cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Project management and organization structure in drug development

This questionnaire survey study examined the effectiveness of project management systems for drug development at the United States research and development (R&D) laboratories of six large, multinational pharmaceutical firms. In this sample of 45 teams, project performance is higher in those firms using a dual-leader project management system. Project performance is higher when functional managers have greater influence over go/no go decisions and project leaders have greater influence over clinical decisions. The technical knowledge of the project leader is related to project performance in a complex fashion. Across firms in the sample, team members do not feel that teams have autonomy to carry out their mission, organizations do not have clear criteria for assessing team performance, and individual team member rewards are not linked to their performance as a project team member.
Inheritance of Trunk Banding in the Tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi Characidae)

The tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) exhibits two phenotypes associated with trunk banding. Fish possess either a smoky-gray coloration with two prominent black vertical bands located directly behind the operculum (black tetra) or a lighter coloration and lack these bands (white skirt tetra). Segregation patterns observed from the progenies of 11 different crosses suggest that the inheritance of these phenotypes is controlled by two autosomal loci acting in a complementary fashion, with dominance at both loci required for the expression of the darker, banded phenotype.
The pharmacological activity of inhalation exposure to marijuana smoke in mice

Although the majority of cannabinoid users smoke marijuana, the preponderance of laboratory animal research is based on administration of 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol ( 9 -THC) or other cannabinoid agents via injection. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of inhaling marijuana, or ethanol-extracted placebo smoke in the mouse model of cannabinoid activity by assessing inhibition of spontaneous activity, antinociception, catalepsy, and body temperature. In order to determine dosimetry, blood levels of 9 -THC were obtained following either marijuana exposure or intravenous injection of 9 -THC. Inhalation exposure to marijuana produced dose-related increases in antinociception and catalepsy, with estimated ED50 doses of 9 -THC of 2.4 and 3.8 mg/kg, respectively. However, hypothermia and locomotor depression occurred in both the placebo- and marijuana-exposed mice. The CB1 receptor antagonist, SR 141716A antagonized the antinociceptive effects of marijuana (AD50=0.6 mg/kg), but only slightly decreased marijuana-induced catalepsy, and failed to alter either the hypothermic or locomotor depressive effects. In contrast, SR 141716A antagonized the antinociceptive, cataleptic, and hypothermic effects of intravenously administered 9 -THC in mice that were exposed to air alone, though all subjects exhibited locomotor depression, possibly related to the restraint. In accordance with reports of others, these data suggest that exposure to smoke alone has pharmacological consequences. Our findings also indicate that marijuana-induced antinociception is mediated through a CB1-receptor mechanism of action and are consistent with the notion that 9 -THC is mainly responsible for this effect. © 2001
Phage therapy: concept to cure.

The development and mass-production of antibiotics ranks as one of the twentieth cen-tury’s greatest scientific achievements. For more than 60 years, antibiotics have com-prised Western medicine’s primary defense against bacterial disease. But although antibiotics have saved millions of lives, our chemical shield has become increasingly leaky. Just last year, the director-general of the World Health Organization warned that “the world is on the brink of losing these miracle cures [antibiotics]” and that “in the absence of urgent corrective and pro-tective actions, the world is heading toward a post-antibiotic era, in which many com-mon infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, kill unabated” (Liljeqvist et al., 2012).Unfortunately, game-changing help from new antibiotics does not appear to be forthcoming. Over the past 30 years, the number of antibiotics newly approved in the United States has steadily declined, and despite increased awareness and redou-bled efforts, the current R&D pipeline remains largely dry (Hughes, 2011). Even when effective antibiotics are available, it is becoming increasingly apparent that broad-spectrum antibiotics can have sustained and detrimental effects on the body’s commu-nities of beneficial bacteria (Buffie et al., 2011) which, according to a growing body of research, play a vital role in human nutri-tion (Yan and Polk, 2004) and immunity (O’Hara and Shanahan, 2006).Given the underlying economic factors that make antibiotic development unprof-itable, (Nathan and Goldberg, 2005) and given that abuses of antibiotics continue to drive bacterial resistance, it seems unreal-istic to assume that antibiotics alone will prove sufficient to counter the long-term medical threat posed by drug-resistant bacteria. Rather than continuing to focus solely on chemical solutions to drug-resist-ance, which are ultimately static responses d’Herelle’s expertise, and largely because of a poor understanding of basic phage biol-ogy, early returns from phage therapy were mixed. In 1932, one American health officer presciently warned, “Because of conflicting experimental observations, enthusiastic and poorly controlled clinical application and rapidly expanding commercial exploitation, a situation is developing which will, unless guided and checked, lead to the ultimate rejection of bacteriophage by all who make any pretense to the practice of scientific medicine” (Larckum, 1932).This rejection of phage therapy, which began with the misuse of phages, became complete with the emergence of antibiot-ics. Initially, antibiotics were cheap, widely available, and extremely effective against nearly all bacterial diseases, and because this golden age of antibiotic infallibility seemed like medicine’s new
Stature Estimation Formulae for Indigenous North American Populations

Stature estimation methods for adult indigenous humans from the Americas have generally relied on a limited number of regression equations. The available equations, however, are not broadly applicable to the diversity of the populations that lived in the New World prior to European colonization. Furthermore, some equations that have been used were originally derived from inappropriate reference samples, such as the "Mongoloid" group measured by Trotter and Gleser (Am J Phys Anthropol 16 [1958] 79-123). This study develops new stature estimation equations for long bones of the lower limb from a geographically diverse sample of North American archaeological sites. Statures were reconstructed from 967 skeletons from 75 archaeological sites using the revised Fully anatomical technique (Raxter et al., Am J Phys Anthropol 130 [2006] 374-384). Archaeological samples were grouped according to general body proportions, using relative tibia and femur length to stature as guides. On the basis of differences in these proportions, three broad groupings were identified: a high latitude "arctic" group, a general "temperate" group, and a Great Plains group. Sex-specific ordinary least squares regression formulae were developed based on femoral and tibial lengths for each of these groups. Comparisons of the new stature estimation equations with previously available equations were conducted using several archaeological test samples. In most cases, the new stature estimation equations are more precise than those previously available, and we recommend their use throughout most of North America. The equations developed by Genoves for Mesoamerican and US Southwest samples are a useful alternative for these regions. Applicability of the new equations to South American samples awaits further testing.
Photochemical oxygen consumption in marine waters: A major sink for colored dissolved organic matter?

Quantification of photochemical O 2 uptake provides a measure of total chemical photooxidation of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Here we study this process and present estimates suggesting that photooxidation has the potential to significantly modify marine DOM pools, complementing or exceeding oxidation via coupled chemicalbiological pathways. We measured apparent quantum yields (AQYs) of photobleaching, O2 uptake, and H2O2 production in several coastal marine samples and in dilutions of a tropical estuarine water with oligotrophic seawater. O2-loss AQYs varied little among samples or with dilution but decreased linearly from 1.2 3 10 23 at 300 nm to 0.3 3 10 23 at 400 nm and dropped about threefold to near-constant values with increasing absorbed light dose. H2O2 production, about 45% of O2 uptake, showed similar dependencies, whereas singlet oxygen (O2( 1 Dg)) reactions contributed less than 1% of O2 uptake for typical coastal water. Implications of these findings for photochemical O2 ,H 2O2, and DOM cycling are discussed. Modeling the dose-dependence of O2 loss and photobleaching at 310 nm required three DOM pools. In the simplest case, about 90% is a weakly absorbing, low-AQY pool of DOM admixed with two similar-sized pools of more photochemically reactive DOM. This result suggests that rigorously extrapolating laboratory data to the environment requires detailed mapping of dose-wavelength-photobleaching AQY surfaces. Action spectra and DOM flux estimates for coastal photooxidative chemistry were derived. Site-specific potential rates are comparable to available in situ data. Globally, the DOM photolysis capacity appears to be larger than estimated coastal DOM inputs, especially in tropical and temperate areas, including areas with maximal DOM inputs.
Ecological niche and potential distribution of Anopheles arabiensis in Africa in 2050

The future distribution of malaria in Africa is likely to be much more dependent on environmental conditions than the current distribution due to the effectiveness of indoor and therapeutic anti-malarial interventions, such as insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), indoor residual spraying for mosquitoes (IRS), artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT), and intermittent presumptive treatment (IPT). Future malaria epidemiology is therefore expected to be increasingly dominated by Anopheles arabiensis, which is the most abundant exophagic mosquito competent to transmit Plasmodium falciparum and exhibits a wide geographic range. To map the potential distribution of An. arabiensis in Africa, ecological niche models were fit to 20th century collection records. Many common species distribution modelling techniques aim to discriminate species habitat from the background distribution of environments. Since these methods arguably result in unnecessarily large Type I and Type II errors, LOBAG-OC was used to identify the niche boundary using only data on An. arabiensis occurrences. The future distribution of An. arabiensis in Africa was forecasted by projecting the fit model onto maps of simulated climate change following three climate change scenarios. Ecological niche modelling revealed An. arabiensis to be a climate generalist in the sense that it can occur in most of Africa’s contemporary environmental range. Under three climate change scenarios, the future distribution of An. arabiensis is expected to be reduced by 48%-61%. Map differences between baseline and projected climate suggest that habitat reductions will be especially extensive in Western and Central Africa; portions of Botswana, Namibia, and Angola in Southern Africa; and portions of Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya in East Africa. The East African Rift Valley and Eastern Coast of Africa are expected to remain habitable. Some modest gains in habitat are predicted at the margins of the current range in South Sudan, South Africa, and Angola. In summary, these results suggest that the future potential distribution of An. arabiensis in Africa is likely to be smaller than the contemporary distribution by approximately half as a result of climate change. Agreement among the three modelling scenarios suggests that this outcome is robust to a wide range of potential climate futures.
Progesterone Regulates Granulosa Cell Viability Through a Protein Kinase G-Dependent Mechanism That May Involve 14-3-3σ

Abstract Progesterone (P4) inhibits granulosa cell and spontaneously immortalized granulosa cell (SIGC) apoptosis by regulating membrane-initiated events. However, the nature of the signal transduction pathway that is induced by these membrane-initiated events has not been defined. To gain insights into the P4-regulated signal transduction pathway, mouse granulosa cells and SIGCs were cultured with 8-br-cGMP and P4. In culture, 8-br-cGMP mimicked P4's antiapoptotic actions. Because cGMP activates protein kinase G (PKG), the effect of PKG antagonists on P4-regulated SIGC viability was assessed. P4's antiapoptotic action was attenuated by the PKG inhibitors, Rp-8-pCPT-cGMP, KT5823, the PKG-1α-specific inhibitor, DT-3, and a dominant negative PKG-1α. Further, the type I isoform of PKG was shown to be expressed by SIGCs and activated by P4. P4's antiapoptotic action was not affected by the PKA inhibitor, KT5720. Collectively, these findings indicate that P4 maintains SIGC viability by activating PKG-1α. PKG-1...
Structural and magnetic phases of Fe in Fe/Ni(0 0 1) and Fe/Ni81Fe19(0 0 1) multilayers

Abstract The structure and magnetic properties of ultra-thin Fe spacer layers in epitaxially sputter-deposited Fe/Ni(0 0 1) multilayers are studied using X-ray diffraction and squid magnetometry, and compared to those of similarly deposited Fe/Ni 81 Fe 19 (0 0 1) multilayers. In both systems, the Fe layers undergo a similar sequence of structural changes with increasing Fe thickness, from a distorted FCC(0 0 1) phase, to a nearly relaxed FCC(0 0 1) phase, to a BCC(0 1 1) phase with concomitant changes in magnetic properties.
The Wave-Driven Ocean Circulation

Oceanic surface gravity waves have a mean Lagrangian motion, the Stokes drift. The dynamics of winddriven, basin-scale oceanic currents in the presence of Stokes drift are modified by the addition of so-called vortex forces and wave-induced material advection, as well by wave-averaged effects in the surface boundary conditions for the dynamic pressure, sea level, and vertical velocity. Some theoretical analyses previously have been made for the gravity wave influences on boundary-layer motions, including the Ekman currents. The present paper extends this theory to the basin-scale, depth-integrated circulation in a bounded domain. It is shown that the Sverdrup circulation relation, with the meridional transport proportional to the curl of the surface wind stress, applies to Lagrangian transport, while the associated Eulerian transport is shown to have a component opposite to the Stokes-drift transport. A wave-induced correction to the relation between sea level and surface dynamic pressure is also derived. Preliminary assessments are made of the relative importance of these influences using a global wind climatology and an empirical relationship between the wind and wave fields. Recommendations are made for further development and testing of this theory and for its inclusion in general circulation models.
The CODATA Biologists’ Guide for Presentation of Numerical Data

A CODATA (Committee on Data for Science and Technology) Task Group representing 10 different fields of biology has just prepared the final draft of a “Biologists’ Guide for the Presentation of Numerical Data in the Primary Literature.” It borrows much from the “Guide for the Presentation in the Primary Literature of Numerical Data Derived from Experiments,” but its recommendations are adapted for application to most of the biosciences. The general recommendations of the “Biologists’ Guide” are intended to facilitate the use, evaluation, and comparison of data. They cover the description of experiments and observational procedures, the treatment of data derived from them, and presentation of the final numerical results. In terms appropriate to the biosciences, the important aspects of numerical data presentation related to preserving the data and promoting the usefulness of the quantitative results of scientific research are set forth.
Failure of Rutin and Related Flavonoids to Influence Mortality Following Acute Whole Body X-Irradiation.

Summary1. Rutin, rutin complexed with piperazine hexahydrate, and de-ionized rutin administered to mice by different routes had no protective action against the lethal effects of whole body x-irradiation in doses of 500, 600, 700 or 800 r. 2. Quercitrin, quercetin, hesperidin, hesperidin methyl chalcone, di-hydroquercetin, naringen, calcium flavonate, xanthorhamnin, morin (de-ionized), citrus vit. P (CVP), and lemon juice infusion (LPI), administered in the diet, had no protective action on mice exposed to acute whole body x-radiation. 3. Rutin complex, hesperidin methyl chalcone, and citrus vit. P had no protective effect on rats and guinea pigs exposed to acute whole body x-irradiation. Supplemental vit. C did not enhance the action of the flavonoids or decrease mortality. 4. The LD50 of 250 kvp x-ray, based on the 30-day mortality, for the CF1 mice used in this experiment, was approximately 550 r.
Selection of Surface Coatings for High H2 Permeability Group 5 Metal Membranes Using First-Principles Calculations

To select useful surface coatings for high H2 permeability metal membranes, the hydrogen transport properties in composite membranes of V, Nb, and Ta coated with different transition-metal carbides (TMCs) (TM = Ti, Hf, Zr) have been systematically investigated using first-principles calculations together with statistical mechanics methods. These calculations were used to predict the hydrogen flux and characterize the diffusion resistances in these composite materials. Our results indicate that the coating material on the permeate side controls the net H2 flux at low temperature, where the H2 desorption energies on the surfaces of the membrane coating are important. At sufficiently high temperature, H diffusion through the membranes controls the net flux. Overall, our results predict that TiC is the best coating and TiC/V/TiC is the best composite membranes among the materials studied.
Evaluating Physician-to-Patient Communication: The Effects of Concurrent and Retrospective Assessment on Verbal and Nonverbal Recall

Research has established that human patient simulators (i.e., standardized patients) are a highly beneficial component of modern medical education and training, but few studies have explored the co...
Effect of Phosphorylated Hesperidin and Hyaluronidase on Rate of Erythrocyte Removal from Rat Peritoneal Cavity.

SummaryRate of absorption of erythrocytes from peritoneal cavity of rats was found to be similar to that reported in the literature. Absorption was almost completely blocked by phosphorylated hesperidin. Evidence was presented suggesting that the block is achieved at the membranes separating peritonal cavity from lymphatics of the diaphragm. Hyaluronidase increased rate of absorption only slightly; however, this increase was statistically significant.
“Athletes” and “exercisers”: Understanding identity, motivation, and physical activity participation in former college athletes.

Self-identity influences physical activity participation, and individuals who are motivated by self-determined and volitional reasons are more likely to maintain their exercise behavior. The present study incorporates tenets of identity theory and self-determination theory to investigate the relatio
Seeing Water in Early Twentieth-Century Mexico City: Henry Wellge's "Perspective Plan of the City and Valley of Mexico, D.F." 1906

We examine Henry Wellge’s 1906 chromolithograph,Perspective Plan of the City and Valley of Mexico, D.F., a panoramic view that organizes the capital and its lacustrine environs through close up and distant perspectives. The Plan depicts a landscape integrated by canals, rivers, and lakes, recording a pivotal moment before modern hydraulic infrastructure would remove surface water from view. We thus interrogate this image as a visual register of hydraulic-control ideals in vogue around 1900, as Mexico was politically centralizing resource governance, and reorganizing rural and urban space through the construction of modern waterworks. Wellge’s plan compels us to examine water as a relationship between the material and the represented landscape o that is, as a combination of social, spatial, and visual practices and politics through which this landscape and geography have been articulated and rendered intelligible.
Tri(1-adamantyl)phosphine: Expanding the Boundary of Electron-Releasing Character Available to Organophosphorus Compounds

We report here the remarkable properties of PAd3, a crystalline air-stable solid accessible through a scalable SN1 reaction. Spectroscopic data reveal that PAd3, benefiting from the polarizability inherent to large hydrocarbyl groups, exhibits unexpected electron releasing character that exceeds other alkylphosphines and falls within a range dominated by N-heterocyclic carbenes. Dramatic effects in catalysis are also enabled by PAd3 during Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of chloro(hetero)arenes (40 examples) at low Pd loading, including the late-stage functionalization of commercial drugs. Exceptional space-time yields are demonstrated for the syntheses of industrial precursors to valsartan and boscalid from chloroarenes with ∼2 × 104 turnovers in 10 min.
Endoscopy in the Management of Malignant Obstructive Jaundice

This article discusses the diagnosis and management of lesions associated with malignant obstructive jaundice. Numerous explanatory photographs supplement the text.
Quantifying the environmental burdens of the hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements and the production of warm mix asphalt (WMA)

Abstract Asphalt pavement has significant environmental burdens throughout its life cycle. A life cycle assessment (LCA) model is used to quantify the environmental burdens for material, construction, maintenance and use phases of hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement. Two peer reviewed journals have been used to collect all of the inventory loadings as an input for the LCA model and ten impact categories have been evaluated as output. The result of the inventory analysis is a summary of all inflows and outflows related to the “functional unit”. The result of each impact category is the total of all the individually characterized inventory loadings in each category. Each life cycle phase of HMA pavement has been quantified on these ten impact categories and a comparison provided among the phases to understand the percentage contribution to the environment. Human and eco toxicity values are higher for the material phase, whereas the rest of the impact categories are significant in the use phase. The material phase contributes 97% of the overall human toxicity in water from standpoint of asphalt pavements, whereas in the material phase the production of bitumen is responsible for 90% human and eco toxicity in terms of air based burden. As a solution, the life cycle inventory of WMA has been estimated and reduction only done in HMA production. From analysis, it was estimated that WMA provides a reduction of 29% on the acidification impact and 25% reduction on both fossil fuel consumption and photo oxidant formation impact of HMA.
Bumble bee species exhibit divergent responses to urbanisation in a Southern California landscape

1. Bees are ecologically important pollinators that are threatened by disease, habitat degradation, and habitat loss. Bee species that share ecological traits (e.g. body size, diet breadth, and sociality) may often respond similarly to environmental disturbance; however, few studies have examined the extent to which closely related, ecologically similar species exhibit divergent responses to the same forms of disturbance. 2. In the present study, the responses of bumble bees (Apidae: genus Bombus) to urbanization are examined by combining field surveys with the quantification of local- and landscape-level variables using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). During the spring and summer of 2012 and 2013, 57, bumble bees were surveyed in 1-ha plots in San Diego County, California that spanned a gradient of urbanisation. Species-level, occurrence (presence/absence) data and logistic regressions were then used to identify determinants of Bombus occurrence across this landscape. 3. Approximately 1000 Bombus individuals belonging to three species were observed: B. californicus Smith, B. melanopygus Cresson, and B. vosnesenskii Radoszkowski. The occurrence of all Bombus species was negatively related to impermeable surface cover within study plots, but species responded uniquely to other plot-scale variables and exhibited distinctive patterns of scale-dependency with respect to impermeable surface cover surrounding plots. 4. Urbanisation negatively affected all three focal bumble bee species in this study. Species-specific responses to plot-scale and landscape-scale variables presumably reflect interspecific trait differences (e.g. body size, tongue length, and foraging behaviour). Unique responses to urbanisation caution against pooling species into functional groups based merely on taxonomic relationships or perceived ecological similarities.
Metacognitive learning in the ecology classroom: A tool for preparing problem solvers in a time of rapid change?

Building communities that are resilient and adaptive to climate change requires the development of education strategies that train community members in higher order thinking skills that can be used to solve complex environmental problems. This study provides an empirical test of hypotheses within social-ecological systems resilience theory that have suggested metacognitive learning strategies could increase resilience thinking skills such as scenarios thinking, systems thinking, and the ability to interpret and apply ecological data in complex problem solving. During a 6-week long ecology unit with 108 seventh-grade students, we taught half the students using standard inquiry teaching methods and the other half using the same method, with the addition of a daily metacognitive learning intervention. We investigated the short-term (after six weeks of intervention) and long-term (1 yr after the intervention ended) effects of the intervention on student's metacognitive ability and resilience thinking skills. Over the long term, we found a modest increase in the metacognitive ability of students who received the daily metacognitive journaling exercise. Interview data suggest that the structured metacognitive practice did most to improve the resilience thinking level of students who had low resilience thinking ability prior to the intervention period. However, the interaction between pre-treatment ability level and the treatment group was not detected in the written assessment data. These data suggest that the metacognitive learning intervention we used can benefit metacognitive ability over the long term, but has limited transferability to resilience thinking skills for most students. We suggest additional instructional practices for implementing metacognitive teaching approaches that could enhance the generalizability of their benefits across resilience thinking skills and student's ability levels.
First KMT–CPC United Front and Assassination of Zhang Zuolin

This chapter studies how Zhou Enlai participated in the first Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)–Communist Party of China (CPC) United Front against the Beiyang warlords upon returning home from Europe through newly released documents, as well as how the assassination of the Beiyang-warlord leader, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese Kwantung Army, affected the civil war in China and Zhou’s career through newly released oral history of those who were directly involved in the assassination, including that of Zhang’s eldest son, Zhang Xueliang (1901–2001).
Mathematical Learning Theory

‘Mathematical learning theory’ usually refers to models of simple associative learning and memory. As an illustrative example, the phenomenon called ‘blocking of learning’ is described, along with an informal explanation. The explanation is formalized by the ‘Rescorla–Wagner model,’ and some of its predictions are derived. General theoretical issues for learning models are outlined; the models must specify what is learned (i.e., the representation or content of learning), how it is learned (i.e., the process by which the representation is established), and why it is learned (i.e., what is gained and at what cost by the learning). Future trends in learning theory are described.
The National Guideline Clearinghouse

ABSTRACTThe National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) is a resource created to provide access to and summaries of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines from around the world. It is freely available online at . Currently maintained jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the database has grown significantly since it was last reviewed in the Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries in 2007. This column will discuss the website in its current iteration and highlight features that have been updated as well as new features not previously available.
Childhood Adversity and Children’s Academic Functioning: Roles of Parenting Stress and Neighborhood Support

Existing research has shown that adverse childhood experiences from family instability and lack of safety increase children’s risk for poor academic functioning. A recent conceptual framework, however, has emphasized the need to investigate how parenting might mediate while community context might moderate the association between childhood adversity and children’s cognitive development. In the current study, we tested the roles of parenting stress and neighborhood support in the association between cumulative childhood adversity and children’s current academic functioning. We conducted a secondary data analysis on the subsample of school-aged children (i.e., 6–17 years old; N = 65,680) from the 2011–2012 United States National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The parent provided telephone survey data on six types of adversity (e.g., parent’s divorce) that the target child experienced, parenting stress, neighborhood support, as well as the child’s academic functioning. Controlling for the child’s age, gender, ethnicity, and the parent’s education level, structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed a significant moderated mediating effect: parenting stress partially mediated the association between history of childhood adversity and children’s current academic functioning (β = −1.760, p < 0.001), while neighborhood support moderated the association between parenting stress (β = 0.492, p < 0.001) and academic functioning.
OP115: Sensitivity and specificity of autofluorescent screening in addition to white light exam across anatomical subsites of the oral cavity and oropharynx

Purpose Adjuncts to clinical examination are critical in detecting oral potentially malignant disorders and cancers at the earliest, most treatable stages. Autofluorescence visualization (AFV) in addition to standard white light examination (WLE) may be useful in early detection. Sensitivity and specificity for detecting premalignant lesions and cancers may vary by anatomical site based on location, diversity of tissue composition, and visual and mechanical access. Materials and methods High-risk patients with suspicious lesions or recently diagnosed untreated oral/oropharyngeal cancers underwent examination with WLE followed by AFV. Biopsies were obtained from suspicious areas on either exam plus negative controls and underwent histopathologic diagnosis and grade stratification. The oral cavity/oropharynx was divided into six anatomical subsites and sensitivity/specificity were calculated for WLE, AFV, and WLE + AFV. □2analysis was used to calculate differences in sensitivity across anatomical sites. Results A total of 169 patients provided 546 biopsies. The sensitivity of detecting LGLs with WLE was statistically different in the oral tongue (21%) compared to gingiva (50%, p = 0.01), FOM (47%, p = 0.03) and RMT/alveolar ridge (48%, p = 0.007). AFV detection of LGLs of the oral tongue (56%) were significantly lower than gingiva (88%, p = 0.01) and oropharynx (81%, p = 0.03). Gingiva was significantly different from buccal mucosa (88%, 62%, p = 0.04). Sensitivity of WLE + AFV LGL detection of the oral tongue was significantly different than gingiva (63%, 88%, p = 0.04) and oropharynx (95%, p = 0.001). The buccal mucosa significantly differed from the oropharynx (66%, 95%, p = 0.004). The oral tongue (80% HGLs, 88% cancers) differed significantly from the buccal mucosa (100%, p = 0.02) and oropharynx (100%, p = 0.03). Conclusions AFV offers variable utility for detecting premalignant lesions and cancers across oral cavity/or pharyngeal anatomical subsites. The oral tongue may have the lowest sensitivity when compared to other subsites.
Sensitivity of Interest Rates to Inflation and Exchange Rate in Poland: Implications for Direct Inflation Targeting

This study examines sensitivity of short-term interest rates to inflation and exchange rate in Poland over the past two decades. It aims to ascertain a relative role of inflation and exchange rate stability objectives for monetary policy. A model of short-term interbank interest rates as a function of CPI inflation and the nominal effective exchange rate is proposed and tested for stability, structural breaks and regime shifts. The Bai–Perron multiple breakpoint and two-state Markov regime switching tests are employed on monthly data for January 1994–December 2016 period. The tests point to a major structural break and to a regime change in the beginning of 2002. Its timing reflects the de facto inflation targeting becoming an effective and credible policy. The findings further suggest that the inflation targeting helped mitigate potential contagion effects of the 2008–2010 financial crisis.
Survival stratification using a baseline inflammatory physiology based scoring system in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) therapy.

152Background: Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has shown promise in NSCLC with improved survival and durability in disease control. Despite these advances, the response to ICB remains variable. Thus identifying easily available biomarkers that can assist in the optimal selection of patients for ICB holds paramount importance. Methods: Retrospectively we identified 87 stage III/IV NSCLC patients initiated on anti-PD-1 therapy from April 2015 to March 2017 after progressing on a platinum doublet. These patients were part of an ongoing prospective biomarker-based study at our institution. Follow up cutoff for survival analysis was set at October 1, 2017. Enrolled participants had inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, absolute neutrophil count, absolute lymphocyte count, serum albumin) measured on the day of first dose of anti-PD-1 administration as well as subsequent doses. Using multivariate Cox analysis, factors demonstrating an association with overall survival after immunotherapy (OSI) were used to ...
Peroxynitrite is a contractile agonist of cerebral artery smooth muscle cells.

On reperfusion of ischemic tissue, a prolonged phase of vasoconstriction occurs, the mechanism of which is poorly understood. However, it is known that peroxynitrite (ONOO−) is formed during reperf...
Geometric String Field Theory: Deriving String Theory from First Principles

String field theory [1] gives us the greatest promise of a non-perturbative approach to string theory, but it is still plauged by a frustratingly large number of arbitrary conventions, folklore, and rules-of-thumb. Originally, string field theory was introduced to give us a unifying, comprehensive formulation of string theory. Ironically, it has spawned not one, but two covariant theories. This is because both the light cone and the BRST theories [2–4] are gauge fixed theories. Our goal, by contrast, should be to follow the example of general relativity and Yang-Mills theory, which can be uniquely derived from two simple geometrical principles!
Accuracy of the Situational Interview in Rating Multiple Job Candidates

The importance of perceptual accuracy to human resource decision processes is evidenced by better than 40 years of accuracy research. This article extends such research by presenting an examination of the situational interview format (Latham, Saari, Pursell, & Campion, 1980) as a means of inducing and maintaining high levels of rating accuracy in a context in which interviewers must evaluate candidates in rapid succession. Situational interview ratings of 48 police sergeants and lieutenants showed consistently high levels of perceptual accuracy in both their overall ratings and differential accuracy scores in rating 6 videotaped sergeant/lieutenant job candidates who were of varying quality and appeared in 4 different multiple candidate sequences. Extensive experimental controls for “cueing effects” and ratings gained from a separate sample of 48 sergeants and lieutenants using a highly structured conventional format and familiar rating practices indicated that the accuracy of SI ratings were due to the SI itself.
Structure and Performance in Municipal Debt Management Networks

I examine how past interactions among investment banks, financial advisors, and bond attorneys - known here as "debt management networks" - drive pricing and risk-taking on new issue municipal securities. This analysis is motivated by the question of whether centralization improves or distorts price formation in financial markets. I measure centralization with several popular metrics from the literature on social network analysis. There are two main findings. First, a market player's centralization is related to, but quite different from its size. There are several well-connected players who have comparatively small dollar value presence in the market. And second, relative to larger players, centralized players provide better execution quality for dealers. These findings have noteworthy implications for the literature on financial market structure and public debt management.
BI and CRM for Customer Involvement in Product and Service Development

Customer involvement in product and service development (CIPS) is recognized as important for firms; yet the role of Information Technology (IT) in facilitating CIPS is understudied. We examine two enterprise technologies which improve knowledge available to decision makers: Business Intelligence (BI) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). While CRM provides transactional information and knowledge
Synthesis and characterization of bio-cement from conch shell waste

Abstract This paper demonstrates a laboratory-scale synthesis and analysis of cement using conch shell waste (CS bio-cement) similar in composition to Type I ordinary portland cement (OPC) by replacing calcite raw material with ground processed conch shell waste at varying levels (0–100%). The CS bio-cements were similar to Type I OPC in phase composition, hydration behavior, strength, and microstructure development up to 60% replacement. Higher conch shell substitution (60–100%) tends to incorporate more alumina and alkali in the clinker without compromising other properties significantly. CS bio-cement with above 60% conch shell exceeded the Na2O content limit for Type I OPC or low alkali cement. Nevertheless, those cements will be qualified as high alkali cements for appropriate construction use. The results suggest that CS bio-cement has potential for applications in concrete construction. However, the durability of the concrete containing CS bio-cement should be evaluated prior to real-world applications.
Crocs: On Rough Water

This case introduces Ron Snyder, CEO of Crocs, Inc., in 2007, a few years after Crocs went public on the NASDAQ in the largest shoe offering ever. Investor excitement at the time had been palpable—the company had garnered a 48% premium above its initial offer price. Since that time, the stock had grown sixfold to its high just last month, at the end of October.Only a week ago, on November 1, the company's stock price had plummeted, declining 36% in a single day. While Snyder did not see any reason for such a dramatic turn in a short time, he knew that the market could have a mind of its own. What concerned him was that a drop of this magnitude could make access to equity capital difficult at a time when capital was needed to fuel growth. At that moment, his task was one of both cognition and action—he would have to understand what was driving the shift in market perception and then he would have to respond to two audiences: a disaffected and skeptical equity market and a fearful workforce. Both these audiences needed Snyder to articulate a clear strategic direction for Crocs that was based on a sound and sustainable competitive advantage. Snyder's ability or inability to make that case could have discernable impact on the market's valuation and the performance of its workforce. Excerpt UVA-F-1811 Rev. Jul. 31, 2018 Crocs: On Rough Water It was a cold November morning in 2007 as Ron Snyder stepped onto the Niwot, Colorado, campus of Crocs, Inc. (Crocs). Years earlier, Crocs had gone public on the NASDAQ (CROX) in the largest shoe offering ever. Investor excitement at the time had been palpable—the company had garnered a 48% premium above its initial offer price. Since that time, the stock had grown sixfold to its high just last month, at the end of October. The morning's chill was familiar to Snyder (Niwot's average November temperature was three degrees Fahrenheit). But something else, unfamiliar to the point of unsettling, was also causing a chill that morning. Only a week before, on November 1, the company's stock price had plummeted. Snyder couldn't help but feel that this represented “a bit of an overreaction.” In a single day, the stock had declined 36%. While Snyder did not see any reason for such a dramatic turn in a short time, he knew that the market could have a mind of its own. What concerned him was that a drop of this magnitude could make access to equity capital difficult at a time when capital was needed to fuel growth. At that moment, his task was one of both cognition and action—he would have to understand what was driving the shift in market perception and then he would have to respond to two audiences: a disaffected and skeptical equity market and a fearful workforce. Both these audiences needed Snyder to articulate a clear strategic direction for Crocs that was based on a sound and sustainable competitive advantage. Snyder's ability or inability to make that case could have discernable impact on the market's valuation and the performance of its workforce. . . .
Corrosion study of brazing CuAg alloy in the presence of benzotriazole inhibitor

Abstract The effect of benzotriazole (BTA) on the corrosion behavior of brazing Cu Ag alloy in deionized water was investigated using corrosion potential measurements, potentiodynamic polarization and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Pure Cu, pure Ag and a high Cu alloy were included for comparison. The electrochemical responses show that BTA shifts the corrosion potential of Cu to the noble direction but has the opposite effect for Ag and a mixed behavior for the Cu Ag alloys. The inhibition efficiency of BTA for Cu and high Cu alloy reached around 95% but was significantly lower for Ag and the brazing Cu Ag alloy. XPS results show the formation of Cu- and Ag-BTA complexes through the N tail of BTA. The lower inhibition efficiency of Ag and brazing alloy can be attributed to the weak adsorption of BTA on the Ag phase leading to lower corrosion protection of Ag.
Review: Social networking sites and associations with depressive and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents – a systematic review

Background Given social networking sites (SNSs) have become a pervasive part of culture; it is critical to understand the ways in which they may be advantageous or detrimental to the mental health of young people. This systematic narrative review examined the relationships between SNS and depressive and anxiety symptoms in the child and adolescent population (5-18 years). Methods Four databases were searched, and all articles between January 2005 and March 2019 were identified. Results Increased time spent or frequency of SNS use, and problematic and addictive behaviour on SNS were significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Two cross-sectional studies found that increased time spent or frequency of SNS use and higher levels of investment on SNS were significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety symptoms. However, other potential confounding factors could explain the relationship between SNS and depressive and anxiety symptoms, including perceived social support, social comparison and fear of missing out (FoMO). Conclusions While there is evidence that there is a relationship between SNS and anxiety and depressive symptoms, the effect size tends to be small and informed by studies of poor quality. Therefore, results should be interpreted cautiously. Methodological issues in conceptualising SNS complicated the findings. Future studies should explore the various conditions by which SNS may either interfere or enhance the development of emotional regulation in young people. These findings help to inform clinicians and educators in targeting vulnerable young people who are at risk of developing mental health problems.
Fused Filament Fabrication of Biodegradable PLA/316L Composite Scaffolds: Effects of Metal Particle Content

Abstract Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer suitable for fabricating porous scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. Fillers are often added into PLA matrix to fabricate composite scaffolds in order to improve the performance of pure PLA. In the present study, we fabricated PLA/316L composite scaffolds with stainless steel particle contents from 5 vol% to 15 vol% using fused filament fabrication (FFF) process. The effects on dimensions of pore and strut, surface roughness, as well as thermal, mechanical, and in-vitro degradation properties of the scaffolds were studied. The results showed that the dimensional accuracy was improved, and the surface roughness was tailored by the addition of steel powders that were dispersedly distributed on the strut surface. In addition, PLA/316L composite scaffolds exhibited a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than pure PLA, while glass transition temperature and crystalline phase transition temperature were not significantly affected by steel powder. Moreover, compressive strength and elastic modulus were enhanced when powder loading was set at 10 vol% or 15 vol%. In-vitro degradation tests showed no significant differences on degradation rates between PLA and PLA/316L composite scaffolds.
Constructing Positive Interpolatory Cubature Formulas.

Positive interpolatory cubature formulas (CFs) are constructed for quite general integration domains and weight functions. These CFs are exact for general vector spaces of continuous real-valued functions that contain constants. At the same time, the number of data points -- all of which lie inside the domain of integration -- and cubature weights -- all positive -- is less or equal to the dimension of that vector space. The existence of such CFs has been ensured by Tchakaloff in 1957. Yet, to the best of the author's knowledge, this work is the first to provide a procedure to successfully construct them.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis for Viruses by Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Pediatric Encephalitis: Not Yet Ready for Prime Time?

Background:Metagenomic next-generation sequencing offers an unbiased approach to identifying viral pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with meningoencephalitis of unknown etiology.Methods:...