bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Social Support Group Interventions for Psychosocial Outcomes: A Meta-analytic Review
Authors: Brunelli Arissa A. , Murphy Gregory C. , Athanasou James A.
Published: December 2016

This study investigated the effectiveness of support groups for people living with chronic ill-health conditions. Searches of the published literature were undertaken for the period 1993–2013. Papers were included if participants were between 18 and 65 years old, and study designs were either pre-test post-test one group descriptive, non-randomised group comparison, or randomised controlled trial, with reported data appropriate for meta-analysis and sufficient for estimating effect size(s). Total 19 studies were eligible in the meta-analysis, and 2,986 participants were examined. Six general outcome categories emerged from the data: (1) psychosocial functioning, (2) self-efficacy, (3) quality of life, (4) health status, (5) health behaviours and (6) health care use. In total, 155 effect sizes were calculated from the outcome measures with 15.5% resulting in a large effect size, 6% moderate effects, 39% small effects, and 39.5% producing trivial effects. The majority of the effect sizes (92%) were in the hypothesised direction. Overall, results demonstrate that self-help and support group interventions can positively influence management of chronic ill-health conditions and contribute to the desired outcome of successful adaptation.
ON GALOIS EQUIVARIANCE OF HOMOMORPHISMS BETWEEN TORSION CRYSTALLINE REPRESENTATIONS
Authors: OZEKI YOSHIYASU
Published: December 2016

Let $K$ be a complete discrete valuation field of mixed characteristic $(0,p)$ with perfect residue field. Let $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{n})_{n\geqslant 0}$ be a system of $p$-power roots of a uniformizer $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{0}$ of $K$ with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{n+1}^{p}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{n}$, and define $G_{s}$ (resp. $G_{\infty }$) the absolute Galois group of $K(\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{s})$ (resp. $K_{\infty }:=\bigcup _{n\geqslant 0}K(\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}_{n})$). In this paper, we study $G_{s}$-equivariantness properties of $G_{\infty }$-equivariant homomorphisms between torsion crystalline representations.
Benthic foraminiferal response to relative sea-level changes in the Maastrichtian–Danian succession at the Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt
Authors: FAROUK SHERIF , JAIN SREEPAT
Published: December 2016

The Maastrichtian–Danian benthic foraminiferal diversity and assemblages through sequence stratigraphy were studied at Dakhla Oasis, Egypt. Benthic foraminifera numbers (BFN), high-flux species and characteristic benthic foraminiferal species and genera distribution are also incorporated to assess palaeobathymetry, palaeoenvironment and palaeoproductivity. All these proxies are then taken together to construct a sea-level curve and interpreted in terms of regional tectonics, climate and eustasy. Data suggest a remarkably highly equitable benthic environment deposited in a brackish littoral and/or marsh setting with moderate (?) to low oxygen conditions and reduced salinity (oligotrophic), possibly due to increased precipitation and terrestrial runoff. The interrupted dominance of calcareous forms and high-organic-flux species suggests occasional marine incursions and high palaeoproductivity, due to local upwelling. The inferred sea-level curve replicates the global eustatic curve and suggests that the curve is more influenced by the prevailing climate and global eustasy rather than by regional tectonics. The post-Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary displays improvement in the environment in terms of diversity and number of species and specimens, with a marked reduction in the abundance of high-organic-flux species during early Paleocene (Danian) time, indicating a shift from a more mesotrophic open marine environment to much reduced oligotrophic conditions.
Alcman's Muses: Alcman PMGF 28 (85 Calame), The ΦΙ-Case and the Syntax of Divine Invocation in Greek and Indo-European
Authors: Barnes Timothy G.
Published: December 2016

In this article a new interpretation of the problematic form (Alcman PMGF 28 (85 Calame)) is proposed on the basis of a both a fresh examination of the history and prehistory of the ϕι-case and an overview of the syntax of coordinated pairs in various Indo-European languages.
Harmonic Divergence: Pindar's Fr. 140B and Early Fifth-Century Choral Polemics
Authors: Steiner Deborah
Published: December 2016

This article offers a close reading of Pindar's lacunose fr. 140b S.-M. and explores the evidence it includes for Pindar's contributions to contemporary debates and polemics in late sixth- and early fifth-century musical culture concerning, among other things, harmonics, tonal ranges, instrumentation and the boundaries between different genres. By reading the contents of the fragment against the backdrop of other works from the period that similarly engage in these issues and the later revisionary accounts of the questions first raised by the author-musicians of the early classical age, I show how the diction, imagery and structure of the work are designed to position Pindar as one among the current choral innovators. In the discussion's final part, I address the question of the genre to which the piece belongs and propose some fresh ways of addressing this still outstanding matter. At several points, the article also considers some relevant visual evidence.
The X Factorand reality television: beyond good and evil
Authors: Graham Stephen
Published: December 2016

Despite huge popularity and lasting cultural impact, reality television shows such asThe X Factor, a British music competition that started screening in 2004, are seen by many as a cultural nadir. However, in this article I argue that, while reading reality TV as an index of an increasingly superficial, market-based culture makes a great deal of sense, it doesn't tell the whole story. Using the particular music-based dramas ofThe X Factoras a case study, I explore ways in which this show and populist reality television in general might be seen to embody both the predicaments and potential pressure points of contemporary neoliberal culture.
Mid-century Modern Jazz: Music and Design in the Postwar Home
Authors: Perchard Tom
Published: December 2016

This article takes an imagined, transnational living room as its setting, examining jazz's place in representations of the ‘modern’ middle-class home across the post-war West, and exploring the domestic uses that listeners both casual and committed made of the music in recorded form. In magazines as apparently diverse asIdeal Homein the UK andPlayboyin the US, a certain kind of jazz helped mark a new middlebrow connoisseurship in the 1950s and 60s. Yet rather than simply locating the style in a historical sociology of taste, this piece attempts to describe jazz's role in what was an emergent middle-class sensorium. The music's sonic characteristics were frequently called upon to complement the newly sleek visual and tactile experiences – of furniture, fabrics, plastics, the light and space of modern domestic architecture – then coming to define the aspirational bourgeois home; an international modern visual aesthetic was reflected back in jazz album cover art. But to describe experience or ambience represents a challenge to historical method. As much as history proper, then, it's through a kind of experimental criticism of both music and visual culture that this piece attempts to capture the textures and moods that jazz brought to the postwar home.
ONCOLOGISTS’ BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS FOR ONCOTYPE DX USE: QUALITATIVE STUDY
Authors: Roberts Megan C. , Bryson Amy , Weinberger Morris , Dusetzina Stacie B. , Dinan Michaela A. , Reeder-Hayes Katherine , Wheeler Stephanie B.
Published: December 2016

Background: Oncotype DX (ODX), a tumor gene profiling test, has been incorporated into clinical guidelines to aid in adjuvant chemotherapy decision making for early-stage, hormone receptor positive breast cancer patients. Despite United States (U.S.) guidelines, less than half of eligible women receive testing. Reasons for low usage are unclear: Our objective was to better understand U.S. oncologists’ ODX uptake and how they use ODX during adjuvant chemotherapy decision making.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured, ~30-minute phone interviews with medical and surgical oncologists in one U.S. State using purposive sampling. Oncologists were included if they saw greater than or equal to five breast cancer patients per week. Recruitment ended upon thematic saturation. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and double-coded using template analysis.

Results: During analysis, themes emerged across three domains. First, organizational factors (i.e., departmental structure, ODX marketing, and medical/insurance guidelines) influenced ease of ODX use. Second, oncologists referenced the influence of interpersonal factors (e.g., normative beliefs and peer use of ODX) over their own practices and recommendations. Third, intrapersonal factors (e.g., oncologist attitudes, perceived barriers, and research gaps) were discussed: although oncologists largely held positive attitudes about ODX, they reported challenges with interpreting intermediate scores for treatment decisions and explaining test results to patients. Finally, oncologists identified several research gaps.

Conclusions: As more tumor gene profiling tests are incorporated into cancer care for treatment decision making, it is important to understand their use in clinical practice. This study identified multi-level factors that influence ODX uptake into clinical practice, providing insights into facilitators and modifiable barriers that can be leveraged for improving ODX uptake to aid treatment decision making.
The Cinderella Navigation Aid The use of the Lead and Line in British ships from the 16th to 20th Century
Authors: Kemp John
Published: December 2016

This paper is intended to provide an outline of how the lead and line formed a vital, but often overlooked, role in safe navigation during the 16th Century, with some comments on its later use up to, and into the 20th Century. During this period, the development of the more mathematical dead-reckoning and the more exciting astro-navigation attracted the attention of the literate commentators who were responsible for record keeping while the often illiterate sailors got on with practising their craft. Also, May (1970), has commented that, “the navigators during the great age of discovery must have made extensive use of the lead and line, but references are extremely sparse, for all their rough log-books were destroyed and only the most important references to their navigational proceedings were copied into the fair accounts of their voyages which have come down to us.”
Study on the crystal structure of Al2Cu3Gd compound with XRPD
Authors: Li Degui , Luo Kun , He Bing , Qin Ming , Liang Liuqing , Hu Lei
Published: December 2016

The new ternary compound of Al2Cu3Gd was prepared by melting with stoichiometric composition in an electric arc furnace. The X-ray powder diffraction data of Al2Cu3Gd have been collected by the Rigaku Smart Lab X-ray powder diffractometer. The Rietveld refinement method had been used to study the crystal structure of Al2Cu3Gd. The results showed that the Al2Cu3Gd, new compound have the hexagonal structure, space group P6/mmm (No. 191) with a = 5.1822 (1) Å, c = 4.1566 (1) Å, V = 96.67 Å3, Z = 1, and the density is 6.62 g cm−3, and the intensity ratio reference intensity ratio is 1.29.
Non-Refoulement and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction: State Sovereignty and Migration Controls at Sea in the European Context
Authors: KIM SEUNGHWAN
Published: December 2016

The principle ofnon-refoulementfound in the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees has been widely regarded as the core element of the international refugee protection regime. However, in the recent era of restrictive external migration controls, its significance and ambit diminished to the extent that states began to regard it as a general moral principle that imposed only narrowly defined legal constraints. In particular, interception or interdiction of refugees on the high seas came to be regarded as activities falling outside the legal ambit of thenon-refoulementobligation. However, in Europe, this has begun to change. Thenon-refoulementobligation found in Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has been recognized as a legal constraint on state sovereignty in relation to migration controls on the high seas. This article scrutinizes how the developing concept of jurisdiction in human rights law, particularly as found in the ECHR, has expanded the scope of application of the principle ofnon-refoulement, and presents some important implications. The concept of state sovereignty has begun to undergo a paradigm shift that places extraterritorial human rights concerns relating to external migration controls squarely within a legal rather than merely a moral framework.
Strengthening compliance with IHL: The ICRC-Swiss initiative
Authors: Pejic Jelena
Published: December 2016

Lack of compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL), or insufficient observance of its rules, is probably the greatest current challenge to the continued credibility of this body of international law. The need to strengthen respect for IHL led the ICRC and Switzerland to facilitate unprecedented consultations among States between 2012 and 2015 focused, specifically, on improving the efficiency of mechanisms of compliance with IHL. This note outlines the background of the initiative and summarizes its course and outcome. Ongoing work in the current phase of the process, agreed to at the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent held in late 2015, is also very briefly indicated.
American Geophysical Union Approves Renovation of Headquarters
Authors: Jacobsen Elizabeth
Published: December 2016

The transformed headquarters, to be completed by December 2018, features a design geared toward communicating science to the community, sparking collaboration, and reducing environmental impact.
Recent advances in nano scaffolds for bone repair
Authors: Yi Huan , Ur Rehman Fawad , Zhao Chunqiu , Liu Bin , He Nongyue
Published: December 2016

Biomedical applications of nanomaterials are exponentially increasing every year due to analogy to various cell receptors, ligands, structural proteins, and genetic materials (that is, DNA). In bone tissue, nanoscale materials can provide scaffold for excellent tissue repair via mechanical stimulation, releasing of various loaded drugs and mediators, 3D scaffold for cell growth and differentiation of bone marrow stem cells to osteocytes. This review will therefore highlight recent advancements on tissue and nanoscale materials interaction.
Co-occurrence of antibiotic and metal resistance genes revealed in complete genome collection
Authors: Li Li-Guan , Xia Yu , Zhang Tong
Published: December 2016

The high frequency of antibiotic resistance is a global public health concern. More seriously, widespread metal pressure in the environment may facilitate the proliferation of antibiotic resistance via coselection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and metal resistance genes (MRGs). Given the lack of comprehensive understanding of the ARG and MRG coselection, in this study both abundance relationship and genetic linkage between ARGs and MRGs were rigorously investigated by performing a genomic analysis of a large complete genome collection. Many more ARGs were enriched in human-associated bacteria compared with those subjected to less anthropogenic interference. The signatures of ARG and MRG co-occurrence were much more frequent and the distance linkages between ARGs and MRGs were much more intimate in human pathogens than those less human-associated bacteria. Moreover, the co-occurrence structures in the habitat divisions were significantly different, which could be attributed to their distinct gene transfer potentials. More exogenous ARGs and MRGs on the genomes of human pathogens indicated the importance of recent resistance acquisition in resistome development of human commensal flora. Overall, the study emphasizes the potential risk associated with ARG and MRG coselection of both environmental and medical relevance.
Stability of peatland carbon to rising temperatures
Authors: Wilson R. M. , Hopple A. M. , Tfaily M. M. , Sebestyen S. D. , Schadt C. W. , Pfeifer-Meister L. , Medvedeff C. , McFarlane K. J. , Kostka J. E. , Kolton M. , Kolka R.K. , Kluber L. A. , Keller J. K. , Guilderson T. P. , Griffiths N. A. , Chanton J. P. , Bridgham S. D. , Hanson P. J.
Published: December 2016

Peatlands contain one-third of soil carbon (C), mostly buried in deep, saturated anoxic zones (catotelm). The response of catotelm C to climate forcing is uncertain, because prior experiments have focused on surface warming. We show that deep peat heating of a 2 m-thick peat column results in an exponential increase in CH4 emissions. However, this response is due solely to surface processes and not degradation of catotelm peat. Incubations show that only the top 20–30 cm of peat from experimental plots have higher CH4 production rates at elevated temperatures. Radiocarbon analyses demonstrate that CH4 and CO2 are produced primarily from decomposition of surface-derived modern photosynthate, not catotelm C. There are no differences in microbial abundances, dissolved organic matter concentrations or degradative enzyme activities among treatments. These results suggest that although surface peat will respond to increasing temperature, the large reservoir of catotelm C is stable under current anoxic conditions.
Making brain–machine interfaces robust to future neural variability
Authors: Sussillo David , Stavisky Sergey D. , Kao Jonathan C. , Ryu Stephen I. , Shenoy Krishna V.
Published: December 2016

A major hurdle to clinical translation of brain–machine interfaces (BMIs) is that current decoders, which are trained from a small quantity of recent data, become ineffective when neural recording conditions subsequently change. We tested whether a decoder could be made more robust to future neural variability by training it to handle a variety of recording conditions sampled from months of previously collected data as well as synthetic training data perturbations. We developed a new multiplicative recurrent neural network BMI decoder that successfully learned a large variety of neural-to-kinematic mappings and became more robust with larger training data sets. Here we demonstrate that when tested with a non-human primate preclinical BMI model, this decoder is robust under conditions that disabled a state-of-the-art Kalman filter-based decoder. These results validate a new BMI strategy in which accumulated data history are effectively harnessed, and may facilitate reliable BMI use by reducing decoder retraining downtime.
Carbon storage in US wetlands
Authors: Nahlik A. M. , Fennessy M. S.
Published: December 2016

Wetland soils contain some of the highest stores of soil carbon in the biosphere. However, there is little understanding of the quantity and distribution of carbon stored in our remaining wetlands or of the potential effects of human disturbance on these stocks. Here we use field data from the 2011 National Wetland Condition Assessment to provide unbiased estimates of soil carbon stocks for wetlands at regional and national scales. We find that wetlands in the conterminous United States store a total of 11.52 PgC, much of which is within soils deeper than 30 cm. Freshwater inland wetlands, in part due to their substantial areal extent, hold nearly ten-fold more carbon than tidal saltwater sites—indicating their importance in regional carbon storage. Our data suggest a possible relationship between carbon stocks and anthropogenic disturbance. These data highlight the need to protect wetlands to mitigate the risk of avoidable contributions to climate change.
Tunneling induced absorption with competing Nonlinearities
Authors: Peng Yandong , Yang Aihong , Xu Yan , Wang Peng , Yu Yang , Guo Hongju , Ren Tingqi
Published: December 2016

We investigate tunneling induced nonlinear absorption phenomena in a coupled quantum-dot system. Resonant tunneling causes constructive interference in the nonlinear absorption that leads to an increase of more than an order of magnitude over the maximum absorption in a coupled quantum dot system without tunneling. Resonant tunneling also leads to a narrowing of the linewidth of the absorption peak to a sublinewidth level. Analytical expressions show that the enhanced nonlinear absorption is largely due to the fifth-order nonlinear term. Competition between third- and fifth-order nonlinearities leads to an anomalous dispersion of the total susceptibility.
Influence of vacuum chamber impurities on the lifetime of organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Fujimoto Hiroshi , Suekane Takashi , Imanishi Katsuya , Yukiwaki Satoshi , Wei Hong , Nagayoshi Kaori , Yahiro Masayuki , Adachi Chihaya
Published: December 2016

We evaluated the influence of impurities in the vacuum chamber used for the fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes on the lifetime of the fabricated devices and found a correlation between lifetime and the device fabrication time. The contact angle of the ITO substrates stored the chamber under vacuum were used to evaluate chamber cleanliness. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was performed on Si wafers stored in the vacuum chamber before device fabrication to examine the impurities in the chamber. Surprisingly, despite the chamber and evaporation sources being at room temperature, a variety of materials were detected, including previously deposited materials and plasticizers from the vacuum chamber components. We show that the impurities, and not differences in water content, in the chamber were the source of lifetime variations even when the duration of exposure to impurities only varied before and after deposition of the emitter layer. These results suggest that the impurities floating in the vacuum chamber significantly impact lifetime values and reproducibility.
Imine-Linked Polymer Based Nitrogen-Doped Porous Activated Carbon for Efficient and Selective CO2 Capture
Authors: Alabadi Akram , Abbood Hayder A. , Li Qingyin , Jing Ni , Tan Bien
Published: December 2016

The preparation of nitrogen-doped activated carbon (NACs) has received significant attention because of their applications in CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS) owing to abundant nitrogen atoms on their surface and controllable pore structures by carefully controlled carbonization. We report high-surface-area porous N-doped activated carbons (NAC) by using soft-template-assisted self-assembly followed by thermal decomposition and KOH activation. The activation process was carried out under different temperature conditions (600–800 °C) using polyimine as precursor. The NAC-800 was found to have a high specific surface area (1900 m2 g−1), a desirable micropore size below 1 nm and, more importantly, a large micropore volume (0.98 cm3 g−1). NAC-800 also exhibits a significant capacity of CO2 capture i.e., over 6. 25 and 4.87 mmol g−1 at 273 K and 298 K respectively at 1.13 bar, which is one of among the highest values reported for porous carbons so far. Moreover, NAC also shows an excellent separation selectivity for CO2 over N2.
Neutrophil extracellular trap formation and circulating nucleosomes in patients with chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms
Authors: Marin Oyarzún Cecilia P. , Carestia Agostina , Lev Paola R. , Glembotsky Ana C. , Castro Ríos Miguel A. , Moiraghi Beatriz , Molinas Felisa C. , Marta Rosana F. , Schattner Mirta , Heller Paula G.
Published: December 2016

The mechanisms underlying increased thrombotic risk in chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are incompletely understood. We assessed whether neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which promote thrombosis, contribute to the procoagulant state in essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera and myelofibrosis (MF) patients. Although MPN neutrophils showed increased basal reactive oxygen species (ROS), enhanced NETosis by unstimulated neutrophils was an infrequent finding, whereas PMA-triggered NETosis was impaired, particularly in MF, due to decreased PMA-triggered ROS production. Elevated circulating nucleosomes were a prominent finding and were higher in patients with advanced disease, which may have potential prognostic implication. Histone-MPO complexes, proposed as specific NET biomarker, were seldomly detected, suggesting NETs may not be the main source of nucleosomes in most patients, whereas their correlation with high LDH points to increased cell turn-over as a plausible origin. Lack of association of nucleosomes or NETs with thrombosis or activation markers does not support their use as predictors of thrombosis although prospective studies in a larger cohort may help define their potential contribution to MPN thrombosis. These results do not provide evidence for relevant in vivo NETosis in MPN patients under steady state conditions, although availability of standardized NET biomarkers may contribute to further research in this field.
Temperature-driven topological quantum phase transitions in a phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5
Authors: Eremeev S. V. , Rusinov I. P. , Echenique P. M. , Chulkov E. V.
Published: December 2016

The Ge2Sb2Te5 is a phase-change material widely used in optical memory devices and is a leading candidate for next generation non-volatile random access memory devices which are key elements of various electronics and portable systems. Despite the compound is under intense investigation its electronic structure is currently not fully understood. The present work sheds new light on the electronic structure of the Ge2Sb2Te5 crystalline phases. We demonstrate by predicting from first-principles calculations that stable crystal structures of Ge2Sb2Te5 possess different topological quantum phases: a topological insulator phase is realized in low-temperature structure and Weyl semimetal phase is a characteristic of the high-temperature structure. Since the structural phase transitions are caused by the temperature the switching between different topologically non-trivial phases can be driven by variation of the temperature. The obtained results reveal the rich physics of the Ge2Sb2Te5 compound and open previously unexplored possibility for spintronics applications of this material, substantially expanding its application potential.
Widespread episodic thiamine deficiency in Northern Hemisphere wildlife
Authors: Balk Lennart , Hägerroth Per-Åke , Gustavsson Hanna , Sigg Lisa , Åkerman Gun , Ruiz Muñoz Yolanda , Honeyfield Dale C. , Tjärnlund Ulla , Oliveira Kenneth , Ström Karin , McCormick Stephen D. , Karlsson Simon , Ström Marika , van Manen Mathijs , Berg Anna-Lena , Halldórsson Halldór P. , Strömquist Jennie , Collier Tracy K. , Börjeson Hans , Mörner Torsten , Hansson Tomas
Published: December 2016

Many wildlife populations are declining at rates higher than can be explained by known threats to biodiversity. Recently, thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency has emerged as a possible contributing cause. Here, thiamine status was systematically investigated in three animal classes: bivalves, ray-finned fishes, and birds. Thiamine diphosphate is required as a cofactor in at least five life-sustaining enzymes that are required for basic cellular metabolism. Analysis of different phosphorylated forms of thiamine, as well as of activities and amount of holoenzyme and apoenzyme forms of thiamine-dependent enzymes, revealed episodically occurring thiamine deficiency in all three animal classes. These biochemical effects were also linked to secondary effects on growth, condition, liver size, blood chemistry and composition, histopathology, swimming behaviour and endurance, parasite infestation, and reproduction. It is unlikely that the thiamine deficiency is caused by impaired phosphorylation within the cells. Rather, the results point towards insufficient amounts of thiamine in the food. By investigating a large geographic area, by extending the focus from lethal to sublethal thiamine deficiency, and by linking biochemical alterations to secondary effects, we demonstrate that the problem of thiamine deficiency is considerably more widespread and severe than previously reported.
A violation of universality in anomalous Fourier’s law
Authors: Hurtado Pablo I. , Garrido Pedro L.
Published: December 2016

Since the discovery of long-time tails, it has been clear that Fourier’s law in low dimensions is typically anomalous, with a size-dependent heat conductivity, though the nature of the anomaly remains puzzling. The conventional wisdom, supported by renormalization-group arguments and mode-coupling approximations within fluctuating hydrodynamics, is that the anomaly is universal in 1d momentum-conserving systems and belongs in the Lévy/Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class. Here we challenge this picture by using a novel scaling method to show unambiguously that universality breaks down in the paradigmatic 1d diatomic hard-point fluid. Hydrodynamic profiles for a broad set of gradients, densities and sizes all collapse onto an universal master curve, showing that (anomalous) Fourier’s law holds even deep into the nonlinear regime. This allows to solve the macroscopic transport problem for this model, a solution which compares flawlessly with data and, interestingly, implies the existence of a bound on the heat current in terms of pressure. These results question the renormalization-group and mode-coupling universality predictions for anomalous Fourier’s law in 1d, offering a new perspective on transport in low dimensions.
General calibration of microbial growth in microplate readers
Authors: Stevenson Keiran , McVey Alexander F. , Clark Ivan B. N. , Swain Peter S. , Pilizota Teuta
Published: December 2016

Optical density (OD) measurements of microbial growth are one of the most common techniques used in microbiology, with applications ranging from studies of antibiotic efficacy to investigations of growth under different nutritional or stress environments, to characterization of different mutant strains, including those harbouring synthetic circuits. OD measurements are performed under the assumption that the OD value obtained is proportional to the cell number, i.e. the concentration of the sample. However, the assumption holds true in a limited range of conditions, and calibration techniques that determine that range are currently missing. Here we present a set of calibration procedures and considerations that are necessary to successfully estimate the cell concentration from OD measurements.
Protective effect of mild endoplasmic reticulum stress on radiation-induced bystander effects in hepatocyte cells
Authors: Xie Yuexia , Ye Shuang , Zhang Jianghong , He Mingyuan , Dong Chen , Tu Wenzhi , Liu Peifeng , Shao Chunlin
Published: December 2016

Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) has important implications for secondary cancer risk assessment during cancer radiotherapy, but the defense and self-protective mechanisms of bystander normal cells are still largely unclear. The present study found that micronuclei (MN) formation could be induced in the non-irradiated HL-7702 hepatocyte cells after being treated with the conditioned medium from irradiated hepatoma HepG2 cells under either normoxia or hypoxia, where the ratio of the yield of bystander MN induction to the yield of radiation-induced MN formation under hypoxia was much higher than that of normoxia. Nonetheless, thapsigargin induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and dramatically suppressed this bystander response manifested as the decrease of MN and apoptosis inductions. Meanwhile, the interference of BiP gene, a major ER chaperone, amplified the detrimental RIBE. More precisely, thapsigargin provoked ER sensor of PERK to initiate an instantaneous and moderate ER stress thus defensed the hazard form RIBE, while BiP depletion lead to persistently destroyed homeostasis of ER and exacerbated cell injury. These findings provide new insights that the mild ER stress through BiP-PERK-p-eIF2α signaling pathway has a profound role in protecting cellular damage from RIBE and hence may decrease the potential secondary cancer risk after cancer radiotherapy.
Genetically targeted 3D visualisation of Drosophila neurons under Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microscopy using miniSOG
Authors: Ng Julian , Browning Alyssa , Lechner Lorenz , Terada Masako , Howard Gillian , Jefferis Gregory S. X. E.
Published: December 2016

Large dimension, high-resolution imaging is important for neural circuit visualisation as neurons have both long- and short-range patterns: from axons and dendrites to the numerous synapses at terminal endings. Electron Microscopy (EM) is the favoured approach for synaptic resolution imaging but how such structures can be segmented from high-density images within large volume datasets remains challenging. Fluorescent probes are widely used to localise synapses, identify cell-types and in tracing studies. The equivalent EM approach would benefit visualising such labelled structures from within sub-cellular, cellular, tissue and neuroanatomical contexts. Here we developed genetically-encoded, electron-dense markers using miniSOG. We demonstrate their ability in 1) labelling cellular sub-compartments of genetically-targeted neurons, 2) generating contrast under different EM modalities, and 3) segmenting labelled structures from EM volumes using computer-assisted strategies. We also tested non-destructive X-ray imaging on whole Drosophila brains to evaluate contrast staining. This enabled us to target specific regions for EM volume acquisition.
Altered DNA methylation associated with an abnormal liver phenotype in a cattle model with a high incidence of perinatal pathologies
Authors: Kiefer Hélène , Jouneau Luc , Campion Évelyne , Rousseau-Ralliard Delphine , Larcher Thibaut , Martin-Magniette Marie-Laure , Balzergue Sandrine , Ledevin Mireille , Prézelin Audrey , Chavatte-Palmer Pascale , Heyman Yvan , Richard Christophe , Le Bourhis Daniel , Renard Jean-Paul , Jammes Hélène
Published: December 2016

Cloning enables the generation of both clinically normal and pathological individuals from the same donor cells, and may therefore be a DNA sequence-independent driver of phenotypic variability. We took advantage of cattle clones with identical genotypes but different developmental abilities to investigate the role of epigenetic factors in perinatal mortality, a complex trait with increasing prevalence in dairy cattle. We studied livers from pathological clones dying during the perinatal period, clinically normal adult clones with the same genotypes as perinatal clones and conventional age-matched controls. The livers from deceased perinatal clones displayed histological lesions, modifications to quantitative histomorphometric and metabolic parameters such as glycogen storage and fatty acid composition, and an absence of birth-induced maturation. In a genome-wide epigenetic analysis, we identified DNA methylation patterns underlying these phenotypic alterations and targeting genes relevant to liver metabolism, including the type 2 diabetes geneTCF7L2. The adult clones were devoid of major phenotypic and epigenetic abnormalities in the liver, ruling out the effects of genotype on the phenotype observed. These results thus provide the first demonstration of a genome-wide association between DNA methylation and perinatal mortality in cattle, and highlight epigenetics as a driving force for phenotypic variability in farmed animals.
Proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat BMSCs on a novel Ti/SiC metal matrix nanocomposite modified by friction stir processing
Authors: Zhu Chenyuan , Lv Yuting , Qian Chao , Qian Haixin , Jiao Ting , Wang Liqiang , Zhang Fuqiang
Published: December 2016

The aims of this study were to fabricate a novel titanium/silicon carbide (Ti/SiC) metal matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) by friction stir processing (FSP) and to investigate its microstructure and mechanical properties. In addition, the adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) on the nanocomposite surface were investigated. The MMNC microstructure was observed by both scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Mechanical properties were characterized by nanoindentation and Vickers hardness testing. Integrin β1 immunofluorescence, cell adhesion, and MTT assays were used to evaluate the effects of the nanocomposite on cell adhesion and proliferation. Osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation were evaluated by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, ALP activity, PCR and osteocalcin immunofluorescence. The observed microstructures and mechanical properties clearly indicated that FSP is a very effective technique for modifying Ti/SiC MMNC to contain uniformly distributed nanoparticles. In the interiors of recrystallized grains, characteristics including twins, fine recrystallized grains, and dislocations formed concurrently. Adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic and angiogenic differentiation of rat BMSCs were all enhanced on the novel Ti/SiC MMNC surface. In conclusion, nanocomposites modified using FSP technology not only have superior mechanical properties under stress-bearing conditions but also provide improved surface and physicochemical properties for cell attachment and osseointegration.
CircRNA accumulation in the aging mouse brain
Authors: Gruner Hannah , Cortés-López Mariela , Cooper Daphne A. , Bauer Matthew , Miura Pedro
Published: December 2016

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newly appreciated class of RNAs expressed across diverse phyla. These enigmatic transcripts are most commonly generated by back-splicing events from exons of protein-coding genes. This results in highly stable RNAs due to the lack of free 5′ and 3′ ends. CircRNAs are enriched in neural tissues, suggesting that they might have neural functions. Here, we sought to determine whether circRNA accumulation occurs during aging in mice. Total RNA-seq profiling of young (1 month old) and aged (22 month old) cortex, hippocampus and heart samples was performed. This led to the confident detection of 6,791 distinct circRNAs across these samples, including 675 novel circRNAs. Analysis uncovered a strong bias for circRNA upregulation during aging in neural tissues. These age-accumulation trends were verified for individual circRNAs by RT-qPCR and Northern analysis. In contrast, comparison of aged versus young hearts failed to reveal a global trend for circRNA upregulation. Age-accumulation of circRNAs in brain tissues was found to be largely independent from linear RNA expression of host genes. These findings suggest that circRNAs might play biological roles relevant to the aging nervous system.
The relationship between toll like receptor 4 gene rs4986790 and rs4986791 polymorphisms and sepsis susceptibility: A meta-analysis
Authors: Liu Rui , Mo Yuan-Yuan , Wang Hui-Li , Tan Yan , Wen Xiu-Jie , Deng Man-Jing , Yan Hong , Li Lei
Published: December 2016

Accumulating evidences have demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) represents the important etiologic factor for sepsis. Some previous studies have reported the relationship between common polymorphisms rs4986790 and rs4986791 in the coding gene for this receptor and the susceptibility to sepsis, but there were distinct divergences between those findings. We therefore designed this meta-analysis incorporated 28 published articles containing 6,537 sepsis patients and 8,832 controls for a more comprehensive conclusion on this matter. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CIs) were calculated to evaluate the association of toll like receptor 4 gene polymorphisms rs4986790 and rs4986791 with sepsis risk. Heterogeneity between included studies was inspected using Q test, and sensitivity analysis was implemented via sequential deletion of each included study to investigate the stability of overall estimates. Funnel plot and Egger’s test were adopted to examine publication bias across selected studies. We found no significant association for either the polymorphism rs4986790 or rs4986791 with sepsis susceptibility in total analysis under any genetic models. Neither did we after combining these two polymorphisms. The results of this meta-analysis suggest that the rs4986790 and rs4986791 polymorphisms in toll like receptor 4 gene may have no statistically significant influence on sepsis susceptibility.
MAP kinase phosphatase 2 deficient mice develop attenuated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis through regulating dendritic cells and T cells
Authors: Barbour Mark , Plevin Robin , Jiang Hui-Rong
Published: December 2016

Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatases (MKPs) play key roles in inflammation and immune mediated diseases. Here we investigated the mechanisms by which MKP-2 modulates central nervous system (CNS) inflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Our results show that MKP-2 mRNA levels in the spinal cord and lymphoid organs of EAE mice were increased compared with naive controls, indicating an important role for MKP-2 in EAE development. Indeed, MKP-2−/− mice developed reduced EAE severity, associated with diminished CNS immune cell infiltration, decreased proinflammatory cytokine production and reduced frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in spleens and lymph nodes. In addition, MKP-2−/− CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) had reduced expression of MHC-II and CD40 compared with MKP-2+/+ mice. Subsequent experiments revealed that CD4+ T cells from naïve MKP-2−/− mice had decreased cell proliferation and IL-2 and IL-17 production relative to wild type controls. Furthermore, co-culture experiments showed that bone marrow derived DCs of MKP-2−/− mice had impaired capability in antigen presentation and T cell activation. While MKP-2 also modulates macrophage activation, our study suggests that MKP-2 is essential to the pathogenic response of EAE, and it acts mainly via regulating the important antigen presenting DC function and T cell activation.
Unusual Five Copies and Dual Forms of nrdB in “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus”: Biological Implications and PCR Detection Application
Authors: Zheng Zheng , Xu Meirong , Bao Minli , Wu Fengnian , Chen Jianchi , Deng Xiaoling
Published: December 2016

“Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” (CLas), a non-culturable α-proteobacterium, is associated with citrus Huanglongbing (HLB, yellow shoot disease) currently threatening citrus production worldwide. Here, the whole genome sequence of CLas strain A4 from Guangdong of China was analyzed. Five copies of nrdB, encoding β-subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), a critical enzyme involving bacterial proliferation, were found. Three nrdB copies were in long form (nrdBL, 1,059 bp) and two were in short form (nrdBS, 378 bp). nrdBS shared >99% identity to 3′ end of nrdBL and had no active site. Sequences of CLas nrdB genes formed a distinct monophyletic lineage among eubacteria. To make use of the high copy number feature, a nrdB-based primer set RNRf/RNRr was designed and evaluated using real-time PCR with 262 HLB samples collected from China and USA. Compared to the current standard primer set HLBas/HLBr derived from the 16S rRNA gene, RNRf/RNRr had Ct value reductions of 1.68 (SYBR Green PCR) and 1.77 (TaqMan PCR), thus increasing the detection sensitivity three-fold. Meanwhile, RNRf/RNRr was more than twice the stability of primer set LJ900f/LJ900r derived from multi-copy prophage. The nrdB-based PCR thereby provides a sensitive and reliable CLas detection with broad application, especially for the early diagnosis of HLB.
Chimera states in uncoupled neurons induced by a multilayer structure
Authors: Majhi Soumen , Perc Matjaž , Ghosh Dibakar
Published: December 2016

Spatial coexistence of coherent and incoherent dynamics in network of coupled oscillators is called a chimera state. We study such chimera states in a network of neurons without any direct interactions but connected through another medium of neurons, forming a multilayer structure. The upper layer is thus made up of uncoupled neurons and the lower layer plays the role of a medium through which the neurons in the upper layer share information among each other. Hindmarsh-Rose neurons with square wave bursting dynamics are considered as nodes in both layers. In addition, we also discuss the existence of chimera states in presence of inter layer heterogeneity. The neurons in the bottom layer are globally connected through electrical synapses, while across the two layers chemical synapses are formed. According to our research, the competing effects of these two types of synapses can lead to chimera states in the upper layer of uncoupled neurons. Remarkably, we find a density-dependent threshold for the emergence of chimera states in uncoupled neurons, similar to the quorum sensing transition to a synchronized state. Finally, we examine the impact of both homogeneous and heterogeneous inter-layer information transmission delays on the observed chimera states over a wide parameter space.
Charge transfer dynamics in DNA revealed by time-resolved spectroscopy
Authors: Fujitsuka Mamoru , Majima Tetsuro
Published: December 2016

Time-resolved study revealed kinetics of charge transfer in DNA.
Versatile self-assembled graphene oxide membranes obtained under ambient conditions by using a water–ethanol suspension
Authors: Cotet Liviu Cosmin , Magyari Klára , Todea Milica , Dudescu Mircea Cristian , Danciu Virginia , Baia Lucian
Published: December 2016

The study reports a low cost and scalable pathway for preparing free-standing GO membranes by a self-assembly process under ambient conditions at an air–liquid interface of an isopycnic sorted GO water–ethanol fraction.
Grain boundary engineering in organic–inorganic hybrid semiconductor ZnS(en)0.5 for visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production
Authors: Feng Wenhui , Fang Zhibin , Wang Bo , Zhang Lulu , Zhang Yan , Yang Yu , Huang Mianli , Weng Sunxian , Liu Ping
Published: December 2016

Unique grain boundary-rich organic–inorganic hybrid D-ZnS(en)0.5 nanosheets exhibit superior activity for photocatalytic H2 evolution under visible light irradiation.
High mechanical strength chitosan-based hydrogels cross-linked with poly(ethylene glycol)/polycaprolactone micelles for the controlled release of drugs/growth factors
Authors: Wen Yan , Li Fan , Li Chunge , Yin Yuji , Li Junjie
Published: December 2016

Novel chitosan-based hydrogels crosslinked with PECL micelles with high mechanical strength for the controlled release of drugs/growth factors.
Annealing-free perovskite films based on solvent engineering for efficient solar cells
Authors: Fang Xiang , Wu Yihui , Lu Yongting , Sun Yue , Zhang Shuai , Zhang Jing , Zhang Wenhua , Yuan Ningyi , Ding Jianning
Published: December 2016

A new approach based on solvent engineering is developed to obtain annealing-free perovskite films and the corresponding device displays 17.09% efficiency.