspecific pollination studies on the cruciferous weed Arabidopsis thaliana revealed only a broad specificity of pollen recognition such that pollen from all tested members of the crucifer family were recognized, whereas pollen from almost all other species failed to hydrate. Genetic analysis of A. thaliana has identified three genes that are essential for this recognition process. Recessive mutations in any of these genes result in male sterility due to the production of pollen grains that fail to hydrate when placed on the stigma, but that are capable of hydrating and growing a pollen tube in vitro. Results from mixed pollination experiments suggest that the mutant pollen grains specifically lack a functional pollen-stigma recognition system. All three mutations described also result in a defect in the wax layer normally found on stems and leaves, similar to previously described eceriferum (cer) mutations. Genetic complementation and mapping experiments demonstrated that the newly identified mutants are allelic to the previously identified genes cer1, cer3 and cer6. TEM analysis of the ultrastructure of the pollen coating revealed that all of the mutant pollen grains bear coatings of normal thickness and that tryphine lipid droplets are missing in cer1-147, are reduced in size in cer6-2654 and appear normal in cer3-2186.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)