cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estrogen receptor‐β modulates synthesis of bone matrix proteins in human osteoblast‐like MG63 cells

Estrogens have complex effects on the skeleton, including regulation of modeling and maintenance of bone mass, which vary with cell type and developmental stage. Osteoblasts are key regulators of skeletal matrix synthesis and degradation. However, whether osteocytes, osteoblasts or earlier progenitors mediate estrogen effects, and the importance of estrogen receptors (ERs) alpha and beta, remain unclear. To address estrogen response in human cells closely related to secretory osteoblasts, we studied MG63 cells with ERalpha or ERbeta reduced to low levels by stable transfection of antisense plasmids. Collagen and alkaline phosphatase expression increased with estrogen in wild-type and ERalpha-suppressed cells, but not in ERbeta-suppressed cells. Matrix secretion occurs as osteoblasts cease dividing, and, in keeping with this, cell proliferation was reduced by estrogen except in ERbeta-antisense cells. No effects of estrogen on wild type or ER-suppressed cells were seen in expression of BMP 2, the BMP antagonist noggin, or Indian hedgehog, products that regulate differentiation of osteoblasts. In contrast to expectations that estrogen would modulate bone degradation, RANKL, CSF-1, and osteoprotegerin did not respond measurably to estrogen, regardless of ER status. In keeping with this result, estrogen response was not observed in assays of osteoclast development from CD14 cells supported by wild-type or ER-silenced MG63 cells. Since estrogens are major regulators of bone degradation in vivo, estrogen effects on osteoclasts may depend on interaction with stimuli present in bone but absent in the model studied. cDNA hybridization showed that additional estrogen-binding proteins including ERRalpha and BCAR3 were expressed by MG63, but estrogen effects in ERbeta-silenced cells were small, so these proteins are either minor regulators in MG63 cells, or act in concert with stimuli in addition to estrogen. We conclude that, in the MG63 cell line, estrogen increases synthesis of matrix proteins via ERbeta, and that, in the absence of additional stimuli, these cells are not major mediators of estrogen effects on osteoclast differentiation. Further, ERalpha is probably much more important in earlier stages of skeletal development, such as growth plate response, than in osteoblasts.
Automatic programming: myths and prospects

The authors consider five common myths about automatic programming and expose the fallacies on which they rest. They attempt to provide an accurate picture of these systems in terms of what the user sees, how the system works, and what the system knows. They describe commercially available systems and discuss what is on the horizon. >
Specificities of Human and Rat Brain Enzymes of Cholesterol Ester Metabolism Toward Very Long Chain Fatty Acids: Implication for Biochemical Pathogenesis of Adrenoleukodystrophy

: Specificities of the cholesterol-esterifying enzyme and the three cholesterol esterases in rat brain with respect to the chain length of fatty acids were examined. For each of the hydrolases, activities toward cholesteryl lignocerate and cerotate were generally less than 1% of that toward cholesteryl oleate. However, both lignoceric and cerotic acids were esterified at rates approximately 10% of that for oleic acid. In postmortem human control and adrenoleukodystrophy brains, the esterifying activity toward cerotic acid was on the average 25% of that toward oleic acid. The abnormal accumulation of cholesterol esters with very long chain fatty acids observed in adrenoleukodystrophy can therefore occur in the absence of deficient activities of the cholesterol esterases, if the free fatty acid pool of the brain contains an abnormal amount of very long chain fatty acids.
Influence of degradative procedures, salts, respiratory inhibitors, and gramicidin on the binding of cytochrome c by liver mitochondria

Abstract The effects of various treatments of rat liver mitochondria upon the binding of exogenous cytochrome c have been studied by measuring changes in the number of high-affinity binding sites and their stability constants. As shown by a Scatchard plot, in untreated mitochondria the binding of exogenous cytochrome c occurs by both high- and low-affinity binding. Studies on the influence of phospholipid content, specific removal of different moieties from phospholipids by enzymatic hydrolysis, protein conformation, mitochondrial conformation, and endogenous mitochondrial energy indicate that (a) mitochondrial phospholipid and protein are equally important in the binding of cytochrome c ; (b) disruption of mitochondrial structure without denaturation increases the number of high-affinity binding sites but may decrease the stability constant; (c) the binding of exogenous cytochrome c is not energy related; and (d) gramicidin increases the number of high-affinity binding sites but decreases the stability constant.
Reactivity of some organic compounds with supercritical water

Abstract This study was initiated to determine some of the chemical reactions that occur during the supercritical fluid extraction of coal, using model compounds to simulate molecular structures found in coal. Water was chosen as the fluid because of its unique chemical and physical properties at critical conditions. Two primary functions of coal processing are the removal of heteroatoms and the depolymerization of larger molecules, thus the reactions of quinoline and isoquinoline were extensively examined, with very brief studies made of benzonitrile, aniline, tetralin, dihydroanthracene and ethylbenzene. In addition, since ZnCl2 has been used as a hydrogenation catalyst and in the hydrocracking of aromatics, it was added in some experiments to increase the reactivity of some of the compounds. It was found that the compounds studied were more reactive and reached by different mechanisms in the presence of supercritical water than when undergoing inert pyrolysis. The product distributions from the two quinolines indicated that they reacted by very different mechanisms; possible reaction schemes for these are discussed. In addition, it was found that about 70% of the nitrogen from the consumed quinolines and aniline was removed in the water layer as ammonia, that alkyl sidechains on aromatics were somewhat reactive and that some carbon atoms are oxidized by the water thus providing a source of hydrogen for the formation of other products.
Excitation energy dependence of the total kinetic energy release in 235 U ( n , f )

The total kinetic energy release in the neutron induced fission of $^{235}$U was measured (using white spectrum neutrons from LANSCE) for neutron energies from E$_{n}$ = 3.2 to 50 MeV. In this energy range the average post-neutron total kinetic energy release drops from 167.4 $\pm$ 0.7 to 162.1 $\pm$ 0.8 MeV, exhibiting a local dip near the second chance fission threshold. The values and the slope of the TKE vs. E$_{n}$ agree with previous measurements but do disagree (in magnitude) with systematics. The variances of the TKE distributions are larger than expected and apart from structure near the second chance fission threshold, are invariant for the neutron energy range from 11 to 50 MeV. We also report the dependence of the total excitation energy in fission, TXE, on neutron energy.
Real-Time Cross-Correlation Image Analysis of Early Events in IgE Receptor Signaling☆

Signaling in mast cells and basophils is mediated through IgE and its high affinity cell surface receptor, FcepsilonRI. Crosslinking of the receptors by a cognate multivalent antigen leads to degranulation and release of mediators of the allergic immune response. Using multicolor fluorescence confocal microscopy, we probed the spatio-temporal dynamics of early events in the IgE receptor signal cascade. We monitored the recruitment of GFP-/CFP-labeled signaling proteins by acquiring sequential images with time resolution of 3 s during stimulation of RBL-2H3 mast cells with multivalent antigen. A fluorescent tag on the antigen allowed us to visualize the plasma membrane localization of crosslinked receptors, and fluorescent cholera toxin B served as a plasma membrane marker. We developed an automated image analysis scheme to quantify the recruitment of fluorescent intracellular proteins to the plasma membrane and to assess the time-dependent colocalization of these and other membrane-associated proteins with crosslinked receptors as measured by cross-correlation between the plasma membrane distributions of the two fluorophores. This automated method permits analysis of thousands of individual images from multiple experiments for each cross-correlation pair. We systematically applied this analysis to characterize stimulated interactions of IgE receptors with several signaling proteins, including the tyrosine kinases Lyn and Syk, and the adaptor protein LAT. Notably, for Syk-CFP we observed a rapid stimulated translocation to the plasma membrane but very little colocalization with aggregated receptors. Our results demonstrate the utility of this simple, automated method to monitor protein interactions quantitatively during cell signaling.
Unsupervised feature learning classification using an extreme learning machine

This paper presents a new approach, which we call UFL-ELM, to classification using both unsupervised and supervised learning. Unlike traditional approaches in which features are extracted, hand-crafted, and then trained using time-consuming, iterated optimization, this proposed method leverages unsupervised feature learning to learn features from the data themselves and then train the classifier using an extreme learning machine to reach the analytic solution. The result is therefore widely and quickly applied to universal data. Experiments on a large dataset of images confirm the ease of use and speed of training of this unsupervised feature learning approach. Furthermore, the paper discusses how to speed up training, using massively parallel programming.
Mouse Ribosomal RNA Genes Contain Multiple Differentially Regulated Variants

Previous cytogenetic studies suggest that various rDNA chromosomal loci are not equally active in different cell types. Consistent with this variability, rDNA polymorphism is well documented in human and mouse. However, attempts to identify molecularly rDNA variant types, which are regulated individually (i.e., independent of other rDNA variants) and tissue-specifically, have not been successful. We report here the molecular cloning and characterization of seven mouse rDNA variants (v-rDNA). The identification of these v-rDNAs was based on restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), which are conserved among individuals and mouse strains. The total copy number of the identified variants is less than 100 and the copy number of each individual variant ranges from 4 to 15. Sequence analysis of the cloned v-rDNA identified variant-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the transcribed region. These SNPs were used to develop a set of variant-specific PCR assays, which permitted analysis of the v-rDNAs' expression profiles in various tissues. These profiles show that three v-rDNAs are expressed in all tissues (constitutively active), two are expressed in some tissues (selectively active), and two are not expressed (silent). These expression profiles were observed in six individuals from three mouse strains, suggesting the pattern is not randomly determined. Thus, the mouse rDNA array likely consists of genetically distinct variants, and some are regulated tissue-specifically. Our results provide the first molecular evidence for cell-type-specific regulation of a subset of rDNA.
Duplicate Discovery on 2 Billion Internet Images

Duplicate image discovery, or discovering duplicate image clusters, is a challenging problem for billions of Internet images due to the lack of good distance metric which both covers the large variation within a duplicate image cluster and eliminates false alarms. After carefully investigating existing local and global features that have been widely used for large-scale image search and indexing, we propose a two-step approach that combines both local and global features: global descriptors are used to discover seed clusters with high precision, whereas local descriptors are used to grow the seeds to cover good recall. Using efficient hashing techniques for both features and the MapReduce framework, our system is able to discover about 553.8 million duplicate images from 2 billion Internet images within 13 hours on a 2, 000 core cluster.
Weathering processes and pickeringite formation in a sulfidic schist: a consideration in acid precipitation neutralization studies

Extremely low abrasion pH values (2.8–3.3) characterize the weathering products of the Partridge Formation, a Middle-Ordovician metamorphosed, black, sulfidic shale. The local occurrence is observed of two sulfates that are rare in the Northeast: pickeringite and jarosite. X-ray diffraction studies of the weathering residues and the sulfate efflorescences have also identified dioctahedral and trioctahedral illite, kaolinite, vermiculite, and an 11–12 A phase, thought to be a type of randomly-interstratified biotite-vermiculite. From the mineralogical studies, qualitative weathering processes for the schist are formulated. A probable mechanism for the intense chemical weathering of the schist appears to be oxidation of iron sulfides to form iron oxide-hydroxides, sulfates, and sulfuric acid. This natural weathering process is proposed as an analog to anthropogenic low pH rock weathering resulting from acid precipitation. In the Northeast,natural weathering rates, may, in places, significantly affect the water chemistry and mineralogy used to quantify total (natural plus anthropogenic) weathering and leaching rates.
Efficacy of the Getting Ready Intervention and the Role of Parental Depression

Research Findings: This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention (the Getting Ready intervention) on directly observed learning-related social behaviors of children from low-income families in the context of parent–child interactions. The study explored the moderating effect of parental depression on intervention outcomes. Participants were 204 children and their parents as well as 29 Head Start teachers. Semistructured parent–child interaction tasks were videotaped 2 times annually over the course of 2 academic years. Observational codes of child behaviors included agency, persistence, activity level, positive affect, distractibility, and verbalizations. Practice or Policy: When gender and disability concerns were controlled, those in the treatment condition experienced a significant decline in activity level relative to children in the control group. Furthermore, compared to children of nondepressed mothers and to control children, those in the experimental con...
Cylindrical spirals in a familial neuromuscular disorder

Cylindrical spirals are unique membranous structures that were detected in skeletal muscle of a mother and one of her two children; all three have percussion myotonia but no evidence of weak or wasted skeletal muscles. Muscle cramps, stiffness, posteffort muscle tightness, myotonic lid lag, and the cylinders appear or progress with age, but the disorder is asymptomatic in the children and only mildly incapacitating in the mother. The cylinders are 8 mu long and 1 mu wide, are composed of spiraling double-laminate membrane resembling myelin, and are derived from abnormal subsarcolemmal tubulovesicular structures that are interpreted as pathological T-tubes.
Histological and Ultrastructural Studies on Preserved Hearts

Histological and ultrastructural studies were made on 17 excised canine hearts after 0 (control), 3, 14, 18, and 24 hours of preservation by perfusion with cold filtered plasma. These were correlated with function as measured by an isovolumetric balloon technique. Variations in structure and function were observed within each group of preserved hearts, but function and structure correlated well in individual hearts: when function was excellent, structure was excellent; when function was poor, changes in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were prominent. The presence of marked angulations in the mitochondrial cristae correlated with high dp/dt values. Interstitial edema was present in all preserved hearts. The three control hearts, one 3-hour heart, and two 14-hour hearts showed excellent morphology and function. Of the five 18-hour hearts, function and morphology were excellent in three and barely adequate in one; a severely damaged heart could not be defibrillated. Of the six 24-hour hearts, mor...
Enhanced hemodynamic response to [D-ALA2,D-MET5]-methionine enkephalin (DAME) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats is reversed by insulin replacement.

The present study examined the alterations of hemodynamic responses to [D-ala2,D-Met5]-methionine enkephalin (DAME) in diabetic animals. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 weeks old) were used for this study. Diabetes was induced by a single injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg, i.v.). After 7 days, blood glucose levels were determined to confirm the diabetic state. Animals were anesthetized and instrumented to monitor mean arterial pressure, hindlimb bloodflow and hindlimb vascular resistance. Administration of DAME produced a significantly greater reduction in blood pressure, increase in hindlimb bloodflow and decrease in hindlimb vascular resistance in diabetic vs. control rats. These effects were blocked by naloxone. All hemodynamic changes were attenuated after pretreatment with the ganglionic blocker, hexamethonium, indicating that the responses were mediated either within the central nervous system or at the ganglia. Insulin reversed the exaggerated depressor effect of DAME on streptozotocin-treated rats. Collectively, these results suggest that diabetic rats have altered opioidergic hemodynamic responses to DAME due to mu receptor alterations in the CNS or in autonomic ganglia. These effects were reversed by replacement of insulin.
Blocking Antibody Access to Neutralizing Domains on Glycoproteins Involved in Entry as a Novel Mechanism of Immune Evasion by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Glycoproteins C and E

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein C (gC) blocks complement activation, and glycoprotein E (gE) interferes with IgG Fc-mediated activities. While evaluating gC- and gE-mediated immune evasion in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-HSV-1-coinfected subjects, we noted that antibody alone was more effective at neutralizing a strain with mutations in gC and gE (gC/gE) than a wild-type (WT) virus. This result was unexpected since gC and gE are postulated to interfere with complement-mediated neutralization. We used pooled human immunoglobulin G (IgG) from HIV-negative donors to confirm the results and evaluated mechanisms of the enhanced antibody neutralization. We demonstrated that differences in antibody neutralization cannot be attributed to the concentrations of HSV-1 glycoproteins on the two viruses or to the absence of an IgG Fc receptor on the gC/gE mutant virus or to enhanced neutralization of the mutant virus by antibodies that target only gB, gD, or gH/gL, which are the glycoproteins involved in virus entry. Since sera from HIV-infected subjects and pooled human IgG contain antibodies against multiple glycoproteins, we determined whether differences in neutralization become apparent when antibodies to gB, gD, or gH/gL are used in combination. Neutralization of the gC/gE mutant was greatly increased compared that of WT virus when any two of the antibodies against gB, gD, or gH/gL were used in combination. These results suggest that gC and gE on WT virus provide a shield against neutralizing antibodies that interfere with gB-gD, gB-gH/gL, or gD-gH/gL interactions and that one function of virus neutralization is to prevent interactions between these glycoproteins.
Quality developmental screenings are essential to quality surveillance.

There is much to praise in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Clinical Report, “Motor Delays: Early Identification and Evaluation” ( Pediatrics . 2013;131:e2016–e2027). The expert panel provided helpful guidance, useful resources, and placed invaluable emphasis on a 48-month visit to evaluate fine motor and other skills essential to school success. Nevertheless the panel erred considerably in stating, “The most commonly used developmental screening instruments have not been validated on children with motor delays.” In fact the measures cited have multiple discriminant validity studies, …
In Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation of a Technetium-99m-Labeled Cyclic RGD Peptide as a Specific Marker of αVβ3 Integrin for Tumor Imaging

Three amino acids residues, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), in vitronectin and fibronectin show affinity for alpha(V)beta(3) integrins expressed in vascular endothelial cells. That tumor growth can upregulate the expression of these integrins on tumor cells for invasion and metastasis and in tissue neovasculature suggests the potential of developing radiolabeled RGD peptides as antagonists of alpha(V)beta(3) integrins for broad spectrum tumor specific imaging. The polypeptide RGD-4C, which contains four cysteine residues for cyclization, has shown preferential localization on integrins at sites of tumor angiogenesis. Both RGD-4C and RGE (Arg-Gly-Glu)-4C (as control) were purchased and conjugated with 6-hydrazinopyridine-3-carboxylic acid (HYNIC) for 99mTc radiolabeling. After purification of the conjugated peptides by a C18 Sep-Pak cartridge with 20% methanol, both peptides were radiolabeled using tricine. For cell binding studies, both 99mTc peptides were further purified by SE HPLC. High specific radioactivity of labeled cyclized RGD/E (cyclized RGD/E will be simplified as RGD/E through out the text) of about 20 Ci/micromol was achieved. Both 99mTc complexes were stable in the labeling solution for over 24 h at room temperature. In the human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cell studies, the binding at 1 h of radiolabeled RGD/E was determined at 4 degrees C and at concentrations in the picomolar to nanomolar range. Under these conditions, cell accumulation of 99mTc in the case of RGD was as much as 16 times greater than the control RGE. As a check on specificity, 7 nM of native cyclized RGD blocked 50% of the binding of 99mTc-labeled RGD to cells. The binding percentage of 99mTc-labeled RGD to purified alpha(V)beta(3) integrin protein, as determined by SE HPLC, increased with the concentration of the integrin while 99mTc-labeled RGE showed no binding. The association constant for 99mTc-RGD was modest at 7 x 10(6) M(-)(1). In both human renal adenocarcinoma (ACHN) and human colon cancer cell line (LS174T) nude mouse tumor models, the accumulation of 99mTc-labeled RGD/E exhibited no statistical difference. In conclusion, possibly because of limited numbers of alpha(V)beta(3) integrin receptors per tumor cell and low binding affinity, radiolabeled RGD peptides may have limitations as tumor imaging agents.
Regeneration of transected dorsal root ganglion cell axons into the spinal cord in adult frogs (Xenopus laevis)

The extent of regeneration of the central axonal processes of dorsal root ganglion cells was determined using anterograde horseradish peroxidase histochemistry at 1-12 weeks after dorsal root transection in adult frogs. At 4, 8 and 12 weeks axons were found to have regenerated across the dorsal root entry zone and into the spinal cord.
Chronic estrogen exposure maintains elevated levels of progesterone receptor mRNA in guinea pig hypothalamus

We performed in situ hybridization on hypothalamic sections from ovariectomized guinea pig using a cocktail of three 35S-labeled oligonucleotides complementary to mammalian progesterone receptor (PR) cDNA. PR mRNA was readily detected in hypothalamic neurons from guinea pigs pretreated with 17 beta-estradiol benzoate (E2B), but not from animals which did not receive supplemental E2B. The distribution of PR mRNA-containing cells corresponded well with previous localizations of PR in guinea pig. In contrast to earlier reports of E2B regulation of PR mRNA in rat hypothalamus, however, we found that PR mRNA remained elevated during chronic exposure to E2B (up to 10 days) in guinea pig.
Photodecomposition of PCBs in aqueous systems using TiO2 as catalyst

Abstract The catalytic decomposition of PCBs promoted by sunlight in an aqueous solution, clay suspension and contaminated sediment is reported. The titanium dioxide catalyzed photolytic process destroyed almost 80% of the total PCBs in an aqueous solution and clay suspension after 4 h of radiation, and 50% of total PCBs were destroyed in sediment suspension within 6 h. It was observed that the lower chlorinated PCB congeners underwent the highest rate of decomposition in the aqueous systems. This preliminary study suggests that photocatalytic processes may be an efficient and low cost technique to remediate PCB-contaminated soils, sediments and waters.
The past of a stopping point and stopping for two-parameter processes

Optional increasing paths passing through a given stopping point are studied. A characterization of the two extreme optional increasing paths is obtained. The past of a stopping point is defined, and a description of the largest stopping point smaller than two given stopping points is given. A stopping procedure is naturally associated with this notion of infimum. Stopped martingales and stopped filtrations are studied. “Local martingales” are defined and studied along horizontal and vertical lines. A nontrivial example of “local martingale” is given.
A structured grid based solution-adaptive technique for complex separated flows

A structured grid based technique is presented to enhance the predictive capability of widely used CFD codes through the use of solution-adaptive gridding. The procedure redistributes mesh points based upon an existing flowfield. A newly developed weight function employing Boolean sums is utilized to represent the local truncation error. This weight function is then used to construct forcing functions associated with an elliptic system. A NURBS representation is employed to define block surfaces for boundary point redistribution. The technique has been applied to a flowfield about a configuration of practical interest. This flowfield involves supersonic freestream conditions at angle of attack, and exhibits large scale separated vortical flow, vortex-vortex and vortex-surface interactions, separated shear layers and multiple shocks of different intensity. The results demonstrate the capability of the developed weight function to detect shocks of differing strengths, primary and secondary vortices, and shear layers adequately.
EFFECT OF A FILTER COVER ON TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY IN A MOUSE CAGE

To determine how a filter cap affects the heat and moisture build-up in a mouse cage, and how that build-up is affected by ambient conditions of temperature and relative humidity, 50 adult female mice were housed 10 per cage in polycarbonate cages, which were covered with a fibrous filter and sealed with a neoprene gasket and hold-down rod. The cages were placed in a chamber which controlled ambient temperature and humidity. Observations were made at 1°F intervals of temperature (68–74°F, 19.9–23.3°C) and at three different relative humidities (40, 55, and 70 per cent). Every 24 hours the chamber conditions were changed, and cages, bedding, water, filter caps, and food were replaced. Three sensors suspended just under the filter cover measured temperature and humidity and transmitted the data to a recorder. The first reading was taken after a 3-hour equilibraiion period, then every 3 hours until the next day's change. By measuring the average temperature and humidity, it was possible to study the differen...
Oxidation of Thioanisole by Peroxomolybdate in Alcohol-Modified Micelles of Cetylpyridinium Chloride

Rate constants of oxidation of thioanisole, PhSMe, by H2O2 mediated by tetraperoxomolybdate dianion, Mo(O2)42- , are almost unaffected by addition of hexan-1-ol or octan-1-ol to micellized cetylpyridinium chloride, CPyCl, although these hydrophobic alcohols should perturb the micellar interfacial region. The equilibrium between tri- and tetraperoxomolybdates and rates of their interconversion are not very sensitive to addition of these alcohols to CPyCl micelles. Micellar binding of octanol is much stronger than that of hexanol, but the two alcohols have similar effects upon rates and equilibria in CPyCl. These results differ from those for micellar-mediated reactions of hydrophilic anionic nucleophiles which are inhibited by hydrophobic solutes due to decreased anion binding and an increased volume of the micellar pseudophase. The 1H NMR spectra of CPyCl and PhSMe, with and without octanol, show that the micellar location of PhSMe is insensitive to added octanol.
Singularity free algorithm for molecular dynamics simulation of rigid polyatomics

Using a transformation of the rigid body equations of motion due to Evans [4], a new algorithm is presented for the molecular dynamics simulation of rigid polyatomic molecules. The algorithm consists of solving the eulerian rigid body equations, using quaternions to represent orientations, by a fifth-order predictor corrector method. Compared to previous methods, it is shown that this algorithm leads to an order of magnitude increase in computing speed.
Growth hormone improves clinical status in prepubertal children with cystic fibrosis: Results of a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objectives: We conducted a 1-year randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that growth hormone (GH) improves the clinical status of children with cystic fibrosis. Study design: Nineteen prepubertal children were randomized to control (NonTX, n = 9) or to daily injections of GH (0.3 mg/kg/wk) (GHTX, n = 10) for 1 year. Every 3 months height, weight, and lean tissue mass were measured. Caloric intake, resting energy expenditure, pulmonary function, and respiratory muscle strength were measured every 6 months, as were total number of hospitalizations and courses of outpatient intravenous antibiotics. Results: The GHTX group had significantly greater height, height velocity (NonTX = 3.8 ± 1.4 cm/y, GHTX = 8.1 ± 2.4 cm/y; P =.002), weight, weight velocity (NonTX = 2.1 ± 0.9 kg/y, GHTX = 4.5 ± 1.1 kg/y; P =.004), and change in lean tissue mass (NonTX = 2.1 ± 1.6 kg, GHTX = 4.7 ± 1.7 kg; P =.01) analyzed by the Student t test. The GHTX group had significant improvement in delta forced vital capacity compared with the year before study, and respiratory muscle strength improved. The number of hospitalizations and outpatient intravenous antibiotic courses significantly decreased in the GHTX group but did not change in the NonTX group. No subject had development of cystic fibrosis–related diabetes. Conclusions: Results of the first randomized controlled trial of GH treatment in cystic fibrosis indicate that GH improves growth and clinical status. (J Pediatr 2001;139:636–42)
Temporal expression patterns of diapause-associated genes in flesh fly pupae from the onset of diapause through post-diapause quiescence

Abstract Distinct differences in the temporal expression patterns of genes associated with pupal diapause were noted in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis. The first change observed was a decline in expression of the gene encoding heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) 2 days after pupariation (1 day before the pupa reaches the phanerocephalic stage characteristic of diapause). In contrast, hsp23 and hsp70 transcripts were undetectable in nondiapause samples and d1–d4 diapause-programmed pupae, but were up-regulated just after the start of diapause, 5 days after pupariation. An increase of glycerol content in diapausing pupae was also noted at the start of diapause. The gene encoding proliferating cell nuclear antigen (pcna) was diapause down-regulated, and this occurred in two phases, with the first decline in expression 7 days after pupariation and a second decline in the level of expression on day 14. For pupae held at 20 °C for 20 days and transferred to 10 °C, diapause ended after 90–100 days at the lower temperature. However, pupae remained in a state of post-diapause quiescence (d100–d150) and sustained diapause-like hsp and pcna expression patterns until adult development was initiated. Glycerol concentrations and survival declined during the post-diapause phase. This study suggests a distinct sequence in the pattern of gene expression at the onset of diapause, but the genes we have monitored do not contribute to the switch to covert developmental potential at the transition from diapause to post-diapause quiescence.
Effects of Molecular Electric Potential and Anisotropic Atomic Repulsion in the Dichlorine Dimer and Crystalline Chlorine

Molecular packing analysis of crystalline dichlorine (Cl2) shows that the crystal structure is compatible with an isotropic intermolecular force field that includes polar flattening of the exchange repulsion energy and a five-center distributed monopole representation of the molecular electric potential. Polar flattening largely accounts for the short intermolecular contacts in the crystal, and the molecular electric potential is critical in determining the molecular orientation and space group. Neither an atom-centered model for repulsion nor a molecular quadrupole model for the electric potential is adequate to describe the force field of this molecule.
What impact will current trial data have on future guideline recommendations

The current Third Joint European Societies' Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice reflect an active approach to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. These guidelines have shifted the emphasis from coronary heart disease to total atherosclerotic CVD. A new risk prediction system, Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE), has been developed to define risk in terms of absolute 10-year risk of a fatal cardiovascular event. The definition of high risk has also been refined. The currently recommended goals for total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are based on the evidence pool that was available at the time of publication. More recent evidence from the Heart Protection Study (HPS), the lipid-lowering arm of the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT-LLA), and the Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Therapy-Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 22 (PROVE IT-TIMI 22) trial indicates that lowering LDL cholesterol levels beyond the currently recommended goals can produce incremental reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Results from the recently completed Treating to New Targets (TNT) study lend further support to implementing lower lipid goals than those currently suggested by guidelines. Results from the ongoing Incremental Decrease in Endpoints through Aggressive Lipid Lowering (IDEAL) trial may provide additional evidence in support of the implementation of lower lipid goals. Nevertheless, the scope of future guidelines extends well beyond lipid targets. Guidelines of the future are likely to provide increasingly comprehensive recommendations on combined risk reduction, to publicize the characteristics of healthy people by highlighting acceptable levels of all cardiovascular risk factors, and to refine the concept of evidence-based medicine by shifting the focus from drug therapy to preventive therapy.
Selective preoperative cardiac screening improves five-year survival in patients undergoing major vascular surgery: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term outcomes (5-year survival) and cost-effectiveness of selective coronary revascularization before major vascular surgery. Design: A decision-tree model was constructed to compare the cost-effectiveness of four preoperative screening strategies from the perspective of the health care system. Setting: Based on patient mortality, morbidity, and cost data from a literature review. Participants: Hypothetical cohort of patients scheduled for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair followed up over a 5-year period. Interventions: Patients either proceeded directly to surgery or were screened using one of three possible preoperative screening strategies. In the first strategy, all patients were screened with a dipyridamole-thallium test. In the second strategy, all patients underwent coronary angiography. The third strategy, selective screening, first divided patients into high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups using clinical criteria. High-risk patients underwent preoperative angiography. Intermediate-risk patients were screened noninvasively, and low-risk patients proceeded directly to surgery without further testing. Measurement and Main Results: Proceeding directly to vascular surgery resulted in the poorest 5-year survival rate (77.4%) compared with preoperative risk stratification followed by selective coronary revascularization, routine noninvasive testing (86.1%), selective testing (86.0%), and routine angiography (87.9%; p = 0.00). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for selective testing was significantly lower than for routine angiography ($44,800/years of life saved (YLS) v $93,300/YLS; p < 0.02). Routine noninvasive testing was not cost-effective. Thirty-day mortality was the same for all four strategies (p = 0.84). Conclusion: Selective screening before vascular surgery may improve 5-year survival and be cost-effective. Neither routine noninvasive testing nor routine angiography appears to be cost-effective compared with currently accepted medical therapies.
(R)-5-fluoro-5,6-dihydrouracil: kinetics of oxidation by dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase and hydrolysis by dihydropyrimidine aminohydrolase.

Abstract The biologically active isomer of 5-fluoro-5,6-dihydrouracil [(R)-5-fluoro-5,6-dihydrouracil, R-FUH2] was synthesized to study the kinetics of its enzymatic oxidation and hydrolysis by homogeneous dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPDase) and dihydropyrimidine aminohydrolase (DPHase), respectively. DPDase catalyzed the slow oxidation of R-FUH2 at pH 8 and 37° with a Km of 210 μM and a kcat of 0.026 sec−1 at a saturating concentration of NADP+. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/km) of DPDase for R-FUH2 was 1 14 th of that for 5,6-dihydrouracil (UH2). In the opposite direction, DPDase catalyzed the reduction of 5-fluorouracil (FU) with a Km of 0.70 μM and a kcat of 3 sec−1 at a saturating concentration of NADPH. Thus, DPDase catalyzed the reduction of FU 30,000-fold more efficiently than the oxidation of R-FUH2. In contrast to the slow oxidation of R-FUH2 by DPDase, R-FUH2 was hydrolyzed very efficiently by DPHase with a Km of 130, μM and a kcat of 126 sec−1. The catalytic efficiency of DPHase for the hydrolysis of R-FUH2 was approximately twice that for the hydrolysis of UH2. Because R-FUH2 is hydrolyzed considerably more efficiently than it is oxidized and because the activity of DPHase was 250- to 500-fold greater than that of DPDase in bovine and rat liver, the hydrolytic pathway should predominate in vivo.
A method for estimating sex using metric analysis of the scapula.

Abstract: The most accurate and precise methods for the assessment of age and stature often require knowledge of sex. Thus, being able to correctly identify sex from skeletal remains is critical in the forensic context. The presence of the os coxae or skull can never be guaranteed, making the development of reliable methods of sex estimation using other skeletal elements necessary. Using a 724 individual calibration sample from the Hamann-Todd collection, this study identifies sexual dimorphism in the human scapula, and presents a new five-variable discriminant function for sex estimation. The overall accuracy of this method proved to be 95.7% on the cross-validated calibration sample, 92.5% on an 80 individual test sample from the Hamann-Todd collection, and 84.4% on a 32 individual test sample from the skeletal collection of the Wichita State University Biological Anthropology Laboratory. Additionally, a slightly less accurate two-variable model was developed and has cross-validated accuracy of 91.3%.
In vitro cytotoxicity of the nitric oxide donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine, towards cells from human oral tissue.

: The cytotoxicity of the nitric oxide donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), towards cultured human cells from oral tissue was evaluated. The toxicity of SNAP to Smulow-Glickman gingival epithelial cells was correlated with the liberation of nitric oxide, as N-acetyl-D, L-penicilIamine, the SNAP metabolites, N-acetyl-D, L-penicillamine disulfide and nitrite, and preincubated (denilrosylated) SNAP did not affect viability. Comparing equimolar concentrations of various nitric oxide donors, cytotoxicity appeared to be inversely related to the relative stability (i.e., half-life) of the test compound; the sequence of cytotoxicity for a 4 hr exposure was S-nitrosoglutathione>>spermine NONOate> SNAP>DPTA NONOate>>DETA NONOate. Intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) was lowered in S-G cells exposed to SNAP. Pretreatment of the cells with the GSH depleter, 1, 3-bis-(chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), enhanced the toxicity of SNAP. Similar findings of enhanced sensitivity to SNAP were noted with gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells pretreated with BCNU. The toxicity of SNAP towards the gingival epithelial cells was decreased by cotreatment with the antioxidants, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, L-ascorbic acid, and (+)-catechin. Cells exposed to SNAP exhibited nuclear aberrations, including multilobed nuclei and multinucleation. SNAP-induced cell death was apparently by apoptosis, as noted by fluorescence microscopy and DNA agarose gel electrophoresis.
Limited arthrodesis for scaphoid nonunion

A new surgical technique is described for the treatment of longstanding scaphoid nonunions with established degenerative changes and carpal malalignment. The technique is based on natural history and biomechanical studies and includes the excision of the distal scaphoid fragment and a limited arthrodesis that incorporates the proximal pole of the scaphoid, the lunate, and the capitate. Six men were treated with the procedure for symptomatic chronic scaphoid nonunions, and all limited arthrodeses fused. Pain relief was good to excellent, and range of motion averaged 50% of the contralateral side.
A comprehensive review of MR imaging changes following radiosurgery to 500 brain metastases.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stereotactic radiosurgery is known to control 85%–95% of intracranial metastatic lesions during a median survival of 6–8 months. However, with the advent of newer systemic cancer therapies, survival is improving; this change mandates a longitudinal quantitative analysis of the radiographic response of brain metastases to radiosurgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR imaging of 516 metastases in 120 patients treated with GK-SRS from June 2006 to December 2009 was retrospectively reviewed. Lesion volume at initial treatment and each follow-up was calculated by using the following formula: length × width × height / 2. Volume changes were correlated with patient demographics, histopathology, and radiation treatment variables. RESULTS: Thirty-two percent of lesions increased in volume following radiosurgery. Clinically, this translated into 54% of patients having ≥1 of their lesions increase in size. This increase begins at 6 weeks and can last beyond 15 months9 post-SRS. Male sex ( P = .002), mean voxel dose P = .009), and initial treatment volume >500 mm 3 ( P 18.4 months for patients with all lesions exhibiting increased volumes, and 16.4 months for patients with mixed lesional responses. CONCLUSIONS: Most metastatic lesions are stable or smaller in size during the first 36 months post-SRS. However, a transient increase in volume is seen in approximately one-third of lesions. Sex, treatment dose, initial lesion size, and histopathology all correlate with variations in lesion volume post-SRS. The longer the patient survives, the more likely an increase in lesion size will be seen on follow-up imaging.
Deficiency in endogenous modulation of prolonged heat pain in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Temporomandibular Disorder

Abstract Females with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) are characterized by enhanced sensitivity to experimental pain. One possible explanation for this observation is deficiencies in pain modulation systems such as Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Control (DNIC). In a few studies that used brief stimuli, chronic pain patients demonstrate reduced DNIC. The purpose of this study was to compare sensitivity to prolonged heat pain and the efficacy of DNIC in controls to IBS and TMD patients. Heat pain (experimental stimulus; 44.0–49.0 °C), which was applied to left palm, was continuously rated during three 30-s trials across three separate testing sessions under the following conditions: without a conditioning stimulus; during concurrent immersion of the right foot in a 23.0 °C (control); and during noxious cold immersion in a (DNIC; 8.0–16.0 °C) water bath. Compared to controls, IBS and TMD patients reported an increased sensitivity to heat pain and failed to demonstrate pain inhibition due to DNIC. Controls showed a significant reduction in pain during the DNIC session. These findings support the idea that chronic pain patients are not only more pain sensitive but also demonstrate reduced pain inhibition by pain, possibly because of dysfunction of endogenous pain inhibition systems.
Semi-distributed load balancing for massively parallel multicomputer systems

A semidistributed approach is given for load balancing in large parallel and distributed systems which is different from the conventional centralized and fully distributed approaches. The proposed strategy uses a two-level hierarchical control by partitioning the interconnection structure of a distributed or multiprocessor system into independent symmetric regions (spheres) centered at some control points. The central points, called schedulers, optimally schedule tasks within their spheres and maintain state information with low overhead. The authors consider interconnection structures belonging to a number of families of distance transitive graphs for evaluation, and, using their algebraic characteristics, show that identification of spheres and their scheduling points is in general an NP-complete problem. An efficient solution for this problem is presented by making exclusive use of a combinatorial structure known as the Hadamard matrix. The performance of the proposed strategy has been evaluated and compared with an efficient fully distributed strategy through an extensive simulation study. The proposed strategy yielded much better results. >
Notes on Reproduction and Growth of South Dakota Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata)

Abstract Copulation in South Dakota ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata) was observed from April through September, with oviposition of 2–5 (x¯ = 4.3) eggs in June. Growth was rapid during the first few years of life but slowed thereafter, with adult females attaining significantly larger (p < 0.001) carapace (x¯ = 117.8 mm) and plastron (x¯ = 123.9 mm) lengths (CL and PL, respectively) than did adult males (x¯ CL = 114.5 mm, x¯ PL = 118.1 mm). Both sexes can mature by age nine, with our smallest adult female (CL = 112.1 mm, PL = 115.5 mm) larger than our smallest adult male (CL = 107.9 mm, PL = 110.4 mm).