bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mars Science Laboratory Algorithms and Flight Software for Autonomously Drilling Rocks
Authors: Helmick Daniel , McCloskey Scott , Okon Avi , Carsten Joseph , Kim Won , Leger Chris
Published: August 2013

One of the goals of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is to collect powderized samples from the interior of rocks in order to deliver these samples to onboard science instruments. This paper describes the algorithms and software used to control the drill, which is the component of the sample collection and delivery system that directly interacts with rocks to create and acquire powderized samples from their interior. This is the first time that autonomous drilling of rocks has ever been performed on another planet. One of the most important components of the algorithm used for drilling is a force feedback control system used to regulate the force applied to the rock during drilling. This algorithm and all of the other algorithms and software used to enable the process of robustly, efficiently, and autonomously drilling into rocks with a priori unknown and widely varying properties are described in detail in this paper. Results are shown from drilling rocks using the drill software on testbed hardware on Earth as part of the software development process. Results are also shown from the first holes drilled with the flight vehicle on Mars, thus successfully demonstrating the first extraterrestrial autonomous drilling of a rock.
Nanoporous and Highly Active Silicon Carbide Supported CeO2‐Catalysts for the Methane Oxidation Reaction
Authors: Hoffmann Claudia , Biemelt Tim , Lohe Martin R. , Rümmeli Mark H. , Kaskel Stefan
Published: August 2013

CeOx@SiO2 nanoparticles are used for the first time for the generation of porous SiC materials with tailored pore diameter in the mesopore range containing encapsulated and catalytically active CeO2 nanoparticles. The nanocasting approach with a preceramic polymer and subsequent pyrolysis is performed at 1300 °C, selective leaching of the siliceous part results in CeOx/SiC catalysts with remarkable characteristics like monodisperse, spherical pores and specific surface areas of up to 438 m2·g−1. Porous SiC materials are promising supports for high temperature applications. The catalysts show excellent activities in the oxidation of methane with onset temperatures of the reaction 270 K below the onset of the homogeneous reaction. The synthesis scheme using core‐shell particles is suited to functionalize silicon carbide with a high degree of stabilization of the active nanoparticles against sintering in the core of the template even at pyrolysis temperatures of 1300 °C rendering the novel synthesis principle as an attractive approach for a wide range of catalytic reactions.
An Integrated Artificial Neural Network and System Dynamics Approach in Support of the Viable System Model to Enhance Industrial Intelligence: The Case of a Large Broiler Industry
Authors: Azadeh Ali , Darivandi Shoushtari Kosar , Saberi Mortezza , Teimoury Ebrahim
Published: August 2013

Organizational cybernetics is one of the powerful systems approaches that benefits from the viable system model (VSM). The model is very general and is usually in need of complementary methods. In this article, one of artificial intelligence methods, artificial neural networks (ANNs), and system dynamics simulation have been used in support of the VSM. Iran broiler industry is conceived as a complex economic system and has been modelled using VSM. Operational elements, coordination, control, development, policy functions and environment of the industry are identified. ANN has been utilized in service of the controller (system 3) and the intelligence function (system 4) of the industry. ANN helps system 3 to anticipate market deviation from defined targets and reduce action delays for feeding the system back. A model in which ANN and system dynamics simulation are combined helps systems 4 and 5 manage external relationships by facilitation of defining imports tariff for maize and soybean, which are detected as critical environmental elements in identifying the industry environment. Maize and soybean cost contribute to more than 60% of chicken meat cost in Iran. Chicken meat is a high‐consumed product all over the world and one of the main sources of protein. Suitable price of chicken meat is an important factor for the industry managers in Iran. As illustrated in the paper, artificial intelligence can improve VSM subsystems functioning and enhance the industry intelligence and regulation against internal and external oscillations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fluorinated dendrimers as imaging agents for 19F MRI
Authors: Yu Yihua Bruce
Published: August 2013

19F is the second most sensitive stable nucleus for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Because there is no endogenous 19F signal, 19F MRI is much more suited for quantification and tracking than 1H MRI. However, 19F MRI is not in clinical use because in spite of more than three decades of research, there are no approved 19F imaging agents. New approaches and new methodologies are needed to move the field forward. Water‐soluble fluorinated dendrimers present a promising alternative to conventional perfluorocarbon emulsions. This article outlines recent development of fluorinated dendrimers as 19F imaging agents. This is not meant to be a comprehensive review of 19F imaging agents, for which there is an excellent recent review by Knight et al. Rather, the article aims to give an insider's account on research efforts in this exciting and challenging field. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2013, 5:646–661. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1227

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies

Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging
Renormalization of dimension-six operators relevant for the Higgs decays h → γγ, γZ
Authors: Elias-Miró J. , Espinosa J. R. , Masso E. , Pomarol A.
Published: August 2013

Abstract

The discovery of the Higgs boson has opened a new window to test the SM through the measurements of its couplings. Of particular interest is the measured Higgs coupling to photons which arises in the SM at the one-loop level, and can then be significantly affected by new physics. We calculate the one-loop renormalization of the dimension- six operators relevant for h → γγ, γZ, which can be potentially important since it could, in principle, give log-enhanced contributions from operator mixing. We find however that there is no mixing from any current-current operator that could lead to this log-enhanced effect. We show how the right choice of operator basis can make this calculation simple. We then conclude that h → γγ, γZ can only be affected by RG mixing from operators whose Wilson coefficients are expected to be of one-loop size, among them fermion dipole-moment operators which we have also included.
Diurnal bottom feeding of predator fish strengthens trophic cascades to benthic algae in experimental flow‐through pools
Authors: Katano O. , Natsumeda T. , Suguro N.
Published: August 2013

Mechanisms that determine the strength of trophic cascades from fish to benthic algae via algivorous invertebrates in stream communities have not been clarified. Using seven fish species, we tested the hypothesis that the interspecific variation of predatory behavior of fishes affects the strength of trophic cascades in experimental streams. One or two species of fish were introduced into flow‐through pools of 2.5 m2 and the abundances of benthic invertebrates and algae were monitored. Pike gudgeon, a diurnal benthic feeder, triggered a strong trophic cascade but masu salmon, a diurnal drift feeder, did not have a cascading effect. Japanese dace, which is both a diurnal benthic and drift feeder, increased the algal biomass, but the nocturnal benthic feeder cut‐tailed bullhead had little cascading effect. The diurnal benthic feeder silver crucian carp also had a cascading effect, but no trophic cascade was triggered either by Asian pond loach or by Japanese common catfish, both of which are nocturnal benthic feeders. Thus, diurnal benthic fish exerted a stronger cascading effect than diurnal drift feeders or nocturnal fish. The combination of two fish species enhanced the per‐capita strength of trophic cascades, probably because one of the two species, the benthic feeder, preyed on more invertebrates than in the single‐species pools.
Synthesis and Properties of Dissymmetric Gemini Surfactants
Authors: Kang Peng , Xu Hujun
Published: August 2013

A series of novel dissymmetric gemini surfactants, [CmH2m+1COOC2H4(CH3)2N(CH2)3N(CH3)2C2H4OOCCnH2n+1]Br2 was synthesized and symbolized as m‐s–n. The Krafft temperatures and surface tension curves of the dissymmetric gemini surfactants were measured using an electrical conductivity method and a drop volume method. The low Krafft temperatures indicate very good solubility of these esterquat gemini surfactants. With the increasing numbers of carbon atoms in the hydrophobic alkyl chain, the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and the minimum surface area (Amin) decrease, and the efficiency of surface tension reduction (pc20) increases. With the same numbers of carbon atoms in the hydrophobic alkyl chain, the dissymmetric gemini surfactant has a lower CMC and a smaller Amin than the corresponding symmetric gemini surfactant due to the enhanced hydrophobic interactions.
Identification of TAG and DAG and their FA Constituents in Lesquerella (Physaria fendleri) Oil by HPLC and MS
Authors: Lin Jiann‐Tsyh , Chen Grace Q.
Published: August 2013

Castor oil has many industrial uses because of its high content (90 %) of the hydroxy fatty acid, ricinoleic acid (OH1218:19). Lesquerella oil containing lesquerolic acid (Ls, OH1420:111) is potentially useful in industry. Ten molecular species of diacylglycerols and 74 molecular species of triacylglycerols in lesquerella (Physaria fendleri) oil were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry as lithium adducts of acylglycerols in the HPLC fractions of lesquerella oil. Among them were: LsLsO, LsLsLn, LsLsL, LsLn–OH20:2, LsO–OH20:2 and LsL–OH20:2. The structures of the four new hydroxy fatty acid constituents of acylglycerols were proposed by the MS of the lithium adducts of fatty acids as (comparing to those in castor oil): OH1218:29,14 (OH1218:29,13 in castor oil), OH1218:39,14,16 (OH18:3 not detected in castor oil), diOH12,1318:29,14 (diOH11,1218:29,13 in castor oil) and diOH13,1420:111 (diOH20:1 not detected in castor oil, diOH11,1218:19 in castor oil). Trihydroxy fatty acids were not detected in lesquerella oil. The differences in the structures of these C18 hydroxy fatty acids between lesquerella and castor oils indicated that the polyhydroxy fatty acids were biosynthesized and were not the result of autoxidation products.
Junior doctors in their first year: mental health, quality of life, burnout and
heart rate variability
Authors: Henning Marcus A. , Sollers John , Strom Joanna M. , Hill Andrew G. , Lyndon Mataroria P. , Cumin David , Hawken Susan J.
Published: August 2013

There is a burgeoning interest in, and evidence of, quality of life and burnout
issues among doctors. It was hypothesized that the junior doctors in this study would
experience psychosocial and physiological changes over time, and that the obtained
measures would indicate psychosocial and physiological anomalies. In addition, it was
hypothesized that their psychosocial perceptions would be significantly associated with
their physiological measures. A total sample of 17 junior doctors in their first year of
training volunteered for this study. Over four time periods separated by 6 week phases,
the doctors completed a set of quality of life and psychosocial inventories and wore a
Polar RS800 Heart Rate Monitor over a day and night time interval. The findings showed
that this sample of doctors did not report any problems associated with depression,
anxiety, stress, burnout or quality of life (psychosocial measures). In addition, their
heart rate variability scores (physiological measures) did not show any significant
fluctuations. Furthermore, the responses from the self-report instruments measuring
stress, anxiety, depression, quality of life and burnout did not consistently correlate
with the HRV information suggesting a mind–body disconnection. More work needs to be
done on larger samples to investigate these findings further given that the literature
shows that junior doctors are likely to be stressed and working in stress-provoking
environments.
MicroRNA‐106a induces multidrug resistance in gastric cancer by targeting RUNX3
Authors: Zhang Yi , Lu Qiping , Cai Xun
Published: August 2013

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the main barrier to the success of chemotherapy for gastric cancer (GC). miR‐106a, which is highly expressed in GC, influences a variety of aspects of GC. However, the function of miR‐106a in MDR of GC still remains unclear. In the present study, we found that miR‐106a is elevated in MDR cell lines. miR‐106a promotes chemo‐resistance of GC cells, accelerates ADR efflux, and suppresses drug‐induced apoptosis. Finally, we show that runt‐related trans factor 3 (RUNX3) is the functional target of miR‐106a. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that miR‐106a may promote MDR in GC cells by targeting RUNX3.
Impact of birth weight and gender on early postnatal hypothalamic energy balance regulatory gene expression in the young lamb
Authors: Adam C.L. , Bake T. , Findlay P.A. , Milne J.S. , Aitken R.P. , Wallace J.M.
Published: August 2013

Intra‐uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is involved in developmental metabolic programming and here we test the hypothesis that IUGR affects the developing hypothalamic energy balance regulatory pathways in a sex‐specific manner. This experiment investigated early postnatal hypothalamic gene expression for six primary leptin‐ and insulin‐sensitive neuropeptides and receptors in male and female IUGR (n = 8 and 9, respectively) and normal (N) birth weight lambs (n = 8 per gender) gestated and suckled by overnourished mothers. IUGR lambs were smaller at birth, had increased fractional growth rates (FGR), lower final body weight (11 weeks) and similar body fat content compared with N lambs, while males had higher final body weight and insulinemia but lower body fat and leptinemia than females. In situ hybridization revealed greater gene expression in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus at 11 weeks for anorexigenic genes in females and orexigenic genes in males, with no effect of IUGR. Leptinemia correlated with gene expression for neuropeptide Y (NPY, negatively) in both sexes and pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC, positively) in females but with leptin receptor (negatively) only in males. Current FGR for girth correlated negatively with gene expression for NPY in males and POMC in females. Neither IUGR nor gender affected suckling activity (proxy for appetite) assessed at 3 weeks, but final NPY gene expression correlated with suckling weight gain in males. This study has revealed no effect of IUGR on early postnatal hypothalamic energy balance gene expression but a major effect of gender associated with major sex differences in adiposity and leptinemia.
Anti‐amnestic properties of Ginkgo biloba extract on impaired memory function induced by aluminum in rats
Authors: Abd‐Elhady Rasha M. , Elsheikh Amira M. , Khalifa Amani E.
Published: August 2013

Aluminum is the most widely used non‐ferrous metal. However, recently it is reported to be a neurotoxic agent that could induce biochemical defects in brain by affecting levels of neurotransmitters and generating reactive oxygen species resulting in oxidative stress. This study aimed at evaluating neuroprotective effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) (200 mg/kg for 28 days) in antagonizing aluminum‐induced neurotoxicity through investigating certain parameters such as serum aluminum level, brain aluminum content, brain regional distribution of aluminum, brain oxidative stress biomarkers’ content, and brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Passive avoidance paradigm was used to assess memory retrieval of rats. Rats’ activities were studied using open field test. Results showed that administration of aluminum (10 mg/kg for 28 days) impaired rats’ memory retrieval associated with marked elevation of aluminum brain content, serum aluminum level and AChE activity. In addition, aluminum treatment induced significant elevation in its brain content in all tested regions. GBE treatment attenuated neurotoxic effects of aluminum as evidenced by improving rats’ performance in passive avoidance and lowering brain AChE activity. Moreover, marked elevation in brain content of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and malonedialdehyde (MDA) as well as depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) demonstrated following aluminum administration were reversed reaching normal levels after GBE treatment. Open field test, demonstrated no changes in latency period, number of ambulation, rearing, and grooming following aluminum or other treatments. Therefore, GBE may be a promising therapy ameliorating neurotoxicity of aluminum as an environmental toxic agent.
How conditional cash transfers to promote institutional delivery can also influence postpartum contraception: Evidence from Rajasthan, India
Authors: Zavier A.J. Francis , Santhya K.G.
Published: August 2013

Objective

To examine the association between the receipt of benefits from a conditional cash transfer (CCT) scheme—Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)—and postpartum contraceptive use in Rajasthan, India.

Methods

Data from 2920 women who had delivered in the year preceding the interview were used. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used.

Results

Adoption of postpartum contraception was limited among study participants. Even so, women who had experienced the benefits of JSY were more likely than those who had not to have received postpartum contraceptive counseling (odds ratio [OR] 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38–2.00) and to have adopted contraception within 3 months of delivery (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.02–1.68).

Conclusion

The present findings make a case for special efforts to use the increased opportunity women experience to interact with the health system as a result of CCTs for promoting maternal and newborn health practices, including postpartum contraception.
Lie Symmetry and Approximate Hojman Conserved Quantity of Lagrange Equations for a Weakly Nonholonomic System
Authors: Han Y.-L. , Wang X.-X. , Zhang M.-L. , Jia L.-Q.
Published: August 2013

The Lie symmetry and Hojman conserved quantity of Lagrange equations for a weakly nonholonomic system and its first-degree approximate holonomic system are studied. The differential equations of motion for the system are established. Under the special infinitesimal transformations of group in which the time is invariable, the definition of the Lie symmetry for the weakly nonholonomic system and its first-degree approximate holonomic system are given, and the exact and approximate Hojman conserved quantities deduced directly from the Lie symmetry are obtained. Finally, an example is given to study the exact and approximate Hojman conserved quantity for the system.
Calculation of Hydrodynamic Forces for Unsteady Stokes Flows by Singularity Integral Equations Based on Fundamental Solutions
Authors: Hsiao C. H. , Young D. L.
Published: August 2013

The attractive feature of the singularity method for steady Stokes flows is that the hydrodynamic forces acting on the particle can be calculated by the total strength of distributed singularities. For unsteady Stokes flows, however we have to derive hydrodynamic forces acting on a solid body in terms of the strengths of both unsteady Stokeslets as well as unsteady potential dipoles if mass and force sources are both taken into consideration. Since the hydrodynamic force formulation results in a Volterra integral equation of the first kind, and the strengths are numerically approximated by means of the Lubich convolution quadrature method (CQM) in this study. As far as the numerical solutions of time-domain integral formulations of the unsteady Stokes equations are concerned, this paper requires only the Laplace-domain instead of the time- domain fundamental solutions of the governing equations. The stability and accuracy of the proposed method are verified through some well selected numerical examples. In total we include two examples presenting the accuracy of Lubich CQM, and another two examples for calculating general hydrody-namic forces of a sphere in oscillating or non-oscillating unsteady Stokes flows. It is concluded that this study is able to extend the unsteady Stokes flow theory to more general transient motions instead to limit to the oscillating flow assumption.
A Three-Phase Constitutive Model for Estimating the Elastic Moduli and The Strengths of Granular Composite Materials
Authors: Lin P.-J.
Published: August 2013

This paper proposes a three-phase constitutive model for estimating the elastic moduli and strength of granular composite. The three-phase granular composite material containing aggregate (inclusion), matrix, and aggregate/matrix interface were investigated in this study. It was observed that significant improvement in predictive capability for three-phase granular composite materials can be achieved by using the proposed method. By using micromechanics and adopting the double-inclusion concept initiated by Hori and Nemat-Nasser and the two-phase model introduced by Yang et al.; the predicted elastic moduli for three-phase granular composite materials were evaluated. Moreover, analytical formulas were obtained to predict the strengths of three-phase granular composite materials. The potential of the proposed framework was also explored by comparing the analytical predictions in this study with other analytical methods as well as experimental data of other studies.
The nature of the land: the Dukuduku forest and the Mfolozi flats, KwaZulu-Natal
Authors: Nustad Knut G. , Sundnes Frode
Published: August 2013

Green-grabbing has recently been suggested as a label for describing processes of dispossessions undertaken in the name of conservation in sub-Saharan Africa. For the case examined here, the Dukuduku forest and the Mfolozi flats in northern KwaZulu-Natal, we will argue that the label obscures more than it helps illuminate the complex processes leading up to the present-day struggle over land rights. The land in question has been subjected to a number of different land uses in the past: hunting, conservation, commercial agriculture and small-scale agriculture. We show how contestation over desirable future land use options lies at the heart of the problems raised by an ongoing land claim to the forest.
Fungal gold and firewood on the Tibetan plateau: examining access to diverse ecosystem provisioning services within a rural community
Authors: Woodhouse Emily , McGowan Philip , Milner-Gulland E.J.
Published: August 2013

Provisioning ecosystem services include wild products that form an integral part of rural economies. Using quantitative and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 50 households in a Tibetan community in Western Sichuan, China, we explored the relationships of households with three diverse provisioning services on the Eastern Tibetan plateau: firewood, medicinal caterpillar fungusOphiocordyceps sinensisand matsutake mushroomsTricholoma matsutake. We examined (1) how they contribute to wealth and livelihoods, (2) what determines household access, and (3) how local use has changed over time. All households were reliant on firewood, and levels extracted were explained only by household size. A more complex set of factors explained access to caterpillar fungus: younger, larger, pastoralist households with lower dependency ratios tended to collect more, and education and household size explained variation in price gained for the product. Caterpillar fungus extraction has dramatically increased over the last 20 years, providing up to 72% of household income, but poorer households have received significantly less of their income from the fungus. Matsutake contributed much less to livelihoods because of its relatively low price. The results show a contrast between subsistence and market-driven products: access to the latter is affected by competition and power relationships. Overall access to provisioning services was related to facets of wealth, especially human capital. The study contributes a household level analysis of the diverse provisioning value of an under-researched part of the world, highlighting the heterogeneity and dynamism of the relationships of households with ecosystem services.
Locke'sThoughtson Reputation
Authors: Brady Michelle E.
Published: August 2013

Locke'sSome Thoughts Concerning Educationis designed to provide the education necessary to produce citizens guided by the obligations of natural law. A careful examination of his recommendations, however, reveals that his education does not in fact teach children to obey the law of nature directly. Instead, it teaches them to obey the law of opinion or reputation. At the same time, he encourages children to see themselves as rational and therefore free. The law of reputation provides the necessary restraint to balance the desire for liberty, and the desire for liberty ensures that citizens must respect others in order to win their esteem. Respect for others' rights, an essential element of Lockean natural law, emerges from this specific combination of the law of reputation and the love of liberty.
Returning to the Interpretive Turn: Charles Taylor and His Critics
Authors: Blakely Jason
Published: August 2013

In skirmishes over the interpretive turn, the work of Charles Taylor is frequently cited as representing the state of the art. Yet a systematic assessment of Taylor's interpretivism in light of the most salient criticisms made against it has not been conducted. This paper argues that Taylor's interpretivism withstands the strongest criticisms made of it so far, and therefore is an essential resource for revitalizing the interpretive turn. Although it is widely acknowledged in the secondary literature that Taylor's interpretivism rests on ontological claims about human agency, this paper presents a novel justification for this thesis as derived from a Heideggerian phenomenology of moods. It also presents two novel ways in which a defense of Taylor's interpretivism helps to bridge the gap between empirical social science research and normative political and ideological critique. In the latter discussion, it draws on Taylor's most recently published work.
Degree Conditions for H-Linked Digraphs
Authors: FERRARA MICHAEL , JACOBSON MICHAEL , PFENDER FLORIAN
Published: August 2013

Given a (multi)digraph H, a digraph D is H-linked if every injective function ι:V(H) → V(D) can be extended to an H-subdivision. In this paper, we give sharp degree conditions that ensure a sufficiently large digraph D is H-linked for arbitrary H. The notion of an H-linked digraph extends the classes of m-linked, m-ordered and strongly m-connected digraphs.

First, we give sharp minimum semi-degree conditions for H-linkedness, extending results of Kühn and Osthus on m-linked and m-ordered digraphs. It is known that the minimum degree threshold for an undirected graph to be H-linked depends on a partition of the (undirected) graph H into three parts. Here, we show that the corresponding semi-degree threshold for H-linked digraphs depends on a partition of H into as many as nine parts.

We also determine sharp Ore–Woodall-type degree-sum conditions ensuring that a digraph D is H-linked for general H. As a corollary, we obtain (previously undetermined) sharp degree-sum conditions for m-linked and m-ordered digraphs.
Cancer patients and spiritual experiences: Redefining the self through initiatory ordeals
Authors: Vonarx Nicolas
Published: August 2013

Objectives:

When one explores the paths that sick people follow in search of meaning and a cure, one is quite likely to encounter religious knowledge and practices. Examining this facet and the spiritual experiences that arise therein leads us to the subject of identity, which systematically comes up as soon as we consider the impact of serious illness on people's lives. We need to follow the identity-building process that occurs in the disease, ruptures, and redefinitions if we are to understand how religious practices and knowledge contribute to the process.

Methods:

This article discusses these elements using data collected in a qualitative research study of 10 cancer patients, carried out in Québec. Drawing on the sociology of religions, particularly the contemporary transformation of the religious and the spiritual, we attempted to understand the patients' spiritual experiences by focusing on the self-discovery that occurred through the initiatory ordeal of their illness.

Results:

We observe that these resources are particularly helpful when the patients use them to turn inwards, to pay attention to themselves, to unite the mind and body, to connect with something greater than themselves, and to transform their values so as to develop a new psychosocial version of themselves.

Significance of results:

Our analysis shows that there is a complementary relationship between religion and illness at the crossroad of the identity-building process. This relevance demands to be attentive to the initiatory process that leads to the self-discovery and a renewal of the relationship with the self.
Prolonged grievers: A qualitative evaluation of a support group intervention
Authors: Friedrichsen Maria , Hajradinovic Yvonne , Jakobsson Maria , Sundberg Lars , Jonsson Monica Axmacher , Milberg Anna
Published: August 2013

Objective:

The aim of this project was to study prolonged grievers psychosocial processes and experience during participation in a group intervention and 6–8 weeks after discontinuation. The intervention in this study was a group therapy with the aim of getting in contact with their pain and loss and confronting and working with this loss.

Methods:

Data was collected by using diaries and tape-recorded interviews, analyzed with grounded theory. The participants were 11 females between the ages of 33 and 71.

Results:

The main process that was found in the qualitative data was: Ambivalence when struggling and learning through work and rest towards a balance. Sub-processes were: To share and be confirmed in the group through sense of cohesion; To dare/venture to discover problems and solutions; To react when you get emotionally involved, and to compare and discover.

Significance of results:

This study gives insight into prolonged grievers' thinking, which is valuable knowledge. Rather than assuming that all individuals suffering from prolonged grief need the same treatment, we suggest that there should be a range of different therapies.
Bacterial profiling of White Plague Disease in a comparative coral species framework
Authors: Roder Cornelia , Arif Chatchanit , Bayer Till , Aranda Manuel , Daniels Camille , Shibl Ahmed , Chavanich Suchana , Voolstra Christian R
Published: August 2013

Coral reefs are threatened throughout the world. A major factor contributing to their decline is outbreaks and propagation of coral diseases. Due to the complexity of coral-associated microbe communities, little is understood in terms of disease agents, hosts and vectors. It is known that compromised health in corals is correlated with shifts in bacterial assemblages colonizing coral mucus and tissue. However, general disease patterns remain, to a large extent, ambiguous as comparative studies over species, regions, or diseases are scarce. Here, we compare bacterial assemblages of samples from healthy (HH) colonies and such displaying signs of White Plague Disease (WPD) of two different coral species (Pavona duerdeni and Porites lutea) from the same reef in Koh Tao, Thailand, using 16S rRNA gene microarrays. In line with other studies, we found an increase of bacterial diversity in diseased (DD) corals, and a higher abundance of taxa from the families that include known coral pathogens (Alteromonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Vibrionaceae). In our comparative framework analysis, we found differences in microbial assemblages between coral species and coral health states. Notably, patterns of bacterial community structures from HH and DD corals were maintained over species boundaries. Moreover, microbes that differentiated the two coral species did not overlap with microbes that were indicative of HH and DD corals. This suggests that while corals harbor distinct species-specific microbial assemblages, disease-specific bacterial abundance patterns exist that are maintained over coral species boundaries.
Active eukaryotes in microbialites from Highborne Cay, Bahamas, and Hamelin Pool (Shark Bay), Australia
Authors: Edgcomb Virginia P , Bernhard Joan M , Summons Roger E , Orsi William , Beaudoin David , Visscher Pieter T
Published: August 2013

Microbialites are organosedimentary structures that are formed through the interaction of benthic microbial communities and sediments and include mineral precipitation. These lithifying microbial mat structures include stromatolites and thrombolites. Exuma Sound in the Bahamas, and Hamelin Pool in Shark Bay, Western Australia, are two locations where significant stands of modern microbialites exist. Although prokaryotic diversity in these structures is reasonably well documented, little is known about the eukaryotic component of these communities and their potential to influence sedimentary fabrics through grazing, binding and burrowing activities. Accordingly, comparisons of eukaryotic communities in modern stromatolitic and thrombolitic mats can potentially provide insight into the coexistence of both laminated and clotted mat structures in close proximity to one another. Here we examine this possibility by comparing eukaryotic diversity based on Sanger and high-throughput pyrosequencing of small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) genes. Analyses were based on total RNA extracts as template to minimize input from inactive or deceased organisms. Results identified diverse eukaryotic communities particularly stramenopiles, Alveolata, Metazoa, Amoebozoa and Rhizaria within different mat types at both locations, as well as abundant and diverse signatures of eukaryotes with <80% sequence similarity to sequences in GenBank. This suggests the presence of significant novel eukaryotic diversity, particularly in hypersaline Hamelin Pool. There was evidence of vertical structuring of protist populations and foraminiferal diversity was highest in bioturbated/clotted thrombolite mats of Highborne Cay.
Allying with armored snails: the complete genome of gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont
Authors: Nakagawa Satoshi , Shimamura Shigeru , Takaki Yoshihiro , Suzuki Yohey , Murakami Shun-ichi , Watanabe Tamaki , Fujiyoshi So , Mino Sayaka , Sawabe Tomoo , Maeda Takahiro , Makita Hiroko , Nemoto Suguru , Nishimura Shin-Ichiro , Watanabe Hiromi , Watsuji Tomo-o , Takai Ken
Published: August 2013

Deep-sea vents harbor dense populations of various animals that have their specific symbiotic bacteria. Scaly-foot gastropods, which are snails with mineralized scales covering the sides of its foot, have a gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont in their enlarged esophageal glands and diverse epibionts on the surface of their scales. In this study, we report the complete genome sequencing of gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont. The endosymbiont genome displays features consistent with ongoing genome reduction such as large proportions of pseudogenes and insertion elements. The genome encodes functions commonly found in deep-sea vent chemoautotrophs such as sulfur oxidation and carbon fixation. Stable carbon isotope (13C)-labeling experiments confirmed the endosymbiont chemoautotrophy. The genome also includes an intact hydrogenase gene cluster that potentially has been horizontally transferred from phylogenetically distant bacteria. Notable findings include the presence and transcription of genes for flagellar assembly, through which proteins are potentially exported from bacterium to the host. Symbionts of snail individuals exhibited extreme genetic homogeneity, showing only two synonymous changes in 19 different genes (13 810 positions in total) determined for 32 individual gastropods collected from a single colony at one time. The extremely low genetic individuality in endosymbionts probably reflects that the stringent symbiont selection by host prevents the random genetic drift in the small population of horizontally transmitted symbiont. This study is the first complete genome analysis of gastropod endosymbiont and offers an opportunity to study genome evolution in a recently evolved endosymbiont.
Ag/AgCl@helical chiral TiO2 nanofibers as a visible-light driven plasmon photocatalyst
Authors: Wang Dawei , Li Yi , Li Puma Gianluca , Wang Chao , Wang Peifang , Zhang Wenlong , Wang Qing
Published: August 2013

Ag/AgCl@chiral TiO2 nanofibers are synthesized to tune the angle of the incident visible light through the chiral structure of the TiO2 nanofibers, intensifying the surface plasmon resonance effect of the supported Ag/AgCl materials, which are proven to be a highly active and stable visible light photocatalyst for the degradation of 17-β-ethinylestradiol.
Listeners' Attitudes Toward Children With Voice Problems
Authors: Ma Estella P.-M. , Yu Camille H.-Y.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

To investigate the attitudes of school teachers toward children with voice problems in a Chinese population.

Method

Three groups of listeners participated in this study: primary school teachers, speech-language pathology students, and general university students. The participants were required to make attitude judgments on 12 voice samples using a semantic differential scale with 22 bipolar adjective pairs. The voice samples were collected from 6 children with healthy voices and 6 children with dysphonia. The 22 bipolar adjective pairs were intended to cover nonspeech characteristics about the child's personality, social characteristics, and physical appearance.

Results

The mean attitude ratings received by children with dysphonic voice were significantly lower (i.e., less favorable) than those received by children with healthy voices in all of the 22 adjective pairs (allps < .002). The attitude ratings made by the 3 groups of listeners were not significantly different from one another (ps > .05).

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first study in which the authors examine listeners' perception toward children with voice problems in the Chinese population. The results suggest that voice problems in children warrant attention, and their effects on the child should not be underestimated. The findings also highlight the importance of early identification and intervention for children with voice problems.
Developmental Change Is Key to Understanding Primary Language Impairment: The Case of Phonotactic Probability and Nonword Repetition
Authors: McKean Cristina , Letts Carolyn , Howard David
Published: August 2013

Purpose

In this study, the authors aimed to explore the relationship between lexical and phonological knowledge in children with primary language impairment (PLI) through the application of a developmental methodology. Specifically, they tested whether there is evidence for an impairment in the process of phonological abstraction in this group of children over and above that which would be predicted by their vocabulary growth.

Method

The authors measured developmental change in the abilities of typically developing (TD) children (n= 38, chronological age [CA] = 3;0–5;6 [years;months]) and those with PLI (n= 13, CA = 3;0–6;6 and 4;6–8;0) to repeat nonwords with high and low phonotactic probability (PP) to uncover group differences in the process of abstraction of phonological representations.

Results

Cross-sectional developmental trajectories of change in nonword repetition abilities were compared across CA and vocabulary growth. Unlike TD children, the children with PLI did not evince a narrowing gap in the influence of PP across development, and they reached a plateau in their development.

Conclusion

These results suggest slowed emergence of phonological representations in PLI, with a plateau in the development of lexical–phonological representations. This plateau may represent entrenchment and “fixing” due to a missed critical period and/or atypical word learning biases in PLI.
Chemical Approaches in Processing Wheat Gluten-Based Polymer Materials
Authors: Zhang Xiaoqing
Published: August 2013

Processing wheat gluten-based renewable and biodegradable polymer materials through chemical modifications has been demonstrated as an effective way to improve the mechanical strength and modulus, material flexibility, barrier properties, and thermal processability, and to introduce new functionalities. Challenges still remain in further enhancing material properties, balancing hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity and biodegradability in the material, achieving a designed performance, and maintaining the material sustainability. A good understanding of protein structures, reactivity, and functionalities of wheat gluten is fundamental for such research and development, and a close collaboration between bio-chemists, polymer chemists, and material scientists is necessary for the approach.
Causal effect of disconnection lesions on interhemispheric functional connectivity in rhesus monkeys
Authors: O’Reilly Jill X. , Croxson Paula L. , Jbabdi Saad , Sallet Jerome , Noonan MaryAnn P. , Mars Rogier B. , Browning Philip G.F. , Wilson Charles R. E. , Mitchell Anna S. , Miller Karla L. , Rushworth Matthew F. S. , Baxter Mark G.
Published: August 2013

In the absence of external stimuli or task demands, correlations in spontaneous brain activity (functional connectivity) reflect patterns of anatomical connectivity. Hence, resting-state functional connectivity has been used as a proxy measure for structural connectivity and as a biomarker for brain changes in disease. To relate changes in functional connectivity to physiological changes in the brain, it is important to understand how correlations in functional connectivity depend on the physical integrity of brain tissue. The causal nature of this relationship has been called into question by patient data suggesting that decreased structural connectivity does not necessarily lead to decreased functional connectivity. Here we provide evidence for a causal but complex relationship between structural connectivity and functional connectivity: we tested interhemispheric functional connectivity before and after corpus callosum section in rhesus monkeys. We found that forebrain commissurotomy severely reduced interhemispheric functional connectivity, but surprisingly, this effect was greatly mitigated if the anterior commissure was left intact. Furthermore, intact structural connections increased their functional connectivity in line with the hypothesis that the inputs to each node are normalized. We conclude that functional connectivity is likely driven by corticocortical white matter connections but with complex network interactions such that a near-normal pattern of functional connectivity can be maintained by just a few indirect structural connections. These surprising results highlight the importance of network-level interactions in functional connectivity and may cast light on various paradoxical findings concerning changes in functional connectivity in disease states.
A high-throughput screen for quorum-sensing inhibitors that target acyl-homoserine lactone synthases
Authors: Christensen Quin H. , Grove Tyler L. , Booker Squire J. , Greenberg E. Peter
Published: August 2013

Many Proteobacteria use
N
-acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) quorum sensing to control specific genes. Acyl-HSL synthesis requires unique enzymes that use
S
-adenosyl methionine as an acyl acceptor and amino acid donor. We developed and executed an enzyme-coupled high-throughput cell-free screen to discover acyl-HSL synthase inhibitors. The three strongest inhibitors were equally active against two different acyl-HSL synthases:
Burkholderia mallei
BmaI1 and
Yersinia pestis
YspI. Two of these inhibitors showed activity in whole cells. The most potent compound behaves as a noncompetitive inhibitor with a
K
i
of 0.7 µM and showed activity in a cell-based assay. Quorum-sensing signal synthesis inhibitors will be useful in attempts to understand acyl-HSL synthase catalysis and as a tool in studies of quorum-sensing control of gene expression. Because acyl-HSL quorum-sensing controls virulence of some bacterial pathogens, anti–quorum-sensing chemicals have been sought as potential therapeutic agents. Our screen and identification of acyl-HSL synthase inhibitors serve as a basis for efforts to target quorum-sensing signal synthesis as an antivirulence approach.
On the self-similarity problem for Gaussian-Kronecker flows
Authors: Fra̧czek Krzysztof , Kułaga Joanna , Lemańczyk Mariusz
Published: August 2013

It is shown that a countable symmetric multiplicative subgroupG=−H∪HG=-H\cup HwithH⊂R+∗H\subset \mathbb {R}_+^\astis the group of self-similarities of a Gaussian-Kronecker flow if and only ifHHis additivelyQ\mathbb {Q}-independent. In particular, a real numbers≠±1s\neq \pm 1is a scale of self-similarity of a Gaussian-Kronecker flow if and only ifssis transcendental. We also show that each countable symmetric subgroup ofR∗\mathbb {R}^\astcan be realized as the group of self-similarities of a simple spectrum Gaussian flow having the Foiaş-Stratila property.
Constructive projective extension of an incidence plane
Authors: Mandelkern Mark
Published: August 2013

A standard procedure in classical projective geometry, using pencils of lines to extend an incidence plane to a projective plane, is examined from a constructive viewpoint. Brouwerian counterexamples reveal the limitations of traditional pencils. Generalized definitions are adopted to construct a projective extension. The main axioms of projective geometry are verified. The methods used are in accordance with Bishop-type modern constructivism.
A Cantor-Mandelbrot-Sierpiński tree in the parameter plane for rational maps
Authors: Devaney Robert
Published: August 2013

In this paper we prove the existence of a Cantor-Mandelbrot-Sierpiński tree (a CMS tree) in the parameter plane for the family of rational maps

z
2

+
λ

/

z
2

z^2 + \lambda /z^2

. This tree consists of a main trunk that is a Cantor necklace. Infinitely many Cantor necklaces branch off on either side of the main trunk, and between each of these branches is a copy of a Mandelbrot set.
H4K20 methylation regulates quiescence and chromatin compaction
Authors: Evertts Adam G. , Manning Amity L. , Wang Xin , Dyson Nicholas J. , Garcia Benjamin A. , Coller Hilary A.
Published: August 2013

The transition between proliferation and quiescence is frequently associated with changes in gene expression, extent of chromatin compaction, and histone modifications, but whether changes in chromatin state actually regulate cell cycle exit with quiescence is unclear. We find that primary human fibroblasts induced into quiescence exhibit tighter chromatin compaction. Mass spectrometry analysis of histone modifications reveals that H4K20me2 and H4K20me3 increase in quiescence and other histone modifications are present at similar levels in proliferating and quiescent cells. Analysis of cells in S, G2/M, and G1phases shows that H4K20me1 increases after S phase and is converted to H4K20me2 and H4K20me3 in quiescence. Knockdown of the enzyme that creates H4K20me3 results in an increased fraction of cells in S phase, a defect in exiting the cell cycle, and decreased chromatin compaction. Overexpression of Suv4-20h1, the enzyme that creates H4K20me2 from H4K20me1, results in G2arrest, consistent with a role for H4K20me1 in mitosis. The results suggest that the same lysine on H4K20 may, in its different methylation states, facilitate mitotic functions in M phase and promote chromatin compaction and cell cycle exit in quiescent cells.