cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation on exposure of grains to lead and cadmium in a district of Shanghai

Objective To detect the contaminant contents of lead(Pb) and cadmium(Cd) in grain, then combining with dietary consumption survey, to analyze residents' intake of Pb and Cd from grains and their products, and evaluate the exposure and its safety.Methods We sampled randomly from three kinds of grains and their products from the market in Minhang district, and tested the contents of lead and cadmium. Then combining with food consumption, we evaluated the safety of the exposure using the Pb tentative provisional tolerable weekly intake(PTWI) and Cd tentative provisional tolerable monthly intake(PTMI) of JECFA. Results The positive rate of Pb in three kinds of grains and their products was 65.75%, the positive rate of Pb was 83.62%, both the rate of qualification were 100%. The average Pb content of rice was the 0.026mg/kg and 0.0101mg/kg for Cd, which were the highest in three kinds of grains and their products; The average daily intake of Pb for residents was 0.006 35mg/kg, accounting for 2.91% of PTMI.And the average daily intake of Cd for residents was 0.002 4mg/kg, accounting for 4.81% of PTMI. Of the three kinds of food, rice contributed about 80% of the exposure of Pb and Cd; The rates of intake accounting for PTWI of Pb and PTMI of Cd were different,and males aged more than 60 had the highest. Conclusion The intake of Cd is higher than Pb from grains and their products for residents aged more than 15, but both are still safe. It should establish routine monitoring and focus on monitoring and evaluation system, effectively conduct pollution control and environmental restoration; enhance exposure assessment studies, establish appropriate exposure assessment model; conduct studies about heavy metal exposure and health effects.
A Game-Theoretic Based Resource Allocation Strategy for Cloud Computing Services

We propose an economics-oriented cloud computing resources allocation strategy with the use of game theory. Then we develop a resource allocation algorithm named NCGRAA noncooperative game resource allocation algorithm to search the Nash equilibrium solution that makes the utility of various resource providers achieve optimum. We also propose an algorithm named BGRAA bargaining game resource allocation algorithm to further increase the overall revenue with the constraints of efficiency and fairness. Based on numerical results, we discuss the influence of NCGRAA and BGRAA for the utility of resource on the system performance. It shows that the choice of parameters of the two algorithms is significant in improving the system performance and converging to the Nash equilibrium and Nash bargaining.
Hip Fractures: Appropriate Timing to Operative Intervention

Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to (1) identify the incidence of surgical delay in hip fractures, (2) evaluate the time point surgical delay puts patients at increased risk for complications, and (3) identify risk factors for surgical delay in the setting of surgical management of hip fractures. Methods A multi-center database was queried for patients of 60 years of age or older undergoing surgical treatment of a hip fracture. Surgical delay was defined by days from admission until surgical intervention. Univariate analyses and multivariate analyses were performed on all groups. Results A total of 4215 patients underwent surgery for their hip fracture. Of those experiencing surgical delay, 3304 (78%) patients experienced surgical delay of ≥1 day, 1314 (31%) had delay of ≥2 days, and 480 (11%) experienced delay of ≥3 days. There was a significant difference in complications if patients experienced surgical delay of ≥2 days (P ≤ .01). Multivariate analyses identified multiple risk factors for delay of ≥2 days including congestive heart failure (odds ratio 3.09, 95% confidence interval 2.04-4.66) and body mass index ≥40 (odds ratio 2.31, 95% confidence interval 1.31-4.08). Subgroup analysis identified that patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty were not at risk for complications with surgical delay of ≥2 days. Conclusion Surgical delay of ≥2 days in the setting of hip fractures is common and confers an increased risk of complications in those undergoing non-total hip arthroplasty procedures. We recommend surgical intervention prior to 48 hours from hospital admission when possible. Healthcare systems can utilize our non-modifiable risk factors when performing quality assessment and cost accounting.
A survey of Raman spectra from laser-produced plasmas

The observed spectra of Raman light from laser-produced plasmas, most often attributed to stimulated Raman scattering, have been sufficiently complex to confound simple expectations. This has led to an interest in any trends that may exist in the observed spectral structure. In the present article, we survey the Raman spectra that have been observed in experiments using short-wavelength lasers ( ∼ 1 kJ) to produce copious Raman scattering. In most but not all cases, the spectra exhibit both steady and time-dependent structure that is more complex than the simplest theoretical considerations would suggest. However, trends in this structure are difficult to discern. The observed spectra thus provide an interesting challenge for theories of nonlinear mechanisms that may affect SRS.
Heart failure in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by a constellation of cardiovascular (CV) and non-CV manifestations. Even though CV complications such as accelerated atherosclerosis and elevated risk of myocardial infarction (MI) have been recognized for many years, there is limited evidence regarding SLE and its association with heart failure (HF). Traditional risk factors of atherosclerotic CV disease, as well as various SLE manifestations and therapies, independently or together, increase the risk of HF in this population. There is a need for sufficiently powered intervention studies focusing on specific risk factors to improve CV outcomes in SLE patients.
IL-10 paradoxically promotes autoimmune neuropathy through S1PR1-dependent CD4+ T cell migration

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a debilitating condition caused by autoimmune demyelination of peripheral nerves. CIDP is associated with increased IL-10, a cytokine with well-described anti-inflammatory effects. However, the role of IL-10 in CIDP is unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that IL-10 paradoxically exacerbates autoimmunity against peripheral nerves. In IL-10–deficient mice, protection from neuropathy was associated with an accrual of highly activated CD4 + T cells in draining lymph nodes and absence of infiltrating immune cells in peripheral nerves. Accumulated CD4 + T cells in draining lymph nodes of IL-10–deficient mice expressed lower sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 ( S1pr1 ), a protein important in lymphocyte egress. Additionally, IL-10 stimulation in vitro induced S1pr1 expression in lymph node cells in a STAT3-dependent manner. Together, these results delineate a novel mechanism in which IL-10–induced STAT3 increases S1pr1 expression and CD4 + T cell migration to accelerate T cell–mediated destruction of peripheral nerves.
Interleukin-2 and Cancer Therapy

IL-2 was originally isolated as a soluble factor with the property of enhancing T-lymphocyte proliferation in studies of the human immunodeficiency virus (1). The earliest studies of its activity in the cellular therapy of cancer used partially-purified IL-2 from the Jurkat human T-cell line. Subsequent studies used recombinant IL-2 produced in E. coli, an unlimited source of this valuable cytokine that has been used more than any other immunologic agent for laboratory and clinical investigations of immunotherapy for malignant and nonmalignant disease. Proof of concept for the potent activity of IL-2-activated killer cells (termed lymphokine-activated killer, or LAK cells) against established malignancy in animal models was provided in the extensive series of reports from Rosenberg and the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute beginning in the mid-1980s (2–4). The earliest human studies used Jurkat-derived IL-2 and ex vivo-activated autologous LAK cells derived from leukapheresis of patients with advanced cancer. These patients initially received intravenous IL-2 before mononuclear cell collections and then received additional IL-2 following the re-infusion of autologous lymphocytes that had undergone further exposure to IL-2 ex vivo for several days. The encouraging level of activity against renal cancer and melanoma, including a 5–7% rate of durable complete remission, was particularly gratifying in light of the marked resistance of these two malignancies to chemotherapy and other biologic agents such as interferon. Subsequent clinical trials demonstrated that ex vivo exposure of patient cells to IL-2 was not necessary, as the in vivo exposure appeared to be associated with a comparable likelihood of antitumor response (5).At the same time, the success of this approach at centers outside of the National Cancer Institute was confirmed with a series of studies by the Cytokine Working Group and other institutions (6–9).
Kapitza limited spin-bath relaxation in Ca F 2 : Ce 3 +

Measurements, at liquid-helium temperature, of the spin-bath relaxation time $\ensuremath{\tau}$ of ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{3+}$ ions doped into Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ reveal the overall return to equilibrium to be limited by the Kapitza resistance of the host crystal. Initial Nonequilibrium within the ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{3+}$ spin system was produced by superimposing a magnetic field $\ensuremath{\Delta}H$ upon a steady dc field ${H}_{0}$ in a time of the order of 100 \ensuremath{\mu}sec. The subsequent return to equilibrium of the coupled spin-phonon system was monitored by observing the instantaneous paramagnetic Faraday rotation of the ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{3+}$ ions. It can be shown that when the return to equilibrium is limited by the thermal exchange across the solid-liquid helium interface the spin-bath relaxation time takes the form $\ensuremath{\tau}=\frac{{R}_{K}{C}_{C}}{S}$, where ${R}_{K}$ is the Kapitza resistance, ${C}_{C}$ the total heat capacity of the crystal, and $S$ its surface area. Investigation of the spin-bath relaxation of Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$: ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{3+}$ has resulted in: (i) an order-of-magnitude estimate of the Kapitza resistance of Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$, (ii) a determination of the rise in crystal temperature under conditions of ${C}_{\mathrm{spin}}\ensuremath{\gg}{C}_{\mathrm{lattice}}$, the maximum value observed being $\ensuremath{\delta}T\ensuremath{\approx}0.20$ K, and (iii) a determination of the Schottky specific heat of the Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$: 3.0-at.%-${\mathrm{Ce}}^{3+}$ spin system.
HUMAN PLASMA MELATONIN: A MARKER FOR ADRENERGIC FUNCTION, CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS, AND RESPONSIVITY TO ENVIRONMENTAL LIGHT

ABSTRACT The mass spectral assay for melatonin has the requisite sensitivity, specificity, and precision to clarify the nature of human plasma melatonin secretion. Because melatonin appears to be exclusively secreted by the pineal gland upon stimulation by sympathetic nerves, and because of the regulation of sympathetic stimulation by an endogenous pacemaker synchronized to the light/dark cycle, plasma melatonin is a useful “marker” for adrenergic function, circadian rhythms, and the effects of light. Melatonin levels may reflect state-dependent changes in manic-depressives; supersensitivity to light may be a trait marker for affective disorders.
β-Adrenergic Mechanisms in Long-Term Potentiation and Norepinephrine-Induced Long-Lasting Potentiation

A brief train of high-frequency, repetitive electrical stimulation to the perforant path results in long-term potentiation (LTP) of the response to low-frequency stimulation of that pathway. In the dentate gyrus, LTP is manifested as an increased amplitude of the extracellularly recorded synchronous action potentials (population spike) of granule cells, a decrease in the latency of the population spike, and a steepening of the initial slope of the extracellularly recorded excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) in response to stimulation of the perforant path (Bliss and Lomo, 1973; Bliss and Gardner-Medwin, 1973). Long-term potentiation has also been demonstrated in hippocampal fields CA1 and CA3 (Schwartzkroin and Wester, 1975; Alger and Teyler, 1976). In intracellular recordings, LTP is manifested primarily as an increased EPSP amplitude (Andersen et al., 1977, 1980; Yamamoto and Chujo, 1978; Misgeld et al., 1979; Wigstrom and Gustafsson, 1985; Barrionuevo et al., 1986).
Multiscalar Analysis of Religious Geography in the United States

The United States has tremendous religious diversity. Although the ranks of the religious are mostly attached to one of the hundreds of different Christian denominations, there are significant numbers associated with non-Christian faiths. This complexity can be seen in the clustering of some churches in certain parts of large cities and the preponderance of one religion in certain areas of the country. I examine distinct differences in the national geography of major U.S. religions as well as local distinctions in neighborhood incomes where certain churches are located. Both the macro and micro geographies illustrate the history and socioeconomics of the adherents of different churches. I compute concentration indices of a number of churches to see how their geographies have changed since the 1950s. This large-scale differential geography is supplemented with micro-scale urban case studies of several different religious groups. The local worship place analysis includes Catholics, Southern Baptists, Jews, Latter-day Saints members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), Muslims, Lutherans and others. By comparing income characteristics of neighborhoods that surround the meeting places of these groups in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Chicago, I highlight how locational choices have some consistency among the groups in terms of surrounding neighborhood household incomes. The macro and micro analyses together illustrate the distinct geographic niches that various religions fill.
Comparison of two techniques for transpharyngeal endoscopic auditory tube diverticulotomy in the horse

Auditory tube diverticula, also known as guttural pouches, are naturally occurring dilations of the auditory tube in horses that communicate with the nasopharynx through a small ostium. Infection and select other conditions can result in inflammation and narrowing of the nasopharyngeal ostium, which prevents drainage of fluid or egress of air and can lead to persistent infection or guttural pouch tympany. Auditory tube diverticulotomy allows continuous egress from the auditory tube diverticula and is a feature of disease treatment in horses, in which medical treatment alone is not successful. Transpharyngeal endoscopic auditory tube diverticulotomy was performed using a diode laser either at a single dorsal pharyngeal recess location or bilaterally caudal to the nasopharyngeal ostium in 10 horse head specimens. Both methods resulted in clear communication between the nasopharynx and auditory tube diverticula. Diverticulotomy performed in the dorsal pharyngeal recess required less laser energy and activation time and had a shorter surgical duration than diverticulotomy performed caudal to the nasopharyngeal ostium. Further study related to the clinical application of both techniques is warranted.
Classifying 5d SCFTs via 6d SCFTs: Arbitrary rank

According to a conjecture, all 5d SCFTs should be obtainable by rank-preserving RG flows of 6d SCFTs compactified on a circle possibly twisted by a background for the discrete global symmetries around the circle. For a 6d SCFT admitting an F-theory construction, its untwisted compactification admits a dual M-theory description in terms of a "parent" Calabi-Yau threefold which captures the Coulomb branch of the compactified 6d SCFT. The RG flows to 5d SCFTs can then be identified with a sequence of flop transitions and blowdowns of the parent Calabi-Yau leading to "descendant" Calabi-Yau threefolds which describe the Coulomb branches of the resulting 5d SCFTs. An explicit description of parent Calabi-Yaus is known for untwisted compactifications of rank one 6d SCFTs. In this paper, we provide a description of parent Calabi-Yaus for untwisted compactifications of arbitrary rank 6d SCFTs. Since 6d SCFTs of arbitrary rank can be viewed as being constructed out of rank one SCFTs, we accomplish the extension to arbitrary rank by identifying a prescription for gluing together Calabi-Yaus associated to rank one 6d SCFTs.
“There is a fine line between one’s personal life and professional one”: handling employee sexual harassment on facebook from the victim’s perspective

Sexual harassment is an interdisciplinary topic in organizational research that has received increased attention with the rise of the #MeToo movement. The online environment has complicated the exp...
Multi-modal Approach for Affective Computing

Throughout the past decade, many studies have classified human emotions using only a single sensing modality such as face video, electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), galvanic skin response (GSR), etc. The results of these studies are constrained by the limitations of these modalities such as the absence of physiological biomarkers in the face-video analysis, poor spatial resolution in EEG, poor temporal resolution of the GSR etc. Scant research has been conducted to compare the merits of these modalities and understand how to best use them individually and jointly. Using multi-modal AMIGOS dataset, this study compares the performance of human emotion classification using multiple computational approaches applied to face videos and various bio-sensing modalities. Using a novel method for compensating physiological baseline we show an increase in the classification accuracy of various approaches that we use. Finally, we present a multi-modal emotion-classification approach in the domain of affective computing research.
Epidemiology and control of gastrointestinal parasitism in grazing cattle in Missouri

The derivation of a method using resident and tracer calves to determine whether or not Ostertagia ostertagi had arrested its development in cattle during the summer is described. Application of this method to the O. ostertagi population in calves in Missouri, USA, during winter 1980-81 showed insignificant numbers of arrested 4th-stage larvae. In late April 1981 herbage larval counts of pasture idle since December 1980 showed high levels of infective O. ostertagi larvae. Pasture larval counts declined steadily during the summer while in calves the number of arrested 4th-stage larvae significantly increased from April to August. Parasitized calves theoretically gained 0.2 kg less/day than control calves and the decrease in weight gain strongly correlated with resumption of the development of arrested larvae. A repeat study the following year produced similar results. Calves of cows given 10 mg/kg body weight fenbendazole just after calving had gained significantly more weight than calves of untreated cows by the beginning of July. The calves were also given fenbendazole (5 mg/kg) 3 weeks later (July 19) and by weaning had a 22.5 kg advantage over untreated calves, thus restoring about 75% of the weight lost through parasitism. Recommendations for deworming procedures are made.
Severe radial artery spasm causing entrapment of the Terumo radial to peripheral destination slender sheath: a case report.

Background Radial access for lower-extremity peripheral vascular interventions (PVIs) has been limited due to inadequate equipment lengths. The Terumo R2P Destination Slender sheath is a relatively new sheath designed for these interventions. However, complications related to this sheath or access strategy for lower-extremity PVI have not been reported. Case summary A 69-year-old woman presented with purple discolouration of her 1st and 5th toes of the left foot for approximately 1 month. Lower-extremity arterial duplex ultrasound showed mid left superficial femoral artery (SFA) greater than 90% stenosis. Peripheral angiogram was performed via the left radial artery and this confirmed the presence of severe left SFA stenosis. Intra-arterial vasodilators including verapamil and nitroglycerine were administered to prevent radial artery spasm. Next, we attempted to deliver the Terumo 6-Fr R2P Destination Slender 119 cm sheath for the interventional procedure. However, the sheath became stuck at the level of mid axillary artery due to severe radial artery spasm. Despite use of intra-arterial vasodilators, deep sedation with propofol, and gentle retraction, the sheath could not be removed and eventually broke requiring surgical removal. Discussion This case demonstrates severe radial artery spasm causing sheath entrapment that required emergency surgery for sheath removal. Unfortunately, the sheath could not be removed despite typical manoeuvres for severe spasm including intra-arterial vasodilators and deep sedation with propofol. Physicians performing PVIs via radial access need to be aware of this potentially serious complication.
A generalized framework for classical test theory

Abstract This paper develops a generalized framework which allows for the use of parametric classical test theory inference with non-normal models. Using the theory of natural exponential families and Bayesian theory of their conjugate priors, theoretical properties of test scores under the framework are derived, including a formula for parallel-test reliability in terms of the test length and a parameter of the underlying population distribution of abilities. This framework is shown to satisfy the general properties of classical test theory several common classical test theory results are shown to reduce to parallel-test reliability in this framework. An empirical Bayes method for estimating reliability, both with point estimates and with intervals, is described using maximum likelihood. This method is applied to an example set of data and compared to classical test theory estimators of reliability, and a simulation study is performed to show the coverage of the interval estimates of reliability derived from the framework.
Plasticity of Least Tern and Piping Plover nesting behaviors in response to sand temperature.

Abstract Birds that nest on the ground in open areas, such as Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) and Interior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos), are exposed to high temperatures in thermally stressful environments. As a result, some ground-nesting avian species have adapted behavioral strategies to maintain thermal regulation of eggs and themselves. We assessed the impact of sand temperature on shorebird nesting behaviors by installing video cameras and thermocouples at 52 Least Tern and 55 Piping Plover nests on the Missouri River in North Dakota during the 2014–2015 breeding seasons. Daily duration and frequency of shading behaviors exhibited a nonlinear relationship with temperature; therefore, we used segmented regressions to determine at what threshold temperature (mean temperature = 25.7⸰C for shading behavior daily frequency and mean temperature = 25.1⸰C for shading behavior daily duration) shorebird adults exhibited a behavioral response to rising sand temperatures. Daily nest attendance of both species decreased with increasing sand temperatures in our system. Frequency and duration of daily shading behaviors were positively correlated with sand temperatures above the temperature threshold. Piping Plovers exhibited more and longer shading behaviors above and below the temperature thresholds (below: frequency = 10.30 ± 1.69 se, duration = 7.29 min ± 2.35 se; above: frequency = 59.27 ± 6.87 se) compared to Least Terns (below: frequency = −1.37 ± 1.98 se, duration = −0.73 min ± 1.51 se; above: frequency = 31.32 ± 7.29 se). The effects of sand temperature on avian ground-nesting behavior will be critical to understand in order to adapt or develop recovery plans in response to climate change.
Circadian Rhythms in Environmental Health Sciences.

This review aims to explore how circadian rhythms influence disease susceptibility and potentially modify the effect of environmental exposures. We aimed to identify biomarkers commonly used in environmental health research that have also been the subject of chronobiology studies, in order to review circadian rhythms of relevance to environmental health and determine if time-of-day is an important factor to consider in environmental health studies. Moreover, we discuss opportunities for studying how environmental exposures may interact with circadian rhythms to structure disease pathology and etiology. In recent years, the study of circadian rhythms in mammals has flourished. Animal models revealed that all body tissues have circadian rhythms. In humans, circadian rhythms were also shown to exist at multiple levels of organization: molecular, cellular, and physiological processes, including responding to oxidative stress, cell trafficking, and sex hormone production, respectively. Together, these rhythms are an essential component of human physiology and can shape an individual’s susceptibility and response to disease. Circadian rhythms are relatively unexplored in environmental health research. However, circadian clocks control many physiological and behavioral processes that impact exposure pathways and disease systems. We believe this review will motivate new studies of (i) the impact of exposures on circadian rhythms, (ii) how circadian rhythms modify the effect of environmental exposures, and (iii) how time-of-day impacts our ability to observe the body’s response to exposure.
Autologous Bone Marrow Cell Therapy for the Knee: Are We There Yet?

Knee pathology including osteoarthritis and chondral defects continue to account for a large burden of health care visits and significant dysfunction among patients. Injectable biologics have become a focus of greater interest as treatment to mitigate symptoms and potentially restore function or structure. In particular, bone marrow derived treatments, such as aspirated bone marrow aspirate concentrate (commonly referred to as BMAC) have attracted attention as one of the few options that may contain viable autologous stem and progenitor cells that are compliant with Federal Drug Administration regulations. However, recent literature has reported significant shortcomings including variability in the preparation methods, quality reporting, and outcome measures used to assess BMAC efficacy. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of the most recent recommendations for processing and reporting BMAC in clinical trials with special focus on knee pathology, and presents an evidence-based discussion of the most recent studies reporting on patient outcomes.
Angular momentum effects in fission

Background: The role of angular momentum in fission has long been discussed but the observable effects are difficult to quantify.Purpose: We discuss a variety of effects associated with angular momentum in fission and present quantitative illustrations.Methods: We employ the fission simulation model freya, which is well suited for this purpose because it obeys all conservation laws, including linear and angular momentum conservation at each step of the process. We first discuss the implementation of angular momentum in freya and then assess particular observables, including various correlated observables. We also study potential effects of neutron-induced fission of the low-lying isomeric state of $^{235}\mathrm{U}$ relative to the ground state.Results: The fluctuations inherent in the fission process ensure that the spin of the initial compound nucleus has only a small influence on the fragment spins, which are therefore nearly uncorrelated. There is a marked correlation between the spin magnitude of the fission fragments and the photon multiplicity. We also consider the dynamical anisotropy caused by the rotation of an evaporating fragment and study especially the distribution of the projected neutron-neutron opening angles, showing that while it is dominated by the effect of the evaporation recoils, it is possible to extract the signal of the dynamical anisotropy by means of a Fourier decomposition. Finally, we note that the use of an isomeric target, $^{235\mathrm{m}}\mathrm{U}$(${n}_{\mathrm{th}}$,f), may enhance the symmetric yields and can thus result in higher neutron multiplicities for low total fragment kinetic energies.Conclusions: While the initial angular momentum of the fissioning nucleus tends to have little effect on the observables, those of the produced fragments influence the emitted neutrons and photons in a significant and correlated manner which may be exploited experimentally to elucidate the fission process.
The severity of bullying messages predicts increased levels of targets’ depression and general anxiety as a function of targets’ inferences of a bully’s goals:

Being the recipient of severe bullying messages for a period of time is a meaningful predictor of subsequent mental health issues. Employing Goal Understanding Theory, we test an explanation for th...
Spectral characteristics of a thin lithographic tri-layer chiral slab resonator

Abstract A chiral slab resonator with dielectric loss in the thin-film limit is considered. The resonator is configured in a tri-layer lithographic structure. Singularities emerge for variable angles of incidence and frequencies which in the lossless and lossy limits exhibit minor departures from expected power coefficient behavior, but generally remain in the proximity of energy conservation. Cases involving both right circularly polarized and left circularly polarized propagating modes, characteristic of bulk chiral materials, are investigated to derive the Fresnel amplitude coefficients at each interface of the resonator slab (achiral–chiral and chiral–achiral) and the overall resonator itself following multipath reflection and transmission along the lines of a Fabry–Perot resonator. Overall, results show that mode densities decrease, modes become more nonuniform, linewidths increase in the thin-film limit, and phenomena such as inverse total internal reflection and resonant mode variations relative to slab thickness and dielectric loss are observed under the tri-layer thin-film configuration.
Overview no. 84: An analysis of diffusion and diffusional creep in stoichiometric and hyperstoichiometric uranium dioxide

Abstract Diffusion and diffusional creep mechanisms are analyzed for stoichiometric and hyperstoichiometric UO 2+ x . A variety of criteria are used in the evaluation based on a critical review of literature data: 1. (1) agreement between measured tracer diffusivities and those calculated from creep rates or reported for sintering; 2. (2) self-consistent values of the activation energies for various diffusion controlled processes; 3. (3) self-consistent and theoretically reasonable stoichiometry dependencies for self-diffusion, creep, and sintering; 4. (4) a satisfactory grain size correlation in the diffusional creep regime. It is conclusively shown that Coble creep is the dominant mechanism for any practical grain size where viscous creep processes are diffusion limited. This conclusion applies at stoichiometric and all oxygen-rich compositions. At low stress interface controlled diffusional creep is an important mechanism. A compilation of the “best” set of uranium grain boundary and lattice diffusivities is presented for the entire range of UO 2+ x stoichiometries.
The Regulation of Methionine Synthesis and the Nature of Cystathionine γ-Synthase in Neurospora

Abstract Methionine synthesis in Neurospora involves acetylation of homoserine, catalyzed by homoserine transacetylase; replacement of the acetyl group by cysteine, catalyzed by cystathionine γ-synthase; and elimination of homocysteine from cystathionine, catalyzed by β-cystathionase. Another enzyme catalyzes reactions of acetylhomoserine with sulfide or methylmercaptan to yield homocysteine or methionine directly, but the acetylhomoserine sulfhydrylase reaction does not play a major role in methionine synthesis in this organism. Three other fungi, Saccharomyces, Candida, and Cunninghamella were found to have transacetylase and sulfhydrylase enzymes similar to those in Neurospora, but only equivocal levels of cystathionine synthase have so far been detected. The Neurospora cystathionine synthase activity was very labile after extraction and was lost on dilution. Inhibition by hydroxylamine could be only partially attributed to a requirement for pyridoxal phosphate. Eight genes are known in Neurospora in which mutation confers methionine auxotrophy. None of the corresponding mutants lacked the sulfhydrylase. The me-5 mutants investigated had modified, rather than absent, transacetylase activities. Cystathionine synthase activity was absent from extracts of me-3, me-7, me-1, and me-6 mutants. The first two of these mutants have no other known defect; the second two are also blocked in the transmethylation of homocysteine. Activity was reconstituted by pairwise mixing of macromolecular fractions from the four mutant extracts in all combinations, with one possible exception, suggesting that several gene products are involved in this presumably single step reaction. Addition of methionine to minimal growth medium did not affect the wild type levels of transacetylase or cystathionine synthase activity. S-Adenosylmethionine was identified as an end product inhibitor of cystathionine synthase. Activity was inhibited 50% by 0.01 mm S-adenosylmethionine, but the inhibition was established only after the enzyme had been exposed to inhibitor for 5 min. No end product control over the first reaction unique to methionine synthesis could be detected, suggesting the existence of another, unidentified vital function for acetylhomoserine, or for the transacetylase. The concentration of S-adenosylmethionine in wild type cells which had been grown in the presence of methionine was shown to be sufficient to inhibit cystathionine synthase completely. An ethionine-resistant mutant which over-produced methionine was found to be unable to accumulate the inhibitor due to a defect in S-adenosylmethionine synthase; this is believed to be the first identification of a gene coding this enzyme.
The Macular Pigment: A Possible Role in Protection from Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Publisher Summary The macula is the anatomical region of the retina that is responsible for central vision. Considerable effort is devoted to understanding and treating diseases that disrupt the normal functioning of the macula. Such a disease is age-related maculardegeneration (AMD). It is the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States and is an irreversible condition. Factors with an apparent positive correlation with AMD include light skin color, light iris color, high exposure to ambient light, low levels of dietary xanthophylis, and low levels of serum xanthophylls. This chapter reviews the current state of knowledge of the macular pigment, AMD, and the possible link between them and presents data that indicate that lower than normal amounts of macular pigment are found in persons with AMD. The chapter details the macula, the macular pigment, and age-related macular degeneration. Various methods are discussed; analysis of carotenoids from eyes—tissue samples, carotenoid extraction and analysis, and stereoisomer analysis. There is uptake of lutein in human adults—sampling, carotenoid extraction, and HPLC analysis. There are notes on heterochromatic flicker photometry, apparatus, and measurements. Data from 15 control and 22 AMD eyes have been obtained to date. The results, for each eye studied, depicts the total carotenoid present in each of the three sections of the retina in picomoles per square millimeter of tissue. The chapter also discusses lutein uptake in human subjects and macular pigmentation. This chapter has shown that serum levels increase significantly in subjects supplemented with lutein at a dosage level of 30 mg/day. The slow rate of Macular pigmentation increase may be partly because of the need for lutein to diffuse into the avascular macular region of the retina. The increase is not always bilaterally symmetric. Lowered levels of macular pigmentation are a causitive factor in the development of macular degeneration.
Cytomegalovirus Papillitis in Patients with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: Visual Prognosis of Patients Treated with Ganciclovir and/or Foscarnet

Background: Of those patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome in whom cytomegaloviral retinitis develops, cytomegaloviral papillitis reportedly develops in up to 4% as well. Although occasionally patients have a good visual outcome, the majority have a poor visual prognosis, with a visual acuity of 20/200 or worse, even with treatment. Methods: To evaluate the effects of prolonged induction with foscarnet or ganciclovir on the visual prognosis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) papillitis, the records of 22 patients seen between 1990 and 1995 at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Eye Clinic were reviewed. Papillitis was defined as greater than 270° of disc edema/blurring of the disc margins as seen on direct examination and on color fundus photographs. Results: Eighteen patients with a mean initial visual acuity of 20/69 (range, 20/15–20/400) were treated with induction doses of intravenous ganciclovir (range, 57.5 mg/kg twice daily) or foscarnet (range, 60–90 mg/kg twice or 3 times daily) for a mean of 3.3 weeks. The mean follow-up period was 4.8 months (range, 1–13 months). These patients maintained a mean final visual acuity of 20/68 (range, 20/25–20/400) with greater than 90% resolution of the papillitis. The remaining four patients had poor outcomes (visual acuity Conclusion: Patients with CMV papillitis have good visual prognosis when managed with high and prolonged doses of intravenous foscarnet and/or ganciclovir.
Solar energetic particles and their effects on the terrestrial environment.

Evidence that the Sun could produce significant fluxes of energetic (i.e. 106–109 eV) particles was first presented by Forbush (1946), who reported transient increases in the counting rate of ground-based cosmic-ray detectors occurring in association with solar flares. Little further development took place for the next decade, until the intense relativistic energy event of February 23, 1956, created widespread interest through its effects on the Earth’s ionosphere, particularly at polar latitudes. The succeeding years of the late 1950s and early 1960s saw an explosion of interest in the near-Earth space environment brought about by the cooperative scientific efforts of the International Geophysical Year and by the development of artificial Earth satellites. Ground-based radio measurements revealed the existence of energetic-particle events that could not be seen by cosmic-ray detectors, while satellites detected events that were yet weaker, and provided direct measurements of the flux and composition of the particles.
A Troublesome Inheritance': Nicholas Wade’s Botched Interpretation of Human Genetics, History, and Evolution

Humans are still evolving, genetic sequences are important, and populations of humans difffer from one another in many ways, including patterns of allelic variation. These facts are not debatable; they are true—but none of them are accurately discussed or represented in Nicholas Wade’s book A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History. Wade argues that there are defijinable and genetically identifijiable groups we can describe and label as biological races in humans today. He does not provide a consistent defijinition for what he means by “race” or a specifijic number of races that we have (he indicates three, fijive, and seven as options). Wade suggests that believing in biological races (especially African, Caucasian, and East Asian) is both common sense and solid science. He asserts that evolved diffferences in these races are the key explanation for social diffferences in histories, economies, and trajectories in societies; why “Chinese society difffers profoundly from European society, and both are entirely unlike a tribal African society” (123). Wade argues that it is racial (genetic) diffferences and separate evolutionary histories that help us understand why humans are the way they are. In making these assertions, Wade ignores the majority of data and conclusions from anthropology, population genetics, human biology, and evolutionary biology (see Marks 1995, 2010). Rather than actually acknowledging the copious, and current, scientifijic research on human genetic variation that contradicts his assertions, Wade reviews, and rejects, only the protests of Jared Diamond and assertions by Richard Lewontin. Wade does make minimal reference to the offfijicial statements on race by the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and the American Anthropological Association; he simply disregards them by reasserting his belief that looking at genetics gives us clear racial assignment. Despite being publicly challenged by numerous biological anthropologists, geneticists, and evolutionary biologists on the specifijics of the data and his interpretations (see, e.g., Marks 2014; Fuentes 2014; Rafff 2014), Wade has been adamant in his refusal to interact with any assertions, articles, data, or analyses that in any way problematize his simplistic, and erroneous, position. His approach is particularly dangerous as his justifijication for this position is that he is a defender of truth and that a cabal of left-leaning academics are obfuscating reality with oppressive, even fascistic, denials of the truth about race. Since the publication of his book, the core of Wade’s responses to his (many) critics have been that they (1) are trying to repress the true state of knowledge about racial variation, (2) have
Structural Insights into a Circadian Oscillator

An endogenous circadian system in cyanobacteria exerts pervasive control over cellular processes, including global gene expression. Indeed, the entire chromosome undergoes daily cycles of topological changes and compaction. The biochemical machinery underlying a circadian oscillator can be reconstituted in vitro with just three cyanobacterial proteins, KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. These proteins interact to promote conformational changes and phosphorylation events that determine the phase of the in vitro oscillation. The high-resolution structures of these proteins suggest a ratcheting mechanism by which the KaiABC oscillator ticks unidirectionally. This posttranslational oscillator may interact with transcriptional and translational feedback loops to generate the emergent circadian behavior in vivo. The conjunction of structural, biophysical, and biochemical approaches to this system reveals molecular mechanisms of biological timekeeping.
Retinoic acid is a negative regulator of the Epstein-Barr virus protein (BZLF1) that mediates disruption of latent infection

Disruption of latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is induced by the key immediate-early protein BZLF1 (or Z, a member of the basic leucine-zipper family), which transactivates the viral early promoters. Viral reactivation is marked by renewed synthesis of early gene products such as EBV early antigen-diffuse (EA-D). Retinoic acid has been previously shown to inhibit reactivation of EBV infection. Retinoic acid responsive receptors are known to act as positively regulating transcription factors but can also negatively regulate AP-1 responsive genes. Here we demonstrate that the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR alpha) and retinoid X receptor alpha (RXR alpha) inhibit the ability of the Z protein to transactivate the viral early promoter BMRF1, which directs transcription of EA-D. Z can also reciprocally inhibit RAR alpha- and RXR alpha-induced activation of an autoregulated cellular promoter for the RAR beta gene (BRE) through a non-DNA binding mechanism. RXR alpha inhibits Z from binding to the AP-1 motif in the BMRF1 promoter and, reciprocally, Z inhibits RAR alpha from binding to its retinoic acid response element in the BRE promoter. Furthermore, a glutathione-S-transferase-RXR alpha fusion protein can interact directly with the Z protein. These results suggest that a direct protein-protein interaction between Z (the viral protein) and RAR alpha and RXR alpha (cellular proteins) can modulate the reactivation of latent EBV infection.
Transect-spacing design of ice cores on the Antarctic continent

Chemical analyses of ice cores, drilled deep into an ice sheet, provide a historical record of the earth's atmosphere that dates back as far as 400,000–500,000 years. Although the atmosphere mixes quite well, it is recognized that spatial variability associated with ice-core locations should be allowed for. In this article, spatial statistical methodology is applied to the design question of finding the best spacing of ice-core locations on a partial transect of Antarctica. L'analyse chimique de troncons de glace, extraits des profondeurs d'une couche de glace, fournissent un temoignage de l'atmosphere de la terre datant d'il y a jusqu'a 400,000–500,000 ans. Bien que l'atmosphere se dilue assez bien, il est reconnu qu'une variabilite spatiale associee a l'emplacement des troncons de glace doit ětre prise en compte. Dans cet article, une mehodologie spatiale statistique est appliquee a la question de trouver le meilleur espacement de troncons de glaces sur une section de l'Antarctique.
Modification of solar lines propagating through the interplanetary medium

The optical depths of the solar H Lyman-alpha and the He 584-A lines in interplanetary space are calculated. From these the solar line profiles at Saturn and Uranus are determined. It is found that the solar H Lyman-alpha line can be diminished strongly within a spectral region of less than 0.2 A from the line center. On the other hand, there is no significant absorption of the He 584-A line except in the downwind region, where absorption occurs within a spectral region of about 0.04 A. The effects of solar line modification on planetary and interplanetary glow observations are discussed.
N-linked carbohydrates in tyrosinase are required for its recognition by human MHC class II-restricted CD4(+) T cells.

Glycosylation of mammalian proteins is known to influence their intracellular trafficking, half life, and susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. Rare instances of natural T cell epitopes dependent upon glycosylation for recognition have been described. We report here on human CD4+ T lymphocyte cultures and clones from two melanoma patients that recognize the melanoma-associated Ag tyrosinase in the context of HLA-DR4 and -DR8. These T cells recognize tyrosinase, normally a heavily glycosylated molecule, when expressed constitutively in melanoma cells or in COS-7 transfectants pulsed as lysates onto autologous APC. However, these T cells fail to recognize tyrosinase expressed in bacteria, nor do they react with overlapping peptides covering full-length tyrosinase, suggesting a critical role for glycosylation in the processing and / or composition of the stimulatory epitopes. The requirement for glycosylation was demonstrated by the failure of tyrosinase-specific CD4+ T cells to recognize tyrosinase synthesized in the presence of glycosylation inhibitors, or deglycosylated enzymatically. Site-directed mutagenesis of each of seven potential N-glycosylation sites showed that four sites were required to generate forms of tyrosinase that could be recognized by individual T cell clones. These data indicate that certain carbohydrate moieties are required for processing the tyrosinase peptides recognized by CD4+ T cells. Post-translational modifications of human tumor-associated proteins such as tyrosinase could be a critical factor for the development of antitumor immune responses.