cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Public Health Decision Support Systems

Decision-making by public health leaders requires data, information, and knowledge. Information systems that support transformation of data into information and knowledge, and that inform decision-making processes, are referred to as decision support systems (DSS). There exist a variety of DSS in clinical and public health contexts. For example, clinical DSS aid physicians in diagnosing a patient or prevent the prescribing of a medication that might cause harm. Public health DSS inform population health decisions, such as calculation of vaccination levels in a community or which areas in a community might benefit most from a mobile prevention clinic. The information and communications technologies (ICT) components for clinical and public health DSS are the same, even though they might be deployed in different ways to achieve better outcomes for individuals and populations. This chapter defines the concepts and components of DSS. The chapter also distinguishes between clinical and public health uses of DSS as well as the challenges with implementing DSS in real-world settings.
Abstract PO-117: CHD1-loss promotes tumor heterogeneity and therapy resistance in prostate cancer

Targeted therapies for driver oncogenes have transformed the management of many cancers but the magnitude and duration of response remains variable. One potential explanation for the various response is the presence of additional genomic alterations which modify the degree of dependence on the targeted driver mutation. Metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) serves as an example, where the target is the androgen receptor (AR). Compared to primary disease, mCRPC is characterized by extensive heterogeneity at both genomic and transcriptional levels, including genomic copy number alterations (CNAs), which are presumed to contribute to the resistance to AR targeted therapies. To gain functional insight into the genes impacted by the copy number alterations in mCRPC, we screened 730 genes often deleted in prostate cancer for CNAs that confer in vivo resistance and identified the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 1 (CHD1) as a top candidate modifying resistance, a finding supported by patient data showing that CHD1 expression is inversely correlated with clinical benefit from therapy. Depletion of CHD1 in multiple human prostate cancer cell lines confers significant resistance to enzalutamide both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we observed global changes in open and closed chromatin after the depletion of CHD1, indicative of an altered chromatin state, with associated changes in gene expression. Integrative analysis of ATAC-seq and RNA-seq, combining with CRISPR-based screen, identified four heterogenous resistance drivers (GR, BRN2, NR2F1, TBX2), which are elevated in different independently derived, enzalutamide-resistant, CHD1-deleted subclones. Importantly, significantly increased transcriptional heterogeneity was observed in these CHD1-depleted resistant tumors and in the tumor samples from a large mCRPC patients’ cohort. Finally, GR inhibition restored the enzalutamide sensitiivty in resistant tumors with elevated GR signaling. These results suggest CHD1-loss, through global effects on chromatin, establishes a state of plasticity that accelerates the development of AR targeted therapy resistance through activation of heterogeneous downstream effectors, which mediated the transition away from luminal lineage identity and AR dependency. This model not only provides an innovative explanation for the significantly increased transcriptional heterogeneity observed in mCRPC patients, but also suggests that proper clinical interventions targeting these heterogenous resistance drivers may be a novel avenue to prevent or even reverse resistance towards AR targeted therapies. Citation Format: Zeda Zhang, Chuanli Zhou, Xiaoling Li, Charles Sawyers, Ping Mu. CHD1-loss promotes tumor heterogeneity and therapy resistance in prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Tumor Heterogeneity: From Single Cells to Clinical Impact; 2020 Sep 17-18. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(21 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-117.
Direct Application of the Soil–Water Characteristic Curve to Estimate the Shear Modulus of Unsaturated Soils

Abstract The small-strain shear modulus of soils is a key parameter in the design of geotechnical systems and analysis of the soil–structure response to earth and earth-supported infrastructure. Ho...
A virtual-hybrid approach to launching a cardio-oncology clinic during a pandemic

As cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in cancer survivors, the new subspecialty of Cardio-Oncology has emerged to address prevention, monitoring, and management of cardiovascular toxicities to cancer therapies. During the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we developed a Virtual-Hybrid Approach to build a de novo Cardio-Oncology Clinic. We conceptualized a Virtual-Hybrid Approach including three arms: information seeking in locations with existing Cardio-Oncology clinics, information gathering at the location for a new clinic, and information sharing to report clinic-building outcomes. A retrospective review of outcomes included collection and synthesis of data from our first 3 months (at pandemic peak) on types of appointments, cancers, drugs, and cardiotoxicities. Data were presented using descriptive statistics. A de-novo Cardio-Oncology clinic was developed structured from the ground up to integrate virtual and in-person care in a hybrid and innovative model, using the three arms of the Virtual-Hybrid Approach. First, we garnered in-person and virtual preparation through hands-on experiences, training, and discussions in existing Cardio-Oncology Clinics and conferences. Next, we gleaned information through virtual inquiry and niche-building. With partners throughout the institution, a virtual referral process was established for outpatient referrals and inpatient e-consult referrals to actualize a hybrid care spectrum for our patients administered by a multidisciplinary hybrid care team of clinicians, ancillary support staff, and clinical pharmacists. Among the multi-subspecialty clinic sessions, approximately 50% were in Cardio-Oncology, 20% in Preventive Cardiology, and 30% in General Cardiology. In the hybrid model, the Heart & Vascular Center had started to re-open, allowing for 65% of our visits to be in person. In additional analyses, the most frequent cardiovascular diagnosis was cardiomyopathy (34%), the most common cancer drug leading to referral was trastuzumab (29%), and the most prevalent cancer type was breast cancer (42%). This Virtual-Hybrid Approach and retrospective review provides guidance and information regarding initiating a brand-new Cardio-Oncology Clinic during the pandemic for cancer patients/survivors. This report also furnishes virtual resources for patients, virtual tools for oncologists, cardiologists, and administrators tasked with starting new clinics during the pandemic, and innovative future directions for this digital pandemic to post-pandemic era.
Neutrino-Driven Explosions in GRBs and Hypernovae

We study the physics behind the neutrino-driven mechanism for gamma-ray bursts and hypernovae, deriving the critical density at which these outbursts occur in the collapsar model. The agreement between this derivation and results from past collapsar simulations (MacFadyen & Woosley 2000) is excellent, implying that we have captured the essential physics. We then use this derivation to study a range of progenitors for collapsar gamma-ray bursts. We derive how much of the star will accrete onto the black hole core before the infall density drops below this critical density, leading to an estimate of the remnant black hole mass for GRBs and hypernovae. We also estimate the time delays between gravity wave or neutrino signals and the onset of the explosion or burst event. This derivation, combined with future observational constraints, provides a physical insight into the structure of the GRB progenitor.
Is the plasticity of the Th17 subset a key source of allergenic Th2 responses

This commentary summarizes and discusses a recent study from Tortola et al, which reports the vast plasticity of T helper (Th) 17 cells and suggests that this subset might be an important source of Th2 cells under certain inflammatory conditions.
The Effects of Morality and Positivity on Social Entrepreneurial Intention

This study investigated the dynamics of morality, positivity, and social entrepreneurial intention (SEI) of individuals. The ‘inconsistent mediation’ effects of morality and positivity were observe...
An Extension of 'Dividend Policy, Growth, and the Valuation of Shares' by Miller and Modigliani

Miller and Modigliani (1961) consider valuation of infinite horizon firms that may not engage in purchasing their own shares. While their fundamental valuation approach applies also to firms that purchase their own shares, their stream of dividends approach does not. The latter approach is modified so that it can be used for valuation of infinite horizon firms including those which may purchase their own shares. The modified approach is the natural extension of the traditional dividend stream approach used for valuing finite horizon firms. Moreover, it is proved to be equivalent to the fundamental valuation approach.
Mkandawire Thandika, ed. African Intellectuals: Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development . London: Zed Books/Dakar: CODESRIA, 2005. 234 pp. Notes. References. Index. $85.00. Cloth. $29.95. Paper.

Thandika Mkandawire, ed. African Intellectuals: Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development. London: Zed Books/Dakar: CODESRIA, 2005. 234 pp. Notes. References. Index. $85.00. Cloth. $29.95. Paper. This book grew out of papers presented at the thirtieth anniversary of CODESRIA, a Pan-African institution that continues to play a vital role in the sustenance and promotion of intellectual activities in Africa. Despite talk of democratization and renaissance, the great majority of Africans remain mired in poverty and development continues to elude Africa. The continent's economic and political marginalization in world affairs appears to be more extreme than at any stage since the 1960s. The proliferation of recent conflicts undermines the organs of civil society, infrastructures, systems of exchange, and the state itself across broad swathes of the continent. While the idea of an African Renaissance is not really new, it has lately picked up momentum. However, for an African Renaissance to succeed, the emerging educated elite will have to be its bearers. An analysis of African intellectuals' roles, if any, in the new Africa is what African Intellectuals: Rethinking Politics, Language, Gender and Development has attempted. In the face of high rates of Africa's brain drain, African Intellectuals sets out to explore the nature and extent of the emigration of Africa's intelligentsia, the indigenous language of African intellectuals, women intellectuals, and the role of the expanding African academic diaspora. It takes as its starting point the uniquely difficult circumstances confronting intellectuals: regimes intolerant of independent debate, economies in sharp decline, societies wracked by violent conflict, and official languages different from people's mother tongues. Because of the intertwined nature of literature, politics, and society, African literature remains a legitimate expression of political ideas and valid descriptions of both society and politics. As reflections of the human condition in Africa, works of literature provide valuable insights into both the past and the present by sketching the African reaction to colonialism, racism, and independence. Until the very foundations of colonialism were shattered by African writers, the political debate in Africa had effectively been set-with varying degrees of foresight and responsiveness-by European powers. Several specialists in African political studies have identified the importance of the works of intellectuals in the African revolution. After a shortlived honeymoon between African leaders and writers, the latter began articulating themes of disenchantment and disillusionment. While some intellectuals joined the ruling elite, most postindependence writers reevaluated the objectives and deeds of their nations' ruling classes and criticized the political, social, and economic structures through which elites operated. …
Mini- and microscale closed-loop servodrives with brushless minimotors and ICs monolithic amplifiers/controllers

In this paper, we design, test, and compare different control algorithms for miniscale high-performance electromechanical systems with mini and micro permanent-magnet brushless synchronous motors controlled by monolithic amplifiers/controllers. The fabricated micromotors are 2 mm in diameter, and rated angular velocity is 10,000 rad/sec. These affordable high-performance micromotors are fabricated using the surface micromachining technology. The system level integration problem is examined studying a complete servodrive hardware, e.g., micromotors -controllers. In particular, control is performed by ICs amplifiers/controllers (ICs size is 2/spl times/0.5/spl times/0.5 mm). ICs amplifiers with power stage (50 V and 1 A) perform control and signal processing. In general, communication and data acquisition can be also integrated in a single ICs chip. The major emphasis is placed in the analysis and design of closed-loop electromechanical systems by synthesizing and testing different control laws. A variety of tracking controllers (proportional-integral, proportional-integral with state feedback, relay, and neural network based) are designed and analyzed. It is illustrated that the controllers designed guarantee stability, robust tracking with zero steady-state error, fast dynamic response, and disturbance attenuation.
Nitinol based flexible smart needle design

This project involves the design of an active needle with enhanced mobility, flexibility, and control within tissues during diagnostic and percutaneous medical procedures. The design utilizes the shape memory, super-elastic, and thermo-mechanical properties of Nitinol, a smart memory alloy (SMA) made of nickel and titanium, to construct a steerable needle during insertion. The design of the needle includes a Nitinol needle body, Nitinol wires attached to the body as actuators, and a nylon flexure joint to provide electrical insulation. With the current design, the prototype was able to achieve unidirectional control of the needle's deflection during insertion into a tissue-mimicking gel. However, further studies must be performed to improve needle's maneuverability as well as verify the feasibility of the SMA properties. The goal of this design is to achieve real-time control of the needle as well as to build a more minimally invasive tool for percutaneous procedures. With an active steerable cannula, minimal damage to tissue and risk to patients can be lowered significantly.
Transient State Enzyme Kinetics

Transient-state kinetic analysis defines the elementary steps along the pathway of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The methods rely on rapidly mixing a substrate with a sufficient concentration of enzyme to allow a direct observation of intermediates and products formed at the active site during a single enzyme cycle. Stopped-flow methods afford observation of reactions by monitoring changes in optical signals (i.e., absorbance, fluorescence, and light scattering) as a function of time after mixing. Analysis of the substrate concentration dependence of the rates and the amplitudes of observable species can define the sequence of events that occur after substrate binding. Rapid-chemical quench-flow methods require two sequential mixing events: one to start the reaction and a second to stop the reaction by the addition of a quenching agent. One then quantifies the amount of product formed, often by chromatography, to resolve radiolabeled substrate from the product. Because one can observe the conversion of substrate to product directly on a known concentration scale, rapid quench experiments can be interpreted directly. In the final analysis, the most rigorous interpretation relies on global analysis fitting both stopped-flow and rapid quench-flow data simultaneously to establish a reaction pathway and the rates of interconversion of kinetically significant intermediates. Accordingly, transient-state kinetic methods allow a definition of a reaction sequence by direct measurement of each step to establish the kinetic and thermodynamic basis for enzyme specificity and efficiency.
Adaptive enterprise optimization framework: AEO server and AEO studio

Adaptive Enterprise Optimization (AEO) is an object-oriented framework for quick development of modular and extensible optimization solutions. AEO framework raises the level of modeling abstraction, allowing easy extensibility. In the framework, AEO Server is the run-time environment and AEO Studio the development environment. AEO Server and Studio have been used in various optimization applications, including Gas Pipeline Optimizer, Bid Optimizer for strategic sourcing, and Power Generation Commitment Optimizer. In this demo, we focus on the Gas Pipeline Optimizer solution, currently deployed in a major gas pipeline transportation company in North America.
Multiply Guarded Guards in Orthogonal Art Galleries

We prove a new theorem for orthogonal art galleries in which the guards must guard one another in addition to guarding the polygonal gallery. A set of points G in a polygon Pn is a k-guarded guard set for Pn provided that (i) for every point x in Pn there exists a point w in G such that x is visible from w ; and (ii) every point in G is visible from at least k other points in G: The polygon Pn is orthogonal provided each interior angle is 90° or 270°. We prove that for k ? 1 and n ? 6 every orthogonal polygon with n sides has a k-guarded guard set of cardinality k?n/6? + ?(n+2)/6?; this bound is best possible. This result extends our recent theorem that treats the case k = 1.
The Politics of Automatic Stabilization Mechanisms in Public Pension Programs

Demographic and fiscal pressures have increased pressures on governments in most wealthy countries to reduce the generosity of their public pension programs. Mechanisms that automatically adjust public pension levels to take account of factors such as increased life expectancy and slower economic growth are appealing to politicians because it saves them from having to take loss-imposing actions that are likely to incur political blame. This paper analyzes the financial and political potential of automatic stabilizing mechanisms (ASMs), beginning with a discussion of design issues and alternatives. This is followed by a discussion of potential adoption, implementation, and sustainability challenges for automatic stabilizing mechanisms and a review of experiences with stabilization mechanisms in three countries: Canada, Sweden and Germany. The paper argues that ASMs are vulnerable to erosion over time, especially when the losses that the ASM would impose are substantial, and when elections are impending. Preserving the integrity of ASMs is most likely where the parties that initially supported their adoption continue to be able to sustain cartel-like behavior with respect to pension policymaking. Overall, the analysis in this paper suggests that automatic stabilizing mechanisms are no panacea for the problems of countries facing serious long-term pension financing problems.
Decomposition of a mixture of Gaussian AR processes

We consider the problem of detecting and classifying an unknown number of multiple simultaneous Gaussian autoregressive (AR) signals with unknown variances given a finite length observation of their sum and a dictionary of candidate AR models. We show that the problem reduces to the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation of the variances of the AR components for every subset from the dictionary. The "best" subset of AR components is then found by applying the minimum description length (MDL) principle. The ML estimates of the variances are obtained by combining the EM algorithm with the Rauch-Tung-Striebel optimal smoother. The performance of the algorithm is illustrated by numerical simulations. Possible improvements of the method are discussed.
Reflections on the Meaning of Efficiency: Can Efficiency Be Separated from Equity?

The word efficiency has taken on a powerful role in the current debate on health policy and, indeed, in public policy in general. It is widely taken for granted that an efficient approach is ispo facto superior to an inefficient one. The fastest way to eliminate a rival policy from the field is simply to brand it inefficient Usually, the involvement of government in the implementation of a policy is taken as prima facie evidence of inherent inefficiency. In the vernacular, to be efficient means not to be wasteful On that intuitively appealing definition, every American claims to favor efficiency, at least ostensibly.1 But what does it actually mean "not to be wasteful"? Surely, we can all think of simple illustrations of inefficiencyfor example, driving a car with a hole in the gas tank, cooking five-pound steaks for each of one's dinner guests or implanting a pacemaker into a patient who does not need one. These are the easy cases. One might engage professional economists to analyze them; but any lay person would do just as well. What about larger contextssuch as organizing an entire health system? How can we know when a health system is efficiently organized, and when it is inefficient? For example, if a publicly owned clinic gives a woman, free of charge, a screening mammogram for which she would have been willing to pay at most $30, but which costs $60 to produce, is that an inefficient use of resources? Would it be more efficient simply to give her the $60 in cash and to let her decide whether or not to purchase a mammography test with that money or to spend it on more desired commodities? Suppose Figure 1 represented the demand for well-baby care by a particular family and the supply-curve for that care faced by that family. Suppose, next, that this family was given first-dollar health-insurance coverage for well-baby care. Are economists correct in labeling the shaded area in the diagram the
A survey on the design, applications, and enhancements of application-layer overlay networks

This article presents a survey of recent advancements in application-layer overlay networks. Some of the most important applications that have been proposed for overlays include multicast, QoS support, denial-of-service (DoS) defense, and resilient routing. We look at some of the important approaches proposed for these applications and compare the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches. We also examine some of the enhancements that have been proposed in overlay topology design, enhanced routing performance, failure resistance, and the issues related to coexistence of overlay and native layers in the Internet. We conclude the article with a comment on the purist vs pluralist argument of overlay networks that has received much debate recently. Finally, we propose a new deployment model for service overlays that seeks to interpose between these two approaches.
A Fast Logic System for Geometrical Selection of Spark Chamber Triggers

A fast parallel logic system employing MECL II integrated circuits with a total analysis time of about 100 nsec was used to preselect elastic scattering events in a K-p scattering experiment. A ninety counter scintillation hodoscope arranged in banks of ten counters each allowed the selection of events on the basis of a) The presence of exactly two outgoing particles b) Coplanarity of outgoing particles with respect to the incoming beam c) Approximate agreement of outgoing angles with calculated kinematic requirements. About 3% of candidate events satisfied this set of restrictions and initiated spark chamber pulsing and data transfer to a computer.
A natural selection

Evolutionary Genetics. By John Maynard Smith. Oxford University Press: 1989. Pp.325. Pbk £16.95, $32.50.
Obtaining a quantitative measure of eye movements in human infants: A method of calibrating the electrooculogram

We have developed a calibration procedure that combines the measurement of the EOG voltage with the concurrent assessment of the actual direction of gaze as revealed by the corneal reflection of a target light. Using this method, we have been able to calibrate the eye-position signal recorded from 2- and 3-month-old infants. Our results show that in young infants (1) the EOG is linearly related to eye position to at least +/- 20 deg; (2) the slopes of the calibration lines measured early and late in the same test session were not significantly different at the 0.1 level; (3) at the most eccentric eye position, the calibration was accurate to within +/- 1 deg; and (4) an abbreviated calibration at 0 and +/- 15 deg, which took less than 2 min, produced essentially the same slope (t-test not significant at the 0.1 level) as a longer procedure that tested at every 5 deg between +20 and -20 deg.
The Creation of the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944: Melding Social and Participatory Citizenship Ideals

The G.I. Bill of Rights, formally known as the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, remains in the public consciousness as one of the most significant social policies ever enacted in the United States. Established for returning veterans of World War II, its terms of coverage were strikingly broad and generous. Fifty-one percent of veterans used the educational provisions: 2.2 million pursued a college education or graduate degree, and 5.6 million attained vocational or on-the-job training. The law also offered extensive unemployment benefits, which were used to the full by 14 percent of veterans. It also offered low-interest loans for the purchase of homes, farms, and businesses, which were used by 29 percent of veterans.
Electrolyte-gated transistors based on conducting polymer nanowire junction arrays

In this study, we describe the electrolyte gating and doping effects of transistors based on conducting polymer nanowire electrode junction arrays in buffered aqueous media. Conducting polymer nanowires including polyaniline, polypyrrole, and poly(ethylenedioxythiophene) were investigated. In the presence of a positive gate bias, the device exhibits a large on/off current ratio of 978 for polyaniline nanowire-based transistors; these values vary according to the acidity of the gate medium. We attribute these efficient electrolyte gating and doping effects to the electrochemically fabricated nanostructures of conducting polymer nanowires. This study demonstrates that two-terminal devices can be easily converted into three-terminal transistors by simply immersing the device into an electrolyte solution along with a gate electrode. Here, the field-induced modulation can be applied for signal amplification to enhance the device performance.
TNF-induced oscillations in combinatorial transcription factor binding.

Abstract We have shown in two accompanying papers that TNF induces oscillations in (1) ∼13% of the genome, and (2) the activation of MAP kinase and NF-κB signaling pathways. Here we aim to bridge oscillations in signal transduction activation to oscillations in genetic output. Specifically, we sought to study how these oscillations can combine in a ligand-specific manner at the level of the promoter to initiate gene transcription. We utilize the late onset gene CD38 as a model gene since it has previously been shown that TNF, but not the related cytokine RANK-L, induces its expression. We find that TNF-induced oscillations in p65 and p50 recruitment to the CD38 promoter correlated with recruitment of MAPK-induced AP-1 recruitment, as analyzed by quantitative ChIP analysis. Through re-ChIP analysis we show that a unique transcriptional complex is seen on the promoter at 3 h post-TNF addition, corresponding to the onset of CD38 transcription, which is not seen in the basal state. Moreover, we show that RANK-L was unable to combinatorially recruit AP-1 and NF-κB transcription factors to the CD38 promoter, despite inducing the activation of both signaling pathways. These results, in sum with the two accompanying papers, constitute a new paradigm through which cells dynamically orchestrate signaling molecules to coordinate time-resolved gene transcription by the formation of novel time-specific transcriptional complexes.
Production of Urothelium from Pluripotent Stem Cells for Regenerative Applications

As bladder reconstruction strategies evolve, a feasible and safe source of transplantable urothelium becomes a major consideration for patients with advanced bladder disease, particularly cancer. Pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are attractive candidates from which to derive urothelium as they renew and proliferate indefinitely in vitro and fulfill the non-autologous and/or non-urologic criteria, respectively, that is required for many patients. This review presents the latest advancements in differentiating urothelium from pluripotent stem cells in vitro in the context of current bladder tissue engineering strategies.
An Icosahedral Array of Methyl Groups Supported by an Aromatic Borane Scaffold: The [closo-B12(CH3)12]2- Ion

The quest for globular structures possessing both hydrophobic surfaces and extraordinary kinetic stability stems from the search for novel modules with which to synthesize supramolecular structures, weakly coordinating anions, and space-controlling drug components. The fullerenes, characterized by unique chemistry and physical properties, represent one family of such precursors. Another family of globular hydrophobes, described by the authors as ``camouflaged`` carboranes, has been described. These species may approach the van der Waals diameter of C{sub 60} by attachment of methyl groups and functionalized methyl substituents to the icosahedral scaffolding of the aromatic [closo-C{sub n}B{sub 12{minus}n}H{sub 12}]{sup n{minus}2} (n = 0--2). Whereas hydrophobic and amphiphilic derivatives of this sort are known with n = 1 and 2, the fully methylated derivative of the parent species, dodecamethyl-closo-dodecaborate(2{minus}), (n = 0), is now reported for the first time. The authors describe a new permethylation technique for icosahedral closo-boranes employing trimethylaluminium and methyl iodide in the absence of a solvent.
Summary of Workshop: Computerized Test Batteries

Abstract Approximately 20 people met in a workshop to discuss computerized neurobehavioral test systems. A summary of this discussion and our recommendations follow.
Obesity and perioperative outcomes in endometrial cancer surgery.

Objective Obesity is a significant risk factor in developing endometrial cancer. As obesity is becoming more endemic, we wish to evaluate the impact of obesity on perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing uterine cancer surgery.
Age differences in and correlates of identity status from college through middle adulthood

Adults ranging from 20 to 42 years of age were compared on the Extended Objective Measure of Identity Statuses, a questionnaire measure of identity statuses in the domains of ideological and interpersonal development. As hypothesized, compared to current college students, men and women over 30 years of age showed patterns of more mature identity development in both domains with the exception of foreclosure scores in the interpersonal domain that remained stable. Relationships between life commitments and identity statuses were analyzed separately for adults in their 30s compared to those in their 40s, revealing complex interactions with gender and normative cohort expectations. As hypothesized, relationships between identity statuses and adult commitments were more generally observed for the younger adult cohort, for whom individual differences in psychosocial development rather than age-related expectations might be expected to serve as determinants of early life choices.
In vivo performance of a drug-eluting contact lens to treat glaucoma for a month

For nearly half a century, contact lenses have been proposed as a means of ocular drug delivery, but achieving controlled drug release has been a significant challenge. We have developed a drug-eluting contact lens designed for prolonged delivery of latanoprost for the treatment of glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Latanoprost-eluting contact lenses were created by encapsulating latanoprost–poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) films in methafilcon by ultraviolet light polymerization. In vitro and in vivo studies showed an early burst of drug release followed by sustained release for one month. Contact lenses containing thicker drug–polymer films demonstrated released a greater amount of drug after the initial burst. In vivo, single contact lenses were able to achieve, for at least one month, latanoprost concentrations in the aqueous humor that were comparable to those achieved with topical latanoprost solution, the current first-line treatment for glaucoma. The lenses appeared safe in cell culture and animal studies. This contact lens design can potentially be used as a treatment for glaucoma and as a platform for other ocular drug delivery applications.
The Actifier: A Device for Neurophysiological Studies of Orofacial Control in Human Infants

A new device for the stimulation of intraoral tissues in human neonates is described. This instrument, known as an actifier, features a wide frequency range for mechanical stimulation, integrated multichannel electomyographic electrode pairs, and the capacity for transducing law compression during non-nutritive sucking behavior. The stimulus/recording interface consists of a modified pacifier. The actifier has been used to investigate the responsiveness of the sucking central pattern generator in human infants to mechanical perturbation.
Pressure-temperature phase diagram of elemental carbon

Abstract Carbon atoms form very strong bonds to each other yielding solid crystalline materials like graphite and diamond. Because of the high bonding energies, the vaporization and melting temperatures are very high. Different kinds of atom-to-atom bonding make many solid forms possible, ranging from pure graphite to pure diamond, as well as many types of molecules in liquid or gaseous carbon. Rigorous conditions of high temperature, high pressure, or both, are required to change a given elemental phase of carbon to another. Currently the vapor-pressure line of graphite, the P, T equilibrium line between graphite and diamond, and the graphite/diamond/liquid triple point are fairly well established. The triple point (or points) for graphite (or carbynes)/vapor/liquid remain controversial. At pressures less than 0.1 GPa liquid carbon seems to be a poor electric conductor while at higher pressures it is a good one. Current experimental and theoretical evidence indicate that diamond is stable against collapse to metallic forms (unlike Si and Ge) up to pressures over 350 GPa, and possibly as high as 2300 GPa. The latest static and shock compression experiments on diamond indicate that it melts to a conducting liquid at about 5000 K at pressures of 15 to 30 GPa, but does not melt at about 6000 K at 125 GPa. This suggests that the melting temperature of diamond increases with pressure, and that at the melting temperature liquid carbon is slightly less dense than diamond.
Nine-step phenomenological diesel soot model validated over a wide range of engine conditions

A nine-step phenomenological soot model has been implemented into the KIVA-3V code for predicting soot formation and oxidation processes in diesel engines. The model involves nine generic steps, i.e., fuel pyrolysis, precursor species (including acetylene) formation and oxidation, soot particle inception, particle coagulation, surface growth and oxidation. The fuel pyrolysis process leads to acetylene formation and it is described by a single-step reaction. The particle inception occurs via a generic gas-phase precursor species, and the precursor is the product of an irreversible reaction from acetylene. The acetylene addition reaction contributes to soot surface growth. The particle coagulation affects both particle size and number density. The oxidation of soot particles includes two mechanisms—Nagle and Strickland-Constable's O2 oxidation mechanism and Neoh et al.'s OH oxidation mechanism. The quasi-steady state assumption is applied to an H2–O2–CO system for calculating OH concentration. Both acetylene and precursor species have their own consumption paths, each of which is described by a single-step oxidation reaction. Validations of the model have been conducted over a wide range of engine conditions from conventional to PCCI-like combustion. Two engine examples (a heavy-duty diesel engine and a light-duty diesel engine) are presented in this paper. The predictions are compared against measurements, and the applicability of the model to multi-dimensional diesel simulations is assessed. The model's capability of predicting the soot distribution structure in a conventional diesel flame is included in discussion as well. The work reveals that the nine-step model is not only computationally efficient but also fundamentally sound. The model can be applied to diesel engine combustion analysis and, after calibration, is suitable to be integrated with genetic algorithms for system optimization over a controllable range of operations.
A 4-year zonal climatology of lower tropospheric CO2 derived from ocean-only Atmospheric Infrared Sounder observations

[1] A 4-year zonally averaged climatology of atmospheric CO2, ocean only, between ±60° latitude has been derived from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) radiances. Using only very clear fields of view, the CO2 profile in the computed radiances is scaled until agreement is found with observations. ECMWF forecast and analysis fields are used for the temperature profile in the computed radiances. The AIRS channels used to derive CO2 amounts are nominally sensitive to CO2 variability in the ∼300–800 mbar region (2–9 km), significantly lower in the atmosphere than that in previous studies using AIRS. Validation using aircraft measurements of CO2 at 650 mbar indicates that the AIRS CO2 results presented here are accurate to the 0.5–1.0 ppm level. The AIRS-derived climatology clearly exhibits the CO2 rectifier effect, with mean CO2 values several parts per million lower than in those in the boundary layer. The AIRS CO2 seasonal cycle has a relatively constant amplitude of ∼3 ppm from +10° to +60° latitude, which matches the boundary layer seasonal cycle amplitude near +10° latitude but is about three times smaller than that in the boundary layer amplitude at +60° latitude. Phase comparisons between the AIRS and boundary layer CO2 seasonal cycles show the boundary layer phase leading AIRS in the Northern Hemisphere until ∼+10° latitude, where the phases cross and the AIRS higher-altitude CO2 begins to lead the boundary layer phase down to ∼−10° latitude. These results may offer new insight into CO2 interhemispherical transport. Growth rates derived from the AIRS CO2 climatology are 2.21 ± 0.24 ppm/year, in good agreement with in situ measurements.
Cellular and metabolic functions for autophagy in cancer cells

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that acts as a dynamic regulator of tumorigenesis. Specifically, autophagy has been shown to impede early cancer development while facilitating advanced tumor progression. Recent studies have uncovered several tumor-promoting functions for autophagy; these include the maintenance of multiple metabolic pathways critical for aggressive tumor growth and the promotion of tumor cell survival downstream of the unfolded protein response. Furthermore, autophagy supports anoikis resistance and cancer cell invasion. At the same time, because autophagy cargo receptors, which are essential for selective autophagy, lie upstream of diverse cancer-promoting signaling pathways, they may profoundly influence how alterations in autophagy affect tumor development. This review focuses on how these tumor cell autonomous functions of autophagy broadly impact tumorigenesis.
Enhancement Effects on Quality Characteristics of Pork Derived from Pigs of Various Commercial Genetic Backgrounds

: We evaluated quality characteristics of enhanced pork derived from pigs from commercial genetic backgrounds (Duroc, Large White, Pietrain, Hampshire, Landrace, and 2 synthetic lines). Loins enhanced to contain 0.4% phosphate and 0.25% salt were evaluated by a 10-member sensory panel for visual appearance, flavor, and texture. Instrumental color, cook loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force were also determined. Except for tenderness, genetic line had limited effects on sensory characteristics; it did affect visual pink color, lightness, and marbling. Enhancement positively affected flavor and juiciness. Pork from pigs of some of the genetic backgrounds responded positively to enhancement in terms of color, purge, cook loss, and instrumental color, whereas others responded very little.
Chicken leukosis virus genome sequences in DNA from normal chick cells and virus-induced bursal lymphomas.

Genome sequences of two recent field isolates of avian leukosis viruses in the DNA of normal and neoplastic chicken cells were studied by DNA-RNA hybridization under conditions of DNA excess. Comparisons were made between 60-70S RNA from these viruses and that of a chicken endogenous type C virus (RAV-0), and of a series of "laboratory" leukosis and sarcoma viruses, by competitive hybridization analysis. A minimum of 18% of the genome sequences of both ALV isolates detected in DNA from lymphomas they induced were not detected in normal chicken DNA. The vast majority of the fraction of RNA sequences from ALV which do form hybrids with normal chick DNA appear to be reacting with the endogenous provirus of RAV-0. The genomic representation of a variety of avian leukosis and sarcoma viruses in normal chicken cells could not be distinguished by these methods (except that 13% of the RAV-0 genome was not shared with any of the other viruses). In contrast, the portion of the ALV genome exogenous to the normal chicken geome showed significant divergence from that of two sarcoma viruses (Pr RSV-C and B-77). The increased hybridization of ALV RNA with lymphoma DNA was used to detect the appearance of ALV specific sequences in the bursa of Fabricius following infection.increased hybridization was correlated with both the time after infection and the extent of replacement of the bursa by lymphoma. About one half of the increase in hybridization preceded histologic evidence of transformation.
Using Text Analysis to Understand the Structure and Dynamics of the World Wide Web as a Multi-Relational Graph

A representation of the World Wide Web as a directed graph, with vertices representing web pages and edges representing hypertext links, underpins the algorithms used by web search engines today. However, this representation involves a key oversimplification of the true complexity of the Web: an edge in the traditional Web graph represents only the existence of a hyperlink; information on the context (e.g., informational, adversarial, commercial, spam) behind the hyperlink is absent. In this work-in-progress paper, we describe an ongoing collaborative project between two teams, one specializing in network science and analysis and the other specializing in text analysis and machine learning, to address this oversimplification. Using techniques in natural language processing, text mining and machine learning to extract relevant features of hyperlinks and classify them into one of several types, this undertaking builds and analyzes a multi-relational web graph. A key aspect of this work is that the multi-relational graph emerges naturally from the data instead of being based on an imposed classification of the hyperlinks.
Validity of self-reported cocaine and opiate use among arrestees in five cities

Abstract Although several researchers have examined the validity of self-reported drug use, few studies have focused on those factors that affect validity. The present investigation uses Drug Use Forecasting data to identify predictors of valid self-reports among arrestees from five cities in the United States. The multivariate results show that factors affecting the misrepresentation of drug use vary by site and by drug category. Explanations for these findings are offered and suggestions for improving the validity of arrestees' self-reports are discussed.
Estradiol inhibits the increase of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y messenger ribonucleic acid expression induced by weight loss in ovariectomized rats.

Anorexia and weight loss produced by estradiol (E2) may involve altered expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the hypothalamus. We tested this hypothesis using ovariectomized (OVX) rats by replacing E2 with SILASTIC brand capsule implants and measuring NPY messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in the arcuate nucleus by in situ hybridization. To equalize the effects of weight loss on NPY mRNA expression, E2 deficient OVX rats were pair-fed (n = 10) for 2 days to an OVX group receiving E2 (n = 12). Compared with the weight gain (P < 0.02) of E2 deficient OVX rats (n = 10), OVX rats replaced with E2 and pair-fed OVX rats both had 12.5% lower food intake and weight (P < 0.05). E2 replacement elevated insulin 52% (P < 0.05) and lowered NPY hybridization 32% (P < 0.05) compared with pair-fed controls. During a 2-day fast, E2 replacement (N = 12) attenuated the elevation of NPY mRNA levels 50% (P < 0.01) compared with E2 deficiency (n = 15). Therefore, when E2 is administered to OVX rats, reduced NPY mRNA expression in th...
Developmental expression of the β-amyloid precursor protein and heat-shock protein 70 in the cerebral hemisphere region of the rat brain

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by depositions of the amyloid beta protein (A beta) in the brain in the form of extracellular plaques and cerebrovascular amyloid. A beta (approximately 4 kDa) is derived from a family of large (approximately 110 kDa) beta-amyloid precursor proteins (APP), which are integral membrane glycoproteins. Although a connection between AD and alcoholism has recently been suggested, this relationship has not been explored at the molecular level. Our hypothesis is that APP has a role in brain development and that abnormal APP levels may be involved in dementia associated with AD and alcoholism. We compared the profile of total APP levels between ethanol naive alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats. We also investigated the possibility that APP levels can be regulated in an age-dependent manner in young rats. We studied the distribution of two proteins in the cerebral hemisphere region of the rat brain at various developmental periods. Six groups composed of the following different ages of rats were used: 7, 14, 21, 36, 43, and 78 (postnatal) days. Cell extracts from different regions of the brain were subjected to Western immunoblotting using mAb22C11. Our results suggest that levels of high-molecular-weight APP bands were greater in brain extracts from 7-day-old P rats than in other samples tested, and that the distribution of APP levels was more uneven in brain extracts from different ages of P than from NP rats. These initial results suggest that APP may play an important role in the early development of the rat brain and the alcohol-preferring trait may influence APP processing in the developing brain.