cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PMN-PT single crystal resonators for ultra-sensitive vapor sensing (Invited Paper)

We report on an experimental comparison between PMN-PT single crystal resonators with commercially available QCM resonators showing significant superiority for new sensors over conventional quartz. Thickness acoustic mode resonators made out of PMN-PT film were fabricated for these tests. The thickness mode resonators make use of a mechanically polished PMN-PT single crystal film of thickness 30μm. The sensor response to methanol vapor condensation shows a frequency shift for the PMN-PT resonator 1000 times larger under the same environmental conditions than the commercial quartz microbalance sensor. A surface acoustic mode resonator using mechanically polished PMN-PT single crystal film of thickness 100μm was also fabricated and tested. The dimensions of the PZN-PT film sample were 5×2×0.12mm 3 . Thin gold interdigitated electrodes were applied on one side of the sample. A 50nm-thick gold film was evaporated on the surface and patterned using standard photolithography. This resonator sample also exhibits a resonance frequency similar to that of a commercial quartz microbalance sensor. A large frequency drop or sensitivity is again found for the PMN-PT sensors than the quartz sensors in this case. The frequency shift in the PMN-PT surface mode resonator is ~300 times larger to methanol vapor loading than in the quartz resonator.
Experiments in Cultural Anthropology Field School

Undergraduate and graduate students in many areas of study (business, healthcare, education, law, and communications, for example) have multiple opportunities to receive firsthand experience in their discipline through internships. Within anthropology, "field schools" or study abroad programs often serve the purpose of internships in terms of providing the basic training students would need to learn how to do fieldwork. As an undergraduate and M.A. student at the University of Florida in the early 1990s, I attended three study abroad programs with an anthropology focus (in Merida, Mexico; Brunnenburg, Italy; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); only one program (in Italy) was billed as a "field school," but all three provided excellent ethnographic training that would serve me well for future fieldwork.
147. Effective Gene Transfer to Human Glioma Cells Using High Capacity Adenoviral Vectors: Human Glioma Cells Express Substantial Levels of CAR and Integrin Adenoviral Co-Receptors

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common subtype of primary brain tumor and, to date, it has no cure. Although adenoviral vectors have been used for gene delivery to glioma tumors in clinical trials, the infectivity of adenoviral vectors in human glioma cells as well as their expression of adenoviral receptors remains controversial. In the present work we report on the expression of two adenoviral receptors, i.e., Coxsackie adenoviral receptor (CAR) and Integrin |[alpha]|V (INT) in murine and human glioma cells. Further, we also report that novel, gutless high-capacity adenoviral (HC- Ad) vectors efficiently infect and express their respective therapeutic transgenes in glioma cell lines derived from murine and human GBM. We constructed and purified HC-Ad vectors expressing b-Galactosidase, HSV1-thymidine kinase (TK) or human soluble Flt3L (hsFlt3L). These were used to infect mouse GL26 cells, rat CNS-1 cells, and the established human glioma cell lines, U251 and U87, and the primary glioma cell lines, derived from surgical biopsies, i.e., IN859 and IN 2045. All cells tested expressed variable amounts of both, CAR and INT, as detected by immunocytochemistry and Western blots. The infectivity and expression of HC-Ad vectors encoding b-Gal was determined by immunocytochemistry and enzymatic activity. High transgene expression was achieved in all the human glioma cells, and in rat CNS-1 cells, while the expression in GL26 cells was lower. The HC-Ad vector encoding TK was successfully expressed in all the cell lines under study, as detected by immunocytochemistry. In the presence of the prodrug ganciclovir, this vector induced cell death in all the murine and human glioma cells, as measured by flow cytometric analysis of cell death. The HC-Ad vector expressing Flt3L also infected efficiently the different cell lines tested as assessed by immunocytochemistry. Finally, high levels of Flt3L were detected, by ELISA, in the supernatant of infected cultures. Our data show that adenoviral receptors are expressed not only in murine glioma cell lines used in preclinical GBM models, but also in human glioma cell lines and primary GBM cell cultures. Importantly, adenoviral vectors successfully infected human glioma cells and elicited high expression levels of the therapeutic transgenes. Taken together, our data strongly support the use of adenoviral vectors in gene therapy approaches for the treatment of human GBM.
Power Generation Using Different Cation, Anion, and Ultrafiltration Membranes in Microbial Fuel Cells

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are often used in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) to separate the liquid in the anode and cathode chambers while allowing protons to pass between the chambers. However, negatively or positively charged species present at high concentrations in the medium can also be used to maintain charge balance during power generation. An anion exchange membrane (AEM) produced the largest power density (up to 610 mW/m2) and Coulombic efficiency (72%) in MFCs relative to values achieved with a commonly used PEM (Nafion), a cation exchange membrane (CEM), or three different ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with molecular weight cut offs of 0.5K, 1K, and 3K Daltons in different types of MFCs. The increased performance of the AEM was due to proton charge-transfer facilitated by phosphate anions and low internal resistance. The type of membrane affected maximum power densities in two-chamber, air-cathode cube MFCs (C-MFCs) with low internal resistance (84-91 omega for all membranes except UF-0.5K) but not in two-chamber aqueous-cathode bottle MFCs (B-MFCs) due to their higher internal resistances (1230-1272 omega except UF-0.5K). The UF-0.5K membrane produced very high internal resistances (6009 omega, B-MFC; 1814omega, C-MFC) and was the least permeable to both oxygen (mass transfer coefficient of k(O) = 0.19 x 10(-4) cm/s) and acetate (k(A) = 0.89 x 10(-8) cm/s). Nafion was the most permeable membrane to oxygen (k(O) = 1.3 x 10(-4) cm/s), and the UF-3K membrane was the most permeable to acetate (k(A) = 7.2 x 10(-8) cm/s). Only a small percent of substrate was unaccounted for based on measured Coulombic efficiencies and estimates of biomass production and substrate losses using Nafion, CEM, and AEM membranes (4-8%), while a substantial portion of substrate was lost to unidentified processes for the UF membranes (40-89%). These results show that many types of membranes can be used in two-chambered MFCs, even membranes that transfer negatively charged species.
Potential Barriers to Mass Media Coverage of Health Issues: Differences Between Public Information Officers and Journalists Regarding Beliefs Central to Professional Behaviors

This study sought to discover differences in beliefs between public information officers (PIOs) and mass media journalists regarding health coverage. In Internet surveys of 2 randomly selected samples of PIO and journalist members of the National Association of Science Writers, respondents (N = 190) indicated levels of agreement/disagreement with 19 belief statements concerning professional practices and mass media coverage of science, health, and technology issues. Statistically significant differences were found between the 2 groups on 10 statements. These differences may help to explain—and to resolve—disparities and disconnects between the 2 regarding agenda-setting and perceived relative importance of health-related issues.
Roadmap to the epitranscriptome

The “RNA world” is not at all hypothetical but rather the biological world we live in ( 1 ). For RNA to function within a modern cellular milieu of proteins and DNA, numerous chemical modifications coevolved that help sculpt its interactions ( 2 ). To date, well over a hundred nucleotide modifications have been identified in diverse types of RNA molecules ( 3 ). Every position of pyrimidine and purine rings can be posttranscriptionally modified, with methylation predominating. Although the importance of some modifications—especially those on structured, stable, and catalytically active RNAs (like ribosomal and transfer RNA)—is appreciated, their mode of action is still largely unknown.
Potentiostatic testing of plasma-deposited silicon nitride thin protective films for bonds, bondwires and bondpads in microelectronic assemblies

Abstract A potentiostatic method was developed to investigate the ability of plasma-deposited silicon nitride thin films to protect microelectronic assemblies from corrosion due to aggressive contaminants. Test articles were immersed in 0.5 M NaCl at 0.0 V(SCE) and the resulting anodic current measured. The protective films reduced the corrosion current density by four orders of magnitude over the smooth, flat metallized Al regions representing bondpads, but by only one order of magnitude over the bondwires and by about 50% at the stitch bonds. These differences were due to the roughness of the bondwires and the occluded geometry of the bonds relative to the smooth metallized silicon areas.
Sensory transduction: entering the mainstream of membrane signaling.

Gordon M. Shepherd Section of Neurobiology Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, Connecticut 06510 Sensory transduction refers to the mechanisms by which a specific type of stimulus energy is transformed into an electrical response in a specialized sensory cell. Until re- cently, the incredible diversity of stimuli and cell types has seemed to defy the search for basic principles underlying the transduction processes. However, over the past few years, a confluence of work in molecular biology, biochem- istry, pharmacology, and membrane electrophysiology has revealed a surprising number of similarities between the different systems at the molecular level. A recent meeting on Sensory Transduction (45th Annual Meeting of the Society of General Physiologists, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, September 5-8, 1991) organized by David Corey and Stephen Roper, provided the first op- portunity for a comprehensive interdisciplinary assess- ment of common mechanisms at this level (see Table 1). If the, acid test of a new field is whether the people working init use the same tools and speak in a common tongue,
Effect of neuronal NOS inhibitor, 7‐nitro‐indazole, on cytosolic caspase 9 activity in vitro

Previous studies have shown that nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors prevent or reduce the hypoxia-induced neuronal injury. The present study tests the hypothesis that neuronal NOS inhibitor, 7-nitro-indazole (7-NI) will inhibit the cysteine protease, caspase 9, the initiator of programmed cell death. The effect of 7 NI on caspase 9 activity was determined in the cytosolic fraction of the cerebral cortex of normoxic (Nx, n = 4) and hypoxic (Hx, n = 4) newborn piglets. The animals were exposed to either 21% (Nx) or 7% (Hx) oxygen for 60 min. Cerebral tissue hypoxia was documented by the ATP and phosphocreatine levels. Cytosols were prepared and caspase 9 activity determined using a specific fluorogenic substrate (-Ac-Leu-Glu-His-Asp-AFC) for caspase 9 and monitored at 400 nm excitation and 505 nm emission wavelength. Caspase 9 activity in Nx group was 629 ± 49 as compared to 960 ± 105 pmoles AFC/min/mg protein (p < 0.002, 50.2% increase) in the Hx group. In presence of 10, 50 and 100 μm 7-NI, caspase 9 activity decreased to 459 ± 41, 252 ± 36 and 256 ± 29 pmoles/min/mg protein, respectively, in Nx group. In Hx group, the activity decreased to 578 ± 49, 402 ± 37, 393 ± 35 pmoles/min/mg protein, respectively. The data demonstrate that 7-NI inhibits caspase 9 in both the Nx and Hx groups. It is concluded that 7-NI is an inhibitor of caspase 9. It is proposed that 7 NI administration will be neuroprotective due to its properties as inhibitor of nNOS as well as of caspase 9 and prevent the hypoxia-induced neuronal death. Acknowledgements: Supported by NIH-HD-38079.
Altering memory through recall: The effects of cue-guided retrieval processing

Three experiments were designed to investigate the influence of initial recall on memory by assessing delayed recall after different immediate cued-recall tests. In all experiments, subjects performed semantic and phonemic encoding tasks on a word list. The subjects then received a cued-recall test that cued the target using the same word as the context word in the encoding task, a test that cued the target with a word from the same level at which the target was encoded, a test that cued the target with a cue from a different level at which the target was encoded, or no immediate-recall test. One day later, the subjects performed a final cued-recall test in which the type of cue (semantic or phonemic) was varied. Consistently, delayed recall was facilitated primarily when the cue on the immediate test was from the same level as the cue on the delayed test. This pattern of facilitation suggests that immediate cued-recall produces an elaboration of an existing memory representation that is closely tied to the type of cue used on the immediate test.
Tardive dyskinesia and treatment of psychosis after withdrawal of neuroleptics

A case of neuroleptic induced tardive dyskinesia is presented. The symptoms of tardive dyskinesia cleared when neuroleptics were withdrawn. The psychotic symptoms were then successfully treated by behavior modification.
Using PC-Rdist's layers and packages to maintain labs

This paper describes how Amherst uses PC-Rdist to maintain computers in its public labs, with extended discussion on the layering model we use to keep labs with various software and settings easily maintained.
The extent of the verbal encoding ability of Korsakoff patients

Abstract Four experiments were designed to determine the extent of Korsakoff patients' ability to encode semantically meaningful verbal material. The first experiment demonstrated that these patients are aided by category cues following a one min retention interval. The remaining experiments, which also employed cueing techniques demonstrated that Korsakoff patients, with instructions, can encode on acoustic, associative, and semantic levels. When left to their own preferences, however, the Korsakoff patients rely upon acoustic and associative encoding. This failure to employ semantic encoding strategies spontaneously may underlie their overall inability to retain verbal material.
An investigation of list types and cues to facilitate initial reading vocabulary acquisition

Six instructional methods for initial reading vocabulary acquisition that were concerned with two list types combined with three sources of cue, using 127 first-graders divided into six treatment groups, were investigated. The Ss in each treatment received four types of tests to determine the level of performance for each treatment. Three sources of variation were significant: (a) ability grouping, (2) the interaction of list type and cue, and (3) the interaction of list type, sex, and ability grouping.
Development of the Environment-Friendly Wild Jujube Date Pit Taking Machine

Now the wild jujube processing conduce to pollution, but the demands for wild jujube kernel is growing wider. So, the urgent need to solve environmental problems in the wild jujube production. In this paper, the environment-friendly wild jujube date produced machine has been developed. This machine is designed broken with broken devices and separation devices. The role of broken device is smashed the wild jujube pericarp and flesh. The role of separation devices is separated the wild jujube flesh and date pit, the flesh and date pit can drop from different export. The experiment proved that the machine can effectively reduce water consumption and the volume of sewage to achieve the purpose of environment protection.
Modulation of the humoral and cellular immune response in Aβ immunotherapy by the adjuvants monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and E. coli enterotoxin LT(R192G)

Abeta vaccination or passive transfer of human-specific anti-Abeta antibodies are approaches under investigation to prevent and/or treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). Successful active Abeta vaccination requires a strong and safe adjuvant to induce anti-Abeta antibody formation. We compared the adjuvants monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL)/trehalose dicorynomycolate (TDM), cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin LT(R192G) for their ability to induce a humoral and cellular immune reaction, using fibrillar Abeta1-40/42 as a common immunogen in wildtype B6D2F1 mice. Subcutaneous (s.c.) administration with MPL/TDM resulted in anti-Abeta antibodies levels up to four times higher compared to s.c. LT(R192G). Using MPL/TDM, the anti-Abeta antibodies induced were mainly IgG2b, IgG1 and lower levels of IgG2a and IgM, with a moderate splenocyte proliferation and IFN-gamma production in vitro upon stimulation with Abeta1-40/42. LT(R192G), previously shown by us to induce robust titers of anti-Abeta antibodies, generated predominantly IgG2b and IgG1 anti-Abeta antibodies with very low splenocyte proliferation and IFN-gamma production. Weekly intranasal (i.n.) administration over 11 weeks of Abeta40/42 with CTB induced only moderate levels of antibodies. All immunogens generated antibodies that recognized mainly the Abeta1-7 epitope and specifically detected amyloid plaques on AD brain sections. In conclusion, MPL/TDM, in addition to LT(R192G), is an effective adjuvant when combined with Abeta40/42 and may aid in the design of Abeta immunotherapy.
Mitigation Strategies for Foot and Mouth Disease: A Learning-Based Approach

Prediction of epidemics such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a global necessity in addressing economic, political and ethical issues faced by the affected countries. In the absence of precise and accurate spatial information regarding disease dynamics, learning-based predictive models can be used to mimic latent spatial parameters so as to predict the spread of epidemics in time. This paper analyzes temporal predictions from four such learning-based models, namely: neural network, autoregressive, Bayesian network, and Monte-Carlo simulation models. The prediction qualities of these models have been validated using FMD incidence reports in Turkey. Additionally, the authors perform simulations of mitigation strategies based on the predictive models to curb the impact of the epidemic. This paper also analyzes the cost-effectiveness of these mitigation strategies to conclude that vaccinations and movement ban strategies are more cost-effective than premise culls before the onset of an epidemic outbreak; however, in the event of existing epidemic outbreaks, premise culling is more effective at controlling FMD.
Arenesulfonyl Halides: A Universal Class of Functional Initiators for Metal-Catalyzed “Living” Radical Polymerization of Styrene(s), Methacrylates, and Acrylates†

The complex Cu(I)Cl/4,4‘-dinonyl-2,2‘-bipyridine (bpy9) catalyzes via a redox process the homogeneous “living” radical polymerization of styrene(s), methacrylates, and acrylates initiated with a variety of functional phenylsulfonyl chlorides. Polymers with narrow molecular weight distribution and molecular weights close to the theoretical ones are obtained from these three classes of monomers. Kinetics of propagation and initiation were performed with selected substituted phenylsulfonyl chlorides and with their monoadducts to monomer. Polymerizations follow first-order kinetics internally in monomer and externally in Cu(I)Cl while initiation is first order internally in initiator and in Cu(I)Cl concentrations. A catalyst concentration dependence of the optimum bpy9/Cu(I)Cl ratio which yields the largest rate constant of polymerization was observed. The apparent rate constants of propagation corrected for catalyst concentration are in the order: methacrylates > styrene > acrylates. This inversion from the...
31P NMR Studies of Isoprenoid Polyphosphate Acid‐Base Equilibria.

Isoprenoid polyphosphate intermediates of the mevalonate pathway were studied using 31P NMR. Acid–base titrations of farnesyl and geranylgeranyl polyphosphates were conducted over the pH range 4–10, and 31P chemical shifts were used to determine pKa′ values for the second ionization step of the terminal phosphate groups. Apparent pKa values ranged from 6.16 to 7.07, which may have important implications for biological reactions involving these and similar molecules. In general, acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the phosphomonoesters had little effect on the determination of pKa′ values during the course of this study. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Early postnatal development of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in rat brain

The postnatal levels of the alpha- (Mr 50,000) and beta- (Mr 58,000/60,000) subunits of type II calmodulin-dependent protein kinase were investigated in cytosolic, cytoskeletal and nuclear subfractions of rat brain. Substantial amounts of the beta-subunit were present neonatally, especially in the cytoplasm; both subunits increased markedly during the subsequent three weeks with alpha-preponderance in the cortex and midbrain. The development of the alpha-subunit was attenuated in the cerebellum and brain stem, resulting in a relative excess of the beta-subunit. Primary neuronal cultures from fetal brain initially displayed low enzyme content, followed by an increase in the levels of the beta- but not alpha-subunit. Regulation of the cellular content of type II calmodulin-dependent protein kinase may be relevant to neuronal differentiation.
Medical Device Postapproval Safety Monitoring Where Does the United States Stand

A recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal aims to speed the evaluation process for new high-risk medical devices that are intended to address unmet medical needs,1 much like existing expedited approval processes, such as the humanitarian device exemption rule for devices intended to treat rare diseases. Such programs are strongly supported by the medical device industry and some patient advocacy groups, which have criticized the FDA for being too stringent in its evidentiary requirements for investigational devices, leading to delays in the approval of potentially helpful products.2–4 For example, in 2011, the FDA approved a transcatheter aortic valve replacement system that demonstrated significant improvements over conventional treatment options for selected patients with severe aortic stenosis.5,6 However, the United States was the 43rd country to approve the device, roughly 4 years after the European Union.7 Yet expedited approval for high-risk medical devices raises the possibility that these devices will not be as effective as predicted in their limited premarket testing or that they could cause unanticipated harms after approval.8 Of course, well-studied devices may present unexpected safety concerns years after approval,9,10 and even the most rigorous conventional premarket approval process will result in some devices later found to be unsafe or ineffective.11–13 Safety of approved medical devices and the proper scope of premarket testing remain contentious issues after recalls of several widely used devices, including popular models of implantable cardioverter defibrillator leads14,15 and metal-on-metal hip implants.16 Inherent limitations in premarket testing, along with the prospect of lowered evidentiary standards for expedited device reviews, place greater pressures on postapproval monitoring of devices to follow clinical performance and to identify emerging public health problems. Medical device manufacturers routinely perform this sort of vigilance, …
Nonessential Sites Improve Phosphorylation Switch

Multisite phosphorylation is a common form of posttranslational protein regulation which has been used to increase the switchlike behavior of the protein response to increasing kinase concentrations. In this letter, we show that the switchlike response of multisite phosphoproteins is strongly enhanced by nonessential phosphorylation sites, a mechanism that is robust to parameter changes and easily implemented in nature. We obtained analytic estimates for the Hill exponent (or coefficient) of the switchlike response, and we observed that a tradeoff exists between the switch and the kinase threshold for activation. This also suggests a possible evolutionary mechanism for the relatively large numbers of phosphorylation sites found in various proteins.
Phylogenetic Analysis Reveals Multiple Cases of Morphological Parallelism and Taxonomic Polyphyly in Lomatium (Apiaceae)

Abstract The genera Lomatium and Cymopterus, along with many others, form a group that has been referred to previously as the perennial endemic Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae of western North America. This group of ecologically important and widespread species has been the target of numerous systematic studies, but the evolutionary relationships among these species remain elusive. Here we show that this confusion is due to high levels of morphological parallelism and homoplasy in the characters that have traditionally been used to define them, a result that is concordant with previous studies of the group. We explore patterns of evolution in traditionally important morphological characters using Bayesian stochastic character mapping on a phylogeny constructed from novel nrDNA and cpDNA sequence data for 96 specific and infraspecific taxa of the estimated 200 species in the group. We consider the implications of these results for taxonomic classification, the evolution of morphologies, and the utility of the...
Linear Solvation Energy Relationship of the Limiting Partition Coefficient of Organic Solutes between Water and Activated Carbon

A linear solvation energy relationship has been found for 353 values of the limiting adsorption coefficients of diverse chemicals: log K = −0.37 + 0.0341Vi − 1.07β + D + 0.65P with R = 0.951, s = 0.51, n = 353, and F = 818.0, where Vi is the intrinsic molar volume; β is a measure of the hydrogen bond acceptor strength of the solute; D is an index parameter for the research group which includes the effects of the different types of carbon used, the temperature, and the length of time allowed for the adsorption equilibrium to be established; and P is an index parameter for the flatness of the molecule. P is defined to be unity if there is an aromatic system in the molecule or if there is a double bond or series of conjugated double bonds with no more that one non-hydrogen atom beyond the double bond and zero otherwise. A slightly better fit is obtained if the two-thirds power of Vi is used as a measure of the surface area in place of the volume term: log K = −1.75 + 0.227V2/3 − 1.10β + D + 0.60P with R = ...
Stress criteria for solid state amorphization

Abstract Amorphization of crystalline CuTi 2 by radiation damage was simulated by molecular dynamics. At the completion of amorphization, the magnitude and distribution of the atomic level shear stresses were found to reach a state identical to that of the glassy phase attained by quenching a liquid. It is suggested that the atomic level stress provides a universal criterion for the attainment of the amorphous state, through glass transition, alloying, and solid state amorphization.
Alejandra Pizarnik and Poetic Exile

In her portrayal of an alienated poetic persona—a portrayal which is to be found in nearly every one of her poems—Alejandra Pizarnik (1936–1972)1 resorts with striking frequency to the image of the exile or expatriate. And in doing so, she joins a good number of poets who, from Romanticism onwards, have seen in the figure of the exile an emblem for the artist's alienation from self and society. She joins them, however, in a restricted fashion, since her poetry can in no way be considered to speak with a collective voice. For Pizarnik the figure of the exile has the narrowest of significations, functioning largely as a personal metaphor, as one more image within a poetic corpus devoted—with a relentless and mesmerizing beauty—to the circular and narcissistic task of reflecting just a few facets of a single persona. Thus, in the case of Pizarnik, one must think primarily of an internal or ‘poetic’ exile. In her poetry, particularly in the late texts, to be exiled ultimately means to be torn from language it...
Some Aspects Of Microstructure, Defects And Diffusion In Laser Surface Alloying Of Steel.

Observations are reported on the microstructure, defects and diffusion in AISI 1018 steel, surface alloyed with chromium by 2KW continuous wave CO 2 laser. The nature of alloying and chemical diffusion profile as a function of intertrack separation distance affects the final content of alloying element in surface layer. The ratio of number of laser tracks to width can be optimized to get minimum of cracking, maximum hardness and most uniform alloying of species.
BRCA1 Interacts with Smad3 and Regulates Smad3-Mediated TGF-β Signaling during Oxidative Stress Responses

Background BRCA1 is a key regulatory protein participating in cell cycle checkpoint and DNA damage repair networks. BRCA1 plays important roles in protecting numerous cellular processes in response to cell damaging signals. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a potent regulator of growth, apoptosis and invasiveness of tumor cells. TFG-beta activates Smad signaling via its two cell surface receptors, the TbetaRII and ALK5/TbetaRI, leading to Smad-mediated transcriptional regulation. Methodology/principal findings Here, we report an important role of BRCA1 in modulating TGF-beta signaling during oxidative stress responses. Wild-type (WT) BRCA1, but not mutated BRCA1 failed to activate TGF-beta mediated transactivation of the TGF-beta responsive reporter, p3TP-Lux. Further, WT-BRCA1, but not mutated BRCA1 increased the expression of Smad3 protein in a dose-dependent manner, while silencing of WT-BRCA1 by siRNA decreased Smad3 and Smad4 interaction induced by TGF-beta in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. BRCA1 interacted with Smad3 upon TGF-beta1 stimulation in MCF-7 cells and this interaction was mediated via the domain of 298-436aa of BRCA1 and Smad3 domain of 207-426aa. In addition, H(2)O(2) increased the colocalization and the interaction of Smad3 with WT-BRCA1. Interestingly, TGF-beta1 induced Smad3 and Smad4 interaction was increased in the presence of H(2)O(2) in cells expressing WT-BRCA1, while the TGF-beta1 induced interaction between Smad3 and Smad4 was decreased upon H(2)O(2) treatment in a dose-dependent manner in HCC1937 breast cancer cells, deficient for endogenous BRCA1. This interaction between Smad3 and Smad4 was increased in reconstituted HCC1937 cells expressing WT-BRCA1 (HCC1937/BRCA1). Further, loss of BRCA1 resulted in H(2)O(2) induced nuclear export of phosphor-Smad3 protein to the cytoplasm, resulting decreased of Smad3 and Smad4 interaction induced by TGF-beta and in significant decrease in Smad3 and Smad4 transcriptional activities. Conclusions/significance These results strongly suggest that loss or reduction of BRCA1 alters TGF-beta growth inhibiting activity via Smad3 during oxidative stress responses.
Variations on Hulsurkar's matrix with applications to representations of algebraic Chevalley groups

Let A be an indecomposable root system for a semi-simple simply connected algebraic group defined over the field K = iF, . Let X’ be the root lattice, X the weight lattice, X+ the set of dominant weights, and W the Weyl group of A. Let Z[X] be the group ring {whose canonical basis we write in the form e(d), A E X), and let Z [X] w denote the ring of invariants under the natural action of W on Z [Xl. In [3] certain elements of Z [Xl” were defined and it was shown that they were generically equal to generalizations given by Verma [ I1 ] and Jantzen [8] of invariants defined by Hulsurkar in [4]. In this paper we will define a matrix indexed by X+ and whose entries are integers which are closely related to these elements, and from which in fact the latter can be found. We will give some properties of these elements and show how they can be computed. In particular we will show that the usual partial ordering of X+ makes this matrix upper triangular with ones on the diagonal. We will also show how our methods give some easy derivations of results of Jantzen and show how they can be used to compute generic patterns of the decomposition of Weyl modules into irreducibles.
Perceived behavioral control, intention to get vaccinated, and usage of online information about the human papillomavirus vaccine.

Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine have been examined through multiple lenses over the past several years, though there is little work examining the role of perceived behavioral control (PBC) and its impact on potential recipients retrieving, understanding, and using online information with regard to the vaccine. Method: This study used survey data to examine the role of PBC as a moderator between attitudes and intention, and subjective norms (SN) and intention to get the HPV vaccine; and PBC as a moderator when seeking out Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter as information sources about HPV. Support was found for each prediction. Results: The interaction term of SN × PBC in particular had a strong influence on intention to get the vaccine. Discussion: Planned behavior variables explain intention to get the HPV vaccine, but data also suggest a need to root this research within intervention-based strategies.
Eisenhower's Veto Threats: Full of Nothing, Signifying Sound and Fury

The veto is one of the few formal powers accorded to the president of the United States, yet it plays a central role in many theories of the executive branch and in theories of congressional action as well. To be more precise, the threat of a future veto is generally held to be the important component. However, there have been few empirical or theoretical studies of veto threats. This article presents new systematic data on the veto “threats” of President Dwight Eisenhower. These data are analyzed to test novel theories regarding the relation of future veto threats to the outcomes of past veto threats. Specifically, this theory extends concepts of credibility of threat to include information that is specific to both the president in question and that president's then-current history of congressional interactions. Support is found for the theory that a president who “cries wolf” and fails to carry out threats will find Congress less responsive to future threats, unless and until the president's credibility...
DESCRIPTION OF PERSONALITY SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF A SAMPLE OF BLACK AND WHITE FEMALE ENGINEERING STUDENTS

Sz1mmay.45 black and white female engineering students were assessed on Gough's Adjective Checkst and Schdtz's FRO-B. Nine Adjeccive Checklist scales showed signihcant mean diFFerences between black and white women with black women having higher mean scores on Succorance and Abasement. White women had significantly higher mean scores on Achevement. Dominance, Counseling Readiness, Self-confidence, Military Leadership, Masculinity, and A-4. Comparison of scores on the FIRO-B by race showed only one scale with a significant diFference, Wanted Inclusion. Literature pertaining to engineering students is hited to surveys comparing men and women such as Brown and Josh (1995) and few studies comparing personality characteristics of engineering students with students in ocher majors or by race. However, interest inventories and career development theories use assumptions that people in the same career or major are similar to each other and dissimilar to people in other fields. Studies have begun on gender or racial characteristics in scientific and engineering fields but research has been somewhat hampered by the relatively small numbers of women and minority groups entering science and engineering majors, and the few in the major are scattered which makes it difficult to obtain an adequate sized sample.
Identification and Analysis of Yeast Nucleosomal Histone Acetyltransferase Complexes

Many studies have linked acetylation of lysine residues on the amino-terminal tails of the core histones to transcriptional activity of cellular chromatin. New insights into this field were gained on the identification of the first nuclear, type A histone acetyltransferase (HAT). The yeast transcriptional adaptor protein Gcn5 was identified as a nuclear HAT and thus provided a direct link between pathways of transcriptional activation and histone acetylation. However, while recombinant Gcn5 can efficiently acetylate free histone H3 and, to a lesser extent, H4 it is unable to acetylate nucleosomal histones. It is therefore very likely that additional proteins are required for Gcn5-mediated acetylation of chromosomal histones. We have recently shown that Gcn5 is the catalytic subunit of two high-molecular-weight histone acetyltransferase complexes in yeast. In addition to the Gcn5-containing ADA and SAGA HAT complexes we have identified two other HAT complexes in yeast. These are called NuA3 and NuA4 for their predominant specificity to acetylate histones H3 and H4, respectively. Here we describe the identification and characterization of four native nuclear high-molecular-weight HAT complexes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These purified HATs can be used in a variety of functional assays to further address questions of how acetylation has an impact on transcriptional regulation.
SLIP, a lipid suppression technique to improve image contrast in inflow angiography

In rapidly acquired gradient echo images, lipid regions usually appear as areas of high signal intensity. In 2D inflow angiograms processed by the maximum intensity projection algorithm, this high lipid signal may prevent angiographic visualization of some blood vessels. We present a new approach to suppress the lipid signal, SLIP, spatially separated lipid presaturation. The SLIP technique suppresses lipid signal over a narrow region by exploiting the chemical-shift effect. SLIP requires an arrangement of a thin slice and a wide presaturation slab already available in 2D inflow refreshment angiography. Thus SLIP was incorporated to an inflow angiography sequence without increasing the acquisition time. The use of SLIP resulted in considerable improvement in angiographic contrast and increased the number of vessels detected in projection angiograms. The SLIP technique does not require high homogeneity of the main magnet field. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.
Pre-Screening Elderly Drivers With Occupational Therapy Intervention

Dear Editor,As an undergraduate Occupational Therapy student, I was interested to read Zur & Vrkljan's article in the March 2014 issue about the curricula of Occupational Therapy students, in corre...
Some reactions of fluorinated azaalkenes, RfNCF2

Abstract More facile routes to fluorinated azaalkenes encourage further studies of the reactions of these compounds. Reactions of (CF3)2NCF2NCF2 with lithiated polyfluoroalkoxides give (CF3)2NCF2NCF2−x(ORf)x [X=1 or 2; RfCF3CH2, (CF3)2CH or (CF3)2C(CH3)]. Chlorine fluoride can be added to the nitrogen-carbon double bond of these mono- and bis-alkoxides with retention of the molecular backbone to give (CF3)2NCF2N(Cl)CF3−x(ORf)x [X=1 or 2; RfCF3CH2, (CF3)2CH or (CF3)2C(CH3)]. Photolysis of neat NF2CXFCF2NCl2, which results from chlorofluorination of F2NCXFCN (X=Cl or F), gives diazencs [F2NCXFCF2N]2. Thermolysis of F2NCF2CF2NCl2 in a 1:1 ratio with CF2CClF results in F2NCF2CF2N(Cl)CF2CCI2F. Upon photolysis of the latter, a new azaalkene, F2NCF2CF2NCF2 results. Following chlorofluorination of F2NCF2CF2NCF2, insertion of ClCN or F2NCF2CN into the resulting nitrogen-chlorine bond gives imines F2NCF2CF2N(CF3)NCCl2 and F2NCF2CF2N(CF3)NC(Cl)CF2NF2. Successive chlorofluorination of the latter compound with intramolecular elimination of chlorine, followed by photolysis, gives rise to a stable, non-volatile tetrazane (70%) that contains eight nitrogen atoms, F2NCF2CF2N(CF3)N(CF2CF2NF2)N(CF2CF2NF2)N(CF3)CF2CF2NF2.
Mesenchymal Progenitors Residing Close to the Bone Surface Are Functionally Distinct from Those in the Central Bone Marrow

Long bone is an anatomically complicated tissue with trabecular-rich metaphyses at two ends and cortical-rich diaphysis at the center. The traditional flushing method isolates only mesenchymal progenitor cells from the central region of long bones and these cells are distant from the bone surface. We propose that mesenchymal progenitors residing in endosteal bone marrow that is close to the sites of bone formation, such as trabecular bone and endosteum, behave differently from those in the central bone marrow. In this report, we separately isolated endosteal bone marrow using a unique enzymatic digestion approach and demonstrated that it contained a much higher frequency of mesenchymal progenitors than the central bone marrow. Endosteal mesenchymal progenitors express common mesenchymal stem cell markers and are capable of multi-lineage differentiation. However, we found that mesenchymal progenitors isolated from different anatomical regions of the marrow did exhibit important functional differences. Compared with their central marrow counterparts, endosteal mesenchymal progenitors have superior proliferative ability with reduced expression of cell cycle inhibitors. They showed greater immunosuppressive activity in culture and in a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease. Aging is a major contributing factor for trabecular bone loss. We found that old mice have a dramatically decreased number of endosteal mesenchymal progenitors compared with young mice. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) treatment potently stimulates bone formation. A single PTH injection greatly increased the number of endosteal mesenchymal progenitors, particularly those located at the metaphyseal bone, but had no effect on their central counterparts. In summary, endosteal mesenchymal progenitors are more metabolically active and relevant to physiological bone formation than central mesenchymal progenitors. Hence, they represent a biologically important target for future mesenchymal stem cell studies.
Scalable Decipherment for Machine Translation via Hash Sampling

In this paper, we propose a new Bayesian inference method to train statistical machine translation systems using only nonparallel corpora. Following a probabilistic decipherment approach, we first introduce a new framework for decipherment training that is flexible enough to incorporate any number/type of features (besides simple bag-of-words) as side-information used for estimating translation models. In order to perform fast, efficient Bayesian inference in this framework, we then derive a hash sampling strategy that is inspired by the work of Ahmed et al. (2012). The new translation hash sampler enables us to scale elegantly to complex models (for the first time) and large vocabulary/corpora sizes. We show empirical results on the OPUS data—our method yields the best BLEU scores compared to existing approaches, while achieving significant computational speedups (several orders faster). We also report for the first time—BLEU score results for a largescale MT task using only non-parallel data (EMEA corpus).
Iron-Sulfur Cluster Interconversions in Biotin Synthase: Dissociation and Reassociation of Iron during Conversion of [2Fe-2S] to [4Fe-4S] Clusters

Biotin synthase catalyzes the insertion of a sulfur atom into the saturated C6 and C9 carbons of dethiobiotin. This reaction has long been presumed to occur through radical chemistry, and recent ex...
Tertiary structure of human lambda 6 light chains.

AL amyloidosis is a disease process characterized by the pathologic deposition of monoclonal light chains in tissue. To date, only limited information has been obtained on the molecular features that render such light chains amyloidogenic. Although protein products of the major human VK and Vλgene families have been identified in AL deposits, one particular subgroup-λ6 - has been found to be preferentially associated with this disease. Notably, the variable region of λ6 proteins (V λ6) has distinctive primary structural features including the presence in the third framework region (FR3) of two additional amino acid residues that distinguish members of this subgroup from other types of light chains. However, the structural consequences of these alterations have not been elucidated. To determine if λ6 proteins possess unique tertiary structural features, as compared to light chains of other Vλ subgroups, we have obtained x-ray diffraction data on crystals prepared from two recombinant Vλ6 molecules. These c...
A 2.5 milliwatt SOS CMOS receiver for optical interconnect

We demonstrate a low power, high bit rate, cross coupled differential receiver in silicon on sapphire (SOS) CMOS to be used as part of an inter-chip optical interconnect. The internal amplifier of the transimpedance first stage provides high gain without requiring large, capacitive input gates. The resulting transimpedance stage extends the bandwidth of the differential receiver when small photodetectors are used. We fabricate this receiver in an SOS CMOS process to simplify the packaging of chip-to-chip interconnects with CMOS processors. The total measured power consumption of this receiver is 2.5 mW at gigabit rates, in a 0.5 /spl mu/m UTSi/spl trade/ SOS CMOS process.
The adaptor protein GULP promotes Jedi-1-mediated phagocytosis through a clathrin-dependent mechanism.

During the development of the peripheral nervous system, the large number of apoptotic neurons generated are phagocytosed by glial precursor cells. This clearance is mediated, in part, through the mammalian engulfment receptor Jedi-1. However, the mechanisms by which Jedi-1 mediates phagocytosis are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that Jedi-1 associates with GULP, the mammalian homologue of CED-6, an adaptor protein required for phagocytosis mediated by the nematode engulfment receptor CED-1. Silencing GULP or mutating the NPXY motif in Jedi-1, which is required for GULP binding, prevents Jedi-1–mediated phagocytosis. How GULP promotes engulfment is not known. Of interest, we find that Jedi-1–induced phagocytosis requires GULP binding to clathrin heavy chain (CHC). During engulfment, CHC is tyrosine phosphorylated, which is required for Jedi-mediated engulfment. Both phosphoclathrin and actin accumulate around engulfed microspheres. Furthermore, knockdown of CHC in HeLa cells prevents Jedi-1–mediated engulfment of microspheres, and knockdown in glial precursors prevents the engulfment of apoptotic neurons. Taken together, these results reveal that Jedi-1 signals through recruitment of GULP, which promotes phagocytosis through a noncanonical phosphoclathrin-dependent mechanism.