bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of homoploid hybridization in evolution: A century of studies synthesizing genetics and ecology
Authors: Yakimowski Sarah B. , Rieseberg Loren H.
Published: August 2014

While homoploid hybridization was viewed as maladaptive by zoologists, the possibility that it might play a creative role in evolution was explored and debated by botanists during the evolutionary synthesis. Owing to his synthetic work on the ecological and genetic factors influencing the occurrence and effects of hybridization, G. Ledyard Stebbins’ contributions to this debate were particularly influential. We revisit Stebbins’ views on the frequency of hybridization, the evolution of hybrid sterility, and the evolutionary importance of transgressive segregation, introgression, and homoploid hybrid speciation in the context of contemporary evidence. Floristic surveys indicate that ∼10% of plant species hybridize, suggesting that natural hybridization is not as ubiquitous as Stebbins argued. There is stronger support for his contention that chromosomal sterility is of greater importance in plants than in animals and that selection drives the evolution of hybrid sterility. Stebbins’ assertions concerning the frequent occurrence of transgressive segregation and introgressive hybridization have been confirmed by contemporary work, but few studies directly link these phenomena to adaptive evolution or speciation. Stebbins proposed a mechanism by which chromosomal rearrangements partially isolate hybrid lineages and parental species, which spurred the development of the recombinational model of homoploid speciation. While this model has been confirmed empirically, the establishment of reproductively independent hybrid lineages is typically associated with the development of both intrinsic and extrinsic reproductive barriers. We conclude by reflecting on outcomes of hybridization not considered by Stebbins and on possible future research that may extend our understanding of the evolutionary role of hybridization beyond Stebbins’ legacy.
Distinguishing the Preparation and Roles of Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Nursing Practice Graduates: National Implications for Academic Curricula and Health Care Systems
Authors: Melnyk Bernadette Mazurek
Published: August 2014

Although the American Association of Colleges of Nursing was clear in defining the role of individuals with the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree when it endorsed the DNP as the single-entry degree for advanced practice nurses in 2004, confusion about educational curricula to prepare DNPs continues to exist in academic programs throughout the United States. Further, health care systems are unsure about the role DNP graduates should fulfill in comparison with PhD-prepared individuals. This article discusses the importance of DNP- and PhD-prepared individuals in improving the quality of health care and the health of Americans, how best to resolve the confusion in preparation of DNP and PhD students, and the various roles DNP and PhD graduates should fulfill in real-world settings. A national call to action and future implications for research, academia, and health care settings are highlighted. [
J Nurs Educ.
2013;52(8):442–448.]
Flipped University Classrooms
Authors: Sankey Michael , Hunt Lynne
Published: August 2014

The three case studies in this paper show how flipped classroom approaches can facilitate the renewal of university teaching. The case studies form part of a scholarship of teaching and learning that provides opportunities for educators to learn from the experiences of others. Descriptions of course preparation illuminate the application of constructivist pedagogy, the affordances of a range of learning technologies, and a role for university teachers that facilitates their students' engagement with learning. The cases outline the application of flipped classroom approaches at early and later stages of students' learning journeys and show how they introduce parity of learning experiences for on-campus and off-campus students. The case studies show how flipped classroom approaches can be an instrument of change, forming part of institution-wide planning for coherent and effective student learning journeys. They reveal the importance of an infrastructure of learning technologies to facilitate active and interactive learning and the significance of professional development and organized support teams, including technology experts, librarians and instructional designers, in preparing the groundwork for teachers and students using flipped classroom methodologies.
What ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ are the στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου?
Authors: Roth Dieter T.
Published: August 2014

The expression τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου is one of the most discussed, and most disputed, phrases in Galatians. In the following article, insight into the meaning of this phrase is sought by first of all clarifying and summarising the full scope of issues which must be explained by any interpretation of the phrase. Such a summary overview has often not appeared in various scholarly discussions. Subsequently, the primary proposed interpretations are discussed with the argument ultimately being made that it is Paul’s conception of ‘the world’ which provides the key to a solution to the interpretive conundrum that best satisfies the entire context of Paul’s letter and argument.
Miyazaki’s Little Mermaid: A Goldfish Out of Water
Authors: Ross Deborah
Published: August 2014

When Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away reached American theaters in 2002, children by and large were enthralled, but some of us adults were confused. This English-language version of the original Japanese film bore the Disney logo, but it was clearly not Disney. It was longer, for one thing, with odd pauses during which the characters seemed to be pondering,¹ and the line between good and evil seemed blurred and shifting. On the other hand, it also did not fit the American stereotype of Japanese animation--too detailed, too expensive, and with a surprising absence of exploding robots. One thing about this movie did strike a familiar note: like many Disney features, it presented imagination as a sometimes dark and dangerous thing. That imagination is both a gift and a curse is hardly a new idea; its double-edged presence in children’s literature has long attracted scholarly attention. But for an animated film to warn viewers of the hazards of something without which it could not begin to exist seems downright hypocritical. When the most creative, surrealistic animated images are made to serve a story that preaches reason and restraint, they seem almost to erase themselves, like the path through Tulgey Wood rubbed out by broom dogs in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951). Disney publicity has never officially acknowledged any ambivalence about its chief product; what would a commercial for a Disney movie or theme park be without the word "imagination" or its near relative, "dream"? Yet even the post- Walt animated films of the neoclassic period, which began in 1989 with The Little Mermaid, may convey, in the tension between their pictures and their plots, a deep sense of unease.²
Are the "Boys" at Pixar Afraid of Little Girls?
Authors: Ebrahim Haseenah
Published: August 2014

Christian Metz’s observation that "a film is difficult to explain because it is easy to understand" (69) appears particularly evident when one is teaching an undergraduate course on the animated feature films of Disney and Pixar. In a recent class taught in Chicago,1 many students were taken aback when they learned that the course involved historical, sociological, and theoretical framing and analysis. The students, it turned out, expected little more than discussions of the animated films’ plot events, some character and stylistic analysis, and the role of hand-drawn versus computer-generated (CG) animation in a film’s popular appeal. In addition, a refrain began to emerge--namely, "I love Disney films, but I never thought of them as being ideological." In some instances, I sensed a hint of disapproval that the course would subject Disney and Pixar to the kind of analysis that might require students to reevaluate much-loved films associated with cherished memories of childhood. I reiterated the argument I make every time I teach the course, best encapsulated by Giroux and Pollock, that the pleasures of scopophilia notwithstanding, "it is as important to comprehend and mitigate what gives us pleasure as it is to examine what elicits our disapproval" (xvi). I also make no apology for sharing those pleasures, however mitigated those may be by my own position as a film scholar (and as a parent).
Molecular assembly of the period-cryptochrome circadian transcriptional repressor complex
Authors: Nangle Shannon N , Rosensweig Clark , Koike Nobuya , Tei Hajime , Takahashi Joseph S , Green Carla B , Zheng Ning
Published: August 2014

The mammalian circadian clock is driven by a transcriptional–translational feedback loop, which produces robust 24-hr rhythms. Proper oscillation of the clock depends on the complex formation and periodic turnover of the Period and Cryptochrome proteins, which together inhibit their own transcriptional activator complex, CLOCK-BMAL1. We determined the crystal structure of the CRY-binding domain (CBD) of PER2 in complex with CRY2 at 2.8 Å resolution. PER2-CBD adopts a highly extended conformation, embracing CRY2 with a sinuous binding mode. Its N-terminal end tucks into CRY adjacent to a large pocket critical for CLOCK-BMAL1 binding, while its C-terminal half flanks the CRY2 C-terminal helix and sterically hinders the recognition of CRY2 by the FBXL3 ubiquitin ligase. Unexpectedly, a strictly conserved intermolecular zinc finger, whose integrity is important for clock rhythmicity, further stabilizes the complex. Our structure-guided analyses show that these interspersed CRY-interacting regions represent multiple functional modules of PERs at the CRY-binding interface.
Time‐lapse seismic noise correlation tomography at Valhall
Authors: de Ridder S. A. L. , Biondi B. L. , Clapp R. G.
Published: August 2014

We show that a reliable and statistically significant group velocity time‐lapse difference between 2004 and 2010 can be retrieved from ambient seismic noise in an offshore hydrocarbon exploitation setting. We performed a direct comparison of Scholte wave group velocity images obtained using regularized tomography. We characterize the expected variation in group velocity images from the 2004 or 2010 recordings that result from fluctuations in the cross correlations by looking at cross correlations of portions of the recordings. We prove that the time‐lapse difference is statistically significant. The time‐lapse group velocity image from ambient noise data shows strong similarities with a time‐lapse phase velocity map obtained from controlled source data. The most striking features are a northern and a southern group velocity increase due to compaction and subsidence as a result of reservoir production.
Ninety degrees pitch angle enhancements of suprathermal electrons associated with interplanetary shocks
Authors: Kajdič P. , Lavraud B. , Zaslavsky A. , Blanco‐Cano X. , Sauvaud J.‐A. , Opitz A. , Jian L. K. , Maksimovic M. , Luhmann J. G.
Published: August 2014

We report the results of the first systematic analysis of 90° pitch angle (PA) enhancements or the ring distributions of suprathermal (E ∼70 eV–2 keV) electrons at interplanetary (IP) shocks. We analyze 2 h time intervals around 232 IP shocks observed by the two STEREO spacecraft between 2007 and 2011. The ring distributions were detected downstream of 114 events (49%). In 52 (22.4%) cases they were detected at the shock ramp. We also found 90° enhancements upstream of 11 (4.7%) events. Statistical analysis of basic shock properties did not reveal substantial differences between the shocks that are associated with the enhancements and those that are not. The data from the STEREO/WAVES instruments revealed that the 90° PA enhancements tend to be associated with magnetic and electric field fluctuations. Although at this point we do not have a satisfactory explanation for the mechanism that produces these distributions, our findings suggest that wave‐particle interactions play a role, while pure focusing and mirroring effects due to adiabatic motion of electrons across the shock fronts cannot fully account for the observations.
Model‐data comparison of MCI field campaign atmospheric CO2 mole fractions
Authors: Díaz Isaac Liza I. , Lauvaux Thomas , Davis Kenneth J. , Miles Natasha L. , Richardson Scott J. , Jacobson Andrew R. , Andrews Arlyn E.
Published: August 2014

Atmospheric transport model errors are a major contributor to uncertainty in CO2 inverse flux estimates. Our study compares CO2 mole fraction observations from the North American Carbon Program Mid‐Continental Intensive (MCI) field campaign and modeled mole fractions from two atmospheric transport models: the global Transport Model 5 from NOAA's CarbonTracker system and the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting model. Both models are coupled to identical CO2 fluxes and lateral boundary conditions from CarbonTracker (CT2009 release). Statistical analyses were performed for two periods of 2007 using observed daily daytime average mole fractions of CO2 to test the ability of these models to reproduce the observations and to infer possible causes of the discrepancies. TM5‐CT2009 overestimates midsummer planetary boundary layer CO2 for sites in the U.S. corn belt by 10 ppm. Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)‐CT2009 estimates diverge from the observations with similar magnitudes, but the signs of the differences vary from site to site. The modeled mole fractions are highly correlated with the observed seasonal cycle (r ≥ 0.7) but less correlated in the growing season, where weather‐related changes in CO2 dominate the observed variability. Spatial correlations in residuals from TM5‐CT2009 are higher than WRF‐CT2009 perhaps due to TM5's coarse horizontal resolution and shallow vertical mixing. Vertical mixing appears to have influenced CO2 residuals from both models. TM5‐CT2009 has relatively weak vertical mixing near the surface limiting the connection between local CO2 surface fluxes and boundary layer. WRF‐CT2009 has stronger vertical mixing that may increase the connections between local surface fluxes and the boundary layer.
Eukaryotic
DNA
Polymerases
Authors: Cotterill Sue , Kearsey Stephen
Published: August 2014

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
is replicated and repaired by a family of enzymes called DNA polymerases. Eukaryotic cells have a diversity of these enzymes that, while sharing a common biochemical activity, are specialised for particular roles. Three polymerases are required for the replication of the nuclear genome, with Pol α involved in priming and initial synthesis and Pols δ and ϵ involved in bulk DNA replication. These polymerases are dependent on a large number of other proteins which unwind the DNA and perform other functions essential for efficient DNA synthesis. Polymerases are also involved in DNA repair and many repair‐specific enzymes have been identified. Some repair polymerases can refill a gap generated by removal of damaged DNA, or copy a damaged template, allowing DNA synthesis to proceed across a damaged template. Repair polymerases can also have tissue‐specific functions in lymphoid cells, where they contribute to somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes.

Key Concepts:

Catalytic function of DNA polymerases.

Concepts of ‘proofreading’ and ‘processivity’.

Roles of replicative DNA polymerases needed for chromosome replication and organisation at the replication fork.

Function of accessory proteins needed for polymerase function in chromosome replication.

Different modes of action of specialised polymerases involved in DNA repair.

Catalytic mechanism of polymerases.

Assays used to detect polymerase function
in vitro
.

Relevance of DNA polymerases to human disease.
Cell Proliferation Assays
Authors: Yadav Kamalendra , Singhal Nitin , Rishi Vikas , Yadav Hariom
Published: August 2014

Cells are structural and functional unit of our body that control and maintain the function of all unicellular and multicellular organisms. The process of cell proliferation and differentiation plays a vital role from the time of embryogenesis to development of whole organism from single‐ or double‐cell embryo and continues its crucial role in maintenance of adult tissue homoeostasis by recycling the old cells with new cells. In addition, abnormal cell proliferation is also associated with various human diseases like cancer. Therefore, cell proliferation assays become crucial to scrutinise the rate of cell proliferation in both
in vitro
and
in vivo
conditions. These assays follow different parameters to determine the rate of cell proliferation like rate of
deoxyribonucleic acid
synthesis, metabolic activity of cells, different antigens associated with cell proliferation and
adenosine triphosphate
concentration. In the present article, authors have tried to summarise different cell proliferation assays commonly used in laboratories to determine cell proliferation.

Key Concepts:

Cell proliferation plays a vital role in regular tissue and cellular homoeostasis for proper growth, development and maintenance of organism.

Cell proliferation assays are mainly designed based on three concepts, that is, (1) measuring rate of DNA replication, (2) analysis of metabolic activity and (3) cell surface antigen recognitions.

Rate of DNA replication can be analysed by using radioactive or labelled nucleotide analogues, that is,
3
H‐thymidine‐ and BrdU‐based assays.

Metabolic activity‐based assays include MTT, XTT, WST, resazurin and ATP measurements.

Cell proliferation antigen‐based assay targets antigens present in proliferating cells such as markers like Ki‐67, topoisomerase IIB, phosphohistone H3 and PCNA.
Base Flipping
Authors: Cheng Xiaodong , Roberts Richard J
Published: August 2014

Base flipping involves rotation of backbone bonds in double‐stranded
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
to expose an out‐of‐stack base, which can then be a substrate for an enzyme‐catalysed chemical reaction or for a specific protein binding interaction. The phenomenon is fully established for DNA methyltransferases, for several key DNA repair enzymes, and for a few non‐enzymatic DNA binding proteins involved in the DNA methylation and repair pathways, and is likely to prove general for enzymes or proteins that require access to unpaired, mismatched, damaged or modified bases or even undamaged and unmodified bases for specific functions. Although, detailed mechanistic information is emerging, it remains to be proven for each individual system whether base flipping is an active process in which the protein rotates the base out of the helix, or a passive one in which the protein binds to a transiently flipped base.

Key Concepts:

Base flipping is a key mechanism used by DNA and RNA modifying enzymes including DNA repair enzymes.

DNA and RNA methyltransferases use AdoMet as the methyl donor to methylate flipped nucleotides (cytosine or adenine).

The family of Fe(II)‐ and α‐ketoglutarate‐dependent dioxygenases includes members of the Tet family and AlkB‐like DNA/RNA repair enzymes.

To date, six structural superfamilies of DNA repair glycosylases and newly identified (non‐repair) sequence‐specific DNA glycosylases all use base‐flipping mechanism to access the target base.

Eukaryotic SRA domains share structural similarity to that of bacterial modification‐specific endonucleases (MspJI and AbaSI) in recognition of modified bases.

Base flipping provides a simple mechanism by which a DNA helix can be opened during the initiation of polymerisation by DNA or RNA polymerases and their associated factors.
Tandem Affinity Purification (
TAP
) Tags
Authors: Basrur Venkatesha , Lim Megan S
Published: August 2014

Cells respond to myriad intra‐ and extracellular cues often by modulating the formation and function of heteromeric protein complexes (PCs). Thus, developing a comprehensive picture of cellular behavior and understanding biological responses requires characterization of PCs in their proper cellular context. Tandem affinity purification (TAP) is a two‐step affinity purification method that aids in rapid isolation of PCs under native conditions. Since its original description in yeast, numerous variations of the affinity tag combinations have been developed to address some of the inadequacies of the original method and to accommodate the expanding scope of applications. The TAP, in combination with mass spectrometry, has paved the way for large‐scale characterization of PCs and the dynamic protein interaction networks (PINs) in diverse organisms over the past decade.

Key Concepts:

Characterizing the architecture of protein complexes and protein interaction networks is essential to decipher the cellular responses to environmental cues.

Sequential affinity purification steps employed in tandem‐affinity purification aid in specific and rapid purification of protein complexes.

Standardized TAP protocols could benefit both intra‐ and inter‐laboratory reproducibility of large‐scale protein complex characterization efforts.
Syndromes and Diseases Associated with the Notch Signalling Pathway
Authors: Turnpenny Peter D
Published: August 2014

The Notch signalling pathway refers to a highly conserved complex cell interaction mechanism, playing a crucial role in metazoan development, which eventually dictates cell fates through the implementation of differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis, ultimately influencing organ formation and morphogenesis by unlocking specific developmental programmes. In mammals, the regulation of neurogenesis, myogenesis, angiogenesis, haematopoiesis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition are all crucially influenced by Notch signalling and to date 10 genes, either core components of the pathway or signalling targets, are implicated in a diverse group of human Mendelian diseases/syndromes when mutated in the germline. These can be broadly grouped into those conditions dominated by axial skeletal defects – the spondylocostal dysostoses; those with predominantly vascular or cardiovascular abnormalities – Alagille syndrome,NOTCH1‐related congenital cardiac anomalies and CADASIL; Hajdu–Cheney syndrome, a multisystem disorder dominated by skeletal anomalies, and neurological degeneration – Alzheimer disease type 3. Notch signalling is also widely implicated in somatic genomic mutational events leading to cancer and malignancy, the best known example of which is T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Key Concepts:

Notch signalling is a highly conserved pathway in metazoan development.

The Notch gene family encodes cell surface transmembrane receptors which mediate cellular functions through direct cell–cell contact.

The activation of membrane‐bound Notch results in proteolytic cleavage Notch intracellular domain (NICD), which translocates to the nucleus.

The Notch intracellular domain (NICD) converts downstream targets from transcriptional repressors to transcriptional activators.

Notch signalling determines cell fates in neurogenesis, myogenesis, angiogenesis, haematopoiesis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition.

A key role of the Notch signalling pathway is in the developmental integrity of somitogenesis.

Syndromes caused by germline mutations in Notch pathway genes include spondylocostal dysostosis, Alagille and Hajdu–Cheney.

Syndromes with predominantly (cardio)vascular effects due to mutations in Notch pathway genes include congenital heart disease and CADASIL.

A form of familial presenile dementia (Alzheimer disease type 3) is due to mutatedPSEN1, a Notch pathway gene.

Somatic mutations in certain Notch pathway genes are increasingly being shown to contribute to various cancerous conditions.
Protein Superfamilies
Authors: Pazos Florencio , Sánchez‐Pulido Luis
Published: August 2014

The concept of ‘superfamily’ is key for understanding the organisation of the protein universe and extracting useful information from it. As a set of proteins with a common ancestor, a superfamily contains rich information on the structural, functional and evolutionary features of its members. It represents a good equilibrium between conservation and variability. In one hand, the members of a superfamily have the same global 3D structure, can be aligned, and share many functional aspects. On the other hand, they are variable enough to encode important information on the functional diversity of their members. This variability also allows generating informative profiles which can be used to pick up distant relatives (e.g. to predict their function or their 3D structure). For these reasons, the concept of superfamily is behind many modern approaches for studying and predicting protein function and structure. The available massive data on protein superfamilies is accessible through a number of web resources.

Key Concepts:

A superfamily is a group of protein domains arisen from a common ancestor, being such common origin evident in their sequence identities or not.

The superfamily is the most informative level of protein classification hierarchies.

The concept of superfamily is behind most methods for predicting protein structure and function.

All available information on protein superfamilies is available online in dedicated web sites.

The rate of ‘discovery’ of new superfamilies is decaying and some people think that we might be close to having ‘touched’ most superfamilies of the protein universe.
Maternal periconceptional occupational pesticide exposure and neural tube defects
Authors: Makelarski Jennifer A. , Romitti Paul A. , Rocheleau Carissa M. , Burns Trudy L. , Stewart Patricia A. , Waters Martha A. , Lawson Christina C. , Bell Erin M. , Lin Shao , Shaw Gary M. , Olney Richard S. ,   the National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Published: August 2014

Background: Adverse associations between maternal pesticide exposure and neural tube defects (NTDs) have been suggested but not consistently observed. This study used data from the multisite National Birth Defects Prevention Study to examine associations between maternal periconceptional (1 month preconception through 2 months postconception) occupational pesticide exposure and NTDs. Methods: Mothers of 502 NTD cases and 2950 unaffected live‐born control infants with estimated delivery dates from 1997 through 2002 were included. Duration, categorical intensity scores, and categorical frequency scores for pesticide classes (e.g., insecticides) were assigned using a modified, literature‐based job‐exposure matrix and maternal‐reported occupational histories. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated based on fitted multivariable logistic regression models that described associations between maternal periconceptional occupational pesticide exposure and NTDs. The aORs were estimated for pesticide exposure (any [yes/no] and cumulative exposure [intensity × frequency × duration] to any pesticide class, each pesticide class, or combination of pesticide classes) and all NTD cases combined and NTD subtypes. Results: Positive, but marginally significant or nonsignificant, aORs were observed for exposure to insecticides + herbicides for all NTD cases combined and for spina bifida alone. Similarly, positive aORs were observed for any exposure and cumulative exposure to insecticides + herbicides + fungicides and anencephaly alone and encephalocele alone. All other aORs were near unity. Conclusion: Pesticide exposure associations varied by NTD subtype and pesticide class. Several aORs were increased, but not significantly. Future work should continue to examine associations between pesticide classes and NTD subtypes using a detailed occupational pesticide exposure assessment and examine pesticide exposures outside the workplace. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 100:877–886, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Predicting variability: Using multilevel modelling to assess differences in variance
Authors: Kuppens Toon , Yzerbyt Vincent Y.
Published: August 2014

Researchers are sometimes interested in the variability of data rather than in their absolute or relative values. An important example of such a situation in social psychology is consensus: the fact that people are more similar to each other in certain conditions. Currently, methods to assess differences in consensus (or variability in general) are not very well‐developed or widely known. We describe an existing tool that allows testing the extent to which variability depends on one or several predictor variables. We explain how multilevel modelling's capacity to model heterogeneity in residual variance can be used to test substantive hypotheses about differences in variance. We illustrate the procedure and warn against potential misuses of multilevel modelling to analyse differences in variability. We also provide MLwiN and SAS PROC MIXED syntax necessary to run this kind of analyses. In some specific, simple cases, SPSS MIXED can also be used. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of haemostatic decontaminants for the treatment of wounds contaminated with chemical warfare agents. 1: Evaluation of in vitro clotting efficacy in the presence of certain contaminants
Authors: Hall Charlotte A. , Lydon Helen L. , Dalton Christopher H. , Chipman J. K. , Graham John S. , Chilcott Robert P.
Published: August 2014

The treatment of penetrating, haemorrhaging injuries sustained within a hazardous environment may be complicated by contamination with toxic chemicals. There are currently no specific medical countermeasures for such injuries. Haemostats with an absorbent mechanism of action have the potential to simultaneously stop bleeding and decontaminate wounds. However, a primary requirement of a ‘haemostatic decontaminant’ is the retention of clotting function in the presence of chemical contaminants. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the haemostatic efficacy of seven commercially available haemostats in the presence of toxic chemicals (soman, VX, sulphur mustard, petrol, aviation fuel and motor oil). Clot viscosity was assessed ex vivo using thrombelastography following treatment of pig blood with: (i) toxic chemical; (ii) haemostat; or (iii) haemostat in combination with toxic chemical. Several contaminants (VX, petrol and GD) were found to be pro‐haemostatic and none had an adverse effect on the rate with which the test products attained haemostasis. However, the total clot strength for blood treated with certain haemostats in the presence of sulphur mustard, soman and petrol was significantly decreased. Three test products failed to demonstrate haemostatic function in this ex vivo (thrombelastography) model; this was tentatively ascribed to the products achieving haemostasis through a tamponade mechanism of action, which can only be replicated using in vivo models. Overall, this study has identified a number of commercial products that may have potential as haemostatic decontaminants and warrant further investigation to establish their decontaminant efficacy. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Partition behavior of fucoxanthin in ethanol‐potassium phosphate two‐phase systems
Authors: Gómez‐Loredo Alma , Benavides Jorge , Rito‐Palomares Marco
Published: August 2014

BACKGROUND

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid that exerts multiple beneficial effects on human health, including antioxidant, anti‐cancer, anti‐diabetic and anti‐obesity activity. In this study, the partition behavior of fucoxanthin in aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) composed of ethanol and potassium phosphate was evaluated. This evaluation was performed ‘en route’ to establishing an ATPS extraction system for the recovery of fucoxanthin from microalgae cultures. System parameters including tie‐line length (TLL), volume ratio (VR) and product concentration were studied using model (purified fucoxanthin) and complex systems (microalgae extracts).

RESULTS

ATPS comprising high TLL (70% w/w) and high VR (>1) provided the best recovery of fucoxanthin in model systems. For complex systems, the best results were observed in systems with TLL 50% w/w and VR=1 for Phaeodactylum tricornutum methanolic extracts (95.36% recovery and 66.01% purity), and systems with TLL 60% w/w and VR=3 for Isochrysis galbana methanolic extracts (89.18% recovery and 78.74% purity).

CONCLUSION

the findings suggest that the nature of sample solution, the hydrophobicity of the system, and the salting out effect have significant impacts on fucoxanthin partition. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
The effect of hazelnut roasted skin from different cultivars on the quality attributes, polyphenol content and texture of fresh egg pasta
Authors: Zeppa Giuseppe , Belviso Simona , Bertolino Marta , Cavallero Maria Chiara , Dal Bello Barbara , Ghirardello Daniela , Giordano Manuela , Giorgis Marta , Grosso Arianna , Rolle Luca , Gerbi Vincenzo
Published: August 2014

BACKGROUND

Hazelnut skin is the perisperm of the hazelnut kernel. It is separated from the kernel during the roasting process and is normally discarded. Recent studies have reported that hazelnut skin is a rich source of dietary fibre as well as of natural antioxidants owing to the presence of phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to assess the use of hazelnut skins obtained from different cultivars for enhancing the nutritional value of fresh egg pasta.

RESULTS

Skins obtained from roasted hazelnuts of four different varieties were used at three concentrations as a flour replacement in fresh egg pasta. Hazelnut skin concentration significantly influenced all evaluated physicochemical parameters as well as consumers' appreciation for the pasta, but significant differences were also observed between the four varieties. Although pasta produced with 10 and 15% hazelnut skin displayed the highest content of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in vitro, pasta containing 5% Tombul hazelnut skin showed maximum consumer preference.

CONCLUSION

The results obtained in the present study highlighted that it is possible to use hazelnut skin in fresh pasta production to obtain a fortified food with high fibre content and antioxidant activity. The characteristics of the resulting pasta were strictly correlated with the hazelnut variety used for skin production and, of course, with the percentage of skin that was added. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
A parameterized‐background data‐weak approach to variational data assimilation: formulation, analysis, and application to acoustics
Authors: Maday Yvon , Patera Anthony T. , Penn James D. , Yano Masayuki
Published: August 2014

We present a parameterized‐background data‐weak (PBDW) formulation of the variational data assimilation (state estimation) problem for systems modeled by partial differential equations. The main contributions are a constrained optimization weak framework informed by the notion of experimentally observable spaces; a priori and a posteriori error estimates for the field and associated linear‐functional outputs; weak greedy construction of prior (background) spaces associated with an underlying potentially high‐dimensional parametric manifold; stability‐informed choice of observation functionals and related sensor locations; and finally, output prediction from the optimality saddle in operations, where M is the number of experimental observations. We present results for a synthetic Helmholtz acoustics model problem to illustrate the elements of the methodology and confirm the numerical properties suggested by the theory. To conclude, we consider a physical raised‐box acoustic resonator chamber: we integrate the PBDW methodology and a Robotic Observation Platform to achieve real‐time in situ state estimation of the time‐harmonic pressure field; we demonstrate the considerable improvement in prediction provided by the integration of a best‐knowledge model and experimental observations; we extract, even from these results with real data, the numerical trends indicated by the theoretical convergence and stability analyses. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DIATOMS OF TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT WATERCOURSES IN SOUTHERN EUROPE (PORTUGAL)
Authors: Novais M. H. , Morais M. M. , Rosado J. , Dias L. S. , Hoffmann L. , Ector L.
Published: August 2014

The potential importance of benthic diatoms in Mediterranean watercourses has received limited academic attention historically. This study sought to provide baseline information for this poorly studied group. Temporary and permanent watercourses in Portugal differ in catchment characteristics, climatic variables and water chemistry. The benthic diatom communities were characterized in terms of ecological preferences and conservation status for taxa with relative abundance above 1% in at least one site covering 39 temporary sites (109 taxa) and 53 permanent sites (130 taxa). The low‐profile guild dominated both temporary and permanent watercourses, followed by the high‐profile and motile guilds. Indicator value analysis indicated that Amphora copulata, Cocconeis placentula, Diploneis separanda, Encyonopsis subminuta, Fragilaria radians, Gomphonema olivaceum, Gomphonema truncatum, Halamphora veneta, Navicula radiosa, Navicula veneta, Sellaphora seminulum and Ulnaria acus were indicators of temporary watercourses, whereas Encyonema minutum, Eunotia minor, Fragilaria rumpens, Fragilaria cf. socia and Navicula rhynchocephala were characteristic of permanent watercourses. Ecological preferences of indicator taxa were inferred on the basis of environmental variables that differed significantly between temporary and permanent watercourses. The importance of temporary watercourses for the maintenance of diatom biodiversity is discussed and explored. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Temporal Variability and Potential Predictability of the Streamflow Regimes in the North‐Eastern Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Hernández‐Martínez M. , Hidalgo‐Muñoz J. M. , Gámiz‐Fortis S. R. , Castro‐Díez Y. , Esteban‐Parra M. J.
Published: August 2014

This paper investigates the temporal variability and potential predictability of streamflow regimes in the north‐eastern Spain for the 1970–2010 period. Two different regimes are found, those characterized for having peak flows in the winter and those where this maximum appears in the spring. The main characteristic time scales of streamflows in each area are studied by singular spectral analysis (SSA). While winter streamflow regime only shows interannual variability (quasi‐oscillatory modes around 5.5 and 2.3 years), spring streamflow (2.6 and 6.6 years) also presents a decadal variability component. Based on this result, a modelling process is conducted using autoregressive moving average (ARMA) models, for interannual variability modelling, and stable teleconnections between global oceanic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and river flow, for decadal variability modelling. Finally, a one‐step‐ahead prediction experiment is computed to obtain forecasted streamflows.

The results for winter streamflow regime modelling show a phase concordance between the raw and the forecasted streamflow time series of around 70% and a correlation around 0.7, for the validation period (2001–2010). For spring streamflow, additionally to the ARMA modelling for the interannual component, a model based on the SST has been established that involves some oceanic regions from previous seasons located, fundamentally, not only in the North Atlantic but also in the Indian Ocean. The combined model (SST + ARMA) significantly improves the prediction based on the ARMA model alone, showing a phase concordance and a correlation around 90% and 0.7 respectively.

This modelling scheme provides predictability skills of the rivers from the Inland Catalan Basins at different time scales, representing an added value for water planning. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Iron Oxide Nanocarrier for dsRNA to Target Lymph Nodes and Strongly Activate Cells of the Immune System
Authors: Cobaleda‐Siles Macarena , Henriksen‐Lacey Malou , de Angulo Ane Ruiz , Bernecker Anja , Vallejo Vanessa Gómez , Szczupak Boguslaw , Llop Jordi , Pastor Géraldine , Plaza‐Garcia Sandra , Jauregui‐Osoro Maite , Meszaros Levente K. , Mareque‐Rivas Juan C.
Published: August 2014

The success of nanoparticle‐based therapies will depend in part on accurate delivery to target receptors and organs. There is, therefore, considerable potential in nanoparticles which achieve delivery of the right drug(s) using the right route of administration to the right location at the right time, monitoring the process by non‐invasive molecular imaging. A challenge is harnessing immunotherapy via activation of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) for the development of vaccines against major infectious diseases and cancer. In immunotherapy, delivery of the vaccine components to lymph nodes (LNs) is essential for effective stimulation of the immune response. Although some promising advances have been made, delivering therapeutics to LNs remains challenging. It is here shown that iron‐oxide nanoparticles can be engineered to combine in a single and small (<50 nm) nanocarrier complementary multimodal imaging features with the immunostimulatory activity of polyinosinic‐polycytidylic acid (poly (I:C)). Whilst the fluorescence properties of the nanocarrier show effective delivery to endosomes and TLR3 in antigen presenting cells, MRI/SPECT imaging reveals effective delivery to LNs. Importantly, in vitro and in vivo studies show that, using this nanocarrier, the immunostimulatory activity of poly (I:C) is greatly enhanced. These nanocarriers have considerable potential for cancer diagnosis and the development of new targeted and programmable immunotherapies.
RNA structural analysis by evolving SHAPE chemistry
Authors: Spitale Robert C. , Flynn Ryan A. , Torre Eduardo A. , Kool Eric T. , Chang Howard Y.
Published: August 2014

RNA is central to the flow of biological information. From transcription to splicing, RNA localization, translation, and decay, RNA is intimately involved in regulating every step of the gene expression program, and is thus essential for health and understanding disease. RNA has the unique ability to base‐pair with itself and other nucleic acids to form complex structures. Hence the information content in RNA is not simply its linear sequence of bases, but is also encoded in complex folding of RNA molecules. A general chemical functionality that all RNAs have is a 2′‐hydroxyl group in the ribose ring, and the reactivity of the 2′‐hydroxyl in RNA is gated by local nucleotide flexibility. In other words, the 2′‐hydroxyl is reactive at single‐stranded and conformationally flexible positions but is unreactive at nucleotides constrained by base‐pairing. Recent efforts have been focused on developing reagents that modify RNA as a function of RNA 2′ hydroxyl group reactivity. Such RNA structure probing techniques can be read out by primer extension in experiments termed RNA SHAPE (selective 2′‐ hydroxyl acylation and primer extension). Herein, we describe the efforts devoted to the design and utilization of SHAPE probes for characterizing RNA structure. We also describe current technological advances that are being applied to utilize SHAPE chemistry with deep sequencing to probe many RNAs in parallel. The merging of chemistry with genomics is sure to open the door to genome‐wide exploration of RNA structure and function. WIREs RNA 2014, 5:867–881. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1253

This article is categorized under:

RNA Structure and Dynamics > RNA Structure, Dynamics, and Chemistry

RNA Structure and Dynamics > Influence of RNA Structure in Biological Systems
A Discussion With Sandy O’Sullivan About Key Issues for the Australian Indigenous Studies Learning and Teaching Network
Authors: Barney Katelyn
Published: August 2014

This article takes the form of an interview with Sandy O’Sullivan, who is a partner on the Australian Indigenous Studies Learning and Teaching Network, about key issues that have arisen through Network discussions. She is a Wiradjuri woman and a Senior Aboriginal researcher at the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. O’Sullivan emphasises the strengths of the Network and difficulties the Network participants have had in defining ‘Indigenous Studies’. She also discusses the important work for the Network to do into the future, to continue to strengthen relationships between educators and improve teaching and learning of Indigenous Studies at tertiary level.
Optimal trajectory planning for nonlinear systems: robust and constrained solution
Authors: Boscariol P. , Gasparetto A.
Published: August 2014

This paper presents a solution to the problem of generating constrained robust trajectory planning for nonlinear mechatronic systems. By using an indirect variational solution method, the necessary optimality conditions deriving from the Pontryagin's minimum principle are imposed, and lead to a differential Two-Point Boundary Value Problem (TPBVP); numerical solution of the latter is accomplished by means of collocation techniques. The robustness to parametric mismatches is obtained trough the use of sensitivity functions, while a hard constraint on actuator effort is obtained using a smoothing technique. Numerical results shows that the robustness can be greatly improved, and that the inclusion of constraints on actuator effort does not affect it.
Crystal structures of N,N′-bis(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diaminium hydrochloride and of its [AuCl4]− salt solved by powder diffraction
Authors: Silva Silvioney A. , Masciocchi Norberto , Cuin Alexandre
Published: August 2014

Preparation, analytical characterization, and crystal structures of N,N′-bis(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diaminium hydrochloride (1) and of its gold derivative, N,N′-bis(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diaminium tetrachloroaurate(III) (2) are reported. Compound (1) was obtained by reduction of the Schiff base N,N′-bis(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine followed by HCl solution addition, whereas compound (2) was prepared reacting (1) with K[AuCl4] in aqueous solution. Compound (1) crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with space group Iba2 and cell parameters a = 29.856(1), b = 5.1372(2), and c = 10.1635(4) Å. Crystals of (2) belong to the monoclinic system with space group P21/c and cell parameters a = 11.0829(1), b = 9.5852(1), c = 11.6054(2) Å, and β = 75.49(1)°. Both structures contain diprotonated organic moieties, counterbalanced by hydrogen-bonded Cl−, or [AuCl4]− ions, in compounds (1) and (2), respectively.
The Value of the Virtues
Authors: MCELWEE BRIAN
Published: August 2014

I argue that debates about virtue are best settled by clearly distinguishing two questions:

(a)

What sort of character trait is there reason to cultivate?

(b)

What sort of character trait is there reason (morally) to admire?

With this distinction in mind, I focus on recent accounts of what consequentialists ought to say about virtue, arguing that:

(1)

The instrumentalist view of virtue accepted by many prominent consequentialists should not be accepted as the default view for consequentialists to hold.

(2)

The main rival view, the appropriate response account, not only avoids the major objection facing the instrumental view, but gives the correct diagnosis of where it goes wrong.

(3)

Two objections that seem to face the appropriate response account can in fact be convincingly met in ways which leave it looking stronger.

(4)

The appropriate response account is also to be preferred to a disjunctive view or a mixed view.