cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract DP-004: DESCRIBING THE ODDS OF LONG-TERM SURVIVAL AMONG WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH HIGH-GRADE SEROUS OVARIAN CANCER USING ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS

Relatively little is known about factors associated with long-term survival (LTS) following a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. We conducted a retrospective observational study of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) to explore predictors of LTS, defined as >= 7 years of survivorship, using data from five participating health plans in the Cancer Research Network (CRN, http:\\crn.cancer.gov). Our primary data source was the Virtual Data Warehouse (VDW), a common data model which includes standardized, individual-level data extracted from the electronic data systems of each study site. We included 642 women with incident HGSOC diagnosed between 2000 and 2008 to allow for at least 7 years of follow-up. We conducted a multivariable logistic regression analysis to compare characteristics of women who survived >=7 years after diagnosis (n=148) to those who died within 7 years of diagnosis (n=494). In addition to stage and grade, predictors considered for the model included age, race, smoking status at time of diagnosis, body mass index (BMI) within the year prior to diagnosis, and CA-125 level prior to cancer treatment. We examined estrogen and hormonal contraceptive use, as well as the prevalence of comorbidities in the year prior to diagnosis of ovarian cancer. We also included variables for receipt of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. We used forward selection to include variables, and retained them in the final model if they had a p-value of =35 units/ml), Charlson comorbidity score, receipt of chemotherapy, BMI, and five separate comorbid conditions: weight loss, hypothyroidism, liver disease, chronic pulmonary disease and hypertension. Of these, only younger age, lower stage, and receipt of chemotherapy were statistically significantly associated with LTS. The OR for LTS was 2.9 (95% CI: 1.2-6.3) for ages 18-49 years at diagnosis compared to >=70 years of age. Those who were diagnosed at stage IV had statistically significantly lower odds of surviving >=7 years than any other stage of disease. The OR for LTS for stage I vs. stage IV was 46.6 (95% CI: 46.7 – 15.9), stage II vs. stage IV was 14.1 (95% CI: 5.3-37.0) and stage III vs. stage IV was 5.3 (95% CI: 2.7-10.4). The OR was 2.9 (95% CI: 1.0-8.4) for receipt of chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy after adjusting for all other covariates. Our analysis of data from electronic medical records did not identify any new characteristics that may be associated with ovarian cancer LTS. Citation Format: Christina L. Clarke, Lawrence H. Kushi, Jessica Chubak, Pamala A. Pawloski, Joanna E. Bulkley, Mara M. Epstein, Andrea N. Burnett-Hartman, Bethan Powell, C. Leigh Pearce, Heather Spencer Feigelson. DESCRIBING THE ODDS OF LONG-TERM SURVIVAL AMONG WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH HIGH-GRADE SEROUS OVARIAN CANCER USING ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 13-15, 2018; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2019;25(22 Suppl):Abstract nr DP-004.
Abstract 6363: Small molecule PG3-Oc partially restores the p53 pathway transcriptome and proteome in tumors with mutant p53 through ATF4 transcriptional modulation by ERK1/2 and CDK9

The tumor-suppressor p53 prevents cancer development via initiating cell-cycle arrest, cell death, repair, or anti-angiogenesis processes. Over 50% of human cancers harbor cancer-causing mutations in p53. p53 mutations not only abrogate its tumor-suppressor function, but also endow mutant p53 with a gain of function (GOF), creating a proto-oncogene that contributes to tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and chemo- or radiotherapy resistance. Thus, targeting mutant p53 and/or restoring a wild-type p53 signaling pathway provides an attractive strategy for cancer therapy. We previously reported that prodigiosin, a natural product, has potent anti-cancer activity against tumors with mutated p53. The novel synthetic analogue of prodigiosin, PG3-Oc, is potent in reducing both short-term and long-term proliferation in a broad panel of mutant p53 cell lines. PG3-Oc treatment induces genome-wide restoration of p53 target genes, which are mediated by activation of ATF4. We demonstrate that ERK1/2 and CDK9 kinase functions are required for ATF4 transcriptional activity in mutant p53-expressing cancer cells. We have characterized a mechanism of PG3-Oc that engages the apoptosis pathway by upregulation of the pro-apoptotic p53 target gene PUMA in a time-and dose-dependent manner through the ATF4/PUMA axis in colorectal cancer cell lines. We further report the impact of PG3-Oc on the p53 transcriptome and proteome and the role of ATF4. Our results demonstrate feasibility of functional cellular reprogramming to restore p53 pathway signaling and provide novel insights into mechanisms of signaling leading to cell death and tumor suppression with potential clinical relevance in cancer therapy. Citation Format: Xiaobing Tian, Nagib Ahsan, Wafik S. El-Deiry. Small molecule PG3-Oc partially restores the p53 pathway transcriptome and proteome in tumors with mutant p53 through ATF4 transcriptional modulation by ERK1/2 and CDK9 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6363.
An Interface for Enhanced Teacher Awareness of Student Actions and Attention in a VR Classroom

Networked VR is gaining recognition as a way to provide remote presentations or classes when in-person meetings are difficult or risky to conduct. However, the tools do not provide as many cues about audience actions and attention as in-person meetings, for example, subtle face and body motion cues are missing. Furthermore, the field of view and visual detail are reduced, and there are added problems such as motion sickness, network disconnections, and relatively unrestricted avatar positioning. To help teachers understand and manage students in such an environment, we designed an interface to support teacher awareness of students and their actions, attention, and temperament in a social VR environment. This paper focuses on how different visual cues are integrated into an immersive VR interface that keeps relevant information about students within the teacher’s visual field of attention. Cues include floating indicators, centrally-arranged face icons with gaze information, tethers and other indicators of avatar location, and options to reduce the amount of presented information. We include a pilot study of user preferences for different cue types and their parameters (such as indicator style and placement with respect to the teacher).
Self-organized pattern formation in radio frequency capacitively coupled discharges

Self-organized structures that are spread perpendicular to the radio frequency (RF) current direction have been observed in low temperature RF capacitively coupled plasmas. A fluid plasma model that includes thermoelectric electron energy transport is used to understand how these structures form. The electron thermoelectric transport coefficient is calculated using Bolsig+ for different chemistries and is found to be large for Ar plasma. Thermoelectric electron energy transport, which is driven by particle diffusion, opposes electron thermal conduction and can localize the plasma, leading to periodic structures. To examine these structures in radio frequency (RF) capacitive plasmas, two-dimensional Ar plasma at 13.5 MHz is first simulated without and then with thermoelectric electron energy transport. The charged species densities are perturbed in the simulations, and the growth or decay of different modes with time is observed. The periodicity of the structure is found to be determined by the relative strength of thermoelectric electron energy transport compared to energy conduction and losses. The effect of operating variables such as chemistry and pressure and design variables such as inter-electrode gap and steps in the electrode have been studied. For Ar plasma as pressure is decreased, the plasma peaks become stronger since thermoelectric electron energy transport is enhanced. Within limits, steps in the electrodes can be used to control the location of the periodic structures. For N2 plasma, the periodic structure does not appear as thermoelectric electron energy transport is weak. The spacing between plasma peaks is found to be dependent on pressure, chemistry, and inter-electrode gap.
Selfish parents, parenting practices, and psychopathic traits in children.

Parental personality and parenting behavior have been associated with the development of psychopathic traits in offspring. However, no study has examined the effect of parental dispositional selfishness on the development of psychopathic traits in offspring, and the potential mechanism underlying this relationship. To address this issue, parents' reports on their dispositional selfishness, negative and positive parenting behavior, and child's psychopathic traits were collected for a group of children from the community (n = 118, 47% male, mean age = 14.1 years). Results showed that parental selfishness was associated with grandiose-manipulative (GM), daring-impulsive (DI), and callous-unemotional (CU) traits in children. In addition, the egocentric selfishness-GM relationship was indirectly mediated by parenting behavior including lack of involvement, poor monitoring, and inconsistent discipline, whereas the association with CU traits was directly mediated by lack of involvement. These effects remained significant after controlling for child's sex, age, race, social adversity, and a prior measure of psychopathic traits. Findings provide initial empirical evidence on the effect of parental selfishness on a child's psychopathic traits, and further support to the proposition that distinct etiology may underlie different dimensions of psychopathic traits.
CHA2DS2-VASc score stratifies mortality risk in patients with and without atrial fibrillation

Objectives The CHA2DS2-VASc score is the preferred risk model for anticoagulation decision-making in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Recent studies have found this score to have prognostic value in other cardiovascular diseases. We assessed the relationships between CHA2DS2-VASc score and long-term mortality in adults referred for stress testing, METHODS: 165 184 consecutive patients from January 1991 to December 2014 from a prospective registry were studied, with CHA2DS2-VASc score calculated for all patients, and AF and anticoagulation status were recorded. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Results In this cohort, 12 450 (7.5%) patients had AF and mean CHA2DS2-VASc score was 2.2±1.2. There were 22 152 (18.4%) deaths during mean follow-up of 6.1±4.8 years. In multivariable analysis, CHA2DS2-VASc score, presence of AF and anticoagulation use, along with end-stage renal failure and smoking were all independently associated with mortality with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.23 (1.21 to 1.25), 1.18 (1.10 to 1.27) and 1.50 (1.40 to 1.60), respectively. Higher CHA2DS2-VASc score was incrementally associated with worse survival both in patients with and without AF (log-rank p Conclusion Incrementally higher CHA2DS2-VASc score, a simple clinical tool, is associated with mortality in patients regardless of presence of AF and anticoagulation status. Anticoagulation use was associated with worse survival in non-AF patients and AF patients with low CHA2DS2-VASc scores, but was protective in AF patients with high CHA2DS2-VASc scores.
Dynamic Approach for Switching Heuristics

Search is an integral part of solution approaches for NP-hard combinatorial optimization and decision problems. Once the ability to reason deterministically is exhausted, state-of-the-art solvers try out alternatives that may lead to an improved (in case of optimization) or feasible (in case of satisfaction) solution. This consideration of alternatives may take place highly opportunistically, as in local search approaches, or systematically, as in backtracking-based methods. Regardless of the scenario, efficiency could be much improved if one could effectively favor alternatives that lead to optimal or feasible solutions and a search space partition that allows short proofs of optimality or infeasibility. The chapter therefore follows up on the idea of choosing a branching heuristic dynamically based on certain features of the current subproblem, resulting in solvers that are markedly better than their counterparts that stick to using only a single heuristic throughout the search.
Stress Analysis of a Bulk-filled Class V Light-cured Composite Restoration:

Clinical failures are often associated with the polymerization shrinkage of resin composite restorative materials. These problems include tooth sensitivity and fracture, marginal leakage, loss of the restoration, and recurrent decay. Our goal was to examine transient composite distortions and interface stresses as a bulk-filled light-cured composite polymerized in a Class V restoration. The analysis was based on a finite element model. The curing of the restoration was divided into 4 steps: approximately 1/30, 1/4, 1/2, and full depth (1/1) of cure. Since the actual curing pattern is not known, calculations were performed for three hypothetical (flat, convex, and concave) polymerization front shapes. The calculations showed that the assumed shape was a critical factor in determining cured surface deformations. For example, the initial cure depth (1/30) resulted in a surface bulge if the polymerization front was presumed convex, while the concave front resulted in a large intrusion. By the time that about 1/2 the depth of the restoration was cured, the differences were essentially gone. The final surface outline was intruded. Interface stresses in the curing restoration were qualitatively similar regardless of the assumed polymerization shape. As with surface distortions, the stresses changed with curing depth. It was concluded that (1) transient events during polymerization are possible contributors to clinical complications, and (2) more must be known about the polymerization pattern.
Input Error versus Output Error Model Reference Adaptive Control

Algorithms for model reference adaptive control were developed in recent years, and their stability and convergence properties have been investigated. Typical algorithms in continuous time involve strictly positive real conditions on the reference model, while similar discrete time algorithms do not require such conditions. We show how algorithms differ by the use of an input error versus an output error, and present a continuous time input error adaptive control algorithm which does not involve SPR conditions. The connections with other schemes are discussed. The input error scheme has general stability and convergence properties that are similar to the output error scheme. However, analysis using averaging methods reveals some preferable convergence properties of the input error scheme. Several other advantages are also discussed.
IN VIVO REGULATION OF THE MOUSE BETA MYOSIN HEAVY CHAIN GENE

The interactions of trans-acting factors with their respective cis-acting elements in the 5' upstream region of the beta myosin heavy chain gene (MyHC) regulate its tissue- and developmental stage-specific expression. The role of three conserved elements, an MCAT or TEF-1 binding site, a C-rich region, and a beta e3 region, in muscle-specific gene expression was analyzed in vivo. Each cis-acting site was ablated in the context of the beta MyHC promoter, fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene, and used to generate transgenic mice. In contrast to results obtained in vitro, the data demonstrate that mutating any one of these cis-acting elements does not affect the level or tissue specificity of transgene expression. Sequences upstream of -600 can functionally substitute for any one of these regulatory cassettes and are important both for high levels of expression as well as for controlled muscle specificity. Mutation of any two of the cis-acting elements also does not affect transgene expression. However, simultaneous mutation of the three sites significantly reduces expression, indicating that these conserved sequences do play an important role and that combinatorial interactions underlie the beta MyHC's regulation.
Infectious Diseaxe Informatics and Outbreak detection

Infectious disease informatics is an emerging field that studies data collection, sharing, modeling, and management issues in the domain of infectious diseases. This chapter provides an overview of this field with specific emphasis on the following two sets of topics: (a) the design and main system components of an infectious disease information infrastructure, and (b) spatio-temporal data analysis and modeling techniques used to identify possible disease outbreaks. Several case studies involving real-world applications and research prototypes are presented to illustrate the application context and relevant system design and data modeling issues.
DNA Sequence Analysis

In this chapter we introduce some of the elementary concepts for analyzing DNA sequences in terms of “words” of length 1 (bases), 2 (base pairs), 3 (triplets, such as codons), restriction sites, etc. The analysis uses some of the basic probability concepts that we have worked with in the previous chapter. Our treatment follows closely that of Deonier et al. [18, Chs. 2 and 3].
Ring strain release as a strategy to enable the singlet state photodecarbonylation of crystalline 1,4‐cyclobutanediones

Challenging most chemists' intuition, highly reactive dialkyl biradicals can be reliably generated in the solid state by taking advantage of the photodecarbonylation of cyclic ketones. However, it has been shown that radical stabilizing groups with resonance-delocalizing abilities at the α-carbons of the precursor are required to facilitate the α-cleavage reaction, and that triplet state reactivity is essential to slow down the combination of the intermediate acyl–alkyl biradical back to the starting ketone. Relatively long triplet acyl–alkyl biradical lifetimes give a chance for the loss of CO to occur. Looking for additional strategies to generate transient biradicals in solids, we studied the solid state photochemistry of four aliphatic, dispiro-substituted 1,4-cyclobutandiones (1a–d) that were expected to react from the singlet state. We hypothesized that the release of ring strain from the small ring carbonyl would make the reverse acyl–alkyl combination disfavored, allowing for the loss of CO to occur efficiently and irreversibly. We report here the results of studies carried out in solution, bulk (powder) crystals, and nanocrystalline photochemistry. We have recently shown that excitation of dispirocyclohexyl-1,3-cyclobutanedione 1c led to the trapping of the intermediate oxyallyl with a half life of about 42 min. Our studies with the three other crystalline derivatives revealed that, while all react efficiently, the remarkably long lifetime of oxyallyl is unique to crystals of 1c. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mathematics teaching as problem solving: A framework for studying teacher metacognition underlying instructional practice in mathematics

The purpose of this exploratory study was to use a “teaching as problem solving” perspective to examine the components of metacognition underlying the instructional practice of seven experienced and seven beginning teachers of secondary school mathematics. A metacognitive framework was developed to examine the thoughts of teachers before, during and after lesson enactments. Data were obtained through observations, lesson plans, videotapes, and audiotapes of structured interviews during the course of one semester. Data analysis suggests that the metacognition of teachers plays a well-defined role in classroom practice. These findings provide useful insights for researchers and teacher educators in their preservice and inservice mathematics programs.
A Protein Secondary Structure Prediction Framework Based on the Support Vector Machine

Our framework for predicting protein secondary structures differs from existing prediction methods since we consider physio-chemical information and context information of secondary structure segments. We have employed Support Vector Machine (SVM) for training the CB513 and RS126 data sets, which are collections of protein secondary structure sequences, through sevenfold cross validation to uncover the structural differences of protein secondary structures. We apply the sliding window technique to test a set of protein sequences based on the group classification learned from the training data set. Our prediction approach achieves 77.8% segment overlap accuracy (SOV) and 75.2% three-state overall per-residue accuracy (Q 3) on CB513 set, which outperform existing protein secondary structure prediction methods.
Altered Small Bowel Propulsion Associated With Parasitism

Experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that alterations of intestinal motility accompany enteric helminth infections. Motility was measured in rats during the intestinal phase of infection with the nematode Trichinella spiralis by following the transit of radioactive chromium through the gut. Intraduodenal catheters were surgically implanted in rats. One week after the operation one group of animals was infected with 8 × 103T. spiralis larvae and a second group was infected with 16 × 103 larvae. A third group of un infected rats served as controls. Three, four, or five days postinfection, Na231CrO4 was injected through the catheter into the duodenum of fasted animals and its propulsion through the small bowel was allowed to progress for 15 min. The distribution of radioactivity throughout the small intestine and cecum was then plotted as a function of gut length. Intestinal transit was increased significantly by infection. The leading edge of radioactivity transversed 100% of the gut length in infected rats and 70% in controls. The amount of injected radioactivity transversing the midpoint of the small intestine was estimated by regression equations to be 38% of the injected dose for control rats and 59 and 57% for infected groups. Increased propulsive activity in parasitized rats was associated with inflammatory changes and a significant reduction in disaccharidase levels in the gut mucosa. The latter conditions were most marked in the proximal small bowel where the majority of worms resided.
Ethics and Internet healthcare: an ontological reflection.

Recently, when I was diagnosed with an incurable and terminal bone marrow disease, I was dismayed to hear my doctor tell me that there were only three treatments available, two of which were unavailable to me because of my already frail condition. Furthermore, only 15% of patients responded at all to the third treatment, which would not cure but only impede the development of the disease. My response was to verify this information by going to the World Wide Web, and to my delight I found some 20 other treatments (albeit experimental) that my doctor had not mentioned. My experience typifies one of the significant advantages to patients arising out of the development of Internet medicine, and particularly of web sites devoted to health issues: Information previously parceled out by one's doctor is now easily available to anyone with access to a computer.
Effects of Cr on the elastic properties of B2 NiAl: A first-principles study

We performed first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory to investigate the effects of Cr addition on the elastic properties of B2 NiAl. The Wagner–Schottky model was employed to correlate single-crystal elastic constants of ternary B2 NiAl–Cr alloys with point defect concentrations, in which the defect-formation parameters were obtained from first-principles supercell calculations. The present calculations clearly show that the effects of Cr addition on the elastic properties of B2 NiAl are strongly composition-dependent.
Surveillance of the eye and vision in a clinical trial of MART1-transformed dendritic cells for metastatic melanoma.

Abstract Purpose: To report the protocol for surveillance of the eye and vision in a clinical trial of MART1-transduced dendritic cells for metastatic melanoma. Methods: In a phase I/II clinical trial of dendritic cell-based genetic immunotherapy for metastatic cutaneous melanoma, ophthalmic evaluation is performed prior to immunization (Baseline Evaluation), 56±7 days after first vaccination (mid-study evaluation), when dendritic cell injections are complete 112±7 days after first vaccination (end-study evaluation) and 168±7 days after first vaccination (post-study evaluation). Results: The protocol for baseline, mid-study and end-study evaluations of the eye and vision includes ophthalmic history, comprehensive ophthalmic examination, psychophysical and electrophysiological visual function assessment, fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. Post-study evaluation consists of the 25-item visual functioning questionnaire augmented to elicit autoimmune manifestation with complete ophthalmic evaluation if vision-related symptoms or abnormalities are noted during or after the vaccination. Conclusion: Limited adverse effects on the eye and vision have been reported in melanoma immunotherapy trials, although this novel mode of therapy has the potential to induce melanoma paraneoplastic syndromes known to severely impair vision. Therefore, surveillance of the eye and vision should be considered in melanoma immunotherapy trials.
An analysis of the relationship between education and organizational commitment in a variety of occupational groups

Abstract The study investigated the relationship between education and organizational commitment. Information obtained from 1,385 workers representing several different occupational groups was analyzed. Generally, the data indicated that education has an indirect positive effect on organizational commitment by increasing work rewards, but a direct negative effect when work rewards are held constant. The data further indicated that the latter finding is due to the higher work values associated with increased education. Finally, the results suggested that the effect of education on organizational commitment is, for the most part, through intrinsic rewards and values. The implications of the findings were discussed,
Neurochemical, behavioral and architectural changes after chronic inactivation of NMDA receptors in mice

Schizophrenia is a psychotic illness characterized by problems in perception, learning, and memory. Post-mortem clinical data revealed abnormalities in neuronal organization, reduced soma and dendritic tree size. In rodents, reduction of glutamatergic neurotransmission by NMDA receptor antagonists mimics symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the dosage, treatment and species used in previous studies have not been consistent, leading to a lack of correlation between the findings reported in low-dose, long-term treatment models and the results in acute or chronic high dose administration. Thus, the present study investigates whether long-term, low-dose blockade of NMDA receptors with MK-801 in the early postnatal period results in molecular, cellular, morphological and behavioral changes in the mouse, alterations that have been singly described by using different drugs and dosages in either mice or rats. We found that early postnatal administration of 0.1mg/kg MK-801 for 15 days altered protein translation, synapse formation, hippocampus-dependent learning and neuronal development, resembling findings reported in schizophrenia. These results suggest that there are strong parallels between this animal model and schizophrenia, which validates it as an animal model for this condition and lends further strength of the NMDA receptor hypofunction as a useful model for the study of psychosis.
Forest Structure, Nutrients, and Pentaclethra macroloba Growth after Deforestation of Costa Rican Lowland Forests

Succession following deforestation in Neotropical forests has been investigated extensively, yet rarely have studies connected nutrient dynamics with vegetation. This study was conducted in lowland wet forests of Maquenque, Costa Rica. The objectives were (1) to compare carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) characteristics and understory vegetation diversity between regenerating forests and primary forests; and (2) to use these variables to evaluate P. macroloba’s successional role. Four 300 m2 plots were established in primary and secondary forests where P. macroloba was the dominant N-fixing tree. Soil and vegetation data were collected from 2008 to 2010. Values of indicators of C, N, and P cycle activity were generally greater in primary than in secondary forest soils. Efficiency of organic C use and the relative contribution of respiration and organic C to soil biomass were also greater in the primary forest. These trends corresponded with greater richness, biomass, and cover of total and leguminous plant species, greater volume of P. macroloba in primary stands, and greater density of P. macroloba in secondary stands. As cleared regions of former primary forest regenerate, P. macroloba is the important dominant N-fixing tree and a critical driver of C, N, and P recuperation and ecosystem recovery.
Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of Giα1 and mutants of Giα1 in the GTP and GDP-bound states

Abstract Several different crystal forms of Giα1 have been grown and analyzed. Crystals of native protein containing bound GTPγS belong to space group P 3 1 21 or P 3 2 21 with cell dimensions a,b = 80·6 A and c = 106·3 A and diffract to a resolution of 1·9 A using synchroton radiation. Crystals of native protein containing bound GDP belong to space group I 4 with cell dimensions a,b = 121·3 A, and c = 67?7 A and diffract to 3·0 A. Data sets from crystals grown using mutant proteins have also been obtained and characterized.
Comparative molecular field analysis as a tool to evaluate mode of action of chemical hybridization agents.

The 3D-QSAR method of comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was applied to three patent families of chemical hybridization agents (CHAs) in the MON21200 class of chemistry. The models for each CHA family gave good correlations between the variations in log percent male sterility and in the steric-electrostatic properties of the patent set. For all CHA families, observed sterility rates are generally higher for the sodium salts than for the corresponding esters. This is consistent with our CoMFA models which show that negative charge is favored in the region of the carboxylate group. The CoMFA models also indicated that for the MON21200 family increased steric bulk at the 4-position on the phenyl ring is associated with enhanced activity. However, for the RH0007 and the HYBRID families, male sterility is generally enhanced with increased steric bulk at the 2or 3-position on the phenyl ring. Although the models cannot provide unambiguous conclusions about a common mode of action, similarities in the CoMFA contour maps provided some clues for a common agrophore for these three CHA families.
The function of phenomenal states: is there progress for the "softer problem" of consciousness?

The function of phenomenal states remains a mystery, primarily because of the prevalent, a priori view that these states serve no functional role. This note is a call to arms against this uncorroborated and counterproductive view, which continues to stifle research on the topic. It is proposed that, given what we know and can accomplish with the tools at hand, discovering the function of phenomenal states has become a tractable problem, easier than that of discovering the neural basis of these states—the “hard problem” of consciousness. A simple method that may unveil the function of phenomenal states is presented. It involves contrasting the task demands of conscious and unconscious processes.
The Comparability of the Standardized Mean Difference Effect Size across Different Measures of the Same Construct: Measurement Considerations.

One of the most important effect sizes used in meta-analysis is the standardized mean difference (SMD). In this article, the conditions under which SMD effect sizes based on different measures of the same construct are directly comparable are investigated. The results show that SMD effect sizes from different measures of the same construct are directly comparable if and only if (Condition 1) there is a linear relationship between the true scores, and (Condition 2) there is a special linear relationship between the magnitude of the error variances of the involved measures. If only Condition 1 is met, then the reliability-corrected SMD effect sizes from the different measures are directly comparable. However, if Condition 1 is not met, then there will be nonlinear relationships between the true score metrics of two or more of the measures and systematic variability between SMD effect sizes that reflects these nonlinear relationships.
Substance Use-Disorder Treatment and a Decline in Attempted Suicide During and After Treatment

Objective: Suicide attempts are common in patients being treated for substance-use disorders (SUDs). However, little is known about the frequency of suicidal behavior during and after SUD treatment or about aspects of treatment that predict subsequent suicidal behavior. The present study examines whether treatment setting, length of treatment, and availability/use of psychiatric services are associated with a reduced likelihood of a suicide attempt during and 1 year after treatment. Method: A national sample of 3,733 patients was assessed at the start of an episode of SUD treatment and again at discharge and/or 1 year after treatment. Mixed-model logistic regression analyses examined treatment-related predictors of in-treatment and posttreatment suicide attempts. Results: The rate of suicide attempts was significantly lower in the year following treatment (4%) than in the year before treatment (9%). Additionally, a total of 2% of patients reported a suicide attempt during treatment. Suicide attempts made ...
Working Together: Perceived Self- and Collective-Efficacy at the Workplace1

Collective efficacy is the extension of Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy concept to groups (Bandura, 1982, 1986). Self-efficacy refers to judgments that people make about their personal or individual competency. Collective efficacy concerns judgments that people make about a group's level of competency. This paper contributes to the theory and measurement of collective efficacy and to an understanding of its relationship to self-efficacy and performance. Elementary school teachers' collective- and self-efficacy were measured. The academic domain is well suited to the study of collective-efficacy because the organizational units (schools) all perform the same function (education). The findings supported the hypothesis that, in at least some domains, self-efficacy and collective-efficacy are related but independent constructs. As hypothesized, it was also found that the socioeconomic composition of a school's student body, was a strong predictor of teachers' collective-efficacy. Although teachers' collective-efficacy was associated with school level achievement, this relationship was no longer significant when prior achievement levels were controlled. It was suggested that future research should examine individual behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that might serve as mediators between efficacy and performance. It was also suggested that the relationship between collective efficacy and organizational culture should be explored.
Varied Manifestations of Left Atrial Myxoma and the Relationship of Echocardiographic Patterns to Tumor Size

Four cases of left atrial myxoma with varied clinical manifestations were diagnosed with echocardiographic studies prior to cardiac catheterization and surgery. The unusual clinical features include Raynaud's phenomenon and intermittent claudication. The echocardiographic features of the atrial myxoma appear to be related to tumor size. Systematic echocardiographic evaluation of patients with mitral valvular disease and systemic and cerebral vascular insufficiency will undoubtedly increase the positive diagnostic results in patients with atrial myxomas. Removal of these tumors results in normalization of the echocardiographic pattern.
COALESCENCE OF SINGLE DROPS AT A LIQUID-LIQUID INTERFACE IN THE PRESENCE OF SURFACTANTS/POLYMERS

Abstract The stability of single oil droplets at a liquid-liquid interface in the presence of surfactants/polymers was investigated and the coalescence time of oil droplets at an oil-aqueous surfactant solution interface was measured in a specially constructed coalescence cell. A unique feature of the experimental set-up was that the drop size could be controlled quite accurately and was independent of the interfacial tension and the difference in the densities of the two phases used. The coalescence time of oil droplets correlated favorably with interfacial viscosity of the system. However, no correlation was found between interfacial tension and coalescence time or the rate of coalescence. Both the coalescence time and interfacial viscosity were found to be strong functions of the surfactant concentration.
Multiple-event airplane noise annoyance

The annoyance of sessions of airplane noise which contained different noise levels and numbers of flyovers was investigated. The time of occurrence of the high noise level flyovers in the sessions did not significantly affect annoyance, but annoyance increased with the number of such flyovers. Annoyance decreased with test session duration but increased with the total number of flyovers in the test sessions. It is found that the results support an average energy model better than a total energy model, the annoyance decay model, or the dB(A) peak concept.
History of Adaptive Optics Development at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory

For more than two decades Lincoln Laboratory has been a major participant in adaptive-optic research and has performed seminal experiments in atmospheric compensation, including the first thermal-blooming compensation of a high-energy laser, the first compensation of a laser beam propagating from ground to space, and the first compensation using a synthetic beacon. In this paper we briefly review more than 20 years of Lincoln Laboratory work in the field.
The effect of the antimineralocorticoid, spironolactone on the hepatic synthesis of polar metabolites of aldosterone in male rats.

Abstract A single, acute, pharmacological dose of spironolactone reduced the total radioactivity (d.p.m./g) in both the homogenates and the cytosol fractions of the liver and kidney, 30 min after the sc injection of 0.1 μg [ 3 H]-aldosterone, by approximately half in male rats. The liver and kidney homogenates in the spironolactone-treated rats contained 18 and 1.6% of the total injected [ 3 H]-radioactivity compared to 40 and 2.4%, respectively, in the control rats. In the liver, Sephadex DEAP-LH-20 column chromatography demonstrated that the spironolactone treatment led to (i) an increase in the synthesis of mono- and di-sulfated conjugates of aldosterone and its metabolites and (ii) to a decrease in the quantities of polar neutral metabolites of aldosterone (NMA). In the kidney, the spironolactone treatment led to decreased quantities of the polar NMA, the acidic metabolites of aldosterone and the sulfate and glucuronide conjugates. No changes in the quantities of unmetabolized aldosterone in the target tissue, the kidney, were observed. Interestingly, the half-life for aldosterone in the plasma, 12.5 min, was not altered following the spironolactone treatment. The polar NMA isolated from both the liver and kidney cytosol were resolved by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) into several peaks of metabolites (at least 9). The retention times of most of the NMA separated from the kidney cytosol were identical to those separated from the liver cytosol and represented the major portion of the polar metabolites of aldosterone in these tissues. Four main groups of metabolites with decreasing polarity were eluted from the HPLC. Following spironolactone treatment, the quantities of the individual peaks of NMA in both the liver, and kidney were significantly reduced. Of major interest in the liver, the quantities of highly polar NMA in group 1 were pronouncedy reduced following spironolactone treatment. These effects of spironolactone on the metabolism of aldosterone may be related to the mechanism of action of the anti-mineralocorticoid, spironolactone.
AAV micro-dystrophin gene therapy alleviates stress-induced cardiac death but not myocardial fibrosis in >21-m-old mdx mice, an end-stage model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy cardiomyopathy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal genetic disease caused by the absence of the sarcolemmal protein dystrophin. Dilated cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in DMD. We recently demonstrated amelioration of DMD heart disease in 16 to 20-m-old dystrophin-null mdx mice using adeno-associated virus (AAV) mediated micro-dystrophin gene therapy. DMD patients show severe heart disease near the end of their life expectancy. Similarly, mdx mice exhibit profoundly worsening heart disease when they reach beyond 21 months of age. To more rigorously test micro-dystrophin therapy, we treated mdx mice that were between 21.2 and 22.7-m-old (average, 22.1 ± 0.2 months; N=8). The ∆R4-23/∆C micro-dystrophin gene was packaged in the cardiotropic AAV-9 virus. 5×10(12) viral genome particles/mouse were delivered to mdx mice via the tail vein. AAV transduction, myocardial fibrosis and heart function were examined 1.7 ± 0.2 months after gene therapy. Efficient micro-dystrophin expression was observed in the myocardium of treated mice. Despite the robust dystrophin expression, myocardial fibrosis was not mitigated. Most hemodynamic parameters were not improved either. However, ECG abnormalities were partially corrected. Importantly, treated mice became more resistant to dobutamine-induced cardiac death. In summary, we have revealed for the first time the potential benefits and limitations of AAV micro-dystrophin therapy in end-stage Duchenne dilated cardiomyopathy. Our findings have important implications for the use of AAV gene therapy in dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
Thermal characteristics of a non-newtonian fluid in a porous thrust bearing

Abstract A study of the behavior of an externally pressurized circular porous thrust bearing using a non-newtonian fluid lubricant was made. The governing Navier-Stokes equations were reduced to a set of ordinary differential equations and were solved numerically with the cross-flow Reynolds number and the Prandtl number as parameters. The pressure distribution and the lift force were evaluated. The effects of cross-viscosity coefficients on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of the bearing were determined.
The Social Organization of a Land-Based Elite: The Case of the Failed Chicago 1992 World’S Fair

Growth machine theorists argue that metropolitan development patterns represent the concerted activities of powerful growth coalitions who manipulate public agendas and guide local development, dev...
An historical example of selective publication with contemporary implications: lead smelter workers and cancer

AbstractIntroduction: In 1965, geochemist Claire Patterson published a seminal article arguing that US residents were subjected to “severe chronic lead insult” from environmental pollution. Patterson’s article posed a challenge to the lead industry, which, in mid-1960s, was increasingly finding itself under assault. This article provides a snapshot of discussions occurring inside a large US mining and smelting company (ASARCO) in response to this challenge.Methods: This paper draws on internal industry documents turned over as part of the discovery process in a class action lawsuit. Internal company discussions of research on lead exposed workers are contextualized and discussed.Findings: The documents demonstrate that Patterson’s thesis was of concern to ASARCO, and company scientists were studying lead exposed workers. ASARCO scientists internally discussed suppressing findings that such workers showed excess mortality from cancer. Subsequent studies have reported similar findings. Selective publication...
Determination of nicotinamide N-oxide—a human excretory product

Abstract A method for the determination of nicotinamide N-oxide has been developed. It is based on the ability of the N-oxide to function as an electron acceptor in the xanthine oxidase catalyzed oxidation of xanthine. In simple mixtures the N-oxide can be converted quantitatively to nicotinamide and the latter determined by the cyanogen bromide method. The conversion is not always quantitative in complex mixtures, such as urine; an isotope dilution variation on the basic method permits the determination of the N-oxide in such situations. The basic method is applicable over the range 0.02–0.3 μmole of nicotinamide N-oxide. The new method has been used to verify the prominent excretory role of nicotinamide N-oxide in rodents. Application of the method to a study of human urines has permitted the detection of the N-oxide as an excretory metabolite in man. Only vanishingly small quantities of the N-oxide are excreted under normal conditions. However after the ingestion of 200 mg of nicotinamide, significant quantities of the N-oxide are detectable in human urine. Urine samples obtained from a number of other mammalian species contained little or no detectable nicotinamide N-oxide.
WHY CANADIAN HOMEOWNERS ARE MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN TENANTS

Evidence is presented for the impact of homeownership on the political consciousness of urban Canadians. Two data sources are drawn upon: a national urban survey conducted in 1979 as the second phase of the Social Change in Canada study and in-depth interviews with 100 renters and homeowners living in a Vancouver suburb. Associations between housing tenure and a number of political attitudes are found, even when various stratification and life-cycle variables are controlled. The pattern of these associations is then examined to investigate the relevance of three hypotheses that have been proposed in the literature to explain the causal links between housing tenure and political consciousness.
Phorbol esters block a voltage-sensitive chloride current in hippocampal pyramidal cells.

The importance of second-messenger systems in controlling the excitability of neurones and other cells, through modulation of voltage- and calcium-dependent ionic conductances, has become increasingly clear. Cyclic AMP1–3, acting via protein kinase A4–6, has been identified as the second messenger for several neurotran-smitters, and recent studies have suggested that activation of protein kinase C may have similar modulatory actions on neurones7–11. Calcium and potassium currents have so far been shown to be the major ionic conductances modified by kinase activation4–11. We now report that hippocampal pyramidal cells contain a previously undescribed voltage-dependent chloride current which is active at resting potential and is turned off either by membrane depolarization or by activation of protein kinase C by phorbol esters. We propose that this current may reside predominantly in the cell's dendritic membrane and thereby may regulate dendritic excitability.