Acoustic analysis of lexical tone in Mandarin infant-directed speech.

Using Mandarin Chinese, a "tone language" in which the pitch contours of syllables differentiate words, the authors examined the acoustic modifications of infant-directed speech (IDS) at the syllable level to test 2 hypotheses: (a) the overall increase in pitch and intonation contour that occurs in IDS at the phrase level would not distort lexical pitch at the syllable level and (b) IDS provides exaggerates cues to lexical tones. Sixteen Mandarin-speaking mothers were recorded while addressing their infants and addressing an adult. The results indicate that IDS does not distort the acoustic cues that are essential to word meaning at the syllable level; evidence of exaggeration of the acoustic differences in IDS was observed, extending previous findings of phonetic exaggeration to the lexical level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of vulnerability to and severity of a health risk on processing and acceptance of fear-arousing communications: A meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis of studies of the persuasive impact of fear appeals evaluated the contribution of our stage model of the processing of fear-arousing communications relative to other fear appeal theories. In contrast to other theories, our stage model (a) specifies the cognitive processes underlying persuasion through fear-arousing communications, (b) proposes that threat-induced defensive processing does not interfere with the effectiveness of fear-arousing communications but actually contributes to it, and (c) predicts that vulnerability and severity manipulations have differential effects on measures of attitude as compared with intention and behavior. To evaluate these predictions, the authors expanded on previous meta-analyses by assessing the independent as well as joint effects of vulnerability to and severity of a risk, both on information processing and on measures of persuasion (attitude, intention, behavior). Overall, findings were consistent with the stage model. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the roles of urocanic acid in photoimmunosuppression: attempted photorepair of urocanic acid-DNA cyclobutane adducts with DNA photolyase

It has been reported that UV-induced immunosuppression can be reversed by photoreactivation or exposure to T4 endonuclease V, two treatments that can repair cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. These observations, together with the known role of urocanic acid (UA) in UV-induced immune suppression, prompted us to study the ability of DNA photolyase to repair UA-DNA cyclobutane photoadducts in single-stranded calf thymus DNA. We did not detect any release of UA, with a sensitivity implying that photolyase is at least 2900 times less active toward UA-DNA adducts than toward cis-syn thymine-thymine dimers. This indicates that any reversal of photoimmunosuppression by photoreactivation cannot significantly involve cleavage of UA-DNA cyclobutane adducts.     

Effects of response and stability on scheduling in distributedcomputing systems

An examination is made of the effects of response and stability on scheduling algorithms for general-purpose distributed computing systems. Response characterizes the time required, following a perturbation in the system state, to reach a new equilibrium state. Stability is a measure of the ability of a mechanism to detect when the effects of further actions will not improve the system state as defined by a user-defined objective. These results have implications for distributed computations in general. Analysis is based on formal communicating finite automata models of two distinct approaches to the scheduling problem, each using the objective of global optimal load balancing. The results indicate that absolute stability is not always necessary in dynamic systems for the same reasons that relatively small amounts of instability are tolerated in the design of analog control systems. It is shown that response is a very important first-order metric of dynamic scheduling behavior, and that response and stability are related     

The Mark IV system for radionuclide computed tomography of the brain

The Mark IV scanning system is a simple four-sided arrangement of 32 independent detectors which rotate continously as a unit, detecting, processing, and displaying the reconstructed data while the study progresses. Detection is by single photon counting and is compatible with commercially available radionuclides. An empirical correction is applied for attenuation, difference in detector response, and scatter. It is a high-sensitivity device with approximately uniform resolution throughout the section plane. There is good reproducibility and accuracy for absolute quantification of radionuclide concentration in the brain. Clinical applications include scans of 99mTcO4, 99mTc-RBC, 123I-iodoantipyrine, 99mTc-diphosphonate, and 111In-DTPA.     

Absorption and distribution of radioactivity from suppositories containing 3H-benzocaine in rats

The effects of the suppository vehicle, drug concentration, and nonionic surfactants on in vitro benzocaine dialysis through a cellulose membrane and on rectal absorption in rats of total radioactivity following administration of 3H-benzocaine were investigated. In vitro dialysis correlated quite well with in vivo absorption, and drug release was greater from water-soluble vehicles than from oleaginous vehicles. Inclusion of a nonionic hydrophilic or lipophilic surfactant in cocoa butter resulted in a statistically significant increase for in vitro drug release, while a lipophilic surfactant showed little effect in vivo and a hydrophilic surfactant depressed release in vivo. Both types of surfactant had small effects on release from polyethylene glycol. In vitro release of benzocaine from some commercially available suppositories was compared with experimental preparations. Variation in blood radioactivity following administration of the same concentration of 3H-benzocaine in the same dosage form in male and female rats is reported.     

A Synthetic MUC1 Anticancer Vaccine Containing Mannose Ligands for Targeting Macrophages and Dendritic Cells

A MUC1 anticancer vaccine equipped with covalently linked divalent mannose ligands was found to improve the antigen uptake and presentation by targeting mannose‐receptor‐positive macrophages and dendritic cells. It induced much stronger specific IgG immune responses in mice than the non‐mannosylated reference vaccine. Mannose coupling also led to increased numbers of macrophages, dendritic cells, and CD4⁺ T cells in the local lymph organs. Comparison of di‐ and tetravalent mannose ligands revealed an increased binding of the tetravalent version, suggesting that higher valency improves binding to the mannose receptor. The mannose‐coupled vaccine and the non‐mannosylated reference vaccine induced IgG antibodies that exhibited similar binding to human breast tumor cells.