Exploratory play as an index of mastery motivation: Relationships to persistence, cognitive functioning, and environmental measures.

To measure exploratory play at 1 yr of age, 41 middle-class infants were observed in a free-play setting. In a separate session, 11 structured tasks assessed the infants' persistence in mastering tasks. In a 3rd session, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development were given. As part of another study, home observations were available for 40 of the infants at 1 yr of age and for 23 of the infants at 6 mo of age. Measures of quantitative aspects of exploratory play showed no relationship to persistence or cognitive development; however, measures indexing the quality of exploratory play did. In addition, environmental measures at both 6 and 12 mo were related to exploratory play at 1 yr, particularly to the production of perceptual effects; but some of these findings were opposite to those expected. Results suggest that the quality of exploratory play, rather than the quantity, is a better index of underlying mastery motivation. In addition, the widely accepted assumption of a link between the amount of general exploration and cognitive ability needs to be reexamined. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Absorption of lodine into Starch Granules in Aqueous Suspension

The rate of iodine absorption by granular starch suspended in KI solution is examined. The rate controlling step is found to be the intraparticle diffusion of iodine. The process agrees well with a core-shrinking model. The apparent diffusivity of iodine in granular starch is determined to be (6.8 ± 0.5) × 10⁻⁸ cm²/sec at 25°C.     

An algorithm for polygonal approximation of a digital object

A fast and simple heuristic algorithm for polygonal approximation is presented. The algorithm is based on a mark and sweep technique. Results of computer implementation with various images are reported.     

ATR Contributes More Than ATM in Intra-S-Phase Checkpoint Activation after IR,and DNA-PKcs Facilitates Recovery: Evidence for Modular Integration of ATM/ATR/DNA-PKcs Functions

The intra-S-phase checkpoint was among the first reported cell cycle checkpoints in mammalian cells. It transiently slows down the rate of DNA replication after DNA damage to facilitate repair and thus prevents genomic instability. The ionizing radiation (IR)-induced intra-S-phase checkpoint in mammalian cells is thought to be mainly dependent upon the kinase activity of ATM. Defects in the intra-S-phase checkpoint result in radio-resistant DNA synthesis (RDS), which promotes genomic instability. ATM belongs to the PI3K kinase family along with ATR and DNA-PKcs. ATR has been shown to be the key kinase for intra-S-phase checkpoint signaling in yeast and has also been implicated in this checkpoint in higher eukaryotes. Recently, contributions of DNA-PKcs to IR-induced G₂-checkpoint could also be established. Whether and how ATR and DNA-PKcs are involved in the IR-induced intra-S-phase checkpoint in mammalian cells is incompletely characterized. Here, we investigated the contributions of ATM, ATR, and DNA-PKcs to intra-S-phase checkpoint activation after exposure to IR of human and hamster cells. The results suggest that the activities of both ATM and ATR are essential for efficient intra-S-phase checkpoint activation. Indeed, in a wild-type genetic background, ATR inhibition generates stronger checkpoint defects than ATM inhibition. Similar to G2 checkpoint, DNA-PKcs contributes to the recovery from the intra-S-phase checkpoint. DNA-PKcs–deficient cells show persistent, mainly ATR-dependent intra-S-phase checkpoints. A correlation between the degree of DSB end resection and the strength of the intra-S-phase checkpoint is observed, which again compares well to the G2 checkpoint response. We conclude that the organization of the intra-S-phase checkpoint has a similar mechanistic organization to that of the G₂ checkpoint in cells irradiated in the G₂ phase.     

Headquarter-centered common sourcing management through order coordination and consolidation

It is common for subsidiaries of a group company to use the same types of components for producing similar products. Different subsidiary companies may well procure such components from the same suppliers. This paper studies two sourcing management models. One is the Subsidiary-Autonomous Sourcing Management (SD-ASM) where subsidiaries manage their inventories and place purchasing orders independent of each other. The other is the Headquarter-centered Common Sourcing Management (HQ-CSM) where purchasing orders of subsidiaries are processed centrally through some kind of headquarter coordination. In the SD-ASM model, each subsidiary places replenishment orders at a time interval corresponding to their economic order quantity (EOQ). In the HQ-CSM model, two purchasing order management policies are examined. One is the Order Coordination policy in which common replenishment epochs or time periods are proposed by the headquarter and the subsidiaries are encouraged to coordinate the timing of their orders based on the common replenishment epochs. The other is the Order Consolidation policy in which the subsidiaries combine the quantity of their orders and the headquarter places a combined order with the supplier. In the Order Coordination policy, classic RAND heuristic is used to find the best common replenishment epoch and the best replenishment timing of each subsidiary. In the Order Consolidation policy, the optimal order quantity of the combined order is obtained from a mathematical model. The combined order is then allocated to the subsidiaries according to a proportional allocation rule. A series of numerical studies is conducted to compare the costs of the SD-ASM and HQ-CSM policies. The results show that HQ-CSM outperforms SD-ASM in terms of cost and robustness against demand uncertainties. This achievement is largely due to the economies of process (synergistic ordering process), the economies of scale (large order quantity with price discount) and risk pooling effect (transshipments). The results also reveal that the Order Consolidation policy with a combined order always performs better than the Order Coordination policy with common replenishment epochs especially in face of high demand uncertainties and high service level in the global market.     

Damage-limiting construction

A discussion of the use of pressure-relieving and pressure-resistant building construction to minimize the damage caused by combustion explosions.     

Identification of Structural and Molecular Signatures Mediating Adaptive Changes in the Mouse Kidney in Response to Pregnancy

Pregnancy is characterized by adaptations in the function of several maternal body systems that ensure the development of the fetus whilst maintaining health of the mother. The renal system is responsible for water and electrolyte balance, as well as waste removal. Thus, it is imperative that structural and functional changes occur in the kidney during pregnancy. However, our knowledge of the precise morphological and molecular mechanisms occurring in the kidney during pregnancy is still very limited. Here, we investigated the changes occurring in the mouse kidney during pregnancy by performing an integrated analysis involving histology, gene and protein expression assays, mass spectrometry profiling and bioinformatics. Data from non-pregnant and pregnant mice were used to identify critical signalling pathways mediating changes in the maternal kidneys. We observed an expansion of renal medulla due to proliferation and infiltration of interstitial cellular constituents, as well as alterations in the activity of key cellular signalling pathways (e.g., AKT, AMPK and MAPKs) and genes involved in cell growth/metabolism (e.g., Cdc6, Foxm1 and Rb1) in the kidneys during pregnancy. We also generated plasma and urine proteomic profiles, identifying unique proteins in pregnancy. These proteins could be used to monitor and study potential mechanisms of renal adaptations during pregnancy and disease.