cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological studies of sunlight and cataract: the critical factor of ultraviolet exposure geometry

Despite the large body of laboratory evidence that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is cataractogenic, epidemiological studies of the relationship between age-related cataract and chronic UVR exposure have provided apparently conflicting results. An explanation for these conflicting results could be related to errors in dosimetry. Failure to account for the biophysical, physiological and behavioral factors, as well as ground reflectance, which determine the level of UVR exposure of the lens can lead to completely wrong assignments of lifetime exposure. It is argued that by overlooking these factors, past epidemiological studies of UVR and cataract could readily be expected to produce conflicting results.
Aggressive reactions of ducklings to a nonliving target object

This study asked whether ducklings' forceful pecks at a nonliving target object could be validly identified as aggressive. Previously isolated ducklings were exposed to a small cylindrical object that could serve as a target for aggressive pecks and as an object for attachment. After initially attempting to flee from the target, they vigorously pecked at it and also showed signs of the formation of a social (imprinting) attachment. In all important respects this pattern of behavior was identical to the pattern of escape, aggressive pecks, and attachment seen when a previously isolated duckling first encounters a conspecific. Social housing, a manipulation which attenuates aggression against live targets in ducklings and other species, reduced pecking at the nonliving target object. Early aversive stimulation, which enhances aggression against live targets, increased pecking at the object. These findings support the use of nonliving targets in the study of aggression in ducklings.
Hydrogen bonding: Part 12. Low temperature infrared spectra of bound water in trimethylamine oxide and N, N-dimethylpyrrolidinium fluoride dihydrates1

Abstract Low temperature (10 K) infrared spectra demonstrate that trimethylamine oxide dihydrate contains tightly bound, tricoordinate water, and show that the hydrate water and the negative oxygen atoms form a structure similar to the water—fluoride cluster in tetraethylammonium fluoride dihydrate. Spectral analysis and mechanistic considerations suggest an H 8 X 6 species of C i , symmetry; definitive assignment of structure awaits diffraction studies. N,N -Dimethylpyrrolidinium fluoride forms a dihydrate of similar structure, and also a monohydrate containing an H 4 O 2 F 2− 2 cluster. Contrary to previous reports, trimethylamine oxide does not form a monohydrate.
Fashionably late: Strategies for competing against a pioneer advantage

Abstract This study delineates the conditions under which a late entrant is able to outperform a pioneer brand by examining the value relevance of alignable and non-alignable attributes. The first experiment shows that the late entrant can surpass the pioneer by adopting either a distinctive (new, non-alignable attribute) or enhancing (improved, alignable attribute) strategy depending on the value relevance of the new attributes. The second experiment provides evidence that pricing cues become instrumental when the value relevance of the late entrant with a distinctive strategy is low. In this context, the findings show that increasing the price of the product counter-intuitively enhances the preferences for the late entrant.
A unified carrier-based modulation method for direct matrix converter

This paper presents a unified carrier-based modulation method for direct matrix converter. Various types of pulse width modulation (PWM) methods are generated by using the offset voltage, changing slope of carrier waveform, and adjusting the free parameters in the modulation algorithm. The proposed method is equivalent to the space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) for two-level and three-level voltage source inverter (VSI). This paper also presents a new viewpoint to understand the matrix converter modulation method such as single carrier based modulation technique for two-level VSI and double carrier based modulation technique for three-level VSI. Using the proposed method, this paper presents discontinuous pulse width modulation (DPWM) for the matrix converter. Therefore, a unified simple algorithm suitable for the digital implementation of all continuous and discontinuous PWM strategies is proposed. The feasibility of the proposed modulation method has been verified by a computer simulation results. These results show that the proposed carrier-based modulation method can be implemented easily without any tables.
ESRD in the geriatric population: the crisis of managed care and the opportunity of disease management.

The geriatric population with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is placed at risk with regards to the quality and extent of medical coverage because of the rapidly changing financial environment. Managed care organizations (MCOs) are generally for-profit companies that must focus on the bottom line. While the verbal commitment to quality care is voiced, the financial pressures on MCOs have led to a decrease in coverage of many services and outright denial for some necessary treatments. While denying services, the MCOs have also reduced payments to providers for services rendered. The coverage crisis is compounded by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) quitting Medicare because the reimbursement from the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) is less than their costs. Because of the above issues which can potentially impact on the quality of care delivered to the ESRD geriatric population, a new approach to disease management has created the opportunity to improve total patient care to a level not yet achieved in the United States. Disease management encompasses integrated care across all disciplines. Every component of care can be tracked by a dedicated information system. Improvement in outcomes has far exceeded the U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS) benchmark performance measurements with a disease management model approach. The key to success is the health service coordinator (HSC), a senior nurse with many years of ESRD experience. This individual coordinates care across all disciplines and expedites necessary referrals. With rapid attention to patient needs there has been a significant reduction in hospital admissions, hospital length of stay, and emergency room visits. Patient care will steadily improve as the disease management system matures as a consequence of understanding the patients total physical and psychosocial needs.
Region-specific changes in sympathetic nerve activity in angiotensin II-salt hypertension in the rat

It is now well accepted that many forms of experimental hypertension and human essential hypertension are caused by increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system. However, the role of region-specific changes in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in the pathogenesis of hypertension has been difficult to determine because methods for chronic measurement of SNA in conscious animals have not been available. We have recently combined indirect, and continuous and chronic direct, assessment of region-specific SNA to characterize hypertension produced by administration of angiotensin II (Ang II) to rats consuming a high-salt diet (Ang II-salt hypertension). Angiotensin II increases whole-body noradrenaline (NA) spillover and depressor responses to ganglionic blockade in rats consuming a high-salt diet, but not in rats on a normal-salt diet. Despite this evidence for increased 'whole-body SNA' in Ang II-salt hypertensive rats, renal SNA is decreased in this model and renal denervation does not attenuate the steady-state level of arterial pressure. In addition, neither lumbar SNA, which largely targets skeletal muscle, nor hindlimb NA spillover is changed from control levels in Ang II-salt hypertensive rats. However, surgical denervation of the splanchnic vascular bed attenuates/abolishes the increase in arterial pressure and total peripheral resistance, as well as the decrease in vascular capacitance, observed in Ang II-salt hypertensive rats. We hypothesize that the 'sympathetic signature' of Ang II-salt hypertension is characterized by increased splanchnic SNA, no change in skeletal muscle SNA and decreased renal SNA, and this sympathetic signature creates unique haemodynamic changes capable of producing sustained hypertension.
CBS's Long Distance Radio Experiment: Broadcasting the Byrd Expedition From Little America

In 1933–1935, Admiral Richard Byrd's second Antarctic expedition was partly funded by General Foods. This included radio program sponsorship aired via relays from the South Pole to CBS in New York. The program format generally opened with news and music from CBS, then weather, expedition reports, entertainment, and a segment with Byrd. It often closed with 2-way conversations between New York and Little America featuring family, acquaintances, experts, or New York hosts conversing with explorers. This sponsored program's design clearly answered Hoover's public interest requirements and added educational emphasis in 1934 at a time of hearings over educational broadcasting.
Percutaneous fine-needle aspiration of portal vein thrombi as a staging technique for hepatocellular carcinoma. Cytologic findings of 46 patients.

Background. Detection of portal vein tumor invasion in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important in determining therapy and prognosis. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of a portal vein thrombus under ultrasound guidance facilitates the distinction of malignant from benign thrombus without resorting to laparotomy. In this study, the FNA findings of 46 patients who underwent this procedure are described. Methods. Cytologic findings of 48 aspirations from 46 patients who underwent percutaneous ultrasound-guided portal vein FNA were reviewed. Results. Twenty-nine of the 46 patients had a prior or concurrent biopsy-confirmed diagnosis of HCC at the time of portal vein FNA. On cytologic review, 39 of the aspirates were positive for malignancy, 6 were negative, and 3 were suspicious. Histologic follow-up of three of the six patients with negative aspirates confirmed bland thrombi in their portal veins. No complications resulted from the FNA procedure. Of the 39 aspirates positive for HCC, 22 were well differentiated, 5 were well to moderately differentiated, 9 were moderately differentiated, and 3 were poorly differentiated. In all except the poorly differentiated tumors, a trabecular cellular arrangement was detected in either smears or cell blocks. The cytologic findings in these aspirates, in general, mirror those found in aspirates of HCC in the liver proper. Conclusions. Portal vein FNA is an effective, well tolerated method for disease staging of patients with HCC. When used as the initial diagnostic procedure, in selected patients, it can provide the diagnosis and staging information simultaneously. Cancer 1995 ;75 :2057-62.
Transient and steady state stimulus-response relations for cat retinal ganglion cells.

Abstract Single unit recordings were made from cat optic tract fibers while varying the luminance and size of spots placed in the center of a cell's receptive field. Both transient and steady state stimulus-response curves could be divided into two segments: a monotonic increasing portion for low contrast levels and a non-monotonic decreasing segment for high contrast levels. Three conclusions were made: (1) that the cat retinal ganglion cell gives a more precise representation of intensity changes in the low contrast range than in the high contrast range; (2) that the intensity code is non-linear for the low contrast range; (3) that more information about intensity changes is signalled during the transient phase than during the steady state phase of the response.
The tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxide anion (TMPO–) as a ligand in lanthanide chemistry: synthesis of the per(TMPO−) complex [(ONC5H6Me4)2Sm(μ-ONC5H6Me4)]2

(C5Me5)3Sm reacts with the free radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxy (TMPO) to form (C5Me5)2 and the per nitroxide [(η1-ONC5H6Me4)2 Sm(μ-η1∶η2-ONC5H 6Me4)]2
Inhaled human insulin: coup or caution?

Inhaled human insulin is a big step forward, but it comes with cautions, concerns, and additional responsibilities.
Quantitatively relating abstractness to the accuracy of admissible heuristics

Abstract Admissible (lower-bound) heuristics are worth discovering because they have desirable properties in various search algorithms. One well-known source of admissible heuristics is from abstractions of a problem. Using standard definitions of heuristic accuracy and abstractness, we prove that heuristic accuracy decreases inversely with abstractness. This is the first quantitative result linking abstractness to the heuristic accuracy. Using this result, it may be possible to predict the accuracy of an abstraction-derived heuristic without testing it on a sample set of problems. It may also be possible for a heuristic discovery system to use the theory to predict the accuracy of a heuristic, thereby better focusing its search.
Lymphoid proliferations and lymphomas associated with gastric metaplasia, dysplasia, and carcinoma.

Gastric carcinomas are invariably accompanied by lymphoid proliferations. We studied their features in 22 resected gastric carcinomas in which the lymphoid proliferations ranged from reactive lymphoid follicles to mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. In most cases, the collections of lymphocytes were abundant, which is remarkable considering the lack of lymphoid tissue in the normal stomach. They were not haphazardly located but in direct contact with the metaplastic, dysplastic, and neoplastic epithelial cells, in positions suggestive of defense barriers. They consisted of newly formed lymphoid follicles with reactive germinal centers sometimes high up in the superficial mucosa, collections of plasma cells beneath the surface epithelium, and large aggregates of B cells above and below the muscularis mucosae as well as abundant T cells. The latter, both CD4+ and CD8+, were seen within metaplastic epithelial cells as well as within carcinomatous glands that were partially destroyed, resembling apparent neoplastic lympho-epithelial lesions (LEL). In three cases, the B cells infiltrating the gastric muscular layers represented MALT-lymphomas adjacent to gastric carcinomas, as confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis in two cases. In a case of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma, the excessive lymphoid cells were predominantly of T-CD8+ type. In this case, EBV identified by EBV-encoded RNA and latent membrane protein was present in large amounts. Helicobacter pylori was seen in only six cases in areas of chronic gastritis that were distant from carcinoma. H pylori was not present in the areas of metaplasia, dysplasia, or carcinoma. It appears that the lymphoid proliferations accompanying these gastric changes do not arise in response to the pathogenic agent H pylori, which caused the persistent infection leading to them yet is no longer present, but rather in response to the existence of the abnormal epithelial cells. Thus the lymphoid proliferations consistently associated with gastric metaplasia, dysplasia, and neoplasia may be regarded as immune reactions to the long-term cellular changes triggered by the initial chronic gastritis. On rare occasions, the exaggerated lymphoid proliferations may reach the end of the spectrum, resulting in MALT lymphomas coexistent with gastric carcinomas.
The determinants of mediated priming: Time interval, semantic and associative relationships

The effect of priming over three time intervals and with five types of associative responses was investigated. Priming was found to increase the frequency of strong and weak nonantonym responses, but had no effect on strong antonyms and a negative effect on weak antonyms. Where effective, priming was found to be a transitory phenomenon, not lasting up to 30 sec. An additional finding suggested that estimates of associative strength based on normative data may not be appropriate when the interval between test stimuli is increased.
Ripening and cold storage changes in the quality characteristics of nonmelting clingstone peaches (FLA 9-20C)

Minolta "a" values, SS/TA ratio, sucrose, total sugar contents, and sweet sensory scores increased significantly with increased degree of maturity of unripened peaches. Firmness, Minolta "L" values, hue angle, TA, sorbitol, green and sour flavor attributes, and peach complex and fruity/ester aromas decreased significantly with maturity. Maturity 1 and 2 peaches stored for 8 wk at 0 degree C and subsequently ripened showed no significant change in physical characteristics except for firmness which increased at 8 wk storage. Maturity 1 and 2 peaches could be ripened at 20 degree C for up to 15 days and stored at 0 degree C for 8 wk without notable change in quality.
Atmospheric Scales and Spectral Gaps

Abstract The kinetic energy of the atmosphere is not spread uniformly over all wavelengths but has certain preferred scales, with gaps in between. Typically atmospheric structures are either fully three dimensional with horizontal wavelengths of the order of 100 m to several kilometers, such as convection cells (including thunderstorms) and mechanically driven eddies; or they are quasi-two-dimensional with horizontal dimensions of order of thousands of km. The first group of systems derives its energy from Kelvin-Helmholtz and hydrostatic instability, which depends on vertical gradients of wind and temperature; the second group is associated with barotropic or baroclinic instability, which depends on horizontal gradients of temperature and wind. Aloft, the small-scale systems are relatively less frequent than near the ground; on the other hand, intermediate-scale systems seem to be more common.
Effects of Message Modality and Appeal on Advertising Acceptance

Differences in emotional response, cognitive response, attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand were observed after subjects were exposed to advertising messages of different modalities (audiovisual vs. audio-only) and appeals (rational vs. emotional). Hypothesized causal models depicting the relationships among the dependent measures were tested using LISREL. Results sup ported the mediating roles of both emotional and cognitive responses in the acceptance of advertising messages.
Dense‐medium separation of heavy‐metal particles from soil using a wide‐angle hydrocyclone

Abstract Wide‐angle hydrocyclone tests were conducted to separate fine (‐150 μm) particles based on differences in particle density. Mixtures of ferrosilicon (FeSi) and quartz or lead and soil of similar size ranges were separated in a 25.4 mm diameter hydrocyclone under various test conditions. Separations were made in dense‐medium suspensions of fine magnetite and water to improve the overall separation efficiency compared to water‐only separations. For the FeSi/quartz mixture, when the suspension relative density was raised to 1.4, FeSi recoveries exceeding 89% with quartz recoveries over 90% were obtained in a single pass through the hydrocyclone. For the lead/soil mixture, lead recoveries exceeding 97% with soil recoveries over 95% were possible at a suspension relative density of 1.3.
Evolution of screening for epithelial ovarian carcinoma: The quest for early diagnosis

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma remains the most fatal of gynecologic malignancies, causing approximately 13,300 deaths annually. This high mortality rate is due to the presence of advanced stage disease at time of diagnosis. Symptoms early in the course of the disease are frequently nonspecific and go unrecognized by both the patient and the physician. The cause-specific mortality may decrease if a sufficiently sensitive screening modality can be developed to allow early diagnosis and curative therapy. The ideal screening tests or algorithm utilizing several tests must have sufficient specificity to minimize false positives, which contribute to patient anxiety and inefficient use of health care dollars. The development and refinement of the various methodologies used in screening of epithelial ovarian carcinoma will be the subject of this review. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Synthesis of PAMG chelating polymers for the selective flocculation of copper minerals

Abstract Experimental techniques for preparation and characterization of polyacrylamide-glyoxal-bis-hydroxyanil (PAMG) selective flocculant are reported. The polymer could be prepared either by direct reaction of glyoxal-bis-hydroxyanil with polyacrylamide and formaldehyde, or by condensation of a diaminiphenol with glyoxal and formaldehyde on polyacrylamide. These reactions were confirmed by various techniques, namely, alcohol precipitation, dialysis, UV and IR spectroscopy. Fractionation of the polymer by membrane filtration and gel chromatography was also reported.
Beta-adrenergic blockers as cardioprotective agents

Abstract The evidence supporting and describing cardioprotective effects of β-adrenergic blocker treatment is surveyed. Details of the many studies that individually and collectively document the ability of long-term and acute β-blocker therapy to reduce overall mortality, sudden cardiovascular death, and nonfatal reinfarction in patients surviving or experiencing a myocardial infarction are described. A discussion of the mechanisms by which β blockers probably and theoretically achieve these benefits includes the suggestion that they may reduce plaque rupture, thus indirectly inhibiting thrombosis. It is also suggested that, in the future, further cardioprotective benefits may accrue to the use of β blockers in conjunction with thrombolysis and of β blockers with a duration of action sustained throughout a full 24 hours.
Financial analysis of patients with newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia on protocol or standard therapy.

BACKGROUND Medicare and third-party payers may be reluctant to pay for investigational (protocol) therapy for patients with cancer on the premise that such treatment is more expensive than standard therapy. However, prior studies that have attempted to compare protocol therapy with standard therapy have been difficult to interpret because of the assortment of malignancies studied and the lack of suitable control groups of patients who received standard therapy. METHODS In the current study, the authors conducted a retrospective review of the financial charges associated with protocol or nonprotocol (standard) chemotherapy in patients with a single malignancy, newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), who received their initial course of chemotherapy (“induction”) at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) between 1996 and 1999. Protocol and nonprotocol groups were analyzed according to clinical characteristics and standard prognostic features to determine whether the two groups were comparable. Median charges for all patients were determined using a database that linked clinical information, financial data, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS A total of 353 patients with newly diagnosed AML were registered at MSKCC during the time period studied; of these, 79 patients (22%) received all of their care at the institution. Thirty patients (38%) received treatment on an investigational protocol. Forty-nine patients (62%) did not receive protocol therapy for the following reasons: 10 patients (20%) did not meet eligibility criteria, 4 patients (8%) were eligible for protocol therapy but declined, and 35 patients (71%) met protocol criteria but were not offered protocol therapy based on the judgment of their primary oncologist. The groups were not comparable because patients treated with standard therapy were older and had a poorer initial Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status. Overall median charges for patients in the nonprotocol group were higher than for patients treated on a protocol although charges were not related to age, initial ECOG performance status, or cytogenetic risk group. CONCLUSIONS Although charges for the nonprotocol group were higher, specific factors responsible for this difference were not identified. This study emphasizes the problems inherent in assembling suitable groups of patients for comparison. Cancer 2002;95:1064–70. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10805
Soluble neuropilin targeted to the skin inhibits vascular permeability

Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) is a co-receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165), an inducer of vascular permeability and angiogenesis. Numerous physiological factors enhance VEGF expression and function but only a few have been shown to be negative regulators. Previously, we have shown that the naturally occurring soluble form of NRP1 (sNRP1) inhibits binding of VEGF165 to endothelial cells in vitro and impairs tumor growth in vivo. To investigate the role of sNRP1 in the regulation of vascular development and function, sNRP1 expression was targeted to the skin, where it is not normally expressed, using a keratin 14 (K14) promoter expression construct. K14-sNRP1 transgenic mice displayed normal skin architecture with a subtle abnormal vascular phenotype. While the overall number of skin blood vessels remained unchanged, the lumen size of smooth muscle-associated dermal vessels was reduced. K14-sNRP1 mice had reduced vascular permeability in response to VEGF165, but also to VEGF121 and platelet activating factor, suggesting that the lack of permeability was not solely due to the sequestration of VEGF. sNRP1 also reversed the increase in inflammation and edema induced by transgenic VEGF overexpression in cutaneous delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. In summary, sNRP1 appears to primarily regulate vessel permeability while its effect on physiological angiogenesis is less evident in this model.
Interaction between human prion protein and amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers role of N-terminal residues.

Soluble oligomers of Aβ42 peptide are believed to play a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease (AD). It was recently found that at least some of the neurotoxic effects of these oligomers may be mediated by specific binding to the prion protein, PrPC, on the cell surface (Lauren, J., Gimbel, D. A., Nygaard, H. B., Gilbert, J. W., and Strittmatter, S. M. (2009) Nature 457, 1128–1132). Here we characterized the interaction between synthetic Aβ42 oligomers and the recombinant human prion protein (PrP) using two biophysical techniques: site-directed spin labeling and surface plasmon resonance. Our data indicate that this binding is highly specific for a particular conformation adopted by the peptide in soluble oligomeric species. The binding appears to be essentially identical for the Met129 and Val129 polymorphic forms of human PrP, suggesting that the role of PrP codon 129 polymorphism as a risk factor in AD is due to factors unrelated to the interaction with Aβ oligomers. It was also found that in addition to the previously identified ∼95–110 segment, the second region of critical importance for the interaction with Aβ42 oligomers is a cluster of basic residues at the extreme N terminus of PrP (residues 23–27). The deletion of any of these segments results in a major loss of the binding function, indicating that these two regions likely act in concert to provide a high affinity binding site for Aβ42 oligomers. This insight may help explain the interplay between the postulated protective and pathogenic roles of PrP in AD and may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies as well.
Ultraviolet A Irradiation Stimulates Collagenase Production in Cultured Human Fibroblasts

This study was designed to investigate the biochemical mechanisms responsible for the connective tissue changes seen in actinically damaged skin, which is characterized histologically by diminution and ultrastructural alterations of collagen fibrils and deposition of elastotic material in the papillary dermis. We hypothesized that ultraviolet light could stimulate synthesis of interstitial collagenase in the skin, resulting in collagen degradation. Monolayer cultures of human fibroblasts or keratinocytes were irradiated with ultraviolet A (UVA) or ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and interstitial collagenase or its inhibitor, TIMP (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases) assessed in the conditioned medium with Western immunoblots 24 h after irradiation. Northern blot analysis of the irradiated fibroblasts with a cDNA probe representing collagenase was also performed. Cell viability was greater than 90% with all doses of UV radiation studied. A dose-related increase in immunoreactive collagenase was detected in the medium of fibroblasts irradiated with 0-10 J/cm2 of UVA radiation as well as a parallel increase in the collagenase mRNA in the irradiated cells. UVA radiation stimulated collagenase synthesis in both neonatal and adult fibroblasts. TIMP production in UVA-irradiated fibroblasts increased to a lesser degree than did collagenase and its increase did not parallel the increase in collagenase. UVB (0-100 mJ/cm2) did not stimulate collagenase production by fibroblasts. In contrast to the stimulation of collagenase production by fibroblasts, a slight decrease in immunoreactive collagenase was seen in UVA-irradiated keratinocytes. These data suggest that direct stimulation of collagenase synthesis by human skin fibroblasts by UVA radiation may contribute to the connective tissue damage induced by ultraviolet radiation leading to photoaging.
The Organization-Public Relationship and Crisis Communication: The Effect of the Organization-Public Relationship on Publics' Perceptions of Crisis and Attitudes Toward the Organization

This study examined the effect of organization-public relationships on publics' perceptions of a crisis and attitudes toward an organization in crisis. The results showed that regardless of the level of relationship, the perception of the crisis cause had a significant effect on attribution of responsibility. A three-way MANOVA found the unique effects of relationship, crisis responsibility, and the type of crisis-response strategy on attitudes toward the organization in the crisis, but interactions among these predictor variables were not significant. The findings suggest that the cultivation of relationships with publics, as well as the effective use of crisis-response strategies, is an essential part of successful crisis management.
Cell electrophoresis of amphibian blastula and gastrula cells; the relationship of surface charge and morphogenetic movement.

Abstract By use of a novel modification in cell electrophoresis technique, an “electrophoretic map” has been made of selected embryonic regions at four different stages of embryogenesis in Rana pipiens . Hitherto, it had been impossible to make surface charge determinations for cells from small, selected regions of early amphibian embryos. Embryonic regions were dissected, and the tissue was disaggregated in EDTA. For cell electrophoresis, cells were suspended in low ionic strength medium with 15% Ficoll, and timed over 14.6 micrometers in a voltage gradient of 20 V/cm. The data reveal a correlation between three parameters: that of surface charge, morphogenetic movement, and adhesiveness. Embryonic regions that undergo a rapid increase in surface charge with the onset of gastrulation, are the same regions that initiate morphogenetic activity. Regions in which surface charge remains constant tend to be morphogenetically less active. Adhesive estimates were based on observations of degree of rounding of cells in situ. There is an apparent correlation, in ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm, of increased surface charge with decreased adhesiveness (and vice versa).
The Inflammatory Response to Social Defeat is Increased in Older Mice

Previous research indicates that repeated social defeat of mice causes increased lymphocyte trafficking to the spleen, elevated proinflammatory cytokine production, and induced glucocorticoid insensitivity in splenocytes. Social defeat also causes increases in anxiety-like behavior. This study investigated whether repeated social defeat results in similar immunoregulatory and behavioral changes in older mice as those seen previously in young adult mice. The data revealed that, regardless of age, defeated mice had significantly more splenic CD11b+ Gr-1+ monocytes and neutrophils than controls. Supernatants harvested from cultured splenocytes from older mice contained comparatively higher IL-6 and TNF-α than supernatants from younger animals. In addition, those same cells derived from older defeated mice were hypersensitive to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and insensitive to glucocorticoids in vitro. As seen previously in young adult mice, social defeat caused an increase in anxiety-like behavior in the open field test, but had no effect on learned helplessness in the forced swim test. These data indicated that repeated social defeat results in a proinflammatory state that is exacerbated in older mice. The implications of these data are noteworthy, given the strong role of inflammation in many age-related diseases.
Noncyclooxygenase oxidative formation of a series of novel prostaglandins: analytical ramifications for measurement of eicosanoids.

Abstract Analysis of fresh plasma from normal volunteers by negative ion chemical ionization GC/MS reveals what appear to be multiple PGF2 compounds with levels ranging from approximately 5 to 40 pg/ml. Interestingly, storage of plasma at −20°C for several months was found to markedly increase the levels of these compounds to about 1000–4000 pg/ml, approximately 50-fold higher than levels detected in fresh plasma. Further studies aimed at understanding this observation revealed that alkaline hydrolysis of plasma lipids also yielded quantities of these compounds in the range that were detected in stored plasma. Employing a number of approaches such as deuteriated derivatives, hydrogenation, immunoreactivity with an anti-9α,11β-PGF2 antibody, and electron ionization mass spectral analysis, convincing evidence was obtained that these compounds in both stored and base-treated plasma were in fact PGF2 compounds. Formation of these compounds was found to occur by a nonenzymatic oxidative process in that the antioxidant, butylated hydroxytoluene, and the reducing agent, triphenylphosphine, markedly suppressed their formation. Evidence is presented to support a proposed mechanism that oxidative formation of these compounds involves the formation of endoperoxide intermediates which are directly reduced by naturally occurring biological substances to PGF2 compounds. Formation of these compounds occurs very readily in biological fluids. This finding has important ramifications not only for analysis of enzymatically derived PGF2 compounds but also for other eicosanoids which can be formed by this same nonenzymatic process. These analytical concerns apply to both immunoassay methods and physical methods of analysis such as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.
Knowledge management in mobile environment

Many knowledge management activities occur in working places and in our daily activities. On such occasions, mobile devices are tools to connect people with knowledge bases. In the mobile scenarios, the important knowledge management issue is how to quickly find and acquire the right knowledge using handheld mobile devices. More importantly, the acquired knowledge should be delivered in a format easily understood by mobile users under strict time limits. However, many important and specific issues of mobile knowledge management have not been carefully investigated until recently. To better serve people's increasing knowledge requirements in daily activities, this paper discusses and investigates the issues and opportunities of using mobile devices to facilitate knowledge management.
Characterization of cell-wall polymers from cotton ovule culture fiber cells by gel permeation chromatography

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, Texas Marker-1) fiber cells originating from ovule culture have been analyzed by gel permeation chromatography of dimethyl acetamide/lithium chloride-soluble components and compared within planta-grown fibers. The profile of cell-wall polymer molecular weights indicated that fibers grown for 21 d in culture more closely resembled fibers growingin planta for 30 d post-anthesis than fully mature fibers. The weight average molecular weight was 3 400 000 and number average molecular weight of polymers from ovule culture fibers was 109 000. Analysis of the polymer weight fraction distribution revealed that ovule culture fibers were similar to 30 d post-anthesis immature fibers but lacked a low molecular weight (log M 3–4) polymer fraction. Assessment of the polymer branching frequency showed that ovule culture fibers were intermediate in branching between 30 d post-anthesis fiber and maturein planta fiber. In summary, polymers deposited in cell walls of ovule culture fibers appear to grossly mimic the polymers accumulated during normal fiber biogenesisin planta, yet subtle differences may explain why ovule culture fibers rarely reach their full genetic potential in length.
Portions of the central nervous system controlling reproductive behavior in Drosophila melanogaster.

Drosophila melanogaster sex mosaics were tested in their courtship interactions with females and then with males. The distribution of genetically male and female tissues in each mosaic was determined with respect to an external cuticle marker and an internal enzyme marker. Performance of malelike courtship was correlated with the genotype of various tissues, with special attention being paid to the genotypes of head and thoracic ganglia. Male tissue in the left or right dorsal brain is necessary and nearly always sufficient to trigger early courtship actions—following of females and wing extension at them—but male tissue in both the dorsal brain and thoracic ganglia is necessary for attempted copulation to occur. Female tissue on or in the abdomen is nearly always necessary and sufficient for a mosaic to be courted by a male.
Functional MRI studies in awake rhesus monkeys: methodological and analytical strategies.

Functional imaging of the non-human primate brain in awake animals is now feasible because of recent methodological advances. Here we detail our procedures for conducting functional MRI (fMRI) studies in rhesus monkeys. Our emphasis has been on analyzing drug-evoked responses within and across test groups, meaning that techniques have had to be developed for training and testing relatively large groups of animals. Group size is important as unbiased estimates are best derived from analyzing responses in multiple animals with replicate scans per animal due to partial volume errors in evaluating small brain regions and motion artifacts during scanning. While the procedures presented here were developed for mapping responses obtained from stimulating dopaminergic systems, much of the methodology is generally applicable for non-human primate fMRI studies and addresses specific problems encountered in imaging awake animals. These are (1) adapting animals to an MRI environment, (2) minimizing head movements, (3) reducing ambient scanning noise levels, and (4) developing multivariate methods of image data analysis suitable for eliciting the dynamic brain response while (5) detecting and deleting outlying observations due to motion artifacts. Procedures are demonstrated for first pre-processing and analyzing responses in a voxel-based approach in a single animal and then proceeding to analyze responses across animals and replicate scans for regions of interest. Collectively, the procedures described provide an approach for fMRI mapping of elicited responses using conventional 1.5T MR scanners.
Adolescents' Time Use and Academic Achievement: A Test of the Reproduction and Mobility Models*

Objectives. Following up on Bourdieu's (1973) model of reproduction and DiMaggio's (1982) model of mobility, I determine whether there are socioeconomic differences in the academic benefits provided by adolescents' use of free time. Methods. I analyze the associations that students' uses of time have with mathematics achievement test scores and grade point averages, using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and OLS regression models. Results. Time spent on school-sponsored activities is associated with improved math test scores, while time spent on social activities is negatively associated with them. School activities are more beneficial for students in the bottom SES quartile than in the top two SES quartiles. Conclusions. Limited support is found for the mobility model; however, lower-SES students are more likely to engage in activities such as television watching and videogame playing that are associated with lower test scores and grades, and higher-SES students are more likely to participate in beneficial school-sponsored activities.
Probabilistic segmentation using edge detection and region growing

A new segmentation algorithm is described which incorporates both region and edge information. The algorithm allows simultaneous segmentation of multiple anatomical objects given one or more user-specified disc-shaped seed regions which sample the density characteristics of the underlying anatomy. The algorithm is iterative in nature, using the seed discs to grow out the specified region(s), for the initial image slice, through a type of connected component labeling. The final segmentation from the previous image slice seeds the segmentation for the next adjoining slice until the entire image volume is processed. The algorithm requires no training, is adaptive, demonstrating good performance for differing data types including CT and MRI, and requires minimal user input. The output of the segmentation algorithm is a three-dimensional (3-D) n-ary scene (where n specifies the number of segmented regions) which is amenable to surface rendering, via surface tracking, or volume rendering by masking the n-ary scene against the original image volume.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Synthetic peptides based on the calmodulin-binding domain of myosin light chain kinase inhibit activation of other calmodulin-dependent enzymes.

Nanomolar concentrations of synthetic peptides corresponding to the calmodulin-binding domain of skeletal muscle myosin light chain kinase were found to inhibit calmodulin activation of seven well-characterized calmodulin-dependent enzymes: brain 61 kDa cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, brain adenylate cyclase, Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase, red blood cell membrane Ca ++ -pump ATPase, brain calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase (calcineurin), skeletal muscle phosphorylase b kinase, and brain multifunctional Ca ++ (calmodulin)-dependent protein kinase. Inhibition could be entirely overcome by the addition of excess calmodulin. Thus, the myosin light chain kinase peptides used in this study may be useful antagonists for studying calmodulin-dependent enzymes and processes.
Valvular Heart Disease in Patients Taking Pergolide

OBJECTIVE To investigate the frequency of valvular heart disease in patients taking pergolide. PATIENTS AND METHODS The medical records of patients seen at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla, between 1998 and 2003 were searched electronically for the word pergolide and the presence of a 2-dimensional echocardiogram. Patients who had not taken pergolide before undergoing echocardiography served as the control group. Echocardiograms were reviewed for the presence of valvular regurgitation. The frequency of valvular disease in patients taking pergolide was calculated and compared with controls. Associations with dosage and years of treatment also were examined. RESULTS Fifty-five patients made up the pergolide group, and 63 served as controls. When looking at aortic regurgitation (AR) of any degree, 45% of patients in the pergolide group had AR, compared with 21% of controls ( P =.006). The frequency of moderate to severe valvular regurgitation in the pergolide group was 11% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4%-22%), 13% (95% CI, 5%-24%), and 13% (95% CI, 5%-24%) for the tricuspid, mitral, and aortic valves, respectively. No statistical difference was identified in the frequency of moderate to severe valvular regurgitation (mitral, tricuspid, or aortic) when compared with controls. There was marginal evidence of an association between a higher daily dosage of pergolide and moderate to severe AR ( P =.05). CONCLUSION The frequency of AR appears to be increased in patients taking pergolide. Our study suggests that if a causeeffect relationship exists between pergolide and valvular heart disease, it likely occurs at a low but clinically important incidence and may be associated with dosage.
A U(V) chalcogenide: synthesis, structure, and characterization of K2Cu3US5.

The compound K2Cu3US5 was obtained by the reaction of K2S, UCl4, CuCl, and S at 973 K. K2Cu3US5 crystallizes in a new structure type in space group Cmcm of the orthorhombic system in a cell of dimensions a = 3.9374(6) A, b = 13.813(2) A, c = 17.500(3) A, and V = 951.8(2) A3 at 153 K. The structure comprises [UCu3S52-] slabs separated by K+ cations. The slabs are built from CuS4 tetrahedra and US6 octahedra. Their connectivity differs from other known octahedral/tetrahedral packing patterns. In the temperature range 130−300 K the compound exhibits Curie−Weiss magnetic behavior with μeff = 2.45(8) μB. This result together with both the bond distances and bond valence calculations and the absence of a Cu2+ ESR signal support the formulation of the above compound as K+2Cu+3U5+S2-5.
Institutional Priority for Diversity at Christian Institutions.

This evaluative study explored the relationship between institutional priority for diversity and minority enrollment at four schools within the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, a consortium of Christian institutions. This institutional evaluation utilized public resources in order to gather descriptive data on minority enrollment and institutional commitment. A coding system was used to construct an analysis of each school's institutional priority for engaging the campus community in a diverse learning experience. The themes of intentionality, environment, and demographic awareness were explored. The degree to which the universities embodied each individual theme substantiated their placement within a typology of institutional commitment. This typology gives each university a classification of high institutional commitment, moderate institutional commitment, or weak institutional commitment.
An Examination of a Small‐Group Decoding Intervention for Struggling Readers: Comparing Accuracy and Automaticity Criteria

In this study, we compared methods to improve the decoding and reading fluency of struggling readers. Second-grade poor readers were randomly assigned to one of the two practice conditions within a repeated reading intervention. Both interventions were in small groups, were 20–28 min long, took place 2–4 days per week, and consisted of phonemic awareness training, letter sound practice, and practice in word families. Students in the accuracy condition (n= 27) practiced each page until they reached 98 percent accuracy while students in the accuracy + automaticity condition (n= 29) practiced until they reached rate (30–90 cwpm) and accuracy criteria. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed no differences between practice conditions in decoding accuracy, reading comprehension, and grade-level text reading fluency. Significant differences favoring the accuracy + automaticity group were found in measures of decoding automaticity.