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Showing papers by "Indiana University published in 2001"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors track some of the major myths on driving forces of land cover change and propose alternative pathways of change that are better supported by case study evidence, concluding that neither population nor poverty alone constitute the sole and major underlying causes of land-cover change worldwide.
Abstract: Common understanding of the causes of land-use and land-cover change is dominated by simplifications which, in turn, underlie many environment-development policies. This article tracks some of the major myths on driving forces of land-cover change and proposes alternative pathways of change that are better supported by case study evidence. Cases reviewed support the conclusion that neither population nor poverty alone constitute the sole and major underlying causes of land-cover change worldwide. Rather, peoples’ responses to economic opportunities, as mediated by institutional factors, drive land-cover changes. Opportunities and

3,330 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The FLUXNET project as mentioned in this paper is a global network of micrometeorological flux measurement sites that measure the exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy between the biosphere and atmosphere.
Abstract: FLUXNET is a global network of micrometeorological flux measurement sites that measure the exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy between the biosphere and atmosphere. At present over 140 sites are operating on a long-term and continuous basis. Vegetation under study includes temperate conifer and broadleaved (deciduous and evergreen) forests, tropical and boreal forests, crops, grasslands, chaparral, wetlands, and tundra. Sites exist on five continents and their latitudinal distribution ranges from 70°N to 30°S. FLUXNET has several primary functions. First, it provides infrastructure for compiling, archiving, and distributing carbon, water, and energy flux measurement, and meteorological, plant, and soil data to the science community. (Data and site information are available online at the FLUXNET Web site, http://www-eosdis.ornl.gov/FLUXNET/.) Second, the project supports calibration and flux intercomparison activities. This activity ensures that data from the regional networks are intercomparable. And third, FLUXNET supports the synthesis, discussion, and communication of ideas and data by supporting project scientists, workshops, and visiting scientists. The overarching goal is to provide information for validating computations of net primary productivity, evaporation, and energy absorption that are being generated by sensors mounted on the NASA Terra satellite. Data being compiled by FLUXNET are being used to quantify and compare magnitudes and dynamics of annual ecosystem carbon and water balances, to quantify the response of stand-scale carbon dioxide and water vapor flux densities to controlling biotic and abiotic factors, and to validate a hierarchy of soil–plant–atmosphere trace gas exchange models. Findings so far include 1) net CO 2 exchange of temperate broadleaved forests increases by about 5.7 g C m −2 day −1 for each additional day that the growing season is extended; 2) the sensitivity of net ecosystem CO 2 exchange to sunlight doubles if the sky is cloudy rather than clear; 3) the spectrum of CO 2 flux density exhibits peaks at timescales of days, weeks, and years, and a spectral gap exists at the month timescale; 4) the optimal temperature of net CO 2 exchange varies with mean summer temperature; and 5) stand age affects carbon dioxide and water vapor flux densities.

3,162 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigation and spectroscopic measurements indicate that the QD-tagged beads are highly uniform and reproducible, yielding bead identification accuracies as high as 99.99% under favorable conditions.
Abstract: Multicolor optical coding for biological assays has been achieved by embedding different-sized quantum dots (zinc sulfide-capped cadmium selenide nanocrystals) into polymeric microbeads at precisely controlled ratios. Their novel optical properties (e.g., size-tunable emission and simultaneous excitation) render these highly luminescent quantum dots (QDs) ideal fluorophores for wavelength-and-intensity multiplexing. The use of 10 intensity levels and 6 colors could theoretically code one million nucleic acid or protein sequences. Imaging and spectroscopic measurements indicate that the QD-tagged beads are highly uniform and reproducible, yielding bead identification accuracies as high as 99.99% under favorable conditions. DNA hybridization studies demonstrate that the coding and target signals can be simultaneously read at the single-bead level. This spectral coding technology is expected to open new opportunities in gene expression studies, high-throughput screening, and medical diagnostics.

2,722 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors present fascinating history and insights into the development of various classification systems and identify issues that arise during the creation of any classification system, such as the need to compromise between providing granular classifications that satisfy needs specific to a time and place.
Abstract: Bowker GC and Star SL. 389 pages. Cambridge, MA, and London: MIT Pr; 1999. $29.95. ISBN 0262024616. Order phone 800-356-0343. Field of medicine: Public health and medical informatics. Format: Hardcover book (softcover also available). Audience: Physicians and nonphysicians involved in developing or setting policy for classification systems, nomenclatures, or vocabularies. Purpose: To discuss the idea that classifications and standardizations have direct impact on social and political aspects of human interaction. Content: The authors organize their presentation into an introductory chapter that frames the issues, followed by three sections (classification and large-scale infrastructures, classification and biography, and classification and work practice) providing specific examples, and a conclusion section. The authors use the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, race classification under apartheid in South Africa, and the Nursing Intervention Classification as primary examples. An extensive bibliography of more than 300 references, a name index, and a subject index follow the text. Highlights: The authors present fascinating history and insights into the development of various classification systems. In addition, they identify issues that arise during the creation of any classification system, such as the need to compromise between providing granular classifications that satisfy needs specific to a time and place. Finally, the authors draw attention to the implications of choices made in the development of some important classification systems. These implications bear on moral judgments, financial effects, and political gains or losses. Limitations: The authors' writing style hinder the reader's ability to access the interesting information and to understand the implications of choices made in developing classification systems. While the overall organization of the book is clear, the themes and ideas do not flow well. Sentences require repeated readings, and a dictionary at your side would be helpful, given the authors' frequent use of unfamiliar words. These failings obscure interesting and valuable facts and viewpoints. Related readings: Svenonius'The Intellectual Foundation of Information Organization (MIT Pr; 2000) and Aitchison and colleagues'Thesaurus Construction and Use: A Practical Manual (Fitzroy Dearborn; 2000). Reviewers: J. Marc Overhage, MD, PhD, and Jeffery G. Suico, MD, Regenstrief Institute for Health Care and Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.

2,314 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: CYP3A5 was more frequently expressed in livers of African Americans than in those of Caucasians, and may be the most important genetic contributor to interindividual and interracial differences in CYP3A-dependent drug clearance and in responses to many medicines.
Abstract: Variation in the CYP3A enzymes, which act in drug metabolism, influences circulating steroid levels and responses to half of all oxidatively metabolized drugs. CYP3A activity is the sum activity of the family of CYP3A genes, including CYP3A5, which is polymorphically expressed at high levels in a minority of Americans of European descent and Europeans (hereafter collectively referred to as 'Caucasians'). Only people with at least one CYP3A5*1 allele express large amounts of CYP3A5. Our findings show that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP3A5*3 and CYP3A5*6 that cause alternative splicing and protein truncation result in the absence of CYP3A5 from tissues of some people. CYP3A5 was more frequently expressed in livers of African Americans (60%) than in those of Caucasians (33%). Because CYP3A5 represents at least 50% of the total hepatic CYP3A content in people polymorphically expressing CYP3A5, CYP3A5 may be the most important genetic contributor to interindividual and interracial differences in CYP3A-dependent drug clearance and in responses to many medicines.

2,046 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Peter Pedroni1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employ recently developed techniques for testing hypotheses in cointegrated panels to test the strong version of purchasing power parity for a panel of post Bretton Woods data.
Abstract: This paper employs recently developed techniques for testing hypotheses in cointegrated panels to test the strong version of purchasing power parity for a panel of post Bretton Woods data. We compare results using fully modified and dynamic OLS approaches, and strongly reject the hypothesis. We also introduce a new between-dimension dynamic OLS estimator and find that the between-dimension FMOLS and DOLS estimates of the long-run deviation from purchasing power parity are larger than the corresponding within-dimension estimates. Finally, we attempt to reconcile these rejections with the mixed findings that have been reported in panel unit root studies.

1,767 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
04 Oct 2001-Nature
TL;DR: In this article, the ADAMTS family of zinc metalloproteinase genes (ADAMTS13) was identified as the molecular mechanism responsible for TTP, and it was shown that the deficiency of ADADTS13 is the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of TTP.
Abstract: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a life-threatening systemic illness of abrupt onset and unknown cause. Proteolysis of the blood-clotting protein von Willebrand factor (VWF) observed in normal plasma is decreased in TTP patients. However, the identity of the responsible protease and its role in the pathophysiology of TTP remain unknown. We performed genome-wide linkage analysis in four pedigrees of humans with congenital TTP and mapped the responsible genetic locus to chromosome 9q34. A predicted gene in the identified interval corresponds to a segment of a much larger transcript, identifying a new member of the ADAMTS family of zinc metalloproteinase genes (ADAMTS13). Analysis of patients' genomic DNA identified 12 mutations in the ADAMTS13 gene, accounting for 14 of the 15 disease alleles studied. We show that deficiency of ADAMTS13 is the molecular mechanism responsible for TTP, and suggest that physiologic proteolysis of VWF and/or other ADAMTS13 substrates is required for normal vascular homeostasis.

1,629 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Sep 2001-Ecology
TL;DR: The relationship between species richness and productivity has been extensively studied in the literature as discussed by the authors, with a focus on positive, negative, or curvilinear relationships between productivity and species diversity.
Abstract: Understanding the relationship between species richness and productivity is fundamental to the management and preservation of biodiversity. Yet despite years of study and intense theoretical interest, this relationship remains controversial. Here, we present the results of a literature survey in which we examined the relationship between species richness and productivity in 171 published studies. We extracted the raw data from published tables and graphs and subjected these data to a standardized analysis, using ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression and generalized linear-model (GLIM) regression to test for significant positive, negative, or curvilinear relationships between productivity and species diversity. If the relationship was curvilinear, we tested whether the maximum (or minimum) of the curve occurred within the range of productivity values observed (i.e., was there evidence of a hump?). A meta-analysis conducted on the distribution of standardized quadratic regression coefficients showed that ...

1,572 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of a nation-wide, two-wave, longitudinal investigation of the factors driving personal computer (PC) adoption in American homes revealed that the decisions driving adoption and non-adoption were significantly different.
Abstract: While technology adoption in the workplace has been studied extensively, drivers of adoption in homes have been largely overlooked. This paper presents the results of a nation-wide, two-wave, longitudinal investigation of the factors driving personal computer (PC) adoption in American homes. The findings revealed that the decisions driving adoption and non-adoption were significantly different. Adopters were driven by utilitarian outcomes, hedonic outcomes (i.e., fun), and social outcomes (i.e., status) from adoption. Non-adopters, on the other hand, were influenced primarily by rapid changes in technology and the consequent fear of obsolescence. A second wave of data collection conducted six months after the initial survey indicated an asymmetrical relationship between intent and behavior, with those who did not intend to adopt a PC following more closely with their intent than those who intended to adopt one. We present important implications for research on adoption of technologies in homes and the workplace, and also discuss challenges facing the PC industry.

1,379 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) documented this Indo-Asian haze at scales ranging from individual particles to its contribution to the regional climate forcing as discussed by the authors, and integrated the multiplatform observations (satellites, aircraft, ships, surface stations, and balloons) with one-and four-dimensional models to derive the regional aerosol forcing resulting from the direct, the semidirect and the two indirect effects.
Abstract: Every year, from December to April, anthropogenic haze spreads over most of the North Indian Ocean, and South and Southeast Asia. The Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) documented this Indo-Asian haze at scales ranging from individual particles to its contribution to the regional climate forcing. This study integrates the multiplatform observations (satellites, aircraft, ships, surface stations, and balloons) with one- and four-dimensional models to derive the regional aerosol forcing resulting from the direct, the semidirect and the two indirect effects. The haze particles consisted of several inorganic and carbonaceous species, including absorbing black carbon clusters, fly ash, and mineral dust. The most striking result was the large loading of aerosols over most of the South Asian region and the North Indian Ocean. The January to March 1999 visible optical depths were about 0.5 over most of the continent and reached values as large as 0.2 over the equatorial Indian ocean due to long-range transport. The aerosol layer extended as high as 3 km. Black carbon contributed about 14% to the fine particle mass and 11% to the visible optical depth. The single-scattering albedo estimated by several independent methods was consistently around 0.9 both inland and over the open ocean. Anthropogenic sources contributed as much as 80% (±10%) to the aerosol loading and the optical depth. The in situ data, which clearly support the existence of the first indirect effect (increased aerosol concentration producing more cloud drops with smaller effective radii), are used to develop a composite indirect effect scheme. The Indo-Asian aerosols impact the radiative forcing through a complex set of heating (positive forcing) and cooling (negative forcing) processes. Clouds and black carbon emerge as the major players. The dominant factor, however, is the large negative forcing (-20±4 W m^(−2)) at the surface and the comparably large atmospheric heating. Regionally, the absorbing haze decreased the surface solar radiation by an amount comparable to 50% of the total ocean heat flux and nearly doubled the lower tropospheric solar heating. We demonstrate with a general circulation model how this additional heating significantly perturbs the tropical rainfall patterns and the hydrological cycle with implications to global climate.

1,371 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recent studies have begun to integrate acyl-HSL quorum sensing into global regulatory networks and establish its role in developing and maintaining the structure of bacterial communities.
Abstract: Quorum sensing is an example of community behavior prevalent among diverse bacterial species. The term "quorum sensing" describes the ability of a microorganism to perceive and respond to microbial population density, usually relying on the production and subsequent response to diffusible signal molecules. A significant number of gram-negative bacteria produce acylated homoserine lactones (acyl-HSLs) as signal molecules that function in quorum sensing. Bacteria that produce acyl-HSLs can respond to the local concentration of the signaling molecules, and high population densities foster the accumulation of inducing levels of acyl-HSLs. Depending upon the bacterial species, the physiological processes regulated by quorum sensing are extremely diverse, ranging from bioluminescence to swarming motility. Acyl-HSL quorum sensing has become a paradigm for intercellular signaling mechanisms. A flurry of research over the past decade has led to significant understanding of many aspects of quorum sensing including the synthesis of acyl-HSLs, the receptors that recognize the acyl-HSL signal and transduce this information to the level of gene expression, and the interaction of these receptors with the transcriptional machinery. Recent studies have begun to integrate acyl-HSL quorum sensing into global regulatory networks and establish its role in developing and maintaining the structure of bacterial communities.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Treatment with hypothermia, with the body temperature reaching 33 degrees C within eight hours after injury, is not effective in improving outcomes in patients with severe brain injury.
Abstract: Background Induction of hypothermia in patients with brain injury was shown to improve outcomes in small clinical studies, but the results were not definitive. To study this issue, we conducted a multicenter trial comparing the effects of hypothermia with those of normothermia in patients with acute brain injury. Methods The study subjects were 392 patients 16 to 65 years of age with coma after sustaining closed head injuries who were randomly assigned to be treated with hypothermia (body temperature, 33°C), which was initiated within 6 hours after injury and maintained for 48 hours by means of surface cooling, or normothermia. All patients otherwise received standard treatment. The primary outcome measure was functional status six months after the injury. Results The mean age of the patients and the type and severity of injury in the two treatment groups were similar. The mean (±SD) time from injury to randomization was 4.3±1.1 hours in the hypothermia group and 4.1±1.2 hours in the normothermia group, a...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is argued that rearrangements reduce gene flow more by suppressing recombination and extending the effects of linked isolation genes than by reducing fitness.
Abstract: Several authors have proposed that speciation frequently occurs when a population becomes fixed for one or more chromosomal rearrangements that reduce fitness when they are heterozygous This hypothesis has little theoretical support because mutations that cause a large reduction in fitness can be fixed through drift only in small, inbred populations Moreover, the effects of chromosomal rearrangements on fitness are unpredictable and vary significantly between plants and animals I argue that rearrangements reduce gene flow more by suppressing recombination and extending the effects of linked isolation genes than by reducing fitness This unorthodox perspective has significant implications for speciation models and for the outcomes of contact between neospecies and their progenitor(s)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The demonstration that PI3-kinase/Akt signaling affects Mdm2 localization provides insight into how this pathway, which is inappropriately activated in many malignancies, affects the function of p53.
Abstract: The Mdm2 oncoprotein promotes cell survival and cell cycle progression by inhibiting the p53 tumor suppressor protein. To regulate p53, Mdm2 must gain nuclear entry, and the mechanism that induces this is now identified. Mitogen-induced activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and its downstream target, the Akt/PKB serine-threonine kinase, results in phosphorylation of Mdm2 on serine 166 and serine 186. Phosphorylation on these sites is necessary for translocation of Mdm2 from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. Pharmacological blockade of PI3-kinase/Akt signaling or expression of dominant-negative PI3-kinase or Akt inhibits nuclear entry of Mdm2, increases cellular levels of p53, and augments p53 transcriptional activity. Expression of constitutively active Akt promotes nuclear entry of Mdm2, diminishes cellular levels of p53, and decreases p53 transcriptional activity. Mutation of the Akt phosphorylation sites in Mdm2 produces a mutant protein that is unable to enter the nucleus and increases p53 activity. The demonstration that PI3-kinase/Akt signaling affects Mdm2 localization provides insight into how this pathway, which is inappropriately activated in many malignancies, affects the function of p53.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Regression analyses demonstrated stronger baseline mood intensity and self-reported tendency to smoke to achieve pleasurable effects and to experience the desire to smoke when cigarettes are unavailable were predictive of general levels of craving report in active smokers in the laboratory and clinical setting.
Abstract: A brief, 10-item version of the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU; Tiffany & Drobes, British Journal of Addiction 86:1467-1476, 1991) was administered to 221 active cigarette smokers in a laboratory setting (Study 1) and to 112 smokers enrolled in a comprehensive smoking cessation program (Study 2). In the laboratory setting, craving to smoke was evaluated in response to neutral and smoking-related stimuli. In the clinical setting, craving was assessed prior to cessation and again during treatment. Factor analyses revealed that a two-factor solution best described the item structure of the QSU-Brief across conditions. Factor 1 items reflected a strong desire and intention to smoke, with smoking perceived as rewarding for active smokers. Factor 2 items represented an anticipation of relief from negative affect with an urgent desire to smoke. The findings were consistent with the expressions of craving found in the 32-item version of the QSU (Tiffany & Drobes, 1991). Regression analyses demonstrated stronger baseline mood intensity and self-reported tendency to smoke to achieve pleasurable effects and to experience the desire to smoke when cigarettes are unavailable were predictive of general levels of craving report in active smokers in the laboratory and clinical setting. The findings supported a multidimensional conceptualization of craving to smoke and demonstrated the utility of a brief multidimensional measure of craving.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A molecular link between activation of the PI 3-kinase/AKT survival pathways, hormone-independent activation of ERα, and inhibition of tamoxifen-induced apoptotic regression is defined.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Close links between psychological control and adjustment were more complex: high levels of psychological control were associated with more delinquent problems for girls and for teens who were low in preadolescent delinquent problems, and with more anxiety/depression forGirls and for girls who were high in preAdolescent anxiety/Depression.
Abstract: The early childhood antecedents and behavior-problem correlates of monitoring and psychological control were examined in this prospective, longitudinal, multi-informant study. Parenting data were collected during home visit interviews with 440 mothers and their 13-year-old children. Behavior problems (anxiety/depression and delinquent behavior) were assessed via mother, teacher, and/or adolescent reports at ages 8 through 10 years and again at ages 13 through 14. Home-interview data collected at age 5 years were used to measure antecedent parenting (harsh/reactive, positive/proactive), family background (e.g., socioeconomic status), and mother-rated child behavior problems. Consistent with expectation, monitoring was anteceded by a proactive parenting style and by advantageous family-ecological characteristics, and psychological control was anteceded by harsh parenting and by mothers' earlier reports of child externalizing problems. Consistent with prior research, monitoring was associated with fewer delinquent behavior problems. Links between psychological control and adjustment were more complex: High levels of psychological control were associated with more delinquent problems for girls and for teens who were low in preadolescent delinquent problems, and with more anxiety/depression for girls and for teens who were high in preadolescent anxiety/depression.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Multiple doses of rhuMAb VEGF were well tolerated, and pharmacokinetic studies indicate that doses of > or = 0.3 mg/kg have a half-life similar to that of other humanized antibodies.
Abstract: PURPOSE: We investigated the safety and pharmacokinetics of a recombinant human monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor (rhuMAb VEGF) in patients with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cohorts of patients with metastatic cancer having failed prior therapy entered a phase I trial of rhuMAb VEGF administered by a 90-minute intravenous infusion at doses from 0.1 to 10.0 mg/kg on days 0, 28, 35, and 42. Patients underwent pharmacokinetic sampling on day 0 and had serum samples obtained during the subsequent 28 days. Response assessment was carried out on days 49 and 72. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients with a median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 were accrued. There were no grade III or IV adverse events definitely related to the antibody. There were three episodes of tumor-related bleeding. Infusions of rhuMAb VEGF were well tolerated without significant toxicity. Grades I and II adverse events possibly or probably related to study drug included asthenia, headache, and ...


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of transformational and transactional leader behaviors on the sales performance and organizational citizenship behaviors of salespeople, as well as the mediating role played by trust and role ambiguity in that process.
Abstract: This study examines the impact of transformational and transactional leader behaviors on the sales performance and organizational citizenship behaviors of salespeople, as well as the mediating role played by trust and role ambiguity in that process. Measures of six forms of transformational leader behavior, two forms of transactional leader behavior, trust, and role ambiguity were obtained from 477 sales agents working for a large national insurance company. Objective sales performance data were obtained for the agents, and their supervisors provided evaluations of their citizenship behaviors. The findings validate not only the basic notion that transformational leadership influences salespeople to perform “above and beyond the call of duty” but also that transformational leader behaviors actually have stronger direct and indirect relationships with sales performance and organizational citizenship behavior than transactional leader behaviors. Moreover, this is true even when common method biases are controlled. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how innovativeness is affected by various characteristics of cross-functional teams and contextual influences on the team and found that the effect of superordinate identity on innovation is strengthened by encouragement to take risk and weakened by social cohesion.
Abstract: Multiple studies have found that the primary determinant of new product failure is an absence of innovativeness—the extent to which a new product provides meaningfully unique benefits. Given the persistence of this finding and the growing use of cross-functional teams in new product development projects, the authors examine how innovativeness is affected by various characteristics of cross-functional teams and contextual influences on the team. On the basis of a study of 141 cross-functional product development teams, the authors find that innovativeness is positively related to the strength of superordinate identity in the team, encouragement to take risk, customers’ influence, and active monitoring of the project by senior management. Beyond a moderate level, social cohesion among team members has a negative effect on innovativeness. The effect of superordinate identity on innovativeness is strengthened by encouragement to take risk and weakened by social cohesion. Functional diversity has no e...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Any realistic noncommutative theory is found to be physically equivalent to a subset of a general Lorentz-violating standard-model extension involving ordinary fields.
Abstract: The role of Lorentz symmetry in noncommutative field theory is considered. Any realistic noncommutative theory is found to be physically equivalent to a subset of a general Lorentz-violating standard-model extension involving ordinary fields. Some theoretical consequences are discussed. Existing experiments bound the scale of the noncommutativity parameter to (10 TeV){sup -2} .

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: MR signal alterations in the tissues of older individuals pose challenges to the validity of current methods of tissue segmentation, and should be considered in the interpretation of the results.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the A-not-B error and its previously puzzling contextual variations can be understood by the coupled dynamics of the ordinary processes of goal-directed actions: looking, planning, reaching, and remembering.
Abstract: The overall goal of this target article is to demonstrate a mechanism for an embodied cognition. The particular vehicle is a much-studied, but still widely debated phenomenon seen in 7-12 month-old-infants. In Piaget's classic "A-not-B error," infants who have successfully uncovered a toy at location "A" continue to reach to that location even after they watch the toy hidden in a nearby location "B." Here, we question the traditional explanations of the error as an indicator of infants' concepts of objects or other static mental structures. Instead, we demonstrate that the A-not-B error and its previously puzzling contextual variations can be understood by the coupled dynamics of the ordinary processes of goal-directed actions: looking, planning, reaching, and remembering. We offer a formal dynamic theory and model based on cognitive embodiment that both simulates the known A-not-B effects and offers novel predictions that match new experimental results. The demonstration supports an embodied view by casting the mental events involved in perception, planning, deciding, and remembering in the same analogic dynamic language as that used to describe bodily movement, so that they may be continuously meshed. We maintain that this mesh is a pre-eminently cognitive act of "knowing" not only in infancy but also in everyday activities throughout the life span.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the literature concerning the phenomenon known as automatic attitude activation is presented in this article, where the robustness of the affective priming effect across many different procedural variations, the mediating mechanisms thought to underlie the effect, and the moderating role of associative strength are discussed.
Abstract: A review of the literature concerning the phenomenon known as automatic attitude activation is presented. The robustness of the affective priming effect across many different procedural variations, the mediating mechanisms thought to underlie the effect, and the moderating role of associative strength are discussed. The relevance and importance of automatic attitude activation to many fundamental cognitive and social processes also is highlighted. Finally, an overview of the articles included in this Special Issue of Cognition and Emotion, their essential contributions, and their relation to the earlier literature is presented.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors test hypotheses about the effects of bank size, foreign ownership, and distress on lending to informationally opaque small firms, using a rich new data set on Argentinean banks, firms, and loans.
Abstract: Consolidation of the banking industry is shifting assets into larger institutions that often operate in many nations. Large international financial institutions are geared toward serving large wholesale customers. How does this affect the banking system's ability to lend to informationally opaque small businesses? The authors test hypotheses about the effects of bank size, foreign ownership, and distress on lending to informationally opaque small firms, using a rich new data set on Argentinean banks, firms, and loans. They also test hypotheses about borrowing from a single bank versus borrowing from several banks. Their results suggest that large and foreign-owned institutions may have difficulty extending relationship loans to opaque small firms, especially if small businesses are delinquent in repaying their loans. Bank distress resulting from lax prudential supervision and regulation appears to have no greater effect on small borrowers than on large borrowers, although even small firms may react to bank distress by borrowing from multiple banks, despite raising borrowing costs and destroying some of the benefits of exclusive lending relationships.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Oct 2001-Diabetes
TL;DR: It is concluded that the recently described relationships of murine resistin/Fizz3 expression with obesity, insulin resistance, and PPAR-gamma action may not readily translate to humans.
Abstract: Recent studies in murine models suggest that resistin (also called Fizz3 [1]), a novel cysteine-rich protein secreted by adipocytes, may represent the long-sought link between obesity and insulin resistance (2). Furthermore, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) agonists appear to inhibit resistin expression in murine adipocytes, providing a possible explanation for the mode of action of this class of insulin sensitizers (2). Using a fluorescent real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction-based assay, we found that resistin mRNA levels in whole adipose tissue samples were increased in morbidly obese humans compared with lean control subjects. However, in freshly isolated human adipocytes, resistin mRNA levels were very low and showed no correlation with BMI. Resistin mRNA was undetectable in preadipocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells, but it was readily detectable in circulating mononuclear cells. Although exposure of human mononuclear cells to PPAR-gamma agonists markedly upregulated fatty acid-binding protein-4 expression, these agents had no effect on mononuclear cell resistin expression. Finally, resistin mRNA was undetectable in adipocytes from a severely insulin-resistant subject with a dominant-negative mutation in PPAR-gamma (3). We conclude that the recently described relationships of murine resistin/Fizz3 expression with obesity, insulin resistance, and PPAR-gamma action may not readily translate to humans. Further studies of this novel class of proteins are needed to clarify their roles in human metabolism.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results suggest that minocycline blocks MPTP neurotoxicity in vivo by indirectly inhibiting MPTP/MPP+-induced glial iNOS expression and/or directly inhibiting NO-induced neurotoxicity, most likely by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK.
Abstract: Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra, decreased striatal dopamine levels, and consequent extrapyramidal motor dysfunction. We now report that minocycline, a semisynthetic tetracycline, recently shown to have neuroprotective effects in animal models of stroke/ischemic injury and Huntington's disease, prevents nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Minocycline treatment also blocked dopamine depletion in the striatum as well as in the nucleus accumbens after MPTP administration. The neuroprotective effect of minocycline is associated with marked reductions in inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and caspase 1 expression. In vitro studies using primary cultures of mesencephalic and cerebellar granule neurons (CGN) and/or glia demonstrate that minocycline inhibits both 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+))-mediated iNOS expression and NO-induced neurotoxicity, but MPP(+)-induced neurotoxicity is inhibited only in the presence of glia. Further, minocycline also inhibits NO-induced phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in CGN and the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, blocks NO toxicity of CGN. Our results suggest that minocycline blocks MPTP neurotoxicity in vivo by indirectly inhibiting MPTP/MPP(+)-induced glial iNOS expression and/or directly inhibiting NO-induced neurotoxicity, most likely by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK. Thus, NO appears to play an important role in MPTP neurotoxicity. Neuroprotective tetracyclines may be effective in preventing or slowing the progression of Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article examined the effects of student-faculty interaction on student satisfaction and on a range of self-reported learning and personal development gains associated with attending college of 5,409 full-time undergraduates from 126 four-year colleges and universities.
Abstract: This study examined the effects of student-faculty interaction on student satisfaction and on a range of self-reported learning and personal development gains associated with attending college of 5,409 full-time undergraduates from 126 four-year colleges and universities. Findings show that the frequency of student-faculty interaction increased from first year through the senior year. Although its net effects were trivial, such interactions had substantial positive effects on studentsO efforts in other educationally purposeful activities, which had non-trivial effects on their estimated gains and satisfaction.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings show that the way virtual teams manage internal conflict is a crucial factor in their success and that temporal coordination has some significant moderating effects.
Abstract: In this study, we examined the effects of temporal coordination on virtual teams supported by an asynchronous communication technology (Lotus Notes). Specifically, we evaluated the moderating role of a temporal coordination mechanism, process structure, on the relationship between conflict management behavior and virtual team performance. An experiment was conducted with 35 five-person teams in the United States and Japan. Our findings show that the way virtual teams manage internal conflict is a crucial factor in their success and that temporal coordination has some significant moderating effects.