bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying signs of syntactic complexity for rule-based sentence simplification
Authors: EVANS RICHARD , ORĂSAN CONSTANTIN
Published: October 2018

This article presents a new method to automatically simplify English sentences. The approach is designed to reduce the number of compound clauses and nominally bound relative clauses in input sentences. The article provides an overview of a corpus annotated with information about various explicit signs of syntactic complexity and describes the two major components of a sentence simplification method that works by exploiting information on the signs occurring in the sentences of a text. The first component is a sign tagger which automatically classifies signs in accordance with the annotation scheme used to annotate the corpus. The second component is an iterative rule-based sentence transformation tool. Exploiting the sign tagger in conjunction with other NLP components, the sentence transformation tool automatically rewrites long sentences containing compound clauses and nominally bound relative clauses as sequences of shorter single-clause sentences. Evaluation of the different components reveals acceptable performance in rewriting sentences containing compound clauses but less accuracy when rewriting sentences containing nominally bound relative clauses. A detailed error analysis revealed that the major sources of error include inaccurate sign tagging, the relatively limited coverage of the rules used to rewrite sentences, and an inability to discriminate between various subtypes of clause coordination. Despite this, the system performed well in comparison with two baselines. This finding was reinforced by automatic estimations of the readability of system output and by surveys of readers’ opinions about the accuracy, accessibility, and meaning of this output.
How well do different dietary and nutrition assessment tools match? Insights from rural Kenya
Authors: Fongar Andrea , Gödecke Theda , Aseta Antony , Qaim Matin
Published: October 2018

Objective

Various indicators and assessment tools exist to measure diets and nutrition. Most studies eventually rely on one approach. Relatively little is known about how closely results match when different tools are used in the same context. The present study compares and correlates different indicators for the same households and individuals to better understand which indicators can be used as proxies for others.

Design

A survey of households and individuals was carried out in Kenya in 2015. Seven-day food consumption and 24 h dietary recalls were administered at household and individual level, respectively. Individual height and weight measures were taken. Different indicators of food access (energy consumption, household dietary diversity scores), dietary quality (individual dietary diversity scores, micronutrient intakes) and nutrition (anthropometric indicators) were calculated and correlated to evaluate associations.

Setting

Rural farm households in western Kenya.

Participants

Data collected from 809 households and 1556 individuals living in these households (782 female adults, 479 male adults, 295 children aged 6–59 months).

Results

All measures of food access and dietary quality were positively correlated at individual level. Household-level and individual-level dietary indicators were also positively correlated. Correlations between dietary indicators and anthropometric measures were small and mostly statistically insignificant.

Conclusions

Dietary indicators from 7d food consumption recalls at the household level can be used as proxies of individual dietary quality of children and male and female adults. Individual dietary diversity scores are good proxies of micronutrient intakes. However, neither household-level nor individual-level dietary indicators are good proxies of individual nutritional status in this setting.
Nurse practitioner consultations in primary health care: patient, carer, and nurse practitioner qualitative interpretations of communication processes
Authors: Barratt Julian , Thomas Nicola
Published: October 2018

Aim

To advance understanding of the discrete nature of the communication processes and social interactions occurring in nurse practitioner consultations.

Background

Preceding qualitative investigations of nurse practitioner consultations have, when conducting interviews with participants, often exclusively sampled either nurse practitioners or patients. Furthermore, previous qualitative studies of the nature of nurse practitioner consultations have not typically also sampled carers attending with patients for nurse practitioner consultations. Accordingly this study was developed, in part, to address this exclusivity of sampling in qualitative research of nurse practitioner consultations by developing an inclusive sample of patient, carer and nurse practitioner participants of nurse practitioner consultations, so as to conjointly develop an understanding of the multiple perceptions of those participants of communication processes occurring in nurse practitioner consultations.

Methods

Qualitative component of a larger mixed methods case study of communication processes and social interactions in nurse practitioner consultations, utilising individual semi-structured interviews with the patient (n = 9), carer (n = 2) and nurse practitioner (n = 3) participants of video-recorded consultations derived from a nurse practitioner-led general practice clinic. Interview transcripts were initially analysed via an emergent thematic analysis, followed up by computer-assisted qualitative data analysis with NVivo 9.

Findings

The participants’ perceptions of nurse practitioner consultation communication processes and social interactions were represented through six themes: Consulting style of nurse practitioners; Nurse practitioner – GP comparisons; Lifeworld content or lifeworld style; Nurse practitioner role ambiguity; Creating the impression of time and Expectations for safety netting. The findings identify a need for policy makers to address a perceived ambiguity of the nature of the nurse practitioner role amongst patients and carers. The benefits of nurse practitioners using personable, everyday lifeworld styles of communication for optimising interactions, sharing clinical reasoning and conveying a sense of having time for patients and carers in consultations are also identified.
MOTIVIC HILBERT ZETA FUNCTIONS OF CURVES ARE RATIONAL
Authors: Bejleri Dori , Ranganathan Dhruv , Vakil Ravi
Published: October 2018

The motivic Hilbert zeta function of a variety $X$ is the generating function for classes in the Grothendieck ring of varieties of Hilbert schemes of points on $X$. In this paper, the motivic Hilbert zeta function of a reduced curve is shown to be rational.
On the economic importance of the slave plantation complex to the British economy during the eighteenth century: a value-added approach
Authors: Rönnbäck Klas
Published: October 2018

There has been a long-standing debate on the global importance of the African external slave trades. While many scholars believe these to have been detrimental to African development, they were clearly a determining factor in the development of the Americas. What role they played for the European colonial powers is, however, hotly debated. This article contributes to the debate by estimating value added in the Triangular Trade and the American plantation complex. The article empirically studies the case of British connections to the African slave trade and the American plantation complex during the eighteenth century, since these have been the focus of much previous scholarly debate. The estimates suggest that these trades grew substantially over the period, reaching a magnitude equivalent to about 11% of the British economy by the early nineteenth century.
Fisheries’ collapse and the making of a global event, 1950s–1970s
Authors: Ferguson-Cradler Gregory
Published: October 2018

This article analyses three fisheries crises in the post-war world – the Far East Asian Kamchatka salmon in the late 1950s, the north Atlantic Atlanto-Scandian herring of the late 1960s, and the Peruvian anchoveta of the early 1970s – to understand how each instance came to be understood as a ‘collapse’ in widely differing contexts and institutional settings, and how these crises led to changes in practices of natural resource administration and in politico-economic structures of the fishing industry. Fishery collapses were broadly understood as state failures and, in response, individual states increasingly claimed sovereignty over fish stocks and the responsibility to administer their exploitation. Collapses thus became events critical in the remaking of management regimes. Furthermore, the concept of a fisheries collapse was reconfigured in the 1970s into a global issue, representing the possible future threat of depletion of the oceans on a planetary scale.
Transnational development training and Native American ‘laboratories’ in the early Cold War
Authors: Tropp Jacob
Published: October 2018

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, as the US launched the Point Four initiative of overseas technical assistance programmes, a number of American officials, academics, and analysts saw valuable global lessons in the US Bureau of Indian Affairs’ development interventions among Native Americans. These interests culminated in a suite of professional training experiments, involving trainees from around the world, which emphasized cross-cultural development methods and used certain south-western Native American communities as field ‘laboratories’. A foundational seminar programme, coordinated by Cornell University social scientists, inspired additional training initiatives, tied to Point Four projects abroad, which brought foreign government officers from South Asia and the Middle East for similar training in New Mexico and Arizona. These training experiments not only placed Native American situations at the centre of significant transnational conversations about development, but also reinforced and widely circulated particular ideas regarding ‘underdevelopment’, ‘experts” prerogatives, and the politics of development relations.
Inheritance, urbanization, and political change in Europe
Authors: Popa Mircea
Published: October 2018

Urbanization and the development of middle and working classes have been proposed as a key explanation for political change in the Western world. This article argues that the traditional inheritance systems practiced across Europe have played an important role in the differential development of these urban classes in the period 1700–1900. Inheritance systems that practice some degree of inequality between heirs will lead to more children, generally younger brothers, leaving the land and taking up urban occupations. A statistical analysis of geographical data shows that regions in which such unequal inheritance was practiced were two to three times more likely to develop urban areas after 1700. This claim is robust to a number of challenges, including country fixed effects, and to only looking at Western Europe. An important mechanism through which the divergence may have occurred is illustrated through a quantitative analysis of pairs of brothers in the UK and Romania, two countries with opposing inheritance traditions.
Effects of sleep restriction during pregnancy on lipids and glucose homeostasis of female offspring submitted to ovariectomy
Authors: Argeri Rogério , Carvalho Diego Soares , Palma Beatriz Duarte , Hirata Aparecida Emiko , Gomes Guiomar Nascimento
Published: October 2018

Sleep shortening during pregnancy may alter the mother’s environment, affecting the offspring. Thus, the present study evaluated the metabolic profile of female offspring from sleep-restricted rats during the last week of pregnancy. Pregnant Wistar rats were distributed into two groups: control (C) and sleep restriction (SR). The SR was performed 20 h/day, from 14th to 20th day of pregnancy. At 2 months, half of the offspring were subjected to ovariectomy (OVX); the others, to sham surgery. Studied groups were Csham, Covx, SRsham and SRovx. Cholesterol (HDL, LDL and C-total), triglycerides (TG) and glucose and insulin tolerance tests (GTT–ITT) were evaluated at 8 months. RSsham presented higher values of TG, while SRovx presented higher TG, LDL and C-total. Basal glucose concentration was increased in SRsham and SRovx. These data suggest that SR during pregnancy may be a risk factor for the development of diseases in adult female offspring.
Naming, Shaming and Fire Alarms: The Compilation, Development and Use of the List of World Heritage in Danger
Authors: Hølleland Herdis , Hamman Evan , Phelps Jessica
Published: October 2018

This article provides a comprehensive empirical analysis of the composition, development and use of the List of World Heritage in Danger (IDL) under the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The statutory records of this Convention have been coded in order to generate an overview of the development and use of the IDL between 1978 and 2017. The quantitative data was further developed by reference to World Heritage and transnational law literature. A key finding of this article is that the IDL serves a dual purpose in regulation: firstly, as a ‘fire alarm’ to alert the international community of imminent dangers at World Heritage sites; secondly, as a non-compliance procedure used for ‘naming and shaming’ states that breach the rules. The findings in this article have relevance for heritage scholars and policy makers concerned with the governance of World Heritage as well as those with a broader interest in non-compliance procedures under transnational environmental law.
Transient Electromagnetic Investigations in a Tectonic Domain of the Kachchh Intraplate Region, Western India: A Morphotectonic Study of the Kachchh Mainland Fault
Authors: Pavan Kumar G. , Chaudhary Indu , Nagar Mehul , Chouhan Avinash Kumar , Prizomwala S. P. , Mahesh P. , Chopra Sumer
Published: October 2018

The Kachchh Mainland Fault (KMF) in the central position of the Kachchh paleo rift basin of the northwestern India is the main fault system where the reverse movement started along preexisting normal fault planes during postrift tectonic inversion at end of the Tertiary period. We present the analyses of transient electromagnetic data at 68 sites, distributed along nine traverses across the KMF zone within the Kachchh Mainland. The resistivity sections across the KMF zone do not only image the shallow subsurface geometry of the fault but also delineated synthetic and antithetic splays of the primary faults. An experimentally estimated scaling factor from the late‐time TEM response, which is a proxy for fracture density of the geological formation, is well coincides with the fault zones that are delineated in the present study. The subsurface resistivity structure infers in general north‐dipping reverse faulting along the various segments of the KMF. Some of the en echelon splays form flower structure scenario, suggesting either presence of localized preserved transtensional features in this regional compressive regime or a combination of both positive and negative flower structure scenarios. The observed anomalous deep conducive zones in the fault zone could qualitatively suggest neotectonic activity in the region. The study supports the presence of oblique to transverse faults that bisects the primary KMF. We opined that these transverse structures along with the splays could play a key role in transferring part of stress that being accumulating in the KMF zone.
Countries Urge Increased International Research in the Arctic
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: October 2018

A joint statement from countries with interests in the Arctic emphasizes the need for scientific collaboration in this rapidly changing region but sidesteps attributing climate change to human activities.
An Investigation of Gas Exchange and Water Circulation in the Amundsen Sea Based On Dissolved Inorganic Radiocarbon
Authors: Kim Bumsoo , Lee SangHoon , Kim Minkyoung , Hahm Doshik , Rhee Tae Siek , Hwang Jeomshik
Published: October 2018

We used radiocarbon isotope ratios in dissolved inorganic carbon to assess gas exchange and water circulation in the western Amundsen Sea. Radiocarbon isotope ratios indicate that Circumpolar Deep Water enters the basin along the seafloor and that the upper layer is formed through modification of this water mass. In the Amundsen Sea Polynya, radiocarbon isotope ratios of surface water are higher than those of underlying Winter Water, implying rapid absorption of atmospheric CO2. A CO2 absorption rate of 45 mmol m−2 d−1 calculated for a site in the central polynya is higher than that near the Dotson Ice Shelf (28 mmol m−2 d−1). The turnover time of water in the Dotson Trough region of the western Amundsen Sea is estimated to be 10–30 years, based on results from a box model and radiocarbon mass balance.
Widespread and Accelerated Decrease of Observed Mean and Extreme Snow Depth Over Europe
Authors: Fontrodona Bach A. , van der Schrier G. , Melsen L. A. , Klein Tank A. M. G. , Teuling A. J.
Published: October 2018

Accumulated snow amounts are a key climate change indicator. It combines the competing effects of climate change‐driven changes in precipitation and stronger snowmelt related to increasing temperatures. Here we provide observational evidence from a pan‐European in situ data set that mean snow depth generally decreases stronger than extreme snow depth. Widespread decreases in maximum and mean snow depth were found over Europe, except in the coldest climates, with an average decrease of −12.2%/decade for mean snow depth and −11.4%/decade for maximum snow depth since 1951. These trends accelerated after the 1980s. This has strong implications for the availability of freshwater in spring, while extremes in snow depth, usually very disruptive to society, are decreasing at a slower pace.
Contrasting Mechanisms of Summer Blocking Over Western Eurasia
Authors: Drouard Marie , Woollings Tim
Published: October 2018

The formation of summer blocking events appears to have been mostly studied for a few individual events often associated with heat waves. Here we investigate summer blocking event dynamics in three areas over western Eurasia in order to draw some more general conclusions, mostly in terms of high‐ and low‐frequency processes. A 2‐D blocking event detection algorithm is applied to the 500‐hPa‐geopotential field from the ERA‐40 and ERA‐Interim reanalyses over the 1958–2017 period. It is shown that both high‐ and low‐frequency processes are important to initiate blocking events over southern central Europe. Blocking events over western Russia are preceded by a significant low‐frequency large‐scale wave train, and their formation and maintenance are dominated by low‐frequency processes only. Finally, it is shown that the risk of extreme seasons such as summer 2010 cannot be accurately estimated from the Poisson statistics of past events.
Characteristics, Occurrence, and Decay Rates of Remnant Belts Associated With Three‐Belt Events in the Earth's Radiation Belts
Authors: Pinto Victor A. , Bortnik Jacob , Moya Pablo S. , Lyons Larry R. , Sibeck David G. , Kanekal Shrikanth G. , Spence Harlan E. , Baker Daniel N.
Published: October 2018

Shortly after the launch of the Van Allen Probes, a new three‐belt configuration of the electron radiation belts was reported. Using data between September 2012 and November 2017, we have identified 30 three‐belt events and found that about 18% of geomagnetic storms result in such configuration. Based on the identified events, we evaluated some characteristics of the remnant (intermediate) belt. We determined the energy range of occurrence and found it peaks at E = 5.2 MeV. We also determined that the magnetopause location and SYM‐H value may play an important role in the outer belt losses that lead to formation and location of the remnant belt. Finally, we calculated the decay rates of the remnant belt for all events and found that their lifetime gets longer as energy increases, ranging from days at E = 1.8 MeV up to months at E = 6.3 MeV suggesting that remnant belts are extremely persistent.
Melt Diversity and Magmatic Evolution in the Dali Picrites, Emeishan Large Igneous Province
Authors: Wu Ya‐Dong , Ren Zhong‐Yuan , Handler Monica R. , Zhang Le , Qian Sheng‐Ping , Xu Yi‐Gang , Wang Christina Yan , Wang Yu , Chen Lin‐Li
Published: October 2018

Picrites are potentially near‐primary melts that offer rare insights into the earliest stages of magmatic evolution. However, without detailed investigation of magmatic processes, robust records of early melt evolution and mantle melting behavior cannot be acquired. Here petrological and geochemical interrogations of the Dali picrites were conducted to investigate the magmatic processes. Compositional variation observed in the Dali picrites is dominated by variable accumulation of a wehrlitic assemblage, transported by a low MgO carrier melt. Groundmass clinopyroxenes were produced by direct crystallization of the carrier melt. In contrast, compositions of olivine‐hosted melt inclusions and clinopyroxene macrocrysts indicate that olivine and clinopyroxene macrocrysts crystallized from diverse melt batches that are genetically related to the carrier melt, which formed as a consequence of magma mixing. The compositional range of melts in equilibrium with clinopyroxene macrocrysts with Mg# < 88 (> 88) is similar to (notably smaller than) the range of melt inclusions hosted in olivine macrocrysts with equivalent forsterite values. This observation can be explained by coupling between major and trace elements during partial melting in the mantle. Overall, a process involving periodic magma replenishment, tapping, and fractional crystallization in deep magma chamber(s) can explain the compositional variations recorded in the Dali macrocryst assemblage. Close genetic relationships between macrocrysts and carrier melts appear to be common to many primitive mafic rocks, which may reflect common deep magma chamber processes whereby diverse mantle‐derived melts are injected and evolved, and the primitive macrocrysts thus formed are subsequently transported by mixed liquids, producing macrocryst‐bearing primitive mafic rocks.
Impact of Different Kinematic Empirical Parameters Processing Strategies on Temporal Gravity Field Model Determination
Authors: Zhou Hao , Luo Zhicai , Zhou Zebing , Li Qiong , Zhong Bo , Lu Biao , Hsu Houze
Published: October 2018

During temporal gravity field model determination, the kinematic empirical parameters are mainly designed to remove the strong bias, drift, and 1‐cycle per revolution variations in range‐rates. In practice, two different strategies are commonly used to process these empirical parameters. One is to determine the empirical parameters before solving spherical harmonic coefficients, called Pure Predetermined Strategy (PPS). The other is to simultaneously determine the empirical parameters and spherical harmonic coefficients, called Pure Simultaneous Strategy (PSS). In this study, apart from these two strategies, a novel processing strategy called Filter Predetermined Strategy (FPS) is also discussed. These different processing strategies may result in different solutions. With the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Level 1B data spanning 2005 to 2010, the impacts of different kinematic empirical parameters processing strategies were assessed in detail. The numerical results indicate that (1) using three different processing strategies and their hybrids can determine the temporal gravity field model, while (2) the solutions via PPS present apparent temporal signal attenuation, which is approximately 15% lower in annual amplitude in Amazon River Basin, and 15% lower in yearly trend in Greenland, and (3) the signal‐to‐noise ratios of the solutions via PPS are generally smaller than those of the solutions via FPS and PSS, and (4) the performance of FPS is superior in terms of postfit range‐rates, but compatible with PSS in terms of other cross comparisons. According to comprehensive comparison results in terms of temporal signals and noise, the performance of our Huazhong University of Science and Technology models determined via FPS is in excellent accordance with other representative temporal gravity field models, such as CSR RL05, GFZ RL05a, and JPL RL05.
Similarity of introduced plant species to native ones facilitates naturalization, but differences enhance invasion success
Authors: Divíšek Jan , Chytrý Milan , Beckage Brian , Gotelli Nicholas J. , Lososová Zdeňka , Pyšek Petr , Richardson David M. , Molofsky Jane
Published: October 2018

The search for traits associated with plant invasiveness has yielded contradictory results, in part because most previous studies have failed to recognize that different traits are important at different stages along the introduction–naturalization–invasion continuum. Here we show that across six different habitat types in temperate Central Europe, naturalized non-invasive species are functionally similar to native species occurring in the same habitat type, but invasive species are different as they occupy the edge of the plant functional trait space represented in each habitat. This pattern was driven mainly by the greater average height of invasive species. These results suggest that the primary determinant of successful establishment of alien species in resident plant communities is environmental filtering, which is expressed in similar trait distributions. However, to become invasive, established alien species need to be different enough to occupy novel niche space, i.e. the edge of trait space.
Onsite GTP fuelling via DYNAMO1 drives division of mitochondria and peroxisomes
Authors: Imoto Yuuta , Abe Yuichi , Honsho Masanori , Okumoto Kanji , Ohnuma Mio , Kuroiwa Haruko , Kuroiwa Tsuneyoshi , Fujiki Yukio
Published: October 2018

Mitochondria and peroxisomes proliferate by division. During division, a part of their membrane is pinched off by constriction of the ring-shaped mitochondrial division (MD) and peroxisome-dividing (POD) machinery. This constriction is mediated by a dynamin-like GTPase Dnm1 that requires a large amount of GTP as an energy source. Here, via proteomics of the isolated division machinery, we show that the 17-kDa nucleoside diphosphate kinase-like protein, dynamin-based ring motive-force organizer 1 (DYNAMO1), locally generates GTP in MD and POD machineries. DYNAMO1 is widely conserved among eukaryotes and colocalizes with Dnm1 on the division machineries. DYNAMO1 converts ATP to GTP, and disruption of its activity impairs mitochondrial and peroxisomal fissions. DYNAMO1 forms a ring-shaped complex with Dnm1 and increases the magnitude of the constricting force. Our results identify DYNAMO1 as an essential component of MD and POD machineries, suggesting that local GTP generation in Dnm1-based machinery regulates motive force for membrane severance.
Author Correction: LSD1 modulates the non-canonical integrin β3 signaling pathway in non-small cell lung carcinoma cells
Authors: Lim So-Young , Macheleidt Iris , Dalvi Priya , Schäfer Stephan C. , Kerick Martin , Ozretić Luka , Ortiz-Cuaran Sandra , George Julie , Merkelbach-Bruse Sabine , Wolf Jürgen , Timmermann Bernd , Thomas Roman K. , Schweiger Michal R. , Buettner Reinhard , Odenthal Margarete
Published: October 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Identification of candidate genes for leaf scorch in Populus deltoids by the whole genome resequencing analysis
Authors: Zhuang Weibing , Liu Tianyu , Qu Shenchun , Cai Binhua , Qin Yalong , Zhang Fengjiao , Wang Zhong
Published: October 2018

Leaf scorch exists as a common phenomenon in the development of plant, especially when plants encounter various adversities, which leads to great losses in agricultural production. Both Jinhong poplar (JHP) and Caihong poplar (CHP) (Populus deltoids) are obtained from a bud sport on Zhonghong poplar. Compared with CHP, JHP always exhibits leaf scorch, poor growth, premature leaf discoloration, and even death. In this study, the candidate genes associated with leaf scorch between JHP and CHP were identified by the whole genome resequencing using Illumina HiSeqTM. There were 218,880 polymorphic SNPs and 46,933 indels between JHP and CHP, respectively. Among these, the candidate genes carrying non-synonymous SNPs in coding regions were classified into 6 groups. The expression pattern of these candidate genes was also explored in JHP and CHP among different sampling stages. Combined with the qRT-PCR analysis, the results showed that genes associated with transport of various nutritional elements, senescence and MYB transcription factor might play important roles during the process of leaf scorch in Populus deltoids. Four genes belonging to these three groups carried more than three SNPs in their coding sequence, which might play important roles in leaf scorch. The above results provided candidate genes involved in leaf scorch in Populus deltoids, and made us better understand the molecular regulation mechanism of leaf scorch in Populus deltoids.
VGF nerve growth factor inducible is involved in retinal ganglion cells death induced by optic nerve crush
Authors: Takeuchi Hiroto , Inagaki Satoshi , Morozumi Wataru , Nakano Yukimichi , Inoue Yuki , Kuse Yoshiki , Mizoguchi Takahiro , Nakamura Shinsuke , Funato Michinori , Kaneko Hideo , Hara Hideaki , Shimazawa Masamitsu
Published: October 2018

VGF nerve growth factor inducible (VGF) is a polypeptide that is induced by neurotrophic factors and is involved in neurite growth and neuroprotection. The mRNA of the Vgf gene has been detected in the adult rat retina, however the roles played by VGF in the retina are still undetermined. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of VGF on the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of mice in the optic nerve crush (ONC) model, rat-derived primary cultured RGCs and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived RGCs. The mRNA and protein of Vgf were upregulated after the ONC. Immunostaining showed that the VGF was located in glial cells including Müller glia and astrocytes but not in the retinal neurons and their axons. AQEE-30, a VGF peptide, suppressed the loss of RGCs induced by the ONC, and it increased survival rat-derived RGCs and promoted the outgrowth of neurites of rat and human iPSCs derived RGCs in vitro. These findings indicate that VGF plays important roles in neuronal degeneration and has protective effects against the ONC on RGCs. Thus, VGF should be considered as a treatment of RGCs degeneration.
Retraction Note: The Role of Scleraxis in Fate Determination of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Tenocyte Differentiation
Authors: Li Yonghui , Ramcharan Melissa , Zhou Zuping , Leong Daniel J. , Akinbiyi Takintope , Majeska Robert J. , Sun Hui B.
Published: October 2018

This paper has been retracted.
Garnet peridotites reveal spatial and temporal changes in the oxidation potential of subduction
Authors: Rielli Andrea , Tomkins Andrew G. , Nebel Oliver , Brugger Joël , Etschmann Barbara , Paterson David
Published: October 2018

Changes in the oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the Earth’s mantle have been proposed to control the spatial and temporal distribution of arc-related ore deposits, and possibly reflect the evolution of the atmosphere over billions of years. Thermodynamic calculations and natural evidence indicate that fluids released from subducting slabs can oxidise the mantle, but whether their oxidation potential varied in space and time remains controversial. Here, we use garnet peridotites from western Norway to show that there is a linear decrease in maximum fO2 with increasing depth in the mantle wedge. We ascribe this relation to changes in the speciation of sulfur released in slab fluids, with sulfate, controlling maximum oxidation, preferentially released at shallow depths. Even though the amount of sulfate in the Precambrian oceans, and thus in subducted lithologies, is thought to have been dramatically lower than during the Phanerozoic, garnet peridotites metasomatised during these two periods have a comparable fO2 range. This opens to the possibility that an oxidised mantle with fO2 similar to modern-day values has existed since the Proterozoic and possibly earlier. Consequently, early magmas derived from partial melting of metasomatised mantle may have had suitable fO2 to generate porphyry Cu-Au and iron-oxide Cu-Au deposits.
Emergence of a cholecystokinin/sulfakinin signalling system in Lophotrochozoa
Authors: Schwartz Julie , Dubos Marie-Pierre , Pasquier Jérémy , Zatylny-Gaudin Céline , Favrel Pascal
Published: October 2018

Chordate gastrin/cholecystokinin (G/CCK) and ecdysozoan sulfakinin (SK) signalling systems represent divergent evolutionary scenarios of a common ancestral signalling system. The present article investigates for the first time the evolution of the CCK/SK signalling system in a member of the Lophotrochozoa, the second clade of protostome animals. We identified two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) in the oysterCrassostrea gigas(Mollusca), phylogenetically related to chordate CCK receptors (CCKR) and to ecdysozoan sulfakinin receptors (SKR). These receptors, Cragi-CCKR1 and Cragi-CCKR2, were characterised functionally using a cell-based assay. We identified di- and mono-sulphated forms of oyster Cragi-CCK1 (pEGAWDY(SO3H)DY(SO3H)GLGGGRF-NH2) as the potent endogenous agonists for these receptors. The Cragi-CCK genes were expressed in the visceral ganglia of the nervous system. The Cragi-CCKR1 gene was expressed in a variety of tissues, while Cragi-CCKR2 gene expression was more restricted to nervous tissues. Anin vitrobioassay revealed that different forms of Cragi-CCK1 decreased the frequency of the spontaneous contractions of oyster hindgut. Expression analyses in oysters with contrasted nutritional statuses or in the course of their reproductive cycle highlighted the plausible role of Cragi-CCK signalling in the regulation of feeding and its possible involvement in the coordination of nutrition and energy storage in the gonad. This study confirms the early origin of the CCK/SK signalling system from the common bilaterian ancestor and delivers new insights into its structural and functional evolution in the lophotrochozoan lineage.
Palm Fruit Bioactives modulate human astrocyte activity in vitro altering the cytokine secretome reducing levels of TNFα, RANTES and IP-10
Authors: Weinberg Robert P. , Koledova Vera V. , Schneider Kirsten , Sambandan T. G. , Grayson Adlai , Zeidman Gal , Artamonova Anastasia , Sambanthamurthi Ravigadevi , Fairus Syed , Sinskey Anthony J. , Rha ChoKyun
Published: October 2018

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, are becoming more prevalent and an increasing burden on society. Neurodegenerative diseases often arise in the milieu of neuro-inflammation of the brain. Reactive astrocytes are key regulators in the development of neuro-inflammation. This study describes the effects of Palm Fruit Bioactives (PFB) on the behavior of human astrocytes which have been activated by IL-1β. When activated, the astrocytes proliferate, release numerous cytokines/chemokines including TNFα, RANTES (CCL5), IP-10 (CXCL10), generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), and express specific cell surface biomarkers such as the Intercellular Adhesion Molecule (ICAM), Vascular Cellular Adhesion Molecule (VCAM) and the Neuronal Cellular Adhesion Molecule (NCAM). Interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β) causes activation of human astrocytes with marked upregulation of pro-inflammatory genes. We show significant inhibition of these pro-inflammatory processes when IL-1β-activated astrocytes are exposed to PFB. PFB causes a dose-dependent and time-dependent reduction in specific cytokines: TNFα, RANTES, and IP-10. We also show that PFB significantly reduces ROS production by IL-1β-activated astrocytes. Furthermore, PFB also reduces the expression of ICAM and VCAM, both in activated and naïve human astrocytesin vitro. Since reactive astrocytes play an essential role in the neuroinflammatory state preceding neurodegenerative diseases, this study suggests that PFB may have a potential role in their prevention and/or treatment.
Electronic chirality inversion of lanthanide complex induced by achiral molecules
Authors: Wada Satoshi , Kitagawa Yuichi , Nakanishi Takayuki , Gon Masayuki , Tanaka Kazuo , Fushimi Koji , Chujo Yoshiki , Hasegawa Yasuchika
Published: October 2018

A novel mechanism for chiroptical activity inversion based on the electronic structure of metal complexes without Λ- or Δ-type structure change was demonstrated spectroscopically and theoretically. To demonstrate the mechanism, a europium (Eu(III)) complex with chiral (+)-3-(trifluoroacetyl)camphor (+tfc) and achiral triphenylphosphine oxide (tppo) was prepared. The steric and electronic structures of the Eu(III) complex were adjusted by additional achiral tppo and coordinating acetone molecules, and were characterised by 1H NMR, photoluminescence, and emission lifetime measurements. The optical activity of the Eu(III) complex in solution was evaluated by circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) measurements. CPL sign inversion, which was independent of Λ- or Δ-type structure changes from the spectroscopic viewpoint, and a drastic CPL intensity enhancement were observed depending on the external achiral molecules around Eu(III) ion. These phenomena provide the first clarification of optical activity change associated with electronic structure rather than chiral coordination structure-type (Λ or Δ) under external environments.
Radiation-induced late dysphagia after intensity-modulated radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: a dose-volume effect analysis
Authors: Jiang Li , Huang Chenhui , Gan Yixiu , Wu Tong , Tang Xiaobi , Wang Yiru , Wang Rensheng , Zhang Yong
Published: October 2018

Dysphagia is a side effect of nasopharyngeal carcinoma chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) which greatly influences the quality of life of the patients. We analyzed late dysphagia in 134 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer undergoing radical radiotherapy (RT), and correlated these findings with dose–volume histogram (DVH) parameters of the swallowing organs at risk (SWOARs). DVH parameters of SWOARs were correlated with late dysphagia, and with RTOG/EORTC scale score and the M. D. Anderson dysphagia inventory (MDADI) score. The mean dose (Dmean) to the superior and inferior constrictor muscles (SCM and ICM) and age were associated with grade 2 late dysphagia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the threshold values for grade 2 late dysphagia were: Dmean to SCM ≥ 67 Gy, partial volume receiving specified dose of 60 Gy (V60) of SCM ≥ 95%, Dmean to ICM ≥ 47 Gy, and V50 of ICM ≥ 23%. The areas under the ROC curve were 0.681 (p = 0.02), 0.677 (p = 0.002), 0.71 (p < 0.001) and 0.726 (p < 0.001) respectively. Our study demonstrates a significant relationship between late dysphagia and the radiation doses delivered to the SCM and ICM. Our findings suggest that physicians should be cautious in reducing the RT dose to SWOARs in order to avoid severe dysphagia. Further prospective trials are necessary to recommend this as part of routine clinical practice.
Molecular and living cell dynamic assays with optical microscopy imaging techniques
Authors: Liu Hua , Ye Zhongju , Wang Xin , Wei Lin , Xiao Lehui
Published: October 2018

Compared with the conventional ensemble averaged measurements, single object analysis with optical microscopy can obtain the heterogeneous behavior of many individual objects, avoiding false judgment. Moreover, higher spatial and temporal resolution has been achieved by various optical imaging technologies.
An electrochemical enzymatic nanoreactor based on dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for living cell H2O2 detection
Authors: Bai Guangmin , Xu Xuan , Dai Qumei , Zheng Qiqin , Yao Yuewei , Liu Songqin , Yao Cheng
Published: October 2018

An electrochemical biosensor, fabricated by immobilizing horseradish peroxidase onto dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles, is employed for living cell H2O2 detection.
Mechanochemical carbon–carbon bond formation that proceeds via a cocrystal intermediate
Authors: Lukin Stipe , Tireli Martina , Lončarić Ivor , Barišić Dajana , Šket Primož , Vrsaljko Domagoj , di Michiel Marco , Plavec Janez , Užarević Krunoslav , Halasz Ivan
Published: October 2018

In situ Raman monitoring revealed the first cocrystal as an intermediate in a mechanochemical organic reaction.
Theoretical prediction of the homogeneous ice nucleation rate: disentangling thermodynamics and kinetics
Authors: Cheng Bingqing , Dellago Christoph , Ceriotti Michele
Published: October 2018

We computed the homogeneous ice nucleation rate, and disentangled and investigated all the relevant physical quantities.
Inelastic vibrational dynamics of CS in collision with H2 using a full-dimensional potential energy surface
Authors: Yang Benhui , Zhang P. , Qu C. , Stancil P. C. , Bowman J. M. , Balakrishnan N. , Forrey R. C.
Published: October 2018

A six-dimensional potential energy surface for the CS–H2 system was computed using high-level ab initio theory and fitted using a hybrid invariant polynomial method. Quantum close-coupling scattering calculations have been carried out for rovibrational quenching transitions of CS induced by H2.
Mechanisms induced by transition metal contaminants and their effect on the hydrothermal stability of zirconia-containing bioceramics: an XPS study
Authors: Zhu Wenliang , Fujiwara Aiko , Nishiike Naomichi , Nakashima Shizuka , Gu Hui , Marin Elia , Sugano Nobuhiko , Pezzotti Giuseppe
Published: October 2018

Compositional and structural variations of zirconia containing bioceramics with and without transition metal contaminations in hydrothermal environments were clarified.
Emulsion polymerization of acrylonitrile in aqueous methanol
Authors: Meek Kelly M. , Eaton Todd R. , Rorrer Nicholas A. , Brandner David G. , Manker Lorenz P. , Karp Eric M. , Biddy Mary J. , Bratis Adam D. , Beckham Gregg T. , Naskar Amit K.
Published: October 2018

A new method of acrylonitrile polymerization offers the opportunity to improve both the sustainability and overall economics of renewable carbon fiber precursor production.
Highly stable and biocompatible zwitterionic dendrimer-encapsulated palladium nanoparticles that maintain their catalytic activity in bacterial solution
Authors: Wang Longgang , Zhang Jin , Guo Xiaolei , Chen Shengfu , Cui Yanshuai , Yu Qingyu , Yang Lubin , Sun Haotian , Gao Dawei , Xie Danyang
Published: October 2018

This study offers a method for constructing an artificial enzyme (Pdn-G5MC), which maintains its catalytic efficiency in bacterial solution.
Synthesis of TiO2/rGO composites with different morphologies and their electrocatalysis for the oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Zhang Yi , Zhang Xiaofeng , Huang Huodi , Cai Jiannan , Huang Baohua , Lin Shen
Published: October 2018

An octahedral TiO2/rGO composite shows the best catalytic activity for the ORR.
High performance of porous silicon/carbon/RGO network derived from rice husks as anodes for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Yu Kaifeng , Zhang Hanxiang , Qi Hui , Liang Jicai , Liang Ce
Published: October 2018

Rice husk-derived porous Si/C synthesized via activation and magnesiothermic reduction reaction possesses excellent electrochemistry performance as a lithium-ion battery anode.
A 3D conductive network of porous carbon nanoparticles interconnected with carbon nanotubes as the sulfur host for long cycle life lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Luo Shiqiang , Sun Weiwei , Ke Jianhuang , Wang Yiqi , Liu Shuangke , Hong Xiaobin , Li Yujie , Chen Yufang , Xie Wei , Zheng Chunman
Published: October 2018

We report the design of a novel 3D conductive network structure (CNTs/Co–NC) and its application as a sulfur host for Li–S batteries.
Low temperature aqueous synthesis of size-controlled nanocrystals through size focusing: a quantum dot biomineralization case study
Authors: Spangler Leah C. , Cline Joseph P. , Kiely Christopher J. , McIntosh Steven
Published: October 2018

Traditional quantum dot synthesis techniques rely on the separation of nucleation and growth to control nanocrystal size. Herein we demonstrate that similar control can be achieved through the continuous generation of reactive precursors throughout synthesis.
Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-based conjugated copolymers for solution-processable neutral black electrochromism
Authors: Li Weishuo , Ning Jiaoyi , Yin Yuyang , Xing Xing , Qi Maowei , Li Tingting , Cao Jupeng , He Yaowu , Perepichka Igor F. , Meng Hong
Published: October 2018

Two neutral black copolymers were prepared by employing PTTPh or PTTTh as complementary segments to supplement the absorption deficiency from PTTBT.
Highly degradable imine-doped mesoporous silica particles
Authors: Travaglini Leana , Picchetti Pierre , Totovao Ricardo , Prasetyanto Eko Adi , De Cola Luisa
Published: October 2018

Enhanced degradation of mesoporous silica particles in neutral and acidic aqueous solutions was achieved by embedding diimine moieties in the silica network.
Recent insights into lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs)
Authors: Tandrup Tobias , Frandsen Kristian E. H. , Johansen Katja S. , Berrin Jean-Guy , Lo Leggio Leila
Published: October 2018

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper enzymes discovered within the last 10 years. By degrading recalcitrant substrates oxidatively, these enzymes are major contributors to the recycling of carbon in nature and are being used in the biorefinery industry. Recently, two new families of LPMOs have been defined and structurally characterized, AA14 and AA15, sharing many of previously found structural features. However, unlike most LPMOs to date, AA14 degrades xylan in the context of complex substrates, while AA15 is particularly interesting because they expand the presence of LPMOs from the predominantly microbial to the animal kingdom. The first two neutron crystallography structures have been determined, which, together with high-resolution room temperature X-ray structures, have putatively identified oxygen species at or near the active site of LPMOs. Many recent computational and experimental studies have also investigated the mechanism of action and substrate-binding mode of LPMOs. Perhaps, the most significant recent advance is the increasing structural and biochemical evidence, suggesting that LPMOs follow different mechanistic pathways with different substrates, co-substrates and reductants, by behaving as monooxygenases or peroxygenases with molecular oxygen or hydrogen peroxide as a co-substrate, respectively.
Endosomal trafficking of yeast membrane proteins
Authors: Laidlaw Kamilla M. E. , MacDonald Chris
Published: October 2018

Various membrane trafficking pathways transport molecules through the endosomal system of eukaryotic cells, where trafficking decisions control the localisation and activity of a diverse repertoire of membrane protein cargoes. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used to discover and define many mechanisms that regulate conserved features of endosomal trafficking. Internalised surface membrane proteins first localise to endosomes before sorting to other compartments. Ubiquitination of endosomal membrane proteins is a signal for their degradation. Ubiquitinated cargoes are recognised by the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) apparatus, which mediate sorting through the multivesicular body pathway to the lysosome for degradation. Proteins that are not destined for degradation can be recycled to other intracellular compartments, such as the Golgi and the plasma membrane. In this review, we discuss recent developments elucidating the mechanisms that drive membrane protein degradation and recycling pathways in yeast.