cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlled Motion in an Elastic World

The flexibility of the drives and structures of controlled motion systems are presented as an obstacle to be overcome in the design of high performance motion systems, particularly manipulator arms. The task and the measure of performance to be applied determine the technology appropriate to overcome this obstacle. Included in the technologies proposed are control algorithms (feedback and feed forward), passive damping enhancement, operational strategies, and structural design. Modeling of the distributed, nonlinear system is difficult, and alternative approaches are discussed. The author presents personal perspectives on the history, status, and future directions in this area.
Images of the intellectual: From philosophy to cultural studies1

(1998). Images of the intellectual: From philosophy to cultural studies1. Continuum: Vol. 12, Philosophy and cultural studies, pp. 157-171.
The Legionella pneumophila IcmSW complex interacts with multiple Dot/Icm effectors to facilitate type IV translocation.

Many Gram-negative pathogens use a type IV secretion system (T4SS) to deliver effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells. The fidelity of protein translocation depends on the efficient recognition of effector proteins by the T4SS. Legionella pneumophila delivers a large number of effector proteins into eukaryotic cells using the Dot/Icm T4SS. How the Dot/Icm system is able to recognize and control the delivery of effectors is poorly understood. Recent studies suggest that the IcmS and IcmW proteins interact to form a stable complex that facilitates translocation of effector proteins by the Dot/Icm system by an unknown mechanism. Here we demonstrate that the IcmSW complex is necessary for the productive translocation of multiple Dot/Icm effector proteins. Effector proteins that were able to bind IcmSW in vitro required icmS and icmW for efficient translocation into eukaryotic cells during L. pneumophila infection. We identified regions in the effector protein SidG involved in icmSW-dependent translocation. Although the full-length SidG protein was translocated by an icmSW-dependent mechanism, deletion of amino terminal regions in the SidG protein resulted in icmSW-independent translocation, indicating that the IcmSW complex is not contributing directly to recognition of effector proteins by the Dot/Icm system. Biochemical and genetic studies showed that the IcmSW complex interacts with a central region of the SidG protein. The IcmSW interaction resulted in a conformational change in the SidG protein as determined by differences in protease sensitivity in vitro. These data suggest that IcmSW binding to effectors could enhance effector protein delivery by mediating a conformational change that facilitates T4SS recognition of a translocation domain located in the carboxyl region of the effector protein.
Effects of deposition angle in low-temperature metal (100) epitaxial growth

The effects of oblique incidence on the surface roughness in low-temperature $\mathrm{Cu}∕\mathrm{Cu}(100)$ epitaxial growth are investigated via kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, which include the effects of shadowing as well as short-range and long-range attraction. While the effects of deposition angle are found to be relatively weak at $200\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, at a slightly lower temperature $(160\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K})$ both the surface roughness and the growth exponent $\ensuremath{\beta}$ depend strongly on deposition angle. These results resolve a long-standing puzzle regarding the growth behavior of $\mathrm{Cu}∕\mathrm{Cu}(100)$ over this temperature range. Our results also demonstrate that, in general, the effects of deposition angle must be considered in low-temperature growth even for moderate deposition angles.
Morality and health: News media constructions of overweight and eating disorders

This article examines how widely shared cultural values shape social problem construction and, in turn, can reproduce social inequality. To do so, we draw on a comparative case study of American news reporting on eating disorders and overweight/obesity between 1995 and 2005. In the contemporary United States, thinness is associated with high social status and taken as evidence of moral virtue. In contrast, fatness is linked to low status and seen as a sign of sloth and gluttony. Drawing on an original data set of news reports, we examine how such social and moral meanings of body size inform news reporting on eating disorders and overweight. We fnd that the news media in our sample typically discuss how a host of complex factors beyond individual control contribute to anorexia and bulimia. In that anorexics and bulimics are typically portrayed as young white women or girls, this reinforces cultural images of young white female victims. In contrast, the media predominantly attribute overweight to bad individual choices and tend to treat binge eating disorder as ordinary and blameworthy overeating. In that the poor and minorities are more likely to be heavy, such reporting reinforces social stereotypes of fat people, ethnic minorities, and the poor as out of control and lazy. While appreciation for bigger female bodies among African Americans is hailed as protecting against thinness-oriented eating disorders, this same cultural preference is partially blamed for overweight and obesity among African American women and girls. © 2010 by Society for the Study of Social Problems, Inc.
Daily Changes in Plasma Prolactin, Corticosterone, and Luteinizing Hormone in the Unrestrained, Ovariectomized Turkey Hen

Plasma concentrations of prolactin (PRL), corticosterone (B), and luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined in hourly samples collected over a 24-h period from unrestrained, long-term ovariectomized (OVX) turkey hens maintained in cages in an isolation room on a 14 h light: 10 h dark photoperiod. Mean plasma concentrations of all three hormones were found to vary significantly with the time of sampling. Mean plasma PRL levels reached a peak (6.50 +/- 1.70 ng/mL, means +/- SEM) during the latter half of the photophase, declined to a nadir (5.22 +/- 1.20 ng/mL) prior to the onset of darkness, and then rose gradually during the scotophase to reach another peak (8.96 +/- 1.80 ng/mL) 1 h prior to lights on. Mean plasma LH levels rose significantly (P less than .001) from a nadir of 4.11 + .29 ng/mL prior to lights out to a peak of 4.74 + .34 ng/mL during the dark period. No evidence of random fluctuations in LH levels was observed in any individual, suggesting that episodic LH release may not occur in OVX turkey hens. Individual patterns of B secretion varied substantially so that, although significant increases and decreases in mean plasma B levels were observed, no clearly defined peaks in mean plasma B levels were identified. Individual secretory profiles revealed that peaks in PRL secretion often coincided with peaks in B secretion, but B peaks were usually more numerous. It is concluded that PRL and LH are secreted in a daily rhythm in the OVX turkey hen, with the highest levels of both hormones occurring during the scotophase.
Solution behaviors and self-assembly of polyoxometalates as models of macroions and amphiphilic polyoxometalate–organic hybrids as novel surfactants

Large, hydrophilic polyoxoanions with high solubility in water and/or other polar solvents demonstrate unique solution behavior by self-assembling into single layer, hollow, spherical “blackberry” structures, which is obviously different from small, simple ions. These macroions cannot be treated as insoluble colloidal suspensions because they form stable “real solutions”. Counterion-mediated attraction is considered as the main driving force for the self-assembly behavior. The size disparity between the macroions and their counterions results in macroion–counterion pairing which leads to the inter-macroanionic attraction. The blackberries, with robust membranes semi-permeable to cations, can adjust their size accurately and reversibly in response to the change of solvent polarity and charge density of individual macroions. The inorganic macroions with well-defined size, shape, mass, charge density, but no intramolecular interactions, are ideal model systems to study the intermolecular interactions in polyelectrolyte and bio-macromolecular solutions. The blackberry structures show certain similarities to spherical viral capsids, from the overall structure to the formation kinetics. More amazingly, these inorganic macroions demonstrate some features usually believed to belong only to complex biological molecules, such as the self-recognition in dilute solutions. Meanwhile, polyoxometalates-based organic–inorganic hybrid materials demonstrate amphiphilic properties by self-assembling into vesicles and reverse vesicles in polar and non-polar solvents, respectively, and form monolayer at the water/air interface. Different from conventional amphiphiles, these hybrids show pH-dependent and counterion-dependent self-assembly behaviors with controllable functionality, e.g. fluorescence and catalytic activity, due to the high and tunable charges and the functionalities of POM polar head groups.
A generalized psychiatric information-processing system.

This paper describes an application of computer systems to institutional records in order to make them available for research purposes. It simultaneously explores the generality of such a system for use at psychiatric facilities on a wider scale.
Schedule-induced aggression: Access to an attackable target bird as a positive reinforcer

Three male homing pigeons were trained on a two-key MULT FR-hi FR-lo schedule with a restrained, but nonaccessible targe bird present. A tone always signaled whether a high or a low FR requirement was in effect. Responses on either key produced food, but choice of only one of the keys simultaneously produced access to the restrained target. Access was contingent on key position for two of the birds and on key color for the third. Choice data across trials indicated that in the FR-hi periods Ss had a gradually increasing preference for the access key, but during the FR-lo periods no such increase in preference occurred. These results suggest that access to a target bird is reinforcing when the S is confronted with a difficult FR schedule. Confrontation with an easy FR schedule does not produce the reinforcing effect.
Relationship of menopausal status and exercise level to HDL cholesterol in women

The relationship between exercise habits, menopausal status and HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) was studied in 44 long-distance runners, 47 joggers, and 45 relatively inactive females. In each group, some women were post-menopausal (Post-M) and some pre-menopausal (Pre-M). HDL-C level was higher in runners (77.6 mg/dl) and joggers (70.4 mg/dl) than in the inactive group (62.1 mg/dl), but was not different Pre-M vs Post-M. Total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C were higher in Post-M than in Pre-M subjects, but did not differ among exercise groups. Body weight and % fat were lower in Pre-M vs Post-M groups and were lower in the runners vs inactive subjects. The HDL-C/TC ratio was higher in the runners vs inactive subjects and there was a significant exercise-menopausal interaction indicating a beneficial exercise effect. Adjustment of lipoprotein values for possible confounding variables did not alter these results. Endurance exercise by Post-M females may help prevent adverse lipid and lipoprotein changes which might predispose them to coronary heart disease.
Mining Semi-Structured Online Knowledge Bases to Answer Natural Language Questions on Community QA Websites

Over the past few years, community QA websites (e.g. Yahoo! Answers) have become a useful platform for users to post questions and obtain answers. However, not all questions posted there receive informative answers or are answered in a timely manner. In this paper, we show that the answers to some of these questions are available in online domain-specific knowledge bases and propose an approach to automatically discover those answers. In the proposed approach, we would first mine appropriate SQL query patterns by leveraging an existing collection of QA pairs, and then use the learned query patterns to answer previously unseen questions by returning relevant entities from the knowledge base. Evaluation on a collection of health domain questions from Yahoo! Answers shows that the proposed method is effective in discovering potential answers to user questions from an online medical knowledge base.
Abstract LB-184: Differential effects of sulforaphane and related isothiocyanates on HDAC turnover and the DNA damage response in colon cancer cells

Protein acetylation is mediated by histone deacetylases (HDACs) and acetyltransferases, which influence chromatin dynamics, protein turnover, and the DNA damage response. HDACs overexpressed in cancer cells have been implicated in protecting against genotoxic insults, whereas HDAC inhibitors circumvent this protection (Rajendran et al. Clin Epigenetics 2011,3:4). Here, we show in human colon cancer cells that sulforaphane and related isothiocyanates (ITCs) inhibited HDAC activity and increased HDAC protein turnover, with the potency directly proportional to alkyl chain length. Under these conditions, DNA damage signaling was triggered by ATR kinases, leading to increased double-strand breaks and histone (H2AX) phosphorylation. Activation of checkpoint kinase-2 was followed by growth arrest and cell death. HDAC inhibition by ITCs enhanced the acetylation of repair proteins, like CtIP, leading to their degradation. Notably, cancer cells were more susceptible than normal cells, the latter exhibiting efficient double-strand-break processing and repair. Thus, dietary ITCs preferentially exploit the HDAC turnover pathways, faulty DNA repair mechanisms, and genomic instability in cancer cells. Supported by NIH grants CA090890, CA65525, CA122906, CA122959, CA80176, and ES007060. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-184. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-184
Aberration Correction Of Speckled Imagery With An Image-Sharpness Criterion

Researchers have shown that aberrations in incoherent optical systems can be corrected through the use of an image-sharpness criterion [1]. An analogous image-sharpness criterion is defined for the case of speckled imagery derived from coherent imaging of diffuse objects. By appealing to a multiplicative noise model we show that this speckled-image sharpness criterion is a random variable with an expected value proportional to the sharpness criterion for the associated incoherent image. Thus, aberration correction can be accomplished by maximizing the speckled-image sharpness criterion. A variety of computer simulation experiments designed to test the performance of the image-sharpness criterion applied to speckled imagery are presented. These experiments model the problem of imaging moving targets with synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Target motion introduces one-dimensional (azimuthal) phase aberrations in SAR Fourier data producing a one-dimensional blur in the image. These aberrations can be represented as a linear sum of orthogonal polynomials and the coefficients of such a representation serve as optimization parameters. The sharpness criterion is maximized with respect to the aberration parameters through the use of a conjugate-gradient algorithm. The problem of entrapment by local minima can be overcome by using multiple initial estimates. We demonstrate that quadratic, cubic, and quartic polynomial coefficients are successfully sensed through this technique. The method is shown to succeed for both extended images and point-like images that more closely resemble SAR images of cultural targets.
Supranormal FSH response to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone in oligospermic men with a normal basal serum FSH concentration.

SUMMARY Twenty-six men with severe oligospermia (sperm density 0), but normal serum concentration of FSH, as well as normal serum concentrations of LH and testosterone, were given a 250 μg i.v. bolus dose of synthetic gonadotrophinreleasing hormone (LHRH). The serum FSH and LH responses were compared to those of a group of normal men and a group of men with oligospermia or azoospermia and elevated basal serum FSH concentration. The mean FSH response to LHRH of the men with oligospermia but normal basal serum FSH concentration was 911 miu min/ml, nearly three times that of the normal men, 322 miu min/ml (P < 0.001), though not so great as that of the men with oligo/azoospermia and elevated basal FSH concentration (2890 miu min/ml). Ten of the twenty-six men with oligospermia and normal basal serum FSH had a supranormal FSH response to LHRH. The mean LH response to LHRH of the men with oligospermia and normal basal serum FSH levels was not significantly different from that of the normal men. We conclude that LHRH stimulation can often elicit a deficiency of feedback inhibition of FSH secretion not readily recognizable by measurement of the basal serum FSH concentration.
Eye-Tracking Data Predict Importance of Product Features and Saliency of Size Change

Features, or visible product attributes, are indispensable product components that influence customer evaluations of functionality, usability, symbolic impressions and other qualities. Two basic components of features are visual appearance and size. This work tests whether or not eye-tracking data can (1) predict the relative importances between features, with respect to their visual design, in overall customer preference; and (2) identify how much a feature must change in size in order to be noticeable by the viewer. The results demonstrate that feature importance is significantly correlated with a variety of gaze data. Results also show that there are significant differences in fixation time and count for noticeable vs. unnoticeable size changes. Logistic models of gaze data can predict both feature importance and saliency of size change.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Choline and betaine intake and risk of breast cancer among post-menopausal women

Choline and betaine are nutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism, a network of biochemical reactions that transfer methyl groups from one compound to another (Mason, 2003). One-carbon metabolism is involved in the methylation of DNA and RNA and subsequently influences gene stability and expression. One-carbon metabolism also mediates nucleotide synthesis; thus, perturbation of the metabolism may lead to chromosomal breaks and disruption of DNA repair. Choline can convert to betaine, which can donate the methyl group to homocysteine as does folate, although the donation of the methyl group by betaine is limited to the liver and the kidney. Although two meta-analyses did not find an overall association between folate intake and breast cancer risk (Lewis et al, 2006; Larsson et al, 2007), in some studies, folate intake was inversely associated with breast cancer risk in the whole population (Ericson et al, 2007), or among alcohol drinkers (Zhang et al, 1999; Rohan et al, 2000), or with certain hormone receptor types of breast cancer (Zhang et al, 2005; Larsson et al, 2008; Maruti et al, 2008). Choline and betaine may reduce the risk of breast cancer in a manner similar to that of folate. Despite the potential importance of choline and betaine in carcinogenesis, few epidemiological studies have evaluated the relationship between intakes of choline and betaine in relation to cancer risk. A case–control study found that choline intake was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer (Xu et al, 2008). However, a prospective study did not find any associations between these nutrients and risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer (Cho et al, 2007a). To our knowledge, no prospective study has examined choline and betaine intakes in relation to breast cancer risk among post-menopausal women. We therefore examined intakes of these nutrients in relation to breast cancer risk in a large cohort of post-menopausal women.
Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales

This introductory guide places the Canterbury Tales in the context of the crisis in English society in the fourteenth century. It examines the social diversity of Chaucer's pilgrims, the stylistic range of their tales and the psychological richness of their interaction. The volume offers students a clear image of the powerful representation of the social reality that makes the Canterbury Tales one of the most important texts in English literature. Emphasis is placed on the language of the poem, the place of Chaucer in subsequent literary tradition, and an entire chapter is devoted to the General Prologue which is widely studied on undergraduate courses. Finally, the volume offers a helpful chronology of the period and an invaluable guide to further reading.
Encoding of a nonmonotonic serial pattern : role of the dorsal hippocampus and amygdala

Abstract The present experiment examined the effects of lesions of the hippocampus, amygdala, or combined hippocampal + amygdala lesions on the acquisition of a presumably difficult serial pattern. Lesioned rats, sham-surgical and nonsurgical control rats were trained in a runway to track one of a four-element series of Noyes food pellets consisting of 14-0-3-7 pellets, respectively. Control rats were capable of tracking the elements of the series. Tracking developed in the amygdala-lesion group by the middle stages of training, but tracking did not develop in the hippocampal-lesion group until the end of training and failed to develop in the hippocampus + amygdala-lesion group. The results are discussed in terms of hippocampus and amygdala involvement in working memory processes. The role of each structure in processing the temporal and affective attributes of the task is considered. Presumably, the hippocampus is necessary for tasks requiring the sequential coding of information. The hippocampus appears to maintain a temporal record of the elements of the series providing the rat with the ability to track which stimulus elements have been presented and which have not. In addition, by processing the effective attributes of the task, the amygdala appears to mediate mnemonic processes.
The Not So Extraordinary Globular Cluster 037-B327 in M31

A velocity dispersion has been measured for the luminous globular cluster M31 037-B327, claimed to be the most massive star cluster in the Local Group and to be a young "super star cluster" that has survived to an old age. M31 037-B327 has a mass comparable to that of M31 G1 but not significantly larger. Although near the upper end for the mass distribution of globular clusters, it is not an unprecedented extraordinary object.
Aspirin for elective hip and knee arthroplasty: a multimodal thromboprophylaxis protocol.

Purpose Multimodal thromboprophylaxis includes preoperative thromboembolic risk stratification and autologous blood donation, surgery performed under regional anaesthesia, postoperative rapid mobilisation, use of pneumatic compression devices and chemoprophylaxis tailored to the patient’s individual risk. We determined the 90-day rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE), other complications and mortality in patients who underwent primary elective hip and knee replacement surgery with multimodal thromboprophylaxis.
Measuring and Managing Software Maintenance

An effective way to improve software quality is to set measurable goals and then manage your projects to achieve those goals. Hewlett-Packard has developed some methods to do just that.
Interfaced d.c. argon-plasma emission spectroscopic detection for high-pressure liquid chromatography of metal compounds

Abstract A d.c. argon-plasma emission spectroscopic system is described for directly interfaced metal-specific detection of eIuates in high-pressure liquid chromatography. Differing approaches are needed with regard to solvent systems used in normal-phase or reversephase chromatography. A simple nebulization system is adequate for reverse-phase applications of polar solvents. However, a novel design of an impact nebulizer-interface is required to accommodate the hydrocarbon and halocarbon solvents typically encountered in normal-phase and adsorption chromatography. The d.c. plasma detection system has been applied to the h.p.l.c. of a range of transition metal β-diketonate, β-ketoamine and diethyldithiocarbamate complexes, with good linear ranges for metalspecific detection and with detection limits in the sub ng s -1 range of metal eluted in the complexes.
The Oklahoma PetaStore: Big data on a small budget

In the era of Big Data, research productivity can be highly sensitive to the availability of large scale, long term storage. Unfortunately, most mass storage systems are prohibitively expensive at scales appropriate for individual institutions rather than national centers. Furthermore, many researchers won't adopt any centralized technology that they perceive as more expensive than what their research teams could do on their own. This poster examines a combination of business model and technology that addresses these concerns in a comprehensive way, distributing the costs among a funding agency, the institution and the research teams, thereby reducing the challenges faced by each.
Zebrafish in the Study of Early Cardiac Development

Heart development is a complex process that involves cell specification and differentiation, as well as elaborate tissue morphogenesis and remodeling, to generate a functional organ. The zebrafish has emerged as a powerful model system to unravel the basic genetic, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of cardiac development and function. We summarize and discuss recent discoveries on early cardiac specification and the identification of the second heart field in zebrafish. In addition to the inductive signals regulating cardiac specification, these studies have shown that heart development also requires a repressive mechanism imposed by retinoic acid signaling to select cardiac progenitors from a multipotent population. Another recent advance in the study of early zebrafish cardiac development is the identification of the second heart field. These studies suggest that the molecular mechanisms that regulate the second heart field development are conserved between zebrafish and other vertebrates including mammals and provide insight into the evolution of the second heart field and its derivatives.
Exploring the effects of active parental mediation of television content

An index tapping the frequency with which parents actively mediate children's interpretations of television messages is tested in a survey of 346 adolescents. The measures produce a reliable index, which predicts skepticism, public affairs media use, and public affairs discussion. When tested along with family communication norms including concept orientation, socio orientation, and communication warmth, mediation remains a significant predictor. It is the only significant predictor among the variables tested for skepticism, in which the variance explained remains small.
Familial Aggregation of Chronic Respiratory Disease: Use of National Health Interview Survey Data for Specific Hypothesis Testing

The 1970 National Health Interview Survey included questions on respiratory disease and smoking habits. The new data were released in July 1974. Data consisted of information on approximately 116,000 persons from 37,000 households selected randomly from 357 primary sampling units. To test a hypothesis about familial clustering of chronic respiratory disease in households, we selected as index households those having an adult (aged 35-54 years) reporting a diagnosis of asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema and also having first order relatiaves less than age 35. Index households were matched with households from the same neighbourhood having an adult aged 35-54, of the same sex as the diseased person in the index household, without disease and with all other adults 35-54 without disease, and which had first order relatives less than 35 living in the same household. Analysis was carried out using Cochran's d-test to compare frequency of respiratory disease in persons less than 35 in each group. There was a strong association (P less than .001) between persons over 35 with chronic respiratory diseases and the disease rate in their first order relatives. The association could not be explained by differences in demographic variables and smoking habits.
Time Bombs: Estimating the Duration of Coercive Bombing Campaigns

Advancements in technology coupled with the perception of diminished public tolerance for casualties have increased the prominence and popularity of aerial bombing as a coercive tool, particularly for the United States. Despite interest from policy makers and support from the public, there has been little scholarly assessment of these coercive episodes. How successful are air campaigns, and what are the prospects for the future? In this article, I focus on the factors that cause bombing campaigns to end. To explore what leads to campaign termination, I highlight the theoretical significance of the political characteristics of both the attacker and the adversary. Using competing risks duration analysis to examine both failed and successful bombing campaigns from 1917 through 1999, I find that a democratic government on either side of the coercive equation increases the likelihood of campaigns ending.
Entropy effects in the chemisorption of CO on (100) Pd, Ni and Cu single crystal surfaces

Abstract Experimental data for the chemisorption of CO on the (100) surface of Pd, Ni and Cu are used to calculate the activation entropy of the adsorption-desorption equilibrium within the framework of the absolute rate theory of chemisorption. It is shown that the activation entropy (i.e., the pre-exponential of the rate coefficient for the elementary surface reaction) is quite anisotropic on the same crystallographic orientation of these three different face-centered cubic metals even at a constant surface coverage of CO. The activation entropy is also found to vary widely on the Ni (100) surface as the CO coverage increases from 0.50 to 0.655.
Imagined Communities reconsidered Is print-capitalism what we think it is?

This article critically evaluates Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism(1991), arguing that the book's popularity partly derives from its res...
Multiscale continuum modeling of a crack in elastic media with microstructures

Cosserat type continuum theories have been employed by many authors to study cracks in elastic solids with microstructures. Depending on which theory was used, different crack tip stress singularities have been obtained. In this paper, a microstructure continuum theory is used to model a layered elastic medium containing a crack parallel to the layers. The crack problem is solved by means of the Fourier transform. The resulting integrodifferential equations are discretized using the Chebyshev polynomial expansion method for numerical solutions. By using the present theory, the explicit internal length effects upon the crack opening displacement and stress field can be observed. It is found that the stress field near the crack tip is not singular according to the microstructure continuum solution although the level of the opening stress shows an increasing trend until it gets very close to the crack tip. The rising portion of the near tip opening stress is used to project the stress intensity factor which agrees fairly well with that obtained using the FEM to perform stress analyses of the cracked layered medium with the exact geometry. The numerical solutions also indicate that treating the layered medium as an equivalent homogeneous classical elastic solid is not adequate if cracks are present and accurate stress intensity factors in the original layered medium is desired.
A general protocol for evaluating the specific effects of DNA replication inhibitors

Inhibitors of DNA replication in mammalian cells are of great interest because of their potential use in chemotherapy and in cell synchronizing protocols in the laboratory. We have used a combination of isotopic labelling protocols and a two-dimensional gel replicon mapping procedure to determine the specific effects of five different replication inhibitors in cultured cells. Utilizing this protocol, we show that hydroxyurea, aphidicolin, and cytosine arabinoside, three known chain elongation inhibitors, are rather ineffective at preventing fork progression even at relatively high concentrations. In contrast, two related compounds that have been suggested to be G1/S inhibitors (mimosine and ciclopyrox olamine [CPX]) actually appear to inhibit initiation at origins. One of these agents (CPX) appears also to inhibit replication in yeast, opening the possibility that the gene encoding the target (initiator?) protein can first be identified in yeast by genetic approaches and can then be used to isolate the mammalian homologue.
Bayesian analysis and model selection for interval-censored survival data.

Summary. Interval-censored data occur in survival analysis when the survival time of each patient is only known to be within an interval and these censoring intervals differ from patient to patient. For such data, we present some Bayesian discretized semiparametric models, incorporating proportional and nonproportional hazards structures, along with associated statistical analyses and tools for model selection using sampling-based methods. The scope of these methodologies is illustrated through a reanalysis of a breast cancer data set (Finkelstein, 1986, Biometrics42, 845–854) to test whether the effect of covariate on survival changes over time.
White Matters: When, Where, and How?

The author reflects on the qualitative research process as both a firsttime researcher and as a white woman doing research on African American men. This includes reflections on the assumption that the primary motivation for the researcher is romantically motivated, a discussion of racist sexism, and the nature of qualitative evidence, in particular that collected in a cross-race researcher-participant relationship. The research process and experience reinforces the importance of considering the context of the research when thinking about insider-outsider positionality.
Resistance to Community Surveys

The cooperation — passive or active — of respondents and the communities in which they live is the sine qua non of survey research. Carl-son comments in the previous chapter that :‘We are able to collect our research data only because the general public continues to be willing to submit to our interviews. This acceptance of us by the public is the basic natural resource on which our industry is built. Without it, we would be out of business tomorrow.’ So far, those engaged in surveys which are relatively innocuous as regards purpose, content and populations being studied, have been able to take that cooperation — or inertia — for granted.
Influence of debrisoquin phenotype on the inducibility of propranolol metabolism.

The effects of rifampin (600 mg) once daily for 22 days on the total and fractional metabolic clearances of propranolol were determined in a group of six genetically extensive (EM) and six poor metabolizers (PM) of debrisoquin. The impaired ability of PMs to metabolize propranolol to the ring-oxidized metabolite 4-hydroxypropranolol was confirmed. The total oral clearance of propranolol increased about fourfold in both phenotypes from 219.2 ± 52.8 to 976.7 L/hr in the EMs and from 75.0 ± 12.6 to 289.8 ± 78.2 L/hr in the PMs. The extent of induction of glucuronidation was similar in the two groups. 4-Hydroxylation was induced in both phenotypes but the increase was fifteenfold greater in EMs than in PMs. This would imply that the cytochrome P-450 determined by the debrisoquin allele or some coinherited 4-hydroxylase(s) was induced to a greater extent in EMs than PMs. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1989) 45, 439–443; doi:10.1038/clpt.1989.52
Nitric oxide and nitroglycerin reversal of pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by alpha-activation during exercise

We have previously shown in sheep that pulmonary vascular resistance decreases rapidly after the onset of constant exercise, followed by a slower and smaller second vasodilation. The second phase is partly regulated by alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor activation. We examined the effect of inhaled nitric oxide (NO; 40 ppm) and intravenous nitroglycerin on beta-adrenergic blockade-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction during exercise. In paired studies, we exercised eight sheep at a constant rate of 4 miles per hour for 4 min on a treadmill and measured the hemodynamic response during beta-blockade (propranolol, 1 mg i.v.) with and without 40 ppm inhaled NO or continuous infusion of nitroglycerin (3.2-4.0 micrograms.kg-1.min-1). beta-Blockade resulted in a higher pulmonary vascular resistance during steady-state exercise (40-240 s) than in the unblocked state; reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance during the second phase of exercise was smaller with beta-blockade (13-16%) than with control exercise (26-30%). Inhaled NO and nitroglycerin reversed the beta-blockade-related pulmonary vasoconstriction to the levels of control exercise. Inhaled NO and intravenous nitroglycerin also reversed the pulmonary vasoconstriction produced by intravenous phenylephrine at rest. We conclude that exogenous NO, delivered by gas inhalation or via nitroso compounds, opposes and fully reverses alpha-receptor-activated pulmonary vasoconstriction during exercise in sheep.
Clinical and Developmental Dimensions of Hate

Bridging concepts of aggression, affect, and attitude, hate emerges during the process of separation-individuation concurrent with ego development and persisting intrapsychic conflict and fantasy. Rage precedes hate developmentally, though later the two are amalgamated both developmentally and clinically. Hate is the negative pole of ambivalence and is a component of all self- and object representations and object relationships. When excessive and unmodulated, hate interferes with object relations and personality development. Paradoxically, hate may also subserve adaptation and personality organization. Transference hate is often a greater problem for the psychoanalyst or psychotherapist than is transference love. Transference hate threatens the analyst's narcissism and neutrality and tests the analyst's tolerance and patience. The patient's intense hate is often experienced as a direct assault on the analytic relationship and the analytic process. Countertransference hate and the need to defend against it are of great clinical importance. Because it runs counter to analytic ideals and values, the analyst's hatred of the patient may be denied, minimized, rationalized, enacted, or vicariously gratified and may occasion great resistance to analytic self-scrutiny. Countertransference hate is often an unrecognized determinant in cases of analytic and therapeutic impasse. A classic contribution by D.W. Winnicott to the recognition and elucidation of countertransference hate is reevaluated.
Density dependent modulation of cell cycle protein expression in astrocytes

The proliferation of type-1 astrocytes is strongly inhibited by homotypic cell-contact. To examine the mechanisms mediating this inhibition of proliferation, the expression of cell cycle related proteins was compared between exponential growth-phase and contact-inhibited astrocytes. Expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p27Kip1 was upregulated 10-fold in confluent compared with growth-phase cultures. Density-induced expression of p27Kip1 was reversible. When confluent cultures of astrocytes expressing high levels of p27Kip1 were replated at low density, the expression of p27Kip1 decreased rapidly. In contrast to p27Kip1, the expression levels of the cell cycle protein, cyclin A was decreased ten-fold in confluent cultures compared with those in growth phase. In addition, the ratio of hyperphosphorylated to hypophosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (pRb) decreased concomitantly with the increase of p27Kip1 and the decrease of cyclin A levels. These results suggest that increased expression of p27Kip1 and decreased expression of cyclin A underlie the reduction in proliferation of contact inhibited astrocytes. High levels of mitogenic stimulation could transiently override contact-dependent inhibition of astrocyte proliferation. Addition of exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) resulted in elevated proliferation at high density and formation of multiple cell layers. Addition of EGF did not substantially alter levels of p27Kip1 or cyclin A, but did elevate the levels of cyclin D1. Such changes in cell cycle protein expression may contribute to elevated cell proliferation seen in reactive gliosis after injury to the adult CNS. J. Neurosci. Res. 66:487–496, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Lactobacillus GG has in vitro effects on enhanced interleukin-10 and interferon-gamma release of mononuclear cells but no in vivo effects in supplemented mothers and their neonates.

Summary Background The value of probiotics for primary prevention is controversial. Moreover, only little is known about the underlying immunological mechanisms of action. Therefore, we assessed the proliferative response and cytokine release in cultures of isolated mononuclear cells from pregnant women and their neonates supplemented with Lactobacillus GG (LGG) or placebo. Methods In a double-blind, placebo-controlled prospective trial, pregnant women with at least one first-degree relative or a partner with an atopic disease were randomly assigned to receive either the probiotic LGG (ATCC 53103; 5 × 109 colony-forming units LGG twice daily) or placebo 4–6 weeks before expected delivery, followed by a post-natal period of 6 months. Cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of the corresponding mother were isolated from cord blood and peripheral blood (n=68). The proliferative response of CBMC and PBMC was expressed as the stimulation index (SI), which was calculated according to the ratio between the mean counts per minute (c.p.m.) values measured in the wells with stimulated cells and the mean c.p.m. values measured in the wells with unstimulated cells. Additionally, the cytokines IFN-γ, IL-10 and IL-13 in the cell culture supernatants were measured using the ELISA technique. Results No difference was observed between the LGG-supplemented group and the placebo group in terms of the proliferative capacity of maternal or neonatal cord blood cells in response to IL-2, β-lactoglobulin or LGG. In vitro stimulation with LGG resulted in significantly enhanced release of IL-10 and IFN-γ, compared with cytokine release in unstimulated controls. However, this phenomenon was observed in supernatants of maternal and neonatal MC in both groups, independent of prior supplementation with LGG. Conclusion LGG has in vitro effects on enhanced IL-10 and IFN-γ release of mononuclear cells. However, supplementation with LGG during pregnancy did not alter the proliferative capacity or cytokine pattern in their recipients.
Dendritic cell vaccines containing lymphocytes produce improved immunogenicity in patients with cancer

Background: Dendritic cells are currently under investigation for their ability to generate anti-cancer immune responses. No consensus has been reached as to the optimal method of dendritic cell vaccine preparation and is a barrier to success in the field. Methods: Over a course of three separate dendritic cell vaccine studies to treat cancer, we tested two different methods for preparing dendritic cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells: adherence and antibody-selected CD14+ cells. Results: Surprisingly, we found that patients who received dendritic cell vaccines generated by the adherence method mounted increased T cell proliferation in response to vaccination. This difference could not be accounted for by dendritic cell vaccine dose, cell surface phenotype or dendritic cell function in vitro. One notable difference between the two vaccine preparation methods was that the dendritic cell vaccine cultures generated by the adherence method contained up to 10% lymphocytes, and these lymphocytes were proliferating and producing IFNγ in response to antigen in vitro at the time of administration. Conclusions: Enhanced immunogenicity of adherence dendritic cell vaccinations may be due to the presence of lymphocytes during dendritic cell culture. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifiers: NCT00289341, NCT00345293, and NCT00893945
Hyperoxia disrupts vascular endothelial growth factor-nitric oxide signaling and decreases growth of endothelial colony-forming cells from preterm infants

Exposure of preterm infants to hyperoxia impairs vascular growth, contributing to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and retinopathy of prematurity. Disruption of vascular endothelial gr...
The worksite supportive environments for active living survey: development and psychometric properties.

Abstract Purpose. The purpose of this study was to develop a self-report instrument to measure perceived physical and social environmental factors in the worksite setting that are shown to influence physical activity. Design. Initial items were generated from a review of the literature and were sent out for peer and expert panel review. A revised questionnaire was sent to 1250 participants to determine and test the emerging factor structure. Setting. The instrument was tested at two worksites in the mid-South. Participants. Participants consisted of a random sample of regular full-time employees at the two worksites. Measures. Principal axis factoring with a varimax rotation was used to explore the data in the first group of participants. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the fit of the final model in the second group of participants. Measures used included the comparative fit index, parsimony goodness of fit index, root mean square error of approximation, and the root mean square residual. Re...
EFFECTS OF MOTORBOATS AND PERSONAL WATERCRAFT ON FLIGHT BEHAVIOR OVER A COLONY OF COMMON TERNS

I examined the flight behavior of Common Terns (Sterna &-undo) over a nesting colony in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey in 1997. I used the number of birds flying over the colony to test the hypothesis that there were no differences in flight behavior as a function of presence and type of craft (motor boat, personal watercraft). For the overall model, 66% of the variation in the number of terns flying over the colony was explained by breeding period, type of craft, speed, route (established channel or elsewhere), the inter- action of route and speed, and time of day. However, for the early stage of the reproductive cycle, type of craft, speed, and route explained 95% of the variation. Boats that raced elicited the strongest response, as did boats that were outside of the established channel. Boats traveling closer to the nesting colonies elicited stronger responses than those that remained in the channel. Personal watercrafts elicited stronger responses than motor boats. These data suggest that personal watercraft should be managed to reduce disturbance to colonial-nesting species, by eliminating them within 100 m of nesting colonies and restricting speed near such colonies.
Polyneuropathies of cats

Polyneuropathies of cats have a variety of clinical presentations. Areflexic flaccid quadriparesis, or quadriplegia, progressing over a 24- to 48-hour period, may be associated with polyneuropathies, as can chronic insidiously progressive tremors and muscle weakness that wax and wane or progress slowly over weeks or months, and which can go undiagnosed for years. In addition, these neurological signs may be due to spinal cord, neuromuscular junction or muscle disorders, so the diagnosis of polyneuropathy can be a challenge even for the most astute of clinicians. Polyneuropathies may have congenital, inherited, inflammatory, metabolic and toxic causes. Sometimes the underlying aetiology is not found and a diagnosis of idiopathic polyneuropathy is made. Since the treatment and prognosis of polyneuropathies in cats vary, the purpose of this review is to assist the veterinary practitioner to recognise, appropriately manage and provide an accurate prognosis for these challenging cases.