cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Top-down ESI-ECD-FT-ICR mass spectrometry localizes noncovalent protein-ligand binding sites.

Mass spectrometry (MS) with electrospray ionization (ESI) has the capability to measure and detect noncovalent protein−ligand and protein−protein complexes. However, information on the sites of ligand binding is not easily obtained by the ESI-MS methodology. Electron capture dissociation (ECD) favors cleavage of covalent backbone bonds of protein molecules. We show that this characteristic of ECD translates to noncovalent protein−ligand complexes, as covalent backbone bonds of protein complexes are dissociated, but the noncovalent ligand interaction is retained. For the complex formed from 140-residue, 14.5 kDa α-synuclein protein, and one molecule of polycationic spermine (202 Da), ECD generates product ions that retain the protein−spermine noncovalent interaction. Spermine binding is localized to residues 106−138; the ECD data are consistent with previous solution NMR studies. Our studies suggest that ECD mass spectrometry can be used to determine directly the sites of ligand binding to protein targets.
New high-frequency MJTCs of novel design on fused silica substrates

We are presently deploying new thin-film multijunction thermal converters fabricated on fused silica substrates for highly accurate ac voltage measurements at frequencies up to 100 MHz. Devices fabricated thus far include both bifilar and coaxial designs, and are being tested as new standards in the 2 V to 5 V range. We report on the performance of these new MJTCs, describe present work to improve their performance and discuss future goals.
ECG changes in pneumothorax: a unique finding and proposed mechanism

A patient with anterior myocardial infarction had bilateral pneumothoraces. Left pneumothorax was associated with reappearance of precordial R waves, while right pneumothorax caused no ECG change. This previously undescribed finding suggests the importance of air insulating the chest wall, rather than cardiac rotation, dilatation, or displacement as a mechanism of the ECG change.
Prolonged expression of CD154 on CD4 T cells from pediatric lupus patients correlates with increased CD154 transcription, increased nuclear factor of activated T cell activity, and glomerulonephritis

Objective To assess CD154 expression in patients with pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to explore a transcriptional mechanism that may explain dysregulated expression of CD154. Methods Cell surface CD154 expression (pre- and postactivation) in peripheral blood CD4 T cells from 29 children with lupus and 29 controls matched for age, sex, and ethnicity was examined by flow cytometry. CD154 expression was correlated with clinical features, laboratory parameters, and treatments received. Increased CD154 expression on CD4 T cells from the SLE patients was correlated with CD154 message and transcription rates by real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nuclear run-on assays, respectively. Nuclear factor of activated T cell (NF-AT) transcription activity and mRNA levels in CD4 T cells from SLE patients were explored by reporter gene analysis and real-time RT-PCR, respectively. Results CD154 surface protein levels were increased 1.44-fold in CD4 T cells from SLE patients as compared with controls in cells evaluated 1 day postactivation ex vivo. This increase correlated clinically with the presence of nephritis and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Increased CD154 protein levels also correlated with increased CD154 mRNA levels and with CD154 transcription rates, particularly at later time points following T cell activation. Reporter gene analyses revealed a trend for increased NF-AT, but decreased activator protein 1 and similar NF-κB, activity in CD4 T cells from SLE patients as compared with controls. Moreover, NF-AT1 and, in particular, NF-AT2 mRNA levels were notably increased in CD4 T cells from SLE patients as compared with controls. Conclusion Following activation, cell surface CD154 is increased on CD4 T cells from pediatric lupus patients as compared with controls, and this increase correlates with the presence of nephritis, increased CD154 transcription rates, and increased NF-AT activity. These results suggest that NF-AT/calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus and cyclosporine, may be beneficial in the treatment of lupus nephritis.
Laser scanning reveals bryophyte canopy structure

Summary • We evaluated laser scanning as a method to provide depth measurements for bryophyte canopies at fine spatial scales to derive surface roughness (Lr), a structural parameter. • Depths to the first vertical canopy contact were measured on 5 × 5 cm2 areas of 27 bryophyte canopies using a contact probe, a commercial laser scanner and a scanner employing a laser diode striper (LED scanner). Laser scanning adequately distinguished structural types, but scanner configuration led to differences in the magnitude of Lr. • LED scanning did not damage photosystem II function in three bryophyte species, Bazzania trilobata, Sphagnum girgensohnii and Pleurozium schreberi, as evidenced by no change in the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter FV/FM following LED scanning, but a decrease when subjected to high light. • A previously published boundary layer conductance model was parameterized with surface roughness values determined using a laser scanner and compared with the results obtained with contact probe measures. The resulting parameters of the functional models did not differ significantly from each other.
Tooth avulsion in the school setting

Tooth avulsions occur when a tooth is displaced from its socket. Tooth avulsions are common dental injuries that may occur before, during, or after school. Therefore, it is essential that school nurses be well prepared to intervene when such a dental emergency arises. It is also imperative that school nurses and school personnel are fully equipped to manage a tooth avulsion. Time is of the essence when attempting to save an avulsed tooth. The goal is to successfully reinsert the avulsed tooth and to preserve the periodontal ligament. The school nurse is responsible for implementing the appropriate actions needed to save the avulsed tooth.
The Manila Healing Revival and the First Pentecostal Defections in the Methodist Church in the Philippines

This article examines the arrival of the worldwide healing revival movement in Manila in the mid-1950s and its role in the first Pentecostal defections in the Methodist Church in the Philippines. It seeks to answer why, despite the presence of other Protestant denominations in Manila at that time, Philippine Methodism became a fertile seedbed for divine healing revivalism, I argue that Methodists' conspicuous participation in the healing revivals was part of a larger Holiness revival impulse that had pervaded their denomination decades earlier, when pneumatological language or, most specifically, emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit was the central motif. Thus, the turn of Filipino Methodist schismatics to divine healing and eventually Pentecostalism did not emerge in a vacuum, but can be seen as a trajectory reminiscent of the birth of the modern Pentecostal Movement.
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Primitive Solar System Objects

We have obtained near-infrared (H and K band at lambda/Delta(lambda) is approximately 480 to 600) spectra of a sample of primitive objects including 2 Centaur objects (2060 Chiron and 5145 Pholus) and 16 P- and D-type asteroids. The spectra were obtained at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope using the cooled grating spectrometer CGS4, and were used to search for chemically diagnostic vibrational features in these primitive objects. Pholus exhibits broad adsorption features at 2.07 and 2.27 micrometers, as well as a weak feature at 1.72 micrometers. The 1.72- and 2.27-micrometer features are similar to those seen in a laboratory tar sand sample. No distinct absorption features are found in other objects, including Chiron, which displays a spectrally neutral continuum. A comparison of the P- and D-type asteroid spectra with laboratory measurements of organic solids shows no compelling evidence for hydrocarbon overtones seen in terrestrial bituminous tar sands.
Early infection during burn-induced inflammatory response results in increased mortality and p38-mediated neutrophil dysfunction

Following burn injury, the host is susceptible to bacterial infections normally cleared by healthy patients. We hypothesized that during the systemic immune response that follows scald injury, the host's altered immune status increases infection susceptibility. Using a murine model of scald injury under inhaled anesthesia followed by intraperitoneal infection, we observed increased neutrophil numbers and function at postburn day (PBD) 1 compared with sham-burned and PBD4 mice. Further, increased mortality, bacteremia, and serum IL-6 were observed in PBD1 mice after Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection compared with sham-burned and PBD4 mice infected with PA. To examine these disparate responses, we investigated neutrophils isolated at 5 and 24 h following PA infection from PBD1 and sham-burned mice. Five hours after infection, there was no significant difference in number of recruited neutrophils; however, neutrophils from injured mice had decreased activation, active-p38, and oxidative burst compared with sham-burned mice. In direct contrast, 24 h after infection, we observed increased numbers, active-p38, and oxidative burst of neutrophils from PBD1 mice. Finally, we demonstrated that in neutrophils isolated from PBD1 mice, the observed increase in oxidative burst was p38 dependent. Altogether, neutrophil activation and function from thermally injured mice are initially delayed and later exacerbated by a p38-dependent mechanism. This mechanism is likely key to the observed increase in bacterial load and mortality of PBD1 mice infected with PA.
Perceived impact of two-way dual immersion programs on Latino students' relationships in their families and communities

Abstract This study examined how participation of Latino students in two-way dual immersion versus mainstream programs might have impacted students' relationships with Spanish-speaking adults, thus affecting contexts for students to develop resiliency. Participants were parents of 90 fifth- and sixth-grade students (initially English proficient [EP] as well as initially English language learners) in dual immersion, and parents of 103 students of similar language backgrounds in mainstream programs, located in three schools. Also, the students themselves completed questionnaires. Findings showed that a greater number of parents in dual immersion programs perceived that their children grew closer to Spanish-speaking family and communicated more with Spanish-speaking community members, with marked enthusiasm noted especially in open-ended responses by parents of EP students. Statistical analysis showed significantly higher means of responses for dual immersion parents compared with parents of mainstream stude...
Differential interaction of adrenergic and cholinergic effects on AV junctional automaticity and AV conduction.

The effects of postsynaptic autonomic interactions on atrioventricular (AV) junctional automaticity and AV conduction were studied in six canine heart in situ using direct injections of norepinephrine (NE) and physostigmine (PSM) into the AV node artery. Injection of NE (0.05 microgram/ml, 2 ml) caused an AV junctional rhythm (AVJR) in every dog. After injection of PSM (10 micrograms/ml, 2 ml), the responses of AVJR to NE were virtually identical to those observed before cholinesterase inhibition (160 +/- 13 vs 162 +/- 12 bpm). In contrast, this moderate cholinesterase inhibition still had a readily demonstrable negative dromotropic effect. In any given dog, depressed AV conduction was characterized by one of two types (I and II) of retrograde atrial capture during AVJR. Before PSM in the AV junction, onset of atrial depolarization during AVJR preceded the onset of ventricular depolarization in both type I and type II responses. After PSM, atrial depolarization occurred later with respect to ventricular depolarization (i.e., during or mostly after ventricular activation) in type I, whereas in the type II responses atrial depolarizations began much earlier than before PSM, thus being completed long before the onset of ventricular activation. Because of such differential responsiveness of AV junctional automaticity and AV conduction and because of the two types of intranodal conduction observed after administration of PSM into the AV junction, we can postulate that under appropriate autonomic imbalance retrograde or antegrade AV block could readily develop in spite of preserved AV junctional automaticity.
Odontogenesis: cell-cell interactions in vitro.

EMBRYONIC interactions of epithelial and mesenchymal tissue before organogenesis have been observed in several organ systems1–4. These phenomena have been tested by isolating embryonic tissues from their in vivo environment and transplanting them in an artificial environment from which no morphogenetic signals can be received. The chorio-allantoic membrane (CAM) of chick provides a versatile site for the maintenance and further differentiation of embryonic organs5,6. One such organ, the tooth primordium, arises as a result of interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal tissues and offers a model system for developmental studies.
Topics in pharmacokinetics I: Concentration-dependent rates

Abstract A multicompartment model is considered where the rates depend on the concentrations. Analogues of results for the constant rate case are obtained.
On the choice of in-house production versus outsourcing by multinationals

Abstract The global economy is becoming more integrated with the increase in international fragmentation. This paper examines two forms of global production networks in a general equilibrium framework by building on the ‘knowledge-capital model.’ The focus is the relationship between country characteristics and the multinational firm's choice either to allocate the labor-intensive processing stage in-house to its foreign affiliates or to outsource the activity to outside contractors at arm's-length. Chinese data on the export processing trade are used to test the theory. The findings show that multinational firms with their headquarters in highly skilled-labor-abundant countries of intermediate size have a preference for outsourcing. By contrast, skilled-labor-abundant countries of small size are homes to multinational firms with subsidiary production in the host country where unskilled labor is cheap.
Sclerema neonatorum and joint contractures at birth as a potential complication of chronic in utero hypoxia

Three term neonates presented with an unusual combination of skin changes (sclerema) and joint contractures at birth. In each case a prolonged period of fetal hyporeactivity was reported by the mother. Each child demonstrated a number of clinical findings consistent with chronic fetal hypoxia. Each child recovered with normal joint function. We postulate that sclerema neonatorum and joint contractures are another, though poorly recognized sequela of chronic in utero hypoxia and are preceded by a prolonged period of diminished fetal activity.
A multipartite interaction between Salmonella transcription factor sigma28 and its anti-sigma factor FlgM: implications for sigma28 holoenzyme destabilization through stepwise binding.

Abstract Transcription of the late (Class 3) flagellar promoters in Salmonella typhimurium is dependent upon the flagellar specific sigma factor, σ 28 , encoded by the fliA gene. σ 28 -dependent transcription is inhibited by an anti-sigma factor, FlgM, through a direct interaction. FlgM can bind both to free σ 28 to prevent it from forming a complex with core RNA polymerase, and to σ 28 holoenzyme to destabilize the complex. A collection of fliA mutants defective for negative regulation by FlgM ( fliA ∗ mutants) were isolated. This collection included 27 substitution mutations that conferred insensitivity to FlgM in vivo . The distribution of mutations defined three potential FlgM binding domains in conserved sigma factor regions 2.1, 3.1 and 4 of σ 28 . A subset of mutants from each region was assayed for FlgM binding and transcriptional activity in vitro . The results strongly support a multipartite interaction between σ 28 and FlgM. Region 4 mutations, but not region 2.1 or 3.1 mutations, interfered with the ability of FlgM to destabilize σ 28 from core RNA polymerase. We present refined models for FlgM inhibition of σ 28 , and for FlgM destabilization of σ 28 holoenzyme.
Oligomerization through hemopexin and cytoplasmic domains regulates the activity and turnover of membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase.

The formation of multimeric complexes by membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) may facilitate its autocatalytic inactivation or proMMP-2 activation on the cell surface. To characterize these processes, we expressed various glutathione S-transferase/MT1-MMP fusion proteins in human HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells and SV40-transformed lung fibroblasts and analyzed their effects on MT1-MMP activity and potential homophilic interactions. We report here that MT1-MMP is expressed on the cell surface as oligomeric 200–240-kDa complexes containing both the active 60-kDa and autocatalytically processed 43-kDa species. Overexpression of a glutathione S-transferase/MT1-MMP fusion protein containing the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of MT1-MMP inhibited the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced autocatalytic cleavage of endogenous MT1-MMP to the 43-kDa species, but not proMMP-2 activation. On the other hand, a similar fusion protein with the hemopexin, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic domains inhibited proMMP-2 activation in a dominant-negative fashion. These results suggest that both the autocatalytic cleavage of MT1-MMP and proMMP-2 activation may be regulated by oligomerization through the cytoplasmic and hemopexin domains. Indeed, either domain, when attached to the cell membrane by a transmembrane domain, formed stable homophilic complexes. Copurification of MT1-MMP with these fusion proteins correlated with their cell-surface co-localization. Thus, MT1-MMP oligomerization through the hemopexin, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic domains controls its catalytic activity.
Tomato growth and nutrient uptake patterns as influenced by nitrogen form and light intensity 1

Abstract Tomato plants were grown in sand culture with NH4 or NO3 forms of N and at two levels of light. Plants were harvested at 0, 5, 9, or 12 days after starting treatments. NH4‐N nutrition reduced growth, suppressed K, Ca, and Mg accumulation in shoot, increased P and N content and markedly reduced K, Ca, and Mg uptake per unit of root surface. Reduced light level decreased the toxic effects of NH4 and markedly decreased NH4 accumulation in shoots.
Implementing campus‐wide voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone systems at small colleges

Describes a “best technology practice” project conducted at Westminster College, Salt Lake City, USA, in which a feasibility study was outlined in order to replace an outdated phone system with Voice‐over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Discusses the installation and implementation of the new system and their attendant problems, training for faculty, staff and students, budget satisfaction, benefits experienced and, finally, lessons learned, should a similar situation arise elsewhere.
STUDIES IN THE METABOLISM OF CRASSULACEAN PLANTS: DIURNAL VARIATION OF ORGANIC ACIDS AND STARCH IN EXCISED LEAVES OF BRYOPHYLLUM CALYCINUM.

It has been shown in a previous paper (7) that the diurnal variation of the organic acid content of excised leaves of Bryophyllum calycinum cultured in water under normal light conditions in the greenhouse is accompanied by a diurnal variation of the starch content in the opposite sense. The acidity decreased during the day while the starch increased, but the acidity increased during the night while the starch decreased. In terms of the quantity of organic substances concerned, these two changes in composition were by far the largest observed, and their relative magnitude was such as to lend color to the view that the metabolism of organic acids in the leaves is closely connected with that of starch. The observations thus supported the hypothesis of Bennet-Clark (1, 2) that certain of the polysaccharides and the malic acid in succulent plants of this type are the respective beginning and end products of a series of chemical equilibria, the relative concentration of these components at any point of time being a function of the conditions of illumination to which the leaves had previously been exposed. The observations of Wolf (12, 13) have laid particular emphasis upon starch as the polysaccharide concerned in the case of Bryophyllum calycinum. The previous experiment carried out in this laboratory was limited to a study of the changes in composition of samples of Bryophyllum calycinum leaves cultured in water over a period of 24 hours. It seemed desirable, therefore, to repeat the experiment and study the changes for a longer period in order to see to what extent the chemical transformations would continue to respond to repeated alternations of light and darkness. Furthermore, a moderately accurate analytical method for isocitric acid has since become available, and direct examination of the behavior of this component is now possible. In the previous work, isocitric acid had been estimated by difference, a procedure that might well introduce error into the conclusions reached.
Nonproduced Means of Production: Neo-Ricardians vs. Fundamentalists

Neo-Ricardian and Fundamentalist theories of rent and landed property are compared within the analytical framework of the Sraffian model with respect to both the question of the static distribution...
Adoption of reminder and recall messages for immunizations by pediatricians and public health clinics.

Objective. Strong scientific evidence and national recommendations support the use of reminder and recall messages to improve immunization coverage rates, yet reports have suggested that only a minority of pediatric practices use such messages. Our aims were to 1) determine the proportions of pediatric practices and public clinics that currently use practice-based reminder or recall messages and routinely undergo immunization assessment efforts, 2) evaluate barriers and supports to implementing these practices, and 3) identify predictors of either current use or plans for future adoption of these practices. Methods. This study combined qualitative and quantitative methods in sequential phases. In the qualitative phase, we conducted semistructured, open-ended interviews with a convenience sample of 18 clinician-administrators representing adopters and nonadopters of these messages in both private practices and public health clinics. In the subsequent quantitative phase, we mailed a structured, closed-ended survey to national samples of randomly selected pediatricians (n = 600) and public clinics (n = 600). Results. Response rates were 75% for pediatricians and 77% for public clinics. Among pediatricians, 38% were conducting regular assessments of immunization coverage but only 16% were currently using routine reminder or recall messages. Among public clinics, 85% were conducting regular assessments and 51% were using reminder or recall messages. Among pediatricians’ practices, the most commonly reported barriers to the adoption of reminder or recall messages were lack of time and funding and the inability to identify children at specified ages. For pediatricians’ practices, the strongest predictors of current use of reminder or recall messages were having a champion who led efforts to improve immunization delivery (odds ratio: 1.85; 95% confidence interval: 1.08–3.18) and current use of regular immunization assessments (odds ratio: 2.30; 95% confidence interval: 1.33–3.84). Likewise, for public health clinics, having a champion to lead immunization improvement efforts and believing that their current system needed improvement was associated with current use of reminder or recall messages. Conclusions. Reminder and recall messages remain underused by both pediatricians and public health clinics. Promising strategies to promote adoption of these approaches in both the private and the public sectors include identifying and training champions to promote immunization delivery improvement efforts and helping practices develop methods to identify children at specific ages.
The effect of nitrogen and carbon on the stress corrosion cracking performance of sensitized AISI 304 stainless steel in chloride and sulfate solutions at 250°C

Abstract Slow strain rate tests (SSRT) were conducted on sensitized AISI 304 stainless steels (SS) with varying nitrogen and carbon contents in order to study their susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC). The tests were performed in de-aerated 0.01 M NaCl at 250°C, at a strain rate of 2 × 10−6s−1 and at various applied potentials in the range −0.4 to 0.1 V(NHE), after which scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the fracture surfaces of the SSRT specimens. SSRT results show that SCC occurs above a certain critical potential (ESCC) which depends on the carbon and nitrogen contents; ESCC is in the range −0.3 to 0 V(NHE), with nitrogen additions up to 0.16 wt% increasing ESCC and carbon additions decreasing ESCC. This implies that the degree of sensitization (DOS) is the major factor which determines ESCC. The DOS also determines the fracture mode obtained above ESCC; at low DOS transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) occurs, while at high DOS intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) is the predominant mode. The potential ranges in which (1) IGSCC and (2) simultaneous IGSCC, TGSCC and shallow pitting occurred corresponded to (1) the passive range and (2) potentials above the breakdown of passivity on the polarization curves. The results of this investigation are compared with those obtained from similar tests in sulphate solutions [ T. A. Mozhi et al., Corrosion42, 197 (1986)], and possible mechanisms discussed.
Reactive processing of nickel-aluminide intermetallic compounds

NiAl have been fabricated by reactive sintering compacts of ball-milled powder mixtures containing Ni and Al. The reaction mechanism, as well as phase and microstructural development, were investigated by analyzing compacts quenched from different temperatures during reactive hot compaction. It was found that the reaction process was strongly affected by pressure, heating rates, heat loss from the sample to the environment. The application of 50 MPa prior to the reaction resulted in the intermetallic-formation reaction initiating at a temperature (480°C) much lower than that (∼550°C) when no pressure was applied. At high heating rate (50°C/min), when the heat loss is small, the formation of NiAl occurs rapidly via combustion reaction. On the other hand, if the heat loss is significant as in slow heating rate (10°C/min), the reaction process is controlled by solid-state diffusion. The phase formation sequence for the slow solid-state reaction was determined to be: NiAl3→ Ni2Al3→ NiAl → NiAl (Al-rich) + Ni3Al → NiAl.
COGNITIVE TOOLS FOR LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY

Abstract Fluent‐2 is a two‐medium immersive conversational language learning environment. This paper addresses the issue of how such a system can be integrated into the pedagogical environment. The strategy presented is to provide teachers and other designers of language lessons with tools that will enable them to produce lessons they consider appropriate. These are cognitive tools for language pedagogy in the sense that they permit the transfer of a teacher's language pedagogy to the tutoring component of the system. Through these tools a teacher can organize a lesson, influence the use of language in the lesson and create drawings for animation. A cognitive scientist can use the tools systematically to study naturalistic L2 acquisition in a conversational environment. We present the tools, their use and dialogues they have produced.
A Fourier-Mukai transform for real torus bundles

Abstract We construct a Fourier–Mukai transform for smooth complex vector bundles E over a torus bundle π:M→B, the vector bundles being endowed with various structures of increasing complexity. At a minimum, we consider vector bundles E with a flat partial unitary connection, that is families or deformations of flat vector bundles (or unitary local systems) on the torus T. This leads to a correspondence between such objects on M and relative skyscraper sheaves S supported on a spectral covering Σ↪ M , where π : M →B is the flat dual fiber bundle. Additional structures on (E,∇) (flatness, anti-self-duality) will be reflected by corresponding data on the transform ( S ,Σ) . Several variations of this construction will be presented, emphasizing the aspects of foliation theory which enter into this picture.
The Witt ring of a full ring

Abstract A commutative ring having 2 a unit was called full by McDonald and Hershberger [ J. Algebra 51 (1978), 536–549] if it satisfied certain polynomial conditions. Examples of full rings are local rings, semilocal rings, von Neumann regular rings and zero-dimensional rings. In the papers McDonald and Hershberger (Kirkwood) [ J. Algebra 51 (1978), 536–549; also submitted], the theory of symmetric inner product spaces and orthogonal groups over full rings was developed. In this paper, the theory of the Witt ring of symmetric inner product spaces over a full ring is described. In particular, generators and relations are given, the prime ideal structure is described and theory of torsion elements is obtained.
Global diversity of lizards in freshwater (Reptilia: Lacertilia)

No lizards are strictly aquatic, but at least 73 species in 11 different families can be considered to regularly utilize freshwater habitats. There are no aquatic lizards in the Nearctic or Palearctic regions, whereas the Neotropics, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Australian Archipelago support the greatest diversity of freshwater forms, particularly in the families Gymnophthalmidae, Scincidae and Varanidae. A number of larger aquatic lizards are harvested for food and for the reptile skin trade and several are CITES listed.
Educational Expectations Among African American Suburban Low to Moderate Income Public High School Students

This study examined the educational expectations and value of education among St. Louis, suburban, low to moderate income, African American male and female adolescents. The following factors: perceptions of parents’ expectations, teachers’ expectations, and neighborhood quality were examined to explore the academic gender disparity among African American high school students. Quantitative analyses showed that perceptions of teachers’ and parents’ expectations were associated with students’ educational expectations and value of education. The analyses also showed that some demographic variables were associated with teachers’ and parents’ expectations and value of education. No significant gender differences emerged between African American males and females for educational expectations.
On Oligopoly in Tin

THE PROMINENCE of international commodity agreements in current discussion of ways to elevate the standard of living in underdeveloped countries by improving their terms of trade with advanced ones, naturally revives an old controversy: Is the main effect of an international commodity agreement to reinforce market domination by a producers' cartel, or is it to smooth out fluctuations of price and supply to the mutual benefit of producers and consumers? The issue also attracts attention once more to a
The processing of wild type and mutant forms of rat nuclear pre-tRNA Lys by the homologous RNase P

The 5' processing of rat pre-tRNA(Lys) and a series of mutant derivatives by rat cytosolic RNase P was examined. In standard, non-kinetic assays, mutant precursors synthesized in vitro with 5' leader sequences of 10, 17, 24, 25, and 46 nucleotides were processed to approximately equal levels and yielded precisely cleaved 5' processed intermediates with the normal 7-base pair aminoacyl stems. The construct containing the tRNA(Lys) with the 46-nucleotide leader was modified by PCR to give a series of pre-tRNA(Lys) mutants designed to measure the effect on processing by (1) substituting the nucleotide at the +1 position, (2) pairing and unpairing the +1 and +72 bases, (3) elongating the aminoacyl stem, and (4) disrupting the helix of the aminoacyl stem. Comparative kinetic analyses revealed that changing the wild type +1G to A, C, or U was well tolerated by the RNase P provided that compensatory changes at +72 created a base pair or a G.U noncanonical pair. Mutants with elongated aminoacyl stems that were produced either by inserting an additional base pair at +3:a + 69:a or by pairing the -1A with a +73U, were processed to yield 7-base pair aminoacyl stems, but with different efficiencies. The efficiency seen with the double insertion mutant was higher than even the wild type precursor, but the -1A-U + 73 mutant was a relatively poor substrate. Disrupting the aminoacyl stem helix by introducing a +7G G + 66 mispairing or by inserting a single G at the +3:a position dramatically reduced the processing efficiency, although the position of cleavage occurred precisely at the wild type cleavage site. However, the single insertion of a C at the +69:a position resulted in an efficiently cleaved precursor, but permitted a minor, secondary cleavage within the leader between the -6 and -5 nucleotides in addition to the dominant wild type scission.
Water vapor's role in climate revisited at follow‐up Chapman Conference

Water vapor is the most significant atmospheric trace constituent vis-a-vis climate, atmospheric chemistry, and hydrology. Without water vapor, the most important atmospheric greenhouse gas, the planet's surface temperature would be well below freezing. Water vapor is the prime source of atmospheric hydroxyl radical (OH), which, as an oxidizing agent for many air pollutants, serves as the atmosphere's detergent. The large latent energy associated with water's phase changes significantly affects the vertical stability of the atmosphere, the structure and evolution of storm systems, and the energy balance of the atmosphere.Yet, despite recent advances, some essential aspects of the distribution and variability of atmospheric water vapor are poorly documented, and key areas of uncertainty in our understanding of the climate system and its potential changes hinge on a more complete understanding of the behavior of water vapor.
The HP model of protein folding : A challenging testing ground for Wang-Landau sampling

Abstract The hydrophobic-polar (HP) lattice protein model has gained much attention as a standard in assessing the efficiency of computational methods for protein structure prediction as well as for exploring the statistical physics of protein folding. In this work we show that Wang–Landau sampling, in connection with a suitable move set (pull moves), provides a powerful route for both the search of global energy minimum conformations and the precise determination of the density of states for HP sequences with up to 100 monomers in two and three dimensions. The main advantage of our approach lies in its general applicability to a broad range of lattice protein models that go beyond the scope of the HP model.
Northern Hemispheric Interannual Teleconnection Patterns and Their Changes Due to the Greenhouse Effect

Abstract Observed and general circulation climate model (GCM) simulated interannual teleconnection patterns in the Northern Hemisphere are compared on a monthly basis. The study was based on 1946–1991 observations and two separate 100-year simulations corresponding to the present climate and a greenhouse warming climate. The teleconnection patterns are characterized by action centers and composite extreme anomaly (CEA) distributions. The definition and comparison of observed and simulated patterns include examination of time persistence, spatial coherence as well as consistent signatures between 500-mb height, sea level pressure, and surface air temperature. For the present climate simulation, the GCM reproduces observed spatial and temporal variations of the action centers of four principal teleconnection patterns: the North Atlantic oscillation, the North Pacific oscillation, the Pacific/North American pattern, and the Eurasian pattern. Substantial model biases exist in the magnitude, regional structure...
Modified Carbon Pseudopotential for Use in ONIOM Calculations of Alkyl-Substituted Metallocenes†‡

Nonrelativistic carbon 1s core pseudopotentials are optimized for substituted cyclopentadienide ring carbons for use in integrated molecular orbital molecular orbital (IMOMO) and integrated molecular orbital molecular mechanics (IMOMM) calculations where the Cp ring substituents are not included in the high-level IMOMO or IMOMM subsystem. Use of the optimized pseudopotential within the IMOMO framework leads to significant improvements in predicted carbonyl stretching frequencies for a series of Cp-ring-methylated zirconocenes compared to using a standard carbon pseudopotential. The technology is less successful in the IMOMM implementation.
Alcohol effects on variability of timing responses to single-ear or dual-ear stimulation

University students were given timing tasks after a 30-min ingestion period of alcohol (0.4 g/kg). Intertone intervals to be matched were presented either to both ears or to the left ear only. Compared with controls, subjects receiving alcohol were found to show reduced timing variability (time estimate variance and Fourier transforms of the estimates) when tones were presented to both ears, but not to the left ear only. Control subjects displayed a smaller variability of timing responses for tones presented to the left ear than for tones presented to both ears, but these differences were either reversed or eliminated by alcohol. The results are discussed in terms of a variability hypothesis of alcohol effects.
Pitch, picture, power: The globalization of local suffering and the transformation of social experience

Veena Das's work on suffering suggests that the appropriate approach to the subject is one that grounds research in social experience. To honor this pitch of anthropology, I examine the global mediatization of the trauma of political violence and its moral implications. I also describe the professional appropriation of suffering that transforms political economic conditions into medical realities. Because social experience is itself undergoing a profound alteration in the present period of disordered capitalism, the very phenomenological conditions that we have assumed as an ‘existential’ basis for responding to human misery are also being ominously transformed.
A Relational Analysis of American Kinship Terminology

As an alternative to traditional semantic analysis using class-product logic (“Componential analysis”), it is proposed that the possibilities of analysis in terms of relative products be explored in appropriate lexical-taxonomic domains, particularly kinship. In such analyses the order of components is intrinsic to meaning. The process is illustrated by an analysis of American kinship terminology.
Effect of specific mutations in helix α7 of domain I on the stability and crystallization of Cry3A in Bacillus thuringiensis

Insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis crystallize after synthesis forming large inclusions that stabilize these toxins in the environment after cell lysis until eaten by an insect. Despite the biological importance of crystallization, little is known about the structural elements of Cry molecules that facilitate this process. We identified subdomains that affect Cry3A structure possibly through improper folding by chimeric-scanning mutagenesis, substituting short peptides of a truncated 70-kDa Cry1C molecule that does not crystallize into Cry3A, a wild-type 70-kDa molecule that crystallizes readily. Cry3A consists of three domains that contain five different blocks of conserved amino acids. Domain substitution and mutagenesis within these blocks suggested that the specific structure of block 2, which spans the junction between domains I and II, was important to the relative stability of Cry3A and subsequent crystallization. Amino acid sequences of particular importance to stability in Cry3A block 2 were identified using three substitution mutants, each spanning about a third of this block. One that consisted of Cry1C helix alpha7 yielded no detectable protein, whereas the other two produced characteristic Cry3A crystals. Specific mutations in this region showed tyrosine 268 was critical to normal stability of Cry3A and subsequent crystallization in that a mutant, Y268L, was less stable than wild-type Cry3A and failed to form a characteristic Cry3A crystal. Circular dichroism analysis showed a decrease in this mutant's alpha-helicity, indicating the importance of tyrosine 268 to the specific conformation of helix alpha7 that facilitates stability and normal crystallization.
The origins of crown group birds: molecules and fossils

Knowledge of the evolutionary history of crown group birds (Neornithes) has significantly improved through emerging congruence among phylogenetic hypotheses and the description of numerous new Palaeogene stem group representatives. However, controversies still persist about the precise interrelationships of many extant and fossil taxa and about the timing of the diversification of the neornithine crown group. Using the example of Phaethontiformes (tropicbirds) and Psittaciformes (parrots), it is shown how new sequence-based phylogenies may shed light on the relationships of fossils with an unexpected character mosaic, and how such fossils can improve our understanding of character evolution in morphologically disparate avian taxa. The earliest occurrences of neornithine birds are plotted on a current phylogeny. As noted by previous authors, an extensive diversification of neornithine birds before the latest Cretaceous is not supported by the fossil record, and the existence of essentially modern-type representatives of Telluraves (the clade including most arboreal birds) in the Cretaceous, such as suggested from molecular calibrations, is highly unlikely.
The development of grammars underlying children's interpretation of complex sentences.

Abstract It is argued that children's knowledge of the structure of multiple clause sentences and the rules governing control of missing complement subjects (PRO) can be described in terms of four grammar types which constitute separate developmental stages. These grammar types are believed to develop following an initial stage when children rely on a strategy to interpret multiple clause sentences. In order to test this hypothesis, 64 children ranging from 3;2 to 8;3 years of age were interviewed on four separate occassions. During the first interview a spontaneous language sample was collected and a Developmental Sentence Score (DSS), a measure of grammatical development, was obtained for each child. During the second and third interviews each child was askedto act out a total of 45 complex sentences. Fifty of the children returned for a fourth interview which included an acting out task and a judgment task. The five stages were associated, a priori, with specific patterns of control and the children were classified according to either grammar type or use of the initial strategy on the basis of their response patterns to a selected set of the 45 experimental constructions. The hypothesis of the four grammar types and their sequential development was supported by the fact that the children belonging to each grammar type differed significantly with respect to age and DSS scores. Furthermore, all the means were sequentially ordered in the predicted direction. Tests involving the relationship of grammar type to (1) reliability of response patterns across interviews, and (2) ability to identify semantically deviant sentences provided independent support for the theory of the four grammar types. There was only limited support for the existence of the initial stage.
American Interest Group Research: Sorting Out Internal and External Perspectives*

Research on interest groups in America has developed from two major traditions, studies of group activity in the polity and analyses of groups' relations with their members. We argue that these two research streams focus on analytically distinct external and internal dimensions of interest group behaviour, and that the tendency to conflate these two dimensions has caused certain types of groups to be ignored or misunderstood. Categorizing groups on the basis of their internal life and external relations, we derive a two-dimensional framework from which to examine the present state of American interest group research.
It takes a PHD to SUMO

PHD fingers and bromodomains are found in close proximity to each other in many chromatin-associated proteins and can functionally synergize. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the PHD finger of the KAP1 co-repressor functions as an E3 SUMO ligase for the adjacent bromodomain. This PHD-mediated SUMOylation stabilizes the association of the bromodomain with the chromatin modifiers SETDB1 and the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylation (NuRD) complex, thereby promoting establishment of the silent gene expression state.
Automatic alignment and reconstruction of images for soft X-ray tomography.

Soft X-ray tomography (SXT) is a powerful imaging technique that generates quantitative, 3D images of the structural organization of whole cells in a near-native state. SXT is also a high-throughput imaging technique. At the National Center for X-ray Tomography (NCXT), specimen preparation and image collection for tomographic reconstruction of a whole cell require only minutes. Aligning and reconstructing the data, however, take significantly longer. Here we describe a new component of the high throughput computational pipeline used for processing data at the NCXT. We have developed a new method for automatic alignment of projection images that does not require fiducial markers or manual interaction with the software. This method has been optimized for SXT data sets, which routinely involve full rotation of the specimen. This software gives users of the NCXT SXT instrument a new capability – virtually real-time initial 3D results during an imaging experiment, which can later be further refined. The new code, Automatic Reconstruction 3D (AREC3D), is also fast, reliable, and robust. The fundamental architecture of the code is also adaptable to high performance GPU processing, which enables significant improvements in speed and fidelity.
Effects of alphanumerical display formatting on search time among Chinese and American users

In this paper, we examine whether a design guideline derived from studies with American users can be generalized to Chinese users. The effects of alphanumerical display formatting on search time among Chinese and American college student were measured. Users searched for a target word among a list of words in alphabetical order. The list was either displayed horizontally in rows or vertically in columns. The formatting of the list on the screen affected American users significantly with the vertical display leading to faster response. The formatting of the list on the screen had no significant effect on the response time among Chinese users. The significance of this founding in terms of cross-cultural usability was discussed.