Smooth transitions from Schwarzschild vacuum to de Sitter space

We provide an infinity of spacetimes which contain part of both the Schwarzschild vacuum and de Sitter space. The transition, which occurs below the Schwarzschild event horizon, involves only boundary surfaces (no surface layers). An explicit example is given in which the weak and strong energy conditions are satisfied everywhere (except in the de Sitter section) and the dominant energy condition is violated only in the vicinity of the boundary to the Schwarzschild section. The singularity is avoided by way of a change in topology in accord with a theorem due to Borde..Comment: revtex4, two figures. Final form to appear in Phys. Rev.

Sepsis Syndrome and Associated Sequelae in Patients at High Risk for Gram‐Negative Sepsis

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90154/1/j.1875-9114.1995.tb04333.x.pd

Biosynthesis of Mitochondrial Porin and Insertion into the Outer Mitochondrial Membrane of Neuruspora crassa

Mitochondrial porin, the major protein of the outer mitochondrial membrane is synthesized by free cytoplasmic polysomes. The apparent molecular weight of the porin synthesized in homologous or heterologous cell-free systems is the same as that of the mature porin. Transfer in vitro of mitochondrial porin from the cytosolic fraction into the outer membrane of mitochondria could be demonstrated. Before membrane insertion, mitochondrial porin is highly sensitive to added proteinase; afterwards it is strongly protected. Binding of the precursor form to mitochondria occurs at 4°C and appears to precede insertion into the membrane. Unlike transfer of many precursor proteins into or across the inner mitochondrial membrane, assembly of the porin is not dependent on an electrical potential across the inner membrane

The Potential of Pigeon Creek, San Salvador, Bahamas, as a Nursery Habitat for Juvenile Coral Reef Fish

The government of the Bahamas is considering making parts of San Salvador a National Marine Park. This study was conducted to assess the significance of Pigeon Creek, a shallow tidal lagoon, as a nursery for coral reef fishes. The perimeter of Pigeon Creek is lined with mangrove and limestone bedrock. Depending on location in the Creek, the bottom is sand or seagrass and ranges in depth from shallow intertidal sand flats to deeper, tide-scoured channels with a maximum depth of 3 m. In June 2006 and January 2007, fish were counted and their reproductive status Juvenile or adult) was recorded by sampling a total of 112, 50-m transects along the perimeter of the lagoon. Excluding silversides (Atherinidae, 52% of the fish counted), of the remaining fish counted, six families each comprised >1% of the total abundance (parrotfishes, 35.3%; snappers, 23.9%; grunts, 21.0%; mojarras, 8.5%; damselfishes, 6.1%; wrasses, 2.4%). There were few differences in effort-adjusted counts among habitats (mangrove, bedrock, mixed), sections (North, Middle, and Southwest) and seasons (summer 2006 and winter 2007). Snappers, grunts and parrotfishes are important food fishes and significant families in terms of reef ecology around San Salvador. Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) which covered 68% of the perimeter of Pigeon Creek, and where 62% of the fish were counted, was an important habitat for snappers (Lutjanidae) and grunts (Haemulidae) but bedrock was the most important habitat for parrotfishes (Scaridae). The Southwest section of Pigeon Creek was important for snappers, grunts and parrotfishes, the North section for grunts and parrotfishes, and the Middle section for snappers. Only six juvenile Nassau grouper were counted in perimeter habitats, but 32 were counted during 33 minutes of drift sampling in the channel of the Southwest section of Pigeon Creek. Among the non­ silverside fish counted, 91.2% were juveniles. Although not part of this study, many juvenile Queen conch and juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster also were observed. These results suggest that Pigeon Creek is an important nursery for the coral reefs surrounding San Salvador, and should be protected from any disturbance caused by development or increased use of the area.SUNY BrockportEnvironmental Science and BiologyMaster of Science (MS)Environmental Science and Ecology These

The Potential of Pigeon Creek, San Salvador, Bahamas, as a Nursery Habitat for Juvenile Coral Reef Fish

The government of the Bahamas is considering making parts of San Salvador a National Marine Park. This study was conducted to assess the significance of Pigeon Creek, a shallow tidal lagoon, as a nursery for coral reef fishes. The perimeter of Pigeon Creek is lined with mangrove and limestone bedrock. Depending on location in the Creek, the bottom is sand or seagrass and ranges in depth from shallow intertidal sand flats to deeper, tide-scoured channels with a maximum depth of 3 m. In June 2006 and January 2007, fish were counted and their reproductive status Juvenile or adult) was recorded by sampling a total of 112, 50-m transects along the perimeter of the lagoon. Excluding silversides (Atherinidae, 52% of the fish counted), of the remaining fish counted, six families each comprised \u3e1% of the total abundance (parrotfishes, 35.3%; snappers, 23.9%; grunts, 21.0%; mojarras, 8.5%; damselfishes, 6.1%; wrasses, 2.4%). There were few differences in effort-adjusted counts among habitats (mangrove, bedrock, mixed), sections (North, Middle, and Southwest) and seasons (summer 2006 and winter 2007). Snappers, grunts and parrotfishes are important food fishes and significant families in terms of reef ecology around San Salvador. Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) which covered 68% of the perimeter of Pigeon Creek, and where 62% of the fish were counted, was an important habitat for snappers (Lutjanidae) and grunts (Haemulidae) but bedrock was the most important habitat for parrotfishes (Scaridae). The Southwest section of Pigeon Creek was important for snappers, grunts and parrotfishes, the North section for grunts and parrotfishes, and the Middle section for snappers. Only six juvenile Nassau grouper were counted in perimeter habitats, but 32 were counted during 33 minutes of drift sampling in the channel of the Southwest section of Pigeon Creek. Among the non­ silverside fish counted, 91.2% were juveniles. Although not part of this study, many juvenile Queen conch and juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster also were observed. These results suggest that Pigeon Creek is an important nursery for the coral reefs surrounding San Salvador, and should be protected from any disturbance caused by development or increased use of the area

Catechol-O-Methyltransferase val158met Polymorphism Predicts Placebo Effect in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Identifying patients who are potential placebo responders has major implications for clinical practice and trial design. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an important enzyme in dopamine catabolism plays a key role in processes associated with the placebo effect such as reward, pain, memory and learning. We hypothesized that the COMT functional val158met polymorphism, was a predictor of placebo effects and tested our hypothesis in a subset of 104 patients from a previously reported randomized controlled trial in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The three treatment arms from this study were: no-treatment (“waitlist”), placebo treatment alone (“limited”) and, placebo treatment “augmented” with a supportive patient-health care provider interaction. The primary outcome measure was change from baseline in IBS-Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) after three weeks of treatment. In a regression model, the number of methionine alleles in COMT val158met was linearly related to placebo response as measured by changes in IBS-SSS (p = .035). The strongest placebo response occurred in met/met homozygotes treated in the augmented placebo arm. A smaller met/met associated effect was observed with limited placebo treatment and there was no effect in the waitlist control. These data support our hypothesis that the COMT val158met polymorphism is a potential biomarker of placebo response

Report of the working group on the measurement of triple gauge boson couplings

The working group discussed several aspects of triple gauge coupling analysis viewed in the light of experiences with the first high energy data recorded at energies above the W pair threshold. Some analysis methods were reviewed briefly, and consideration given to better ways of characterising the data. The measurement of CP violating parameters was discussed. Results were prepared to further quantify the precision attainable on anaomalous couplings in the four-quark channel using jet-charge methods, and finally the trade off between maximum LEP energy-vs-luminosity was quantified.The working group discussed several aspects of triple gauge coupling analysis viewed in the light of experiences with the first high energy data recorded at energies above the W pair threshold. Some analysis methods were reviewed briefly, and consideration given to better ways of characterising the data. The measurement of CP violating parameters was discussed. Results were prepared to further quantify the precision attainable on anaomalous couplings in the four-quark channel using jet-charge methods, and finally the trade off between maximum LEP energy-vs-luminosity was quantified

'Moving life stories tell us just why politics matters’: personal narratives in tabloid anti-austerity campaigns

This article examines the use of personal narratives in two tabloid newspaper campaigns against a controversial welfare reform popularly known as the ‘bedroom tax’. It aims firstly to evaluate whether the personal narratives operate as political testimony to challenge government accounts of welfare reform and dominant stereotypes of benefits claimants, and secondly to assess the potential for and limits to progressive advocacy in popular journalism. The study uses content analysis of 473 articles over the course of a year in the Daily Mirror and Sunday People newspapers, and qualitative analysis of a sub-set of 113 articles to analyse the extent to which the campaign articles extrapolated from the personal to the general, and the role of ‘victim-witnesses’ in articulating their own subjectivity and political agency. The analysis indicates that both newspapers allowed affected individuals to express their own subjectivity to challenge stereotypes, but it was civil society organisations and opinion columnists who most explicitly extrapolated from the personal to the political. Collectively organised benefits claimants were rarely quoted, and there was some evidence of ventriloquization of the editorial voice in the political criticisms of victim-witnesses. However, a campaigning columnist in the Mirror more actively empowered some of those affected to speak directly to politicians. This indicates the value of campaigning journalism when it is truly engaged in solidarity with those affected, rather than instrumentalising victim-witnesses to further the newspapers’ campaign goals

Transport of Proteins into Mitochondria

The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier is an integral transmembrane protein of the inner membrane. It is synthesized on cytoplasmic ribosomes. Kinetic data suggested that this protein is transferred into mitochondria in a posttranslational manner. The following results provide further evidence for such a mechanism and provide information on its details. 1. In homologous and heterologous translation systems the newly synthesized ADP/ATP carrier protein is present in the postribosomal supernatant. 2. Analysis by density gradient centrifugation and gel filtration shows, that the ADP/ATP carrier molecules in the postribosomal fraction are present as soluble complexes with apparent molecular weights of about 120000 and 500000 or larger. The carrier binds detergents such as Triton X-100 and deoxycholate forming mixed micelles with molecular weights of about 200000–400000. 3. Incubation of a postribosomal supernatant of a reticulocyte lysate containing newly synthesized ADP/ATP carrier with mitochondria isolated from Neurospora spheroplasts results in efficient transfer of the carrier into mitochondria. About 20–30% of the transferred carrier are resistant to proteinase in whole mitochondria. The authentic mature protein is also largely resistant to proteinase in whole mitochondria and sensitive after lysis of mitochondria with detergent. Integrity of mitochondria is a prerequisite for translocation into proteinase resistant position. 4. The transfer in vitro into a proteinase-resistant form is inhibited by the uncoupler carbonyl-cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone but not the proteinase-sensitive binding. These observations suggest that the posttranslational transfer of ADP/ATP carrier occurs via the cytosolic space through a soluble oligomeric precursor form. This precursor is taken up by intact mitochondria into an integral position in the membrane. These findings are considered to be of general importance for the intracellular transfer of insoluble membrane proteins. They support the view that such proteins can exist in a water-soluble form its precursors and upon integration into the membrane undergo a conformational change. Uptake into the membrane may involve the cleavage of an additional sequence in some proteins, but this appears not to be a prerequisite as demonstrated by the ADP/ATP carrier protein