Intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of cancer perception: a confirmatory factor analysis of the cancer experience and efficacy scale (CEES)

Purpose Sociocultural factors influence psychological adjustment to cancer in Asian patients in two major ways: Prioritization of relationships over individual orientations and belief in the efficacy of interpersonal cooperation. We derived and validated among Chinese colorectal cancer (CRC) patients an instrument assessing cancer perceptions to enable the study of the sociocultural processes. Patients and methods Qualitative interviews (n=16) derived 15 items addressing interpersonal experience in Chinese CRC patients' adjustment. These 15 items and 18 corresponding self-referent items were administered to 166 Chinese CRC survivors and subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to establish the initial scale structure and reliability. The final 29 items, together with other psychometric measures, were administered to a second cohort of 215 CRC patients and subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results EFA (63.35% of the total variance) extracted six factors: Personal strain, socioeconomic strain, emotional strain, personal efficacy, collective efficacy, and proxy efficacy. CFA confirmed the psychometric structure [?2(df)=702.91 (368); Comparative Fit Index=0.95; Nonnormed Fit Index= 0.94; Incremental Fit Index=0.95; standardized root mean square residual=0.08] of the six factors by using a model with two latent factors: Experience and efficacy. All subscales were reliable (a=0.76-0.92). Appropriate correlations with adjustment outcomes (symptom distress, psychological morbidity, and subjective well-being), optimistic personalities, and social relational quality indicated its convergent and divergent validity. Known group comparisons (i.e., age, active treatment, and colostomy) showed its clinical utility. Conclusion The cancer experience and efficacy scale is a valid multidimensional instrument for assessing intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of cancer experience in Asian patients, potentiating existing patient-reported outcome measures. © Springer-Verlag 2009.published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 01 Dec 201

Activity variations attending tungsten skarn formation, Pine Creek, California

An integrated geochemical analysis of the well-exposed Pine Creek, California tungsten skarn deposit has been undertaken to evaluate changes in chemical gradients across various lithologies. Thermodynamic calculations using available experimental and thermodynamic data allow limits to be assigned to the activities of important chemical components in the metasomatic environment. Quantifiable changes in “non-volatile” component activites (CaO, MgO, Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , WO 3 ) and in fugacities (O 2 , F 2 ) have been traced across the system. The activities of Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 and WO 3 generally increase from the marble (<10 2 , <10 −6 , <10 −5 respectively), through the outer skarn zone and into the massive garnet skarn (10 −1.7±0.3 , 10 −3.4±0.4 , 10 −4.8±0.1 ) While CaO and MgO activities decrease for the same traverse from 10 −5 and 10 −2.1±1 respectively, to <10 −5.7 and <10 −3 . Calculated oxygen fugacities are 10 −23.5+1.0 at T =800 K (527° C), about one log unit below QFM, and more reducing than that required by Mt-Py-Po. The high variance of the garnet-pyroxene-quartz assemblages adds sufficient uncertainty to the calculated activities for individual specimens that only the large-scale trends survive the small-scale scatter. None of the chemical variables emerge as major independent or controlling factors for the mineralogy or phase compositions. Changes in the activity of one component may be offset by compensatory changes in another resulting in an environment that, while different from Pine Creek, could still host scheelite mineralization. Mass balance calculations indicate that the exposed endoskarn cannot have supplied the necessary chemical components to convert the country rock to skarn.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47341/1/410_2004_Article_BF00381557.pd

HOST GUEST COMPLEXATION .48. OCTOL BUILDING-BLOCKS FOR CAVITANDS AND CARCERANDS

The scope of limitations of the syntheses of octols 1 by the fourfold condensations of various aldehydes withresorcinol and 2-substituted resorcinols are reported. At most, two stereoisomers of 1 were detected, one withC4v and the other with C2u symmetry ( NMR). With aliphatic aldehydes, only 1 (C4u) product was isolatedin yields ranging from 45 to 92%. With 4-substituted benzaldehydes (R = (4-XC6H4)), the yields and isomerratios varied with the character of the X substituent. With X = CH3 and CH3CH2, the C4ajC2v ratios were &gt;32and the yields were 73-96%. With X = H or Br, 0^/0%, values ranged from 1.0 to &gt;30 as a function of reactiontime. With X = OCH3 or X = C6H6, the C4l)/C2„ ratio was 1.5 and the yields were 93 and 99%, respectively.When X = NC, (CHa)3C, H02C, and AcNH, the C4u/C2i. ratios (yields) were &lt;0.03 (52%), 0.03 (28%), 0.4 (79%),and 0.5 (52%), respectively. With X = 02N, OHC, or CH3(CH2)3C=C, no cyclic tetramer was detected. Con-densation of 2-methylresorcinol with CH3CHO gave 79% of the C4a isomer, but with C6H5CHO, C4u/C2u = &lt;0.03(78%). No cyclic tetramer was obtained with either aldehyde and 2-nitroresorcinol or 2-bromoresorcinol. Anindeterminate mixture of isomers was produced with CH3CHO and 2-carboxyresorcinol. Crystal structures oftwo octols 1 (C4„) were determined (A = H, R = CH3 and A = H, R =CH3(CH2)3) as solvates, and these octolsexhibited bowl-shaped conformations. These compounds serve as important starting materials for the synthesesof cavitands and carcerands