bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Participatory function allocation in manufacturing
Authors: Kleiner Brian M. , Shewchuk John P. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractMuch of the allocation of functions in manufacturing environments has been technologically driven, leaving leftover tasks for humans to perform and failing to consider sociotechnical characteristics. An exploratory experiment is reported that sought a greater empirical understanding of participation in function allocation. The experiment involved student‐based design teams charged with allocating functions for a real‐life inspection task. Specific techniques such as the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and the “think aloud” problem‐solving technique were seen as useful to augment function allocation methodologies. Results suggest that design teams may be more effective than individuals for the task of function allocation in manufacturing. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Status of RNAs, localized in Xenopus laevis oocytes, in the frogs Rana pipiens and Eleutherodactylus coqui
Authors: Nath Kimberly , Boorech Jamie L. , Beckham Yvonne M. , Burns Mary M. , Elinson Richard P. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractEarly development in the frog model, Xenopus laevis, is governed by RNAs, localized to the vegetal cortex of the oocyte. These RNAs include Xdazl RNA, which is involved in primordial germ cell formation, and VegT RNA, which specifies the mesoderm and endoderm. In order to determine whether orthologues of these RNAs are localized and have similar functions in other frogs, we cloned RpDazl and RpVegT from Rana pipiens, a frog that is phylogenetically distant from X. laevis. RNAs from both genes are localized to the vegetal cortex of the R. pipiens oocyte, indicating that the vegetal localization is likely the basal state. The animal location of EcVegT RNA in Eleutherodactylus coqui that we found previously (Beckham et al., 2003) is then a derived state, probably due to the great increase in egg size required for direct development of this species. To answer the question of function, we injected RpVegT or EcVegT RNAs into X. laevis embryos, and assayed animal caps for gene expression. Both of these RNAs induced the expression of endodermal, mesodermal, and organizer genes, showing that the function of RpVegT and EcVegT as meso‐endodermal determinants is conserved in frogs. The RNA localizations and the function of VegT orthologues in germ layer specification may be synapomorphies for anuran amphibians. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 304B:000–000, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
5‐HT1A receptors modulate small‐conductance Ca2+‐activated K+ channels
Authors: Grunnet Morten , Jespersen Thomas , Perrier Jean‐François 
Published: November 2004

AbstractSmall‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium channels (SK) are responsible for the medium afterhyperpolarisation (mAHP) following action potentials in neurons. Here we tested the ability of serotonin (5‐HT) to modulate the activity of SK channels by coexpressing 5‐HT1A receptors with different subtypes of SK channels (SK1, SK2, and SK3) in Xenopus laevis oocytes. SK channels were activated by intracellular injection of Cd2+. Subsequent activation of 5‐HT1A receptors by 8‐OH‐DPAT always produced an inhibition of the SK current, showing the existence of a specific pathway between the receptor and the ion channel. To investigate the physiological relevance of this pathway, we characterized the mAHP present after action potentials in spinal motoneurons recorded in a slice preparation from the lumbar spinal cord of the adult turtle. By performing current and voltage clamp recordings, we showed that 8‐OH‐DPAT specifically inhibited the fraction of the AHP mediated by SK channels. We conclude that the activity of SK channels is modulated by activation of serotonergic receptors. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Thermal effects of building geometry and spacing on the urban canopy layer microclimate in a hot‐humid climate in summer
Authors: Shashua‐Bar Limor , Tzamir Yigal , Hoffman Milo E. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractA quantitative analysis is presented for evaluating the diurnal thermal impact of proposed building arrangements on the urban canopy layer (UCL) air temperature, in summer in a hot‐humid region. Building configuration along an urban street is quantitatively specified in this study by the building dimensions, by the spacing of the units and by the width of the street. The generic model described here is representative of the actual form of residential buildings found mostly along urban streets in Israel's cities. Sixty different building configurations were studied. The diurnal air temperature pattern in summer was calculated for each configuration using the analytical Green CTTC model, and compared with that of a nearby representative meteorological station at an open site. The results indicate significant thermal effects in the UCL due to the building form. The extent of the maximum impact is about 6.8 K at 1500h, namely ranging from 4.7 K above the value measured at the reference meteorological station (for shallow open spaces with wide spacing), to 2.1 K below this (for deep open spaces with narrow spacing). The statistical analysis of the results indicates the feasibility of assessing the expected maximum thermal effect of building designs of the generic form studied here, through a general linear relationship. This, thereby, provides a useful tool in judging the expected climatic impact of a proposed building design. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society
Cycles and trends in the Czech temperature series using wavelet transforms
Authors: Pišoft Petr , Kalvová Jaroslava , Brázdil Rudolf 
Published: November 2004

AbstractTemperature variability in the Czech Republic is analysed by means of wavelet transforms. This advanced time–frequency analysis provides information about the nature and time–frequency localization of present oscillations. The data set comprises four mean monthly temperature series from Prague‐Klementinum, Brno, Mt Milešovka and the gridded temperature series for the Czech Republic. The results of their wavelet transforms are presented as (a) trend analysis (computed by the inverse wavelet transform) and (b) periodicities and oscillations (distinguishable from the series wavelet power spectra and global wavelet spectra). The results show considerable similarity among individual series. Examples are the parts of the wavelet power spectra in the time period between 1930 and 2001 expressed in all series studied, the pronounced oscillations of about 8 and 12–14 years in all series, and the noticeable increase of temperatures in all cases. As a supplement to this study, wavelet transforms were performed on the variance‐adjusted version of combined land and marine temperature anomalies for the Northern Hemisphere from the Hadley Centre. Only some results of this analysis are mentioned and discussed. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society
Timing of MAP kinase inactivation effects on emission of polar body in porcine oocytes activated by Ca2+ ionophore
Authors: Ito Junya , Shimada Masayuki 
Published: November 2004

AbstractArtificial activation is required for successful intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to induce haploidy pronuclear formation with extraction of second polar body. The present study showed that an additional treatment with Phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) followed by Ca2+ ionophore treatment improved the rate of pronuclear formation, however, these oocytes had more than two pronuclei because of the suppression of polar body emission. The cultivation with MEK inhibitor U0126 followed by Ca2+ ionophore also increased the rate of pronuclear formation but suppressed the emission of second polar body. These results suggested that the decrease of MAP kinase activity at early stage of artificial activation, concomitantly with decreasing p34cdc2 kinase activity, prevented the second polar body extraction. We investigated that the timing of MAP kinase inactivation affected the extraction of the polar body and pronuclear formation rate. The addition of PMA 8 hr after Ca2+ ionophore treatment induced the delay of MAP kinase inactivation, which resulted in haploidy pronuclear formation with emission of polar body. These results demonstrated for the first time that the delay of MAP kinase inactivation induced by PMA improved pronuclear formation with the extraction of second polar body in porcine oocytes activated by Ca2+ ionophore. This method can be available for successfully ICSI in low response species of oocyte activation to Ca2+ ionophore including pig. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 70: 64–69, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Germinal vesicle breakdown is not fully dependent on MAPK activation in maturing oocytes of marine nemertean worms
Authors: Smythe T.L. , Stricker S.A. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractPreviously, it has been shown that oocytes of marine nemertean worms resume meiosis and undergo germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) following treatment with either natural seawater (NSW), or the neurohormone serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine or 5‐HT). In this investigation of the nemerteans Cerebratulus lacteus and Cerebratulus sp., immunoblots and kinase assays were used to compare the roles of two regulatory kinases: mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Cdc2/cyclin B (referred to as maturation promoting factor or MPF). Based on such analyses, an ERK (extracellular signal regulated kinase) type of MAPK was found to be activated concurrently with Cdc2/cyclin B during NSW‐ and 5‐HT‐induced maturation. MAPK activation occurred prior to GVBD and seemed to be controlled primarily by phosphorylation rather than de novo protein synthesis. Inhibition of MAPK signaling by U0126 was capable of delaying but not permanently blocking Cdc2/cyclin B activation and GVBD in 5‐HT treated oocytes and subsets of NSW‐treated oocytes. Collectively such data indicated that GVBD is not fully dependent on MAPK activation, since Cdc2/cyclin B can apparently be activated by MAPK‐independent mechanism(s) in maturing nemertean oocytes. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 70: 91–102, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Electric‐field‐induced chain orientation in poly(L‐lactic acid)
Authors: Sugita Atsushi , Tasaka Shigeru 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe orientational order was studied for melt‐state poly(L‐lactic acid) under an external direct‐current electric field. A birefringence as high as 1.1 × 10−2 was recorded against an external field of 1.0 MV/m at 190 °C. The evidence proved that a field–dipole interaction transferred from a randomly coiled conformation to a uniaxially drawn conformation. The field‐induced birefringence was temporally resolved, and the chain orientation and relaxation processes on the order of 100 s were observed in a real timescale after the field was turned on and off. A mechanism of chain orientation was examined with respect to the orientation polarization and viscoelasticity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4433–4439, 2004
Determination of ordering effects on GaInP pressure coefficients
Authors: Prins A. D. , Sly J. L. , Dunstan D. J. , Nagata A. , Haslam C. , Kobayashi T. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractWe report the determination of pressure coefficients for ordered and disordered GaInP samples measured in the same diamond anvil cell experiment at 10 K. Results are compared to measurements using substrate calibration and data available in the literature. Using previous theoretical calculations and experimental work we propose a linear model based on the band‐gap reduction with ordering to calculate pressure coefficients. To date this is the only available method to quantifying this change. All layers measured were grown nominally lattice matched to GaAs. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effect of glucocorticoids and their complexes with apolipoprotein A‐I on the secondary structure of eukaryotic DNA
Authors: Panin L. E. , Kunitsyn V. G. , Tusikov F. V. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThe tetrahydrocortisol–apolipoprotein A‐I complex specifically interacts with eukaryotic DNA isolated from rat liver. This interaction is highly cooperative and of a saturating nature. One DNA molecule binds about 54 molecules of the complex. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering has shown that hydrogen bonds between nitrous bases are destroyed and that single‐stranded structures are formed at the interaction of the tetrahydrocortisol–apolipoprotein A‐I complex with eukaryotic DNA. The most probable site of binding the tetrahydrocortisol–apolipoprotein A‐I complex with DNA is the sequence of the CC(GCC)n type entering the structure of many genes, among them the structure of the human apolipoprotein A‐I gene. Oligonucleotide of this type has been synthesized. The association constant (Kass) of its complexation was shown to be 1.66 · 106 M−1. Substitution of tetrahydrocortisol for cortisol in the complex results in a considerable decrease of Kass. IR‐spectroscopy study has shown that the interaction of tetrahydrocortisol with oligonucleotide CC(GCC)3–5 is accompanied by the formation of hydrogen bonds via the CO‐NH, PO2, and OH groups of desoxycytidinephosphate. The tetrahydrocortisol–apolipoprotein A‐I complex alters the DNA secondary structure formed at the interaction with the hormone, causing the structural transition “order → tangle.” It is assumed that in the GC‐pairs of the given DNA sequence, tetrahydrocortisol initiates the rupture of hydrogen bonds, while the hydrophobic interactions between nitrous bases and apoA‐I intensify this process. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
DFT study of some aliphatic amines using generalized philicity concept
Authors: Chattaraj P. K. , Sarkar U. , Parthasarathi R. , Subramanian V. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractAn attempt has been made to test the usefulness of the generalized philicity concept of Chattaraj et al. through gas‐ and solution‐phase density functional theory calculations on some aliphatic amines. Local philicity provides important clues about the reactivity and selectivity, and it contains almost all the known global and local chemical reactivity parameters. Local philicity provides the Fukui function, but the converse is not true. We have also studied the effect of solvent (water) on reactivity. The philicities are in general less in solvent than in the gas phase, but the total energy and dipole moment are higher in the solvent medium. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
Inquiry‐based science in the middle grades: Assessment of learning in urban systemic reform
Authors: Marx Ronald W. , Blumenfeld Phyllis C. , Krajcik Joseph S. , Fishman Barry , Soloway Elliot , Geier Robert , Tal Revital Tali 
Published: November 2004

AbstractScience education standards established by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Research Council (NRC) urge less emphasis on memorizing scientific facts and more emphasis on students investigating the everyday world and developing deep understanding from their inquiries. These approaches to instruction challenge teachers and students, particularly urban students who often have additional challenges related to poverty. We report data on student learning spanning 3 years from a science education reform collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools. Data were collected from nearly 8,000 students who participated in inquiry‐based and technology‐infused curriculum units that were collaboratively developed by district personnel and staff from the University of Michigan as part of a larger, district‐wide systemic reform effort in science education. The results show statistically significant increases on curriculum‐based test scores for each year of participation. Moreover, the strength of the effects grew over the years, as evidenced by increasing effect size estimates across the years. The findings indicate that students who historically are low achievers in science can succeed in standards‐based, inquiry science when curriculum is carefully developed and aligned with professional development and district policies. Additional longitudinal research on the development of student understanding over multiple inquiry projects, the progress of teacher enactment over time, and the effect of changes in the policy and administrative environment would further contribute to the intellectual and practical tools necessary to implement meaningful standards‐based systemic reform in science. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 1063–1080, 2004
Motivations for Adopting the ISO 14001 Standard: A Study of Spanish Industrial Companies
Authors: del Brío Jesús Ángel , Fernández Esteban , Junquera Beatriz , Vázquez Camilo José 
Published: November 2004

AbstractThis article analyzes what motivates companies to obtain ISO 14001 certification and what factors within companies determine the success or failure of the environmental management standard. The most important motivators appear to be the worldwide recognition accorded the ISO 14000 norm, and its applicability to all sectors. The factors that most contribute to success are the company's experience in management systems and involvement by management. Failure most often results from lack of employee training and organizational rigidity. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Air Pollution from Secondary Aluminum Production: Determining the Applicability of MACT Requirements
Authors: Cora Mario G. , Hung Yung‐Tse 
Published: November 2004

AbstractEPA's Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule for secondary aluminum production is intended to substantially reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. It may also impose significant costs on affected facilities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Clinical and demographic characteristics of psychiatric patients seropositive for Borrelia burgdorferi
Authors: Hájek T. , Libiger J. , Janovská D. , Hájek P. , Alda M. , Höschl C. 
Published: November 2004

AbstractPurpose.Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) infection can affect the central nervous system and possibly lead to psychiatric disorders. We compared clinical and demographic variables in Bb seropositive and seronegative psychiatric patients and healthy controls.Method.Nine hundred and twenty-six consecutive psychiatric patients were screened for antibodies to Bb and compared with 884 simultaneously recruited healthy subjects.Results.Contrary to healthy controls, seropositive psychiatric patients were significantly younger than seronegative ones. None of the studied psychiatric diagnostic categories exhibited stronger association with seropositivity. There were no differences between seropositive and seronegative psychiatric patients in hospitalization length, proportion of previously hospitalized patients and proportion of subjects with family history of psychiatric disorders.Conclusion.These findings elaborate on potential association between Bb infection and psychiatric morbidity, but fail to identify any specific clinical ‘signature’ of Bb infection.
Melatonin desensitizes endogenous MT2 melatonin receptors in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus: relevance for defining the periods of sensitivity of the mammalian circadian clock to melatonin
Authors: Gerdin Matthew J. , Masana Monica I. , Rivera-Bermúdez MoiséS A. , Hudson Randall L. , Earnest David J. , Gillette Martha U. , Dubocovich Margarita L. 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTThe hormone melatonin phase shifts circadian rhythms generated by the mammalian biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, through activation of G protein‐coupled MT2 melatonin receptors. This study demonstrated that pretreatment with physiological concentrations of melatonin (30–300 pM or 7–70 pg/mL) decreased the number of hMT2 melatonin receptors heterologously expressed in mammalian cells in a time and concentration‐dependent manner. Furthermore, hMT2‐GFP melatonin receptors heterologously expressed in immortalized SCN2.2 cells or in non‐neuronal mammalian cells were internalized upon pretreatment with both physiological (300 pM or 70 pg/mL) and supraphysiological (10 nM or 2.3 ng/mL) concentrations of melatonin. The decrease in MT2 melatonin receptor number induced by melatonin (300 pM for 1 h) was reversible and reached almost full recovery after 8 h; however, after treatment with 10 nM melatonin full recovery was not attained even after 24 h. This recovery process was partially protein synthesis dependent. Furthermore, exposure to physiological concentrations of melatonin (300 pM) for a time mimicking the nocturnal surge (8 h) desensitized functional responses mediated through melatonin activation of endogenous MT2 receptors, i.e., stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC) in immortalized SCN2.2 cells and phase shifts of circadian rhythms of neuronal firing in the rat SCN brain slice. We conclude that in vivo the nightly secretion of melatonin desensitizes endogenous MT2 melatonin receptors in the mammalian SCN thereby providing a temporally integrated profile of sensitivity of the mammalian biological clock to a melatonin signal.—Gerdin, M. J., Masana, M. I., Rivera‐Bermúdez, M. A., Hudson, R. L., Earnest, D. J., Gillette, M. Ú., Dubocovich, M. L. Melatonin desensitizes endogenous MT2 melatonin receptors in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus: relevance for defining the periods of sensitivity of the mammalian circadian clock to melatonin. FASEB J. 18, 1646–1656 (2004)
MMP‐2 null mice exhibit an early onset and severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis due to an increase in MMP‐9 expression and activity
Authors: Esparza Jordi , Kruse Meghan , Lee Janet , Michaud Michael , Madri Joseph A. 
Published: November 2004

ABSTRACTMatrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2;gelatinase A) is known to degrade a broad range of extracellular matrix components and chemokines, and has important roles in the processes of cell migration, invasion, and involution during development, as well as during tumor growth and metastasis and in inflammation and repair. To better elucidate the roles of this matrix metalloproteinase in the development and progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, we used MMP‐2‐deficient (KO) mice. Surprisingly, we found that MMP‐2 KO mice exhibited an earlier onset and more severe disease than did their wild‐type (WT) counterparts. WT mice engrafted with MMP‐2 KO bone marrow exhibited a similar earlier onset and more severe clinical disease score than WT mice engrafted with WT bone marrow. Lymphocytes derived from MMP‐2 KO mice exhibited increased transmigration through endothelial cell monolayers as well as through collagen type IV and laminin‐coated BD BIOCOAT inserts®, which correlated with a 3‐fold increase in expression of MMP‐9 and was abrogated by inhibition of MMP activity. We demonstrated a correlation between expression levels of MMP‐9 and MT1‐MMP expression and suggest a signaling pathway involving tethering of MMP‐2 to MT1‐MMP as a modulator of MMP‐9 expression. Last, we discuss other possible MMP‐2‐mediated mechanisms which may contribute to the observed phenotype.—Esparza, J., Kruse, M., Lee, J., Michaud, M., Madri, J. A. MMP‐2 null mice exhibit an early onset and severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis due to an increase in MMP‐9 expression and activity. FASEB J. 18, 1682–1691 (2004)