cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A dual requirement for plastoquinone in chloroplast electron transport

Abstract When plastoquinone is extracted from lyophilized chloroplasts, electron transport from Photosystem II is inhibited. This inhibition can occur at two levels. One involves the accepted site on the intermediate electron transport chain between the photosystems. The other is associated with the oxidizing side of photosystem II, presumably involving the water oxidation mechanism. Evidence for a dual-site role for plastoquinone is demonstrated by the following findings: 1. 1. Extraction at least 75% of total plastoquinone inhibits all photosynthetic electron transport employing water as the electron source. 2. 2. The photosystem II reaction using iodide as the electron donor and dimethyl-methylene dioxybenzoquinone as a class III acceptor takes place in plastoquinone-extracted chloroplasts. This indicates that class III acceptors intercept electron flow before the plastoquinone pool, and the hypothesized site on the water-splitting side of photosystem II is between the site of water oxidation and iodide donation. 3. 3. Artificial donors, including I − , do not photoreduce class I acceptors such as methyl viologen in extracted chloroplasts, supporting the previous conclusions that plastoquinone functions between the photosystems. 4. 4. Reconstitution with either plastoquinone A or C in combination with β-carotene restores both the plastoquinone site between the photosystems and water oxidation. β-Tocopherol quinone is also effective in this role. 5. 5. Reconstitution with trimethyl benzoquinone is ineffective in restoring electron transport either from water or artificial donors, indicating a requirement for an isoprenoid or phytol side chain. Consistent with the work of Okayama (Plant Cell. Physiol. (1974) 15, 95–101), these findings are strong evidence for a dual role for plastoquinone in the photosynthetic electron transport scheme. The nature of the requirement implicated in the water oxidation mechanism is still unclear. However, some tentative conclusions based on the effectiveness of plastoquinone analogs in reconstitutions can be made. These lend support to the notion that this function is relatively specific with regard to the structure of the plastoquinone aromatic ring but independent of the length of the isoprene chain beyond one phytol unit.
Thermally Stable Imines as New Potential Nonlinear Optical Materials

In the search for new thermostable acentric nonlinear optical (NLO) crystalline materials, several polar imine derivatives with the general structure D-π-A(D‘) were synthesized and studied. Introduction of the amino group (D‘) into the acceptor moiety of these molecules was supposed to bring hydrogen bonds into the crystal structures, and so to elevate their melting points and to assist acentric molecular packings. Ten compounds of this type have been prepared, and for six of them single crystals have been grown and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. High melting points were found for all synthesized compounds. It was found that four compounds have acentric crystal structures. Analysis of the crystal packing and hydrogen bonding in the compounds studied has been carried out along with quantum calculations of the molecular NLO responses. This allowed an understanding of the thermal stability of the compounds studied and some of their NLO characteristics.
Relation of Campylobacter pyloridis to Gastritis and Peptic Ulcer

Biopsy specimens from the gastric antral mucosa of 50 patients with upper gastrointestinal complaints were studied by light and electron microscopy and culture. Of 46 assessable specimens, seven were histologically normal, and 39 showed evidence of gastritis. Twenty-seven of the specimens with evidence of gastritis (69%) contained spiral bacteria, whereas only one of the normal specimens (14%) contained these bacteria (P = .02). Of 17 patients found to have gastric ulcers, 10 (59% [P greater than .10] ) also had spiral bacteria. The bacteria could be seen scattered over the surface of the epithelial cells and just under the layer of mucus but were rarely found inside the epithelial cells. Curved or spiral gramnegative bacilli were isolated from 10 of the specimens on chocolate agar incubated at 37 C under microaerophilic conditions. The bacteria resembled the organism recently named Campylobacter pyloridis by other investigators.
Intraaortic Balloon Counterpulsation: A Review of Physiological Principles, Clinical Results, and Device Safety

Abstract The intraaortic balloon counterpulsation device (IAB) has been used in the treatment of several hundred patients with acute myocardial infarction shock and other conditions complicating the course of ischemic heart disease and characterized by low-output failure. With the balloon positioned in the thoracic aorta, synchronous inflation-deflation occurs during cardiac diastole and systole, respectively, thereby augmenting aortic diastolic or coronary perfusion pressure and reducing the impedance to ventricular ejection. The extent to which the fixed-volume IAB system can thus alter the circulatory physiology is a function of a number of mechanical and biological variables. In more than 80% of patients with infarction, the shock state may be reversed; however, the majority of these patients have been IAB-dependent. Complications during IAB support, while infrequent, have included aortic wall damage, femoral artery insufficiency, and thrombocytopenia. This review summarizes the major aspects and current status of this cardiocirculatory supportive device.
Understanding teachers’ writing: authority in talk and texts

In this article, we explore how teachers who make their work public through talk and texts may find their composing complicated by issues of authority. These public composing acts include drafting articles, preparing workshop presentations, authoring op-ed pieces and letters to the editor, developing book manuscripts – creating any of the spoken and written texts by which educators communicate as a field. We draw from three studies in different contexts to examine the authority concerns that teacher-writers experience during the composing process. Our aim is to draw attention to (a) the struggles in process that teachers face as they develop individual pieces and wrestle with rhetorical decisions, as well as (b) the struggles with people, power, and authority that occur as teachers consider how their words, ideas, and experiences circulate in public venues. We see these as intrinsically linked: The writing process is a site where the wider struggles are played out and become visible.
GTP-yeast actin.

Abstract Because of the apparently greater conformational flexibility of yeast versus muscle actin and the ability of other members in the actin protein superfamily to efficiently use both ATP and GTP, we assessed the ability of yeast actin to function with GTP. Etheno-ATP exchange studies showed that the binding of GTP to yeast actin is about 1/9 as tight as that of ATP in contrast to the 1/1,240 ratio for muscle actin. Proteolysis of GTP-bound G-yeast actin suggests that the conformation of subdomain 2 is very much like that of ATP-bound actin, but CD studies show that GTP-bound actin is less thermostable than ATP-bound actin. GTP-actin polymerizes with an apparent critical concentration of 1.5 μm, higher than that of ATP-actin (0.3 μm) although filament structures observed by electron microscopy were similar. Yeast actin hydrolyzes GTP in a polymerization-dependent manner, and GTP-bound F-actin decorates with the myosin S1. Conversion of Phe306 in the nucleotide binding site to the Tyr found in muscle actin raised the nucleotide discrimination ratio from the 1/9 of wild-type actin to 1/125. This result agrees with modeling that predicts that removal of the Tyr hydroxyl will create a space for the C2 amino group of the GTP guanine.
Evaluation in Nonhuman Primates of Vaccines against Ebola Virus

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes acute hemorrhagic fever that is fatal in up to 90% of cases in both humans and nonhuman primates. No vaccines or treatments are available for human use. We evaluated the effects in nonhuman primates of vaccine strategies that had protected mice or guinea pigs from lethal EBOV infection. The following immunogens were used: RNA replicon particles derived from an attenuated strain of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) expressing EBOV glycoprotein and nucleoprotein; recombinant Vaccinia virus expressing EBOV glycoprotein; liposomes containing lipid A and inactivated EBOV; and a concentrated, inactivated whole-virion preparation. None of these strategies successfully protected nonhuman primates from robust challenge with EBOV. The disease observed in primates differed from that in rodents, suggesting that rodent models of EBOV may not predict the efficacy of candidate vaccines in primates and that protection of primates may require different mechanisms. bola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MBGV), which make up the family Filoviridae, cause severe hemorrhagic
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy in an infant--propranolol therapy for three years.

ALTHOUGH the beta-adrenergic blocking drug, propranolol, has been used in adults with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy,1 2 3 its use in children has not yet been reported. The youngest child...
Testo junkie: sex, drugs, and biopolitics in the pharmacopornographic era

Beatriz Preciado critically revises and reanimates the social constructionist consensus of feminist theories of gender in Testo Junkie: Sex, Drugs and Biopolitics in the Pharmacopornographic Era. B...
Nucleic Acid Oxidation Mediated by Naphthalene and Benzophenone Imide and Diimide Derivatives: Consequences for DNA Redox Chemistry

The rate constants for electron transfer from guanosine 5‘-monophosphate (GMP), adenosine 5‘-monophosphate (AMP), cytidine 5‘-monophosphate (CMP), and thymidine 5‘-monophosphate (TMP) to the triplet excited states of N-(3-propanol)-1,8-naphthalimide (NI), N,N ‘-(3-propanol)-1,4,5,8-naphthaldiimide (NDI), and N,N ‘-(3-propanol)-3,3‘,4,4‘-benzophenonediimide (BPDI) have been determined in 1:1 H2O/CH3CN solution. Upon 355-nm (8 ns) laser flash excitation of each of the imide or diimides in solution, the triplet states decayed by first-order kinetics under conditions of low excitation energy. Photoinduced electron transfer to the lowest electronically excited triplet state of N-(3-propanol)-1,8-naphthalimide from GMP occurred with a rate constant of 2.0 × 107 M-1 s-1. Electron-transfer quenching by the other nucleotides was almost 2 orders of magnitude slower. In the case of BPDI, photooxidation rate constants ranged from 2.3 × 108 M-1 s-1 for quenching by CMP to 1.1 × 109 M-1 s-1 by GMP. In all cases, the im...
Distribution of pertussis antibodies among different age groups in Japan

We examined the distribution of antibody levels against pertussis toxin (PT) and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) among a healthy Japanese population aged from 0 to 77 years. Levels of both antibodies in 1108 serum samples collected in 1994 from nine prefectures were assayed using polystyrene ball ELISA. The ratio of individuals positive (>or=10 ELISA U/ml) for anti-PT and anti-FHA antibodies at ages ranging from 0 to 3 years increased rapidly with the increase in the population vaccinated over three times with acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine. However, the ratio of those positive for anti-PT antibody tended to decrease until 6-8 years of age and to increase again from 9 to 19 years among the vaccinated population, although the ratio of individuals positive for anti-FHA antibody remained constant at 80-100% in children and adolescents over 3 years old. Moreover, positivity for anti-PT antibody was high (>or=50 ELISA U/ml) in some serum samples collected from adolescents and young adults, suggesting recent symptomatic or asymptomatic infection with circulating Bordetella pertussis. On the other hand, 50-60% of infants below 12 months of age was below the detection limit (1.0 ELISA U/ml) for anti-PT and anti-FHA antibodies, and most early infants were not vaccinated for pertussis. Since intermittent circulation of B. pertussis remains among the Japanese population, complete vaccination with aP vaccine for all infants should be highly recommended to prevent pertussis.
History and Economics—Can Students (and Professors) Learn Together?

(1994). History and Economics—Can Students (and Professors) Learn Together? College Teaching: Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 22-26.
VISUALIZATION OF FREEZING DAMAGE

Freeze-cleaving can be used as a direct probe to examine the ultrastructural alterations of biological material due to freezing. We examined the thesis that at least two factors, which are oppositely dependent upon cooling velocity, determine the survival of cells subjected to freezing. According to this thesis, when cells are cooled at rates exceeding a critical velocity, a decrease in viability is caused by the presence of intracellular ice; but cells cooled at rates less than this critical velocity do not contain appreciable amounts of intracellular ice and are killed by prolonged exposure to a solution that is altered by the presence of ice. As a test of this hypothesis, we examined freeze-fractured replicas of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae after suspensions had been cooled at rates ranging from 1.8 to 75,000°C/min. Some of the frozen samples were cleaved and replicated immediately in order to minimize artifacts due to sample handling. Other samples were deeply etched or were rewarmed to -20°C and recooled before replication. Yeast cells cooled at or above the rate necessary to preserve maximal viability (∼7°C/min) contained intracellular ice, whereas cells cooled below this rate showed no evidence of intracellular ice.
The burial of organic carbon as affected by the evolution of land plants

It is hypothesized that, over Phanerozoic time, the terrigenous organic carbon (orgC) pool became increasingly susceptible to biological decay through (a) reduction in the ratio of phenolic‐rich periderm to total biomass and (b) decline in the extent of lignification in foliage and other plant organs. Fungal evolution, meanwhile, resulted in greater abundance and higher activity levels of lignin‐degrading organisms, and faster turnover of refractory orgC. The result was reduced burial of orgC, which, in turn, checked the accumulation of O2 in the atmosphere and buffered the global redox balance against variation in biomass production by land plants. Feedback from O2 level to fungal metabolism of lignin further stabilized the system. Thus, the relatively small Paleozoic land biota could have caused much greater perturbations of redox balance than were caused by the much larger and more productive land biotas of the Tertiary.
Recent developments in fibers and interphases for high temperature ceramic matrix composites

Abstract The long term durability of CMCs is limited by two factors: (1) creep and rupture of the fibers, and (2) environmental degradation of the constituents, primarily in the nonoxide composites. Oxide CMCs are limited by the creep resistance of the fiber at this stage of development and by interphase concepts that are not yet mature. Nonoxide fibers have been developed with excellent creep resistance relative to oxide fibers, but oxidation of the interphase and the interface, particularly at intermediate temperatures, causes embrittlement of these composites. This effect is particularly severe when matrix cracks are present and under cyclic loading conditions.
Biomedical and Social Determinants of Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly

Studies in age-related cognitive changes do not necessarily take into account the clinical and social phenomena associated with age that may have more effect on cognition than does psychologic senescence. Clinically inapparent biologic deterioration, drugs, mild dementia, and atypically presenting depression may influence cognition. Selection bias may skew the results of studies on the elderly when control groups are made up of undergraduates or of "normal" elderly whose normality is taken for granted rather than verified. The epiphenomena of aging, such as retirement, social isolation, and bereavement, which are not inherent in the aging process, influence cognition, as do labeling and learned helplessness. Laboratory-based tests of cognition may not sufficiently resemble real-life conditions to have validity. Future research will be shaped by how we conceptualize the relation between aging and intellectual function.
The eternal talent, the French Senegalese and the coach’s troop: broadcasting soccer on Slovenian public television

Over the past 20 years, soccer in Slovenia has experienced a shift in role and perception from ‘Balkanite’ to mainstream. The purpose of this study is to understand how identity is negotiated in televised broadcasts of the domestic soccer league in this former Yugoslav country. The study uses content and discourse analyses to examine the commentary spoken during national soccer championship broadcasts on Slovenian public television and the ways players of different nationalities are represented in these games. Results show that interpretive commentary accounted for 29.2% of the total commentary, most (59.5%) of which was positive in nature. International players received significantly more overall comments, as well as more comments about athletic strength, speed and body size; home nationals in turn received more descriptions about concentration, experience and consonance. Announcers put considerable emphasis on nationality and used it to consolidate the status of Slovenia as an independent country and on...
Energy harvesting from underwater vibration of an annular ionic polymer metal composite

In this paper, we study underwater energy harvesting from bending vibrations of an annular ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC). The IPMC is clam-ped to a moving base, which harmonically excites the IPMC to vibrate along its fundamental axisymmetric mode shape. We model the IPMC as a thin plate, and the interaction with the surrounding fluid is described through a distributed hydrodynamic loading which is responsible for a marked reduction of the resonance spectrum through added mass effect. IPMC sensing is described though a lumped circuit model, comprising a resistor, a capacitor, a Warburg impedance, and a voltage source controlled by the mechanical curvature. In a series of experiments, the IPMC electrodes are shunted with a resistor, which is parametrically varied together with the excitation frequency to elucidate power harvesting. We also assess the effect of the IPMC geometry on power harvesting, by systematically varying the inner radius of the annulus to encompass five different configurations. Experimental results suggest that IPMC geometry has a primary role on its vibrations, whereby increasing the inner radius results into a significant increase of the resonance frequency. Such an increase does, in turn, produce a robust improvement in power harvesting that increases of two orders of magnitude as the ratio between the inner and the outer radius varies from 0.23 to 0.5.
Computational de novo design and characterization of a four-helix bundle protein that selectively binds a nonbiological cofactor.

We report the complete de novo design of a four-helix bundle protein that selectively binds the nonbiological DPP−Fe(III) metalloporphyrin cofactor (DPP−Fe(III) = 5, 15-Di[(4-carboxymethyleneoxy)phenyl]porphinato iron(III)). A tetrameric, D2-symmetric backbone scaffold was constructed to encapsulate two DPP−Fe(III) units through bis(His) coordination. The complete sequence was determined with the aid of the statistical computational design algorithm SCADS. The 34-residue peptide was chemically synthesized. UV−vis and CD spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, and analytical ultracentrifugation indicated the peptide undergoes a transition from a predominantly random coil monomer to an α-helical tetramer upon binding DPP−Fe(III). EPR spectroscopy studies indicated the axial imidazole ligands were oriented in a perpendicular fashion, as defined by second-shell interactions that were included in the design. The 1-D 1H NMR spectrum of the assembled protein displayed features of a well-packed interior. The...
Evidence that High‐ and Low‐Affinity DL‐α‐Amino‐3‐Hydroxy‐5‐Methylisoxazole‐4‐Propionic Acid (AMPA) Binding Sites Reflect Membrane‐Dependent States of a Single Receptor

Binding of DL-alpha-[3H]amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid ([3H]AMPA) to lysed rat brain membranes in the presence of potassium thiocyanate resulted in curvilinear Scatchard plots that could be resolved by regression analysis into a large low-affinity component and a small high-affinity component. Solubilization with Triton X-100 resulted in solubilized and nonsolubilized fractions that were considerably enriched in the high-affinity component and correspondingly reduced in the low-affinity component. It thus appears that solubilization converts low-affinity AMPA receptors into high-affinity receptors. Also, synaptic plasma membranes were found to be greatly enriched in the low-affinity form and deficient in the high-affinity form of the AMPA receptor. These experiments provide evidence for the hypothesis that the high- and low-affinity components of AMPA binding are interconvertible states of the same receptor rather than separate binding sites and that the conversion of these receptors from their native high-affinity state to the low-affinity state occurs on insertion of the receptors into synapses.
Lung Epithelial Cells Induce Both Phenotype Alteration and Senescence in Breast Cancer Cells

Purpose The lung is one of the most common sites of breast cancer metastasis. While metastatic seeding is often accompanied by a dormancy-promoting mesenchymal to epithelial reverting transitions (MErT), we aimed to determine whether lung epithelial cells can impart this phenotype on aggressive breast cancer cells. Methods Co-culture experiments of normal lung epithelial cell lines (SAEC, NHBE or BEAS-2B) and breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 or MDA-MB-231) were conducted. Flow cytometry analysis, immunofluorescence staining for E-cadherin or Ki-67 and senescence associated beta-galactosidase assays assessed breast cancer cell outgrowth and phenotype. Results Co-culture of the breast cancer cells with the normal lung cells had different effects on the epithelial and mesenchymal carcinoma cells. The epithelial MCF-7 cells were increased in number but still clustered even if in a slightly more mesenchymal-spindle morphology. On the other hand, the mesenchymal MDA-MB-231 cells survived but did not progressively grow out in co-culture. These aggressive carcinoma cells underwent an epithelial shift as indicated by cuboidal morphology and increased E-cadherin. Disruption of E-cadherin expressed in MDA-MB-231 using shRNA prevented this phenotypic reversion in co-culture. Lung cells limited cancer cell growth kinetics as noted by both (1) some of the cells becoming larger and positive for senescence markers/negative for proliferation marker Ki-67, and (2) Ki-67 positive cells significantly decreasing in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells after co-culture. Conclusions Our data indicate that normal lung epithelial cells can drive an epithelial phenotype and suppress the growth kinetics of breast cancer cells coincident with changing their phenotypes.
Towards aiding within-patch information foraging by end-user programmers

Many tools help professional programmers with the difficult problem of finding information during code maintenance. The empirical success of these tools can be explained by Information Foraging Theory (IFT), which predicts how a person seeks information by navigating through an information system based on the visual weight of information features presented to the person. Motivated by the success of these tools, we investigated the reasonable expectation that end-user programmers would likewise benefit from tools that increased the relative visual weight of important information features. We prototyped and evaluated two tools, each of which uses an existing algorithm to identify the most important lines of code. One prototype highlights important lines of code; the other prototype hides unimportant lines of code. An empirical study revealed that increasing the relative weight of important information features by highlighting did positively impact the amount of information foraged and the rate of information gained; on the other hand, decreasing the relative weight of unimportant information features by hiding had a modest negative impact. These results reveal opportunities for enhancing existing IFT-based foraging models and applying them to design more effective end-user programming tools for coding, debugging, and code reuse. Keywords—end-user programming; code maintenance; information foraging
Maximum pixel spectrum: a new tool for detecting and recovering rare, unanticipated features from spectrum image data cubes

A new software tool, the maximum pixel spectrum, detects rare events within a spectrum image data cube, such as that generated with electron-excited energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry in a scanning electron microscope. The maximum pixel spectrum is a member of a class of 'derived spectra' that are constructed from the spectrum image data cube. Similar to a conventional spectrum, a derived spectrum is a linear array of intensity vs. channel index that corresponds to photon energy. A derived spectrum has the principal characteristics of a real spectrum so that X-ray peaks can be recognized. A common example of a derived spectrum is the summation spectrum, which is a linear array in which the summation of all pixels within each energy plane gives the intensity value for that channel. The summation spectrum is sensitive to the dominant features of the data cube. The maximum pixel spectrum is constructed by selecting the maximum pixel value within each X-ray energy plane, ignoring the remaining pixels. Peaks corresponding to highly localized trace constituents or foreign contaminants, even those that are confined to one pixel of the image, can be seen at a glance when the maximum pixel spectrum is compared with the summation spectrum.
Cortical acetylcholine, reality distortion, schizophrenia, and Lewy body dementia: Too much or too little cortical acetylcholine?

Aberrations in cortical cholinergic transmission have been hypothesized to mediate the development and manifestation of psychotic cognition. Based primarily on hypotheses about mesolimbic dopaminergic hyperactivity in schizophrenia, the actions of antipsychotic drugs, the trans-synaptic regulation of the excitability of basal forebrain corticopetal cholinergic neurons, and the role of cortical cholinergic inputs in attentional functions, we hypothesized that persistent disinhibition of cortical cholinergic inputs mediates the fundamental cognitive dysfunctions which form the basis for the development of positive symptoms in schizophrenia. In contrast to this hypothesis, Perry and Perry (1995), based on evidence from hallucinating patients with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), concluded that the extensive loss of cortical acetylcholine allows irrelevant information to enter "conscious awareness" and thus hallucinations to emerge. The discussion of these contrasting hypotheses highlights the need for more dynamic and precise theories describing the cognitive variables and neuronal processes which contribute to the development and manifestation of psychotic cognition. While the hypothesis that a disinhibited cholinergic system mediates the evolution of psychotic symptoms corresponds more convincingly with current theories about the cognitive functions of cortical cholinergic inputs, both hypotheses stress the critical role of cortical acetylcholine in the highest levels of cognitive functioning.
Protein Kinase Cν/Protein Kinase D3 Nuclear Localization, Catalytic Activation, and Intracellular Redistribution in Response to G Protein-coupled Receptor Agonists

The protein kinase D (PKD) family consists of three serine/threonine kinases: PKCμ/PKD, PKD2, and PKCν/PKD3. Whereas PKD has been the focus of most studies, virtually nothing is known about the effect of G protein-coupled receptor agonists (GPCR) on the regulatory properties and intracellular distribution of PKD3. Consequently, we examined the mechanism that mediates its activation and intracellular distribution. GPCR agonists induced a rapid activation of PKD3 by a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway that leads to the phosphorylation of the activation loop of PKD3. Comparison of the steady-state distribution of endogenous or tagged PKD3 versus PKD and PKD2 in unstimulated cells indicated that whereas PKD and PKD2 are predominantly cytoplasmic, PKD3 is present both in the nucleus and cytoplasm. This distribution of PKD3 results from its continuous shuttling between both compartments by a mechanism that requires a nuclear import receptor and a competent CRM1-nuclear export pathway. Cell stimulation with the GPCR agonist neurotensin induced a rapid and reversible plasma membrane translocation of PKD3 that is PKC-dependent. Interestingly, the nuclear accumulation of PKD3 can be dramatically enhanced in response to its activation. Thus, this study demonstrates that the intracellular distribution of PKD isoenzymes are distinct, and suggests that their signaling properties are regulated by differential localization.
Physical Discipline and Socioemotional Adjustment Among Jamaican Adolescents

The study examined the relationship between physical punishment and socioemotional well-being in a sample of Jamaican adolescents. The data indicated that the overwhelming majority of adolescent respondents experienced physical punishment within their families. Physical punishment was significantly associated with adverse psychological and behavioral consequences, in that adolescents reporting being victims of physical punishment also indicated a greater propensity to developmental adjustment problems than their non-victimized peers. However, unlike findings from research emanating from more industrialized cultures, sociodemographic factors were not associated with the incidence of physical punishment. Gender showed statistical significance on all socioemotional dimensions and with behavior problems but not with physical punishment. Implications for policy decisions to reduce children’s exposure to violence within that particular cultural context are discussed.
Development, good governance, and local democracy

This article analyses the concept of “good governance” as promoted by the international development community, above all by the World Bank, within the predominant neoliberal development approach, emphasising the implications for local governance and management in developing countries. Highlighting the extent to which it is embedded in the neoliberal development approach, the good governance concept is analysed with regard to its peculiar understanding of participation and democracy. The article discusses the subordination of the World Bank’s consensus-oriented approach of good governance to economic imperatives, fading out the centrality of its political dimension. In the context of unequal societies, such an apolitical governance concept only contributes to the strengthening of existing power relations. In its conclusions, the article stresses the need to rethink the good governance approach to development and local politics according to Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic view of democracy, which considers political protest, social mobilization and politicization as essential conditions for social transformation and democratic vitality.
An angiocardiographic sign of aortic regurgitation. Its utilization for the measurement of regurgitant flow.

A technic of performing retrograde aortography for the study of aortic insufficiency is presented. The aortograms demonstrate the abnormal expansile movements of the aorta, and the to-and-fro motion of the opacified vascular column in the proximal portion of the aorta with systole and diastole. These phenomena were not observed in patients without aortic insufficiency. A method for calculating the stroke volume and the volume of regurgitation from these aortograms is presented.
Voltage-sensitive Na + ion channels: molecular properties and functional reconstitution

Abstract A voltage-sensitive Na + channel is the basis of electrical excitability in most nerve and muscle cells. Although this channel has been probed in situ with biophysical techniques for half a century, it has only recently been possible to remove it from the membrane for molecular characterization. Biochemical studies of isolated sodium channels are now shedding light on the unusual structure of the channel, but the proof of the pudding is in its functional reconstitution.
Suprarenal aortic cross-clamp position: A reappraisal of its effects on outcomes for open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Objectives With the increasing use of endovascular aneurysm repair, a greater proportion of open aneurysm repairs in the future are expected to be more complex and require suprarenal cross-clamping. We sought to evaluate the effects of suprarenal (SR) vs infrarenal (IR) aortic cross-clamp position in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair in an updated single center series. Methods All elective open AAA repairs performed at our institution between 1990 and 2006 were entered into a prospective database and reviewed retrospectively. Our main stratification variable was SR vs IR. The SR group was further subdivided into those requiring an adjunctive renal revascularization procedure (SR+RRP; n=54) and those who did not (SR−RRP; n=117). Univariate and multivariate models were used to analyze the effect of baseline variables and operative variables on our primary endpoint 30-day mortality as well as secondary endpoints such as major adverse events, postoperative decline in renal function (defined as doubling of baseline creatinine to level >2 mg/dL, or new-onset dialysis) and long-term survival. A propensity score model was developed to control for confounding variables associated with the use of an SR cross-clamp. Results A total of 1020 patients underwent elective AAA repair, of which 849 (83.2%) were IR and 171 (16.8%) were SR. Diabetes (14.6% vs 9.1%, P = .027), hypertension (70.2% vs 61.4%, P = .03), and chronic renal failure (14.0% vs 4.7%, P = .001) were more prevalent in the SR group, and mean aneurysm size was larger (6.0 cm vs 5.6 cm, P = .001). Estimated blood loss was higher (1919 mL vs 1257 mL, P = .001) in the SR group, as was mean length of stay (12.6 days vs 10.7 days, P = .047). Perioperative (30-day) mortality rate was 1.8% for the SR group and 1.2% for the IR group ( P = .44). Postoperative decline in renal function was 17.0% in SR vs 9.5% in IR ( P = .003), however, new-onset dialysis was rare (0.6% SR, 0.8% IR, P = NS). The combination of SR+RRP was associated with an increased risk for postoperative decline in renal function (14.8% SR+RRP, 4.3% SR−RRP, P = .016). Preoperative renal failure was strongly associated with postoperative renal decline (odds ratio [OR] 8.15, 2.92-22.8, P P = .009). Major adverse events were more prevalent in the SR group compared to the IR group (17.0% vs 9.5%, P = .003). Five-year survival was 69.1% + 1.9% for the IR group and 67.7% + 4.3% for the SR group ( P = 0.38) by life table analysis. Conclusion Suprarenal cross-clamping is associated with low mortality and significant but acceptable morbidity, including postoperative decline in renal function. The results from this series may serve as relevant background data when evaluating emerging branched and fenestrated endograft technologies.
Are microbial symptoms "self-inflicted"? The consequences of immunopathology

Microbial infection creates a battlefield within the host between the microbe and innate and immune host defenses. The consequences of these defenses are often the signs and symptoms, sometimes life-threatening, which arecharacteristic of the microbial disease. This review discusses the mechanisms and examples of pathology induced by innate and immune host defenses to microbial infection.
Yield management in microelectronic manufacturing

Semiconductor technology trends continue to drive toward cheaper, faster, denser, lower-power, and more reliable products. These trends are however, neither independent of nor conducive to each other. Faster and denser designs, for example, increase power, reduce yield and reliability, and increase cost. In many cases, a trade-off is made between cost and performance. The prime factor in determining the cost of a product is its manufacturing yield. It has hence become increasingly important to understand the intricate relationships between process technology, product design, manufacturing tools, and yield. The ability to predict yield long before the product is manufactured is fundamental to a decision-making process during the development phase. Accelerated yield-learning is the next step to reducing the development-to-market time and product cost. Several disciplines should progress coherently to define a yield plan and assure meeting the desired yield targets. Special test structures are designed and tested for yield at different stages of the process to determine the dominant yield detractors, the nature of defects, their size and spatial distributions, and their impact on yield. Models are developed to extract yield parameters from test results and predict the product yield. Systematic and gross defects are mostly eliminated early in the development. The impact of random defect size and density increases with minimum feature size. Tool, process, and design changes are hence made to reduce the defect density to a level that can be tolerated by the specific design. Yield learning is vigorously pursued via measurements against the targets, establishing action plans and tightening the targets in a cyclical mode. The purpose of this paper is to describe the yield management methodology and to provide an overview of the steps required to analyze, predict, and accelerate the product yield learning. Practical examples based on memory and logic designs are discussed.
Matrix Remodeling in Vascular Calcification Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease

Vascular calcification is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease. Mechanistic studies highlight the importance of dysregulated mineral metabolism, vascular osteochondrogenic processes, apoptosis, and deficiencies in calcification inhibitors as potential mediators of calcification in renal disease. However, the contribution of the extracellular matrix in vascular calcification associated with chronic kidney disease is less understood. Here we examine evidence that suggests important roles for elastin and elastin-degrading enzymes as potential key regulators of calcification. Additional studies aimed at further understanding their role are critical for the design of therapeutic interventions.
Simultaneous hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and muscular ventricular septal defect in an adult patient

Background: The incidence of muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) in children is rare, but its prevalence among hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients is surprisingly high. Methods: We present a 24-year-old female with HCM associated with muscular VSD without significant symptoms or hemodynamic implications. Conclusion: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging plays an important role in anatomic and functional noninvasive evaluation of these patients. (Echocardiography 2012;29:E110-E111)
ELLAGIC ACID DIRECTED GROWTH OF Au–Pt BIMETALLIC NANOPARTICLES AND THEIR CATALYTIC APPLICATIONS

In this work, we report the facile formation of bimetallic nanoparticles of Au–Pt in the presence of the plant polyphenol ellagic acid (EA). It was found that EA formed micro-fibrillar assemblies, which aggregated into micro-bundles under aqueous conditions. Those micro-bundles acted as templates for the growth of Au nanoparticles, as well as bimetallic Au–Pt nanoparticles biomimetically. At higher concentrations of EA, it was observed that in addition to forming fibrous micro-bundles, columnar assemblies of EA were formed in the presence of the metal nanoparticles. The formation of the assemblies was found to be concentration dependent. It appears that upon binding to metal ions and subsequent formation of the nanoparticles, morphological changes occur in the case of EA assemblies. The morphological changes observed were probed by electron microscopy. Further, the ability of the materials to degrade the toxic aromatic nitro compound 2-methoxy-4-nitroaniline was explored, where 50% degradation was observed within 15 min, indicating that such hybrid materials may have potential applications in environmental remediation.
Professional antigen presenting cells in human herpesvirus 8 infection.

Professional antigen presenting cells (APC), i.e., dendritic cells, monocytes/macrophages, and B lymphocytes, are critically important in the recognition of an invading pathogen and presentation of antigens to the T cell-mediated arm of immunity. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is one of the few human viruses that primarily targets these APC for infection, altering their cytokine profiles, manipulating their surface expression of MHC molecules and altering their ability to activate HHV-8 specific T cells. This could be why T cell responses to HHV-8 antigens are not very robust. Of these APC, only B cells support complete, lytic HHV-8 infection. However, both complete and abortive virus replication cycles in APC could directly affect viral pathogenesis and progression to Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) and HHV-8 associated B cell cancers. In this review, we discuss the effects of HHV-8 infection on professional APC and their relationship to the development of KS and B cell lymphomas.
Marginal bidding: an application of the equimarginal principle to bidding in TAC SCM

We present a fast and effective bidding strategy for the Trading Agent Competition in Supply Chain Management (TAC SCM). In TAC SCM, manufacturers compete to procure computer parts from suppliers (the procurement problem), and then sell assembled computers to customers in reverse auctions (the bidding problem). This paper is concerned only with bidding, in which an agent must decide how many computers to sell and at what prices to sell them. We propose a greedy solution, Marginal Bidding, inspired by the Equimarginal Principle, which states that revenue is maximized among possible uses of a resource when the return on the last unit of the resource is the same across all areas of use. We show experimentally that certain variations of Marginal Bidding can compute bids faster than our ILP solution, which enables Marginal Bidders to consider future demand as well as current demand, and hence achieve greater revenues when knowledge of the future is valuable.
RNaseIII and T4 Polynucleotide Kinase sequence biases and solutions during RNA-seq library construction

RNA-seq is a next generation sequencing method with a wide range of applications including single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection, splice junction identification, and gene expression level measurement. However, the RNA-seq sequence data can be biased during library constructions resulting in incorrect data for SNP, splice junction, and gene expression studies. Here, we developed new library preparation methods to limit such biases. A whole transcriptome library prepared for the SOLiD system displayed numerous read duplications (pile-ups) and gaps in known exons. The pile-ups and gaps of the whole transcriptome library caused a loss of SNP and splice junction information and reduced the quality of gene expression results. Further, we found clear sequence biases for both 5' and 3' end reads in the whole transcriptome library. To remove this bias, RNaseIII fragmentation was replaced with heat fragmentation. For adaptor ligation, T4 Polynucleotide Kinase (T4PNK) was used following heat fragmentation. However, its kinase and phosphatase activities introduced additional sequence biases. To minimize them, we used OptiKinase before T4PNK. Our study further revealed the specific target sequences of RNaseIII and T4PNK. Our results suggest that the heat fragmentation removed the RNaseIII sequence bias and significantly reduced the pile-ups and gaps. OptiKinase minimized the T4PNK sequence biases and removed most of the remaining pile-ups and gaps, thus maximizing the quality of RNA-seq data. This article was reviewed by Dr. A. Kolodziejczyk (nominated by Dr. Sarah Teichmann), Dr. Eugene Koonin, and Dr. Christoph Adami. For the full reviews, see the Reviewers' Comments section.
Anatomy and Physiology of the Central Nervous System in Children

The pediatric patient brings unique challenges to the neuroanesthesiologist and neurointensivists. Anatomy and physiology of the pediatric central nervous system has substantial differences to the adult patient. Further challenges are presented by the fact that there are rapid changes in the anatomy and physiologic responses of the central nervous system as the pediatric patient grows and matures.
Routes of War: The World of Movement in the Confederate South

Military and social historians of the Civil War have chronicled in minute detail the rise and fall of the Confederate States of America and the devastation the war wreaked on the battlefront and th...
Transfer effects in the interpretation of definite articles by Spanish heritage speakers

This study investigates the role of transfer from the stronger language by focusing on the interpretation of definite articles in Spanish and English by Spanish heritage speakers (i.e., minority language-speaking bilinguals) residing in the U.S., where English is the majority language. Spanish plural NPs with definite articles can express generic reference (Los elefantes tienen colmillos de marfil), or specific reference (Los elefantes de este zoologico son marrones). English plurals with definite articles can only have specific reference (The elephants in this zoo are brown), while generic reference is expressed with bare plural NPs (Elephants have ivory tusks). Furthermore, the Spanish definite article is preferred in inalienable possession constructions (Pedro levanto la mano “Peter raised the hand”), whereas in English the use of a definite article typically means that the body part belongs to somebody else (alienable possession). Twenty-three adult Spanish heritage speakers completed three tasks in Spanish (acceptability judgment, truth-value judgment, and picture–sentence matching tasks) and the same three tasks in English. Results show that the Spanish heritage speakers exhibited transfer from English into Spanish with the interpretation of definite articles in generic but not in inalienable possession contexts. Implications of this finding for the field of heritage language research and for theories of article semantics are discussed.
Derivation of a new formula for calculating urinary electrolyte-free water clearance based on the Edelman equation

In evaluating the renal mechanisms responsible for the generation of the dysnatremias, an analysis of free water clearance (FWC) and electrolyte-free water clearance (EFWC) is often utilized to cha...