cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responses to natural and synthetic phee calls by common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

Captive adult common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) produce whistlelike "phee" calls in two contexts: in the home cage, where phee calls may function as part of territorial marking behavior, and when separated from social companions, where phee calls may function to reunite conspecifics. Natural and synthesized calls representing the acoustic structure of male and female calls in each context were presented to adult marmosets in a playback paradigm. Marmosets demonstrated discriminative abilities according to the context of the call and the caller's sex. Vocal and behavioral responses indicated increased vigilance and territorial behavior, following playbacks of naturally produced calls as well as synthetic calls. All animals scanned more frequently following produced calls as well as synthetic calls. All animals scanned more frequently following natural home cage as well as isolation calls, but only increased contact behavior (trills) in response to home cage calls. The responses were dimorphic according to the sex of the caller, where adult males scanned more following male calls, and adult females were more aggressive following male and female calls. The differential behavioral responses to playbacks of marmoset phee calls suggest a biological relevance to subtle differences found in the acoustic parameters of the phee call. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc. This article is a US Government work and, as such, in the public domain in the United States of America.
Fuzzy Love Selection by means of Perceptual Computing

The main contribution of this paper is to develop a Perceptual Computer for Fuzzy Love Selection problem. This is a problem of ranking all members (alternatives) in an individual list in order of preference. Uncertainty of the individual about criteria scores and weights assigned to each alternative is handled by means of Perceptual Computer. This paper also presents a comparison of two Perceptual Computer engines: linguistic weighted average and linguistic weighted power means. Results show the flexibility and range of logical inference provided by aggregation operators.
An evaluation of kenaf, roselle, and relatedHibiscus for fiber production

Thirteen species ofHibiscus, grown in southern Florida in 1964, varied significantly in fiber yield, yield components, and fiber quality characteristics. Correlation analyses first included, then excluded, improved varieties of the fiber plant species, kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) and roselle (H. sabdariffa L.). Certain pairs of traits were positively correlated ; others were negatively correlated, whether or not the fiber varieties were included. Other pairs of traits were positively correlated when the fiber varieties were included, but not when they were exluded; these differences suggested significant effects of artificial selection for increased fiber content and more rapid growth. Conversely, still other pairs of traits were positively correlated when the fiber varieties were excluded, but not when they were included. Examination of means showed that this discrepancy could not be attributed to the effects of conscious selection. Strains with a shrubby growth habit had larger stalks and higher fiber percentages, and yielded more fiber than those with a viny growth habit. However, fiber content and quality, and stalk size on the one hand, and ploidy, genome constitution or geographic distribution on the other, showed no evident correlations. The possibility was discussed of transferring the moderate nematode-resistance of a wild strain to a cultivated strain of H. cannabinus, without sacrificing fiber content.
“Acid bath” effects on storage and retrieval PI

Sixty undergraduates participated in a memory experiment designed to examine the storage component of PI in the Brown-Peterson task. PI was built up in 24 blocks of four trials by presenting items from common taxonomic categories. Memory items were auditorily presented, and, in addition, subjects viewed slides shown during the study and retention stages of each trial. On the critical fourth trial of each block, experimental subjects viewed a slide showing the prior three memory items while attempting to memorize a fourth item from the same category. Contrary to the predictions of “acid bath” theory, the storage component of memory showed a trend toward release from PI when an item was studied and retained in the presence of similar prior items. Simple recall measures showed a trend toward the predicted PI exacerbation on the experimental fourth trials. However, a Bayesian storage and retrieval analysis (Chechile & Meyer, 1976) revealed that these effects were confined to the retrieval component of memory. The results are interpreted to suggest a model for storage PI similar to Conrad’s modified decay model.
Macro-flow And Velocity Dispersion

Deformation resulting from a compressional wave can cause pore fluid motion on the order of the wavelength. If the fluid mobility is high, pressure can be equilibrated between regions of gas versus brine saturation. This can result in a relaxed, drained velocity even lower than dry or gas saturated velocities. This diffusion of fluid pressure can cause a gas-water contact that looks sharp at high (logging) frequencies to be gradational at seismic frequencies. This fluid motion can also result in high attenuation. One of the most straight-forward descriptions was developed by Cole and Cole (1941) and applied to attenuation measurements by Spencer (1981). The result is coupled attenuation and velocity as functions of frequency as shown in Figure 2. Introduction We have seen in several of our low frequency experiments, how fluid flow can influence the seismic velocities (Figure 1). Pore pressure changes slightly as a seismic wave passes, causing the rock to be slightly stiffer and increasing velocity. This pressure change depends on the compressibility of the fluid and the compliance of the pore space. This process is described by Gassmann's (1951) Equations. However, these equations were derived under the assumption that that pore pressure has equilibrated throughout the rock. This assumption then depends on fluid mobility. At low mobility, pressure can not equilibrate and Gassmann's assumptions are violated. With increasing mobility, 'squirt' flow mechanisms can operate over a small distance, and adjacent pores can reach equilibrium. With high mobility, a more global or 'Macro' flow can occur on a scale approaching to the seismic wavelength. 0 1 2 3 4
Production, characterization, and crystallization of truncated forms of pneumococcal surface protein A from Escherichia coli.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major bacterial pathogen that causes diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis in humans. One of the antigens of this organism is pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA). PspA is a virulence factor of the bacteria that has been shown to protect mice against pneumococcal infection. Among several domains of the protein, the amino-terminal part of PspA has been found to be a functional module which is essential for full pneumococcal infectivity. In order to investigate the properties of this protein, several internal fragments of the pspA gene were amplified from S. pneumoniae strain Rxl using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The fragments were then cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli in a soluble form using the T7 RNA polymerase pET15b and pET21a vector systems. The size of these fragments ranges from 24 to 32 kDa corresponding to amino acids 67–272 (PspA-206), 1–236 (PspA-236), and 1–272 (PspA-272). The fragments were purified to homogeneity using nickel chelating affinity, size exclusion, and anion-exchange chromatographic methods. During the course of expression of some of the PspA constructs, a shorter fragment was coexpressed due to translational pausing and subsequent secondary translation initiation. Two of the constructs, PspA-206 and PspA-272, were also crystallized allowing for the initiation of a structural elucidation of PspA.
Intraspecific variability in host plant quality and ovipositionaI preferences in Eucheira socialis (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

. 1 This study investigates interactions between Eucheira socialis (Pieridae: Lepidoptera), a strict monophagous herbivore, on Arbutus xalapensis (Ericaceae), a host plant with few herbivores. This tight association of insect on plant has many attributes conducive to reciprocal rather than diffuse evolution. 2 An indirect way of testing plant–insect coevolutionary theories is to test for the necessary conditions for reciprocal evolution in ecological time. Two conditions for coevolution were studied: (1) host plants vary in their suitability for larval growth and development, and (2) ovipositing insects discriminate among these plants based on their relative suitability. 3 Large differences in host plant suitability were found and relative differences were consistent from year to year. 4 There was no evidence that female insects based their ovipositional decisions on relative tree quality, which implies that factors other than host plant quality are involved in the maintenance and evolution of oviposition behaviour in Eucheira. 5 Of seven factors known to influence ovipositional preferences of insects among plants independent of potential larval success, the most likely causal factor in this system is the ability of females to balance a time/energy budget for finding potential oviposition sites, discriminating among them, and actually ovipositing.
New Analyses of Pressure Filtration Curves of Al Alloys: A Case Study

There has been an increasing tendency to determine liquid metal quality using pressure filtration methods such as Prefil Footprinter tests. The scientific understanding of this method, however, is emerging only recently with the introduction of derivative methods. Based on the investigation of flow behavior over the pressure filtration test, classic filtration theory has been successfully applied to understand the filtrate weight versus filtration time curve. The “clean” and “effective” resistance of filter medium, overall filtration resistance, cake resistance, pressure loss and distribution can be quantitatively calculated now. In the present work, a typical weight versus time curve from the Prefil Footprinter test of a cast Al-Si alloy is analyzed and discussed in details. The method developed in the work can provide new insights into the filtration behavior.
Rational diffeomorphisms of the circle

Abstract We prove an interpolation theorem for rational circle diffeomorphisms: A set of N complex numbers of unit modulus may be mapped to any corresponding set by a ratio of polynomials p ( z ) / q ( z ) which restricts an invertible mapping of the unit circle S 1 ⊂ C onto itself.
Characterization of small intestinal transit time distribution in humans

This report is aimed at characterizing small intestinal transit time distribution and presenting a slope-based method to determine compartmental transit and dispersion model parameters. The intradose, intrasubject, and intersubject means and variances were defined to examine small intestinal transit time distribution in individuals and populations. Equations were derived to determine the optimum number of compartments and the dispersion coefficient. It was found that the intra- or intersubject variance was significantly smaller than the intradose variance. The optimum number of compartments and the dispersion coefficient were estimated to be seven and 0.78 cm2/s, respectively, in agreement with the literature data.
Ground-state properties of lanthanum: Treatment of extended-core states.

Three related techniques for performing accurate electronic-structure and total-energy calculations for systems with extended, so-called semicore, states are described. Total-energy calculations performed using the three methods are reported for fcc lanthanum. The convergence properties and relative accuracies of the three techniques are discussed. They are found to yield results in good agreement with each other and consistent with the available experimental data when well-converged calculations are performed. Highly accurate calculations are reported for the bcc phase, using one of these techniques, and a prediction of the bcc-fcc energy difference is reported.
Deconstructing 5-HT6 receptor effects on striatal circuit function

Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) constitute 95% of neurons in the dorsal striatum subdivided into direct (striatonigral) and indirect (striatopallidal) pathways. Whereas D1 and D2 receptors and several neuropeptides, including dynorphin and enkephalin, are differentially expressed in these neurons, 5-hydroxytryptamine 6 receptors (5-HT6) are expressed in both pathways. Previous results demonstrate that concurrent 5-HT6 receptor overexpression in MSNs of both pathways in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) interferes with instrumental learning and that 5-HT6 overexpression in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) relieves rats from inflexible habitual behaviors. We hypothesized that 5-HT6 receptor-mediated co-activation of both pathways interferes with the differential activation/inhibition of direct/indirect pathways by dopamine. To test this idea, we cloned novel viral vectors to selectively overexpress 5-HT6 receptors in direct or indirect pathway MSNs to deconstruct their role in modulating instrumental learning and habitual responding. We found that increasing 5-HT6 receptor expression in either direct or indirect pathway MSNs of the posterior DMS selectively enhanced or impaired initial acquisition of a discrete instrumental learning task respectively, though all rats were ultimately able to learn the task. In a separate set of experiments, 5-HT6 receptor overexpression in indirect pathway MSNs of the DLS facilitated behavioral flexibility in rats overtrained on a repetitive pressing task using a variable interval schedule of reinforcement, during an omission contingency training session and subsequent probe testing. Together these findings further the notion that 5-HT6 signaling causes balanced activation of opposing MSN pathways by serotonin in sub-regions of the dorsal striatum allowing for more reflective modalities of behavior.
Laser Flash Analysis Determination of the Thermal Diffusivity of Si/SiGe Superlattices

Applications that produce a large amount of heat, such as combustion engines, can benefit from high temperature thermoelectrics to reduce the amount of energy lost. Superlattice (SL) structures have shown reduced thermal conductivity at room temperature and below, suggesting applicability at high temperatures may be possible. This reduction could greatly increase the thermoelectric figure of merit. The Si/SiGe material system is studied here for high temperature application. Two growth temperatures of 300 C and 500 C are examined. Two superlattice periods were studied (8 nm and 20 nm) to determine the effects of lattice spacing on thermal conductivity. Laser Flash Analysis is applied to determine the thermal diffusivity, hence thermal conductivity, from 100 C to 500 C. Thermal diffusivity was found to be an order of magnitude lower than the constituent alloy at 100 C. Superlattice spacing and growth temperature showed little effect on the diffusivity within the error of this measurement.
Enhancement of the dynamic response characteristics of classical drives with smart actuators for high-speed and precision machinery applications

One of the primary factors limiting the performance of high speed and precision computer controlled machinery such as robotic systems is the dynamic response limitation of their actuation mechanisms. This is particularly the case when revolute joints are used in the construction of a machine, thereby resulting in systems with highly nonlinear dynamics. In such systems, even if the joint motion trajectories were synthesized with low harmonic contents, the actuating torques required for accurate tracking of the synthesized motions would contain high harmonic components. The higher harmonic components are generated to the nonlinearity in the dynamics and kinematics of the system. As the operating sped of such machines is increased, the high harmonic component of the required actuating torques become more significant and at some point move beyond the dynamic response limitations of the main drives. The performance of the system would therefore start to degrade and vibration and control begins to become problematic. In this paper, a method is presented for minimizing the high harmonic components of the required actuating torques using smart materials based actuators. The effective dynamic response of the system drives is thereby enhanced. In this paper, the development of the general methodology is presented. The method is then applied to a plane 2R robot manipulator. The effectiveness of the proposed approach in reducing the higher harmonic components of the primary drives and thereby enhancing the performance of the system is illustrated by computer simulation.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
School Counselors' Career Satisfaction and Commitment: Correlates and Predictors

The purpose of this article is to investigate correlates and predictors of school counselors' career satisfaction and commitment. Regression analyses of 1,280 Florida counselors' survey responses indicated that positive predictors of career satisfaction included appropriate duties, high self-efficacy, and district and peer supervision, while negative predictors were inappropriate duties and stress. The only positive predictor of career commitment was appropriate counseling duties while the only negative predictor was stress. Results and future directions are discussed.
The Role of Securin in Tumorigenesis and Metastasis.

Genomic instability is a hallmark of human cancers. Spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is a critical cellular mechanism that prevents chromosome missegregation and aneuploidy by blocking premature separation of sister chromatids. The process of sister-chromatid separation occurs when separase cleaves Scc1 of the cohesin complex holding sister-chromatids together. The cell prevents this event from taking place untimely by establishing regulatory mechanisms on separase. Thus, the SAC, much like the DNA damage checkpoint, is essential for genome stability.Although a large body of evidence supports an intimate relationship between defects in the DNA damage checkpoint and tumorigenesis, such evidence is lacking for the spindle assembly checkpoint. Attempts to disable SAC by inactivating individual component, such as Mad2, or BubR1, yielded only unviable mice.Securin was the first identified inhibitor of separase in budding yeast as PDS1 (1, 2). Deletion of PDS1 caused genome instability and lethality when treated with nocodazole (2). Based on these results, it was hypothesized that deletion of the securin gene would accelerate tumorigenesis in mammals through inducing aneuploidy.However, when securin was knocked out in mice, the mutant mice were essentially normal and the cells derived from these mice show an intact SAC (3, 4). Although, securin null cells are compromised in their ability to grow in the presence of sub-lethal doses of nocodazole (4), indicating that securin does contribute to the proper functioning of the checkpoint. The over-expression of securin has been associated with metastasis in human breast cancer and therefore my securin knockout mice have not developed tumors.Apparently securin gain-of-function or loss-of-function does not have strong enough oncogenic activity to initiate tumor development, but perhaps in combination with a stronger oncogene tumors will develop faster and more aggressively. To test this, I am combining securin knockout with MMTV-ErbB2 transgenic mice, which develop adenocarcinomas in the mammary tissue by approximately 6 months old (5).Given the association of securin expression with metastasis, it is possible that securin may have a role in tumor cell metastasis. To test that possibility, I am taking advantage of the MMTV-ErbB2 mice again as these mice show lung metastasis by approximately 8 months old (5). Therefore, my hypothesis is that loss of securin facilitates tumor formation by destabilizing the genome as a result of mitotic errors, but may hinder metastasis because of its cell cycle unrelated functions.References:1. Yamamoto, A., Guacci, V., and Koshland, D. (1996a). J. Cell Biol. 133, 85–97.2. Yamamoto, A., Guacci, V., and Koshland, D. (1996b). J. Cell Biol. 133, 99–110.3. Mei, J., Huang, X., and Zhang, P. (2001). Curr. Biol. 11, 1197–1201.4. Huang, X., Hatcher, R., York, P., Zhang, P.(2005). Mol. Bio. of the Cell. 16, 4725–4732.5. Muller WJ; Sinn E; Pattengale PK; Wallace R; Leder P. 1988. Cell 54(1):105-15. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 6172.
Lymphoid tissues of “Lethargic” mice

Abstract Cellular proliferation in lymphoid tissues of “lethargic” mutant mice and their phenotypically normal littermates was studied by autoradiography with 3 H-thymidine at 23 days of age. Both “lethargic” mutants and normal mice were divided into two groups, one of which received sheep red blood cells (SRC) 7 days prior to sacrifice. All mice were given a single injection of 3 H-thymidine one hour before sacrifice. The thymic cortex and the splenic red pulp of unimmunized mutant mice have lower labelling indices than those found in normal mice. Immunization with SRC had no effect on the labelling pattern of the thymus. However, in the spleen, immunization with SRC stimulates cell proliferation and increases the number of lightly labelled cells in the white pulp of normal mice but not in “lethargic” mice. Lethargic mice provide a model for studying the relationship between the endocrine system and the immune system.
Fatigue of AL6XN Stainless Steel

Tension-compression, torsion, and axial-torsion fatigue experiments were conducted on the AL6XN alloy to experimentally investigate the cyclic plasticity behavior and the fatigue behavior. The material is found to display significant nonproportional hardening when the equivalent plastic strain amplitude is over 2 X 10 -4 . In addition, the material exhibits overall cyclic softening. Under tension-compression, the cracking plane is perpendicular to the axial loading direction regardless of the loading amplitude. The smooth strain-life curve under fully reversed tension-compression can be described by a three-parameter power equation. However, the shear strain-life curve under pure torsion loading displays a distinct plateau in the fatigue life range approximately from 20,000 to 60,000 loading cycles. The shear strain amplitude corresponding to the plateau is approximately 1.0%. When the shear strain amplitude is above 1.0% under pure shear, the material displays shear cracking. When the shear strain amplitude is below 1.0%, the material displays tensile cracking. A transition from shear cracking to tensile cracking is associated with the plateau in the shear strain-life curve. Three different multiaxial fatigue criteria were evaluated based on the experimental results on the material for the capability of the criteria to predict fatigue life and the cracking direction. Despite the difference in theory, all the three multiaxial criteria can reasonably correlate the experiments in terms of fatigue life. Since the cracking mode of the material subjected to pure torsion is a function of the loading magnitude, the prediction of cracking orientation becomes rather challenging.
A transformative learning perspective of continuing sexual identity development in the workplace

This chapter provides a framework to facilitate self-awareness, self-knowledge, diversity training, and cultural awareness and appreciation for all adults, based on understanding the development of sexual identity and workplace issues for LGBTQ adults.
An adaptive Web page recommendation service

An adaptive recommendation service seeks to adapt to its users, providing increasingly personalized recommendations over time. In this paper we introduce the "Fab" adaptive web page recommendation service. There has been much research on analyzing document content in order to improve recommendations or search results. More recently researchers have begun to explore how the similarities between users can be exploited to the same ends. The Fab system strikes a balance between these two approaches, taking advantage of the shared interests among users without losing the benefits of the representations provided by content analysis. Running since March 1996, it has been populated with a collection of agents for the collection and selection of web pages, whose interaction fosters emergent collaborative properties. In this paper we explain the design of the system architecture and report the results of our first experiment, evaluating recommendations provided to a group of test users.
Opposing effects of prostaglandin E2and F2 αon rat liver-associated natural killer cell activity in vitro

Abstract Strain differences in cancer incidence are proposed to be due partly to differences in immune function. As potential cancer-associated immunological regulators, the concentrations of hepatic prostaglandins E 2 (PGE 2 α and F 2 α (PGF 2 α ) were compared in 9-week-old male and female F344/N and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. There were no strain or gender differences in the concentrations of hepatic PGE 2 . No strain difference was found in the concentration of hepatic PGF 2 α , but the hepatic PGF 2 α concentration in female rats was two-fold that of the male rat (130 vs 60 ng/g). PGE 2 significantly inhibited hepatic natural-killer cell (NK) activity in vitro compared with untreated cells from both genders and strains ( P 2 /ml inhibited NK activity significantly more than did 10 ng PGE 2 /ml ( P 2 α /ml and 100 ng PGF 2 α /ml significantly stimulated hepatic NK activity compared with untreated hepatic cells from both F344/N and SD rats. This study suggests that prostaglandins may have a negligible net effect on NK activity associated with rat liver, and may be unlikely to mediate cancer-related immune function.
Symbiotic vesicle ultrastructure in high pressure-frozen, freeze-substituted actinorhizae

Using tissue stained en bloc with chromic acid or tissue prepared by high pressure-freezing and freeze-substitution, it was possible to analyze quantitatively the ultrastructure of symbiotic vesicle envelopes (SVE) inAlnus serrulata, Ceanothus americanus, Elaeagnus umbellata, andMyrica cerifera. The lamina measured about 4.7 nm in thickness in thin section. Despite diverse symbiotic vesicle morphology, the SVE thickness was similar in all of these symbioses: 36–71 nm, which corresponded to 6–15 laminae based on counts of chromic acid-stained SVEs. This similarity in structure suggests that a similar environmental signal regulates envelope thickness in the different root nodules. Based on previous studies, this is likely to be pO2. Three types of envelope morphologies were distinguished: (1) theAlnus-type (as inAlnus andElaeagnus), which had localized thickenings around the vesicle and had thickest dimensions over the stalk; (2) theCeanothus-type. characterized as a relatively uniform envelope over both vesicle and attached hypha, and (3) theMyrica-type, which had no stalk region and a basal SVE thickness of about six laminae throughout except where localized thickening occurred. Localized thickening of the SVE resulted from extra numbers of laminae being deposited, generally over regions where septa contacted the edge of the vesicle. Freeze-substituted symbiotic vesicles had a variety of novel structures that are poorly preserved in chemically-fixed tissue. A paracrystalline body inAlnus symbiotic vesicles may be composed of particles that also exist free in the symbiotic vesicle cytoplasm. In addition, a previously unknown complex at the base of theAlnus-type symbiotic vesicle and within its stalk was evident in freeze-substituted tissues.
Minority language learning and communicative competence: Models of identity and participation in Corsican adult language courses

Abstract In the Corsican adult language classrooms I attended and observed in 2011–2012, communicative competence was defined and enacted with reference to a polynomic ideology of language, identity and community of practice. This ideology defines communicative competence as made up of both “traditional” proficiencies as a “heritage” speaker of a particular dialect of Corsican and other positive metalinguistic and social stances towards linguistic variation. Overall, the analysis shows that that (1) contexts of minority language shift and revitalization complicate the definition of “communicative competence”, revealing it as social and ideological and (2) that a focus on communicative competence complicates notions like “language shift” and “revitalization”, revealing their epistemological biases.
Maxwell's Handbook for RDA: Examining and Illustrating RDA: Resource Description and Access Using MARC 21

Robert L. Maxwell. Chicago, IL: ALA Editions, 2013, 900 pp., ISBN: 978-0-8389-1172-3, $98.00.Maxwell's Handbook for RDA is a comprehensive supplementary tool to be used in conjunction with the RDA ...
The moderating effects of peer and parental support on the relationship between vicarious victimization and substance use

General strain theory (GST) hypothesizes that youth are more likely to engage in delinquency when they experience vicarious victimization, defined as knowing about or witnessing violence perpetrated against others, but that this relationship may be attenuated for those who receive social support from significant others. Based on prospective data from youth aged 8 to 17 participating in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), this article found mixed support for these hypotheses. Controlling for prior involvement in delinquency, as well as other risk and protective factors, adolescents who reported more vicarious victimization had an increased likelihood of alcohol use in the short term, but not the long term, and victimization was not related to tobacco or marijuana use. Peer support did not moderate the relationship between vicarious victimization and substance use, but family support did. In contrast to strain theory's predictions, the relationship between vicarious victimization and substance use was stronger for those who had higher compared with lower levels of family support. Implications of these findings for strain theory and future research are discussed.
Morphology and transcriptional activity of mouse oocyte chromosomes.

Lampbrush chromosomes of growing amphibian oocytes carry thousands of lateral loops each of which consists of a chromatin fiber heavily encrusted with nascent ribonucleoprotein fibrils. These are believed to be responsible for the accumulation and maintenance of RNA transcripts found stored in the egg. In the case of mammalian oocytes, lampbrush chromosomes are most likely to occur during the major growth phase and also possibly during pachytene-early diplotene stages of meiosis. We have examined pachytene and early diplotene mouse oocyte chromosomes through the light microscope using sections of plastic-embedded material and air dried spreads stained with either silver nitrate or methyl green pyronin. Our results indicate that the projections radiating from the chromosomal axis are bundles of chromatin fibers rather than single fibers covered with an ribonucleoprotein matrix. These bundles may represent partially unfolded chromomeres. The axis itself could be partially dispersed revealing threads surrounding a fine linear element. — Little is known about chromosome structure in growing mammalian oocytes, the stage when transcriptional activity is likely to be most rapid. In our preparations chromosomes at this stage appear as partially condensed fuzzy threads of relatively uniform width. In some cases, the fuzzy thread is seen to contain a dense linear core in the center. Thus, during the growth phase, the chromosomes retain a relatively condensed axis, a characteristic of meiotic chromosomes in general. RNA-containing material is found diffusely spread within the nucleus but not specifically associated with the chromosomes. — Electron microscopic analysis of spread chromatin from growing oocytes demonstrates that most transcription units possess only one or two nascent ribonucleoprotein fibrils, while a few have more. These and other published data indicate that mouse oocytes do not have true lampbrush chromosomes at any stage of their development.
Power semiconductors: Switching lots of watts at high speeds: State-of-the-art development yields solid-state devices capable of handling over 10 million watts

Considers the developments in power electronics placing particular emphasis on power MOSFETs, their properties, design and application advantages over other similar devices. The vertical channel junction field effect transistor, (JFET) is also briefly described and its applications pointed out.
Changes in red blood cell transfusion practice during the turn of the millennium: a retrospective analysis of adult patients undergoing elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair using the Mayo database.

Background Significant changes in perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion practice during the past two decades have been reported but similar data are not available for patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery. Methods Adult patients who had undergone primary, elective, open AAA repair were stratified into one of two transfusion-related groups: early practice (1980–1982) or late practice (2003–2006). RBC transfusion and hemoglobin concentration (Hb) were analyzed as a continuous variable and compared between groups with use of the rank sum test. Perioperative complications were compared between groups with Fisher's exact test. Data were age adjusted, and analyses were corrected for multiple comparisons. Results Compared with the early practice group, patients in the late practice group had significantly lower intraoperative (mean 10 ± 1.4 vs. 11.5 ± 1.5 g/dL), postoperative (11.9 ± 1.4 vs. 13.4 ± 1.5 g/dL), and discharge Hbs (mean 10.8 ± 1.2 vs. 12.5 ± 1.5 g/dL) (p Conclusion In this retrospective analysis, we observed significantly lower perioperative Hb, fewer allogenic RBC transfusions, and more autotransfusions in open AAA repairs done in 2003–2006 versus those done in 1980–1982. Additionally, late transfusion practice patients were older and had more comorbid diseases. Despite these observations, no significant differences in perioperative morbidity or mortality were observed between groups.
Constraint dynamics algorithm for simulation of semiflexible macromolecules

Semiflexible models are often used to study macromolecules containing stable structural elements. Based on rigid body dynamics, we developed a rigid fragment constraint dynamics algorithm for the simulation of semiflexible macromolecules. Stable structural elements are treated as rigid fragments. Rigid fragment constraints, defined as combinations of distance constraints and position constraints, are introduced to limit internal molecular motion to the required mode. The constraint forces are solved separately for each rigid fragment constraint and iteratively until all constraint conditions are satisfied within a given tolerance at each time step, as is done for the bond length constraint in the SHAKE algorithm. The orientation of a rigid fragment is represented by the quaternion parameters, and both translation and rotation are solved by the leap-frog formulation. We tested the algorithm with molecular dynamics simulations of a series of peptides and a small protein. The computation cost for the constraints is roughly proportional to the size of the molecule. In the microcanonical ensemble simulation of polyvalines, the total energy was conserved satisfactorily with time steps as large as 20 fs. A helix folding simulation of a synthetic peptide was carried out to show the efficiency of the algorithm in a conformational search. Q 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 1555)1566, 1998
Interleukin-8 expression is increased in senescent prostatic epithelial cells and promotes the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an extremely common disease of older men characterized by increased growth of prostatic epithelial and stromal cells. Previously we showed that senescent epithelial cells accumulate in the prostate of aging men and secrete interleukin-1α (IL-1α). IL-8 is also present at increased levels in BPH tissues and induces expression of FGF2, a potent stromal growth factor. Therefore, we sought to determine if IL-8 is also expressed at increased levels by senescent epithelial cells and if this secreted IL-8 plays a role in the pathogenesis of BPH. METHODS Expression of IL-8 in human BPH tissue and primary cultures of prostatic epithelial cells was analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunoabsorption assay (ELISA). Tissue senescence was assessed by a quantitative assay for senescence-associated β galactosidase (SA-β gal). Proliferation of primary and immortalized prostatic epithelial cells in response to IL-8 was determined by counting of cells at intervals after addition of IL-8. RESULTS Expression of IL-8 is significantly increased in vitro when cultured prostatic epithelial cells undergo senescence. Quantitative assay of BPH tissue extracts revealed that tissue IL-8 levels are correlated with both SA-β gal activity and prostate weight. IL-8 promotes proliferation of primary and immortalized prostfatic epithelial cells in culture. CONCLUSIONS Senescence of prostatic epithelial cells results in increased expression of IL-8, which can promote proliferation of non-senescent epithelial and stromal cells by direct and indirect mechanisms, and in this manner contributes to the increased tissue growth seen in BPH. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Glucose Homeostasis Abnormalities Associated with Use of Gatifloxacin

Background. More than 20 published case reports have described an association between the use of gatifloxacin and hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. We compare the rates of glucose homeostasis abnormality (GHA) adverse event reports (AERs) associated with the use of gatifloxacin and comparator quinolones. Methods. We obtained spontaneous AERs associated with the use of ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin from the US Food and Drug Administration that were reported between November 1997 and September 2003. We removed duplicate and foreign cases. We used specific coding terms to identify GHA AERs. We calculated GHA AER rates, using either the total number of AERs or estimated retail prescriptions as denominators. Results. The use of ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin was associated with 10,025 unique AERs in the United States, including 568 GHA AERs, 25 of which had fatality. Use of gatifloxacin was associated with 453 GHA AERs (80%) and 17 GHA AERs with fatality (68%). GHA AERs comprised 24% of all AERs associated with gatifloxacin, compared with ciprofloxacin (1.3%), levofloxacin (1.6%), and moxifloxacin (1.3%) ( for each comparison). Use of gatifloxacin was associated with 477 GHA AERs per 10 7 retail P ! .0001 prescriptions, compared with ciprofloxacin (4 GHA AERs), levofloxacin (11 GHA AERs), and moxifloxacin (39 GHA AERs) ( for each comparison). Patients with GHA AERs were older and more likely to be receiving P ! .0001 concomitant treatment for diabetes. Limitations of the study include the use of spontaneous adverse event reporting, which is incomplete and potentially biased. This analysis cannot be used alone to demonstrate causality. Conclusions. Use of gatifloxacin is associated with a much higher rate of GHA AERs than are comparator quinolones. This analysis is consistent with the results of in vitro analyses, animal studies, human volunteer studies, case reports, and a large randomized trial. Alternatives to gatifloxacin should be used in patients with diabetes.
ADAPTIVE: A dynamically assembled protocol transformation, integration and evaluation environment

Computer communication systems must undergo significant changes to keep pace with the increasingly demanding and diverse multimedia applications that will run on the next generation of high-performance networks. To facilitate these changes, we are developing A Dynamically Assembled Protocol Transformation, Integration and evaluation Environment (ADAPTIVE). ADAPTIVE provides an integrated environment for developing and experimenting with flexible transport system architectures that support lightweight and adaptive communication protocols for diverse multimedia applications running on high-performance networks. Our approach employs a collection of reusable ‘building-block’ protocol mechanisms that may be composed together automatically based upon functional specifications. The resulting protocols execute in parallel on several target platforms including shared-memory and message-passing multiprocessors. ADAPTIVE provides a framework for (1) determining the functionality of customized lightweight protocol configurations that efficiently support multimedia applications and (2) mapping this functionality onto efficient parallel process architectures.
China and India: A New Asian Drama

With the economic rise of India and China, a new question has entered the international public sphere: How will the polities of India and China be shaped by their continuing economic march over the next decade or so? More specifically, will politics get in the way of their steady economic rise, or will political liberalization continue as the market forces are embraced ever more vigorously? Will economic liberalization, in short, promote further political liberalization? This question is more relevant to China than to India, where economic liberalization has been pursued within the framework of a long-established democracy. Ashutosh Varshney (varshney@umich.edu) is professor of political science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The author thanks Mary Gallagher and Anna Grzymala-Busse for their comments on a draft of this essay.
Collective personalities in honeybee colonies are linked to colony fitness

Personality differences (i.e. consistent between-individual differences in behaviour) play an important role in the lives of humans and other animals, influencing both their day-to-day actions and their long-term reproductive success. For organisms living in highly structured groups of related individuals, such as colonies of social insects, personalities could also emerge at the group level. However, while numerous recent studies have investigated individual-level personality, the phenomenon of collective personality in animal groups has received little attention. In this paper, we apply the concept of collective personality to colonies of honeybees (Apis mellifera). We document the presence of consistent differences among colonies across a wide range of collective behaviours and demonstrate a link between colony-level personality traits and fitness. The colonies in our study showed consistent behavioural differences in traits such as defensive response, foraging activity and undertaking, and several of these traits were correlated as part of a behavioural syndrome. Furthermore, some of these traits were strongly tied to colony productivity and winter survival. Our results show that the concept of collective personality is applicable to colonies of social insects, and that personality differences among colonies can have important consequences for their long-term survival and reproduction. Applying the concept of personality to close-knit animal groups can provide important insights into the structure of behavioural variability in animal populations and the role that consistent between-group behavioural differences play in the evolution of behaviour.
Planar Integrated Optical Detection of a Hybrid Long-Range Surface Plasmon Using an InGaAs Inverted-MSM Detector Bonded to Silicon

An InxGa1-xAs thin-film inverted metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector has been integrated with a gold hybrid long-range surface plasmon waveguide on silicon. This integrated structure enables planar integrated optical detection of a long-range surface plasmon wave at a wavelength of 1.55 μm.
Attitudes and Beliefs About Domestic Violence: Results of a Public Opinion Survey I. Definitions of Domestic Violence, Criminal Domestic Violence, and Prevalence

This study reports analyses and findings from a public opinion survey designed to explore beliefs about domestic violence (DV)-what it is, when it is against the law, and how prevalent it is. The project interviewed 1,200 residents from six New York communities. The analyses reveal substantial firsthand and secondhand experience with DV and strong consensus that acts of physical aggression should be labeled as DV, but substantially less certainty about the illegality of the abusive behaviors. Overall, the respondents were less inclined to define women's aggressive behavior in pejorative or unlawful terms than men's. Respondents believed that DV was common in their communities, and that it affected a significant minority of couples. Multivariate analyses provide little support for conventional wisdom about the impact of socioeconomic background on tolerance for or knowledge about DV, although gender, generation, and secondhand familiarity with DV incidents play a role in opinions and beliefs.
PHYSICIAN SATISFACTION: DO WE CARE ABOUT IT? DO THEY CARE ABOUT IT?

Physician satisfaction is a critical topic for the medical profession (practicing physicians, physicians in training, or health system administrators), and even for those who sooner or later will interact with a doctor. My intention is to perform a deconstruction of this topic from a sociological perspective, trying to outline the sociological framework in which doctors are performing their jobs today, to define and describe the potential meanings for physician satisfaction and in the end to conclude by responding to the questions: is physician contentment associated with patient care? Is psychological distress related with medical error making? Does physicians? dissatisfaction lower the quality of clinical care?
Studying Sexualities from a Life Course Perspective

This chapter overviews theory and research on sexual beliefs, behaviors, and identities over the life course. Following a brief history of the life course perspective on sexualities, the author outlines a conceptual framework for studying gendered sexualities from birth to death. Next, she evaluates a wide range of methods suitable for research in this area and discusses in depth exemplary recent studies focusing on different stages of the life course (e.g., adolescence, midlife, old age), the development of sexual identity and orientation, and specific experiences (e.g., parenthood, military service), paying particular attention to the ways gender, race, ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation intersect to shape the life course. The chapter concludes by proposing critical areas for future research, including seldom-examined life stages (e.g., childhood, very old age), links across multiple life stages, pleasure and desire, transgender and intersex, sexual subcultures, physical and mental illness, disabilities, and contexts other than wealthy, post-industrial nations.