cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intravenous Bevacizumab Causes Regression of Choroidal Neovascularization Secondary to Diseases Other Than Age-related Macular Degeneration

Purpose To investigate the safety, tolerability, and bioactivity of intravenous infusions of bevacizumab in patients with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) attributable to causes other than age-related macular degeneration. Design Nonrandomized clinical trial. Methods Ten patients with CNV received infusions of 5 mg/kg of bevacizumab. The primary efficacy outcome measure was change in visual acuity (VA; Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters read at 4 meters) at 24 weeks and secondary measures were changes from baseline in excess foveal thickness (center subfield thickness), area of fluorescein leakage, and area of CNV. Results Infusions were well tolerated and there were no ocular or systemic adverse events. At baseline, median VA was 25.5 letters read at 4 meters (20/80) and median foveal thickness was 346 μm. At the primary endpoint (24 weeks), median VA was 48.5 letters (20/32), representing four lines of improvement from baseline ( P = .005), median foveal thickness was 248 μm representing a 72% reduction in excess foveal thickness ( P = .007). Four of nine patients had complete elimination of fluorescein leakage, three had near complete elimination (reductions of 91%, 88%, and 87%), two had modest reductions, and one had no reduction. All patients except one showed a reduction in area of CNV with a median reduction of 43%. Conclusions Despite the small number of patients studied, the marked improvement in VA accompanied by prominent reductions in foveal thickness, fluorescein leakage, and area of CNV suggest a beneficial effect. It may be worthwhile to consider further evaluation of systemic bevacizumab in young patients with CNV.
Deuteron forward photodisintegration

The deuteron photodisintegration with forwardgoing proton is calculated using a new formalism for organizing matrix elements. Relativistic effects are thoroughly discussed. Different ways of calculating retarded electric multipoles are investigated. Meson exchange currents are included in various approximations. The spin-orbit dipole operator is found to dominate the relativistic corrections.
A PRELIMINARY MEASURE OF EXISTENTIAL ANXIETY

The development of a preliminary 32-item, self-report measure of existential anxiety is described. The measure yielded a reliability estimate (KR-20) of .89 for a sample of 237 undergraduates. A hypothesized inverse relationship between existential anxiety and need for achievement was confirmed, whereas a hypothesized inverse relationship between existential anxiety and test anxiety was not.
Interfering effect of Isospora suis infection on Salmonella typhimurium infection in swine

Piglets were each orally inoculated daily for 4 consecutive days, with 104–105 nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella typhimurium and, starting 1 day after inoculation, with 50 000 Isospora suis sporulated oocysts. Control pigs were given S. typhimurium alone following the same inoculation schedule. Fecal samples were taken 5, 7 and 10 days after the coccidial inoculation, and all the pigs were necropsied 13 days after inoculation. S. typhimurium counts in the feces and in the cecal contents and the numbers of pigs positive for presence of S. typhimurium in the mesenteric lymph nodes of the dual-infected pigs were significantly (P < 0.05) smaller than in those infected with S. typhimurium alone.
The Ionic Dependence of Cardiac Excitability and Contractility

In contrast to the large volume of data supporting the dependence of cardiac excitability and phasic contractility on external Na, Van der Kloot and Rubin (1962) and Singh (1962) have reported the persistence of both electrical and phasic mechanical activity in frog atrial and ventricular preparations soaked in isotonic sucrose solutions. The acute ionic dependence of excitability and contractility in small frog atrial trabeculae has been investigated with the conclusion that excitability and phasic contractions may continue for extended periods of time in sucrose media if the extracellular ionic concentrations remain above 2% of normal. This behavior is attributed to the slow exchange properties of the cell surfaces of the frog cardiac trabeculae and the antagonistic effects of Na, K, and Ca ions on both membrane excitability and fiber contractility.
Synthesis, reactivity, and X-ray structures of face-sharing Ti(III) complexes; the new trinuclear ion, [Ti3Cl12]3−

Abstract Reduction of TiCl4 with HSnBu3 followed by treatment of the brown solid with a chloride salt produced a precursor (B) for synthesis of face-sharing Ti(III) complexes. The precursor, B, can be converted into dinuclear complexes, [Ti2Cl7(PEt3)2]− (1′) and [Ti2Cl9]33-(3′) when treated with one equivalent of PEt3 or Cl−. When only half an equivalent of Cl− was used, a trinuclear complex [Ti3Cl12]3− (2′) was isolated. 2′ can be further converted into 3′ by treating with Cl−. Substitution of the phosphine ligands in 1′ with Cl− converted 1′ into 3′. There is no reaction between 3′ and Cl−. Reaction of 1′ or 3′ with py resulted in the formation of a mononuclear species, [trans-Ti(py)2Cl4]− (4′). In complexes 1′, 2′, and 3′, the Ti atoms are bridged by three Cl atoms.
Stabilization of elusive silicon oxides

Molecular SiO2 and other simple silicon oxides have remained elusive despite the importance of silicon dioxide materials in advanced electronic devices. Clusters Si2O3 and Si2O4 have now been experimentally realized by direct oxidation of a carbene-stabilized disilicon using N2O and O2, respectively.
On the nature of pessimism in taking and giving games

Abstract I study allocations and beliefs about allocations in taking and giving games. The allocations are not significantly different between the two games, providing evidence on the isomorphism (equivalence) of taking and giving. In both games, the passive players are pessimistic about (underestimate) their allocations. However, the nature of the pessimism varies. In the taking game, takees underestimate the average allocation of takees and expect that their allocations will be lower than the average. In the giving game, recipients underestimate the average amount received, but do not expect allocations different from the average. The results therefore indicate that framing (taking versus giving) affects the reasons for which beliefs are biased. Third parties also underestimate the average allocations of takees and recipients, suggesting that takees’ and recipients’ biased expectations about average allocations are not attributable to having monetary stakes in the game. I also find that the effect of the decision-maker's gender on allocations varies by game, takees’ beliefs are related to trust, and recipients’ beliefs relate to knowing more people.
Exchange labeling of proteins:99mTc labeled transferrin

99mTc-labeled transferrin was prepared by reduction of99mTcO4−; with stannous DTPA or stannous citrate followed by equilibration of the technetium chelate with human transferrin. The rate of transfer of99mTc to transferrin in the presence of 0.015M citrate buffer was dependent on pH in the order pH 2.1> pH 7.2> pH 4.1> pH 5.9. The incorporation rate was inversely proportional to the concentration of DTPA and citrate buffer. The replacement of citrate buffer by acetate buffer or oxalate buffer reduced drastically the formation of99mTc-labeled transferrin at pH 4.1. The formation of99mTc-labeled transferrin prepared from the reduction of99mTcO4− with stannous citrate was faster than that from the reduction with stannous DTPA in the presence of 0.015M citrate buffer and pH 2.5. Equilibration of transferrin with99mTc-labeled pyrophosphate did not produce99mTc-labeled transferrin at pH 4.5. The ligand exchange labeling of99mTc to transferrin in 0.015M citrate did not cause appreciable denaturation of the protein at all pH values. This method also enabled labeling of the protein in a low concentration (2.6·10−4 M) via tin reduction. Sequential external imaging of the99mTc-labeled transferrin in Sprague-Dawley rats bearing Walker-256 carcinosarcoma showed optimal tumor localization occurred at 3 hr after injection. In spite of this,99mTc-labeled transferrin does not appear to be a suitable imaging agent because of the low tumor to blood ratio of99mTc (0.50±0.17) at 3 hr post injection. This is similar to that of6 7Ga-citrate (0.43±0.15%).
Anti-CD33 monoclonal antibodies enhance the cytotoxic effects of cytosine arabinoside and idarubicin on acute myeloid leukemia cells through similarities in their signaling pathways

Objective Chemotherapy agents (CA) such as cytosine arabinoside (ara-C), idarubicin (IDA), and etoposide (VP-16) are widely used in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) However, their effects on signaling pathways leading to cytotoxicity have only been described recently. Ligation of the leukemia-associated antigen CD33 by anti-CD33 monoclonal antibody (mAb) also results in signaling events that induce a downregulation of cell growth. We examined the possibility that anti-CD33 mAb and CA might cooperate in mediation of growth inhibition in primary AML samples and AML cell lines. Materials and methods We investigated two AML cells lines and 14 primary AML samples for their proliferative response (3H-thymidine incorporation), colony formation, and biochemical (Western blot analysis) to anti-CD33 mAb treatment combined with chemotherapy agents. Results CD33 ligation induced a significant increase in ara-C- or IDA- but not VP-16–or Bryostatin-mediated inhibition of proliferation and colony formation. Ara-C and IDA induced SHP-1 and SHP-2 protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPs) phosphorylation and Lyn/SHP-1 complex formation, while VP-16 and Bryostatin did not. CD33 ligation, however, mediated phosphorylation of these PTPs and Syk/SHP-1 complex formations. Combined treatment of AML cells by ara-C or IDA with anti-CD33 mAb resulted in higher levels of SHP-1 phosphorylation. Reduction in SHP-1 by short interfering RNA abrogated these effects. Conclusion These data suggest that combined incubation of leukemia cells with anti-CD33 mAb and ara-C or IDA, but not VP-16 or Bryostatin, independently triggers similar events in the downstream signaling cascade, and therefore leads to additive antiproliferative effects and enhanced cytotoxicity.
THE COSTS OF EQUITY ISSUES SINCE RULE 415: A CLOSER LOOK

In this paper I re-examine the effect of shelf registration (SEC Rule 415) on the underwriter fees of firms issuing equity. The data indicate that lower fees cannot be obtained by typical firms using the shelf procedure. Rather, previously documented evidence of lower underwriter spreads for shelf issues appears to be due to a selection bias in the firms choosing shelf registration. These firms enjoy a comparative cost advantage over other firms regardless of the registration procedure used.
Presence of queuine in Drosophila melanogaster: correlation of free pool with queuosine content of tRNA and effect of mutations in pteridine metabolism

Abstract Queuine, a modified form of 7-deazaguanine present in certain transfer RNAs, is shown to occur in Drosophila melanogaster adults in a free form and its concentration varies as a function of age, nutrition and genotype. In several, but not all mutant strains, the concentrations of queuine and the Q(+) (queuine-containing) form of tRNATyr are correlated. The bioassay employs L-M cells which respond to the presence of queuine by an increase in their Q(+)tRNAAsp that is accompanied by a decrease in the Q(-)tRNAAsp isoacceptors. The increase in Q(+)tRNATyr in Drosophila that occurs on a yeast diet is accompanied by an increase in queuine. Similarly the increase of Q(+)tRNAs with age also is accompanied by an increase in free queuine. In two mutants, brown and sepia, these correlations were either diminished or failed to occur. Indeed, the extract of both mutants inhibited the response of the L-M cells to authentic queuine. When the pteridines that occur at abnormally high levels in sepia were used at 1 x 10(-6)M, the inhibition of the L-M cell assay occurred in the order biopterin greater than pterin greater than sepiapterin. These pteridines were also inhibitory for the purified guanine:tRNA transglycosylase from rabbit but the relative effectiveness then was pterin greater than biopterin greater than sepiapterin. Pterin was competitive with guanine in the enzyme reaction with Ki = 0.9 x 10(-7)M. Also when an extract of sepia was chromatographed on Sephadex G-50, the pteridine-containing fractions only were inhibitory toward the L-M cell assay or the enzyme assay. These results indicate that free queuine occurs in Drosophila but also that certain pteridines may interfere with the incorporation of queuine into RNA.
FINE STRUCTURE OF DEVELOPING AND MATURE TRICHOCYSTS IN FRONTONIA VESICULOSA.

SYNOPSIS. An electron microscope study of regenerating trichocysts in Frontonia vesirztlosa showed that these organelles oripnate from primordial, membrane-limited vesicles which appear randomly in the endoplasm. The characteristic pattern of development leading to the first definitive organization of the trichocyst involves the elaboration of the amorphous intravesicular substance into a series of closely packed fibrous sheets. These densely staining elements, laid down in two dimensional arrays, constitute the fundamental plan upon which the various structural subdivisions of the organelle are subsequently formed. Maturation involves, however, the re-transformation of the distinctly fibrillar pattern of the body into a homogeneous, structureless matrix. The mature trichocyst, consisting of the tip, cap and body, is a pyriform structure bounded by a thin external membrane which is continuous with the pellicle. Extrusion of the organelle results in the transformation of the homogeneous tip and body into a slender shaft with transverse striations having a familiar periodicity of about 560 A. During discharge the entire organelle is ejected, but the cap does not participate in the formation of the shaft. Elementary units of 120A and 250 A periodicities are also described in intracellularly discharged trichocysts. These observations are discussed in relation to current theories on the nature of the extrusion process. The endoplasmic origin of trichocysts in Frontonia does not support the classical theory of the morphogenetic pluripatency of kinetosomes insofar as i t relates to the direct derivation of these organelles from pre-existing ciliary basal bodies.
Impact of high velocity cold spray particles

This article presents experimental data and a computational model of the cold spray solid particle impact process. Copper particles impacting onto a polished stainless steel substrate were examined in this study. The high velocity impact causes significant plastic deformation of both the particle and the substrate, but no melting was observed. The plastic deformation exposes clean surfaces that, under the high impact pressures, result in significant bond strengths between the particle and substrate. Experimental measurements of the splat and crater sizes compare well with the numerical calculations. It was shown that the crater depth is significant and increases with impact velocity. However, the splat diameter is much less sensitive to the impact velocity. It was also shown that the geometric lengths of the splat and crater scale linearly with the diameter of the impacting particle. The results presented will allow a better understanding of the bonding process during cold spray.
The effects of scaling titanium implant surfaces with metal and plastic instruments on cell attachment.

This study examined the ability of tissue culture fibroblasts to attach and colonize on the surface of pure titanium dental implants following instrumentation of the implant surface with curettes of dissimilar composition. Pure titanium dental implants were scaled with a plastic, titanium-alloy, or stainless steel curette and then immersed in a cell suspension of 3T3 fibroblasts. Counts of attached cells were made at 24 and 72 hours; the implants were then processed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). At 24 hours, only surfaces scaled with a stainless steel curette showed a significant reduction in number of attached cells relative to untreated control surfaces. At 72 hours, both stainless steel and titanium-alloy curette instrumented surfaces showed significantly fewer attached cells than untreated control surfaces, with the greatest reduction in cell attachment observed on the stainless steel curette instrumented surfaces. SEM observations showed that fibroblasts on stainless steel instrumented surf...
Abstract 1543: Tumor associated macrophages are associated with poor survival in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Background Tumor associated macrophages have been associated with poor outcomes in several solid tumors, but their impact on the outcome of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer has not been well established. Methods We constructed a tissue microarray of 142 epithelial ovarian cancer specimens. Immunohistochemistry was performed for the presence of CD68+ macrophages. The distribution of macrophages was evaluated separately in tumor and stromal tissue. Clinical characteristics were recorded and presence or absence of intratumoral macrophages was correlated with clinical characteristics including survival. Results Median follow-up for the entire cohort was 32.0 months (range, 1.7-170 months), and median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 14.1 months and 47.8 months, respectively. Intratumoral macrophages (ITMs) were present in 132/142 patients (91.5%) and absent in 12/142 (8.5%). Patients whose tumor tissue did not contain ITMs had a significantly longer median PFS (not reached, p = 0.009) and median OS (150.1 months, p=0.03), compared with the median PFS and OS of 11.7 and 47.7 months, respectively, among patients with ITMs. Interestingly, we could not demonstrate differences in PFS and OS when stromal macrophages were evaluated separately. The presence of ITMs was an independent prognostic factor for OS in a multivariate analysis (p=0.009). The Cox proportional hazard ratios for presence of ITMs were 3.55 for PFS (95% CI, 1.38-12.13) and 3.62 for OS (95% CI, 1.33-13.08). Conclusions Our study shows that the presence of intratumoral but not stromal macrophages correlates with poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Citation Format: Wafic El Masri, Caroline Hillerup, Charlotte Topka, Chintda Santiskulvong, Alexander Chiang, Lily Wu, Jianyu Rao, Oliver Dorigo. Tumor associated macrophages are associated with poor survival in epithelial ovarian cancer. [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 1543. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1543
Tongue necrosis and systemic vascular amyloidosis

Tongue necrosis is a rare but dramatic clinical finding, which is most often related to infection, trauma, malignancy, or vasculitis. We describe an extremely unusual case in which systemic amyloid deposition in small arteries caused by senile systemic amyloidosis was associated with necrosis of the tongue as well as necrosis of portions of the bowel. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ischemic tongue necrosis resulting from vascular amyloidosis.
Influence of structure, pH and membrane potential on proton movement in cytochrome oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles and subject to a membrane potential, exhibits different characteristics than the free enzyme, with respect to effects of mutations, pH, inhibitors, and native structural differences between CcO from different species. The results indicate that the membrane potential influences the conformation of CcO and the direction of proton movement in the exit path. The importance of the protein structure above the hemes in proton exit, back leak and respiratory control is discussed.
IEC 61508 Systematic Capability

The term ‘systematic capability’ has been introduced in Edition 2 of IEC 61508. This article will explain what is meant by systematic capability and give some guidance on its use.
Effects of Habitat Destruction in a Prey–Predator Metapopulation Model

A mean field, metapopulation model of a predator-prey interaction is developed in order to understand the consequences of habitate destruction at different trophic levels. Such a model allows is to explore different ecological scenarios (donor control vs. top-down control) by changing a single parameter. The response to habitat destruction is qualitatively the same for both predator and prey, although there are interesting differences linked to the trophic position. A similar decrease in the colonization rates affects the two species quite differently. Predators diminish faster than prey, and furthermore, the fraction of occupied sites decreases more sharply as colonization rates are lowered, i.e. there is a nonlinear relationship between regional abundance and colonization rate. There is a well-defined threshold in the colonization rate below which the predator becomes extinct. Thus, dispersal rate is critical for predicting the consequences of habitat destruction. Finally, these results are compared with the behavior of a spatially explicit simulation. The only difference between the analytical model and the simulation is that colonization is no longer a global phenomenon in the latter, but it is a local process, constrained to the nearest patches. The bulk of the results are similar to the mean field behavior, and we comment on some differences related with non-homogeneity and real space. Some general implications for conservation biology and biological control are outlined. Copyright 1998 Academic Press
Diagnosis of appendicitis in infancy. The value of abdominal radiographs.

ACUTE appendicitis, a common abdominal emergency in childhood, is less frequently encountered in the infant.1-4Less than 2% of all children treated for appendicitis are under 2 years of age.3Because the diagnosis is frequently difficult to make, treatment is delayed, complications develop, and subsequent management becomes more involved. The importance of radiographic search for pneumonia as a cause of abdominal pain has been well emphasized in the pediatric literature. However, little has been written concerning the value of abdominal radiographs in the infant with appendicitis.5We believe too little is expected of such an examination and that radiography can be of considerable value in establishing the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in infants. Material At the Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, in a period from 1953 to 1968, 41 infants under 2 years of age underwent appendectomy for acute appendicitis. These infants ranged from 7 days to
Albumin binding sites of human hepatocytes

Recent studies of hepatitis B virus suggest that polymeric human serum albumin may facilitate the attachment of the virus via albumin receptors to hepatocytes during the infectious process. If this hypothesis is correct, hepatocytes should express binding sites for polymeric albumin. We employed the red blood cell adherence test using albumin-coated red blood cells as indicator cells on frozen sections of normal human livers to demonstrate these binding sites. Hepatocytes showed binding activity for both polymeric and monomeric albumin from different species. The receptor-ligand interaction was temperature and pH dependent, Ca++ independent and not altered by mercaptoethanol treatment. The binding activity was sensitive to neuraminidase and pronase, but resistant to trypsin, lipase and collagenase digestion. These findings suggest that human hepatocytes display species-non-specific albumin binding sites, which are glycoproteins.
On detailed balance and reversibility of semi-Markov processes and single-molecule enzyme kinetics

Semi-Markov processes have found increasing applications in modeling the kinetics of single enzyme molecules. Detailed balance is a widely accepted condition for Markov models of closed chemical systems and well known to be equivalent to the reversibility of a stationary Markov process. We show that for a semi-Markov process detailed balance is only a necessary condition, but not sufficient, for its time reversibility. The statistical independence between the transition direction and the sojourn time is also necessary. We show that the direction-time independence naturally arises from the exit problem of Markov models for enzyme kinetics with detailed balance. Detailed balance and the direction-time independence together are equivalent to the time reversibility of a stationary semi-Markov process. Applications of the present theory to single-molecule enzymology are also presented.
Abstract 4415: Role for the protein farnesyltransferase in the regulation of microtubule dynamics

The protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) is well characterized for its prenylation activity whereby a lipid farnesyl moiety is added to substrate proteins with a C-terminal CaaX motif. Farnesylation of the Ras oncogene was shown to be important for both its plasma membrane localization and its downstream tumorigenic signaling. Inhibitors of FTase (FTIs) were subsequently developed to inhibit Ras-dependent tumorigenesis, but soon it was found that Ras could be alternatively geranylgeranylated and remain active. However, it was also found that FTIs retain some inhibition of tumor growth activity even when Ras is alternatively geranylgeranylated, suggesting that FTIs exert their antitumor activity through other proteins than Ras. In preclinical studies, FTIs appeared to be very synergistic with microtubule-stabilizing agent such as the taxanes. In trying to understand the underlying mechanism for this synergy, we have demonstrated that FTIs increase tubulin acetylation by inhibiting the tubulin deacetylase HDAC6 and stabilizing microtubules, which in turn favors paclitaxel binding and eventually leads to mitotic arrest and cell death. We have found that FTase, microtubules and HDAC6 are part of the same protein complex and more interestingly that FTase directly bind microtubules. The interaction between FTase and microtubules was abolished in vivo upon treatment of cells with FTIs. The direct binding of FTase to microtubules requires the presence of the C-terminal end of tubulin, a known binding site for Microtubule-Associated Proteins (MAPs), and is reduced in presence of MAPs. Together with the observed reduction of microtubules dynamics in cells after treatment with FTIs, these results suggest a role for FTase in the regulation of microtubule dynamics. To test this hypothesis, we used an in vitro tubulin polymerization assay using purified bovine brain tubulin in presence or absence of recombinant purified FTase. Preliminary experiments showed that FTase greatly reduced both the rate and extent of tubulin polymerization when FTase was added directly to soluble tubulin dimers, but had no effect on preformed microtubules. Interestingly, tubulin is not a substrate for farnesylation as it does not contain a CaaX motif, and thus the effect of FTase on tubulin polymerization appears to reveal a new role for FTase in cells. Experiments are underway to determine whether the farnesyltransferase activity is required for the regulation of microtubules and to further elucidate the importance of this regulation in cells. A better understanding of this FTase-tubulin interaction and their role in vitro and in vivo might lead to the development of inhibitors that could specifically affect this interaction without altering farnesylated proteins. (Supported by NCI 5P01CA116676 and NCI 5F32CA134148-02) Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4415.
Autosomal dominant cyclic hematopoiesis: exclusion of linkage to the major hematopoietic regulatory gene cluster on chromosome 5

Autosomal dominant cyclic hematopoiesis (ADCH), or cyclic neutropenia, is a genetic disorder characterized by cyclic oscillations of neutrophils and other blood cells. To determine if the gene for ADCH mapped within the major hematopoietic regulatory gene cluster at 5q23.3–q33.3, we tested five families with ADCH for genetic linkage between the disorder and loci on chromosome 5q. Two-point analyses gave significant evidence in favor of excluding linkage between ADCH and the hematopoietic genes granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF), interleukins 3, 4, 5, and 9, and the receptor of macrophage-CSF. Furthermore, the exclusion data provide evidence for rejecting the hypothesis that ADCH may be encoded by a new gene mapping within this cluster.
Bunionectomies and related surgery in the elite female middle-distance and marathon runner

When contemplating bunion surgery in the elite athlete, serious consideration should be given to its effects on the overall function and biomechanics of the forefoot. Many surgical treatment options are available, but their use in the high performance athlete has not previously been reported in the literature. In this paper we report on the successful use of the chevron bunionectomy procedure and related surgery in two world class female middle-distance and marathon runners.
Primary Grade Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices Regarding Pedestrian Safety Education

Background: Pedestrian injury is the third leading cause of unintentional injury and death among children 1-14 years old. The purpose of this study was to examine primary grade teachers' perceived role in pedestrian safety education. Methods: A total of 630 surveys were sent to a national random sample of primary school teachers and 54% responded. Results: The results of the study found that 85% of primary grade teachers believed it was extremely important or important to teach pedestrian safety. Forty percent of the teachers identified that they had been teaching pedestrian safety for more than 1 year (maintenance stage), whereas 1 in 3 teachers had never thought about (precontemplation stage) teaching pedestrian safety to their students. Eighty-eight percent of primary grade teachers were very confident about teaching students how to safely cross the street, where to safely cross the street (87%), when to safely cross the street (86%), and how to safely walk along streets with sidewalks (83%). An examination of how pedestrian safety information was presented found that a plurality (39%) of the teachers who taught pedestrian safety presented information through classroom discussion. Also, 46% of the teachers who taught pedestrian safety identified the following as the most common curriculum content: when to safely cross the street (46%), how to safely cross the street (45%), and where to safely cross the street (43%). Conclusions: Only 16% of primary school teachers reported pedestrian safety education was required for their grade levels. Yet, pedestrian safety education decreases pedestrian-related deaths. Therefore, it is important for schools and primary grade teachers to expose their students to this essential topic. Language: en
Lengthening of the generation cycle during embryonic differentiation of the mouse neural tube.

Abstract A comparative autoradiographic study of the generation cycle in the 10-and 11-day embryonic mouse neural tube showed an increase in mean generation time of 2 h over the period studied. This was caused by an increase in the time spent in DNA synthesis (S), post-synthetic (G2) and pre-synthetic interphase (G1) with no alteration in mitotic time.
Racial Disparities in Trajectories of Dental Caries Experience

Objectives—This study charted the trajectories of dental caries, including decayed teeth, missing teeth, and filled teeth among older Americans over a 5-year period. In particular, it focused on racial differences in the levels of and rates of change in dental caries experience. Methods—Data came from the Piedmont Dental Study. The sample included 810 older Americans who were dentate at the baseline with up to 4 repeated observations between 1988 and 1994. Hierarchical linear models were employed in depicting intrapersonal and interpersonal differences in dental caries experience. Results—Different measures of caries outcomes exhibited distinct trajectories. On average, the number of decayed teeth decreased over time, whereas missing teeth increased. In contrast, the number of filled teeth remained stable during a 5-year period. Relative to their white counterparts, older black Americans had more decayed teeth and missing teeth but fewer filled teeth. Blacks and whites differed in the levels of dental caries but not in their rates of change except for missing teeth. Even when demographic and socioeconomic attributes were adjusted, racial variations in dental caries experience remained significant. Conclusions—Though significantly correlated, various dental caries outcomes move along different paths over time. In view of the persistent racial disparities in dental caries trajectories, future interventions to minimize such variations among older Americans in the levels of and the rates of change in dental caries experience are clearly warranted.
Loop-shaping techniques applied to the least-mean-squares algorithm

The least-mean-squares (LMS) algorithm is analysed as a feedback control system. It is shown that despite the fact that LMS is a time-variant system that in fact it behaves much as a linear time-invariant (LTI) closed-loop control system. Therefore, it is possible to treat the LMS algorithm as a control system in the classical sense and define properties such as bandwidth to determine how fast a response (and hence convergence) is maximally possible. Similarly, the steady-state error response to a deterministic noise-free input can also be calculated. Moreover, it is then shown that classical control-based loop-shaping techniques can be used to improve the performance of the algorithm.
Thermolytic Synthesis of Imprinted Amines in Bulk Silica

The synthesis of bulk, hydrophilic imprinted silica is reported via a novel method relying on the thermolysis of carbamates. This method is used to synthesize single-site materials consisting of either isolated primary amines or multiple organized primary amines within an imprinted site. Materials are characterized by multinuclear solid-state NMR spectroscopy, high-resolution thermogravimetric analysis, and potentiometric titration. Diffuse-reflectance UV/Vis and solid-state fluorescence spectroscopies of probe molecule-bound materials are used to demonstrate the site-isolated and polar nature of the imprinted sites resulting from this process. The polar nature is due to hydrophilic silanol groups ingenerate to the framework of the material. These permit the partitioning of polar reagents, such as 1,3,5-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS), which are unable to access the imprinted sites when framework silanols are end-capped with hydrophobic trimethylsilyl functionality. The latter observation provides a m...
Metastable phases of carbon during fracture of diamond under ultrahigh compressive stresses

Abstract We report the formation of metastable phases of carbon during fracture of a diamond anvil exposed to a compressive stress of over 3 million atm. The diamond and the metastable phases of carbon in the fractured anvil were characterized by micro-Raman and photoluminesecence spectroscopic techniques and optical and electron microscopy. Micro-Raman spectra from cracked regions show the strong D and G bands of nanocrystalline graphite (glassy phase) in addition to a new phase which exhibits a strong Raman band at 1491 cm −1 . The metastable and diamond phases are thus shown to coexist, after fracture, within the same micrometer-size crack region, and to exhibit a distinct surface morphology as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Possible mechanisms for the formation of metastable phases are discussed.
Effect of Annular Micro Tear on Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Biomechanics

Structural alterations of the disc are accompanied by changes in disc tissue structure and composition during degeneration processes. Human cadaver studies have shown that the probability of presence of annular tear is 0.6 in the age group 30 to 34 which increases to 0.85 in the 60 year age group. Among different phenomena that occur during disc degeneration, annular radial tears are commonly associated with disc herniations. The effect of increase in size of radial micro tear in the lumbar discs on the change in biomechanics of the disc is an area where there is very little information currently in the literature.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Histopathology Automated System

The TOXSYS™ System Organ Weighing (OWS), Gross Pathology (GPS), and Microscopic Pathology (DMS) components represent state of the art, automated support for small-animal histopathology. The TOXSYS™ System is a commercial product of Beckman Instruments, Inc, and has been in daily operation for more than 4 years. The system is very user-friendly, is constantly evolving, and offers substantial return on investment. The TOXSYS™ System employs special hardware and software which collect and report histopathology data. The histopathology software is designed to allow flexible, accurate data collection with immediate report generation in all phases of small-animal post-mortem examinations.
A Menkes P-type ATPase involved in copper homeostasis in the central nervous system of the rat.

We previously reported that copper efflux from C6 rat glioma cells was blocked by a brief exposure to sulfhydryl reagents p-chloromercuribenzoate (PCMB) and iodoacetamide as well as dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, suggesting the possible involvement of a Cu-transporting ATPase in the efflux mechanism. In this report, we show that copper efflux from PC12 cells, a neuron-like cell line established from rat adrenal pheochromocytoma, is also inhibited by PCMB exposure. Futhermore, we show that both C6 and PC12 cells express a homolog of the Menkes gene (MNK) as detected by RT-PCR with primers designed from a mouse cDNA and confirmed by sequence analysis of the amplified product. An expected 760-bp fragment representing the transduction and phosphorylation domains and a 925-bp fragment encoding the heavy metal-binding domain of Atp7a were amplified from a RNA extract of C6 and PC12 cells. Sequence data revealed that 690 bp of the 760-bp fragment from C6 cells were an identical match to a similar fragment from PC12 cells. Both fragments encoded a 229 amino-acid polypeptide that had a 98.7% sequence homology to mouse Atp7a. In addition, 880 bp from the 925-bp fragment of the two cell lines were identical and encoded a 293 amino-acid polypeptide with 94.5% sequence homology to mouse Atp7a. These data establish that a Menkes-type Cu-transporting ATPase is expressed in rat C6 and PC12 cells and strongly support the hypothesis that both neurons and glia are involved in maintaining Cu homeostasis in the central nervous system.
Involvement of water molecules in the association of monoclonal antibody HyHEL-5 with bobwhite quail lysozyme.

Fluorescence polarization spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry were used to study the influence of osmolytes on the association of the anti-hen egg lysozyme (HEL) monoclonal antibody HyHEL-5 with bobwhite quail lysozyme (BWQL). BWQL is an avian species variant with an Arg-->Lys mutation in the HyHEL-5 epitope, as well as three other mutations outside the HyHEL-5 structural epitope. This mutation decreases the equilibrium association constant of HyHEL-5 for BWQL by over 1000-fold as compared to HEL. The three-dimensional structure of this complex has been obtained recently. Fluorescein-labeled BWQL, obtained by labeling at pH 7.5 and purified by hydrophobic interaction chromatograpy, bound HyHEL-5 with an equilibrium association constant close to that determined for unlabeled BWQL by isothermal titration calorimetry. Fluorescence titration, stopped-flow kinetics, and isothermal titration calorimetry experiments using various concentrations of the osmolytes glycerol, ethylene glycol, and betaine to perturb binding gave a lower limit of the uptake of approximately 6–12 water molecules upon formation of the HyHEL-5/BWQL complex.
The Renormalization Group and String Field Theory

Abstract The field theoretic equation of motion of string is interpreted as the exact renormalization group equation. The generators of string gauge invariance are the redundant operators of the RG; gauge equivalence is related to universality. We give a geometric interpretation of the theory and show in principle how to derive the S-matrix.
Ferroelectrics: A new spin on spintronics

The use of a ferroelectric tunnel junction to control the spin polarization of adjacent magnetic electrodes promises a new approach to the use of interface effects for low-power-consumption spintronic devices.
MicroRNAs in Sjögren's syndrome as a prototypic autoimmune disease

MicroRNAs are endogenous non-coding RNAs, approximately 22 nucleotides in length. They regulate gene expression and are important in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. MicroRNA expression is tightly regulated during hematopoiesis and lymphoid cell differentiation and disruption of the entire microRNA network or selected microRNAs may lead to dysregulated immune responses. Abnormalities in microRNA expression related to inflammatory cytokines, Th-17 and regulatory T cells as well as B cells have been described in several autoimmune diseases. Sjogren's syndrome is characterized by features of systemic autoimmunity and chronic inflammation and dysfunction in exocrine organs. Its clinical characteristics along with the relatively easy access to the target tissue and its product makes Sjogren's syndrome appealing to study many aspects of microRNAs in a systemic autoimmune disease, such as their potential as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and their role in pathogenesis of autoimmunity, inflammation or organ dysfunction. Encouraging preliminary data from pilot studies in Sjogren's syndrome demonstrate the potential of microRNAs as putative diagnostic and prognostic biomarker candidates which should be tested in larger more definite studies. Combining the comparison of microRNA expression profiles between various clinical subsets of Sjogren's syndrome with bioinformatic modeling tools may predict formerly unsuspected pathways which may contribute to the disease process and lead to the generation of testable novel hypothesis of pathogenesis.
Mechanical properties of polypropylene‐low density polyethylene blends

Blends of polypropylene (PP) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) were prepared by both batch mixing followed by compression molding and extruder compounding followed by injection molding. Compression molded PP-LDPE blends were found to have very poor toughness, whereas extruded blends, injection molded without weld lines, were quite tough. Injection molded blend specimens with weld lines were found to be weaker and failed at very low elongations at break. A simple adhesion analysis is presented which explains well the weakness at the weld line expected for incompatible blends. Addition of an ethylene-propylene polymer with residual ethylene crystallinity was found to be a more effective “compatibilizer” for blends deficient in toughness than a related copolymer with less crystallinity. This effect is attributed to the more block-like character of the former which permits it to play more nearly the interfacial role required of the ideal blend compatibilizing agent.
t -channel production of heavy charged leptons

We study the pair production of heavy charged exotic leptons at ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ colliders in the ${\mathrm{SU}(2)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{SU}(2)}_{I}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{U(1)}_{Y}$ model. This gauge group is a subgroup of the grand unification group ${E}_{6};$ ${\mathrm{SU}(2)}_{I}$ commutes with the electric charge operator, and the three corresponding gauge bosons are electrically neutral. In addition to the standard $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and Z boson contributions, we also include the contributions from extra neutral gauge bosons. A t-channel contribution due to ${W}_{I}$-boson exchange, which is unsuppressed by mixing angles, is quite important. We calculate the left-right and forward-backward asymmetries, and discuss how to differentiate different models.
Abstract 4703: Genome & exome analysis of early colon cancers reveals new targets

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Introduction: Advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) remains lethal and difficult to treat with over 140,000 new cases a year in the United States. One contributing factor that has emerged is the rapid development of cancers in small, sessile adenomas(polyps) (less than 1cm), which might be overlooked. Results: Using whole genome and whole exome sequence (WGS) analyses of four pairs of colorectal adenoma (early CRC) tissue samples along with their normal counterparts, we observe dramatic genomic instability in two of the samples, suggesting that these two adenomas could be on the brink of overt CRC. We proceeded to analyze a further 20 samples through RNA sequence and/or immunohistochemical analysis. The two polyps are associated with hyper mutated profile of multiple genes including Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CEACAM6 in one of the samples. Analyses of the expression levels of CEA and TGF-β signaling pathway members in 20 early adenomas and normal colon tissues demonstrate a marked increase in CEA expression in 25% of adenoma samples linked to a concomitant loss of TGF-β signaling. We proceeded to mechanistic studies examining CEA and it role in inactivating the tumor suppressive arm of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling, providing crucial new information for CEA in promoting aggressive CRC. We found that CEA interacts directly with the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) receptor 1 (TBR1) with inhibition of downstream TGF-β tumor suppressor signaling through its B3 domain. Moreover, we previously found that deletion of Smad3/4 adaptor β2SP results in loss of TGF-β signaling, with dramatic and spontaneous formation of adenomas as well as CRC. Ectopic expression of CEA also induces CRC metastases, potentially indirectly through activation of STAT3 and stimulating production of IL-6, IL-10 and others, in addition to inactivating TGF-β tumor suppressor signaling. Conclusions: Our data suggest that enhanced CEA levels and oncogenic mutations in the colon adenomas can be used as prognostic markers for early detection of aggressive CRC and the B3 domain of CEA can be targeted by monoclonal antibody/peptide inhibitors/small molecule inhibitors targeting CEA and CRC cell proliferation. Citation Format: Avijit Majumdar, Jian Chen, Sue Hwa Lin, Lior Katz, Gottumukkala Subba Raju, Kirti Shetty, Jon White, Xifeng Wu, Asif Rashid, John S. McMurray, Kenna R. Shaw, Xiaoping Su, Brian Weston, Selvi Thirumurthi, Aiwu Ruth He, Lopa Mishra. Genome & exome analysis of early colon cancers reveals new targets. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4703. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4703