cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implicit coordination: Sharing goals with similar others intensifies goal pursuit

Abstract The current research explored whether sharing intentionality leads to implicit coordination, a situation in which isolated individuals independently adopt a similar standard of behavior. We propose that knowing that a given goal is experienced in common with other in-group members or similar others intensifies goal pursuit. Two experiments examined whether simply being aware that one's own individual goal was also being separately pursued by similar others results in more goal-congruent behavior. When a promotion goal was shared with similar others, participants produced greater promotion behaviors than when the same goal was shared with different others. Similarly, sharing a prevention goal with similar others led to greater prevention behavior than conditions where a) similar others had a different goal and b) different others shared the same goal. Overall, shared goals served as an intensifier of individual goal pursuit. We discuss shared goals as a foundation for the emergence of social synchrony in groups.
Undercover and Underground: Labor Spies and Mine Management in the Early Twentieth Century

In this article Professor Hyde examines in detail the use of industrial spies at a large Michigan copper mine in the early twentieth century. While many historians have argued that labor spies were powerful weapons effectively used by employers in their struggles with workers, Hyde finds in his case study of the Quincy Mining Company that spies were seldom useful in providing important labor intelligence. Instead, they inadvertently provided top management with valuable information about underground working conditions and the performance of foremen and petty bosses.
Responsiveness to estradiol in central nervous system of aging female rats.

Abstract The age related decline in reproductive capacity in the female rat is examined in terms of physiological and behavioral changes in responsiveness to estradiol evidenced during the second year of life. After 9–12 months of age, regular estrous cycles are replaced by constant estrous, prolonged pseudopregnancy, or anestrous states, with concurrent alterations in endocrine function. Some of the mechanisms implicated in the mediation of these changes are reviewed. Estrogenic influences on estrous behavior and the control of feeding and body weight in aged rats, as well as the effects of parity on aged endocrinological functioning are discussed.
The Effects of Company Image on Perceptions of Legal Responsibility

When a product liability case involves a well-known company, the perceptions of the jurors may be influenced by the company's safety reputation. Safety reputation can stem from extrapolations from product quality and brand image that the juror previously held, or from details revealed during the trial. This research builds on a previous study that used fictitious scenarios based loosely on the highly publicized incident in which a woman was scalded by hot coffee she purchased from the drive-through window of a McDonalds restaurant. In the original study, participants exposed to scenarios that cast McDonalds safety practices in an unfavorable light allocated significantly more blame to McDonalds (and less to the woman) than participants exposed to scenarios that were either favorable or neutral toward McDonalds. This research investigates how allocation of responsibility and people's perceptions of duty to warn change as a function of the company named as the defendant and how it is portrayed. Participants...
Epigenetic choreographers of neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain

This review examines evidence supporting diverse roles for epigenetic mechanisms in regulating specific aspects of adult neurogenesis and their implications.
Local Control of Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes

We investigated the mechanisms of excitation-contraction (EC) coupling in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) and fetal ventricular myocytes (hFVMs) using patch-clamp electrophysiology and confocal microscopy. We tested the hypothesis that Ca2+ influx via voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ channels activates Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) via a local control mechanism in hESC-CMs and hFVMs. Field-stimulated, whole-cell [Ca2+]i transients in hESC-CMs required Ca2+ entry through L-type Ca2+ channels, as evidenced by the elimination of such transients by either removal of extracellular Ca2+ or treatment with diltiazem, an L-type channel inhibitor. Ca2+ release from the SR also contributes to the [Ca2+]i transient in these cells, as evidenced by studies with drugs interfering with either SR Ca2+ release (i.e. ryanodine and caffeine) or reuptake (i.e. thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid). As in adult ventricular myocytes, membrane depolarization evoked large L-type Ca2+ currents (ICa) and corresponding whole-cell [Ca2+]i transients in hESC-CMs and hFVMs, and the amplitude of both ICa and the [Ca2+]i transients were finely graded by the magnitude of the depolarization. hESC-CMs exhibit a decreasing EC coupling gain with depolarization to more positive test potentials, “tail” [Ca2+]i transients upon repolarization from extremely positive test potentials, and co-localized ryanodine and sarcolemmal L-type Ca2+ channels, all findings that are consistent with the local control hypothesis. Finally, we recorded Ca2+ sparks in hESC-CMs and hFVMs. Collectively, these data support a model in which tight, local control of SR Ca2+ release by the ICa during EC coupling develops early in human cardiomyocytes.
Laughing Matters: Defamation and the Secular Subject in the Global European Union

On February 26, 2008, the Council of the European Union (CEU) arrived at a Framework Decision designed to combat particularly serious forms of racism and xenophobia by criminal law (CEU 2008).1 By proposing a comprehensive framework, this decision marks an important moment in the evolution of EU human rights guidelines which, since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, have developed piecemeal a patchwork of principles affirming human rights and condemning expressions of hate speech and incitements to racial hatred. Of particular interest for scholars working on the Middle East and its European diaspora is the criminalization of human rights violations that contribute to incitement and which include religion, not only as a freedom of practice but as a category that excites discrimination, intimidation, and coercion. While the CEU decision, in its affi rmation of religion as a relevant category, attempts to steer a course between the diverse forms of state protection of press freedoms and hate speech, there is nothing particularly new about the inclusion of religion as some might think. Indeed, since the late 1990s various EU documents have affi rmed the principle that religious freedom cannot be enjoyed in a climate of defamation and that incitements to racial hatred target religious identity.2 Th e CEU decision marks a tension between its framing of criminal penalty and the EU’s position against including freedom from defama-
ACCOUNTING FOR SEX DIFFERENCES ON THE ROD-AND-FRAME TEST

In an attempt to account for sex differences in rod-and-frame test (RFT) performance two theoretical notions have been advanced. The most recent theorizing is contained in an extremely thought-provoking paper by Broverman, Klaiber, Kobayashi, and Vogel (1968). They refute what they have called the "cultural reward hypothesis" as a means of accounting for sex differences in a variety of cognitive tasks. For them, sex differences in the RFT are "reflections of the balance between the activating influence of central adrenergic processes and the inhibitory influence of central cholinergic processes, which, in turn, are influenced by gonadal steroid 'sex' hormones" (p. 27). While Broverman, et u1. (1968) have generated a tenable hypothesis to account for sex differences in the RFT, it is difficult to conceive of an adequate test of that hypothesis. Although the second hypothesis is by no means unique to the author, Vaught (1965), in a study specifically designed to account for sex differences in the RFT, showed that Ss regardless of biological sex, whose role identification was in the feminine direction made more errors in the RFT than those Ss whose role identification was in the more masculine direction. It was reasoned that the atuibutes accompanying each cultural role accounted for the differential RFT performance. For example, masculinity has long been associated with mechanical and scientific interests, and with preference for abstract and impersonal activities over aesthetic ones. When the female becomes interested in mechanical tasks and ocher pursuits requiring the ability to deal with spatial relationships, she would not only be identified as relatively masculine but she would also tend to make fewer errors in the RFT. Additional support for this hypothesis had come from a recent study by Barrett and Thornton (1967) who found engineers to be significantly more field independent than a sample of college students. Further support for the so-called "cultural reward hypothesis" has come from correlations between the Embeddedness sub-scale of Evans' (1969) Psychological Differentiation Inventory and RFT performance. Thirty-six male and 39 female college students produced correlations of .18 and .52 respectively. Only the correlation for women reached statistical significance (p < .01). Females who answered items such as "Can you easily separate a figure from its background?" in the yes direction, were more likely to make fewer errors in adjusting the rod to true vertical. It seems likely that the manifest content of the eight items of the Embeddedness sub-scale, reflect prior knowledge and experience with spatial relationships not ordinarily associated with the feminine role identity. Thus, females who have this background have an advantage in the RFT and that advantage shows up in scores in the direction of male performance.
Reliability analysis of polynomial systems subject to p-box uncertainties

Abstract This paper proposes a reliability analysis framework for systems subject to multiple design requirements that depend polynomially on uncertain parameters. The values these polynomials take at a given realization of the uncertain parameters dictate whether that realization is a failure or a success point. In this paper, reliability analysis refers to the estimation or bounding of the probability of failure for a given model of the uncertainty. The probability distributions of the uncertain parameters are presumed to belong to a given probability box (also known as a p-box). This does not give sufficient information to determine the failure probability of such a system exactly, but does limit the range of values it might take. Two techniques for bounding this range are proposed herein. In the first approach, we calculate the p-box of the requirements functions by propagating all the hyper-rectangles defined by the p-box of the uncertain parameters. In the second approach, we find inner bounding sets of the safe and failure domains and search for the elements of the p-box that minimize and maximize the probability of such sets. Iterative refinement of the bounding sets allows tightening arbitrarily closely the offset between the actual failure probability range and the calculated outer bound. In both techniques, bounds of the functions describing the design requirements over hyper-rectangular sets are calculated and iteratively refined by expanding them using Bernstein bases.
The evolution of red blood cell and lymphocyte Ro/SSA.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the Ro/SSA autoantigen is heterogeneous as is the corresponding autoimmune response. In addition the autoimmune response is highly species specific and preferentially reactive with the human antigen. Quantitative ELISA study shows that red blood cell Ro/SSA evolves much more rapidly than lymphocyte Ro/SSA and Western Blot analysis shows that the quantitative ELISA results are mirrored by changes in the 60 kD Ro/SSA molecules but not the 52 kD and 54 kD Ro/SSA molecules. The 52 kD and 54 kD Ro/SAA molecules seem to be relatively conserved as indicated by the Western immunoblotting experiments. These studies add weight to the concept that the antigenic epitopes of these related proteins are under the control of separate genes which have undergone different rates of evolution.
Defect visibility and content importance: effects on perceived impairment

In this paper, we describe the results of a series of psychophysical experiments that investigated the relationships among defect visibility, content importance, and perceived impairment in digital video. Various types of controlled defects were inserted into normal video and shown to our test subjects. The defects varied in their strength, location, appearance, size, and duration. We measured three specific subjective quantities: the defect detection probabilities, the perceived impairment, and the content importance. Impairment was found to be tightly related to defect visibility but only weakly related to content importance.
The Cauchy problem for electromagnetic wave propagation in globally perturbed nonselfadjoint media

The Cauchy problem for perturbations of the system of partial differential equations known as Maxwell’s equations is the subject of this paper. The purpose of our investigation is at least two-fold. First, the perturbation of the Maxwell equations is rarely considered directly (for good reasons the reader will appreciate if he dare continue) so we take up this challenge, and, second, perturbations of the type considered here, which are not locally acting, offer a generality in formulation not available in the local case. In this connection a word about motivation is in order. The choice of the problem was dictated by an inspiration: is it possible, in general systems of equations, to formulate perturbation problems in terms of how propagation modes (for those trained to think in terms of waves) are forced to interact with each other by the perturbation. The Maxwell system is the simplest nontrivial setting in which to study this question. A plethora of mathematical uncertainties arise here and no doubt we have failed to address many of them in the most elegant fashion. All this is meant to point out that the problem we study is not motivated by any particular physical model (though it is not difficult to think of some) but rather by a “new” mathematical idea. Hence the body of the paper is analysis, not model justification. The question of whether the mathematics done here is “pure” or “applied” then may be answered differently by different persons. We think it “applied” in the best sense of the word. After the disclaimer it may be wise to speculate on physical interpretation. As to
Control of nanofiltration membrane biofouling by Pseudomonas aeruginosa using d-tyrosine

Abstract Effective control of biofouling is necessary for sustainable application of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration in seawater desalination as well as water and wastewater treatment. In this study, the effectiveness and mechanisms of d -tyrosine in controlling biofouling of a polyamide nanofiltration (NF) membrane by a model biofilm bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were investigated. The impact of d -tyrosine on cell attachment and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa was studied in both batch and continuous flow filtration systems. d -tyrosine was found to strongly inhibit P. aeruginosa attachment and biofilm formation on the NF membrane without impacting bacterial growth. When continuously supplemented to the membrane feed water in a bench scale NF system, d -tyrosine prevented irreversible biofouling by prohibiting adhesion and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa on the NF membrane. Such inhibitive effect, however, may not be reflected in the membrane flux behavior during one single filtration cycle when the bacterial concentration in the system is high due to the dominant effect of cake enhanced osmotic pressure. The effective concentration of d -tyrosine was as low as 3 μM, although the effectiveness of biofouling control by d -tyrosine strongly depended on the ratio of d -amino acid concentration to bacterial cell number.
College students' use of task‐related information during studying

Abstract This investigation examined the effects of specific task‐related information on undergraduates’ studying behaviors and question‐answering performance. Forty students studied and were tested on a 4000‐word article about farming in Ireland. The results of the study demonstrated that specific postreading response criteria significantly improved the question‐answering performance of these older, proficient readers. Further, specific prereading directions were found to have a significant positive effect on students’ studying behaviors, including their willingness to redo all or part of the question task.
Performance Evaluation of Precast Posttensioned Concrete Multibeam Deck

An innovative bridge construction utilizing on-site posttensioned precast concrete beams that are compressed together with full depth grouted shear keys and transverse posttensioning is the subject of this paper. In particular, the performance of the shear keys with regard to load transfer and water tightness constitutes the main issues of investigation. This paper presents the results of a live load testing program and associated finite-element analysis results of the as-built bridge. Live truck load test results help provide insights on the lateral (transverse direction) load distribution characteristics among the interconnected beams. The measured lateral distribution of the applied truck load among adjacent beams showed that the load was transferred primarily to the beams close to the truck load position, validating the effectiveness of the shear key details in transporting loads.
Organ blood flow and cardiovascular effects of high-frequency oscillation versus conventional ventilation in dogs with right heart failure.

Mongrel dogs underwent a large (apex to pulmonary valve) right ventriculotomy to produce right ventricular dysfunction. Right ventriculotomy decreased cardiac output from 2.47 +/- 0.43 to 1.34 +/- 0.16 L/min (p less than .01), increased CVP from 3.7 +/- 1.5 to 8.3 +/- 2.4 mm Hg (p less than .01), and decreased mean systemic arterial pressure (MAP) from 143 +/- 16 to 121 +/- 21 mm Hg (p less than .01). There was no effect on mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP) or pulmonary artery occlusion pressure. After stabilization a randomized crossover controlled comparison of conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) and high-frequency oscillation (HFO) was performed. FIO2, pH, PCO2, core temperature, and preload were held constant. Mean airway pressure (Paw) was 4.8 +/- 0.7 cm H2O on CMV vs. 3.5 +/- 1.0 cm H2O on HFO (p less than .05). There was no difference in PaO2. We found no statistically significant differences between the two modes of ventilation with respect to cardiac output, MAP, MPAP, systemic vascular resistance, and pulmonary vascular resistance. Blood flows to cerebral cortex, renal cortex, adrenal, hepatic artery, left ventricular myocardium, and skeletal muscle were not different when comparing CMV to HFO. Despite the ability to attain equivalent oxygenation and ventilation at lower Paw, HFO offers no hemodynamic advantage over CMV in the presence of right ventricular dysfunction.
Neurodevelopmental outcome of the late preterm infant

There is very limited information about the developmental outcome of the late preterm infant. The developing brain is vulnerable to injury during this very active and important stage of fetal brain development; therefore, it is important to carefully monitor the neurologic outcome of these infants. This article discusses gestational brain development and complications of late preterm birth that contribute to the overall risk of brain injury.
The Cultural Environment of International Business

Vern Terpstra and Kenneth David The Cultural Environment of International Business 1985 Dallas:South Western Publishing Co.
Mandibular and temporomandibular joint arthropathy in the differential diagnosis of the parotid mass.

Objective To increase awareness of temporomandibular joint and mandibular disease in the overall evaluation and diagnosis of the parotid mass. Study Design We describe clinical presentations of pigmented villonodular synovitis and synovial chondrocalcinosis of the temporomandibular joint, as well as osteoma of the mandible, as they may initially suggest primary neoplasms of the parotid gland. Conclusions Preauricular swelling is a common presenting symptom for patients visiting an otolaryngologist. Often this symptom is suggestive of a parotid mass. However, lesions of the temporomandibular joint and mandible may also present in this fashion.
Intimacy of the niche: perivascular remodeling cuddles incoming HSCs.

Stem cells reside in "niches," which provide signaling cues necessary for self-renewal. In a recent issue of Cell, Tamplin et al. (2015) perform live imaging of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and find dynamic remodeling of endothelial cells is triggered upon arrival of HSPCs at the caudal hematopoietic tissue.
Synthesis of (6R)- and (6S)-5,10-dideazatetrahydrofolate oligo-γ-glutamates: Kinetics of multiple glutamate ligations catalyzed by folylpoly-γ-glutamate synthetase

Folylpoly-γ-glutamate synthetase (FPGS, EC 6.3.2.17) catalyzes the ATP-dependent ligation of glutamic acid to reduced folates including (6S)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate (H4PteGlu), as well as to anticancer drugs such as 5,10-dideaza-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate ((6R)-DDAH4PteGlu1, (6R)-DDATHF, Lometrexol™). Synthesis of unlabeled mono- and polyglutamates, DDAH4PteGlun (6R, n = 1–6; 6S, n = 1–2), as well as (6R)-DDAH4Pte[14C]Glu1, was effected from (6R)- or (6S)-5,10-dideazatetrahydropteroyl azide and glutamic acid, H-Glu-γ-Glun-γ-Glu-OH (n = 0–4), or [14C]glutamic acid, respectively. These compounds were evaluated as FPGS substrates to determine steady-state kinetic constants. Michaelis–Menten kinetics were observed for (6R)-DDAH4PteGlu1, the isomer corresponding to H4PteGlu, whereas marked substrate inhibition was observed for (6S)-DDAH4PteGlun (n = 1–2) and (6R)-DDAH4PteGlun (n = 2–5), but not (6R)-DDAH4PteGlu6. Multiple ligation of glutamate renders a quantitative analysis of these data difficult. However, approximate values of KM = 0.65–1.6 µM and KI = 144–417 µM for DDAH4PteGlun were obtained using a simple kinetic model.
An Optical Tactile Array Sensor

This paper describes a new type of tactile sensor intended for robotic applications. It is based upon the frustration of total internal reflection at an optical surface caused by an opaque elastic membrane. An optical image is created in which the intensity is monotonically related to the strains or pressures created by an impressed object. This image is subsequently converted to digital form by a CID camera. The performance characteristics of two planar tactile array sensors are presented. The first sensor is a tactile "table" with an active area measuring 7 x 12cm. A 128 x 128 pixel CID camera is used to image a 3.3 x 3.3cm section of the total active area, thereby resulting in an effective tactile element density of 1500/sq-cm. The second sensor is a small, compact unit designed for use on robot gripper fingers. A coherent cable of optical fibers convey the strain image to a remotely-located CID camera, resulting in a tactile element density of 54/sq-cm over an active area measuring 2.2 x 2.5cm. Such optical tactile array sensors are seen to offer significant promise in the area of robotics where they can provide the advantages of high spatial resolution and non-planar sensor geometries (e.g. cylindrical and hemispherical).
The infusion of multicultural education in teacher education programmes with specific focus on reading methods courses

Abstract Multicultural education, a dominant theme in education over the past decade, is often viewed narrowly as an effort to enhance race relationships. In actuality the term multicultural implies much more. Current usage connotes the role of education as a transmitter of understandings of all cultures—e.g. the culture of the aged, the religious, the poor, the rich, the handicapped, the gifted, the ethnic minorities— the cultures of the world. This focus reflects an educational philosophy which encompasses a broad awareness of individual differences and worth. For colleges of education to plan effectively for the infusion of multicultural concepts in teacher preparation programmes, the involvement of the total faculty is imperative. This paper presents suggestions for implementation which involve three levels—the college level, the departmental level, and the course level—with specific emphasis directed toward the integration of multicultural education into already overburdened reading methods courses w...
Hazard-Based Optimum Lifetime Inspection and Repair Planning for Deteriorating Structures

The hazard function is one of the most used lifetime distribution functions in reliability analysis of components and systems. Although it is extensively used in several scientific disciplines, few applications have been proposed in the field of civil infrastructure systems. In this paper, the hazard function is used to provide optimal inspection/repair lifetime planning for deteriorating structures through an iterative procedure. The proposed approach is based on the definition of a threshold value for the hazard function. Constraints are imposed based on both the maximum allowable expected total cost and minimum allowable effectiveness of each intervention. Uncertainties related to damage detection during inspections and attitudes towards repair are considered. An optimization procedure for determining the best threshold value for the hazard function, with target maximum expected failure time, is proposed. The method is applied to an existing deteriorating bridge deck under corrosion.
The covering problem for linear context-free grammars

Abstract Language equivalence, grammatical covering and structural equivalence are all notions of similarity defined on context-free grammars. We show that the problem of determining whether an arbitrary linear context-free grammar covers another is complete for the class of languages accepted by polynomially space bounded Turing machines. We then compare the complexity of this problem with the analogous problems for language equivalence and structural equivalence, not only for linear grammars, but also for regular grammars and unrestricted context-free grammars. As a step in obtaining the main result of this paper, we show that the equivalence problem for linear s-grammars is decidable in polynomial time.
A method for verifying treatment times for simple high-dose-rate endobronchial brachytherapy procedures

An empirical method for verifying the total treatment time for either a one‐ or a two‐catheter high‐dose‐rate procedure has been developed. The method can be performed quickly and allows for easy verification of the accuracy of the treatment time arrived at by a computerized planning system. The method is designed to confirm the treatment time to within 10%.
Power motivation, stress and physical illness.

Abstract College students reporting a larger number of life change events in the past six months also reported significantly more frequent and more severe instances of physical illness and more affective symptoms in the same time period. These relationships, however, were modified in an interesting way by type of life change and by individual differences. Life change events were classified as involving power, affiliative or other stresses. Individuals scoring high in the need for Power (n Power), in inhibition, and in the number of power stresses (HHH subjects), reported more severe physical illness and affective symptoms than all other subjects or, in particular, subjects low in n Power, power stress and inhibition (LLL subjects). Individuals scoring high in n Power and high in either inhibition or power stress also reported significantly more severe physical illness than other subjects. Among subjects high in inhibition, affiliative stress in combination with high n Power was associated with more severe...
Sliver Generation Reduction in Trimming of Aluminum Autobody Sheet

Aluminum autobody sheets produce appreciable amounts of slivers during trimming operations when trimmed with dies conventionally designed for steel sheets. The slivers can be carried through downstream processes and cause damage to the surface of formed parts resulting in costly manual repair. This paper reports a systematic experimental study at both the macro- and micro-scale of the sliver generation problem with relation to cutting angle, clearance, and blade sharpness. It is concluded that slivers can be reduced or even eliminated by modifying the current trimming tools designed for steel sheets. The most striking finding is that the conventional wisdom of 0-degree cutting conditions generate the largest amount of slivers for aluminum alloy sheets. With proper cutting angles, trimming aluminum autobody sheets can actually be more robust than that for steel sheets-the clearances can be less restrictive and tools may require much less frequent sharpening. The microscopic investigation traced the origins of slivers and revealed the mechanisms of sliver generation. The paper demonstrates that the integration of material microstructure and mechanics is very beneficial for solving a significant manufacturing problem and can greatly improve the process of shearing aluminum alloy autobody sheet.
Diameter Selective Growth of Vertically Aligned Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Study on Their Growth Mechanism

Diameter controlled vertically aligned single walled carbon nanotubes (VA-SWNTs) were synthesized by controlling flow rate of carbon source and dimension of catalyst nanoparticles. The large scale structural analysis demonstrating spatial distribution of SWNT diameters was conducted by a newly developed Raman Radial Breathing Mode (RBM) mapping technique. Also we investigated the fundamental mechanism of diameter selective growth of SWNTs during the CVD process through computational modeling. Our experimental and computational studies show that a lower flow rate of carbon source makes a smaller nucleation site for a SWNT resulting in a smaller diameter formation. On the other hand, a higher flow rate of carbon source forms a larger nucleation site growing a SWNT with the larger diameter.
The cowpox virus fusion regulator proteins SPI-3 and hemagglutinin interact in infected and uninfected cells.

Abstract The serpin SPI-3 and the hemagglutinin (HA) encoded by cowpox virus (CPV) block cell–cell fusion, and colocalize at the cell surface. wtCPV does not fuse cells, but inactivation of either gene leads to fusion. SPI-3 mAb added to wtCPV-infected cells caused fusion, confirming that SPI-3 protein at the cell surface prevents fusion. The SPI-3 mAb epitope mapped to an 85-amino acid region at the C-terminus. Removal of either 44 residues from the SPI-3 C-terminus or 48 residues following the N-terminal signal sequence resulted in fusion. Interaction between SPI-3 and HA proteins in infected cells was shown by coimmunoprecipitation. SPI-3/HA was not associated with the A27L “fusion” protein. SPI-3 and HA were able to associate in uninfected cells in the absence of other viral proteins. The HA-binding domain in SPI-3 resided in the C-terminal 229 residues, and did not include helix D, which mediates cofactor interaction in many other serpins.
Imaging of avalanches in granular materials.

Dry, noncohesive granular materials were very slowly driven to the threshold of instability where they produced avalanches. We have used digital image analysis to record avalanches that occurred on the surface of the incline. Results show large slides every 10\char21{}13 min which reset the surface from the maximum angle of stability, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathit{c}}$, back to the angle of repose, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathit{r}}$. We also find a power-law distribution of sizes for smaller avalanches occurring between the large sliding events. The number of these small avalanches follows a power-law dependence on the reduced angle, (${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathit{c}}$-\ensuremath{\theta})/(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathit{c}}$-${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathit{r}}$), or time, which demonstrates that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathit{c}}$ behaves like a critical point.
Integration of CAD and boundary element analysis through subdivision methods

Subdivision methods have been mainly used in computer graphics. This paper extends their applications to mechanical design and boundary element analysis (BEA), and fulfills the seamless integration of CAD and BEA in the model and representation. Traditionally, geometric design and BEA are treated as separate modules requiring different representations and models, which include continuous parametric models and discrete models. Due to the incompatibility of the involved representations and models, the post-processing in geometric design or the pre-processing in BEA is essential. The transition from geometric design to BEA requires substantial effort and errors are inevitably introduced during the transition. In this paper, a framework of realizing the integration of CAD and BEA was first presented based on subdivision methods. A common model or a unified representation for geometric design and BEA was created with subdivision surfaces. For general 3D structures, automatic mesh generation for geometric design and BEA was fulfilled through subdivision methods. The seamless integration improves the accuracy of numerical analysis and shortens the cycle of geometric design and BEA.
Linewidth of mode combs of passively and actively mode-locked semiconductor laser diodes

We derive the Schawlow-Townes linewidth of mode-locked lasers, and discuss how the timing jitter affects the linewidth in passively/actively mode-locked laser diodes (MLLD's). The linewidth of longitudinal modes of MLLD's is much broader than the Schawlow-Townes linewidth due to the linewidth enhancement factor of the gain medium, and its characteristics depend on whether the laser is mode-locked passively or actively. For the case of active mode-locking, the detuning of the modulation frequency from the natural cavity frequency broadens the linewidth. In the experiment, we measure the linewidth of 10-GHz external cavity MLLD's and investigate the correlation with the noise characteristics of timing jitter and amplitude noise of the pulse train. The experimental results agree well with theoretical predictions.
Reckoning with ‘the sickness’: Perceptions of AIDS risk and risk‐reduction strategies among Puerto Rican adolescents who know PHAs

(1999). Reckoning with ‘the sickness’: Perceptions of AIDS risk and risk‐reduction strategies among Puerto Rican adolescents who know PHAs. Anthropology & Medicine: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 133-142.
Localization of the origin of retinal efferents in the turtle brain and the involvement of nitric oxide synthase.

Previous studies have used selective neurochemical markers or retrograde tracers to localize the cells in the brain giving rise to efferents to the turtle retina. Because of the relative selectivity of the neurochemical markers or the lack of sensitivity of the previously employed retrograde tracers, these studies did not locate all the efferent cell bodies, or they could not describe the anatomy of the efferent cells. In the present study, cholera toxin B was used as a highly sensitive retrograde tracer to investigate the distribution, number, and morphology of the retinal efferent or centrifugal cell system in turtle brain. Previous studies of the turtle retina have indicated that nitric oxide synthase may be found in some retinal efferents. Therefore, we also did colocalization studies of the retrograde tracer with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase histochemistry to investigate nitric oxide as a possible transmitter used by efferent fibers and to localize these NADPH-diaphorase-positive efferent cell bodies in the turtle brain. We found that each eye received projections from approximately 40 efferent cell bodies that were located primarily in the contralateral midbrain. The majority of efferent cell bodies were centered in the isthmic tegmentum; other efferent cells extended more rostrally into the substantia nigra, and some efferent cells extended more caudally into the nucleus raphes superior. The double-label results showed that 30% of the cholera toxin B-like immunoreactive cells were also positive for NADPH-diaphorase. The location of these double-labeled cells around the locus coeruleus corresponded to the NADPH-diaphorase-positive efferent cells in the avian isthmo-optic field. The localization of NADPH-diaphorase in these efferents indicated that they may use nitric oxide to modulate retinal function. J. Comp. Neurol. 393:185–195, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Monitoring human lymphocytic DNA-protein cross-links as biomarkers of biologically active doses of chromate.

A simple and sensitive assay for DNA-protein cross-links has been used as a biomarker of chromate exposure and early carcinogenic effects. Pilot studies of DNA-protein cross-links in peripheral blo...
Micro-scale force-transducer system to quantify isolated heart cell contractile characteristics

Abstract A custom-designed microelectromechanical force transducer, with a volume of less than 1 mm3, is being developed to quantify forces generated in isolated cardiac muscle cells. A single heart cell will be attached to flexible, hinged polysilicon plates submerged in a nutrient solution. As the cell contracts, the plates will bend, and the contractile force can be measured based on the known spring constant of the plate and the amount of deflection. Prototype structures have been fabricated and have been mechanically tested. We have demonstrated that living rat heart cells can be attached to polysilicon using a commercial silicone sealant. We have also observed that polysilicon is an inert material when exposed to cardiac cells and their saline environment, and has no detectable effect on the cells themselves.
Engineering microbes for plant polyketide biosynthesis.

Polyketides are an important group of secondary metabolites, many of which have important industrial applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Polyketides are synthesized from one of three classes of enzymes differentiated by their biochemical features and product structure: type I, type II or type III polyketide synthases (PKSs). Plant type III PKS enzymes, which will be the main focus of this review, are relatively small homodimeric proteins that catalyze iterative decarboxylative condensations of malonyl units with a CoA-linked starter molecule. This review will describe the plant type III polyketide synthetic pathway, including the synthesis of chalcones, stilbenes and curcuminoids, as well as recent work on the synthesis of these polyketides in heterologous organisms. The limitations and bottlenecks of heterologous expression as well as attempts at creating diversity through the synthesis of novel “unnatural” polyketides using type III PKSs will also be discussed. Although synthetic production of plant polyketides is still in its infancy, their potential as useful bioactive compounds makes them an extremely interesting area of study.
Characterization of photooxidized self-assembled monolayers and bilayers by spontaneous desorption mass spectrometry

We show that selected self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and bilayers are readily characterized by the application of controlled photooxidation and spontaneous desorption mass spectrometry (SDMS) in the negative ion mode. Additionally, SDMS is used to characterize organic and inorganic anionic species adsorbed to the surface of a positively charged SAM surface, 2-aminoethanethiol (AET). Prominent peaks are observed that correspond both to the sulfonate form of each SAM and bilayer and to the anion form of each molecule adsorbed to AET. In addition, fragments of the oxidized thin films were also observed at m/z 80 (SO3-) and 97 (HSO4-). Other prominent fragment peaks more characteristic of the molecule are also seen in the mass spectra.
The Keck-I Cassegrain atmospheric dispersion corrector

We describe the design and construction of the Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC) for the Keck-I Cassegrain focus. This is a "linear" or "longitudinal" ADC with fused silica prisms slightly over 1-meter in diameter. It is designed to operate at zenith distances up to 60 degrees and over a 20 arcminute field-of-view with negligible impact on image quality and throughput, and to provide dispersion compensation from 0.31 to 1.1 microns. During the design phase, it was realized that the LADC design effectively displaces the optical axis of the telescope as the prisms separate, leading to (a) a tilting of the focal surface, and (b) a change in telescope pointing. Both effects can have significant consequences, particularly for off-axis instruments, and should be carefully considered in selecting this ADC design. We also discuss in some detail the broad-band anti-reflection coatings, which consist of silica Sol-gel over MgF2. The Keck ADC is currently undergoing final assembly and testing at the UCO/Lick Observatory Instrument Labs, and will be commissioned in late 2006.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Requirement of myeloid cell-specific Fas expression for prevention of systemic autoimmunity in mice.

Autoimmunity occurs through a break in tolerance, which is considered to be mediated by a failure to delete autoreactive immune cells. The central mechanism for deleting cells is controlled by the apoptotic machinery. Apoptosis occurs via two distinct pathways, an extrinsic pathway involving transduction of an apoptotic signal following aggregation of a death receptor, such as Fas, to its ligand, Fas ligand (FasL), and an intrinsic pathway that signals through the mitochondria and is regulated by the bcl-2 family. In the extrinsic pathway, binding of homotrimeric FasL to Fas facilitates recruitment of both Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD) and pro-caspase-8 leading to the activation of caspase-8 and subsequent degradative phase of apoptosis (1). This process may be inhibited by cellular FADD-like IL-1β-converting enzyme (FLICE)-inhibitory protein (cFLIP), which is also recruited by FADD and acts as an endogenous suppressor of the Fas pathway (1). Mice mutant for Fas (lpr) mice show normal postnatal development, but over time exhibit splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibodies, glomerulonephritis, and the presence of double negative T-cells (CD3+CD4-CD8-B220+), with disease severity highly dependent upon strain background (2). The advent of conditional deletion of genes has yielded novel, unexpected, and controversial results regarding specific effects of loss of Fas within the various hematopoietic cell populations. While previous studies have extensively examined the role that Fas plays in lymphocytes and dendritic cells (3-5), few or no studies have directly examined the cell-intrinsic role of Fas in myeloid cells and its contribution to autoimmunity. Here, mice were generated that conditionally lack Fas only in the myeloid cell compartment (CreLysMFasflox/flox). These mice displayed a disruption in monocyte/macrophage and granulocyte homeostasis that led to altered activation of dendritic cells and lymphocytes in a paracrine fashion. Moreover, CreLysMFasflox/flox mice presented with splenomegaly, as well as autoantibodies and proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines. Furthermore, deposited immune complexes in kidneys and glomerulonephritis were observed in mice with myeloid cell-specific loss of Fas. Taken together, these data indicate that loss of Fas in myeloid cells is sufficient to induce an inflammatory phenotype in mice reminiscent of SLE-like disease, suggesting a role of specifically targeting Fas in its treatment.
Body tides on an elliptical, rotating, elastic and oceanless earth

Summary. The Earth's deformation caused by the luni-solar tidal force is defined as the 'body tide'. We compute the effects of the Earth's rotation and elliptical stratification on the body tide for a number of modern elastic structural models. Rotation and ellipticity within the mantle are found to affect tidal observations by about 1 per cent. A consequence is an improved estimate for the fluid core resonance in the diurnal tidal band. Agreement between results for the different structural models is very good. As a result, the results computed here can be used to model the tidal effects of a globally averaged, oceanless, rotating, elliptical and elastic earth to an accuracy of at least one part in 300. The combined gravitational force of the Sun and Moon on the Earth consists of a dominant portion which affects the Earth's orbit in space, plus a smaller remainder: the luni-solar tidal force. Although the tidal force exerts no net force on the Earth, it induces a response consisting of deformation (the body tide), changes in the Earth's angular orientation in space (forced precession and nutation), and changes in the Earth's rotation rate. We will describe, below, a simultaneous computation of the Earth's deformational and rotational tidal response which systematically includes the effects of the Earth's rotation and elliptical material stratification. Since the deformation is observed primarily by geodesists and the Earth's rotation by astronomers, it is conventional (and useful) to separate the solution into deformational and rotational components and to consider these terms separately. We will primarily be concerned in this paper with the body tide. The motivation for the present work is the hope that accurate observations of the body tide can improve our knowledge of the Earth's structure and dynamical behaviour. This question is likely to become increasingly important in light of the recent, rapid development of precise geodetic techniques. Seismological and astrometric observations indicate that the
Basic Theory of Surface Sum-Frequency Generation

A detailed description on the basic theory of optical sum-frequency generation from an interfacial system is presented. Both the interface and the bulk generally contribute to the sum-frequency output. Two seemingly different approaches to specify bulk nonlinearity that includes electric-quadrupole and magnetic-dipole contributions are shown to yield the same sum-frequency output if surface nonlinearity is properly taken into account. The question of whether surface and bulk nonlinearities can be uniquely defined and separately measured is discussed. It is shown that the answer is affirmative. Truly bulk and truly surface nonlinear susceptibilities can be uniquely defined and separately deduced from measurements of transmitted and reflected sum-frequency generation.
Creep and recovery behavior of novel organic‐inorganic polymer hybrids

A novel class of organic-inorganic polymer hybrids were developed by melt blending up to 50 (v/v) % [about 83 (w/w) %] tin-based polyphosphate glass (Pglass) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in conventional plastics processing equipment. The creep and recovery behavior of these polymer hybrids at 30°C were studied to understand the effect of the Pglass on the creep resistance of the LDPE. The results suggest that the Pglass acts as a reinforcement and an increase in the Pglass loading leads to significantly lower creep strains. This creep resistance is further enhanced by pretreating the Pglass with coupling agents prior to incorporating them into the Pglass-LDPE hybrids. The experimental creep compliance of these materials conformed excellently with empirical power-law equation and a modified Burgers' model, suggesting that the materials are linearly viscoelastic under the test conditions.