cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Developmental Trajectories of Verbal, Static Visual-Spatial, and Dynamic Visual-Spatial Working Memory

Working memory (WM) measures are routinely integrated into comprehensive diagnostic evaluations. However, there is little research regarding the underlying components of WM and their developmental trajectories. The current study examined the developmental trajectories of distinct WM components in a sample of 303 individuals ages 6 through 25 years. Consistent with previous research, results indicated an overall linear trajectory from childhood to adolescence; however, trajectories differed across specific content domains. Verbal working memory scores continued to increase linearly through at least early adulthood, and static visual-spatial working memory tapered off in late adolescence or early adulthood. In addition, dynamic visual-spatial working memory showed a slight decline in mid-adolescence before increasing again in early adulthood. The current findings regarding different trajectories for static vs. dynamic visual-spatial working memory provide suggestive evidence for expanding WM conceptualizations and assessments beyond verbal and visual tests. Applications of expanded WM assessments, including separate static and dynamic visual-spatial working memory measures in the comprehensive assessment, are discussed.
Separation Anxiety Disorder, Overanxious Disorder, and School Refusal

This article focuses on the clinical description, assessment, and treatment for anxiety disorder, overanxious disorder, and school refusal. Descriptive features include DSM-III-R criteria and associated symptoms, age, gender, and family characteristics. Assessment methods include structured diagnostic interviews, established questionnaire measures, observation, and physiologic assessment. Treatments include contingency management, exposure-based treatment, relaxation, cognitive therapy, and pharmacologic treatment.
Fungal infections of the hand

Fungal infections of the upper extremity are of four main types--cutaneous, subcutaneous, deep, and systemic. Cutaneous infections are caused by organisms capable of metabolizing keratin. They involve the skin and nails but do not penetrate deeper. Most cutaneous infections respond to topical or local therapy. Subcutaneous infections (at least in North America) are most commonly caused by Sporothrix schenckii. Diagnosis is often delayed because associated secondary bacterial colonization may be mistaken for the primary infectious agent. Treatment with systemic antifungal agents is usually successful. Deep infections are usually caused by direct inoculation or, rarely, hematogenous spread of fungi. Systemic fungal infections are of two types--those that occur in normal hosts and those that occur primarily in immunocompromised patients. For both deep and systemic fungal infections, permanent impairment is likely. Diagnosis of deep and systemic fungal infections is often delayed. Treatment of such infections usually requires a combination of surgical excision and systemic antifungal therapy.
Charge crystallization in a Fermi liquid.

Charge order has been established as a ubiquitous instability of the underdoped copper-oxide superconductors. New investigations reveal that it extends to the overdoped side of the phase diagram, a region otherwise known to host a conventional Fermi liquid state.
Macular Features on Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging Associated With Visual Acuity in Coats' Disease.

Purpose To investigate the association between macular features on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and visual acuity (VA) in Coats' disease.
The Sacred and the Profane

Scholars have expressed consternation about Lucy Thompson’s decision to describe an ancient race of demigods—the wa-ga—as being “white.” While some have suggested that this choice implies an uncritical view of Euroamerican behavior during the Gold Rush and beyond, this chapter argues that Thompson makes this choice to deploy a strategy that rhetorician Kenneth Burke calls “perspective by incongruity.” As such, Thompson emphasizes the differences between these ancient demigods (wa-ga) and the new or “current” white race, the “ken-e-ah” in order to highlight the brutality and profanity of the ken-e-ah—and the lack of a sense of the “sacred” in ken-e-ah relationships.
Joint use of metal ion hydroxy complexes and organic polymers to depress pyrite and ash during coal flotation

A novel system for the depression of pyrite and the ash-forming minerals has been developed. A metal ion, including but not restricted to Fe+2, is added to form a hydroxide coating on the pyrite or ash-forming minerals. A polymeric depressant is then added to attach to these resurfaced minerals. Nearly 200 flotation tests with 11 different coals indicate the effectiveness of this system. Many of the important process variables such as the coal source, frother-collector system, grind size and procedure, pH, metal ion, and depressant type and concentration have been studied.
Crop type mapping without field-level labels: Random forest transfer and unsupervised clustering techniques

Abstract Crop type mapping at the field level is necessary for a variety of applications in agricultural monitoring and food security. As remote sensing imagery continues to increase in spatial and temporal resolution, it is becoming an increasingly powerful raw input from which to create crop type maps. Still, automated crop type mapping remains constrained by a lack of field-level crop labels for training supervised classification models. In this study, we explore the use of random forests transferred across geographic distance and time and unsupervised methods in conjunction with aggregate crop statistics for crop type mapping in the US Midwest, where we simulated the label-poor setting by depriving the models of labels in various states and years. We validated our methodology using available 30 m spatial resolution crop type labels from the US Department of Agriculture's Cropland Data Layer (CDL). Using Google Earth Engine, we computed Fourier transforms (or harmonic regressions) on the time series of Landsat Surface Reflectance and derived vegetation indices, and extracted the coefficients as features for machine learning models. We found that random forests trained on regions and years similar in growing degree days (GDD) transfer to the target region with accuracies consistently exceeding 80%. Accuracies decrease as differences in GDD expand. Unsupervised Gaussian mixture models (GMM) with class labels derived using county-level crop statistics classify crops less consistently but require no field-level labels for training. GMM achieves over 85% accuracy in states with low crop diversity (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska), but performs sometimes no better than random when high crop diversity interferes with clustering (North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan). Under the appropriate conditions, these methods offer options for field-resolution crop type mapping in regions around the world with few or no ground labels.
Complete genome sequence of a previously undescribed badnavirus occurring in Polyscias fruticosa L. (Ming aralia)

A previously undescribed badnavirus was identified in plants of Polyscias fruticosa (Ming aralia) showing symptoms of mild mosaic and leaf senescence. Characteristic bacilliform virions of the Polyscias badnavirus averaging 30 × 120 nm in size were observed by transmission electron microscopy in partially purified leaf tissue extracts from symptomatic but not asymptomatic plants collected in the USA and Nigeria. The isolate from the USA was complete sequenced. The genome is 7592 bp in length and contains three open reading frames with an arrangement similar to that of other members of the genus Badnavirus. The largest open reading frame (ORF3) encodes a putative polyprotein, with predicted domains including zinc finger, aspartic protease, reverse transcriptase (RT) and RNase H, in that order. The USA and Nigeria isolates of the virus had a high level (98%) of nucleotide sequence identity in the RT+RNase H region. Within the genus Badnavirus, these viruses were most closely related to schefflera ringspot virus (SRV), sharing 63% identity at the nucleotide level. Based on the ICTV species demarcation criteria for the genus Badnavirus (more than 20% nucleotide sequence divergence in the RT+RNase H region), the Polyscias virus is proposed to be a new member of the genus, and the name polyscias mosaic virus (PoMV) is proposed. The complete genome sequence was deposited in the NCBI GenBank database under accession no. MH475918.
PTEN loss as a context-dependent determinant of patient outcomes in obese and non-obese endometrioid endometrial cancer patients.

5521 Background: Aberrations in the PI3K pathway, the central relay pathway of insulin signals, occur in the majority of endometrioid endometrial cancers. We explored the prognostic utility of PIK3...
It Is Important to Revisit the Selection of the Best Model When New Data Appear: Why Confirmation Bias is a Faulty Strategy

One of the biases potentially affecting systems engineers is the confirmation bias, when instead of selecting the best hypothesis based on the data, people stick to the previously-selected hypothesis until it is disproved. In this chapter, on a simple example, we show how important is to take care of this bias: namely, that because of this bias, we need twice as many experiments to switch to a better hypothesis.
Chapter 25 – Satellite Encryption

Publisher Summary Depending on the type of satellite communications link that needs to be established, substantially different technologies, frequencies, and data encryption techniques might be required. The reasons for this lie as much in the realm of human behavior as they do in the realm of physics. It is not unreasonable to conclude that satellite encryption would be entirely unnecessary if every human being were perfectly trustworthy. Barring a desire to protect messages from the possibility of extraterrestrial interception, there would be no need to encrypt satellite communications if only those individuals entitled to send or receive a particular satellite transmission actually attempted to do so. In reality, human beings, organizations, and governments commonly possess competing or contradictory agendas, thus implying the need to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information transmitted via satellite. With human behavioral considerations in mind, the need for satellite encryption can be evaluated from a physical perspective. Because the sender of a satellite message may have little or no control over to whom the transmission is made available, protecting the message requires that its contents be encrypted. Aside from these considerations, the sensitivity of the information being transmitted must also be taken into account. Various entities possess different motivations for wanting to ensure the security of messages transmitted via satellite.
Abstract 4338: Immunotherapy in resected stage III melanoma: An analysis of the National Cancer Database

Introduction: Even after curative intent resection, stage III melanoma carries poor prognosis and traditional chemotherapy has limited efficacy. Adjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy utilizing the anti-CTLA-4 agent, ipilimumab, was shown to improve survival following resection in Stage III disease. Ipilimumab was FDA approved for adjuvant therapy in 2015. The National Cancer Database (NCDB) is a joint project of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and the American Cancer Society and is the largest clinical cancer registry in the world covering 72% of new cancer diagnoses in the US. We aimed to assess the real-world survival data along with sociodemographic factors associated with receipt of adjuvant immunotherapy using the NCDB. Methods: We queried the NCDB for stage III patients since 2015. The most recent dataset available includes treatment data from 2015 and 2016 and survival data from 2015. Patients were included who had documented surgery to primary site; those with systemic therapy before surgery were excluded. Patients were divided into receipt of immunotherapy or no receipt of immunotherapy after surgery; those without documentation of either were excluded. Those who received chemotherapy as their systemic therapy were excluded. Factors compared between the two groups included age, sex, diagnosis year, pathologic stage group, Charlson-Deyo score, primary payer and state Medicaid expansion status, income, treatment region, and facility type. Survival analyses were performed by Kaplan-Meier method. Logistic Regression was used to examine factors associated with immunotherapy receipt. Results: 4,093 patients met criteria to be analyzed for survival with 25% (n=1,014) receiving immunotherapy. Median overall survival has yet to be reached for either treatment group; whereas, the 30-month survival was rate was 78% (95%CI; 74-82%) for those receiving adjuvant immunotherapy versus 73% (95% CI; 72-74%) when immunotherapy was not given (p=0.051). However, adjuvant immunotherapy given to resected stage IIIC patients improved survival 32.8 versus 28.0 months (p Conclusion: We provide the first early analysis of the NCDB in the era of adjuvant ICI. Adjuvant immunotherapy in resected stage IIIC melanoma yielded a superior survival advantage. Additionally, sociodemographic factors appear to play a role in receiving adjuvant immunotherapy. Citation Format: Justin T. Moyers, Esther G. Chong, Jasmine Mitchell, Amie Patel, Il Seok Daniel Jeong, Gayathri Nagaraj. Immunotherapy in resected stage III melanoma: An analysis of the National Cancer Database [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4338.
Message Routing and Link Maintenance Augmentation for Robotic Network Connectivity

Robots link connectivity maintenance is a fundamental tool for a vital team of robot maneuvers in the field. Attaining reliable ad hoc network connectivity for a team of robots desires a proficient mechanism to maintain links whenever the network goes through expected sporadic connectivity. Though various routing protocols intended for wireless ad hoc networks, these protocols tackle the routing of messages problem and maintenance of a link problem individually, which results in extra overhead costs and longer packet latency. The drawbacks encourage us to exploit a routing and connectivity mechanism for a team of robot networks–the mechanism called Meta-Routing, which expands current routing protocols to incorporate the standard packets routing and the preservation of the broken links in the network of small robots. This paper introduces a controlling robot motion method to accomplish Meta-Routing. The outcomes of the experiments display ensuring RF recognition and significant gradient decent approximations results and approve their capabilities in controlled robot movement to achieve connectivity maintenance of weak links. Consequently, it reduces the overall path cost and latency of the robotic network for our proposed protocol.
Impact of COVID-19 on services for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions.

Abstract Background People with disabilities and chronic health conditions rely on a range of services and supports to complete daily tasks, maintain health, and participate in the community. Preliminary research suggests the COVID-19 pandemic greatly disrupted these services and this population may be particularly susceptible to unemployment. Objective Describe employment and service disruptions for individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions during the onset of community-based spread of COVID-19 in the United States. Methods Adults with disabilities and chronic health conditions completed online surveys to report employment and service changes via multiple choice and open-ended questions. Multiple choice questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics; open-ended responses were coded using content analysis. Results Participants (n = 109): 79.8% female, 88.1% white, 77.121% completed a 4-year college degree or greater, 61.4% had annual income ≥$45,000. Only 14.9% of survey respondents reported disruptions in employment. On average, 54.0% of service changes were due to discontinuation, including loss of physical therapy, job coaching, community organizations, transportation, and peer supports. Other changes included a shift to virtual service delivery and family members taking the role of service providers. Conclusions Individuals with chronic health conditions and disabilities experienced service disruptions, even in a sample with considerably more economic, social, and educational privilege than the general population of people with chronic health conditions and disabilities in the United States.
Neighborhood-Level Lead Paint Hazard for Children under 6: A Tool for Proactive and Equitable Intervention

Lead is well known for its adverse health effects on children, particularly when exposure occurs at earlier ages. The primary source of lead hazards among young children is paint used in buildings built before 1978. Despite being 100% preventable, some children remain exposed and state and local policies often remain reactive. This study presents a methodology for planners and public health practitioners to proactively address lead risks among young children. Using geospatial analyses, this study examines neighborhood level measurement of lead paint hazard in homes and childcare facilities and the concentration of children aged 0–5. Results highlight areas of potential lead paint hazard hotspots within a county in the Midwestern state studied, which coincides with higher concentration of non-white children. This places lead paint hazard in the context of social determinants of health, where existing disparity in distribution of social and economic resources reinforces health inequity. In addition to being proactive, lead poisoning intervention efforts need to be multi-dimensional and coordinated among multiple parties involved. Identifying children in higher lead paint hazard areas, screening and treating them, and repairing their homes and childcare facilities will require close collaboration of healthcare professionals, local housing and planning authorities, and community members.
Multiple meningiomas arising within the same hemisphere associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Background While meningiomas are some of the most common intracranial tumors, the presence of multiple ones at the time of presentation is rare and can most commonly be observed in patients with well-described syndromes (i.e., neurofibromatosis type 2) or those with prior cranial radiation history. In others, however, the pathophysiology remains unclear. Case Description A 49-year-old female with no significant personal or familial oncologic medical history presented with a generalized seizure and was found to have ten meningiomas arising within the right hemisphere. She underwent a two-staged resection of all tumors, with pathology revealing the World Health Organization Grade I meningioma. Whole-exome sequencing revealed somatic NF2 mutations and heterozygous deletion of chromosome 22 overlapping with NF2, and analysis of the germline uncovered mutations of TP53, rendering a diagnosis of Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. Conclusions This case represents a novel presentation of multiple meningiomas in a patient with newly diagnosed Li-Fraumeni syndrome, suggesting meningioma may be considered as part of this tumor-predisposed patient population.
Two evolutionarily duplicated domains individually and post-transcriptionally control SWEET expression for phloem transport

Cell type-specific gene expression is critical for the specialized functions within multicellular organisms. In Arabidopsis, SWEET11 and SWEET12 sugar transporters are specifically expressed in phloem parenchyma (PP) cells and are responsible for sucrose efflux from the PP, the first step of a two-step apoplasmic phloem-loading strategy that initiates the long-distance transport of sugar from leaves to nonphotosynthetic sink tissues. However, we know nothing about what determines the PP cell-specific expression of these SWEETs. Sequence deletions, histochemical β-glucuronidase (GUS) analysis, cross-sectioning, live-cell imaging, and evolutionary analysis were used to elucidate domains responsible for PP specificity, while a Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) sensor-based transport assay was used to determine whether substrate specificity coevolved with PP specificity. We identified two domains in the Arabidopsis SWEET11 coding sequence that, along with its promoter (including 5' UTR), regulate PP-specific expression at the post-transcriptional level, probably involving RNA-binding proteins. This mechanism is conserved among vascular plants but independent of transport substrate specificity. We conclude that two evolutionarily duplicated coding sequence domains are essential and individually sufficient for PP-specific expression of SWEET11. We also provide a crucial experimental tool to study PP physiology and development.
Pediatric Hospitalization for Varicella in an Italian Pediatric Hospital: How Much Does It Cost?

Background: Varicella is a common pediatric infection. Even if it generally has a benign course, it may complicate and require hospitalization. The aim of our study was to estimate the acute hospitalization cost (AHC) for varicella in the acute phase in a pediatric population. Methods: We calculated the AHC of pediatric patients admitted for varicella at Bambino Gesu Children Hospital, Rome, Italy, from 1 November 2005 to 1 November 2020. Results: In the study period, 825 pediatric patients affected by varicella were hospitalized. The mean hospitalization cost was EUR 4015.35 (range from EUR 558.44 to EUR 42,608.00). Among patients, 55% were unvaccinable due to either their age or their immunosuppression status. They would benefit from herd immunity, reducing the overall AHC by EUR 182,196,506. Since the introduction of the compulsory vaccination against varicella in Italy, we observed a significant reduction in AHC cost of 60.6% in 2019 and of 93.5% in 2020. Finally, from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we documented a decline of 81.2% and 76.9% in varicella hospitalization, compared to 2018 and 2019, respectively. Conclusions: Varicella AHC is an important economic and health assessment point and can be useful for improving preventive strategies.
Aerobic scope is not maintained at low temperature and is associated with cardiac aerobic capacity in the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Metabolic thermal plasticity is central to the survival of fishes in a changing environment. The eurythermal threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus displays thermal plasticity at the cellular level with an increase in the activity of key metabolic enzymes in response to cold acclimation. However, it is unknown if these changes are sufficient to completely compensate for the depressive effects of cold temperature on whole organismal metabolic rate (ṀO2 ). We hypothesized that as a cold tolerant, eurythermal fish, absolute aerobic scope (AAS), the difference between maximum metabolic rate (MMR) and standard metabolic rate (SMR), would be maintained in G. aculeatus following acclimation to a range of temperatures that span its habitat temperatures. To test this hypothesis, G. aculeatus were acclimated to 5, 12, and 20°C for 20 - 32 weeks and SMR, MMR, and aerobic scope (AS) were quantified at each acclimation temperature. The maximal activity of citrate synthase (CS), a marker enzyme of aerobic metabolism, was also quantified in heart ventricles to determine if cardiac aerobic capacity is associated with AS at these temperatures. SMR increased with acclimation temperature and was significantly different among all three temperature groups. MMR was similar between animals at 5 and 12°C and between animals at 12 and 20°C but was 2.6-fold lower in fish at 5°C compared with ones at 20°C, resulting in a lower AAS in fish at 5°C compared with ones at 12 and 20°C. Correlated with a higher AAS in animals acclimated to 12 and 20°C was a larger relative ventricular mass and higher CS activity per 100 g body mass compared with animals at 5°C. Together, our results indicate that despite their eurythermal nature, AS is not maintained at low temperature but is associated with cardiac aerobic metabolic capacity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A Practitioner's Guide to RISC Microprocessor Architecture

RISC Basics. RISC Approaches and Techniques. Road Map for Case Study Chapters. i80960. MIPS. Transputer. 29K. Intel's Megaprocessor i80860. SPARC. The Advanced RISC Machine. Digital Equipment Corporation Alpha. Hewlett--Packard's Precision Architecture. IMS 3250. PowerPC. V800. SH7000. Microchip PIC--A Minimalist Approach. Miscellaneous Processor Architectures. Contact Information. Glossary. Appendices. Index.
Enjoy a new perspective of the Earth

When people think of NASA, the first thing that comes to mind is probably an image of astronauts floating around the International Space Station, or perhaps the great discoveries that have come from the agency's space programme.
Intracellular Source of Bioluminescence

Publisher Summary Bioluminescence, the emission of light by living organisms, is a phenomenon that has attracted the attention of biologists from the beginning of the science. There are only a few organisms in which anything is known concerning bioluminescent organelles or intracellular sources of luminescence. The identification of subcellular light-emitting sources is not possible until photogenic tissue could be examined with the electron microscope. The photocyte must be identified among the other cells of the photophore. Even this step has been difficult to take in some luminous creatures. Fluorescence can sometimes be established as an indicator of bioluminescence. This simplifies the problem, because fluorescence is relatively long-lasting, whereas the luminescent flash is often very brief. The separation of subcellular components on sucrose density gradients or by other means may or may not be helpful. If the light-emitting fractions of the gradient are not homogeneous, an erroneous identification may be made, as for example in the case of the dinoflagellate “scintillon,” or no identification may be possible.
Alginates. A "new" dressing alternative.

background : Currently, a wide variety of bio-occlusive dressing materials are available. In general, these dressing materials provide a moist wound healing environment that has been shown to promote healing in both human and animal studies. To effectively use these dressings the clinician must have a full understanding of the properties of the materials as well as the pathophysiology of the particular wound. Most recently, a “new” biosynthetic dressing material, the alginates, has become available. objective : To highlight proper use of alginate dressings for the management of acute and chronic wounds. methods : Case study and literature review. results : Alginates were shown to be effective in a wide variety of acute and chronic wounds. conclusion : Alginates possess several unique properties that should prove useful to the dermatologic surgeon as well as the dermatologist. Proper patient selection and use of this “new” dressing material, as well as a review of the literature is presented. J Dermatol Surg Oncol 1992;18:992–995.
The eyewitness post-identification feedback effect: What is the function of flexible confidence estimates for autobiographical events?

SUMMARY Suggesting to eyewitnesses who mistakenly identify someone from a lineup that they identified the right person leads them to recall having been more certain, having a better view during witnessing, and having paid closer attention during witnessing. The post-identification feedback effect is robust and has profound forensic implications because the courts relay on witnesses’ answers to these questions to make decisions about the reliability of the identification. The effect seems to occur because there is not an accessible memory trace formed about these retrospective judgments, thereby making witnesses rely on an inference process that responds to the feedback. We speculate on the function served by a cognitive system that does not form accessible memory traces for these judgments. Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Essay: White daisies on my mind (Requiem for an Alzheimer patient).

The Brain – is wider than the Sky – For – put them side by side – The one the other will contain With ease – and You – beside – The Brain is deeper than the sea – For – hold them – Blue to Blue – The one the other will absorb – As Sponges – Buckets – do – The Brain is just the weight of God – For – Heft them – Pound for Pound – And they will differ – if they do – As Syllable from Sound – —Emily Dickinson The coffin was light lavender on the outside, layered with hundreds of hand-held brushstrokes. It was a plaintive tone, yet imposing, as one might envision the well-worn purple hues of a Roman emperor's robe, easily commanding the attention of passersby. Looking at the empty container, it reminded me of Vasily Kandinsky's comment, in Concerning the Spiritual in Art , that if the color purple were a musical sound, it would be an English horn or perhaps “the deep notes of wood instruments such as the bassoon.” This particular timbre was more like an oboe, mellifluous and soulful, several octaves above the dark purple of a bassoon. On the outside lid, there were many fine lines made by the individual bristles, barely discernible as one examined the smooth wooden surface depending on the angle of the light, giving the overall illusion of a uniform and linear grain. It was as if the knots and imperfections of the wood had been combed out like a child's hair, the tangles gradually loosening with every brush stroke, each one a mother's gentle embrace. Festoons of white daisies were painted on the length and ends, within the recessed panels underlying the long handles of the body, making the purple …
Superlattice effects on the amorphization of Ni–Ti multilayers

Abstract A phenomenological model is proposed to correlate the onset of solid-state amorphization with the loss of interfacial stability in Ni–Ti multilayers. Additionally, temperature dependence to the onset of amorphization is attributed to the effect of interfacial coherency that varies with the Ni–Ti layer pair spacing. A decrease in the amorphization temperature occurs as lattice coherency is lost with an increase in the layer pair spacing.
Phase i studies with baker's antifol (baf) (nsc 139105)

Phase I studies were conducted in 58 adult cancer patients with Baker's Antifol (BAF), a new active-site directed inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase. Dose escalation ranged from 10 to 250 mg/m2/day X 5 days and courses of treatment were repeated every 2-3 weeks. Biologic effects were observed mostly at doses greater than 100 mg/m2/day X 5 days. The patients developed myelosuppression during 19% of the trials. Other types of toxicity were dermatitis in 12 to 30% and stomatitis in 7 to 38% of the trials. Toxicity was directly related to the impairment of the patient's liver function. Two partial responses (in a patient with adenocarcinoma of the lung and a patient with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder) occurred. BAF is an active new chemotherapeutic agent which deserves further clinical trials in patients with various malignancies.
Fibrinogen Assembly and Secretion ROLE OF INTRACHAIN DISULFIDE LOOPS

Human fibrinogen is a homodimer composed of three different (Aalpha, Bbeta, gamma) polypeptide chains. The chains are linked by 29 inter- and intrachain disulfide bonds. Each half-molecule has 6 intrachain disulfide bonds, which form loops in the carboxyl-terminal region of each of the chains. Aalpha chain has one disufide loop (Cys442-Cys472), Bbeta has three (Cys201-Cys286, Cys211-Cys240, and Cys394-Cys407), and gamma has two loops (Cys153-Cys182 and Cys326-Cys339). The intrachain loops are conserved in fibrinogens of different species. We changed, by site-directed mutagenesis, the cysteines, which form the intrachain loops, to serine or alanine. Fibrinogen chain assembly and secretion was determined in transiently transfected COS cells expressing two normal and a mutant fibrinogen chain. In the Bbeta and gamma chains, disruption of the disulfide loops closest to the "coiled-coil" region (CysBbeta211-Cys240, CysBbeta201-Cys286, and Cysgamma153-Cys182) abolished chain assembly and secretion, indicating that the disulfide loops closest to the coiled-coil region are essential for chain assembly. By contrast, preventing formation of the disulfide loops, which are toward the carboxyl termini of each of the chains, had different effects. Disruption of the single Aalpha disulfide loop had no effect, as did disruption of BbetaCys394-Cys407. However, disruption of Cysgamma326-Cys339, which is similar in size and location to CysBbeta394-Cys407, allowed chain assembly to occur, but the assembled chains were not secreted.
Developments in the surgical management of sporadic synchronous bilateral renal tumours

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVE To examine our experience with managing sporadic bilateral renal masses, focusing on trends in surgical management over time, because as loss of renal function is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, nephron-sparing approaches are increasingly emphasized in the treatment of kidney tumours, creating new challenges for the treatment of bilateral tumours. PATIENTS AND METHODS We identified all patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy (PN or RN) at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) during 1989–2008. We compared patients presenting with synchronous bilateral renal masses with those with unilateral tumour and evaluated trends in management using logistic regression. RESULTS Of the 2777 patients studied, 73 (3%) presented with synchronous bilateral disease. The overall survival and clinical/pathological features between groups were similar. Of those patients receiving bilateral operations for synchronous tumours, three had bilateral RN (all before 2003), 28 (38%) had an RN followed by a PN, 10 (14%) had a PN then an RN, and 32 (44%) had bilateral PN. Over time, the proportion of patients receiving bilateral PN increased (P < 0.001); 13 of 14 patients after 2005 had bilateral PN, compared with only 34% (16 of 45) between 1995 and 2004. Forty-five patients (62%) had the larger tumour removed during the first operation. The concordance rate between tumours in a specific histological subtype was 70% (51/73), and concordance for benign vs malignant disease was 90% (66/73). CONCLUSION The use of PN in the management of synchronous bilateral renal masses has increased over time. The contemporary treatment of synchronous bilateral renal masses at MSKCC involves staged PN when feasible, with the more involved kidney (often larger tumour) operated on first.
Quadratic programming-based inverse dynamics control for legged robots with sticking and slipping frictional contacts

Inverse dynamics control is an extremely effective nonlinear control strategy if the inverse dynamics computation can be performed with sufficient speed. We describe our method for inverse dynamics control of legged robots that can deal with both sticking and slipping frictional contacts and mitigates the problems introduced by indeterminate rigid body contact. We improve this work, which previously used quadratically constrained quadratic programs (QCQPs), to use faster-to-solve quadratic programs via linear algebraic simplifications and a nullspace. We also show that Lemke’s Algorithm is significantly faster than alternatives and permits multi-stage optimizations within control loops running as fast as 125Hz on commodity hardware.
Adenylyl Cyclase 6 Improves Calcium Uptake and Left Ventricular Function in Aged Hearts

Objectives This study tested the hypothesis that activation of adenylyl cyclase 6 (AC6) expression in cardiac myocytes improves calcium uptake and left ventricular (LV) function in aging mice. Background Aging hearts exhibit impaired β-adrenergic receptor signaling and LV dysfunction. Methods Twenty-month-old mice with cardiac-directed and regulated AC6 expression were randomized into 2 groups, and AC6 expression was activated in 1 group (AC6-On) but not the other (AC6-Off). One month later, LV function and sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium uptake were assessed. Results AC6 expression was associated with increased LV contractility, as reflected by ejection fraction (p = 0.02), rate of pressure development (p = 0.002), and slope of the LV end-systolic pressure-volume relationship (p = 0.04). No changes in LV weight to tibial length ratio, LV fibrosis, and expression of fetal genes (atrial natriuretic factor, α-skeletal muscle actin, and β-myosin heavy chain) and collagens were observed between AC6-On and AC6-Off groups. However, LV samples from AC6-On mice showed increases in: isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP production (p = 0.04), cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity (p Conclusions These results indicate that activation of cardiac AC6 expression improves impaired function of aged hearts through improved calcium uptake.
Effect of methamphetamine dependence on everyday functional ability.

Abstract Background Methamphetamine (METH) is an increasingly popular and highly addictive psychostimulant with a significant impact on public health. Chronic METH exposure has been associated with neurotoxic effects, profound neuropsychological deficits, and impaired quality of life, but few studies have examined the effect of the drug on the ability to carry out everyday activities. We assessed the effect of METH dependence on everyday functioning using the UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA-2), a performance-based measure designed to evaluate real-life skills. Method UPSA-2 performance was quantified in 15 currently abstinent individuals with a history of METH dependence and 15 drug-free comparison subjects. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) were administered to assess psychopathology and executive function. Results METH-dependent participants exhibited significant impairment on the UPSA-2 total score and several UPSA-2 subscales, including comprehension, finance, transportation, communication, and medication management compared to drug-free comparison subjects. Lower UPSA-2 scores were associated with impaired performance on the WCST, higher PANSS scores, and drug use at an earlier age. Conclusion METH dependence may be associated with decreased everyday functioning ability potentially mediated by frontal cortex dysfunction or the emergence of psychopathology related to chronic drug use.
Region distributions of some small diameter graphs

Abstract Let G be a graph with a vertex u such that V ( G ) − { u } induces either a forest or a cycle. It is shown that the region distribution of G is approximately proportional to the Stirling numbers of the first kind.
Strategic Choice as a Negotiated Outcome

With increasing pressures for public accountability by private enterprise, the zone of strategic discretion for top level corporate managers is being reduced. Preliminary evidence from recent field research in a major electric utility showed that corporate plans of major strategic significance were not only “formulated” within the company but “negotiated” implicitly if not explicitly with external parties. To the extent that this phenomenon characterizes policy formation in corporations generally, conventional concepts of corporate strategy formulation as a “rational comprehensive” process are not descriptively accurate and perhaps not even as prescriptively useful as they might be.
Comparative study of diets enriched with evening primrose, black currant, borage or fungal oils on blood pressure and pressor responses in spontaneously hypertensive rats

The effects of oils enriched with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) on blood pressure and pressor responses were examined in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Rats were fed purified diets containing evening primrose (EPO), black currant (BCO), borage (BOR) or fungal (FGO) oils for 7 weeks. Significant reductions in blood pressure were obtained in SHR rats maintained on diets enriched with GLA oils. The antihypertensive effect was not associated with enhanced pressor responsiveness to norepinephrine or angiotensin II. Moreover, no differences were found in blood pressure responses to the calcium channel blocker, verapamil. The results suggest that GLA-enriched oils inhibit the development of hypertension in the SHR rat. The blood pressure lowering effect is not mediated by altered pressor responses to vasoconstrictor hormones or intracellular calcium mechanisms.
Obesity and health-related quality of life.

Although it is well documented that obesity is strongly associated with morbidity and mortality, less is known about the impact of obesity on functional status and health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, in recent years research has been conducted to estimate the impact of obesity on HRQL, and to determine the effects of weight reduction on HRQL. The majority of published studies indicate that obesity impairs HRQL, and that higher degrees of obesity are associated with greater impairment. Obesity-associated decrements on HRQL tend to be most pronounced on physical domains of functioning. Studies of the effect of obesity surgery among morbidly obese patients indicate that this procedure produces significant and sustained improvements in the majority of HRQL indices; among mild-to-moderately obese persons, modest weight reduction derived from lifestyle modification also appears to improve HRQL, at least in the short term. Additional research is needed to (1) further characterize the effect that obesity has on HRQL; (2) estimate the short- and long-term effects of various methods of weight reduction (e.g. surgery, lifestyle modification) on HRQL; (3) improve both the conceptualization and measurement of HRQL to incorporate the personal preferences and values of the patient; and (4) develop ways to enhance and sustain positive changes in HRQL, even if weight maintenance is elusive.
Reaction efficiency of diffusion-controlled processes on finite, planar arrays

In this paper we investigate the reaction efficiency of diffusion-controlled processes on finite, planar arrays having physical or chemical receptors. This problem translates into the statistical-mechanical one of examining the geometrical factors affecting the trapping of a random walker on small lattices of dimension d=2, having N sites and average valency \ensuremath{\nu}\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}. Extensive calculations of the site-specific average walk length 〈n〉 before trapping, a measure of the efficiency of the underlying diffusion-reaction process, have been carried out on triangular, square-planar, hexagonal, and Penrose platelets for N=16 and N=48. From the variety of distinct lattices considered, and the data generated, three general conclusions can be drawn. First, for fixed N, the smaller the number ${\mathit{N}}_{\mathit{b}}$ of vertices defining the boundary of the finite lattice under consideration, the smaller the value of the (overall) average walk length 〈n\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}〉 of the random walker before trapping. Second, for fixed N and fixed ${\mathit{N}}_{\mathit{b}}$, the smaller the value of the (overall) root-mean-square distance (r${\mathrm{\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}}}^{2}$${)}^{1/2}$ of the N lattice sites relative to the center of the array, the smaller the value of 〈n\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}〉. Third, for fixed {N,${\mathit{N}}_{\mathit{b}}$,(r${\mathrm{\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}}}^{2}$${)}^{1/2}$}, 〈n\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}〉 decreases with an increase in the (overall) average valency \ensuremath{\nu}\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} of lattice sites comprising the array. Thus there are similarities but also real and significant differences in the conclusions drawn here in studying stochastic processes taking place on small, finite lattices of arbitrary shape and those found in studying nearest-neighbor random walks on infinite, periodic lattices of unit cells characterized by a given (N,d,\ensuremath{\nu}). We comment on these and on the possible relevance of this work to one aspect of morphogenesis, viz., predicting the morphologies assumed by small platelets when growth is optimized with respect to (chemical or physical) signal processing at receptor sites.
Backscattering from a thin metallic disk

An effort recently undertaken to compute radar cross sections of thin metallic disks for frequencies near resonance is described. All calculations are based upon an ideal disk scattering problem in which each disk is assumed to be perfectly conducting and infinitely thin and the incident field is assumed to be an electromagnetic plane wave. A good agreement between the values of the backscattered fields for the ideal disk scattering problem and the thin metallic disk scattering problem for large values of ka is found, but may become poor for ka less than or equal to 1.0.
Advances in the design of photoinitiators, photo-sensitizers and monomers for photoinitiated cationic polymerization

The present article reports on recent work from this laboratory that has led to advances in several areas of the field of photoinitiated cationic polymerization. Two different classes of novel photoinitiators 5-arylthianthrenium salts and 4-hydroxyphenyl dialkylsulfonium salts have been prepared and their use in the polymerization of various monomer systems studied. Also described is the development of both monomeric and polymeric photosensitizers that may be employed to broaden the spectral sensitivity of various onium salt photoinitiators. Acceleration of rate of the ring-opening polymerization of epoxide monomers has been achieved through the use of benzyl alcohols. Further, benzyl alcohols bearing sensitizing groups were found to be especially interesting as combination accelerators-photosensitizers. Lastly, epoxy monomers having groups with easily abstractable protons display exceptional reactivity in photoinitiated ring-opening cationic polymerization. A mechanism has been proposed to explain this observation.
Probabilistic Models for Uncertainty Management in Expert Systems with Applications to Fossil Power Plants

Human experts and decision makers must typically plan and act without the benefit of complete knowledge and information. In the theory and application of expert systems, uncertainty in human knowledge and reasoning must be effectively managed in order for such systems to be successful in complex, real-world domains. In this paper two probabilistic models for uncertainty management in expert systems are considered: (a) Bayesian probability theory and (b) Dempster-Shafer belief theory. The conceptual foundations of each theory are first summarized and are then applied to a typical diagnostic inference problem drawn from the fossil plant performance area. The advantages and disadvantages associated with each approach are then discussed, concluding with some general guidelines for selecting an appropriate uncertainty paradigm for fossil power plant applications of diagnostic expert systems.