cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Superoxide radical: A likely link between reperfusion injury and inflammation

The roles of the superoxide free radical (02.-) in the inflammatory process are known to include bactericidal action as well as participation in cell-to- cell communication via the activation of a superoxide-dependent chemo-attractant. A role for the radical is now also understood in post-ischemic injury brought about by the reintroduction of molecular oxygen. In this case the superoxide is produced within the reperfused tissue by the en~me xanthine oxidase. While the mechanisms of free radical production are biochemically distinct in these two pathological conditions, there are logical links apparent whereby an ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury would lead to inflammation, and conversely whereby an inflamed tissue could become vulnerable to ischemic injury. The occasional study notwithstanding, much evidence now supports roles for superoxide and hydrogen peroxide in reperfusion injury to the heart. In the rat and dog, xanthine oxidase appears to be the primary source of these forms of active oxygen. Manifestations of injury include inactivation of specific enzymes, functional impairment of the mitochondria, and conductance abnormalities.
Structural mechanics of seed deterioration: Standing the test of time

Abstract Seeds die inevitably but unexpectedly during storage and current understanding of seed quality and storage conditions do not allow reliable means to predict or prevent this critical problem. Chemical degradation of seed components likely occurs through oxidative damage, but the rate of these reactions is dominated by properties of seed that are affected by temperature and moisture. These visco-elastic properties contribute to the structure of seeds as amorphous solids. This paper presents the perspective of seed maturation and post-harvest treatment as an exercise in engineering design for a structure that must persist through time and fluctuating conditions. Structural analyses are engineering tools used to select proper composition of materials and predict their behavior under a range of circumstances and are applicable to measurement within seeds. Thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) measure structural deformation and stress–strain relationships, providing sensitive and universal parameters that detect differences in structural stability in materials with subtle compositional differences or processing methods. When applied to seeds, TMA and DMA techniques provide information consistent with existing information on glass and first order transitions. The depth of additional information obtainable about the behavior of the glass and interactions with lipid structure suggests that these techniques will be able to quantify differences among seed structures that contribute to their tendency to age.
Errata to "On random time and on the relation between wave and telegraph equations" [May 13 2735-2744]

In the above-named article [ibid., vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 2735-2744, May 2013], an acknowledgment was overlooked. It should have appeared as follows: "ACKNOWLEDGMENT: After this paper was accepted, the author became aware of a mathematical proof of Kac's conjecture given in reference [41] using group theory" (Reference [41] is provided in this erratum as reference [2]).
Is mycophenolate mofetil really necessary in renal transplantation? A review of the MYSS follow-up study

Is mycophenolate mofetil really necessary in renal transplantation? A review of the MYSS follow-up study
Improving long range and high magnification face recognition: Database acquisition, evaluation, and enhancement

In this paper, we describe a face video database, UTK-LRHM, acquired from long distances and with high magnifications. Both indoor and outdoor sequences are collected under uncontrolled surveillance conditions. To our knowledge, it is the first database to provide face images from long distances (indoor: 10-16m and outdoor: 50-300m). The corresponding system magnifications range from 3x to 20x for indoor and up to 284x for outdoor. This database has applications in experimentations with human identification and authentication in long range surveillance and wide area monitoring. Deteriorations unique to long range and high magnification face images are investigated in terms of face recognition rates based on the UTK-LRHM database. Magnification blur is shown to be a major degradation source, the effect of which is quantified using a novel blur assessment measure and alleviated via adaptive deblurring algorithms. A comprehensive processing algorithm, including frame selection, enhancement, and super-resolution is introduced for long range and high magnification face images with a large variety of resolutions. Experimental results using face images of the UTK-LRHM database demonstrate a significant improvement in recognition rates after assessment and enhancement of degradations.
Electrical properties of iron-sand columns : Implications for induced polarization investigation and performance monitoring of iron-wall barriers

We investigate the electrical response (0.1–1000 Hz) of reactive iron barriers by making measurements on zero valent iron (Fe0)-sand columns under the following conditions: (1) variable Fe0 surface area (0.1–100% by volume Fe0) under constant electrolyte chemistry; (2) variable electrolyte activity (0.01–1 mol/liter), valence (mono trivalent), and pH under constant Fe0-sand composition; and (3) forced precipitation of iron hydroxides and iron carbonates on the Fe0 surface. We model the measurements in terms of conduction magnitude, polarization magnitude, and polarization relaxation time. Our key findings are: (a) Polarization magnitude exhibits a linear relation to the surface area of Fe0, whereas conduction magnitude is only weakly dependent on the Fe0 concentration below 30% by volume Fe0. (b) Polarization magnitude shows a power law relation to electrolyte activity, with exponents decreasing from 0.9 for monovalent solutions to 0.7 for trivalent solutions. (c) The relaxation time parameter depends on ...
Multimodal interaction with a wearable augmented reality system

An augmented reality system enhances a mobile user's situational awareness and provides new visualization functionality. The custom-built multimodal interface provides access to information encountered in urban environments. In this article, we detail our experiences with various input devices and modalities and discuss their advantages and drawbacks in the context of interaction tasks in mobile computing. We show how we integrated the input channels to use the modalities beneficially and how this enhances the interface's overall usability
Sustainable development and physical infrastructure materials

Physical infrastructure, including buildings, roads, pipelines, bridges, power lines, communications networks, canals, and waterways, make up a substantial fraction of worldwide material usage and flows. Consequently, the overall mass of materials and the associated environmental impacts must be addressed to achieve sustainable development of infrastructure. This article surveys the magnitude of material use for infrastructure, including trends in the use per person, environmental impacts of the production and use of infrastructure materials, variations in the longevity of physical infrastructure, and changes in the recycling of infrastructure materials.
Dynamic Fracture Toughnesses of Reaction‐Bonded Silicon Nitride

The room-temperature dynamic fracture response of reaction-bonded silicon nitride is investigated using a hybrid experimental-numerical procedure. In this procedure, experimentally determined crack velocities are utilized to drive a dynamic finite-element code or dynamic finite-difference code in its generation mode in order to extract numerically the dynamic stress intensity factor of the fracturing specimen. Results show that the dynamic fracture toughness vs crack velocity relations of the two reaction-bonded silicon nitrides do not follow the general trend in those relations of brittle polymers and steel. A definite slow crack velocity during the initial phase of dynamic crack propagation is observed in reaction-bonded silicon nitride, which results in a nonunique dynamic fracture toughness vs crack velocity relation. In addition, it is found that a propagating crack will continue to propagate under a static stress intensity factor substantially lower than K(IC).
Epithelial Dysfunction in Nonbacterial Cystitis (Interstitial Cystitis)

Traditional concepts of impermeability of the bladder have centered around unique cellular tight junctions and ion pumps. However, recent data from our laboratory have shown that the bladder epithelium in animals and humans relies primarily on its surface glycosaminoglycans to maintain its impermeability. This study demonstrates the first disease associated with an epithelial dysfunction of the bladder, that is a leaky epithelium. The study consisted of 31 normal subjects and 56 individuals with interstitial cystitis. Interstitial cystitis patients were shown to have a leaky epithelium by placing a solution of concentrated urea into the bladder and measuring the absorption. The normal subjects absorbed 4.3% in 45 minutes, while the interstitial cystitis patients absorbed 25% (difference is highly significant, p less than 0.005). Interstitial cystitis patients with Hunner's ulcers (10) had a 34.5% absorption rate, while those without ulcers absorbed 22.8% (46). This difference also was highly significant (p = 0.002) and supports the concept that patients with ulcers have clinically worse disease.
New Combinations and One New Name for the Moss Genus Taxithelium (Pylaisiadelphaceae)

During the taxonomic revision of Taxithelium Spruce ex Mitt. (Pylaisiadelphaceae), species previously treated in the genus are excluded, and eight new combinations are presented here: Camptochaete novae-zeelandiae (E. B. Bartram & Dixon) P. E. A. S. Câmara, Chaetomitrium spuriosubtile (Broth.) P. E. A. S. Câmara, Phyllodon bilobatus (Dixon) P. E. A. S. Câmara, P. choiropyxis (Mull. Hal.) P. E. A. S. Câmara, P. glossoides (Bosch & Sande Lac.) P. E. A. S. Câmara, Sematophyllum borneense (Broth.) P. E. A. S. Câmara, S. mundulum (Sull.) P. E. A. S. Câmara, and Trichosteleum friedense (D. H. Norris & T. J. Kop.) P. E. A. S. Câmara. The new name Sematophyllum laevigatum P. E. A. S. Câmara is proposed for Hypnum trachaelocarpum Angstr. Lectotypifications are also provided for Sigmatella choiropyxis Mull. Hal. and Hypnum trachaelocarpum Angstr.
A2PSM: audio assisted wi-fi power saving mechanism for smart devices

Wi-Fi is the most prominent wireless network interface in current smart devices. Due to its high power consumption, Power Saving Mode (PSM) schemes have been proposed to reduce power consumption. We show how the current popular PSM schemes implemented in nowadays smart devices are inefficient. In this paper, we propose A2PSM: an audio channel assisted power saving scheme for the Wi-Fi interface, which address the inefficiency of the existing power saving schemes in smart devices. In this scheme, we leverage the low power consumption of the audio interfaces (mic/speaker) to reduce the wakeup events of the Wi-Fi interface when it is in Power Saving Mode. In this paper, we develop a small-scale prototype testbed on real smartphones to evaluate the proposed A2PSM scheme. Experiments show that A2PSM could save up to more than 25% more power than the existing schemes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to utilize the audio channel in optimizing the power consumption of Wi-Fi networks.
A genome-wide expression profile and system-level integration of nuclear factor kappa B regulated genes reveals fundamental metabolic adaptations during cell growth and survival.

Abstract A murine lung alveolar carcinoma cell line (WT-Line 1) and its equally tumorigenic but non-malignant derivative transduced with a dominant negative inhibitor of NF-κB (mI-κB-Line 1), were profiled on the Affymetrix ® 19 000 gene array platform. Two differentially expressed gene clusters were identified and integrated into a functional model. The downregulation of anti-oxidant defenses, in mI-κB-Line 1 cells, correlates with high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ROS damage to cellular macromolecules while the upregulation of metabolic nuclear receptors correlates with an adaptive/survival response, which involves a shift in energy metabolism toward β-oxidative respiration. Accordingly, mI-κB-Line 1 cells are markedly sensitized to pharmacologic inhibition of β-oxidative respiration. These findings are indicative of compensatory changes that could undermine anti-cancer therapies targeting NF-κB.
Lipids and proteins in multiple sclerosis white matter.

— Quantitative analyses of white matter from four brains of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and four control brains were carried out for total and soluble proteins, individual lipid fractions, and their corresponding fatty acids. In three specimens from two of the MS brains there were reductions of cerebrosides and of the C20:1 acid in the ethanolamine glycerophosphatide (EGP) fraction and a slight increase of tetraenes and trienes, while all other components were present in concentrations similar to those in the controls. In three other samples from two of the MS brains, galactolipids were deficient to a greater extent than cholesterol, EGP or CGP (choline glycerophosphatide), while proteins were within the control range. In samples where thinning of myelin was observed in Luxol-blue stained sections, there were proportional decreases of all components. The percentage of C20:1 acid in the EGP fraction was reduced in two of three myelin preparations from corresponding samples of MS white matter, and that of C24:1 acid in the cerebroside fraction was reduced in all three MS myelin preparations when compared with the two controls. The data suggest that inadequacy of the fatty acid elongation process together with deficits of cerebrosides represent one of the early biochemical lesions in the white matter of the MS brain.
Superficial femoral artery percutaneous intervention is an effective strategy to optimize inflow for distal origin bypass grafts.

Background Iliac angioplasty in preparation for an infrainguinal bypass graft has been shown to be an effective strategy. We undertook this study to determine if superficial femoral artery (SFA) angioplasty offers durable inflow for distal origin grafts originating from the SFA or popliteal artery. Methods All distal origin grafts performed at a single institution between 1988 and 2006, ≤30 days of an ipsilateral SFA percutaneous intervention, were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were identified from a computerized vascular registry, and data were obtained by review of patient charts, angiograms, and duplex studies. Results We identified 23 autogenous distal origin grafts procedures performed distal to an SFA intervention, of which 22 were performed for critical limb ischemia (96%). The SFA lesions intervened on (20 angioplasty alone, 3 angioplasty with stenting) included 11 TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) A (48%), seven TASC B (30%), five TASC C (22%), and no TASC D (0%). Of the bypasses, five originated from the distal SFA, five originated from the above knee popliteal artery, and 13 originated from the below knee popliteal artery. A significant majority of the patients (87%) were diabetic. No deaths, amputations, or early graft failures occurred during the perioperative period. The mean duration of follow-up was 40.8 months. By life-table analysis, the primary patency rate was 58% at 5 years. The primary assisted patency rate was 69% at 5 years. Of the seven interventions required to maintain patency, only one targeted the SFA. None of the graft failures could be specifically attributed to disease progression of the SFA. The 5-year limb salvage rate was 70% and the survival rate was 65%. Conclusions Percutaneous SFA intervention in preparation for a distal origin graft is a useful and effective strategy in select patients. The durability appears comparable with distal origin grafts performed in the absence of an SFA intervention. This strategy provides a good option in the setting of both atherosclerotic SFA disease and limited autogenous conduit.
Implementation of Gaussian beam sources in FDTD for scattering problems

In this paper, we present an implementation of a Gaussian beam source in the FDTD by using a modified version of the total-field/scattered-field (TF/SF) formulation. Such a source finds many practical applications in the context of the FDTD simulation, such as scattering by rough surfaces and photonic crystals. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the scattering of a Gaussian beam from a homogenous dielectric slab, as well as from a metamaterial slab containing split-ring and dipole type of inclusions, embedded in a background medium.
Parenting Adolescent Girls with Type 1 Diabetes: Parents' Perspectives

Objective To explore parents' perceptions of the impact of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) on the family and to better understand parent-child conflict, parental worries, and coping strategies related to the management of DM in adolescence. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with the parents of 30 adolescent girls who had DM for at least 1 year. Using standard procedures for content analysis, themes were identified from the parents' discussions. Results Although parents reported worries, conflicts, and negative impacts of the DM on their family, they also recognized positive aspects of the DM (e.g., it promotes adolescent responsibility) and had strategies to cope with its challenges (e.g., letting go of perfectionism in disease management, keeping a positive attitude). Conclusions Findings from this study can be used by clinicians to assess parents' concerns about DM and to help them discover ways to cope with their worries and stay involved with the disease's management. Considering the parents' perspective will likely lead to parents feeling understood by the health care team and will help to reduce their worries.
Diurnal water relations and gas exchange of two slash pine (Pinus elliottii) families exposed to chronic ozone levels and acidic rain

summary Seedlings from two half-sib families of Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm. differing in sensitivity to ozone were grown in open-top chambers for 22 months under simulated acidic rain (pH 3-3) and four concentrations of ozone. The ozone concentrations were: charcoal-filtered air (CF); non-filtered ambient air (NF); twice the NF level (2X), thrice the NF level (3X). Ozone exposures were computer controlled to follow diurnal and seasonal fluctuations in ambient ozone concentrations. On two days, 24 April and 29 May, in the spring of 1990, trees were sampled repeatedly for xylem water potential, needle conductance and photosynthesis from sunrise to sunset on the oldest needle age class attached to the main stem (first needle cohort produced in 1989, and therefore, exposed the longest to ozone). On 30 May, three needle age classes (first age class of 1989, the last age class of 1989 and first ape class of 1990) were sampled over the day for needle conductance in trees exposed to CF and 3X ozone. Soil moisture measurements indicated that the 3X trees used significantly more water from the 75–l00 cm soil depth even though leaf area on these trees was about 30% less. Tree response showed very consistent xylem water potential among sample days, families and ozone treatments. By contrast, needle conductance and photosynthetic rate showed significant ozone and family differences. In addition, the response of needle conductance to vapour pressure deficit lessened as ozone exposure increased. The putative ozone-sensitive family (106-56) exhibited less needle conductance in the 2X and 3X treatments as well as reduced photosynthesis on both sample days, suggesting prior ozone injury. The youngest needle age class of this same family when exposed to 3X ozone showed higher needle conductance in the afternoon which could lead to both excessive water loss and uptake of ozone. The interactive effects of chronic ozone exposure, limited soil moisture and genetics altered the water relations and gas exchange of slash pine growing in north Florida. Changes in sromatal conductance along with possible adjustments in the hydraulic properties of the roots and stems appeared to be responsible for the control of water potentials in trees of differing sizes and leaf area. The importance of the contribution of different needle age classes to the water and carbon economy of slash pine, and their modification by cumulative ozone exposure, cannot he overlooked in interpreting air pollution effects on evergreen trees.
Expression of the Homeotic Gene Hox-d13 in the Developing and Adult Mouse Prostate

AbstractPurpose: To examine expression of the homeotic gene Hox-d13 in the developing mouse prostate.Materials and Methods: Expression was assayed by Northern analysis, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization.Results: Expression is present in the urogenital sinus in late gestation and is localized postnatally in the urethral epithelium and prostatic ducts. Expression continues throughout development and persists in the adult prostate.Conclusion: A restricted domain of Hox-d13 expression in the developing urogenital tract is consistent with the role of the Hox genes in specifying regional identity during development. Expression in the prostate postnatally suggests additional roles in prostate ductal morphogenesis and/or cell differentiation.
Two-dimensional modeling of a towed in-line electric dipole-dipole sea-floor electromagnetic system; the optimum time delay or frequency for target resolution

Towed in‐line transient electric dipole‐dipole systems are being used to map the electrical conductivity of the sea floor. The characteristic response of a double half‐space model representing conductive seawater and less conductive crustal material to a dipole‐dipole system located at the interface consists of two distinct parts. As time in the transient measurements progresses, two changes in field strength are observed. The first change is caused by the diffusion of the electromagnetic field through the resistive sea floor; the second is caused by diffusion through the seawater. The characteristic times at which the two events occur are measures of sea‐floor and seawater conductivity, respectively. Entirely equivalent responses are observed in a frequency‐domain measurement as frequency is swept from high to low. The simple double half‐space response is modified when the towed array crosses over a conductivity anomaly. I evaluate the magnitude of the anomalous response as a function of delay time and f...
Moisture Transfer in Solid Food Materials: A Review of Mechanisms, Models, and Measurements

Drying is one of the most important processes in the food industry, as well as one of the most frequently studied topics in food engineering. Optimizing this process will result in lower production costs and increased product quality. Moisture transfer in heterogeneous materials, such as foods, is a complex process where more than one mechanism may occur. After over eighty years of applying Fick's Second Law diffusion equation to drying of foods, there are still wide variability in reported diffusion coefficients. This article reviews moisture transfer mechanisms, models developed to predict moisture transfer, measurement of effective moisture diffusivity, which is the most common parameter used in predicting moisture transfer, and advanced measurements of moisture profiles to quantify and validate predictive models.
A comparison of two techniques for monitoring the field thermal performance of roof systems

Two independent techniques, one intrusive and one non-intrusive, for monitoring the thermal performance of in-situ roof systems (roofing materials) are compared. The intrusive technique requires thermocouples on inside and outside surfaces of the roof system and a heat flux transducer (HFT) embedded in the system. The non-intrusive procedure has the same thermocouple placement and a series of HFTs on the inside surface of the deck. The crucial difference in the methods is in the HFT placement and the technique for HFT calibration. Results of a one-year field study using both methods on the same roof assembly are described. The roof assembly is a built-up roof with molded expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation above a metal deck. 13 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.
Portfolio Diversification under Local and Moderate Deviations from Power Laws.

Abstract This paper analyzes portfolio diversification for nonlinear transformations of heavy-tailed risks. It is shown that diversification of a portfolio of convex functions of heavy-tailed risks increases the portfolio’s riskiness if expectations of these risks are infinite. In contrast, for concave functions of heavy-tailed risks with finite expectations, the stylized fact that diversification is preferable continues to hold. The framework of transformations of heavy-tailed risks includes many models with Pareto-type distributions that exhibit local or moderate deviations from power tails in the form of additional slowly varying or exponential factors. The class of distributions under study is therefore extended beyond the stable class.
The Snail repressor positions Notch signaling in the Drosophila embryo.

The maternal Dorsal nuclear gradient initiates the differentiation of the mesoderm, neurogenic ectoderm and dorsal ectoderm in the precellular Drosophila embryo. Each tissue is subsequently subdivided into multiple cell types during gastrulation. We have investigated the formation of the mesectoderm within the ventral-most region of the neurogenic ectoderm. Previous studies suggest that the Dorsal gradient works in concert with Notch signaling to specify the mesectoderm through the activation of the regulatory gene sim within single lines of cells that straddle the presumptive mesoderm. This model was confirmed by misexpressing a constitutively activated form of the Notch receptor, NotchIC, in transgenic embryos using the eve stripe2 enhancer. The NotchIC stripe induces ectopic expression of sim in the neurogenic ectoderm where there are low levels of the Dorsal gradient. sim is not activated in the ventral mesoderm, due to inhibition by the localized zinc-finger Snail repressor, which is selectively expressed in the ventral mesoderm. Additional studies suggest that the Snail repressor can also stimulate Notch signaling. A stripe2-snail transgene appears to induce Notch signaling in ‘naive’ embryos that contain low uniform levels of Dorsal. We suggest that these dual activities of Snail, repression of Notch target genes and stimulation of Notch signaling, help define precise lines of sim expression within the neurogenic ectoderm.
Confidence in Financial Institutions, Expectations and Public Debt

This paper uses cross country regression analysis on a large set of countries to consider two hypotheses. The first is that increased public debt as a percentage of the economy reduces confidence in financial institutions. The second is that increased public debt relative to the economy lowers economic expectations. If it is true that increased public debt reduces expectations or diminishes confidence in financial institutions, then it will lower investment. As a consequence, not only will there be lower present aggregate demand resulting in lower current economic output and employment as a result of higher public debt, but there will also be lower future economic growth. The findings of the paper are consistent with both hypotheses.
High damage tolerance of electrochemically lithiated silicon

Mechanical degradation and resultant capacity fade in high-capacity electrode materials critically hinder their use in high-performance rechargeable batteries. Despite tremendous efforts devoted to the study of the electro–chemo–mechanical behaviours of high-capacity electrode materials, their fracture properties and mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we report a nanomechanical study on the damage tolerance of electrochemically lithiated silicon. Our in situ transmission electron microscopy experiments reveal a striking contrast of brittle fracture in pristine silicon versus ductile tensile deformation in fully lithiated silicon. Quantitative fracture toughness measurements by nanoindentation show a rapid brittle-to-ductile transition of fracture as the lithium-to-silicon molar ratio is increased to above 1.5. Molecular dynamics simulations elucidate the mechanistic underpinnings of the brittle-to-ductile transition governed by atomic bonding and lithiation-induced toughening. Our results reveal the high damage tolerance in amorphous lithium-rich silicon alloys and have important implications for the development of durable rechargeable batteries.
An analysis of a recent criminal trial involving sexual misconduct with a child, alcohol abuse and a successful sleepwalking defence: arguments supporting two proposed new forensic categories.

The final judgment from a recent criminal trial in the British Columbia (Canada) Supreme Court is summarized and discussed. The trial involved sexual misconduct with a child, excessive alcohol use,...
University Policies and Programs for Crime Prevention and Awareness: An Examination of Online Reports and Resources

Crime on college campuses has increasingly become an area of public concern. While the Clery Act requires universities to disclose crime statistics and provide some methods of prevention, crimes on...
An OCO3– Trianionic Pincer Tungsten(VI) Alkylidyne: Rational Design of a Highly Active Alkyne Polymerization Catalyst

Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic alkyne polymerization results for the first trianionic pincer alkylidyne complex, [tBuOCO]W≡CC(CH3)3(THF)2 (6), are described. Complex 6 is a highly active catalyst for the polymerization of acetylenes and exhibits a high turnover number (4371), activity (1.05 × 106 gPPA molcat–1 h–1),and yield (87%) for the polymerization of 1-ethynyl-4-fluorobenzene.
Calcineurin regulation of the mammalian G0/G1 checkpoint element, cyclin dependent kinase 4.

Cyclin dependent kinase 4 (cdk4) activity is controlled by the binding of regulatory subunits and inhibitory factors, as well as tyrosine and serine/threonine phosphorylation. More recently the influence of calcium levels have been demonstrated. Using transient transfections in Jurkat cells, we observed specific binding between cdk4 and the calcium and calmodulin activated serine/threonine phosphatase, calcineurin. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the inhibition of the phosphatase activity of calcineurin with FK506 and cyclosporin A resulted in an overall increase in cdk4 kinase activity, suggesting that the phosphatase activity of calcineurin was inhibitory to the kinase activity of cdk4. In contrast, we were not able to observe a similar effect on the kinase activity of either cdk6 or cdk2, indicating that the phosphatase activity of calcineurin was specific for cdk4. In addition, using an in vitro phosphatase assay for calcineurin, we observed that the exogenous addition of calcineurin resulted in the dephosphorylation of cdk4, an event that downregulated the kinase activity of cdk4. Calcineurin could, therefore, play an opposing role to the action of the cyclin activating kinase complex, an enzyme that upregulates the kinase activity of cdk4, an important G0/G1 checkpoint element in mammalian cells.
Polypectomy via the fiberoptic colonoscope. Removal of neoplasms beyond reach of the sigmoidoscope.

Abstract Polyps of the colon and rectosigmoid, potentially precancerous lesions, have heretofore required laparotomy and colotomy for removal. Against a background experience of 1600 fiberoptic colonoscopies without complication a program in endoscopic removal of colonic polyps from all parts of the colon was undertaken. Three hundred and three polyps, 0.5 to 5.0 cm in diameter, were safely removed by this technic. Bleeding, controlled by transfusion therapy, occurred, in one patient, and minor bleeding in four others.
Activating mutation of adenylyl cyclase reverses its inhibition by G proteins

We have implemented a yeast genetic selection developed previously by our laboratory to identify mutant mammalian type V adenylyl cyclases insensitive to inhibition by G(ialpha.) One mutation isolated was localized to the first cytoplasmic domain at a Phe residue (position 400), which is conserved in all nine isoforms of membrane-bound mammalian adenylyl cyclase. Biochemical characterization of the F400Y mutant revealed a dramatic conversion of the G(ialpha) response from inhibitory to stimulatory. This mutation results in additional activating effects. The mutant exhibits an enhanced sensitivity toward activation by either G(salpha) or forskolin. Synergism between G(salpha) and forskolin is not observed for the F400Y mutant, presumably because the mutant already is in the sensitized state. Additionally, an enhancement of the basal unstimulated activity was observed. This mutation, which is the first demonstration of an activating point in a mammalian adenylyl cyclase, mimics a sensitized conformation of the wild-type enzyme that underlies the synergism between stimulatory inputs, and additionally, removes the inhibitory regulatory input provided by G(ialpha). Because sensitizing adenylyl cyclase toward its stimulators can have profound biological implications, this raises the possibility that naturally occurring mutations resembling those at the Phe400 residue may be associated with human disease states.
Multi-period Location-Routing-Inventory Problem for Reverse Logistics with Collector Managed Inventory

To enhance the operational performance of reverse logistics systems,the joint decision of locating recycle centers,scheduling routes of collection vehicles,and controlling the two-echelon inventory at recycle centers and collection sites was considered from the point view of integrated optimization.A mixed integer programming model for multi-period location-routing-inventory problem(LRIP) in reverse logistics systems based on collector managed inventory(CMI) was developed.And a two-phase heuristic algorithm using location-allocation first,route-second approach was proposed.The results of a numerical example show that the total cost of LRIP under CMI is lower than that under non-CMI by 28.05%.
Analysis on tobacco advertising and tobacco control reporting in 91 kinds of print press

Objective To monitor tobacco advertising and tobacco control reporting in print press,and evaluate the effect of ban on tobacco advertising in China. Methods 91 kinds of newspapers and magazines were monitored from 13th May to 19thMay in 2013. The quantity and content of tobacco advertising and tobacco control reporting were recorded and analyzed. Results 12 tobacco advertisements were recorded in 11 kinds of print press,and 2 of them were direct tobacco advertisements. 4 /12(33. 3%) tobacco advertisements were news feature and press interview. 37 tobacco control reports were recorded in 17 kinds of newspapers. No tobacco antrol report was found in the magazines. 24 /37(64. 9%) totacco control reports were hard news. Conclusion The laws about tobacco advertising should be improved as soon as possible. The tobacco advertising must be monitored more strictly. Tobacco control reporting should be encouraged.
T-lymphocyte reconstitution in recipients of bone marrow transplants with and without GVHD: imbalances of T-cell subpopulations having unique regulatory and cognitive functions

The development of T lymphocytes in 34 patients engrafted with allogeneic bone marrow was studied by indirect immunofluorescence using mouse monoclonal antibodies. Two antibodies, termed anti-Leu-1 and anti-Leu-4, react with distinct membrane components expressed by all peripheral T cells, whereas two other antibodies, termed anti-Leu-2a and anti-Leu-3a. react with complementary subsets of Leu-1 + and Leu-4+ lymphocytes. The Leu-2a + 3a– (Leu-2) subset contains suppressor/cytotoxic T cells, and the Leu-2a – 3a+ (Leu-3) subset contains helper T cells. The ratio of Leu-2/Leu-3 T cells was elevated in nearly all patients studied during the first month of engraftment, but this ratio subsequently returned to normal in patients with an uncomplicated course or with solved acute GVHD. In contrast, a deficiency of helper T cells with a resultant preponderance of suppressor/ cytotoxic T cells persisted in all patients studied with both acute and chronic GVHD after the first month. The implications of these findings in regard to the functions of these cells in vitro are discussed.
DIFFUSE PIGMENTED VILLONODULAR SYNOVITIS OF THE HIP JOINT. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND REPORT OF FOUR CASES.

Analysis of eight cases of diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis of the hip joint and a review of the literature indicate that the disease was most common in persons in their fourth and fifth decades of life. In our series of seven women and one man, the duration of symptoms ranged from two and one-half to eleven years. Typical symptoms included increasing pain in the involved hip and a limp. In all cases the disease was monarticular and there were no systemic symptoms. Roentgenographic findings were cystic changes in the acetabulum and the femoral head and neck, narrowed joint space, and occasional diffuse sclerosis of the femoral head. Needle biopsy was the most useful diagnostic procedure. Treatment included complete synovectomy in all eight patients, arthroplasty with a Vitallium cup in six, and an Austin Moore prosthesis in two. Three patients had radiotherapy. Meticulous synovectomy and grafting of the cysts combined with cup arthroplasty are recommended for treatment of this disease. Our experience with the Austin Moore prosthesis in this disease is too limited to assess its value. It is our current belief that if the femoral head is destroyed by cystic changes, an Austin Moore prosthesis should probably be used.
Faithful recovery of vector valued functions from incomplete data: recolorization and art restoration

On March 11, 1944, the famous Eremitani Church in Padua (Italy) was destroyed in an Allied bombing along with the inestimable frescoes by Andrea Mantegna et al. contained in the Ovetari Chapel. In the last 60 years, several attempts have been made to restore the fresco fragments by traditional methods, but without much success. We have developed an efficient pattern recognition algorithm to map the original position and orientation of the fragments, based on comparisons with an old gray level image of the fresco prior to the damage. This innovative technique allowed for the partial reconstruction of the frescoes. Unfortunately, the surface covered by the fragments is only 77 m2, while the original area was of several hundreds. This means that we can reconstruct only a fraction (less than 8%) of this inestimable artwork. In particular the original color of the blanks is not known. This begs the question of whether it is possible to estimate mathematically the original colors of the frescoes by making use of the potential information given by the available fragments and the gray level of the pictures taken before the damage. Can one estimate how faithful such restoration is? In this paper we retrace the development of the recovery of the frescoes as an inspiring and challenging real-life problem for the development of new mathematical methods. We introduce two models for the recovery of vector valued functions from incomplete data, with applications to the fresco recolorization problem. The models are based on the minimization of a functional which is formed by the discrepancy with respect to the data and additional regularization constraints. The latter refer to joint sparsity measures with respect to frame expansions for the first functional and functional total variation for the second. We establish the relations between these two models. As a byproduct we develop the basis of a theory of fidelity in color recovery, which is a crucial issue in art restoration and compression.
Understanding the role of the microbiome in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: principles, challenges, and future directions.

In the past several years, advances in sequencing platforms and bioinformatics have transformed our understanding of the relationship between microbial ecology and human health. Both the normal and diseased lung are host to hundreds of bacterial genera, blurring the lines between "colonization" and "infection". However, whereas in health the respiratory microbiome is determined primarily by the dynamic balance of immigration and elimination, in chronic disease conditions become much more favorable for the reproduction of resident bacteria. Recent studies demonstrate that the microbiota of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) lung differ from the healthy lung although significant intrasubject and intersubject heterogeneity are still present with variation impacted by factors such as disease stage and inhaled medications. Changes in the relative abundance of specific bacterial taxa during COPD exacerbations have also been noted although further longitudinal analyses are needed to ascertain the malleability and resilience of this ecological system and its role in the occurrence and frequency of exacerbations. Whether patients with a "frequent exacerbator" phenotype possess specific or greater alterations in their airway microbiome that predispose them to recurrent exacerbations as compared with nonfrequent exacerbators needs to be determined. Although recent data suggest that the presence of bacteria has the potential to influence the host immune response, a key challenge in the next few years will be to continue to move beyond descriptive studies to define the clinical relevance of differences in lung microbiota associated with COPD.
Lumbar Disk Herniation: Endoscopic and Microsurgical Treatment

Lumbar disc herniation is one of the most common conditions encountered by spine surgeons in clinical practice. Patients with lumbar disc herniations usually present with back pain and radicular pain due to compression/inflammation of the exiting nerve root by the protruded disc material. They present with a specific low back pain; besides the low back pain, there is a neurological symptom. The kind of pain is mostly a combination of axial nociceptive/neuropathic pain in combination with radicular pain, sometimes neuropathic. As such, since in most cases medical imaging offers a clear indication of the nature and the cause of the pain, a firm diagnosis can usually be made.
Nd:AlN polycrystalline ceramics: A candidate media for tunable, high energy, near IR lasers

We present processing and characterization of Nd-doped aluminum nitride (Nd:AlN) polycrystalline ceramics. We compare ceramics with significant segregation of Nd to those exhibiting minimal segregation. Spatially resolved photoluminescence maps reveal a strong correlation between homogeneous Nd doping and spatially homogeneous light emission. The spectroscopically resolved light emission lines show excellent agreement with the expected Nd electronic transitions. Notably, the lines are significantly broadened, producing near IR emission (∼1077 nm) with a remarkable ∼100 nm bandwidth at room temperature. We attribute the broadened lines to a combination of effects: multiple Nd-sites, anisotropy of AlN and phonon broadening. These broadened, overlapping lines in a media with excellent thermal conductivity have potential for Nd-based, tunable lasers with high average power.
The ‘owl of misfortune’ or the ‘phoenix of prosperity’? Re-thinking the impact of the Mongols

Abstract The impact of Mongol conquests across Eurasia is still controversial: did they destroy everything in their path or rather create a “Mongol peace” under which the Silk Road exchanges flourished? Too often medieval authors are cited merely for their negative reaction to the Mongols. Yet both the written sources and evidence from archeology show a picture of some complexity that requires critical analysis. The emphasis here is on archeology, often ignored or slighted by historians of the Mongols, and on evidence from Central Asia and Eastern Europe, primarily as reported in Russian-language scholarship. The impact of the Mongols varied depending on the location and the priorities of the new conquerors.
Asymmetric intramolecular C–H insertion of sulfonyldiazoacetates catalyzed by Rh(II)

Abstract The asymmetric C–H insertion of alkyldiazosulfones has been studied. High selectivity was achieved using a combination of a chiral catalyst and a chiral auxiliary (Rh2(S-pttl)4 and menthyl ester).
Flash Pyrolysis of Lignin

Lignin, a major component of biomass found in all vascular plants, is an important potential source of fuels and chemicals. Pyrolysis of lignin is important in itself for the potential production of tars and liquids which can contain valuable chemicals. In addition, understanding pyrolysis has a broad importance based on the assumption that thermal decomposition is an important initial step in the combustion, hydrocracking or donor-solvent liquefaction of lignin, just as in the case of coal.
Impact of resident training on operative time and safety in hemithyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to present our assessment of the impact of resident participation on operative duration and outcomes after hemithyroidectomy, which may identify opportunities for optimization of educational programs, reduction in cost of healthcare delivery, and maximizing patient safety, while continuing to train a competent physician workforce for the future. METHODS The American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) dataset from 2006 to 2012 identified 13,151 adult patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy. Differences in operative duration, postoperative complications, reoperation, and readmission rates were assessed based on stratification by resident participation in surgery. RESULTS Compared with operations performed by attending surgeons alone, resident participation with attending supervision prolonged the operative duration by 10.5% (82.5 minutes vs 91.2 minutes; p < .0001). The incidence of readmission and wound complications was higher for patients who underwent surgery with resident participation. CONCLUSION Resident participation in hemithyroidectomy may be associated with increased operative duration, higher incidence of wound complications, and readmission. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1212-1217, 2017.
Thiocyanate: a review and evaluation of the kinetics and the modes of action for thyroid hormone perturbations

Exposure of the population to thiocyanate is predominantly through the diet and cigarette smoke. Thiocyanate is a potential thyroid disruptor due to its capacity to inhibit the uptake of iodide by the thyroid. Thiocyanate also interacts with the enzymatic reactions associated with iodide organification and thyroid hormone synthesis. Quantification of the dose-response relationships of thiocyanate and alteration in thyroid hormone levels is important for evaluating the risk of exposure to thiocyanate in humans. In this review, we highlight the key whole-body and intra-thyroidal aspects of thiocyanate kinetics in rats and its various modes of action for perturbing thyroid function. The inter-play between the various transporter- and enzyme-mediated modes of action contributes to the complexity in the dose-response relationship determinations for thiocyanate. We map the available modes of action in a mechanistic and quantitative manner. Findings summarized in this study can help support the development of a quantitative model to study the interaction effects of thiocyanate on the thyroid function. Additionally, the data gaps identified can help guide future experimental designs to characterize further thiocyanate dose-response. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses in current risk assessment considerations used for thiocyanate as a component of thyroid-active chemical mixtures are discussed.