cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of false positive rates for screening breast MRI in high risk women when studies are done stacked versus alternating.

1512 Background: Screening breast MRI added to mammography increases screening sensitivity for high risk women. However, false positive rates are high for MRI and the optimal screening schedule is ...
Delaware's Fall: The Arbitration Bylaws Scenario

Delaware dominates the competition to sell corporate charters. Leading scholars consider that dominance so great as to be irreversible. This book chapter argues that the advent of arbitration bylaws makes reversal not merely possible, but likely. Delaware’s competitive advantage results almost entirely from Delaware’s highly successful judicial strategy. Delaware has the only court system meaningfully specialized in corporate law. No other state has the caseload or constitutional provisions needed to replicate it. Because its courts are the only aspect of its law that other states cannot copy, Delaware has relied heavily on them. In combination with a vague and indeterminate statute, Delaware’s courts enable Delaware to provide, on a case-by-case basis, maximum benefits to the managers who bring incorporations to the state, while still maintaining the respectability of Delaware incorporation. Arbitration bylaws threaten to deprive the Delaware courts of their cases. Federal law arguably prevents Delaware from barring their adoption. By failing to provide for fee awards to plaintiffs’ attorneys, arbitration bylaws can sharply reduce the numbers of cases that are brought. The cases that are brought will be decided by arbitrators, not the Delaware courts—leaving the Delaware courts without cases. Without cases, Delaware’s judicial strategy would collapse. Absent Delaware’s judicial advantage, corporate charter competition may melt down into a simple price competition in which no state can profit from charter sales.
Block co-polyMOFs: assembly of polymer–polyMOF hybrids via iterative exponential growth and “click” chemistry

We report the synthesis of uniform oligomeric polyMOF ligands with alkyne end groups via an iterative exponential growth (IEG) strategy. These ligands were used to prepare a diblock copolymer via copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition “click” chemistry with azide-terminated polystyrene (PS). In the presence of Zn ions, this novel block copolymer forms a “block co-polyMOF” (BCPMOF) comprised of crystalline polyMOF domains embedded in an amorphous PS matrix. BCPMOFs represent a new type of hybrid polyMOF–polymer material.
Joint Limit vs. Optimized Weighted Least Norm Methods in Predicting Upper Body Posture

Predicting human upper body motion involves resolving a high level of redundancy. It is preferable to resolve all possible inverse kinematic poses to a single human like pose. In this paper the relative benefits and difficulties in developing parameter based and optimized numerical models for predicting upper body posture are examined. The predicted poses of a joint limit constraint and an optimized relative rate constraint were calculated, both using the weighted least norm method. Results were then compared to the recorded motion of 10 healthy adult subjects. Both methods produced similar results, with an average RMS error of 8.9° and 8.2° for the joint limit and optimized methods respectively. Combination of methods produced a marginal increase in performance with an average RMS error of 7.6°.
Activation of VIP signaling enhances immunosuppressive effect of MDSCs on CMV-induced adaptive immunity

// Parvin Forghani 1,* , Christopher T. Petersen 1,* and Edmund K. Waller 1 1 Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Parvin Forghani, email: // Edmund K. Waller, email: // Keywords : CMV, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), VIP, mice, Immunology and Microbiology Section, Immune response, Immunity Received : June 01, 2017 Accepted : August 14, 2017 Published : September 07, 2017 Abstract Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is recognized as a potent anti-inflammatory factor which affects both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. These effects include, but are not limited to, inhibition of T cell proliferation and disruption of immune homeostasis. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are an immune regulatory cell type that has been described in settings of cancer and infectious disease.Here we demonstrate a reduced circulating monocytic MDSCs in the VIP -/- vs. wild type MCMV. VIP-/- MDSCs secretes less NO upon stimulation with LPS and interferon that relatively lose the ability to suppress T cells activation in vitro compared to wild type MDSCs.Considering the importance of VIP in immunomodulation, the possible effect of VIP in the suppressive function of MDSC populations following CMV infection remains unknown. We describe the possible role of VIP in the regulation of anti-CMV activity of T cells through the activation of MDSCs.
Comparison of Respirable Mass Concentrations Measured by a Personal Dust Monitor and a Personal DataRAM to Gravimetric Measurements

In 2016, the Mine Safety and Health Administration required the use of continuous monitors to measure respirable dust in mines and better protect miner health. The Personal Dust Monitor, PDM3700, has met stringent performance criteria for this purpose. In a laboratory study, respirable mass concentrations measured with the PDM3700 and a photometer (personal DataRam, pDR-1500) were compared to those measured gravimetrically for five aerosols of varying refractive index and density (diesel exhaust fume, welding fume, coal dust, Arizona road dust (ARD), and salt [NaCl] aerosol) at target concentrations of 0.38, 0.75, and 1.5 mg m-3. For all aerosols except coal dust, strong, near-one-to-one, linear relationships were observed between mass concentrations measured with the PDM3700 and gravimetrically (diesel fume, slope = 0.99, R2 = 0.99; ARD, slope = 0.98, R2 = 0.99; and NaCl, slope = 0.95, R2 = 0.99). The slope deviated substantially from unity for coal dust (slope = 0.55; R2 = 0.99). Linear relationships were also observed between mass concentrations measured with the pDR-1500 and gravimetrically, but one-to-one behavior was not exhibited (diesel fume, slope = 0.23, R2 = 0.76; coal dust, slope = 0.54, R2 = 0.99; ARD, slope = 0.61, R2 = 0.99; NaCl, slope = 1.14, R2 = 0.98). Unlike the pDR-1500, mass concentrations measured with the PDM3700 appear independent of refractive index and density, suggesting that it could have applications in a variety of occupational settings.
Service-Dominant Logic and Performance-Based Contracting: A Systems Thinking Perspective

This paper extends recent theoretical advances by merging service-dominant logic (S-D logic) and performance-based contracting (PBC). S-D logic is a conceptual frame of reference that defines supply chain knowledge and skill as its fundamental building blocks of strategic benefit. Cocreation of value between actors and beneficiaries is central to S-D logic and is measured through performance outcomes. PBC is a transformational departure from traditional supply chain strategies that focuses on delivering performance instead of goods and services. PBC has found increasing use in large-scale complex systems where the postproduction costs exceed the production cost, such as defense, transportation, and healthcare. These systems are commonly called sustainment-dominated systems (SDSs). We use systems theory and the Boardman Soft Systems Methodology to develop a systemigram that corresponds to the 11 foundational premises of S-D logic in the context of PBC. We also verify the use of the systemigram as an instru...
Review: Cracking Cancer

Cracking Cancer (DVD; 2017; 44 minutes; Bullfrog Films; http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/crac.html) Practical applications of genomics can be seen in Bullfrog Films' recent release, Cracking Cancer . The riveting stories of cancer victims—some who survive, some who do not—grip viewers as they learn about the science behind some of the latest cancer-fighting techniques. In particular, viewers learn about a British cancer agency called Personalized OncoGenomics. The scientists working there carry out clinical trials on cancer patients in ways unique to each individual by sequencing …
Calvin and the Two Bodies of Christ: Fiction and Power in Dogmatic Theology

This article re-examines the slow rhetorical quality of Jean Calvin’s political theology by drawing attention to the literary dimensions of Calvin’s theological writing. In conversation with recent...
AN ECONOMIC MODEL OF STUDENT LEARNING

We develop a dynamic economic model based on contemporary understanding of learning and motivation. The model and resulting comparative static analysis show the instructor's role in providing a productive learning environment. Instructors should set the complexity of course assignments and assessments to be consistent with student preparedness. Learning is enhanced when the rate of change in challenge is based on the rate of change of how rapidly students are learning. Instructors steer students toward a productive trajectory with tasks that cause students to work hard and by consistently providing feedback and fostering a culture of learning.
Pathways to Oxidative Cell Death

Therapy with supraphysiological concentrations of oxygen (O2) is required in a number of clinical situations, but this use of O2 may be accompanied by tissue damage (Northway et al, 1967; Horowitz and Davis, 1996). For example, hyperoxia plays a role in the etiology of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (Pappas et al, 1983; Roberts and Frank, 1984) a disorder resulting from ventilatory O2 therapy for the respiratory distress syndrome of premature infants. The general problem of O2 toxicity involves several organs, most notably the lungs, which receive direct exposure (Wispe and Roberts, 1987). The pathology of O2induced lung injury includes inflammation and permeability changes of the alveolar-capillary membrane, causing extensive pulmonary edema and severe decreases in respiratory function (Freeman et al, 1986). Lung pathology resulting from acute O2 toxicity is accompanied by, and may result from biochemical alterations in lung cells.
Later Middle Age

What is here called later middle age is the last twenty of the mature years, the period, say, from age 46 tot 65. The individual experiences at this period the rueful satisfaction of completing a cycle. It is not difficult to see the end from here, and the end is not a satisfaction in any sense. The drive toward self-aggrandizement has usually been blunted, the need to dominate the entire environment if of course swept away in all of its inclusive senses, leaving perhaps the residue of inclusion by surrender which is implicit in what I have earlier called super-identification. Far-away goals now seem more important than nearby goals, the need to exceed himself is for the individual at this stage a thing of the past; there is no longer any basic aggression dominating the ingredients of his personal career. The framework within which he lives serves more as a limitation than as an opportunity. Space has closed in and time speeded up. There are neither many hours to lose nor much distance to lose them in—and not much more to be done, anyway.
Injection of muscimol into posterior hypothalamus blocks stress-induced tachycardia.

We have previously shown that the physiological and behavioral manifestations of emotional stress are produced when drugs impairing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated synaptic inhibition are injected into the posterior hypothalamic nucleus in rats [Wible, J.H., Jr., F.C. Luft, and J.A. DiMicco. Am. J. Physiol. 254 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 23): R680-R687, 1988]. The purpose of this study was to assess further the potential role of GABA receptors in this region in the response to stress using muscimol, a GABAA receptor agonist. In six chronically instrumented conscious rats, air stress after vehicle treatment evoked marked and sustained tachycardia (+130 +/- 14 beats/min at +10 min) accompanied by a less dramatic increase in arterial pressure (+14 +/- 3 mmHg). Microinjection of muscimol (10 ng; 88 pmol) at the same posterior hypothalamic site in which GABA blockade causes cardiovascular changes similar to those seen in stress produced a modest depression of cardiovascular function in unstressed animals (-28 +/- 5 beats/min and -6 +/- 3 mmHg). However, similar treatment with muscimol virtually abolished the stress-induced tachycardia in the same rats (+9 +/- 8 beats/min), while having no significant effect on baroreflex-evoked increases in heart rate caused by intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside (4 micrograms). These findings support a role for activation of neurons in the posterior nucleus of the hypothalamus in the generation of stress-induced cardiovascular changes and for control of this mechanism by local GABA receptors.
Polarization-Dependent Lasing Behavior from Low-Symmetry Nanocavity Arrays

This paper reports how geometric effects in low-symmetry plasmonic nanoparticle arrays can produce polarization-dependent lasing responses. We developed a scalable fabrication procedure to pattern rhombohedral arrays of aluminum anisotropic nanoparticles that support lattice plasmon modes from both first-order and second-order diffraction coupling. We found that nanoparticle shape can be used to engineer the spatial overlap between electromagnetic hot spots of different lattice modes and dye gain to support plasmonic lasing. The lasing behavior revealed that plasmon–exciton energy transfer depends on polarization, with stronger coupling and faster dynamics when the transition dipole moments of the excited gain are aligned with the electric field of the plasmon modes.
Transcriptional CDKs in the spotlight.

At every active gene in any genome, there is a transcription cycle, defined as the collective set of biochemical reactions that control RNA polymerase activity, from promoter binding to polymerase ...
A rock and an art place: the Inkas’ Collaconcho in context

Collaconcho, a large rocky outcropping located at the edge of the Inka archaeological site of Saqsaywaman, was – from an Andean perspective – both sentient and agentic. Oral histories accuse this s...
Styles of Parental Disciplinary Practices as a Mediator of Children's Learning from Antisocial Television Portrayals

This study examines the parental disciplinary practices under which children's modeling of antisocial TV portrayals are minimized and maximized. Two types of enduring parental styles that influence...
Understanding the developmental trajectory of second language acquisition and foreign language teaching and learning using the Model of Domain Learning

Abstract This article uses the Model of Domain Learning as a framework to better understand the developmental nature of students’ second language acquisition and teaching and learning of foreign languages. This examination includes the development of knowledge, strategies, and interest through the stages of expertise in the MDL – namely acclimation, competence, and proficiency/expertise. What encapsulates knowledge, strategies, and interest in the second language acquisition and previous empirical research that supports these developmental notions are overviewed. Finally, directions for future research and practical implications are discussed in light of the developmental nature of expertise development in second language acquisition and foreign language teaching and learning.
Saturate, situate, synthesize: Fostering preservice teachers’ conceptual and practical knowledge for learning to lead class discussion

Abstract To develop preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) knowledge and practice for complex teaching, a pedagogical innovation featured a design of saturate, situate, and synthesize. Small-group inquiry into English teaching challenges was guided by a course saturated with diverse resources, situated in K-12 classrooms, and supported by visualization tools and reflection for synthesis. A case of one diverse group analyzes how they developed knowledge and practice for facilitating discussion to support critical response to text. Supported by diverse resources and synthesizing tools, discourse analysis into their culturally and linguistically diverse students’ interactions, social dynamics, and perspectives shaped PSTs’ conceptions of students co-constructing discussion.
Individual self-determination vs. Ukrainian or Russian nationalism

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s power grab and annexation of the Crimea has filled global news headlines as he attempts to reverse what he has called the «greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth Century» – the collapse of the Soviet Union. But it needs to be remembered that this conflict has its deeper roots in two ideas that have plagued the world for over two centuries: nationalism and government interventionism into economic affairs. In the early years of the nineteenth century the new nationalist idea of self-determination in establishing in what country people should live was considered a logical extension of the general idea of individual liberty and freedom of choice. Just as an individual should have the liberty to guide his own life according to his own values, beliefs and ideals; just as he should be free to peacefully associate with whomever he chose on the basis of commonly shared goals or mutually beneficial exchanges; so, too, individuals should have the freedom to choose in what political state they wanted to live.
Abstract LB210: MicroRNA function is malleable and can be governed by target gene expression levels

MicroRNAs are short, noncoding RNA molecules that reduce the expression of target genes by inhibiting messenger RNA translation and promoting messenger RNA degradation. They are highly dysregulated in cancer, with many microRNAs appearing to have potent oncogenic or tumor suppressive effects. As a result, there exists substantial interest in targeting microRNAs for cancer therapy. However, the literature is filled with conflicting accounts as to whether specific microRNAs are oncogenic or tumor suppressive, with many microRNAs appearing to exhibit entirely opposite functions when placed in different contexts. One explanation for this duality is that individual microRNAs can target tens to hundreds of different genes, many of which may possess opposing functions. Hence, it is likely that the expression levels of the target genes influence whether an individual microRNA will have a net oncogenic or net tumor suppressive effect. To examine this hypothesis, we developed a computational model of miR-125b9s effect on the apoptosis pathway. This is an ideal system for examining the expression level hypothesis, as miR-125b is a microRNA that targets several closely interacting pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the pathway, which can be easily modeled as a system of differential equations. From the model, we elucidate a general trend that miR-125b is more pro-apoptotic when its anti-apoptotic targets are overexpressed and/or its pro-apoptotic targets are underexpressed, while it is more anti-apoptotic when its pro-apoptotic targets are overexpressed and/or its anti-apoptotic targets are underexpressed. To examine this experimentally, we switched miR-125b from being tumor suppressive to being oncogenic in cells by modifying the expression levels of one of miR-125b9s anti-apoptotic targets. In addition, we observed that treating cells with anticancer drugs can also reverse miR-125b9s status as a tumor suppressor. These results have important implications for the use of microRNAs as therapeutic targets in cancer. Citation Format: Alexander A. Svoronos, Stuart G. Campbell, Donald M. Engelman. MicroRNA function is malleable and can be governed by target gene expression levels [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr LB210.
Sequential iodine-mediated diallylsilane rearrangement/asymmetric dihydroxylation: Synthesis and reactions of enantioenriched oxasilacycles

Abstract Products from an iodine-mediated diallylsilane rearrangement were taken into an asymmetric dihydroxylation (AD) reaction resulting in the formation of diastereomeric 6-membered oxasilacycles. Removal of the epimeric stereocenter among this mixture of diastereomers by elimination of iodine produced a single enantioenriched cyclic allyl silyl ether. The resulting allyl silane was then successfully engaged in several further transformations, providing an alternative means to prepare useful polyoxygenated intermediates for enantioselective synthesis.
Evolutionary genetics and acclimatization in nephrology.

Evolutionary processes, including mutation, migration and natural selection, have influenced the prevalence and distribution of various disorders in humans. However, despite a few well-known examples, such as the APOL1 variants — which have undergone positive genetic selection for their ability to confer resistance to Trypanosoma brucei infection but confer a higher risk of chronic kidney disease — little is known about the effects of evolutionary processes that have shaped genetic variation on kidney disease. An understanding of basic concepts in evolutionary genetics provides an opportunity to consider how findings from ancient and archaic genomes could inform our knowledge of evolution and provide insights into how population migration and genetic admixture have shaped the current distribution and landscape of human kidney-associated diseases. Differences in exposures to infectious agents, environmental toxins, dietary components and climate also have the potential to influence the evolutionary genetics of kidneys. Of note, selective pressure on loci associated with kidney disease is often from non-kidney diseases, and thus it is important to understand how the link between genome-wide selected loci and kidney disease occurs in relation to secondary nephropathies. Here, the authors provide an overview of the evolutionary processes that have implications for our understanding of kidney disease development and progression. They describe data derived from studies of ancient and archaic genomes and how population migration and genetic admixture have shaped the current landscape of human kidney-associated diseases, as well as the potential impact of environmental influences on evolutionary genetics and the adaptation of kidneys.
Common Cause Failure Analysis for Aviation Safety Assessment Models

The Integrated Safety Assessment Model (ISAM) developed by the FAA models aviation accidents and incidents via event sequence diagrams (ESDs) and supporting fault trees. The model assumes that the basic events are independent. In reality, since many of the events include common elements, such events may be dependent. To address the impact of dependency among events, we apply a common cause failure (CCF) methodology to ISAM. First, a barrier-based approach is used to identify common elements that are shared between safety barriers in the model. From this, the beta (β)-factor model, a commonly used CCF method, is applied to calculate the end-event probabilities under the assumption of dependence among the events. The potential impact of including CCF factors is evaluated by varying the dependence parameter β. For some ESDs, the trend shows that increasing the dependency among CCF factors can significantly increase the end-event occurrence probability. Thus, common cause elements may be important to consider in these models.
Social determinants of family health history collection

Family health history (FHH) is the most basic form of genomic information. Although public health efforts have been made to promote FHH collection, empirical data on the extent to which community residents in rural areas actively collect FHH is limited. Therefore, we examined rates of FHH collection in a community-based sample of South Carolina residents. We conducted a structured telephone survey in a random sample of black and white South Carolina residents. Respondents were asked if they had ever actively collected FHH from relatives using an item developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, 42 % of respondents reported that they had actively collected their FHH. Blacks were significantly more likely than whites to have collected their FHH in bivariate analysis, but race did not have a significant association with FHH collection in the multivariate model (OR = 1.36, 95 % CI = 0.79, 2.35, p = 0.26). The likelihood of collecting FHH was increased among respondents whose last medical visit occurred in the past year compared to those whose last medical visit was more than 1 year ago (OR = 2.00, 95 % CI = 1.12, 3.56, p = 0.02). In addition, older respondents had a reduced likelihood of collecting their FHH (OR = 0.69, 95 % CI = 0.53, 0.90, p = .01). Lastly, women were about twice as likely as men to have collected their FHH (OR = 1.83, 95 % CI = 1.12, 2.99, p = 0.02). Greater efforts are needed to increase the collection of FHH information; these efforts may need to target men, the elderly, and individuals who have not had a recent medical visit.
Alterations in DNA Methylation Resulting from Exposure to Chemical Carcinogens

Continuous exposure to natural and man-made chemicals is a major cause of noncommunicable human diseases, including cancer. Accumulated data indicate that an exposure to chemical carcinogens induces a range of genetic and epigenetic events, including alterations in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation pattern, which may be associated with cancer development and progression. Accumulated evidence indicates that the response of the DNA methylome to chemical carcinogens, especially lifestyle and food carcinogens, is critical in the carcinogenic process. The better understanding of mechanisms and processes associated with carcinogen-induced DNA methylation abnormalities may be helpful for carcinogen hazard identification, carcinogen risk assessment and management, and the prevention of cancer. Key Concepts: Exposure to natural and man-made chemicals is a major cause of human cancer. Chemical carcinogens induce a range of genetic and epigenetic events, including alterations in the DNA methylation pattern. Alteration of the DNA methylation status is one of the underlying mechanisms of the carcinogenicity of a number of established environmental and occupational carcinogenic agents. Carcinogen-induced DNA methylation changes consist of DNA and repetitive element demethylation, gene-specific hypermethylation and gene silencing, gene-specific hypomethylation and activation of gene transcription and altered expression or activity of DNA methyltransferases. Epigenetic alterations may be used as biomarkers in the evaluation of the carcinogenic potential of chemicals. The incorporation of epigenetic technologies in cancer risk assessment promises to enhance substantially the efficiency of carcinogenicity testing. Keywords: chemical carcinogens; tobacco smoking; food carcinogens; DNA methylation; cancer development
Benign red pigmentation of stool resulting from food coloring in a new breakfast cereal (the Franken Berry stool).

It has long been known that certain drugs and foods can cause alteration in the color of stools. These alterations in color may be of concern to parents and physicians unless recognized. The following case is presented as yet another example of a product which may alter stool color. The breakfast cereal under discussion has only been on the market a few weeks and physicians should be aware of its potential for producing reddish stools. Case Report A 12-year-old Negro boy presented to the outpatient department with the chief complaint of passing red stools for 2 days that were somewhat loose and unassociated with abdominal pain or other symptoms.
Toward design of risk-based real-time dispatch at value

The increasing presence of uncertainties in today's power systems has brought new risks in its daily operation. In addition to the uncertainty of demand and renewable resources, the slow generator's deviation from the system operator's command in real-time dispatch has recently been identified as a new type of uncertainty which may lead to risks of increased stress on AGC as well as market inefficiency. Instead of the centralized framework previously proposed, in this paper we develop a risk-based market structure to manage the risk in a distributed way. The generators with deviations are charged with the corresponding redispatch cost caused by their deviations based on market-based prices. As a result, the slow generators internalize the potential risks of deviations in their simple bid functions submitted in real-time energy market. We show through simulations that the proposed risk-based market structure 1) rewards the right stakeholders/technologies for what they do by allocating the cost of risk to the causation; 2) reduces overall generation cost as well as risk in online power balancing.
A Novel Tool for Making Policy Recommendations Based on PVA: Helping Theory Become Practice

Mathematical models have long been used to aid in conservation decision-making, however there are many objections to their use by conservation practitioners. Two common objections are that model outputs are too uncertain and are often not communicated effectively. Population viability analysis (PVA) often makes use of mathematical models and has become a mainstay in conservation management; however, it is not immune to these problems. Here we provide a simple method for using the output of PVA models to calculate the probability of management achieving “success” and “failure,” as well as the probability that implementing management will be no more effective than doing nothing at all. Using our method with 14 previously published PVAs, we show that expected probability of success varied from 0.14 to 0.98, failure from 0.054 to 0.6, and the probability management was not needed varied from 0.015 to 0.47. Calculating and reporting these probabilities provide conservation practitioners and policy-makers with more intuitive and tangible ways of identifying potential risks and rewards to their actions.
Sensitive and rapid behavioral differentiation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists

Behavioral effects of PCP-type noncompetitive antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors overlap with those of a host of other centrally acting compounds. In the present experiment, locomotor activity and performance on an inverted screen test in untrained mice were used to differentiate PCP-type non-competitive NMDA antagonists from other drug classes. These uncompetitive NMDA antagonists [PCP, dizocilpine, (-)-MK-801, TCP, (+)-SKF 10,047, dextrorphan, ketamine] produced dose-related increases in locomotor activity and the percentage of mice falling off an inverted, elevated wire mesh screen. Both effects demonstrated stereoselectivity, occurred at comparable dose levels, and were within the range of doses producing other biological effects (e.g., anticonvulsant). The potencies of these drugs for producing behavioral effects were positively correlated with affinities for PCP ([3H]MK-801) but not sigma([3H]SKF 10,047) receptors. Although muscarinic antagonists (benactyzine, atropine) produced effects in the same direction, locomotor stimulation was small and occurred at lower doses than those inducing screen failures. Competitive NMDA antagonists (LY 274614, LY 233536, CPP, NPC 12626), sigma receptor ligands (DTG, dextromethorphan), postsynaptic dopamine agonists (quinpirole, SKF 38393) and antagonists (haloperidol, SCH 39166), and some depressant compounds (morphine, diazepam) increased failures on the screen test but decreased locomotor activity. Ligands of the polyamine regulatory site of the NMDA receptor (ifenprodil, SL 82.0715-10) and the AMPA receptor antagonist NBQX decreased locomotor activity without increasing screen failures. An antagonist of the strychnine-insensitive glycine receptor (7-chlorokynurenic acid) did not affect performance on either test. Psychomotor stimulants (cocaine and methamphetamine) stimulated locomotor activity without affecting screen performance. The only false positives occurred with barbiturates (pentobarbital, phenobarbital). Nonetheless, the present procedure demonstrates excellent sensitivity and power for rapid discrimination of uncompetitive NMDA antagonists.
The impact of Mn oxide coatings on Zn distribution.

Abstract Zinc sorption to hydrous manganese oxide (HMO)-coated clay was investigated macroscopically, kinetically, and spectroscopically. Adsorption edges and isotherms revealed that the affinity and capacity of the HMO-coated montmorillonite was greater than that of montmorillonite, and when normalized to the oxide present, the coatings behaved similarly to the discrete Mn oxide. Over two pH conditions, 5 and 6, a linear relationship was observed for the isotherms; further analysis with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) resulted in one type of sorption configuration as a function of loading and ionic strength at pH 5. However, at a surface loading of 10 −3 mol Zn g HMO - coated clay −1 when the pH increased from 5 to 7, the first shell distance decreased slightly, while the atoms and coordination numbers remained the same; this change may be attributed to an increase in electrostatic interactions. After a contact time of 4 months where an additional 60% of the sites become occupied, the slower sorption process was modeled as intraparticle surface diffusion. Best fit diffusivities ranged from 10−18 to 10 −17 cm 2 / s , where a slower process was observed for the coated surface as compared to the discrete oxide. Interestingly, the porosity of the Mn oxide coating appears to be influenced by the substrate during its growth, as its increase and shift to a smaller pore size distribution resulted in a diffusivity between that observed for discrete HMO and montmorillonite.
A Component of Excitation-Contraction Coupling Triggered in the Absence of the T671-L690 and L720-Q765 Regions of the II-III Loop of the Dihydropyridine Receptor α1s Pore Subunit

We conducted a deletion analysis of two regions identified in the II-III loop of alpha(1S), residues 671-690, which were shown to bind to ryanodine receptor type 1 (RyR1) and stimulate RyR1 channels in vitro, and residues 720-765 or the narrower 724-743 region, which confer excitation-contraction (EC) coupling function to chimeric dihydropyridine receptors (DHPRs). Deletion mutants were expressed in dysgenic alpha(1S)-null myotubes and analyzed by voltage-clamp and confocal fluo-4 fluorescence. Immunostaining of the mutant subunits using an N-terminus tag revealed abundant protein expression in all cases. Furthermore, the maximum recovered charge movement density was >80% of that recovered by full-length alpha(1S) in all cases. Delta671-690 had no effect on the magnitude of voltage-evoked Ca(2+) transients or the L-type Ca(2+) current density. In contrast, Delta720-765 or Delta724-743 abolished Ca(2+) transients entirely, and L-type Ca(2+) current was reduced or absent. Surprisingly, Ca(2+) transients and Ca(2+) currents of a moderate magnitude were recovered by the double deletion mutant Delta671-690/Delta720-765. A simple explanation for this result is that Delta720-765 induces a conformation change that disrupts EC coupling, and this conformational change is partially reverted by Delta671-690. To test for Ca(2+)-entry independent EC coupling, a pore mutation (E1014K) known to entirely abolish the inward Ca(2+) current was introduced. alpha(1S) Delta671-690/Delta720-765/E1014K expressed Ca(2+) transients with Boltzmann parameters identical to those of the Ca(2+)-conducting double deletion construct. The data strongly suggest that skeletal-type EC coupling is not uniquely controlled by alpha(1S) 720-765. Other regions of alpha(1S) or other DHPR subunits must therefore directly contribute to the activation of RyR1 during EC coupling.
Health care disparities in older patients with breast carcinoma: informational support from physicians.

BACKGROUND Little is known about how disparities in the treatment of patients with breast carcinoma based on patient age and ethnicity are effected or mitigated at the patient-physician interaction level. The objectives of this study were to document physician provision of informational support to patients at the time of a new diagnosis of breast carcinoma and to assess differences according to patient age and ethnic group in terms of the information received and desired. METHODS Participants were 222 patients with breast carcinoma in Los Angeles County, California, age ≥ 55 years who were interviewed within 6 months of their diagnosis of breast carcinoma and/or within 1 month posttreatment. Respondents were asked about receipt and helpfulness of 10 tangible informational support items (e.g., whether booklets, videotapes, medical records, etc. were provided by physicians) and 15 interactive informational support items (e.g., whether physicians discussed breast cancer topics, such as risk of recurrence or treatment options). An index of the tangible informational support items and a scale of the interactive informational support items received were created for summary analyses. Patients' medical records were abstracted for breast carcinoma stage and treatment type; surgeons also were surveyed about sociodemographic and practice characteristics. RESULTS In multiple linear regression analyses, older age (β coefficient [β] ± standard error [SE], − 0.08 ± 0.02; P = 0.001) and Latina ethnicity (β ± SE, − 1.21 ± 0.40; P = 0.003) had a negative association with physician provision of interactive informational support, controlling for patient and physician sociodemographic characteristics, practice characteristics, breast carcinoma stage, comorbidity, number of physicians seen, visit length, social support, and patient self-efficacy in interacting with physicians (adjusted correlation coefficient [R2] for the model, 0.33; P < 0.00001). Both older patients and ethnic minority patients, as well as their respective comparison groups, rated most breast cancer information as at least as helpful. Both groups preferred interpersonal sources of information to written sources, although they received interpersonal sources less frequently. CONCLUSIONS Older patients and Latina patients with breast carcinoma received less interactive informational support from their physicians compared with younger patients, differences that persisted after controlling for a wide range of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and physician factors. Improving the quality of communication at the patient-physician interaction level may be an important avenue to reducing age and ethnic group treatment disparities among patients with breast carcinoma. Cancer 2003;97:1517–27. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11211
A periodic pattern of evolutionarily conserved basic and acidic residues constitutes the binding interface of actin-tropomyosin.

Actin filament cytoskeletal and muscle functions are regulated by actin binding proteins using a variety of mechanisms. A universal actin filament regulator is the protein tropomyosin, which binds end-to-end along the length of the filament. The actin-tropomyosin filament structure is unknown, but there are atomic models in different regulatory states based on electron microscopy reconstructions, computational modeling of actin-tropomyosin, and docking of atomic resolution structures of tropomyosin to actin filament models. Here, we have tested models of the actin-tropomyosin interface in the “closed state” where tropomyosin binds to actin in the absence of myosin or troponin. Using mutagenesis coupled with functional analyses, we determined residues of actin and tropomyosin required for complex formation. The sites of mutations in tropomyosin were based on an evolutionary analysis and revealed a pattern of basic and acidic residues in the first halves of the periodic repeats (periods) in tropomyosin. In periods P1, P4, and P6, basic residues are most important for actin affinity, in contrast to periods P2, P3, P5, and P7, where both basic and acidic residues or predominantly acidic residues contribute to actin affinity. Hydrophobic interactions were found to be relatively less important for actin binding. We mutated actin residues in subdomains 1 and 3 (Asp25-Glu334-Lys326-Lys328) that are poised to make electrostatic interactions with the residues in the repeating motif on tropomyosin in the models. Tropomyosin failed to bind mutant actin filaments. Our mutagenesis studies provide the first experimental support for the atomic models of the actin-tropomyosin interface.
Engineering education research: Discipline, community, or field?

Engineering education research has experienced a notable scale-up in recent years through the development of departments and degree programs, high-profile publication outlets, research agendas, and meetings. We begin by reviewing these developments, contextualizing them historically, and clarifying some relevant terminology. We then use observational data collected at the 2007 inaugural International Conference on Research in Engineering Education (ICREE) to examine how engineering education is variously conceptualized as a discipline, community of practice, and/or field. We also examine how ICREE participants engaged with questions about the infrastructure and major goals of engineering education research. Our data reveals both an overall lack of clarity and continued sense of ambiguity about the identity and status of engineering education research. We conclude by recommending that participants and stakeholders work to clarify the goals and objectives of engineering education research, especially to inform the continued development of the field's identity and supporting infrastructures.
Technology strategy and managementThe legacy of Bill Gates

Assessing the pluses and minuses of the helmsmanship of Microsoft Corporation since its inception.
Simulation of simple models of animal behavior with a digital computer

Abstract The effects of kinetic, klinokinetic, orthokinetic and tropotaxix behavior were simulated on a digital computer in order to study the interactions between these simple behaviors and the effect of sensory adaptation under completely controlled experimental conditions. The conclusions of Ulyott that klinokinetic behavior in the presence of sensory adaptation can cause a directional displacement of an organism along a gradient of stimulus intensity were confirmed. In addition it was found that inverse klinokinetic and direct orthokinetic behavior (with sensory adaptation) result in a marked directional displacement up a gradient. However, direct klinokinetic behavior cancels out the effect of direct orthokinetic behavior.
Distinguishing between latent classes and continuous factors with categorical outcomes: Class invariance of parameters of factor mixture models

Factor mixture models (FMM's) are latent variable models with categorical and continuous latent variables which can be used as a model-based approach to clustering. A previous paper covered the results of a simulation study showing that in the absence of model violations, it is usually possible to choose the correct model when fitting a series of models with different numbers of classes and factors within class. The response format in the first study was limited to normally distributed outcomes. The current paper has two main goals, firstly, to replicate parts of the first study with 5-point Likert scale and binary outcomes, and secondly, to address the issue of testing class invariance of thresholds and loadings. Testing for class invariance of parameters is important in the context of measurement invariance and when using mixture models to approximate non-normal distributions. Results show that it is possible to discriminate between latent class models and factor models even if responses are categorical. Comparing models with and without class-specific parameters can lead to incorrectly accepting parameter invariance if the compared models differ substantially with respect to the number of estimated parameters. The simulation study is complemented with an illustration of a factor mixture analysis of ten binary depression items obtained from a female subsample of the Virginia Twin Registry.
Relationship provisions, self-efficacy and youth well-being in military families

Abstract Anchored in the social organization theory of action and change ( Mancini & Bowen, 2013 ), this empirical analysis of military youth examines relationship provisions as related to youth outcomes of anxiety, depressive symptoms, personal well-being, and academic performance. Data were collected from parents and their adolescents, ages 11–18, living in the continental United States (N = 273 military families). Findings from this analysis of military youth indicated that the relationship provisions available to youth were implicated in more positive youth outcomes, and self-efficacy served as a mechanism linking relationship provisions to anxiety and school performance but not to depression and personal well-being. Policy and practice implications are provided, including the importance of establishing and sustaining youth programs and community initiatives that build on natural, informal networks.
Simulating symbolic distance effects in the transitive inference problem

Abstract The hippocampus is needed to store memories that are reconfigurable. Therefore, a hippocampal-like computational model should be able to solve transitive inference (TI) problems. By turning TI into a problem of sequence learning (stimuli-decisions-outcome), a sequence learning, hippocampal-like neural network solves the TI problem. In the transitive inference problem studied here, a network simulation begins by learning six pairwise relationships: A>B, B>C, C>D, D>E, E>F, and F>G where the underlying relationship is the linear string: A>B>C>D>E>F>G. The simulation is then tested with the novel pairs: B?D, C?E, D?F, B?E, C?F, B?F, and A?G. The symbolic distance effect, found in animal and human experiments, is reproduced by the network simulations. That is, the simulations give stronger decodings for B>F than for B>E or C>F and decodings for B>F and C>F are stronger than for B>D, C>E, or D>F.
Automatic adjustment clauses and allocative efficiency in public utilities

Abstract This paper presents a formal analysis of the efficiency effects of automatic adjustment clauses (AACs) is regulated industries. Using a two-input model of ex ante/ex post input choice and a general putty-clay technology, we analyze the relative extent of allocative distortions due to each of three alternative regulatory policies—periodic rate review with and without an AAC, and an AAC without any rate review—for the case of a regulated firm that chooses an ex post technology to maximize the present value of future profits. Our results indicate that the economic rationale for using AACs in industries already subject to intermittent rate review is not unambiguous, even in the face of severe cost inflation, and is particularly sensitive to the magnitude of the price elasticity of demand for output and the rate and direction of input price changes. We are forced to conclude that the use of AACs in regulated industries such as electric power, while originally justified on the basis of financial viability, may well carry significant economic costs in the form of allocative inefficiency that may outweigh the benefits.
Study of RF sputtered Cu 3 SbS 4 thin-film solar cells

We report on the fabrication and characterization of polycrystalline Cu 3 SbS 4 thin films grown by magnetron sputtering. We find that Cu 3 SbS 4 thin films deposited at various temperatures show the Famatinite structure and high optical absorptions with band gaps of slightly lower than 1.0 eV and weak absorptions centered at about 0.9 eV. The as deposited thin films have very small grains and low carrier density. Sulfurization results in increased hole density, but does not increase the grain size. Due to the film decomposition and sublimation, the deposition and sulfurization are limited to temperatures below 300 °C. Our best small area Cu 3 SbS 4 -based thin-film solar cell shows a conversion efficiency of only 0.46% under AM1.5 illumination. We believe that the small grain size is partially responsible for the poor cell performance.