cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electronic structure and spin-dependent tunneling conductance under a finite bias

We present a spin-polarized self-consistent density functional theory (DFT) method for calculation of the electronic structure and transport properties of a system under a finite bias voltage. This method is implemented within the layer Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker approach. We calculate the tunneling conductance and the magnetoresistance (MR) of Fe/FeO/MgO/Fe tunneling junctions as functions of bias voltage. We find that the change in the electronic structure is minimal as a function of bias. The effective capacitance is consistent with the dielectric constant of MgO. The tunneling conductance is highly nonlinear. At low biases the TMR ratio is greatly reduced due to the large contribution to the tunneling current from interface resonance states. This contribution diminishes as the bias voltage increases, leading to an increase of the TMR ratio as a function of bias.
Mineralization of dimethylsilanediol by microorganisms isolated from soil

Previous studies have shown that polydimethylsiloxane is hydrolyzed in soil to dimethylsilanediol and that dimethylsilanediol is biodegraded in soil. Previously, two soil microorganisms capable of biodegrading dimethylsilanediol were isolated and identified. In this paper, the extent of [14C]dimethylsilanediol biodegradation by these two soil microorganisms, Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtendahl and an Arthrobacter species, is investigated. The silicon-containing products of dimethylsilanediol biodegradation in liquid culture were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to argon plasma emission spectrometry (HPLC-ICP). The biodegradation of [14C]methylsilanetriol was investigated in liquid cultures and in soil by monitoring the production of 14CO2. The sorption coefficient of [14C]methylsilanetriol was determined, and the sorption coefficient of [14C]dimethylsilanediol was estimated, by measuring the amount of 14C counts in the water phase of a water-soil mixture. Methylsilanetriol was found to be mineralized in liquid cultures of F. oxysporum Schlecht. and the Arthrobacter sp. that were supplied with a primary carbon source. However, the production of 14CO2 from [14C]methylsilanetriol in soil experiments never exceeded the level of possible [14C]-containing impurities in the methylsilanetriol. Methylsilanetriol was found to be more strongly sorbed to soil, which might have reduced its bioavailability. Previous evidence has shown that polydimethylsiloxane is hydrolyzed in soil to the monomer dimethylsilanediol, which is biodegraded in soil. Now mineralization of dimethylsilanediol to inorganic silicate has been demonstrated.
Newer Is Not Always Better: All Antihypertensive Medications Do Not Equally Reduce Cardiovascular Risk

Hypertension contributes more to cardiovascular mortality than any other modifiable risk factor including cigarette use, elevated LDL cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes.1 Forty-five percent of all cardiovascular deaths are attributable to hypertension. In addition, hypertension is a major risk factor for both stroke and myocardial infarction. In large part due to rising obesity rates, the prevalence of hypertension in the U.S. is increasing. According to the NHANES data, from the early 1990s to the most recently available data from 2005–2008, the prevalence of hypertension has risen from 25.5% to 30.9%.2 The majority of the U.S. elderly are hypertensive: the prevalence is 80% of woman and 67% of men aged 75 years or older. Given the pervasiveness and impact of hypertension, it is critically important to assess the effect of various antihypertensive medications on cardiovascular morbidity. Most studies of antihypertensive medication report proxy outcomes, commonly blood pressure reduction, rather than cardiovascular morbidity, and are of relatively brief duration. Two important questions for clinicians are: 1) Does the degree of blood pressure reduction correspond to the magnitude of cardiovascular risk reduction? and 2) Do all antihypertensive medications equally reduce cardiovascular risk?
In vitro activity of cefepime and ceftazidime against 197 nosocomial blood stream isolates of streptococci: a multicenter sample

The increasing prevalence of streptococci as causes of potentially fatal nosocomial bacteremia requires that antimicrobial agents used for empiric therapy in hospitalized patients include both pneumococci and viridans group streptococci as well as beta-hemolytic streptococci in their activity profile. In this study, the in vitro activity of cefepime, a new fourth-generation cephalosporin, was compared with other cephalosporins versus 197 nosocomial blood stream isolates of streptococci (20 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 104 viridans group, and 73 beta-hemolytic) isolated from patients at more than 30 medial centers from 1995 to 1997. Additional agents tested included penicillin, erythromycin, and vancomycin. Overall, cefepime inhibited 83% of the isolates at concentrations 0.12 microgram/mL, 100% were inhibited by cefepime and only 48% by ceftazidime at ceftriaxone > cefepime > penicillin > erythromycin > ceftazidime. Based on the results of the present study, cefepime and ceftriaxone were the superior cephalosporins in potency and spectrum for empiric coverage of patients at risk for streptococcal blood stream infections.
Competition and Cooperation in Contemporary American Urban Development

GLOBAL ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING has profoundly altered the heavy industrial bases of American cities, creating an increase in poverty, homelessness, and squatters in its wake. In a scramble to revive their failing or stagnant regional economies, cities have embarked on a strategy of diversification, with emphases on attracting service industries and luring visitor trade. While cooperation for economic development takes place in many forms of public- and private-sector alliances, conflict occurs within cities over land use, and competition exists between cities for the presumed means of economic recovery and urban vitality, [economic restructuring, homeless, squatters, urban development, urban professionals, tourism, middle-range analyses]
Dissolved fatty acids in seawater from a fringing reef and a barrier reef at Grand Cayman1

The concentration of dissolved fatty acids decreased in seawater as it flowed across a windward barrier reef at Grand Cayman. No comparable changes were observed over a leeward fringing reef although an increasingly enriched organic surface layer could be detected as distance from shore increased.
Detection of human hematopoietic differentiationrelated glycoproteins: The Western enzyme-linked lectin analysis

A technique is introduced (Western enzyme-linked lectin analysis, WELLA) for detecting lectin-reactive cellular glycoproteins after separation on the basis of molecular weight in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gels. Lectin-reactive glycoproteins are detected on Western transfers by reaction with lectin-peroxidase conjugates followed by development with hydrogen, peroxide and 4-chloro-1-naphthol which forms a purple-gray precipitate. WELLA is more rapid, more sensitive, and the bands are highly reproducible and better resolved than those obtained, by autoradiography of fluorography. Using this technique, we have detected human differentiation-related glycoproteins on cells of different hematological lineages. Both wheat germ agglutinin-peroxidase (WGA-P) and concanavalin A-peroxidase (ConA-P) detected distinct glycoprotein patterns on isolated peripheral blood platelets, lymphocytes, monocytes, erythrocytes and granulocytes. WGA-P detected numerous similarities between immature myeloid cells isolated from bone marrow and acute myelogenous leukemia cells, including major glycoproteins at 20 and 25 kDa. ConA-P detected a similar pattern of glycoproteins between isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells. The T-ALL cells, however, had a major 200 kDa glycoprotein not present on lymphocytes. WGA-P also showed nearly identical patterns between the lymphocytes and the T-ALL cells, but detected prominent 200 and 250 kDa glycoproteins on the T-ALL cells which were absent from the lymphocytes. We have also detected polymorphic differences in the glycoproteins on lymphocytes from normal donors in the range of 95–100 kDa using ConA-P.
Nearest subspace classification with missing data

We consider the problem of multi-class classification when there are missing entries in both the training samples and the test samples. A modified version of the nearest subspace classifier is proposed and analyzed to handle missing data. We show the performance of the nearest subspace classifier is close to its counterpart when no missing data are present as long as the probability of observing each entry in the training set is δ ≳ O((log M/n i )1/2), where M is the sample dimension and ni ≳ O(log M) is the training size of the ith class. Finally, numerical results are provided for digit recognition when only a subset of the pixels are observed.
Fluctuations of the Local Atomic Environment with Chemical Alloying in Fe Bulk Metallic Glasses

Fluctuations in the microstructure with chemical alloying of Fe multicomponent bulk metallic glasses were characterized via the pair density function analysis of neutron diffraction data. In the two systems investigated, (Fe/Mo)76P12C10B2 and Fe49Cr15Mo14Er1(C/B)21, it is shown that the atomic topology is sensitive to even small chemical fluctuations. In phosphorous containing glasses, (Fe/Mo)76P12C10B2, increasing the atomic percent of Mo brings about changes of the microstructure, particularly in the short-range environment involving Mo-C/B and Fe-P pair correlations. In Fe49Cr15Mo14Er1(C/B)21, the systematic increase of B results in a shift of the center of mass of the first coordination shell and an increase in the coordination of the second shell, reflecting a local rearrangement brought upon the substitution of B for C.
FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES LABELING ACT.

(1965). Federal Hazardous Substances Labeling Act. Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal: Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 596-598.
Laboratory Support of Drug Abuse Control Programs: An Overview

Labeling an individual a drug abuser has serious sociologic and legal implications that only laboratory testing can effectively allay. A proper specimen (both qualitatively and quantitatively) must be obtained for analysis. Positive identification of specimen with subject is of paramount importance. The problems of specimen substitution--other people's urine, tap water, apple juice--directly impinge here, as does the possibility of drug degradation by heat, light, and microbial attack and of drug adsorption by the container and urinary sediment. Confirmation of postives indicated by screening tests (thin layer chromatography and immunoassays) by gas chromatography and/or ultraviolet spectrophotometry is, in most situations, mandatory. An effective quality control program is an absolute requirement. Even under ideal circumstances, laboratory results can sometimes wrongly indicate the abuse of drugs; and conversely, drug abuse can take place without detection by the laboratory. As in any clinical situation, laboratory tests are only a part (albeit an important one) of the entire evaluation of the individual involved.
Characterization of the focal quality of micron-size beams from x-ray mirrors and zone plates

With the development of high quality x-ray mirrors and x-ray zone plates, the use of micron-size x-ray beams is growing rapidly. The size of the focal spot is frequently characterized by measuring either the transmitted or fluorescence counting rate as a knife edge is scanned through the beam; the full width half maximum (FWHM) of the derivative of this scan is often quoted as the 'resolution' of the system. Many systems have been built which are claimed to have a focal spot size of 1 micrometer2 or less. Unfortunately, this parameter does not give an accurate presentation of the focal quality of the beam. We have developed a test using a pattern of microfabricated 'dots' on a silicon wafer to measure the encircled energy in an x-ray focal spot as a function of radius. Using this test, we have found that focused x-ray beams frequently have a large, low intensity flare that is not represented in the beam profile as measured by the knife edge scan method. This flare can be produced by several factors including diffuse scattering from the mirror surfaces and higher orders of a zone plate. It can cause serious errors in when calculating elemental concentrations in heterogeneous samples. In addition, for micro-XAS experiments where the energy is scanned to identify the compound at a particular point, this flare may vary as a function of energy and therefore change the XAS spectra from a small particle in a complex sample.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Genetic map of 16 polymorphic markers forming three linkage groups assigned to rat Chromosome 4

Sixteen polymorphic markers, including markers for eight new loci, forming three linkage groups, were assigned to rat Chromosome (Chr) 4 by linkage analysis of the progeny of an F2 intercross of Fischer (F344/N) and Lewis (LEW/N) inbred rats. One gene, Igk, was mapped by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. One marker for Tcrb was identified by the polymorphic insertion of a repetitive LINE element. The remaining 14 markers contained polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Ten were identified in genes (Tgfa, Npy, Prss1, Prss2, Aldr1, Iapp, Prp, Eno2, Cacnlla1, and Il6), one was identified in a sequence related to a gene (Egr4l1), and three were identified in anonymous DNA segments. The SSR markers were highly polymorphic in 16 inbred rat strains. These markers expand the genetic map of the rat and should be useful in future genetic studies of inbred rats.
Business Investment under Uncertainty and Irreversibility1

: This article surveys developments in the literature on business investment that have shed light on important aspects of firms' investment behaviour. Recent contributions emphasize the relevance of idiosyncratic factors affecting investment decisions such as the degree of irreversibility and uncertainty, whose interaction may generate an opportunity cost equivalent to the exercise of an option. They add an important dimension to the neoclassical theory of investment in so far as they emphasize cross-sectional differences in optimal investment behavior. The econometric evidence is consistent with the predictions of these models pointing to a slower response of investment to demand shocks at higher levels of uncertainty.
EFFECT OF HYPOTHALAMIC LESIONS ON PITUITARY PROLACTIN CONTENT IN THE RABBIT.

Hypothalamic lesions have been shown to induce lactation, but their mechanisms of action have not been understood. In the present study the effects of lactation-inducing hypothalamic lesions on pituitary prolactin were assessed in mature New Zealand female rabbits. The rabbits were ovariectomized and primed 10 days with estradiol benzoate. On day 12 an electrolytic lesion was placed in the basal hypothalamus, and autopsy was performed on day 15. Mammary gland activation was classified both grossly and by histologic examination. Pituitary prolactin was assayed by an intradermal crop sac method employing White King squabs. In rabbits which failed to show mammary gland activation, the lesions lay outside the posterior tuberal area, and pituitary prolactin content was high. Conversely, the mammary glands were markedly activated in rabbits with lesions involving the posterior tuber, and pituitary prolactin was low. Results indicate that the activation of mammary glands by hypothalamic lesions is an effect exer...
An Improved Data Inversion Program for Obtaining Aerosol Size Distributions from Scanning Differential Mobility Analyzer Data

An improved program has been developed that inverts data obtained from an electrical differential mobility analyzer (DMA) to obtain the particle size distribution. The central problem for data inversion is to find a smooth particle size distribution function, N ( x ), from the instrument response, R ( t ). Linear data inversion techniques for this problem, as developed by Hagen and Alofs (1983) work by using a small number of size channels carefully selected so that data channels for multiply-charged particles overlap channels for smaller singly-charged particles. However, these techniques fail when a large number of data channels are used. The program developed here typically uses 300 data channels, making it particularly appropriate for inverting data obtained in scanning mode, where the number of channels can be made arbitrarily large. It is based on regularization procedures like those described by Wolfenbarger and Seinfeld (1990) and Lesnic et al. (1996). To estimate the optimal value of the regulari...
Gene Knockout Reveals a Novel Gene Cluster for the Synthesis of a Class of Cell Wall Lipids Unique to Pathogenic Mycobacteria

Surface-exposed unusual lipids containing phthiocerol and phenolphthiocerol are found only in the cell wall of slow-growing pathogenic mycobacteria and are thought to play important roles in host-pathogen interaction. The enzymology and molecular genetics of biosynthesis of phthiocerol and phenolphthiocerol are unknown. We postulate the domain organization of a set of multifunctional enzymes and a cluster of genes (pps) that would encode these enzymes for the biosynthesis of phthiocerol and phenolphthiocerol. A cosmid containing the postulated ppsgene cluster was identified by screening a genomic library ofMycobacterium bovis BCG with the postulated homologous domains from mycocerosic acid synthase and fatty acid synthase genes as probes. Homologous cosmids were also identified in the genomic libraries of Mycobacterium tuberculosis andMycobacterium leprae. M. bovis BCG was transformed with apps disruption construct, made from the BCG cosmid by introducing the hygromycin resistance gene as the positive-selectable marker and the sacB gene as the counter-selectable marker. Gene disruption by homologous recombination with double crossover was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern hybridization. Chromatographic analysis showed that the phenolphthiocerol derivative, mycoside B, and phthiocerol dimycocerosates were not produced by the gene knockout mutants. This result confirms the identity of the pps genes. With the identification of thepps gene clusters in both M. tuberculosis andM. leprae, it should be possible to test the postulated roles of these unique lipids in tuberculosis and leprosy.
High-resolution optical modeling of the Thirty Meter Telescope for systematic performance trades

We consider high-resolution optical modeling of the Thirty Meter Telescope for the purpose of error budget and instrumentation trades utilizing the Modeling and Analysis for Controlled Optical Systems tool. Using this ray-trace and diffraction model we have simulated the TMT optical errors related to multiple effects including segment alignment and phasing, segment surface figures, temperature, and gravity. We have then modeled the effects of each TMT optical error in terms of the Point Source Sensitivity (a multiplicative image plane metric) for a seeing limited case and an adaptive optics corrected case (for the NFIRAOS). This modeling provides the information necessary to rapidly conduct design trades with respect to the planned telescope instrumentation and to optimize the telescope error budget.
Who Rides These Things

While planners and politicians alike go about kicking the tires of various trains, and traveling abroad on fact-finding missions about HSR, the question remains whether Americans will patronize high-speed rail in sufficient number to justify the investment. A common practice is to identify an existing or abandoned rail line as the candidate route that connects population centers, identify the former stations for rehabilitation, select a technology, and then perform an investment-grade ridership study to determine whether sufficient revenues will be generated. This approach may prove sufficient in the upgrading of an existing conventional service, or re-establishing a previous service in those areas of the country with a long history of passenger rail. When approaching newer developed areas such as the Sunbelt cities, the inter-relationship of development patterns and fixed-guideway passenger services is not established. Those development patterns were influenced by the automobile, not by guideway-based transportation. A different approach is needed when history is not a guide. While the selection of the population centers to be served at the outset is appropriate and makes for a basic identification of the market to be served, it does not reveal the actual destinations that are interest to the travelers. The next step is to more thoroughly investigate travel between those points. That investigation should include surveys to determine trip purpose, identify the main attractors in the markets, the demographics of the travelers and how time is valued by the travelers. Finally, estimates must be made of the absolute numbers of those traveling. Additionally, examination of the current travel patterns through the patronage of existing services can provide clues to the market demand. The acquisition of this market information then allows the planners to design a transportation product that will appeal to the potential customers and make a determination of potential revenue. Even when certain parameters of a system are set because of geography or availability of infrastructure, market information can guide improvements to maximize market capture. This paper will examine those data that are important to a high-speed rail plan and how some system decisions directly affect the ability of the transportation product offered to satisfy the needs of the traveling public. “Build it and they will come” cannot be trusted to repay the massive investment required by high-speed rail.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Ventilation studied with circulatory occlusion during two intensities of exercise.

Our purpose was to study the possible role of a pulmonary chemoreceptor in the control of ventilation during exercise. Respiratory gas exchange was measured breath-by-breath at two intensities of exercise with circulatory occlusion of the legs. Eight male subjects exercised on a cycle ergometer at 49 and 98 W for 12 min; circulation to the legs was occluded by thigh cuffs (26.7 kPa) for two min after six min of unoccluded exercise. PETCO2 and \(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }\) decreased and PETO2 increased significantly during occlusion at both workloads. Occlusion elicited marked hyperventilation, as evidenced by sharp increases in \(\dot V_{\text{E}} ,{\text{ }}\dot V_{\text{E}} /\dot V_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\), and \(\dot V_{\text{E}} /\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }\). A sudden sharp increase in PETCO2 was seen 12.3±0.5 and 6.5±1.2 s after cuff release in all subjects during exercise at 49 and 98 W, respectively. At 49 W a post-occlusion inflection in \(\dot V_{\text{E}}\) was seen in 7 subjects 21.1±5.8 s after the PETCO2 inflection. Three subjects showed an inflection in \(\dot V_{\text{E}}\) at 98 W 23.3±7.5 s after the PETCO2 inflection. There were significant increases in PETCO2, \(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } ,\dot V_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) and \(\dot V_{\text{E}}\) after cuff release. \(\dot V_{\text{E}}\) mirrored \(\dot V_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) better than \(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }\), post occlusion. On the basis of a significant lag time between inflections in PETCO2 and \(\dot V_{\text{E}}\) following cuff release, it is concluded that the influences of a pulmonary CO2 receptor were not seen.
Fourth-Order Elastic Constants of Magnesium Oxide

(a)DepartmentofMaterialsScienceEinrevisedformJuly3,2001;acceptedAugust16,2001)Subjectclassification:62.20.Dc;S10.1Higher-order elastic constants are useful for calculating the high temperature and pressure anhar-monic properties of materials. Here, the fourth-order elastic constants of magnesium oxide arecalculated from the available second- and third-order elastic constant experimental data. A com-parisonwithtwosetsofdifferenttheoreticalresultsisprovided.Elastizita¨tskoeffizienten ho¨herer Ordnungsind nu¨tzlich, um anharmonische Eigenschaften vonMaterialien bei hohen Temperaturen und Dru¨cken zu berechnen. Hier werden Elastizita¨tskoeffi-zientenvierterOrdnungvonMagnesiumoxidausvorhandenenexperimentellenDatenderElastizi-ta¨tskoeffizienten zweiter und dritter Ordnungberechnet. Ein Vergleich von zwei GruppenverschiedenertheoretischerErgebnissewirdzurVerfu¨gunggestellt.
Triviality pursuit: Can elementary scalar particles exist?

Abstract Great effort is presently being expended in the search for elementary scalar “Higgs” particles. These particles have yet to be observed. The primary justification for this search is the theoretically elegant Higgs-Kibble mechanism, in which the interactions of elemetary scalars are used to generate gauge boson masses in a quantum field theory. However, strong evidence suggests that at least a pure φ4 scalar field theory is trivial or noninteracting. Should this triviality persist in more complicated systems such as the standard model of the weak interaction, the motivation for looking for Higgs particles would be seriously undermined. Alternatively, the presence of gauge and fermion fields can rescue a pure scalar theory from triviality. Phenomenological constraints (such as a bounded or even predictable Higgs mass) may then be implied. In this report the evidence for triviality in various field theories is reviewed, and the implications for high energy physics are discussed.
Modular integration of electronics and microfluidic systems using flexible printed circuit boards

Microfluidic systems offer an attractive alternative to conventional wet chemical methods with benefits including reduced sample and reagent volumes, shorter reaction times, high-throughput, automation, and low cost. However, most present microfluidic systems rely on external means to analyze reaction products. This substantially adds to the size, complexity, and cost of the overall system. Electronic detection based on sub-millimetre size integrated circuits (ICs) has been demonstrated for a wide range of targets including nucleic and amino acids, but deployment of this technology to date has been limited due to the lack of a flexible process to integrate these chips within microfluidic devices. This paper presents a modular and inexpensive process to integrate ICs with microfluidic systems based on standard printed circuit board (PCB) technology to assemble the independently designed microfluidic and electronic components. The integrated system can accommodate multiple chips of different sizes bonded to glass or PDMS microfluidic systems. Since IC chips and flex PCB manufacturing and assembly are industry standards with low cost, the integrated system is economical for both laboratory and point-of-care settings.
Kinetics of sulfur oxide, sulfur fluoride, and sulfur oxyfluoride anions with atomic species at 298 and 500 K.

The rate constants and product-ion branching ratios for the reactions of sulfur dioxide (SO2-), sulfur fluoride (SFn-), and sulfur oxyfluoride anions (SOxFy-) with H, H2, N, N2, NO, and O have been measured in a selected-ion flow tube (SIFT). H atoms were generated through a microwave discharge on a H2/He mixture, whereas O atoms were created via N atoms titrated with NO, where the N had been created by a microwave discharge on N2. None of the ions reacted with H2, N2 or NO; thus, the rate constants are <1 × 10-12 cm3 s-1. SOxFy- ions react with H by only fluorine-atom abstraction to form HF at 298 and 500 K. Successive F-atom removal does not occur at either temperature, and the rate constants show no temperature dependence over this limited range. SO2- and F- undergo associative detachment with H to form a neutral molecule and an electron. Theoretical calculations of the structures and energetics of HSO2- isomers were performed and showed that structural differences between the ionic and neutral HSO2 sp...
RAD51C Interacts with RAD51B and Is Central to a Larger Protein Complex in Vivo Exclusive of RAD51

RAD51B and RAD51C are two of five known paralogs of the human RAD51 protein that are thought to function in both homologous recombination and DNA double-strand break repair. This work describes the in vitro and in vivo identification of the RAD51B/RAD51C heterocomplex. The RAD51B/RAD51C heterocomplex was isolated and purified by immunoaffinity chromatography from insect cells co-expressing the recombinant proteins. Moreover, co-immunoprecipitation of the RAD51B and RAD51C proteins from HeLa, MCF10A, and MCF7 cells strongly suggests the existence of an endogenous RAD51B/RAD51C heterocomplex. We extended these observations to examine the interaction between the RAD51B/RAD51C complex and the other RAD51 paralogs. Immunoprecipitation using protein-specific antibodies showed that RAD51C is central to a single large protein complex and/or several smaller complexes with RAD51B, RAD51D, XRCC2, and XRCC3. However, our experiments showed no evidence for the inclusion of RAD51 within these complexes. Further analysis is required to elucidate the function of the RAD51B/RAD51C heterocomplex and its association with the other RAD51 paralogs in the processes of homologous recombination and DNA double-strand break repair.
A fluorescence study on the ability of the notochord to synthesize and store catecholamines in early chick embryos.

The role that catecholamines play in presympathetic embryogenesis is relatively unknown. All catecholamine-producing cells develop both the enzymes needed for catecholamine synthesis and an amine pump for the uptake of extraneous catecholamines. This investigation was undertaken to define areas which are able to produce and store catecholamines in the presympathetic chick embryo. Embryonic chicks between two and four days of incubation (stages 11 to 23) were incubated in a medium containing norepinephrine, dopa or dopa with cocaine, and treated for fluorescence according to the method of Falck and Owman. Norepinephrine uptake was considered to be evidence of the presence of an amine pump. The conversion of dopa, a nonfluorescent precursor of dopamine, to dopamine which is fluorescent was considered to be an indication that the enzyme dopa decarboxylase was present. Cocaine, an amine pump inhibitor, applied simultaneously with dopa would prevent dopamine synthesized in one site from entering other cells. It was found that the notochord was intensely fluorescent in the presence of norepinephrine. No other sites of norepinephrine uptake were seen. The notochord could also convert dopa to dopamine indicating the presence of dopa decarboxylase in notochordal cells. Similar results were obtained when cocaine was added to the incubation medium. It is concluded that the notochord is a possible site of catecholamine synthesis and storage in presympathetic chick embryos.
Reducing racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes: the Coached Care (R2D2C2) project.

BACKGROUND Despite numerous efforts to change healthcare delivery, the profile of disparities in diabetes care and outcomes has not changed substantially over the past decade.
Mouse aggression increases after 24 hours of isolation or housing with females.

Male mice isolated for only 24 hr show an increase in attack on strange intruders relative to the most aggressive animal of groups of three mice. This effect does not depend on the presence of male littermates during the intruder tests: it may also be seen in tests in a neutral arena. Housing of a male mouse with a female or females also increases aggression, and such males will attack former littermates as well as strangers. Openfield test scores were not related to aggression changes after 24 hr of isolation or housing with females.
Targeted Inhibition of Interferon-γ-dependent Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1) Expression Using Dominant-Negative Stat1

A subset of epithelial immune-response genes (including intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)) depends on an IFN-γ signal transduction pathway with the Stat1 transcription factor as a critical intermediate. Excessive local activation of this pathway may lead to airway inflammation, so we sought to selectively down-regulate the pathway using a dominant-negative strategy for inhibition of epithelial Stat1 in a primary culture airway epithelial cell model. Using a Stat1-deficient cell line, we demonstrated that transfection of wild-type Stat1 expression plasmid restored appropriate Stat1 expression and IFN-γ-dependent phosphorylation as well as consequent IFN-γ activation of cotransfected ICAM-1 promoter constructs and endogenous ICAM-1 gene expression. However, mutations of Stat1 at Tyr-701 (JAK kinase phosphorylation site), Glu-428/429 (putative DNA-binding site), His-713 (splice site resulting in Stat1β formation), or Ser-727 (MAP kinase phosphorylation site) all decreased Stat1 capacity to activate the ICAM-1 promoter. The Tyr-701 mutant (followed by the His-713 mutant) were most effective in disabling Stat1 function and in overcoming the activating effect of cotransfected wild-type Stat1 in this cell system thereby highlighting the effectiveness of blocking Stat1 homo- and hetero-dimerization. In experiments using primary culture human tracheobronchial epithelial cells (hTBECs) and each of the four Stat1 mutant plasmids, transfection with the Tyr-701 and His-713 mutants again most effectively inhibited IFN-γ activation of an ICAM-1 gene promoter construct. Then by transfecting hTBECs with wild-type or mutant Stat1 tagged with a Flag reporter sequence, we used dual immunofluorescence to show that hTBECs expressing the Tyr-701 or His-713 mutants were prevented from expressing endogenous ICAM-1 in response to IFN-γ treatment. The capacity of a specific Stat1 mutations to exert a potent dominant-negative effect on IFN-γ signal transduction provides for further definition of Stat1 structure function and a means for natural or engineered expression of mutant Stat1 to selectively down-regulate activity of this pathway in a cell type- or tissue-specific manner during immune and/or inflammatory responses.
Cesium removal and kinetics equilibrium: Precipitation kinetics

This task consisted of both non-radioactive and radioactive (tracer) tests examining the influence of potentially significant variables on cesium tetraphenylborate precipitation kinetics. The work investigated the time required to reach cesium decontamination and the conditions that affect the cesium precipitation kinetics.
Anthrax toxin protective antigen: low-pH-induced hydrophobicity and channel formation in liposomes.

Summary To probe the role of the protective antigen (PA) component of anthrax toxin in toxin entry into animals cells, we examined the membrane channel-forming properties and hydrophobicity of intact and trypsin-cleaved forms of the protein at various pH values. At neutral pH neither form caused release of entrapped K+ from unilamellar lipid vesicles. At pH values below 6.0, however, K+ was rapidly released upon addition of either the nicked PA (PAN) or the 63kDa tryptic fragment of PA (PA63), which has been implicated in the toxin entry process. Under the same conditions intact PA exhibited only weak channel-forming activity, and PA20, the complementary tryptic fragment, showed no such activity. Both PA and PA63 exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity at acidic pH values, but the enhancement was greater and the pH threshold higher with PA63. Our findings indicate that proteolytic removal of PA20 from intact PA enables the residual protein, Pasb63, to adopt a conformation at mildly acidic pH values that permits it to insert readily and form channels in membranes. Thus acidic conditions within endocytic vesicles may trigger membrane insertion of PA63, which in turn promotes translocation of ligated effector moieties, edema factor or lethal factor, across the vesicle membrane into the cytosol.
Splitting of certain spaces CX

There are a number of theorems to the effect that spaces of the form ΩnσnX split stably into wedges of simpler spaces when X is connected (by which we mean pathwise connected). The proofs generally proceed by exploitation of combinatorially manageable approximations for ΩnσnX.
Alexandria's Eastern Harbor, Egypt: Pollen, Microscopic Charcoal, and the Transition from Natural to Human-Modified Basin

STANLEY, J.-D. and BERNHARDT, C.E., 2010. Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor, Egypt: Pollen, microscopic charcoal, and the transition from natural to human-modified basin. Journal of Coastal Research, 26(1), 67–79. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Pollen and microscopic charcoal examined in Holocene sediment core samples record major environmental modifications affecting Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor through time. We assess whether such changes on Egypt’s coastal margin were influenced primarily by natural, or natural plus human, or primarily human factors. We focus on (1) the times when pollen assemblages and microscopic charcoal content changed in the core, (2) how they changed, and (3) why this occurred. The analysis takes into account the core’s stratigraphy, regional climate variability, human history, and local archaeological record. Four pollen–microscopic charcoal zones are identified. The earliest change occurred at ca. 6000 YBP, during Egypt’s earlier Predynastic (Neolithic) period, coinciding with a lithologic break from sand to muddy sand. Pollen during this time indicates a transition to a much drier climate rather than effects of human activity. The second change in pollen occurred 3600–2900 YBP, during a period of continued aridity with no lithologic variation in this core interval. Pollen (cereal taxa, agricultural weeds, grape) and a sharp increase in microscopic charcoal indicate that human activity became prevalent at least 700 y before Alexander the Great’s arrival in this region, and these results highlight the transition from a largely natural climate–controlled environment to one influenced by both climate and anthropogenic activity. The third shift up-core in pollen assemblages is dated at ca. 2300 YBP, at the boundary between a sand and mud unit. It coincides with construction by the Ptolemies of the Heptastadion between Alexandria and Pharos Island. From this time onward, harbor sediment in the nearly enclosed catchment basin indicates a near-continuous record of dominant proximal human activity.
Of Birdhouses and Mosaic Cats: Conquering Fears in the Muddle of Inquiry

This reflection considers the aspects of classroom focus, instructional practice, and evaluation that impact successful inquiry, as viewed through the author’s experience in an adult art class.Topics considered include varying organization for the appropriate problem type; and creating a classroom supportive of inquiry through encouraging questioning,teaching independence,and using effective formative and self-evaluation.
Mycobacteriophage Lysin B is a novel mycolylarabinogalactan esterase

Mycobacteriophages encounter a unique problem among phages of Gram-positive bacteria, in that lysis must not only degrade the peptidoglycan layer but also circumvent a mycolic acid-rich outer membrane covalently attached to the arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex. Mycobacteriophages accomplish this by producing two lysis enzymes, Lysin A (LysA) that hydrolyses peptidoglycan, and Lysin B (LysB), a novel mycolylarabinogalactan esterase, that cleaves the mycolylarabinogalactan bond to release free mycolic acids. The D29 LysB structure shows an {alpha}/{beta} hydrolase organization with a catalytic triad common to cutinases, but which contains an additional four-helix domain implicated in the binding of lipid substrates. Whereas LysA is essential for mycobacterial lysis, a Giles {Delta}lysB mutant mycobacteriophage is viable, but defective in the normal timing, progression and completion of host cell lysis. We propose that LysB facilitates lysis by compromising the integrity of the mycobacterial outer membrane linkage to the arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan layer.
Incidence of the V600K mutation among melanoma patients with BRAF mutations, and potential therapeutic response to the specific BRAF inhibitor PLX4032

Activating mutations in BRAF kinase are common in melanomas. Clinical trials with PLX4032, the mutant-BRAF inhibitor, show promising preliminary results in patients selected for the presence of V600E mutation. However, activating V600K mutation is the other most common mutation, yet patients with this variant are currently excluded from the PLX4032 trials. Here we present evidence that a patient bearing the BRAF V600K mutation responded remarkably to PLX4032, suggesting that clinical trials should include all patients with activating BRAF V600E/K mutations.
Automated suppression of errors in LTP-II slope measurements with x-ray optics

Systematic error and instrumental drift are the major limiting factors of sub-microradian slope metrology with state-of-the-art x-ray optics. Significant suppression of the errors can be achieved by using an optimal measurement strategy suggested in [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80, 115101 (2009)]. Here, we report on development of an automated, kinematic, rotational system that provides fully controlled flipping, tilting, and shifting of a surface under test. The system is to be integrated into the Advanced Light Source long trace profiler, LTP-II, allowing for complete realization of the advantages of the optimal measurement strategy method. We describe in detail the system's specification, design operational control and data acquisition. The performance of the system is demonstrated via the results of high precision measurements with a number of super-polished mirrors.
Structure and Mechanism of Cadherins and Catenins in Cell-Cell Contacts

Cadherins are Ca2+-dependent cell adhesion molecules found in several kinds of cell-cell contact, including adherens junctions and desmosomes. In the presence of Ca2+, cells expressing the same type of cadherin form stable contacts with one another, a phenomenon designated homophilic, or homotypic, adhesion. Most cadherins are single-pass transmembrane proteins whose extracellular regions mediate specific cell-cell interactions. The intracellular faces of these contacts are associated with the actin cytoskeleton in adherens junctions or the intermediate-filament system in desmosomes. The close coordination of the transmembrane adhesion molecules with the cytoskeleton is believed to be essential in coordinating morphogenetic movements of tissues during development and in conferring the appropriate mechanical properties to cell-cell contacts. Structural, biochemical, and biophysical analysis of the molecules that comprise these contacts has provided unique mechanistic insights into the specificity of homoph...
Acute inhibition of the endogenous xanthine oxidase improves renal hemodynamics in hypercholesterolemic pigs.

Hypercholesterolemia (HC), a major risk factor for onset and progression of renal disease, is associated with increased oxidative stress, potentially causing endothelial dysfunction. One of the sou...
Synthetic analogues of migrastatin that inhibit mammary tumor metastasis in mice

Tumor metastasis is the most common cause of death in cancer patients. Here, we show that two, fully synthetic migrastatin analogues, core macroketone and core macrolactam, are potent inhibitors of metastasis in a murine breast tumor model. Administration of these readily accessible compounds nearly completely inhibits lung metastasis of highly metastatic mammary carcinoma cells. Treatment of tumor cells with core macroketone and core macrolactam blocks Rac activation, lamellipodia formation, and cell migration, suggesting that these chemical compounds interfere with the invasion step of the metastatic process. These compounds also inhibit the migration of human metastatic breast cancer cells, prostate cancer cells, and colon cancer cells but not normal mammary-gland epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and leukocytes. These data demonstrate that the macroketone and macrolactam core structures are specific small-molecule inhibitors of tumor metastasis. These compounds or their analogues could potentially be used in cancer-therapy strategies.
Robotic monitoring to assess impacts of zebra mussels and assimilative capacity for a river

Water quality impacts of zebra mussel metabolism over an infested 15 km reach of the Seneca River, N.Y., are documented, based on vertically and temporally detailed robotic monitoring at the reach boundaries during the summer through early fall intervals of 2 years . Substantial reductions over the study reach are documented for dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, fluorometric chlorophyll a , and turbidity, associated with the metabolism of this invader. Violations of New York State water quality standards for DO that would not be resolved by traditional manual monitoring programs were observed. The loss of assimilative capacity caused by the zebra mussel invasion is confounding rehabilitation efforts for a downstream polluted lake that had considered diversion of municipal effluent to the river. The critical role robotic monitoring units would play in an automated control system for an innovative strategy of time-variable river discharge of the effluent is described. Near-real time robotic monitoring provides a m...
On extensions of supercompactness

We show that, in terms of both implication and consistency strength, an extendible with a larger strong cardinal is stronger than an enhanced supercompact, which is itself stronger than a hypercompact, which is itself weaker than an extendible. All of these are easily seen to be stronger than a supercompact. We also study C n -supercompactness.
The amino acid requirements of disease

It is now clear that accidental injury, surgery, infection, cancer and psychosocial stress activate new metabolic pathways that consume amino acids. For example, immune activation appears to alter glutamine and arginine metabolism, acute phase protein synthesis demands the increased provision of the aromatic and sulfur amino acids, while an increased rate of glutathione turnover increases the cysteine requirement of the body. Critically, under many stressful conditions, the accompanying anorexia means that these new demands have to be met from the patient's protein stores. This sets up what is, in effect, an internal amino acid balance in which the supply (muscle protein) does not match the demand. The result is tissue loss and eventual malnutrition. In our view, decisions as to whether specific amino acid supplementation of the stressed patient will be beneficial should consider three crucial questions. What should the supplement contain? How should it be administered? At what stage should it be administered? Although we argue that the first question may be close to being answered, the answers to the second and third still remain uncertain. Even so, there is a good case for the serious consideration of the use of targeted amino acid supplements appropriate to the nature of different chronic conditions.
Factors Influencing the Circumferential Liquid Distribution From Pressure-Swirl Atomizers

Measurements of circumferential liquid distribution are carried out over ranges of injection pressure from 0.34 to 1.72 MPa (50 to 250 psi) using five different simplex nozzles to achieve variations in the discharge orifice length/diameter ratio from 0.5 to 4.0. Two additional simplex nozzles of the same flow number are also examined in order to ascertain the effect of variations in the number of swirl chamber feed slots on circumferential liquid distribution. Mixtures of water and glycerine are used to provide a twelve to one variation in liquid viscosity. The results obtained show that spray uniformity improves markedly at higher injection pressures. Increase in liquid viscosity also has a beneficial effect on spray uniformity. The most uniform circumferential liquid distributions are obtained with nozzles having a discharge orifice length/diameter ratio of between 1 1/2 and 2.