cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Family Unpredictability and Psychological Distress in Early Adulthood: The Role of Family Closeness and Coping Mechanisms

Unpredictability within the family environment has been consistently linked to anxiety and depressive symptomology in early adulthood. The current investigation sought to examine how individual and family factors may serve to protect college students from the potentially detrimental effects of growing up with family chaos. A multi-dimensional survey, including measures assessing family unpredictability, coping behavior, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, was administered to 260 (68% female) undergraduate college students. A series of regression models found mediating and moderating effects: the relationship between family unpredictability and psychological distress was explained in part by less family closeness, and this was especially true among students who engaged in more emotion-focused coping. Individuals who used less emotion-focused coping did not appear to suffer from psychological distress associated with family unpredictability. Conversely, task-focused coping did not moderate the association between family unpredictability and psychological distress; yet, individuals who used more task-focused coping, in general, experienced less distress. These findings could be used to inform intervention efforts targeted at improving parenting and caregiving practices as well as the development of campus programs aimed at improving students’ coping strategies.
Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-Targeted MS2 Viral Capsids for the Detection of Early-Stage Atherosclerotic Plaques

Atherosclerosis is a cardiovascular disease characterized by the formation of lipid-rich plaques within the walls of large arteries. Over time, a portion of these lesions can detach and lead to serious complications, such as strokes or heart attacks. Currently, there is no clinically effective way to detect the presence of atherosclerosis in patients until it has reached a relatively advanced stage. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggests that the pathobiological behavior of plaques is determined mainly by their composition, and not their size, which is the parameter usually monitored with current imaging techniques. In this work, we report protein-based agents that target the vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM1), a protein that plays a crucial role in atherosclerosis progression. In vivo experiments with murine atherosclerosis models indicated that the targeted protein nanoparticles were successful in detecting plaques of various sizes in the descending aorta and the aortic arch. This finding encourages the further development of these nanoscale agents for applications in the imaging, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Developing a Three-Dimensional View of Science Teaching: A Tool to Support Preservice Teacher Discourse

ABSTRACTThe Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) on which they are based, describe a new vision for science education that includes havi...
Heterogeneous Recommendation via Deep Low-Rank Sparse Collective Factorization

A real-world recommender usually adopts heterogeneous types of user feedbacks, for example, numerical ratings such as 5-star grades and binary ratings such as likes and dislikes. In this work, we focus on transferring knowledge from binary ratings to numerical ratings, facing a more serious data sparsity problem. Conventional Collective Factorization methods usually assume that there are shared user and item latent factors across multiple related domains, but may ignore the shared common knowledge of rating patterns. Furthermore, existing works may also fail to consider the hierarchical structures in the heterogeneous recommendation scenario (i.e., genre, sub-genre, detailed-category). To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a novel Deep Low-rank Sparse Collective Factorization (DLSCF) framework for heterogeneous recommendation. Specifically, we adopt low-rank sparse decomposition to capture the common rating patterns in related domains while splitting the domain-specific patterns. We also factorize the model in multiple layers to capture the affiliation relation between latent categories and sub-categories. We propose both batch and Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) based optimization algorithms for solving DLSCF. Experimental results on MoviePilot, Netfilx, Flixter, MovieLens10M and MovieLens20M datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, by comparing them with several state-of-the-art batch and SGD based approaches.
The impact of flavors, health risks, secondhand smoke and prices on young adults' cigarette and e-cigarette choices: a discrete choice experiment.

Aims To estimate young adults' preferences for cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and how preferences vary by policy-relevant factors. A related aim was to provide information on potential substitution/complementarity across cigarettes and e-cigarettes ahead of policy selection. Design An online discrete choice experiment (DCE) in which respondents chose their preferred option among cigarettes, two types of e-cigarettes (disposable/reusable) and 'none'. Each cigarette-type was characterized by policy-relevant attributes: flavors, short-term health risks to self, secondhand smoke risks and price. A latent class model identified smoking types that respond differently to these. Setting US tobacco market. Participants A total of 2003 young adults (aged 18-22 years) who ever tried either cigarettes or e-cigarettes, recruited via the survey platform Qualtrics, matched to the 2015 National Health Interview Survey by age, gender, education and census region. Measurements Respondents' DCE choices. Findings Young adults fell into two broad categories. One latent group, termed 'prefer smoking group', preferred cigarettes and another, 'prefer vaping group', preferred e-cigarettes. The 'prefer smoking group' preferred lower prices and lower health harms more than other attributes. The 'prefer vaping group' valued these, although price less intensely, and valued health and fruit/candy flavors more. Conclusion Banning all flavors in cigarettes and e-cigarettes might improve the health of young adults who ever tried either cigarettes or e-cigarettes. Young adult ever-triers might be deterred from smoking by increasing cigarette prices and encouraged to switch to e-cigarettes by reducing the health harms of e-cigarettes. Reducing health harms of e-cigarettes could also make the 'prefer vaping group' less likely to quit, resulting in increased health harm.
Assessment of Internal Medicine Resident Preparedness to Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning Patients

Recognizing the unique health needs of sexual and gender minorities (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning individuals) is critical to providing competent and comprehensive healthcare. To assess resident knowledge of healthcare issues uniquely affecting sexual and gender minorities as well as the role of online case-based didactics to measure and improve knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of these patients. A multicenter online education intervention from December 2016 to April 2018. The study population consisted of 833 PGY1-3 residents at 120 internal medicine residency programs in the USA who completed 1018 tests. A 1-h online module addressing sexual and gender minority (SGM) health. The test evaluated each resident in four categories: (1) terminology relevant to SGM patients; (2) health disparities and preventive care issues affecting SGM patients; (3) substance use and mental health issues unique to SGM patients; and (4) common sexually transmitted illnesses affecting SGM populations. Participants completed a pre-test assessing SGM health knowledge. A didactic module reviewing diagnosis and management of these diseases was then completed, followed by a post-test. Among 1018 resident respondents, there was no difference between post-graduate year pre-test performance (PGY-1 52%, PGY-2 50%, PGY-3 51%; p = 0.532) or post-test performance (PGY-1 80%, PGY-2 82%, PGY-3 82%; p = 0.285). Pre-test and post-test performance of an online didactic module was the same across test categories and patient populations for PGY-1 vs. PGY-2 vs. PGY-3. Residents demonstrated an improvement between pre- and post-test knowledge. Baseline knowledge of health issues of sexual and gender minorities, as assessed by pre-test performance, did not change during residency training. An online didactic module introduced trainees to critical issues regarding the care of these vulnerable populations until such curricula are required in training. Health disparities in LGBTQ communities may improve with improved physician training on clinical care of LGBTQ patients and families.
Simulating Time-Dependent Patterns of Nonadherence by Patients With Breast Cancer to Adjuvant Oral Endocrine Therapy.

PURPOSENearly 40% of patients with breast cancer discontinue their adjuvant oral endocrine treatment (ET). We measured discontinuation rates of ET at a comprehensive cancer center. We then used an ...
Growth Response of Crapemyrtle to Production Light Level and Supplemental Fertilizer

Abstract The effects of production light level on growth of crapemyrtle were evaluated as a means of accelerating the development of tree-form crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.). By the end of the f...
Vermont Oxford Network: a worldwide learning community

A health care learning community engages providers and families in a collaborative environment to improve outcomes. Vermont Oxford Network (VON), a voluntary organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety and value of care through a coordinated program of data-driven quality improvement, education, and research, is a worldwide learning community in newborn medicine. Through collection of pragmatic structured data items and benchmarking reports, quality improvement collaboratives, pragmatic trials, and observational research, VON facilitates quality improvement by multidisciplinary teams and families in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in low, middle, and high resource countries. By bringing health professionals and families together across disciplines and geographies to enable shared learning and knowledge dissemination, VON empowers individuals, organizations, and systems to meet the shared vision that every infant around the world can and should achieve their full potential.
Digging Deeper: A Case Study of Farmer Conceptualization of Ecosystem Services in the American South

The interest in improved environmental sustainability of agriculture via biodiversity provides an opportunity for placed-based research on the conceptualization and articulation of ecosystem services. Yet, few studies have explored how farmers conceptualize the relationship between their farm and nature and by extension ecosystem services. Examining how farmers in the Southern Piedmont of South Carolina discuss and explain the role of nature on their farm, we create a detail-rich picture of how they perceive ecosystem services and their contributions to the agroeconomy. Using 34 semi-structured interviews, we developed a detail-rich qualitative portrait of these farmers’ conceptualizations of ecosystem services. Farmers’ conceptualization of four ecosystem services: provisioning, supporting, regulating, and cultural are discussed, as well as articulation of disservices. Results of interviews show that most interviewees expressed a basic understanding of the relationship between nature and agriculture and many articulated benefits provided by nature to their farm. Farmers referred indirectly to most services, though they did not attribute services to biodiversity or ecological function. While farmers have a general understanding and appreciation of nature, they lack knowledge on specific ways biodiversity benefits their farm. This lack of knowledge may ultimately limit farmer decision-making and land management to utilize ecosystem services for environmental and economic benefits. These results suggest that additional communication with farmers about ecosystem services is needed as our understanding of these benefits increases. This change may require collaboration between conservation biology professionals and extension and agriculture professionals to extended successful biomass provisioning services to other ecosystem services.
Effect of Adductor Canal Block Versus Femoral Nerve Block on Quadriceps Strength, Function, and Postoperative Pain After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of Level 1 Studies:

Background:Femoral nerve block (FNB) is a popular technique for reducing postoperative pain in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), but it is also linked to a number of a...
Free light chains injure proximal tubule cells through the STAT1/HMGB1/TLR axis

Free light chains (FLCs) induce inflammatory pathways in proximal tubule cells (PTCs). The role of TLRs in these responses is unknown. Here we present findings on the role of TLRs in FLC-induced PTC injury. We exposed human kidney PTC cultures to κ and λ FLCs and used cell supernatants and pellets for ELISA and gene expression studies. We also analyzed tissues from Stat1-/- and littermate control mice treated with daily i.p. injections of a κ FLC for 10 days. FLCs increased the expression of TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6 via HMGB1, a damage-associated molecular pattern. Countering TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6 through GIT-27 or specific TLR siRNAs reduced downstream cytokine responses. Blocking HMGB1 through siRNA or pharmacologic inhibition, or via STAT1 inhibition, reduced FLC-induced TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6 expression. Blocking endocytosis of FLCs through silencing of megalin/cubilin, with bafilomycin A1 or hypertonic sucrose, attenuated FLC-induced cytokine responses in PTCs. IHC showed decreased TLR4 and TLR6 expression in kidney sections from Stat1-/- mice compared with their littermate controls. PTCs exposed to FLCs released HMGB1, which induced expression of TLR2, TLR4, and TLR6 and downstream inflammation. Blocking FLCs' endocytosis, Stat1 knockdown, HMGB1 inhibition, and TLR knockdown each rescued PTCs from FLC-induced injury.
Cardiovascular and Somatic Comorbidities and Sleep Measures Using Three Hypopnea Criteria in Mild Obstructive Sleep-Disordered Breathing: Sex, Age and Body Mass Index Differences in a Retrospective Sleep Clinic Cohort

Study Objectives:To describe sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) differences in comorbidities and polysomnography measures, categorized using 3 different apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) criteria in slee...
Higher Admission D-Dimer Values Are Associated With an Increased Risk of Nonroutine Discharge in Neurosurgery Patients.

Background D-dimers are serum acute-phase proteins with a role in mediating inflammation that may be used as biomarkers for the prediction of deep vein thrombosis. Recent studies have shown that D-dimers can be used to predict prognosis and stratify risk in neurosurgical patients; however, a comparative analysis across diagnostic subtypes has yet to be performed. Methods A bioinformatics analysis evaluated neurosurgical patients with admission D-dimer levels between 2008 and 2017. Nonroutine disposition (e.g., skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation, other hospital, mortality) was primarily evaluated. Results A total of 1,854 patients (mean age 55.1±18.2 years, 55.4% male; mean admission D-dimer 4.83±7.78 μg/ml) were identified. Patient diagnoses included vascular (27.1%), trauma (16.4%), multiple diagnoses (15.7%), spine (15.6%), tumor (13.0%), and other (12.2%) causes. Univariate analysis showed that older age (p=0.0001), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (p=0.0001), lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (p=0.0001), diagnosis type (p=0.0001), longer length of stay (LOS) (p=0.0001), higher infection rate (p=0.0001), surgery in the past year (p=0.02), and higher D-dimer levels (3.4±4.9 vs. 5.4±8.7 μg/ml, p=0.0001) were associated with nonroutine disposition. Multivariate logistic regression showed that elevated D-dimers were independently associated with a greater relative risk of nonroutine disposition (relative risk [RR] 1.026, 95% CI 1.02-1.033, p=0.0001). Conclusions Elevated admission D-dimer values were independently associated with a 3% increased risk of nonroutine disposition per D-dimer unit after accounting for other factors. These results suggest that D-dimer values may help in stratifying patient risk models despite clinical heterogeneity. Further refinement of neurosurgical patient risk models using clinical variables and biomarkers may aid in resource allocation and early warning.
Debt Market Friction, Firm's Knowledge Capital Accumulation and Macroeconomic Implications

This paper studies RD and firm-specific knowledge capital is very difficult to be used as collateral in the debt market while only some fraction of physical capital can. The model is calibrated and validated using detailed firm level data and other independent data sets, and is quantitatively successful along a wide variety of dimensions. Based on the quantitative model, I then study the implications of two industrial policies related to R&D investment. I do not recommend a policy which encourages using intellectual property as collateral for bank loans, but recommend the policy of a tax credit for R&D investment. In fact, the tax credit policy can increase output by more than 3% in the long run.
The value of sound: Datafication of the sound industries in the age of surveillance and platform capitalism

The current digital landscape is based on platform capitalism and on the cloud concept in which different services (music platforms, instant messaging services, live music companies, sellers, device companies, music major labels, radio players) try to control music/sound circulation. The new century started with the development of new devices — the iPod, smartphones, AI speakers — and distribution modes (podcasting, streaming) and the emergence of voice interaction to control devices. In this context, this paper develops a value chain defining the diverse key intermediaries in the management, accumulation, distribution, and access to information phases.
Systematic Review of Substance Use Measurement Tools in Adolescent and Young Adult Childhood Cancer Survivors.

Substance use among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) is associated with an increased risk of poor physical and mental health outcomes. For AYA childhood cancer survivors (CCSs), substance use ma...
Type 1 interferon supports B cell responses to polysaccharide antigens but is not required for MPL/TDCM adjuvant effects on innate B cells

We previously described monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and synthetic cord factor, trehalose-6,6-dicorynomycolate (TDCM) significantly increases antibody (Ab) responses to T cell independent type 2 antigens (TI-2 Ags) in a manner dependent on B cell-intrinsic TLR4 expression as well as MyD88 and TRIF adapter proteins. Given the requirement for TRIF in optimal MPL/TDCM adjuvant effects and the capacity of MPL to drive type I IFN production, we aimed to investigate the extent to which adjuvant effects on TI-2 Ab responses depend on type I IFN receptor (IFNAR) signaling. We found IFNAR-/- mice had impaired early TI-2 Ag-induced B cell activation and expansion and that B cell-intrinsic type I IFN signaling on B cells was essential for normal antibody responses to TI-2 Ags, including haptenated Ficoll and the pneumococcal vaccine, Pneumovax23. However, MPL/TDCM significantly increased TI-2 IgM and IgG responses in IFNAR-/- mice. MPL/TDCM enhanced TI-2 Ab production primarily by activating innate B cells (B-1b and splenic CD23- B cells) as opposed to CD23+ enriched follicular B cells. In summary, our study highlights an important role for type I IFN in supporting early B cell responses to TI-2 Ags through B cell-expressed IFNAR, but nonetheless demonstrates an MPL/TDCM adjuvant significantly increases TI-2 Ab responses independently of type I IFN signaling and does so by predominantly supporting increased polysaccharide-specific Ab production by innate B cell populations.
Fecal Incontinence and Encopresis

There are three logical elements in any clinical program. Furthermore, these elements are equally operative whether the program is medical or behavioral. The elements are (1) diagnosis, (2) mechanism or process, and (3) intervention. Diagnosis means the determination of the signs and symptoms by which one assigns a probability that a specific clinical state is present, or that it is likely to occur. Diagnostic indices have two attributes: sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity means that the index is an attribute of the disease—that is, the index is a positive sign; and specificity means that the index discriminates the absence of the disease from the presence of the disease—that is, the index also is a negative sign. Most indices meet one or the other criterion but not both. Mechanism or process refers to the factors which are responsible for the etiology or course of the disease. Clearly, the mechanisms associated with the etiology of a disease need not be the same as the mechanisms which mediate its course. For example, the mechanisms associated with the etiology of diverticulosis (herniation of the colonic mucosa between the fibers of the inner, circular muscles) undoubtedly are different from those which mediate the natural history of that disorder (elaboration of the diverticula, often accompanied by inflammation and occasional rupture of a diverticulum). Finally, intervention refers to the process by which one tries to disrupt the natural history of the disease. Interventions could be preventive, therapeutic, or rehabilitative.
The power of geographical boundaries: Cultural, political, and economic border effects in a unitary nation

Geography plays a significant, fundamental role in shaping outcomes in human societies. Among other geographical elements, borders have significant implications"they are not only geographical figures, but also political creatures. Against previous theories that have studied border effects along with institutional differences mostly about economic implications, this thesis considers how sub-national borders with weak jurisdictions affect cultural, political, and economic phenomena using data from South Korea. Unlike international borders and intra-national borders in a federal state, this thesis suggests borders in a unitary nation have less economic effects, but more cultural and political effects.
Sensors in Composites

Sensors in the form of composite materials are addressed, with emphasis on composite materials that are structural materials. The structure and properties of these sensors and the methodology of the sensing are covered. The attributes sensed include strain, stress, damage, temperature, and the occurrence of a chemical process. Keywords: sensor; composite; fiber; polymer; cement
Navigating by mind and by body

Within psychology, at least two research communities study spatial cognition. One community studies systematic errors in spatial memory and judgement, accounting for them as a consequence of and clue to normal perceptual and cognitive processing. The other community studies navigation in real space, isolating the contributions of various sensory cues and sensorimotor systems to successful navigation. The former group emphasizes error, the latter, selective mechanisms, environmental or evolutionary, that produce fine-tuned correct responses. How can these approaches be reconciled and integrated? First, by showing why errors are impervious to selective pressures. The schematization that leads to errors is a natural consequence of normal perceptual and cognitive processes; it is inherent to the construction of mental spaces and to using them to make judgments in limited capacity working memory. Selection can act on particular instances of errors, yet it is not clear that selection can act on the general mechanisms that produce them. Next, in the wild, there are a variety of correctives. Finally, closer examination of navigation in the wild shows systematic errors, for example, over-shooting in dead reckoning across species. Here, too, environments may provide correctives, specifically, landmarks. General cognitive mechanisms generate general solutions. The errors inevitably produced may be reduced by local specific sensori-motor couplings as well as local environmental cues. Navigation, and other behaviors as well, are a consequence of both.
Maimonides and the Visual Image after Kant and Cohen

Abstract In this paper, I attempt to consider Jewish philosophy in opposition to the anti-ocularcentrism that defined the German Jewish philosophical tradition after Kant, namely the idea that Judaism—or at least its philosophical expression in Maimonidean philosophy—is aniconic and cognitively abstract. I do so by attempting to rethink the epistemic-veridical place of the imagination and visual experience in the Guide of the Perplexed. Once the imagination has been disciplined by reason, is there any cognitive status to an image or sound that the eye or the ear perceives, and to that mental faculty that combines and recombines such impressions? Is the sight or sound of revelation a hallucination or just a mere figure of speech? Does it bear any relation to a spiritual reality external to the human mind and finite physical existence? To address these questions I explore the visual images, both iconic and aniconic-abstract, that distinguish the Guide. There is no getting past the visual imagination, although I am not sure Maimonides would have recognized it as such. Even when he leaves behind figurative visual cues such as the false image-work of the undisciplined imagination or the appearance of angels and images of God found in lower grades of prophecy, he turns to another visual register, namely the “abstract art” of pure, dazzling light. In regard to these questions, Maimonides was more Greek than German, ascribing, cautiously, penultimate cognitive status to the visual imagination.
Morphable Surface Models

We describe a novel automatic technique for finding a dense correspondence between a pair of n-dimensional surfaces with arbitrary topologies. This method employs a different formulation than previous correspondence algorithms (such as optical flow) and includes images as a special case. We use this correspondence algorithm to build Morphable Surface Models (an extension of Morphable Models) from examples. We present a method for matching the model to new surfaces and demonstrate their use for analysis, synthesis, and clustering.
Spoilage in the Sugar Industry

The commercial sources of sucrose are sugar-cane and sugar-beet. These are crops which accumulate sucrose rather than starch, as a storage product. There is no difference between the sugar produced from sugarcane and that of sugar-beet, although the molasses produced from either of these crops is different in composition and value and reflects the initial compositions of the crops from which they were derived. Sugar-cane is a member of the grass family. It has a bamboo-like stalk, grows to a height of between 2·5 and 4·5 m (8 and 15 ft) and contains 11-15% sucrose by weight. The sucrose is found inside the cells of the plant. Sugar-cane is usually planted with cuttings of the mature stalk. As many as seven successive crops, or ratoons, can be obtained from a single planting, provided conditions are favourable. The growing period can be from as short as 6–9 months (Louisiana and Florida) to as long as several years (Equatorial Africa). The longer the cane is allowed to grow the higher the sucrose level in the plant. The length of time a crop can be left is dictated by climatic conditions. A freeze will stop growth, kill the sugar-cane and if it is severe enough to damage the stalk, allow bacterial infection and susequent loss of the crop. Harvesting of the cane normally follows burning to remove the leaves and may be either by hand or by mechanical cutting methods.
Abstract 2014: SHP2 stabilizes EGFR and beta-catenin to promote the transformation and tumorigenic potential of basal-like and triple-negative breast cancer cells

Basal-like and triple-negative breast cancer (BTBC) causes disproportionately high mortalities in women. One of the major reasons is lack of targeted therapy, and the other is the highly aggressive and metastatic nature of the disease. The primary complication in finding viable drug targets has been the dysregulation of multiple signaling pathways, making one pathway inhibition an unlikely strategy to lead to effective treatment for BTBC. Therefore, targeting multiple pathways or finding proteins that control multiple signaling pathways and targeting them remain to be the only hope. In line with this, we have discovered that the Src homology phosphotyrosyl phosphatase 2 (SHP2) controls EGFR and Wnt/β-catenin signaling, major pathways known to be dysregulated in BTBC. We show that SHP2 overexpression in BTBC tumors is associated with elevated EGFR expression and cytoplasmic and nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. Silencing SHP2 expression in BTBC cells destabilizes EGFR and β-catenin and inhibits respective downstream signaling, confirming that SHP2 overexpression is essential for dysregulation of EGFR and β-catenin in this subtype of breast cancer. Furthermore, we demonstrate that inhibition of SHP2 in BTBC cells induces luminal epithelial morphology, suppresses cell proliferation, reverses transformation, blocks invasiveness in 3D matrigel, and abolishes tumorigenesis and metastasis. These findings suggest that SHP2 controls the EGFR and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways to promote BTBC. Citation Format: Hua Zhao, Yehenew M. Agazie. SHP2 stabilizes EGFR and beta-catenin to promote the transformation and tumorigenic potential of basal-like and triple-negative breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2014. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2014
A role for North Pacific salinity in stabilizing North Atlantic climate

[1] A simple ocean/atmosphere feedback may reduce the amplitude of climate variability in around the North Atlantic during interglacial compared to glacial states. When climate is warm in the North Atlantic region, the Intertropical Convergence Zone has a relatively northward position, and moisture is exported from the tropical Atlantic to the tropical Pacific. At the same time the east Asian summer monsoon is strong, which helps maintain a positive balance of precipitation over evaporation in the subpolar North Pacific. This is thought to account for lower salinity in the North Pacific relative to the North Atlantic, which, in turn, drives northward flow through the Bering Strait to the northern North Atlantic. Freshening in the North Atlantic by water of Pacific origin suppresses the meridional overturning circulation and reduces the heat flux. The opposite situation exists during cold climate. Thus the combination of atmospheric vapor transport and flow through Bering Strait tends to cool the North Atlantic region when warm and warm the region when cool.
Design of hybrid waveband-switched networks with OEO traffic grooming

We demonstrate that WDM mesh networks consisting of hybrid hierarchical switches (with all-optical waveband switching and OEO traffic grooming) can significantly reduce cost over conventional OEO networks. We also present heuristics to design such networks.
A tool kit for practice theory

Abstract This is a study in the analysis of correspondences. I consider a quantitative technique frequently used by Pierre Bourdieu and the mathematics developed by James Coleman for the foundations of his social theory, with respect to each other, from the respective analysts' points of view, and from my concern with developing more sturdy relations among the methodological tools in a practice theorist's kit. Specifically, I treat both frameworks as implementing in innovative ways the concept of ‘duality’, the co-constitution of elements at one level and relations at another (higher or lower) level of social action. I show that there is a remarkable homology, at the level of their formal practices, between the mathematical techniques of Bourdieu and those of Coleman. New ways to implement Galois lattice analysis are among the gains of this inquiry. Applications are to relations among the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. I identify and discuss several of the larger questions that this study raises about practical methods and methodological practice.
The Ambiguity of TAT Ambiguity

Summary A comparison was made between single and continued association methods of deriving ambiguity of TAT cards. Ss responded with a number of stories to each of 10 TAT cards. Using a computational procedure based on alternative categorization, ambiguity values were found, and the relative ambiguity of the cards was compared to estimates based on the single association method. Little agreement was found among the various single association estimates and the present values. It was concluded that where ambiguity values are based upon categorization, the values are dependent upon the number of categories in the scoring system. It was suggested that disagreement is a function of intrasubject variability, the effect of which is maximized in single association estimates.
MRNA expression patterns and distribution of white matter neurons in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of depressed patients differ from those in schizophrenia patients

Abstract Background Schizophrenia, bipolar illness, and major depressive disorder have distinct presentations, but share some common symptoms. Hence, some common cellular and molecular abnormalities may be identifiable in these disorders. Methods We examined cell-specific markers in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of brains from 18 patients with bipolar or major depressive disorder, and 18 matched controls, using in situ hybridization histochemistry and staining for nicotinamide-dinucleotide phophate-diaphorase (NADPH). The distribution of NADPH-positive interstitial cells of the white matter and the expression of the mRNA for the 67 KD form of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) had previously been shown to be altered in prefrontal cortex of schizophrenics. Other markers identifying glutamatergic neuronal populations were α-type II calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase (CAMKII-α), brain derived neurotrophic factor, (BDNF) and the putative transcription factor, T-brain–1 (TBR1). Results Expression of GAD67 and the distribution of NADPH-positive cells in the white matter were not significantly altered in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of depressed subjects. Expression of CAMKII-α and TBR1 mRNAs was significantly increased in bipolar patients but not in major depressed patients, and there was a trend toward reduced BDNF expression in both groups. Abnormal patterns of gene expression and neuronal distribution in schizophrenics are markedly different from those in depressed patients. Conclusions The findings that TBR1 and CAMKII-α expression is increased only in bipolar patients suggests abnormalities of specific genes related to a major cortical cell type and its connectivity.
A comparison of the performance of open-and closed-end investment companies

This paper investigates the impact of corporate structure on the return performance and related operational characteristics of open- and closed-end investment companies. A statistical model is used to test for differences in several characteristics of these two different types of funds. The results show that there are differences in the returns of open-and closed-end funds, as well as differences in turnover and expenses of funds with different corporate structures. Moreover, the results are surprising in that they are significantly affected by the type of security held in the funds.
Modeling Discrete Survival Time Using Genomic Feature Data

Researchers have recently shown that penalized models perform well when applied to high-throughput genomic data. Previous researchers introduced the generalized monotone incremental forward stagewise (GMIFS) method for fitting overparameterized logistic regression models. The GMIFS method was subsequently extended by others for fitting several different logit link ordinal response models to high-throughput genomic data. In this study, we further extended the GMIFS method for ordinal response modeling using a complementary log-log link, which allows one to model discrete survival data. We applied our extension to a publicly available microarray gene expression dataset (GSE53733) with a discrete survival outcome. The dataset included 70 primary glioblastoma samples from patients of the German Glioma Network with long-, intermediate-, and short-term overall survival. We tested the performance of our method by examining the prediction accuracy of the fitted model. The method has been implemented as an addition to the ordinalgmifs package in the R programming environment.
Formation of artifact methylmercury during extraction from a sediment reference material.

We examined monomethylmercury (MMHg) in sediment reference material IAEA-405 and sediments from Long Island Sound. MMHg was extracted by both aqueous distillation and leaching with dilute solutions of nitric acid. MMHg was formed from both ambient and added inorganic mercury in extracts of IAEA-405 by either technique. Artifact MMHg in IAEA-405 was related linearly with ambient reactive mercury (HgR) in leachates having >1.2 M acid, but little or no artifact was measured in less acidic extracts. Addition of potassium chloride enhanced extraction of HgR from IAEA-405 but had no effect on artifact MMHg for each leachate molarity tested. Mercury methylation occurred in solution and was a function of both the availability of HgR and a methylation potential, being limited by HgR in less acidic solutions (0.5−1.2 M) and by the methylation potential in more acidic ones (>1.2 M). Formation of artifact MMHg in Long Island Sound sediments was inconclusive, but additions of inorganic mercury demonstrated that a pote...
The microwave spectrum, structure and dipole moment of 1,4-pentadiyne

Abstract The microwave spectra of 1,4-pentadiyne and 1,4-pentadiyne-1,5- d 2 are assigned and rotational and centrifugal distortion constants obtained. A unique structure could not be determined. However, analysis of the moments of inertia indicates that the bond distances in C 5 H 4 are close to typical values found in other related compounds. An interaction involving the acetylene moieties is evidenced by the derived bond angles. The data are consistent with either the central CCC angle being close to the tetrahedral value with the acetylene groups pushed away from linearity by approximately 3–4° or opening of the central CCC angle to about 113° along with linear acetylene groups. A range of structures between these two is also possible. The dipole moment is determined to be 0.516(5) D.
Experience programming applets with Ada95

Because of its ability to provide platform independent programs and active content on web pages, Java has created much excitement in the computer science community. However, much of the computer science community does not have a good understanding of the Java technology. Java is much more than simply a language for developing programs which run on web pages. It is an environment for developing programs which take advantage of the Internet, and the use of the Java language is only one piece of that environment. That other languages can be used to write programs which can take advantage of the Java environment is shown by the existence of two such languages, NetRexx [1] from IBM and AppletMagic(tm) [2], an implementation of Ada95 for the Java VM, from Intermetrics.George Washington University obtained a Beta copy of the AppletMagic(tm) compiler in January of 1996. Since that time, we have been attempting to include AppletMagic and Java in a Data Structures (CS2) course and a course on Design of User Interface Software. During this time we have developed some experience in using Ada95 to develop Java programs and applets, and some insights into how students use the Java environment. This paper will report on those experiences.We will first present an overview of the Java environment. Intended to provide readers who are unfamiliar with Java enough background to be able to understand the relationship of AppletMagic(tm) and the Java environment. The third section will cover the structure of applets, and how to create an applet in Ada. The fourth section will cover issues concerning using classes written in Java from Ada, and some of the experiences we have had in using Ada to develop Java programs and applets, Finally the fifth section will present conclusions we have drawn from using AppletMagic(tm) in our courses.
A double-labeling procedure for sequence analysis of picomole amounts of nonradioactive RNA fragments

A double-labeling procedure for sequence analysis of nonradioactive polyribonucleotides is detailed, which is based on controlled endonucleolytic degradation of 3'-terminally (3H)-labeled oligonucleotide-(3') dialcohols and 5"-terminal analysis of the partial (3H)-labeled fragments following their separation according to chain length by polyethyleneimine- (PEI-)cellulose TLC and detection by fluorography. Undesired nonradioactive partial digestion products are eliminated by periodate oxidation. The 5'-termini are assayed by enzymic incorporation of (32p)-label into the isolated fragments, enzymic release of (32p)-labeled nucleoside-(5') monophosphates, two-dimensional PEI-cellulose chromatography, and autoradiography. Using this procedure, as little as 0.1 - 0.3 A260 unit of tRNA is needed to sequence all fragments in complete ribonuclease T1 and A digests, whereas radioactive derivative methods previously described by us1-4 required 4 - 6 A260 units.
Reflection of an obliquely incident plane wave by a half space filled by a helicoidal bianisotropic medium

The one-point boundary-value problem of reflection of an obliquely incident plane wave by a half space occupied by a linear helicoidal bianisotropic medium (HBM) was solved. The solution procedure relies on the HBM being at least slightly dissipative, and also yields a modal representation for the fields therein. The solution procedure should also apply for a half space containing any linear material that varies periodically in the normal direction.
The sexually dimorphic larynx of Xenopus laevis: Development and androgen regulation

The aims of this study were to characterize sexual dimorphism in the larynx of adult Xenopus laevis and to determine how sex differences arise during postmetamorphic development. The larger male larynx is a result of greater cell numbers in both cartilage and muscle. The dilator laryngis muscle of the male larynx has 6-7 times more muscle fibers than that of the female. At metamorphosis, the larynx is sexually monomorphic and feminine in phenotype. The DNA content of the male larynx doubles during the first 6 months following metamorphosis; there is no net DNA increase in the female larynx during this time. Both sexes experience a marked increase in laryngeal DNA content and mass between 6 months and adulthood. The number of muscle fibers in the male larynx increases at an average rate of 150 fibers a day during the first 10 months of postmetamorphic development. There is no net change in fiber numbers in the female larynx from metamorphosis to adulthood. Administration of the antiandrogen Flutamide to metamorphic frogs prevents the net addition of laryngeal muscle fibers in males. Thus, we propose that addition of postmetamorphic laryngeal muscle fibers in males is dependent upon the presence of circulating androgens. Exogenous testosterone administration results in an increase in laryngeal mass, DNA content, and cellular proliferation in juvenile frogs. Using [3H]thymidine injections to probe ongoing, as well as testosterone-induced, cell proliferation, we conclude that cellular proliferation is regulated differently in males and females during development. Thus androgen-induced proliferation is one cellular mechanism responsible for the sexual dimorphism observed in adults.
Electron Propagator Theory of Guanine and Its Cations: Tautomerism and Photoelectron Spectra

Electron propagator methods are applied to the ionization energies of the five most stable tautomers of guanine. Excellent agreement with gas-phase photoelectron spectra is obtained for the amino-oxo form of 7H-guanine. According to ionization energy assignments, both 9H-guanine and its amino-oxy tautomers also may be present in the gas phase. The presence of amino-oxy 7H-guanine, however, is less certain, due to its higher total energy. In all cases, the lowest ionization occurs from a π level. There are strong correlation effects for higher cationic states. Energy orderings of π and σ hole states are different for each of the isomers.
Age-stratified phase I trial of a combination of bortezomib, gemcitabine, and liposomal doxorubicin in patients with advanced malignancies.

Background Preclinical data suggest synergistic activity of bortezomib, gemcitabine, and liposomal doxorubicin. Because tolerance to therapy may be attenuated in elderly patients, we performed an age-stratified phase I trial of this combination.
Report On ‘Water Chemistry: Using Field and Laboratory Experiences to Teach Scientific-Thinking Skills’

The workshop participants were led through the water chemistry laboratory by Susan Kegley. The format of the workshop was in the form of a site visit to a local housing project to study the water quality. Workshop participants scouted the site for suitable water-sampling locations, determined which of the locations to sample, and then sampled the water at those locations. Discussions of the group focused on how this water module could be adapted by schools other than the University of California at Berkeley. Descriptions of the suitability of the water chemistry module for adoption were also discussed, and included material from the well-written manuals for both students and instructors.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the co-pyrolysis of catechol and propyne

Abstract In order to investigate C 3 species as potential participants in aromatic-ring-growth reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from solid fuels, we have performed pyrolysis experiments in an isothermal laminar-flow reactor (at temperatures, 700–1000 °C; residence time, 0.3 s) with the C 3 hydrocarbon propyne, the model fuel catechol (representative of aromatic moieties in coal and biomass), and with propyne and catechol together (in a catechol-to-propyne molar ratio of 0.938). Analysis of the 1000-°C reaction products of propyne – by high-pressure liquid chromatography with diode-array ultraviolet-visible absorbance detection – has led to the identification of 58 two- to eight-ring PAH that have never before been reported as products of propyne pyrolysis or combustion. At all temperatures except 1000 °C, however, propyne-only pyrolysis produces very low yields of PAH – a consequence of low propyne (and propadiene) conversion and high production of benzene, which remains relatively invulnerable to ring-growth reactions. Catechol-only pyrolysis, in contrast, produces fairly high yields of PAH (up to 5.6% on a %-fed-carbon basis) – a result of catechol’s high production of effective C 2 and C 4 growth species as well as a rich radical pool that accelerates fuel conversion and aromatic-ring-growth reactions. When catechol and propyne are co-pyrolyzed, the radical pool provided by catechol causes a dramatic acceleration of propyne’s decomposition to methyl and acetylene – shifting the small-hydrocarbon product distribution from one that is rich in C 3 species to one that is rich in C 2 species. The 1- and 2-ring aromatic hydrocarbon product distribution also shifts from one dominated by unreactive benzene to one having more substituted species, more reactive to ring-growth. The net result of these shifts is a tremendous boost in PAH production: At all temperatures >800 °C, PAH yields from the co-pyrolysis experiments are 2.5–2.8 times higher than what would result from the two fuels being pyrolyzed independently.