cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Individual and contextual factors: An interactionist approach to understanding employee self-development

Abstract While prior research has identified several individual characteristics and contextual factors influential on an employee’s quantity of self-development participation, no research has examined multiplicative effects among these factors. This study investigated person-situation interactions among five individual characteristics (e.g., openness to experience) and the contextual factor of workplace support for self-development. This study also sought to investigate the link between proactive personality and self-development participation, a promising individual characteristic that has received little attention in the self-development literature. Data collected from 136 employees demonstrates significant interactions between workplace support with learning goal orientation, openness to experience, and conscientiousness. As hypothesized, workplace support is more strongly, positively linked to quantity of self-development participation for employees lower in these traits. In contrast, the provision of external support is rather inconsequential for those high in these traits, as these employees demonstrate an internal propensity to engage in voluntary development regardless of the support available. Regarding proactive personality, a significant positive relationship was observed with self-development quantity. Further, although the expected interaction between proactive personality and workplace support did not reach statistical significance (p = .056), it was in the hypothesized direction.
Optimally Allocating Federal Money to Cities

The purpose of this article is to discuss some basic methods for optimally allocating federal money to cities. Optimally allocating in this context means using the quantitative methods of operations research, management science, and related fields in order to allocate federal money to cities in such a way as to (1) maximize benefits subject to a given budget, (2) minimize costs subject to a minimum satisfaction level, or (3) maximize benefits minus costs. The basic methods include (1) allocating by marginal rates of return, which partly relies or statistical regression analysis; and (2) allocating by part/whole percentages, which partly relies on ideas associated with multiattribute utility theory. The basic methods will be illustrated with the example of allocating anticrime dollars to cities, although one could easily reason by analogy to allocation in any subject matter area.
Burn injury and pulmonary sepsis: development of a clinically relevant model.

Background Despite improvements in the early resuscitation of the critically injured, mortality from multiple organ failure has remained stable, with the lung often the first organ to fail. Early intubation and mechanical ventilation predispose patients to the development of pneumonia and respirator
Silk Degumming Part III.—Rate of Boiling-Off Silk Hosiery

The theory of silk degumming developed in Part II is applied to practical conditions of boiling-off silk hosiery. About 80 tests were conducted on 10 pound lots totaling over 1000 dozen pairs of st...
Cholecystectomy Using Single-Incision Pediatric Endosurgery: Technique and Initial Experience in the First 25 Cases

Abstract Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the standard, in most pediatric surgery centers. In the search for a less-invasive procedure, a single-incision laparoscopic approach has been reported in adults and very few children. Objective: The aim of this study was to present our initial experience of cholecystectomy, using single-incision pediatric endosurgery (SIPES), including the technique, the intraoperative challenges, and the outcome. Methods: All pediatric patients who underwent a SIPES cholecystectomy from March through September 2009 were prospectively evaluated. Results: Twenty-five children underwent a SIPES cholecystectomy. The most frequent indications were symptomatic cholelithiasis in 17 patients (68%) and biliary dyskinesia in 5 (20%). Five patients had sickle-cell anemia. The mean operative time was 73 minutes (range, 30–122). Median hospital stay was 1 day. In 17 patients (68%), a percutaneous 2-mm grasper was used to retract the gallbladder over the liver. No complicat...
Recent advances in the deposition of ferroelectric thin films

Abstract Recent developments in ferroelectric thin film deposition involving plasma based approaches, are described, which include a) multi-magnetron sputter deposition, b) Multi-ion-beam reactive sputter (MIBERS) deposition, c) Pulsed excimer laser ablation and d) ECR (Electron cyclotron resonance) plasma assisted deposition. These methods commonly prevailed intrinsic low energy ion bombardment during the growth process, which may be used for the control over composition, crystallization temperature and microstructure. A low energy (60–75 eV) ion bombardment of the ferroelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 thin films indicated a reduction in the phase formation/crystallization temperature, improved the electrical properties, microstructure and the surface smoothness. Discussion is presented exphasizing the effects of low energy bombardment in different deposition processes. Recent findings using rapid thermal annealing process are also described.
Glare and celestial visibility

A model of the effects of glare on the visibility of astronomical sources as viewed with the human eye is developed whether unaided or through a telescope. This model closely reproduces observations of lunar appulses, Galilean satellites, Martian moons, double stars, and lunar occultations. Glare calculations are then applied to situations of historical and astronomical interest.
Double e -beam technique for collision studies from excited states: Application to vibrationally excited C O 2

We describe a new technique which utilizes two beams of electrons to study the electron scattering from the excited states of atoms and molecules. The capability of the technique is specifically demonstrated by applying it to the process of dissociative electron attachment with vibrationally excited C${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$.
Ketamine effects on eye movements

In order to determine if the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist ketamine would reproduce eye movement dysfunction in schizophrenia, we studied 12 normal control subjects with low dose (0.1 mg/kg) bolus injection of ketamine in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Oculomotor measures were obtained during smooth pursuit that included closed loop gain and measures of gain during masking conditions. Measures during initiation of smooth pursuit included latency, open loop acceleration and velocity. Ketamine disrupted closed loop gain and open loop acceleration but not measures during the masking conditions. The ketamine partly reproduced some abnormalities seen in schizophrenia but not measures that may be more specifically linked to familial abnormalities found in family members of subjects with schizophrenia.
Intraoperative detection of a bronchial carcinoid with a radiolabeled somatostatin analog.

Carcinoid tumors of the lung are rare neuroendocrine tumors that make up approximately 1 to 2% of all lung neoplasms. These tumors overexpress somatostatin receptors, and somatostatin analog therapy has become standard in the treatment of carcinoid tumors. In addition, radiolabeled somatostatin analogs have been used to diagnose and treat these lesions. We describe the case of a patient with a right lung mass diagnosed as a carcinoid tumor. The patient underwent complete resection of this tumor with the assistance of intraoperative detection with a handheld gamma probe after the administration of the radiolabeled somatostatin analog 111 In-pentetreotide. This approach allowed us not only to detect the tumor easily, but to scan the bed of the tumor after resection and to re-excise an area of increased radioisotope uptake that corresponded to the presence of residual tumor. We believe this to be the first reported case of bronchial carcinoid resected with the assistance of intraoperative gamma detection after the administration of a radiolabeled somatostatin analog. This technology allowed us to achieve a complete surgical resection with no residual tumor detected either pathologically or by somatostatin scanning.
Comparison of quarter micron silicon dioxide profile control in electron-cyclotron-resonance and multidipole confined inductively coupled plasmas

Summary form only given, as follows. An electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) and a multidipole confined inductively coupled plasma (MCICP) etching tool were used to etch high aspect ratio (4:1) 0.25 /spl mu/m features in silicon dioxide films. The effect of source microwave power, wafer stage rf-bias power and etching time on the etching uniformity and the etch profile in CHF/sub 3/ plasmas were explored and compared. The uniformity was optimized at high microwave power. With the ECR, the higher aspect ratio etching was obtained when the wafer stage rf bias power was higher than 100 W. With ECR operation conditions at 1200 W of microwave power, 3 mTorr and 100 W rf-bias power, the average etch rate was 318 nm/min. Anisotropic etching profiles were optimized in the two tools to minimize critical dimension (CD) loss. Conditions to achieve this optimization for the two tools will be described.
The Anticancer Agent Chaetocin Is a Competitive Substrate and Inhibitor of Thioredoxin Reductase

We recently reported that the antineoplastic thiodioxopiperazine natural product chaetocin potently induces cellular oxidative stress, thus selectively killing cancer cells. In pursuit of underlying molecular mechanisms, we now report that chaetocin is a competitive and selective substrate for the oxidative stress mitigation enzyme thioredoxin reductase-1 (TrxR1) with lower K(m) than the TrxR1 native substrate thioredoxin (Trx; chaetocin K(m) = 4.6 +/- 0.6 microM, Trx K(m) = 104.7 +/- 26 microM), thereby attenuating reduction of the critical downstream ROS remediation substrate Trx at achieved intracellular concentrations. Consistent with a role for TrxR1 targeting in the anticancer effects of chaetocin, overexpression of the TrxR1 downstream effector Trx in HeLa cells conferred resistance to chaetocin-induced, but not to doxorubicin-induced, cytotoxicity. As the TrxR/Trx pathway is of central importance in limiting cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS)--and as chaetocin exerts its selective anticancer effects via ROS imposition--the inhibition of TrxR1 by chaetocin has potential to explain its selective anticancer effects. These observations have important implications not just with regard to the mechanism of action and clinical development of chaetocin and related thiodioxopiperazines, but also with regard to the utility of molecular targets within the thioredoxin reductase/thioredoxin pathway in the development of novel candidate antineoplastic agents.
Norm and Trace of thej-invariants of Drinfeld Modules Associated to Hyperelliptic Curves☆

Letk/Fq(x) be a quadratic extension that is ramified over the unique pole ofx, and letAbe the integral closure of Fq[x] ink. Thenkis the function field analogue of an imaginary quadratic number field. A rank-one DrinfeldA-moduleφof generic characteristic is the analogue of an elliptic curve with complex multiplications by the full ring of integers of an imaginary quadratic number field. In this paper, we compute the degrees of the trace and norm down to Fq[x] ofj(φ), thej-invariant ofφ. Our results generalize previous ones wherekwas assumed to have genusg=1.
Numerical analysis of sedimentation and consolidation by the moving finite element method

Traditionally, sedimentation and self-weight consolidation have been viewed as physically distinct processes requiring separate treatment. Relatively recently, Pane and Schiffman1 and also Philip and Smiles2 have suggested that the two processes may be described by a single partial differential equation, essentially that of Gibson et al.3 The former suggests a modification of Terzaghi's effective stress principle while the paper by Philip and Smiles suggests that a suitable modelling of material properties is sufficient. We have adopted the latter approach by allowing for the compressibility of the material in question to change abruptly from finite values to infinity in the so-called transition region which delineates that portion of space where effective stress is zero from that where effective stress in non-zero. This procedure gives rise to serious difficulties when trying to solve the governing partial differential equation numerically. These difficulties are circumvented by using a relatively new numerical technique known as the Moving Finite Element (MFE) method. The MFE method is especially effective in solving problems having solutions that characteristically exhibit shock-like structure. The modelling of sedimentation and self-weight consolidation from a single governing model is an ideal candidate for MFE due to the abrupt, almost discontinuous change in void ratio displayed in the transition region.
The surface of emergence in systems development: agency, institutions, and large-scale information systems

There is a strong tendency in the systems development literature to focus primarily on the system under development and to underemphasize the role of pre-existing information systems. Pre-existing information systems are treated largely as black boxes that serve as resources or constraints on development. A case study of a large-scale information system within a major university system in the U.S. is used to explore the role of pre-existing information systems in the development and emergence of a new system. The case study develops the argument that pre-existing information systems are active forces in systems development. Their influence occurs both through the material constraints and directions inherent in existing systems and through the experiences and learning from previous systems, which shape developer's approaches to building the new system. The study also develops a theoretical framework that integrates elements of structuration theory and actor-network theory to provide a more fine-grained analysis of how information technologies and institutional features interact in the structuring of organizational information systems. This study offers several theoretical and practical implications for IS development.
Modified SCS curve number method for predicting subsurface drainage flow

Agricultural fields in Central Illinois are predominantly drained by subsurface drainage systems, which often are in depressional areas. The prediction of outflow from drainage systems is a challenge. The SCS curve number (SCS–CN) meth-od is a popular method for evaluating direct runoff from rainfall. The concept behind this method can be applied to subsurface drainage flow. The SCS–CN method was modified through theoretical analogy and term redevelopment to estimate subsurface drainage flow from rainfall. The analogical theory is that when accumulated subsurface drainage flow is plotted versus accu-mulated infiltration, subsurface drainage flow starts after some infiltration has accumulated and the relationship becomes asymptotic to a line of 45  slope, just as the generalized SCS rainfall–runoff relationship. Procedures are introduced for modification of the SCS–CN method and determination of curve numbers for subsurface drainage flow. In the process of defining curve numbers for drainage flow, it was found that the curve number varied not only with season but also with rainfall amount. In addition, the curve number varied with previous rainfall condition as with the traditional SCS–CN method. The best previous rainfall adjustment is based on the 10–day previous rainfall for subsurface flow prediction. The curve number is sensitive to the fraction of initial abstraction (k). However, this does not mean that predicted flows resulting from different k values are significantly different, since the equation for flow prediction changes when k is changed; in fact, the predicted flow is not sensitive to the fraction of initial abstraction to potential maximum retention of the watershed. The modified SCS–CN method was applied to estimate subsurface drainage flow for five drainage monitoring stations in the Little Vermilion River (LVR) watershed in East–Central Illinois. Predicted subsurface flows using the modified SCS–CN method were compared with observed subsurface flows. Statistical tests showed that the predicted subsurface flows using the modified SCS–CN method were not significantly different from the observed subsurface flows. Validation performed on two of the sites using modified curve number relationships from the other sites showed that the predicted subsurface drainage flows were not significantly different from the observed subsurface drainage flows.
Precision Bounds of Pavement Distress Localization with Connected Vehicle Sensors

Continuous, network-wide monitoring of pavement performance will significantly reduce risks and provide an adequate volume of timely data to enable accurate maintenance forecasting. Unfortunately, transportation agencies can afford to monitor less than 4% of the nation’s roads. Even so, agencies monitor their ride quality at most once annually because current methods are expensive and laborious. Distributed mobile sensing with connected vehicles and smartphones could provide a viable solution at much lower cost. However, such approaches lack models that improve with continuous, high-volume data flows. This research characterizes the precision bounds of the road impact factor transform that aggregates voluminous data feeds from geoposition and inertial sensors in vehicles to locate potential road distress symptoms. Six case studies of known bump traversals reveal that vehicle suspension transient motion and sensor latencies are the dominant factors in position estimate errors and uncertainty levels. However, for a typical vehicle mix, the precision improves substantially as the number of traversals approaches 50.
Flavin-Dinucleotide in Eggs of the Sea Urchin, Arbacia punctulata.

ConclusionsThese experiments appear to indicate that Arbacia eggs contain a flavin-dinucleotide similar to, or identical with, that found in other tissues.1,4
Education, population trends and technological change☆

Abstract Relationships among population growth, technological change and education are complex. The theory of quantity-quality trade-offs in numbers and education of children has limited applicability where immediate contributions of children to the household economy are urgent. In the long run, nevertheless, high rates of formation of human capital and high rates of population growth are incompatible. Of special importance to technological progress is the association between education and ability to learn rapidly in the post-school years. Demographic developments are contributing to widening economic gaps among Third World countries, some of which promise increasingly to challenge the industrial leaders.
Preexisting Factors or Media Effect? Understanding the Third-Person Perception

Research on third-person perceptions has consistently yielded evidence of a perceptual gap in perceived media effects on self and others. Scholars have worked to understand the reasons behind this gap with mixed results. In this study, we consider how news story characteristics, such as depictions of who is affected and how they are affected, could have implications for individual assessments of the effects of video games on self and others. We further contextualize this experiment by considering the role of more stable beliefs such as maternalism, paternalism, and assessments of media vulnerability. Results indicate that more permanent factors superseded the effects of the news story manipulations. Ultimately, the data show limited influence of media coverage on effects perceptions and suggest that such person perceptions are driven more by long-standing beliefs.
Aspects of Virtual Master Builder

The current processes of planning, design, construction management, and facility management are driven by the collection and communication of large quantities of knowledge, data, and intent, much of which are lost due to organizational fragmentation as well as to incompatible and inefficient information exchange media. There is a general lack of models for such intimate integration of all the relevant processes. The purpose of this paper is to present one such global model, patterned on the medieval master builder. The model proposes an open architecture and media for the representation, classification, capture, and real‐time retrieval of data, information, and knowledge in their various digital and graphic forms, to allow multiple participants to interactively access data from their perspectives. The key aspects of the virtual master builder (VMB) are described in terms of its information architecture, communication languages, software architecture, process and system components, and shareable knowledge ...
Preferential solvation of an ILCT excited state in bis(terpyridine–phenylene–vinylene) Zn(II) complexes

The excited state of terpyridine derivatives of phenylene–vinylene fragments chelating Zn(II) show a strong solvatochromism (up to 56 nm) upon preferential solvation by polar solvents of an intraligand charge transfer state.
Benefits and pay: The economics of military compensation∗

This paper develops a simple analytical framework which captures the economic impact of benefits on both employer and employee decision‐making. It is within this framework that the role of benefits in the military compensation equation is explored. It is demonstrated that employer and employee decisions concerning an appropriate wage‐benefit mix can have significant and predictable impacts on hiring, retention, labor costs and the characteristics of individuals that make up the armed forces.
The Effect of Mercury on Baseline Corticosterone in a Breeding Songbird

Although songbirds accumulate mercury at rates equivalent to better-studied aquatic avian species, effects of mercury bioaccumulation in songbirds remain understudied. Little is known about the effects of mercury on endocrine physiology, but recent evidence indicates that mercury may disrupt the function of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Both field-based correlational studies and a recent dosing experiment suggest that mercury exposure alters levels of the primary avian stress hormone, CORT. We sampled zebra finches that had been dosed with 0, 0.5, or 1.0 ppm dietary methylmercury for baseline CORT twice; once during pairing and once after successfully fledging young. Circulating levels of CORT were not significantly affected by mercury exposure. However, our findings indicate potentially important differences in CORT responses between the sexes when exposed to environmentally relevant doses of mercury across the nesting cycle.
Modeling of crystal size distributions (CSDs) in sills

Abstract A new model for the generation of crystal size distributions (CSDs) in igneous rocks is presented here. Synthetic or numerically simulated CSDs are generated with a growth rate that is proportional to the amount of precipitating solids and inversely related to the second moment of the CSD (total surface area) and with the log(nucleation rate, I) vs. log(cooling rate) relationship of Cashman [Cashman, K.V., (1993). Relationship between plagioclase crystallization and cooling rate in basaltic melts. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., v. 113, pp. 126–142.] for crystal nucleation. The resultant CSDs resemble those observed in natural rocks. In the new model, growth rate is constrained by a mass balance and crystal population systematics; it is not calculated as a function of cooling rate or undercooling. The development of the numerical model was motivated in part by the failure of analytical modeling of crystal populations based solely on cooling rate to generate CSDs similar to those observed naturally. The new model is used to create a suite of CSDs from various positions within a sill; cooling and solidification of the sill are calculated numerically. The model reproduces many features observed in the CSDs of natural rocks such as linear CSDs in plots of ln(population density) vs. crystal size, ‘D’-shaped mean crystal size profiles and decreasing CSD intercept and slope magnitude (i.e., |slope|) with distance from the sill/wallrock contact, and the CSD intercept vs. slope relationship. The model suggests the use of inversion to more accurately determine residence time from a natural CSD.
THE EFFECT OF OTHER ORIENTATION ON SELF-SUPERVISOR RATING AGREEMENT

Summary Employees generally rate their performance more favorably than do their supervisors, which can lead to conflict and poor job performance. However, comparative international research indicates that persons from other-oriented collectivist cultures are less self-enhancing, suggesting that other-oriented employees will exhibit greater agreement with ratings provided by their supervisors. We examined the effect of subordinates’ other orientation on self-supervisor performance rating agreement. Consistent with cultural expectations, self-ratings of other-oriented subordinates showed greater agreement with ratings provided by their supervisors and less leniency relative to their supervisors’ evaluations. These findings have implications for understanding how employees in different professions, organizations, and cultures utilize feedback from their supervisors. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determining the habitats of mollusk collection at the Sapelo Island shell ring complex, Georgia, USA using oxygen isotope sclerochronology

Abstract Sequential oxygen isotope analysis was performed on Mercenaria spp. (n = 41) and Crassostrea virginica (n = 17) valves excavated from the Sapelo Island Shell Ring complex, coastal Georgia, USA. The data were analyzed to determine the habitats in which the mollusks were harvested in order to gain insight into the subsistence practices of the site occupants. The rationale for this study is based on the observation that temperatures are similar in all of the habitats surrounding the island, but the δ18Owater trends across the habitats co-vary with salinity. Accordingly, the shells grown in these habitats contain sinusoidal oscillations in δ18O through ontogeny due primarily to seasonal temperature variation, but the absolute values reflect the salinity ranges of each habitat. Assuming a relatively constant oxygen isotope/salinity gradient since the time of site occupation, it appears that both of these mollusks were exploited over nearly the full range of their salinity tolerances. While a precise estimate of travel distance during collection cannot be made, these data suggest that mollusks were harvested at distances from the site greater than would be predicted using terrestrial foraging models. In addition to providing insight into past subsistence strategies in this region, this research establishes a new method of assessing catchment area and mobility practices.
Reducing the Specimen Size of the AASHTO T 97 Concrete Flexural Strength Test for Safety and Ease of Handling

This study examined the feasibility of using smaller-size concrete beam specimens to conduct flexural strength tests of concrete with a simple beam with third-point loading according to the AASHTO T 97 procedure. Twenty-two mixtures containing four coarse aggregates (limestone, diabase, gravel, and granite) with maximum size varying from .75 to 1.5 in. were prepared. A total of 132 specimens measuring 4 × 4 × 14 in. and 132 standard-size specimens (6 × 6 × 21 in.) were tested. The 4- × 4-in. specimens yielded higher flexural strengths, as expected from the literature review. Analysis of the flexural strength test data revealed a very good correlation (R2 5 .93) between the smaller- and standard-size beams. An equation is proposed to convert the flexural strength of the smaller-size specimen to the flexural strength of the standard-size specimen.
How Trajectories of Reasons for Alcohol Use Relate to Trajectories of Binge Drinking: National Panel Data Spanning Late Adolescence to Early Adulthood

Developmental changes in both alcohol use behaviors and self-reported reasons for alcohol use were investigated. Participants were surveyed every 2 years from ages 18 to 30 as part of the Monitoring the Future national study (analytic weighted sample size N = 9,308; 53% women, 40% college attenders). Latent growth models were used to examine correlations between trajectories of binge drinking and trajectories of self-reported reasons for alcohol use across young adulthood. Results revealed developmental changes in reasons for use and correlations between the patterns of within-person change in frequency of binge drinking and within-person change in reasons for use. In particular, an increase in binge drinking between ages 18 and 22 was most positively correlated with slopes of using alcohol to get high and because of boredom. Continued binge drinking between ages 22 and 30 was most strongly correlated with using alcohol to get away from problems. Almost no moderation by gender, race, college attendance, employment, or marital status was found. Binge drinking and reasons for alcohol use traveled together, illustrating the ongoing and dynamic connections between changes in binge drinking and changes in reasons for use across late adolescence and early adulthood.
Age, pain, and coping with rheumatoid arthritis

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of age and pain severity (i.e. mild versus severe pain) in predicting coping strategies of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). An age-stratified sample (N = 121) of individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis completed a modified version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). Individuals were asked to report the coping strategies used for mild versus severe pain. Findings included: (1) older adults were more likely than younger adults to report use of maladaptive coping strategies in the context of mild, but not severe, RA pain, (2) older adults' reported patterns of coping reflected less-than-anticipated expertise in dealing with RA pain, and (3) individuals, regardless of age, reported use of more active coping strategies in the context of mild pain and use of more maladaptive coping strategies in the context of severe pain. The present study suggests that research regarding illness and coping is most informative when it captures the individual-situational interaction of dealing with stressors such as chronic pain.
IFNγ production by NK cells from HLA-sensitized patients after in vitro exposure to allo-antigens

Using a novel cytokine flow cytometry test (allo-CFC), we have previously shown that incubation of allogeneic cells with peripheral blood from highly-HLA sensitized (HS) patients results in reproducible gamma-interferon (IFNγ production in CD3(-) cells, and high (+) allo-CFC levels correlated with risk for antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Here we report on identification of the cells and mechanisms responsible. The allo-CFC with/without modification was performed using blood from HS or normal individuals. IFNγ producing cells were CD3(-)/CD19(-), but CD3(-)/CD56(+). In vitro and in vivo B cell-depletion did not affect IFNγ production, demonstrating NK cells as the cells responsible for IFNγ production. NK cells from allo-CFC(+) or (-) individuals released significant amounts of IFNγ against target cells treated with serum from allo-CFC(+) individuals, but not allo-CFC(-) individuals. IFNγ release was abrogated by protein A/G treatment of the pretreated target cells, suggesting mediation by antibodies via FcγRIIIa (CD16). In conclusion, NK cell IFNγ release after allo-antigen exposure is mediated primarily through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)-like mechanisms, suggesting that NK cells may be partially responsible for graft injury during AMR including C4d(-) AMR via ADCC, and could be a potential target for modification of this process.
Cleavage of Escherichia coli tryptophan indole‐lyase by trypsin at Lys406 affects the transmission of conformational changes associated with monovalent cation activation

Escherichia coli tryptophan indole-lyase (Trpase) is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate(pyridoxal-P)-dependent enzyme which catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of L-tryptophan to indole and ammonium pyruvate. This enzyme is strongly activated by K+ and similar monovalent cations, and the spectrum of the pyridoxal-P cofactor is also affected by pH and cations. Treatment of Trpase with trypsin results in a 20-100-fold decrease in elimination activity, depending on the substrate, concomitant with a change in the relative amounts of the 337 nm and 420 nm forms of the bound pyridoxal-P, and a shift in the lambda(max) from 420 nm to 423 nm. In addition, the pH sensitivity of the pyridoxal-P cofactor is eliminated after trypsin treatment. Nicked Trpase exhibits only fourfold activation by K+, compared with about 50-fold for native enzyme, but the K(A) for K+ is unaffected. Both the native and trypsin-nicked Trpase react with amino acids to form equilibrating mixtures of external aldimine and quinonoid intermediates in rapid-scanning stopped-flow experiments. However, the rate constant for quinonoid intermediate formation from L-tryptophan is reduced by at least 400-fold by treatment with trypsin. In contrast, the rate constant for formation of quinonoid intermediates of L-alanine and S-ethyl-L-cysteine is affected only twofold or less by trypsin treatment. The site of trypsin cleavage was identified by electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry as Lys406, which is predicted to lie on a flexible surface loop. Some active-site residues, particularly Arg419, which is predicted by sequence similarity to be the substrate alpha-carboxylate-binding site, and His463, are located in the sequence between Lys406 and the C-terminus. Hence, cleavage of the peptide bond of E. coli Trpase at Lys406 probably affects the change from active to inactive conformations that normally takes place in the presence of activating monovalent cations.
Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA evidence of population subdivision in the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Despite high potential for dispersal, the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus was found to have significant genetic subdivision among locations. Ten geographic locations along the coast of California and Baja California were sampled between 1994 and 1995. Samples from some locations included both adult and recruit urchins. Allozyme analyses revealed a genetic mosaic, where differentiation over short geographic distances could exceed differentiation over much larger distances. Significant allozyme differentiation was found among subpopulations of adults (standardized variance, F ST =0.033), among subpopulations of recruits (F ST =0.037), and between adults and recruits from the same location. DNA-sequence data for the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene also showed significant heterogeneity among locations, with a mild break in haplotype frequencies observed ≃ 300 km south of Point Conception. California. Repeated sampling over time is necessary to determine whether these patterns of differentiation are stable and to begin to understand what forces produce them.
No Deals on Wheels: How and Why the Poor Pay More for Basic Transportation

ABSTRACT This article examines some of the hurdles faced by the poor in finding and keeping basic transportation. The article examines how the used car industry is organized, the difficulty the poor face in finding affordable used cars, the ins-and-outs of used car financing, and the organization of the fringe auto economy, including Buy-Here, Pay-Here dealers and subprime financing. Also examined are loosely regulated fringe auto insurers and auto title pawns. Lastly, the author offers solutions to help remedy the deleterious effects of the fringe auto economy.
‘Why Me?’: Characterological Self-Blame and Continued Victimization in the First Year of Middle School

This study examines the role of characterological self-blame as a unique risk factor associated with other known risk factors (depression and its behavioral and social correlates) for continued victimization across the 1st year of middle school. Relying on a large, ethnically diverse sample of 1,698 young adolescents (M(age) = 11.57, SD = .39; 55% female), self-report assessments in the fall and spring included perceptions of victim status, depressive symptoms, friendships, aggression, and responses to a hypothetical victimization vignette assessing both appraisals (characterological self-blame) and behavioral reactions (helpless responding). In addition to depression, characterological self-blame emerged as the most consistent unique risk factor for subsequent victimization. Mediation analysis suggested that the continuity of victimization between fall and spring could be partially explained by increases in characterological self-blame and depressive symptoms. In addition, cross-lagged panel analyses indicated reciprocal relations between peer victimization and characterological self-blame, suggesting cyclical processes. The study findings suggest that attribution retraining in the beginning of middle school might help prevent escalating risk for continued peer victimization.
On the relationship between surface roughness evolution and size effects in free-standing Cu films with fine microstructure

In situ surface roughness measurements are used to elucidate size effects on plastic deformation mechanisms in free-standing Cu films with a fine microstructure. Spectral analysis of the surface roughness distribution showed the competing influences of microstructure- and free surface-induced effects on strength and ductility. The measurements show that the free-surface effect on intergranular interactions underlies the reduction in strength and ductility seen with thickness reduction. We find that while microstructure refinement increases film strength, it also serves to limit ductility.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells

Although rare, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represents an important paradigm for understanding the molecular events leading to malignant transformation of primitive hematopoietic progenitors. CML was the first cancer to be associated with a defined genetic abnormality, BCR-ABL, that is necessary and sufficient for initiating chronic phase disease as well as the first cancer to be treated with molecular targeted therapy. Malignant progenitors or leukemia stem cells (LSCs) evolve as a result of both epigenetic and genetic events that alter hematopoietic progenitor differentiation, proliferation, survival, and self-renewal. LSCs are rare and divide less frequently, and thus, represent a reservoir for relapse and resistance to a molecularly targeted single agent. On subverting developmental processes normally responsible for maintaining robust life-long hematopoiesis, the LSCs are able to evade the majority of current cancer treatments that target rapidly dividing cells. Enthusiasm for the enormous success of tyrosine kinase inhibitors at controlling the chronic phase disease is tempered somewhat by the persistence of the LSC pool in the majority of the patients. Combined therapies targeting aberrant properties of LSC may obviate therapeutic resistance and relapse in advanced phase and therapeutically recalcitrant CML. J Clin Oncol 26:2911-2915. © 2008 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Neutrophil chemoattractant receptors and the membrane skeleton

Signal transduction via receptors for N-formylmethionyl peptide chemoattractants (FPR) on human neutrophils is a highly regulated process which involves participation of cytoskeletal elements. Evidence exists suggesting that the cytoskeleton and/or the membrane skeleton controls the distribution of FPR in the plane of the plasma membrane, thus controlling the accessibility of FPR to different proteins in functionally distinct domains. In desensitized cells, FPR are restricted to domains which are depleted of G proteins but enriched in cytoskeletal proteins such as actin and fodrin. Thus, the G protein signal transduction partners of FPR become inaccessible to the agonist-occupied receptor, preventing cell activation. The mechanism of interaction of FPR with the membrane skeleton is poorly understood but evidence is accumulating that suggests a direct binding of FPR (and other receptors) to cytoskeletal proteins such as actin.
Interaction of tunnel-coupled quantum dots in a magnetic field

An artificial molecule formed by two tunnel-coupled quantum dots in a ${\mathrm{G}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{A}\mathrm{l}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{As}$ heterostructure is studied in perpendicular magnetic fields. Coulomb blockade spectroscopy at low temperatures determines how the binding energy of the artificial molecule evolves with magnetic field. The binding energy and the double-dot ground-state energy exhibit mesoscopic fluctuations due to the coupling of electron wave functions on the individual dots.
Seasonal Shifts of Photosynthesis in Portulacaria afra (L.) Jacq.

Portulacaria afra (L.) Jacq., a perennial facultative Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species, was studied under natural photoperiods and temperatures in San Diego, California. The plants were irrigated every fourth day throughout the study period. Measurements of 14CO2 uptake, stomatal resistance, and titratable acidity were made periodically from July 1981 through May 1982. P. afra maintained C3 photosynthesis during the winter and the spring. Diurnal acid fluctuations were low and maximal 14CO2 uptake occurred during the day. The day/night ratio of carbon uptake varied from 5 to 10 and indicated little nocturnal CO2 uptake. CAM photosynthesis occurred during the summer and a mixture of both C3 and CAM during the fall. Large acid fluctuations of 100 to 200 microequivalents per gram fresh weight were observed and maximal 14CO2 uptake shifted to the late night and early morning hours. Daytime stomatal closure was evident. A reduction in the day/night ratio of carbon uptake to 2 indicated a significant contribution of nocturnal CO2 uptake to the overall carbon gain of the plant. The seasonal shift from C3 to CAM was facilitated by increasing daytime temperature and accompanied by reduced daytime CO2 uptake despite irrigation.
Goal pursuit is grounded: The link between forward movement and achievement.

Abstract We tested whether forward movement is cognitively associated with the achievement goal. We exposed participants to simple visual cues of forward movement, or not, and then measured their achievement motivation. The findings show that incidental exposure to forward movement cues nonconsciously activated an achievement goal. In Experiment 1, those primed with forward movement versus control cues showed significantly greater implicit positivity toward the concept of achievement. In Experiment 2, those primed with forward movement versus control cues performed significantly better on word puzzles. There was no effect on participants' conscious achievement motivation. We discuss the implications of the results for the perspective of goal pursuit as grounded cognition.
Temporal Dissociation of Frequency-Dependent Acceleration of Relaxation and Protein Phosphorylation by CaMKII

Frequency-dependent acceleration of relaxation (FDAR) is an important intrinsic mechanism that allows for diastolic filling of the ventricle at higher heart rates, yet its molecular mechanism is still not understood. Previous studies showed that FDAR is dependent on functional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and can be abolished by phosphatase or by Ca/CaM kinase (CaMKII) inhibition. Additionally, CaMKII activity/autophosphorylation has been shown to be frequency-dependent. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that CaMKII phosphorylation of SR Ca2+-handling proteins (Phospholamban (PLB), Ca2+ release channel (RyR)) mediates FDAR. Here we show that FDAR occurs abruptly in fluo-4 loaded isolated rat ventricular myocytes when frequency is raised from 0.1 to 2 Hz. The effect is essentially complete within four beats (2 s) with the τ of [Ca2+]i decline decreasing by 42±3%. While there is a detectable increase in PLB Thr-17 and RyR Ser-2814 phosphorylation, the increase is quantitatively small (PLB<5%, RyR~8%) and the time-course is clearly delayed with regard to FDAR. The low substrate phosphorylation indicates that pacing of myocytes only mildly activates CaMKII and consistent with this CaMKIIδ autophosphorylation did not increase with pacing alone. However, in the presence of phosphatase 1 inhibition pacing triggered a net-increase in autophosphorylated CaMKII and also greatly enhanced PLB and RyR phosphorylation. We conclude that FDAR does not rely on phosphorylation of PLB or RyR. Even though CaMKII does become activated when myocytes are paced, phosphatases immediately antagonize CaMKII action, limit substrate phosphorylation and also prevent sustained CaMKII autophosphorylation (thereby suppressing global CaMKII effects).
Novel approach for generation of low calcium reagents for investigations of heavy metal effects on calcium signaling

Abstract Introduction: Lead exposure can cause learning disabilities, memory loss and severe damage to the nervous system. However, the exact mechanism by which lead causes learning disabilities is not fully understood. The effects of lead on calcium-regulated signaling pathways are difficult to study biochemically; with the traditional method of controlling the free calcium concentration with EGTA, the exact concentrations of free lead and calcium ions in solution are interdependent and prone to error because EGTA also buffers lead. Methods and Results: In our approach, we first reduced the free calcium concentration in the solution using calcium-binding resins before adding lead to buffers. The solution was sequentially treated with Chelex-100 ion exchange resin, followed by immobilized BAPTA resin. The final concentration of free calcium in the solution was measured with Fluo-3 indicator. Our protocol successfully produced buffers with free calcium levels below 15 nM, which is substantially below threshold for activation of calcium-dependent enzymes in signaling pathways (which is typically a few hundred nanomolar calcium, when determined in vitro ). Conclusion: This method provides an improved approach to study the effect of heavy metals on calcium-stimulated signaling pathways.
Demographic Challenges for a Rising China

Looking into the near future, China faces immense demographic challenges. Prolonged sub- replacement fertility has created irreversible conditions for rapid aging of the population, and massive migration to cities has left many villages populated by elderly farmers with no adult children to support them. Soaring divorce rates and high levels of residential dislocation have eroded family stability. To a large extent, government policies created to accelerate economic growth inadvertently fostered these demographic challenges, and now the country is facing the negative consequences of interventions that previously spurred double-digit growth. Legacies of Confucian familism initially blunted pressures on families. Filial sons and daughters sent back remittances, parents cared for migrants' children and invested in their children's marriages, and families with four grandparents, two parents, and one child (4+2+1) pooled resources to continuously improve a family's material well-being. But now the demographic chal- lenges have further intensi½ed and the question arises: can the state adopt new policies that will allow the prototypical 4+2+1 families created by the one-child policy to thrive through 2030?