cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dimer Involvement and Origin of Crossover in Nickel-Catalyzed Aldehyde–Alkyne Reductive Couplings

The mechanism of nickel(0)-catalyzed reductive coupling of aldehydes and alkynes has been studied. Extensive double-labeling crossover studies have been conducted. While previous studies illustrated that phosphine- and N-heterocyclic carbene-derived catalysts exhibited differing behavior, the origin of these effects has now been evaluated in detail. Many variables, including ligand class, sterics of the ligand and alkyne, temperature, and ring size being formed in intramolecular versions, all influence the extent of crossover observed. A computational evaluation of these effects suggests that dimerization of a key metallacyclic intermediate provides the origin of crossover. Protocols that proceed with crossover are typically less efficient than those without crossover given the thermodynamic stability and low reactivity of the dimeric metallacycles involved in crossover pathways.
Temporary Preservation of Small Mammals in the Field

The collecting of mammals in the field is a task that entails much time and equipment if first class specimens are to be prepared. It is necessary to spend a great deal of time skinning and making up the skins. Then, too, adequate apparatus must be at hand to pin out the specimens to dry, to keep them from crowding and thus damaging each other, and to protect them from flies, beetles, and other pests. This apparatus for pinning the skins takes up much room, and is always bulky. Sometimes the mammalogist may take a trip that is not primarily in the interest of mammals, and will not have time nor space to do any extensive collecting, yet even then he is always tempted to set a few traps no matter where he goes. But trapping is useless if lack of time does not permit the skinning of the catch. By using one or more of the methods outlined below it is possible to preserve the mammals caught on such trips in a temporary manner. Later, the next winter, perhaps, the mammals may be skinned and made up. The following methods are not recommended, then, to take the place of the usual ones on a regular collecting trip, but become most useful when one does not have time enough to prepare skins, yet time enough to do at least some collecting. Then, an incidental advantage of these methods is the killing of any disease organisms, such as the causative agents of tularemia or bubonic plague, which are sometimes a real danger to the mammalogist as he skins the specimens he catches.
Hierarchically Porous Materials from Block Copolymers

In this Perspective, we discuss two recent methods for the generation of hierarchical porous polymer structures for applications in areas including separations, catalysis, and bioengineering. In the first method termed self-assembly and non-solvent-induced phase separation, or SNIPS, asymmetric membranes are generated with block copolymer directed mesoporous surface layers and graded meso- to macroporous substructures. In the second method termed spinodal-decomposition induced macro- and meso-phase separation plus extraction by rinsing, or SIM2PLE, hierarchical pores are generated by a combination of spinodal decomposition and microphase separation induced via solvent evaporation in a mixture of a block copolymer and a small molar mass additive. In addition to providing details on structural characteristics of the resulting materials, possible future directions of research and applications are discussed.
Dynamic loading of composite structures with fluid–structure interaction

As dynamic loading is applied to polymer composite structures that are in contact with water, fluid–structure interaction (FSI) plays an important role in dynamic responses and failure of the composite structures. In particular, the FSI effect magnifies the forces and strains applied to composite structures, which results in premature failure. In other words, the FSI effect must be properly considered in design and analysis of composite structures in order to avoid any unexpected failure.
Body Control: The Neocolonial Displacement of the Multiple Minority Queer Body in Urban Space

This article genealogically explores the present dilemma of the queer migratory body with intersecting identities that carry a historical timeline of prejudice concerning body control based on fore...
Characteristic of taking-off fighter noise by wavelet analysis

The characteristic of time-frequency zone of the taking-off fighter noise was researched by wavelet analysis.This is an effective measure for target identification of intelligent mines used to blockade runway.In this paper,the noise source of the fighter was analyzed.The test of the noise signal about taking-off fighter was studied.The principle of wavelet analysis was expatiated.The characteristic of time-frequency zone was analyzed by the technique of wavelet analysis.Detailed characteristic of the target signal on the multi-scale was obtained.The results indicate that the characteristic of energy distribution obtained by the wavelet analysis is consistent with frequency distribution of the taking-off fighter noise.
Prostatic abscess: computerized tomography scanning as an aid to diagnosis and treatment.

AbstractIn the antibiotic era prostatic abscesses are rare and the clinical picture often can be confusing. In 2 recent cases computerized tomography scanning not only proved the diagnosis easily but it also simplified greatly the definitive surgical procedure.
Intraprocedural abciximab bolus versus pretreatment oral dual antiplatelet medication for endovascular stenting of unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

Background Standard pretreatment with dual antiplatelet medication (DAPM) was compared with a standalone intraprocedural abciximab bolus for the prevention of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events during endovascular stenting of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Materials and methods We treated 94 patients with 99 aneurysms with intracranial stenting (with or without coiling). Patients were either pretreated with DAPM daily for ≥3 days before stenting (pretreatment group) or received an abciximab bolus during or immediately after stent placement followed by postoperative DAPM (abciximab group), at the treating physician9s discretion. Twenty patients underwent immediate postoperative MRI. Demographic, clinical, and radiological information and periprocedural complications were recorded. Results There were 52 procedures in the pretreatment group and 47 in the abciximab group. More flow-diverting stents were placed in the pretreatment group than in the abciximab group (45 vs 23, p 0.99 and p=0.12, respectively). There were no intracranial hemorrhages. In patients with postoperative MRI, there was no difference in the presence of diffusion-restricted lesions between groups (p=0.20). Multivariate analysis of a composite of any complication did not show significant associations with aneurysm or patient variables in either group. Conclusions Standalone intraprocedural abciximab bolus was not associated with an increased rate of complications compared with pretreatment with DAPM for unruptured intracranial aneurysm stenting.
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF UV-INDUCED POST REPLICATION REPAIR DAUGHTER STRAND GAPS

ABSTRACT Single strand DNA specific gene 32 protein stain and the aqueous spreading technique with cytochrome C allowed observation by electron microscopy of the probable ultraviolet light induced postreplication repair intermediate DNA species from Escherichia coli . Gap size ranged from 1,500 to 40,000 nucleotides.
SnapshotDx Quiz: September 2016

Editorial note:Welcome to the Journal of InvestigativeDermatology (JID) SnapshotDx Quiz—in this monthly online-only quiz, the first question (“What is your diagnosis?”) relates to the clinical image above, while additional questions concern the findings reported in a JID article that provides new information about that disease entity. The quiz questionsmay be found in themenu bar on the right-hand side of this page. Questions 2 & 3 refer to the article by Rittie et al. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jid. 2016.05.113). Detailed answers and a list of relevant references are available as Supplementary Material linked to this article.
Conservation of context-dependent splicing activity in distant Muscleblind homologs

The Muscleblind (MBL) protein family is a deeply conserved family of RNA binding proteins that regulate alternative splicing, alternative polyadenylation, RNA stability and RNA localization. Their inactivation due to sequestration by expanded CUG repeats causes symptoms in the neuromuscular disease myotonic dystrophy. MBL zinc fingers are the most highly conserved portion of these proteins, and directly interact with RNA. We identified putative MBL homologs in Ciona intestinalis and Trichoplax adhaerens, and investigated their ability, as well as that of MBL homologs from human/mouse, fly and worm, to regulate alternative splicing. We found that all homologs can regulate alternative splicing in mouse cells, with some regulating over 100 events. The cis-elements through which each homolog exerts its splicing activities are likely to be highly similar to mammalian Muscleblind-like proteins (MBNLs), as suggested by motif analyses and the ability of expanded CUG repeats to inactivate homolog-mediated splicing. While regulation of specific target exons by MBL/MBNL has not been broadly conserved across these species, genes enriched for MBL/MBNL binding sites in their introns may play roles in cell adhesion, ion transport and axon guidance, among other biological pathways, suggesting a specific, conserved role for these proteins across a broad range of metazoan species.
National Breast Reconstruction Utilization in the Setting of Postmastectomy Radiotherapy.

Background Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is often deferred, when postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is anticipated, due to high complication rates. Nonetheless, because of robust data supporting improved health-related quality of life associated with reconstruction, physicians and patients may be more accepting of tradeoffs. The current study explores national trends of IBR utilization rates and methods in the setting of PMRT, using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The study hypothesis is that prosthetic techniques have become the most common method of IBR in the setting of PMRT. Methods NCDB was queried from 2004 to 2013 for women, who underwent mastectomy with or without IBR. Patients were grouped according to PMRT status. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate odds of IBR in the setting of PMRT. Trend analyses were done for rates and methods of IBR using Poisson regression to determine incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results In multivariate analysis, radiated patients were 30% less likely to receive IBR (p Conclusion Although IBR remains a relative contraindication, rates of IBR are increasing to a greater extent in patients receiving PMRT. Implants have surpassed autologous techniques as the most commonly used method of breast reconstruction in this setting.
Plasma Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Levels and the Risk of Ischemic Stroke among Women.

Background Plasma retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels have been associated with cardiovascular risk factors and risk of coronary heart disease, but little is known about the association between RBP4 and the risk of ischemic stroke. We hypothesized that elevated RBP4 levels would be associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke among women. Methods We performed a nested case-control study among women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study who provided blood samples between 1989 and 1990 and were free of prior stroke and cancer. We measured prediagnostic RBP4 levels in 471 ischemic stroke cases who were confirmed by medical record review and in 471 controls who were matched 1:1 to the cases on age, race, blood collection date, menopausal status, postmenopausal hormone use, and smoking status. We analyzed the association between RBP4 levels and ischemic stroke using multivariable conditional logistic regression conditional on the matching factors and adjusted for physical activity, body mass index, aspirin use, alcohol consumption, diet, history of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or heart disease, and cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C levels. Results Median levels of RBP4 were similar in cases (31.1 µg/mL) and controls (31.0 µg/mL; P value from the Wilcoxon rank-sum test = .82). Quartiles of RBP4 were not associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke (highest quartile compared to lowest quartile: multivariate-adjusted odds ratio, .75; 95% confidence interval, .48, 1.17). We also did not observe associations between RBP4 and ischemic stroke of thrombotic or embolic origin. Conclusions Elevated levels of RBP4 were not associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke.
Neonate auditory brainstem response repeatability with controlled force gauge bone-conducted stimulus delivery

Objective: The feasibility and repeatability of neonate auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) with a controlled hand-held applied force gauge for bone-conducted stimulus delivery was examined. Design...
Learning Based Java for Rapid Development of NLP Systems.

Today's natural language processing systems are growing more complex with the need to incorporate a wider range of language resources and more sophisticated statistical methods. In many cases, it is necessary to learn a component with input that includes the predictions of other learned components or to assign simultaneously the values that would be assigned by multiple components with an expressive, data dependent structure among them. As a result, the design of systems with multiple learning components is inevitably quite technically complex, and implementations of conceptually simple NLP systems can be time consuming and prone to error. Our new modeling language, Learning Based Java (LBJ), facilitates the rapid development of systems that learn and perform inference. LBJ has already been used to build state of the art NLP systems. In this paper, we first demonstrate that there exists a theoretical model that describes most NLP approaches adeptly. Second, we show how our improvements to the LBJ language enable the programmer to describe the theoretical model succinctly. Finally, we introduce the concept of data driven compilation, a translation process in which the efficiency of the generated code benefits from the data given as input to the learning algorithms.
Fatigue-induced failure of the Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft in the mitral position: In vivo and in vitro correlation and a proposed classification

Four patients had signs of primary bioprosthetic dysfunction within the fourth postoperative year after mitral valve replacement with an Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft; they represent approximately 9% of patients with Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft mitral valves followed up for more than 3 years at our institution. Pathological investigation showed severe incompetence of all explanted valves due to cusp tears and lacerations. Histologic study of the pericardial tissue disclosed mild to moderate collagen degeneration, without infection or calcification. Neoendothelial formation on the Dacron cloth of the sewing ring was either absent or minimal. The high incidence of valvular incompetence prompted us to try to establish a correlation between the in vivo and in vitro modes of failure of the Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft. For this purpose, 10 unimplanted Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft valves were tested in a fatigue test system. Severe fatigue-induced lesions occurred in this group after an average of 29.09 ± 17.26 × 106 cycles; initial failure could be recognized in six of them after an average of 16.94 ± 20.12 × 106 cycles. Valves tested in the fatigue test system showed tears and lacerations similar to those noted in the Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenografts obtained from the four patients (which were assumed to have functioned for more than 100 × 106 cycles in each case). Correlation between results of the fatigue testing and our clinical experience enabled us to recognize four types of tears which may occur in the Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft The results of this investigation showed the following: (1) Primary tissue failure of the Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft may occur suddenly. (2) A classification of tears occurring in Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft valves is useful since the clinical presentation of patients may differ according to type and location of the lesion. (3) In the manufacture of pericardial valves, particular care must be observed in selection of the tissue and in the frame design. (4) Improvement of the quality control is one of the clues to enhance durability of the Ionescu-Shiley pericardial xenograft
Risk Driven Outcome-Based Command and Control (C2) Assessment

Abstract : This paper outlines an analysis approach that combines risk assessment, systems dynamics modeling, end-to-end testing, and fine-grained linked simulations to surface deficiencies and identify enhancements for Joint Task Force (JTF) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) architectures. Conventional wisdom calls for building architecture framework products and executable simulations to understand and assess architecture behavior and performance. Unfortunately, in many cases these framework products do not exist and creating products for an architecture as large as a JTF before deployment is not realistic. The Joint C4ISR Outcome Based Integrated Architecture Assessment (JCOBIAA) team is pursuing an outcome based approach that uses risk assessment and systems dynamics modeling to prioritize issues and reduce the scope of the integrated architecture to be analyzed. The concept of functional threads for task accomplishment is used as a mechanism for analysis. In addition, end-to-end testing is proposed as a technique to address problem areas like interface compatibility and message exchanges since configuring actual hardware and software components in a distributed test environment can be easier and more reliable than developing or employing digital simulations.
Near-side prefetch throttling: adaptive prefetching for high-performance many-core processors

In modern processors, prefetching is an essential component for hiding long-latency memory accesses. However, prefetching too aggressively can easily degrade performance by evicting useful data from cache, or by saturating precious memory bandwidth. Tuning the prefetcher's activity is thus an important problem. Existing techniques tend to focus on detecting negative symptoms of aggressive prefetching, such as unused prefetches being evicted or memory bandwidth saturation, and throttle the prefetcher in response. We argue that these far-side throttling techniques are inefficient because they require significant tracking state, and are reactive to negative effects rather than being proactive. We propose an alternative technique which we coin near-side throttling, which works by detecting late prefetches and tuning the prefetch distance to closely track the point at which most prefetches are not late. Because late prefetches are by definition useful, detecting late prefetches exclusively suffices to detect and prevent useless prefetches as well. Our solution is cheap to implement in hardware, includes throttling on off-chip bandwidth saturation, applies to both hardware and software prefetching, and can control multiple concurrent prefetchers where it will naturally allow the most useful prefetch algorithm to generate most of the requests. Through detailed simulation of a many-core architecture running a wide range of sequential and parallel applications, we show that our near-side throttling (NST) proposal performs similar to the state-of-the-art feedback-directed prefetching (FDP), even though it has a significantly lower implementation cost, can react more quickly to changes in application behavior and is applicable to a more varied set of use cases.
Gender, Race, and Minority Stress Among Sexual Minority Women: An Intersectional Approach

Previous research examining the relationship between gender-role presentation and minority stress has largely focused on the negative effects of gender nonconformity. Some research suggests, however, that gender-role nonconformity may be protective against minority stress via participation in sexual minority in-group norms, which may include rejecting traditional gender-role norms and gender presentation. Historically, the meaning and value of masculinity and femininity within sexual minority communities has varied by race/ethnicity. As such, race/ethnicity may moderate the links between gender and minority stressors. This study used a diverse sample of sexual minority women (SMW) (N = 612) and separate indicators of masculinity and femininity to examine the effects of gender role on distal (victimization and discrimination) and proximal (internalized homophobia and stigma consciousness) measures of minority stress. We used multivariate generalized linear models to determine whether the effects of masculinity and femininity on the minority stress outcomes were moderated by race/ethnicity. We found that in many cases the relationships between masculinity and femininity and minority stress varied across racial/ethnic groups, and in fact, worked in opposite directions for White SMW compared to Black and Latina SMW. For example, our results showed that masculinity was associated with lower levels of victimization, discrimination, and stigma consciousness among Black and Latina SMW, but higher levels among White SMW. Results from this study suggest that these differences have important implications for exposure to minority stress.
A new 3-D numerical approach to the solution of PDEs with optimal accuracy on irregular domains and Cartesian meshes.

Abstract A new 3-D numerical approach for the time dependent wave and heat equations as well as for the time independent Laplace equation on irregular domains with the Dirichlet boundary conditions has been developed. Trivial Cartesian meshes and simple 27-point uniform and nonuniform stencil equations are used for 3-D irregular domains. The calculation of the coefficients of the stencil equations is based on the minimization of the local truncation error of the stencil equations and yields the optimal order of accuracy of the new technique. Very small distances ( 0 . 1 h − 1 0 − 9 h where h is the grid size) between the grid points of a Cartesian mesh and the boundary do not worsen the accuracy of the new technique. At similar 27-point stencils, the accuracy of the new approach is two orders higher than that for the linear finite elements. The numerical results for irregular domains show that at the same number of degrees of freedom, the new approach is even much more accurate than the high-order (up to the fifth order) tetrahedral finite elements with much wider stencils. The wave and heat equations can be uniformly treated with the new approach. The order of the time derivative in these equations does not affect the coefficients of the stencil equations of the semi-discrete systems. The new approach can be directly applied to other partial differential equations.
Limit Cycle Bifurcations from a Quadratic Center with Two Switching Lines

In this paper, we study limit cycle bifurcations for a differential system with two switching lines by using Picard–Fuchs equation. We obtain a detailed expression of the corresponding first order Melnikov function which can be used to get the upper bound of the number of limit cycles. It is worth noting that we greatly simplify the computation. Our results also show that the number of switching lines has essential impact on the number of limit cycles bifurcating from a period annulus.
Student debt, income-based repayment, and self-employment: evidence from NLSY 1997 and NFCS 2015

Based on the income-risk hypothesis, we test whether those with higher student debt are less likely to be self-employed. We also test if the income-based repayment programme increases the odds of s...
Tri-modal imaging spectroscopy of paintings

The three imaging modalities of the scanner include reflectance (400 - 2500 nm, 2.5 nm sampling), molecular fluorescence (400 - 1000 nm) and X-ray fluorescence. The first two modalities provide molecular information and the third elemental information about artists’ materials (pigments and paint binders). The resulting material maps reveal insight into how artworks are constructed and modified. The type of information that can be obtained from this scanner will be presented with case studies such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Ginevra de' Benci and Pablo Picasso’s Le Gourmet, both in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
Daily stressor, daily resilience, and daily somatization: The role of trait aggression

Abstract The current study adopted a daily diary design to examine the impact of exposure to daily stressors, daily resilience, and trait aggression on somatic symptoms, and the moderation of aggression on the associations of exposure to daily stressors and resilience on somatic symptoms. College students completed baseline and seven-day daily assessments. The results indicated that a greater exposure to daily stressors and high levels of trait aggression predicted more daily somatic symptoms. Trait aggression moderated the influence of daily resilience on somatic symptoms, in which higher levels of resilience was associated with fewer somatic symptoms only for those with high levels of aggression but not for those with medium or low levels of aggression. The findings suggest the importance of considering daily stressor and trait aggression in screening for clinic visits for somatic symptoms. The findings also underscore the importance of aggression being a marker in prevention programs and enhancing resilience, particularly for aggressive individuals in preventing somatic symptoms.
Prospective Correlation of Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Severe Clinical Features of Thyroid Eye Disease.

Purpose To evaluate the association between risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and severity of thyroid eye disease (TED) using a validated OSA screening tool. Methods A prospective, observational cohort study was performed. New adult TED patients were offered OSA screening with the Snoring Tired Observed Pressure (STOP)-Bang survey during their initial evaluation. Clinical examination and treatment for TED were standard of care and utilized the International Thyroid Eye Disease Society Vision Inflammation Strabismus Appearance system. At the conclusion of the study period, analysis was performed correlating maximum severity of TED signs and symptoms between high- and low-risk OSA groups. Multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses were also performed to analyze the association between the numerical STOP-Bang score and maximum severity of the potentially actionable clinical features of TED (compressive optic neuropathy, vertical prism deviation, horizontal prism deviation, exophthalmos, vertical fissure height). Results Eighty-five patients met inclusion criteria. Twenty-eight percent were at high risk of OSA (STOP-Bang score of 3 or higher). When comparing the low- and high-risk cohorts, increased risk of OSA was significantly associated with the development of TED compressive optic neuropathy (p = 0.014), conjunctival injection (p = 0.027), chemosis (p = 0.013), upper eyelid edema (p = 0.024), lower eyelid edema (p = 0.003), eyelid erythema (p = 0.037), and vertical strabismus (p = 0.047). In the multivariate regression analyses, higher STOP-Bang scores correlated with increased risk of TED compressive optic neuropathy (p = 0.006), vertical strabismus (p = 0.019), and higher subjective diplopia scores (p = 0.045). Conclusions Increased risk of OSA, as determined by the STOP-Bang survey, is associated with increased severity of multiple clinical features of TED, including TED compressive optic neuropathy and strabismus.
IJFE Editor’s Note 31(3)

Covid-19 has likely impacted everyone this year. For forest engineers, it likely impacted research, teaching, and/or their ability to present results to their audiences. It has impacted the Interna...
LinearSampling: Linear-Time Stochastic Sampling of RNA Secondary Structure with Applications to SARS-CoV-2

Many RNAs fold into multiple structures at equilibrium. The classical stochastic sampling algorithm can sample secondary structures according to their probabilities in the Boltzmann ensemble, and is widely used, e.g., for accessibility prediction. However, the current sampling algorithm, consisting of a bottom-up partition function phase followed by a top-down sampling phase, suffers from three limitations: (a) the formulation and implementation of the sampling phase are unnecessarily complicated; (b) much redundant work is repeatedly performed in the sampling phase; (c) the partition function runtime scales cubically with the sequence length. These issues prevent it from being used for full-length viral genomes such as SARS-CoV-2. To address these problems, we first present a hypergraph framework under which the sampling algorithm can be greatly simplified. We then present three sampling algorithms under this framework of which two eliminate redundant work in the sampling phase. Finally, we present LinearSampling, an end-to-end linear-time sampling algorithm that is orders of magnitude faster than the standard algorithm. For instance, LinearSampling is 111 x faster (48s vs. 1.5h) than Vienna RNAsubopt on the longest sequence in the RNAcentral dataset that RNAsubopt can run (15,780 nt). More importantly, LinearSampling is the first sampling algorithm to scale to the full genome of SARS-CoV-2, taking only 96 seconds on its reference sequence (29,903 nt). It finds 23 regions of 15 nt with high accessibilities, which can be potentially used for COVID-19 diagnostics and drug design. See code: https://github.com/LinearFold/LinearSampling
Natural Killer Cells and T Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Viral Hepatitis: Current Status and Perspectives for Future Immunotherapeutic Approaches.

Natural killer (NK) cells account for 25–50% of the total number of hepatic lymphocytes, which implicates that NK cells play an important role in liver immunity. The frequencies of both circulating and tumor infiltrating NK cells are positively correlated with survival benefit in hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and have prognostic implications, which suggests that functional impairment in NK cells and HCC progression are strongly associated. In HCC, T cell exhaustion is accompanied by the interaction between immune checkpoint ligands and their receptors on tumor cells and antigen presenting cells (APC). Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been shown to interfere with this interaction and have altered the therapeutic landscape of multiple cancer types including HCC. Immunotherapy with check-point inhibitors, aimed at rescuing T-cells from exhaustion, has been applied as first-line therapy for HCC. NK cells are the first line effectors in viral hepatitis and play an important role by directly eliminating virus infected cells or by activating antigen specific T cells through IFN-γ production. Furthermore, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered NK cells and T cells offer unique opportunities to create CAR-NK with multiple specificities learning from the experience gained with CAR-T cells with potentially less adverse effects. This review focus on the abnormalities of NK cells, T cells, and their functional impairment in patients with chronic viral hepatitis, which contributes to progression to hepatic malignancy. Furthermore, we discuss and summarize recent advances in the NK cell and T cell based immunotherapeutic approaches in HCC.
Immanuel Kant and the Emancipation of the Image

The aim of this essay is to articulate the central elements of Kant’s aesthetic theory and to demonstrate in what way they have been essential for the development of modern art, especially for our appreciation of abstract images. Even though Kant’s aesthetic theory of art did not actually represent any radical departure from the standards of representation that dominated the art theory and practice of his time, his conception of aesthetic appreciation as embedded in the notion of the free harmony and in the idea of a disinterested pleasure due to the purposive form of the object was nevertheless revolutionary in that it emancipated the form from the content of the object and thereby allowed the possibility to understanding and appreciating art irrespectively to what it represents.
CASPT2 molecular geometries of Fe(II) spin-crossovercomplexes

Using fully internally contracted (FIC)-CASPT2 analytical gradients, geometry optimizations of spin-crossover complexes are reported. This approach is tested on a series of Fe(II) complexes with different sizes, ranging from 13 to 61 atoms. A combination of active space and basis set choices are employed to investigate their role in determining reliable molecular geometries. The reported strategy demonstrates that a wave function-based level of theory can be used to optimize the geometries of metal complexes in reasonable times and enables one to treat the molecular geometry and electronic structure of the complexes using the same level of theory. For a series of smaller Fe(II) SCO complexes, strong field ligands in the LS state result in geometries with the largest differences between DFT and CASPT2; however, good agreement overall is observed between DFT and CASPT2. For the larger complexes, moderate sized basis sets yield geometries that compare well with DFT and available experimental data. We recommend using the (10e,12o) active space since convergence to a minimum structure was more efficient than with truncated active spaces (e.g., (6e,5o)) despite having similar Fe–ligand bond distances.
Recent Developments in the Investigation of Purified Myelin

The first studies of isolated myelin began only about a decade ago. Therefore in the usual time scale all developments in this area are relatively recent. However in the field of neurobiology, events of ten years ago are ancient history, and myelin research has become an area where review chapters (1–8) are appearing with nearly the frequency of research papers. Needless to say, as in any field, as many new problems are raised as are solved. This review cannot touch on all of them and will be restricted to developments I feel are of special interest and related to the topic of this Institute. I am going to put special emphasis on the most basic problem, the preparation of myelin.
HETEROGENEITY OF APPARENTLY COMPLETE POLIOVIRUS PARTICLES

Abstract Tumilowicz, Joseph J. (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa.), and Klaus Hummeler. Heterogeneity of apparently complete poliovirus particles. J. Bacteriol. 87:1105–1113. 1964.—A chromatographic procedure was developed for separating the N from the H complement-fixing antigen of poliovirus. This procedure concomitantly effected some separation of classes of N particle. The ratio of physical virus particles (PVP) to plaque-forming units (PFU) in N-reactive fractions varied from 6 to 51. Fractions with the lowest PVP-PFU ratios represented a considerable enrichment of PFU, when compared with the original ratio in each experiment. A direct relationship was found between the ratio of complement-fixing units of N antigen [CFU(N)] to 1010 PVP and the ratio of PFU to 1010 PVP for most of the N-reactive fractions. Large differences among the PVP-CFU(N) ratios, along with relatively constant PFU-CFU(N) ratios for most of the N fractions, indicated that N antigen is not distributed equally among non-H particles. Two possibilities, both compatible with the results, were discussed for the manner in which N antigen might be distributed. An absolute value of 107 PVP-CFU(N) was proposed for particles with a PVP-PFU ratio of 1.
Consumers Water Quality Index

A water quality index based on physical, chemical, and biological parameters is proposed. The index is based on a geometric mean of transformed values of the parameters with a range of zero to one. The parameters of concern are temperature, nutrients, suspended solids, turbidity, coliform bacteria, dissolved oxygen, color, pH, grease, odor, and toxicity. The index is applied to some surface waters near Nashville, Tenn., and suggestions for further applications are presented.
Mass and momentum transfer in polymers. III. Effects of liquid penetrants on tensile stress relaxation of amorphous polymers

Sorption, diffusion, swelling, and tensile stress relaxation measurements were made at room temperature (23°C) for the systems poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) with liquid methanol and ethanol, and poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) with liquid water. Stress relaxation curves for the fully swollen polymers could be superimposed approximately with those for the dry polymers by appropriate shifting along the long axes. For PMA–water the measured curve for stress relaxation with concurrent sorption could be predicted accurately by using a moving boundary theory with data measurements of stress relaxation of the unswollen and swollen polymer combined with sorption data. The modified moving boundary theory is generalized to include the effects of dimension changes through swelling and the larger effects of plasticization associated with sorption of liquids. This improved theory accurately predicts measured curves of stress relaxation with concurrent sorption for the PBMA–alcohol systems from individual stress relaxation, sorption, diffusion and swelling data. The general approach should be applicable to other amorphous polymer–liquid swelling agent systems. The anisotropic nature of swelling of polymer films and its effect on calculated diffusion coefficients are discussed briefly.
SYNTHESIS FACTORS THAT IMPACT TiO2 NANOTUBE ACTIVITY DURING GAS-PHASE PHOTOCATALYTIC OXIDATION OF METHANOL

Statistically designed experiments determined which steps in the hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanotubes significantly impacted the rate of photocatalytic oxidation of gas-phase methanol. This study investigated the following synthesis steps: sodium hydroxide treatment time, conductivity of the first and second washings, acid treatment time and pH, calcination temperature, and H2O2 post-treatment. The synthesis procedure produced a highly active photocatalyst; the maximum catalyst activity of the TiO2 nanotubes was approximately seven times that of the starting material, Degussa P-25. Characterization with transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and temperature-programmed oxidation revealed that the nanotubes were 10–12 nm in diameter with an average length of approximately 100 nm.
The effects of parental acculturation and parenting practices on the substance use of mexican-heritage adolescents from Southwestern Mexican Neighborhoods

A sample of 189 Mexican-heritage seventh grade adolescents reported their substance use, while one of the child's parents reported parent's acculturation and communication, involvement, and positive parenting with his or her child. Higher levels of parental acculturation predicted greater marijuana use, whereas parent communication predicted lower cigarette and marijuana use among girls. A significant parent acculturation by parent communication interaction for cigarette use was due to parent communication being highly negatively associated with marijuana use for high acculturated parents, with attenuated effects for low acculturated parents. A significant child gender by parent acculturation by parent positive parenting interaction was found. For girls, positive parenting had a stronger association with lower cigarette use for high acculturated parents. For boys, positive parenting had a stronger association with reduced cigarette use for low acculturated parents. Discussion focuses on how acculturation and gender impact family processes among Mexican-heritage adolescents.
High-index-contrast chalcogenide waveguides

Recent work on vertically-integrated electro-optic and chalcogenide waveguides is reviewed. By integrating As2S3 chalcogenide glass with Ti-diffused lithium-niobate (LiNbO3) waveguides, we are able to dramatically increase the integration density for this electro-optic waveguide platform. As2S3 offers a higher refractive index compared to the LiNbO3 and consequently enables low-loss, small-bend-radii structures that are crucial for making high density optical circuits. As2S3 waveguides are patterned on top of LiNbO3 waveguides. Adiabatic tapers are used to couple light from the LiNbO3 waveguide into the As2S3 waveguide. Bend radii that are less than a hundred microns are enabled using this approach, compared to LiNbO3 waveguide bend radii that are typically on the order of a centimeter. The design and fabrication are discussed along with experimental results for s-bend structures.
DelsGate, a robust and rapid gene deletion construction method.

Abstract With the increasing availability of fungal genome sequences there is great demand for fast, simple high-throughput methods to generate constructs for gene deletion. Here we describe a method that combines PCR and Gateway cloning technology together with use of the I-SceI homing endonuclease to generate precise deletion constructs in a very simple, universal and robust manner in just 2 days. These constructs are then used to produce deletion mutants in the organism of interest following applicable methods for that species. In establishing this protocol we determined empirically that 1 kb was a suitable flank length to facilitate homologous recombination in our species of interest, Ustilago maydis. The method, which we have named DelsGate (Deletions via Gateway), consists of standard PCR of only the 5′ and 3′ 1 kb gene flanks directly followed by in vitro Gateway cloning and final generation of the circular deletion construct by in vivo recombination in Escherichia coli. For use in DelsGate we have modified a Gateway cloning vector to include selectable markers for transformation of Ascomycetes and the Basidiomycete fungus U. maydis which causes corn smut disease. We have tested the reproducibility of the DelsGate approach by generating deletion constructs for 12 U. maydis genes. Although not tested here, the PCR and transformation steps of DelsGate should be well suited for high-throughput approaches to gene deletion construction in fungal species. DelsGate has the potential to be universal for all organisms with efficient transformation and homologous recombination systems.
Flash Heating of Circumstellar Clouds by Gamma-Ray Bursts.

The blast-wave model for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) has been called into question by observations of spectra from GRBs that are harder than can be produced through optically thin synchrotron emission. If GRBs originate from the collapse of massive stars, then circumstellar clouds near burst sources will be illuminated by intense γ radiation, and the electrons in these clouds will be rapidly scattered to energies as large as several hundred keV. Low-energy photons that subsequently pass through the hot plasma will be scattered to higher energies, hardening the intrinsic spectrum. This effect resolves the "line-of-death" objection to the synchrotron shock model. Illuminated clouds near GRBs will form relativistic plasmas containing large numbers of electron-positron pairs that can be detected within ~1-2 days of the explosion before expanding and dissipating. Localized regions of pair annihilation radiation in the Galaxy would reveal past GRB explosions.
Robust embedding of visual watermarks using discrete wavelet transform and singular value decomposition

Protection of digital multimedia content has become an increasingly important issue for content owners and service providers. As watermarking is identified as a major technology to achieve copyright protection, the relevant literature includes several distinct approaches for embedding data into a multimedia element. Because of its growing popularity, the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is commonly used in recent watermarking schemes. In a DWT-based scheme, the DWT coefficients are modified with the data that represents the watermark. We present a hybrid nonblind scheme based on DWT and singular value decomposition (SVD). After decomposing the cover image into four bands (LL, HL, LH, and HH, where L stands for lowpass and H stands for highpass), we apply the SVD to each band, and modify the singular values of the cover image with the singular values of the visual watermark. Modification in all frequencies enables the development of a watermarking scheme that is robust to a wide range of attacks. We compare our hybrid algorithm with a pure SVD-based scheme, and show that it is considerably more robust and reliable.
Physical chemistry: Hydrophobic interactions in context

The finding that immobilized ions can alter the strength of hydrophobic interactions between molecules suggests a strategy for tuning hydrophobicity to optimize molecular recognition and self-assembly processes. See Letter p.347
Bovine hepatic and adipose retinol-binding protein gene expression and relationship with tumor necrosis factor-α

Abstract Retinol-binding protein (RBP) is the main transport system for retinol in circulation, is a relatively small protein with one binding site for retinol in the all-trans form, and is bound to transthyretin. The objectives of this study were to characterize the temporal pattern of bovine hepatic mRNA expression of RBP during the periparturient period and to determine if a relationship exists between the expression of RBP and that of tumor necrosis factor ( TNF )-α in dairy cows. In experiment 1, we assessed hepatic mRNA expression of RBP during the periparturient period. Liver tissues were sampled from periparturient dairy cows (n=9) at −21, −4, +1, +7, and +21 relative to parturition and frozen in liquid N 2 . Total RNA was extracted from each tissue sample and cDNA was generated. Gene expressions of RBP and β-actin (as a housekeeping gene) were measured as relative quantity using reverse transcription-PCR. Data were analyzed using cycle threshold values, adjusted to β-actin, and significance was determined at P RBP and serum retinol over the transition period, with a decline near parturition and a rebound toward prepartum levels later in lactation. In experiment 2, liver and visceral (intestinal) adipose tissues were sampled from dairy cows (n=28) at slaughter. Expression of RBP and TNF-α was detected in all samples and variations among cows were highly significant for both genes. Across tissues, expression of RBP was positively correlated with that of TNF-α (r=0.60). Within adipose tissue, expression of RBP and TNF-α was weakly correlated (r=0.23), whereas in hepatic tissue, expression was strongly correlated (r=0.62). In experiment 3, late-lactation dairy Holstein cows were blocked by parity and feed intake, and randomly assigned to control, recombinant bovine (rb)TNF challenge, or pair-fed control treatment (n=5/treatment). Cows were injected with either rbTNF (subcutaneous injection of 2µg/kg of body weight in saline) or sterile saline (control and pair-fed control animals) once daily for 7d. Liver biopsy was performed on d 7 and samples were processed for expression of RBP and TNF-α . Although TNF challenge caused an upregulation of hepatic TNF-α expression, as expected, it did not alter hepatic RBP expression. Overall, the temporal pattern of hepatic RBP gene expression during the periparturient period followed, to a great extent, that of plasma retinol. Although a strong positive correlation was previously detected between bovine hepatic RBP and TNF-α transcripts, rbTNF challenge did not cause alter RBP expression. These observations collectively imply that regulation of RBP at the transcription level is influenced by physiological state but may be independent from that of transthyretin, which is altered by proinflammatory stimuli (such as TNF-α) via induction of transcription factor nuclear factor-interleukin 6.