Attraction in context: Acquisition and blocking of person-directed action.

Two experiments with 72 undergraduates investigated attraction to a stranger, which has been previously shown to depend on the social context within which that directed action is acquired. In both experiments, a confederate stranger agreed with the S 100% of the time. Attraction to the stranger, however, was blocked if the stranger agreed with the S while in the presence of someone the S already found attractive. Based on these findings, the present authors employed N. E. Miller's (1959) "extension of liberalized stimulus–response theory" in developing a reinforcement-context theory to predict acquisition and blocking effects in attraction. Additional novel predictions addressing contextual phenomena are generated from the theory. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism.

The constructs of horizontal (H) and vertical (V) individualism (I) and collectivism (C) were theoretically defined and empirically supported. Study 1 confirmed, via factor analysis, that the 4 constructs, HI, V1, HC, and VC, which were previously found in the United States, which has an individualist culture, also were found in Korea which has a collectivist culture. Study 2 investigated multimethod-multitrait matrices measuring the constructs and generally supported their convergent and divergent validity. Study 3 showed how these 4 constructs relate to previously identified components by H. C. Triandis and colleagues. Study 4 showed the relationships of the measurement of the 4 constructs to some of the measures used by other researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prognostic implications of downstaging following preoperative radiation therapy for operable T3-T4 rectal cancer

PURPOSE: Squamous cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract is a disheartening disease. Despite our best efforts, the long-term survival rate remains only 15% to 40%, and surgical cures often decrease the quality of life owing to the loss of swallowing and speech organs. A better understanding of tumor dynamics and the discovery that thiosulfate can neutralize cisplatin led us to develop a treatment plan that combines a rapid superselective high-dose intraarterial delivery of cisplatin (CDDP), simultaneous intravenous infusion of its antagonist, thiosulfate, and radiation therapy. METHODS: Patients with advanced head and neck squamous cancer were entered into the protocol after a multidisciplinary evaluation that included CT or MR imaging. Forty-two patients constituted the first cohort. After baseline angiography, an arterial acceptance test determined the maximum infusion rate that the tumor's nutrient artery would accept. CDDP was then infused at that rate, usually within 3 to 5 minutes, while the antagonist thiosulfate was given intravenously. In the second cohort of 85 patients with stage 3 or 4 previously untreated and unresectable disease, local radiation was added to the treatment plan. The radiation dose (180-200 cGy/d x 35) was delivered regionally on the basis of the known radiosensitizing effect of CDDP. RESULTS: Cohort 1 allowed us to develop the infusion technique and to establish a dose quantity and delivery frequency. When 150 mg/m2 was administered weekly for 4 weeks, no severe toxicity was found. In cohort 2, 72 (92%) of the remaining 78 patients had complete disappearance of their tumor. Seventeen severe toxic events were associated with 323 femoral catheterizations. One patient died of pulmonary embolus, precluding follow-up evaluation. Six patients had neurologic sequelae, three with transient and three with permanent strokes. CONCLUSION: Rapid superselective chemotherapy with CDDP combined with a circulatory systemic antagonist allowed delivery of an antitumoral drug directly into the lesion while protecting the kidneys and bone marrow from the agent's systemic effects. Use of a dose regimen of 150 mg CDDP/m2 per week for 4 weeks resulted in the disappearance of a large percentage of advanced squamous cancers.     

Control of reflectance of liquid droplets by means of electrowetting

It has recently been noted that hemispherical structures have useful reflection characteristics. We describe a new application that makes use of these characteristics by controlling the reflectance of a surface composed of an array of hemispherical liquid droplets. In this system the reflectance state is spatially controlled through the use of electrowetting to alter the shape of an array of droplets. This may have an application in the field of electronic image displays.     

Extracting Logical Schema from the Web

One of the main limitations when accessing the web is the lack of explicit structure, whose presence may help in understanding data semantics. Schema for web data can be constructed at different levels, structuring a single pages or a whole site or group of sites. Here we present an approach to give a logical schema to a web-site, first defining a model for a single page, where its contents is divided into logical sections, i.e. parts of a page each collecting related information. Then, we introduce a site model in which both physical and logical links among different page sections are represented: physical are existing hyperlinks, while logical links are links between sections containing semantically related information. We show how such links can be found and classified according to their relevance, also showing how schema is used in a structure-aware browser to improve both browsing and searching.     

Application of avidin-biotin technology and adsorptive transfer stripping square-wave voltammetry for detection of DNA hybridization and avidin in transgenic avidin maize

The proteins streptavidin and avidin were electrochemically detected in solution by adsorptive transfer stripping square wave voltammetry (AdTS SWV) at a carbon paste electrode (CPE). AdTS SWV was used to quantify biotinylated oligonucleotides, DNA hybridizations, and avidin in extracts of transgenic avidin maize. The detection limits of denatured and native streptavidin were 6 pM and 120 nM, respectively. The results demonstrated that streptavidin/avidin AdTS SWV is a sensitive and specific method for quantifying DNA and proteins in biological samples such as foods and tissue extracts, including genetically modified crops (avidin maize) and other plants in neighboring fields.     

A cyclic CCK8 analogue selective for the cholecystokinin type A receptor: design, synthesis, NMR structure and binding measurements

A cyclic CCK8 analogue, cyclo(29,34)[Dpr(29),Lys(34)]-CCK8 (Dpr=L-2,3-diaminopropionic acid), has been designed on the basis of the NMR structure of the bimolecular complex between the N-terminal fragment of the CCK(A) receptor and its natural ligand CCK8. The conformational features of cyclo(29,34)[Dpr(29),Lys(34)]-CCK8 have been determined by NMR spectroscopy in aqueous solution and in water containing DPC-d(38) micelles (DPC=dodecylphosphocholine). The structure of the cyclic peptide in aqueous solution is found to be in a relaxed conformation, with the backbone and Dpr29 side chain atoms making a planar ring and the N-terminal tripeptide extending approximately along the plane of this ring. In DPC/water, the cyclic peptide adopts a "boat-shaped" conformation, which is more compact than that found in aqueous solution. The cyclic constraint between the Dpr29 side chain and the CCK8 carboxyl terminus (Lys34) introduces a restriction in the backbone conformational freedom. However, the interaction of cyclo(29,34)[Dpr(29),Lys(34)]-CCK8 with the micelles still plays an important role in the stabilisation of the bioactive conformation. A careful comparison of the NMR structure of the cyclic peptide in a DPC micelle aqueous solution with the structure of the rationally designed model underlines that the turn-like conformation in the Trp30-Met31 region is preserved, such that the Trp30 and Met31 side chains can adopt the proper spatial orientation to interact with the CCK(A) receptor. The binding properties of cyclo(29,34)[Dpr(29),Lys(34)]-CCK8 to the N-terminal receptor fragment have been investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy in a micellar environment. Estimates of the apparent dissociation constant, K(d), were in the range of 70-150 nM, with a mean value of 120+/-27 nM. Preliminary nuclear medicine studies on cell lines transfected with the CCK(A) receptor indicate that the sulfated-Tyr derivative of cyclo(29,34)[Dpr(29),Lys(34)]-CCK8 displaces the natural ligand with an IC(50) value of 15 microM.     

Competitive pathways via nonadiabatic transitions in photodissociation

Photodissociation processes of molecules and radicals involving multiple pathways and nonadiabatic crossings are studied using the photofragment imaging technique and the core-sampling version of time-of-flight spectroscopy. Capabilities and challenges are illustrated by two systems. The isocyanic acid system demonstrates how interactions among potential energy surfaces can change during dissociation. The hydroxymethyl photodecomposition system highlights Rydberg-valence interactions common in free radicals. The cross-fertilization between theory and experiment is emphasized.     

Relationships among aging, IQ, and intracranial volume in alcoholics and control subjects.

The current article examined the relationships among aging, intelligence, intracranial volume, and brain shrinkage in alcoholics and nonalcoholic controls. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure intracranial and cerebral volumes in 146 subjects with alcohol use disorders and 42 comparison subjects who were not alcoholic. The authors' findings show that performance on Block Design decreases as alcoholics age, and this decrease is predicted by brain shrinkage. This is consistent with a process of cumulative brain damage related to alcohol use. However, the authors' data also show that vocabulary does not decrease with age and is correlated with premorbid brain size as measured by intracranial volume, suggesting that lower verbal ability precedes heavy alcohol use and may be a risk factor for alcoholism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Laboratory and self-report assessments of impulsive behavior in adolescent daily smokers and nonsmokers.

This research compared adolescent daily smokers (n = 25) and nonsmokers (n = 26) on different measures of impulsivity. Assessments included question-based measures of delay (DDQ) and probability (PDQ) discounting, a measure of behavioral disinhibition (go-stop task), and a self-report measure of impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Adolescent). Adolescent smokers were more impulsive on the DDQ and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale--Adolescent but not on the PDQ or the go-stop task. However, there was a significant interaction between smoking status and gender on the go-stop task, with male smokers performing less impulsively on this measure than male nonsmokers--an effect not observed with the female adolescents. These findings indicate that adolescents who smoke cigarettes are more impulsive with respect to some, but not all, types of impulsivity than are adolescents who do not smoke. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)