cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis: where does this lead?

Recent advances in the understanding of the molecular processes contributing to autophagy have provided insight into the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis. In contrast to the concept of “autophagic cell death,” accumulating evidence suggests that autophagy serves a largely cytoprotective role in physiologically relevant conditions. The cytoprotective function of autophagy is mediated in many circumstances by negative modulation of apoptosis. Apoptotic signaling, in turn, serves to inhibit autophagy. While the mechanisms mediating the complex counter-regulation of apoptosis and autophagy are not yet fully understood, important points of crosstalk include the interactions between Beclin-1 and Bcl-2/Bcl-xL and between FADD and Atg5, caspase- and calpain-mediated cleavage of autophagy-related proteins, and autophagic degradation of caspases. Continued investigation of these and other means of crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms controlling the balance between survival and death both under normal conditions and in diseases including cancer.
Repair of the damaged heart

The human heart contains a subpopulation of replicating myocytes that is enhanced in pathologic states characterized by acute and chronic cardiac failure. In accordance with our hypothesis that these dividing cells represent amplifying myocytes originated from a pool of undifferentiated cells, effort was made to establish the conditions for the isolation and expansion of potential progenitor cells from small samples of human myocardium. Here we report the identification of a c-kit-positive cardiac stem cell that is self-renewing, clonogenic, and multipotent. This primitive cell has the morphologic properties and expresses some of the surface antigens commonly found in mesenchymal stem cells. Additionally, when locally injected in the infarcted myocardium of immunodeficient rats and mice, cardiac stem cells regenerate myocytes and coronary vessels.
Effects of ornithine decarboxylase inhibition on c‐myc expression during murine erythroleukemia cell proliferation and differentiation

The polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine have been implicated in the regulation of cellular proliferation and differentiation. We have previously demonstrated that spermidine is required for proliferation of murine Friend erythroleukemia (MEL) cells. We have also shown that spermidine is required at a transcriptional level for induction of MEL globin synthesis. Since studies monitoring c-myc expression have suggested that this gene also plays a role in both growth and differentiation, we have monitored the effects of inhibiting ornithine decarboxylase (ODCase) activity and polyamine synthesis on levels of c-myc transcripts. The results demonstrate that the level of c-myc RNA is independent of ODCase inhibition and depletion of intracellular spermidine. More importantly, arrest of MEL proliferation is not associated with detectable changes in c-myc expression, while under these conditions there is a decline in ODCase transcripts. During induction of MEL differentiation with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA), c-myc and ODCase undergo similar changes in patterns of expression. However, although spermidine is required for appearance of the differentiated MEL phenotype, depletion of this polyamine by ODCase inhibition had no detectable effect on the biphasic changes in c-myc RNA observed during MEL differentiation. Thus, these biphasic changes in c-myc expression are not sufficient for induction of the mature phenotype. Finally, these results would indicate that the regulation of c-myc expression during both proliferation and differentiation is independent of ODCase activity and inhibition of proliferation by spermidine depletion.
The apgar score and its components in the preterm infant.

Objective. The Apgar score is well-characterized in full-term infants but not in premature infants. The objective of this study was to assess the Apgar score in preterm infants with respect to the relationships between the 1- and 5-minute scores, the correlation of the Apgar score with pH and with other variables, and the relationship among the individual Apgar components. Methodology. We recorded Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes in a population-based cohort of preterm infants (n = 1105) with birth weight Results. The 1-minute Apgar score median (25%, 75%) was 6(4,8) and correlated with the 5-minute score of 8(7,9) atr = .78. Slight but significant differences were seen between male (n = 557) and female (n = 508) infants in the 1-minute (6[4,8] and 7[4,8]) Apgar scores. One- and 5-minute scores of white infants (7[4,8] and 8[7,9]; n = 713) were significantly higher than those of black infants (5[3,7] and 8[6,9]; n = 280). Birth weight and gestational age were both linearly related to both Apgar scores. Low Apgar score ( Conclusions. Among the components of the Apgar score, respiratory effort, muscle tone, and reflex activity correlated well with one another; heart rate correlated less well; and color the least. Our data confirms the limited use of the Apgar score in preterm infants and demonstrates the different responses of the Apgar score9s components.
Torsional rigidity of positively and negatively supercoiled DNA

Time-correlated single-photon counting of intercalated ethidium bromide was used to measure the torsion constants of positively supercoiled, relaxed, and negatively supercoiled pBR322 DNA, which range in superhelix density from +0.042 to -0.123. DNA behaves as coupled, nonlinear torsional pendulums under superhelical stress, and the anharmonic term in the Hamiltonian is approximately 15 percent for root-mean-square fluctuations in twist at room temperature. At the level of secondary structure, positively supercoiled DNA is significantly more flexible than negatively supercoiled DNA. These results exclude certain models that account for differential binding affinity of proteins to positively and negatively supercoiled DNA.
Redshifted Absorption at He I λ10830 as a Probe of the Accretion Geometry of T Tauri Stars

We probe the geometry of magnetospheric accretion in classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) by modeling red absorption at He I λ10830 via scattering of the stellar and veiling continua. Under the assumptions that the accretion flow is an azimuthally symmetric dipole and helium is sufficiently optically thick that all incident 1 μm radiation is scattered, we illustrate the sensitivity of He I λ10830 red absorption to both the size of the magnetosphere and the filling factor of the hot accretion shock. We compare model profiles to those observed in 21 CTTSs with subcontinuum redshifted absorption at He I λ10830 and find that about half of the stars have red absorption and 1 μm veilings that are consistent with dipole flows of moderate width with accretion shock filling factors matching the size of the magnetospheric footpoints. However, the remaining 50% of the profiles, with a combination of broad, deep absorption and low 1 μm veiling, require very wide flows where magnetic footpoints are distributed over 10%-20% of the stellar surface but accretion shock filling factors are 0.5V_(esc) that flows near the star with less curvature than a dipole trajectory seem to be required.
Femoral artery hemostasis using an implantable device (Angio‐Seal™) after coronary angioplasty

Coronary catheter interventional procedures are associated with risk of access site complications. We report our experience with Angio-Seal™, an implantable hemostasis device, when used in the femoral artery after coronary angioplasty procedures. Sixty-eight patients were studied. Their average age was 63 years; 84% of the patients were male. All had 8 French access sheaths and received bolus heparin (mean dose 12,690 U). The arterial sheaths were removed an average of 455 min after the conclusion of the procedure, when the activated clotting time was 220 ± 94 sec (range 97–503 sec). The hemostasis device was successfully deployed in 63 patients (93%). The average time to achieve complete arterial hemostasis was 4.4 ± 8.9 min (range 0–45). Immediate, total hemostasis without requiring any form of external pressure was obtained in 37 of these patients (54%). The incidence of complications was as follows: significant bleeding occurred in 9 patients (13%); there were 2 hematomas (3%); there were no vascular or infectious complications. One device embolization occurred when the connecting suture broke and the intravascular anchor was lost; no clinical sequelae resulted, and manual hemostasis was successful. In four other patients, the device did not deploy and was removed entirely, followed by uneventful manual hemostasis. Follow-up for 2 months revealed no late sequelae in any patient, and complete absorption of the device was documented by ultrasound study in all cases. We conclude that this implantable device can achieve arterial hemostasis quickly and safely when used in anticoagulated patients after coronary interventional procedures. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Auditory Assembly of Segmented Sentences by Children

Imitative performance on an assembly task consisting of six sentences, four to nine words in length, in which words in the sentences were separated by one of four conditions of pause-time (silent i...
The epistemic efficacy of stupidity

I show that it follows from both externalist and internalist theories that stupid people may be in a better position to know than smart ones. This untoward consequence results from taking our epistemic goal to be accepting as many truths as possible and rejecting as many falsehoods as possible, combined with a recognition that the standard for acceptability cannot be set too high, else scepticism will prevail. After showing how causal, reliabilist, and coherentist theories devalue intelligence, I suggest that knowledge, as contemporary theories construe it, is not a particularly valuable cognitive achievement, and that we would do well to reopen epistemology to the study of cognitive excellences of all sorts.
Simplified Modeling of a Multipole Amplifier Using All-Pass Network Functions

This paper presents a system model for the representation of amplifiers that cannot be accurately characterized by a classical two pole transfer function. The effects of higher order poles are modeled by an all-pass function added to the conventional two pole model. The accuracy of the model is demonstrated by comparing the results for a typical CMOS amplifier to those obtained from device level simulations using SPICE. This model can be easily implemented in a standard simulator and is shown to achieve fast simulation time. This model is expected to have application in system level modelling of mixed-signal circuits using conventional SPICE simulators.
Accuracy of endorectal ultrasonography in preoperative staging of rectal tumors

PURPOSE: Preoperative staging of rectal tumors is considered essential to tailor treatment for individual patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of endorectal ultrasonography in preoperative staging of rectal tumors. METHODS: Eleven hundred eighty-four patients with rectal adenocarcinoma or villous adenoma underwent endorectal ultrasonography evaluation at a single institution during a ten-year period. We compared the endorectal ultrasonography staging with the pathology findings based on the surgical specimens in 545 patients who had surgery (307 by transanal excision, 238 by radical proctectomy) without adjuvant preoperative chemoradiation. Comparisons between groups were performed using chi-squared tests and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall accuracy in assessing the level of rectal wall invasion was 69 percent, with 18 percent of the tumors overstaged and 13 percent understaged. Accuracy depended on the tumor stage and on the ultrasonographer. Overall accuracy in assessing nodal involvement in the 238 patients treated with radical surgery was 64 percent, with 25 percent overstaged and 11 percent understaged. CONCLUSION: The accuracy of endorectal ultrasonography in assessing the depth of tumor invasion, particularly for early cancers, is lower than previously reported. The technique is more precise in distinguishing between benign tumors and invasive cancers and between tumors localized to the rectal wall and tumors with transmural invasion. Differences in image interpretation may in part explain discrepancies in accuracy between studies.
Distribution of Lectin Binding Sites in Xenopus laevis Egg Jelly

Eggs from the anuran Xenopus laevis are surrounded by a thick jelly coat that is required during fertilization. The jelly coat contains three morphologically distinct layers, designated J1, J2, and J3. We examined the lectin binding properties of the individual jelly coat layers as a step in identifying jelly glycoproteins that may be essential in fertilization. The reactivity of 31 lectins with isolated jelly coat layers was examined with enzyme-linked lectin-assays (ELLAs). Using ELLA we found that most of the lectins tested showed some reactivity to all three jelly layers; however, two lectins showed jelly layer selectivity. The lectin Maackia amurensis (MAA) reacted only with J1 and J2, while the lectin Trichosanthes kirilowii (TKA) reacted only with J2 and J3. Some lectins were localized in the jelly coat using confocal microscopy, which revealed substantial heterogeneity in lectin binding site distribution among and within jelly coat layers. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) bound only to the outermost region of J3 and produced a thin, but very intense, band of fluorescence at the J1/J2 interface while the remainder of J2 stained lightly. The lectin MAA produced an intense fluorescence-staining pattern only at the J1/J2 interface. Several lectins were also tested for the ability to inhibit fertilization. WGA, MAA, and concanavalin A significantly inhibited fertilization and WGA was found to block fertilization by preventing sperm from penetrating the jelly. Using Western blotting, we identified high-molecular-weight components in J1 and J2 that may be important in fertilization.
Effect of acute blood loss on hepatic xenobiotic oxidizing enzymes in the rat

Abstract It was found that the loss of up to one-half of the blood volume of male Sprague-Dawley rats did not result in significant alteration of either cytochrome P-450 content or activity as measured by a reductive assay. The activity of FAD-monooxygenase was similarly found to be unaffected by acute blood loss.
Experimental treatment of habitual smoking

Abstract Habitual cigarette smoking in 42 Ss was used as a model of problem behaviour to which 3 different therapies were applied by therapists. Two of the therapies were based on techniques associated with “behaviour therapy” while a third consisted of supportive counselling. The experiment was designed to test the effects of different therapists as well as different therapies. Amount of change in smoking behaviour was significantly related to therapists but unrelated to the particular therapy administered. Ss were significantly effective predictors of their own level of success. Relatively successful Ss tended to evaluate the therapists to whom they were assigned more negatively than did unsuccessful Ss.
Calculation of Seismic Source Mechanisms

A method has been developed which allows computation, in the inelastic region and near the inelastic-elastic boundary, of the Earth motions resulting from an underground nuclear detonation. It utilizes a one-dimensional digital computer code in which the conservation equations are transformed to difference equations in Lagrangian form. Changes of state from gas to liquid to solid are handled by switching to different equations of state as the internal energy drops below the enthalpy of vaporization and fusion, respectively. Within the solid region, inelastic processes such as plastic yielding, crushing, or cracking are handled by changing the stress deviator equations. Throughout the calculation, the time and space dependence of the shock wave parameters as well as the rate of energy deposition and material behaviour behind the shock front is tied to experimentally determined properties of materials including among others the Hugoniot equations of state. Experimental confirmation of this method is most convincing in the region above 10 kbar, where peak radial stresses measured on detonations in granite, dolomite, and salt agree, within 20 %, with predicted values, and those for detonations in tuff and alluvium agree within 30 %. Measured shock position curves from explosions in granite, tuff, and alluvium are in excellent agreement with calculations. In the lower stress region the calculation is more difficult and not quite as successful. However, we now have substantial agreement between calculated and experimental stress history data from detonations in granite, alluvium, tuff, dolomite, and salt. We also have computed the reduced displacement potential both from calculated and measured displacements at 300 m from the Salmon explosion and find agreement to within 25 % in peak values-about the same as the amount of disagreement that exists between different measurements. This result is encouraging since it opens the possibility of calculating seismic amplitudes from essentially first principles. A two-dimensional computer code with capabilities similar to the one-dimensional one mentioned above also has been devised and is about to become operational. When it does, it will be able to handle two-dimensional sources as well as surface wave propagation problems.
Stages and Thresholds of Hemodynamic Failure

To the Editor: Derdeyn et al1 revisited their prospective study2 on oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) by positron-emission tomography to predict stroke in patients with unilateral carotid occlusion. In it, they report for the first time that high OEF predicted increased stroke risk but only when combined with high cerebral blood volume (CBV). High OEF with normal CBV did not predict increased risk for stroke. This observation is germane to the utility of cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) for the prediction of stroke risk. But first, we will comment on the stages of hemodynamic failure and the thresholds they chose to use in the prediction of stroke by OEF. For the stages of hemodynamic failure, Derdeyn et al1 chose to depict only stages I and II without stage III. Yet, it is well recognized that there is a stage III, as depicted by Powers3 in his classic article on the relationship of the changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2), OEF, and CBV …
The perioperative management of patients maintained on medications used to manage opioid addiction.

Purpose of reviewThe substantial increase in prescription and illicit opioid abuse observed over the last 2 decades has significantly increased the number of patients in recovery from addiction and now maintained on opioid replacement or agonist therapy. These patients present unique challenges to p
The RTNS-II fusion materials irradiation facility☆

The Rotating Target Neutron Source (RTNS-II) facility provides an intense source of 14 MeV neutrons for the fusion energy programs of Japan and the United States. Each of the two identical accelerator-based neutron sources is capable of providing source strengths in excess of 3 × 1013n/s using deuteron beam currents up to 150 mA. At the present time, the facility operates a minimum total of twenty shifts (8 h) per week using both neutron sources. Because of funding cut-backs, future operations will be limited to one neutron source. The possibility exists to increase neutron output by combining the high voltage power supplies, thereby increasing the current capability of the operating neutron source. This would allow approximately a factor of three increase in neutron output. Using existing equipment, an ion source test stand has been constructed to improve ion source output. Conceptual design studies have been made concerning a factor of ten increase in neutron output. Detailed studies of needed target improvements have been made and will be discussed. The present status of the facility, as well as the various upgrade options, will be described in detail.
Comparison of real-time coherent contrast imaging to dipyridamole thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography for assessment of myocardial perfusion and left ventricular wall motion

Real-time coherent contrast imaging (CCI) echocardiography has the ability to evaluate wall motion and myocardial perfusion simultaneously, but its clinical applicability in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) remains to be determined. This study examines the level of agreement between real-time CCI echocardiography and thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) following stress vasodilation. Forty-two patients with known or suspected CAD underwent real-time CCI using octafluoropropane-filled microspheres infusion before and after dipyridamole and thallium-201 injections. The apical 4- and 2-chamber views were each divided into 6 segments to assess wall motion and perfusion. Real-time CCI and SPECT were interpreted independently. Thirty-eight patients successfully completed tests, and 4 had suboptimal contrast images. Each vascular territory was classified as normal or abnormal by CCI perfusion, wall motion, and SPECT at baseline and at stress. Of the 114 territories (3 in each of the 38 patients), 3 (3.5%) were not analyzed; however, all territories corresponding to the left anterior descending artery were suitable for analysis. Concordance between CCI echocardiography and thallium-201 SPECT perfusion for left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary artery territories were 91%, 86%, and 69%, respectively; between CCI perfusion and wall motion, the correlations were 93%, 93%, and 91%, respectively. When CCI perfusion and wall motion analysis were combined, their concordance to thallium-201 SPECT uptake improved to 94%, 89%, and 79%, respectively. In conclusion, real-time CCI echocardiography agrees very closely with thallium-201 SPECT in assessing myocardial perfusion following vasodilatory stress. Assessment of myocardial perfusion, in addition to segmental wall motion analysis, during stress echocardiography may be a significant contribution to the noninvasive evaluation of patients with ischemic heart disease.
On a class of nonlinear distributed systems with linear finite dimensional feedback controls

In this paper, we show that for a class of nonlinear distributed systems in the form of a nonlinear evolution equation in a real Hilbert space, it is possible to introduce linear feedback controls involving a finite number of modes such that the asymptotic behavior as t → ∞ of all bounded solutions is completely determined by that of the corresponding finite number of modes. An example involving the Navier-Stokes equations is provided.
Intrathecal low-dose bupivacaine versus lidocaine for in vitro fertilization procedures

Background and Objectives Recent controversy with the use of intrathecal lidocaine has prompted the search for suitable ambulatory surgery alternatives. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the clinical utility of intrathecal low-dose bupivacaine for outpatient transvaginal oocyte retrieval. Methods Forty women enrolled and completed our prospective, randomized, double-blinded study of intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine 3.75 mg (0.5 mL of 0.75%) with fentanyl 25 μg versus hyperbaric lidocaine 30 mg (2.0 mL of 1.5%) with fentanyl 25 μg. Onset and level of sensory and motor block; time to ambulation, urination, and discharge; and intra- and postoperative complications (hypotension, pruritus, nausea, emesis, postdural puncture headache, post spinal pain syndrome [PSPS]) were recorded. Data were evaluated using analysis of variance, chi-squared, and Mann-Whitney U tests, with P Results In demographically similar groups, no differences were noted in times to onset and recovery of sensory and motor function, or complications; however, times to voiding and discharge were significantly longer in the bupivacaine group. Four and 2 patients in the bupivacaine and lidocaine groups, respectively, required intravenous analgesic supplementation. One patient in the lidocaine group experienced PSPS. Conclusions Although prolongation to voiding and discharge was observed, intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine 3.75 mg with fentanyl 25 μg is a viable anesthetic for oocyte retrieval.
Cellular immunity delimits adenoviral gene therapy strategies for the treatment of neoplastic diseases

Background: Adenoviral gene therapy is a promising new approach for the treatment of neoplastic diseases. To design rational clinical trials and distinguish the effects of therapeutic transgene expression from those caused by viral infection alone, the immune response to the vector must be understood. In these experiments, we further define cellular immunity to recombinant adenovirus.
Liver lesions in winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) from Jamaica Bay, New York: indications of environmental degradation

Liver sections of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) collected from Jamaica Bay and Shinnecock Bay, New York, in 1989, were examined microscopically to determine the pervasiveness of liver lesions observed previously in Jamaica Bay winter flounder. Neoplastic lesions were not detected in fish from Jamaica Bay or the Shinnecock Bay reference site. Twenty-two percent of Jamaica Bay winter flounder examined (n=103) had unusual vacuolization of hepatocytes and biliary pre-ductal and ductal cells (referred to hereafter as the vacuolated cell lesion). The lesion, identical to that found in 25% of Jamaica Bay winter flounder examined in 1988, has previously been identified in fishes taken from highly polluted regions of the Atlantic coast (e.g., Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, and Black Rock Harbor, Connecticut). Prevalence of the vacuolated cell lesion in winter flounder from Jamaica Bay was significantly greater (p<0.0001) than in 102 specimens collected from Shinnecock Bay. Current scientific literature indicates vacuolated hepatocytes and cholangiocytes are chronically injured and that the extent of their deformity is consistent with the action of a hepatotoxicant. The high prevalence of vacuolated hepatocytes in Jamaica Bay winter flounder and absence of the lesion in flounder from reference sites strongly supports the hypothesis that this impairment is a manifestation of a toxic condition in at least some portions of Jamaica Bay.
Through a Glass Less Darkly

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the phrase, "Through a Glass Darkly." The reason I'm sure it's familiar is that, after a fairly thorough computer search, I found that the phrase, along with being found in I Corinthians 13, also appears in the title of some 40 books and 20 parts of books. In addition, it is either the title or is mentioned in 7 poems, 1 film, 3 musical scores, 15 theses, 7 plays, and 1 opera. Now, given its wide use, I've chosen to modify the phrase to "Through a Glass Less Darkly" so that this discussion would not be lost in a crowd of dark glasses. I also found it interesting to see the many ways in which the phrase is interpreted and used. The first of the two most prominent meanings centered around gloomy or dire predictions, and the second, the difficulty in finding unambiguous empirical truth and the need to deal with uncertainty. It is this second interpretation of "Through a Glass Darkly"-the difficulty in finding unambiguous empirical truth and the need to deal with uncertainty-that I want to discuss with you. But to get to that discussion, I have to first deal with some gloomy or dire predictions.
Immune Response to Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Prevention of Syncytia Formation by Human Serum during in Vitro Infection

Human serum specimens containing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-specific neutralizing antibody were found to prevent the formation of syncytia when applied to HEp-2 tissue culture monolayers which had been infected with RSV 12 h previously. This was evidenced by the demonstration of RSV-infected cells without any syncytia formation in the monolayers treated with RSV antibody-positive serum. On the other hand, widespread syncytia formation was observed with antibody-negative control serum. The inhibitory effects of RSV antibody progressively declined when applied beyond 12 h after infection. Protection of the monolayer against syncytia formation occurred only in the presence of antibody and was quickly lost after the serum was removed. The titer of antisyncytial antibody correlated with the titer of neutralization antibody.
Dilution effect of dietary fiber sources: An in vivo study in the rat

Abstract The in vivo diluting ability of dietary fiber was tested by providing 90 male Sprague-Dawley rats with a fiber-free control diet, or that diet diluted by 8% dietary fiber from pectin, guar, cellulose, wheat bran or oat bran. Chromic oxide, a nonabsorbable marker, was incorporated into all diets at 0.4% by weight. In vivo samples of colonic contents from the cecum, proximal and distal colon were analyzed for chromium concentration using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Twenty-four-hour fecal collections determined which fibers contributed most to fecal weight. The less fermentable fibers (cellulose and wheat bran) produced the heaviest 24 h fecal collections (P
Dynamics of transient absorption in bulk DKDP crystals following laser energy deposition

The transient changes in the optical properties of bulk DKDP material arising from its exposure to high temperatures and pressures associated with localized laser energy deposition are investigated. Two methods for initiation of laser-induced breakdown are used, intrinsic, involving relatively large energy deposition brought about by focusing of the laser beam to high intensities, and extrinsic, arising from more localized deposition due to the presence of pre-existing absorbing damage initiating defects. Each method leads to a very different volume of material being affected, which provides for different material thermal relaxation times to help better understand the processes involved.
Gender-Roles and Women's Achievement:

Differential participation of the sexes in employment and education has become difficult to ignore. Although increasing numbers of women are working, they are still concentrated in the lower levels of the professional hierarchy and in female-dominated occupations (see Eccles & Hoffman, 1984). Although highly important, institutional barriers are not solely responsible. Psychological factors also contribute to women's underrepresentation in certain high-level and scientific careers. Some of these may limit women's accomplishments through influence on the training young women seek. Successful intervention requires a thorough knowledge of the psychological dynamics themselves. This paper explores these social and psychological processes. It is important to note that any discussion of sex differences in achieve-
Transnational Children’s Television: The Case of Nickelodeon in the South Pacific

/ This article examines children’s television in the context of the debate on media globalization by positioning Viacom-owned Nickelodeon, currently beamed into more than 400 million households, as...
Issues surrounding the cognitive neuroscience of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been studied extensively in recent years, with increased emphasis on understanding OCD’s biological substrates. There has been significant progress in documenting abnormal brain function in OCD patients, particularly in the orbitofrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Similar progress has broadened our understanding of the cognitive and behavioral manifestations of the disorder, including deficits in set shifting, hyperattention, and visuospatial construction abilities. Unfortunately, these results have not been replicated consistently. This report comprises a review of previous attempts to characterize the neurobiology and neuropsychology of OCD, and a discussion of several factors in OCD research that can help to explain previous inconsistencies.
Reducing risk of pressure sores: effects of watch prompts and alarm avoidance on wheelchair push-ups.

People who use wheelchairs are at risk for developing pressure sores. Regular pressure relief, in the form of a wheelchair push-up, is one way to reduce the likelihood of pressure sores. We examined the effects of antecedent (i.e., instructions, audible prompts) and consequent (i.e., alarm avoidance) events on wheelchair push-ups, using a multiple baseline analysis with 2 participants with spina bifida. Results suggest that the combined procedure was more effective than either antecedent or consequent events alone, and there is some evidence suggesting maintenance of effects over time.
A Slippery Slope: Economists and Social Insurance in the United States

Since the 1980s welfare state protections have been blamed for a host of economic problems. In the United States, conservatives have always disliked Social Security but could not effectively attack this popular program until the 1980s, when they devised a new tactic--warning young people that they would never get their "money's worth" from Social Security, which is on the brink of "bankruptcy." The political climate, dominated by a drive to cut back "big government," also became favorable for attempts to destabilize Social Security politically. Thus, negative images of Social Security have been forced onto the public agenda, and economists who consider themselves "liberal" have uncritically accepted this new set of political "givens." It is an example of how they address "crises" as separable issues tied to no particular social context.
Van der Waals complexes of the bichromophore spirobifluorene

Abstract Van der Waals complexes of the bichromophore spirobifluorene with argon, nitrogen, water, methanol, and acetonitrile were studied in a supersonic jet. The 1:1 complexes have two origin transitions which are shifted to the red and to the blue of the bare bichromophore origin. These spectral shifts are discussed in terms of the dispersive interactions in a three-body cluster. Larger argon clusters are identified by broad features which are caused by the spectral overlap of many origin transition. A model of vibronic coupling is suggested to explain the broadened features in some of the spectra.
Psychoticism and spiral maze performance in elderly psychiatric patients

Abstract Forty-six psychogeriatric patients were administered the short form of the EPQ-R and the Gibson Spiral Maze test of the CAPE. A positive relationship was found between Psychoticism and Maze Error score, which is discussed in relation to Eysenck's developing personality theory.
Measurement of Vascular Input Impedance in Infrainguinal Vein Grafts

The purpose of this investigation was to measure vascular input impedance in infrainguinal vein grafts and assess the importance of clinical and hemodynamic parameters in predicting graft patency. Fifty-seven patients undergoing infrainguinal vein bypass grafting for limb salvage (n = 40) or claudication (n = 17) were prospectively studied. At the time of revascularization, simultaneously acquired intraluminal pressure and blood flow waveforms were digitized at 200 Hz and subjected to Fourier transformation in near real-time. Input impedance was calculated at baseline (immediately after unclamping) and after stimulation with either papaverine or completion arteriography. Resistance (Rin) was calculated as mean pressure divided by mean blood flow (Q). Characteristic impedance (Z0) was calculated as the mean of harmonics 3-10. Intraoperative data acquisition required approximately 5 min, utilized the completion angiography cannula already in place, and was uncomplicated in all patients. Stimulation with either papaverine or arteriography resulted in increased Q (72 +/- 7 to 146 +/- 11 ml/min, p or = 50 x 10(3) dyne.s.cm-5 was 71% sensitive and 65% specific for graft failure. It is concluded that 1) vascular input impedance can be simply and reliably measured in the operating room, and 2) elevated stimulated Rin is an independent predictor of primary patency.
Plus ça Change, Plus C’est la Même Chose: The “New” Terrorism

AbstractThe immediate perception after 9/11 was that we were entering a world of “new terrorism”: new actors, new tactics, new responses. And yet more than a decade later, it seems that not much has really changed, or that the changes have been contextual rather than structural. Authors have used the modifier “new” in many different ways, creating a contested and confused understanding of what terrorism is and how it appears in the world. The same applies to how one defines terrorism, examines its domains and forms, delineates its actors and strategies, or compares it to state violence and fear in international relations. This raises the question of why scholars, rather than agreeing on a definition of terrorism, have focused on its many contexts, applications, and psychologies, concluding that there is a substantial and significant difference between the old and the new terrorism. However, when one tests this notion of the “new terrorism” against the case of Al-Qaeda, one finds that the tactical changes,...
Links between the innate immune system and sleep

Sleep is a fundamental physiologic process with unknown functions. It is divided into 2 distinct states: non-rapid-eye-movement sleep and rapid-eye-movement sleep. After acute infection with nonneurotropic agents, there are stereotypic changes in non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, particularly increased time spent in slow-wave sleep, and often a reduction of time spent in rapid-eye-movement sleep. It is now recognized that both infection-associated sleep and spontaneous sleep are regulated, in part, by immune mediators called cytokines. This review provides brief tutorials on the elements of the innate immune system that detect infection, how sleep is characterized in the laboratory, issues regarding the interpretation of sleep effects on immune function, the interaction of sleep with circadian rhythms and stress, and some of the microbial products, cytokines, and neuropeptides associated with sleep regulation. We also summarize our current understanding of the role of sleep in host defense and asthma exacerbation.
Modeling School Choice: A Comparison of Public, Private-Independent, Private-Religious And Home-Schooled Students

U.S. students now have four choices of schooling: public schooling, private–religious schooling, private–independent schooling, and home-schooling. Of these, home-schooling is the most novel: since legalization across the states in the last few decades, it has grown in importance and legitimacy as an alternative choice. Thus, it is now possible to investigate the motivation for home-schooling, relative to the other schooling options. Here, we use two recent large-scale datasets to assess the school enrollment decision: the first is the National Household Expenditure Survey (1999), and the second is micro-data on SAT test-takers in 2001. We find that, generally, families with home-schoolers have similar characteristics to those with children at other types of school, but mother’s characteristics – specifically, her employment status – have a strong influence on the decision to home-school. Plausibly, religious belief has an important influence on the schooling decision, not only for Catholic students, but also those of other faiths.
A report on the occurrence of microvillus-like structures in the caeca of certain trematodes (Paramphistomatidae)

The observations presented in this study indicate that the filose projections emerging from the apical or luminal surface of the epithelial cells lining the caeca of the trematodes Cleptodiscus kyphosi and C. reticulatus are sterocilia or microvilli. Their activity in the animal appears to be concerned with the absorption of substances from the lumen of the blindly ending caeca rather than with movement of material. Acknowledgement is made that part of this work was carried out in the Department of Zoology and Anatomy of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, and supported in part by a grant from the Nebraska Heart Association for 1959.
Hot spot susceptibility and testing of PV modules

To probe the sensitivity for localized heating of commercial amorphous silicon and crystalline modules, several intrusive and nonintrusive experiments were performed. In the intrusive experiments, each cell in several commercial amorphous silicon modules was evaluated separately and in groups for localized heating effects. Damage in amorphous silicon modules occurred under reverse-bias conditions in the dark above a 5-20 mAcm/sup -2/ cell current density at the interconnection between cells. Shading can cause a larger temperature rise than current mismatch. For the monolithic amorphous silicon modules investigated, the current mismatch between each cell was substantial, but the temperature rise was negligible because of the rather low shunt resistance. >
Variability among older adults in Internet health information-seeking performance

Understanding sources of performance variability in technology-based tasks among older adults is important to the development of design interventions. This study compared older adults (60-83 yrs) with high levels of performance on Internet health information-seeking tasks to older adults with lower levels of Internet performance on measures of: domain knowledge, cognitive abilities, Internet experience, and computer attitudes. The older adults were also compared on these factors to a sample of younger adults (20-38 yrs). In addition, we examined if factors that predicted performance varied between younger-old and older-old adults. Results indicated that the high performing older adults had higher reasoning skills and Internet knowledge than the low performers. They also had higher reasoning skills than the younger adults and the same level of Internet knowledge. Predictors of performance varied within the older age cohort such that among the younger-old adults knowledge about the Internet was the strongest predictor of performance whereas among the older-old adults cognitive abilities were the strongest predictors of performance. The implications of these results for training and interface design are discussed.
Micropitch connection using anisotropic conductive materials for driver IC attachment to a liquid crystal display

This paper reviews some of the past and current activities of the IBM Display Technology Division in the development of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), describing progress in the application of anisotropic electrically conductive film (ACF) to large LCD modules for notebook PCs, as well as the unique properties, advantages, and basic bonding mechanism of ACF. In addition, the status of the advanced chip-on-glass (COG) technique is reviewed.
Performance of backup source routing in mobile ad hoc networks

We propose a novel routing algorithm, called backup source routing (BSR) to establish and maintain backup paths based on the concepts of similar path. The BSR algorithm selects a backup path that is piggybacked with the primary path in the header of data packets in order to achieve the most durable routes between any pair of communicating mobile nodes. We define a new routing metric, called the route durability, to provide the criterion for the backup path selection. We have developed a mathematical model from which the new routing metric can be defined in order to allow the evaluation of our algorithm. Extensive simulations demonstrated that such routing strategy has two interesting futures: (1) in less stressful situations of lower load and mobility, BSR has similar performance to DSR; (2) in more challenging situations of high mobility, BSR can improve the performance significantly.
Generational changes and their impact in the classroom: teaching Generation Me.

RESULTS Today’s students (Generation Me) score higher on assertiveness, self-liking, narcissistic traits, high expectations, and some measures of stress, anxiety and poor mental health, and lower on self-reliance. Most of these changes are linear; thus the year in which someone was born is more relevant than a broad generational label. Moreover, these findings represent average changes and exceptions certainly occur.
The effectiveness of analogue ‘neural network’ hardware

Artificial neural network algorithms give adequate or even excellent results on many computational problems. Such algorithms can be embedded in special-purpose hardware for efficient implementation. Within a particular hardware class, the algorithms can be implemented either as analogue neural networks or as a digital representation of the same problem. The speed, area and required precision of the two forms of hardware for representing the same problem are discussed for a hardware model which lies between VLSI hardware and biological neurons. It is usually true that the digital representation computes faster, requires more devices and resources, and requires less precision of manufacture. An exception to this rule occurs when the device physics generates a function which is explicitly needed in the algorithm. Major advances in analogue neural net hardware will require the exploitation of device physics available at the level of materials and transistors.
Foot-and-mouth disease and its antigens

Many factors combine to make foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) one of the most damaging and intractable disease of animals. These include its extreme contagion, wide geographic distribution, great multiplicity of both susceptible animal hosts and viral serotypes, a relatively short duration of immunity to a given serotype and a post-recovery carrier state of the virus in many animal species (e.g., cattle, sheep and goats). Nevertheless, import restrictions and other actions of the U.S. Government have kept the United States free of FMD since 1929, even during outbreaks of the disease in Mexico and Canada in the early 1950’s. Beginning in the late 1940’s, the systematic vaccination of cattle has been practiced in several areas of the world with varying degrees of success. While this procedure has succeeded in Western Europe in greatly reducing the incidence of FMD, the presence of live virus in some batches of vaccine and the escape of virus from vaccine from manufacturing facilities are now responsible for a large proportion of the outbreaks that still occur there. A vaccine is needed that has no possibility of producing the disease. During the last few years, it has been demonstrated that capsid protein VP1, isolated from type A and C virions or biosynthesized in E. coli transformed with the gene for VP1, can be used to immunize livestock against FMD. Immunization of livestock has also been achieved with a 13 kd fragment (amino acid residues 55 through 179) cleaved with CNBr from the 213 amino acid long VP1 chain of type A virions. Immunogenic sites on intact virions, 12 S subunit particles and isolated VP1 chains have been studied by a combination of methods, including: 1) assessment of the immunogenicity of VP1-specific fragments and synthetic peptides and 2) mapping monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) generated with virus, VP1 and the 13 kd fragment to virus, 12 S subunits, VP1, VP1-specific fragments and a biosynthetic 32mer. Correlation of these results with sites having variant and serotype sequence variability indicates that the 136–179 region of type Al2 VP1 possesses four putative neutralization-specific epitopes (ca. 137–143, 146–151, 152–157 and 170–175). Of three neutralization-specific epitopes on type Al2 virus, two are also present on 12 S subunits and isolated VP1 chains. Mabs to the three epitopes appear to neutralize virus by different mechanisms: by viral aggregation, by blocking the site on viral VP1 that binds to cell receptors or by interfering with a postreceptor attachment step, possibly penetration or uncoating.