Properties of Catlin's reduced graphs and supereulerian graphs

A graph $G$ is called collapsible if for every even subset $R\subseteq V(G)$, there is a spanning connected subgraph $H$ of $G$ such that $R$ is the set of vertices of odd degree in $H$. A graph is the reduction of $G$ if it is obtained from $G$ by contracting all the nontrivial collapsible subgraphs. A graph is reduced if it has no nontrivial collapsible subgraphs. In this paper, we first prove a few results on the properties of reduced graphs. As an application, for 3-edge-connected graphs $G$ of order $n$ with $d(u)+d(v)\ge 2(n/p-1)$ for any $uv\in E(G)$ where $p>0$ are given, we show how such graphs change if they have no spanning Eulerian subgraphs when $p$ is increased from $p=1$ to 10 then to $15$

Bearing fault diagnosis based on Shannon entropy and wavelet package decomposition

A new feature extraction method based on WPD and Entropy is proposed in this paper. Firstly, WPD is utilized to decompose the signal into different frequency bands to obtain different frequency sub-signal. Secondly, root-mean-squire (RMS) value, kurtosis (K) and peak factor (PF) parameters are extracted from each sub-signal to obtain the fault feature vector. Thirdly the Entropy of each feature vector is calculated to realize the bearing fault diagnosis. Finally, experimental results indicate that the bearing fault diagnosis method proposed in this paper is effective

Role of Basal Ganglia in Sleep–Wake Regulation: Neural Circuitry and Clinical Significance

Researchers over the last decade have made substantial progress toward understanding the roles of dopamine and the basal ganglia (BG) in the control of sleep–wake behavior. In this review, we outline recent advancements regarding dopaminergic modulation of sleep through the BG and extra-BG sites. Our main hypothesis is that dopamine promotes sleep by its action on the D2 receptors in the BG and promotes wakefulness by its action on D1 and D2 receptors in the extra-BG sites. This hypothesis implicates dopamine depletion in the BG (such as in Parkinson's disease) in causing frequent nighttime arousal and overall insomnia. Furthermore, the arousal effects of psychostimulants (methamphetamine, cocaine, and modafinil) may be linked to the ventral periaquductal gray (vPAG) dopaminergic circuitry targeting the extra-BG sleep–wake network

Neuronal activity (c-Fos) delineating interactions of the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia

The cerebral cortex and basal ganglia (BG) form a neural circuit that is disrupted in disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. We found that neuronal activity (c-Fos) in the BG followed cortical activity, i.e., high in arousal state and low in sleep state. To determine if cortical activity is necessary for BG activity, we administered atropine to rats to induce a dissociative state resulting in slow-wave electroencephalography but hyperactive motor behaviors. Atropine blocked c-Fos expression in the cortex and BG, despite high c-Fos expression in the sub-cortical arousal neuronal groups and thalamus, indicating that cortical activity is required for BG activation. To identify which glutamate receptors in the BG that mediate cortical inputs, we injected ketamine [N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist] and 6-cyano-nitroquinoxaline-2, 3-dione (CNQX, a non-NMDA receptor antagonist). Systemic ketamine and CNQX administration revealed that NMDA receptors mediated subthalamic nucleus (STN) input to internal globus pallidus (GPi) and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), while non-NMDA receptor mediated cortical input to the STN. Both types of glutamate receptors were involved in mediating cortical input to the striatum. Dorsal striatal (caudoputamen, CPu) dopamine depletion by 6-hydroxydopamine resulted in reduced activity of the CPu, globus pallidus externa (GPe), and STN but increased activity of the GPi, SNr, and putative layer V neurons in the motor cortex. Our results reveal that the cortical activity is necessary for BG activity and clarifies the pathways and properties of the BG-cortical network and their putative role in the pathophysiology of BG disorders

Expression of the mismatch repair gene hMLH1 is enhanced in non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations

Mismatch repair (MMR) plays a pivotal role in keeping the genome stable. MMR dysfunction can lead to carcinogenesis by gene mutation accumulation. HMSH2 and hMLH1 are two key components of MMR. High or low expression of them often mark the status of MMR function. Mutations (EGFR, KRAS, etc) are common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it is not clear what role MMR plays in NSCLC gene mutations. The expression of MMR proteins hMSH2 and hMLH1, and the proliferation markers PCNA and Ki67 were measured by immunohistochemistry in 181 NSCLCs. EGFR and KRAS mutations were identified by high resolution melting analysis. Stronger hMLH1 expression correlated to a higher frequency of EGFR mutations in exon 19 and 21 (p<0.0005). Overexpression of hMLH1 and the adenocarcinoma subtype were both independent factors that related to EGFR mutations in NSCLCs (p=0.013 and p<0.0005). The expression of hMLH1, hMSH2 and PCNA increased, while Ki67 expression significantly decreased (p=0.030) in NSCLCs with EGFR mutations. Overexpression of hMLH1 could be a new molecular marker to predict the response to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLCs. Furthermore, EGFR mutations might be an early event of NSCLC that occur before MMR dysfunction.This work was supported by the National Nature Science Funds in China (Fund No. 81071805; URL: http://isisn.nsfc.gov.cn/egrantweb/), and Dalian Merricon Gene Diagnosis Technology Co., Ltd. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Ethyl 2-methyl-6-(propan-2-yl­amino)-4-sulfanyl­idene-3H,11H-pyrimido[1,6-c]quinazoline-1-carboxyl­ate

The title compound, C18H22N4O2S, contains a substituted pyrimidine ring fused to both a benzene ring and a substituted thioxopyrimidine ring. The pyrimidine and thioxopyrimidine rings adopt distorted chair conformations. In the crystal, adjacent mol­ecules are linked by pairs of N—H⋯S and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to generate centrosymmetric R 2 2(8) and R 2 2(16) loops, respectively. This combination leads to [100] chains of mol­ecules

The Research of Biology Coupling Characteristics on the Shells of Haliotis discus hannai Ino

The surface morphologies, structures and materials of Haliotis discus hannai Ino shells were qualitatively studied by means of a stereoscopic microscope，a field emission scanning electronic microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer, and abrasive particle wear was qualitatively and quantitatively studied by means of a pin-on-disc apparatus. The results showed that the outer layer surface of Haliotis discus hannai Ino shells was non-smooth and had some strumae or similar parallel convex wave. The shells of Haliotis discus hannai Ino are polycrystalline composites of calcium carbonate and proteins and glycoproteins and consist of the periostracum, prismatic and nacreous layers with calcite in the outer prismatic layer and aragonite in the inner nacreous layer. Nacreous layer is a natural composite comprised of calcium carbonate in the aragonite polymorph with organic macromolecules sandwiched in between, and the coupling of platelet interlocks and organic materials makes nacreous layer to be strong and tough.The abrasive particle wear tests showed that the abrasion resistance was different on the different parts of the shells, and the left of the shells possessed the highest abrasion resistance and the abrasion resistance of the shells was the lowest on the edge of the right. The nacreous layer possessed higher abrasion resistance than prismatic layer because of the coupling of structure and materials of nacreous layer. Key words: Haliotis discus hannai Ino shells; morphology; structure; materials; anti-wear; biological character; couplin