Influence of Mississippian Karst Topography on Deposition of the Cherokee Group: Ness County, Kansas

The Cherokee Group (Desmoinesian, Middle Pennsylvanian) of Ness County, Kansas was deposited on the western flank of the Central Kansas uplift. Eleven lithofacies were defined in the Cherokee Group to better understand the stratigraphy and depositional processes. Sandstone facies represent the primary oil-bearing reservoirs in the Cherokee Group. An extensive network of groundwater-sapped paleovalleys is present on the Mississippian karst surface and two primary drainage patterns were identified. Groundwater-sapped valleys and dolines exhibit a strong structural control and develop along gravity and magnetic lineaments. Three sequences were identified and mapped, two complete and one incomplete sequence. Potential reservoir sandstone bodies are confined to lowstand and transgressive systems tracts. Sand development is strongly influenced by Mississippian paleotopography. Thick sandstone successions were deposited in groundwater-sapped Mississippian valleys and along the paleoshoreline. Two depositional models were created to explain the lateral and vertical distribution of facies in the Cherokee Group

Dissecting the regulatory activity and sequence content of loci with exceptional numbers of transcription factor associations

DNA-associated proteins (DAPs) classically regulate gene expression by binding to regulatory loci such as enhancers or promoters. As expanding catalogs of genome-wide DAP binding maps reveal thousands of loci that, unlike the majority of conventional enhancers and promoters, associate with dozens of different DAPs with apparently little regard for motif preference, an understanding of DAP association and coordination at such regulatory loci is essential to deciphering how these regions contribute to normal development and disease. In this study, we aggregated publicly available ChIP-seq data from 469 human DAPs assayed in three cell lines and integrated these data with an orthogonal data set of 352 nonredundant, in vitro–derived motifs mapped to the genome within DNase I hypersensitivity footprints to characterize regions with high numbers of DAP associations. We establish a generalizable definition for high occupancy target (HOT) loci and identify putative driver DAP motifs in HepG2 cells, including HNF4A, SP1, SP5, and ETV4, that are highly prevalent and show sequence conservation at HOT loci. The number of different DAPs associated with an element is positively associated with evidence of regulatory activity, and by systematically mutating 245 HOT loci with a massively parallel mutagenesis assay, we localized regulatory activity to a central core region that depends on the motif sequences of our previously nominated driver DAPs. In sum, this work leverages the increasingly large number of DAP motif and ChIP-seq data publicly available to explore how DAP associations contribute to genome-wide transcriptional regulation

Performance of Basic Life Support by Lifeboat Crewmembers While Wearing a Survival Suit and Life Vest:A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Crewmembers of the “Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution” (KNRM) lifeboats must wear heavy survival suits with integrated lifejackets. This and the challenging environment onboard (boat movements, limited space) might influence Basic Life Support (BLS) performance. The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of the protective gear on single-rescuer BLS-quality. Material and Methods: Sixty-five active KNRM crewmembers who had recently undergone a BLS-refresher course were randomized to wear either their protective gear (n = 32) or their civilian clothes (n = 33; control group) and performed five 2-min sessions of single rescuer BLS on a mannequin on dry land. BLS-quality was assessed according to Dutch and European Resuscitation guidelines. A between group analysis (Mann-Whitney U) and a repeated within group analysis of both groups (Friedman test) were performed. Results: There were no major demographic differences between the groups. The protective gear did not significant impair BLS-quality. It was also not associated with a significant increase in the perceived exertion of BLS (Borg's Rating scale). Compression depth, compression frequency, the percentage of correct compression depth and of not leaning on the thorax, and ventilation volumes in both groups were suboptimal when evaluated according to the BLS-guidelines. Conclusions: The protective gear worn by KNRM lifeboat-crewmembers does not have a significant influence on BLS-quality under controlled study conditions. The impact and significance on outcome in real life situations needs to be studied further. This study provides valuable input for optimizing the BLS-skills of lifeboat crewmembers

Electron-correlation effects in appearance-potential spectra of Ni

Spin-resolved and temperature-dependent appearance-potential spectra of ferromagnetic Nickel are measured and analyzed theoretically. The Lander self-convolution model which relates the line shape to the unoccupied part of the local density of states turns out to be insufficient. Electron correlations and orbitally resolved transition-matrix elements are shown to be essential for a quantitative agreement between experiment and theory.Comment: LaTeX, 6 pages, 2 eps figures included, Phys. Rev. B (in press

Theory of Spin-Resolved Auger-Electron Spectroscopy from Ferromagnetic 3d-Transition Metals

CVV Auger electron spectra are calculated for a multi-band Hubbard model including correlations among the valence electrons as well as correlations between core and valence electrons. The interest is focused on the ferromagnetic 3d-transition metals. The Auger line shape is calculated from a three-particle Green function. A realistic one-particle input is taken from tight-binding band-structure calculations. Within a diagrammatic approach we can distinguish between the \textit{direct} correlations among those electrons participating in the Auger process and the \textit{indirect} correlations in the rest system. The indirect correlations are treated within second-order perturbation theory for the self-energy. The direct correlations are treated using the valence-valence ladder approximation and the first-order perturbation theory with respect to valence-valence and core-valence interactions. The theory is evaluated numerically for ferromagnetic Ni. We discuss the spin-resolved quasi-particle band structure and the Auger spectra and investigate the influence of the core hole.Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, 8 eps figures included, Phys. Rev. B (in press

Similarities and differences in lipidomics profiles among healthy monozygotic twin pairs.

Differences in genetic background and/or environmental exposure among individuals are expected to give rise to differences in measurable characteristics, or phenotypes. Consequently, genetic resemblance and similarities in environment should manifest as similarities in phenotypes. The metabolome reflects many of the system properties, and is therefore an important part of the phenotype. Nevertheless, it has not yet been examined to what extent individuals sharing part of their genome and/or environment indeed have similar metabolomes. Here we present the results of hierarchical clustering of blood plasma lipid profile data obtained by liquid chromatographymass spectrometry from 23 healthy, 18-year-old twin pairs, of which 21 pairs were monozygotic, and 8 of their siblings. For 13 monozygotic twin pairs, within-pair similarities in relative concentrations of the detected lipids were indeed larger than the similarities with any other study participant. We demonstrate such high coclustering to be unexpected on basis of chance. The similarities between dizygotic twins and between nontwin siblings, as well as between nonfamilial participants, were less pronounced. In a number of twin pairs, within-pair dissimilarity of lipid profiles positively correlated with increased blood plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein in one twin. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that in healthy individuals, the individual genetic background contributes to the blood plasma lipid profile. Furthermore, lipid profiling may prove useful in monitoring health status, for example, in the context of personalized medicine. © 2008 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Chemicals / CAS: C-Reactive Protein, 9007-41-4; Lipid

Dissecting the regulatory activity and sequence content of loci with exceptional numbers of transcription factor associations

DNA-associated proteins (DAPs) classically regulate gene expression by binding to regulatory loci such as enhancers or promoters. As expanding catalogs of genome-wide DAP binding maps reveal thousands of loci that, unlike the majority of conventional enhancers and promoters, associate with dozens of different DAPs with apparently little regard for motif preference, an understanding of DAP association and coordination at such regulatory loci is essential to deciphering how these regions contribute to normal development and disease. In this study, we aggregated publicly available ChIP-seq data from 469 human DAPs assayed in three cell lines and integrated these data with an orthogonal data set of 352 nonredundant, in vitro–derived motifs mapped to the genome within DNase I hypersensitivity footprints to characterize regions with high numbers of DAP associations. We establish a generalizable definition for high occupancy target (HOT) loci and identify putative driver DAP motifs in HepG2 cells, including HNF4A, SP1, SP5, and ETV4, that are highly prevalent and show sequence conservation at HOT loci. The number of different DAPs associated with an element is positively associated with evidence of regulatory activity, and by systematically mutating 245 HOT loci with a massively parallel mutagenesis assay, we localized regulatory activity to a central core region that depends on the motif sequences of our previously nominated driver DAPs. In sum, this work leverages the increasingly large number of DAP motif and ChIP-seq data publicly available to explore how DAP associations contribute to genome-wide transcriptional regulation

Long-term psychosocial functioning after Ilizarov limb lengthening during childhood: 37 patients followed for 2–14 years

Background and purpose Few studies have been concerned with the patient's perception of the outcome of limb lengthening. We describe the psychological and social functioning after at least 2 years of follow-up in patients who had had a leg length discrepancy and who had undergone an Ilizarov limb lengthening procedure