cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mindfulness-Based Interventions: An Antidote to Suffering in the Context of Substance Use, Misuse, and Addiction

The cultivation of mindfulness as an approach to human perception through the practice of meditation has become an increasingly popular treatment for medical and psychological symptoms and as a topic of scientific investigation. Substance user programs are also increasingly embracing this treatment strategy as either a stand-alone therapeutic modality or a complement to ongoing treatment. In this article, I supply an introduction to the special theme issue concerning mindfulness and substance use intervention by first providing a brief historical account of the secular Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program to introduce new readers to the more general topic of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), and to contextualize historical publishing trends observed in mindfulness research across the past four decades. I then examine the implications of MBIs for substance use, misuse, and addiction, especially in areas related to craving and suffering. To conclude, I outline the empirical and conceptual compen...
Relationship between neuropsychological and emotional functioning in severe chronic alcoholism.

Previous studies of patients with severe chronic alcoholism have shown a high prevalence of emotional distress such as anxiety and depression, and neuropsychological impairments such as executive deficits, but few have examined the relationship between these disorders. We addressed this issue in 51 abstinent patients with histories of severe chronic alcoholism utilizing the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Halstead–Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery (HRNTB). Applying factor analysis to the MMPI clinical and validity scales, we derived four dimensions accounting for 78% of the available variance. We found that Factor 1, which loaded on most clinical scales of the MMPI, was significantly correlated (p <.01) with performance on the Halstead Category Test (HCT), a measure of executive functioning. Further, group analysis with MANOVA using HCT (impaired and nonimpaired) as the independent variable revealed a significant main effect for Factor 1 (p <.004), which was maintaine...
Cascade energy transfer in a conformationally mobile multichromophoric dendrimer

A conformationally flexible, generation-2,3 poly(aryl ether) dendrimer favors quantitative cascade fluorescence resonance energy transfer without the appearance of undesired chromophore self-quenching interactions such as excimer formation.
The effects of driver identity on driving safety in a retrospective feedback system

Abstract Background Retrospective feedback that provides detailed information on a driver's performance in critical driving situations at the end of a trip enhances his/her driving behaviors and safe driving habits. Although this has been demonstrated by a previous study, retrospective feedback can be further improved and applied to non-critical driving situations, which is needed for transportation safety. Objectives To propose a new retrospective feedback system that uses driver identity (i.e., a driver's name) and to experimentally study its effects on measures of driving performance and safety in a driving simulator. Method We conducted a behavioral experimental study with 30 participants. “Feedback type” was a between-subject variable with three conditions: no feedback (control group), feedback without driver identity, and feedback with driver identity. We measured multiple aspects of participants’ driving behavior. To control for potential confounds, factors that were significantly correlated with driving behavior (e.g., age and driving experience) were all entered as covariates into a multivariate analysis of variance. To examine the effects of speeding on collision severity in driving simulation studies, we also developed a new index – momentum of potential collision – with a set of equations. Results Subjects who used a feedback system with driver identity had the fewest speeding violations and central-line crossings, spent the least amount of time speeding and crossing the central line, had the lowest speeding and central-line crossing magnitude, ran the fewest red lights, and had the smallest momentum of potential collision compared to the groups with feedback without driver identity and without feedback (control group). Conclusions The new retrospective feedback system with driver identity has the potential to enhance a person's driving safety (e.g., speeding, central-line crossing, momentum of potential collision), which is an indication of the valence of one's name in a feedback system design.
In defense of bioethics.

Although bioethics societies are developing standards for clinical ethicists and a code of ethics, they have been castigated in this journal as “a moral, if not an ethics, disaster” for not having completed this task. Compared with the development of codes of ethics and educational standards in law and medicine, however, the pace of pro-fessionalization in bioethics appears appropriate. Assessed by this metric, none of the charges leveled against bioethics are justified. The specific charges leveled against the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH) and its Core Competencies report are analyzed and rejected as artifacts of an ahistoric conception of the stages by which organizations professionalize. For example, the charge that the ASBH should provide definitive criteria for what counts as “medical ethics consultation” antecedent to further progress towards professionalization is assessed by comparing it with the American Medical Association's decades-long struggle to define who can legitimately claim the title “medical doctor.” Historically, clarity about who is legitimately a doctor, a lawyer — or a “clinical ethicist”— is a byproduct of, and never antecedent to, the decades-long process by which a field professionalizes. The charges leveled against ASBH thus appear to be a function of impatient, ahistoric perfectionism.
The Relationship Between Duration of U.S. Residence, Educational Attainment, and Adult Health Among Asian Immigrants

There is substantial educational heterogeneity among Asian immigrants to the United States, suggesting that the association between duration of U.S. residence with their health outcomes and behaviors may vary considerably by educational attainment. Using data from the 2003 New Immigrant Survey (N = 2,373), we find strong evidence that the detrimental associations between duration of U.S. residence and self-reported health, activity limitation status, chronic health conditions, and current smoking are concentrated among Asian immigrants with less than a high school education; in contrast, the health outcomes and behaviors of Asian immigrants who have at least a high school degree exhibit very few differences by duration of U.S. residence. These distinct duration–health patterns by educational attainment are not explained by duration-related differences in country of origin, class of admission, or English speaking skills. We also find a stronger duration relationship with current smoking than those with the health status measures among the least educated Asian men, indicating a potential behaviorally based explanation for poorer health among Asian immigrant men with longer duration of residence.
Factors that Increase the Probability of a Successful Academic Library Job Search

article i nfo Finding a position in an academic library can be challenging for recent Library and Information Science (LIS) grad- uates. While LIS students are often encouraged to seek out experience, network, and improve upon their technology skills in hopes of better improving their odds in the job market, little research exists to support this anecdotal advice. This study quantifies the academic and work experiences of recent LIS graduates in order to provide a better under- standing of what factors most significantly influence the outcome of their academic library job searches. The survey resultsdemonstratethat the joboutlookismost positive forcandidateswho applied early, obtained academiclibrary experience (preferably employment), participated in professional conferences, and gained familiarity with commit- tee work.
Impact of Bacillus popilliae, Rickettsiella popilliae and entomopathogenic nematodes on a population of the scarabaeid, Cyclocephala hirta

Larvae of the scarabaeid, Cyclocephala hirta, are major pests of turfgrass in California. A field test was conducted against third instars that included the following treatments: untreated control; chemical insecticide (bendiocarb); milky disease bacterium (Bacillus popilliae); and entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora). There were no significant differences in population reduction among the treatments, but the larval population in all plots showed a dramatic decline. The C. hirta population had a natural occurrence of milky disease and blue disease caused by Rickettsiella popilliae. The prevalence of blue disease during the course of the study averaged < 10% but that of milky disease averaged about 20%. More significantly, the soil from all treatment plots when bioassayed for B. popilliae showed that 67–90% of the larvae became infected with this bacterium. None of the larvae became infected with the blue disease organism. We conclude that B. popilliae was occu...
Altered oscillation patterns and connectivity during picture naming in autism

Similar behavioral deficits are shared between individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their first-degree relatives, such as impaired face memory, object recognition, and some language aspects. Functional neuroimaging studies have reported abnormalities in ASD in at least one brain area implicated in those functions, the fusiform gyrus (FG). High frequency oscillations have also been described as abnormal in ASD in a separate line of research. The present study examined whether low- and high-frequency oscillatory power, localized in part to FG and other language-related regions, differs in ASD subjects and first-degree relatives. Twelve individuals with ASD, 16 parents of children with ASD, and 35 healthy controls participated in a picture-naming task using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess oscillatory power and connectivity. Relative to controls, we observed reduced evoked high-gamma activity in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) and reduced high-beta/low-gamma evoked power in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in the ASD group. Finally, reductions in phase-locked beta-band were also seen in the ASD group relative to controls, especially in the occipital lobes (OCC). First degree relatives, in contrast, exhibited higher high-gamma band power in the left STG compared with controls, as well as increased high-beta/low-gamma evoked power in the left FG. In the left hemisphere, beta- and gamma-band functional connectivity between the IFG and FG and between STG and OCC were higher in the autism group than in controls. This suggests that, contrary to what has been previously described, reduced connectivity is not observed across all scales of observation in autism. The lack of behavioral correlation for the findings warrants some caution in interpreting the relevance of such changes for language function in ASD. Our findings in parents implicates the gamma- and beta-band ranges as potential compensatory phenomena in autism relatives.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SPORE GERMINATION IN THE MOSS DAWSONIA SUPERBA

A B S T R A C T The spore wall of Dawsonia superba has characteristics that, in many respects, are similar to those of other mosses except for the exine, which is layered in Dawsonia. Imbibed spores have a well-developed endoplasmic reticulum with dilated cisternae that are associated with vesicles at the periphery of the cell. Ribosomes on the surface of the vesicles suggest that many vesicles originate from the endoplasmic reticulum. Two types of protein storage bodies are observed: membrane bound protein bodies with a homogeneous matrix which gradually becomes vesicular, and densely stained and non-membrane bound bodies consisting of crystalline arrays of fibrils. As in spores of higher plants, the protein reserves disappear during germination and may be converted to starch and other materials needed for development of
Flexible conflict detection and management in collaborative applications

This paper presents a comprehensive model for dealing with semantic conflicts in applications, and the implementation of this model in a toolkit for collaborative systems. Conflicts are defined purely through application semantics—the set of behaviors supported by the applications—and yet can be detected and managed by the infrastructure with minimal application code. This work describes a number of novel techniques for managing conflicts, both in the area of resolution policies and user interfaces for presenting standing conflicts in application data.
The soluble form of two N-terminal domains of the poliovirus receptor is sufficient for blocking viral infection.

Abstract By means of deleting a C-terminal portion of the open reading frame of the poliovirus receptor cDNA, and by vaccinia virus-mediated overexpression we have produced a protein corresponding to the first two N-terminal Ig-like domains of the poliovirus receptor. This protein that lacked the third Ig-like domain, the transmembrane region and most of the intracellular C-terminal tail was detected in the medium of vaccinia virus infected cells. The properties of the truncated PVR cDNA were further characterized by in vitro translation and modification. The molecular weight of the unmodified protein was found to be 27 kDa; translation in the presence of dog pancreas microsomes led to an increase in molecular weights which we attribute to N-glycosylation. Upon incubation with poliovirus at 37°C, the vaccinia-virus generated protein specifically reduced infectivity of poliovirus. Sucrose gradients of poliovirus particles derived after incubation with the protein showed the induction of a slower sedimenting particle (135S). Our experiments suggest that the two N-terminal domains of the poliovirus receptor in soluble form are sufficient for the conversion of poliovirus into a non-infectious particle.
Weak Compressible Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence in the Solar Corona

This Letter presents a calculation of the power spectra of weakly turbulent Alfven waves and fast magnetosonic waves (''fast waves'') in low-{beta} plasmas. It is shown that three-wave interactions transfer energy to high-frequency fast waves and, to a lesser extent, high-frequency Alfven waves. High-frequency waves produced by MHD turbulence are a promising explanation for the anisotropic heating of minor ions in the solar corona.
Flexural strength, toughness, and fracture properties of polyester composites

Flexural behavior of particle-filled fiber-reinforced polyester composite was investigated by varying the polymer and fiber contents. The polymer content was varied between 10% and 18% of the total weight of the polyester composite (PC) and the glass fiber content was varied up to 6% (by weight of PC). The chopped glass fibers were 13 mm long. The fine aggregates were well graded, with particle size varying from 0.1 to 5 mm, and were mainly composed of quartz. The fine aggregates and glass fibers were also pretreated with a coupling agent (γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-MPS) to improve the mechanical and fracture properties of the polyester composites. In general, the addition of fibers increased the flexural strength, toughness, fracture properties, and failure strain (strain at peak stress), but the flexural modulus of polyester composites remained almost unchanged. The addition of 6% fiber content and silane treatment increased flexural strength of 18% PC by 95% to 41.6 MPa (6,040 psi). Crack resistance curves, based on the stress intensity factor (KR-curve), have been developed for the fiber-reinforced PC systems. A two-parameter relationship was used to predict the complete flexural stress-strain data. There is good agreement between the predicted and measured stress-strain relationships. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Some options for plane triangular elements with rotational degrees of freedom

Abstract We consider a nine-d.o.f. plane triangular element having vertex nodes and rotational d.o.f., whose stiffness matrix is integrated by one-point Gauss quadrature. This paper discusses ways to improve performance, by division into subelements and by adding stabilization matrices to control mechanisms. Fortunately, it is found that the most effective scheme is also one of the simplest and most economical.
An experimental study of the decay of temperature fluctuations in grid-generated turbulence

Previous measurements of the decay rate of the fluctuation intensity of passive scalars in grid-generated turbulence show large variation. New results presented here show that the decay rate of passive temperature fluctuations produced by heating the grid is a function of the initial temperature fluctuation intensity. Although a full reason for this is wanting, spectra of the temperature fluctuations show that, by varying the heat applied to the grid, the wavenumber of the maximum in the temperature spectrum changes, indicating that the geometry of the thermal fluctuations is being altered in some way. In these experiments the one-dimensional temperature spectrum shows an anomalous slope. In order to eliminate the dependence of the decay rate of the temperature fluctuations on their intensity, we describe a new way of generating temperature fluctuations by means of placing a heated parallel array of fine wires (a mandoline) downstream from the unheated grid. Results of this experiment show that the decay rate of passive thermal fluctuations is uniquely determined by the wave-number of the initial temperature fluctuations. In this type of flow there appears to be no equilibrium value for the thermal fluctuation decay rate and hence for the mechanical/thermal time-scale ratio since the thermal fluctuation decay rate does not change within the tunnel length, which is the equivalent of nearly one turbulence decay time.
A Population-Based Study of Pregnancy and Delivery Characteristics Among Women with Vulvodynia

Introduction: To examine pregnancy and delivery characteristics of women with and without vulvodynia. Methods: The authors analyzed 227 vulvodynia cases that were less than 45 years old at pain onset; controls were age matched 1:1 to cases and had no history of vulvar pain. Pregnancy and delivery events were assessed after age at first vulvar pain onset (the reference age) in
Photosynthetic adaptation to temperature in four species from the Colorado shortgrass steppe: a physiological model for coexistence.

Several aspects of photosynthetic adaptation to temperature were examined in four graminoid species from the Colorado shortgrass steppe. The experimental species were chosen to provide examples of a variety of in situ seasonal phenology patterns. The cool season grass, Agropyron smithii (C3), exhibited higher photosynthesis rates when grown in a cool temperature regime (20/15°C), and compared to warm grown plants (35/15°C). The warm season species, Bouteloua gracilis (C4) and Buchloe dactyloides (C4), exhibited higher photosynthetic capacities when grown in the warmer temperature regime. The sedge, Carex eleocharis (C3), which exhibits seasonal growth potential during the cool and warm portions of the growing season, exhibited a marked capacity for photosynthetic temperature acclimation. Differential effects of growth temperature on the intracellular conductance to CO2 appeared to have a greater regulatory role in these responses for the two C3 species, relative to stomatal conductance or photorespiration (O2 inhibition of photosynthesis). In the two C4 species decreases in the intracellular conductance in cool grown plants were correlated with the decreased photosynthetic capacity in normal air for B. gracilis, but not for B. dactyloides. Analysis of the Arrhenius relationship for CO2 saturated net photosynthesis at low leaf temperatures (4.5-17°C) indicated sharp breaks in the apparent energy of activation at 5.8-9.0°C in the warm season species B. gracilis and B. dactyloides. Leaves of A. smithii and C. eleocharis exhibited no significant low temperature limitations according to this analysis. The low temperature limitations in the warm season species were partially reflected in an inhibition of the quantum yield for CO2 uptake after 2 h at 5-6°C in the presence of high photon flux densities. Temperature dependent increases in the chlorophyll fluorescence yield at high temperatures revealed the lowest breakpoint values for A. smithii, and the highest values for B. gracilis. The differential patterns of temperature adaptation among the species further extend the proposal of Kemp and Williams (1980; Ecology 61:846-858) that seasonal temperature gradients in the shortgrass steppe have a regulatory role in maintaining offset patterns of resource utilization and decreasing interspecific competition.
Improved one-centre wave functions for the hydrogen and methane molecules

Corrections are made to the Joy-Parr hydrogen and the Saturno-Parr methane one-centre wave functions and the functions are accurately reminimized with respect to the energy. The electronic wave functions and total molecular energies are obtained for various internuclear distances and the equilibrium internuclear distance and the breathing force constant determined. Three methods for calculating the force constant are given and compared. The equilibrium bond length for hydrogen is found to be 1·38 a.u. (experimental, 1·40 a.u.) and the force constant 6·33 md/a (experimental, 5·75 md/a). For methane the equilibrium C-H distance is found to be 2·014 a.u. (experimental, 2·05 a.u. and the force constant 25·8 md/a (experimental, 23·5 md/a). The total computed molecular energies for the equilibrium configurations of hydrogen and methane are -1·1605 a.u. (experimental, -1·175 a.u.) and -39·8444 a.u. (experimental, -40·51 a.u.) respectively.
Antecedents and consequences of justice perceptions in performance appraisals

Abstract This article proposes a model of antecedents and consequences of justice perceptions in the appraisal context. Procedural, interactional, and distributive justice perceptions are examined in terms of their theoretical and measurement properties. Antecedents of justice perceptions include due process characteristics, organizational culture, pre-appraisal leader–member exchange (LMX), perceived organizational support (POS), impression management behaviors of raters, perceived basis of LMX, and perceived type of information raters use. Social exchange and accountability theories are used to link justice perceptions to organizational, leader-related, and performance-related outcomes. The proposed model identifies several directions for future research in performance appraisal area.
Molecular strategies and 111in-labelled somatostatin analogues in defining the management of neuroendocrine tumour disease: a new paradigm for surgical management

This manuscript provides a gene-chip examination of gastric ECL cell proliferation in an animal model of neuroendocrine tumour disease. Data that were used to identify molecular targets were then utilised to develop novel therapeutic strategies as appropriate adjuncts to surgery in human disease. Alterations in growth-mediated cell signaling (the AP-1 pathway) and in the cell cycle were identified in ECL cell tumours in the animal model and confirmed in human tumour tissue. The growth-inhibitory somatostatin receptor subtype 2 was identified as a potential clinical target. An investigation of patients with neuroendocrine tumours treated using SSTR 2 targeted radiotherapy [ 111 In]pentetreotide producing encouraging preliminary results. Fifty-six per cent of patients with evaluable hormone markers demonstrated stable levels or a significant decrease in one or more measured markers. This data demonstrate that gene pathways recognised to be altered in an animal model of a human disease can be used to identify therapeutic agents. This approach was successfully used to discover novel strategies that can be both effective and appropriate adjuncts to surgery for patients with neuroendocrine tumour disease
Accelerated stressing and degradation mechanisms for Si-based photoemitters

A silicon p-n junction biased in avalanche breakdown mode emits visible light. Such a diode offers the potential for very large scale integration (VLSI)-compatible light emitters for on/off chip signal transmission and contactless functional testing of wafers. The reliability of such emitters must be evaluated before widespread use is possible. Si light emitters were stressed with ac excitation, dc excitation, and increased temperature to accelerate the aging. The results clearly show that the effects of ac and temperature stressing are negligible on light emission. DC stressing results in light coalescence for low values of current (less than 25 mA) with total light emission coming out of the junction remaining constant. However, dc stressing with large current values (larger than 40 mA) does not show light coalescence. The light coalescence phenomenon can be reversed when emitters are subjected to higher levels of currents. The difference in light coalescence behavior for large and small values of dc excitation and the reversibility of the phenomenon is consistent with the hydrogen migration model.
Fast and Robust Deconvolution-Based Image Reconstruction for Photoacoustic Tomography in Circular Geometry: Experimental Validation

Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a fast-developing biomedical imaging technology suitable for in vivo imaging. PAT in spherical or circular geometry gives good image resolution yet is slow or expensive in signal acquisition and image formation. Reducing the number of detection angles can ameliorate such issues, usually at the expense of image quality. This paper introduces a deconvolution-based algorithm that models the imaging process as a linear and shift-invariant system. As demonstrated by the in vivo experiment, this algorithm not only runs much faster than the back-projection algorithm but also shows stronger robustness in that it provides better image quality when detection angles are sparse. Therefore, this algorithm promises to enable real-time PAT in circular geometry.
Surface figure measurements of radio telescopes with a shearing interferometer.

A new technique for determining the surface figure of large submillimeter wavelength telescopes is presented, which is based on measuring the telescope’s focal plane diffraction pattern with a shearing interferometer. In addition to the instrumental theory, results obtained using such an interferometer on the 10.4-m diam telescope of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory are discussed. Using wavelengths near 1 mm, a measurement accuracy of 9 µm, or λ/115, has been achieved, and the rms surface accuracy has been determined to be just under 30 µm. The distortions of the primary reflector with changing elevation angle have also been measured and agree well with theoretical predictions of the dish deformation.
Intrinsic flexibility of snRNA hairpin loops facilitates protein binding

Stem–loop II of U1 snRNA and Stem–loop IV of U2 snRNA typically have 10 or 11 nucleotides in their loops. The fluorescent nucleobase 2-aminopurine was used as a substitute for the adenines in each loop to probe the local and global structures and dynamics of these unusually long loops. Using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence, we find that, while the bases in the loops are stacked, they are able to undergo significant local motion on the picosecond/nanosecond timescale. In addition, the loops have a global conformational change at low temperatures that occurs on the microsecond timescale, as determined using laser T-jump experiments. Nucleobase and loop motions are present at temperatures far below the melting temperature of the hairpin stem, which may facilitate the conformational change required for specific protein binding to these RNA loops.
Theory and experiments of low-frequency generation-recombination noise in MOS transistors

A theoretical model for the generation-recombination (g-r) noise in MOS transistors is presented. This model takes into account the charge induced on all electrodes by the charge fluctuation of the impurity center in the depletion region. The model gives a finite equivalent gate noise resistance at saturation. Gold-doped and no-gold control devices were fabricated to verify the theory experimentally. The drain-voltage dependence of the g-r noise, which is shown to be distinctly different from the 1/f noise and thermal noise, is used to check the theory. Good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained.
WIST: toolkit for rapid, customized LIMS development

Summary: Workflow Information Storage Toolkit (WIST) is a set of application programming interfaces and web applications that allow for the rapid development of customized laboratory information management systems (LIMS). WIST provides common LIMS input components, and allows them to be arranged and configured using a flexible language that specifies each component's visual and semantic characteristics. WIST includes a complete set of web applications for adding, editing and viewing data, as well as a powerful setup tool that can build new LIMS modules by analyzing existing database schema. Availability and implementation: WIST is implemented in Perl and may be obtained from http://vimss.sf.net under the BSD license. Contact: vog.lbl@ainodnahcmj Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Clinical Measurement of Postural Control in Adults

Postural control is the ability to maintain equilibrium and orientation in a gravitational environment. Effective approaches for clinical measurement of postural control remain to be developed. This article summarizes important neurophysiological and clinical considerations for developing measurement tools to assess postural control in adults. The postural control system is divided into three basic functional components for assessment: 1) biomechanical components, 2) motor coordination components, and 3) sensory organization components.
Suppression of the primary antibody plaque response of mice following infection with friend disease virus.

SummaryInfection of mice with Friend Disease Virus prior to or simultaneous with immunization with sheep red blood cells resulted in a marked suppression of appearance of antibody forming cells, as determined by a localized hemolytic plaque technique in agar gel. Infection with virus had a marked suppressive effect on the number of 19S hemolysin forming cells in mouse spleen tissue at the peak of the expected immune response and during a period of two weeks or longer thereafter. Appearance of low efficiency 7S hemolysin forming cells late in the immune response, following a single injection of sheep red cells. Was also depressed in infected mice. Animals infected 3 days to a week or longer prior to immunization had the lowest number of detectable 19S or 7S antibody-forming cells. The number of plaque forming cells per million leukocytes tested was most suppressed in those mice which had obvious splenomegaly due to virus infection.
Identity-Driven Violence: Reclaiming Civil Society

The increase in identity-based violence both domestically and internationally is focusing attention on the need for proactive approaches to reconciliation. The rise of militia movements, and the associated phenomenon of malicious racial harassment in the Pacific Northwest, demonstrates the dangers arising from identity-driven violence. The broad scale success of an anti-affirmative action initiative illustrates the wider significance of discriminatory attitudes. This article addresses those dangers by illustrating the convergence of two kinds of theories about identity-based violence. We will demonstrate how individual- level explanation taken from empirical work in the field of developmental psychology fits with social movement theory to provide a powerful analysis of the causes, and the cure, for identity-based violence and racial discrimination. Specifically, we focus on the relationship between identity formation and political violence, on the one hand, and residual racism among economically and culturally dispossessed whites on the other. Social movement theory tells us that there are dispossessed whites who are likely to seek status by targeting minorities. Identity theory tells us that it is the disjunction between the certainties of identity socialization for this group, and their present sense of dispossession, that transforms group "interest" into authoritarianism and potential violence. The key empirical link is between identity "foreclosure" and forms of authoritarianism that rationalize violence. In using the analysis as a guide to solutions to racial violence, we highlight the actions that can be taken to pre-empt violent behavior through a political emphasis on developing constructive developmental choices. We examine the requirements for the development of democratic personalities that avoid the pathologies of violence associated with interpersonal domination and authoritarianism. The direction given by social movement theory points toward solutions based on democratic discourse around objectives derived from identity theory: namely, the recognition and validation of community worth, the improvement and affirmation of participatory competence, and practical steps toward sustaining commitments on an interpersonal basis. These kinds of communication have to be worked out at the non-elite level, and in practical steps that build confidence between communities. The article builds on the work reported in Hoover's recent book, The Power of Identity: Politics in a New Key (Chatham House 1997), and on work by Johnson on race and American national identity.
A new access protocol for uni-directional twin-bus architectures

The authors propose basic access protocols for a twin-bus unidirectional bus system (UBS) implementation. The proposed protocols are fairly similar to that of Fasnet. However, the gaps between cycles have been considerably reduced. The savings will particularly increase with cable bandwidth. In fact, except for a few cases of light load traffic the proposed protocol achieves close to 100% channel utilization. >
Impact Mechanisms of Shallow Cumulus Convection on Tropical Climate Dynamics

Subtropical shallow cumulus convection is shown to play an important role in tropical climate dynamics, in which convective mixing between the atmospheric boundary layer and the free troposphere initiates a chain of large-scale feedbacks. It is found that the presence of shallow convection in the subtropics helps set the width and intensity of oceanic ITCZs, a mechanism here termed the shallow cumulus humidity throttle because of the control exerted on the moisture supply to the deep convection zones. These conclusions are reached after investigations based on a tropical climate model of intermediate complexity, with sufficient vertical degrees of freedom to capture (i) the effects of shallow convection on the boundary layer moisture budget and (ii) the dependency of deep convection on the free-tropospheric humidity. An explicit shallow cumulus mixing time scale in this simple parameterization is varied to assess sensitivity, with moist static energy budget analysis aiding to identify how the local effect of shallow convection is balanced globally. A reduction in the mixing efficiency of shallow convection leads to a more humid atmospheric mixed layer, and less surface evaporation, with a drier free troposphere outside of the convecting zones. Advection of drier free-tropospheric air from the subtropics by transients such as dry intrusions, as well as by mean inflow, causes a substantial narrowing of the convection zones by inhibition of deep convection at their margins. In the tropical mean, the reduction of convection by this narrowing more than compensates for the reduction in surface evaporation. Balance is established via a substantial decrease in tropospheric temperatures throughout the Tropics, associated with the reduction in convective heating. The temperature response—and associated radiative contribution to the net flux into the column—have broad spatial scales, while the reduction of surface evaporation is concentrated outside of the convecting zones. This results in differential net flux across the convecting zone, in a sense that acts to destabilize those areas that do convect. This results in stronger large-scale convergence and more intense convection within a narrower area. Finally, mixed layer ocean experiments show that in a coupled ocean–atmosphere system this indirect feedback mechanism can lead to SST differences up to � 2 K between cases with different shallow cumulus mixing time, tending to counteract the direct radiative impact of low subtropical clouds on SST.
Anti-Inflammatory Interventions and Skeletal Muscle Injury: Benefit or Detriment?

Exercise, eccentric contractions, acute trauma, and disease are all causal mechanisms of skeletal muscle injury. After skeletal muscle is injured, it undergoes sequential phases of degeneration, inflammation, regeneration, and fibrosis. Events that occur in response to inflammation trigger regenerative processes. However, since inflammation causes pain, decreases skeletal muscle function, has a negative effect on performance, and contributes to fibrosis, which is one of the leading causes of delayed regeneration, the general practice has been to reduce inflammation. The problem with this approach is that preventing inflammation may hinder recovery. Current treatment options for inflammation are not necessarily effective and, in some cases, they may be unsafe. This review focuses on the question of whether the most beneficial course of treatment should be to block inflammation or if it is sensible to allow inflammatory processes to progress naturally. If blocking inflammation is perceived as a beneficial approach, it is not yet known at what time point during the inflammatory response it is most sensible to interfere. To address these issues, this review evaluates the effects of various anti-inflammatory agents on recovery processes in response to exercise-induced, traumatic, and disease-associated models of skeletal muscle injury. A collective analysis such as this should lay the foundation for future work that systematically manipulates the inflammatory response to most effectively promote regeneration and functional recovery in injured skeletal muscle, while reducing the negative effects of inflammatory processes such as pain and fibrosis.
Effects of gestational length, gender, postnatal age, and birth order on visual contrast sensitivity in infants

To investigate effects of visual experience versus preprogrammed mechanisms on visual development, we used multiple regression analysis to determine the extent to which a variety of variables (that differ in the extent to which they are tied to visual experience) predict luminance and chromatic (red/green) contrast sensitivity (CS), which are mediated by the magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) subcortical pathways, respectively. Our variables included gestational length (GL), birth weight (BW), gender, postnatal age (PNA), and birth order (BO). Two-month-olds (n = 60) and 6-month-olds (n = 122) were tested. Results revealed that (1) at 2 months, infants with longer GL have higher luminance CS; (2) at both ages, CS significantly increases over a E21-day range of PNA, but this effect is stronger in 2- than 6-month-olds and stronger for chromatic than luminance CS; (3) at 2 months, boys have higher luminance CS than girls; and (4) at 2 months, firstborn infants have higher CS, while at 6 months, non-firstborn infants have higher CS. The results for PNA/GL are consistent with the possibility that P pathway development is more influenced by variables tied to visual experience (PNA), while M pathway development is more influenced by variables unrelated to visual experience (GL). Other variables, including prenatal environment, are also discussed.
On the Deleterious Effects of Nitrates on Insulating Surfaces under HVDC Conditions

The mechanism of breakdown on an insulator surface contaminated with different species of salts under high voltage dc (HVDC) has been studied. Deleterious effects of nitrates on insulating surfaces were investigated in particular. Their influence on the structural integrity of insulators is discussed.
Role of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis in Puerperal Infertility

To gain further insight into the mechanisms of postpartum infertility, plasma gonadotropins, prolactin, estradiol, and progesterone were measured following either iv LHRH or im menopausal gonadotropins (Pergonal) to postpartum women. Plasma estradiol and progesterone rose significantly between 24-72 hours following hMG injection. The response was similar in both nursing and non-nursing women throughout the intermediate and late postpartum study interval. No gonadotropin response was observed following LHRH injection in the early puerperium. Beyond five postpartum weeks, a significantly greater response following LHRH was observed in nursing compared with non-nursing women. A subsequent and significant rise in estradiol correlated with the magnitude of the LHRH-induced increment. Basal prolactin levels in nursing women were significantly greater than in non-nursing women but were unchanged after either hMG or LHRH. We conclude that the postpartum ovary is not refractory to either direct exogenous gonadotropin stimulation or to endogenously released gonadotropins, at least as far as estrogen production is concerned. Furthermore, the difference in the pituitary response to LHRH in nursing and non-nursing women may reflect a difference in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Elevated prolactin secretion in response to nursing may be involved in postpartum infertility, but the specific role remaine unclear.
Propagating front in an excited granular layer.

A partial monolayer of $\ensuremath{\sim}20000$ uniform spherical steel beads, vibrated vertically on a flat plate, shows remarkable ordering transitions and cooperative behavior just below 1g maximum acceleration. We study the stability of a quiescent disordered or ``amorphous'' state formed when the acceleration is switched off in the excited ``gaseous'' state. The transition from the amorphous state back to the gaseous state upon increasing the plate's acceleration is generally subcritical: An external perturbation applied to one bead initiates a propagating front that produces a rapid transition. We measure the front velocity as a function of the applied acceleration. This phenomenon is explained by a model based on a single vibrated particle with multiple attractors that is perturbed by collisions. A simulation shows that a sufficiently high rate of interparticle collisions can prevent trapping in the attractor corresponding to the nonmoving ground state.
Perinatally Acquired Chlamydia trachomatis Associated Morbidity in Young Infants

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the spectrum of morbidity associated with perinatally acquired Chlamydia trachomatis in infants ≤ 12 weeks of age, and to determine its relationship to maternal Chlamydia trachomatis status.Methods: Design: Retrospective review of maternal and infant records. Setting: Large inner city teaching hospital. Patients: A cohort of 530 symptomatic infants ≤ 12 weeks of age who were tested for Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the upper respiratory tract during a 2-year period from January 1993 to December 1994.Results: During the study period, 70/530 (13.2%) patients tested positive for Chlamydia trachomatis from the conjunctiva and/or the nasopharynx. Complete medical records of 66 of these infants were available for review. Forty-eight of 66 (73%) infants had conjunctivitis, 13/66 (20%) had pneumonia, 5/66 (7%) had both conjunctivitis and pneumonia. Thirteen of 66 (20%) infants were hospitalized, 7 for pneumonia and 6 for ophthalmia, accounting for 68 hospital da...
Personality as a Pattern of Teleonomic Trends

(1941). Personality as a Pattern of Teleonomic Trends. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 141-182.
Improvements To The E-Learning Environment: Meeting Student Needs

Universities are changing delivery methods for courses in order to meet the demands of today’s college students. The increasing usage of internet-based courses has significant implications for institutions of higher education. With a goal of expanding enrollment, many are interested in delivering online instruction. At the same time, the proliferation of internet courses leads to questions concerning the quality of online learning. This study focuses on students’ perceptions of internet-based courses and the reasons students take such courses. Recommendations to deliver quality learning experiences in the virtual classroom are discerned.
The N-Terminal A/B Domain of the Thyroid Hormone Receptor-β2 Isoform Influences Ligand-Dependent Recruitment of Coactivators to the Ligand-Binding Domain

Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs), expressed as TRalpha1, TRbeta1, and TRbeta2 isoforms, are members of the steroid hormone nuclear receptor gene superfamily, which comprises ligand-dependent transcription factors. The TR isoforms differ primarily in their N-terminal (A/B) domains, suggesting that the A/B regions mediate distinct transcriptional activation functions in a cell type-dependent or promoter-specific fashion. The nuclear receptor ligand-binding domain (LBD) undergoes a conformational change upon ligand binding that results in the recruitment of coactivators to the LBD. For glucocorticoid receptor and estrogen receptor-alpha, the same coactivator can contact both the LBD and A/B domains, thus leading to enhanced transcriptional activation. Very little is known regarding the role of the A/B domains of the TR isoforms. The A/B domain of TRbeta2 exhibits higher ligand-independent transcriptional activity than the A/B regions of TRalpha1 or TRbeta1. Thus, we examined the role of the A/B domain and the LBD of rat TRbeta2 in integrating the transcriptional activation function of the A/B and LBD domains by different coactivators. Both domains are essential for a productive functional interaction with cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP), and we found that CBP binds to the A/B domain of TRbeta2 in vitro. In contrast, steroid receptor coactivator-1a (SRC-1a) interacts strongly with the LBD but not the A/B domain. The coactivator NRC (nuclear receptor coactivator) interacts primarily with the LBD, although a weak interaction with the A/B domain further enhances ligand-dependent binding with TRbeta2. Our studies document the interplay between the A/B domain and the LBD of TRbeta2 in recruiting different coactivators to the receptor. Because NRC and SRC-1a bind CBP, and CBP enhances ligand-dependent activity, our studies suggest a model in which coactivator recruitment of NRC (or SRC-1a) occurs primarily through the LBD whereas the complex is further stabilized through an interaction of CBP with the N terminus of TRbeta2.
An efficient multi-view design model for real-time interactive synthesis

Author(s): Hadley, Tedd; Wu, Allen C.H.; Gajski, Daniel D. | Abstract: This report describes an efficient multi-view design model for real-time interactive synthesis of behavioral descriptions in.to layout data. We present a hybrid data structure which combines all of the design data needed throughout multiple levels of abstraction, including behavior, structure, and floorplan, into a single unified view. We also give a detailed time and space complexity analysis of the proposed design model, showing that it provides fast updating capabilities for incremental design changes but does not require an exorbitant amount of memory space. These features make this design model ideal for user-controlled synthesis systems that support incremental design and redesign tasks. Furthermore, the simplicity of the data structure allows easy implementation, maintenance, and extendibility.