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SummaryNuRD (nucleosome remodeling and histone deacetylase) is a versatile multi-protein complex with roles in transcription regulation and the DNA damage response. Here, we show that ZMYND8 bridges NuRD to a number of putative DNA-binding zinc finger proteins. The MYND domain of ZMYND8 directly interacts with PPPLΦ motifs in the NuRD subunit GATAD2A. Both GATAD2A and GATAD2B exclusively form homodimers and define mutually exclusive NuRD subcomplexes. ZMYND8 and NuRD share a large number of genome-wide binding sites, mostly active promoters and enhancers. Depletion of ZMYND8 does not affect NuRD occupancy genome-wide and only slightly affects expression of NuRD/ZMYND8 target genes. In contrast, the MYND domain in ZMYND8 facilitates the rapid, poly(ADP-ribose)-dependent recruitment of GATAD2A/NuRD to sites of DNA damage to promote repair by homologous recombination. Thus, these results show that a specific substoichiometric interaction with a NuRD subunit paralogue provides unique functionality to distinct NuRD subcomplexes.

The human body is surrounded by a microclimate, which results from its convective release of heat. In this study, the air temperature and flow velocity of this microclimate were measured in a climate chamber at various room temperatures, using a thermal manikin simulating the heat release of the human being. Different techniques (Particle Streak Tracking, thermography, anemometry, and thermistors) were used for measurement and visualization. The manikin surface temperature was adjusted to the particular indoor climate based on simulations with a thermoregulation model (UCBerkeley Thermal Comfort Model). We found that generally, the microclimate is thinner at the lower part of the torso, but expands going up. At the head, there is a relatively thick thermal layer, which results in an ascending plume above the head. However, the microclimate shape strongly depends not only on the body segment, but also on boundary conditions: The higher the temperature difference between the surface temperature of the manikin and the air temperature, the faster the airflow in the microclimate. Finally, convective heat transfer coefficients strongly increase with falling room temperature, while radiative heat transfer coefficients decrease. The type of body segment strongly influences the convective heat transfer coefficient, while only minimally influencing the radiative heat transfer coefficient.The findings of this study generate a better understanding of the human body’s microclimate, which is important in fields such as thermal comfort, HVAC, or indoor air quality. Additionally, the measurements can be used by CFD users for the validation of their simulations.

The results of this evaluation indicate that specially trained critical care nurses can remove femoral sheaths with an acceptable margin of safety. As a result, these nurses can provide quality, cost-effective care to angioplasty patients. However, before this procedure is included as part of the RN's responsibility, written protocols are needed to identify appropriate patients, proper removal technique, and specific actions to take if complications occur. In addition, plans must be developed for initial education and ongoing competency evaluation to ensure that each nurse involved maintains an adequate knowledge base and skill level.

The group of voltage-independent K(+) channels in Arabidopsis thaliana consists of six members, five tandem-pore channels (TPK1-TPK5) and a single K(ir)-like channel (KCO3). All TPK/KCO channels are located at the vacuolar membrane except for TPK4, which was shown to be a plasma membrane channel in pollen. The vacuolar channels interact with 14-3-3 proteins (also called General Regulating Factors, GRFs), indicating regulation at the level of protein-protein interactions. Here we review current knowledge about these ion channels and their genes, and highlight open questions that need to be urgently addressed in future studies to fully appreciate the physiological functions of these ion channels.

We have analyzed the image formation and dynamic properties in laser speckle imaging (LSI) both experimentally and with Monte-Carlo simulation. We show for the case of a liquid inclusion that the spatial resolution and the signal itself are both significantly affected by scattering from the turbid environment. Multiple scattering leads to blurring of the dynamic inhomogeneity as detected by LSI. The presence of a non-fluctuating component of scattered light results in the significant increase in the measured image contrast and complicates the estimation of the relaxation time. We present a refined processing scheme that allows a correct estimation of the relaxation time from LSI data., submitted to Optics Letters

Ground-water levels in the American Bottoms region around East St. Louis, Illinois, have risen several feet since the early 1970's. Artificial dewatering of the aquifer by increased pumping is being investigated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to alleviate economic and health concerns that have resulted from elevated ground-water levels. An evaluation of the ground-water quality is necessary for selecting a feasible dewatering scheme. Analyses of water samples from 63 wells show that most constituent concentrations do not exceed State of Illinois water-quality standards. The waters are primarily of the calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate type with some calciumsulfate type water. Iron concentrations ranged from less than 3 to 82,000 micrograms per liter, manganese from 5 to 5,300 micrograms per liter, and dissolved solids from 140 to 3,000 milligrams per liter. These three constituent concentrations exceeded Illinois' public water-supply, effluent, and general water-quality standards in 79, 92, and 67 percent of the samples, respectively. Concentrations of nitrite + nitrate nitrogen, fluoride, mercury, zinc, lead, and sulfate also exceeded Illinois water-quality standards in a few samples from individual wells. With the exception of one sample containing 0.01 micrograms per liter of Dieldrin, concentrations of organic pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polychlorinated naphthalenes were below analytical detection limits in the 15 samples analyzed for these constituents. Water-quality samples were collected during two different hydrologic conditions to see if constituent concentrations changed with changes in ground-water levels. Chemical constituent concentrations did not change significantly with changes in water levels.

The nucleotide sequence of the "high-affinity" L-arabinose transport operon has been determined 3' from the regulatory region and found to contain three open reading frames designated araF, araG and araH. The first gene 3' to the regulatory region, araF, encodes the 23-residue signal peptide and the 306-residue mature form of the L-arabinose binding protein (33,200 Mr). The binding protein, which has been described elsewhere, is hydrophilic, soluble and found in the periplasm of Escherichia coli. This gene is followed by an intragenic space of 72 nucleotides, which contains a region of dyad symmetry 23 nucleotides long capable of forming an 11-member stem-loop. The second gene, designated araG, contains an open reading frame capable of encoding an equally hydrophilic protein containing 504 residues (55,000 Mr). Following a 14-nucleotide spacer, which does not appear to have any secondary structure, the third open reading frame, herein designated araH, is capable of encoding a hydrophobic protein containing 329 residues (34,000 Mr) that can only be envisioned as having an integral membrane location. 3' to araH there is a T-rich region containing a 24-nucleotide area of dyad symmetry centered 55 nucleotides from the termination codon. Analysis of the derived primary sequences of the araG and araH products indicates the nature and potential features of these components. The araG protein was found to possess internal homology between its amino and carboxyl-terminal halves, suggesting a common origin. The araG gene product has been shown to be homologous to the rbsA gene product, the hisP product, the ptsB product and the malK product, all of which presumably play similar roles in their respective transport systems. Putative ATP binding sites are observed within the regions of homology. The araH gene product has been shown to be homologous to the rbsC gene product, which is the first observed homology between two purported membrane proteins.