bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular modeling and spectroscopic study of quinone–protein adducts: insight into toxicity, selectivity, and reversibility
Authors: Elgawish Mohamed Saleh , Kishikawa Naoya , Helal Mohamed A. , Ohyama Kaname , Kuroda Naotaka
Published: May 2015

The toxicity, reversibility and selectivity of quinone–protein adducts were studied using molecular modeling and molecular spectroscopy. Adduction of quinones with proteins could affect their redox potential, bioavailability, and intracellular distribution.
Deciphering the unconventional peptide binding to the PDZ domain of MAST2
Authors: Delhommel Florent , Chaffotte Alain , Terrien Elouan , Raynal Bertrand , Buc Henri , Delepierre Muriel , Cordier Florence , Wolff Nicolas
Published: May 2015

Phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) and microtubule-associated serine threonine kinase 2 (MAST2) are key negative regulators of survival pathways in neuronal cells. The two proteins interact via the PDZ (PSD-95, Dlg1, Zo-1) domain of MAST2 (MAST2–PDZ). During infection by rabies virus, the viral glycoprotein competes with PTEN for interaction with MAST2–PDZ and promotes neuronal survival. The C-terminal PDZ-binding motifs (PBMs) of the two proteins bind similarly to MAST2–PDZ through an unconventional network of connectivity involving two anchor points. Combining stopped-flow fluorescence, analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), microcalorimetry and NMR, we document the kinetics of interaction between endogenous and viral ligands to MAST2–PDZ as well as the dynamic and structural effects of these interactions. Viral and PTEN peptide interactions to MAST2–PDZ occur via a unique kinetic step which involves both canonical C-terminal PBM binding and N-terminal anchoring. Indirect effects induced by the PBM binding include modifications to the structure and dynamics of the PDZ dimerization surface which prevent MAST2–PDZ auto-association. Such an energetic communication between binding sites and distal surfaces in PDZ domains provides interesting clues for protein regulation overall.
Oral Articulatory Control in Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Authors: Grigos Maria I. , Moss Aviva , Lu Ying
Published: May 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to examine spatial and temporal aspects of articulatory control in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), children with speech delay characterized by an articulation/phonological impairment (SD), and controls with typical development (TD) during speech tasks that increased in word length.

Method

The participants included 33 children (11 CAS, 11 SD, and 11 TD) between 3 and 7 years of age. A motion capture system was used to track jaw, lower lip, and upper lip movement during a naming task. Movement duration, velocity, displacement, and variability were measured from accurate word productions.

Results

Movement variability was significantly higher in the children with CAS compared with participants in the SD and TD groups. Differences in temporal control were seen between both groups of children with speech impairment and the controls with TD during accurate word productions. As word length increased, movement duration and variability differed between the children with CAS and those with SD.

Conclusions

These findings provide evidence that movement variability distinguishes children with CAS from speakers with SD. Kinematic differences between the participants with CAS and those with SD suggest that these groups respond differently to linguistic challenges.
Multiple multicore fibre connector with physical‐contact connection
Authors: Shikama K. , Asakawa S. , Abe Y. , Takahashi T.
Published: May 2015

A new multiple multicore fibre (MCF) connector is presented that employs the compressive deformation of the fibre in a multiple ferrule. This connector enables a physical‐contact connection for all the fibre cores including the outer ones with a small compression force even if the connector end has manufacturing errors. The connector has been designed and fabricated for a 7‐core single‐mode MCF connector taking account of the relationship between the connector end structure and compression force, and it achieves physical contact connection with a connection loss below 0.7 dB and a return loss exceeding 54 dB.
Short‐term price forecasting of Nordic power market by combination Levenberg–Marquardt and Cuckoo search algorithms
Authors: Kim Mun Kyeom
Published: May 2015

This study proposes a new forecasting method for short‐term spot prices in the Nordic power market. It proposes a Cuckoo search Levenberg–Marquardt (CSLM)‐trained, CSLM feed‐forward neural network (CSLM‐FFNN) for the solving process that combines the improved Levenberg Marquardt and Cuckoo search algorithms. The proposed model considers actual power generation and system load as input sets to facilitate the efficient use of both transmission and power generation resources by direct market participants. During the training, the proposed CSLM‐FFNN model generalises the relationship between the area prices and the system price for the same period. The model can be updated to track online the variation trend of the electricity price and to maintain accuracy because of the rapid training speed in CSLM learning algorithm. The developed model is tested with publicly available data acquired from the Nord Pool, and the model's performance is compared with state‐of‐the‐art artificial neural networks and time‐series models. Besides, the proposed approach is applied to forecast market‐clearing price in the Spanish electricity market, to further assess the validity of the approach. The results show that the proposed CSLM‐FFNN exhibits superior performance than other methods in terms of forecasting accuracy and training efficiency.
Design and performance analysis of the miniaturised water‐filled double‐ridged horn antenna for active microwave imaging applications
Authors: Latif Saeed Iftakhar , Flores‐Tapia Daniel , Pistorius Stephen , Shafai Lotfollah
Published: May 2015

The design and analysis of a miniaturised double‐ridged horn antenna for active microwave imaging application are presented in this study. For such an application, a physically small horn is required. For effective signal penetration, a low frequency of operation (about 1.4 GHz) is selected. An array of these sensors is intended for use in a cylindrical breast imaging system, which is under development in the authors laboratory. The miniaturisation is achieved by loading the double‐ridged horn antenna with distilled water (εr = 76), a high permittivity, but easily available material. Further size reduction is achieved by reducing the aperture size and flare length in the horn section. The frequency response and both near‐ and far‐field patterns were studied. Two simplified prototypes were fabricated, and as per the system requirements, tested in a cylindrical container filled with distilled water. Measured and simulated reflection and transmission responses are discussed. Measured radiation patterns are compared with the simulated ones to validate the analysis.
Thermal loss becomes an issue for narrow‐band tunable antennas in fourth generation handsets
Authors: Caporal Del Barrio Samantha , Morris Art , Pedersen Gert F.
Published: May 2015

Antenna tuning is a very promising technique to cope with the expansion of the mobile communication frequency spectrum. Tunable antennas can address a wide range of operating frequencies, while being highly integrated. In particular, high‐Q antennas (also named narrow‐band antennas) are very compact, thus are good candidates to be embedded on fourth generation handsets. This study focuses on ‘high‐Q’ tunable antennas and contributes with a characterisation of their loss mechanism, which is a major parameter in link‐budget calculations. This study shows, through an example, that the tuner loss is not sufficient to explain the total loss of tunable antennas. It is found that thermal loss –because of the metal conductivity of the antenna itself – plays a major role in the loss mechanism of narrow‐band tunable antennas. The investigated high‐Q planar inverted F antenna designs exhibit a significant thermal loss; at 1400 MHz nearly 2 dB are lost solely because of the copper conductivity. Thermal loss poses a limitation to achievable performance of tunable antennas and to antenna miniaturisation.
Design of phased array antennas with beam switching capability in the near‐field focus applications
Authors: Chou Hsi‐Tseng , Yu Chien‐Te
Published: May 2015

This study presents the design methodology of a phased array antenna whose radiation will focus in the near zone of array aperture by using microstrip feeding circuits. A beam‐forming network based on Butler matrix is also implemented to scan the radiation beam along a target area in the near zone, which may improve the energy efficiency and reduce the multipath interferences. The design approach, numerical simulation and experimental measurement over an antenna prototype in the applications of radio‐frequency identification are presented to validate the feasibility.
Simple route to prepare different core–shell structured silica‐based microspheres
Authors: Chen Xingfen , Pang Jinli , Zhou Guowei
Published: May 2015

Different core–shell structured silica–titania (SiO2–TiO2) nanocomposites were successfully synthesised in two successive stages. In the first stage, the core was synthesised by preparing poly[oligo(ethylene glycol)monomethyl ether methacrylate] (POEOMA) on the modified surface of silica nanoparticles (SiO2–POEOMA). In the second stage, the shell was formed by depositing or coating tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) with SiO2‐polymer to obtain cauliflower‐like, cauliflower–pomegranate‐like and pomegranate‐like SiO2–POEOMA–TiO2 microspheres; the weight ratio of added SiO2–POEOMA to TBT (1:0.146, 0.293 and 0.439) was then adjusted. Later, the polymer layer was removed to obtain the cauliflower‐like, cauliflower–pomegranate‐like and pomegranate‐like core–shell structured SiO2–TiO2 microspheres (CMs, CPMs and PMs). X‐ray diffraction results showed that the TiO2 shell was a pure anatase phase. SiO2–TiO2 microspheres were also characterised by N2 adsorption–desorption; the results showed that a pore structure was found in the porous shell. Extensive porosity was generated in the shell because POEOMA was used as a template and pore‐forming agent; the structure of CMs, CPMs and PMs remained almost unchanged. These results also showed that pore volumes and specific surface areas of the final products derived from N2 sorption decreased as the content of TBT increased. PMs with the highest content of TiO2 showed the most efficient photocatalytic activity.
Stress induced anisotropy in CoFeMn soft magnetic nanocomposites
Authors: Leary A. M. , Keylin V. , Ohodnicki P. R. , McHenry M. E.
Published: May 2015

The use of processing techniques to create magnetic anisotropy in soft magnetic materials is a well-known method to control permeability and losses. In nanocomposite materials, field annealing below the Curie temperature results in uniaxial anisotropy energies up to ∼2 kJ/m3. Higher anisotropies up to ∼10 kJ/m3 result after annealing Fe-Si compositions under stress due to residual stress in the amorphous matrix acting on body centered cubic crystals. This work describes near zero magnetostriction Co80−x−yFexMnyNb4B14Si2 soft magnetic nanocomposites, where x and y < 8 at.% with close packed crystalline grains that show stress induced anisotropies up to ∼50 kJ/m3 and improved mechanical properties with respect to Fe-Si compositions. Difference patterns measured using transmission X-ray diffraction show evidence of affine strain with respect to the stress axis.
Influence of ion pairing in ionic liquids on electrical double layer structures and surface force using classical density functional approach
Authors: Ma Ke , Forsman Jan , Woodward Clifford E.
Published: May 2015

We explore the influence of ion pairing in room temperature ionic liquids confined by planar electrode surfaces. Using a coarse-grained model for the aromatic ionic liquid [C4MIM+][BF4−], we account for an ion pairing component as an equilibrium associating species within a classical density functional theory. We investigated the resulting structure of the electrical double layer as well as the ensuing surface forces and differential capacitance, as a function of the degree of ion association. We found that the short-range structure adjacent to surfaces was remarkably unaffected by the degree of ion pairing, up to several molecular diameters. This was even the case for 100% of ions being paired. The physical implications of ion pairing only become apparent in equilibrium properties that depend upon the long-range screening of charges, such as the asymptotic behaviour of surface forces and the differential capacitance, especially at low surface potential. The effect of ion pairing on capacitance is consistent with their invocation as a source of the anomalous temperature dependence of the latter. This work shows that ion pairing effects on equilibrium properties are subtle and may be difficult to extract directly from simulations.
Two-dimensional magnetostriction under vector magnetic characteristic
Authors: Wakabayashi D. , Enokizono M.
Published: May 2015

This paper presents two-dimensional magnetostriction of electrical steel sheet under vector magnetic characteristic. In conventional measurement method using Single Sheet Tester, the magnetic flux density, the magnetic field strength, and the magnetostriction have been measured in one direction. However, an angle between the magnetic flux density vector and the magnetic field strength vector exists because the magnetic property is vector quantity. An angle between the magnetic flux density vector and the direction of maximum magnetostriction also exists. We developed a new measurement method, which enables measurement of these angles. The vector magnetic characteristic and the two-dimensional magnetostriction have been measured using the new measurement method. The BH and Bλ curves considering the angles are shown in this paper. The analyzed results considering the angles are also made clear.
Volume phase transitions of cholesteric liquid crystalline gels
Authors: Matsuyama Akihiko
Published: May 2015

We present a mean field theory to describe anisotropic deformations of a cholesteric elastomer without solvent molecules and a cholesteric liquid crystalline gel immersed in isotropic solvents at a thermal equilibrium state. Based on the neoclassical rubber theory of nematic elastomers, we derive an elastic energy and a twist distortion energy, which are important to determine the shape of a cholesteric elastomer (or gel). We demonstrate that when the elastic energy dominates in the free energy, the cholesteric elastomer causes a spontaneous compression in the pitch axis and elongates along the director on the plane perpendicular to the pitch axis. Our theory can qualitatively describe the experimental results of a cholesteric elastomer. We also predict the first-order volume phase transitions and anisotropic deformations of a gel at the cholesteric-isotropic phase transition temperature. Depending on a chirality of a gel, we find a prolate or oblate shape of cholesteric gels.
First-principles study on stability of transition metal solutes in aluminum by analyzing the underlying forces
Authors: Liu Wei , Xu Yichun , Li Xiangyan , Wu Xuebang , Liu C. S. , Liang Yunfeng , Wang Zhiguang
Published: May 2015

Although there have been some investigations on behaviors of solutes in metals under strain, the underlying mechanism of how strain changes the stability of a solute is still unknown. To gain such knowledge, first-principles calculations are performed on substitution energy of transition metal solutes in fcc Al host under rhombohedral strain (RS). Our results show that under RS, substitution energy decreases linearly with the increase of outermost d radius rd of the solute due to Pauli repulsion. The screened Coulomb interaction increases or decreases the substitution energy of a solute on condition that its Pauling electronegativity scale ϕP is less or greater than that of Al under RS. This paper verifies a linear relation of substitution energy change versus rd and ϕP under RS, which might be instructive for composition design of long life alloys serving in high stress condition.
Ergodic theory and visualization. II. Fourier mesochronic plots visualize (quasi)periodic sets
Authors: Levnajić Zoran , Mezić Igor
Published: May 2015

We present an application and analysis of a visualization method for measure-preserving dynamical systems introduced by I. Mezić and A. Banaszuk [Physica D 197, 101 (2004)], based on frequency analysis and Koopman operator theory. This extends our earlier work on visualization of ergodic partition [Z. Levnajić and I. Mezić, Chaos 20, 033114 (2010)]. Our method employs the concept of Fourier time average [I. Mezić and A. Banaszuk, Physica D 197, 101 (2004)], and is realized as a computational algorithms for visualization of periodic and quasi-periodic sets in the phase space. The complement of periodic phase space partition contains chaotic zone, and we show how to identify it. The range of method's applicability is illustrated using well-known Chirikov standard map, while its potential in illuminating higher-dimensional dynamics is presented by studying the Froeschlé map and the Extended Standard Map.
Efficient electronic structure calculation for molecular ionization dynamics at high x-ray intensity
Authors: Hao Yajiang , Inhester Ludger , Hanasaki Kota , Son Sang-Kil , Santra Robin
Published: May 2015

We present the implementation of an electronic-structure approach dedicated to ionization dynamics of molecules interacting with x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses. In our scheme, molecular orbitals for molecular core-hole states are represented by linear combination of numerical atomic orbitals that are solutions of corresponding atomic core-hole states. We demonstrate that our scheme efficiently calculates all possible multiple-hole configurations of molecules formed during XFEL pulses. The present method is suitable to investigate x-ray multiphoton multiple ionization dynamics and accompanying nuclear dynamics, providing essential information on the chemical dynamics relevant for high-intensity x-ray imaging.
Nonlinear transient waves in coupled phase oscillators with inertia
Authors: Jörg David J.
Published: May 2015

Like the inertia of a physical body describes its tendency to resist changes of its state of motion, inertia of an oscillator describes its tendency to resist changes of its frequency. Here, we show that finite inertia of individual oscillators enables nonlinear phase waves in spatially extended coupled systems. Using a discrete model of coupled phase oscillators with inertia, we investigate these wave phenomena numerically, complemented by a continuum approximation that permits the analytical description of the key features of wave propagation in the long-wavelength limit. The ability to exhibit traveling waves is a generic feature of systems with finite inertia and is independent of the details of the coupling function.
Note: Application of CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors for quality assurance of mixed oxide fuel pellets
Authors: Kodaira S. , Kurano M. , Hosogane T. , Ishikawa F. , Kageyama T. , Sato M. , Kayano M. , Yasuda N.
Published: May 2015

A CR-39 plastic nuclear track detector was used for quality assurance of mixed oxide fuel pellets for next-generation nuclear power plants. Plutonium (Pu) spot sizes and concentrations in the pellets are significant parameters for safe use in the plants. We developed an automatic Pu detection system based on dense α-radiation tracks in the CR-39 detectors. This system would greatly improve image processing time and measurement accuracy, and will be a powerful tool for rapid pellet quality assurance screening.
Oscillation characteristics of zero-field spin transfer oscillators with field-like torque
Authors: Guo Yuan-Yuan , Xue Hai-Bin , Liu Zhe-Jie
Published: May 2015

We theoretically investigate the influence of the field-like spin torque term on the oscillation characteristics of spin transfer oscillators, which are based on MgO magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) consisting of a perpendicular magnetized free layer and an in-plane magnetized pinned layer. It is demonstrated that the field-like torque has a strong impact on the steady-state precession current region and the oscillation frequency. In particular, the steady-state precession can occur at zero applied magnetic field when the ratio between the field-like torque and the spin transfer torque takes up a negative value. In addition, the dependence of the oscillation properties on the junction sizes has also been analyzed. The results indicate that this compact structure of spin transfer oscillator without the applied magnetic field is practicable under certain conditions, and it may be a promising configuration for the new generation of on-chip oscillators.
Heat transfer analysis for magnetohydrodynamics axisymmetric flow between stretching disks in the presence of viscous dissipation and Joule heating
Authors: Khan N. , Sajid M. , Mahmood T.
Published: May 2015

The investigation of heat transfer analysis on steady MHD axi-symmetric flow between two infinite stretching disks in the presence of viscous dissipation and Joule heating is basic objective of this paper. Attention has been focused to acquire the similarity solutions of the equations governing the flow and thermal fields. The transformed boundary value problem is solved analytically using homotopy analysis method. The series solutions are developed and the convergence of these solutions is explicitly discussed. The analytical expressions for fluid velocity, pressure and temperature are constructed and analyzed for various set of parameter values. The numerical values for skin friction coefficient and the Nusselt number are presented in tabular form. Particular attention is given to the variations of Prandtl and Eckert numbers. We examined that the dimensionless temperature field is enhanced when we increase the values of Eckert number and Prandtl number.
Improving luminous efficacy using dual sustain pulse waveform associated with short sustain pulse width in AC-plasma display panels
Authors: Park Hyung Dal , Kim Jae Hyun , Shin Bhum Jae , Seo Jeong Hyun , Tae Heung-Sik
Published: May 2015

In the previous work, we reported that the luminous efficacy was significantly improved using the short sustain pulse width with sufficiently long off-time between sustain pulses. In this paper, we have proposed the dual sustain pulse as an alternative of short sustain pulse width when the off-time is short. We demonstrate that the luminous efficacy can be significantly improved by using the new dual sustain waveform, which is attribute to the effects of the dual sustain pulse as well as short sustain pulse width when the off-time is 1μs. The proper adjustment of the 1st sustain discharge can induce the 2nd sustain discharge out of the sustain pulse, resulting in the high luminous efficacy. Comparing to the luminous efficacy of the conventional case, it is improved by approximately 130 % due to the effects of dual sustain pulse as well as short sustain pulse width.
Rightsizing as Spatial Austerity in the American Rust Belt
Authors: Hackworth Jason
Published: May 2015

‘Rightsizing’ is a planning paradigm currently being applied to shrinking cities in North America and Europe. The central idea is to avoid the trap of growth-oriented planning by restructuring the urban landscape around mixed-income, mixed-use clusters. By replacing the current sprawling inefficiency, proponents argue, environmental, equity, and infrastructure efficiency goals can be achieved. Some have worried however, that rightsizing is merely a newly packaged version of urban renewal. I argue that both framings are misplaced. Through a careful consideration of rightsizing plans in five US cities—Detroit, Flint, Rochester, Saginaw, and Youngstown—I argue that austerity urbanism is the more apt way to characterize actualized versions of the idea. Actualized rightsizing lacks the utopian modernism and Keynesian interventionism of urban renewal, and the progressive equity-oriented environmentalism idealized by its proponents.
Heavy metal uptake by chemically distinct lichens from Aspicilia spp. growing on ultramafic rocks
Authors: Paukov A. G. , Teptina A. Yu. , Pushkarev E. V.
Published: May 2015

Accumulation of metals in four crustose lichens with different secondary chemistry growing on serpentinite was studied. Aspicilia cinerea and A. blastidiata contain depsidone norstictic acid, A. goettweigensis contains stictic acid, and A. contorta ssp. hoffmanniana contains aliphatic compound aspicilin. The highest concentrations in lichens compared with serpentinite were found for calcium (Ca; average 11 times, maximum 20 times). Strontium (Sr), Copper (Cu), sodium (Na), zinc (Zn) and chromium (Cr) were 2.8–9 times greater in lichens than in rocks, and other elements such as nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn) and magnesium (Mg) were equal or lower in the thalli than in the substrate. Three species showed little differences in concentrations of the same metals, whereas Aspicilia blastidiata, which is obligate to serpentinite, had statistically higher concentrations of most elements. This implies that the difference in secondary chemistry does not strongly influence accumulation rates of metals in selected species on serpentinite but that lichens have both mechanisms of accumulation and avoidance that may be related to ‘lichen acids’.
Relocalisation and activation of integrins induced rapidly by oestrogen via G-protein-coupled receptor 30 in mouse blastocysts
Authors: Qu Ting , Zhang Shi-mao , Yu Lin-lin , Zhang Sheng , Yuan Dong-Zhi , Xu Qian , Zhang Jin-Hu , He Ya-ping , Yue Li-min
Published: May 2015

Integrins are the dominant and final adhesion molecules in the attachment process between the blastocysts and endometrium. It is necessary for oestrogen to rapidly activate mouse blastocysts so that they attach to the endometrial epithelium. Our previous study suggested that oestrogen can rapidly induce an increase in intracellular calcium in mouse blastocysts via G-protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30). Thus, we deduced that integrins may be involved in GPR30 mediation of the fast effect of oestrogen on mouse blastocysts in implantation. To prove our hypothesis, we used immunofluorescence staining and in vitro coculture of mouse blastocysts and endometrial epithelial cell line (EECs), Ishikawa cells, in the present study. We found that αv and β1 integrin clustered in mouse blastocysts, and that β3 integrin was relocalised to the apical membrane of blastocyst cells when embryos were treated with 1 μM 17β-estradiol (E2), 1 μM E2 conjugated to bovine serum albumin (E2-BSA) and 1 μM G-1, a specific GPR30 agonist, for 30 min respectively, whereas pretreatment with 1 μM G15, a specific GPR30 antagonist, and 5 μM 1,2-Bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′′,N′′-tetraacetic acid tetrakis (acetoxymethyl ester)(BAPTA/AM), a cellular Ca2+ chelator, blocked the localisation of integrins induced by oestrogen via GPR30 in mouse blastocyst cells. E2, E2-BSA and G-1 increased the fibronectin (FN)-binding activity of integrins in blastocysts, whereas G15 and BAPTA/AM blocked the activation of integrins induced by oestrogen via GPR30 in mouse blastocysts. Inhibition of integrins by Arg-Gly-Asp peptide in blastocysts resulted in their failure to adhere to EECs in vitro, even if oestrogen or G-1 was provided. Together, the results indicate the fast effect of oestrogen via the GPR30 membrane receptor further induces relocalisation and activation of integrins in mouse blastocysts, which play important roles in the adhesion of blastocysts to EECs.
The natural yeast extract isolated by ethanol precipitation inhibits melanin synthesis by modulating tyrosinase activity and downregulating melanosome transfer
Authors: Lee Woo Jin , Rhee Do Young , Bang Seung Hyun , Kim Su Yeon , Won Chong Hyun , Lee Mi Woo , Choi Jee Ho , Chang Sung Eun
Published: May 2015

This study was conducted to examine the effects of EP-2, a natural yeast extract isolated by ethanol precipitation from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, on melanogenesis and to determine its underlying mechanism of action. Our results show that although EP-2 is not a direct tyrosinase inhibitor, when EP-2 was added to the culture media of B16F10 melanoma cells, intracellular tyrosinase activity was decreased. However, EP-2 had no effect on the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor or tyrosinase. EP-2 was found to inhibit melanogenesis and melanosome transfer when it was added to melanocytes and keratinocytes in coculture. In addition, protease-activated receptor 2, a key protein associated with melanosome transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes, was downregulated in the presence of EP-2. In conclusion, EP-2 is a potent inhibitor of melanogenesis and its hypomelanogenic effect is related to the inhibition of tyrosinase activity and transfer of melanosomes.
Prayer
Authors: Laird Martin
Published: May 2015

The universal call to holiness is not God’s response to the Christian’s own virtuous deeds and merits, but is God’s own gracious design for humanity. This call envisages an integrated prayer life that includes public participation in the sacraments and private prayer. This essay focuses on silent contemplative prayer. The vastness of the soul is perfectly adapted to receiving the divine light and resting in God in silence. The soul receives from God the gift of desire for prayer. In the love for God that is stimulated by prayer the soul is drawn into the divine life, the mystery of the Triune God communicates Himself to the soul and transforms the soul in His image and likeness, granting the soul a foretaste of eternal life. The bulk of the essay explores the different dimensions of the life of prayer across a number of spiritual traditions.
Theologies of Liberation
Authors: Goizueta Roberto
Published: May 2015

The term ‘theologies of liberation’ refers to a global theological movement that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s among Christians working for justice among the poor of the Third World. Most systematically articulated, initially, by Latin American theologians such as the Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, liberation theology is rooted in the Gospel claim that Jesus Christ is identified in a special way with the poor and marginalized of our world. Early influences on the emergence of liberation theology in Latin America included: the Catholic Action movement, base ecclesial communities, Vatican II (especially Gaudium et spes), and the Medellín Conference of 1968. The central insight of liberation theologies is that, because God makes a ‘preferential option for the poor’, we are called to do so as well; if Christ is identified with the marginalized, the lives of the poor is the privileged locus for practising Christian theological reflection.
Judaism
Authors: Irshai Ronit
Published: May 2015

This article examines the hitherto unquestioned consensus in Judaic studies that Judaism embraces a positive attitude towards sexuality. Grounded in the new scholarly trends of cultural and gender analysis as well as feminist critique and their impact on Jewish studies, it singles out four focal issues: sexuality in ancient rabbinic thought, to which the most scholarly attention has been directed; and issues in modern Halakhah that have just begun to inform scholarly research: the ethos of modesty and the construction of the female body; homosexuality and lesbianism; and reproduction and sexuality. The discussion reflects the tension between these two scholarly trends, and between the conceptual-theological stratum of Judaism and its reflection in the practical-legal sphere of Jewish law (Halakhah). This examination of Jewish attitudes towards sexuality, in light of the new scholarship, leads to the conclusion that although Judaism affirms sexuality, this cannot be grasped in a simple, superficial, or monolithic fashion.
The Early Chinese Endeavor to Interpret Early Chinese Religions
Authors: Brashier K.E.
Published: May 2015

Early Chinese writers rose above particular descriptions of spirits and sacrifices to a meta-discourse about the nature of spirits and the meaning of sacrifices. That is, they themselves mused about the broader meaning of religious phenomena. They recognized diverse ideas about spirits (e.g. whether they possessed agency); they theorized on dependency relationships between spirits and humans (e.g. the nature of reciprocity); they identified secular justifications behind religious discourses (e.g. the orthopraxy of affirming community or sanctioning ethics); they justified religious pluralism (e.g. by recognizing one’s own tradition as the trunk tradition and others as merely branch traditions); and they even permitted personal religious diversity (e.g. the same person could explain away immortals in one setting and yet glorify them in another). Because they themselves theorized about the nature of religious phenomena, we should become cognizant of those theories before projecting our own understandings of religion onto their spirits and sacrifices.
Blood, Death, and the Holy in the Leviticus Narrative
Authors: Bibb Bryan D.
Published: May 2015

After briefly discussing the final literary structure of Leviticus, this chapter considers three parts of the book in light of particular themes: blood ritual and mythic drama in chapters 1–7 and 11–15; life, death, and ambiguity in chapters 8–10 and 16; and holiness and God’s people in chapters 17–27. By embedding ritual instructions within a mythical-narrative frame, the authors/editors of Leviticus created a sacred timeless and authoritative world that resists challenge from dissent and doubt. However, narratives interspersed within the ritual texts expose ambiguities within the system and raise questions about the ability of the law to accomplish its purposes. In the second half of Leviticus, the world of “holiness” is expanded and reframed in order to apply to the whole community, a recognition that priestly ritual is a cosmic reality that is broader and more transformative than what happens only in the tabernacle.
Witnesses for the Defense in the Gospel of Luke
Authors: Smith Abraham
Published: May 2015

Assuming that the Third Gospel’s audience faced the public relations problem of a crucified Messiah, this chapter argues that the Gospel of Luke is an insiders’ defense of Jesus despite his ignominious death on a cross. Furthermore, while the chapter reviews various methodological approaches to the Lukan author, its own brand of audience-oriented criticism seeks to reconstruct the horizon of expectations and repertoires by which the Gospel’s authorial audience would likely have understood the Third Gospel’s defense. Accordingly, it avers that the Third Gospel negotiated a politics of respectability by imagining Jesus and his followers not solely as prophets and philosophers but as benefactors whose cosmopolitan reach rivaled the Roman Empire’s own claims of worldwide benefaction. Finally, the chapter appraises the Gospel’s defense for its ethical utility under very different circumstances in the world today.
Displacement and Diaspora in Biblical Narrative
Authors: Halvorson-Taylor Martien A.
Published: May 2015

Deportation and migration were formative for ancient Judaism and seminal for its literature. Dislocation, whether conceived of as forced or voluntary, influenced Israel’s recollection of her more distant past. Early pre-exilic narratives of Israel’s beginnings were redacted during and in response to Israel’s experience of exile, so that, for example, earlier Abraham and Joseph traditions were reshaped drawing on the realities of the Babylonian exile and the related Diaspora; these reworked traditions, in turn, informed narratives, such as Esther and Daniel, that took exile and diaspora as their explicit subject. The stories of Israel’s origins and its accounts of post-exilic and diasporic existence exerted a reciprocal influence on each other; and thus Israelite history came to be narrated as a series of exiles and returns, in which current dislocations were understood in terms of primeval patterns, and ancestral stories were revised in light of current dislocations.
A Clinical Trial to Detect Subclinical Transfusion-induced Lung Injury during Surgery
Authors: Feiner John R. , Gropper Michael A. , Toy Pearl , Lieberman Jeremy , Twiford Jenifer , Weiskopf Richard B.
Published: May 2015

AbstractAbstract

In this study, transfused erythrocytes in surgical patients did not impair gas exchange as assessed by Pao
2/Fio
2.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Background:

Transfusion-related acute lung injury incidence remains the leading cause of posttransfusion mortality. The etiology may be related to leukocyte antibodies or biologically active compounds in transfused plasma, injuring susceptible recipient’s lungs. The authors have hypothesized that transfusion could have less severe effects that are not always appreciated clinically and have shown subtly decreased pulmonary oxygen gas transfer in healthy volunteers after transfusion of fresh and 21-day stored erythrocytes. In this study, the authors tested the same hypothesis in surgical patients.

Methods:

Ninety-one patients undergoing elective major spine surgery with anticipated need for erythrocyte transfusion were randomly allocated to receive their first transfusion of erythrocytes as cell salvage (CS), washed stored, or unwashed stored. Clinicians were not blinded to group assignment. Pulmonary gas transfer and mechanics were measured 5 min before and 30 min after erythrocyte transfusion.

Results:

The primary outcome variable, gas transfer, as assessed by change of Pao
2/Fio
2, with erythrocyte transfusion was not significant in any group (mean ± SD; CS: 9 ± 59; washed: 10 ± 26; and unwashed: 15 ± 1) and did not differ among groups (P = 0.92). Pulmonary dead space (VD/VT) decreased with CS transfusion (−0.01 ± 0.04; P = 0.034) but did not change with other erythrocytes; the change from before to after erythrocyte transfusion did not differ among groups (−0.01 to +0.01; P = 0.28).

Conclusions:

The authors did not find impaired gas exchange as assessed by Pao
2/Fio
2 with transfused erythrocytes that did or did not contain nonautologous plasma. This clinical trial did not support the hypothesis of erythrocyte transfusion-induced gas exchange deficit that had been found in healthy volunteers.
The last diadectomorph sheds light on Late Palaeozoic tetrapod biogeography
Authors: Liu Jun , Bever G. S.
Published: May 2015

Diadectomorpha is a clade of Late Palaeozoic vertebrates widely recognized as the sister group of crown-group Amniota and the first tetrapod lineage to evolve high-fibre herbivory. Despite their evolutionary importance, diadectomorphs are restricted stratigraphically and geographically, with all records being from the Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian of North America and Germany. We describe a new diadectomorph,Alveusdectes fenestralis, based on a partial skull from the Upper Permian of China. The new species exhibits the derived mechanism for herbivory and is recovered phylogenetically as a deeply nested diadectid. Approximately 16 Myr younger than any other diadectomorph,Alveusdectesis the product of at least a 46 Myr ghost lineage. How much of this time was probably spent in Russia and/or central Asia will remain unclear until a specimen is described that subdivides this cryptic history, but the lineage assuredly crossed this region before entering the relatively isolated continent of North China. The discovery ofAlveusdectesraises important questions regarding diadectomorph extinction dynamics including what, if any, ecological factors limited the diversity of this group in eastern Pangea. It also suggests that increased sampling in Asia will likely significantly affect our views of clade and faunal insularity leading up to the Permo-Triassic extinction.
Priority effects in a planktonic bloom-forming marine diatom
Authors: Sefbom Josefin , Sassenhagen Ingrid , Rengefors Karin , Godhe Anna
Published: May 2015

Priority effects occur when a species or genotype with earlier arrival has an advantage such that its relative abundance in the community or population is increased compared with later-arriving species. Few studies have dealt with this concept in the context of within-species competition.
Skeletonema marinoi
is a marine diatom that shows a high degree of genetic differentiation between populations over small geographical distances. To test whether historical events such as priority effects may have been important in inducing these patterns of population differentiation, we performed microcosm experiments with successive inoculation of different
S. marinoi
strains. Our results show that even in the absence of a numerical advantage, significant priority effects were evident. We propose that priority effects may be an important mechanism in initiating population genetic differentiation.
Can the source–sink hypothesis explain macrofaunal abundance patterns in the abyss? A modelling test
Authors: Hardy Sarah M. , Smith Craig R. , Thurnherr Andreas M.
Published: May 2015

Low food availability is a major structuring force in deep-sea benthic communities, sustaining only very low densities of organisms in parts of the abyss. These low population densities may result in an Allee effect, whereby local reproductive success is inhibited, and populations are maintained by larval dispersal from bathyal slopes. This slope–abyss source–sink (SASS) hypothesis suggests that the abyssal seafloor constitutes a vast sink habitat with macrofaunal populations sustained only by an influx of larval ‘refugees' from source areas on continental slopes, where higher productivity sustains greater population densities. Abyssal macrofaunal population densities would thus be directly related to larval inputs from bathyal source populations. We evaluate three predictions derived from the SASS hypothesis: (i) slope-derived larvae can be passively transported to central abyssal regions within a single larval period, (ii) projected larval export from slopes to the abyss reproduces global patterns of macrofaunal abundance and (iii) macrofaunal abundance decreases with distance from the continental slope. We find that abyssal macrofaunal populations are unlikely to be sustained solely through influx of larvae from slope sources. Rather, local reproduction probably sustains macrofaunal populations in relatively high-productivity abyssal areas, which must also be considered as potential larval source areas for more food-poor abyssal regions.
Oviposition site choice under conflicting risks demonstrates that aquatic predators drive terrestrial egg-laying
Authors: Touchon Justin C. , Worley Julie L.
Published: May 2015

Laying eggs out of water was crucial to the transition to land and has evolved repeatedly in multiple animal phyla. However, testing hypotheses about this transition has been difficult because extant species only breed in one environment. The pantless treefrog,
Dendropsophus ebraccatus
, makes such tests possible because they lay both aquatic and arboreal eggs. Here, we test the oviposition site choices of
D. ebraccatus
under conflicting risks of arboreal egg desiccation and aquatic egg predation, thereby estimating the relative importance of each selective agent on reproduction. We also measured discrimination between habitats with and without predators and development of naturally laid aquatic and arboreal eggs. Aquatic embryos in nature developed faster than arboreal embryos, implying no cost to aquatic egg laying. In choice tests,
D. ebraccatus
avoided habitats with fish, showing that they can detect aquatic egg predators. Most importantly,
D. ebraccatus
laid most eggs in the water when faced with only desiccation risk, but switched to laying eggs arboreally when desiccation risk and aquatic predators were both present. This provides the first experimental evidence to our knowledge that aquatic predation risk influences non-aquatic oviposition and strongly supports the hypothesis that it was a driver of the evolution of terrestrial reproduction.
An Overdose of the Arabidopsis Coreceptor BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE1 or Its Ectodomain Causes Autoimmunity in a SUPPRESSOR OF BIR1-1-Dependent Manner
Authors: Domínguez-Ferreras Ana , Kiss-Papp Marta , Jehle Anna Kristina , Felix Georg , Chinchilla Delphine
Published: May 2015

The membrane-bound BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE1 (BAK1) is a common coreceptor in plants and regulates distinct cellular programs ranging from growth and development to defense against pathogens. BAK1 functions through binding to ligand-stimulated transmembrane receptors and activating their kinase domains via transphosphorylation. In the absence of microbes, BAK1 activity may be suppressed by different mechanisms, like interaction with the regulatory BIR (for BAK1-INTERACTING RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE) proteins. Here, we demonstrated that BAK1 overexpression in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) could cause detrimental effects on plant development, including growth arrest, leaf necrosis, and reduced seed production. Further analysis using an inducible expression system showed that BAK1 accumulation quickly stimulated immune responses, even under axenic conditions, and led to increased resistance to pathogenic Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000. Intriguingly, our study also revealed that the plasma membrane-associated BAK1 ectodomain was sufficient to induce autoimmunity, indicating a novel mode of action for BAK1 in immunity control. We postulate that an excess of BAK1 or its ectodomain could trigger immune receptor activation in the absence of microbes through unbalancing regulatory interactions, including those with BIRs. Consistently, mutation of SUPPRESSOR OF BIR1-1, which encodes an emerging positive regulator of transmembrane receptors in plants, suppressed the effects of BAK1 overexpression. In conclusion, our findings unravel a new role for the BAK1 ectodomain in the tight regulation of Arabidopsis immune receptors necessary to avoid inappropriate activation of immunity.
Crystal structure of 4-methoxyphenyl 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxylate
Authors: Devarajegowda H.C. , Suchetan P. A. , Sreenivasa S. , Srinivasa H. T. , Palakshamurthy B. S.
Published: May 2015

In the title compound, C17H12O5, the dihedral angle between the planes of the coumarin ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.015 Å) and the benzene ring is 48.04 (10)°. The central CO2group subtends a dihedral angle of 27.15 (11)° with the coumarin ring system and 74.86 (13)° with the benzene ring. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H...O interactions, which generate a three-dimensional network. Very weak C—H...π interactions are also observed.
Crystal structure of an unknown solvate of bis(tetra-n-butylammonium) [N,N′-(4-trifluoromethyl-1,2-phenylene)bis(oxamato)-κ4O,N,N′,O′]nickelate(II)
Authors: Eya'ane Meva François , Schaarschmidt Dieter , Rüffer Tobias
Published: May 2015

In the title compound, [N(C4H9)4]2[Ni(C11H3F3N2O6)] or [N(n-Bu)4]2[Ni(topbo)] [n-Bu =n-butyl and topbo = 4-trifluoromethyl-1,2-phenylenebis(oxamate)], the Ni2+cation is coordinated by two deprotonated amido N atoms and two carboxylate O atoms, setting up a slightly distorted square-planar coordination environment. The [Ni(topbo]2−anion lies on a twofold rotation axis. Due to an incompatibility with the point-group symmetry of the complete molecule, orientational disorder of the CF3group is observed. The tetrahedral ammonium cations and the anion are linked by weak intermolecular C—H...O and C—H...F hydrogen-bonding interactions into a three-dimensional network. A region of electron density was treated with the SQUEEZE procedure inPLATON[Spek (2015).Acta Cryst. C71, 9–18] following unsuccessful attempts to model it as plausible solvent molecule(s). The given chemical formula and other crystal data do not take into account the unknown solvent molecule.