cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychometric Reevaluation of the Scientific Attitude Inventory-Revised (SAI-II).

The central purposes of this study were to review the development and evolution of the Scientific Attitude Inventory (SAI) and then reevaluate the psychometric properties of the revised form of the SAI, the Scientific Attitude Inventory II (SAI-II). The SAI-II was administered to a convenience sample of 543 middle and high school students from five teachers in four schools in four school districts in San Antonio, Texas, at the beginning of the 2004–2005 school year. Confirmatory factor analysis on the full data set failed to support the existence of a 12-factor structure (as proposed by the scale developers) or a one-factor structure. The data were then randomly divided into exploratory [exploratory factor analysis (EFA)] validation and confirmatory [confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)] cross-validation sets. Exploratory and confirmatory models yielded a three-factor solution that did not fit the data well [χ2 (321) = 646, p < .001; RMSEA = .061 (.90 CI = .054–.068); and CFI = .81]. The three factors were labeled “Science is About Understanding and Explaining” (13 items), “Science is Rigid” (6 items), and “I Want to Be a Scientist” (8 items). The α-coefficients for these three factors ranged from 0.59 to 0.85. Whether these identified subscales are valid will require independent investigation. In this sample, and consistent with prior publications, the SAI-II in its current form did not have satisfactory psychometric properties and cannot be recommended for further use. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 600–616, 2008
Inhibition of cellular differentiation by phospholipase C. I. Effects of the enzyme on myogenesis and chondrogenesis in vitro.

In cell culture, a partially purified commercial preparation of phospholipase C (PLC) from Clostridium welchii inhibited fusion of myoblasts at concentrations of 12–50 µg per ml. At lower concentrations, PLC-treated cultures were indistinguishable from controls, and at concentrations above 100 µg per ml, PLC-treated cells detached from their substrates. The effect was reversible and fusion resumed approximately one cell cycle time after removal of the enzyme. Neither the percent of cells in the mitotic cycle nor the duration of the different phases of the cycle were altered by PLC at concentrations which inhibited fusion. Cell motility was not reduced by the enzyme. Unfused, PLC-treated myoblasts were virtually indistinguishable in ultrastructure from untreated cells just before fusion. In the presence of PLC, mononucleated myogenic cells did not synthesize thick (150 A) filaments. Treatment of culture medium with insolubilized commercial PLC did not abolish the capacity of the medium to support myogenesis. Chondrocytes treated with PLC divided repeatedly but failed to synthesize metachromatic matrix and failed to incorporate labeled sulfate into chondroitin sulfate. PLC was further purified by chromatography on Sephadex G-100. The resulting preparation was free of detectable protease, yielded one band on SDS-acrylamide gel electrophoresis, and displayed all of the biological activities of the less pure material.
An immunosuppressive factor interacts with membrane glycolipid asialo-GM1 structure

An immunosuppressive factor was isolated from sheep-erythrocyte hyperimmunized mouse serum. Possibilities of the adsorption of the immunosuppressive factor with glycolipid asialo-GM1 incorporated liposome (dipalmitoyl lecithin) and the blockade of immunosuppressive activity by specific anti-asialo-GM1 incorporated antibody were tested. We report here that: The immunosuppressive activity of the immunosuppressive factor decreased quantitatively if the factor was preincubated with asialo-GM1 incorporated liposome (GALP) as compared with that preincubated with liposome (LP) alone; and the presence of specific anti-asialo-GM1 antibody is able to protect in vitro anti-sheep erythrocyte (SRBC) response from the suppressive effect of the immunosuppressive factor in a dose-dependent fashion under similar cell culture condition. The results indicate that asialo-GM1 may be related to the receptor of immunosuppressive factor.
Bakhtin, genre formation and the cognitive turn: chronotopes as memory schemata

In his article, "Bakhtin, Genre Formation, and the Cognitive Turn: Chronotopes as Memory Schemata," Bart Keunen proposes a new reading of Bakhtin's notion of the chronotope. Bakhtin is widely taken to be a pioneer of genological thinking, but one of his key concepts -the chronotope -is still subject to highly divergent interpretations. Moreover, the epistemological implications of his genology have not yet been fully realized. In this article, a methodological grounding in schema theory is proposed. Bakhtin's concept can be used to study the way in which literary communication functions through what the psychologist Frederic Bartlett first called memory schemata. These schemata can be seen to operate on two levels: The level of textual motifs (the thematological dimension of texts) and that of fictional world models (the genological dimension). The development of Bakhtin's writings shows that genre distinctions are to be considered a fundamental instrument for literary communication and that this instrument is to be understood as working implicitly by means of mnemonic associations made by text producers and readers. The distinction between the thematological and genological aspects of the construction of fictional worlds can be clarified by linking them respectively to the concept of action schemata and to that of textual superstructures. Such an adaptation of the chronotope concept can be further linked to methodological tendencies within current interpretation theory, genology, and literary historiography. Bart Keunen, "Bakhtin, Genre Formation, and the Cognitive Turn: Chronotopes as Memory Schemata" page 2 of 15 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 2.2 (2000):
Close-Range Photogrammetry In Predicting Animal Weight

The use of photogrammetry to determine dimensional and volume data of animals from a remote distance is investigated. The animal tranquilization process requires a precise knowledge of the weight of the animal for adjusting the appropriate dosage of medication. Practical experimentation using graphical and analogical processing methods proves that close-range photogrammetry is the best tool for the determination of the correlation between dimensional and volume data and weight of the animal. A practical example of the correlation determination which involved a study of several horses is presented.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fish Meal and Alternate Sources of Protein in Fish Feeds Update 1993

Abstract Close to 12% of the world's 6.5 million metric tons of fish meal is used for aquaculture feeds. If current trends continue, roughly 20% to 25% of total world fish meal production could be used for aquaculture by the year 2000. Fish stocks used in fish meal reduction, however, appear to be in worldwide decline. A growing fish farming industry and a stagnating, if not diminishing, supply of fish meal have sobering economic and technologic implications for fish culture. Unless suitable alternate protein sources are found or other animal feeds begin to rely less on fish meal, fish production costs can be expected to increase dramatically. A precedent was set by the poultry industry, the most economically successful and competitive of the animal agriculture industries. Twenty years ago, the poultry industry consumed up to 80% of fish meal supplies. Through deliberate and well-organized research into alternate protein sources, the industry now uses less than 40% of supplies, and the trend is toward com...
Rapamycin Inhibits Protein Kinase C Activity and Stimulates Na+ Transport in A6 Cells

Rapamycin and FK506 have unique cellular effects despite the fact that they bind to the same set of immunophilins, the FK506 binding proteins (FKBP). We have previously reported that rapamycin (RAP) stimulates sodium transport in A6 cells. FK506 did not stimulate sodium transport but did inhibit the stimulation seen in RAP-treated cells. Since FKBP12 has been shown to have sequence homology with an endogenous inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC) and PKC inhibition has been shown to increase Na+ channel activity in A6 cells, studies to determine the effect of RAP on PKC activity and its relationship to sodium transport were performed. Here we report that RAP stimulates sodium transport, and the effect is not additive to that seen with a cell-permeant inhibitor of PKCα and -β subtypes. RAP significantly inhibits endogenous PKC activity in A6 cells both in membrane and cytosolic preparations. There is a strong correlation between the degree of inhibition of PKC activity and the stimulation of sodium transport by RAP. RAP has no effect on Na+/K+-ATPase activity over this time course. Purified recombinant FKBP12 with or without FK506 has no effect on PKC activity when incubated with a rat brain-derived PKC preparation of known activity. By contrast, RAP plus FKBP12 significantly inhibits PKC activity. RAP plus FKBP12 inhibits the PKCα and not the -β subtype. The results demonstrate inhibition of PKC activity by RAP and not FK506 through its binding to FKBP12. The inhibition of PKC activity by RAP stimulates sodium transport in A6. The results therefore imply the existence of an endogenous RAP-like ligand which when bound to FKBP12 could regulate Na+ channel activity through this mechanism.
Identification of Adult Mouse Neurovirulence Determinants of the Sindbis Virus Strain AR86

Sindbis virus infection of mice has provided valuable insight into viral and host factors that contribute to virus-induced neurologic disease. In an effort to further define the viral genetic elements that contribute to adult mouse neurovirulence, the neurovirulent Sindbis virus strain AR86 was compared to the closely related (22 single amino acid coding changes and the presence or absence of an 18-amino-acid sequence in nsP3 [positions 386 to 403]) but avirulent Girdwood strain. Initial studies using chimeric viruses demonstrated that genetic elements within the nonstructural and structural coding regions contributed to AR86 neurovirulence. Detailed mapping studies identified three major determinants in the nonstructural region, at nsP1 538 (Ile to Thr; avirulent to virulent), an 18-amino-acid deletion in nsP3 (positions 386 to 403), and nsP3 537 (opal to Cys; avirulent to virulent), as well as a single determinant in the structural genes at E2 243 (Leu to Ser; avirulent to virulent), which were essential for AR86 adult mouse neurovirulence. Replacing these codons in AR86 with those found in Girdwood resulted in the attenuation of AR86, while the four corresponding AR86 changes in the Girdwood genetic background increased virulence to the level of wild-type AR86. The attenuating mutations did not adversely affect viral replication in vitro, and the attenuated viruses established infection in the brain and spinal cord as efficiently as the virulent viruses. However, the virus containing the four virulence determinants grew to higher levels in the spinal cord at late times postinfection, suggesting that the virus containing the four attenuating determinants either failed to spread or was cleared more efficiently than the wild-type virus.
The presence or absence of a vimentin-type intermediate filament network affects the shape of the nucleus in human SW-13 cells

Human SW-13 cells express the intermediate filament protein vimentin in a mosaic pattern (Hedberg, K. K. and Chen, L. B. (1986). Exp. Cell Res. 163, 509-517). We have isolated SW-13 clones that do (vim+) or do not (vim-) synthesize vimentin as analyzed using anti-intermediate filament immunofluorescence, electron microscopy and two-dimensional gel analysis of detergent-extracted preparations. Vimentin is the only cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein present in the vim+ cells, and the vim- cells do not contain any detectable cytoplasmic intermediate filament system. The presence or absence of intermediate filaments did not observably affect the distribution of mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, microtubules or actin stress fibers when these structures were visualized by fluorescence microscopy. However, electron microscopy and anti-lamin A/C immunofluorescence studies showed that nuclear morphology in vim- cells was frequently characterized by large folds or invaginations, while vim+ cells had a more regular or smooth nuclear shape. When vim- cells were transfected with a mouse vimentin expression plasmid, the synthesis of a mouse vimentin filament network restored the smooth nuclear morphology characteristic of vim+ cells. Conversely, when vim+ cells were transfected with a carboxy-terminally truncated mutant vimentin, expression of the mutant protein disrupted the organization of the endogenous vimentin filaments and resulted in nuclei with a prominently invaginated morphology. These results indicated that in SW-13 cells the vimentin filament system affects the shape of the nucleus.
Stability of a PKCI-1-related mRNA is controlled by the splicing factor ASF/SF2: a novel function for SR proteins

Pre-mRNA splicing is a widely used regulatory mechanism for controlling gene expression, and a family of conserved proteins, SR proteins, participate in both constitutive and alternative splicing. Here we describe a novel function for the SR protein ASF/SF2. We used an embryonic chicken cDNA library to screen for differential mRNA expression in the chicken B-cell line DT40-ASF, expressing or not expressing ASF/SF2. Remarkably, out of 3 x 10(6) clones screened, only one, isolated several times independently, showed ASF/SF2-related differential expression. The isolated cDNA, referred to here as PKCI-r (for PKCI-related), is closely related to the protein kinase C interacting protein (PKCI-1) gene. Transcript levels were increased approximately sixfold in ASF/SF2-depleted cells compared with cells expressing ASF/SF2, indicating a negative role for the SR protein. Strikingly, inhibition of ASF/SF2 expression had no significant effect on PKCI-r splicing, or transcription, but markedly increased the half-life of PKCI-r mRNA (6.6-fold). Similarly, increased mRNA stability was also observed upon expression of exogenous PKCI-r mRNA in cells depleted of ASF/SF2. ASF/SF2 bound to a discrete region containing a purine-rich sequence in the 3' UTR of the PKCI-r transcript, and deletion of this region eliminated ASF/SF2-mediated regulation of transcript stability. Together these data indicate a novel, direct effect of ASF/SF2 on PKCI-r mRNA stability. Therefore, ASF/SF2, and perhaps other SR proteins, affects gene expression in vertebrate cells through regulation of mRNA stability as well as splicing.
Concussions in the National Football League A Current Concepts Review

Background:Significant attention has been directed toward the immediate and long-term effects of sport-related concussions on athletes participating in contact sports, particularly football. The highest level of football, the National Football League (NFL), has received significant attention and criticism regarding player management and safety after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Several review articles have reported data related to concussion in the NFL, but a succinct review and synthesis of data regarding NFL concussions is currently lacking.Purpose:To (1) review systematically the published data regarding concussion in the NFL and assess limitations of the studies, (2) elucidate areas where further research is needed, and (3) identify methods to improve future investigations of concussion in the NFL.Study Design:Systematic review of literature.Methods:English-language titles and abstracts published between 1900 and September 2014 were searched systematically across electronic databases, and a rev...
Transfusion reaction. An immunologic hazard of blood transfusion.

Twenty-three cases of delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction (DHTR) occurring at the Mayo Clinic from 1964 through 1973 are reviewed. Nineteen patients had clinical manifestations of hemolysis, of which fever was the most frequent presenting symptom. The degree of hemolysis served as an index of morbidity. In four cases, there was oliguria, two of these patients experiencing renal shutdown. In one case, hemolysis led to a disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome. Death occurred subsequent to DHTR in three patients. The direct antiglobulin test was positive in all but one case; this finding coincided with elevated unconjugated bilirubin in 14 cases and decreased haptoglobin levels in 15 cases. Anti-Jka antibody accounted for somewhat more than one-third of reactions and, along with anti-E, c, D, Fya, and K antibodies accounted for 91 per cent of cases.
F. J. Roethlisberger and the Elusive Phenomena of Organizational Behavior

In 1961, Fritz Roethlisberger, coauthor of the landmark Hawthorne studies, wrote a memorandum sketching his understanding of the nascent field of organizational behavior. The memo's purpose was to discuss the relationships of theory and practice in the field, identifying in particular some of the tensions and contradictions that the field poses for the relations of theory and practice. This article reprints Roethlisberger's memo in its entirety and comments point for point on the contemporary relevance of his assertions about the relations of theory and practice. Roethlisberger's observations are even more relevant today than they were in 1961, given the growth of academic theory and research in organizational behavior and the explosion in organizations of ever more complex and intractable problems of managerial leadership. The article will be of interest to anyone interested in the relations of theory and practice and particularly to younger scholars who are shaping their research programs and teaching p...
An Improved Antagonist Radiotracer for the κ-Opioid Receptor: Synthesis and Characterization of 11C-LY2459989

The κ-opioid receptors (KORs) are implicated in several neuropsychiatric diseases and addictive disorders. PET with radioligands provides a means to image the KOR in vivo and investigate its function in health and disease. The purpose of this study was to develop the selective KOR antagonist 11C-LY2459989 as a PET radioligand and characterize its imaging performance in nonhuman primates. Methods: LY2459989 was synthesized and assayed for in vitro binding to opioid receptors. Ex vivo studies in rodents were conducted to assess its potential as a tracer candidate. 11C-LY2459989 was synthesized by reaction of its iodophenyl precursor with 11C-cyanide, followed by partial hydrolysis of the resulting 11C-cyanophenyl intermediate. Imaging experiments with 11C-LY2459989 were performed in rhesus monkeys with arterial input function measurement. Imaging data were analyzed with kinetic models to derive in vivo binding parameters. Results: LY2459989 is a full antagonist with high binding affinity and selectivity for KOR (0.18, 7.68, and 91.3 nM, respectively, for κ, μ, and δ receptors). Ex vivo studies in rats indicated LY2459989 as an appropriate tracer candidate with high specific binding signals and confirmed its KOR binding selectivity in vivo. 11C-LY2459989 was synthesized in high radiochemical purity and good specific activity. In rhesus monkeys, 11C-LY2459989 displayed a fast rate of peripheral metabolism. Similarly, 11C-LY2459989 displayed fast uptake kinetics in the brain and an uptake pattern consistent with the distribution of KOR in primates. Pretreatment with naloxone (1 mg/kg, intravenously) resulted in a uniform distribution of radioactivity in the brain. Further, specific binding of 11C-LY2459989 was dose-dependently reduced by the selective KOR antagonist LY2456302 and the unlabeled LY2459989. Regional binding potential values derived from the multilinear analysis-1 (MA1) method, as a measure of in vivo specific binding signal, were 2.18, 1.39, 1.08, 1.04, 1.03, 0.59, 0.51, and 0.50, respectively, for the globus pallidus, cingulate cortex, insula, caudate, putamen, frontal cortex, temporal cortex, and thalamus. Conclusion: The novel PET radioligand 11C-LY2459989 displayed favorable pharmacokinetic properties, a specific and KOR-selective binding profile, and high specific binding signals in vivo, thus making it a promising PET imaging agent for KOR.
Tree biodiversity in farmer cooperatives of a shade coffee landscape in western El Salvador

Conservation of tropical biodiversity in agricultural landscapes has become more important as the area covered by natural ecosystems decreases. We analyzed the effects of local livelihoods, cooperative types, and selected biophysical variables (elevation, slope, percent shade, distance to the forest, coffee density, and coffee age) on tree biodiversity in shade coffee cooperatives of El Salvador. Tree inventories from 51 quadrats in coffee cooperatives included 2743 individuals from 46 families and 123 identified tree species. Species richness and tree diameters differed among some cooperatives, with greater richness associated with greater stem density; other biophysical variables had little impact on diversity. The amount of shade in the coffee plantations differed among cooperatives, particularly in the wet season. Of the tree species reported in a recent study of a neighboring forest and in the cooperatives (N = 227 species combined), 16% were present at both sites. The three coffee plantations shared 35% of total species reported from all cooperatives. Our research shows that the number of tree species found in a coffee plantation increases with the density of shade trees included in the system. In turn, agroecological management, as influenced by farmer livelihood strategies and cooperative types, directly affects shade canopy composition. Important factors to take into account are the types of farmer organizations present, the cost of maintaining species of conservation concern, and the potential benefits that conservation could bring to the livelihood strategies of farm households. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Theory of Sex Differences in Technical Aptitude and Some Supporting Evidence

In this article, I present a theory that explains the origin of sex differences in technical aptitudes. The theory takes as proven that there are no sex differences in general mental ability (GMA), and it postulates that sex differences in technical aptitude (TA) stem from differences in experience in technical areas, which is in turn based on sex differences in technical interests. Using a large data set, I tested and found support for four predictions made by this theory: (a) the construct level correlation between technical aptitude and GMA is larger for females than males, (b) the observed and true score variability of technical aptitude is greater among males than females, (c) at every level of GMA females have lower levels of technical aptitude, and (d) technical aptitude measures used as estimates of GMA for decision purposes would result in underestimation of GMA levels for girls and women. Given that GMA carries the weight of prediction of job performance, the support found for this last prediction suggests that, for many jobs, technical aptitude tests may underpredict the job performance of female applicants and employees. Future research should examine this question.
Antibody-Mediated Disease Remission in the Mouse Model of Lyme Borreliosis

In the mouse model of Lyme borreliosis, the host immune response during infection with Borrelia burgdorferi results in the remission of carditis and arthritis, as well as global reduction of spirochete numbers in tissues, without elimination of infection (28). These events were recapitulated by passive transfer of immune serum from infected immunocompetent mice or T-cell-deficient mice to severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Previous studies have shown that immune serum is reactive against arthritis-related protein (Arp) and that Arp antiserum induces arthritis remission (16). However, although immune serum from T-cell-deficient mice induced disease remission, it was not reactive against Arp, suggesting that antibody to another antigen may be responsible. T-cell-deficient mouse immune serum was reactive to decorin binding protein A (DbpA). Therefore, DbpA antiserum was tested to determine its ability to induce disease remission in SCID mice. Antisera to Arp or DbpA induced both carditis and arthritis remission but did not significantly reduce spirochete numbers in tissues, based upon quantitative flaB DNA analysis, nor did treatment affect RNA levels of several genes, including arp and dbpA. Immunohistochemical labeling of spirochetes in hearts and joints during disease remission induced by adoptive transfer of lymphocytes, passive transfer of immune serum, or passive transfer of DbpA antiserum revealed that such treatment resulted in elimination of spirochetes from heart base and synovium but not vascular walls, tendons, or ligaments. These results suggest that Arp and DbpA antibodies may be active as disease-resolving components in immune serum but antibody against other antigens may be involved in reductions of spirochetes in tissues.
Rawls, Weithman, and the Stability of Liberal Democracy

In numerous areas, John Rawls’s contributions to political philosophy are clearly recognized. This is true in regard to distributive justice, his revival of social contract theory, and central issues of method in moral philosophy. But as is shown by the, discussion in Paul Weithman’s Why Political Liberalism? Rawls’s contributions to the political theory of liberal democracy are less clear. It is on this subject that I focus, with special attention to issues of ‘stability’ with which Rawls was deeply concerned. One of Weithman’s signal contributions is demonstrating the extent of Rawls’s interest in the stability of liberal democracies, including political aspects of this subject that Rawls scholars have generally overlooked. In addition to criticizing Weithman’s view on this subject, I will provide an alternative account of these political dimensions, in the light of which, I believe, we should assess Rawls’s actual contribution in this area, and some wider concerns that bear on Rawls’s justification of his principles of justice. In his study, Weithman presents a meticulous account of the steps that led Rawls from the version of justice as fairness in A Theory of Justice to the revised views of Political Liberalism. In the later work, Rawls himself briefly explains the reasons for his new ‘political’ version of his theory, and many readers have had general ideas about the nature of the relevant changes. But for the first time, Weithman provides a highly detailed and convincing analysis of this transition. In his
Comparisons of FIR and IIR Implementations of a Subtraction-Based Stimulus Artifact Rejection Algorithm

Finite impulse response (FIR) and infinite impulse response (IIR) temporal filtering techniques are investigated to assess the feasibility of very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) implementation of a subtraction-based stimulus artifact rejection (SAR) algorithm in implantable, closed-loop neuroprostheses. The two approaches are compared in terms of their system architectures, overall performances, and the associated computational costs. Pre-recorded neural data from an Aplysia californica are used to demonstrate the functionality of the proposed implementations. Digital building blocks for an FIR-based system are also simulated in a 0.18-mum CMOS technology, showing a total power consumption of <5 muW from a 1-V supply and a die area of ~1.5 mm2. An IIR-based system can further reduce the required power consumption and die area.
Transfers and transitions: Parent–offspring conflict, genomic imprinting, and the evolution of human life history

Human offspring are weaned earlier than the offspring of other great apes but take longer to reach nutritional independence. An analysis of human disorders of imprinted genes suggests genes of paternal origin, expressed in infants, have been selected to favor more intense suckling than genes of maternal origin. The same analysis suggests that genes of maternal origin may favor slower childhood growth but earlier sexual maturation. These observations are consistent with a hypothesis in which slow maturation was an adaptation of offspring that reduced maternal fitness, whereas early weaning was an adaptation of mothers that reduced the fitness of individual offspring.
Engagement Partner Identification: A Theoretical Analysis

SYNOPSIS: We examine the likely effects of a regulatory requirement for the engagement partner to be personally identified in the audit report. We develop a model in which the engagement partner determines the level of resources devoted to the audit and whether to report aggressively. As long as the partner does not personally suffer reputation damages arising from aggressive reporting, the partner makes decisions that are optimal from the firm's perspective. However, the identification of the partner misaligns the incentives between the partner and the firm. We find that audit report accuracy should increase because engagement partners will find it optimal to gather more evidence. However, engagement partners may report more conservatively than the firm would prefer, as a result of misaligned incentives between the partner and the firm. Interestingly, the effects of a partner identification requirement are predicted to be more pronounced for large firms than for small firms, possibly affecting audit mar...
What anthropology can do for psychology : Facing physics envy, ethnocentrism, and a belief in race

L'A. tente de decrire la maniere dont les psychologues americains concoivent leur discipline et le regard qu'ils portent sur eux-memes. Il soutient que la psychologie americaine est profondement ethnocentrique et il se propose de mettre en lumiere trois domaines dans lesquels l'anthropologie pourrait apporter une contribution a leurs points de vue. Il examine d'abord la conception de la science et de la demarche scientifique de la psychologie, mettant en evidence les ambiguites epistemologiques et methodologiques correlatives. Il critique ensuite la conception de la culture des psychologues et suggere une plus grande integration des concepts d'approches etic et emic pour la psychologie en tant que science du comportement. Finalement, il met en evidence l'aporie theorique de la psychologie quant a la notion de race, et de maniere generale quant a l'analyse et la comprehension des systemes culturels de classification des groupes humains.
FIR-based phase matching for robust Retrospective-Cost Adaptive Control

In this paper we develop frequency-domain methods for approximating IIR plants with FIR transfer functions. The underlying goal is to increase the performance and robustness of Retrospective-Cost Adaptive Control (RCAC), which is applicable to MIMO possibly nonminimum-phase (NMP) plants without the need to know the locations of the NMP zeros. The only required modeling information is an FIR approximation of the plant, which may be based on a limited number of Markov parameters, or possibly noisy frequency response data. In this paper we investigate the resulting phase mismatch between the true plant and the FIR approximation obtained through linear and nonlinear approximation methods. We consider degradation in the phase mismatch due to uncertainty in the frequency response data.
Counterflow pipeline based dynamic instruction scheduling

This paper proposes a new dynamic instruction scheduler called the Asynchronous Fast Dispatch Stack (AFDS). This approach utilizes asynchronous design techniques to implement a dispatch stack-based dynamic instruction issue mechanism. To maintain throughput and simplify dependency computations, the AFDS architecture includes a counterflow pipeline, which is modeled after the Counterflow Pipeline Processor (CFPP) proposed by Sproull and Sutherland (1994). The AFDS counterflow pipeline, however, propagates instruction dependency and completion information, rather than results and source operands. Preliminary results indicate that the AFDS is a promising application of the CFPP architecture.
Neuroprotective effects of progesterone after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rat

Treatment of focal cerebral ischemia in the rat with intraperitoneal administration of progesterone dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy. In the present study we test whether iv administration of water soluble progesterone 2 h after the onset of middle cerebral artery occlusion provides therapeutic benefit for the treatment of stroke. In addition, we perform a battery of functional tests: rotarod, adhesive-backed somatosensory, and neurological score, as well as a dose-response study. The data indicate that iv administration of progesterone at a dose of 8 mg/kg significantly reduces the volume of cerebral infarction and significantly improves outcome on the array of functional measures employed. Treatment with 4 mg/kg or 32 mg/kg of progesterone failed to provide any therapeutic benefit. Progesterone, a non toxic, clinically employed, pluripotent therapeutic agent which targets both neuroprotective as well as neuroregenerative strategies, may have important therapeutic benefits for the treatment of stroke.
Shear-wave speeds and elastic moduli for different liquids. Part 1. Theory

Theorie pour un dispositif rheometrique de mesure de la vitesse des ondes de cisaillement dans une region au repos. Le dispositif est un appareil de Couette a intervalle etroit. Le cylindre externe se deplace par impulsion et on mesure un temps de transit. La theorie regissant cet appareil est reduite a un probleme de Stokes entre plaques paralleles. Methode de determination du module de cisaillement effectif a partir des mesures
Enhancement of high threshold calcium currents in rat primary afferent neurons by constitutively active protein kinase C

Protein kinase C has been implicated in the modulation of calcium channel function. However, controversy exists concerning the actions of agents such as phorbol esters or diacylglycerol (DAG) that activate endogenous PKC, with both enhancement and inhibition of Ca2+ currents described. In this article we report the effects of direct intracellular application of a constitutively active form of PKC (PKM) on whole cell calcium currents in acutely dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. PKM application significantly enhanced high threshold voltage-activated calcium currents elicited from holding potentials of -80 mV and -40 mV. The rate of current rundown in PKM-treated cells was not significantly different from controls. The enhancement observed with PKM was not due to a shift in the voltage dependence of the peak current. Synthetic PKC inhibitor peptide (PKC-I) added to recording solutions containing PKM (PKM+PKC-I) abolished the PKM-associated enhancement. The rate of current rundown was significantly increased in the presence of PKM+PKC-I, and PKC-I alone, suggesting that substantial enhancement of voltage-activated calcium currents by endogenous PKC occurred in this preparation of rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. The portions of current attributable to N-, L-, and non-N,L-type currents [determined by applying the N- and L-type calcium antagonists omega-conotoxin GVIA and nifedipine (3-10 microM)] were not affected by PKM, suggesting that both N and L current components were enhanced by PKM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Geometric mixture analysis of imaging spectrometry data

Linear spectral mixture analysis, or unmixing, of imaging spectrometry data is essentially a geometry problem. Finite spatial resolution and natural heterogeneity conspire to make spectral mixing inherent in all imaging spectrometry data. The concepts of affine, convex and projective geometries provide a natural framework for understanding spectral mixing and tools for unraveling it. It is possible to automatically derive the number of mixing endmembers, estimates of their pure spectra and maps of their apparent surface abundances using only the mixed, observed data. Pure pixels are not required for the process. >
Local Protein Synthesis at Synapses

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of mechanisms and machinery underlying local protein synthesis at synapses. Topics include the machinery localized at synapses that mediates local protein synthesis and processing, the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that are present in dendrites and available for translation, RNA transport in dendrites, and aspects of mRNA targeting to synapses as revealed by studies of the immediate early gene Arc.
Platelet storage pool disease in hybrid rats F1 Fawn-hooded rats derived from crosses with their putative ancestors (Rattus norvegicus)

Fawn-hooded rats have a hemorrhagic disorder known as platelet storage pool deficiency. Parent stocks of Fawn-hooded, Long-Evans, and Wistar (DAB) rats and the progeny of their reciprocal crosses were studied for coat color and percentage 14C-serotonin uptake and secretion by blood platelets. Progeny of Fawn-hooded and Wistar reciprocal crosses were dark- or light-hooded, whereas all reciprocal crosses with the Long-Evans stock were dark-hooded. The light or fawn hood was significantly associated with the reduced serotonin uptake and secretion characteristic of storage pool efficiency.
A Comparative Analysis of Attitudinal Predictions of Brand Preference

A comparison of cross-sectional methods of analysis of multi-attribute attitude models indicates striking differences in predictive power. Importance weights do not detract from prediction, and cor...
The SCAR/WAVE complex polarizes PAN receptors and promotes division asymmetry in maize

Pre-mitotic establishment of polarity is a key event in the preparation of mother cells for asymmetric cell divisions that produce daughters of distinct fates, and ensures correct cellular patterning of tissues and eventual organ function. Previous work has shown that two receptor-like kinases, PANGLOSS2 (PAN2) and PAN1, and the small GTPase RHO GTPASE OF PLANTS (ROP) promote mother cell polarity and subsequent division asymmetry in developing maize stomata. PAN proteins become polarized prior to asymmetric cell division, however, the mechanism of this polarization is unknown. Here we show that the SCAR/WAVE regulatory complex, which activates the actin-nucleating ARP2/3 complex, is the first known marker of polarity in this asymmetric division model and is required for PAN polarization. These findings implicate actin, and specifically branched actin networks, in PAN polarization and asymmetric cell division.
A capillary test for "L.E." cells.

The authors' purpose in this paper is to report a new, simple, highly sensitive test for the demonstration of the lupus erythematosus (L.E.) cell. Three components take part in the formation of the L.E. cell, namely: (1) the serum or plasma L.E. factor; (2) the phagocytes; and (3) the inclusion substrate. Only the first of the 3 must come from the patient; the second and third may come from the patient or from another person. One of the aims of our study was to investigate quantitatively the properties and best sources of supply of the inclusion substrate. We have searched, therefore, for a test for L.E. cells that would meet the following requirements: (1) it should be easily reproducible; (2) the serum L.E. and the phagocyte factors should be rigidly controlled, quantitatively and qualitatively; (3) it should require only minimal amounts of L.E. serum and phagocytes because the supply of both of consistently good quality is limited; and (4) it .should exclude the erythrocytes from the testing system, inasmuch as erythrocytes are not involved in the formation of L.E. cells, but outnumber the leukocytes approximately 1000:1, and may interfere with phagocytosis. Based on these principles, the capillary test for L.E. cells has been developed.
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

The electrocardiogram or vectorcardiogram often indicates features compatible with left ventricular hypertrophy in persons who do not have the condition. Increased QRS voltage, increased QRS duration, and ST-T changes in an isolated electrocardiogram or vectorcardiogram may mislead the physician, but serial records noting progressive changes appreciably improve the accuracy of diagnosis.
Carbon Nanotube Paper-Based Electroanalytical Devices

Here, we report on carbon nanotube paper-based electroanalytical devices. A highly aligned-carbon nanotube (HA-CNT) array, grown using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), was processed to form bi-layered paper with an integrated cellulose-based Origami-chip as the electroanalytical device. We used an inverse-ordered fabrication method from a thick carbon nanotube (CNT) sheet to a thin CNT sheet. A 200-layered HA-CNT sheet and a 100-layered HA-CNT sheet are explored as a working electrode. The device was fabricated using the following methods: (1) cellulose-based paper was patterned using a wax printer, (2) electrical connection was made using a silver ink-based circuit printer, and (3) three electrodes were stacked on a 2D Origami cell. Electrochemical behavior was evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). We believe that this platform could attract a great deal of interest for use in various chemical and biomedical applications.
Understanding Uncertainty Among Critically Ill Patients in the Intensive Care Unit Using Mishel's Theory of Uncertainty of Illness.

Background The concept uncertainty has been explored in critical care but only among patients with myocardial infarction and post-cardiac catheterization using the Uncertainty in Illness Theory. Uncertainty is also a finding of numerous studies conducted in intensive care units (ICUs) that included only family members as participants of the research. Objectives The purpose of this article is to explore, describe, and understand the concept of uncertainty among patients and family members during critical illness in the ICU from the perspective of a phenomenological study with support from other studies published in the literature using Mishel's Theory of Uncertainty in Illness. Methods The concept "uncertainty" as the topic for this article is one of the specific themes illuminated from a qualitative phenomenological study conducted in the ICU in 2010. Five from each category of patients, family members, and nurses were interviewed until data saturation was achieved. The data were analyzed using van Manen's wholistic, selective, and detailed line-by-line approach until themes were illuminated. Results Uncertainty is a patient-specific theme illuminated in this qualitative phenomenological study not noted among the family members. The patients perceived that they "do not know what is going to happen," "if they are progressing or not," or "if they will make it or not." Discussion Uncertainty among patients related to critical illness should be further explored. Patients with different critical care diagnosis should be included as participants.
Common Core Standards: A Bridge Too Far?

Since at least the Nixon administration, elites of both parties wanted to develop and impose national standards, largely for the reasons outlined in Chap. 1. Standards are seen as a way to assure that American public schooling will have transparent targets to aim for, and to promote school and teacher level accountability. Since nearly all other developed nations have national academic standards, elites see national standards as a way to modernize a decentralized, locally focused system.
Levator ani defects in patients with stress urinary incontinence: three-dimensional endovaginal ultrasound assessment

To determine the prevalence of levator ani (LA) muscle subdivision defects in patients with SUI using three-dimensional endovaginal ultrasound (3D EVUS). This is a prospective cohort study of 100 patients with pure or predominant urodynamic SUI who underwent 3D EVUS. The 3D cubes obtained were analyzed and the LA muscle was divided into three subgroups: the puboperinealis/puboanalis, the puborectalis, and the iliococcygeus/pubococcygeus. Each LA muscle subdivision was individually scored on each side (0: no defect, 1: ≤50 % muscle loss, 2: > 50 % muscle loss, and 3: total absence of the muscle) and a cumulative score, categorized as 0 (no defect), mild (total score 1–6), moderate (7–12), and severe (≥13) was calculated. The number of women with no LA muscle defect or a mild defect was significantly higher than the number of those with a moderate or severe defect (p −0.3; p 0.05). Although all muscle subdivisions contributed to the overall LA muscle defect score, the association was strongest for the puborectalis component (r = 0.9; p < 0.001). The prevalence of the LA muscle defect in patients with intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) was not significantly different from that in patients without ISD. Patients with SUI have a higher prevalence of no or mild LA defect compared with a moderate or severe LA defect.
Handbook of Environmental Analysis: Chemical Pollutants in Air, Water, Soil, and Solid Wastes, Second Edition

A reflection of the myriad changes in the field of environmental analysis and the emergence of many new classes of pollutants in recent years, the second edition of Handbook of Environmental Analysis: Chemical Pollutants in Air, Water, Soil, and Solid Wastes covers all aspects of environmental analysis. Completely revised and updated to include new
Morphine Exaggerates Retinopathy in Transgenic Sickle Mice.

Proliferative retinopathy is a complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). Promotion of angiogenesis by opioids (Cancer Res 62: 4491, 2002) suggests that opioid analgesics used to treat pain may exaggerate retinopathy in patients with SCD. To examine the hypothesis that morphine augments retinopathy, we used sickle mice with transgenes for human α and βS globin (NY1DD model) and their wild type (WT) C57/BL6 controls. Simulating the analgesic doses used in humans, we injected morphine subcutaneously (50 mg / day / 70 Kg with 10 mg increments every 2 weeks and / or equimolar amount of naloxone) for 6 to 15 months into 9 – 11 months old mice. Retinal vasculature was visualized with darkfield illumination using adenosine diphosphatese reaction. Morphine induced neovascularization, corkscrew formation resembling microangiopathy in human, arterio-venous anastomoses and several vascular tufts in the inner 1/3 and whole retina after 10 and 15 months of treatment, respectively in all NY1DD but not in WT mice. Only 1/5 or 2/7 PBS-treated NY1DD mice showed early neovascular changes at 20 (treated for 10 mo) or 26 (treated for 15 mo) months of age, respectively. Retinopathy scores by ICROP system used in neonatal intensive care units for abnormal vessels, blood vessel tortuosity and tufts in NY1DD mice were: 10 mo treatment, PBS, 1.5±0.5; morphine, 10±0.7 (p<0.0001 vs PBS); morphine + naloxone, 4±1; naloxone, 3.8±1.2 and 15 mo treatment, PBS, 5.9±2 and morphine, 13±0.5 (p<0.003 vs PBS). Naloxone significantly inhibited (p<0.005, morphine vs morphine +naloxone) morphine-induced retinopathy, suggesting an opioid receptor-mediated mechanism. To elucidate the mechanism of morphine-induced retinopathy we isolated retinal endothelial cells (REC) by panning with anti-CD31 from WT and NY1DD mice. Similar to VEGF induced proliferation and survival, morphine stimulated 5–6 fold proliferation and increased survival by about 75% in both WT and NY1DD REC, in a dose dependent manner. Both VEGF164 and morphine stimulated time-dependent MAPK/ERK and STAT3 phosphorylation in WT REC. VEGF and morphine stimulate nitric oxide synthase pathway and stimulate angiogenesis. This raised the possibility of a cross-talk between VEGF receptor(s) and opioid receptor(s). We found that morphine stimulates the phosphorylation of VEGFR2/Flk1 in WT REC which co-immunoprecipitated with mu opioid receptor (MOR) using anti-MOR antibodies. Both, morphine- or VEGF-induced phospho STAT3 also co-immunoprecipitated with MOR, suggesting that activation of either MOR or Flk1 transactivates the other. Thus, addition of morphine to the VEGF replete microenvironment in SCD can have an exaggerating effect on the progression of retinopathy. Since patients with SCD receive opioids for long periods of time, we speculate that retinopathy in these patients may in part be due to opioid use.