bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increasing l-threonine production in Escherichia coli by overexpressing the gene cluster phaCAB
Authors: Wang Jianli , Ma Wenjian , Fang Yu , Yang Jun , Zhan Jie , Chen Shangwei , Wang Xiaoyuan
Published: July 2019

l-Threonine is an important branched-chain amino acid and could be applied in feed, drugs, and food. In this study, l-threonine production in an l-threonine-producing Escherichia coli strain TWF001 was significantly increased by overexpressing the gene cluster phaCAB from Ralstonia eutropha. TWF001/pFW01-phaCAB could produce 96.4-g/L l-threonine in 3-L fermenter and 133.5-g/L l-threonine in 10-L fermenter, respectively. In addition, TWF001/pFW01-phaCAB produced 216% more acetyl-CoA, 43% more malate, and much less acetate than the vector control TWF001/pFW01, and meanwhile, TWF001/pFW01-phaCAB produced poly-3-hydroxybutyrate, while TWF001/pFW01 did not. Transcription analysis showed that the key genes in the l-threonine biosynthetic pathway were up-regulated, the genes relevant to the acetate formation were down-regulated, and the gene acs encoding the enzyme which converts acetate to acetyl-CoA was up-regulated. The results suggested that overexpression of the gene cluster phaCAB in E. coli benefits the enhancement of l-threonine production.
Monetary easing policy and stable growth: a theoretic approach
Authors: Shimizu Yoshinori
Published: July 2019

After the 2008 global financial crisis, the regulatory tightening, coupled with the spontaneous reaction of financial institutions to avoid risks, prevented increases in money supply in circulation even under the large-scale reserve supply. The reason of non-achieved 2% inflation target is attributable to such factors as, the increasing Marshallian K, the reluctance of financial institutions to give loans to small and medium firms, the weak loan demand, and the permanent income decline stems from the public concern on Japan’s fiscal crisis. The 2% inflation under the balanced budget principle as a long-run target over a half century is the only practical solution for the fiscal crisis, by halving the real burden of the government debts in 33 years. Constitutionalizing the 2% inflation target is a way to enhance the public confidence towards the future and boost the consumption. The negative interest rate policy adversely affected money supply increase, since it is practically a tax on financial institutions which narrows their profit margins, depriving the capacity of risk taking from them. As money supply in circulation cannot be controlled by the BOJ only, closer collaboration among government agencies such as the MOF and the FSA are required to promote financial institution’s growth money supply. Enhancing the growth rate is Japan’s policy objective of the top priority. The role of monetary policy is to prepare a foreseeable future with a stable value of money to promote technical progress as the source of the growth. The key to promote stable growth is opening profit opportunities to challengers to new technologies. The barrier for Japan’s growth is the vested interests built on the old technologies which slows down political decisions to change regulations. The right growth strategy is to destroy the vested interests built on old technologies through prompt deregulation, promote free and open competition, and provide profit opportunities to challengers to new technologies.
The Patient in Free Movement Law: Medical History, Diagnosis, and Prognosis
Authors: VAN LEEUWEN Barend
Published: July 2019

Free movement of patients has been criticised from the moment that the first patient cases reached the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’). The moving patient supposedly increases consumerism, reduces national solidarity, and has a negative impact on the quality of healthcare provided in some Member States. This article challenges the empirical foundations of such criticisms. An empirical analysis of all patient cases before the CJEU shows that a significant number of patients required urgent treatment, that their medical condition was life-threatening, and that they were supported by their treating doctor in seeking treatment in another Member State. Moreover, free movement of patient cases regularly lead to positive changes to national healthcare systems. Therefore, the negative attitude towards free movement of patients should be reconsidered. Patients, doctors, and lawyers must think more strategically about how free movement can be used to improve the quality of healthcare in the EU.
Impact of health insurance status on surgical site infection incidence: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Duggan Brian T. , Roth Jan A. , Dangel Marc , Battegay Manuel , Widmer Andreas F.
Published: July 2019

Health insurance status may affect the risk for surgical site infection (SSI). A large prospective cohort study in a Swiss tertiary-care hospital did not find evidence of a difference in SSI risk in individuals with basic versus semiprivate or private insurance in a setting with universal health insurance coverage.
Deformation and Bubble Entrapment of Free Surface Before Axisymmetric Bodies Detaching From Water Fully
Authors: Song X. , Wu Q. G. , Ni B. Y. , Chen H. L.
Published: July 2019

Experiments are presented on the deformation of free surface induced by water exit of axisymmetric bodies, particular at the moment before body detaching from water. A set of experimental apparatus is designed to provide driving force for the bodies. A high-speed camera is adopted to capture the motion and deformation of the free surface. Bodies of various shapes, including a stretched spheroid, a sphere, a circular cone and a combination of cylinder and circular cone, are lifted out of water with different velocities, by using a straight rod attached on the top of models. It is found that free-surface deformation is affected by the moving velocity a lot. Three wake flow or free-surface spike patterns are generated corresponding to different velocities. When the velocity is larger than a critical velocity, cavitation incepts and bubble is entrapped inside the water spike, which changes the flow pattern and shape of the spike. It is aimed to explore the spike phenomenon of free surface and explain the reasons behind it.
Affective registers of postcolonial crisis: the Kampala Tank Hill party
Authors: Taylor Edgar Curtis
Published: July 2019

A drinking party in 1963 precipitated a crisis over newly independent Uganda's sovereignty and the respectability of a new postcolonial ruling elite. Under Kampala's multiracial veneer in the early 1960s lurked bawdy British youth culture and radical African youth politics. When Europeans at a party in the elite suburb of Tank Hill allegedly mocked African aspirations for urban respectability and political sovereignty, UPC (Uganda Peoples Congress) Youth Wing activists used the affair to elicit public expressions of anger at the collusion of conservative politicians and racist former colonizers. Prime Minister Milton Obote attempted to channel that anger into nationalist unity but soon found common cause with British diplomats in expelling intemperate youth from Uganda's governing bureaucracy. The affair points to both the power and the limits of the affective politics of decolonization as well as the relationship between youth wings and the politics of respectability in early postcolonial Africa.
Cooperation in the midst of violence: land deals and cattle raids in Narok and Laikipia, Kenya
Authors: Gravesen Marie Ladekjær , Kioko Eric Mutisya
Published: July 2019

What drives the formation of ties and networks in ethnically hybrid spaces despite the occurrence of conflict? We approach this question by examining the actors involved, the institutions affected, and the economic and environmental contexts surrounding such tendencies. This study explores socially thick arrangements between Maasai and Kikuyu in Narok and their role in the non-violent use of formerly contested lands. In Laikipia, we examine how young Samburu and Kikuyu cooperate in a dangerous yet economically beneficial network involving cattle-rustling ventures. We revisit the history of land settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley, particularly in the study areas of Narok and Laikipia, and show how access and settlement rights to land are negotiated peacefully, encouraging ethnic assimilation and cooperative social and economic relations. Based on this context and the exploration of our case studies, we argue that the formation of alliances in multi-ethnic settings tends to override other identities when mutual benefits drive such associations.
Agrarian reforms in Africa 1980–2016: solution or evolution of the agrarian question?
Authors: Martín Víctor O. Martín , Darias Luis M. Jerez , Fernández Carlos S. Martín
Published: July 2019

The first period of agrarian reforms with clear state control over the land (African socialisms) took place between 1945 and 1980, but then a second period started in which market agrarian reforms have prevailed. This work synthesizes agrarian structural reform policies (property systems and land tenure) between 1980 and 2016 in African countries, especially those that had or have bureaucratic bourgeoisie governments (one-party and/or African socialist). The two periods are complementary, rather then being opposed to each other, as state agrarian reforms smoothed the path to market agrarian reforms. Although there is not yet sufficient empirical research on the results of the agrarian reforms implemented during this period, our hypothesis is that they are helping to: increase the unequal structure of property; develop tenure systems and non-capitalist contractual labour relations in new ways, both non-associative (the grabbing of vast tracts of land) and associative (renewed control of customary lands by traditional authorities); and force peasant expropriation and the subsequent increase in the number of landless non-proletarianized peasants. Therefore, the problem of poor agrarian structures in Africa is still unresolved.
Two boundedness criteria for a class of operators on Musielak–Orlicz Hardy spaces and applications
Authors: Qiu Xiaoli , Li Baode , Liu Xiong , Li Bo
Published: July 2019

Let φ : ℝn × [0, ∞) → [0, ∞) satisfy that φ(x, · ), for any given x ∈ ℝn, is an Orlicz function and φ( · , t) is a Muckenhoupt A∞ weight uniformly in t ∈ (0, ∞). The (weak) Musielak–Orlicz Hardy space Hφ(ℝn) (WHφ(ℝn)) generalizes both the weighted (weak) Hardy space and the (weak) Orlicz Hardy space and hence has wide generality. In this paper, two boundedness criteria for both linear operators and positive sublinear operators from Hφ(ℝn) to Hφ(ℝn) or from Hφ(ℝn) to WHφ(ℝn) are obtained. As applications, we establish the boundedness of Bochner–Riesz means from Hφ(ℝn) to Hφ(ℝn), or from Hφ(ℝn) to WHφ(ℝn) in the critical case. These results are new even when φ(x, t): = Φ(t) for all (x, t) ∈ ℝn × [0, ∞), where Φ is an Orlicz function.
Benefits of pre-labyrinthectomy intratympanic gentamicin: contralateral vestibular responses
Authors: Amiraraghi N , Gaggini M , Crowther J A , Locke R , Taylor W , Kontorinis G
Published: July 2019

Objective

To determine the impact of pre-operative intratympanic gentamicin injection on the recovery of patients undergoing translabyrinthine resection of vestibular schwannomas.

Methods

This prospective, case–control pilot study included eight patients undergoing surgical labyrinthectomy, divided into two groups: four patients who received pre-operative intratympanic gentamicin and four patients who did not. The post-operative six-canal video head impulse test responses and length of in-patient stay were assessed.

Results

The average length of stay was shorter for patients who received intratympanic gentamicin (6.75 days; range, 6–7 days) than for those who did not (9.5 days; range, 8–11 days) (p = 0.0073). Additionally, the gentamicin group had normal post-operative video head impulse test responses in the contralateral ear, while the non-gentamicin group did not.

Conclusion

Pre-operative intratympanic gentamicin improves the recovery following vestibular schwannoma resection, eliminating, as per the video head impulse test, the impact of labyrinthectomy on the contralateral labyrinth.
A Home of One's Own The Philosophy in Roger Scruton's Literary Writings
Authors: Gescinska Alicja
Published: July 2019

Apart from being a prolific philosopher, Roger Scruton is also an accomplished writer of novels, poems, short stories, libretti and literary memoirs. In this article I will explore how Scruton's literary writings relate to his philosophy. I shall argue that one concept, pivotal to Scruton's philosophy, is also a main Leitmotiv of his literary work: home. The longing to be at home in the world is integral to our human nature. Several phenomena, as Scruton shows in his philosophy and literary works, are indispensable in order for us to be able to fulfil the desire to belong: beauty, oikophilia, and the ability to engage with each other as persons.
Phonetic and phonological effects of tonal information in the segmentation of Korean speech: An artificial-language segmentation study
Authors: Tremblay Annie , Cho Taehong , Kim Sahyang , Shin Seulgi
Published: July 2019

This study investigates how the fine-grained phonetic realization of tonal cues impacts speech segmentation when the cues signal the same word boundary in the native and unfamiliar languages but do so differently. Korean listeners use the phrase-final high (H) tone and the phrase-initial low (L) tone to segment speech into words (Kim, Broersma, & Cho, 2012; Kim & Cho, 2009), but it is unclear how the alignment of the phrase-final H tone and the scaling of the phrase-initial L tone modulate their speech segmentation. Korean listeners completed three artificial-language (AL) tasks (within-subject): (a) one AL without tonal cues; (b) one AL with later-aligned phrase-final H cues (non-Korean-like); and (c) one AL with earlier-aligned phrase-final H cues (Korean-like). Three groups of Korean listeners heard (b) and (c) in three phrase-initial L scaling conditions (between-subject): high (non-Korean-like), mid (non-Korean-like), or low (Korean-like). Korean listeners’ segmentation improved as the L tone was lowered, and (b) enhanced segmentation more than (c) in the high- and mid-scaling conditions. We propose that Korean listeners tune in to low-level cues (the greater H-to-L slope in [b]) that conform to the Korean intonational grammar when the phrase-initial L tone is not canonical phonologically.
Alaska Native Elders’ Perspectives on Physical Activity and Successful Aging
Authors: Brooks-Cleator Lauren A. , Lewis Jordan P.
Published: July 2019

L’activité physique est généralement considérée comme un facteur contribuant de façon significative au vieillissement réussi d’une personne. Certains groupes n’ont cependant pas été suffisamment représentés dans les discussions sur l’activité physique et le vieillissement, particulièrement ceux provenant d’horizons culturels différents. Dans cet article, nous explorons comment les aînés autochtones de l’Alaska perçoivent le rôle de l’activité physique au cours de leur vieillissement et la contribution de l’activité physique au vieillissement réussi. Les entretiens semi-structurés menés auprès de 41 aînés ont montré que l’activité physique n’était pas seulement perçue comme une responsabilité personnelle en vue du maintien d’une bonne santé lors du vieillissement, mais aussi comme un moyen de résister à l’opinion répandue voulant que les personnes âgées soient dans une phase de déclin. Pour ces aînés, être physiquement actif, peu importe l’âge, était vu comme un moyen pour améliorer ou maintenir leur état physique, mental, émotionnel ou spirituel, et permettrait de participer aux activités de subsistance qui sont rattachées à leur culture et aux rôles ancestraux qui leur sont reconnus.
Alternative finance: a historical perspective
Authors: Chambers David , Saleuddin Rasheed , Mcmahon Craig
Published: July 2019

Innovations in the world of alternative finance such as online consumer lending, fund-raising platforms and cryptocurrencies are proceeding apace. In this article, we examine three historical case studies of newly emerged non-bank financial markets and discuss the possible implications for today's alternative finance markets. The first insight is that the private sector can generally be counted on to meet previously unmet needs. Moneylenders filled a gap unaddressed by the banking system of the day. Junior market IPOs provided access to funds for smaller companies that might otherwise have struggled to raise external finance. Private currencies replaced sovereign coins in transactions at various points in history. The second insight, however, is that new financial markets and instruments eventually attract the attention of regulators. Finally, these examples are a warning to industry not to take for granted that an initially laissez-faire regulatory regime precludes a stronger response at some point in the future. In all three cases, tougher regulation – in some cases even to the point of shutting down the products and markets concerned – arrived after long periods of observation and deliberation by the state.
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Analysis of an Object Larger and Sharper than the AFM Tip
Authors: Chen Zhe , Luo Jiawei , Doudevski Ivo , Erten Sema , Kim Seong H.
Published: July 2019

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is typically used for analysis of relatively flat surfaces with topographic features smaller than the height of the AFM tip. On flat surfaces, it is relatively easy to find the object of interest and deconvolute imaging artifacts resulting from the finite size of the AFM tip. In contrast, AFM imaging of three-dimensional objects much larger than the AFM tip height is rarely attempted although it could provide topographic information that is not readily available from two-dimensional imaging, such as scanning electron microscopy. In this paper, we report AFM measurements of a vertically-mounted razor blade, which is taller and sharper than the AFM tip. In this case, the AFM height data, except for the data collected around the cutting edge of the blade, reflect the shape of the AFM tip. The height data around the apex area are effectively the convolution of the AFM tip and the blade cutting edge. Based on computer simulations mimicking an AFM tip scanning across a round sample, a simple algorithm is proposed to deconvolute the AFM height data of an object taller and sharper than the AFM tip and estimate its effective curvature.
Confederate Statues and Their Dirty Laundry
Authors: Wright Ben
Published: July 2019

Since 2015, America has witnessed a profound shift in aggregate public sentiments toward Confederate statues and symbols. That shift was keenly felt on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin (UT), culminating in the removal of four such statues in 2015 and 2017. However, an inquiry into their creation points to an equally significant shift in sentiments during the 1920s. UT's statues were commissioned in 1919 by George Littlefield, a Confederate veteran and university regent, as part of a larger war memorial. The ostensible purpose of that memorial was to commemorate veterans of both the Civil War and World War I. However, during the 1920s, a new generation of university leaders rejected Littlefield's design—and with it the assertion that the services of Civil and World War veterans were morally congruent and united in a common historical trajectory. This article tracks the ways in which they quietly and yet profoundly undermined the project, causing it to be significantly delayed and then extensively altered. Meanwhile, students and veterans improvised their own commemorative practices that were in stark contrast to the Confederate generation—the latter wanted to remember, while the former wanted to forget.
Conflict as Communion: Toward an Agonistic Ecclesiology
Authors: Lambelet Kyle B.T.
Published: July 2019

Though Anglican theologians, clergy, and laypeople have written and spoken extensively about the current status of the Anglican Communion, the conceptualization and practice of conflict has itself remained largely unexamined. This essay argues for the necessity of a better theology of conflict, one rooted in a Trinitarian account of unity through difference. It shows that Anglicans have tended to think of conflict-as-sin or conflict-as-finitude. The essay commends a semantic shift that develops conflict-as-communion. Conflict is a means of grace that animates the divine life of the Trinity, enables God’s work of salvation in history, and is a natural part of good human sociality. This theology of conflict can allow generative relational practices, some of which are already in use across the Anglican Communion.
Veränderungsprozesse im Kontext des aktuellen Fachkraftbedarfs am Beispiel der Ausbildung
Authors: Mohr Jutta , Reiber Karin , Riedlinger Isabelle
Published: July 2019

Zusammenfassung. Der aktuelle Pflegefachkraftmangel kann sich negativ auf die praktische Ausbildung auswirken und die Versorgungsqualität nachhaltig verschlechtern. Dass die Auszubildenden einen Ausbildungsalltag erleben, der weder ihrem Ideal noch den Anforderungen der Schule entspricht, kann wiederum negativ auf Berufsidentifikation und -verbleib wirken, was den Fachkraftmangel weiter verschärft. Der nachfolgende Beitrag beleuchtet diesen Kreislauf auf Basis eines Forschungsprojekts der Hochschule Esslingen.
Veränderungen als Herausforderung für Pflegeschulen
Authors: Hatziliadis Myrofora
Published: July 2019

Zusammenfassung. Die Einführung der generalistischen Pflegeausbildung wird die Pflegeschulen und die Pflegeausbildung verändern. Ob sie qualitativ eine Verbesserung bedeutet und später rückblickend als ein Meilenstein der Professionalisierung des Pflegeberufs bezeichnet werden kann, wird davon abhängen, ob es den Schulleitungen gelingt, den Veränderungsprozess zu steuern und günstige Rahmenbedingungen für Veränderungen zu schaffen und Lehrende bereit sind miteinander zu kooperieren.
Bildung mit neuen Augen sehen: Practice Development
Authors: Staudacher Diana
Published: July 2019

Zusammenfassung. Wie kann ich eine personenzentrierte Lernkultur in meinem Umfeld fördern? Warum ist die Vorbildrolle der Lehrperson so wichtig? Wie gelingt es, dass Pflegestudierende verschiedener Generationen und Kulturen gemeinsame Werte verwirklichen? Geleitet von solchen Fragen machten sich die Teilnehmenden mit Methoden und Instrumenten vertraut, die ihnen helfen, auf die Ausbildungspraxis in ihrer Institution Einfluss zu nehmen.
Trauma und Psychose
Authors: Bauer Rüdiger
Published: July 2019

Zusammenfassung. Der Aufsatz beschreibt den möglichen Zusammenhang zwischen einem traumatisierenden Ereignis und einer sich später entwickelnden psychotischen Symptomatik. Diese Beschreibung erlaubt es Pflegefachpersonen, gezielte pflegerische Interventionen zu planen und durchzuführen, weil die Ursache der psychotischen Symptomatik der Angst zugeschrieben wird. Der neurowissenschaftliche Ansatz des Aufsatzes lässt es zu, die angstbewältigenden Strukturen des Gehirns durch Beziehungsarbeit gezielt zu stärken und so die zugrunde liegende Angst und die daraus resultierende Symptomatik zurückzudrängen.
Is Suicide Beautiful?
Authors: Kawashima Daisuke , Kawamoto Shizuka , Shiraga Keisuke , Kawano Kenji
Published: July 2019

Abstract. Background: The sociocultural context shapes attitudes toward suicide. Japanese literary works such as the Hagakure and the Bunraku Sonezaki-Shinju depict suicide as beautiful and honorable. Although suicide acceptance is likely to affect suicide rates and prevention efforts in Japan, studies in this area are limited. Aims: This study aimed to explore suicide acceptance and related factors among Japanese participants. Method: Using an Internet research company, questionnaires were distributed that measured acceptance of suicide, suicide stigma, mental health, an opinion on suicide prevention efforts, and demographic variables. Data from 2,051 participants were analyzed using t tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and hierarchical regression analysis. Results: We found a two-factor model (comprising beautification and justification factors) for the suicide acceptance scale and confirmed the scale's validity and reliability. The results showed significant differences in suicide acceptance by gender, age, educational level, employment status, and bereavement experience. A hierarchical regression analysis model revealed that suicide beautification was negatively related to positive opinion on suicide prevention efforts. Limitations: This study only focused on Japanese participants; therefore, further studies and cross-cultural comparisons are needed. Conclusion: The results revealed that suicide beautification was negatively associated with positive opinion on suicide prevention efforts after controlling for other variables.
Forecasting the Rates of Future Aftershocks of All Generations Is Essential to Develop Better Earthquake Forecast Models
Authors: Nandan Shyam , Ouillon Guy , Sornette Didier , Wiemer Stefan
Published: July 2019

Currently, one of the best performing earthquake forecasting models relies on the working hypothesis that the “locations of past background earthquakes reveal the probable location of future seismicity.” As an alternative, we present a class of smoothed seismicity models (SSMs) based on the principles of the epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model, which forecast the location, time, and magnitude of all future earthquakes using the estimates of the background seismicity rate and the rates of future aftershocks of all generations. Using the Californian earthquake catalog, we formulate six controlled pseudo‐prospective experiments with different combinations of three target magnitude thresholds: 2.95, 3.95, or 4.95 and two forecasting time horizons: 1 or 5 years. In these experiments, we compare the performance of (1) the ETAS model with spatially homogenous parameters, or GETAS; (2) the ETAS model with spatially variable parameters, or SVETAS; (3) three declustering‐based SSMs; (4) a simple SSM based on undeclustered data, and (5) a model based on strain rate data, in forecasting the location and magnitude of all (undeclustered) target earthquakes during many testing periods. In all conducted experiments, the SVETAS model comes out with consistent superiority compared to all the competing models. Consistently better performance of the SVETAS model with respect to declustering‐based SSMs highlights the importance of forecasting the future aftershocks of all generations for developing better earthquake forecasting models. Among the two ETAS models themselves, accounting for the optimal spatial variation of the parameters leads to stronger improvements in forecasting performance.
Fifty Years of Plate Tectonics: Afterthoughts of a Witness
Authors: Le Pichon Xavier
Published: July 2019

I suggest that the Earth Sciences in the mid‐1950s entered a state of supercooling where the smallest input could lead to the simultaneous crystallization of new ideas. In 1959, I joined the Lamont Geological Observatory, one of the hotbeds where the Plate Tectonic revolution germinated. This paper is not an exhaustive history from an unbiased outside observer. It is a report of one of the participants who interacted with quite a few of the main actors of this revolution and who, 50 years later, revisits these extraordinary times. I emphasize the state of confusion and contradiction but also of extraordinary excitement in which we, earth scientists, lived at this time. I will identify several cases of what I consider to be simultaneous appearances of new ideas and will describe what now appear to be incomprehensible failures to jump on apparently obvious conclusions, based on my own experience.
Podcast: Apollo Moon Rocks
Authors: Bompey Nanci
Published: July 2019

In the latest episode of its Centennial series, AGU’s Third Pod from the Sun interviews the curator of the Apollo Moon rocks.
Depth Migration of Seismovolcanic Tremor Sources Below the Klyuchevskoy Volcanic Group (Kamchatka) Determined From a Network‐Based Analysis
Authors: Soubestre J. , Seydoux L. , Shapiro N. M. , de Rosny J. , Droznin D. V. , Droznina S. Ya. , Senyukov S. L. , Gordeev E. I.
Published: July 2019

We present a method for automatic location of dominant sources of seismovolcanic tremor in 3‐D, based on the spatial coherence of the continuously recorded wavefield at a seismic network. We analyze 4.5 years of records from the seismic network at the Klyuchevskoy volcanic group in Kamchatka, Russia, when four volcanoes experienced tremor episodes. After enhancing the tremor signal with spectral whitening, we compute the daily cross‐correlation functions related to the dominant tremor sources from the first eigenvector of the spectral covariance matrix and infer their daily positions in 3‐D. We apply our technique to the tremors beneath Shiveluch, Klyuchevskoy, Tolbachik, and Kizimen volcanoes and observe the yearlong preeruptive volcanic tremor beneath Klyuchevskoy from deep to shallow parts of the plumbing system. This observation of deep volcanic tremor sources demonstrates that the cross‐correlation‐based method is a very powerful tool for volcano monitoring.
Absolute Primary Pressure Scale to 120 GPa: Toward a Pressure Benchmark for Earth's Lower Mantle
Authors: Murakami Motohiko , Takata Noriko
Published: July 2019

Self‐consistent absolute primary pressure scale available to whole Earth's lower mantle pressure regime was established by the simultaneous measurement of densities and acoustic wave velocities of NaCl‐B2 phase up to ~120 GPa without any use of prior pressure standards. While our pressure scale shows excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions, some of the previous secondary pressure scales constructed based on the prior pressure standard by the shock wave data significantly deviate from our primary scale reaching around 10 GPa at most within lower mantle pressure regime, which corresponds to ~170‐km difference in depth. Our newly established pressure scale would thus be a new benchmark to deal with the controversy on the depth of the boundaries of Earth's layered structure, such as magnesium‐silicate postperovskite phase transition boundary at the bottom of the Earth's mantle which might represent the D″ seismic discontinuity.
The Impact of the Direct Effect of Aerosols on Meteorology and Air Quality Using Aerosol Optical Depth Assimilation During the KORUS‐AQ Campaign
Authors: Jung Jia , Souri Amir H. , Wong David C. , Lee Sojin , Jeon Wonbae , Kim Jhoon , Choi Yunsoo
Published: July 2019

To quantify the impact of the direct aerosol effect accurately, this study incorporated the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) aerosol optical depth (AOD) into a coupled meteorology‐chemistry model. We designed three model simulations to observe the impact of AOD assimilation and aerosol feedback during the KORUS‐AQ campaign (May–June 2016). By assimilating the GOCI AOD with high temporal and spatial resolutions, we improve the statistics from the comparison AOD and AERONET data (root‐mean‐square error: 0.12, R: 0.77, index of agreement: 0.69, mean‐absolute error: 0.08). The inclusion of the direct effect of aerosols produces the best model performance (root‐mean‐square error: 0.10, R: 0.86, index of agreement: 0.72, mean‐absolute error: 0.07). AOD values increased as much as 0.15, which is associated with an average reduction in solar radiation of ‐31.39 W/m2, a planetary boundary layer height (‐104.70 m), an air temperature (‐0.58 °C), and a surface wind speed (‐0.07 m/s) over land. In addition, concentrations of major gaseous and particulate pollutants at the surface (SO2, NO2, NH3,
,
,
, and PM2.5) increase by 7.87–34%, while OH concentration decreases by ‐4.58%. Changes in meteorology and air quality appear to be more significant in high‐aerosol loading areas. The integrated process rate analysis shows decelerated vertical transport, resulting in an accumulation of air pollutants near the surface and the amount of nitrate, which is higher than that of sulfate because of its response to reduced temperature. We conclude that constraining aerosol concentrations using geostationary satellite data is a prerequisite for quantifying the impact of aerosols on meteorology and air quality.
Mean Velocity and Shear Stress Distribution in Floating Treatment Wetlands: An Analytical Study
Authors: Li Shuolin , Katul Gabriel , Huai Wenxin
Published: July 2019

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are efficient at wastewater treatment; however, data and physical models describing water flow through them remain limited. A two‐domain model is proposed dividing the flow region into an upper part characterizing the flow through suspended vegetation and an inner part describing the vegetation‐free zone. The suspended vegetation domain is represented as a porous medium characterized by constant permeability thereby allowing Biot's Law to be used to describe the mean velocity and stress profiles. The flow in the inner part is bounded by asymmetric stresses arising from interactions with the suspended vegetated (porous) base and solid channel bed. An asymmetric eddy viscosity model is employed to derive an integral expression for the shear stress and the mean velocity profiles in this inner layer. The solution features an asymmetric shear stress index that reflects two different roughness conditions over the vegetation‐induced auxiliary bed and the physical channel bed. A phenomenological model is then presented to explain this index. An expression for the penetration depth into the porous medium defined by 10% of the maximum shear stress is also derived. The predicted shear stress profile, local mean velocity profile, and bulk velocity agree with the limited experiments published in the literature.
New source for L-iditol and taxanes
Authors: Xi-Kui Liu , Jian-Jun Liu
Published: July 2019

We describe the first report of the recovery of L-iditol and Taxane from an angiosperm- Yunnanopilia longistaminata (W.Z.Li) C.Y.Wu et D.Z.Li (Opiliaceae). Two taxane compounds and L-iditol were isolated from the tender burgeon of Yunnanopilia longistaminata, and their structure were identified as Taxayunnansin B, Taxumairol E and L-iditol on the basis of NMR and MS spectrum, respectively. It is a new plant source for L-iditol and taxanes.
Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Motion-Induced Blindness
Authors: Libedinsky Camilo , Savage Tristram , Livingstone Margaret
Published: July 2019

Visual disappearance illusions - such as motion-induced blindness (MIB) - are commonly used to study the neural underpinnings of visual perception. In such illusions a salient visual target becomes perceptually invisible. Previous studies are inconsistent regarding the role of primary visual cortex (V1) in these illusions. Here we provide physiological and psychophysical evidence supporting a role for V1 in generating MIB.
Lattice Parameters of Calcite in the PT-Plane to 7.62 Kb and 800 K
Authors: Bucknum Michael
Published: July 2019

Lattice parameters (a & c) of powdered, polycrystalline calcite in the trigonal-hexagonal system have been determined as a function of pressure and temperature using a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (DAC), that has been separately described, and a synchrotron x-ray source. Diffraction data was collected using white synchrotron radiation in an energy dispersive technique (EDXRD). Temperature in the resistance heated hydrothermal DAC was measured by thermocouples to a maximum temperature of 800 K, and pressure was measured by the equation of state (EOS) of water, in which powdered calcite was immersed, to a maximum pressure of 7.62 Kb. The resulting study is an attempt to explore the potential of calcite as a double (P & T) internal x-ray standard for high temperature-high pressure (HTHP) crystallographic studies.
Visual perception of colourful petals reminds us of classical fragments
Authors: Rhizopoulou Sophia , Argiropoulos Apostolis , Spanakis Emmanuel , Gikas Demetris , Alexandredes Nikos , Koukos Danae , Anglos Demetrios
Published: July 2019

Colour has attracted the interest and attention of many of the most gifted intellects of all time. Ideas of early thinkers were not -and could not have been- grasped on a scientific level without knowledge of a kind that lay far in the future. One character that is being considered is the colourful surfaces of living tissues, which could hardly have been visualized without a corresponding reference to the microscale parallel. Millions of years before man made manipulated synthetic structures, biological systems were using nanoscale architecture to produce striking optical effects. Here we show the microsculpture of the adaxial surface of flower petals from the asphodel, the Stork's-bill and the common poppy by using optical, scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. Microsculpture has been studied in leaves and pollen grains of higher plants. To the best of our knowledge imaging and nanoscale morphometry of petals has not been reported hitherto. Our findings on flower petals' microsculpture may be linked with aspects on colour revealed from ancient literature.
Modulation of interferon-[alpha] secretion by activated platelets in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Authors: Duffau Pierre , Seneschal Julien , Nicco Carole , Viallard Jean-François , Pellegrin Jean-Luc , Weill Bernard , Moreau Jean-François , Batteux Frédéric , Blanco Patrick
Published: July 2019

Type I interferons play a key role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis as an "IFN signature" is found in the majority of patients with active SLE. Immune complexes are internalized by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DC) via Fc-[gamma] ReceptorIIA, reach the endosomal compartment and activate IFN-[alpha] secretion through TLR7/9-dependent pathways. Naturally occurring differences in expression of the TLR7/9 gene as well as factors that modulate TLR7/9 expression, including CD154 could therefore contribute to SLE pathogenesis. Although its origin is not elucidated CD154 is hyperexpressed in SLE patients, and is important for the differentiation of autoantibody-secreting cells. We hypothesized that platelets which are an abundant source of CD154, and which can mediate proinflammatory effects could be an actor involved in SLE pathogenesis. Platelets from SLE patients are activated in vivo by circulating immune complexes which are abundant in SLE sera, via a CD32-dependent mechanism. Activated platelets formed aggregates with antigen-presenting cells in SLE patients and enhanced interferon-[alpha] secretion induced by immune-complexes stimulated plasmacytoid DCs. Finally, in vivo depletion of platelets and megakaryocytes in NZBxNZW(F1) lupus prone mice improved all parameters assessing disease activity, whereas transfusion of activated platelets worsened the disease course. Altogether, these data identify platelets as a mediator of SLE pathogenesis and a new therapeutical target.
A Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals Significant Overlap of Transcription and DNA Repair in Stationary Phase Yeast
Authors: de Morgan Aviv , Brodsky Leonid , Ronin Yefim , Nevo Eviatar , Korol Abraham , Kashi Yechezkel
Published: July 2019

The association between transcription and DNA repair is acknowledged as a player in the generation of mutations in a non-random fashion in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Previous studies demonstrated that the transcription complex is capable of directing DNA repair to sites of transcription. This process is especially important to growth-arrested cells, in which many DNA repair capacities are diminished; it may also lead to mutations preferentially in transcribed genes. Using microarray analysis of growth-arrested yeast cultures, we demonstrated on a genomic scale, the co-localization of a DNA-turnover marker, indicative of DNA-repair-associated DNA synthesis, with genes persistently transcribed during stationary phase. This may serve as a clue regarding the non-random manner in which non-dividing cells may potentially mutate in the absence of replication, solely as a result of their inherent, transcriptional stress response.
Dual expression recombinase based (DERB) single vector system for high throughput screening and verification of protein interactions in living cells
Authors: Lu Jian-Ping , Beatty Laura , Pinthus Jehonathan
Published: July 2019

Identification of novel protein interactions and their mediators is fundamental in understanding cellular processes and is necessary for protein-targeted therapy. Evidently high throughput formatting of these applications in living cells would be beneficial, however no adequate system exists. We present a novel platform technology for the high throughput screening and verification of protein interactions in living cells. The platform’s series of Dual Expression Recombinase Based (DERB) destiny vectors individually encode two sets of recombinase recognizable sequences for inserting the protein open reading frame (ORF) of interest, two sets of promoters and reporter tags in frame with the ORFs for detecting interactions. Introduction into living cells (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) enables the detection of protein interactions by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) or bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). The DERB platform shows advantages over current commercialized systems by introducing recombinase based cloning and compatible accepting vectors validated through proof-of-principle experiments and the identification of an unknown interaction.
Global Eradication of Lymphatic Filariasis: The Value Of Chronic Disease Control in Parasite Elimination Programs
Authors: Michael Edwin , Malecela Mwele , Zervos Mihail , Kazura James
Published: July 2019

The ultimate goal of the global programme against lymphatic filariasis is eradication through irrevocable cessation of transmission using 4 to 6 years of annual single dose mass drug administration. The costs of eradication, and logistical and managerial impediments to executing national and regional control programmes, and scientific uncertainty about transmission endpoints, are challenges to the success of this effort, especially in areas of high endemicity where financial resources are limited. We used a combined analysis of empirical community data describing the association between infection and chronic disease prevalence, mathematical modelling, and economic analyses to identify and evaluate the feasibility of setting an infection target level at which the chronic pathology attributable to lymphatic filariasis - lymphoedema of the extremities (elephantiasis) and hydroceles - becomes negligible in the face of continuing transmission as a first stage option in achieving the elimination of this parasitic disease. The results show that microfilaria prevalences below a threshold of 3.55% at a blood sampling volume of 1 ml could constitute readily achievable and sustainable targets to control disease due to lymphatic filariasis. They also show that as a result of the high marginal cost of curing the last few individuals to achieve elimination, maximal benefits can occur at the disease control threshold. Indeed, a key finding from our coupled economic and epidemiological analysis is that when initial uncertainty regarding eradication occurs and prospects for improving information to resolve such uncertainty over time exist, it is economically beneficial to adopt a flexible, sequential, eradication strategy based on controlling chronic disease initially. These results suggest that it may be optimal to set phased targets for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis, starting with disease control followed by intensified efforts to eradicate transmission as better knowledge regarding transmission dynamics and issues of implementation feasibility becomes evident. They also illustrate the importance of taking explicit accounts of uncertainties, multi-staged endpoints, and the value of embedding flexibility in the decision making process when determining optimal parasite eradication strategies.
Induction of Stress Granule Assembly is Essential for the Orchestration of DNA Damage Response
Authors: Verkaik Nicole , Persengiev Stephan
Published: July 2019

DNA damage provokes several responses including DNA repair, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis that collectively represent the DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we demonstrate that the DDR incorporates the activation of stress granule (SG) formation pathway as a mechanism to process destabilized RNAs. UV irradiation induced the assembly of SGs during the G2 phase and newly formed SGs appeared exclusively in the early G1 phase. SG assembly pathway was activated within the first hours after DNA damage, suggesting that the processing of destabilized RNAs is activated at an early stage. The induction of SGs and RNAi effector protein Argonaute 2 recruitment after UV exposure was independent of ATM and ATR signaling cascades. Apoptosis occurred only in SG-negative cells indicating that SGs promote cell survival after genotoxic stress. Analysis of several DNA damage/repair deficient MEFs revealed that the SG accumulation remained unaltered after UV exposure. Our results show that SGs are an essential component of DDR that is activated in parallel to the DNA damage kinase response networks.
Increased risk and benefit simultaneously alter the outcome of territorial fights
Authors: Koga Tsunenori , Ikeda Satoshi
Published: July 2019

Competition for resource, including territories is seen in a broad range of taxa. There has been much research on factors that determine the intensity and outcome of competitions (e.g. resource holding potentials: RHP, and resource value: RV). No research, however, has shown how different factors can simultaneously alter the intensity and outcome of contests. We investigated the effects of RV on fighting behavior and success in inter-tidal, territorial male crabs. Under natural conditions the larger rival won contests irrespective of whether he was the resident or intruder (i.e. there was no residency effect). We then motivated intruders to fight hard by subjecting them to the threat of predation, and found that they were more likely to win contests. When we also motivated residents to fight hard by placing a female in his burrow (i.e. both rivals were simultaneously motivated to fight due to the perceived increase in resource value), we found that the contests escalated more and that resident males had a slightly increased chance of winning. This is the first report of two factors simultaneously affecting motivation and therefore altering the escalation and outcome of a contest.
Trigohexagonite: A Rare Quaternary Stoichiometry Network
Authors: Bucknum Michael , Wen Bin , Castro E.A. , Szebenyi Doletha
Published: July 2019

A rare quaternary stoichiometry network of high hexagonal symmetry (P-6m2) is described. A set of hexagonal fractional crystallographic coordinates, for both an idealized network, and optimized boron and carbon allotropic realizations are described along with their band structures. Both should be metallic phases.