cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new regulatory motif in cell-cycle control causing specific inhibition of cyclin D/CDK4

The division cycle of eukaryotic cells is regulated by a family of protein kinases known as the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). The sequential activation of individual members of this family and their consequent phosphorylation of critical substrates promotes orderly progression through the cell cycle. The complexes formed by CDK4 and the D-type cyclins have been strongly implicated in the control of cell proliferation during the G1 phase. CDK4 exists, in part, as a multi-protein complex with a D-type cyclin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and a protein, p21 (refs 7-9). CDK4 associates separately with a protein of M(r) 16K, particularly in cells lacking a functional retinoblastoma protein. Here we report the isolation of a human p16 complementary DNA and demonstrate that p16 binds to CDK4 and inhibits the catalytic activity of the CDK4/cyclin D enzymes. p16 seems to act in a regulatory feedback circuit with CDK4, D-type cyclins and retinoblastoma protein.
Is the mycobacterial cell wall a hopeless drug target for latent tuberculosis

The cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has an ambivalent reputation as a drug target because front-line agents such as isoniazid target core cell wall processes, yet nonreplicating cells do not synthesize new cell wall. In this review we consider the evidence from a variety of bacterial species that cell wall structure is not static but is a dynamic polymer that adapts to growth-phase and the environmental conditions in which the organisms reside. Intermittent phases of nonreplication thus are likely to be attended by specific cell wall structural alterations that are highly valuable for targeting by new chemotherapeutics. There is a paucity of information about the details and physiological importance of these structural adaptations; thus, the identity of the most vulnerable cell wall drug targets remains elusive.
Inhibition of calcium spikes and transmitter release by γ‐aminobutyric acid in the guinea‐pig myenteric plexus

The effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (1 microM-1 mM) on synaptic transmission in isolated myenteric ganglia of guinea-pig ileum was investigated with intracellular recording techniques. GABA (up to 1 mM) had no effect on the resting membrane potential and membrane conductance of S neurones. GABA reduced the amplitude of the fast excitatory postsynaptic potential e.p.s.p.) without changing the amplitude of the nicotinic response to ionophoretic application of acetylcholine (ACh). This effect was mimicked by baclofen (10-100 microM) and was not blocked by bicuculline (10 microM). The preparation did not become desensitized during prolonged GABA applications. Cholinergic and non-cholinergic slow e.p.s.ps evoked by single or repetitive presynaptic nerve stimulation were reduced in amplitude by GABA. GABA did not depress muscarinic responses to ionophoretic application of ACh. GABA reduced the duration of the action potential in AH neurones in concentrations that did not affect the membrane potential or conductance. The effect was very marked when electrodes were filled with CsCl, and tetrodotoxin was in the superfusing solution. This effect was also mimicked by baclofen, was insensitive to bicuculline and was not reduced with repeated application or GABA. It is concluded that GABA inhibits release of ACh and the transmitter mediating the slow e.p.s.p. This effect may result from inhibition of an inward calcium current.
Substitutions in hamster CAD carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase alter allosteric response to 5-phosphoribosyl-alpha-pyrophosphate (PRPP) and UTP

CPSase (carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase II), a component of CAD protein (multienzymic protein with CPSase, aspartate transcarbamylase and dihydro-orotase activities), catalyses the regulated steps in the de novo synthesis of pyrimidines. Unlike the orthologous Escherichia coli enzyme that is regulated by UMP, inosine monophosphate and ornithine, the mammalian CPSase is allosterically inhibited by UTP, and activated by PRPP (5-phosphoribosyl-a-pyrophosphate) and phosphorylation. Four residues (Thr974, Lys993, Lys954 and Thr977) are critical to the E. coli inosine monophosphate/UMP-binding pocket. In the present study, three of the corresponding residues in the hamster CPSase were altered to determine if they affect either PRPP activation or UTP inhibition. Substitution of the hamster residue, positionally equivalent to Thr974 in the E. coli enzyme, with alanine residue led to an enzyme with 5-fold lower activity and a near loss of PRPP activation. Whereas replacement of the tryptophan residue at position 993 had no effect, an Asp992-->Asn substitution yielded a much-activated enzyme that behaved as if PRPP was present. The substitution Lys954-->Glu had no effect on PRPP stimulation. Only modest decreases in UTP inhibitions were observed with each of the altered CPSases. The results also show that while PRPP and UTP can act simultaneously, PRPP activation is dominant. Apparently, UTP and PRPP have distinctly different associations within the mammalian enzyme. The findings of the present study may prove relevant to the neuropathology of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
Two Histidine Residues in the Juxta-Membrane Cytoplasmic Domain of Na+/H+ Exchanger Isoform 3 (NHE3) Determine the Set Point

Histidine residues in Na+/H+ exchangers are believed to participate in proton binding and influence the Na+/H+ exchanger activity. In the present study, the function of three highly conserved histidines in the juxtamembrane cytoplasmic domain of NHE3 was studied. His-479, His-485, and His-499 were mutated to Leu, Gln or Asp and expressed in an Na+/H+ exchanger null cell line and functional consequences on Na+/H+ exchange kinetics were characterized. None of the histidines were essential for NHE3 activity, with all mutated NHE3 resulting in functional exchangers. However, the mutation in His-475 and His-499 significantly lowered NHE3 transport activity, whereas the mutation in H485 showed no apparent effect. In addition, the pH profiles of the H479 and H499 mutants were shifted to a more acidic region, and lowered its set point, the intracellular pH value above which the Na+/H+ exchanger becomes inactive, by approximately 0.3-0.6 pH units. The changes in set point by the mutations were further shifted to more acidic values by ATP depletion, indicating that the mechanism by which the mutations on the histidine residues altered the NHE3 set point differs from that caused by ATP depletion. We suggest that His-479 and His-499 are part of the H+ sensor, which is involved in determining the sensitivity to the intracellular H+ concentration and Na+/H+ exchange rate.
Genomic Imprinting: Insights From Plants

Imprinted gene expression--the biased expression of alleles dependent on their parent of origin--is an important type of epigenetic gene regulation in flowering plants and mammals. In plants, genes are imprinted primarily in the endosperm, the triploid placenta-like tissue that surrounds and nourishes the embryo during its development. Differential allelic expression is correlated with active DNA demethylation by DNA glycosylases and repressive targeting by the Polycomb group proteins. Imprinted gene expression is one consequence of a large-scale remodeling to the epigenome, primarily directed at transposable elements, that occurs in gametes and seeds. This remodeling could be important for maintaining the epigenome in the embryo as well as for establishing gene imprinting.
Acute administration of the small-molecule p75(NTR) ligand does not prevent hippocampal neuron loss or development of spontaneous seizures after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.

Neurotrophins, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are initially expressed in a precursor form (e.g., pro-BDNF) and cleaved to form mature BDNF (mBDNF). After pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE), increases in neurotrophins regulate a wide variety of cell-signaling pathways, including prosurvival and cell-death machinery in a receptor-specific manner. Pro-BDNF preferentially binds to the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), whereas mBDNF is the major ligand of the tropomyosin-related kinase receptor. To elucidate a potential role for p75NTR in acute stages of epileptogenesis, rats were injected prior to and at onset of SE with LM11A-31, a small-molecule ligand that binds to p75NTR to promote survival signaling and inhibit neuronal cell death. Modulation of early p75NTR signaling and its effects on electrographic SE, SE-induced neurodegeneration, and subsequent spontaneous seizures were examined after LM11A-31 administration. Despite an established neuroprotective effect of LM11A-31 in several animal models of neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury), high-dose LM11A-31 administration prior to and at onset of SE did not reduce the intensity of electrographic SE, prevent SE-induced neuronal cell injury, or inhibit the progression of epileptogenesis. Further studies are required to understand the role of p75NTR activation during epileptogenesis and in seizure-induced cell injury in the hippocampus, among other potential cellular pathologies contributing to the onset of spontaneous seizures. Additional studies utilizing more prolonged treatment with LM11A-31 are required to reach a definite conclusion on its potential neuroprotective role in epilepsy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Householder transforms in signal processing

The author explores Householder transforms and their applications in signal processing. He shows that these transforms can be viewed as mirror-image reflections of a data vector about any desired hyperplane. The virtue of reflections is that they are covariance invariant, that is, they preserve the covariance matrix of the data. One can construct a finite sequence of such reflections that maps a block of data vectors into a lower rectangular matrix. If only the covariance eigenvalues need to be preserved, one can map into a bidiagonal matrix. The former sparse form is useful for inverting covariance matrices and the latter is useful in finding eigenvalues of covariance matrices. >
Transient analysis of coupled transmission lines characterized with the frequency-dependent losses using scattering-parameter based macromodel

This paper describes two novel macromodels for incorporating the single and coupled transmission lines characterized by the frequency-dependent losses into a scattering-parameter (S-parameter) macromodel based simulator. This approach computes the moments of the S-parameter based upon the frequency-dependent parasitic functions: R(f), L(f), C(f), and G(f) which characterize either the single or the coupled transmission lines. These same moments can be used later to construct the macromodels. Once the macromodels are built, the transient analysis can be performed by using the S-parameter based macromodel simulator.
Demographic Predictors of Relationship and Marriage Education Participants' Pre- and Post-Program Relational and Individual Functioning

Limited knowledge exists regarding differences in relationship and marriage education (RME) experiences based on social address. The current study examines pre- and post-program data from 1293 ethnically and economically diverse adults participating in RME programs. Investigations centered on whether race, income, marital status, and attendance status (i.e., attend with partner or singly) predicted baseline levels and change in a broad range of indicators of individual functioning, couple functioning, and confidence in one's relationship for men and women. Income was the strongest predictor of baseline levels; higher income was associated with higher entry levels in all three target areas. In addition, race predicted unique variance in individual functioning, and marital status and attendance status predicted unique variance in relational targets. Men and women demonstrated positive changes in all target areas following RME participation. Attending with a partner was the only predictor of change in target...
Why History (Still) Matters: Time and Temporality in Urban Political Analysis

Scholarship on path dependence, policy feedback, timing and sequence, and punctuated versus incremental change has fueled new debates and produced new theoretical insights into how time and history factor into political and social outcomes. This work has done much to clarify why history matters in social scientific investigation. However, it appears to have gone largely unnoticed by most contemporary urban political scientists and sociologists, who are far more likely to focus on the present or the recent past than to pursue genuinely historical approaches. This article examines certain causal mechanisms that operate in time and shows how their application to the study of urban settings can enhance what scholars know about urban political processes.
Volumetric locking in the element free Galerkin method

A new formulation of the Element Free Galerkin (EFG) method is developed for the modelling of incompressible materials. Beginning with a mixed variational principle, a selective reduced integration procedure is developed by implementing nodal quadrature. Numerical examples are provided which compare the performance of the proposed technique to the standard EFG approximation. These studies illustrate the capability of the new formulation to eliminate volumetric locking. For the standard method, however, the degree of volumetric locking is shown to be a function of the local support sizes (domains of influence) of the EFG shape functions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increased heat shock protein 70 gene expression in the brains of cocaine-related fatalities may be reflective of postdrug survival and intervention rather than excited delirium.

Cocaine-related fatalities can pose forensic challenges, particularly when accompanied by excited delirium (ED) syndrome and interventions by law enforcement and medical personnel. A recent report concluded that elevated heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expression in autopsy brain samples constitutes a reliable forensic biomarker for the identification of ED as a cause of death. The present study quantified the abun- dance of both HSPA1A and HSPA1B gene (HSP70-encoding) transcripts in midbrain specimens from a series of cocaine-related fatalities and matched drug-free control subjects. HSP70 expression was increased significantly in cocaine abusers as a group compared to control subjects, irre- spective of the presence or absence of ED. Furthermore, elevated HSP70 expression was predictive of a period of survival between cocaine use and death that included medical and ⁄ or police intervention. The present data do not support the assertion that HSP70 expression is a reliable brain bio- marker for identifying ED as a cause of death.
The Use of Inter-Fund Transfers to Manage the “Bottom Line” in the Municipal Context

ABSTRACT: This study examines whether municipalities use inter-fund transfers to manage the general fund. Since the general fund is a municipality's largest fund, its financial position often reflects that of the whole municipality. Results indicate that transfers are used to manage the general fund toward zero. In particular, the tendency to use transfers to manage the general fund does not differ between general funds that had a positive and negative pre-managed change in fund balance, suggesting the incentive to report neither surplus nor deficit exists. Results also reveal that the practice of using transfers to manage the general fund toward zero is more substantial in municipalities with greater external oversight from citizens, creditors, state and federal granting agencies, and employees, as well as in municipalities with a strong-mayor form of government. JEL Classifications: H71; H72; M48; M41; G39
Low-temperature TiO2-SnO2 phase diagram using the molten-salt method

The molten-salt method has been used for low-temperature synthesis of ceramic compounds. It has been used in the present work to determine the phase diagram of the TiO2-SnO2 system down to 400°C, which is not possible by the conventional solid-state annealing method. LiCl-KCl eutectic has been used as the molten salt. The experimental procedure consists of annealing powder of the TiO2-SnO2 solid solution in the molten-salt eutectic for a sufficient length of time at the temperature of interest. The a and c lattice parameters have been determined for the decomposed phases by X-ray diffractometry. The phase diagram determined in the present work has been compared with that determined by conventional solid-state annealing methods. The phase diagram determined in the present work exhibits a wider miscibility gap compared to the gap determined by the solid-state annealing method. This is attributed to sluggish solid-state kinetics at lower temperatures. The phase diagram determined in the present work agrees well with a regular solution model, except for a slight deviation in the SnO2-rich portion of phase diagram above 1200°C. Scanning electron microscopy has been used to study the particle-growth morphology. The solubility has been estimated from particle-growth kinetics as well as from the direct-current plasma technique. The results indicate that a modest solubility is sufficient to enhance the kinetics in the molten salt and, thereby, facilitate the determination of low-temperature phase equilibria in ceramics.
Amphotericin B Formulated in Liposomes and Lipid Based Systems: A Review

AbstractThe therapeutic index (T.I.) of amphotericin B (amB) is significantly increased when the drug is formulated in a variety of liposome and lipidic systems. This increase is due to a dramatic decrease in toxicity with maintenance of antifungal activity. Three formulations are currently being commercialized: ABLC™, AmBisome and Amphocil™. ABLC™ is a ribbon-type lipid complex with a diameter in the 2-5 micron range consisting of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol and amB (7/3/10 mole ratio). AmBisome™ is a liposome with a particle diameter less than 100 nm and composed of hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, distearoylphosphatidylglycerol and amB (2/1/0.8/0.4 mole ratio). Amphocil™ is a lipidic particle with a diameter of 115 nm and consists of cholesterylsulfate and amB (1/1 mole ratio). In spite of the differences, each formulation reduces the transfer of amB into a sensitive site of toxicity while affecting transfer of the drug into the fungal target to a l...
Time domain adaptive integral method for surface integral equations

An efficient marching-on-in-time (MOT) scheme is presented for solving electric, magnetic, and combined field integral equations pertinent to the analysis of transient electromagnetic scattering from perfectly conducting surfaces residing in an unbounded homogenous medium. The proposed scheme is the extension of the frequency-domain adaptive integral/pre-corrected fast-Fourier transform (FFT) method to the time domain. Fields on the scatterer that are produced by space-time sources residing on its surface are computed: 1) by locally projecting, for each time step, all sources onto a uniform auxiliary grid that encases the scatterer; 2) by computing everywhere on this grid the transient fields produced by the resulting auxiliary sources via global, multilevel/blocked, space-time FFTs; 3) by locally interpolating these fields back onto the scatterer surface. As this procedure is inaccurate when source and observer points reside close to each other; and 4) near fields are computed classically, albeit (pre-)corrected, for errors introduced through the use of global FFTs. The proposed scheme has a computational complexity and memory requirement of O(N/sub t/N/sub s/log/sup 2/N/sub s/) and O(N/sub s//sup 3/2/) when applied to quasiplanar structures, and of O(N/sub t/N/sub s//sup 3/2/log/sup 2/N/sub s/) and O(N/sub s//sup 2/) when used to analyze scattering from general surfaces. Here, N/sub s/ and N/sub t/ denote the number of spatial and temporal degrees of freedom of the surface current density. These computational cost and memory requirements are contrasted to those of classical MOT solvers, which scale as O(N/sub t/N/sub s//sup 2/) and O(N/sub s//sup 2/), respectively. A parallel implementation of the scheme on a distributed-memory computer cluster that uses the message-passing interface is described. Simulation results demonstrate the accuracy, efficiency, and the parallel performance of the implementation.
The Customs of Conflict Management among Corporate Executives

This article examines the customs of conflict management among executives at the tops of two large business organizations. The argument advanced here derives from the notion that conflict management varies with the informal norms that govern interpersonal networks. Ethnographic, social network, and perceptual data collected in the present investigation suggest that where executives experience fragmented and atomized interpersonal networks, they are more likely to manage conflict without confrontation than in networks of strongly and densely connected individuals. The results of this study carry implications for the relationship between attitudes and behaviors among corporate managers regarding conflict management, for the normative bases of decision making, and for the “fit” between social context and routine conflict management.
Assessing the effect of attribute uncertainty on the robustness of choropleth map classification

Choropleth maps are often used to visualize the spatial distribution of information collected for enumeration units. Such maps, however, are normally produced without considering the effect of uncertainty associated with data, which can contribute to incorrect interpretation. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method that can be used to evaluate the classification robustness of choropleth maps when the attribute uncertainty associated with the data is known or can be estimated. We first develop a measure to indicate the robustness of classification schemes. We then design a set of experiments to examine the robustness of different choropleth map classifications under various levels and types of uncertainty. Our experiments suggest that the robustness of a choropleth classification scheme is a function of uncertainty and the number of classes used. Increases in data uncertainty will decrease map robustness. However, it is possible to increase map robustness by choosing a smaller number of classes. We also discuss a visualization approach that can be used to display the classification robustness of each enumeration unit within a choropleth map.
Smad5 knockout mice die at mid-gestation due to multiple embryonic and extraembryonic defects

Smad5 has been implicated as a downstream signal mediator for several bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). To understand the in vivo function of Smad5, we generated mice deficient in Smad5 using embryonic stem (ES) cell technology. Homozygous mutant embryos die between E9.5 and E11.5, and display variable phenotypes. Morphological defects are first detected at E8.0 in the developing amnion, gut and heart (the latter defect being similar to BMP-2 knockout mice). At later stages, mutant embryos fail to undergo proper turning, have craniofacial and neural tube abnormalities, and are edematous. In addition, several extraembryonic lesions are observed. After E9.0, the yolk sacs of the mutants contain red blood cells but lack a well-organized vasculature, which is reminiscent of BMP-4, TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta type II receptor knockout mice. In addition, the allantois of many Smad5 mutants is fused to the chorion, but is not well-elongated. A unique feature of the Smad5 mutant embryos is that ectopic vasculogenesis and hematopoiesis is observed in the amnion, likely due to mislocation of allantois tissue. Despite the expression of Smad5 from gastrulation onwards, and in contrast to knockouts of Smad2 and Smad4, Smad5 only becomes essential later in extraembryonic and embryonic development.
Do Oil Producers Extract More as They Become Richer? A Natural Experiment Using Unanticipated Reserve Discoveries

The relationship between oil reserves and oil extraction has recently become of interest to the research community. Current empirical literature lacks a clear identification strategy that addresses potential endogeneity problem. This study takes advantage of (arguably) exogenous reserves discoveries to identify the effect of an expansion in reserves on oil production. Contrary to optimal exercise time of an option to wait, the paper finds overall an immediate extraction of new reserves after one year from the time of reserves discovery. Conversely, the OPEC countries prefer to leave the new reserves in the ground for at least 3 to 4 years after the discovery. This may be explained by opposite incentives in place in OPEC vs. fringe countries as a result of differences in their political structure. We provide evidence that is not consistent with an argument that low extraction of OPEC countries is the results of mis-reporting of their reserves sizes.
Breast conservation after neoadjuvant therapy for tumors ≥5 cm: A prospective cohort study

Abstract Introduction Neoadjuvant therapy (NT) can facilitate breast conservation (BC). Similar oncologic outcomes have been reported with BC and mastectomy for T1 and T2 lesions, but studies of BC results for tumors ≥5 cm are limited. Our experience with BC for tumors ≥5 cm is reported. Patients and methods A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database of all breast cancer patients treated with NT at our institution between 2003 and 2010 was performed to identify patients treated with BC for tumors ≥5 cm. Demographics, stage, tumor histology, pathologic response, tumor margins, failure patterns and rates, as well as survival rates were recorded. Results Thirty patients treated with BC after NT for large tumors were identified. The only selection criteria for BC were technical ability with acceptable cosmetic results and negative margins. Patients with genetic predisposition for additional breast cancer were excluded. The mean follow-up was 43 months and the mean age at diagnosis was 51. The mean tumor size at diagnosis was 6.4 cm and the mean pathological size was 2.1 cm. Four of thirty (13.3%) had either systemic progression or regional recurrence. Three patients had systemic progression, 2 had regional recurrence and none had local recurrence. At a mean follow-up of 43 months, the success rate of BC on intent to treat basis was 96.7%, with an overall survival of 86.7% and disease-free survival of 83.3%. Conclusion BC after NT is a safe option for carefully selected patients with tumors ≥5 cm. In this series, the oncologic results for the duration of the study were comparable to those reported after mastectomy.
Quantum Mechanical Tunneling in Free Radical Reactions

Examples of free radical reactions are described for which convincing evidence for quantum-mechanical tunneling has been reported. They include: H-atom abstraction reactions by thermalized methyl radicals and H-atoms in solids (crystalline and glass phases) at low temperatures; radical-pair conversions at 4.2 K; isomerization of hindered aryl radicals and intermolecular H-transfer reactions in fluid solution.
Comparative study of host resistance of guinea pigs and rats. I. Virulence of Diplococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus anthracis for guinea pigs and rats.

mals, the guinea pig and the white rat, to two pathogens, Bacillus ant hracis and Diplococcus pneumoniae, has been undertaken with the hope of contributing to the knowledge of species, or ultimately organ resistance, or, conversely, susceptibility to a given microorganism. The two hosts vary markedly in their resistance to the selected pathogens. Ultimately from findings of work of this nature it may be possible to measure the resistance of man to a given parasite and conversely, the virulence of a given parasite for man by logical in vitro procedures. At present only empirical techniques such as the coagulase test with staphylococci are available for measuring in vitro the virulence of a parasite for man. The first studies of this general project will be reported in this paper. The virulence of the selected strains of the
274 CUMULATIVE DOSES OF INDOMETHACIN AND CONCURRENT USE OF CORTICO-STEROIDS PREDICT SPONTANEOUS INTESTINAL PERFORATION IN THE VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT NEONATE

Introduction Spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP) occurs in 3.9-7.4% of very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates (birth weight [BW] ≤1500 g) during the first two postnatal weeks. Epidemiological data suggest that the use of corticosteroids and prostaglandin inhibitors predisposes VLBW neonates to an increase in the incidence of SIP. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the concurrent use of indomethacin for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and the use of postnatal steroids for the treatment of refractory hypotension increases the risk of SIP. Methods In this 2:1 matched case-control study, the databases of two NICUs were queried for all infants with BW ≤1500 grams, admitted between 1997 and 2003. Infants with clinical and radiographic findings consistent with SIP without necrotizing enterocolitis by postnatal day 14 were selected as cases and matched to controls by BW. To assess the odds of SIP by clinically relevant variables, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed using Stata/SE 8.0 (Stata Corporation College Station, TX). Results Sixteen cases were matched to 32 controls. No significant differences in demographics were found between cases and controls. Mean BW and gestational age were 818 6 51 g and 835 6 37 g (p = 0.78) and 25.5 6 0.5 weeks and 26.0 6 0.4 weeks (p = 0.41), respectively. No differences in antenatal steroid use and prenatal maternal or fetal risk factors were noted. Neonates who received $3 doses of indomethacin and steroids were 9.6 times more likely to have SIP compared to infants who received ≤3 doses of indomethacin and steroids, after adjusting for gestational age, Apgar scores, presence of umbilical arterial lines, time of first stool, maximum inotropic needs and total cumulative dose of indomethacin and corticosteroids [95% CI 1.22 -75.71, p =0.032]. Conclusions The combined use of indomethacin for closure of PDA and steroids for refractory hypotension during the first two postnatal weeks significantly increases the risks of SIP in VLBW neonates.
Editorial: Emergent Public Health Issues in the US-Mexico Border Region.

The Editorial on the Research Topic Emergent public health issues in the US–Mexico border region The public health literature in recent years has focused extensively on documenting and quantifying health disparities in the US. Race, ethnicity, and poverty are frequently considered the greatest predictors of inequality in health, and these factors are often inextricably tied to one another. Many studies have examined health disparities among those who live in relatively small geographical areas, such as inner cities, that are inhabited by minorities and/or the poor (1). However, in the case of the US–Mexico border region, a careful examination of data on health indicators in the 10 Border States, 4 in the US and the 6 along the northern border of Mexico, reveals both great disparities and strong similarities.
Polymeric Drugs Containing 5-Fluorouracil and/or 6-Methylthiopurine. Chemotherapeutic Polymers. XI

The concept of polymeric drugs and their use in medication is much more recent than some of the other biomedical applications of polymers. In its simplest form, a polymeric drug is a polymer that contains a drug or chemotherapeutic unit as part of the polymer backbone, as a pendant group from the polymer chain or as a terminal group on the polymer chain. Hundreds of such compounds have been synthesized in the past few decades. In their more advanced forms, polymeric drugs could be complex copolymers of polymers attached to some natural substrate such as an imminoglobulin, a histone or a nucleic acid. Numerous reviews and books have appeared on this subject in the past decade (1–12). It would be beyond the scope of this present paper to attempt to review this rapidly developing field. We will concentrate primarily on polymers containing 5fluorouracil or 6-methylthiopurine and some closely related polymers. Prior to this, however, we will examine the basic concepts involved in polymeric drug medication.
Innovative Rapid Prototyping Process Makes Large Sized, Smooth Surfaced Complex Shapes in a Wide Variety of Materials

(1998). Innovative Rapid Prototyping Process Makes Large Sized, Smooth Surfaced Complex Shapes in a Wide Variety of Materials. Materials Technology: Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 53-56.
Latency to treatment of status epilepticus is associated with mortality and functional status.

Abstract Introduction Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening neurologic emergency. Despite advances in management, in-hospital mortality remains unchanged. This is partly due to the pharmacoresistance which develops the longer that seizures persist. Therefore, rapid antiseizure medication (ASM) administration may represent a beneficial treatment option. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) whether in-hospital mortality is reduced with shorter latencies to initial treatment of SE with an ASM (LTSE); and 2) the critical time frame during which LTSE is associated with reduced in-hospital mortality. Materials and methods This was a retrospective, single-center study of adults diagnosed with SE between 1/1/2005 and 10/31/2012. Demographic characteristics included seizure history, etiology, semiology, and duration. Subjects were assigned to LTSE groups at the time frames of 5, 10, 30 and 60 min. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, with poor functional status (mRS 3–6) as a secondary measure. Pearson's chi-square, Mann-Whitney- U , two-sample- t -tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were used as appropriate, with p Results In unadjusted analysis, LTSE > 30 min demonstrated increased risk of mortality (OR 2.06, CI 1.01–4.17, p = 0.046) and poor functional status (OR 2.48, CI 1.05–5.85, p = 0.038) compared to LTSE ≤ 30 min. Increased mortality risk remained after adjusting for SE duration (OR 2.07, CI 1.01–4.26, p = 0.047) and nonconvulsive seizures (OR 2.28, CI 1.08–4.80, p = 0.03). Compared to subjects treated within 60 min, those treated after 60 min were at increased risk of poor functional status, regardless of the presence of nonconvulsive seizures (OR 2.96, CI 1.14–7.73, p = 0.026). In addition, when acute symptomatic SE was stratified by cardiac versus non-cardiac etiologies, subjects with non-cardiac acute symptomatic SE demonstrated worse functional outcome when treated after 60 min (OR 7.20, CI 1.13–46.07, p = 0.037). Conclusions Treatment of SE within 30 min of onset is associated with reduced risk of in-hospital mortality and poor functional status, although this may be attenuated by acute symptomatic seizures related to cardiac arrest. This represents a therapeutic option which has the potential to benefit patient outcomes.
A heterogeneous microprocessor for energy-scalable sensor inference using genetic programming

We present a heterogeneous microprocessor for IoE sensor-inference applications, which achieves programmability required for feature extraction strictly using application data. Acceleration, though key for energy efficiency, poses substantial programmability challenges. These are overcome by exploiting genetic programming (GP) for automatic program synthesis. GP yields highly structured models of computation, enabling: (1) high degree of specialization; (2) systematic mapping of programs to the accelerator; and (3) energy scalability via user-controllable approximation. The microprocessor (130nm) achieves 325×/156× energy reduction, and farther 20x/9x energy scalability, for programmable feature extraction in two medical-sensor applications (seizure/arrhythmia-detection) vs. GP-model execution on CPU. The energy efficiency is 220 GOPS/W, near that of fixed-function accelerators, exceeding typical programmable accelerators.
Uplift, rupture, and rollback of the Farallon slab reflected in volcanic perturbations along the Yellowstone adakite hot spot track

Field, geochemical, and geochronological data show that the southern segment of the ancestral Cascades arc advanced into the Oregon back-arc region from 30 to 20 Ma. We attribute this event to thermal uplift of the Farallon slab by the Yellowstone mantle plume, with heat diffusion, decompression, and the release of volatiles promoting high-K calc-alkaline volcanism throughout the back-arc region. The greatest degree of heating is expressed at the surface by a broad ENE-trending zone of adakites and related rocks generated by melting of oceanic crust from the Farallon slab. A hiatus in eruptive activity began at ca. 22-20 Ma, but ended abruptly at 16.7 Ma with renewed volcanism from slab rupture occurring in two separate regions. The eastern rupture resulted in the extrusion of Steens Basalt during the ascent and melting of a dry mantle (plume) source contaminated with depleted mantle. The contemporaneous western rupture resulted in renewed subduction, melting of a wet mantle source, and the rejuvenation of high-K calc-alkaline volcanism near the Nevada-California border at 16.7 Ma. Here, the initiation of slab rollback is evident in the westward migration of arc volcanism at 7.8 km/Ma. Today, the uplifted slab is largely missing beneath the Oregon back-arc region, replaced instead by a seismic hole which is bound on the south by the adakite hotspot track. We attribute slab destruction to thermal uplift and mechanical dislocation that culminated in rapid tearing of the slab from 17-15 Ma, and possible foundering and sinking of slab segments from 16-10 Ma.
Lasing from a molecular sieve

A new type of organic solid-state laser is promised by research into zeolitic microcrystals. By trapping individual organic dye molecules in the nanometre cavities of the zeolite, researchers have been able to produce microlasers only 8 μm in diameter. Such tiny lasers could be used as bright pixels for displays or in optical sensing and communication.
Cannon's Point Plantation and Status Patterning in the Archaeological Record

This chapter discusses Cannon's Point's plantation and status patterning in the archaeological record. The Stone documents approach is the approach used at Cannon's Point Plantation. The documents attest to the presence of white planters, white overseers, and black slaves on the same plantation during the same period in time. The dwelling sites that were once occupied are identified by using documents and by using controlled analogies with the settlement patterns of well-documented tidewater plantations. By using documents and artifacts to date ruins and refuse midden contexts, house sites, food remains, and artifacts that dated to the antebellum period of occupation were compared. By holding status and time as known constants, this chapter explains the way by which known status differences and access to the plantation surplus are reflected in the archaeological remains of housing, foods, and possessions. The documents also suggest that the archaeological record of material living conditions could reveal several kinds of status patterning. If, for example, similarities appear in the housing, foods, and artifacts at the white planter and overseer sites, this would reveal white dominance patterning, reflecting the higher racial and legal status of the free white planters and overseers.
General Overview of Saproxylic Coleoptera

A broad survey of saproxylic beetles (Coleoptera) from literature and personal observations was conducted, and extensive references were included to serve as a single resource on the topic. Results are summarized in a table featuring all beetle families and subfamilies with saproxylicity indicated for both adults and larvae (where known), along with information on diversity, distribution, habits, habitat, and other relevant notes. A discussion about the prevalence of and evolutionary origins of beetles in relation to the saproxylic habitat, as well as the variety of saproxylic beetle habits by microhabitat, is provided. This initial attempt at an overview of the entire order shows that 122 (about 65%) of the 187 presently recognized beetle families have at least one saproxylic member. However, the state of knowledge of most saproxylic beetle groups is extremely fragmentary, particularly in regard to larval stages and their feeding habits.
Injuries associated with hoverboard use: a review of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System

Abstract Introduction Hoverboards have become popular since they became available in 2015. We seek to provide an estimate of the number of injuries in the United States for 2015 and 2016, and to evaluate differences between adult and pediatric injury complexes. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016. Using the weighted design of the NEISS, a nationally representative sample could be determined. Results During the 2 year period, there were 24,650 hoverboard related injuries (95% confidence interval [Cl], 17,635–31,664) in the US. The average age was 20.9 years old. There were 15,134 pediatric injuries (95%CI 9980–20,287) and 9515 adult injuries (95%CI 7185–11,845). Female patients compromised 51.2% of the sample. The upper extremity was the most common region injured [13,080 (95% CI 8848–17,311)] and fracture was the most common type of injury [10,074 (95% CI 6934–13,213)]. Hoverboard injuries increased from 2416 (95% CL 575–4245) in 2015 to 22,234 (95% CI 16,446–28,020) in 2016. Pediatric patients were more likely to be injured in the upper and lower extremity when compared to their adult cohort (p = 0.0031). Six percent of the cohort [1575 (95% CI 665–2485)] sustained critical injuries with pediatric patients being at 1.46 times higher risk for life threatening injuries. Conclusion Emergency department (ED) visits for hoverboard related injuries appear to be increasing. Pediatric patients are more at risk for hoverboard related injuries than adults and almost 6% of ED visits involved critical injuries, highlighting that hoverboards may be more dangerous than previously recognized.
Adequate Models for the Non-Fregean Sentential Calculus (Sci)

This note contains the proof of the following theorem: every model, adequate for SCI, is uncountable.
An Integrated Model of the TOPAZ-II Electromagnetic Pump

A detailed model of the electromagnetic pump of the TOPAZ-II space nuclear reactor power system is developed and compared with experimental data. The magnetic field strength in the pump depends not only on the current supplied by the pump thermionic fuel elements in the reactor core but also on the temperature of the coolant, the magnetic coil, and the pump structure. All electric and thermal properties of the coolant, wall material of the pump ducts, and electric leads are taken to be temperature dependent. The model predictions are in good agreement with experimental data.
Partially Prestressed Concrete Members for Earthquake-Resistant Design and Construction

This chapter reviews some basic problems related to structural concrete design and construction in earthquake zones, with particular reference to building structures of partially prestressed concrete.
Mass Transport Phenomena in Biological Systems

Over the past several years we have been involved in a number of studies of heat and mass transport in biological systems. These studies have served to confirm our belief that the analytical and experimental techniques developed for more traditional areas of chemical engineering investigation are useful in investigating biological phenomena. They have also served to highlight the fact that there are certain classes of problems of more frequent occurrence in biological systems than in the systems of traditional engineering concern. These kinds of problems stem from both the organization and composition of the biosystems and while they are not necessarily unique, they are characteristic.
Boosting semantic web data access using Swoogle

One of the unique advantages brought by the Semantic Web is that semantic web languages, such as RDF and OWL, offer a small but expressive set of common ontological constructs for agents to share knowledge on the Web. Instead of hard coding knowledge inside intelligent agents, the semantic web enables agents to publish and consume knowledge explicitly stored in web documents. The utility of the Semantic Web can be evaluated from three equally important aspects: availability – is there enough useful data, accessibility – can users ﬁnd the data they need, and quality – can users evaluate data quality to select good information.
Anatomy of the stemmata in the Photuris firefly larva.

Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) have distinct visual systems at different stages of development. Larvae have stemmata and adults have compound eyes. Adults use compound eyes to mediate photic communication during courtship. Larvae do not manifest this behavior, yet they are bioluminescent. We investigated the structure of stemmata in Photuris firefly larvae to identify anatomical substrates (i.e., rhabdomeres) conferring visual function. Stemmata were located bilaterally on the antero-lateral surfaces of the head. Beneath the ~ 130 µm diameter lens, we identified a pigmented eye-cup. At its widest point, the eye-cup was ~ 150 µm in diameter. The optic nerve exited the eye-cup opposite the lens. Two distinct regions, asymmetric in size and devoid of pigmentation, were characterized in stemmata cross-sections. We refer to these regions as lobes. Each lobe contained a rhabdom of a radial network of rhabdomeres. Pairs of rhabdomeres formed interdigitating microvilli contributed from neighboring photoreceptor cell bodies. The optic nerve contained 88 axons separable into two populations based on size. The number of axons in the optic nerve together with distinct rhabdoms suggests these structures were formed from ‘fusion stemmata.’ This structural specialization provides an anatomical substrate for future studies of visually mediated behaviors in Photuris larvae.
Use of Cangrelor during Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Purpose In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) complicated by cardiogenic shock, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is used as a bridge to surgery, ventricular assist device (VAD), or recovery. Bleeding and thrombotic complications afflict patients on VA-ECMO support. Cangrelor is an ideal agent to use as part of dual antiplatelet therapy after PCI due to its short half-life, however there are no data regarding the use of cangrelor in the setting of VA-ECMO. Methods This was a single-center retrospective case series of patients who received cangrelor while on VA-ECMO following PCI from January 1, 2016 through August 31, 2018. The objective of this case series was to describe the complications and outcomes associated with the use of cangrelor during VA-ECMO. Results Thirteen patients were included (median age of 61 years). Past medical history included hyperlipidemia (69%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (62%), and hypertension (46%). Forty-six percent of patients presented with a ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 31% with a NSTEMI, and 23% were elective PCI. Nearly all patients (92%) received a drug-eluting stent and 48% were placed in the LAD. Eighty-five percent of patients received VA-ECMO combined with an Impella for LV venting. Patients were on VA-ECMO for a median of eight days (IQR 6 - 11) and cangrelor for a median of five days (IQR 3 - 8). The dose of cangrelor in all cases was 0.75 mcg/kg/min. Only one patient experienced a thrombotic event (deep vein thrombosis), however 77% patients had a hemorrhagic complication (Figure) and received a median of three units of PRBCs while on cangrelor and VA-ECMO. Fifty-four percent of patients were bridge to recovery, 38% of patients died, and 8% were bridge to ventricular assist device. Conclusion Hemorrhagic complications were frequent in this case series of patients who received cangrelor while on VA-ECMO following PCI, and no repeat coronary events were observed.