bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Travels along the Mediterranean and Parts Adjacent
Authors: Richardson Robert
Published: December 2014

After qualifying as a physician, Robert Richardson (1779–1847) joined the household of the earl of Belmore, and accompanied him and his family on a tour of the eastern Mediterranean in his yacht the Osprey, converted from a captured American schooner. Richardson dedicated this two-volume work to his patron in 1822. Having spent several months in Naples, the party travelled through the Greek islands to Constantinople, arriving in Alexandria in September 1817. Volume 2 describes further exploration in Egypt, before the party travelled into Palestine, where they visited Jerusalem and the Holy Places, and the cities of the Old Testament, continuing through Syria and Lebanon. Their intention of revisiting Greece on their return was thwarted by reports of the plague, and they arrived back in Malta in July 1818. Richardson's account is full of detail, both of the archaeological remains and of everyday life in the Middle East.
C. G. J. Jacobi's Gesammelte Werke
Authors: Jacobi Carl Gustav Jacob
Published: December 2014

One of the greatest mathematicians of the nineteenth century, Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi (1804–51) burst into the limelight with his redevelopment, together with Niels Henrik Abel (1802–29), of the theory of elliptic functions. His pioneering work was characterised by the variety of problems tackled and the power of the tools used to tackle them. His lasting influence on rational mechanics, number theory, partial differential equations, complex variable theory and computation is marked by the number of fundamental concepts that bear his name (the Jacobian, the Jacobi sum and the Jacobi symbol, among others). His collected works, comprising treatises, letters and papers written in German, Latin and French, were published in eight volumes between 1881 and 1891. Edited by fellow German mathematician Karl Weierstrass (1815–97), Volume 6 appeared in 1891.
The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences
Authors: Whewell William
Published: December 2014

First published in 1840, this two-volume treatise by Cambridge polymath William Whewell (1794–1886) remains significant in the philosophy of science. The work was intended as the 'moral' to his three-volume History of the Inductive Sciences (1837), which is also reissued in this series. Building on philosophical foundations laid by Immanuel Kant and Francis Bacon, Whewell opens with the aphorism 'Man is the Interpreter of Nature, Science the right interpretation'. Volume 1 contains the majority of Whewell's section on 'ideas', in which he investigates the philosophy underlying a range of different disciplines, including pure, classificatory and mechanical sciences. Whewell's work upholds throughout his belief that the mind was active and not merely a passive receiver of knowledge from the world. A key text in Victorian epistemological debates, notably challenged by John Stuart Mill and his System of Logic, Whewell's treatise merits continued study and discussion in the present day.
The Naturalist in Australia
Authors: Saville-Kent William
Published: December 2014

Educated at King's College, London, the naturalist and marine biologist William Saville-Kent (1845–1908) went on to work at the British Museum and in aquariums at Brighton, Manchester and Westminster. He spent many years in Australia as a fisheries expert, and during this time he made extensive surveys of the natural world. The present work, first published in 1897, was intended to give a non-scientific audience a glimpse of the fantastic array of wildlife in Australia. The author discusses the many varieties of birds, lizards, fish and other sea life, insects (an entire chapter is devoted to termites), and vegetation. He was also able to take advantage of the photographic technology of the time and include around fifty collotype images, which complement the many other illustrations of the plants and animals he writes about, providing a vivid overview of the natural world in late nineteenth-century Australia.
On the generation of a foam film during a topological rearrangement
Authors: Petit P. , Seiwert J. , Cantat I. , Biance A.-L.
Published: December 2014

T1 topological rearrangement, i.e. switching of neighbouring bubbles in a liquid foam, is the elementary process of foam dynamics, and it involves film disappearance and generation. It has been studied extensively as it is crucial in foam rheology or foam collapse. T1 dynamics depends mainly on the surfactants used to generate the foam, and several models taking into account surface viscosity and/or elasticity have been proposed. By performing experiments in a cubic assembly of films, we go a step forward in this global analysis and investigate experimentally the mechanism of formation of the new film. In particular, the flow velocity field is probed by particle tracking and the film thickness is measured by light absorption and interferometric measurements. Two limit behaviours for the film are reported: it may (i) undergo an homogeneous extension, or (ii) resist elongation and remain at rest, new film being created from liquid exchange with connecting meniscus. Both T1 dynamics and film thickness are shown to depend on the competition between these two behaviours. Interestingly, their balance is set by the surfactant solution used, but it is also shown to vary during a single T1 relaxation process.
Enablers for Inclusion: The Perspectives of Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Reupert Andrea , Deppeler Joanne M. , Sharma Umesh
Published: December 2014

Although home–school collaborations are important for inclusive education, most studies have identified the problems experienced by parents whose children have additional special needs. The aim of this study was to present the views of Australian parents, with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, regarding what they considered to be the enablers for inclusion, within the context of their experiences of a program of support in inclusive schools (a Victorian State Government initiative called the Inclusion Support Program). Four focus group interviews were conducted, within a phenomenological, qualitative paradigm, with 14 mothers, in rural and urban primary and secondary public schools. Parents identified various innovations including the provision of a safe space, structured school and free time, flexibility around timetable, curriculum and staffing and the provision of socially attractive activities. Another theme was the potential for schools to be a ‘catalyst point’ to bring together parents, teachers and community agencies. The importance of eliciting parental expertise is highlighted here.
Why Buy American? The International Politics of Fighter Jet Transfers
Authors: Vucetic Srdjan , Tago Atsushi
Published: December 2014

When it comes to buying military aircraft, what leads states to prefer one supplier over the other? This paper explores this question from the perspective of international relations theory. First we use social network analysis to map out fighter jet transfers during and after the Cold War and examine the extent to which historical structures of international hierarchy shape contemporary supplier-receiver relationships. Next, we use a basic probit model to analyse the origins of fighter jets in the world's air forces today to evaluate the effect of interstate orders of super-ordination and sub-ordination on sourcing patterns. All things being equal, the more a state is embedded in US security and economic hierarchy, the more it is likely to buy American-made fighter jets.
A unified approach to characterize and conserve adaptive and neutral genetic diversity in subdivided populations
Authors: WELLMANN ROBIN , BENNEWITZ JÖRN , MEUWISSEN THEO H. E.
Published: December 2014

As extinction of local domestic breeds and of isolated subpopulations of wild species continues, and the resources available for conservation programs are limited, prioritizing subpopulations for conservation is of high importance to halt the erosion of genetic diversity observed in endangered species. Current approaches usually only take neutral genetic diversity into account. However, adaptation of subpopulations to different environments also contributes to the diversity found in the species. This paper introduces two notions of adaptive variation. The adaptive diversity in a trait is the excess of variance found in genotypic values relative to the variance that would have been expected in the absence of selection. The adaptivity coverage of a set of subpopulations quantifies how well the subpopulations could adapt to a large range of environments within a limited time span. Additionally, genome-based notions of neutral diversities were obtained that correspond to well known pedigree-based definitions. The values of subpopulations for conservation of adaptivity coverage were compared with their conservation values for adaptive diversity and neutral diversities using simulated data. Conservation values for adaptive diversity and neutral diversities were only slightly correlated, but the values for conservation of adaptivity coverage showed a reasonable correlation with both kinds if the time span was chosen appropriately. Hence, maintaining adaptivity coverage is a promising approach to prioritize subpopulations for conservation decisions.
ON THE NUMBER OF ELLIPTIC CURVES WITH PRESCRIBED ISOGENY OR TORSION GROUP OVER NUMBER FIELDS OF PRIME DEGREE
Authors: NAJMAN FILIP
Published: December 2014

Let p be a prime and K a number field of degree p. We determine the finiteness of the number of elliptic curves, up to K-isomorphism, having a prescribed property, where this property is either that the curve contains a fixed torsion group as a subgroup or that it has a cyclic isogeny of prescribed degree.
QUASI-EINSTEIN CONTACT METRIC MANIFOLDS
Authors: GHOSH AMALENDU
Published: December 2014

We consider quasi-Einstein metrics in the framework of contact metric manifolds and prove some rigidity results. First, we show that any quasi-Einstein Sasakian metric is Einstein. Next, we prove that any complete K-contact manifold with quasi-Einstein metric is compact Einstein and Sasakian. To this end, we extend these results for (κ, μ)-spaces.
ON THE ASYMPTOTIC FORMULA IN WARING'S PROBLEM: ONE SQUARE AND THREE FIFTH POWERS
Authors: BRÜDERN JÖRG
Published: December 2014

1. Let r(n) denote the number of representations of the natural number n as the sum of one square and three fifth powers of positive integers. A formal use of the circle method predicts the asymptotic relation
(1)$
\begin{equation*}
r(n) = \frac{\Gamma(\frac32)\Gamma(\frac65)^3}{\Gamma(\frac{11}{10})} {\mathfrak s}(n) {n}^\frac1{10} (1 + o(1)) \qquad (n\to\infty).
\end{equation*}
$
Here ${\mathfrak s}$(n) is the singular series associated with sums of a square and three fifth powers, see (13) below for a precise definition. The main purpose of this note is to confirm (1) in mean square.
Landau fluid closures with nonlinear large-scale finite Larmor radius corrections for collisionless plasmas – CORRIGENDUM
Authors: Sulem P. L. , Passot T.
Published: December 2014

The authors would like to correct several misprints in the original article (Sulem and Passot 2014).
Why scientists should learn to program in Python
Authors: Ayer Vidya M. , Miguez Sheila , Toby Brian H.
Published: December 2014

The importance of software continues to grow for all areas of scientific research, no less for powder diffraction. Knowing how to program a computer is a basic and useful skill for scientists. This paper explains the three approaches for programming languages and why scripting languages are preferred for non-expert programmers. The Python-scripting language is extremely efficient for science and its use by scientists is growing. Python is also one of the easiest languages to learn. The language is introduced, as well as a few of the many add-on packages available that extend its capabilities, for example, for numerical computations, scientific graphics, and graphical user interface programming. Resources for learning Python are also provided.
Comparison of the so-called CGR and NCR cathodes in commercial lithium-ion batteries using in situ neutron powder diffraction
Authors: Alam Moshiul , Hanley Tracey , Pang Wei Kong , Peterson Vanessa K. , Sharma Neeraj
Published: December 2014

The evolution of the 003 reflection of the layered Li(Ni,Co,Mn)O2 (CGR) and Li(Ni,Co,Al)O2 (NCR) cathodes in commercial 18650 lithium-ion batteries during charge/discharge were determined using in situ neutron powder diffraction. The 003 reflection is chosen as it is the stacking axis of the layered structure and shows the largest change during charge/discharge. The comparison between these two cathodes shows that the NCR cathode exhibits an unusual contraction near the charged state and during the potentiostatic step, where the potentiostatic step is recommended by the manufacturer. This feature is not shown to the same degree by the CGR cathode. The behavior is likely related to the compositions of these cathodes, the amount of Li/Ni site mixing and the presence of Al or Mn.
Contribution of Meat Inspection to the surveillance of poultry health and welfare in the European Union
Authors: HUNEAU-SALAÜN A. , STÄRK K. D. C. , MATEUS A. , LUPO C. , LINDBERG A. , LE BOUQUIN-LENEVEU S.
Published: December 2014

In the European Union, Meat Inspection (MI) aims to protect public health by ensuring that minimal hazardous material enters in the food chain. It also contributes to the detection and monitoring of animal diseases and welfare problems but its utility for animal surveillance has been assessed partially for some diseases only. Using the example of poultry production, we propose a complete assessment of MI as a health surveillance system. MI allows a long-term syndromic surveillance of poultry health but its contribution is lowered by a lack of data standardization, analysis and reporting. In addition, the probability of case detection for 20 diseases and welfare conditions was quantified using a scenario tree modelling approach, with input data based on literature and expert opinion. The sensitivity of MI appeared to be very high to detect most of the conditions studied because MI is performed at batch level and applied to a high number of birds per batch.
FEEDBACK PREDICTIVE CONTROL OF NONHOMOGENEOUS MARKOV JUMP SYSTEMS WITH
NONSYMMETRIC CONSTRAINTS
Authors: LIU YANQING , LIU FEI
Published: December 2014

We consider feedback predictive control of a discrete nonhomogeneous Markov jump
system with nonsymmetric constraints. The probability transition of the Markov chain
is modelled as a time-varying polytope. An ellipsoid set is utilized to
construct an invariant set in the predictive controller design. However, when the
constraints are nonsymmetric, this method leads to results which are over conserved
due to the geometric characteristics of the ellipsoid set. Thus, a polyhedral
invariant set is applied to enlarge the initial feasible area. The results obtained
are for a more general class of dynamical systems, and the feasibility region is
significantly enlarged. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the advantage
of the proposed method.
INTRODUCTION
Authors: SLUGA GLENDA , ROWSE TIMOTHY
Published: December 2014

The four essays in this collection address the history of liberalism outside Europe, at the same time as they reinscribe European liberalism in global contexts. They ask where, beyond Europe and the North Atlantic, has liberal thought flourished as a way to think about problems of state formation, political economy and social order? They take historical scholarship beyond territories that were formally “colonies” of Europe (or of Europeans) to centres of intellectual activity stimulated and challenged by the global circulation of Western liberalism: the Ottoman Empire, the kingdoms of East Asia, the colonial world, the revolutionary world. Their “global” character is less evident in their individual geographical reach, and more apparent in their individual contributions to the sum of what we know about the appearance of liberal ideas beyond their transatlantic intellectual streams. We have brought them together here in order to raise questions about both the limits of liberalism as a concept, and the conceptual frontiers of intellectual history.
CONTRACTIONS OF NONCONTRACTIVE CONSEQUENCE RELATIONS
Authors: FRENCH ROHAN , RIPLEY DAVID
Published: December 2014

Some theorists have developed formal approaches to truth that depend on counterexamples to the structural rules of contraction. Here, we study such approaches, with an eye to helping them respond to a certain kind of objection. We define a contractive relative of each noncontractive relation, for use in responding to the objection in question, and we explore one example: the contractive relative of multiplicative-additive affine logic with transparent truth, or maalt.
VEGAS2: Software for More Flexible Gene-Based Testing
Authors: Mishra Aniket , Macgregor Stuart
Published: December 2014

Gene-based tests such as versatile gene-based association study (VEGAS) are commonly used following per-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) GWAS (genome-wide association studies) analysis. Two limitations of VEGAS were that the HapMap2 reference set was used to model the correlation between SNPs and only autosomal genes were considered. HapMap2 has now been superseded by the 1,000 Genomes reference set, and whereas early GWASs frequently ignored the X chromosome, it is now commonly included. Here we have developed VEGAS2, an extension that uses 1,000 Genomes data to model SNP correlations across the autosomes and chromosome X. VEGAS2 allows greater flexibility when defining gene boundaries. VEGAS2 offers both a user-friendly, web-based front end and a command line Linux version. The online version of VEGAS2 can be accessed through https://vegas2.qimrberghofer.edu.au/. The command line version can be downloaded from https://vegas2.qimrberghofer.edu.au/zVEGAS2offline.tgz. The command line version is developed in Perl, R and shell scripting languages; source code is available for further development.
Affiliation or Power
Authors: Heser Kathrin , Banse Rainer , Imhoff Roland
Published: December 2014

The present study investigated the relationship between explicit and implicit measures of affiliation, power, and achievement motives and behavior as related to social networking sites (SNS) in a sample of 59 participants. SNS appear to be designed to enable social connection via the Internet, so the potential for influence of the affiliation motive seemed self-evident. Additionally, we hypothesized that the power motive drives certain aspects of SNS behavior such that individuals with a high power motive have a larger number of friends and upload more pictures. The results of regression analyses showed that the explicit affiliation motive and the explicit power motive were related to different outcomes of SNS activity. Specifically, the explicit power motive predicted number of friends and number of uploaded pictures, whereas time spent on SNS per day was predicted by the explicit affiliation motive. Only weak evidence was found for an influence of implicit motives on SNS activity.
The Influences of Goal and Laterality of a Prepared Hand Response on a Co-Occurring Visual Search
Authors: Coutté Alexandre , Olivier Gérard , Faure Sylvane
Published: December 2014

Computer use generally requires manual interaction with human-computer interfaces. In this experiment, we studied the influence of manual response preparation on co-occurring shifts of attention to information on a computer screen. The participants were to carry out a visual search task on a computer screen while simultaneously preparing to reach for either a proximal or distal switch on a horizontal device, with either their right or left hand. The response properties were not predictive of the target’s spatial position. The results mainly showed that the preparation of a manual response influenced visual search: (1) The visual target whose location was congruent with the goal of the prepared response was found faster; (2) the visual target whose location was congruent with the laterality of the response hand was found faster; (3) these effects have a cumulative influence on visual search performance; (4) the magnitude of the influence of the response goal on visual search is marginally negatively correlated with the rapidity of response execution. These results are discussed in the general framework of structural coupling between perception and motor planning.
Pharmakotherapie bei ADHS im Erwachsenenalter: Eine Bestandsaufnahme
Authors: Eich-Höchli Dominique , Seifritz Erich , Eich Philipp
Published: December 2014

Nimmt man heute, im Zeitalter der evidenzbasierten Medizin (EBM), Leitlinien als Maßstab für die medikamentöse Therapie der ADHS im Erwachsenenalter, so hat sich in den vergangenen 10 Jahren wenig verändert: Methylphenidat ist weiterhin auf Platz Nr. 1 und Medikament der ersten Wahl. Einige vielversprechende und in den USA zugelassene Substanzen sind bei uns weiterhin off-label, beziehungsweise im Zulassungsverfahren blockiert. Doch es besteht die berechtigte Hoffnung, dass sich in den kommenden Jahren etwas bewegen wird. Bis zu 80 % der ADHS-Betroffenen haben Komorbiditäten sowohl im psychischen als auch im somatischen Bereich. Aus diesen Gründen ist es hilfreich, wenn mit den neuen Substanzen «zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe» behandelt werden können, zum Beispiel ADHS und soziale Phobien beziehungsweise ADHS und komorbider Alkoholmissbrauch mit Atomoxetin. Die Erweiterung des pharmakologischen Armamentariums ist auch deshalb dringend notwendig, weil ADHS-Betroffene dank Internet und Chatrooms maßgeschneiderte Lösungen, unbesehen der Vorgaben von EBM, für sich suchen und fordern. Die Integration der medikamentösen Behandlung in einen multimodalen Ansatz entspricht dem heutigen Goldstandard.
Psychoedukation und Coaching bei ADHS im Erwachsenenalter
Authors: D'Amelio Roberto , Retz Wolfgang , Rösler Michael
Published: December 2014

Bei der ADHS handelt sich um eine Störung, die häufig bis in das Erwachsenenalter persistiert und mit psychischen Beeinträchtigungen als auch psychosozialen Folgen behaftet sein kann. Obwohl sich die medikamentösen Behandlungsoptionen der ADHS im Erwachsenenalter als wirksam erwiesen haben, berichtet eine größere Anzahl von Betroffenen weiterhin von relevanten Funktionsbeeinträchtigungen und/oder Residualsymptomen. Die aktuellen Studien deuten darauf hin, dass psychologische Interventionen eine vielversprechende Behandlungsoption für Erwachsene mit ADHS darstellen können, die keine ausreichende Verbesserung unter Pharmakotherapie erfahren haben, diese nicht vertragen oder einer medikamentösen Behandlung ablehnend gegenüber stehen. Zentrale Ziele der psychologischen Interventionen sind, neben einer adäquaten Aufklärung der Betroffenen, die Entwicklung von Strategien bezüglich der Verbesserung von Selbstmanagement und der Selbstregulation, sowie die Steigerung von Lebensqualität. In diesem Artikel wird eine Übersicht über Psychoedukation und Coaching gegeben werden, als vielversprechende neue psychologische Behandlungsoptionen bei ADHS im Erwachsenenalter.
Zum Einfluss von ADHS im Straßenverkehr: Ergebnisse einer Querschnittsuntersuchung bei deliktauffälligen Kraftfahrern
Authors: Schmidt Sören , Wendler Kathrin , Brieler Paul , Kollra Hans-Günther , Petermann Franz
Published: December 2014

Die Relevanz einer Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung (ADHS) für die Teilnahme am Straßenverkehr ist mittlerweile gut untersucht. Ausgehend von den Beeinträchtigungen durch die Kernsymptomatik lassen sich unterschiedliche Risikofaktoren ermitteln, die mit ADHS assoziiert sind. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde eine Stichprobe von N = 630 deliktauffälligen Kraftfahrern untersucht und in einem ersten Schritt mit einer Normstichprobe (N = 1845) verglichen. Anschließend wurden mittels linearen Regressionsanalysen prädiktive Eigenschaften konkret erhobener Verkehrsdelikte auf eine ADHS-Symptomatik untersucht. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer zugrundeliegenden ADHS-Symptomatik ist bei Verkehrsdelinquenten – mit Ausnahme der Skala «Stressintoleranz» – deutlich höher ausgeprägt als in der Normstichprobe. Das Delikt «Fahren ohne Führerschein» ist der einzige Prädiktor für eine zugrundeliegende ADHS-Problematik. Die Ergebnisse verweisen auf einen hohen Anteil ADHS-betroffener Erwachsener in der Gruppe deliktauffälliger Kraftfahrer. Bei konkreten Delikten empfiehlt sich eine ausführlichere diagnostische ADHS-Abklärung. Zudem ergeben sich Hinweise auf eine starke Tendenz zu sozial erwünschten Antworten, was bei verkehrspsychologischen Schulungen berücksichtigt werden sollte.
Psychometrische Eigenschaften und Normierung der deutschen Version der Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS)
Authors: Gürtler Diana , Rumpf Hans-Jürgen , Bischof Anja , Kastirke Nadin , Meerkerk Gert-Jan , John Ulrich , Meyer Christian
Published: December 2014

Zusammenfassung. Die epidemiologische Beschreibung von Internetabhängigkeit und die Entwicklung von Interventionen erfordern eine reliable und ökonomische Erfassungsmethode von Internetabhängigkeit. Die Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS) erfasst die Kernelemente von Internetabhängigkeit mit 14 Items, allerdings fehlten bisher bevölkerungsrepräsentative Normwerte für die deutsche Version der CIUS. In der vorliegenden Studie werden nun teststatistische Kennwerte und Normwerte für die deutsche Version der CIUS vorgelegt. 8 132 Personen aus der Allgemeinbevölkerung (14 – 64 Jahren) mit einer durchschnittlichen privaten Internetnutzung von einer Stunde oder länger, an mindestens einem Tag in der Woche oder am Wochenende beantworteten die CIUS. Insgesamt weist die CIUS gute psychometrische Eigenschaften auf und die vorgelegten Normwerte bieten die Möglichkeit für Vergleiche von individuellen Werten mit denen der internetnutzenden Bevölkerung.
Fragebogen zur Erfassung des Humors von Lehrkräften aus Schülersicht (HUMLAS): Konstruktion und Validierung
Authors: Bieg Sonja , Dresel Markus
Published: December 2014

Zusammenfassung. Eine deutschsprachige Adaption der „Teacher Humor Scale“ ( Frymier, Wanzer & Wojtaszczyk, 2008 ) erfasst mit 17 Items vier Formen des schülerperzipierten Lehrerhumors: lerngegenstandsbezogener Humor, Humor ohne Bezug zum Lerngegenstand, selbstabwertender Humor und aggressiver Humor. Eine Studie mit 890 Gymnasiasten der 9. und 10. Jahrgangsstufe aus 41 Schulklassen erbrachte klare Hinweise auf die Messgüte des Verfahrens. Konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen auf Schülerebene bestätigten die vier-faktorielle Struktur. Ergebnisse von explorativen Zwei-Ebenen-Faktorenanalysen standen auch auf Klassenebene im Einklang mit der angenommenen Struktur des Lehrerhumors. Die auf dieser Basis gebildeten Subskalen verfügten über eine gute Reliabilität. Die Analyse der Zusammenhänge mit Schülermerkmalen und anderen Lehrer-/Unterrichtsmerkmalen erbrachte Hinweise auf die konvergente und die diskriminante Validität des Verfahrens. Mit dem „Fragebogen zur Erfassung des Humors von Lehrkräften aus Schülersicht“ (HUMLAS) liegt damit ein reliables, valides und ökonomisches Instrument zu einem Aspekt von Unterricht vor, zu dem es bislang kein differenziertes Verfahren gab.
Resveratrol regulates mitochondrial reactive oxygen species homeostasis through Sirt3 signaling pathway in human vascular endothelial cells
Authors: Zhou X , Chen M , Zeng X , Yang J , Deng H , Yi L , Mi M-t
Published: December 2014

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) homeostasis plays an essential role in preventing oxidative injury in endothelial cells, an initial step in atherogenesis. Resveratrol (RSV) possesses a variety of cardioprotective activities, however, little is known regarding the effects of RSV on mtROS homeostasis in endothelial cells. Sirt3 is a mitochondrial deacetylase, which plays a key role in mitochondrial bioenergetics and is closely associated with oxidative stress. The goal of the study is to investigate whether RSV could attenuate oxidative injury in endothelial cells via mtROS homeostasis regulation through Sirt3 signaling pathway. We found that pretreatment with RSV suppressed tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative damage in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by increasing cell viability, inhibiting cell apoptosis, repressing collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential and decreasing mtROS generation. Moreover, the enzymatic activities of isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) as well as deacetylation of SOD2 were increased by RSV pretreatment, suggesting RSV notably enhanced mtROS scavenging in t-BHP-induced endothelial cells. Meanwhile, RSV remarkably reduced mtROS generation by promoting Sirt3 enrichment within the mitochondria and subsequent upregulation of forkhead box O3A (FoxO3A)-mediated mitochondria-encoded gene expression of ATP6, CO1, Cytb, ND2 and ND5, thereby leading to increased complex I activity and ATP synthesis. Furthermore, RSV activated the expressions of phosphorylated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) and Sirt3, as well as estrogen-related receptor-α (ERRα)-dependent Sirt3 mRNA transcription, which were abolished in the presence of AMPK inhibitor and AMPK, PGC-1α or Sirt3 siRNA transfection, indicating the effects of RSV on mtROS homeostasis regulation were dependent on AMPK-PGC-1α-ERRα-Sirt3 signaling pathway. Our findings indicated a novel mechanism that RSV-attenuated oxidative injury in endothelial cells through the regulation of mtROS homeostasis, which, in part, was mediated through the activation of the Sirt3 signaling pathway.
Level of macroautophagy drives senescent keratinocytes into cell death or neoplastic evasion
Authors: Deruy E , Nassour J , Martin N , Vercamer C , Malaquin N , Bertout J , Chelli F , Pourtier A , Pluquet O , Abbadie C
Published: December 2014

Senescence is a non-proliferative state reached by normal cells in response to various stresses, including telomere uncapping, oxidative stress or oncogene activation. In previous reports, we have highlighted that senescent human epidermal keratinocytes have two opposite outcomes: either they die by autophagic programmed cell death or they evade in the form of neoplastic postsenescence emergent (PSNE) cells. Herein, we show that partially reducing macroautophagy in senescent keratinocytes using 3-methyl adenine or anti-Atg5 siRNAs increases the PSNE frequency, suggesting that senescent keratinocytes have to escape autophagic cell death to generate PSNE cells. However, totally inhibiting macroautophagy impairs PSNE and leads to a huge accumulation of oxidative damages, indicating that senescent keratinocytes need to achieve quality-control macroautophagy for PSNE to occur. In accordance, we demonstrate that the progenitors of PSNE cells display a level of macroautophagy slightly lower than that of the average senescent population, which is directly dictated by their level of reactive oxygen species, their level of upregulation of MnSOD, their level of activation of NF-κB transcription factors and their level of dysfunctional mitochondria. Macroautophagy thus has antagonistic roles during senescence, inducing cell death or promoting neoplastic transformation, depending on its level of activation. Taken together, these data suggest that levels of oxidative damages and ensuing macroautophagic activity could be two main determinants of the very initial phases of neoplastic transformation by senescence evasion.
Suppression of BRCA1 sensitizes cells to proteasome inhibitors
Authors: Gu Y , Bouwman P , Greco D , Saarela J , Yadav B , Jonkers J , Kuznetsov S G
Published: December 2014

BRCA1 is a multifunctional protein best known for its role in DNA repair and association with breast and ovarian cancers. To uncover novel biologically significant molecular functions of BRCA1, we tested a panel of 198 approved and experimental drugs to inhibit growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells depleted for BRCA1 by siRNA. 26S proteasome inhibitors bortezomib and carfilzomib emerged as a new class of selective BRCA1-targeting agents. The effect was confirmed in HeLa and U2OS cancer cell lines using two independent siRNAs, and in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells with inducible deletion of Brca1. Bortezomib treatment did not cause any increase in nuclear foci containing phosphorylated histone H2AX, and knockdown of BRCA2 did not entail sensitivity to bortezomib, suggesting that the DNA repair function of BRCA1 may not be directly involved. We found that a toxic effect of bortezomib on BRCA1-depleted cells is mostly due to deregulated cell cycle checkpoints mediated by RB1-E2F pathway and 53BP1. Similar to BRCA1, depletion of RB1 also conferred sensitivity to bortezomib, whereas suppression of E2F1 or 53BP1 together with BRCA1 reduced induction of apoptosis after bortezomib treatment. A gene expression microarray study identified additional genes activated by bortezomib treatment only in the context of inactivation of BRCA1 including a critical involvement of the ERN1-mediated unfolded protein response. Our data indicate that BRCA1 has a novel molecular function affecting cell cycle checkpoints in a manner dependent on the 26S proteasome activity.
Competition between items in working memory leads to forgetting
Authors: Lewis-Peacock Jarrod A. , Norman Kenneth A.
Published: December 2014

Switching attention from one thought to the next propels our mental lives forward. However, it is unclear how this thought-juggling affects our ability to remember these thoughts. Here we show that competition between the neural representations of pictures in working memory can impair subsequent recognition of those pictures. We use pattern classifiers to decode functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from a retro-cueing task where participants juggle two pictures in working memory. Trial-by-trial fluctuations in neural dynamics are predictive of performance on a surprise recognition memory test: trials that elicit similar levels of classifier evidence for both pictures (indicating close competition) are associated with worse memory performance than trials where participants switch decisively from thinking about one picture to the other. This result is consistent with the non-monotonic plasticity hypothesis, which predicts that close competition can trigger weakening of memories that lose the competition, leading to subsequent forgetting.
The tumour suppressor DLC2 ensures mitotic fidelity by coordinating spindle positioning and cell–cell adhesion
Authors: Vitiello Elisa , Ferreira Jorge G. , Maiato Helder , Balda Maria S. , Matter Karl
Published: December 2014

Dividing epithelial cells need to coordinate spindle positioning with shape changes to maintain cell–cell adhesion. Microtubule interactions with the cell cortex regulate mitotic spindle positioning within the plane of division. How the spindle crosstalks with the actin cytoskeleton to ensure faithful mitosis and spindle positioning is unclear. Here we demonstrate that the tumour suppressor DLC2, a negative regulator of Cdc42, and the interacting kinesin Kif1B coordinate cell junction maintenance and planar spindle positioning by regulating microtubule growth and crosstalk with the actin cytoskeleton. Loss of DLC2 induces the mislocalization of Kif1B, increased Cdc42 activity and cortical recruitment of the Cdc42 effector mDia3, a microtubule stabilizer and promoter of actin dynamics. Accordingly, DLC2 or Kif1B depletion promotes microtubule stabilization, defective spindle positioning, chromosome misalignment and aneuploidy. The tumour suppressor DLC2 and Kif1B are thus central components of a signalling network that guides spindle positioning, cell–cell adhesion and mitotic fidelity.
Atomic and electronic structures of an extremely fragile liquid
Authors: Kohara Shinji , Akola Jaakko , Patrikeev Leonid , Ropo Matti , Ohara Koji , Itou Masayoshi , Fujiwara Akihiko , Yahiro Jumpei , Okada Junpei T. , Ishikawa Takehiko , Mizuno Akitoshi , Masuno Atsunobu , Watanabe Yasuhiro , Usuki Takeshi
Published: December 2014

The structure of high-temperature liquids is an important topic for understanding the fragility of liquids. Here we report the structure of a high-temperature non-glass-forming oxide liquid, ZrO2, at an atomistic and electronic level. The Bhatia–Thornton number–number structure factor of ZrO2 does not show a first sharp diffraction peak. The atomic structure comprises ZrO5, ZrO6 and ZrO7 polyhedra with a significant contribution of edge sharing of oxygen in addition to corner sharing. The variety of large oxygen coordination and polyhedral connections with short Zr–O bond lifetimes, induced by the relatively large ionic radius of zirconium, disturbs the evolution of intermediate-range ordering, which leads to a reduced electronic band gap and increased delocalization in the ionic Zr–O bonding. The details of the chemical bonding explain the extremely low viscosity of the liquid and the absence of a first sharp diffraction peak, and indicate that liquid ZrO2 is an extremely fragile liquid.
Anesthetic Diffusion Through Lipid Membranes Depends on the Protonation Rate
Authors: Pérez-Isidoro Rosendo , Sierra-Valdez F. J. , Ruiz-Suárez J. C.
Published: December 2014

Hundreds of substances possess anesthetic action. However, despite decades of research and tests, a golden rule is required to reconcile the diverse hypothesis behind anesthesia. What makes an anesthetic to be local or general in the first place? The specific targets on proteins, the solubility in lipids, the diffusivity, potency, action time? Here we show that there could be a new player equally or even more important to disentangle the riddle: the protonation rate. Indeed, such rate modulates the diffusion speed of anesthetics into lipid membranes; low protonation rates enhance the diffusion for local anesthetics while high ones reduce it. We show also that there is a pH and membrane phase dependence on the local anesthetic diffusion across multiple lipid bilayers. Based on our findings we incorporate a new clue that may advance our understanding of the anesthetic phenomenon.
The insulinotrophic effect of insulin-like peptide 5 in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Luo Xiao , Li Ting , Zhu Yue , Dai Yunbin , Zhao Jianwei , Guo Zhan-Yun , Wang Ming-Wei
Published: December 2014

Insulin-like peptide 5 (INSL5), a member of the insulin/relaxin superfamily, can activate the G-protein-coupled receptor relaxin/insulin-like family peptide receptor 4 (RXFP4), but its precise biological functions are largely unknown. Recent studies suggest that INSL5/RXFP4 is involved in the control of food intake and glucose homoeostasis. We report in the present study that RXFP4 is present in the mouse insulinoma cell line MIN6 and INSL5 augments glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) both in vitro and in vivo. RXFP4 is also expressed in the mouse intestinal L-cell line GLUTag and INSL5 is capable of potentiating glucose-dependent glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in GLUTag cells. We propose that the insulinotrophic effect of INSL5 is probably mediated through stimulation of insulin/GLP-1 secretion and the INSL5/RXFP4 system may be a potential therapeutic target for Type 2 diabetes.
The glutaredoxin mono- and di-thiol mechanisms for deglutathionylation are functionally equivalent: implications for redox systems biology
Authors: Mashamaite Lefentse N. , Rohwer Johann M. , Pillay Ché S.
Published: December 2014

Glutathionylation plays a central role in cellular redox regulation and anti-oxidative defence. Grx (Glutaredoxins) are primarily responsible for reversing glutathionylation and their activity therefore affects a range of cellular processes, making them prime candidates for computational systems biology studies. However, two distinct kinetic mechanisms involving either one (monothiol) or both (dithiol) active-site cysteines have been proposed for their deglutathionylation activity and initial studies predicted that computational models based on either of these mechanisms will have different structural and kinetic properties. Further, a number of other discrepancies including the relative activity of active-site mutants and contrasting reciprocal plot kinetics have also been reported for these redoxins. Using kinetic modelling, we show that the dithiol and monothiol mechanisms are identical and, we were also able to explain much of the discrepant data found within the literature on Grx activity and kinetics. Moreover, our results have revealed how an apparently futile side-reaction in the monothiol mechanism may play a significant role in regulating Grx activity in vivo.
Pre-partum supplementation increases first-lactation heifer re-conception rates in the Victoria River District, NT
Authors: Schatz T. J.
Published: December 2014

Previous studies have reported inconsistent results when attempting to use pre-partum supplementation to improve re-conception rates in first-lactation heifers in northern Australia. It has been speculated that where no improvement in re-conception rates was found that it may have been because supplementation was stopped before the wet season began, and the benefits from supplementation were lost when heifers lost weight between the end of supplementation and the start of the wet season. This study was conducted to determine whether re-conception rates in Brahman first-lactation heifers in the Victoria River District (VRD) could be reliably improved by pre-partum supplementation with high protein supplements (at a rate of 0.4% of liveweight per day). Re-conception rates were significantly higher in supplemented (SUP) heifers in each of the 3 years of this study (re-conception rates were an average of 42 % units higher in SUP heifers over the 3 years). It was concluded that feeding pre-partum protein supplements for a period of at least 100 days until green grass is available at the start of the wet season is a reliable method of increasing re-conception rates in first-lactation heifers in the VRD. However, even with large increases in re-conception rate, the profitability of supplementation strategies in northern Australia need to be carefully evaluated due to high on-farm costs of supplements. Profitability is also adversely affected when the feeding period is extended due to a late start to the wet season.
Perceptions of ranchers towards livestock predation by large felids in the Brazilian Pantanal
Authors: Boulhosa R. L. P. , Azevedo F. C. C.
Published: December 2014

Context Human–wildlife competition is a worldwide problem. In the Brazilian Pantanal, the competition is between livestock and large cats, such as the jaguar (Panthera onca) and the puma (Puma concolor). Only a few studies have been conducted in the region and have indicated low levels of cattle predation. In addition to the paucity of information on livestock predation levels, information on the local ranchers’ understanding of cattle predation is limited. Aims To investigate local people’s perceptions of large cats and husbandry practices in order to understand some of the causes and extent of jaguar–livestock interaction in the Brazilian Pantanal. Methods We present comprehensive surveys of the local people’s perceptions towards large cats using a 5-point Likert scale evaluated using non-parametric tests in order to reach a better understanding of the causes of jaguar–livestock interaction and its extent in the Brazilian Pantanal. Key results In general, total mortality rate due to cat predation was 2.7 ± 4.9% of total cattle holdings. However, jaguars were reported as a real menace to cattle and cattle predation by large cats was a real concern for ranch operations. The majority of ranchers who implemented cattle management accept the risk of losing cattle to predation by large cats, but only a minority of respondents reported that they would rather live without jaguars. Conclusions The majority of the ranches surveyed had limited husbandry practices and the intensity of cattle management did influence respondents’ perceptions of predation by large cats. Implications We suggest that the focus of conservation actions be on cattle management aimed at minimising other sources of income loss caused by poor husbandry practices.
The library's role in the management and funding of open access publishing
Authors: LARA Kate
Published: December 2014

This survey presents information on library management of open access resources, institutional involvement in open access funding, and the role librarians see themselves playing in this model in the future. 149 responses from 30 different countries were included. 94% of respondents were librarians, and the remaining 6% consisted of faculty, students, and other library staff. Results showed that most libraries are cataloging open access journals, though they usually represent only 1–5% of total listings. The responsibility for funding open access is more likely to fall on the author or a granting organization than the library or institution. 23% of libraries in this survey help finance open access, and one‐third of these had established criteria for funding. While librarians disagreed on the appropriate level of their involvement in the publishing process and financing of article charges, the majority viewed the library as an important advocate for open access publishing in their institution.
Penetration of Nigerian predatory biomedical open access journals 2007–2012: a bibliometric study
Authors: NWAGWU Williams EZINWA , OJEMENI Obinna
Published: December 2014

This paper presents the bibliometric characteristics of 32 biomedical open access journals published by Academic Journals and International Research Journals – the two Nigerian publishers in Jeffery Beall's list of 23 predatory open access publishers in 2012. Data about the journals and the authors of their articles were collected from the websites of the publishers, Google Scholar and Web of Science. As at December 2012, the journals had together produced a total of 5,601 papers written by 5,599 authors, and received 12,596 citations. Authors from Asia accounted for 56.79% of the publications; those from Africa wrote 28.35% while Europe contributed 7.78%. Authors from Africa accounted for 18.25% of the citations these journals received, and this is about one‐third the number of citations by authors in Asia (54.62%). At country level, India ranks first in the top 10 citer countries, while Nigeria, the host country of the journals, ranked eighth. More in‐depth studies are required to develop further information about the journals such as how much scientific information the journals contain, as well as the science literacy of the authors and the editorial.