cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expression of cellular adhesion molecules on human prostate tumor cell lines.

By flow cytometric analysis we have examined the expression of cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) on the surface of four different human prostate tumor cell lines: DU 145, from a brain metastasis; PC 3, from a bone metastasis; LNCaP.FGC, from a lymph node metastasis; and a primary tumor cell line, ND 1. The corresponding ligands for the expressed CAMs were, by and large, extracellular matrix proteins. We detected high-level expression of ICAM-1 on three of the four prostate cell lines, whereas LNCaP cells were negative. We observed unstable, heterogeneous expression of E-cadherin in the cell lines DU 145, PC 3, and ND 1. Flow cytometric cell sorting enabled us to divide PC 3 cells into negative and bright positive subpopulations but, after several cell divisions in culture, sorted cells returned to the original heterogeneous phenotype. The laminin-specific alpha 6 beta 4 integrin was not expressed by LNCaP, and was expressed at a low level and heterogeneously on DU 145 and PC 3 cell lines. In contrast, ND 1 cells, derived from a primary tumor, showed homogeneous and high-level expression of the alpha 6 beta 4 integrin. All of the prostate cell lines expressed the RGD-dependent binding of alpha 3 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 integrins and did not reveal non-RGD-dependent alpha 4 beta 1 integrin expression. This finding provides a stimulus to investigate the inhibition capacity of RGD-containing peptides on the metastatic behavior of prostate tumor cells.
Control of gastrointestinal parasite larvae of ruminant using nitrogen fertilizer, limestone and sodium hypochlorite solutions

Abstract Gastrointestinal parasites are considered to be one of the most prominent health problems of small ruminants. Additional concerns are associated with parasite resistance to traditional anthelmintics and drug withdrawal times. Solutions of commercial fertilizers, bleach and limestone were used to examine their effect on the motility of infective Haemonchus contortus larvae (L3) in vitro. Infective larvae were cultured from feces of one Suffolk ram lamb infected with 5000 L3. Infective larvae (500 L3/100 μl) were then pipetted into individual petri dishes with 400 μl of a known concentration of either urea (U), ammonium nitrate (AN), liquid nitrogen fertilizer (LNF), a mixture of ammonium nitrate + urea (ANU), dolomitic limestone (DLM), limestone (LM) and sodium hypochlorite (SH). Percent non-motile L3 increased ( p
Inter-functional Market Orientation Between Marketing Departments and Technical Departments in the Management of the New Product Development Process

The marketing concept states that firms who first determine and then satisfy customer needs should realize superior performance. Market orientation (MO) operationalizes the marketing concept and is the organization-wide generation of market intelligence, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and organization-wide responsiveness to it (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990). Market oriented firms should enjoy successful new product programs (Slater and Narver, 1994). However, empirical findings are mixed. This research conceptualizes MO at the departmental level, specifically within cross-functional new product teams. Findings here suggest inter-functional market orientation (IFMO), between marketing and technology groups, is directly related to new product program success.
The Metrics of Happiness: Operationalizing 'Informational Well-Being'

Last year the authors presented a TPRC paper (“Does Happiness Matter?”) which introduced a new component of “informational well-being” into the general model of national well-being advanced by the Stiglitz Commission in 2009. It then connected the revised model to evaluating the goals of the National Broadband Plan. This paper builds on that framework and focuses on quantitatively operationalizing the concept of “informational well being”.To be fully captured as an empirical metric, “informational well being” must be decomposed into its constituent parts, and the interactions between them must be identified. This paper focuses on the infrastructural aspects of the concept. It reviews and incorporates the lessons of established models for measuring national information infrastructure and economic and social factors (e.g., the Network Readiness Index, the ICT Opportunity Index, the Digital Opportunity Index), but adds a new dimension.The prior composite indices share many similarities in their methodologies. However, slight differences in the way they are computed have resulted in large differences in outcomes, which often have political implications. Unfortunately, due to the inherent limitations of their methodology, none can avoid the charges of being over-simplistic and impractical as guides to policy. It is only for lack of a better alternative that this kind of metrics still remains prevalent.While acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of that tradition, this paper attempts to advance the discourse by also considering fundamental concepts, policies, applications and outcomes from other somewhat analogous network industries, such as transportation, power, gas pipelines and other utilities. Data mining techniques and structural equation modeling will then be applied to propose a more sophisticated set of metrics for evaluation of the infrastructural component of “informational well being”. The paper will then set articulate a specific new model based on this analysis.
Spinal opioid delta antinociception in the mouse: Mediation by a 5'-NTII- sensitive delta receptor subtype

Previous studies from our laboratory have indicated that i.c.v. pretreatment of mice with the novel, selective opioid delta receptor antagonists, [D-Ala2,Leu5,Cys6]enkephalin (DALCE) and naltrindole-5'-isothiocyanate (5'-NTII), differentially antagonized the direct antinociceptive effects of [D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE) and [D-Ala2]deltorphin II (DELT). These findings, and others, suggested the existence of subtypes of opioid delta receptors which could be classified as activated by DPDPE and DALCE sensitive (delta 1 receptor), or selectively activated by DELT and 5'-NTII sensitive (delta 2 receptor). The present study has extended these observations to the characterization of delta-mediated antinociception effects of DPDPE and DELT after i.t. administration in mice using pretreatment with DALCE and 5'-NTII in order to selectively antagonize the delta subtypes. Additionally, the acute antinociceptive actions of DALCE itself were studied to ensure activity of this compound at the spinal level. The respective antinociceptive A50 value (95% CL) for i.t. DPDPE, DELT and DALCE were 19.0 (12.9-28.1), 19.3 (16.1-23.1) and 2.0 (1.4-3.0) nmol. The delta antagonist, N,N-diallyl-Try-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH (ICI 174,864) (where Aib is alpha-aminoisobutyric acid) blocked the antinociceptive effects of DPDPE and DELT, but not those of i.t. morphine or [D-Ala2,NMPhe4,Gly-ol5]enkephalin (DAMGO), indicating that the observed antinociceptive effects of DPDPE and DELT were delta mediated. Pretreatment 24 hr before testing with graded doses of i.t. 5'-NTII blocked the i.t. antinociceptive effects of DPDPE and DELT, although at least a 10-fold higher dose of 5'-NTII was needed to produce equivalent antagonism of DPDPE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The Early Hours of the Post-World War II Model of Constitutional Federalism: The Warren Court and the World

The Warren Court is often portrayed as hostile to constitutional federalism. But this critique misses the degree to which the Warren Court's jurisprudence was reparative of the legitimacy of state governments, while at the same time it advanced a new form of post-World War II constitutional federalism. The Warren Court's decisions, especially on apportionment, in important respects strengthened the legitimacy of state governments. It is even arguable that the Court's decisions, by providing the impetus for a more democratically legitimate form of state government, helped contribute to a revival of states as a locus of reform, contributing to the more aggressive judicially enforced federalism limits on national power in the late 20th century. The post World War II model of constitutional federalism, which reaction to the human rights abuses of World War II helped legitimate, guarantees a set of basic individual rights against all levels of government. It is a model that the political branches of the United States government supported in the postwar reconstruction of Germany. In raising the floor of basic constitutional norms designed to protect individuals from unfair treatment by any government, state or federal, the Warren Court both anticipated and reflected a burgeoning recognition of worldwide standards of human rights and human dignity, in international documents and in the new constitutions adopted in other federal systems such as Germany, India, and, later on, Canada. The Court's insight that, in a post-Hitler world, all governments must be held to high standards of protection for the rights of the individual and that such standards were not incompatible with vigorous states in a federal union, was consistent with burgeoning models of post-war constitutional federalism.
Abstract 4482: Pemetrexed treatment results in DNA replication fork instability and double strand breaks formation in UNG-/- human cancer cells.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Misincorporation of genomic uracil and formation of DNA double strand breaks are known consequences of exposure to TS inhibitors such as 5-fluorouracil, and pemetrexed. Uracil DNA glycosylase catalyzes the excision of genomic uracil and initiates DNA base excision repair (BER). Thus, a relationship between antifolate cytotoxicity and UNG expression and activity has been hypothesized. However, a precise mechanism linking antifolate-induced formation of DSBs to genomic uracil accumulation and UNG-initiated BER has not been described. Herein, we report that despite equivalent proliferation indices, DLD1 UNG-/- cells are more sensitive to pemetrexed mediated intra S-phase arrest, DNA double strand break formation and apoptosis compared to UNG+/+ cells. Using data from western blots in chromatin extracts, PCNA staining of cells in S-phase, and pulse-chase labeling of replicating cells with CldU and IdU, we surmise that the accumulation of uracil in pemetrexed-treated UNG-/- cells is associated with significant replication fork instability. In addition, UNG-/- cells have reduced capacity to recover from pemetrexed-mediated DNA damage, as indicated by the persistence of S-phase arrest and gamma-H2AX foci. This defect in recovery was not explained by double strand break repair capacity, which was equivalent in UNG+/+ and UNG-/- cells. Using γ-H2AX ChIP sequencing, we observed a 5-fold increase in the number of γ-H2AX binding sites in UNG-/- cells compared to UNG+/+ cells treated at IC50 levels of pemetrexed. This analysis evinced distinct patterns of γ-H2AX binding in UNG+/+ and UNG-/- cells. Double strand breaks (γ-H2AX) were more significantly associated with transcription start sites and putative origins of replication in UNG-/- cells compared to UNG+/+ cells. Based on these data we conclude that uracil accumulation, and thus UNG activity, during pemetrexed exposure directs both the quantity and the location of double strand breaks. These findings support uracil mediated S-phase arrest and DNA replication fork collapse as the mechanism of double strand break formation and cell death in pemetrexed treated UNG-/- cells. Citation Format: Lachelle D. Weeks, Gabriel Zentner, Peter Scacheri, Stanton L. Gerson. Pemetrexed treatment results in DNA replication fork instability and double strand breaks formation in UNG-/- human cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4482. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4482
Disequilibrium in the uranium and actinium series in oil scale samples.

We have investigated the disequilibrium of the uranium and actinium series and have found both 226Ra (90,200 ± 4300 Bq/kg) and 228Ra have activity concentrations orders of magnitude higher that 238U (1.83 ± 0.36 Bq/kg) and 232Th (7.0 ± 0.4) which are at the head of the decay series. As well the activity concentration of 210Pb (24,400 ± 1200 Bg/kg) was about 3.6 times less than 226Ra. Once an efficiency curve was constructed summing corrections for specific isotopes in the decay change also needed to be taken in consideration. Furthermore, self-attenuation of the photons especially the 46.5 keV belonging to 210Pb was calculated to be 78% since the scale had elevated elemental concentrations of high-Z elements such as barium and strontium.
An Empirical Investigation into Demographic and Psychographic Determinants of Class Dropping by Marketing Students

There appears to be a growing trend in higher education toward allowing students to withdraw from a course relatively late in the term. In most cases the student can withdraw from a class without grade penalty (prior to a specific date, after which the student receives a grade penalty).
Prostatitis and prostatodynia: their relationship to benign prostatic hypertrophy.

SUMMARY Prostatitis and prostatodynia remain the major painful diseases of the prostate seen and evaluated by urologists in their offices. They are differentiated from the other common diseases of the prostate such as benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostatic cancer by the inclusion of a component of genital or lower urinary tract pain in the symptomatology described by the patient. Basic evaluation of such patients centers around localization of the infection to an area of the prostate by microscopic examination of prostatic fluid and differential bacterial localization studies comparing urethral, bladder, and prostatic specimens. Based on these examinations, a revised classification of patients with prostatitis or prostatodynia has been achieved. Patients are placed in a category of either: acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, nonbacterial prostatitis, or prostatodynia. The latter two categories include the term previously referred to as “prostatosis.” However, they are separated by the fact that the patient with nonbacterial prostatitis shows inflammation in prostatic fluid and tissue in the absence of bacterial infection, whereas the patient with prostatodynia has no evidence of bacteria or inflamed prostatic fluid or tissue. Prostatodynia is analogous to a condition sometimes called perineal or prostatic myalgia. Using this classification, a therapeutic plan for the patient can be developed. Such a plan may include the use of antibiotics, antispasmodic drugs, periurethral muscle relaxing agents, or biofeedback support methods. Adjuncts to the diagnosis of prostatitis such as the determination of prostatic fluid pH, serum antibodies to prostatic bacteria, zinc concentration in the prostatic fluid, prostatic bacterial antibody coating, and urodynamics/urinary flow studies may also be useful.
Research Life Lesson 2: A Person’s Research Is Endlessly Important to Him

Dale Carnegie, in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, provides a variety of life lessons in dealing with people. On the section entitled, “Six Ways to Make People Like You,” Carnegie offers a few simple rules about dealing with other people and these include: (1) Becoming genuinely interested in other people; (2) Smile; (3) Remember that a person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language; (4) Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves; (5) Talk in terms of the other person’s interest; and (6) Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely.
EEG after Febrile Seizure is Predictive of Epilepsy

Researchers in pediatric neurology and electroencephalography at the University of Yamanashi, Japan, studied the EEG in children referred within 7-20 days after a febrile seizure (FS), and determined the utility of localization of paroxysmal discharges as a predictor for subsequent epilepsy.
Mechanistic Studies of Redox-Switchable Copolymerization of Lactide and Cyclohexene Oxide by a Zirconium Complex

Several aspects of the copolymerization of l-lactide (LA) and cyclohexene oxide (CHO) by a redox-switchable zirconium catalyst, (salfan)Zr(OtBu)2 (salfan = 1,1′-bis(2-tert-butyl-6-N-methylmethylenephenoxy)ferrocene), were examined, such as the mechanism of cyclohexene oxide polymerization, the reactivity of [(salfan)Zr(OtBu)2][BArF] (BArF = tetrakis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)borate) toward lactide, and comonomer effects on polymerization rates. Experimental methods and DFT calculations indicate that the likely mechanism of CHO polymerization by [(salfan)Zr(OtBu)2][BArF] is coordination insertion and not a cationic pathway, as employed by the majority of cationic catalysts. Furthermore, DFT calculations showed that the polymerization of LA by [(salfan)Zr(OtBu)2][BArF] is not thermodynamically favored, in agreement with experimental results. Finally, we found that the conversion times of CHO or LA from block to block correlate with the amount of monomer left from the previous block rather than other fa...
Confessions of a New York rupture researcher: An insider’s guide and critique

Objective: The study of alliance rupture has become quite prevalent since 1990 and especially in the past 10 years where we have seen a noticeable surge in empirical publications on the subject. Th...
FDG-PET CT in the evaluation of primary and secondary pancreatic malignancies.

Purpose Primary pancreatic carcinoma and pancreatic metastases are rare in the pediatric population. Pancreatoblastoma is the most common pancreatic malignant tumor in young children and solid-pseudopapillary tumor in teenagers. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is extremely rare under the age of 40 and is usually associated with underlying genetic abnormalities. Secondary malignancies of the pancreas occur more frequently than primary pancreatic malignancies in children and are most commonly seen with non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and mesenchymal sarcomas. The purpose of this study was to characterize the metabolism of primary and secondary tumors of the pancreas in pediatric patients. Materials and methods A retrospective analysis of all primary and secondary pancreatic malignancies imaged with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography (CT) was conducted. Results Three patients with primary pancreatic cancers were identified, one each with pancreatoblastoma, solid-pseudopapillary tumor, and adenocarcinoma. Each tumor showed elevated uptake of FDG. Metastatic disease in the pancreas was identified in 12 patients-five NHL (including three Burkitt lymphomas), six sarcomas (three osteosarcomas, two rhabdomyosarcomas, and one Ewing sarcoma family tumor), and one malignant rhabdoid tumor. Elevated but variable uptake of FDG was found in each of the tumors of patients with metastatic disease within the pancreas. Conclusion Both primary malignancies and metastatic disease within the pancreas, though very rare in children, adolescents, and young adults, are metabolically active and can be functionally characterized using FDG-PET CT.
CELL CHARACTERIZATION BY USE OF MULTIPLE GENETIC MARKERS

The extensive use of cell cultures for diverse research purposes is one of the truly great international growth industries. With the proliferation of cells comes a responsi bility for monitoring them for inter- and intraspecies characteristics. We use multiple genetic markers for cell identifi cation, i.e. species specific antigens, isozymic phenotypes, chromosomal complement, and HL-A haplotypes. The methodologies employed are briefly described, and various examples cited to show how these markers can be utilized for cell line monitoring. Data are summarized from 275 cultures sent to our laboratory for analysis during the past eighteen months. The data show that, overall, 35% of the cultures received were contaminated. The majority of cell cultures submitted were human cell lines. We found that 36% of these cultures were cross contaminated; 25% by cells of another species and 11% by another human cell line. This high incidence of inter- and intraspecies contamination under scores the importance of frequent monitoring of cell cultures.
Nonlinear vibration of thermo-elastic plates in a magnetic field

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a geometrically nonlinear theory of electromagnetically conducting orthotropic flat plates exposed to a thermo-magnetic field. Based on the electromagnetic equations—by Faraday, Ampere, Ohm, Maxwell and Lorentz—the modified Fourier's law of heat conduction and elastokinetic field equations, the 3D coupled problem is reduced to an equivalent 2D one, appropriate to the theory of plates. In the modeling of the plate, the geometric nonlinearities are incorporated. While the elastic, thermal and electromagnetic fields can be determined from the elasticity, thermal and Maxwell equations, the superposition of these three fields generate, via their interaction, a new phenomena between each other. The electromagnetic field influences the thermo-elastic field by entering the elastic stress equations of motion as the magnetic body forces (Lorentz's ponderomotive force), whereas the elastic and thermal fields influence the electromagnetic field by modifying the Ohm's law.
Does Payment by Check Constitute a Transfer Upon Delivery or Payment

The inherent delay between delivery and a check's payment is significant in determining whether the transfer occurs upon delivery or payment of the check. A dilemma is created if a check is received on the 93rd day before the debtor's bankruptcy petition is filed, but payment occurs on the 89th day before the petition is filed. When is the transfer of funds considered to have occurred for the purpose of determining whether the payment is avoidable as a preference, on the 93rd or 89th day before the petition was filed?The first section of this article analyzes of the legal obligations of each party to a check: the payee, drawer and drawee bank. It is the date on which the drawee bank becomes legally obligated to the payee that should control when the transfer occurs under section 547(b). Under section 547(c) the transfer occurs when the payee accepts the check with the understanding the check discharges the drawer's debt. The second section advocates that any decision of when the transfer occurs must consider how relying on the legal obligations of each of the three parties advances or inhibits the policy goals expressed by both sections 547(b) and 547(c) of the Bankruptcy Code. A ruling under section 547(b) that the transfer occurs upon payment by the drawee bank advances the policy goal of that subsection. The policy goal of section 547(c) is advanced by a holding that the transfer occurs upon delivery of the check. Any reliance on section 547(e) in reaching a decision of when the transfer occurs is misplaced, because Congress intended that provision to apply to security interests.
The Tetrahedral Tripod

The Tetrahedral-Tripod is a novel spatial, parallel-link manipulator that offers pure translational motion. In this paper we describe the ideas leading to the development of low degree-of-freedom parallel link mechanisms for use in machine tool applications. The tetrahedral tripod offers superior theoretical characteristics by admitting closed-form solutions for its kinematics and dynamics. Further, its motion and mechanical construction are simple while offering high stiffness and accuracy. It offers a relatively large, singularity-free workspace. It may be used as the basis of a 3-axis machine tool. When used in conjunction with a universal table, it offers the potential for a stiff and accurate 5-axis, series-parallel machine tool. Keywords. Parallel link manipulators, Stewart platform, Machine tools.
Simulation in Neurocritical Care: Past, Present, and Future

Simulation-based medical education is a technique that leverages adult learning theory to train healthcare professionals by recreating real-world scenarios in an interactive way. It allows learners to emotionally engage in the assessment and management of critically ill patients without putting patients at risk. Learners are encouraged to work at the edge of their expertise to promote growth and are provided with feedback to nurture development. Thus, the training is targeted to the learner, not the patient. Despite its origins as a teaching tool for neurological diseases, simulation-based medical education has been historically abandoned by neurocritical care educators. In contrast, other critical care educators have embraced the technique and built an impressive foundation of literature supporting its use. Slowly, neurocritical care educators have started experimenting with simulation-based medical education and sharing their results. In this review, we will investigate the historical origins of simulation in the neurosciences, the conceptual framework supporting the technique, current applications, and future directions.
Association of Long-term Ambient Black Carbon Exposure and Oxidative Stress Allelic Variants With Intraocular Pressure in Older Men

Importance Elevated intraocular pressure is a major risk factor for glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Environmental air pollution has been suggested as a potential contributor to elevated intraocular pressure; however, no studies have demonstrated such an association to date. Objective To investigate the association of long-term ambient black carbon exposure with intraocular pressure in community-dwelling older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants This population-based analysis, conducted from October 18, 2017, through March 22, 2018, used data from the all-male, New England–based Normative Aging Study of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The analysis included 419 older men with a total of 911 follow-up study visits between January 1, 2000, and December 30, 2011. Intraocular pressure was measured by Goldmann applanation tonometry during the study visits. Validated spatiotemporal models were used to generate 1-year black carbon exposure levels at the addresses of the participants. Main Outcomes and Measures An independently developed genetic score approach was used to calculate allelic risk scores for 3 pathways associated with black carbon toxicity: endothelial function, oxidative stress, and metal processing. The associations among black carbon exposure, allelic risk scores, and intraocular pressure were explored using linear mixed-effects models. Results All 419 participants were men with a mean (SD) age of 75.3 (6.9) years. The mean (SD) 1-year black carbon exposure was 0.51 (0.18) μg/m3, and the mean (SD) intraocular pressure for the left eye was 14.1 (2.8) mm Hg and for the right eye was 14.1 (3.0) mm Hg. Of the 911 visits, 520 (57.1%) had a high endothelial function allelic risk score, 644 (70.7%) had a high metal-processing allelic risk score, and 623 (68.4%) had a high oxidative stress allelic risk score. In fully adjusted linear mixed-effects models, the association of black carbon with intraocular pressure was greater in individuals with a high oxidative stress allelic score (β = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.003-0.73) compared with individuals with a low score (β = −0.35; 95% CI, −0.86 to 0.15). Conclusions and Relevance Ambient black carbon exposure may be a risk factor for increased intraocular pressure in individuals susceptible to other biological oxidative stressors. If additional studies confirm these results, monitoring ambient black carbon exposure and physiological oxidative stress may prevent the development and progression of intraocular pressure–related disease.
Structure Sensitive Tier Projection: Applications and Formal Properties.

The subregular approach has revealed that the phonological surface patterns found in natural language are much simpler than previously assumed. Most patterns belong to the subregular class of tier-based strictly local languages (TSL), which characterizes them as the combination of a strictly local dependency with a tier-projection mechanism that masks out irrelevant segments. Some non-TSL patterns have been pointed out in the literature, though. We show that these outliers can be captured by rendering the tier projection mechanism sensitive to the surrounding structure. We focus on a specific instance of these structure-sensitive TSL languages: input-local TSL (ITSL), in which the tier projection may distinguish between identical segments that occur in different local contexts in the input string. This generalization of TSL establishes a tight link between tier-based language classes and ISL transductions, and is motivated by several natural language phenomena.
Epidural versus PCA Pain Management after Pectus Excavatum Repair: A Multi-Institutional Prospective Randomized Trial.

Introduction Postoperative pain control remains the primary reason for inpatient stay after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum. In a previous study, our group reported that early pain control was better in patients managed with a thoracic epidural, while late pain control was better in patients managed with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). After revising our epidural transition and modifying the PCA protocol, we conducted a multi-institutional prospective randomized trial to evaluate these two pain control strategies. Materials and Methods Patients were randomized to epidural or PCA following minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum with standard protocols for each arm. Primary outcome was length of stay with secondary variables including mean patient pain scores, complications, and parental satisfaction. Scores were pooled for the two groups and reported as means with standard deviation. Results were compared using t-tests and one-way analysis of variance with p-value Results Sixty-five patients were enrolled, 32 epidural and 33 PCA. Enrollment was stopped early when we developed an alternative strategy for controlling these patients' pain. There was no difference in length of stay in hours between the two arms; epidural 111.3 ± 18.5 versus PCA 111.4 ± 51.4, p = 0.98. Longer operative time was found in the epidural group. Nine patients in the epidural group (28%) required a PCA in addition to epidural for adequate pain control. Mean pain scores were lower on postoperative day 0 in the epidural group compared with the PCA groups, but were otherwise similar. Conclusion In our prospective randomized trial, PCA is just as effective as thoracic epidural in decreasing early postoperative pain scores after minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum.
Olaparib Combined with an ATR or Chk1 Inhibitor as a Treatment Strategy for Acquired Olaparib-Resistant BRCA1 Mutant Ovarian Cells

Objective: Despite the promise of PARP inhibitors (PARPi) for treating BRCA1/2 mutated ovarian cancer (OC), drug resistance invariably develops. We hypothesized rationale drug combinations, targeting key molecules in DNA repair pathways and the cell cycle may be synergistic and overcome acquired PARPi resistance. Methods: Drug sensitivity to PARPi alone and in combination with inhibitors of key DNA repair and cell cycle proteins, including ATR (VE-821), Chk1 (MK-8776), Wee1 (MK-1775), RAD51 (RI-1) was assessed in PARPi-sensitive (UWB1) and -resistant (UWB1-R) gBRCA1 mutant OC cell lines using a cell proliferation assay. The Bliss synergy model was used to estimate the two-drug combination effect and pharmacologic synergy (Bliss score ≥ 0) or antagonistic (Bliss score ≥ 0) response of the PARPi in combination with the inhibitors. Results: IC50 for olaparib alone was 1.6 ± 0.9 µM compared to 3.4 ± 0.6 µM (p = 0.05) for UWB1 and UWB1-R cells, respectively. UWB1-R demonstrated increased sensitivity to ATRi (p = 0.04) compared to UWB1. Olaparib (0.3–1.25 µM) and ATRi (0.8–2.5 µM) were synergistic with Bliss scores of 17.2 ± 0.2, 11.9 ± 0.6 for UWB1 and UWB1-R cells, respectively. Olaparib (0.3–1.25 µM) and Chk1i(0.05–1.25 µM) were synergistic with Bliss scores of 8.3 ± 1.6, 5.7 ± 2.9 for UWB1 and UWB1-R cells, respectively. Conclusions: Combining an ATRi or Chk1i with olaparib is synergistic in both PARPi-sensitive and -resistant BRCA1 mutated OC cell models, and are rationale combinations for further clinical development.
"I've been always strong to conquer any suffering:" challenges and resilience of Chinese American dementia caregivers in a life course perspective.

This study investigated the resilience of a growing but largely underserved and understudied population—Chinese American dementia caregivers, whose experience is embedded in their development throu...
Associations of APOE e2 genotype with cerebrovascular pathology: a postmortem study of 1275 brains.

Objective We assessed the association of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in a large neuropathological database maintained by the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC). Such a comprehensive investigation of APOE and CVD pathology has not heretofore been conducted. We focused on APOE e2, an established neuroprotective genetic variant against Alzheimer’s disease. Methods To implement these objectives APOE associations in the NACC database of 1275 brains with 11 CVD pathologies, including old and recent infarcts, haemorrhages, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and arteriosclerosis, were examined. These pathologies were uniformly and semiquantitatively measured across 39 Alzheimer’s Disease Center sites. We used χ2 statistics and ordinal regression to assess the significance of associations and Bonferroni corrected for multiple comparisons. Results Of the cases, 98 were e2/e3 or e2/e2 genotypes (‘e2’ carriers), 621 were e3 homozygotes (‘e3’ group), and 556 were e4/e3 (442) or e4/e4 (114) genotypes (‘e4’ group). Results indicated that the APOE e4 allele significantly increased risk for CAA. After stratification by CAA presence/absence, we found that in those cases in which CAA was present, APOE e2 significantly increased risk for gross haemorrhage. All other associations were negative. Conclusions In this, the largest study of APOE e2 effects on pathologically verified CVD, e2 was not protective against any CVD pathology compared with e3 homozygotes, including CAA. Regarding the latter pathology, e4 was associated with increases in its severity. Furthermore, and perhaps unexpectedly, e2 significantly increased risk of acute/subacute gross haemorrhage in the presence of CAA. Thus, there were limits to e2 neuroprotection against amyloidosis, despite its known and large protective effects against diffuse and neuritic amyloid plaques compared with e3/e3 and e4 carriers in this very collection.
A finite element simulation model of convective heat-assisted single-point incremental forming of thermoplastics

The objective of this research is to simulate the effects of temperature on the stress, strain, and forming forces in the single-point incremental forming process of polymers through the development of a FEA model. Currently available SPIF simulation models are limited to room temperature and are not suited to processes that use localized heating to increase formability. The model developed in this research consists of three key components: (a) simulated temperature spot using a distribution of convective heat transfer coefficients (HTC) values, (b) temperature-dependent material behavior using the Three Network model (TNM), and (c) and the integration of thermal and mechanical behavior of the SPIF process. The forming of a polycarbonate cone with a constant wall angle of 45 degrees is simulated using the model under two conditions: (i) room temperature SPIF and (ii) CHASPIF using an external hot air source of 250 °F (121.11 °C). The accuracy of the predicted deformation and temperatures varies in the different zones. Inside the formed wall, the temperature distribution is predicted within ± 5 °C for CHASPIF, and deformation within 0.766 mm for CHASPIF and 0.786 mm for SPIF compared to experimental results. Future research will be focused on improving the accuracy of the model and evaluating process limits for more complex shapes. The simulation model is ultimately intended to be used for model-based manufacturing.
Spatial Induction in Color Scission

An exception to the rule that only one color is seen at every retinotopic location happens when a bounded colored transparency or spotlight is seen on a differently colored surface. Despite the spe...
Ensemble deep model for continuous estimation of Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III

Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale-part III (UPDRS III) is part of the standard clinical examination performed to track the severity of Parkinson’s disease (PD) motor complications. Wearable technologies could be used to reduce the need for on-site clinical examinations of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) and provide a reliable and continuous estimation of the severity of PD at home. The reported estimation can be used to successfully adjust the dose and interval of PD medications. We developed a novel algorithm for unobtrusive and continuous UPDRS-III estimation at home using two wearable inertial sensors mounted on the wrist and ankle. We used the ensemble of three deep-learning models to detect UPDRS-III-related patterns from a combination of hand-crafted features, raw temporal signals, and their time–frequency representation. Specifically, we used a dual-channel, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for hand-crafted features, 1D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-LSTM for raw signals, and 2D CNN-LSTM for time–frequency data. We utilized transfer learning from activity recognition data and proposed a two-stage training for the CNN-LSTM networks to cope with the limited amount of data. The algorithm was evaluated on gyroscope data from 24 PwP as they performed different daily living activities. The estimated UPDRS-III scores had a correlation of $$0.79\, (\textit{p}<0.0001)$$ and a mean absolute error of 5.95 with the clinical examination scores without requiring the patients to perform any specific tasks. Our analysis demonstrates the potential of our algorithm for estimating PD severity scores unobtrusively at home. Such an algorithm could provide the required motor-complication measurements without unnecessary clinical visits and help the treating physician provide effective management of the disease.
A 19-GHz PLL with 20.3-fs Jitter

A PLL samples both the rising and falling edges of the reference clock and employs a new retiming method in the feedback divider. Fabricated in 28-nm CMOS technology, the prototype achieves an rms jitter of 20.3 fs from 10 kHz to 100 MHz with a spur of −66 dBc while consuming 12 mW.
Intra-aortic Balloon Pump Counterpulsation

The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is a mechanical circulatory support device which may be placed into the descending thoracic aorta in order to support a patient’s hemodynamics. The goals of intra-aortic counterpulsation are to improve coronary perfusion, reduce afterload, and thus decrease myocardial demand. Augmentation of coronary perfusion occurs during diastole, when the IABP inflates and provides retrograde flow in the ascending aorta. During systole, the IABP rapidly deflates, resulting in reduced afterload and a reduction in systolic blood pressure, which promotes forward flow. This reduction in work performed by the left ventricle results in a lower oxygen demand. The IABP has been widely used since its conception in the 1960s and is the most commonly used mechanical support device for critically ill patients. While it may be placed surgically, it is most commonly placed percutaneously under fluoroscopic guidance via the femoral artery.
Photoacoustic assessment of the fetal brain and placenta as a method of non-invasive antepartum and intrapartum monitoring

Abstract A noninvasive monitor for concurrent evaluation of placental and fetal sagittal sinus sO 2 for both antepartum surveillance at the late 2nd and 3rd trimesters and intrapartum monitoring would be a great advantage over current methods. A PA fetal brain and placental monitor has potential value to rapidly identify the fetus at risk for developing hypoxia and ischemia of a sufficient degree that brain injury or death may develop, which may be prevented by intervention with delivery and other follow-up treatments.
Variable Angle SIMS

The procedure for performing optimized SIMS analysis on any given sample varies according to the nature of the sample and the type of information that is to be extracted from the analysis. One of the ways in which the data acquisition can be optimized is through the control of the primary ion beam angle of incidence. In this work a quadrupole based SIMS instrument operating with an oxygen primary ion beam was used to demonstrate the effect of altering the angle of incidence on: A) The ease of charge neutralization of borophosphosilicate glass films. B) The depth resolution obtained from an A1GaAs/GaAs superlattice structure. C) The boron sensitivity obtained from a boron implanted silicon sample.
Comparison of silver, cesium, and strontium release predictions using PARFUME with results from the AGR-1 irradiation experiment

The PARFUME (PARticle FUel ModEl) code was used to predict the release of fission products silver, cesium, and strontium from tristructural isotropic coated fuel particles and compacts during the first irradiation experiment (AGR-1) of the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification program. The PARFUME model for the AGR-1 experiment used the fuel compact volume average temperature for each of the 620 days of irradiation to calculate the release of silver, cesium, and strontium from a representative particle for a select number of AGR-1 compacts. Post-irradiation examination (PIE) measurements provided data on release of these fission products from fuel compacts and fuel particles, and retention of silver in the compacts outside of the silicon carbide (SiC) layer. PARFUME-predicted fractional release of silver, cesium, and strontium was determined and compared to the PIE measurements. For silver, comparisons show a trend of over-prediction at low burnup and under-prediction at high burnup. PARFUME has limitations in the modeling of the temporal and spatial distributions of the temperature and burnup across the compacts, which affects the accuracy of its predictions. Nevertheless, the comparisons on silver release lie in the same order of magnitude. Results show an overall over-prediction of the fractional release of cesium by PARFUME. For particles with failed SiC layers, the over-prediction is by a factor of up to 3, corresponding to a potential over-estimation of the diffusivity in uranium oxycarbide (UCO) by a factor of up to 250. For intact particles, whose release is much lower, the over-prediction is by a factor of up to 100, which could be attributed to an over-estimated diffusivity in SiC by about 40% on average. The release of strontium from intact particles is also over-predicted by PARFUME, which also points towards an over-estimated diffusivity of strontium in either SiC or UCO, or possibly both. The measured strontium fractional release from intact particles varied considerably from compact to compact, making it difficult to assess the effective over-estimation of the diffusivities. Furthermore, the release of strontium from particles with failed SiC is difficult to observe experimentally due to the release from intact particles, preventing any conclusions to be made on the accuracy or validity of the PARFUME predictions and the modeled diffusivity of strontium in UCO.
Mechanistic comparisons among base excision repair glycosylases

The mechanisms by which various DNA glycosylases initiate the base excision repair pathways are discussed. Fundamental distinctions are made between "simple glycosylases," that do not form DNA single-strand breaks, and "glycosylases/abasic site lyases," that do form single-strand breaks. Several groupings of BER substrate sites are defined and some interactions between these groupings and glycosylase mechanisms discussed. Two characteristics are proposed to be common among all BER glycosylases: a nucleotide flipping step that serves to expose the scissile glycosyl bond to catalysis, and a glycosylase transition state characterized by substantial tetrahedral character at the base glycosyl atom.
Globally elevated titanium, tantalum, and niobium (TITAN) in ocean island basalts with high 3He/4He

[1] We report evidence for a global Ti, Ta, and Nb (TITAN) enriched reservoir sampled by ocean island basalts (OIBs) with high 3He/4He ratios, an isotopic signature associated with the deep mantle. Excesses of Ti (and to a lesser degree Nb and Ta) correlate remarkably well with 3He/4He in a data set of global OIBs, demonstrating that a major element signature is associated with the high 3He/4He mantle. Additionally, we find that OIBs with high 3He/4He ratios have moderately radiogenic 187Os/188Os (>0.135). The TITAN enrichment and radiogenic 187Os/188Os in high 3He/4He OIBs indicate that they are melts of a mantle domain that hosts a nonprimitive (nonchondritic) component. The observation of TITAN enrichment in the high 3He/4He mantle may be important in balancing the Earth's budget for the TITAN elements. Understanding the origin of the TITAN enrichment is important for constraining the evolution of the enigmatic high 3He/4He mantle domain.
Resolving the problem of definite outcomes of measurements

The heart of the measurement puzzle, namely the problem of definite outcomes, remains unresolved. This paper shows that Josef Jauch's 1968 reduced density operator approach is the solution, even though many question it: The entangled "Measurement State" implies local mixtures of definite but indeterminate eigenvalues even though the MS continues evolving unitarily. A second, independent, argument based on the quantum's nonlocal entanglement with its measuring apparatus shows that the outcomes must be definite eigenvalues because of relativity's ban on instant signaling. Experiments with entangled photon pairs show the MS to be a non-paradoxical superposition of correlations between states rather than a "Schrodinger's cat" superposition of states. Nature's measurement strategy is to shift the superposition--the coherence--from the detected quantum to the correlations between the quantum and its detector, allowing both subsystems to collapse locally to mixtures of definite eigenvalues. This solution implies an innocuous revision of the standard eigenvalue-eigenstate link. Three frequent objections to this solution are rebutted.
PAR-6 is a conserved PDZ domain-containing protein that colocalizes with PAR-3 in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos

The par genes are required to establish polarity in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. Mutations in two of these genes, par-3 and par-6, exhibit similar phenotypes. A third gene, pkc-3, gives a similar phenotype when the protein is depleted by RNA interference. PAR-3 and PKC-3 protein are colocalized to the anterior periphery of asymmetrically dividing cells of the germline lineage and the peripheral localizations of both proteins depends upon the activity of par-6. Here we report the molecular cloning of par-6 and the immunolocalization of PAR-6 protein. We found that par-6 encodes a PDZ-domain-containing protein and has homologues in mammals and flies. Moreover, we discovered that PAR-6 colocalizes with PAR-3 and that par-3 and pkc-3 activity are required for the peripheral localization of PAR-6. The localization of both PAR-3 and PAR-6 proteins is affected identically by mutations in the par-2, par-4 and par-5 genes. The co-dependence of PAR-3, PAR-6 and PKC-3 for peripheral localization and the overlap in their distributions lead us to propose that they act in a protein complex.