Battle Of King's Mountain History - Accession 44 - M19 (29)

Written by Helen Deane Chandler, the history describes the battle fought in York County, South Carolina on October 7, 1780, gives brief accounts of previous celebrations of the battle, contains illustrations showing the battlefield and monuments, and has information concerning the 150th anniversary celebration that took place in 1930.

Pissing Glass and the Body Crass: Adaptations of the Scatological in Théophile

Examination of scatological motifs in Théophile de Viau’s (1590-1626) libertine, or ‘cabaret’ poetry is important in terms of how the scatological contributes to the depiction of the Early Modern body in the French lyric.1 This essay does not examine Théophile’s portrait of the body strictly in terms of the ‘Baroque’ or the ‘neo-Classical.’ Rather, it argues that the scatological context in which he situates the body (either his, or those of others), reflects a keen sensibility of the body representative of the transition between these two eras. Théophile reinforces what Bernard Beugnot terms the body’s inherent ‘eloquence’ (17), or what Patrick Dandrey describes as an innate ‘textuality’ in what the body ‘writes’ (31), and how it discloses meaning. The poet’s scatological lyric, much of which was published in the Pamasse Satyrique of 1622, projects a different view of the body’s ‘eloquence’ by depicting a certain realism and honesty about the body as well as the pleasure and suffering it experiences. This Baroque realism, which derives from a sense of the grotesque and the salacious, finds itself in conflict with the Classical body which is frequently characterized as elegant, adorned, and ‘domesticated’ (Beugnot 25). Théophile’s private body is completely exposed, and, unlike the public body of the court, does not rely on masking and pretension to define itself. Mitchell Greenberg contends that the body in late sixteenth-century and early seventeenth-century French literature is often depicted in a chaotic manner because, ‘the French body politic was rent by tumultuous religious and social upheavals’ (62).2 While one could argue that Théophile’s portraits of a syphilis-ridden narrators are more a reflection of his personal agony rather than that of France as a whole, what emerges in Théophile is an emphasis on the movement, if not decomposition of the body.3 Given Théophile’s public persona and the satirical dimension of his work, it is difficult to imagine that the degeneration he portrays is limited only to his individual experience. On a collective level, Théophile reflects what Greenberg calls ‘a continued, if skewed apprehension of the world in both its physical and metaphysical dimensions’(62–3) typical of the era. To a large extent, the body Théophile depicts is a scatological body, one whose deterioration takes the form of waste, disease, and evacuation as represented in both the private and public domain. Of course, one could cast aside any serious reading of Théophile’s libertine verse, and virtually all of scatological literature for that matter, as an immature indulgence in the prurient. Nonetheless, it was for his dissolute behavior and his scatological poetry that Théophile was imprisoned and condemned to death. Consequently, this part of his work merits serious consideration in terms of the personal and poetic (if not occasionally political) statement it represents. With the exception of Claire Gaudiani’s outstanding critical edition of Théophile’s cabaret lyric, there exist no extensive studies of the poet’s libertine œuvre.4 Clearly however, these poems should be taken seriously with respect to their philosophical and aesthetic import. As a consequence, the objective becomes that of enhancing the reader’s understanding of the lyric contexts in which Théophile’s scatological offerings situate themselves. Structurally, the reader sees how the poet’s libertine ceuvre is just that — an integrated work in which the various components correspond to one another to set forth a number of approaches from which the texts are to be read. These points of view are not always consistent, and Théophile cannot be thought of as writing in a sequential manner along the lines of devotional Baroque poets such as Jean de La Ceppède and Jean de Sponde. However, there is a tendency not to read these poems in their vulgar totality, and to overlook the formal and substantive unity in this category of Théophile’s work. The poet’s resistance to poetic and cultural standards takes a profane, if not pornographic form because it seeks to disgust and arouse while denigrating the self, the lyric other, and the reader. Théophile’s pornography makes no distinction between the erotic and scatological. The poet conflates sex and shit because they present a double form of protest to artistic and social decency while titillating and attacking the reader’s sensibilities. Examination of the repugnant gives way to a cathartic experience which yields an understanding of, if not ironic delight in, one’s own filthy nature.

Taxonomic Status and Redescription of the Gillbacker Sea Catfish (Siluriformes: Ariidae: Sciades parkeri)

The Gillbacker Sea Catfish is a valid species of ariid catfish from the northeastern coast of South America. There are many synonyms In the literature for the Gillbacker Sea Catfish and even recent classifications have used different scientific names. Examination of a wide range of sizes of Individuals from different localities and examination of types and original species descriptions of Silurus parkeri, Bagrus flavescens, B. emphysetus, Arius physacanthus, A. bonneti, A. clavispinosus, and A. despaxi has lead us to the conclusion that all these names refer to the Gillbacker Sea Catfish and the valid name for the species is Sciades parkeri. The species is distinguished from all other ariid species by the following combination of features: body coloration yellow; swim bladder divided Into three chambers, posterior chamber moderately sized; nuchal plate shield-shaped, usually larger than supraocciptal process; anterior notch of nuchal plate absent; head shield exposed and granulated In orbital and postorbital regions; lateral edge of accessory patches not emarginated or shallowly notched; fleshy furrow connecting posterior nares absent; and mesial gill rakers absent from first two gill arches. Striking intraspecific and/or ontogenetic variation In eye size, maxillary-barbel length, supraoccipital-process size, nuchal-plate size and shape, and dorsal-spine thickness contributed to the numerous synonyms and misidentifications for Sciades parkeri. Bagrus albicans, described from French Guiana, has at times been listed as a synonym of Sciades parkeri. Our examination of the holotype of B. albicans, however, led us to conclude that It is a synonym of Sciades proops.

Lectotypification of the name Helianthus dentatus Cav., basionym of Viguiera dentata (Cav.) Spreng. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae)

A recent molecular phylogenetic analysis (Schilling & Panero 2011) proposed to narrow the concept of the paraphyletic genus Viguiera Kunth (1818: 176; Asteraceae: Heliantheae) to embrace only the type, V. dentata (Cavanilles 1794: 10) Sprengel (1826: 615). Robinson (1977) emphasized the peculiarities of Viguiera dentata as the "distinctive and unique" presence of hairs on the filaments of the anther, the disk corollas throat less than twice as long as the lobes and densely scabrous below, a combination of features that differs from most member of the genus. During taxonomic studies of Viguiera and related genera, it was discovered that V. dentata has never been typified. The basionym, Helianthus dentatus, was described by Antonio Jose Cavanilles in Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum based on plants grown in the Real Jardin Botanico from seed sent by Martin Sesse from Mexico (Blanco 2000). Previous workers including Blake (1918) and Robinson (1977) have accepted the plate in Cavanilles as the type for Helianthus dentatus Cav.

Into the Island: A new technique of non-invasive cortical stimulation of the insula

Study aim. - We describe a new neuronavigation-guided technique to target the posterior-superior insula (PSI) using a cooled-double-cone coil for deep cortical stimulation. Introduction. - Despite the analgesic effects brought about by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the primary motor and prefrontal cortices, a significant proportion of patients remain symptomatic. This encouraged the search for new targets that may provide stronger pain relief. There is growing evidence that the posterior insula is implicated in the integration of painful stimuli in different pain syndromes and in homeostatic thermal integration. Methods. - The primary motor cortex representation of the lower leg was used to calculate the motor threshold and thus, estimate the intensity of PSI stimulation. Results. - Seven healthy volunteers were stimulated at 10 Hz to the right PSI and showed subjective changes in cold perception. The technique was safe and well tolerated. Conclusions. - The right posterior-superior insula is worth being considered in future studies as a possible target for rTMS stimulation in chronic pain patients. (c) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties of the helical oxalate-bridged copper(II) chain {[(CH3)(4)N](2)[Cu(C2O4)(2)] center dot H2O}(n)

The preparation, crystal structure and magnetic properties of a new oxalate-containing copper(II) chain of formula {[(CH3)(4)N](2)]Cu(C2O4)(2)] center dot H2O}(n) (1) [(CH3)(4)N+ = tetramethylammonium cation] are reported. The structure of 1 consists of anionic oxalate-bridged copper(II) chains, tetramethylammoniun cations and crystallization water molecules. Each copper(II) ion in 1 is surrounded by three oxalate ligands, one being bidentate and the other two exhibiting bis-bidenate coordination modes. Although all the tris-chelated copper(H) units from a given chain exhibit the same helicity, adjacent chains have opposite helicities and then an achiral structure results. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 show the occurrence of a weak ferromagnetic interaction through the oxalate bridge [J = +1.14(1)cm(-1), the Hamiltonian being defined as H = -J Sigma nm S-i . S-j]. This value is analyzed and discussed in the light of available magnetostructural data for oxalate-bridged copper(H) complexes with the same out-of-plane exchange pathway. (C) 2012 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Structure of the N=50 As, Ge, Ga nuclei

The level structures of the N = 50 As-83, Ge-82, and Ga-81 isotones have been investigated by means of multi-nucleon transfer reactions. A first experiment was performed with the CLARA PRISMA setup to identify these nuclei. A second experiment was carried out with the GASP array in order to deduce the gamma-ray coincidence information. The results obtained on the high-spin states of such nuclei are used to test the stability of the N = 50 shell closure in the region of Ni-78 (Z = 28). The comparison of the experimental level schemes with the shell-model calculations yields an N = 50 energy gap value of 4.7(3) MeV at Z = 28. This value, in a good agreement with the prediction of the finite-range liquid-drop model as well as with the recent large-scale shell model calculations, does not support a weakening of the N = 50 shell gap down to Z = 28. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The rapid atmospheric monitoring system of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a facility built to detect air showers produced by cosmic rays above 10(17) eV. During clear nights with a low illuminated moon fraction, the UV fluorescence light produced by air showers is recorded by optical telescopes at the Observatory. To correct the observations for variations in atmospheric conditions, atmospheric monitoring is performed at regular intervals ranging from several minutes (for cloud identification) to several hours (for aerosol conditions) to several days (for vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, and humidity). In 2009, the monitoring program was upgraded to allow for additional targeted measurements of atmospheric conditions shortly after the detection of air showers of special interest, e. g., showers produced by very high-energy cosmic rays or showers with atypical longitudinal profiles. The former events are of particular importance for the determination of the energy scale of the Observatory, and the latter are characteristic of unusual air shower physics or exotic primary particle types. The purpose of targeted (or "rapid") monitoring is to improve the resolution of the atmospheric measurements for such events. In this paper, we report on the implementation of the rapid monitoring program and its current status. The rapid monitoring data have been analyzed and applied to the reconstruction of air showers of high interest, and indicate that the air fluorescence measurements affected by clouds and aerosols are effectively corrected using measurements from the regular atmospheric monitoring program. We find that the rapid monitoring program has potential for supporting dedicated physics analyses beyond the standard event reconstruction.

Inactivation of the putative suppressor gene DOK1 by promoter hypermethylation in primary human cancers

The DOK1 gene is a putative tumour suppressor gene located on the human chromosome 2p13 which is frequently rearranged in leukaemia and other human tumours. We previously reported that the DOK1 gene can be mutated and its expression down-regulated in human malignancies. However, the mechanism underlying DOK1 silencing remains largely unknown. We show here that unscheduled silencing of DOK1 expression through aberrant hypermethylation is a frequent event in a variety of human malignancies. DOK1 was found to be silenced in nine head and neck cancer (HNC) cell lines studied and DOK1 CpG hypermethylation correlated with loss of gene expression in these cells. DOK1 expression could be restored via demethylating treatment using 5-aza-2'deoxycytidine. In addition, transduction of cancer cell lines with DOK1 impaired their proliferation, consistent with the critical role of epigenetic silencing of DOK1 in the development and maintenance of malignant cells. We further observed that DOK1 hypermethylation occurs frequently in a variety of primary human neoplasm including solid tumours (93% in HNC, 81% in lung cancer) and haematopoietic malignancy (64% in Burkitt's lymphoma). Control blood samples and exfoliated mouth epithelial cells from healthy individuals showed a low level of DOK1 methylation, suggesting that DOK1 hypermethylation is a tumour specific event. Finally, an inverse correlation was observed between the level of DOK1 gene methylation and its expression in tumour and adjacent non tumour tissues. Thus, hypermethylation of DOK1 is a potentially critical event in human carcinogenesis, and may be a potential cancer biomarker and an attractive target for epigenetic-based therapy.

Origin of the heavy elements in HD 140283 Measurement of europium abundance

Context. HD 140283 is a nearby (V = 7.7) subgiant metal-poor star, extensively analysed in the literature. Although many spectra have been obtained for this star, none showed a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio high enough to enable a very accurate derivation of abundances from weak lines. Aims. The detection of europium proves that the neutron-capture elements in this star originate in the r-process, and not in the s-process, as recently claimed in the literature. Methods. Based on the OSMARCS 1D LTE atmospheric model and with a consistent approach based on the spectrum synthesis code Turbospectrum, we measured the europium lines at 4129 angstrom and 4205 angstrom, taking into account the hyperfine structure of the transitions. The spectrum, obtained with a long exposure time of seven hours at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), has a resolving power of 81 000 and a S/N ratio of 800 at 4100 angstrom. Results. We were able to determine the abundance A(Eu) = -2.35 +/- 0.07 dex, compatible with the value predicted for the europium from the r-process. The abundance ratio [Eu/Ba] = +0.58 +/- 0.15 dex agrees with the trend observed in metal-poor stars and is also compatible with a strong r-process contribution to the origin of the neutron-capture elements in HD 140283.

Measurement of the proton-air cross section at root s=57 TeV with the Pierre Auger Observatory

We report a measurement of the proton-air cross section for particle production at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon of 57 TeV. This is derived from the distribution of the depths of shower maxima observed with the Pierre Auger Observatory: systematic uncertainties are studied in detail. Analyzing the tail of the distribution of the shower maxima, a proton-air cross section of [505 +/- 22(stat)(-36)(+28)(syst)] mb is found.

Deviation from quark number scaling of the anisotropy parameter v(2) of pions, kaons, and protons in Au+Au collisions at root s(NN)=200 GeV

Measurements of the anisotropy parameter v(2) of identified hadrons (pions, kaons, and protons) as a function of centrality, transverse momentum p(T), and transverse kinetic energy KET at midrapidity (vertical bar eta vertical bar < 0.35) in Au + Au collisions at root s(N N) = 200 GeV are presented. Pions and protons are identified up to p(T) = 6 GeV/c, and kaons up to p(T) = 4 GeV/c, by combining information from time-of-flight and aerogel Cerenkov detectors in the PHENIX Experiment. The scaling of v(2) with the number of valence quarks (n(q)) has been studied in different centrality bins as a function of transverse momentum and transverse kinetic energy. A deviation from previously observed quark-number scaling is observed at large values of KET/n(q) in noncentral Au + Au collisions (20-60%), but this scaling remains valid in central collisions (0-10%).

Evaluation of the efficiencies of helical anchor plates in sand by centrifuge model tests

The uplift capacity of helical anchors normally increases with the number of helical plates. The rate of capacity gain is variable, considering that the disturbance caused by the anchor installation is generally more pronounced in the soil mass above the upper plates than above the lower plates, because the upper soil layers are penetrated more times. The present investigation examines the effect of the number of helices on the performance of helical anchors in sand, based on the results of centrifuge model tests. Uplift loading tests were performed on 12 different types of piles installed in two containers of dry sand prepared with different densities. The measured fractions of the uplift capacity related to each individual helical plate of multi-helix anchors were compared with the fractions predicted by the individual bearing method. The results of this investigation indicate that in double- and triple-helix anchors, the contributions of the second and third plate to the total anchor uplift capacity decreased with the increase of sand relative density and plate diameter. In addition, these experiments demonstrated that the variation of the anchor load-displacement behavior with the number of helices also depends on these parameters.

Isolation, enzymatic characterization and antiedematogenic activity of the first reported rattlesnake hyaluronidase from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom

A hyaluronidase (CdtHya1) from Crotalus durissus terrificus snake venom (CdtV) was isolated and showed to exhibit a high activity on hyaluronan cleavage. However, surveys on this enzyme are still limited. This study aimed at its isolation, functional/structural characterization and the evaluation of its effect on the spreading of crotoxin and phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)). The enzyme was purified through cation exchange, gel filtration and hydrophobic chromatography. After that, it was submitted to a reverse-phase fast protein liquid chromatography (RP-FPLC) and Edman degradation sequencing, which showed the first N-terminal 44 amino acid residues whose sequence evidenced identity with other snake venom hyaluronidases. CdtHya1 is a monomeric glycoprotein of 64.5 kDa estimated by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions. It exhibited maximum activity in the presence of 0.2 M NaCl, at 37 degrees C, pH 5.5 and a specificity to hyaluronan higher than that to chondroitin-4-sulphate, chondroitin-6-sulphate or dermatan. Divalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) and 1 M NaCl significantly reduced the enzyme activity. The specific activity of CdtHya1 was 5066 turbidity reducing units (TRU)/mg, against 145 TRU/mg for the soluble venom, representing a 34.9-fold purification. The pure enzyme increased the diffusion of crotoxin and PLA (2) through mice tissues. CdtHya1 (32 TRU/40 mu L) potentiated crotoxin action, as evidenced by mice death, and it decreased the oedema caused by subplantar injections of buffer, crotoxin or PLA(2), thus evidencing the relevance of hyaluronidase in the crotalic envenoming. This work yielded a highly active antiedematogenic hyaluronidase from CdtV, the first one isolated from rattlesnake venoms. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

DNA methylation changes associated with risk factors in tumors of the upper aerodigestive tract

Cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) are common forms of malignancy associated with tobacco and alcohol exposures, although human papillomavirus and nutritional deficiency are also important risk factors. While somatically acquired DNA methylation changes have been associated with UADT cancers, what triggers these events and precise epigenetic targets are poorly understood. In this study, we applied quantitative profiling of DNA methylation states in a panel of cancer-associated genes to a case-control study of UADT cancers. Our analyses revealed a high frequency of aberrant hypermethylation of several genes, including MYOD1, CHRNA3 and MTHFR in UADT tumors, whereas CDKN2A was moderately hypermethylated. Among differentially methylated genes, we identified a new gene (the nicotinic acetycholine receptor gene) as target of aberrant hypermethylation in UADT cancers, suggesting that epigenetic deregulation of nicotinic acetycholine receptors in non-neuronal tissues may promote the development of UADT cancers. Importantly, we found that sex and age is strongly associated with the methylation states, whereas tobacco smoking and alcohol intake may also influence the methylation levels in specific genes. This study identifies aberrant DNA methylation patterns in UADT cancers and suggests a potential mechanism by which environmental factors may deregulate key cellular genes involved in tumor suppression and contribute to UADT cancers.