cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gambogic acid potentiates gemcitabine induced anticancer activity in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent type of lung cancer accounting up to 80–85% of all lung cancer (LC) cases. Gemcitabine (Gem), a pyrimidine nucleoside antimetabolite, is widely used chemotherapy offering several months survival benefit in patients with NSCLC. The emergence of Gem resistance is a main clinical concern in cancer treatment and thus a continuous demand for development of new therapeutic strategies to improve its antitumor activity. Hence, we report an adjuvant therapeutic regimen based on natural compound, gambogic acid (GA) which has been shown to enhanced Gem induced inhibition of cancer cell growth, arrest cell cycle, and induce apoptosis by enhanced accumulation of Gem. The in vitro cell viability, clonogenicity, invasion, and migration assays demonstrated a significant higher therapeutic effect of Gem when it was combined with GA in A549 and H1299 cells. A better access of internalization of drug molecules achieved in rhodamine 123 assay when GA was used as adjuvant treatment. Further, GA and Gem combination significantly reduced tubular formation of HUVEC cells indicates lowering angiogenesis potential. Microarray and Western blot studies confirm that GA + Gem co-treatment strategy promotes cancer cell death by downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins, chemoresistance-associated proteins, and upregulation of apoptosis proteins. More importantly, a significant higher therapeutic benefit was noticed for GA and Gem combination in A549 xenograft mice model. Together, these results offer a rationale to evaluate the clinical translational possibility of GA as adjuvant therapy to overcome Gem resistance. This combination regimen can be a new therapeutic concept to eradicate this devastating disease.
Familial Obesity Risk and Current Excess Weight Influence Brain Structure in Adolescents.

Objective Obesity risk transmits from parents to children. Underlying neural mechanisms were investigated in this study by evaluating influences of familial obesity risk defined by maternal obesity and influences of current overweight on three indices of brain structure in adolescents. Methods In total, 22 lean adolescents with lean mothers (lean low-risk), 25 lean adolescents with mothers with obesity/overweight (lean high-risk), and 36 adolescents with obesity/overweight underwent structural MRI scans for estimation of regional gray and white matter volume and cortical thickness. Results The lean high-risk compared with the lean low-risk group demonstrated lower gray and white matter volume and cortical thickness in the postcentral gyrus (somatosensory cortex), lower gray and white matter volume in the opercular cortex (taste cortex), lower gray matter volume and cortical thickness in the anterior cingulate cortex, and lower cortical thickness in the precuneus. Comparisons of the lean and obesity/overweight groups revealed further structural alterations in the postcentral gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus. Conclusions Familial obesity risk and current obesity/overweight were associated with overlapping and distinct patterns of brain structure alterations. Longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate whether structural changes associated with familial obesity risk predict future weight trajectories.
Whole-Exome Sequencing and hiPSC Cardiomyocyte Models Identify MYRIP , TRAPPC11 , and SLC27A6 of Potential Importance to Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in an African Ancestry Population.

Background: Indices of left ventricular (LV) structure and geometry represent useful intermediate phenotypes related to LV hypertrophy (LVH), a predictor of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) outcomes. Methods and Results: We conducted an exome-wide association study of LV mass (LVM) adjusted to height2.7, LV internal diastolic dimension (LVIDD), and relative wall thickness (RWT) among 1,364 participants of African ancestry (AAs) in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN). Both single-variant and gene-based sequence kernel association tests were performed to examine whether common and rare coding variants contribute to variation in echocardiographic traits in AAs. We then used a data-driven procedure to prioritize and select genes for functional validation using a human induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) model. Three genes [myosin VIIA and Rab interacting protein (MYRIP), trafficking protein particle complex 11 (TRAPPC11), and solute carrier family 27 member 6 (SLC27A6)] were prioritized based on statistical significance, variant functional annotations, gene expression in the hiPSC-CM model, and prior biological evidence and were subsequently knocked down in the hiPSC-CM model. Expression profiling of hypertrophic gene markers in the knockdowns suggested a decrease in hypertrophic expression profiles. MYRIP knockdowns showed a significant decrease in atrial natriuretic factor (NPPA) and brain natriuretic peptide (NPPB) expression. Knockdowns of the heart long chain fatty acid (FA) transporter SLC27A6 resulted in downregulated caveolin 3 (CAV3) expression, which has been linked to hypertrophic phenotypes in animal models. Finally, TRAPPC11 knockdown was linked to deficient calcium handling. Conclusions: The three genes are biologically plausible candidates that provide new insight to hypertrophic pathways.
A flexible multivariate model for high-dimensional correlated count data

We propose a flexible multivariate stochastic model for over-dispersed count data. Our methodology is built upon mixed Poisson random vectors (Y1,…,Yd), where the {Yi} are conditionally independent Poisson random variables. The stochastic rates of the {Yi} are multivariate distributions with arbitrary non-negative margins linked by a copula function. We present basic properties of these mixed Poisson multivariate distributions and provide several examples. A particular case with geometric and negative binomial marginal distributions is studied in detail. We illustrate an application of our model by conducting a high-dimensional simulation motivated by RNA-sequencing data.
Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and psychostimulants with abuse potential among racial and ethnic groups – United States, 2004–2019

Abstract Background Drug overdose deaths involving stimulants, including cocaine and psychostimulants with abuse potential (e.g., methamphetamine), have been increasing, partly because of co-involvement with opioids. Stimulant-involved overdose deaths have disproportionately increased among non-Hispanic Black (Black) and non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) persons; however, the role of opioids in exacerbating disproportionate stimulant-involved death rates is unclear. Methods Analysis of National Vital Statistics System multiple cause-of-death mortality files examined age-adjusted cocaine- and psychostimulant-involved death rates. Analyses of death rates stratified by racial and ethnic group and opioid co-involvement included: 1) Joinpoint regression of 2004–2019 trends, 2) changes in rates from 2018 to 2019, and 3) demographic and geographic characteristics of 2019 deaths. Results From 2004 to 2019, cocaine and psychostimulant-involved death rates were higher for Black and AI/AN persons, respectively. Among all groups, increases in cocaine-involved overdose rates were largely driven by opioid co-involvement, particularly after 2013. From 2004 to 2019, rates for psychostimulant-involved deaths increased with and without opioid co-involvement. Rates for overdoses co-involving cocaine and synthetic opioids increased from 2018 to 2019 for Hispanic, non-Hispanic White (White), and Black persons. Psychostimulant-involved overdose rates with and without synthetic opioid co-involvement increased among Hispanic, White, and Black persons. In 2019, Black and AI/AN persons continued to experience higher cocaine- and psychostimulant-involved death rates, respectively. Conclusions Stimulant-involved deaths continue to increase, and the role of opioids in driving these deaths varies by race and ethnicity. Ensuring equitable access to proven prevention and treatment interventions and incorporating social determinants of health into future research around effective pharmacotherapies may help reduce stimulant-involved overdose deaths.
Triumph and Tragedy: The Story of the 35th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War

Review of: "Triumph and Tragedy: The Story of the 35th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War," by Lee Miller.
A time series analysis of some aspects of locomotor behavior of goldfish, Carassius Auratus L

Abstract The oscillation in each of 17 locomotor variables of 8 different active goldfish is studied by time series analyses. The fish had been monitored singly for over 15 hrs on different dates over a 2‐yr period and under controlled conditions of temperature, light, water quality, and flow. The derived autoregressive models reject the “random”; hypothesis of independent observations over time. Instead, the correlo‐grams oscillate smoothly and regions of positive and of negative partial serial correlation are apparent. Prediction of future behavior of the series is greatly enhanced by the models, and distinct patterns in their coefficients are evident for individual fish over all variables and individual variables over all fish. Angle size relationships are the most rigid oscillators. Mean step length is the most pliant variable and hence is the most likely parameter to be modulated by the control mechanism or mechanisms of orientation. The authors surmise that the 17 variables, with their varying perio...
Prototyping as Modeling: What is Being Modeled?

Abstract It is commonly argued (7, 16) that an evolutionary approach to software system development based on prototyping can solve many of the problems of traditional development methods. In pursuing this approach, prototypes are often thought of as models, yet it is unclear exactly what they are modeling. This question is examined below, leading to an inquiry into the nature of prototypes, systems, conceptual models, specifications, designs, and the relationships among them. This in turn leads to a fundamental inquiry into the nature of modeling, which reveals that traditional views provide little insight into what it means to build a model for something that does not yet exist. This paper examines these issues in some detail and attempts to provide deeper insight into prototyping by means of a new understanding of the modeling relationship.
Human herpesvirus 6B origin: sequence diversity, requirement for two binding sites for origin-binding protein, and enhanced replication from origin multimers.

Abstract A previously identified human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) origin of DNA replication contains two binding sites for the origin-binding protein (OBPH6B). We have investigated the functional significance of these sites by determining the replication efficiencies of mutated origin sequences, using a transient replication assay. The results indicate that both sites are required for DNA replication. In addition, we have tested the functional consequences of linear sequence amplifications in the origin. The data show that tandemized origin elements are more efficiently replicated than single-copy origins. Finally, we have determined the extent of interstrain origin sequence variation that exists among HHV-6 isolates by cloning, sequencing, and analyzing origins from a number of virus isolates, including examples of both HHV-6A and HHV-6B.
Comment on: Comment on "Mysterious abrupt carbon-14 increase in coral contributed by a comet" Yi Liu et al

Unfortunately, Liu et al. contains a number of errors and omissions which compromise its conclusions. These have to do with the amount of 14C which is necessary to deposit in the atmosphere in order to see a perturbation like that in 774 AD, and the ability of a comet to do so.
Modeling planning as an incremental, opportunistic process

Planning is the process of formulating an intended course of action. In this paper we present a model of planning and describe the current version of an INTERLISP simulation of the model. We also review psychological results which confirm the model's basic assumptions for human planning behavior.
Field Measured Spectral Albedo–Four Years of Data from the Western U.S. Prairie

[1] This paper presents an initial look at four years of spectral measurements used to calculate albedo for the Colorado prairie just east of the Rocky Mountain range foothills. Some issues associated with calculating broadband albedo from thermopile sensors are discussed demonstrating that uncorrected instrument issues have led to incorrect conclusions. Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) is defined for the spectral instruments in this study and used to demonstrate the dramatic changes that can be monitored with this very sensitive product. Examples of albedo wavelength and solar-zenith angle dependence for different stages of vegetative growth and senescence are presented. The spectral albedo of fresh snow and its spectral and solar-zenith angle dependence are discussed and contrasted with other studies of these dependencies. We conclude that fresh snow is consistent with a Lambertian reflector over the solar incidence angles measured; this is contrary to most snow albedo results. Even a slope of a degree or two in the viewed surface can explain the asymmetry in the morning and afternoon albedos for snow and vegetation. Plans for extending these spectral measurements for albedo to longer wavelengths and to additional sites are described.
Decreased Cortisol and Pain in Breast Cancer: Biofield Therapy Potential

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among women of all races. Pain is a common symptom associated with cancer; 75–90% of cancer patients experience pain during their illness and up to 50% of that pain is undertreated. Unrelieved pain leads to increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of bioenergy on fecal cortisol levels for mice injected with murine mammary carcinoma 4T1 in two separate pilot studies. Using a multiple experimental group design, six to eight week old female BALB/c mice were injected with tumor and randomly assigned, in groups of 10, to daily treatment, every other day treatment, and no treatment groups. Five days after tumor cell injection, bioenergy interventions were begun for a period of ten consecutive days. Fecal samples were collected for each study and ELISA analysis was conducted at the end of both studies. For both studies, cortisol levels were decreased in the every other day treatment groups but remained high in the no treatment groups. Future studies utilizing bioenergy therapies on cortisol levels in a murine breast cancer model can begin to describe pain outcomes and therapeutic dose.
Professional Socialization: A Bridge Between the Explicit and Implicit Curricula

Professional socialization has become a notable construct for social work with the publication of the Council on Social Work Education's (2008) revised Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Though historically regarded as essential, little is known about the professional socialization of social workers. This article presents professional socialization as a key element that bridges the explicit and implicit curricula. Results from this study provide empirical support for a theoretical framework of the professional socialization of social workers with a particular focus on factors that predict professional socialization, which is defined as a multidimensional, temporal construct beginning before formal education and continuing after it, with values, attitudes, and professional identity as outcomes. Implications for social work education, development of systematic research in this area, and recruitment and retention are discussed.
Optimization of portable pulse oximetry through Fourier analysis

Portable pulse oximetry requires new techniques to minimize hardware expense, footprint, and power consumption. To optimize portability, fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis was used as an alternative method to calculate hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2) values. The following variables were used for FFT optimization: (i) total collection period; (ii) number of discrete data points; (iii) data sampling rate; and (iv) resolution in the spectral analysis output. The objective was to discover the minimum sampling rate and minimum number of discrete data points which would maintain SpO2 accuracy. Preliminary results indicate that a 15 Hz data sampling rate over a 4.3 second collection period maintains acceptable SpO2 accuracy via a 64 point FFT computation. >
Imagining Cihuacoatl: Masculine Rituals, Nahua Goddesses and the Texts of the Tlacuilos

‘Imagining Cihuacoatl’ examines the conundrum of the multiple identities of the ‘serpent woman’, a Mexica goddess, analysing her relationship with other goddesses in the Nahua pantheon. She and the others were marked in a particular sexualised and gendered manner in the Nahua world. This article argues that Cihuacoatl and the fertility goddesses cannot be conceptualised in a symbolic universe that has binary divisions between male and female, nor can they be analysed by the methods currently employed in the social and cultural history of sexuality. This article follows images of various goddesses of warfare and fertility from pre-conquest and early post-conquest texts, suggesting ways in which the Spanish attempted to reconceptualise all of them into a framework of demonic sin. ‘Imagining Cihuacoatl’ will interrogate the sexual performance involved in Nahua ritual, lost in the translation not just from Nahuatl to Spanish but from a system that linked sex with rites of fertility to one that linked sex with sin. ‘Imagining Cihuacoatl’ shows that Gayle Rubin's call to develop a theory of sexuality separate from gender is a project fraught with contradictions, and one that remains incomplete.
Cardiovascular Phenotype in HFpEF Patients With or Without Diabetes: A RELAX Trial Ancillary Study

Abstract Background The RELAX (Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibition to Improve Clinical Status and Exercise Capacity in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction) study was a multicenter, randomized trial of sildenafil versus placebo in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) with rigorous entry criteria and extensive phenotypic characterization of participants. Objectives The aim of this study was to characterize clinical features, exercise capacity, and outcomes in patients with HFpEF with or without diabetes and gain insight into contributing pathophysiological mechanisms. Methods The RELAX study enrolled 216 stable outpatients with heart failure, an ejection fraction ≥50%, increased natriuretic peptide or intracardiac pressures, and reduced exercise capacity. Prospectively collected data included echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, a comprehensive biomarker panel, exercise testing, and clinical events over 6 months. Results Compared with nondiabetic patients (n = 123), diabetic HFpEF patients (n = 93) were younger, more obese, and more often male and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, renal dysfunction, pulmonary disease, and vascular disease (p Conclusions HFpEF patients with diabetes are at increased risk of hospitalization and have reduced exercise capacity. Multimorbidity, impaired chronotropic reserve, left ventricular hypertrophy, and activation of inflammatory, pro-oxidative, vasoconstrictor, and profibrotic pathways may contribute to adverse outcomes in HFpEF patients with diabetes. (Evaluating the Effectiveness of Sildenafil at Improving Health Outcomes and Exercise Ability in People With Diastolic Heart Failure [The RELAX Study]; NCT00763867 )
Does job satisfaction mediate the relationship between healthy work environment and care quality

Background A healthy work environment can increase nurse-reported job satisfaction and patient care outcomes. Yet the associations between healthy work environment, nurse job satisfaction and QC have not been comprehensively examined in Chinese ICUs. Aim To investigate the mediating effect of nurse job satisfaction on the relationship between healthy work environment and nurse-reported quality of care (QC) in Chinese intensive care units (ICUs). Methods A total of 706 nurses were recruited from 28 ICUs of 14 tertiary hospitals. The nurses completed self-reported questionnaires to evaluate healthy work environment, job satisfaction and quality of patient care. Mediation analysis was conducted to explore the mediating effect between nurse-reported healthy work environment and QC. Results Nurse work environment showed positive correlations with nurse-reported QC in the ICUs. Nurse-reported job satisfaction showed full mediating effects between healthy work environment and QC in the medical-surgical ICUs, surgical ICUs and neonatal/paediatric ICUs and indicated a partial mediating effect in the medical ICUs. Relevance to clinical practice Significant mediating effects of nurse job satisfaction provide more support for thinking about how to use this mediator to increase nurse and patient care outcomes. Nurse administrators can design interventions to increase nurse work environment and patient care outcomes with this mediating factor addressed.
An American Theory of the Public Sphere

The United States has for most of its history been a victorious nation. Then its historians make comparisons with other nations, they invariably favor the United States. The habit of victory can then become a bad one. "The historian who stands on the side of the victorious," Reinhart Koselleck has written, "is easily tempted to interpret triumphs of the moment as the lasting outcomes of an ex post facto teleology."3 At times, one must question the winner's view and make it the subject of debate. This, as I understand it, is Paul Starr's task in The Creation of the Media. Without polemic, Starr asks us to extend our thinking about media and politics both, and bypasses the truisms that characterize current discussion on the subject. Starr seeks to question the conservative consensus in American politics, describing what he calls an "American dilemma," provoked by the near-exclusive reliance on private interests to preserve public liberties-a remedy that can have the opposite effect. The book offers brilliant historical accounts to show that the U.S. state was responsible from the start
The impact of information technology on financial performance: the importance of strategic choice

Information technology (IT) may not automatically improve firm profitability. It is an essential tool, but not sufficient in itself, and should therefore be coupled with organisational factors such as business strategies. A firm can maximise the value from its IT investments by aligning them with business strategies because IT improves scope economies and coordination. This paper examines empirically the contribution of IT to financial performance as measured by net profit, ROA, and ROE by focusing on the alignment of IT with business strategies such as vertical disintegration and diversification. Empirical analysis shows that IT does not directly improve financial performance. In conjunction with vertical disintegration and diversification, however, it does improve financial performance as measured by net profit. Financial performance ratios such as ROA and ROE, however, are not correlated with the alignment (or interaction) factor of IT with vertical disintegration and diversification. The results indicate that increased IT spending improves net profit, but not performance ratios such as ROA and ROE, of firms with decreased vertical integration and higher diversification.
A multiple discriminant analysis of BHC commercial paper ratings

Abstract In the Peavy-Edgar (1983) model, the size of the larger issuers appear to overcome significant differences in other variables. It may be that the rating agencies are focusing on the percieved importance of large banks to the financial system. As the claims of large creditors may be reduced in regulatory efforts to maintain the operations of an individual institution, more information about international risk exposure appears needed for bank holding company paper ratings to be valid.
A structural analysis of performance deviations: a time series perspective.

A time series modelling approach is suggested to analyze the set of performance deviations which are generated by the institution's control system. The purpose of the time series analysis is to provide decision makers with information regarding the structure underlying the set of performance deviations. This structural analysis is intended to facilitate the selection and implementation of appropriate control actions. The basic control system's elements needed to generate information amenable to a time series analysis are specified. A simple case is presented to illustrate the time series method suggested.
GLOBAL OPTIMIZATION OF LINEAR HYBRID SYSTEMS WITH VARYING TIME EVENTS

Dynamic optimization problems with linear hybrid (discrete/continuous) systems embedded whose transition times vary are inherently nonconvex. For a wide variety of applications, a certificate of global optimality is essential, but this cannot be obtained using conventional numerical methods. We present a deterministic framework for the solution of such problems in the continuous time domain. First, the control parametrization enhancing transform is used to transform the embedded dynamic system from a linear hybrid system with scaled discontinuities and varying transition times into a nonlinear hybrid system with stationary discontinuities and fixed transition times. Next, a recently developed convexity theory is applied to construct a convex relaxation of the original nonconvex problem. This allows the problem to be solved in a branch-and-bound framework that can guarantee the global solution within epsilon optimality in a finite number of iterations.
Ca SR Leak is Modulated by CaMKII Phosphorylation on RyR2-S2814

CaMKII has been shown to increase cardiac SR Ca leak through RyRs. RyR2-S2814 has been suggested as the phosphorylation site responsible for SR Ca leak triggering cardiac arrhythmias in heart failure. Here we test the requirement of S2814 for these effects, in knock-in mice expressing only RyR2-S2814A or -S2814D. Ca spark frequency (CaSpF) and SR load were studied in intact and permeabilized cardiomyocytes using confocal microscopy. At baseline CaSpF is higher in S2814D vs. WT (8.7±0.4 (n=9) vs 6.44±0.3, n=8, p<0.01) without altered SR Ca load. Activation of endogenous CaMKII (1.2 μM Ca-calmodulin) in WT increases CaSpF as described by Guo et al (Circ. Res, 2006), but only to the level seen in S2814D at baseline. Moreover, CaMKII did not further increase CaSpF in S2814D myocytes. In RyR2-S2814A CaMKII activation produces a very small CaSpF increase vs WT (19 vs 60%), and that response in S2814A is secondary to increased SR Ca load (by 15%, n=10, p<0.01). In intact myocytes (as above), basal CaSpF was highest in S2814D vs. WT and S2814A (which were similar). Baseline Ca transients were not different among the groups. The cAMP activated GTP exchange factor Epac may activate CaMKII to induce SR Ca leak (Pereira et al, J Physiol, 2007). In WT mice the Epac activator 8-CPT enhanced CaSpF and decreased both SR Ca load and Ca transient amplitude (consistent with a primary effect on SR Ca leak). However, 8-CPT had no effect on any of these parameters in either S2814A or S2814D myocytes. These data indicate that RyR2-S2814 is the critical RyR2 site responsible for CaMKII-dependent enhancement of SR Ca leak and potential arrhythmogenesis in heart failure, and confirm that Epac signaling can work through this same pathway.
Mice Lacking E-Selection Show Normal Numbers of Rolling Leukocytes but Reduced Leukocyte Stable Arrest on Cytokine-Activated Microvascular Endothelium

Objective:Previous work indicated that E-selectin mediates transient interactions between leukocytes and cytokine-activated endothelium in vitro. Here we examine the role of E-selectin in blood leukocyte interactions with microvascular endothelium in vivo. Methods:E-selectin-deficient (E−/−mice were produced by gene targeting. The effect of this null mutation on leukocyte-endothelial interactions was determined by intravital microscopy before and 4 to 5 hours after local administration of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in dermal microvessels with low blood flow (dorsal skin-fold chambers, intact ear skin), and after endotoxin activation in exteriorized mesenteric microvessels with higher blood flow. Results:E−/−mice were viable, fertile with normal circulating leukocyte and platelet profiles. Approximately 60% of circulating leukocytes rolled in dermal microvessels of both normal (E+/+) and E−/−mice without inflammatory stimulation. After local administration of TNFα, rolling ...
Ubiquitous Computing UX When There Is No UI

Ubiquitous computing is a term used to describe an approach to product and service delivery in which the technology is concealed in the background, requiring little to no interaction with the user ...
P53 gene mutations and steroid receptor status in breast cancer. Clinicopathologic correlations and prognostic assessment

Background. There is increasing evidence linking development and progression of cancer to an accumulation of mutations at the genomic level. The most frequently mutated gene known to date in sporadic breast cancer appears to be the tumor suppressor gene p53. This study was designed to determine the frequency of p53 gene mutations in primary breast cancer, to correlate the presence of p53 mutations with established clinicopathologic parameters, including the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status, and to assess the prognostic significance of p53 mutations regarding patient survival. Methods. We examined the p53 gene in genomic DNA samples from 192 primary breast cancers. Using denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis, the authors analyzed exons 5–9 in all tumors for mutations and performed DNA sequencing in 20 tumors to identify the exact nature of the p53 mutations. Results. p53 gene alterations were identified in 43 of the 192 tumors (22%), the majority localized in exons 5 and 6. DNA sequencing showed mostly missense mutations resulting from G or C substitutions. p53 mutations were found more often in tumors of younger women (P = 0.002), Afro-American women (P = 0.05), and in tumors lacking ER (P = 0.03), PR (P = 0.04), or both (P = 0.06). There were no significant correlations with family history, tumor size, histologic grade or type, nodal status, or disease stage. The overall survival rates showed no significant difference between patients with mutant and wild-type p53 tumors. The same was true when the comparison was limited to node-negative patients or patients with ER-positive or ER-negative tumors. Finally, there was no significant difference in survival between patients with tumors harboring mutations in exons 5 and 6 versus exons 7–9. Conclusions. The results of this and other studies demonstrate a consistent relationship between ER-positive tumors and wild-type p53 on one hand and ER-negative cancers and p53 mutations on the other. Our data do not support a significant prognostic role for p53 mutations in predicting survival.
Is it a benefit? Supplementing service education partnerships

Abstract Entering the job market as a newly graduated nurse can be daunting. Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, has developed a unique approach to supplement the relationship between service and education. The education of nursing students regarding available benefits and pay practices in hospitals has been reported by nursing students to be very valuable. The relationships forged during these interactive sessions with a human resources recruiter and a Nurse Executive have been key in increasing the ability of the hospital to recruit new graduates, which resulted in a 1.7% vacancy rate for nursing positions in 2006.
Stimulation of transepithelial sodium and chloride transport by ascorbic acid. Induction of Na+ channels is inhibited by amiloride.

Abstract Ascorbic acid increases the short circuit current (Isc) across the amphibian cornea when it is present at either surface of this epithelium. These effects were additive. The effect was greater when it was on the tear side. The response returned to baseline levels when the ascorbic acid was washed from the bathing media. The effect of ascorbic acid on Isc when it was on the aqueous humor side of the cornea could be blocked by bumetanide but that due to the vitamin's presence on the tear side was unchanged. The ascorbic acid could enter the tissue and crossed the cornea at similar rates in either direction. When the cornea was bathed by a Cl−-free solution or exposed to bumetanide, the rise in Isc observed with ascorbic acid on the tear side was equivalent to an increased Na+ flux from the tear to the aqueous humor side. In normal (Cl− present) Conway solution the rise in the Isc seen with ascorbic acid on the aqueous humor side was equal to an increased flux of Cl− from the aqueous to the tear surface. However, when ascorbic acid was present on the opposite, tear, side the increased Isc reflected a rise in both Cl− and Na+ transport, aqueous-to-tear side, and tear-to-aqueous side, respectively. Thiol reagents (tear side), including reduced glutathione (10−5 M), blocked the effect of ascorbic acid (10−3 M) providing they were added to the bathing solution prior to the vitamin. However, they had no effect once the response had been established. The effect of the reduced glutathione appeared to be of a non-competitive nature. Oxidized glutatione (10−4 M) (and cystamine) blocked the effect of ascorbic acid (10−3 M) when present on the tear side prior to the vitamin. However, they also increased the rate of decline of the response when added subsequently to the ascorbic acid. Amiloride (as low as 5·10−9 M), on the tear side but not the aqueous humor side, prevented the response to ascorbic acid but could not reverse it, once it was established. The possible nature of the effect of ascorbic acid is discussed in relation to its pharmacological interactions with thiol and disulfide reagents and amiloride.
An Exploratory Examination of a Gendered Model of the Effects of Role Stressors

A gendered model of the effects of role stressors on job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment was tested. Ordinary least squares regression analysis of survey data from correctional staff provided partial support for the proposition that men and women perceive and respond to the work environment differently. Work–family conflict was found to influence levels of job stress, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among women but not among men. Conversely, role ambiguity, role overload, and perceived dangerousness influenced levels of job stress for men but not women. Furthermore, levels of role conflict and role ambiguity influenced levels of job satisfaction for men but not for women. These findings lend support to further development of gendered theoretical models.
Cardiac reactions and different developmental levels of cognitive functioning.

Beat-by-beat heart rate was observed during perceptual and cognitive performance in 78 kindergarten to third grade boys. Children at different Piagetian levels of perceptual and cognitive functioning were compared to see if changes in cardiac reactions mirrored different developmental levels of functioning. The cardiac reactions appeared to be a joint function of attention and cognitive operations. Perceptual tasks produced deceleration in all subjects. In contrast, all cognitive tasks produced cardiac deceleration followed by acceleration. Larger amounts of cardiac acceleration were observed with higher levels of cognitive performance in conservation of length and in a verbal form of class inclusion, but not in class inclusion administered with pictures. Lower amounts of deceleration occurred with higher cognitive levels of performance only in conservation. Skin conductance reactions and rated motoric and motivational involvement were not related to cognitive level of performance.
WE‐D‐I‐611‐03: Non‐Fourier Concepts in Image Quality

Medical images are acquired for the purpose of gathering information regarding the disease state of a patient. The quality of the image should be a measure of how a specified task may be performed given the resulting image.Image quality is task dependent; one imagingsystem may provide images that allow better task performance than another system's for one task, but worse for another task. Determining the quality of an imagingsystem involves specifying the task of interest, the range of objects that will be imaged, and the observer (human or machine reader) who will perform the task. In radiography it has become common to use Fourier measures to describe image quality through a combination of Fourier‐based measures of system resolution and noise. The Line Spread Function, when Fourier transformed, yields the Modulation Transfer Function(MTF) as a measure of system resolution. Use of the MTF to describe a system's resolution is appropriate when the imagingsystem is shift‐invariant, that is, the line spread function is independent of position. Imagenoise is described in the Fourier domain by the Noise Power Spectrum (NPS). We can use the NPS to describe the noise in an imagingsystem whenever the noiseproperties are stationary, meaning that the variance and correlations between fluctuations in different locations are not dependent on their absolute location. These Fourier measures of system resolution and noise are commonly combined to give an overall figure of merit known as the Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE). The DQE describes the signal‐to‐noise transfer characteristics of an imagingsystem as long as those assumptions of shift‐invariance and noise stationarity are valid. In digital systems the image of an object is affected by the location of the object with respect to the pixel grid. In other words, the detector pixels cause the system to be shift‐variant. In this case the MTF does not describe the resolution properties completely. This is particularly the case for tomographic systems, where the point‐response function is quite position‐dependent. Moreover, in real imagingsystems the noiseproperties will depend on position, most notably because real patients always have structure. So, the Fourier‐domain noise concept of Noise Power Spectrum does not capture all the properties of noise for real imagingsystems and tasks. In this talk we will consider a general treatment of the imagingsystem as a mapping of information from the patient to the data, without the assumptions inherent in Fourier analysis. We will discuss approaches to the characterization of system resolution and noise in terms of position‐dependent parameters. Once such position‐dependent imagingproperties of a system are determined, we can use them to calculate measures of image quality that summarize the usefulness of the images for the performance of various visual tasks.
TU-D-L100F-01: MR Biomarkers: Current Applications and Unmet Needs

The application of MR imaging biomarkers in pre‐clinical studies as well as Phase I/II clinical trials has greatly expanded over the past few years. Such MR biomarkers include measures obtained from dynamic contrast agent enhanced MRI (DCE‐MRI), dynamic susceptibility change MRI (DSC‐MRI), diffusionMRI, blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI, and in vivo spectroscopy. The symposium session will introduce each of these techniques and provide representative pre‐clinical and clinical trial results using each technique. In addition, more novel applications, such as MR molecular imaging techniques, will be introduced. Finally, a summary of unmet needs of MR imaging biomarkers, specifically the need for standardization, quality control, and change assessment criteria, will be presented. These needs must be addressed in order to Educational Objectives: 1. To understand the physical basis, applications, and current limitations of DCE‐MRI, DSC‐MRI, diffusionMRI, BOLD MRI, and MR spectroscopy techniques currently employed to obtain non‐invasive MR biomarkers. 2. To understand the need for standardization, quality control, and change assessment tools/criteria development.
Coprecipitation of zinc with calcium carbonate

Abstract The distribution of zinc between precipitates of calcium carbonate and saturated aqueous solution at low ionic strength has been measured at 25, 35 and 50°C. After two weeks of digestion at the precipitation temperature, the distribution at 50° was homogeneous, but at the lower temperatures logarithmic distributions were found. At 50° the partition coefficient D = 3.2 ± 0.2, and, by comparing with the ratio of solubility product constants K(calcite)/ K(smithsonite) = 34.0, we calculate the activity coefficient of ZnCO3 in dilute solid solution with CaCO3 to be γ = 10.6 ± 0.7. This quantity is relatively independent of temperature but is dependent on complex ion chemistry of the aqueous solution and may be revised if new complexes of Zn(II) or Ca(II) should be found. Recrystallization at 50° must be extensive to form homogeneous crystals, but at 35 and 25° recrystallization must be very much slower to preserve the logarithmic distribution, an observation consistent with previously reported observations on calcite-aragonite composition of precipitates. Many carbonates of trace elements are less soluble than calcite or aragonite, and these should be coprecipitated with calcium carbonate in nature.
Morphology of the Cu2O surface oxide phase formed on Cu(100) at high temperature

We have observed the nucleation and growth of the Cu2O surface oxide on a Cu(100) surface at 870 K using low energy electron microscopy. Nucleating on a surface exhibiting the (2×22)R45°-O overlayer, this phase caused the overall step morphology to change from long, mostly straight narrow-terraced step bunches to broad, deeply curved terraces with more highly bunched steps. Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we have measured an upper bound of 2.6 ML (monolayer) for the surface oxygen coverage at which we observed this oxide phase. The lattice constant of the observed oxide phase matches that of the (111) face of Cu2O. We postulate that the oxide does not form epitaxially on this surface at this temperature due to interactions with the centered rectangular phase of oxygen, which provides a nearly hexagonal template for the Cu2O(111) hexagonal structure.
Hypotensive response to prostacyclin and 6-keto-PGE1 following hepatectomy in the rat.

AbstractProstacyclin (PGI2) is metabolized to 6-keto-prostaglandin E1 (6-keto-PGE1) which is more stable yet equipotent to PGI2 in lowering systemic arterial blood pressure in the dog. In this study, partial hepatectomy was performed to determine the role of the liver in the vasodepressor response to both intravenously administered PGI2 and 6-keto-PGE1. The magnitude and the duration of systemic hypotensive responses were measured in hepatectomized and sham-operated male Wistar rats following less than maximal, equidepressor doses of PGI2 (0.3 μg/kg), 6-keto-PGE1 (1.0 μg/kg), and also PGE1 (3.0 μg/kg) and PGE2 (3.0 μg/kg). Hepatectomy did not significantly alter the magnitude of the systemic hypotensive response to any of the prostaglandins tested. This indicates that the liver and hepatic circulation do not contribute significantly to the hypotensive effect of these prostaglandins by alterations of systemic vascular resistance, venous pooling of blood, or the generation of additional vasoactive metabolit...
Toward programmatic research on virtue assessment: Challenges and prospects

Poor construct definition has characterized research on virtue, beginning with Hartshorne and May’s honesty studies and continuing to the present. Recently, scholars have begun to define virtues in ways that improve the prospects for measuring virtue constructs, but a coordinated, programmatic approach is necessary for success in virtue measurement. A brief overview of the construct of virtue includes six key elements that can structure virtue assessment design. Recent research on the trait/situation problem suggests that situational factors do not obviate traits. Veridicality issues such as social desirability and positive illusions are significant challenges for self-report virtue measurement. In summary self-report measures, these challenges can be met with a number of methods, including directly assessing social desirability and item construction to remove social desirability. These challenges can also be met using other-reports, experience sampling, or experimental procedures. A brief discussion of c...
On the rheology of ethylene-octene copolymers

It has previously been shown that the plateau modulus, G N p , and thus the entanglement molecular weight, M e, of flexible polymers can be correlated to the unperturbed chain dimension, <R 2>o/M, and mass density, ρ, via the use of the packing length, p. For polyolefins, a method was recently proposed whereby knowledge of the average molecular weight per backbone bond, m b, allows <R 2>o/M and consequently G N o and M e to be estimated. This is particularly valuable for polyolefin copolymers since the melt chain dimensions are often unknown. This work corroborates these theoretical predictions by studying the rheology of a series of carefully synthesized ethylene/octene copolymers with varying octene content (19–92 wt%). Furthermore, the results reported herein also allow the advancement of rheological characterization techniques of polymer melts. For instance, based on the analysis of the linear viscoelastic properties of these copolymers, it has been found that several rheological parameters scale with the copolymer comonomer content. Analysis of the viscoelastic material functions in terms of the evolution of the phase angle, δ, as a function of the absolute value of the complex modulus, |G*|, (the so-called van Gurp-Palmen plots), provides a fast and reliable rheological means for determining the composition of ethylene/α-olefin copolymers. The crossover parameters, G co(=G′=G″) and gco(=1/ω co) also scale with copolymer composition.
Quadrupole moments of superdeformed bands in 193 Tl

Lifetimes of states in the two strongest superdeformed (SD) bands in 193Tl were measured using the Doppler-shift attenuation method. The reaction 176Yb(23Na,6n)193Tl at a beam energy of 129 MeV was used and γ-rays were detected by the Gammasphere array. Quadrupole moments of 18.3(10) eb and 17.4(10) eb were extracted for SD bands 1 and 2, respectively, using the fractional Doppler-shifts of the SD transitions. The previously reported linking transitions of these SD bands to normal deformed near yrast levels could not be confirmed. No other candidates for linking transitions could be established.
Trephine technique to obtain cancellous bone

The ilium is a common donor site for autogenous cortical, cancellous, and corticocancellous bone used for reconstructive, orthognathic, and augmentation procedures in oral and maxillofacial surgery. This site is useful because of the ease of operation and the fact that all three types of bone are available in sufficient quantities. The major limitation is the significant morbidity associated with the practice of stripping the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus muscles from the ilium, leading to considerable discomfort and hampered ambulation following surgery. While an approach through the inner table has less morbidity, pain remains significant and there is risk of ileus, viscus perforation, or internal hernia. In selected cases in which limited amounts of cancellous bone and marrow are needed, such as for alveolar cleft grafts, we have been using a 7mm-diameter Michelle trephine (Fig. 1) for harvesting cancellous bone from the iliac crest. A standard incision lateral and inferior to the iliac crest is used. However, the incision need only be 2-3 cm in length, rather than the usual 6-8 cm. After incising skin and subcutaneous tissue, the incision site is positioned superoanteriorly so that it lies directly over the iliac crest. The dissection is