bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A random matrix approach to detect defects in a strongly scattering polycrystal: How the memory effect can help overcome multiple scattering
Authors: Shahjahan S. , Aubry A. , Rupin F. , Chassignole B. , Derode A.
Published: June 2014

We report on ultrasonic imaging in a random heterogeneous medium. The goal is to detect flaws embedded deeply into a polycrystalline material. A 64-element array of piezoelectric transmitters/receivers at a central frequency of 5 MHz is used to capture the Green's matrix in a backscattering configuration. Because of multiple scattering, conventional imaging completely fails to detect the deepest flaws. We utilize a random matrix approach, taking advantage of the deterministic coherence of the backscattered wave-field which is characteristic of single scattering and related to the memory effect. This allows us to separate single and multiple scattering contributions. As a consequence, we show that flaws are detected beyond the conventional limit, as if multiple scattering had been overcome.
Probing transient protein-mediated DNA linkages using nanoconfinement
Authors: Roushan Maedeh , Kaur Parminder , Karpusenko Alena , Countryman Preston J. , Ortiz Carlos P. , Fang Lim Shuang , Wang Hong , Riehn Robert
Published: June 2014

We present an analytic technique for probing protein-catalyzed transient DNA loops that is based on nanofluidic channels. In these nanochannels, DNA is forced in a linear configuration that makes loops appear as folds whose size can easily be quantified. Using this technique, we study the interaction between T4 DNA ligase and DNA. We find that T4 DNA ligase binding changes the physical characteristics of the DNA polymer, in particular persistence length and effective width. We find that the rate of DNA fold unrolling is significantly reduced when T4 DNA ligase and ATP are applied to bare DNA. Together with evidence of T4 DNA ligase bridging two different segments of DNA based on AFM imaging, we thus conclude that ligase can transiently stabilize folded DNA configurations by coordinating genetically distant DNA stretches.
Conversion of electromagnetic energy in Z-pinch process of single planar wire arrays at 1.5 MA
Authors: Liangping Wang , Mo Li , Juanjuan Han , Jian Wu , Ning Guo , Aici Qiu
Published: June 2014

The electromagnetic energy conversion in the Z-pinch process of single planar wire arrays was studied on Qiangguang generator (1.5 MA, 100 ns). Electrical diagnostics were established to monitor the voltage of the cathode-anode gap and the load current for calculating the electromagnetic energy. Lumped-element circuit model of wire arrays was employed to analyze the electromagnetic energy conversion. Inductance as well as resistance of a wire array during the Z-pinch process was also investigated. Experimental data indicate that the electromagnetic energy is mainly converted to magnetic energy and kinetic energy and ohmic heating energy can be neglected before the final stagnation. The kinetic energy can be responsible for the x-ray radiation before the peak power. After the stagnation, the electromagnetic energy coupled by the load continues increasing and the resistance of the load achieves its maximum of 0.6–1.0 Ω in about 10–20 ns.
Self-Q-switching behavior of erbium-doped tellurite microstructured fiber lasers
Authors: Jia Zhi-Xu , Yao Chuan-Fei , Kang Zhe , Qin Guan-Shi , Ohishi Yasutake , Qin Wei-Ping
Published: June 2014

We reported self-Q-switching behavior of erbium-doped tellurite microstructured fiber (EDTMF) lasers and further demonstrated a self-Q-switched EDTMF laser with a high repetition rate of more than 1 MHz. A 14 cm EDTMF was used as the gain medium. Upon a pump power of ∼705 mW at 1480 nm, output pulses with a lasing wavelength of ∼1558 nm, a repetition rate of ∼1.14 MHz, and a pulse width of ∼282 ns were generated from the fiber by employing a linear cavity. The maximum output power was ∼316 mW and the slope efficiency was about 72.6% before the saturation of the laser power. Moreover, the influence of the fiber length on laser performances was investigated. The results showed that self-Q-switching behavior in our experiments was caused by the re-absorption originated from the ineffectively pumped part of the active fiber.
Observations of unusual temperature dependent photoluminescence anti-quenching in two-dimensional nanosheets of ZnS/ZnO composites and polarization dependent photoluminescence enhancement in fungi-like ZnO nanostructures
Authors: Kole A. K. , Kumbhakar P. , Ganguly T.
Published: June 2014

Hybrid semiconductor nanostructures which integrate the favourable characteristics of both the component materials are found recently to be attractive candidate materials for research investigations having interesting optical properties. Considering the fact that the temperature of the materials used in photo-luminescent devices may vary while using them in a real device, it is essential to study the performances of such materials at variable temperatures. But the photoluminescence (PL) emission capabilities of such materials above room temperatures have not been well investigated, yet. However, in this work we have reported temperature dependent unusual PL emission characteristics of 2D nanosheets of ZnS/ZnO composite in the temperature range of 273–333 K. The composite sample has been produced by annealing the organic-inorganic ZnS(ethylenediamine)0.5 nanosheets, which are obtained by solvothermal technique. The as-synthesized nanosheets and another thermally annealed product of ZnO nanostructures showed usual thermally quenched PL emissions, whereas luminescence temperature anti-quenching (LTAQ) effect has been found in the ZnS/ZnO composite nanosheets. The PL emission intensity has been enhanced up to 242% with a small temperature variation of 60 K. The LTAQ effect has been explained by using the Berthelot-type model. It has been found that the diffused oxygen present in the composite nanostructures is acting as trap centre and played the major role in LTAQ effect. The analyses of time resolved PL emission spectroscopy data also confirmed the presence of oxygen trap level within the band gap of the material. Further, enhanced PL emission from the synthesized fungi-like ZnO samples has also been reported under the excitation of polarised ultraviolet light.
Individual and combined effects of transient drought and heat stress on carbon assimilation and seed filling in chickpea
Authors: Awasthi Rashmi , Kaushal Neeru , Vadez Vincent , Turner Neil C. , Berger Jens , Siddique Kadambot H. M. , Nayyar Harsh
Published: June 2014

High temperatures and decreased rainfall are detrimental to yield in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), particularly during grain filling. This study aimed to (i) assess the individual and combined effects of drought and heat stress on biochemical seed-filling processes, (ii) determine genotypic differences in heat and drought tolerance, and (iii) determine any cross-tolerance. Plants were grown outdoors in the normal growing season when temperatures during seed filling were <32−20°C or were planted late (temperatures >32−20°C; heat stress). Half of the pots were kept adequately watered throughout, but water was withheld from the others from the initiation of seed filling until the relative leaf water content reached 50% of the irrigated plants (drought stress); all plants were rewatered thereafter until seed maturit. Water was withheld for 13 days (normal sowing) and 7 days (late sowing), so soil moisture decreased by 54–57%. Tests on leaves and seeds were performed after the stress. Individual and combined stress damaged membranes, and decreased cellular oxidising ability, stomatal conductance, PSII function and leaf chlorophyll content; damage was greater under combined stress. Leaf Rubisco activity increased with heat stress, decreased with drought stress and decreased severely with combined stress. Sucrose and starch concentrations decreased in all seeds through reductions in biosynthetic enzymes; reductions were greater under combined stress. These effects were more severe in heat- and drought-sensitive genotypes compared with drought-tolerant genotypes. Drought stress had a greater effect than heat stress on yield and the biochemical seed-filling mechanisms. Drought- and heat-tolerant genotypes showed partial cross-tolerance.
Chapter 1. Appreciating the beauty of second language poetry writing
Authors: Hanauer David I.
Published: June 2014

This chapter presents a very personal view of a pedagogical approach to the second language writing classroom. This approach places human expression at its center, sees L2 writing pedagogy as involving the extension of expressive abilities, utilizes the genre of poetry and values the aesthetic qualities of L2 poetry writing. The chapter explains the ways poetry can be employed to promote both affective expression and linguistic expansion. Modeling second language writing as linguistically sophisticated and polysemantic, imagistic and narrative-based, autobiographical and an aesthetically pleasing reading experience, this chapter showcases a pedagogy that is based in a constructivist, humanistic gambit toward emancipating L2 language learners.
Chapter 2. Learner and writer voices
Authors: Spiro Jane
Published: June 2014

In this chapter, Jane Spiro explores a Creative Writing pedagogy in which the experienced writer and the second language learner writer meet in search of a second language writing voice. Drawing on the insights from an international group of undergraduate students at a UK university engaged in a creative writing component in their undergraduate program, Spiro suggests that the success of the project derives partly from its four-part cycle, entailing student choice of text, the articulation of reasons for their choice, applying their reading insights to writing creative texts of their own, and reflection on the process, and partly because students were participating in a writing community.
Chapter 3. “Is this how it’s supposed to work?”
Authors: Disney Dan
Published: June 2014

In this chapter, Dan Disney speculates on those processes at work when a poem transmits into a non-native language. In acquiring a speaking position, L2 proto-poets participate in processes somewhat similar to poets using their L1, and yet particular pressures exist: how to feel like ourselves in a language we do not quite feel at home in? Exploring a heuristic methodology grounded in Creativity and Literary Studies and taught to L2 students at a university in South Korea, Disney proposes poetry as a genre that can activate inter- and intrapersonal learning outcomes while advancing lexical, systemic, and creative literacies.
Chapter 6. Curriculum as cultural critique
Authors: Tay Eddie
Published: June 2014

In this chapter, Eddie Tay premises the practice and teaching of creative writing as operating within specific cultural and social parameters. Exploring tensions and anxieties that attend to the social, cultural and political landscape of Hong Kong, and presenting aspects of the work of Freire that may aid students in their engagement with their environment, Tay reads a range of student writing that demonstrates an awareness of social, political and cultural location, and which draws from Hong Kong culture as a resource, to crystalize the notion that creative writing contributes to the work of fostering an “imagined community” in Benedict Anderson’s sense of the term (Anderson 2006: 6).
Chapter 7. Co-constructing a community of creative writers
Authors: Chin Grace V.S.
Published: June 2014

In this chapter, Grace V.S. Chin explores how recent studies of creative writing have moved away from prevailing ideas of individual creative acts to explore the social dimensions of creativity. Using a sociocultural approach, Chin examines the interrelated notions of identity, language, and place by investigating L2 creative writing, specifically playwriting, as a social, learning process within the postcolonial, bilingual, and sociocultural contexts of Brunei Darussalam. The theories of Vygotsky and Foucault are expanded on to show how Creative Writing (SL) classes are interactional spaces where students actively engage each other as a community of writers; in the process, they co-construct both knowledges and identities as emergent L2 writers.
The development of speech acts
Authors: Cameron-Faulkner Thea
Published: June 2014

Children, like adults, use language to get things done. However, gaining an accurate picture of children’s development of communicative intent is challenging. While the behaviours used by children to express intent are external and thus to some degree measurable, the underlying psychological characterisation of intent is much more elusive. Speech act analysis involves identifying the goal behind a speaker’s utterance, gesture or sign, and provides a useful starting point for the analysis of communicative intent during both the pre-linguistic and linguistic stage. In the current chapter we begin by discussing the origins of Speech Act Theory and its relevance to child language development. We then discuss the emergence of speech acts in the language of young children, and also the relationship between form and function from a Speech Act perspective.
Ontogenetic Constraints on Grice’s Theory of Communication
Authors: Moore Richard
Published: June 2014

For a number of reasons Paul Grice’s account of the nature of intentional communication has often been supposed to be cognitively too complex to work as an account of the communicative interactions of pre-verbal children. Here I review a number of different formulations of this problem, and responses to this problem that others have developed. These include Relevance Theory (by Sperber and Wilson, Section 4.1.1), Pedagogy Theory (by Gergely and Csibra, Section 4.1.2), and recent work on Expressive Communication (by Green and Bar-On). I also discuss my own response to the challenge of Gricean communication (Section 4.2).
The pragmatics of word learning
Authors: Grassmann Susanne
Published: June 2014

Children use and integrate a variety of information when learning novel words. Most strikingly, children are skillful in drawing inferences about speakers’ intentions. This chapter reviews the current state of affairs regarding the wide variety of pragmatic information that children employ in word learning. Current debates on whether seemingly pragmatic phenomena in word learning should be explained by simpler processes are addressed throughout the chapter. Suggestions for future research directions are made. Finally, I suggest that in order to acknowledge the role that pragmatic information plays in word learning, the field needs to come to an agreement on what it is that children acquire in word learning: word-object/concept-associations or means to communicate and direct other’s attention to certain objects?
“The elevator’s buttocks”
Authors: Pouscoulous Nausicaa
Published: June 2014

Classic studies suggest that metaphor production and comprehension are relatively late developing pragmatic skills, although it is not quite clear why this should be so. This chapter will first provide a sketch of the theoretical and adult processing accounts of metaphor before presenting an overview of the established findings on children’s metaphorical abilities that indicate that these are slow to emerge. The third section examines impeding factors to be taken into account when considering these data, while in the fourth it is argued, based on recent empirical evidence, that when these factors are eliminated, children display both early comprehension and production of metaphors. In the conclusion, I will point to some future directions of research emerging from this outline of the metaphor development landscape.
Irony production and comprehension
Authors: Filippova Eva
Published: June 2014

This review sketches some recent approaches and research findings on children’s production and comprehension of discourse irony and situational irony. The separate treatment of production and comprehension in the overview of each of the two kinds of irony helps in highlighting children’s reliance on different competencies for their generating and interpreting irony, respectively. The definition-challenge section highlights the form and content of irony across different domains of research inquiry, and is followed by a discussion of methodological challenges leading to seeming inconsistencies across the reported findings. The final section offers suggestions for more ecologically valid research methods and calls for combining quantitative and qualitative methods in future studies of irony in both children and adults.
Children’s understanding of linguistic expressions of certainty and evidentiality
Authors: Matsui Tomoko
Published: June 2014

Informants are not always trustworthy or knowledgeable. Therefore, it is no surprise that every language has means to indicate how the speaker acquired a piece of information, as well as means to indicate how certain the speaker is about the information he is describing. The former are often called expressions of evidentiality and the latter are called expressions of certainty. Currently, however, little is known about how and when children acquire those expressions, and how acquisition of those expressions interacts with conceptual understanding of information source and trustworthiness of informants. The aim of this chapter is to shed some light on the issues by looking into cross-linguistic differences and similarities in acquisition of grammaticalized expressions of certainty and evidentiality.
Atypical pragmatic development
Authors: Norbury Courtenay Frazier
Published: June 2014

There has been recognition in clinical and research contexts for many years that some children have pronounced difficulties using language in context or using language to communicate in socially purposeful ways. The diagnostic status of such children has been a matter of great debate, but recently, the most well-known diagnostic framework, the DSM-V, introduced Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SCD), a disorder characterised by persistent difficulties using verbal and non-verbal communication for social purposes, in the absence of restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours. There is currently much confusion about the precise diagnostic criteria for SCD and how this disorder relates to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), previous descriptions of pragmatic language impairment (PLI) and more specific language disorders (LD). In this chapter I will offer an overview of SCD and how pragmatic and social communication skills might be assessed. I argue that implementing the new diagnosis is currently challenged by a lack of well-validated and reliable assessment measures, and that SCD is probably best conceptualised a dimensional symptom profile that may be present across a range of neurodevelopmental disorders. In addition, social communication and aspects of pragmatic language may be dissociated, with the latter heavily influenced by structural language attainments.
Perception of quality of life in an elderly Angolan sample / Percepción de calidad de vida en una muestra de ancianos angoleños
Authors: Gutiérrez Melchor , Tomás José M. , Sancho Patricia , Galiana Laura , Francisco Elizabeth-Hama
Published: June 2014

Increased life expectancy and the ageing of the population have made it particularly important to distinguish between the old (usually 60–79 years, or the ‘young old’) and the oldest old (80 years or more, or the ‘fourth age’). This study explores the effects of age, gender and institutionalization on perceived health and life satisfaction in 1003 elderly people from Luanda, Angola. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was estimated to test for these effects. Results provide evidence of lower scores on life satisfaction and perceived health for the oldest old and the institutionalized. However, the higher life satisfaction among the non-institutionalized disappeared when they reach the fourth age. No differences were found by gender, although there was a slight drop in the life satisfaction of women over the age of 80.
Fruit trees survival ability in an arid desert environment without irrigation in the Negev Highlands of Southern Israel
Authors: Ashkenazi Eli , Chen Yona , Avni Yoav , Lavee Shimon
Published: June 2014

More than a hundred abandoned but presently maintained fruit trees are scattered in the Negev Desert Highlands in Southern Israel. Most of the older groves were planted by Bedouins in pre-existing agricultural systems built in the distant past, mainly during the Byzantine era, mostly during the sixth and seventh centuries AD. In these groves a variety of domesticated fruit trees such as date palms, figs, pomegranates, almonds, carobs, pistachios, bitter oranges, grapevines and olives have been planted. The trees growing in these abandoned sites throughout the Negev Highland region are strictly rain-fed and dependent on the amount of runoff water accumulating from the surrounding old runoff harvesting systems with no modern artificial irrigation at least for the past several decades. Despite the lack of active irrigation, some of the trees of all species continue to flourish and even persist in bearing fruit to this day. The trees growing in the Negev Highlands can be divided into several planting periods. The oldest olive trees are apparently descendants of trees planted in the area during the Byzantine period (sixth and seventh centuries AD), while the youngest consist of varieties and species recently planted by Bedouins, until 1948. The factors affecting the survival of the trees are mainly of a geological nature, especially the rock types and their spatial distribution that contribute to the potential of runoff water. Topographic layouts are also critical for enhancing water runoff, as well as various soil parameters, such as water-holding capacity, depth, salinity, and organic matter content. A significant impact on the trees’ condition and survival depends also on the preservation state of the ancient terraces in which they were planted and the level of horticultural expertise of the Bedouins in growing fruit trees. During this study we characterized the geographical, geological and topographical conditions enabling the survival of different fruit trees with no artificially added irrigation in various locations within the Southern Israeli desert. Apparently no specific genotypes were required and involved in the survival of the various fruit trees, but the microconditions at each tree's location were found to be critical.
Vacuolar transporter Avt4 is involved in excretion of basic amino acids from the vacuoles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Sekito Takayuki , Chardwiriyapreecha Soracom , Sugimoto Naoko , Ishimoto Masaya , Kawano-Kawada Miyuki , Kakinuma Yoshimi
Published: June 2014

Basic amino acids (lysine, histidine and arginine) accumulated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuoles should be mobilized to cytosolic nitrogen metabolism under starvation. We found that the decrease of vacuolar basic amino acids in response to nitrogen starvation was impaired by the deletion of AVT4 gene encoding a vacuolar transporter. In addition, overexpression of AVT4 reduced the accumulation of basic amino acids in vacuoles under nutrient-rich condition. In contrast to AVT4, the deletion and overexpression of AVT3, which encodes the closest homologue of Avt4p, did not affect the contents of vacuolar basic amino acids. Consistent with these, arginine uptake into vacuolar membrane vesicles was decreased by Avt4p-, but not by Avt3p-overproduction, whereas various neutral amino acids were excreted from vacuolar membrane vesicles in a manner dependent on either Avt4p or Avt3p. These results suggest that Avt4p is a vacuolar amino acid exporter involving in the recycling of basic amino acids.
SptP106–136 plays a role in the complex formation with SptP-specific chaperone SicP
Authors: Hayashi Fumio , Kawashima Yurie , Takeuchi Shinobu , Okimori Kensuke , Inobe Eri , Oosawa Kenji
Published: June 2014

SptP is a virulence effector protein of Salmonella that is involved in bacterial invasion into a host cell. For effective secretion, SptP forms a complex with SptP-specific chaperone SicP through its chaperone-binding domain, residues 35–139. Here, we suggest the possibility that residues 106–136 of SptP are important for complex formation with SicP by in vitro reconstitution experiments.
Optimization of culture conditions of Fusarium solani for the production of neoN-methylsansalvamide
Authors: Lee Hee-Seok , Phat Chanvorleak , Nam Woo-Seon , Lee Chan
Published: June 2014

The aim of this study was to optimize the culture conditions of Fusarium solani KCCM90040 on cereal grain for the production of neoN-methylsansalvamide, a novel low-molecular-weight cyclic pentadepsipeptide exhibiting cytotoxic and multidrug resistance reversal effects. From the analysis of variance results using response surface methodology, temperature, initial moisture content, and growth time were shown to be important parameters for the production of neoN-methylsansalvamide on cereal grain. A model was established in the present study to describe the relationship between environmental conditions and the production of neoN-methylsansalvamide on rice, the selected cereal grain. The optimal culture conditions were determined at 25.79 °C with the initial moisture content of 40.79%, and 16.19 days of growth time. This report will give important information concerning the optimization of environmental conditions using statistic methodology for the production of a new cyclic pentadepsipeptide from fungi.
Bisphenol A exerts estrogenic effects by modulating CDK1/2 and p38 MAP kinase activity
Authors: Lee Hee-Seok , Park Eun-Jung , Oh Jae-Ho , Moon Guiim , Hwang Myung-Sil , Kim Sang-Yub , Shin Min-Ki , Koh Young-Ho , Suh Jin-Hyang , Kang Hui-Seung , Jeon Ju-Hong , Rhee Gyu-Seek , Hong Jin-Hwan
Published: June 2014

Bisphenol A (BPA) is considered to be an endocrine disruptor, but the mechanisms by which it disrupts endocrine functions are poorly understood. Here, we have shown that BPA binds both estrogen receptor (ER)-α and ER-beta (ER-β) using a fluorescence polarization competitive binding assay. In addition, we found that BPA induced cell proliferation by modulating cell cycle-related genes in the MCF-7 human mammary cancer cell line. Moreover, using a BG1 luciferase ER transactivation assay, we found that BPA has estrogenic activity. Modulating the MAPK pathway by using an ERK inhibitor (PD98059) or a JNK inhibitor (SP600125) had no effect on the ability of BPA to induce estrogenic activity. However, the antiestrogen, ICI 182,780, and the p38 inhibitor, PD 169316 successfully blocked BPA-induced estrogenic activity. Our findings suggest that BPA mimics ER-dependent estrogenic activity by targeting proteins that regulate the cell cycle and p38 MAPK.
Anti-HIV-1 activity of phlorotannin derivative 8,4‴-dieckol from Korean brown alga Ecklonia cava
Authors: Karadeniz Fatih , Kang Kyong-Hwa , Park Jae W , Park Sun-Joo , Kim Se-Kwon
Published: June 2014

8,4‴-dieckol is a natural product which has been isolated from brown alga, Ecklonia cava. This polyphenolic compound is a phlorotannin derivative with a broad range of bioactivities. Its inhibitory activity on human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) was tested and the results indicated that 8,4‴-dieckol inhibited HIV-1 induced syncytia formation, lytic effects, and viral p24 antigen production at noncytotoxic concentrations. Furthermore, it was found that 8,4‴-dieckol selectively inhibited the activity of HIV-1 reverse trancriptase (RT) enzyme with 91% inhibition ratio at the concentration of 50 μM. HIV-1 entry was also inhibited by 8,4‴-dieckol. According to data from this study, 8,4‴-dieckol is an effective compound against HIV-1 with high potential for further studies. These results suggest that it might be used as a drug candidate for the development of new generation therapeutic agents, although further studies on the mechanism of inhibition should be addressed.
Anti-diabetic properties ofDaphniphyllum macropodumfruit and its active compound
Authors: Koo Hyun Jung , Kwak Jong Hwan , Kang Se Chan
Published: June 2014

We evaluated in vitro anti-diabetic activities of 497 native plants of Jeju Island (South Korea) by measuring the induction of adipocyte differentiation. Among the plants, Daphniphyllum macropodum fruit extract (DME) had the highest peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonist activity and was therefore selected as a potential source of anti-diabetic agents. To elucidate the active components of DME, constituent compounds were purified and their effects on the adipocyte differentiation were studied. Using activity-guided fractionation, four compounds were isolated from DME and their adipogenic effects were evaluated. Among the compounds isolated, 5,7-dihydroxychromone potently induced the differentiation of mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. DME and 5,7-dihydroxychromone increased PPARγ and liver X receptor α (LXRα) mRNA expression levels. To determine whether the adipogenic effects we observed might affect serum glucose levels, we undertook in vivo experiment using streptozotocin-/high-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetes mouse model. DME supplementation reduced serum glucose, total cholesterol, and triacylglycerol levels in diabetes mice. These results suggest that DME may be useful for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Moreover, it was proposed that 5,7-dihydroxychromone isolated from DME is one of the active compounds that may contribute to regulate blood glucose levels.
A cell wall protein (YqgA) is genetically related to the cell wall-degrading dl-endopeptidases in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Hashimoto Masayuki , Fujikura Kentaro , Miyake Yukiko , Higashitsuji Yuhei , Kiriyama Yuuka , Tanaka Tatsuhito , Yamamoto Hiroki , Sekiguchi Junichi
Published: June 2014

The Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis has a thick cell wall. The cell wall contains various proteins, both for secretion and for peptidoglycan (PG) maintenance. Penicillin-binding proteins for PG synthesis, PG hydrolases (autolysins), and regulator proteins for the autolysins are the known components of the PG maintenance system. YqgA was identified as an abundant protein attached to the cell wall of B. subtilis through a proteomics analysis. The YqgA protein was localized at cell division sites during the transition period between the exponential and the stationary phases. YqgA localization was affected by mutations in the dl-endopeptidases (DLEPases), which are the autolysins involved in cell morphogenesis. Furthermore, yqgA mutations on a background of defective DLEPases led to delays in cell growth and cell morphological changes. These results demonstrate that yqgA is genetically related to the genes encoding DLEPases involved in cell morphogenesis.
Astrotheology
Authors: Peters Ted
Published: June 2014

Astrotheology is that branch of theology that provides a critical analysis of the contemporary space sciences combined with an explication of classic doctrines such as creation and Christology for the purpose of constructing a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of our human situation within an astonishingly immense cosmos. Within the growing field of Religion and Science, astrotheology and its sister subject, astroethics, represent critical responses to the excitement permeating the space sciences, especially astrobiology. The excitement arises because of new searches for microbial life within the solar system and the discovery of exoplanets elsewhere in the Milky Way, some of which may be homes for extraterrestrial intelligent civilizations.
The Impact of the 2013 Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy on Land Capitalization in the European Union
Authors: Ciaian Pavel , Kancs D'Artis , Swinnen Johan
Published: June 2014

Decoupled direct payments to farmers were introduced in the European Union (EU) in the form of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) in 2005. The 2013 Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) reform changed both the implementation of the SPS and its budget. We assess the possible effects of the 2013 CAP reform on EU land markets, particularly the capitalization of the SPS in land rental values. Our analyses suggest that the implementation details of the 2013 CAP reform will largely determine the impact of the SPS on land markets. The key considerations are the reference period for entitlement allocation, regionalization, payment differentiation, and budgetary changes. Our analysis also implies that a number of relatively minor policy changes could have substantial impacts on land markets.
Arthrobacter bambusae sp. nov., isolated from soil of a bamboo grove
Authors: Park YongJin , Kook MooChang , Ngo Hien T. T. , Kim Ki-Young , Park Sang-Yong , Mavlonov Gafurjon T. , Yi Tae-Hoo
Published: June 2014

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, motile by gliding, rod-shaped bacterial strain, THG-GM18T, was isolated from soil of a bamboo grove. Strain THG-GM18T was able to grow in the presence of up to 6.0 % (w/v) NaCl, at 4–37 °C and at pH 7.0–10.0 in R2A medium. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain THG-GM18T was closely related to species of the genus

Arthrobacter

. The most closely related strains to strain THG-GM18T are

Arthrobacter ramosus

CCM 1646T (98.5 % similarity),

Arthrobacter nitroguajacolicus

G2-1T (98.4 %),

Arthrobacter nicotinovorans

DSM 420T (98.2 %),

Arthrobacter aurescens

DSM 20116T (98.1 %) and

Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus

A6T (98.0 %). Strain THG-GM18T possessed chemotaxonomic properties consistent with those of members of the genus

Arthrobacter

, such as peptidoglycan type A3α (l-Lys–l-Ala–l-Thr–l-Ala), MK-9 as major menaquinone and anteiso- and iso-branched compounds (anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0) as major cellular fatty acids. The polar lipid profile contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified phosphoglycolipid, unidentified phospholipids, unidentified aminolipids, an unidentified glycolipid and unidentified lipids. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 61.0 mol%. The DNA–DNA relatedness values between strain THG-GM18T and its closest phylogenetic neighbours were below 26.0 %. The results of physiological and biochemical tests allowed the differentiation of strain THG-GM18T from species of the genus

Arthrobacter

with validly published names. Arthrobacter bambusae sp. nov. is the proposed name, and the type strain is THG-GM18T ( = KACC 17531T = JCM 19335T).
2-[(E)-1,1-Dioxo-2-(2,4,5-trifluorobenzyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2-benzothiazin-4-ylidene]acetic acid
Authors: Zhu Shaojuan , Parveen Shagufta , Zhu Changjin
Published: June 2014

In the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C17H12F3NO4S, there are two conformationally similar molecules in which the heterocyclic thiazine ring adopts a half-chair conformation, with the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings being 24.84 (8) and 37.42 (8)°. In the crystal, the molecules form dimers through cyclic carboxylic acid O—H...O hydrogen-bonding associations [graph setR22(8)] and are extended into chains along [101] through weak C—H...Osulfinylhydrogen bonds [graph setR22(14)]..
1-(Morpholin-4-yl)-4-(2-nitrophenyl)spiro[azetidine-3,9′-xanthen]-2-one
Authors: Atioğlu Zeliha , Akkurt Mehmet , Jarrahpour Aliasghar , Heiran Roghayeh , Özdemir Namık
Published: June 2014

In the title compound, C22H21N3O5, the β-lactam (azetidin-2-one) ring is nearly planar [maximum deviation = 0.010 (1) Å] and makes dihedral angles of 69.22 (5), 55.32 (5) and 89.42 (4)° with the least-squares planes formed by the four C atoms of the morpholine ring, which adopts a chair conformation, the benzene ring and the xanthene ring system, respectively. In the crystal, C—H...O hydrogen-bond contacts connect neighbouring molecules into infinite zigzag chains running parallel to thebaxis.
Simple and efficient modifications of well known techniques for reliable growth of high-quality crystals of small bioorganic molecules
Authors: Rychkov Denis A. , Arkhipov Sergey G. , Boldyreva Elena V.
Published: June 2014

A number of modifications to traditional techniques are suggested in order to overcome problems that frequently arise when growing crystals from solution. These improvements, and their combination, help to avoid problems such as poor nucleation, the spontaneous precipitation of many poor-quality small powder-like crystals, crystals adhering to the crystallization vessel or to each other, and chemical degradation of the solution. The proposed techniques can be used to crystallize desirable metastable polymorphs reliably. None of the suggested methods demands the usage of any special or expensive equipment, or specific skills, and they can be implemented in the chemistry curriculum even at secondary school level. Examples are given for the crystallization of small organic molecules such as carboxylic acids, amino acids, pharmaceuticals etc., but the same techniques are applicable to other classes of compound.
Novel multiple-beam very small angle neutron scattering (VSANS) using a conventional SANS instrument
Authors: Dewhurst C. D.
Published: June 2014

This article demonstrates how a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument, such as D33 at the Institut Laue–Langevin, can be configured without extensive modification to produce multiple highly collimated beams for measurements at the smallest scattering angles. This extends the range of material length scales able to be studied to greater than 1 µm, almost one order of magnitude greater than that of a conventional SANS instrument. The multiple-beam configuration uses the intrinsic properties of the neutron guide system and source and sample apertures with no additional optical devices or precise aperture array alignments. Up to several hundred individual beams, separated in angle by fractions of a degree in both the horizontal and vertical directions, can be extracted, which focus at the sample and diverge towards the distant neutron detector. This is particularly useful for the study of small samples, which can be probed at the smallest scattering angles while retaining sufficient neutron flux because of the use of multiple beams. The resulting data on the area neutron detector consist of multiple scattering or diffraction images which extend over and overlap those produced by neighboring beams. While the principle of the technique is rather simple, analysis of the overlapping SANS patterns requires the development of software techniques to extract the single scattering function.
Radial changes in wood specific gravity of tropical trees: inter‐ and intraspecific variation during secondary succession
Authors: Plourde Benjamin T. , Boukili Vanessa K. , Chazdon Robin L.
Published: June 2014

Variation in wood specific gravity (WSG) within and across species of tropical trees is poorly studied in relation to vegetation change during tropical forest succession. We investigated WSG of 91 species in eight long‐term plots along a successional chronosequence in north‐eastern Costa Rica.

Radial changes in WSG were described by the rate of change (slope) along the stem radius. Significant radial changes were found in 42 of 74 species, with 37 species exhibiting increases from inner to outer wood, and five exhibiting decreases. Radial increases were commonly observed in species with inner WSG below 0·5, whereas radial decreases were observed in species with inner WSG above 0·7.

Wood specific gravity weighted by cross‐sectional area (wWSG) varied four‐fold among species. Species classified as second‐growth specialists had lower wWSG, lower inner and outer WSG, and higher slopes than old‐growth specialists; successional generalists showed intermediate trait values.

Among 18 species sampled in both second‐ and old‐growth forests, four species (22%) showed significant variation in wWSG between forest types. Of 33 widely sampled species, seven species (21%) showed a significant effect of stem diameter on wWSG.

Second‐growth plots had lower stand‐level wWSG and more pronounced radial increases than old‐growth plots. Individual tree biomass for species with radial increases and low WSG was substantially underestimated when based on unweighted WSG compared with wWSG.

Wood specific gravity varied with successional stage at multiple levels: within species, among successional specialist groups, and across plots of varying ages. Radial increases in WSG are common among trees in early and intermediate stages of tropical forest succession. This trait may confer growth advantages early in succession and increased resistance to physical or biotic damage during later successional stages.
Critical disability studies and socially just change in higher education
Authors: Liasidou Anastasia
Published: June 2014

Social justice is an ambiguous and contested term that is evoked in order to address issues of enhancing participation and eliminating discrimination across various markers of difference linked to race, social class, and so on. Historically, disability has been excluded from these analyses because it has been cast in the sphere of abnormality and individual pathology. Notwithstanding considerable progress in the widening participation of disabled individuals in higher education, there are still many issues that need to be addressed in order to remove barriers to inclusion and to eradicate discriminatory regimes. The article, by Anastasia Liasidou of the European University Cyprus, uses some insights from Critical Disability Studies in order to highlight the ways in which certain dimensions of a social justice discourse need to be incorporated into debates about widening participation in higher education on the grounds of disability. Considerable emphasis is placed on the importance of adopting the theoretical and pedagogical underpinnings of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a means to mobilising socially just changes in higher education.
Vent for surplus or productivity breakthrough? TheGhanaian cocoa take‐off, c. 1890–1936
Authors: Austin Gareth
Published: June 2014

Through a case study of cocoa‐farming inGhana, this article takes up the long‐running but recently neglected debate about the ‘cash crop revolution’ in tropicalAfrica during the early colonial period. It focuses on the supply side, to test the much criticized but never superseded ‘vent‐for‐surplus’ interpretation of the export expansion as a substitution of labour for leisure. The article argues that while the model captured certain features of the case, such as the application of labour to underused land, its defining claim about labour is without empirical foundation. Rather, the evidence points to a reallocation of resources from existing market activities towards the adoption of an exotic crop, entailing a shift towards a new, qualitatively different and more profitable kind of production function. This innovation is best understood in the context of the long‐term search ofAfrican producers for ways of realizing the economic potential of their resource of relatively abundant land, while ameliorating the constraints which the environment put upon its use.
A WestAfrican experiment: constructing aGDPseries for colonialGhana, 1891–1950
Authors: Jerven Morten
Published: June 2014

There has been a recent surge in research on long‐termAfrican development. For this research agenda to be fruitful and its theories tested, it is crucial to have consistent estimates of economic change. However, there is a lack of reliable time series data for the colonial period inSub‐SaharanAfrica. This article contributes new time series data for theGoldCoast andGhana between 1890 and 2010 and in particular a newGDPtime series forGhana for the years 1891–1957. The series implies a sustained period of economic expansion from the late nineteenth century. This suggests a revision of some prevalent truths about the history of economic growth inSub‐SaharanAfrica, and points the way forward for expanding the database to cover the colonial period for otherAfrican economies.
Soy food and isoflavone intake and endometrial cancer risk: the Japan Public Health Center‐based prospective study
Authors: Budhathoki S , Iwasaki M , Sawada N , Yamaji T , Shimazu T , Sasazuki S , Inoue M , Tsugane S ,   JPHC Study Group
Published: June 2014

Objective

Compared with western populations, the consumption of soy foods among Japanese is very high and the incidence of endometrial cancer very low. We evaluated the association of soy food and isoflavone intake with endometrial cancer risk in Japanese women.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

Ten public health centre areas in Japan.

Population

Forty nine thousand one hundred and twenty‐one women of age 45–74 years who responded to a 5‐year follow‐up survey questionnaire.

Methods

Intakes of soy foods as well as other covariates were assessed in 1995–1998 by a self‐administered food frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Main outcome measure

Incidence of endometrial cancer.

Results

During an average of 12.1 years of follow up, 112 newly diagnosed endometrial cancer cases were identified. Energy‐adjusted intakes of soy food and isoflavone were not associated with the risk of endometrial cancer. The multivariate‐adjusted HR per 25 g/day increase in the intake of soy food was 1.02 (95% CI 0.94–1.10), and the corresponding value for isoflavone intake per 15 mg/day was 1.01 (95% CI 0.84–1.22).

Conclusion

In this population‐based prospective cohort study of Japanese women, we observed no evidence of a protective association between soy food or isoflavone intake and endometrial cancer risk.
Intimate Publics: Autoethnographic Meditations on the Micropolitics of Resistance
Authors: Rosario Melissa
Published: June 2014

This article is based on 18 months of fieldwork with a group of male activists who inhabit a nine‐year‐old protest site, blocking a controversial development project. In it, the female author grapples with the contradictions she notes between the stated intentions of the occupation and her own experiences within it. Through careful mix of her own experiences in the space and material she once discarded from her data—silences, rumors, violence—this article demonstrates that possibilities for rescuing public space are limited by interpersonal relationships between campers. By writing in an experimental mode, the author demonstrates how the act of analysis becomes entangled in the very social dilemmas it aims to uncover.
Fine structure in diabetic retinopathy lesions as observed by adaptive optics imaging. A qualitative study
Authors: Bek Toke
Published: June 2014

Purpose

Diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed by fundus photography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanning. However, adaptive optics (AO) imaging can be expected to add new aspects to the knowledge of diabetic retinopathy because photographic resolution is improved by reducing the influence of optical aberrations on retinal imaging.

Methods

Nineteen patients with diabetes mellitus were subjected to fundus photography, OCT scanning and AO imaging. The fundus photographs were scaled to the same magnification as that of the AO image, and qualitative aspects of AO images of each retinopathy lesion observed on fundus photographs and OCT scans were assessed.

Results

All red lesions on fundus photographs appeared on AO images as dark hyporeflective elements, but it could not be verified whether lesions represented haemorrhages or microaneurysms. The smallest of these lesions were circular with a size corresponding to that of blood cells. Hard exudates had irregular surfaces with buddings of various sizes protruding from the lesions. Areas of retinal oedema observed by fundus imaging and OCT scanning resulted in blurring of AO images, but cystoid spaces observed by OCT could be seen on AO images to have a sharp delimitation with a darker hyporeflective rim at the internal lining of the cyst wall.

Conclusion

AO imaging may potentially assist in detecting diabetic retinopathy at an earlier stage, may help elucidating the pathophysiology of the diseases and may be used for evaluating the effects of clinical interventions on diabetic retinopathy and other retinal vascular diseases.