Osmotic regulation of alpha-amylase synthesis and polyribosome formation in aleurone cells of barley.

Water stress inhibits the gibberellic acid (GA(3))-induced synthesis of alpha-amylase in aleurone layers of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Electron microscope evidence indicates that the effect of water stress induced by 0.6 M solutions of polyethylene glycol (PEG) is to reduce the binding of ribosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum. This was confirmed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation of polyribosome preparations from stressed cells. The reduction in polyribosome formation does not result from reduced ribosome activity as measured by [(3)H]peptidylpuromycin formation. Thus, calculation of percent active ribosomes shows that osmoticum has little effect on the ability of ribosomes to incorporate puromycin into nascent protein. Water stress does not cause a marked decrease in the total RNA level of aleurone cells. Estimates of total RNA in postmitochondrial supernatant fractions from stressed cells show only a reduction of 8-9% relative to the control. Membrane synthesis measured by [(14)C]choline incorporation is depressed by 15% in cells stressed with 0.6 M PEG for 2.5 hours

A Silver Bullet: Could Data Linking Urban Heat Islands to Housing Discrimination Curtail Environmental Racism?

“[A]ll things share the same breath— the beast, the tree, the man …the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.” Google “Chief Seattle” and you will likely find that quote. We now know it is a work of fiction after several misinterpretations and fabrications of Dr. Henry Smith’s original translation. We also know now that all people, particularly Black Americans, do not all breathe the same air. Instead, Black Americans and other underrepresented minorities are subjected to the toxic effects of climate change at increasingly disproportionate rates. Controlling for income, studies find racial identity is the most significant indicator of exposure to general pollutants and suspended particulates. This harsh reality is highlighted by new evidence, finding that many urban heat islands (UHIs) coincide directly with redlined neighborhoods, which were designated as “hazardous” to justify denying home loans and other services to the people living there because of their race.4 Some commentators believe this evidence could be used by environmental justice advocates to rectify the deleterious effects of racism in court through the Federal Housing Act (FHA). However, advocates have rarely used the FHA successfully to remedy environmental harms related to housing policy because it is difficult to prove discriminatory treatment or disparate impact. Therefore, while the FHA is not some silver bullet to bring about environmental reparations for past harms, data such as that from the Hoffman study showing how Black Americans and other underrepresented minorities are disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards can be used to advocate for more equitable conditions moving forward

Scene-based nonuniformity correction with video sequences and registration

We describe a new, to our knowledge, scene-based nonuniformity correction algorithm for array detectors. The algorithm relies on the ability to register a sequence of observed frames in the presence of the fixed-pattern noise caused by pixel-to-pixel nonuniformity. In low-to-moderate levels of nonuniformity, sufficiently accurate registration may be possible with standard scene-based registration techniques. If the registration is accurate, and motion exists between the frames, then groups of independent detectors can be identified that observe the same irradiance (or true scene value). These detector outputs are averaged to generate estimates of the true scene values. With these scene estimates, and the corresponding observed values through a given detector, a curve-fitting procedure is used to estimate the individual detector response parameters. These can then be used to correct for detector nonuniformity. The strength of the algorithm lies in its simplicity and low computational complexity. Experimental results, to illustrate the performance of the algorithm, include the use of visible-range imagery with simulated nonuniformity and infrared imagery with real nonuniformity

Estimating the diameter of the left main bronchus

Publisher's copy made available with the permission of the publisherTwo hundred and six standard PA chest X-rays were measured. The mean diameter of the left main bronchus (LMB) was 12.6±1.9 mm. The mean diameter of the 92 male LMB was 13.0±2.6, and for females 11.8±1.6. These data correspond closely to that reported by others. The correlation between the diameter of the LMB and that of the trachea was 0.74 but was not precise enough to be useful as an estimate for clinical use. Similarly there was good correlation between the diameter of the right main bronchus and that of the left (r=0.75) but not precise enough to be clinically useful. In contrast to previous claims, only direct measurement of the left main bronchus has sufficient precision to define the appropriate size of left double-lumen tube to be selected for lung separation.T. Hampton, S. Armstrong, W.J. Russellhttp://www.aaic.net.au/Article.asp?D=200003

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Trumpet Studi

Selecting patients for anti-retroviral care at a rural clinic in Lesotho: results from a case study analysis

ABSTRACT The number of people in immediate need of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in the southern African region continues to significantly exceed the capacity of health systems to provide it. Approaches to this complex rationing dilemma have evolved in different directions. The ethical concepts of fairness and equity have been suggested as a basis guiding rationing or patient selection processes for ART. The purpose of the study was to examine whether or not such concepts had relevance or operative value for a treatment team providing ART in rural Lesotho. Using an exploratory, single case study design the study found that while concepts of fairness and equity were relevant to the work of the treatment team, patient selection practices did not necessarily reflect what these concepts entail. The idea of fairness as a structured, formalized selection process did not figure in the approach to ART provision at St. Charles. A less formal, ‘first-come-first-served’ approach was adopted. While there was knowledge amongst some team members that social, economic or geographic conditions inhibit individuals and groups from gaining access to ART and that this was inequitable, it was felt that there was little they could do to try to mediate the impact of these conditions. The study findings pose importance questions about the approach to ART programming in resource constrained settings. The findings also question the relevance of trying to achieve fairness and equity when the gap between need for care and capacity to provide it remains so large

Advances in organic anode materials for Na-/K-Ion rechargeable batteries

Funding: Faraday Institution (GrantNumber(s): FIRG018).Electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices are gaining ever greater prominence in the quest for global energy security. With increasing applications and widening scope, rechargeable battery technology is gradually finding avenues for more abundant and sustainable systems such as Na‐ion (NIB) and K‐ion batteries (KIB). Development of suitable electrode materials lies at the core of this transition. Organic redox‐active molecules are attractive candidates as negative electrode materials owing to their low redox potentials and the fact that they can be obtained from biomass. Also, the rich structural diversity allows integration into several solid‐state polymeric materials. Research in this domain is increasingly focused on deploying molecular engineering to address specific electrochemical limitations that hamper competition with rival materials. This Minireview aims to summarize the advances in both the electrochemical properties and the materials development of organic anode materials.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Improving School Leadership: The Promise of Cohesive Leadership Systems

Describes Wallace grantees' work to create a cohesive leadership system of coordinated policies between states and districts and across state agencies, states' and districts' efforts to forge cohesive policies, and the impact on instructional leadership

THE ROLE OF NONLYMPHOID ACCESSORY CELLS IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT ANTIGENS

Tissue culture techniques were combined with cell separation procedures to investigate the cellular requirements for a response to antigen, leading to the production of antibody-forming cells. Mouse spleen was dissociated, and the cells were separated into various groups on the basis of density, size, and active adherence. The ability of fractions to initiate a response in vivo, on transfer to an irradiated recipient, was compared to the response in vitro; and this ability was correlated with the presence or absence of phagocytic cells. Two different antigens were studied, sheep erythrocytes (SRC) and polymerized bacterial flagellin (POL). Density distribution analysis of spleen showed a wide density range of cells responding to both antigens in vivo. The same fractions responded to POL in vitro as in vivo. By contrast, only the light density regions responded in vitro to SRC. Response occurred in regions of overlap between lymphocytes and phagocytic macrophages. Separation by active adherence on columns of large glass beads gave a preparation containing large, medium, and small lymphocytes but no detectable phagocytic macrophages and very low levels of phagocytic polymorphs. This lymphocyte preparation responded to both antigens in vivo. In vitro it gave a full response to POL, but no response to SRC. Addition of a small quantity of the adherent fraction, enriched for phagocytic cells, restored response to SRC. The use of strain-specific antisera in a mixed culture containing a C57 phagocytic fraction and CBA lymphocytes showed that the lymphocyte fraction contributed the precursors of the final antibody-forming cells. The accessory cells from C57 spleen banded in the light regions of the density gradient where phagocytic macrophages were found. Irradiated spleen cells also activated the lymphocyte preparation, suggesting that the irradiated host provided the accessory cells for the in vivo response to SRC. Small lymphocytes were purified from spleen by the small glass bead size filtration technique. This sample of small lymphocytes responded less well to POL than the total lymphocyte population, but it responded as well in vitro as in vivo. The small lymphocyte preparation responded in vivo to SRC but not in vitro. Addition of a small quantity of the phagocyte-rich fraction from adherence columns restored the in vitro response to SRC. The results indicated that phagocytic cells are not required in the initiation of an immune response to POL. By contrast some accessory cell, possibly a phagocytic macrophage, is required for a response to SRC. The basis for this marked difference is discussed

High-performance, flexible, deployable array development for space applications

Flexible, deployable arrays are an attractive alternative to conventional solar arrays for near-term and future space power applications, particularly due to their potential for high specific power and low storage volume. Combined with low-cost flexible thin-film photovoltaics, these arrays have the potential to become an enabling or an enhancing technology for many missions. In order to expedite the acceptance of thin-film photovoltaics for space applications, however, parallel development of flexible photovoltaics and the corresponding deployable structure is essential. Many innovative technologies must be incorporated in these arrays to ensure a significant performance increase over conventional technologies. For example, innovative mechanisms which employ shape memory alloys for storage latches, deployment mechanisms, and array positioning gimbals can be incorporated into flexible array design with significant improvement in the areas of cost, weight, and reliability. This paper discusses recent activities at Martin Marietta regarding the development of flexible, deployable solar array technology. Particular emphasis is placed on the novel use of shape memory alloys for lightweight deployment elements to improve the overall specific power of the array. Array performance projections with flexible thin-film copper-indium-diselenide (CIS) are presented, and government-sponsored solar array programs recently initiated at Martin Marietta through NASA and Air Force Phillips Laboratory are discussed