cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract IA12: From mouse to man: Dissecting cancer mechanisms using mouse models

I have a longstanding interest in understanding how basic cellular mechanisms become co-opted in cancer. I have approached this problem by studying the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of homeobox genes with the goal of understanding their roles in development, differentiation, and cancer. Over the years, my research program has evolved towards its current focus in which we have undertaken a multidisciplinary approach to investigate genitourinary malignancies, which includes using mechanism-based studies, analyses of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), and state-of-the-art systems biology approaches. My research focus on prostate cancer has its origins in our discovery of Nkx3.1, a prostate-specific homeobox gene that is essential for prostate differentiation and whose loss of function predisposes to prostate cancer. The culmination of our studies over many years has led to a model in which NKX3.1 functions as a gatekeeper that promotes prostate differentiation and protects against prostate cancer initiation. Our recent work has shown that Nkx3.1 is sufficient to fully reprogram non-prostate epithelium to form prostate in vivo. Our work showing that Nkx3.1 mutant mice accurately model indolent prostate cancer led to the discovery of a 3-gene panel that distinguishes indolent and aggressive human prostate cancers, which we are now advancing to the clinic. Moreover, our coclinical prevention study of Nkx3.1 mutant mice led to the identification of a gene signature that predicts response to antiandrogens for men on active surveillance. Furthermore, our analysis of Nkx3.1 mutant mice provided the foundation for our extensive series of GEMMs that are based on genomic alterations that are prevalent in human prostate cancer and that represent the full spectrum of prostate cancer phenotypes, ranging from preinvasive to lethal metastatic disease. To capitalize on these GEMMs, we have generated genome-wide regulatory networks for mouse and human prostate cancer, which have enabled cross-species analyses that have identified key drivers of the specific stages of prostate cancer. We have expanded these computational approaches to integrate preclinical data from GEMMs with human clinical data to predict drug response and optimize drug combinations for human prostate cancer. These studies have identified cellular plasticity as a mechanism of drug resistance in prostate cancer. Citation Format: Cory Abate-Shen. From mouse to man: Dissecting cancer mechanisms using mouse models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Evolving Landscape of Cancer Modeling; 2020 Mar 2-5; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(11 Suppl):Abstract nr IA12.
Reducing Opioid Exposure in a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Introduction Infants in neonatal intensive care units require painful and noxious stimuli as part of their care. Judicious use of analgesic medications, including opioids, is necessary. However, these medications have long- and short-term side effects, including potential neurotoxicity. This quality improvement project's primary aim was to decrease opioid exposure by 33% in the first 14 days of life for infants less than 1,250 g at birth within 12 months. Methods A multidisciplinary care team used Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control methodology to identify root causes of the quality gap including: (1) inconsistent reporting of objective pain scales; (2) variable provider prescribing patterns; and (3) variable provider bedside assessment of pain. These root causes were addressed by two interventions: (1) standardized reporting of the premature infant pain profile scores and (2) implementation of an analgesia management pathway. Results Mean opioid exposure, measured in morphine equivalents, in infants less than 1,250 g at birth during their first 14 days of life decreased from 0.64 mg/kg/d (95% confidence interval 0.41-0.87) at baseline to 0.08 mg/kg/d (95% confidence interval 0.03-0.13) during the postintervention period (P < 0.001). There was no statistical difference in rates of days to full feedings, unintentional extubations, or central line removals between epochs. Conclusions Following the implementation of consistent pain score reporting and an analgesia management pathway, opioid exposure in the first 14 days of life for infants less than 1,250 g was significantly reduced by 88%, exceeding the project aim.
Occupational Therapy in the Community and Population Health Practice

When I was studying for a master’s degree in occupational therapy, one of my favorite texts was Occupational Therapy in Community-Based Practice Settings, (Scaffa, 2001). It was hardly a surprise t...
AACR: Feature Fusion Effects of Algebraic Amalgamation Composed Representation on (De)Compositional Network for Caption Generation for Images

Progress in image captioning is gradually getting complex as researchers try to generalize the model and define the representation between visual features and natural language processing. In the absence of any established relationship, every time a new dividend is added, it produced very little improvement, not considerable enough to make it general. This work tried to define such kind of relationship in the form of representation called Algebraic Amalgamation-based Composed Representation (AACR) which generalized the scheme of language modeling and structuring the linguistic attributes (related to grammar and parts of speech of language) which will provide a much better structure and grammatically correct sentence. AACR enables better and more unique representation and structuring of the feature space and enables transfer learning like infrastructure for all machines to interact with the external world (both human and machine) with these representations. A large part of the different ways of defining and improving these AACR are discussed and their performance concerning the traditional procedures and feature representations are evaluated for image captioning application. The new models achieved considerable improvement than the corresponding previous architectures.
O17 Healthy Fathers, Healthy Kids: Preliminary Results of a Father-Focused Childhood Obesity Prevention Pilot Program

Background There is very limited evidence about the impact of father-focused programs on obesity prevention in young children. Objective The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the preliminary impact of the Healthy Fathers, Healthy Kids community-based nutrition and parenting intervention on paternal food-related parenting practices, mealtime behaviors, and father and child nutrition and physical activity behaviors. Study Design, Setting, Participants Father and child dyads (n = 45) were enrolled in an 8-week (2 hours/week) community-based intervention including nutrition and parent education. Dyads were randomly assigned within groups to intervention (n = 31) or a delayed comparison group (n = 14). Measurable Outcome/Analysis Pre/Post Assessments included the Meals in our Household, Comprehensive Feeding Practices, Healthy Kids, and the Cooking Matters program questionnaires. T-tests were conducted, controlling for pretest differences, between intervention and comparison group fathers, and Hedge's g was calculated to estimate effect sizes (small = 0.2; medium = 0.5; large = 0.8). Significance was set at P ≤ .10. Results Fathers averaged 37.2 years old; the majority were non-white (67%), non-Hispanic (64%), overweight or obese (91%), with a high school education or less (56%). No significant differences were detected in mealtime or physical activity behaviors but a medium effect size was detected in reductions of parental feeding pressure (g = 0.48, P = .005) by fathers in the intervention group. There was a large effect size detected in the increase of green salad consumption (g = 0.75, P = .01) by intervention fathers. Small to medium effect sizes were detected in improvements in fathers’ confidence in their cooking skills (g = 0.25, P = .09) and ability to cook healthy foods on a budget (g = 0.33, P = .10). Further, there was a small effect size in the number of times fathers cooked dinner at home (g = 0.15, P = .06) and the frequency of children eating vegetables (g = 0.13, P = .07). Conclusion Results of this pilot study are encouraging. Future research should continue to explore the impact of larger scale implementation of father-focused interventions on obesity related outcomes. Funding NIH.
Suicidality among adult survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study.

Background Suicide is a serious public health concern. An increased risk of suicide ideation previously has been reported among survivors of childhood cancer. Methods Suicide mortality was assessed for all potentially eligible survivors (those aged ≥18 years who were ≥5 years after their cancer diagnosis; 7312 survivors). Risk factors for acute suicidal ideation were assessed among clinically evaluated survivors (3096 survivors) and the prevalence of acute ideation was compared with that of community controls (429 individuals). The prevalence of 12-month suicidality was assessed among survivors who could be compared with population data (1255 survivors). Standardized mortality ratios compared rates of suicide mortality among survivors with those of the general population. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) derived from generalized linear models identified risk factors associated with acute suicidal ideation. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) compared the prevalence of 12-month suicidality among survivors with that of a matched sample from the general population. Results Survivors reported a similar 12-month prevalence of ideation compared with the general population (SIR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.35-1.01) and a lower prevalence of suicidal behaviors (planning: SIR, 0.17 [95% CI, 0.07-0.27]; attempts: SIR, 0.07 [95% CI, 0.00-0.15]) and mortality (standardized mortality ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.34-0.86). Among survivors, depression (RR, 12.30; 95% CI, 7.89-19.11), anxiety (RR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.40-3.40), and financial stress (RR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.00-2.15) were found to be associated with a higher prevalence of acute suicidal ideation. Conclusions Survivors of childhood cancer were found to be at a lower risk of suicidal behaviors and mortality, yet endorsed a prevalence of ideation similar to that of the general population. These results are in contrast to previous findings of suicidal ideation among survivors and support the need for further research to inform screening strategies and interventions. Lay summary The purpose of the current study was to compare the risk of suicidal ideation, behaviors, and mortality in adult survivors of childhood cancer with those of the general population. Risk factors associated with suicidal ideation among survivors of childhood cancer also were examined. Survivors of childhood cancer reported a similar risk of ideation compared with the general population, but a lower risk of suicidal behaviors and mortality. Psychological health and financial stressors were found to be risk factors associated with suicidal ideation. Although adult survivors of childhood cancer did not report a greater risk of suicidality compared with the general population, psychosocial care in survivorship remains essential.
Statistical Perspective of SOM and CSOM for Hyper-Spectral Image Classification

Classification of high-dimensional hyperspectral data is important in the remote sensing community. Although there are many supervised and unsupervised models for classification, a subset of them are consistent in reproducibility with high confidence intervals. This study shows the consistency and model accuracy of Self-Organizing map (SOM) and Cellular Self-Organizing Map (CSOM) over the benchmark pattern and hyperspectral datasets. A constructive analysis of both the models and optimal use cases are discussed in this work. t-SNE visualizations of these models were added to understand the models capability of capturing the topological density of the original data. In this study, CSOM is adopted for remote sensing image classification as an unsupervised clustering algorithm. The primary difference between SOM and CSOM is the updating principle of the neighboring neurons. Our experimental results show that CSOM performs better than SOM for the overlapping classes while SOM is efficient for classes which are well-separated or separable.
Experimental simulation of membrane module performance in direct contact membrane distillation

Abstract The performance of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was measured with a continuous series of mini-modules fabricated by PTFE hollow fibers to simulate a standard length module in the counter-current flow and co-current flow. The behaviors of temperature and pressure difference along the simulated module length were derived from the temperature change of each mini module. The permeated water of each mini module could be considered the permeated water in individual regions of a simulated module. The pressure differences over contact time could be drawn in one curve even if the raw water velocities were different. Instantaneous flux at a certain point of the module could be derived from the product of a mass transfer coefficient and a pressure difference curve. The total flux of a simulated module could be evaluated through the integration of the instantaneous flux from inlet to outlet of the module. The membrane area and number of modules required for processing could be calculated from the flux if a module dimension and an operation condition were determined. These approaches enabled to design the appropriate module for practical use.
Prevalence, severity, and relationships of multiple gross pathologies measured in beef cattle at slaughter

A wide array of management tools and interventions exist within the beef industry to improve animal welfare and productivity; however, the ability to monitor and assess the outcomes of those tools is lacking. Thus, a multifaceted system to observe life-cycle health and well-being of beef cattle was designed and implemented to provide producers with real-time data on cattle health and productivity. In beef cattle production systems, deficiencies in management most commonly manifest themselves as cattle with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) or nutritional disorders such as acidosis; therefore, lung, liver, and rumen gross pathology lesions present in beef cattle at slaughter were measured and their associations with performance determined.
Effects of Laboratory Compacted Asphalt Mixtures Air-Void Variations on Fracture Properties at Low Temperatures

Asphalt mixtures contain several constituents, among which air void content has a significant effect on pavement performance. In this research, the impact of laboratory compaction air-void variations for asphalt mixtures was investigated on asphalt-mixture fracture energy and peak load, as two primary outcomes of the disk-shaped compact tension test. Two groups of asphalt mixtures with air void contents of 7 ± 1.0 % were selected, and comprehensive statistical analyses, such as Pearson’s correlation coefficient, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Welch’s test, and Tukey’s test, were conducted to explore any possible impacts of specimen-to-specimen air-void variation on fracture energy and peak load. Statistical analyses have been carried out on individual asphalt mixtures in groups and all asphalt mixtures together as a group, as well. Results showed that there is a weak-to-negligible relationship between air void, fracture energy, and peak load. In addition, results of the ANOVA at the significance level of 0.05 revealed that air void content does not have any significant effect on asphalt mixtures’ fracture energy and peak load, except for peak load data when all asphalt mixtures are grouped as single population. Finally, results of Tukey’s test demonstrated that in a range of 7 ± 1.0 %, air void does not have a significant effect on fracture energy at the significance level of 0.05. The findings of this study can help researchers and agencies extend the air-void variation tolerance to 1 % in asphalt mixtures with target of 7 % air void content to assess low temperature cracking resistance.
Predicting Shopper Safety During a Pandemic Using Checkout Queue Models.

Recent global health concerns forced businesses to temporarily suspend operations, redesign environments, and reimagine systems of interaction. Considering the economic consequences of reduced customer throughput and the liability of exposing customers to a dangerous respiratory disease, this paper simulates one area of retail stores where customers are forced to congregate, checkout counters and queues. Multiple simulations were constructed and run to examine the effects of customers per hour and checkout queue type on profitability and the likelihood of agents being forced to cross the risk distance threshold of being closer than six feet to another individual.
Using Telehealth-Delivered Procedures to Collect a Parent-Implemented Expressive Language Sampling Narrative Task in Monolingual and Bilingual Families With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Language impairments are frequent, severe, and of prognostic value in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, the evaluation of the efficacy of treatments targeting the language skills of those with ASD continues to be hindered by a lack of psychometrically sound outcome measures. Expressive Language Sampling (ELS) procedures offer a promising alternative to norm-referenced standardized tests for assessing expressive language in treatment studies. Until now, however, research on the validity and utility of ELS as outcome measures has been limited to administrations by a trained professional in a clinic setting and to use with English-speaking families. These limitations are a barrier for many families accessing the benefits of participation in treatment studies. The current study examines the feasibility of teaching native English-speaking parents (NESP) and native Spanish-speaking parents (NSSP) how to administer the ELS narrative task (ELS-N) to their sons and daughters with ASD (between ages 6 and 21) at home through telehealth-delivered procedures. The parent training was provided in the primary language of the participating parent (i.e., 11 NSSP and 11 NESP) and administered by the parent to the youth in the language that the parent reported to use to communicate with the youth at home (i.e., 9 Spanish and 13 English). Families were able to choose between using their own technology or be provided with the technology needed for participation. Of the 19 parents who completed the training, 16 learned to administer the ELS-N procedures. In addition, strong test-retest reliability and no practice effects over the 4-week interval were observed for ELS-N derived youth outcome measures (i.e., talkativeness, vocabulary, syntax, dysfluency, and intelligibility) for both NSSP and NESP. Results from this pilot study suggest that the home-based parent-implemented ELS-N procedures can be learned and administered at acceptable levels of fidelity by parents, with good test-retest reliability and limited practice effects observed in terms of outcome measures for youth with ASD. Implications for treatment studies and future directions are discussed.
Nonlinear Phillips curves in the Euro area and USA? Evidence from linear and neural networks models

This paper applies neural network methodology to inflation forecasting in the Euro-area and the USA. Neural network methodology outperforms linear forecasting methods for the Euro Area at forecast horizons of one, three, and six month horizons, while the linear model is preferable for US data. The nonlinear estimation shows that unemployment is a significant predictor of inflation for the Euro Area. Neither model detects a significant effect of unemployment on inflation for the US data.
Preparation and storage of high-titer lactic streptococcus bacteriophages.

Various techniques were employed for preparation of high-titer bacteriophage lysates of Streptococcus lactis, S. cremoris, and S. diacetilactis strains. Infection of a 4-h host culture in litmus milk at 30 C yielded the highest titers (2 × 109 to 4 × 1011 plaque-forming units/ml) for most phages. Host infection in lactose-containing broth produced similar virus numbers only when 0.1 M tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer stabilized the pH. The pH at the time of infection as well as the inoculum phage titer were critical in obtaining high titers. Optimum conditions for infection in broth were coupled with a polyethylene glycol concentration procedure to routinely produce milligram quantities of phage from 1 liter of lysate. Neutralization of whey lysates, as a means of storage, offered no survival advantage over unneutralized samples. Storage of phage lysates in a 15% glycerol whey solution at -22 C yielded a high rate of survival in most cases, even with repeated freezing and thawing, over a period of 24 months.
Self-tolerance checkpoints in B lymphocyte development.

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses humoral self-tolerance as the cumulative action of a series of separate checkpoints placed along the B cell lineage. The strategy of employing multiple and distinct checkpoints presumably minimizes the risk that one or two inherited or somatically acquired mutations leads to uncontrolled autoantibody production, analogous to the role of checkpoints in the cell cycle that minimize neoplasia. Each checkpoint may depend on distinct sets of genes and molecules. From a genetic perspective, the use of broad terms such as “deletion” or “anergy” can be used to describe several distinct checkpoint mechanisms that likely involve discrete molecular pathways. The chapter discusses self-tolerance checkpoints acting (1) during formation of the pre-immune B cell repertoire and (2) during subsequent formation of an immune repertoire. A series of cellular phenomena potentially censor and remove autoantibody-bearing B cells from the pathway to antibody secretion. Each of these checkpoints has triggering thresholds that depend on the local auto-antigen concentration, auto-antigen valency, and the B cell's binding affinity for elimination of auto-reactive B cells in the bone marrow. These thresholds impose limits on the extent of tolerance.
Mammalian topoisomerase I has base mismatch nicking activity.

Abstract The all-type nicking enzyme (ATE) from human HeLa cells or calf thymus can nick DNA at the first phosphodiester bond 5' to all 8 possible mismatched bases. The strand disparity of this nicking is influenced by the neighboring nucleotide sequences. After nicking, the ATE covalently binds to the 3' end of the DNA product to form a cleavable complex, whose formation is insensitive to camptothecin, a specific inhibitor of eukaryotic topoisomerase I (Topo-I). During the purification of ATE from calf thymus, a Mg(2+)-independent relaxation activity, characteristic of eukaryotic Topo-I, copurifies with the mismatch-nicking activity. The ATE from calf thymus may be a breakdown product of Topo-I. N-terminal amino acid analysis indicates that one of the polypeptides with ATE activity contains the C-terminal portion of Topo-I. Moreover, active human Topo-I, expressed as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli, is also capable of nicking all 8 base mispairs in the absence of Mg2+. This mismatch-specific nicking activity may be a novel property of the mammalian Topo-I.
The energy release rate and the J-integral in nonlocal micropolar field theory

Abstract The recent theory of nonlocal micropolar continuum is used to derive explicit expressions for both the energy release rate and J- integral . It was shown that this J- integral has a physical meaning of the energy release rate and, for homogeneous body with the straight crack, is path independent. It was also shown that the influence of nonlocality is contained in J- integral which allows one to discuss several special cases.
Double Beta Decay: Recent Developments and Projections

A report of recent events in both theoretical and experimental aspects of double beta decay is given. General theoretical considerations, recent developments in nuclear structure theory, geochronological determinations of half lives and ratios as well as laboratory experiments are discussed with emphasis on the past three years. Some projections are given.
Made from Scratch: The Creation and Development of a Sciences Librarian

SUMMARY Science librarianship is a distinct occupation within the larger library profession. Drawing on my own experiences this article will discuss how librarians without scientific backgrounds at small institutions can position themselves to attain basic knowledge in the sciences-thus, increasing the effectiveness of library service and aligning themselves to fill the impending gap in science librarianship.
Associated movement in hemiplegia: The effects of force exerted, limb usage and inhibitory training

The intensity of associated movement or motor overflow in the contralateral limb during a unimanual task was evaluated in postacute traumatic brain injured (TBI) young adults with left side hemiplegia and age-matched controls. Both groups demonstrated increased overflow with increasing active limb force, although the trend was for greater overflow to occur in the TBI group, particularly when the spastic limb was active. Following three successive days of inhibitory training with electromyographic feedback, TBI subjects were able to significantly reduce the amount of overflow in the contralateral limb, greater inhibition occurring in the noninvolved limb during spastic limb movement. The results are discussed in terms of a dual model of inhibitory control and the role of such processes in uncoupling the limbs for independent limb usage.
Specific Alteration of Spontaneous GABAergic Inhibition in Cerebellar Purkinje Cells in Mice Lacking the Potassium Channel Kv1.1

In the cerebellum, the basket cell innervation on Purkinje cells provides a major GABAergic inhibitory control of the single efferent output from the cerebellum. The Shaker-type K channel Kv1.1 is localized at the axon arborization preceding the terminal of the basket cells and is therefore a potential candidate for regulating the GABAergic inhibition. In this study, we directly assess this role of Kv1.1 by electrophysiological analysis of Kv1.1 null mutant mice. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs) were made from Purkinje cells in thin cerebellar slices from postnatal day (P)10-15 Kv1.1-null mutants using wild-type littermates as controls. The null mutation confers a very specific change in the sIPSC: the frequency increases about twofold, without accompanying changes in the mean and variance of its amplitude distribution. The frequency and amplitude of the miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) are unaffected. Spontaneous firing rate of the basket cells is unaltered. Evoked IPSC does not show multiple activity in the mutants. Motor skills tests show that Kv1.1 null mice display a compromised ability to maintain balance on a thin stationary rod. We conclude that the Kv1.1 null mutation results in a persistent elevation of the tonic inhibitory tone on the cerebellum Purkinje cell efferent and that this is not fully compensated for by residual Shaker-type channels. We further suggest that the increase in inhibitory tone in the mutants might underlie the behavioral deficits. At the cellular level, we propose that Kv1.1 deletion enhances excitability of the basket cells by selectively enhancing the likelihood of action potential propagation past axonal branch points.
Social norm perceptions predict citizenship behaviors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which perceptions of injunctive and descriptive norms for workplace organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) affect an individual’s frequency of performing such behaviors. The study also explores whether the effects of norm perceptions are moderated by the individual’s need to belong (NTB) to social groups. Design/methodology/approach – Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze data from 77 employed MBA students. Perceptions of OCB norms and NTB were assessed with an initial survey. Eight weeks later, a second survey assessed the individual frequency of OCBs. Findings – Descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and NTB independently predicted OCB frequency. Additionally, NTB moderated the effects of injunctive norm perceptions. The injunctive norm was particularly influential for employees high in NTB. Research limitations/implications – Limitations of this study include its cross-sectional nature and the possibility of common method...
Preparation and galactosyltransferase acceptor activity of derivatives of antifreeze glycoproteins of an Antarctic fish.

A series of 12 closely related glycoproteins containing α-linked N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (GalNAc) as the sole carbohydrate moiety have been prepared by degradation of the antifreeze glycoproteins from the serum of the Antarctic fish Trematomus borchgrevinki. The polypeptide moieties of these glycoproteins contain substitutions in the normal -Ala-Ala-Thr- repeating tripeptide sequence which introduce alterations in the amount of α-helical structure and the density of acceptor sites, and theoretically also in the amount of rigidity, polarity, and hydrophobicity of the polypeptide. Of these alterations only density of acceptor sites has a statistically significant effect on the ability of the moiety to act as a substrate for galactosyl-transferase (EC 2.4.1.22) activity solubilized from rat liver microsomes. This result suggests that in the biosynthesis of rat liver glycoproteins these structural features of the polypeptide moiety of glycoproteins are not part of the substrate specificity of the galactosylt...
Phenylated polyimides: Diels-Alder reaction of biscyclopentadienones with dimaleimides

A series of phenylated polydihydrophthalimides has been synthesized by the Diels-Alder reactions of 3,3′-(oxydi-p-phenylene)bis(2,4,5-triphenylcyclopentadienone) and 3,3′-(p-phenylene)bis(2,4,5-triphenylcyclopentadienone) with N,N′-o-, -m-, and -p-phenylenedimaleimide. The polydihydrophthalimides were soluble in dimethylformamide (DMF) and had intrinsic viscosities that ranged from 0.33 to 1.01, the polymers were dehydrogenated thermally and chemically to afford the corresponding phenylated polyphthalimides. The totally aromatic polyimides were also soluble in DMF but had intrinsic viscosities only as high as 0.41. The thermogravimetric analyses of the polyphthalimides showed breaks near 530°C in air and in nitrogen atmospheres.
An Inconvenient Truth: blurring the lines between science and science fiction

Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth gives a variety of unusually biased interpretations of the state of climate science and global warming theory. These cover a wide range of natural events and processes which could potentially be impacted by global warming, but which the movie misrepresents as clear examples of the human influence on climate. A few examples include the mixing up of cause and effect in his graphical portrayal of temperature and carbon dioxide variations over hundreds of thousands of years; the repeated depiction of ice calving from glaciers as a sign of global warming; the implication that Hurricane Katrina was the fault of humans; and the particularly extreme view that the Greenland ice sheet will melt, flooding coastal cities worldwide. Ultimately, all of these are related to the widespread perception that scientists have uniquely tied global warming to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The real inconvenient truth is that science has no idea how much of recent warming is natural versus the result of human activities.
The Roentgen Ray: Its Past and Future

Few events have had a more profound influence on the practice of medicine than the discovery of the roentgen ray, the fiftieth anniversary of which we are celebrating this year. Almost from the day that Roentgen made his dramatic announcement to the world, physicians and physicists everywhere began work on the development of equipment to utilize this new radiation in the diagnostic and therapeutic fields of medicine. The events which culminated in Roentgen's discovery on November 8, 1895, extend back to the Golden Age of Greece when observations were made of "electric" phenomena. However, from this time until the 17th Century this knowledge lay buried and it was only in 1600, when Gilbert in England began the performance of a long and brilliant series of experiments, that the science of electricity was placed upon a firm foundation. Shortly thereafter, von Guericke began the study of electrical conduction through gases. These researches were continued through the 18th Century by Hawksbee, Dufay, Nollet, and Morgan. The equipment used in the experiments of two of these workers, Hawksbee and Morgan, had the potentiality of producing roentgen rays; indeed, in 1785, Morgan, it is generally assumed, produced such radiation, although its existence was unknown to him. During the 19th Century, the work of Faraday, Maxwell, Hertz, Hittorf, Crookes, and Lenard, to mention only a few, added still further to the knowledge of electrical conduction through gases. It was this research which prompted Roentgen to begin his experiments (Figs. 1 and 2). It is difficult to say whether Roentgen's discovery of the radiation which now bears his name and which he originally referred to as "X-rays," was the result of deliberate research or of mere chance. There is, however, abundant evidence that his findings were anticipated. It is known, for instance, that his final experiments were conducted in total darkness with a Crookes' tube that was covered with black cardboard to prevent the escape of visible light produced by the gaseous discharge within the tube. Furthermore, there was also present near the tube a small piece of cardboard impregnated with barium platino-cyanide which would only fluoresce when impinged upon by the radiation of wave lengths
Supra-Nanosecond Dynamics of a Red-to-Blue Photon Upconversion System

Blue-green upconverted emission from 2-chloro-bis-phenylethynylanthracene (2CBPEA) sensitized by the red-absorbing platinum(II)tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (PtTPBP) has been investigated in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The upconverted singlet fluorescence of 2CBPEA resulting from its sensitized triplet−triplet annihilation (TTA) is observed following selective excitation of PtTPBP at 635 ± 5 nm. Stern−Volmer analysis of the photoluminescence quenching of PtTPBP by 2CBPEA yields a bimolecular quenching constant of 1.62 × 109 M−1 s−1, slightly below the diffusion limit in DMF at room temperature. The TTA process was confirmed by the quadratic dependence of the integrated upconverted singlet fluorescence emission profile of 2CBPEA measured as a function of 635 nm incident laser power. Time-resolved emission spectra following 630 nm nanosecond laser pulses illustrate the prompt nature of porphyrin phosphorescence quenching and the delayed nature of the upconverted singlet fluorescence from 2CBPEA. Transient...
Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma in Two Related Spiny-Tailed Monitor Lizards (Varanus acanthurus)

Abstract Two male spiny-tailed monitor lizard ( Varanus acanthurus ) broodmates were diagnosed with chondroblastic osteosarcomas associated with the pelvic girdle. One lizard was 6 months old and the other 5 months old at the time of diagnosis. Grossly, the tumors appeared as large, firm, multilobulated masses that were white on cut surface and firmly adhered to the underlying bone. Histologically, both tumors were characterized by proliferation of neoplastic spindloid to stellate cells that encompassed the vertebrae and invaded into the vertebral and pelvic bones. Both osteoid production and multifocal chondrous differentiation were observed within neoplastic masses. Retinoblastoma 1 was absent in neoplastic cells. Even though osseous neoplasms are rare amongst reptiles, Varanus spp. may have a genetic predilection for developing chondroblastic osteosarcoma.
Disseminated candidiasis, Candida arthritis, and unilateral skin lesions

Candida species are the most common cause of systemic fungal infections in patients with hematologic malignancies. These infections are aggressive with rapid dissemination to various organs. Cutaneous lesions occur in 10% to 13% of cases, whereas Candida arthritis occurs infrequently. This report describes the first case of disseminated candidiasis in a patient with both Candida arthritis and unilateral cutaneous lesions.
Thermopower anomaly in GdNi2: Spin scattering model versus static entropy model

The thermopower anomaly in the vicinity of the ferromagnetic critical point of Gd${\mathrm{Ni}}_{2}$ has been measured and found to be of the form predicted by the spin disorder scattering model proposed recently by Thomas, Levin, and Parks. These results allow a vivid comparison between the above model and the idea that the anomalous thermopower measures the static electron entropy in metals, which has been recently discussed by Tang, Kitchens, and Craig.
Exploring the behaviour of the hydrated excess proton at hydrophobic interfaces

The affinity of the excess proton for the aqueous solution–hydrophobic interface was examined for two specific examples, the air–water and hydrophobic wall–water cases, using a multiconfigurational molecular dynamics algorithm. The use of a reactive simulation method is important as it allows for a realistic description of the excess proton, namely, its propensity to hop between water molecules via the Grotthuss mechanism. The free energy profile reveals a minimum at these interfaces due to a favourable enthalpic term that outweighs the entropic penalty. The key factors that contribute to this enthalpic minimum were examined using a generalization of a scheme that decomposes the interaction energy into separate terms arising from various local environments [Otten et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 109, 701 (2012)] (coordination shell, bulk, and interface) and the delocalization energy (which allows the proton to hop). For both systems, it was observed that the energetic penalty for loss of coordinating water molecules as the excess proton moves toward the hydrophobic interface is more than compensated by the displacement of unfavourable interfacial water molecules. In addition, the ion becomes more delocalized, more Zundel-like, and therefore possesses a larger effective radius as it moves to the interface. The fluctuations of the instantaneous interface were reduced near the vicinity of the ion, thereby giving rise to an entropic penalty. This paper will discuss the application of energy decomposition schemes to multiconfigurational simulations and the resulting consequences realized for the excess proton at hydrophobic interfaces.
Federal Reserve Policy in Transition

I. Introduction, 340. — II. Theory of credit control via member bank reserves, 341. — III. Impairment of the essential conditions of effective credit control, 341. — IV. Effects of Federal Reserve policies on the portfolio policies of member banks, 344. — V. Present status of Federal Reserve credit control policies, 345. — VI. Proposals for reform, 346.
Frequency-domain phase-modulation fluorometry: Resolution of complex decays of fluorescence intensity and anisotropy

Abstract We used frequency-domain fluorometry to resolve multi-exponential decays of fluorescence intensity and anisotropy. The samples are excited with intensity modulated light, at modulation frequencies ranging from 1 to 200 MHz, and we measure the phase-shifts and demodulation factors. The decay times of a three-component mixture were resolved, 1.2, 4.1 and 7.7 nsec, as well as the two anisotropy decay times of the anisotropic rotator perylene.
ENTHALPIES AND TEMPERATURES OF TRANSFORMATION FOR PLUTONIUM USING A DIFFERENTIAL SCANNING CALORIMETER

The enthalpies and temperatures of transformation of high purity plutonium were measured using a differential scanning calorimeter. The results of our study are presented and compared to values obtained by previous methods.
Selective plasma etching of Si from GaAs-on-Si wafers for microwave via-hole formation

Selective plasma etching has been used to form via holes in GaAs-on-Si wafers that are superior to the holes formed by conventional methods in semi-insulating GaAs wafers. The plasma etching technique has a variety of potential microwave device applications.
Presentation, evaluation and staging

Abstract Osteosarcoma has a wide range of clinical presentations and radiographic and histologic appearances. A knowledge of the classification system guides the clinician in the evaluation process. The surgical staging system allows the clinician to predict prognosis and compare results from different centers.
Label-free DNA biosensor based on SERS Molecular Sentinel on Nanowave chip.

Development of a rapid, cost-effective, label-free biosensor for DNA detection is important for many applications in clinical diagnosis, homeland defense, and environment monitoring. A unique label-free DNA biosensor based on Molecular Sentinel (MS) immobilized on a plasmonic ‘Nanowave’ chip, which is also referred to as a metal film over nanosphere (MFON), is presented. Its sensing mechanism is based upon the decrease of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) intensity when Raman label tagged at one end of MS is physically separated from the MFON’s surface upon DNA hybridization. This method is label-free as the target does not have to be labeled. The MFON fabrication is relatively simple and low-cost with high reproducibility based on depositing a thin shell of gold over close-packed arrays of nanospheres. The sensing process involves a single hybridization step between the DNA target sequences and the complementary MS probes on the Nanowave chip without requiring secondary hybridization or posthy...
Black-White and Urban-Rural Differences in Stability of Household Composition among Elderly Persons

The dynamic nature of household composition in a population of elderly persons, with particular focus on Black-White and urban-rural differences, is described in this study. The Duke EPESE is a stratified, random household sample (N = 4,162) of elderly persons in a five-county mixed urban-rural area of North Carolina with respondents contacted annually to report on health and social factors. Between 1986 and 1990, 35 percent of the households underwent some change in composition, with 14 percent contracting and/or expanding more than once. Where elders lived alone and where married elders lived with the spouse and/or others, Black elders were significantly more likely to experience a net expansion of their household than were White elders of the same age, gender, socioeconomic, and functional status. Elderly residents of rural areas who lived alone were slightly more likely to add one or more persons to their households than were comparable elderly urban residents. No additional risk of household instability was noted in sociodemographic or health-related subgroups by race or residence. Future analyses should examine the outcomes of instability.
The Link between Learning Style and Jungian Psychological Type: A Finding of Two Bipolar Preference Dimensions.

AbstractThis study examined the link between learning style and Jungian psychological type. A large sample of ninth-grade students was administered the Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Inventory, the Renzulli-Smith Learning Style Inventory, and the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children (MMTIC). Canonical correlation procedures indicated the presence of two bipolar learning preferences characterized by a reflective learner-active learner (introversion-extraversion) dimension and a structured/motivated-unstructured/casual (judging-perception) dimension. It is suggested that the MMTIC’s Extraversion-Introversion and Judging-Perception scales may be alternatively conceptualized as useful measures of learning style. Educational implications and recommendations are discussed.
Mullerian-inhibiting substance regulates NF–κB signaling in the prostate in vitro and in vivo

Mullerian-inhibiting substance (MIS) is a member of the transforming growth factor β superfamily, a class of molecules that regulates growth, differentiation, and apoptosis in many cells. MIS type II receptor in the Mullerian duct is temporally and spatially regulated during development and becomes restricted to the most caudal ends that fuse to form the prostatic utricle. In this article, we have demonstrated MIS type II receptor expression in the normal prostate, human prostate cancer cell lines, and tissue derived from patients with prostate adenocarcinomas. MIS induced NF–κB DNA binding activity and selectively up-regulated the immediate early gene IEX-1S in both androgen-dependent and independent human prostate cancer cells in vitro. Dominant negative IκBα expression ablated both MIS-induced increase of IEX-1S mRNA and inhibition of growth, indicating that activation of NF–κB signaling was required for these processes. Androgen also induced NF–κB DNA binding activity in prostate cancer cells but without induction of IEX-1S mRNA, suggesting that MIS-mediated increase in IEX-1S was independent of androgen-mediated signaling. Administration of MIS to male mice induced IEX-1S mRNA in the prostate in vivo, suggesting that MIS may function as an endogenous hormonal regulator of NF–κB signaling and growth in the prostate gland.
Integrating and evaluating geriatrics in medical school: a novel approach for the challenge.

Brown Medical School developed a comprehensive curriculum in which enriched aging content increased from 22 to 80 hours in preclerkship courses and was also added for clerkships, residencies, and nongeriatrician physicians. Innovative evaluation strategies are also described. Highlights include “treasure hunts” in the anatomy laboratory, a Scholarly Concentration in Aging, Schwartz Communication Sessions, a Website of aging-related materials, and a monthly column in the state medical journal. Evaluation includes “tracking” to compute the “dose” of aging content, and “journaling” and focus groups to evaluate students' responses. Integrating geriatrics across a broad range of courses and clinical experiences is feasible.
Cell arrival modeling and related statistical multiplexer performance in ATM networks

A source is assumed to go through independently distributed ON and OFF periods. During an ON period, cells arrive spaced apart in time by a fixed interval. No cells arrive during an OFF period. The probability distribution of the ON and OFF periods are arbitrary. Traffic from a number of such sources is statistically multiplexed. The related statistical multiplexer performance is studied analytically as follows. A statistical multiplexer is modeled as a discrete-time single-server queueing system where the traffic from a new source (conforming to the cell arrival process described above) joins traffic that is already being statistically multiplexed. The aggregated arrival of cells from existing traffic is assumed to follow a two-state Markov modulated cell arrival process. Numerical examples that relate the performance at the statistical multiplexer to the parameters describing the traffic from the new source and the aggregated traffic are presented.
Relative bond strengths in tetrahedrane, prismane, and some of their aza analogs

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the 3–21G level have been employed to explore structures, bond order, and bond deviation indices for a series of aza- and diazatetrahedranes and aza-, diaza-, triaza-, and tetraazaprismanes as well as their hydrocarbon analogs. The introduction of nitrogens has the effect of strengthening C-C and some of the N-C bonds, while the presence of N-N bonds introduces a decrease in relative thermodynamic stability in the aza-prismane series.