Narrow Fissures Research Articles

Metal leakage from orthodontic appliances chemically alters enamel surface during experimental in vitro simulated treatment

Human enamel is composed mainly of apatite. This mineral of sorption properties is susceptible to chemical changes, which in turn affect its resistance to dissolution. This study aimed to investigate whether metal leakage from orthodontic appliances chemically alters the enamel surface during an in vitro simulated orthodontic treatment. Totally 107 human enamel samples were subjected to the simulation involving metal appliances and cyclic pH fluctuations over a period of 12 months in four complimentary experiments. The average concentrations and distribution of Fe, Cr, Ni, Ti and Cu within the enamel before and after the experiments were examined using ICP‒MS and LA‒ICP‒MS techniques. The samples exposed to the interaction with metal appliances exhibited a significant increase in average Fe, Cr and Ni (Kruskal–Wallis, p < 0.002) content in comparison to the control group. The outer layer, narrow fissures and points of contact with the metal components showed increased concentrations of Fe, Ti, Ni and Cr after simulated treatment, conversely to the enamel sealed with an adhesive system. It has been concluded that metal leakage from orthodontic appliances chemically alters enamel surface and microlesions during experimental in vitro simulated treatment.

Preparation and characterization of P-type zeolite for adsorption of Cr3+, Ni2+, and Co2.

Acid-washed coal fly ash (AW-CFA) was subjected to wet grinding activation followed by hydrothermal crystallization to synthesize P zeolite (FAZ-P). The FAZ-P obtained at 120°C for 24h exhibited a maximum relative crystallinity of 93.15% and was employed for the adsorption of Cr3+, Ni2+, and Co2+ from aqueous solutions. The zeolitization of coal fly ash (CFA) leads to an increase in specific surface area to 44.00 m2/g, resulting in the formation of nano-sized P zeolite crystals with uniformly narrow fissures and sizes within the range of 10-30nm. Adsorption experimental results indicate that FAZ-P exhibits maximum adsorption capacities of 49.03mg/g for Cr3+, 22.20mg/g for Ni2+, and 27.25mg/g for Co2+. The adsorption equilibrium data for both mixed and single-metal ion solutions conform to the Langmuir model, with the affinity sequence for heavy metal ions being Cr3+ > Co2+ > Ni2+. The pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models effectively described the adsorption behavior of Cr3+, Ni2+, and Co2+. Increasing the initial pH value of the solution significantly enhanced the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent for heavy metal ions. The removal mechanism of metal ions involves both adsorption and ion exchange processes. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic.

The Obir caves adjacent to the Periadriatic Fault in southern Austria: Uplifted hypogene caves formed by carbonic acid speleogenesis

Hypogene karst caves, formed independently of surface processes, have garnered increasing attention in recent decades, revealing a wider distribution than previously assumed. While most studies have relied on morphological observations, this research combines morphological and geochemical approaches to present new insights from the Obir caves in the Northern Karawank Mountains, Austria. These caverns, discovered during mining activities, lack natural entrances and developed along a prominent master horizon about 500 m above the current spring level. Notably, large shafts within the caves originate in narrow fissures and terminate blindly at the top, also suggesting a phreatic regime during their formation, with some areas being modified by vadose waters later on. A comprehensive study of drill cores indicates a stable isotope halo in the first few centimeters of the wall rock, characterized by significantly depleted δ13C and moderately depleted δ18O values compared to the pristine limestone, accompanied by bleaching of the host rock. This geochemical evidence of wall rock alteration is only present where the original phreatic solutional morphology is preserved and absent where vadose waters resulted in rugged cave wall surfaces.Considering the lack of evidence for the involvement of sulfuric acid or thermal waters, the formation of the Obir caves is attributed to carbonic acid speleogenesis. This interpretation is supported by the observed strong C isotope shift in the wall rock and the presence of CO2-bearing springs both north and south of the Periadriatic Fault. In contrast to previous studies of carbonic acid speleogenesis suggesting large-scale upwelling of aggressive waters, we propose an alternative mechanism: the injection of carbon dioxide gas into limestone situated in the phreatic zone. These injections likely occurred along subvertical tectonic fissures, triggered by the tectonic transpression of the Northern Karawank Mountains during the middle Miocene. Subsequent tectonic uplift and the incision of valleys led to a drop in the groundwater table, widespread collapse of larger cave rooms and localized vadose overprint.This study highlights the strength of combining mega- to the microscale cave morphological observations with systematic geochemical analyses of wall rock alteration in identifying caves formed by carbonic acid speleogenesis.

STRUCTURE OF EXCRETORY DUCTS OF EXTRAAND INFRAORBITAL GLAND OF LABORATORY RATS

The aim of the study. To find out and compare the structure of the excretory ducts of the extraand infraorbital lacrimal gland of the laboratory rat. Object and methods. Five male laboratory rats were examined by dissecting the lacrimal glands, from which a series of thin paraffin sections were obtained for histological examination. Micropreparations were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and examined under a light microscope. Results. It was found that the tubular-alveolar epithelial components of the extraorbital gland of rats inside the lobe are even denser than in the infraorbital gland, as evidenced by very narrow interstitial fissures. The lacrimal glands of laboratory rats have an individual well-defined connective tissue capsule. Inside and between the lobes there are slit-like interpithelial interstitial spaces, in which we do not detect an accumulation of lipocytes, as occurs in the lacrimal glands of man. In the volume of lobes such as the extraorbital and infraorbital glands, the interpithelial interstitial spaces contain vessels of the hemicrocirculatory tract, mainly capillaries, precapillary arterioles and postcapillary venules. Arterioles and venules are usually visualized outside the lobes in more pronounced interstitial spaces. Conclusions. 1. The epithelial tubular structures of the lacrimal gland of the laboratory rat form a complex-branched system of excretory ducts, in which there are no typical intercalated ducts, which would be the connecting component between the terminal section and the excretory duct system. 2. The absence of intercalated ducts leads to a change in the appearance on histological specimens of tubulo-acinar aggregates of the lacrimal glands of rats in favor of tubuloalveolar assemblages. 3. Among the excretory ducts of the lacrimal glands of the laboratory rat, the following can be distinguished: intra-lobular, lobular and common excretory ducts, through which the secret is produced. The common ducts of the extraand infraorbital lacrimal glands, as a rule, combine to form their common duct.

Immature Hominin Craniodental Remains From a New Locality in the Rising Star Cave System, South Africa

Homo naledi is known from the Rising Star cave system, South Africa, where its remains have previously been reported from two localities: the Dinaledi Chamber (U.W. 101) and Lesedi Chamber (U.W. 102). Continued exploration of the cave system has expanded our knowledge of the Dinaledi Chamber and its surrounding passageways (the Dinaledi Subsystem), leading to the discovery of new fossil localities. This paper discusses the fossil assemblage from the locality designated U.W. 110. This locality is within a narrow fissure of the Dinaledi Subsystem approximately 12 meters southwest of the 2013–2014 excavation. Fossil remains recovered from this locality include six hominin teeth and 28 cranial fragments, all consistent with a single immature hominin individual. The dental morphology of the new specimens supports attribution to H. naledi. This is the first immature individual of H. naledi to preserve morphological details of the calvaria in association with dental evidence. This partial skull provides information about the maturation of H. naledi and will be important in reconstructing the developmental sequence of immature remains from other H. naledi occurrences. This is the third locality described with H. naledi material in the Rising Star cave system and represents a depositional situation that resembles the Lesedi Chamber in some respects.

Analysis of the Pterygomaxillary Fissure for Surgical Approach to Sphenopalatine Ganglion by Radiological Examination of Cone Beam Computed Tomography.

The pterygopalatine fossa (PPF) is a complex and paired anatomical structure located at the skull base. A clinically and surgically relevant structure located in the pterygopalatine fossa is the sphenopalatine ganglion. Electrical stimulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion is one possible method of treating cluster headache. The pterygomaxillary fissure (PMF) defines the pterygopalatine fossa laterally and determines the surgical approach. As part of preoperative surgical planning, each patient undergoes a preoperative head computed tomography or a cone beam computed tomography. In our study cone beam computed tomography images of 90 male and 110 female PMF were analyzed. Generally, males have a wider fissure than females. Moreover, a significant inter-subject difference could be shown between males and females. The analysis of the right and left PMF according to gender and age does not show any significant intra-subject differences. Following an established protocol for high-resolution CT images the measurements were classified into four fissure types and also analyzed according to gender and age. Fissure type I is significantly more often present in males, whereas the smaller fissure types (II, III, and IV) are significantly more often found in females. Older patients presented statistically significant more often with type I, whereas the younger patients showed more often the narrower types II and IV. Due to the fact that narrow fissures smaller than 2 mm could limit the insertion of neurostimulator implants in the PPF, special attention should be paid to females and younger patients during preoperative planning.

Is hydrotectonics influencing the thermal spring in Eisensteinhöhle (Bad Fischau, Lower Austria)?

Abstract Eisensteinhöhle is a 2 km long crevice cave that is significantly overprinted by hydrothermal karst processes. It was opened during quarrying in the Fischauer Vorberge, at the western margin of the Vienna Basin. This pull-apart basin cuts the eastern foothills of the Alps and is formed by a major NE-SW striking, sinistral transform fault. The western margin consists of NNE-SSW striking normal faults creating paths for thermal water to rise from the central basin. The deepest part of the cave, 73 m below the entrance, hosts a pond with 14.6 ±0.2 °C warm water that occasionally acts as a spring. The water level and temperature fluctuate and at a certain level, water visibly discharges into a nearby narrow fissure. As sporadic observations of the water level since 1992 gave no obvious connection to precipitation events, the connection to an aquifer and the origin of the water remained unknown. A pumping test, conducted on 13/7/2016, yielded a volume of the spring/pool of about 2.8 m3 that is fed by a very small inlet at the sandy bottom. At the time of the pumping test, the discharge was only 4.5 l/h but during previous overflow events, discharge values of up to 289 l/h were recorded. Water temperature and hydrochemistry hint towards a mixture of an old thermal component and a young meteoric component. During continuous monitoring of water level and temperature from October 2015 until November 2018, the water level was almost stable with few periods of high level (almost at overflow) that lasted for about 3 to 4 weeks each. The water temperature increased during most high stands and is positively correlated with the water level. Correlation of the high-resolution data on water level and temperature fluctuations with precipitation measurements at the nearest meteorological stations show a relation of water level to certain rainfall events and the sporadically taken long time records show a correlation with annual precipitation sums. Long-term observations also indicate a connection to groundwater levels in the Vienna Basin with a delay of about 8 weeks in Bad Fischau. In July 2017, the water level dropped suddenly and then recovered simultaneously in the time of several weak earthquakes in the vicinity. The data suggest that the spring in Eisensteinhöhle is influenced by precipitation. For one seismic event, there is a correlation with unusual water level changes at Eisensteinhöhle, but the rareness of earthquakes demands for a longer time series to confirm this observation.

A uniform momentum zone–vortical fissure model of the turbulent boundary layer

Recent studies reveal that at large friction Reynolds number $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}$ the inertially dominated region of the turbulent boundary layer is composed of large-scale zones of nearly uniform momentum segregated by narrow fissures of concentrated vorticity. Experiments show that, when scaled by the boundary-layer thickness, the fissure thickness is $\mathit{O}(1/\sqrt{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}})$, while the dimensional jump in streamwise velocity across each fissure scales in proportion to the friction velocity $u_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}$. A simple model that exploits these essential elements of the turbulent boundary-layer structure at large $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}$ is developed. First, a master wall-normal profile of streamwise velocity is constructed by placing a discrete number of fissures across the boundary layer. The number of fissures and their wall-normal locations follow scalings informed by analysis of the mean momentum equation. The fissures are then randomly displaced in the wall-normal direction, exchanging momentum as they move, to create an instantaneous velocity profile. This process is repeated to generate ensembles of streamwise velocity profiles from which statistical moments are computed. The modelled statistical profiles are shown to agree remarkably well with those acquired from direct numerical simulations of turbulent channel flow at large $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}^{+}$. In particular, the model robustly reproduces the empirically observed sub-Gaussian behaviour for the skewness and kurtosis profiles over a large range of input parameters.

Snow patches of the Lagonaky highlands (Western Caucasus)

The article presents results of investigation of snowfields on the Lagonaky plateau: conditions of their formation, distribution and dynamics. Snow patches are the most characteristic elements of the high-mountain landscapes of the Lagonaky plateau. In warm seasons, they are widely distributed on local flat-topped ridges of the Lagonaky: Abadzeshsh Murzikao, Kamennoe and others, as well as on the mountain masses Fisht, Pshehasu, Oshten, and Nagoychuk. Morphological and climatic conditions of the Lagonaky Highlands are unique and favorable for formation of snow patches and long preservation of them during the spring-summer periods. These conditions are high mountain ridges with flat tops, negative karst forms of the relief as well as a favorable wind regime with long winter snow storms and heavy snowfalls. Snow patches result from snow transport and accumulation after strong snow-drift on the leeward slopes. The avalanche snow patches arise when avalanches release from steep and long slopes of the above mountain ranges. Permanent snow patches are usually formed at the same places, and duration of their existence depends on sizes and a degree of shading. At the same time, even relatively small snow patches (100–200 thousand m3) can be preserved if they are located in narrow fissures (for example, the area of the Maly Fisht Glacier). In the last 3–5 years, the permanent snow patches melt completely, which is probably a result of small amount of solid precipitation during the cold season and the relatively high air temperatures in the warm time (standard deviation is 0.8–1.0 °C above the normal).

Hydrogeological characterization and environmental effects of the deteriorating urban karst groundwater in a karst trough valley: Nanshan, SW China

The unique hydrogeology of karst makes the associated groundwater respond quickly to rainfall events and vulnerable to anthropogenic pollutions. In this study, high-frequency monitoring of spring discharge, temperature, electrical conductivity (EC) and pH, along with monthly hydrochemical and microbial analyses, was undertaken at the outlet of Laolondong karst underground river in Nanshan, southwestern China. The aim was to explore the environmental effects of the catchment’s urban area on the karst groundwater resources. The monitoring data of a tracer test and the response of discharge to rainfall events demonstrate that conduits and narrow fissures coexist in the Laolongdong karst aquifer. The EC, Na+, Cl− and SO42− values (840 μS/cm, 33.7, 38.6 and 137.2 μg/L, respectively), along with high concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria, at the outlet indicate considerable urban pollution in this area. The contaminants sulfate and nitrate showed different relationships with discharge and EC in different stages of a rainfall event. This behavior provided information about aquifer structure and the influence of transport properties. Meanwhile, the hydrological processes of groundwater flow could be modified by urbanization and result in increasing magnitude of urban floods in the underground river. In addition, sulfuric and nitric acids introduced by urbanization not only impact the karst groundwater quality, but also result in a significant perturbation to the carbon cycling system in the karst area.

Effect Mechanism of Fractures on the Mechanics Characteristics of Jointed Rock Mass Under Compression

Based on the theory of particle flow and the PFC2D program, a jointed rock mass model was constructed with a single-joint rock and angle joints of 0 $$^{\circ }$$ , 30 $$^{\circ }$$ , 45 $$^{\circ }$$ , 60 $$^{\circ }$$ , and 90 $$^{\circ }$$ . A universal testing machine was used for rock compression testing for an in-depth study of rock mechanical features during their destruction, allowing investigation into their macro- and micromechanical properties. Compressive tests were performed using numerical simulation to observe the generation and development of fissures and study their failure mechanics, so as to understand the entire process of crack generation, expansion, and penetration. The main findings are as follows: (1) Tension failure dominates the failure modes of specimens as showed by testing and numerical simulation; (2) The impact of the joints on rock mass strength depends strongly on their angle of inclination, which can destroy the original rock structure and result in major changes to rock mass strength; (3) No simple proportionality exists between joint angle and uniaxial compressive strength of specimen, but as the joint angle increases, uniaxial compressive strength increases and then decreases. (4) The forms of major fissures are highly similar and are mainly distributed near the ends of joints, with narrower fissure zones close to the end.

Tangential fluid flow within 3D narrow fissures: Conservative velocity fields on associated triangulations and transport processes

For a fissured medium with uncertainty in the knowledge of fractures' geometry, a conservative tangential flow field is constructed, which is consistent with the physics of stationary fluid flow in porous media and an interpolated geometry of the cracks. The flow field permits computing preferential fluid flow directions of the medium, rates of mechanical energy dissipations, and a stochastic matrix modeling stream lines and fluid mass transportation, for the analysis of solute/contaminant mass advection‐diffusion as well as drainage times.

Geologic evolution of the Lost City Hydrothermal Field

AbstractThe Lost City Hydrothermal Field (LCHF) is a novel serpentinite‐hosted vent field located on the Atlantis Massif southern wall. Results of 2 m resolution bathymetry, side scan, and video and still imagery, integrated with direct submersible observations provide the first high‐resolution geologic map of the LCHF. These data form the foundation for an evolutionary model for the vent system over the past &gt;120,000 years. The field is located on a down‐dropped bench 70 m below the summit of the massif. The bench is capped by breccia and pelagic carbonate deposits underlain by variably deformed and altered serpentinite and gabbroic rocks. Hydrothermal activity is focused at the 60 m tall, 100 m across, massive carbonate edifice “Poseidon,” which is venting 91°C fluid. Hydrothermal activity declines south and west of the Poseidon complex and dies off completely at distances greater than 200 m. East of Poseidon, the most recent stage of hydrothermal flow is characterized by egress of diffuse fluids from narrow fissures within a low‐angle, anastomosing mylonite zone. South of the area of current hydrothermal activity, there is evidence of two discrete previously unrecognized relict fields. Active venting sites defined by carbonate‐filled fissures that cut the carbonate cap rock at the summit of the massif mark the present‐day northernmost extent of venting. These spatial relationships reflect multiple stages of field development, the northward migration of venting over time, and the likely development of a nascent field at the massif summit.

Delayed Superior Orbital Fissure Syndrome After Reconstruction of Blowout Fracture

The superior orbital fissure syndrome (SOFS) has been known to be a condition caused by impairment of the nerves that cross the superior orbital fissure. Traumatic SOFS is an uncommon complication which occurs usually within 48 hours after a facial injury. A 25-year-old male sustained facial trauma following an altercation. Clinical findings on presentation included swelling, ecchymosis, hyphema, subretinal hemorrhage, and mild extraocular movement limitation upon lateral gaze on his right eyelids. Facial computed tomography scan confirmed fractures of the medial walls of the right orbit and herniation of orbital soft tissue without the incarceration of medial rectus muscle. Ten days after the trauma, the operation was performed. On postoperative day 16, the patient showed ptosis of the right upper eyelid with a fixed pupil, and there was a hypoesthesia over the distribution of the right supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves. The authors diagnosed as a delayed SOFS and prescribed 4 mg of methylprednisolone q.i.d. for 30 days. After steroid therapy, extraocular movement limitations improved progressively. After 8 months, movement was completely restored. The authors experienced delayed SOFS on posttrauma day 27, and it was treated by steroid therapy. Surgical intervention is required when there is an evident etiology such as underlying hematoma or plate migration. If the reason is not clear like our case, steroid therapy can be considered as one of the options. Particularly, the authors should give special attention to the patient who has congenitally narrow superior orbital fissure, like Fujiwara et al suggested.

Pre-exposure embrittlement of an Al-Cu-Mg alloy, AA2024-T351

Abstract When Al-Cu-Mg (AA2024-T351) alloy plate is immersed in 0.53 m NaCl solution, intergranular corrosion occurs, which initially takes the form of narrow fissures at the surface. Although growth of these fissures is initially rapid, it soon slows and the penetration depth is limited. However, these intergranular fissures can give rise to intergranular subcritical crack growth and eventual catastrophic fracture if specimens are strained slowly in laboratory air after pre-exposure to the NaCl solution. In our experiments, tensile specimens of the alloy were strained at strain rates in the range 10-7–10-4/s, and the cracking propensity was found to increase with pre-exposure times up to around 300 h. However, cracking was much reduced with longer pre-exposure times and became negligible after 500 h. This rather unexpected result can be explained by the observation that the intergranular corrosion fissure becomes increasingly broad and un-crack-like with extended pre-exposure times, failing to meet the prerequisite initiation conditions required for intergranular stress corrosion cracking. A further unexpected result was that straining specimens in the same 0.53 m NaCl solution after pre-exposure produced no intergranular crack growth. To investigate this further, tensile tests were conducted under electrochemical control, and this showed that the free corrosion potential in the test solution was too low in 0.53 m NaCl to allow cracking to proceed.

Comprehensive Interventional Bronchoscopic in treatment of glottis and subglottic stenosis after intubation in 28 children

Objective To discuss the effect of electronic bronchoscopy comprehensive therapy in the diagnosis and treatment of glottis and subglottic stenosis after intubation in children. Methods The records of 28 children diagnosed as glottis and subglottic stenosis after intubation by bronchoscopy in Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University from January 2012 to January 2015 were reviewed.They all had the neck and chest CT, bronchoscopic diagnostics, and received comprehensive treatment of laser, forceps, balloon angioplasty under electronic bronchoscopy, preoperative and postoperative evaluation was performed according to the improvement of respiratory status and endoscopic findings. All patients were followed up for 6-12 months. Results These 28 children were successfully extubated, and inspiratory dyspnea, hoarseness, and other symptoms were improved, endoscopic narrowest part was widened by 6-12 months of follow-up, including 17 cases reached clinical cure, about 6 times per patient; 7 cases were successfully extubated and still in follow-up currently; 2 cases of neonatal infants were extubated successfully, but they had vocal congestion, edema, glottis narrow fissure without special intervention, and were under clinical observation currently; 2 cases gave up treatment because of the other problems.All patients had no serious bleeding, respiratory insufficiency or other complications. Conclusions Electronic bronchoscopic comprehensive treatment is an effective and safe method to treat glottis and subglottic stenosis after intubation in children. Key words: Intubation; Glottal; Bronchoscopy; Laser; Cryotherapy; Balloon Dilatation; Child

Sailing Through the Sacraments: Ethnic and Cultural Geographies of a Port and Its Churches-Cartagena de Indias

Using a series of unusual parish books that record the sacraments performed by naval chaplains, that are in the Cartagena de Indias Cathedral, this work examines the intimate relations between various individuals and ethnic groups in the port city. Through these documents, it is possible to discover a slave society set within a frontier or even liminal social topography that reveals the multitude of possible dynamics created within the structures of such a heterogeneous community. We discover that much as the Spaniards and their Creole offspring may have sought to maintain the boundaries of what they envisioned as an ideal caste system, institutions such as the navy, the military and the church were forced to incorporate Africans and their descendants for various reasons. Free people of color (pardos libres) as well as the enslaved were agile in their appropriation of those narrow fissures in the rigid racial system that was the theoretical standard. From early on, Africans, Europeans, indigenous peoples and their descendants created a type of tropical Babylon in Cartagena, developing distinct geographical spaces along the coast and in the city and port that can be mapped out ethnically and culturally.

Exploring N&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;-p-Fluorobenzyl-Cymserine as an Inhibitor of 5-Lipoxygenase as a Candidate for Type 2 Diabetes and Neurodegenerative Disorder Treatment

Developing a single selective ligand to a target relevant to two mechanistically interlinked diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and a neurodegenerative disorder, like Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease, provides the potential for an effective treatment that may impact both. The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) has been revealed responsible for producing fatty acid molecules, leukotrienes. These leukotrienes are known to produce inflammatory responses in asthma and allergic reactions, to induce a reduction of tyrosine hydroxylase in brain, and are involved in the development of cardiac strokes, obesity and type 2 diabetes. N(1)-p-fluorobenzyl-cymserine (FBC), an analogue of cymserine and a known cholineterase inhibitor, was evaluated for inhibition of pleiotropic 5-LOX in our study. The stable 3D structure of 5-LOX was obtained from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) database and was implied for homology modeling of four reported mutant models. Each generated model was submitted to the Protein Model Database (PMDB) and employed for measuring inhibition and ligand efficiency of FBC with support of molecular docking. For each model, normal as well as mutant, FBC yielded remarkable inhibition constant values, with exothermic free binding energies. The current study revealed a highly reactive narrow fissure near the non-heme iron binding pocket of 5-LOX that contains residues crucial for 5-LOX stability and FBC binding. Investigating the binding of FBC with stabilized and destabilized 5-LOX structures confirmed it as a candidate therapeutic inhibitor worthy of assessment in preclinical models of T2DM and neurodegeneration.

Prayer and Promise Along The Migrant Trail

Under the intense desert sun in Arizona's Altar Valley, we set out to walk. We follow well-worn trails used by people trying to reach northern destinations without detection, people turned into illegal aliens after stepping across a line in the sand. We walk as volunteers with No More Deaths, a humanitarian group whose mission is to end death and suffering on the U.S.-Mexican border. Each day is organized around walking the trails, searching for the sick or injured left behind by the coyote. We call out to offer water and medical assistance, our ears alert for the sounds of breathing coming from someone tucked away in the brush, resting covertly or nursing a blister. We walk to reclaim space in the borderlands, to contest Department of Homeland Security claims that public lands are too dangerous to visit. We walk to bear witness to human suffering in the face of injustice. One sun-baked afternoon in July, four of us walk to an altar deep in Pajarito Canyon, an altar created by those seeking safe passage north.' Following our GPS unit, we begin looking for the entrance to the canyon, a mere crack in the ancient lava flow that forms the eastern edge of the Altar Valley. Here, cataclysmic shifts over thousands of years have created a buckled landscape with fissures small and wide that form south-north corridors facilitating the movement of water, sediment, plants, and animals. Pajarito serves as one such corridor for those who choose this path to their dreams: sending children to school; paying off medical bills for aged parents; escaping violence or vulnerability; joining a lover who can't leave a job in Houston, Los Angeles, or Nashville. Inside the narrow fissure, dramatic vertical walls block the burning sun. Ocotillo and mesquite trees cling to rocky outcrops, cooling the passage. Trained as we are to watch for signs of recent passage, my eyes focus on water bottles scattered along the trail. Brittle and chipped plastic suggests that they had lain there for months. I pick up a bottle with a salmon-colored label. Bold blue letters scream Bonafont, an expensive brand of bottled water in Mexico. A blue figure reaches for the sky, arms spread in a joyful, triumphant gesture. Smaller letters say: El Agua Ligera, the light water. I whisper the word, feel it on my tongue: ligera. The sound evokes tranquility and leisure, a kind of fitness so alien to this trail, where death may come in the form of a small blister that grows until the pain becomes unbearable and dreams of el norte are surrendered for peace on the other side of the line between life and death. Our silent walk on the narrow canyon trail is disrupted by a scream. My scream. A sharp pain shoots through my hand. I touched a venomous caterpillar when I reached for a branch to secure my step. As we examine the culprit closely our conversation shifts to the desert's many acid-spitting, fuzzy things. Tarantulas on the road that morning, halting traffic while seeking mates. Prehistoric-looking Gila monsters provoking panic. We laugh at our small fears, a salve for the very real terror facing those moving north along these trails. Border Patrol agents promising arrest. Helicopters hovering, generating blinding dust. Dehydration, and the voice of the coyote saying, Let's go, we can't wait for her. Mind games as the days pass. Water runs out. No sign of help, not even la migra--the popular Spanish term for the Border Patrol. We scramble along the trail for a small eternity, reaching an opening in the canyon cooled by mesquite and sycamore trees. A quiet hollow punctuated by signs of those who stopped here to rest and eat. Empty water bottles, tuna-fish cans, and cookie wrappers litter the ground, recalling the small corner stores in Sasabe, a Mexican border town that sells water, protein, and sugar to those preparing to cross. A crumpled brochure printed by the Mexican government warning migrants of the desert's dangers. Garlic is recommended for protection against snakes. …

A new species of the side-necked turtle Foxemys (Pelomedusoides: Bothremydidae) from the Late Cretaceous of Hungary and the historical biogeography of the Bothremydini

AbstractThe continental deposits of the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Csehbánya Formation of the Bakony Mountains in Hungary yielded abundant remains of a bothremydid side-necked turtle, which are attributed to a new species of the genus Foxemys, Foxemys trabanti. F. trabanti shows strong affinities with the European monophyletic group Foxemydina owing to the absence of pits in the upper and lower triturating surfaces, the exclusion of the jugal from the triturating surface, the separation of the Eustachian tube and the stapes by a narrow fissure, the presence of deep and narrow fossa pterygoidei, the partially closed foramen jugulare posterius and the pentagonal shape of the basisphenoid in ventral view. Among the Foxemydina the bothremydid from Iharkút is more closely related to F. mechinorum than to Polysternon provinciale from the Early Campanian of France, mainly because of the position of the occipital condyle relative to the mandibular condyles of the quadrate. The new remains represent the only record of the Foxemydina outside of Western Europe and provide the earliest known occurrence of this endemic, freshwater group in the former Mediterranean Basin. The historical biogeography of the tribe Bothremydini is investigated and a hypothesis of migration from Africa to North America via the high-latitude Thulean route is put forward.