bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The maximum dynamic eccentricity ratio of hydrodynamic rolling hybrid bearings
Authors: Lu Dun , Zhao Wanhua , Lu Bingheng , Zhang Jun
Published: August 2014

Hydrodynamic Rolling Hybrid Bearing (HRHB) is dual bearings combination where a hydrodynamic bearing and a rolling bearing with a clearance are assembled coaxially and side by side. The clearance of rolling bearing is a significant parameter for HRHBs. This paper aims to investigate the vibration characteristics of rotor supported by HRHBs to determine the permissible value of clearance of rolling bearing. The maximum dynamic eccentricity ratio is proposed based on the noninterference conditions of rolling bearing and rotor. Then an evaluation method of the maximum dynamic eccentricity ratio is developed. This paper also investigates the effects of the operation parameters such as rotational speed, perturbed force and structure parameters such as bearing span, diameter of rotor, and overhanging length on the maximum dynamic eccentricity ratio. The maximum dynamic eccentricity ratio on the front rolling bearing section is obviously larger than that on the back rolling bearing section. Moreover, the maximum dynamic eccentricity ratio reduces with the increase of the rotational speed and diameter of rotor, but increases with the augmentation of the perturbed force, bearing span, and overhanging length. When the maximum dynamic eccentricity does not go beyond the bound of the radius of the rolling bearing’s clearance circle, the rolling bearing does not interfere with the rotor. The paper provides theoretical basis for design of the minimum value of the rolling bearing’s clearance in HRHBs.
Exercise self-efficacy intervention in overweight and obese women
Authors: Buckley Jude
Published: August 2014

This study investigated the effects of a brief tailored intervention on self-efficacy beliefs and exercise energy expenditure in active and inactive overweight and obese women. Participants were randomly assigned to either control ( N = 50) or intervention ( N = 47) conditions, and their exercise self-efficacy was assessed three times over a 12-week period. Results showed that the intervention increased schedule, physical, exercise-worries efficacy, and energy expenditure in the previously inactive group. The results suggest that self-efficacy interventions are effective at increasing exercise energy expenditure in inactive overweight and obese women.
The Effectiveness of a Mixed-mode Survey on Domestic Violence in Curaçao
Authors: van Wijk Nikil , de Leeuw Edith , de Bruijn Jeanne
Published: August 2014

To collect reliable statistical data on domestic violence in Curaçao, we conducted a large-scale quantitative study ( n = 816). To meet with the special needs of the population and topic, we designed a tailored mixed-mode survey to assess the prevalence of domestic violence in Curaçao and its health consequences. Great care was taken to reduce selective nonresponse and stimulate open and honest responses. We describe how we implemented and tailored a mixed-mode survey and report on its consequences for response and data quality.
Consuming Rice, Branding the Nation
Authors: Chi Janine
Published: August 2014

Sociologist Janine Chi examines how rice-based dishes and cuisines in Asia are featured in culinary tourism to promote national distinction and identity.
Meat Masculinity
Authors: Gomes Costa Filho Ricardo
Published: August 2014

Scholar Ricardo G. Costa Filho explores Brazilian meat brand Friboi’s recent advertising campaign, and finds an intricate connection between hygiene, masculinity, and animal protein consumption.
The Rise of the Gourmet Hamburger
Authors: Caldwell Mark
Published: August 2014

Sociologist Mark Caldwell delves into the cultural dimensions of omnivorousness by exploring the rise of “gourmet hamburgers” across the United States. He shows that space, authenticity and exoticism are important aspects of hamburger consumption.
Weighing the Evidence
Authors: Bader Michael
Published: August 2014

Sociologist Michael Bader reviews two books, Fat Chance and What’s Wrong with Fat?, that hope to reshape the debate about obesity in America.
Culinary Capitalism
Authors: Khan Shamus
Published: August 2014

Sociologist Shamus Khan writes about life of the modern food system, and how it may well be the greatest triumph of capitalism.
Sleep Is Not for Slackers
Authors: Meltzer Lisa J. , Moreno Jennette P. , Johnston Craig A.
Published: August 2014

Sufficient sleep is as important as healthy eating and regular exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, many individuals do not obtain enough sleep or follow healthy sleep hygiene recommendations. The interaction of both biological and behavioral factors may affect sleep. Recommendations of healthy sleep habits that may assist in improving sleep quality and quantity are discussed in this article.
Encountering friction between liberal and neoliberal discourses of citizenship: A non-governmental organization’s entrepreneurship education in Tanzania
Authors: DeJaeghere Joan
Published: August 2014

Educating for citizenship is increasingly situated within the tension of ensuring social, political, and civil rights while also promoting participation in the global market. The literature and practice on educating for citizenship often assumes a liberal perspective with attention to political and civil rights. A growing body of literature shows how neoliberal ideas and values of individual responsibility, empowerment, and participation in the market economy are increasingly influencing education for citizenship. This article draws on data from a non-governmental organization’s entrepreneurship education program in Tanzania that aims to foster both rights and skills development for employment in a global market. Using Tsing’s idea of friction, I uncover the productive possibilities between these different discourses to show how local meanings of educating for citizenship are emerging to include those who are socially marginalized, to attend to material needs, and to foster new social and political identities among Tanzanian youth.
Global citizenship and national (re)formations: Analysis of citizenship education reform in Spain
Authors: Engel Laura C
Published: August 2014

In recent years, many European education systems have embarked on a process of education policy and curriculum reform related to citizenship education. This article explores citizenship education reform in the context of Spain. It considers how and to what extent Spain’s 2006 citizenship education addressed issues of national and global citizenship, as well as cultural diversity and immigration. Against a typology of four distinct approaches to national and global citizenship education, including traditional, skills-based, values-based, and reflexive approaches, the article draws on qualitative content analysis of Spain’s recent Education for Citizenship and Human Rights curriculum and associated textbooks. Findings focus on themes of human rights, national and global citizenship, and cultural diversity and co-existence.
Spontaneous Bilateral Vertebral Artery Dissection During a Basketball Game
Authors: Mas Rodriguez Manuel F. , Berrios Rafael Arias , Ramos Edwardo
Published: August 2014

Spontaneous vertebral artery dissection accounts for 2% of all ischemic strokes and can occur as a consequence of sports events. We present an unusual case of spontaneous bilateral vertebral artery dissection in a 30-year-old male patient during a basketball game. He developed severe dysphagia, right hemiparesis, and balance dysfunction. We also present a review of the pathology, diagnosis, symptomatology, treatment, prognosis, and occurrence of this entity in sports.
Effects of temperature and salinity on metabolic rate of the Asiatic clam Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774)
Authors: Xiao Bai-cai , Li Er-chao , Du Zhen-yu , Jiang Run-lan , Chen Li-qiao , Yu Na
Published: August 2014

The effects of temperature and salinity on the metabolism of the Asiatic clam Corbicula fluminea (mollusca, Lamellibranchia) were studied experimentally. Firstly, three indexes of basal metabolism (oxygen consumption rate, OCR; ammonia excretion rate, AER; and CO2 emission rate, CER), patterns of diurnal rhythm and O: N ratios were measured for three size ranges (large: h = 25.54 ± 1.96 mm, medium: h = 22.07 ± 1.33 mm and small: h = 17.70 ± 1.43 mm) at two salinities (0.3‰ and 1.8‰). The results showed that: (1) three indexes decreased with increasing body size. (2) no significant difference was found between two salinities for the O: N ratios of the small and large size, but a significant difference was found for the medium-sized one; (3) however, there were similar and distinct diurnal rhythms of metabolic rate at two salinities over a 24 hour period in three size C. fluminea.

OCR, AER, CER, O: N ratios and Q10 (temperature coefficient) of small-sized C. fluminea were measured across five water temperatures (4, 11, 18, 25 and 32°C) and two salinities (0.3‰ and 1.8‰) in the following experiments. Our results of the small C. fluminea were as follows: there was no significant difference in the O: N ratios among the five temperatures and two salinity treatments; and no significant difference of three indexes between both salinity levels were observed at same temperature controlled; and three indexes increased significantly with increasing temperature from 4°C to 25°C, while no significant difference was observed in the 25-32°C range; and the highest Q10 coefficients (Q10 = 1.825 at salinity of 0.3‰ and Q10 = 1.683 at salinity of 1.8‰) were observed at the 18-25°C temperature increase, and the low values were found in the 4-11°C, 11-18°C and 25-32°C interval. It indicates that there is not a synergetic effect of our temperature and salinity on the metabolic rate of small C. fluminea, and a temperature of 18-25°C may represent an optimum adequate metabolic temperature range. For the purposes of ecological monitoring and restoration, small individuals of C. fluminea planted are more likely to survive than larger ones.
Organizing knowledge to enable personalization of medicine in cancer
Authors: Good Benjamin M , Ainscough Benjamin J , McMichael Josh F , Su Andrew I , Griffith Obi L
Published: August 2014

Interpretation of the clinical significance of genomic alterations remains the most severe bottleneck preventing the realization of personalized medicine in cancer. We propose a knowledge commons to facilitate collaborative contributions and open discussion of clinical decision-making based on genomic events in cancer.
Overexpression of the Aspergillus niger GatA transporter leads to preferential use of D-galacturonic acid over D-xylose
Authors: Sloothaak Jasper , Schilders Mike , Schaap Peter J , de Graaff Leo H
Published: August 2014

Pectin is a structural heteropolysaccharide of the primary cell walls of plants and as such is a significant fraction of agricultural waste residues that is currently insufficiently used. Its main component, D-galacturonic acid, is an attractive substrate for bioconversion. The complete metabolic pathway is present in the genome of Aspergillus niger, that is used in this study. The objective was to identify the D-galacturonic acid transporter in A. niger and to use this transporter to study D-galacturonic acid metabolism.

We have functionally characterized the gene An14g04280 that encodes the D-galacturonic acid transporter in A. niger. In a mixed sugar fermentation it was found that the An14g04280 overexpression strain, in contrast to the parent control strain, has a preference for D-galacturonic acid over D-xylose as substrate. Overexpression of this transporter in A. niger resulted in a strong increase of D-galacturonic acid uptake and induction of the D-galacturonic acid reductase activity, suggesting a metabolite controlled regulation of the endogenous D-galacturonic acid catabolic pathway.
Perceived risk of exposure to indoor residential radon and its relationship to willingness to test among health care providers in Tehran
Authors: Hazar Narjes , Karbakhsh Mojgan , Yunesian Masud , Nedjat Saharnaz , Naddafi Kazem
Published: August 2014

Background

Radon exposure is the second cause of lung cancer after exposure to tobacco smoke and the first cause in nonsmokers. The purpose of this study was to assess perceived risk of exposure to indoor residential radon among health care providers in urban and rural health centers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Method

In 2012–2013, a survey was carried out on 462 health care providers to assess their awareness and risk perception about exposure to indoor residential radon. Only subjects who had previously heard about radon were asked to answer knowledge-based and risk perception questions and report source of knowledge, willingness to test and willingness to pay for radon test kits.

Results

About 67% of responders had heard about radon before this study and of these, 83.5 % recognized it as being hazardous and 34.5 % identified lung cancer as the main health outcome of exposure to radon. Overall, 33% of 310 subjects had knowledgeable awareness. Seventy percent of responders who had previously heard about radon, had high perceived risk and they were more willing to test their houses and more willing to pay for radon test kits.

Conclusion

Having knowledge about radon and perceiving it as a risk had a significant association with willing to take relevant health related behaviors. Furthermore, risk perception contributes to willing to spend more money when health is a concern. Education of health care providers seems to be a pre-requisite to public campaigns on radon awareness and testing.
The Louvre Crucifix by Giotto – Unveiling the original decoration by 2D-XRF, X-ray radiography, Emissiography and SEM-EDX analysis
Authors: Eveno Myriam , Ravaud Elisabeth , Calligaro Thomas , Pichon Laurent , Laval Eric
Published: August 2014

Introduction

Giotto (1266–1337) and his workshop realized c. 1315 the large Crucifix now in the Louvre Museum. The conservation of this masterpiece in 2010–2013 in the C2RMF studios gave the opportunity for a comprehensive investigation of the execution technique through a characterization of the paint layers. The first examinations revealed an original gilding and decoration surrounding the Christ which was repainted during the 19th C., raising the question of the original decoration appearance.

Results

The original decoration still present underneath was unveiled. The different imaging analytical techniques applied brought complementary results allowing us to reconstruct the original decoration. Elemental images of selected areas on the Crucifix were obtained using bi-dimensional X-ray fluorescence imaging technique (2D-XRF) with a prototype XRF spectrometer mounted on a motorized X-Y system. The head of the instrument was moved over a 150 x150 mm2 area with 1 mm steps, using a 1 mm beam spot and acquisition time of 2 seconds per pixel. The XRF spectra of each pixel provided semi-quantitative elemental maps of the layers: gilding and pigments even at low concentrations could be recognised. The XRF maps achieved were completed by X-ray radiographs and emissiographs of the Crucifix. Some micro-samples analyzed with the scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX) allowed a better understanding of the stratigraphy. The comparison of the direct light and the X-ray pictures enabled us to distinguish the repaint from the original pattern. The visible metallic leaf is a thin gold leaf applied on a mordant gilding while the original one is a double leaf of gold and silver (Zwischgold) applied on a red bole. As for the painting, the visible decoration is composed of brown earth and organic greenish color whereas the original is made of red lake, copper green, azurite and vermillion. The 2D-XRF maps evidenced two levels of copper that could be ascribed to two different copper pigments, a blue and a green one.

Conclusions

A complementary methodology combining classical X-ray imaging, sample analysis and 2D-XRF was applied to large areas of the Giotto’s crucifix. This approach allowed us to distinguish the underlying original composition from the 19th C. overpainted decoration.
KISS1R Signals Independently of Gαq/11 and Triggers LH Secretion via the β-Arrestin Pathway in the Male Mouse
Authors: Ahow Maryse , Min Le , Pampillo Macarena , Nash Connor , Wen Junping , Soltis Kathleen , Carroll Rona S. , Glidewell-Kenney Christine A. , Mellon Pamela L. , Bhattacharya Moshmi , Tobet Stuart A. , Kaiser Ursula B. , Babwah Andy V.
Published: August 2014

Hypothalamic GnRH is the master regulator of the neuroendocrine reproductive axis, and its secretion is regulated by many factors. Among these is kisspeptin (Kp), a potent trigger of GnRH secretion. Kp signals via the Kp receptor (KISS1R), a Gαq/11-coupled 7-transmembrane–spanning receptor. Until this study, it was understood that KISS1R mediates GnRH secretion via the Gαq/11-coupled pathway in an ERK1/2-dependent manner. We recently demonstrated that KISS1R also signals independently of Gαq/11 via β-arrestin and that this pathway also mediates ERK1/2 activation. Because GnRH secretion is ERK1/2-dependent, we hypothesized that KISS1R regulates GnRH secretion via both the Gαq/11- and β-arrestin–coupled pathways. To test this hypothesis, we measured LH secretion, a surrogate marker of GnRH secretion, in mice lacking either β-arrestin-1 or β-arrestin-2. Results revealed that Kp-dependent LH secretion was significantly diminished relative to wild-type mice (P < .001), thus supporting that β-arrestin mediates Kp-induced GnRH secretion. Based on this, we hypothesized that Gαq/11-uncoupled KISS1R mutants, like L148S, will display Gαq/11-independent signaling. To test this hypothesis, L148S was expressed in HEK 293 cells. and results confirmed that, although strongly uncoupled from Gαq/11, L148S retained the ability to trigger significant Kp-dependent ERK1/2 phosphorylation (P < .05). Furthermore, using mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking β-arrestin-1 and -2, we demonstrated that L148S-mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation is β-arrestin–dependent. Overall, we conclude that KISS1R signals via Gαq/11 and β-arrestin to regulate GnRH secretion. This novel and important finding could explain why patients bearing some types of Gαq/11-uncoupled KISS1R mutants display partial gonadotropic deficiency and even a reversal of the condition, idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
Low Calcium-Phosphate Intakes Modulate the Low-Protein Diet-Related Effect on Peak Bone Mass Acquisition: A Hormonal and Bone Strength Determinants Study in Female Growing Rats
Authors: Fournier C. , Rizzoli R. , Ammann P.
Published: August 2014

Peak bone mass acquisition is influenced by environmental factors including dietary intake. A low-protein diet delays body and skeletal growth in association with a reduction in serum IGF-1 whereas serum FGF21 is increased by selective amino acid deprivation. Calcium (Ca) and phosphorous (P) are also key nutrients for skeletal health, and inadequate intakes reduce bone mass accrual in association with calciotropic hormone modulation. Besides, the effect of calcium supplementation on bone mass in prepubertal children appears to be influenced by protein intake. To further explore the interaction of dietary protein and Ca-P intake on bone growth, 1-month-old female rats were fed with an isocaloric 10%, 7.5%, or 5% casein diet containing normal or low Ca-P for an 8-week period (6 groups). Changes in tibia geometry, mineral content, microarchitecture, strength, and intrinsic bone quality were analyzed. At the hormonal level, serum IGF-1, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), PTH, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol), and FGF23 were investigated as well as the Ghr hepatic gene expression. In normal dietary Ca-P conditions, bone mineral content, trabecular and cortical bone volume, and bone strength were lower in the 5% casein group in association with a decrease in serum IGF-1 and an increase in FGF21 levels. Unexpectedly, the low-Ca-P diet attenuated the 5% casein diet-related reduction of serum IGF-1 and Ghr hepatic gene expression, as well as the low-protein diet-induced decrease in bone mass and strength. However, this was associated with lower cortical bone material level properties. The low-Ca-P diet increased serum calcitriol but decreased FGF23 levels. Calcitriol levels positively correlated with Ghr hepatic mRNA levels. These results suggest that hormonal modulation in response to a low-Ca-P diet may modify the low-protein diet-induced effect on Ghr hepatic mRNA levels and consequently the impact of low protein intakes on IGF-1 circulating levels and skeletal growth.
Striking Pondichéry: Religious Disputes and French Authority in an Indian Colony of the Ancien Régime
Authors: Agmon Danna
Published: August 2014

The French colony of Pondichéry, India, was roiled by religious struggles in the eighteenth century. In 1701-15 colonial French officials repeatedly attempted to restrict the practice of local religion in the town. Local laborers, artisans, and merchants responded with four different work stoppages and threats of abandoning the colony. Again and again local residents emerged from these conflicts with the upper hand, as the strikes resulted in near-complete French capitulation and a removal of the religious restrictions. This study explains these events by demonstrating that the administrators of the French trading company, the Compagnie des Indes, and French Jesuit missionaries could not agree on how to address the workers’ demands to practice their religion in the Catholic-ruled town. Fundamental conflicts between company officials and missionaries about the priorities of colonial rule, coupled with a mobile local labor system, allowed native actors a surprising measure of control over the development of this Indian Ocean colony and posed a significant challenge to French authority.

Au cours du dix-huitième siècle, la colonie française de Pondichéry en Inde fut secouée par des luttes religieuses. Entre 1701 et 1715, les autorités coloniales françaises essayèrent à plusieurs reprises de restreindre la pratique de la religion locale dans la ville. Les ouvriers, artisans et commerçants indiens réagirent alors en suspendant à quatre reprises toute activité et en menaçant d’abandonner la colonie. A chaque fois, les résidents locaux eurent gain de cause, les grèves entraînant une capitulation presque complète des autorités françaises et la levée des restrictions religieuses. La présente étude explique ces événements en montrant que les administrateurs de la Compagnie des Indes et les jésuites français installés à Pondichéry ne parvinrent pas à s’entendre sur la manière de répondre aux demandes des travailleurs de pratiquer leur religion dans cette ville catholique. Ce conflit de fond entre missionnaires et représentants officiels de la Compagnie sur les priorités du pouvoir colonial, ajouté à une organisation mobile de la main d’oeuvre autochtone, conféra aux acteurs locaux une marge étonnante de contrôle sur le développement de cette colonie de l’océan Indien, et constitua un défi de taille pour l’autorité française.
Yoshiki Sasai: stem cell Sensei
Authors: Piccolo Stefano
Published: August 2014

Stefano Piccolo looks back at the life and research of his friend and colleague Yoshiki Sasai.
Arfs at a Glance
Authors: Jackson Catherine L. , Bouvet Samuel
Published: August 2014

The Arf small G proteins regulate protein and lipid trafficking in eukaryotic cells through a regulated cycle of GTP binding and hydrolysis. In their GTP-bound form, Arf proteins recruit a specific set of protein effectors to the membrane surface. These effectors function in vesicle formation and tethering, non-vesicular lipid transport and cytoskeletal regulation. Beyond fundamental membrane trafficking roles, Arf proteins also regulate mitosis, plasma membrane signaling, cilary trafficking and lipid droplet function. Tight spatial and temporal regulation of the relatively small number of Arf proteins is achieved by their guanine nucleotide-exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), which catalyze GTP binding and hydrolysis, respectively. A unifying function of Arf proteins, performed in conjunction with their regulators and effectors, is sensing, modulating and transporting the lipids that make up cellular membranes. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we discuss the unique features of Arf small G proteins, their functions in vesicular and lipid trafficking in cells, and how these functions are modulated by their regulators, the GEFs and GAPs. We also discuss how these Arf functions are subverted by human pathogens and disease states.
The meiosis-specific nuclear passenger protein is required for proper assembly of forespore membrane in fission yeast
Authors: Takaine Masak , Imada Kazuki , Numata Osamu , Nakamura Taro , Nakano Kentaro
Published: August 2014

Sporulation, gametogenesis in yeast, consists of meiotic nuclear division and spore morphogenesis. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, four haploid nuclei produced after meiosis II are encapsulated by the forespore membrane (FSM), which is newly synthesized from spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in the cytoplasm of the mother cell as spore precursors. Although the coordination between meiosis and FSM assembly is vital for proper sporulation, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we identified a novel meiosis-specific protein Npg1, which has been implicated in the efficient formation of spores and spore viability. The accumulation and organization of the FSM was compromised in npg1-null cells, leading to the error-prone envelopment of nuclei. Npg1 first emerged as internuclear dots and translocated to the SPBs before the FSM assembled. Genetic analysis revealed that Npg1 worked with the FSM proteins Spo3 and Meu14. These results suggest a possible signaling link from the nucleus to the meiotic SPBs in order to associate the onset of FSM assembly with meiosis II, which ensures the successful partitioning of gametic nuclei.
AIMP1/p43 negatively regulates adipogenesis by inhibiting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma
Authors: Kim Jong Hyun , Lee Jung Ho , Park Min Chul , Yoon Ina , Kim Kibom , Lee Minji , Choi Heung-Sik , Kim Sunghoon , Han Jung Min
Published: August 2014

Adipogenesis is known to be controlled by the concerted actions of transcription factors and co-regulators. However, little is known about the regulation mechanism of transcription factors that control adipogenesis. In addition, the adipogenic roles of translational factors remain unclear. Here, we show that aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multifunctional protein 1 (AIMP1), an auxiliary factor that is associated with a macromolecular tRNA synthetase complex, negatively regulates adipogenesis via a direct interaction with the DNA-binding domain of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). AIMP1 expression increased during adipocyte differentiation. Adipogenesis was augmented in AIMP1-deficient cells, as compared with control cells. AIMP1 exhibited high affinity for active PPARγ and interacted with the DNA-binding domain of PPARγ, thereby inhibiting its transcriptional activity. Thus, AIMP1 appears to function as a novel inhibitor of PPARγ that regulates adipocyte differentiation by preventing the transcriptional activation of PPARγ.
Titin force is enhanced in actively stretched skeletal muscle
Authors: Powers Krysta , Schappacher-Tilp Gudrun , Jinha Azim , Leonard Tim , Nishikawa Kiisa , Herzog Walter
Published: August 2014

The sliding filament theory of muscle contraction is widely accepted as the means by which muscles generate force during activation. Within the constraints of this theory, isometric, steady-state force produced during muscle activation is proportional to the amount of filament overlap. Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated enhanced titin-based force in myofibrils that were actively stretched to lengths which exceeded filament overlap. This observation cannot be explained by the sliding filament theory. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the enhanced state of titin during active stretch. Specifically, we confirm that this enhanced state of force is observed in a mouse model and quantify the contribution of calcium to this force. Titin-based force was increased by up to four times that of passive force during active stretch of isolated myofibrils. Enhanced titin-based force has now been demonstrated in two distinct animal models, suggesting that modulation of titin-based force during active stretch is an inherent property of skeletal muscle. Our results also demonstrated that 15% of titin’s enhanced state can be attributed to direct calcium effects on the protein, presumably a stiffening of the protein upon calcium binding to the E-rich region of the PEVK segment and selected Ig domain segments. We suggest that the remaining unexplained 85% of this extra force results from titin binding to the thin filament. With this enhanced force confirmed in the mouse model, future studies will aim to elucidate the proposed titin-thin filament interaction in actively stretched sarcomeres.
Letter: Separation of Tautomeric Forms of [2-Nitrophloroglucinol-H]− by an in-Electrospray Ionization Source Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Approach
Authors: Kostyukevich Yury , Kononikhin Alexey , Popov Igor , Starodubtseva Natalia , Kukaev Eugene , Nikolaev Eugene
Published: August 2014

Here we report the observation that, depending on the solvent used for the electrospray, 2-nitrophloroglucinol undergoes a deprotonation from different sites forming two tautomeric gas phase ions. Those ions differ by the collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra and by the gas phase hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange kinetic. We performed H/D exchange in the electrospray ionization (ESI) source by saturation ESI region with vapors of deuterated solvent (D2O). It was observed that [2-nitrophloroglucinol-H]− exchanges two –OH hydrogens when MeOD is used as the spray solvent but when the spray solvent is 50:50 MeOD/D2O we observed an additional two H/D exchanges at the aromatic ring. We propose that the reaction occurs via a keto–enol tautomerization mechanism which was found to be energetically favorable.
Comparative Studies on the Discrepant Fragmentation Mechanisms of the Gly-Asp-Gly-Arg and Arg-Gly-Asp-Gly: Evidence for the Mobile Proton Model
Authors: Wang Jinhu , Song Wei , Hu Xinxin , Yu Zehua , Liu Yongjun , Liu Rutao
Published: August 2014

The fragmentation mechanisms of singly protonated Gly-Asp-Gly-Arg (GDGR) and Arg-Gly-Asp-Gly (RGDG) were investigated by mass spectrometry and theoretical methods. Both protonated molecules are fragmented mainly at the Asp–Gly amide bond C-terminal to Asp, as supported by quantum chemical calculations. Charge distributions of C and N atoms ( QC + QN) on the amide bonds were collected when the ionizing proton was fixed at different nitrogen atoms along the backbone for each peptide. Compared with the neutral molecules, the total charges of C and N atoms ( QC + QN) for the singly charged peptides tended to be negative when the proton was located at the backbone nitrogen atoms. A relatively larger value of QC + QN corresponds to a higher trend of fragmentation, which is consistent with the experimental relative abundances data that the predominant ions are y2 for [GDGR + H]+ and b3 for [RGDG + H]+. Also, the anhydride mechanism driven by the C-terminal COOH for [RGDG + H]+ was explored by a quantum–mechanical/molecular–mechanical method. Calculations indicate that the protonated peptide can be cleaved through an unusual charge-directed pathway by forming a salt bridge at the C-termini. The formation of the anhydride linkage is much more feasible since this process needs very little energy and is exothermic, though the subsequent nucleophilic attack on the Asp carbonyl carbon is more difficult. The combined experimental and theoretical methods substantiate the mobile proton model, which opens a way to analyze quantitatively the discrepant fragmentation of dissociated peptides in peptide/protein identification.
Clostridium difficile Hfq can replace Escherichia coli Hfq for most of its function
Authors: Caillet Joel , Gracia Céline , Fontaine Fanette , Hajnsdorf Eliane
Published: August 2014

A gene for the Hfq protein is present in the majority of sequenced bacterial genomes. Its characteristic hexameric ring-like core structure is formed by the highly conserved N-terminal regions. In contrast, the C-terminal forms an extension, which varies in length, lacks homology, and is predicted to be unstructured. In Gram-negative bacteria, Hfq facilitates the pairing of sRNAs with their mRNA target and thus affects gene expression, either positively or negatively, and modulates sRNA degradation. In Gram-positive bacteria, its role is still poorly characterized. Numerous sRNAs have been detected in many Gram-positive bacteria, but it is not yet known whether these sRNAs act in association with Hfq. Compared with all other Hfqs, the C. difficile Hfq exhibits an unusual C-terminal sequence with 75% asparagine and glutamine residues, while the N-terminal core part is more conserved. To gain insight into the functionality of the C. difficile Hfq (Cd-Hfq) protein in processes regulated by sRNAs, we have tested the ability of Cd-Hfq to fulfill the functions of the E. coli Hfq (Ec-Hfq) by examining various functions associated with Hfq in both positive and negative controls of gene expression. We found that Cd-Hfq substitutes for most but not all of the tested functions of the Ec-Hfq protein. We also investigated the role of the C-terminal part of the Hfq proteins. We found that the C-terminal part of both Ec-Hfq and Cd-Hfq is not essential but contributes to some functions of both the E. coli and C. difficile chaperons.
The interaction of cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding protein with eukaryotic initiation factor 4G suppresses nonsense-mediated mRNA decay
Authors: Fatscher Tobias , Boehm Volker , Weiche Benjamin , Gehring Niels H.
Published: August 2014

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) eliminates different classes of mRNA substrates including transcripts with long 3′ UTRs. Current models of NMD suggest that the long physical distance between the poly(A) tail and the termination codon reduces the interaction between cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding protein (PABPC1) and the eukaryotic release factor 3a (eRF3a) during translation termination. In the absence of PABPC1 binding, eRF3a recruits the NMD factor UPF1 to the terminating ribosome, triggering mRNA degradation. Here, we have used the MS2 tethering system to investigate the suppression of NMD by PABPC1. We show that tethering of PABPC1 between the termination codon and a long 3′ UTR specifically inhibits NMD-mediated mRNA degradation. Contrary to the current model, tethered PABPC1 mutants unable to interact with eRF3a still efficiently suppress NMD. We find that the interaction of PABPC1 with eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G), which mediates the circularization of mRNAs, is essential for NMD inhibition by tethered PABPC1. Furthermore, recruiting either eRF3a or eIF4G in proximity to an upstream termination codon antagonizes NMD. While tethering of an eRF3a mutant unable to interact with PABPC1 fails to suppress NMD, tethered eIF4G inhibits NMD in a PABPC1-independent manner, indicating a sequential arrangement of NMD antagonizing factors. In conclusion, our results establish a previously unrecognized link between translation termination, mRNA circularization, and NMD suppression, thereby suggesting a revised model for the activation of NMD at termination codons upstream of long 3′ UTR.
Detecting translational regulation by change point analysis of ribosome profiling data sets
Authors: Zupanic Anze , Meplan Catherine , Grellscheid Sushma N. , Mathers John C. , Kirkwood Tom B.L. , Hesketh John E. , Shanley Daryl P.
Published: August 2014

Ribo-Seq maps the location of translating ribosomes on mature mRNA transcripts. While during normal translation, ribosome density is constant along the length of the mRNA coding region, this can be altered in response to translational regulatory events. In the present study, we developed a method to detect translational regulation of individual mRNAs from their ribosome profiles, utilizing changes in ribosome density. We used mathematical modeling to show that changes in ribosome density should occur along the mRNA at the point of regulation. We analyzed a Ribo-Seq data set obtained for mouse embryonic stem cells and showed that normalization by corresponding RNA-Seq can be used to improve the Ribo-Seq quality by removing bias introduced by deep-sequencing and alignment artifacts. After normalization, we applied a change point algorithm to detect changes in ribosome density present in individual mRNA ribosome profiles. Additional sequence and gene isoform information obtained from the UCSC Genome Browser allowed us to further categorize the detected changes into different mechanisms of regulation. In particular, we detected several mRNAs with known post-transcriptional regulation, e.g., premature termination for selenoprotein mRNAs and translational control of Atf4, but also several more mRNAs with hitherto unknown translational regulation. Additionally, our approach proved useful for identification of new transcript isoforms.
The Use of Financial Services Law to Regulate Emissions Trading
Authors: Latimer Paul
Published: August 2014

This article examines the use of financial services law (securities regulation) to regulate and to reduce emissions trading to reduce the causes of climate change—with reference to Australia's use of financial services law from 2012. The Australian financialization model, introduced by the previous Australian (Australian Labor Party) government, is planned to be repealed in mid-2014 (depending on votes in the upper house of the Australian parliament) by the conservative (Liberal-National Party coalition) government as its ‘first order of business’. At the time of writing in April 2014, the carbon price is in full operation. The government won office in September 2013, partly in the wake of an electoral backlash against the ‘carbon tax’. Australia's climate change model was based on defining emission reduction units as financial products under the Corporations Act, which resulted in the regulation of the market for trading emissions reductions becoming the responsibility of the financial services regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. This article examines the financial services model which treats emissions as financial products, regulated by financial services laws which provide inter alia for trading on regulated markets, the licensing of advisers, the expectation of high standards for secondary trading, the recognition of consumer rights under consumer laws and the continuous disclosure of information to financial markets.
Resisting Colonial Mastery: Becoming Animal, Becoming Ethical in The Impressionist
Authors: Price Jason D.
Published: August 2014

Theories about Third Space or “in-betweeness” often lack an ethics that responds to the position of the majority of people who experience the violence of colonialism, as Amar Acheraïou argues. How can we think about hybridity with a more committed ethics? Hari Kunzru’s The Impressionist suggests that much of the violence experienced by humans and animals under dominant or colonial thought stems from a traditional view of subjectivity as fixed, stable, knowable, distinct, and independent from others and the material world. Colonial logic views as “disposable” those regarded as not human or somehow less than human and often sacrifices them in order to maintain a stable, dominant notion of subjectivity, an exclusionary definition of Man, a continuous flow of extractionary capital from the colonies, and a particular hierarchy or ordering of the world. This article argues that The Impressionist portrays subjectivity not as fixed but in process, after Deleuze and Guattari’s “becoming animal,” as a way to challenge dominant thinking. The novel also emphasizes the nonhuman nature of subjectivity and human dependence on the nonhuman, including the environment, for existence. The Impressionist offers an important corrective to concepts of hybridity by emphasizing that those humans and nonhumans regarded as “disposable” demand ethical treatment.
Complex Collaborations: Elsa Joubert’s The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena and Zoë Wicomb’s David’s Story
Authors: Siméus Jenny
Published: August 2014

This essay examines how South African author Zoë Wicomb’s novel David’s Story (2001) critiques collaborative life writing. More specifically, it argues that the faltering collaboration between the protagonists David and the unnamed amanuensis in David’s Story serves as an illuminating critique of past collaborative works such as Elsa Joubert’s The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena (1980) by shifting the focus from the end product to the collaborative writing process that precedes it. The analyses in this essay reveal that the fallibility of language demonstrated in Wicomb’s novel serves as a reminder of the impossibility of the narrative project that the amanuensis and David have set out to work on. Moreover, this essay argues that Wicomb’s novel highlights what can be unequal power relations between an amanuensis and an autobiographical subject in a collaborative writing process.
Sounding the Occupation: Joe Sacco’s Palestine and the Uses of Graphic Narrative for (Post)Colonial Critique
Authors: Brister Rose
Published: August 2014

Working at the intersection of postcolonial literary studies and comics narratology, this paper argues that Joe Sacco’s graphic narrative Palestine contributes a spatial and sonic record of territorial occupation to the Palestinian national narrative. Sacco utilizes the comics form to represent the complex of physical borders and spatial narratives he encounters in the Occupied Palestinian Territories at the end of the first Intifada . Further, he renders graphically the epiphenomenal sonic regime resulting from spatial management. Rather than an absence or gap in the Palestinian narrative, Sacco understands spatialized sound as a presence or marker of materiality. Ultimately, Palestine suggests the rich potential of the comics form for postcolonial literary studies. Sacco’s graphic narrative reinvigorates the field’s engagement with literary representations of Israel-Palestine by demonstrating the continued utility of the (post)colonial paradigm and by challenging the fields’ scholars to forge new interdisciplinary links to comics studies.
In Any Event: Moving Rhizomatically in Peter Cameron’s Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
Authors: Bohlmann Markus P. J.
Published: August 2014

This article turns to Peter Cameron’s queer protagonist in as an invitation to think about growth differently. It departs from the linear imperative to grow up to adult finality and proposes ways of moving continuously in various directions and wayward routes yet to be charted. Through the work of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, this article takes up Kathryn Bond Stockton’s plea for a new vocabulary of growth: moving rhizomatically.
Hildegard’s Historical Memory: The Lives of Saint Disibod and Saint Rupert as Models of Local Salvation History
Authors: Petty Iris R.
Published: August 2014

Although cloistered, Hildegard of Bingen had a remarkable level of awareness of the world around her. As such, when Hildegard requested transfer to a different monastery in the Rhineland, her move was fraught with spiritual and political conflict. Letters exchanged between Hildegard and her superiors reveal the diplomatic yet direct ways in which Hildegard dealt with these conflicts. In addition to these letters, Hildegard composed the lives of two saints, Rupert and Disibod, which she later shared with her former and new monastic communities. When read alongside the letters, these Lives are revealed to be a subtle and sophisticated commentary on the politics of Hildegard’s later monastic life. Not only do the Lives serve as Hildegard’s defense for relocating to Rupertsberg, but they also help ease tensions between the two communities and serve as an instructional salvation history for the members of both monasteries to live by after Hildegard’s death.
A Transcendent Excess: Examining Griselda’s Assent in Chaucer’s Clerk’s Tale through Georges Bataille’s Atheological Mysticism
Authors: DeCelle Timothy W.
Published: August 2014

This article explores Chaucer’s Clerk’s Tale and the nature of Griselda’s excessive, seemingly limitless assent to Walter’s demands of obedience. Though critically Griselda has been seen at times as an antifeminist figure that dutifully accepts the dictates of her husband, the article argues on the contrary that Griselda’s excess of devotion reflects a mystical identity through its implicit meditations on power and sexuality. By examining the nature of Griselda’s response to Walter, particularly through the lens of Georges Bataille’s atheological mysticism, it reveals a Griselda whose excess of assent, willful self-sacrifice, and physical humiliation counteract the power dynamic by which Walter seeks to assert his dominance. Thus the more that Griselda reaches beyond herself, the more the very concept of the rational “I” becomes nullified, thereby bringing into question notions of subjectivity and selfhood.
Interim Evaluation of a University–Community Collaboration to Address Methamphetamine Use in a Rural Missouri Community
Authors: Calvert Wilma J. , Allen Kimberly R. , Brockman-Jankowski Sarah
Published: August 2014

Background: Methamphetamine use remains a significant public health problem. A multifaceted problem requires a collaborative effort.
Objectives: Community partners and university faculty collaborated to address meth use in a rural Missouri county. The objectives for this collaboration were to a) support current community partnerships by working with parents and teachers to incorporate a sustainable drug education curriculum in an elementary school and b) provide learning opportunities for senior nursing students.
Methods: Various strategies were used in the collaboration, including focus groups with school personnel and piloting the curriculum in a local school.
Results: Community members and university faculty worked together in all stages of the collaboration. The collaboration allowed the community to continue and expand its efforts in reducing methamphetamine use. Community and university team members are working together to expand the implementation in additional grades.
Conclusions: A real-world community problem can be addressed through a university–community collaboration.
Transgender Identity at a Crossroads: A Close Reading of a “Queer” Story from 1857
Authors: Reis Elizabeth
Published: August 2014

In 1857, New York’s premier literary magazine, the Knickerbocker , published an anonymously-written short story, “The Man Who Thought Himself a Woman.” It was surprising that the author depicted what we would call today a transgender identity in a way that implicitly accepted the protagonist’s self-assessment. Though we know that men and women exhibited cross-gender dress and behavior, we have very little documentation – fictional or otherwise – about the attitude of others toward such people or about their own self-understanding. Could this fictional account shed some light on the mid-century view of those who wished to live as the other gender? Despite the singularity of the tale, its presence illuminates a complex and unexpected understanding of transgender identity (at the risk of using an anachronistic label) in mid-nineteenth-century America. I argue that the description and plight of Japhet Colbones, the main character, highlights themes of deceit and secrecy characteristic of earlier portrayals of atypical gender presentation, foretells the labeling of deviant pathology that was just around the corner at the turn of the century, and even portends today’s emphasis on self-determination at any cost. My essay offers a close reading of the story, accompanied here with its reprinting.