bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex, the brain and hypertension: brain oestrogen receptors and high blood pressure risk factors
Authors: Hay Meredith
Published: December 2015

Hypertension is a major contributor to worldwide morbidity and mortality rates related to cardiovascular disease. There are important sex differences in the onset and rate of hypertension in humans. Compared with age-matched men, premenopausal women are less likely to develop hypertension. However, after age 60, the incidence of hypertension increases in women and even surpasses that seen in older men. It is thought that changes in levels of circulating ovarian hormones as women age may be involved in the increase in hypertension in older women. One of the key mechanisms involved in the development of hypertension in both men and women is an increase in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). Brain regions important for the regulation of SNA, such as the subfornical organ, the paraventricular nucleus and the rostral ventral lateral medulla, also express specific subtypes of oestrogen receptors. Each of these brain regions has also been implicated in mechanisms underlying risk factors for hypertension such as obesity, stress and inflammation. The present review brings together evidence that links actions of oestrogen at these receptors to modulate some of the common brain mechanisms involved in the ability of hypertensive risk factors to increase SNA and blood pressure. Understanding the mechanisms by which oestrogen acts at key sites in the brain for the regulation of SNA is important for the development of novel, sex-specific therapies for treating hypertension.
Coverage analysis of downlink cellular orthogonal frequency‐division multiple‐access networks using moment generating functions
Authors: Son Jaeyong , Seol Changkyu , Cheun Kyungwhoon , Yang Kyeongcheol
Published: December 2015

In this study, the coverage of downlink cellular orthogonal frequency‐division multiple‐access networks transmitting one quadrature‐amplitude modulation symbol per hop is analysed. The coverage probability is first defined by using an upper bound on the bit error rate (BER) of a bit‐interleaved coded modulation system. Moreover then, the moment generating functions of the legacy Gaussian and Laplacian metrics (LMs) for soft‐decision decoding of an employed error‐correcting code are derived for computing the upper bound on the BER and the corresponding coverage probability of the networks. Numerical results demonstrate that due to the impulsive nature of the inter‐cell interference for moderate‐to‐small cell loads, the networks using the LM for soft‐decision decoding significantly outperform those employing the legacy Gaussian metric in terms of the achievable cell radius and the amount of the average transmit power reduction.
Bit error rate performance of IR‐UWB ED‐PPM system using cooperative dual‐hop AF strategy
Authors: Hazra Ranjay , Tyagi Anshul
Published: December 2015

This study presents a novel analytical approach for evaluation of bit error rate (BER) performance of an impulse radio‐ultra‐wideband (IR‐UWB) energy detector‐pulse position modulation (ED‐PPM) system, using dual‐hop cooperative amplify and forward (AF) relaying strategy with optimum diversity combining, over IEEE 802.15.4a UWB channel. An approximate expression for BER has been derived based on energy detection principle. The analytical BER expression thus derived is validated with computer simulations, which confirm the accuracy in approximation used in investigation of BER. Furthermore, it is observed that the BER performance of IR‐UWB ED‐PPM system, improves substantially using dual‐hop cooperative AF scheme, compared with non‐cooperative scheme. Despite its poor BER performance, ED systems are preferred over AC systems, because of simplicity and low complexity.
Investigation of an overvoltage protection for fast switching silicon carbide transistors
Authors: Bödeker Christian , Kaminski Nando
Published: December 2015

Transistors made of wide band‐gap materials such as silicon carbide (SiC) offer the opportunity of much faster switching, and, hence, lower switching losses compared with silicon (Si) devices. To utilise the full potential of SiC‐devices the influence of stray inductances and capacitances on the switching behaviour has to be minimised. Stray inductances result in overvoltages possibly destroying the transistor at turn‐off. These overvoltages can be avoided by protective circuitries such as active clamping or dynamic voltage rise control without sacrificing the fast switching. Such circuitries are well‐known from Si‐transistor drivers and are used in cases where stray inductances cannot be reduced any further. All investigations of the overvoltage reduction by the dynamic voltage rise control (DVRC) were performed for one SiC‐BJT and two SiC‐MOSFETs from different manufacturers. If the DVRC would behave in a similar way such as for silicon IGBTs, the benefit would be huge: Overvoltages would be reduced and the switching speed could be increased. However the influence of parasitic components has to be considered for the protective circuitry as well.
Photovoltaics towards terawatts – progress in photovoltaic cells and modules
Authors: Benda Vitezslav
Published: December 2015

After 30 years of development, photovoltaic (PV) technology has been recognised to be capable of contributing significantly to future energy supply. The global cumulative installed PV power now exceeds 180 GWp, and the annually installed power exceeds 40 GWp. The cost of electrical energy produced by PV systems is now close to that from conventional sources. This study discusses the physics, construction and manufacture of PV cells and modules, taking into account current trends in technology. All parts of PV systems that influence the cost of the electrical energy produced are considered. Three generations of PV module are described. Crystalline silicon (c‐Si) is and will remain the dominant PV material at least until 2020 because of its high efficiency, long service time and relatively low cost. It represents nearly 90% of total module production. There are no material supply constraints to limit production and a decrease in c‐Si PV module cost to below 0.4 €/Wp before 2017 can be expected. PV power generation will reach industrial grid parity before 2020 and a cumulative installed power of 1 TWp is expected before 2025.
Ultrafast electron diffraction with megahertz MeV electron pulses from a superconducting radio-frequency photoinjector
Authors: Feng L. W. , Lin L. , Huang S. L. , Quan S. W. , Jiang T. , Zhu P. F. , Hao J. K. , Zhu F. , Wang F. , Fu F. , Wang R. , Zhao L. , Xiang D. , Liu K. X.
Published: December 2015

We report ultrafast relativistic electron diffraction operating at the megahertz repetition rate where the electron beam is produced in a superconducting radio-frequency (rf) photoinjector. We show that the beam quality is sufficiently high to provide clear diffraction patterns from gold and aluminium samples. With the number of electrons, several orders of magnitude higher than that from a normal conducting photocathode rf gun, such high repetition rate ultrafast MeV electron diffraction may open up many new opportunities in ultrafast science.
Role of the buffer at the interface of intrinsic a-Si:H and p-type a-Si:H on amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells
Authors: Meng Fanying , Shen Leilei , Shi Jianhua , Zhang Liping , Liu Jinning , Liu Yucheng , Liu Zhengxin
Published: December 2015

We investigate the influence of the different buffer at the interface between the intrinsic a-Si:H and p-type a-Si:H layers on amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells performance. It is demonstrated that the ultrathin buffer at interface of intrinsic a-Si:H and p-type a-Si:H, obtained by H-rich plasma treatment on the initial intrinsic a-Si:H passivation layer, can significantly enhance the minority carrier lifetime and decrease the emitter saturation current density. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses indicate that the initial intrinsic a-Si:H films become dense and less defected as a result of the relaxation and reconstruction when they are treated during the H-rich plasma environment. Based on this finding combined with the optimization of surface texturization of the silicon wafer, this work allows us to reach very high Voc values over 730 mV without losses on fill factor, the 100 μm, 125 × 125 mm2 SHJ solar cells were fabricated with industry-compatible process, yielding the efficiency up to 22.5%.
Landscape of kinetically trapped binary assemblies
Authors: Mannige Ranjan V.
Published: December 2015

For two-component assemblies, an inherent structure diagram (ISD) is the relationship between set inter-subunit energies and the types of kinetic traps (inherent structures) one may obtain from those energies. It has recently been shown that two-component ISDs are apportioned into regions or plateaux within which inherent structures display uniform features (e.g., stoichometries and morphologies). Interestingly, structures from one of the plateaux were also found to be robust outcomes of one type of non-equilibrium growth, which indicates the usefulness of the two-component ISD in predicting outcomes of some types of far-from-equilibrium growth. However, little is known as to how the ISD is apportioned into distinct plateaux. Also, while each plateau displays classes of structures that are morphologically distinct, little is known about the source of these distinct morphologies. This article outlines an analytic treatment of the two-component ISD and shows that the manner in which any ISD is apportioned arises from a single unitless order parameter. Additionally, the analytical framework allows for the characterization of local properties of the trapped structures within each ISD plateau. This work may prove to be useful in the design of novel classes of robust nonequilibrium assemblies.
Deterministic aggregation kinetics of superparamagnetic colloidal particles
Authors: Reynolds Colin P. , Klop Kira E. , Lavergne François A. , Morrow Sarah M. , Aarts Dirk G. A. L. , Dullens Roel P. A.
Published: December 2015

We study the irreversible aggregation kinetics of superparamagnetic colloidal particles in two dimensions in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field at low packing fractions. Optical microscopy and image analysis techniques are used to follow the aggregation process and in particular study the packing fraction and field dependence of the mean cluster size. We compare these to the theoretically predicted scalings for diffusion limited and deterministic aggregation. It is shown that the aggregation kinetics for our experimental system is consistent with a deterministic mechanism, which thus shows that the contribution of diffusion is negligible.
Modeling molecule-plasmon interactions using quantized radiation fields within time-dependent electronic structure theory
Authors: Nascimento Daniel R. , DePrince A. Eugene
Published: December 2015

We present a combined cavity quantum electrodynamics/ab initio electronic structure approach for simulating plasmon-molecule interactions in the time domain. The simple Jaynes-Cummings-type model Hamiltonian typically utilized in such simulations is replaced with one in which the molecular component of the coupled system is treated in a fully ab initio way, resulting in a computationally efficient description of general plasmon-molecule interactions. Mutual polarization effects are easily incorporated within a standard ground-state Hartree-Fock computation, and time-dependent simulations carry the same formal computational scaling as real-time time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory. As a proof of principle, we apply this generalized method to the emergence of a Fano-like resonance in coupled molecule-plasmon systems; this feature is quite sensitive to the nanoparticle-molecule separation and the orientation of the molecule relative to the polarization of the external electric field.
A study of potential energy curves from the model space quantum Monte Carlo method
Authors: Ohtsuka Yuhki , Ten-no Seiichiro
Published: December 2015

We report on the first application of the model space quantum Monte Carlo (MSQMC) to potential energy curves (PECs) for the excited states of C2, N2, and O2 to validate the applicability of the method. A parallel MSQMC code is implemented with the initiator approximation to enable efficient sampling. The PECs of MSQMC for various excited and ionized states are compared with those from the Rydberg-Klein-Rees and full configuration interaction methods. The results indicate the usefulness of MSQMC for precise PECs in a wide range obviating problems concerning quasi-degeneracy.
Goos-Hänchen shift at the reflection of light from the complex structures composed of superconducting and dielectric layers
Authors: Dadoenkova Yu. S. , Dadoenkova N. N. , Lyubchanskii I. L. , Lee Y. P.
Published: December 2015

The Goos-Hänchen effect of light reflected from sandwich (three-layered) structures composed of a superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 film and two different dielectric films is investigated theoretically. It has been shown that optical anisotropy of YBa2Cu3O7 film, as well as its positions in the three-layer specimen, strongly effects on the lateral shift values. We have shown that, for all positions of the superconducting film in the three-layered structure, variation of temperature makes possible to control the values of the lateral shift of TE-polarized light at the incidence angles close to pseudo-Brewster angles, whereas for TM-polarized light the lateral shift is only significant at grazing incidence.
Communication: Memory effects and active Brownian diffusion
Authors: Ghosh Pulak K. , Li Yunyun , Marchegiani Giampiero , Marchesoni Fabio
Published: December 2015

A self-propelled artificial microswimmer is often modeled as a ballistic Brownian particle moving with constant speed aligned along one of its axis, but changing direction due to random collisions with the environment. Similarly to thermal noise, its angular randomization is described as a memoryless stochastic process. Here, we speculate that finite-time correlations in the orientational dynamics can affect the swimmer’s diffusivity. To this purpose, we propose and solve two alternative models. In the first one, we simply assume that the environmental fluctuations governing the swimmer’s propulsion are exponentially correlated in time, whereas in the second one, we account for possible damped fluctuations of the propulsion velocity around the swimmer’s axis. The corresponding swimmer’s diffusion constants are predicted to get, respectively, enhanced or suppressed upon increasing the model memory time. Possible consequences of this effect on the interpretation of the experimental data are discussed.
Kinetics of the glass transition of fragile soft colloidal suspensions
Authors: Saha Debasish , Joshi Yogesh M. , Bandyopadhyay Ranjini
Published: December 2015

Microscopic relaxation time scales are estimated from the autocorrelation functions obtained by dynamic light scattering experiments for Laponite suspensions with different concentrations (CL), added salt concentrations (CS), and temperatures (T). It has been shown in an earlier work [D. Saha, Y. M. Joshi, and R. Bandyopadhyay, Soft Matter 10, 3292 (2014)] that the evolutions of relaxation time scales of colloidal glasses can be compared with molecular glass formers by mapping the waiting time (tw) of the former with the inverse of thermodynamic temperature (1/T) of the latter. In this work, the fragility parameter D, which signifies the deviation from Arrhenius behavior, is obtained from fits to the time evolutions of the structural relaxation time scales. For the Laponite suspensions studied in this work, D is seen to be independent of CL and CS but is weakly dependent on T. Interestingly, the behavior of D corroborates the behavior of fragility in molecular glass formers with respect to equivalent variables. Furthermore, the stretching exponent β, which quantifies the width w of the spectrum of structural relaxation time scales, is seen to depend on tw. A hypothetical Kauzmann time tk, analogous to the Kauzmann temperature for molecular glasses, is defined as the time scale at which w diverges. Corresponding to the Vogel temperature defined for molecular glasses, a hypothetical Vogel time tα∞ is also defined as the time at which the structural relaxation time diverges. Interestingly, a correlation is observed between tk and tα∞, which is remarkably similar to that known for fragile molecular glass formers. A coupling model that accounts for the tw-dependence of the stretching exponent is used to analyse and explain the observed correlation between tk and tα∞.
Fine pitch transition-edge sensor X-ray microcalorimeters with sub-eV energy resolution at 1.5 keV
Authors: Lee S. J. , Adams J. S. , Bandler S. R. , Chervenak J. A. , Eckart M. E. , Finkbeiner F. M. , Kelley R. L. , Kilbourne C. A. , Porter F. S. , Sadleir J. E. , Smith S. J. , Wassell E. J.
Published: December 2015

We are developing arrays of X-ray microcalorimeters on a 50-µm pitch that utilize transition-edge sensors as the sensor to measure the temperature rise when X-rays are absorbed. An array of this type of pixel has great potential for the study of point sources in future X-ray observatory missions. The pixels have gold absorbers with dimensions 45 × 45 × 4.2 µm3. We measured an energy resolution of 0.72 ± 0.03 eV full width at half maximum for the Al Kα complex in a subset of pixels within the array, which is the best resolution to date using a non-dispersive detector at this energy. We describe our characterization of this device including measurements of the heat capacity, thermal conductance to the heat bath, and the temperature and current sensitivity of the detector, and discuss its potential for improved performance.
Influence of Dupree diffusivity on the occurrence scattering time advance in turbulent plasmas
Authors: Lee Myoung-Jae , Jung Young-Dae
Published: December 2015

The influence of Dupree diffusivity on the occurrence scattering time advance for the electron-ion collision is investigated in turbulent plasmas. The second-order eikonal method and the effective Dupree potential term associated with the plasma turbulence are employed to obtain the occurrence scattering time as a function of the diffusion coefficient, impact parameter, collision energy, thermal energy, and Debye length. The result shows that the occurrence scattering time advance decreases with an increase of the Dupree diffusivity. Hence, we have found that the influence of plasma turbulence diminishes the occurrence time advance in forward electron-ion collisions in thermal turbulent plasmas. The occurrence time advance shows that the propensity of the occurrence time advance increases with increasing scattering angle. It is also found that the effect of turbulence due to the Dupree diffusivity on the occurrence scattering time advance decreases with an increase of the thermal energy. In addition, the variation of the plasma turbulence on the occurrence scattering time advance due to the plasma parameters is also discussed.
Homogeneous agglutination assay based on micro-chip sheathless flow cytometry
Authors: Ma Zengshuai , Zhang Pan , Cheng Yinuo , Xie Shuai , Zhang Shuai , Ye Xiongying
Published: December 2015

Homogeneous assays possess important advantages that no washing or physical separation is required, contributing to robust protocols and easy implementation which ensures potential point-of-care applications. Optimizing the detection strategy to reduce the number of reagents used and simplify the detection device is desirable. A method of homogeneous bead-agglutination assay based on micro-chip sheathless flow cytometry has been developed. The detection processes include mixing the capture-probe conjugated beads with an analyte containing sample, followed by flowing the reaction mixtures through the micro-chip sheathless flow cytometric device. The analyte concentrations were detected by counting the proportion of monomers in the reaction mixtures. Streptavidin-coated magnetic beads and biotinylated bovine serum albumin (bBSA) were used as a model system to verify the method, and detection limits of 0.15 pM and 1.5 pM for bBSA were achieved, using commercial Calibur and the developed micro-chip sheathless flow cytometric device, respectively. The setup of the micro-chip sheathless flow cytometric device is significantly simple; meanwhile, the system maintains relatively high sensitivity, which mainly benefits from the application of forward scattering to distinguish aggregates from monomers. The micro-chip sheathless flow cytometric device for bead agglutination detection provides us with a promising method for versatile immunoassays on microfluidic platforms.
Evaluation of spectral indices for estimating burn severity in semiarid grasslands
Authors: Lu Bing , He Yuhong , Tong Alexander
Published: December 2015

Using Landsat imagery, this study was conducted to evaluate a fire disturbance that occurred in Canada’s Grasslands National Park on 27 April 2013. We used spectral indices (e.g. Normalised Burn Ratio (NBR) and Mid-infrared Burn Index (MIRBI)) derived from Landsat images to evaluate burn severity and to analyse the vegetation recovery process. A field survey was conducted to assess burn severity, which we used to evaluate the performance of spectral indices. Responses of the vegetation community to the fire disturbance were also investigated during the field campaign. Results show that the selected spectral indices performed differently for evaluating burn severity, but MIRBI performed best, likely due to its ability to discriminate post-fire residuals. Severely burned areas were distributed along a river where a larger amount of senesced biomass had accumulated before the fire. The semiarid grasslands showed a strong resilience to fire disturbance, and vegetation recovery was likely influenced by burn severity and water availability. Different vegetation types (e.g. grass, trees and shrubs) had distinct recovery rates and, thus, fire influences plant community development. The fire disturbance changed the composition of grass species in the burned area and also promoted invasion by non-native species.
Reversion to an embryonic alternative splicing program enhances leukemia stem cell self-renewal
Authors: Holm Frida , Hellqvist Eva , Mason Cayla N. , Ali Shawn A. , Delos-Santos Nathaniel , Barrett Christian L. , Chun Hye-Jung , Minden Mark D. , Moore Richard A. , Marra Marco A. , Runza Valeria , Frazer Kelly A. , Sadarangani Anil , Jamieson Catriona H. M.
Published: December 2015

Significance

In this study, we show for the first time, to our knowledge, that Muscleblind-like 3 (MBNL3) down-regulation in therapy-resistant human blast crisis leukemia stem cells (LSCs) is associated with activation of a human embryonic stem cell alternative splicing gene regulatory network involved in reprogramming and expression of a CD44 splice isoform, CD44 transcript variant 3. Targeting blast crisis LSCs with a human CD44 monoclonal antibody in combination with a potent breakpoint cluster region - ABL proto-oncogene 1, nonreceptor tyrosine kinase (BCR-ABL1) antagonist impairs LSC self-renewal in a niche-dependent manner and provides a compelling rationale for devising novel clinical combination LSC eradication strategies.
Identifying an ovarian cancer cell hierarchy regulated by bone morphogenetic protein 2
Authors: Choi Yun-Jung , Ingram Patrick N. , Yang Kun , Coffman Lan , Iyengar Mangala , Bai Shoumei , Thomas Dafydd G. , Yoon Euisik , Buckanovich Ronald J.
Published: December 2015

Significance

Significant controversy persists regarding a hierarchical vs. stochastic model of cancer. Using a microfluidic single-cell culture device, we define for the first time, to our knowledge, the differentiation capacity of primary human ovarian cancer cells. We demonstrate that ovarian cancer follows a hierarchical model with rare stochastic events. Defining the differentiation capacity allowed us to explain apparently paradoxical actions of bone morphologenetic protein 2 (BMP2); BMP2 suppresses growth in vitro by suppressing bulk cell proliferation, but promotes growth in vivo by promoting cancer stem-like cell (CSC) expansion. This work supports BMP2 signaling as a critical therapeutic target regulating ovarian CSC growth.
Sex beyond the genitalia: The human brain mosaic
Authors: Joel Daphna , Berman Zohar , Tavor Ido , Wexler Nadav , Gaber Olga , Stein Yaniv , Shefi Nisan , Pool Jared , Urchs Sebastian , Margulies Daniel S. , Liem Franziskus , Hänggi Jürgen , Jäncke Lutz , Assaf Yaniv
Published: December 2015

Significance

Sex/gender differences in the brain are of high social interest because their presence is typically assumed to prove that humans belong to two distinct categories not only in terms of their genitalia, and thus justify differential treatment of males and females. Here we show that, although there are sex/gender differences in brain and behavior, humans and human brains are comprised of unique “mosaics” of features, some more common in females compared with males, some more common in males compared with females, and some common in both females and males. Our results demonstrate that regardless of the cause of observed sex/gender differences in brain and behavior (nature or nurture), human brains cannot be categorized into two distinct classes: male brain/female brain.
Ack1 is a dopamine transporter endocytic brake that rescues a trafficking-dysregulated ADHD coding variant
Authors: Wu Sijia , Bellve Karl D. , Fogarty Kevin E. , Melikian Haley E.
Published: December 2015

Significance

The dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) stringently controls brain DA levels. Several addictive psychostimulants, antidepressants, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) therapeutics inhibit DAT function, and multiple DAT mutants have been reported in ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and infantile Parkinsonism. Given that aberrant DAT function underlies many pathological conditions, it is critical to understand intrinsic regulatory mechanisms that modulate DAT function. DAT availability at the cell surface is dynamically modulated, but the mechanisms controlling this process are not well understood. In the current study, we identified the penultimate mechanism that controls DAT stability at the cell surface. Moreover, by genetically manipulating this mechanism, we successfully rescued an ADHD-associated DAT mutant with intrinsic membrane instability. Thus, targeting DAT regulatory mechanisms may be a viable approach for treating dysregulated DAT.
Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids allocate somatic and germline lipids to ensure fitness during nutrient and oxidative stress in
Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Lynn Dana A. , Dalton Hans M. , Sowa Jessica N. , Wang Meng C. , Soukas Alexander A. , Curran Sean P.
Published: December 2015

Significance

Food availability in nature changes continually over an organism’s lifetime. As such, animals must diligently assess resource availability and appropriately allocate reserves that have been stored during times of feast for reproduction, to abate evolutionary pressures during times of famine. Our findings functionally link the availability of somatic (survival-promoting) and germline (reproduction-promoting) lipids to SKN-1 responses to oxidative and nutrient stress. We have defined this physiological response at the molecular, genetic, and organismal levels and identified a specific signaling system for regulating this process within intact animals. These findings will inform not only laboratory-based studies, but also ecological studies that have long sought to functionally integrate oxidative stress responses (like the SKN-1 pathway) into life-history traits.
Human-specific derived alleles of
CD33
and other genes protect against postreproductive cognitive decline
Authors: Schwarz Flavio , Springer Stevan A. , Altheide Tasha K. , Varki Nissi M. , Gagneux Pascal , Varki Ajit
Published: December 2015

Significance

Most vertebrates die soon after they stop reproducing, but humans are an exception. Postreproductive humans care for offspring, assist in foraging, and communicate ecological and cultural knowledge, increasing the survival of younger individuals. Loss of cognitive capacity disrupts these benefits and burdens the group with the care of older members. We studied how the immunoregulatory receptor CD33 contributes to Alzheimer’s disease, a human-specific postreproductive condition. Surprisingly, a protective
CD33
allele is derived and unique to humans, despite weak direct selection on older individuals. We identified several genes with derived alleles that protect against neurodegenerative disease and cerebrovascular insufficiency in old age. Selection by inclusive fitness may be strong enough to favor alleles that protect against cognitive decline in postreproductive humans.
Lactococcus lactissubsp. lactisJCM 5805 activates natural killer cells via dendritic cells
Authors: Suzuki Hiroaki , Ohshio Konomi , Fujiwara Daisuke
Published: December 2015

Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis JCM 5805 (JCM5805) has been shown to stimulate plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). Here, we investigated the effect of JCM5805 on NK cells. In vitro studies suggested that JCM5805 activated natural killer (NK) cells via dendritic cells including pDC. Furthermore, the oral administration of JCM5805 enhanced the cytotoxic activity of NK cells
Asymmetry analysis of the arm segments during forward handspring on floor
Authors: Exell Timothy A. , Robinson Gemma , Irwin Gareth
Published: December 2015

Asymmetry in gymnastics underpins successful performance and may also have implications as an injury mechanism; therefore, understanding of this concept could be useful for coaches and clinicians. The aim of this study was to examine kinematic and external kinetic asymmetry of the arm segments during the contact phase of a fundamental skill, the forward handspring on floor. Using a repeated single subject design six female National elite gymnasts (age: 19 ± 1.5 years, mass: 58.64 ± 3.72 kg, height: 1.62 ± 0.41 m), each performed 15 forward handsprings, synchronised 3D kinematic and kinetic data were collected. Asymmetry between the lead and non‐lead side arms was quantified during each trial. Significant kinetic asymmetry was observed for all gymnasts (p < 0.005) with the direction of the asymmetry being related to the lead leg. All gymnasts displayed kinetic asymmetry for ground reaction force. Kinematic asymmetry was present for more gymnasts at the shoulder than the distal joints. These findings provide useful information for coaching gymnastics skills, which may subjectively appear to be symmetrical. The observed asymmetry has both performance and injury implications.
Causal judgments about empirical information in an interrupted time series design
Authors: White Peter A.
Published: December 2015

Empirical information available for causal judgment in everyday life tends to take the form of quasi-experimental designs, lacking control groups, more than the form of contingency information that is usually presented in experiments. Stimuli were presented in which values of an outcome variable for a single individual were recorded over six time periods, and an intervention was introduced between the fifth and sixth time periods. Participants judged whether and how much the intervention affected the outcome. With numerical stimulus information, judgments were higher for a pre-intervention profile in which all values were the same than for pre-intervention profiles with any other kind of trend. With graphical stimulus information, judgments were more sensitive to trends, tending to be higher when an increase after the intervention was preceded by a decreasing series than when it was preceded by an increasing series ending on the same value at the fifth time period. It is suggested that a feature-analytic model, in which the salience of different features of information varies between presentation formats, may provide the best prospect of explaining the results.
Directed forgetting of negative performed actions is difficult: A behavioural study
Authors: Li Guangzheng , Wang Lijuan , Han Ying
Published: December 2015

Strong evidence suggests that both performing actions and emotional stimuli can enhance memory by capturing attention. However, the synergetic effect of the two factors on directed forgetting has not been assessed. In this study, we used an item-method directed forgetting paradigm to examine the forgetting of emotional materials depending on whether actions were performed. The results showed that action performance influenced the directed forgetting of emotional words. Specifically, when actions were performed there was a directed forgetting effect for neutral and positive words but not for negative words. In comparison, for verbal tasks, directed forgetting was observed for all words. The elaborative encoding prior to the remember/forget instructions and the influence of negative emotion on attentional inhibition after the presentation of the instructions together suggest that it is more difficult to intentionally forget negative performed actions.
IKKβ acts as a tumor suppressor in cancer-associated fibroblasts during intestinal tumorigenesis
Authors: Pallangyo Charles K. , Ziegler Paul K. , Greten Florian R.
Published: December 2015

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) comprise one of the most important cell types in the tumor microenvironment. A proinflammatory NF-κB gene signature in CAFs has been suggested to promote tumorigenesis in models of pancreatic and mammary skin cancer. Using an autochthonous model of colitis-associated cancer (CAC) and sporadic cancer, we now provide evidence for a tumor-suppressive function of IKKβ/NF-κB in CAFs. Fibroblast-restricted deletion of Ikkβ stimulates intestinal epithelial cell proliferation, suppresses tumor cell death, enhances accumulation of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, and induces angiogenesis, ultimately promoting colonic tumor growth. In Ikkβ-deficient fibroblasts, transcription of negative regulators of TGFβ signaling, including Smad7 and Smurf1, is impaired, causing up-regulation of a TGFβ gene signature and elevated hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) secretion. Overexpression of Smad7 in Ikkβ-deficient fibroblasts prevents HGF secretion, and pharmacological inhibition of Met during the CAC model confirms that enhanced tumor promotion is dependent on HGF–Met signaling in mucosa of Ikkβ-mutant animals. Collectively, these results highlight an unexpected tumor suppressive function of IKKβ/NF-κB in CAFs linked to HGF release and raise potential concerns about the use of IKK inhibitors in colorectal cancer patients.
Forty-five years of cell-cycle genetics
Authors: Reid Brian J. , Culotti Joseph G. , Nash Robert S. , Pringle John R.
Published: December 2015

In the early 1970s, studies in Leland Hartwell’s laboratory at the University of Washington launched the genetic analysis of the eukaryotic cell cycle and set the path that has led to our modern understanding of this centrally important process. This 45th-anniversary Retrospective reviews the steps by which the project took shape, the atmosphere in which this happened, and the possible morals for modern times. It also provides an up-to-date look at the 35 original CDC genes and their human homologues.
Team decision problems with classical and quantum signals
Authors: Brandenburger Adam , La Mura Pierfrancesco
Published: December 2015

We study team decision problems where communication is not possible, but coordination among team members can be realized via signals in a shared environment. We consider a variety of decision problems that differ in what team members know about one another's actions and knowledge. For each type of decision problem, we investigate how different assumptions on the available signals affect team performance. Specifically, we consider the cases of perfectly correlated, i.i.d., and exchangeable classical signals, as well as the case of quantum signals. We find that, whereas in perfect-recall trees (Kuhn 1950
Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA
36, 570–576; Kuhn 1953 In
Contributions to the theory of games
, vol. II (eds H Kuhn, A Tucker), pp. 193–216) no type of signal improves performance, in imperfect-recall trees quantum signals may bring an improvement. Isbell (Isbell 1957 In
Contributions to the theory of games
, vol. III (eds M Drescher, A Tucker, P Wolfe), pp. 79–96) proved that, in non-Kuhn trees, classical i.i.d. signals may improve performance. We show that further improvement may be possible by use of classical exchangeable or quantum signals. We include an example of the effect of quantum signals in the context of high-frequency trading.
The importance of imagination (or lack thereof) in artificial, human and quantum decision making
Authors: Gustafson Karl
Published: December 2015

Enlarging upon experiments and analysis that I did jointly some years ago, in which artificial (symbolic, neural-net and pattern) learning and generalization were compared with that of humans, I will emphasize the role of imagination (or lack thereof) in artificial, human and quantum cognition and decision-making processes. Then I will look in more detail at some of the ‘engineering details’ of its implementation (or lack thereof) in each of these settings. In other words, the question posed is: What is actually happening? For example, we previously found that humans overwhelmingly seek, create or imagine context in order to provide meaning when presented with abstract, apparently incomplete, contradictory or otherwise untenable decision-making situations. Humans are intolerant of contradiction and will greatly simplify to avoid it. They can partially correlate but do not average. Human learning is not Boolean. These and other human reasoning properties will then be taken to critique how well artificial intelligence methods and quantum mechanical modelling might compete with them in decision-making tasks within psychology and economics.
Basis for binary comparisons and non-standard probabilities
Authors: Saari Donald G.
Published: December 2015

To analyse paired comparison outcomes, such as with non-standard probabilities, a basis is created for the space of all binary interactions, whether from probabilities, correlations, etc. In this manner, the source of all transitive and non-transitive behaviours (e.g. path dependencies) can be identified.
Efficient coalescent simulation and genealogical analysis for large sample sizes
Authors: Kelleher Jerome , Etheridge Alison M , McVean Gil
Published: December 2015

A central challenge in the analysis of genetic variation is to provide realistic genome simulation across millions of samples. Present day coalescent simulations do not scale well, or use approximations that fail to capture important long-range linkage properties. Analysing the results of simulations also presents a substantial challenge, as current methods to store genealogies consume a great deal of space, are slow to parse and do not take advantage of shared structure in correlated trees. We solve these problems by introducing sparse trees and coalescence records as the key units of genealogical analysis. Using these tools, exact simulation of the coalescent with recombination for chromosome-sized regions over hundreds of thousands of samples is possible, and substantially faster than present-day approximate methods. We can also analyse the results orders of magnitude more quickly than with existing methods.
Fish population dynamics and diversity in boreal and temperate reservoirs: A quantitative synthesis
Authors: Turgeon Katrine , Solomon Christopher T. , Nozais Christian , Gregory-Eaves Irene
Published: December 2015

River impoundments are commonly cited as key disturbances to freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Dams alter natural hydrological regimes, homogenize river system dynamics at a global scale, can act as barriers for migratory species and may facilitate species invasions. In this synthesis, we examined the short- and long-term effects of impoundment on fish population dynamics and community structure. At the population level, we tested the “trophic surge hypothesis”, which predicts a hump-shaped response of fish abundance through time after impoundment. We tested the hypothesis on 40 recruitment time series and 125 adult abundance time series from 19 species and nine reservoirs distributed in temperate and boreal regions. At the community level, we compared diversity metrics (richness, evenness, diversity) on two datasets: 1) between reservoirs and reference ecosystems (lakes, rivers, and streams) and 2) over time (before and after impoundment and over time). At the population level, the trophic surge hypothesis was supported in more than 55% of the time series but we observed significant variation across species, reservoirs and regions. Fish recruitment increased substantially during reservoir filling and shortly after impoundment, and was usually followed by an increase in adult fish. The surge was transient and vanished after 3-4 years for recruits and after 10 years for adults. However, we are lacking long time series to conclude about population patterns in the trophic equilibrium phase. At the community level, we did not find any strong directional patterns in species diversity metrics when comparing reservoirs to reference lakes but found higher diversity and evenness in reservoirs and impounded streams/rivers relative to unimpounded streams/rivers. We did not find directional patterns when looking at a change over time. Variability in the reported diversity results across studies may be related to the ability to tease apart the unique effects of impoundment and water regulation from other stressors such as propagule pressure and eutrophication, as well as the comparability of the reference system. In conclusion, fish populations benefited quickly but transiently from impoundment, and longer time series are needed to conclude about population dynamics and equilibrium in aging reservoirs in order to develop management recommendations.
A Bayesian network approach for modeling mixed features in TCGA ovarian cancer data
Authors: Zhang Qingyang , Wang Ji-Ping ,   Northwestern PSOC members
Published: December 2015

We propose an integrative framework to select important genetic and epigenetic features related to ovarian cancer and to quantify the causal relationships among these features using a logistic Bayesian network model based onThe Cancer Genome Atlasdata. The constructed Bayesian network has identified four gene clusters of distinct cellular functions, 13 driver genes, as well as some new biological pathways which may shed new light into the molecular mechanisms of ovarian cancer.
Fictions and artifices
Authors: Blitz Adam
Published: December 2015

This article is in part a critique of Laura Nader's position on the three jihads (as published in AT 31,4). The author argues that Nader's critique of the privileges afforded to Zionism, specifically the failure to prosecute foreign British‐Jewish enlistees who served in the Israel Defence Forces program (Mahal), under the Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870 is misconstrued in Law. It further maintains that Nader's obfuscation of the term jihad as a ‘catch all’ in the framework of Jewish Christian and Islamic war ethics (‘holy war’) ignores the independent development and uniqueness of these phenomena which are necessarily historically and substantively distinct. The prevalence of metaphorical language, notably the modern use and abuse of the terms ‘jihad’ and ‘crusade’, denigrates the agency of medieval Christians and Muslims at the same time as it exculpates the agency of man today.
Ethnographic Expertise as Visionary Catalyst of Collaboration
Authors: BIDERMAN JONATHAN LEROY
Published: December 2015

Recent developments in the scholarship of ethnography, combined with growing recognition of the value of collaboration in business, present industrial ethnography with the opportunity to exercise greater agency and leadership. This paper considers updates to theory and practice of ethnographic strategy, positionality, foresight, and design, observing that the combination of these developments is ideal preparation for such leadership and collaboration in a context of increasing complexity. Discussion of business orthodoxy and related critiques contextualizes the conversation. Atul Gawande's development of the surgical safety checklist provides a case study for showing how a deep ethnographic approach can apply the specific capabilities highlighted in this paper to foster collaboration and to understand and solve complex problems in a way that bridges “anthropological” and “design” ethnography. The paper ends with practical suggestions for advancing ethnographic leadership and agency. Additional key words: anthropology – bizdev – business philosophy –creativity – consulting – corporate – entrepreneur – fiction – future – leadership – organizational behavior – startup.
Shared Ethnography of Shared Cities
Authors: POTTS ROBERT , SHARMA DHRUV , LINDLEY JOSEPH
Published: December 2015

This paper aims to foreground issues for design ethnographers working in urban contexts within the smart‐city discourse. It highlights ethnography's role in a shared urban future by exploring how ethnographers might pave the way for envisioning digital infrastructure at the core of Smart City programs. This paper begins by asking whether urban development practitioners can design for inclusive interaction with Smart Urban Infrastructure. The research suggests how ethnographers can work with ‘cities’ to rapidly develop diagnostic tools and capture insights that inform design processes with both utility and inclusive interaction as their key values. This involves rethinking how we consider places where space and information intersect. This work led to developing rapid means to assay a site and sensitize to contextual issues by tapping into heuristic expertise innate in city dwellers. This means doing ethnography in parallel with publics as opposed to performing ethnography ‘on’ them. Hence we discuss a fresh ethnographic perspective that can be especially useful in this context; shared ethnography.
Enriching Ethnography in Marginalized Communities with Surrealist Techniques
Authors: JUDICE ANDREA , JUDICE MARCELO , KOSKINEN ILPO
Published: December 2015

This paper describes two projects, Vila Rosario and Vila Mimosa, two pieces of ethnographic research that aimed at improving public health in poor corners of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The research sought to improve public health in these two marginalized communities in Rio de Janeiro. The main objective of the paper is to explain how Surrealist techniques can be applied to enrich ethnographic fieldwork. The broader question of the paper is the tension between these imaginative techniques work with fieldwork, a tension that goes back to the disciplinary differences between design and the social sciences.