bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adipose‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Features in Patients with a History of Head and Neck Radiation
Authors: San‐Marina Serban , Voss Steve , Crespo‐Diaz Ruben , Wyles Cody , Behfar Atta , Stalboeger Paul , Janus Jeffrey R.
Published: June 2016

Objectives/Hypothesis

Radiation plays a prominent role in advanced stage head and neck tumors. Often, the radiated area includes adjacent nonmalignant mesenchymal tissue, which contains a mixture of cells that has been shown to accelerate wound healing. The purpose of this study is to determine the long‐term effect of radiation on the expansion potential of adipose‐derived stromal/stem cell (ADSC) tissue and on the ability of resident stem cells in this fraction to undergo phenotypic differentiation.

Study Design/Methods: After institutional review board approval, 12 patients with a history of head and neck radiation and pending surgery were enrolled. Adipose tissue was collected from irradiated tissue (XRT) and nonirradiated tissue (NRT) sites. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from these populations, with subsequent assessment of cellular kinetics and differentiation potential between harvest sites.

Results

Adipose‐derived stromal/stem cells could not be isolated from XRT in six patients due to lack of in vitro cell proliferation. For the remaining six patients, overall cumulative population‐doubling time was longer for XRT relative to NRT (29.3 vs. 11.5 days; P = 0.02). However, no significant differences were observed in cell generation time or viability. When XRT and NRT ADSC fractions were grown to standardized concentrations and incubated under conditions that induce phenotypic differentiation of resident stem cells, no significant changes in chondrogenic, adipogenic, or osteogenic differentiation were observed.

Conclusion

These preliminary observations suggest that irradiated ADSCs close to the surgical site undergo long‐term changes in proliferative capacity. The potential for phenotypic differentiation is retained, however, in ADSCs that survive the irradiation process.

Level of Evidence

2b.
Poly‐l‐Lactic Acid Nanofiber–Polyamidoamine Hydrogel Composites: Preparation, Properties, and Preliminary Evaluation as Scaffolds for Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culturing
Authors: Gualandi Chiara , Bloise Nora , Mauro Nicolò , Ferruti Paolo , Manfredi Amedea , Sampaolesi Maurilio , Liguori Anna , Laurita Romolo , Gherardi Matteo , Colombo Vittorio , Visai Livia , Focarete Maria Letizia , Ranucci Elisabetta
Published: June 2016

Electrospun poly‐l‐lactic acid (PLLA) nanofiber mats carrying surface amine groups, previously introduced by nitrogen atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasma, are embedded into aqueous solutions of oligomeric acrylamide‐end capped AGMA1, a biocompatible polyamidoamine with arg‐gly‐asp (RGD)‐reminiscent repeating units. The resultant mixture is finally cured giving PLLA‐AGMA1 hydrogel composites that absorb large amounts of water and, in the swollen state, are translucent, soft, and pliable, yet as strong as the parent PLLA mat. They do not split apart from each other when swollen in water and remain highly flexible and resistant, since the hydrogel portion is covalently grafted onto the PLLA nanofibers via the addition reaction of the surface amine groups to a part of the terminal acrylic double bonds of AGMA1 oligomers. Preliminary tested as scaffolds, the composites prove capable of maintaining short‐term undifferentiated cultures of human pluripotent stem cells in feeder‐free conditions.

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Vapor Phase Fabrication of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Asymmetric Polymer Membranes
Authors: Dianat Golnaz , Seidel Scott , De Luna Mark M. , Gupta Malancha
Published: June 2016

The fabrication of asymmetric polymer membranes via vapor phase deposition is demonstrated. In this solventless process, the dense layer is deposited first and then the porous layer is subsequently deposited onto the dense layer. A variety of functional polymer membranes can be produced by varying the precursor molecules. The functionality of the dense and porous layers can be independently tailored to be either hydrophobic or hydrophilic, resulting in membranes that are fully hydrophilic, fully hydrophobic, or asymmetric in both structure and chemical functionality. The thickness of both the porous and dense layers can be separately tuned by controlling the deposition time.

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Less is more—A pilot study evaluating one to three intradetrusor sites for injection of OnabotulinumtoxinA for neurogenic and idiopathic detrusor overactivity
Authors: Avallone Michael A. , Sack Bryan S. , El‐Arabi Ahmad , Guralnick Michael L. , O'Connor R. Corey
Published: June 2016

Aims

To determine if minimizing the number of onabotulinumtoxinA (BTX) injection sites to one to three locations provides similar clinical efficacy and duration of effect compared to the established technique in treating patients with neurogenic (NDO) or idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO).

Methods

Prospective data were collected on BTX naïve patients with NDO or IDO who were intolerant or refractory to oral medications. Patients were treated with 100–300 U of BTX via one to three injection sites. Patients completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ‐SF) prior to and after treatment. The primary endpoint was defined as ICIQ‐SF score improvement of >5 points. Secondary endpoints included subjective success, complete continence, quality of life score, post void residual (PVR), duration of effect and adverse events.

Results

Fourty‐five patients (22 IDO, 23 NDO) were included. ICIQ‐SF score improvement of >5 points was achieved in 73% (IDO 55%, NDO 91%) and the subjective success rate was 69% (50% IDO, 87% NDO). 52% of NDO patients attained complete continence. PVR increased by a mean of 32 and 156 ml in the IDO and NDO groups. Hematuria occurred in 6.7% and symptomatic urinary tract infection occurred in 11.1%. No systemic BTX adverse events occurred. Mean duration of effect was 31 weeks.

Conclusions

Our technique for administering BTX via one to three intradetrusor injection sites has similar clinical efficacy and rates of adverse events compared to the established technique for treating patients with IDO and NDO. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:1104–1107, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The influence of heat treatment process on mechanical properties of surface treated volcanic ash particles/polyphenylene sulfide composites
Authors: Bora Mustafa Özgür , Çoban Onur , Kutluk Togayhan , Fidan Sinan , Sinmazçe˙lk Tamer
Published: June 2016

This study primarily presents the effects of VA particle loading at various concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt%) on the mechanical properties of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) composites which are determined by tensile and three‐point bending tests. After determining the optimum VA particle concentrations, surface treatment of VA particles with 3% v/v silane coupling agent (3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3‐APTS)) was conducted. Similar experimental investigations were done to examine the effect of silanization on the interface region between VA particles and PPS matrix. At last, this work also determined the heat treatment (annealing) effect on the mechanical properties of surface treated VA/PPS composites. Untreated, surface treated and heat treated VA/PPS composite samples were manufactured by twin‐screw extruder and injection molding machine. All tests were performed using a Shimadzu AG‐X Universal Tester. Tensile and three‐point bending tests were carried out according to ISO 527‐2 and ASTM D790 standards, respectively. During the experiments, heat treatment and surface treatment effects on the mechanical properties VA/PPS composites were determined as a function of tensile strength and tensile modulus, flexural strength and flexural modulus. Moreover, fracture surface morphologies of VA/PPS composite samples were observed by using a scanning electron microscope. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:1604–1611, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers
Efficient synthesis of cyclic olefin copolymers with high glass transition temperatures by ethylene copolymerization with tetracyclododecene using (tert‐BuC5H4)TiCl2(N=CtBu2)—MAO catalyst
Authors: Apisuk Wannida , Ito Hikaru , Nomura Kotohiro
Published: June 2016

(tBuC5H4)TiCl2(N=CtBu2) (1) exhibited remarkable catalytic activities (12,000–43,700 kg‐polymer/mol‐Ti·h) and efficient comonomer incorporation in ethylene copolymerization with tetracyclododecene (TCD) in the presence of methylaluminoxane, and the catalytic activity by 1 increased even at 60 °C. The resultant polymers are high molecular weight amorphous poly(ethylene‐co‐TCD)s (Mn = 5.88–7.03 × 105) with uniform compositions (with high Tg values, 108–203 °C); a linear relationship between Tg values and the TCD contents was observed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 2662–2667
Inactivation of Palladium‐based Oxygen Scavenger System by Volatile Sulfur Compounds Present in the Headspace of Packaged Food
Authors: Röcker Bettina , Rüegg Nadine , Glöss Alexia N. , Yeretzian Chahan , Yildirim Selçuk
Published: June 2016

An oxygen scavenger based on a catalytic system with palladium (CSP) was recently developed to remove oxygen in food packagings. Although the CSP worked with various types of food, with some foods, an inhibition of the CSP was observed. Because such catalytic systems are susceptible to poisoning by sulfur‐containing compounds, the aim of this study was to understand the inactivation of palladium‐based catalysts in presence of foods containing volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs). To achieve this, the oxygen scavenging activity (OSA) of the CSP was evaluated in presence of selected food products. Afterwards, VSCs mainly present in these foods were exposed to the CSP, and the influence on the OSA was evaluated. Finally, headspace analysis was performed with the diluted VSCs and with the packaged food products using proton transfer reaction time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. It was found that the catalytic activity of the CSP was inhibited when VSCs were present in the headspace in concentrations ranging between 10.8–36.0 ppbv (dimethyl sulfide, DMS), 1.2–7.2 ppbv (dimethyl disulfide), 0.7–0.9 ppbv (dimethyl trisulfide), 2.1–5.8 ppbv (methional) and 4.6–24.5 ppbv (furfuryl thiol). It was concluded that in packaged roast beef and cheese, DMS may be the compound mainly responsible for the inactivation of the CSP. In packagings containing ham, the key compounds were hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol; in peanuts, it was methanethiol; and in par‐baked buns, an accumulation of methional, DMS, butanethiol and methionol. When potato chips were packaged, it was demonstrated that when VSCs are present in low concentrations, oxygen can still be scavenged at a reduced OSA.
Antibiotic resistance in conjunctival and enteric bacterial flora in raptors housed in a zoological garden
Authors: Sala Andrea , Taddei Simone , Santospirito Davide , Sandri Camillo , Magnone William , Cabassi Clotilde S.
Published: June 2016

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in a wide range of infectious agents is a growing public health threat. Birds of prey are considered indicators of the presence of AMR bacteria in their ecosystem because of their predatory behaviour. Only few data are reported in the literature on AMR strains isolated from animals housed in zoos and none about AMR in raptors housed in zoological gardens. This study investigated the antibiotic sensitivity profile of the isolates obtained from the conjunctival and cloacal bacterial flora of 14 healthy birds of prey, 6 Accipitriformes, 3 Falconiformes and 5 Strigiformes, housed in an Italian zoological garden. Staphylococcus spp. was isolated from 50% of the conjunctival swabs, with S. xylosus as the most common species. From cloacal swabs, Escherichia coli was cultured from all animals, while Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp. were isolated from a smaller number of birds. Worthy of note is the isolation of Escherichia fergusonii and Serratia odorifera, rarely isolated from raptors. Staphylococci were also isolated. All the isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). To the author's knowledge, this is the first report regarding the presence of MDR strains within raptors housed in a zoological garden. Since resistance genes can be transferred to other pathogenic bacteria, this represents a potential hazard for the emergence of new MDR pathogens. In conclusion, the obtained data could be useful for ex‐situ conservation programmes aimed to preserve the health of the endangered species housed in a zoo.
Maximizing the variance of the time to ruin in a multiplayer game with selection
Authors: Grigorescu Ilie , Yao Yi-Ching
Published: June 2016

We consider a game withK≥ 2 players, each having an integer-valued fortune. On each round, a pair (i,j) among the players with nonzero fortunes is chosen to play and the winner is decided by flipping a fair coin (independently of the process up to that time). The winner then receives a unit from the loser. All other players' fortunes remain the same. (Once a player's fortune reaches 0, this player is out of the game.) The game continues until only one player wins all. The choices of pairs represent the control present in the problem. While it is known that the expected time to ruin (i.e. expected duration of the game) is independent of the choices of pairs (i,j) (the strategies), our objective is to find a strategy which maximizes the variance of the time to ruin. We show that the maximum variance is uniquely attained by the (optimal) strategy, which always selects a pair of players who have currently the largest fortunes. An explicit formula for the maximum value function is derived. By constructing a simple martingale, we also provide a short proof of a result of Ross (2009) that the expected time to ruin is independent of the strategies. A brief discussion of the (open) problem of minimizing the variance of the time to ruin is given.
Markov decision process algorithms for wealth allocation problems with defaultable bonds
Authors: Perez Iker , Hodge David , Le Huiling
Published: June 2016

In this paper we are concerned with analysing optimal wealth allocation techniques within a defaultable financial market similar to Bielecki and Jang (2007). We study a portfolio optimization problem combining a continuous-time jump market and a defaultable security; and present numerical solutions through the conversion into a Markov decision process and characterization of its value function as a unique fixed point to a contracting operator. In this paper we analyse allocation strategies under several families of utility functions, and highlight significant portfolio selection differences with previously reported results.
The Production and Consumption of Lawn-Tennis Shoes in Late-Victorian Britain
Authors: Turner Thomas
Published: June 2016

The lawn-tennis shoe was a popular, widely available commodity in late-Victorian Britain. Associated with new forms of sporting practice and consumption, this type of footwear was mass-produced in modern factories, promoted in the popular leisure press, and sold to both men and women in a variety of retail environments. This article analyzes processes of product innovation, production, and sale, and it situates the shoes within a wider context of sport, commerce, fashion, and class and gender relations. Like other late-Victorian sporting and recreational practices, lawn tennis combined material objects, physical activity, and the stylized display of gender and class ideals. Footwear was valued for symbolic and physically practical reasons. Ideas of intended use determined its design and material form. Sportswear created and communicated new masculine ideals. As lawn-tennis shoes moved from the court into everyday usage, the meanings attached to them accommodated a broader range of practices and contexts.
Girls on Forms: Apprenticing Young Women in Seventeenth-Century London
Authors: Gowing Laura
Published: June 2016

The 1650s saw an influx of young women to skilled apprenticeships in London's companies. Apprenticed to women through the names of their husbands, they practiced seamstry and millinery in a wide range of guilds. The preprinted forms by which these girls were indentured demonstrate the means by which a long-established city institution both made room for women, incorporating them into the culture of company, and kept them marginal. A series of print and manuscript adaptations marked out girls’ forms, paying particular attention to the rules around marriage, and resulting, by the late seventeenth century, in a new trend towards non-sex-specific forms. This article argues that record keeping was both symbolically and concretely important for women's work and that the material culture and context of these print objects can shed a new light on gender roles at a key juncture in the histories of work, contracts, and the city.
From Empire to Humanity: The Russian Famine and the Imperial Origins of International Humanitarianism
Authors: Sasson Tehila
Published: June 2016

This article investigates the imperial origins of international humanitarianism in the British and international relief mission to Russia during the famine of 1921–1922. The famine triggered the first large-scale international humanitarian mission beyond the scope of the European and American empires. Imperial expertise and knowledge became central to the British as well as international humanitarian response to relieve hungry Russia. From international coordination to national campaigns, British politicians and voluntary aid workers relied on imperial tools and thought. The British involvement in the relief mission to Russia thus provides a fresh perspective on the development of internationalist and nationalist humanitarian projects in the interwar period and their relationship to imperial legacies. Through humanitarian aid, Britain assumed a new role on a global stage. By retooling imperial expertise, humanitarian ethics became part of a project of global governance. Furthermore, with the advice of former colonial experts, a “mixed economy” of voluntary and state aid underlay the collaboration between voluntary and international agencies throughout the famine and after. The history of famine relief provides a case study in the emergence of humanitarian governance in the twentieth century.
LAGRANGIAN SYSTEMS WITH NON-SMOOTH CONSTRAINTS
Authors: VOLKOV ANDREY , ZUBELEVICH OLEG
Published: June 2016

The Lagrange-d'Alembert equations with constraints belonging to H1,∞ have been considered. A concept of weak solutions to these equations has been built. A global existence theorem for Cauchy problem has been obtained.
MOCK THETA DOUBLE SUMS
Authors: LOVEJOY JEREMY , OSBURN ROBERT
Published: June 2016

We prove a general result on Bailey pairs and show that two Bailey pairs of Bringmann and Kane are special cases. We also show how to use a change of base formula to pass from the pairs of Bringmann and Kane to pairs used by Andrews in his study of Ramanujan's seventh order mock theta functions. We derive several more Bailey pairs of a similar type and use these to construct a number of new q-hypergeometric double sums which are mock theta functions. Finally, we prove identities between some of these mock theta double sums and classical mock theta functions.
LOCAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE LOOP BRAID GROUP
Authors: KÁDÁR ZOLTÁN , MARTIN PAUL , ROWELL ERIC , WANG ZHENGHAN
Published: June 2016

We study representations of the loop braid groupLBnfrom the perspective of extending representations of the braid group$\mathcal{B}$n. We also pursue a generalization of the braid/Hecke/Temperlely–Lieb paradigm – uniform finite dimensional quotient algebras of the loop braid group algebras.
COMPACT ELEMENTS AND OPERATORS OF QUANTUM GROUPS
Authors: AMINI MASSOUD , KALANTAR MEHRDAD , MEDGHALCHI ALIREZA , MOLLAKHALILI AHMAD , NEUFANG MATTHIAS
Published: June 2016

A locally compact groupGis compact if and only if its convolution algebras contain non-zero (weakly) completely continuous elements. Dually,Gis discrete if its function algebras contain non-zero completely continuous elements. We prove non-commutative versions of these results in the case of locally compact quantum groups.
HALF-LIBERATED MANIFOLDS AND THEIR QUANTUM ISOMETRIES
Authors: BANICA TEODOR
Published: June 2016

We discuss the half-liberation operation X → X*, for the algebraic submanifolds of the unit sphere, $X\subset S^{N-1}_\mathbb C$. There are several ways of constructing this correspondence, and we take them into account. Our main results concern the computation of the affine quantum isometry group G+(X*), for the sphere itself.
SHARP WEIGHTED BOUNDS FOR GEOMETRIC MAXIMAL OPERATORS
Authors: OSȨKOWSKI ADAM
Published: June 2016

Let $\mathcal{M}$ and G denote, respectively, the maximal operator and the geometric maximal operator associated with the dyadic lattice on $\mathbb{R}^d$.

(i)

We prove that for any 0 < p < ∞, any weight w on $\mathbb{R}^d$ and any measurable f on $\mathbb{R}^d$, we have Fefferman–Stein-type estimate

$$\begin{equation*}
||G(f)||_{L^p(w)}\leq e^{1/p}||f||_{L^p(\mathcal{M}w)}.
\end{equation*}
$$
For each p, the constant e1/p is the best possible.

(ii)

We show that for any weight w on $\mathbb{R}^d$ and any measurable f on $\mathbb{R}^d$,

$$\begin{equation*}
\int_{\mathbb{R}^d} G(f)^{1/\mathcal{M}w}w\mbox{d}x\leq e\int_{\mathbb{R}^d} |f|^{1/w}w\mbox{d}x
\end{equation*}
$$
and prove that the constant e is optimal.

Actually, we establish the above estimates in a more general setting of maximal operators on probability spaces equipped with a tree-like structure.
Morphing Lord Brouncker's continued fraction for π into the product of Wallis
Authors: Osler Thomas J.
Published: June 2016

Three of the oldest and most celebrated formulae for π are:

The first is Vieta's product of nested radicals from 1592 [1]. The second is Wallis's product of rational numbers [2] from 1656 and the third is Lord Brouncker's continued fraction [3,2], also from 1656. (In the remainder of the paper, for continued fractions we will use the more convenient notation
Sums of squares of integers in arithmetic progression
Authors: Apostol Tom M. , Mnatsakanian Mamikon A.
Published: June 2016

The following striking identities

are the cases n = 1,2,3,4 of a remarkable family given by G.J. Dostor [1]:

where m = n(2n + 1), and n = 1, 2, … The case m = −n is trivial. If m ≠ −n there are n + 1 squares of consecutive integers on the left and n on the right. We will treat the last term (m + n)2 on the left differently, and refer to it as a transition term relating two sums of squares of n consecutive integers.
Fast formulas for slowly convergent alternating series
Authors: Cooker M.J.
Published: June 2016

One day the Tortoise was discussing with mighty Achilles the behaviour of infinite series. Achilles boasted that his mental powers were so fast that he could exhaust any series summation problem by simply adding up enough terms. But Tortoise was unimpressed:

‘Is that so? What's the sum of this series, then?’ With his tail he drew a line in the sand, and wrote

which is the same as

‘I'll give you until tomorrow to find K to four significant digits!’
Triangles with one angle equal to 60 degrees
Authors: Shirali Shailesh A.
Published: June 2016

Triangles with a 60° angle possess many interesting geometric properties. Here is a well-known example: In ΔABC with incentre I, let the rays meet the sides AC, AB at B1, C1 respectively. If ∠B = ∠C, then IB1 = IC1, trivially. Does the converse implication hold? No – the same condition holds when ∠A = 60° (irrespective of the relation between ∠B and ∠C). In this article we study some more properties possessed by triangles having a 60° angle.
A digit function with Thomae-like properties
Authors: Griffiths Martin
Published: June 2016

Following a recent revival of interest in both Thomae's function and digit functions (see [1] and [2] respectively) we present here a function providing an appealing link between the two. The former, nowadays often cited in courses on real analysis, was given by Thomae in 1875; see also [3], [4] and [5]. This function, which we denote by g(x), has the following definition:

where it is so be assumed that gcd (p, q) = 1 when x is rational.
A lower bound for the prime counting function
Authors: Shiu Daniel , Shiu Peter
Published: June 2016

Let π (x) count the primes p ≤ x, where x is a large real number. Euclid proved that there are infinitely many primes, so that π (x) → ∞ as x → ∞; in fact his famous argument ([1: Section 2.2]) can be used to show that

There was no further progress on the problem of the distribution of primes until Euler developed various tools for the purpose; in particular he proved in 1737 [1: Theorem 427] that
Generalising a problem of Sylvester
Authors: Villiers Michael De
Published: June 2016

The Euler line of a triangle is mostly valued, not for any practical application, but purely as a beautiful, esoteric example of post-Greek geometry. Much to his surprise, however, the author recently came across the following result and theorem by Sylvester (1814-1897) in [1] that involves an interesting application of forces that relate to the Euler line (segment). This result is also mentioned in [2] without proof or reference to Sylvester.
A poor person's approximation to π
Authors: Shiu Daniel , Shiu Peter
Published: June 2016

Suppose that we have a computing machine that can only deal with the operations of addition, subtraction and multiplication, but not division, of integers. Can such a machine be used to find the decimal expansion of a given real number α to an arbitrary length? The answer is ‘yes’, at least in the sense that α is the limit of a sequence of rational numbers, and one can obtain the decimal expansion of a positive rational number a/b without division. For example, for any positive k, we try all non-negative c < b and d < 10ka, and see if 10ka = db + c. There will be success because all we are doing is reducing 10ka modulo b in a particularly moronic way. This guarantees the existence and uniqueness of d, and d/10k is then the desired expansion. Take, for example, = and k = 12; then, after a tedious search, we should find that, for c = 3, there is d = 230 769 230 769 because 3 × 1012 = 230769230769 × 13 + 3, so that = 0.230769230769 + × 10-12. Such a procedure of searching for c, d is hopelessly inefficient, of course, and a more efficient method is given in the next section.
The Hardy distribution for golf hole scores
Authors: van der Ven A. H. G. S.
Published: June 2016

In an article entitled ‘A Mathematical Theorem about Golf’ [1] G.H. Hardy introduced a simple model of golfing. He assumed, that, at one hole, a golfer has probability p of gaining a stroke with a single shot, and probability q that his shot costs him a stroke. Such strokes will be described as good (G) or bad (B), respectively, leaving probability 1 − p − q for an ordinary (O) stroke (see also [2]). For example, on a par four hole, successive strokes OGO will result in a birdie (a score which is one stroke less than par) and BBGOO in a bogey (a score which is one stroke more than par). In this paper the probability distribution P(Tk = n) will be derived for the number of strokes T a player may take on a hole of par k.
I, Claudius and the cipher extraordinary
Authors: Hollings Christopher
Published: June 2016

In the midst of reading Robert Graves' I, Claudius [1], I was surprised to encounter a description of an interesting cipher used by the fictional Augustus. I therefore thought it would be worthwhile to write a short article to draw attention to what is perhaps not a particularly well-known cipher appearing in fiction. I will assume that the reader is familiar with the principle behind the famous Vigenère cipher (see [2] or [3]).

In the novel, Claudius, as narrator, relates how, upon Augustus' death, he is succeeded somewhat reluctantly by his stepson Tiberius, due to the machinations of Livia, who was Augustus' widow and Tiberius' mother. As her son's imperial reign begins, it is clear that Livia intends to hold on to the influence that she wielded during her husband's.
Fermat and the difference of two squares
Authors: Dolan Stan
Published: June 2016

In a previous note [1], Fermat's method of descente infinie was used to prove that the equations.

have no positive integer solutions. The geometrically based proof of [1] masked the underlying use of the difference of two squares. In the proofs of this article we shall make its use explicit, just as Fermat did [2, pp. 293-294].

We shall use the elementary idea of the difference of two squares to develop a powerful technique for solving equations of the form ax4 + bx2y2 + cy4 = z2. This will then be applied to three problems of historical interest.
Prospective longitudinal voxel-based morphometry study of major depressive disorder in young individuals at high familial risk
Authors: Nickson T. , Chan S. W. Y. , Papmeyer M. , Romaniuk L. , Macdonald A. , Stewart T. , Kielty S. , Lawrie S. M. , Hall J. , Sussmann J. E. , McIntosh A. M. , Whalley H. C.
Published: June 2016

Background

Previous neuroimaging studies indicate abnormalities in cortico-limbic circuitry in mood disorder. Here we employ prospective longitudinal voxel-based morphometry to examine the trajectory of these abnormalities during early stages of illness development.

Method

Unaffected individuals (16–25 years) at high and low familial risk of mood disorder underwent structural brain imaging on two occasions 2 years apart. Further clinical assessment was conducted 2 years after the second scan (time 3). Clinical outcome data at time 3 was used to categorize individuals: (i) healthy controls (‘low risk’, n = 48); (ii) high-risk individuals who remained well (HR well, n = 53); and (iii) high-risk individuals who developed a major depressive disorder (HR MDD, n = 30). Groups were compared using longitudinal voxel-based morphometry. We also examined whether progress to illness was associated with changes in other potential risk markers (personality traits, symptoms scores and baseline measures of childhood trauma), and whether any changes in brain structure could be indexed using these measures.

Results

Significant decreases in right amygdala grey matter were found in HR MDD v. controls (p = 0.001) and v. HR well (p = 0.005). This structural change was not related to measures of childhood trauma, symptom severity or measures of sub-diagnostic anxiety, neuroticism or extraversion, although cross-sectionally these measures significantly differentiated the groups at baseline.

Conclusions

These longitudinal findings implicate structural amygdala changes in the neurobiology of mood disorder. They also provide a potential biomarker for risk stratification capturing additional information beyond clinically ascertained measures.
COMPLEXITY, CLARITY AND CONTEMPORARY BRITISH ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
Authors: Hayden Sam
Published: June 2016

This article discusses how normative perceptions of British contemporary orchestral music can be underpinned by a residual binary of ‘clarity’ versus ‘complexity’ as positive and negative value judgements respectively, informing public discourse around the orchestra by reviewers, audiences and performers alike. A post-war valorisation of ‘clarity’ is traceable to the transparent neo-tonal harmony, melodic invention and approaches to orchestration characteristic of the post-Britten tradition. The adoption of such a valorisation by ‘mainstream’ contemporary British composers, exemplified by Faber Music, has generalised an aesthetically specific compositional approach. Using the examples of Thomas Adès and George Benjamin, the article shows how certain residual normative approaches to material and notation are defined against the tendencies of ‘complexism’ as exemplified by Brian Ferneyhough. This binary has engendered conservatism towards traditions of radical new orchestral music that do not conform to normative expectations of ‘clarity’, as the immediately perceptible separation and identification of musical elements.
Dosimetric impacts on skin toxicity for patients using topical agents and dressings during radiotherapy
Authors: Tse Karen , Morley Lyndon , Cashell Angela , Sperduti Annette , McQuestion Maurene , Chow James C. L.
Published: June 2016

Background and purpose

Skin care practices for radiotherapy patients are complicated by dosimetric concerns. This study measures the effect on skin dose of various topical agents and dressings.

Materials and methods

Superficial doses were measured under 17 topical agents and dressings and three clinical materials for reference. Dose was measured using a MOSFET detector under a 1 mm polymethyl methacrylate slab, with 6 MV photon beams at 100 cm source to surface distance.

Results

Relative skin dose under reference materials was 128% (thermoplastic mask), 158% (5 mm bolus) and 171% (10 mm bolus). Under a realistic application of topical agent (0·5 mm), relative skin doses were 106–111%. All dry dressings yielded relative dose of ≤111%; two wet dressings yielded higher relative doses (133 and 141%).

Conclusions

Under clinically relevant conditions, no cream, gel or dry dressing increased the skin dose beyond that seen with a thermoplastic mask. Dressings soaked with water produced less skin dose than 5 mm bolus. This may be unacceptable if wet dressings are in place for the majority of the treatment course. Our results suggest that skin care practices should not be limited by dosimetric concerns when using a 6 MV photon beam.
Lessons for public pensions from Utah's move to pension choice
Authors: CLARK ROBERT L. , HANSON EMMA , MITCHELL OLIVIA S.
Published: June 2016

We explore what happened when the state of Utah moved away from its traditional defined benefit pension. In its place, it offered new hires a choice between a conventional defined contribution plan and a hybrid plan option, where the latter has both a guaranteed benefit component and a defined contribution plan where employees bear investment risk. We show that around 60% of new hires failed to make any active choice and, as a result, were automatically defaulted into the hybrid plan. Slightly more than half of those who made an active choice elected the hybrid plan. Post-reform, employees who failed to actively elect a primary retirement plan were also far less likely to enroll in a supplemental retirement account, compared with new hires who actively selected a plan. We also find that employees hired following the reform were more likely to leave public employment, resulting in higher separation rates. This could reflect a reduction in the desirability of public employment under the new pension design and an improving economic climate in the state. Our results imply that public pension reformers must consider employee responses in addition to potential cost savings, when developing and enacting major pension plan changes.
The Effects of Neurological Priming on the Rorschach
Authors: Giromini Luciano , Viglione Donald J. , Brusadelli Emanuela , Zennaro Alessandro , Di Girolamo Marzia , Porcelli Piero
Published: June 2016

Abstract. This article introduces a new scientific paradigm that might allow the investigation of the neurological correlates of the Rorschach test without using expensive and time consuming tools such as the fMRI or the EEG. Based on the literature on the Mozart effect, we anticipated that preactivation of a given brain network before exposure to the Rorschach cards would associate with the increased production of responses (or determinants) presumed to be associated with that same network. To pilot test this hypothesis, we focused on the postulated link between human movement (M) responses and mirror neuron system (MNS) activity, and investigated whether preactivation of the MNS would associate with the increased production of M responses. Specifically, 30 students were administered a subset of Rorschach cards immediately after watching three short videos aimed at activating the MNS at three different levels (no/low/high activation). Although no statistically significant differences among the three conditions were found, a linear trend in the expected direction (p = .107), with medium effect size (η² = .087) was observed. In addition to providing information on the M response, this article introduces a new scientific paradigm to investigate the neurological correlates of the Rorschach.
Pinatubo 25 Years Later: Eight Ways the Eruption Broke Ground
Authors: Wendel JoAnna , Kumar Mohi
Published: June 2016

From the first rapid assessment of a volcano's history to insights on geoengineering, the 15 June 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo changed the way we approach and learn from volcanic hazards.
p53-independent ibrutinib responses in an Eμ-TCL1 mouse model demonstrates efficacy in high-risk CLL
Authors: Lee H J , Gallardo M , Ma H , Zhang X , Larsson C A , Mejia A , Hornbaker M J , Qi Y , Su X , Pageon L R , Quintas-Cardama A , Post S M
Published: June 2016

Deletion of the short-arm of chromosome 17 (17p-) is one of the most critical genetic alterations used in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) risk stratification. The tumor suppressor TP53 maps to this region, and its loss or mutation accelerates CLL progression, hampers response to chemotherapy and shortens survival. Although florescent in situ hybridization analyses for 17p deletions are routinely performed during clinical diagnoses, p53 mutational status is often unexamined. Given the limited clinical data that exists for frontline treatment of patients with CLL harboring TP53 mutations, there is a need to understand the biology of CLL with TP53 mutations and identify treatment strategies for this subset of patients. Herein, we used a CLL mouse model (Eμ-TCL1) harboring one of the most common TP53 hot-spot mutations observed in CLL (p53R172H, corresponding to p53R175H in humans) to evaluate its impact on disease progression, survival, response to therapy and loss of the remaining wild-type Trp53 allele following ibrutinib treatment. We show that ibrutinib was effective in increasing survival, activating cellular programs outside the p53 pathway and did not place selective pressure on the remaining wild-type Trp53 allele. These data provide evidence that ibrutinib acts as an effective treatment for aggressive forms of CLL with TP53 mutations.
Age differences in learning emerge from an insufficient representation of uncertainty in older adults
Authors: Nassar Matthew R. , Bruckner Rasmus , Gold Joshua I. , Li Shu-Chen , Heekeren Hauke R. , Eppinger Ben
Published: June 2016

Healthy aging can lead to impairments in learning that affect many laboratory and real-life tasks. These tasks often involve the acquisition of dynamic contingencies, which requires adjusting the rate of learning to environmental statistics. For example, learning rate should increase when expectations are uncertain (uncertainty), outcomes are surprising (surprise) or contingencies are more likely to change (hazard rate). In this study, we combine computational modelling with an age-comparative behavioural study to test whether age-related learning deficits emerge from a failure to optimize learning according to the three factors mentioned above. Our results suggest that learning deficits observed in healthy older adults are driven by a diminished capacity to represent and use uncertainty to guide learning. These findings provide insight into age-related cognitive changes and demonstrate how learning deficits can emerge from a failure to accurately assess how much should be learned.
Activity-dependent plasticity of hippocampal place maps
Authors: Schoenenberger Philipp , O’Neill Joseph , Csicsvari Jozsef
Published: June 2016

Hippocampal neurons encode a cognitive map of space. These maps are thought to be updated during learning and in response to changes in the environment through activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Here we examine how changes in activity influence spatial coding in rats using halorhodopsin-mediated, spatially selective optogenetic silencing. Halorhoposin stimulation leads to light-induced suppression in many place cells and interneurons; some place cells increase their firing through disinhibition, whereas some show no effect. We find that place fields of the unaffected subpopulation remain stable. On the other hand, place fields of suppressed place cells were unstable, showing remapping across sessions before and after optogenetic inhibition. Disinhibited place cells had stable maps but sustained an elevated firing rate. These findings suggest that place representation in the hippocampus is constantly governed by activity-dependent processes, and that disinhibition may provide a mechanism for rate remapping.
Associative-memory representations emerge as shared spatial patterns of theta activity spanning the primate temporal cortex
Authors: Nakahara Kiyoshi , Adachi Ken , Kawasaki Keisuke , Matsuo Takeshi , Sawahata Hirohito , Majima Kei , Takeda Masaki , Sugiyama Sayaka , Nakata Ryota , Iijima Atsuhiko , Tanigawa Hisashi , Suzuki Takafumi , Kamitani Yukiyasu , Hasegawa Isao
Published: June 2016

Highly localized neuronal spikes in primate temporal cortex can encode associative memory; however, whether memory formation involves area-wide reorganization of ensemble activity, which often accompanies rhythmicity, or just local microcircuit-level plasticity, remains elusive. Using high-density electrocorticography, we capture local-field potentials spanning the monkey temporal lobes, and show that the visual pair-association (PA) memory is encoded in spatial patterns of theta activity in areas TE, 36, and, partially, in the parahippocampal cortex, but not in the entorhinal cortex. The theta patterns elicited by learned paired associates are distinct between pairs, but similar within pairs. This pattern similarity, emerging through novel PA learning, allows a machine-learning decoder trained on theta patterns elicited by a particular visual item to correctly predict the identity of those elicited by its paired associate. Our results suggest that the formation and sharing of widespread cortical theta patterns via learning-induced reorganization are involved in the mechanisms of associative memory representation.
Evidence for a chemical clock in oscillatory formation of UiO-66
Authors: Goesten M. G. , de Lange M. F. , Olivos-Suarez A. I. , Bavykina A. V. , Serra-Crespo P. , Krywka C. , Bickelhaupt F. M. , Kapteijn F. , Gascon Jorge
Published: June 2016

Chemical clocks are often used as exciting classroom experiments, where an induction time is followed by rapidly changing colours that expose oscillating concentration patterns. This type of reaction belongs to a class of nonlinear chemical kinetics also linked to chaos, wave propagation and Turing patterns. Despite its vastness in occurrence and applicability, the clock reaction is only well understood for liquid-state processes. Here we report a chemical clock reaction, in which a solidifying entity, metal–organic framework UiO-66, displays oscillations in crystal dimension and number, as shown by X-ray scattering. In rationalizing this result, we introduce a computational approach, the metal–organic molecular orbital methodology, to pinpoint interaction between the tectonic building blocks that construct the metal–organic framework material. In this way, we show that hydrochloric acid plays the role of autocatalyst, bridging separate processes of condensation and crystallization.
First wide-angle view of channelized turbidity currents links migrating cyclic steps to flow characteristics
Authors: Hughes Clarke John E.
Published: June 2016

Field observations of turbidity currents remain scarce, and thus there is continued debate about their internal structure and how they modify underlying bedforms. Here, I present the results of a new imaging method that examines multiple surge-like turbidity currents within a delta front channel, as they pass over crescent-shaped bedforms. Seven discrete flows over a 2-h period vary in speed from 0.5 to 3.0 ms−1. Only flows that exhibit a distinct acoustically attenuating layer at the base, appear to cause bedform migration. That layer thickens abruptly downstream of the bottom of the lee slope of the bedform, and the upper surface of the layer fluctuates rapidly at that point. The basal layer is inferred to reflect a strong near-bed gradient in density and the thickening is interpreted as a hydraulic jump. These results represent field-scale flow observations in support of a cyclic step origin of crescent-shaped bedforms.
Restoring Mitochondrial Function: A Small Molecule-mediated Approach to Enhance Glucose Stimulated Insulin Secretion in Cholesterol Accumulated Pancreatic beta cells
Authors: Asalla Suman , Girada Shravan Babu , Kuna Ramya S. , Chowdhury Debabrata , Kandagatla Bhaskar , Oruganti Srinivas , Bhadra Utpal , Bhadra Manika Pal , Kalivendi Shasi Vardhan , Rao Swetha Pavani , Row Anupama , Ibrahim A , Ghosh Partha Pratim , Mitra Prasenjit
Published: June 2016

Dyslipidemia, particularly the elevated serum cholesterol levels, aggravate the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes. In the present study we explored the relationship between fasting blood sugar and serum lipid parameters in human volunteers which revealed a significant linear effect of serum cholesterol on fasting blood glucose. Short term feeding of cholesterol enriched diet to rodent model resulted in elevated serum cholesterol levels, cholesterol accumulation in pancreatic islets and hyperinsulinemia with modest increase in plasma glucose level. To explore the mechanism, we treated cultured BRIN-BD11 pancreatic beta cells with soluble cholesterol. Our data shows that cholesterol treatment of cultured pancreatic beta cells enhances total cellular cholesterol. While one hour cholesterol exposure enhances insulin exocytosis, overnight cholesterol accumulation in cultured pancreatic beta cells affects cellular respiration, and inhibits Glucose stimulated insulin secretion. We further report that (E)-4-Chloro-2-(1-(2-(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) hydrazono) ethyl) phenol (small molecule M1) prevents the cholesterol mediated blunting of cellular respiration and potentiates Glucose stimulated insulin secretion which was abolished in pancreatic beta cells on cholesterol accumulation.
Strain Engineering to Modify the Electrochemistry of Energy Storage Electrodes
Authors: Muralidharan Nitin , Carter Rachel , Oakes Landon , Cohn Adam P. , Pint Cary L.
Published: June 2016

Strain engineering has been a critical aspect of device design in semiconductor manufacturing for the past decade, but remains relatively unexplored for other applications, such as energy storage. Using mechanical strain as an input parameter to modulate electrochemical potentials of metal oxides opens new opportunities intersecting fields of electrochemistry and mechanics. Here we demonstrate that less than 0.1% strain on a Ni-Ti-O based metal-oxide formed on superelastic shape memory NiTi alloys leads to anodic and cathodic peak potential shifts by up to ~30 mV in an electrochemical cell. Moreover, using the superelastic properties of NiTi to enable strain recovery also recovers the electrochemical potential of the metal oxide, providing mechanistic evidence of strain-modified electrochemistry. These results indicate that mechanical energy can be coupled with electrochemical systems to efficiently design and optimize a new class of strain-modulated energy storage materials.