bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combined Overexpression of JARID2, PRDM14, ESRRB, and SALL4A Dramatically Improves Efficiency and Kinetics of Reprogramming to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Iseki Hiroyoshi , Nakachi Yutaka , Hishida Tomoaki , Yamashita-Sugahara Yzumi , Hirasaki Masataka , Ueda Atsushi , Tanimoto Yoko , Iijima Saori , Sugiyama Fumihiro , Yagami Ken-Ichi , Takahashi Satoru , Okuda Akihiko , Okazaki Yasushi
Published: November 2015

Identification of a gene set capable of driving rapid and proper reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is an important issue. Here we show that the efficiency and kinetics of iPSC reprogramming are dramatically improved by the combined expression of Jarid2 and genes encoding its associated proteins. We demonstrate that forced expression of JARID2 promotes iPSC reprogramming by suppressing the expression of Arf, a known reprogramming barrier, and that the N-terminal half of JARID2 is sufficient for such promotion. Moreover, JARID2 accelerated silencing of the retroviral Klf4 transgene and demethylation of the Nanog promoter, underpinning the potentiating activity of JARID2 in iPSC reprogramming. We further show that JARID2 physically interacts with ESRRB, SALL4A, and PRDM14, and that these JARID2-associated proteins synergistically and robustly facilitate iPSC reprogramming in a JARID2-dependent manner. Our findings provide an insight into the important roles of JARID2 during reprogramming and suggest that the JARID2-associated protein network contributes to overcoming reprogramming barriers.
Negative DC corona discharge effects on the ultraviolet photon count in rod to plane air gaps
Authors: Bian Xingming , Wan Shuwei , Wang Yuanjiu , Wang Liming
Published: November 2015

In order to investigate the effects of negative DC corona discharge on ultraviolet (UV) photon count, a corona discharge measurement system based on rod to plane air gaps was established. The variations of positive ion, negative ion, and electron densities were calculated with a fluid model, and the generation process of photons during negative corona discharge was investigated. The differences of photon count and the variation of charged particles between negative and positive corona were also compared. The corona current, Trichel pulses, and corona‐generated photons were measured with increasing applied voltage. An approximate parabolic relationship found to exist between the photon count and the corona current, and also an ideal quadratic function was found to exist between the photon count and the frequency of Trichel pulses. These results provide a solid foundation in the application of UV imaging detection of negative DC corona discharge in power equipment. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sino‐Indian water disputes: the coming water wars?
Authors: Zhang Hongzhou
Published: November 2015

As water scarcity in both China and India worsens, the competition over shared water resources in their transboundary rivers, particularly the Brahmaputra River, is set to intensify. Without an effective working mechanism between the two countries, water conflicts could potentially become a serious challenge to Sino‐Indian relations. Nonetheless, the water wars narrative, which is gaining steam in India, is being overstated. This article argues that the major supporting arguments of the water wars narrative are very weak. To begin with, China has no plan to divert waters from Brahmaputra River. Second, even if China could successfully divert water from the Brahmaputra River, its impacts on the downstream countries will be rather limited. Third, China is not a water hegemon. Rather, it is becoming more willing to cooperate with neighboring countries regarding transboundary rivers. WIREs Water 2016, 3:155–166. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1123

This article is categorized under:

Human Water > Rights to Water
Valuing the manufacturing externalities of wind energy: assessing the environmental profit and loss of wind turbines in Northern Europe
Authors: Sovacool Benjamin K. , Munoz Perea Mario Alberto , Matamoros Alfredo Villa , Enevoldsen Peter
Published: November 2015

This study draws from a concept from green accounting, lifecycle assessment, and industrial ecology known as 'environmental profit and loss” (EP&L) to determine the extent of externalities across the manufacturing lifecycle of wind energy. So far, no EP&Ls have involved energy companies and none have involved wind energy or wind turbines. We perform an EP&L for three types of wind turbines sited and built in Northern Europe (Denmark and Norway) by a major manufacturer: a 3.2 MW onshore turbine with a mixed concrete steel foundation, a 3.0 MW offshore turbine with a steel foundation, and a 3.0 MW offshore turbine with a concrete foundation. For each of these three turbine types, we identify and monetize externalities related to carbon dioxide emissions, air pollution, and waste. We find that total environmental losses range from €1.1 million for the offshore turbine with concrete foundation to €740,000 for onshore turbines and about €500,000 for an offshore turbine with steel foundation—equivalent to almost one‐fifth of construction cost in some instances. We conclude that carbon dioxide emissions dominate the amount of environmental damages and that turbines need to work for 2.5 to 5.5 years to payback their carbon debts. Even though turbines are installed in Europe, China and South Korea accounted for about 80% of damages across each type of turbine. Lastly, two components, foundations and towers, account for about 90% of all damages. We conclude with six implications for wind energy analysts, suppliers, manufacturers, and planners. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trypanosome RNA editing: the complexity of getting U in and taking U out
Authors: Read Laurie K. , Lukeš Julius , Hashimi Hassan
Published: November 2015

RNA editing, which adds sequence information to RNAs post‐transcriptionally, is a widespread phenomenon throughout eukaryotes. The most complex form of this process is the uridine (U) insertion/deletion editing that occurs in the mitochondria of kinetoplastid protists. RNA editing in these flagellates is specified by trans‐acting guide RNAs and entails the insertion of hundreds and deletion of dozens of U residues from mitochondrial RNAs to produce mature, translatable mRNAs. An emerging model indicates that the machinery required for trypanosome RNA editing is much more complicated than previously appreciated. A family of RNA editing core complexes (RECCs), which contain the required enzymes and several structural proteins, catalyze cycles of U insertion and deletion. A second, dynamic multiprotein complex, the Mitochondrial RNA Binding 1 (MRB1) complex, has recently come to light as another essential component of the trypanosome RNA editing machinery. MRB1 likely serves as the platform for kinetoplastid RNA editing, and plays critical roles in RNA utilization and editing processivity. MRB1 also appears to act as a hub for coordination of RNA editing with additional mitochondrial RNA processing events. This review highlights the current knowledge regarding the complex molecular machinery involved in trypanosome RNA editing. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:33–51. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1313

This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications

RNA Processing > RNA Editing and Modification
Validation of the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score for Hallux Rigidus
Authors: Hogan MaCalus V. , Mani Sriniwasan B. , Chan Jeremy Y. , Do Huong , Deland Jonathan T. , Ellis Scott J.
Published: November 2015

Background

There is a clear call for improved patient-centered outcomes. The Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) is a region-specific patient-reported measure that has been validated for a number of foot and ankle diagnoses, but not hallux rigidus.

Questions/Purposes

The aim of this study was to validate the FAOS in patients with hallux rigidus.

Methods

From 2007 to 2013, 211 patients with hallux rigidus (HR) were included in the study. For the construct validity portion of the study, 125 patients completed a Short-Form 12 (SF-12) and FAOS survey. Forty additional HR patients were prospectively given questionnaires to assess the relevance of each FAOS question as it pertained to their HR. Reliability was assessed in 36 HR patients via administration of a second FAOS an average 1 month following the first. In 55 patients, preoperative and postoperative FAOS scores were compared to determine responsiveness.

Results

All FAOS subscales demonstrated moderate correlation coefficients with the physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, and physical health component scores of the SF-12, with all subscales demonstrating poor correlation with the SF-12 mental health-related domains. Content validity was high for all FAOS scores, with the exception of the daily activities subscale. All subscales achieved acceptable test–retest reliability with correlation coefficients of ≥0.72. Furthermore, all subscales were rated as responsive to change in postoperative patients ( p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the acceptable construct and content validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the FAOS for hallux rigidus. Due to its broad applicability and proven validation across multiple foot and ankle pathologies, the FAOS represents a patient-centered outcome measure that can be reliably used for the assessment of patients with hallux rigidus.
Effect of Alkanediyl‐α,ω‐Type Cationic Dimeric (Gemini) Surfactants on the Reaction Rate of Ninhydrin with [Cu(II)‐Gly‐Tyr]+ Complex
Authors: Kumar Dileep , Neo Kian‐Eang , Rub Malik Abdul
Published: November 2015

The effect of gemini (16‐s‐16, s = 4, 5, 6) surfactants on the reaction rate of ninhydrin with [Cu(II)‐Gly‐Tyr]+ complex was determined using a spectrophotometric technique. The ninhydrin concentration was kept in excess in order to maintain pseudo‐first‐order conditions. The reaction followed irreversible first‐ and fractional‐order kinetics with respect to [Cu(II)‐Gly‐Tyr]+ and [ninhydrin], respectively. It is found that gemini surfactants effectively catalyze the reaction. The rate constants (kψ) first increase and then become relatively constant with increasing gemini surfactant concentration similar to conventional cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. At higher gemini surfactant concentration a third region of increasing kψ is observed. The unusual third region is ascribed to changes in micellar morphology. The kinetic data has been analyzed using a micellar pseudo‐phase model.
Tissue Specific Effects of Dietary Carbohydrates and Obesity on ChREBPα and ChREBPβ Expression
Authors: Stamatikos Alexis D. , da Silva Robin P. , Lewis Jamie T. , Douglas Donna N. , Kneteman Norman M. , Jacobs René L. , Paton Chad M.
Published: November 2015

Carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) regulates insulin‐independent de novo lipogenesis. Recently, a novel ChREBPβ isoform was identified. The purpose of the current study was to define the effect of dietary carbohydrates (CHO) and obesity on the transcriptional activity of ChREBP isoforms and their respective target genes. Mice were subjected to fasting‐refeeding of high‐CHO diets. In all three CHO‐refeeding groups, mice failed to induce ChREBPα, yet ChREBPβ increased 10‐ to 20‐fold. High‐fat fed mice increased hepatic ChREBPβ mRNA expression compared to chow‐fed along with increased protein expression. To better assess the independent effect of fructose on ChREBPα/β activity, HepG2 cells were treated with fructose ± a fructose‐1,6‐bisphosphatase inhibitor to suppress gluconeogenesis. Fructose treatment in the absence of gluconeogenesis resulted in increased ChREBP activity. To confirm the existence of ChREBPβ in human tissue, primary hepatocytes were incubated with high‐glucose and the expression of ChREBPα and ‐β was determined. As with the animal models, glucose induced ChREBPβ expression while ChREBPα was decreased. Taken together, ChREBPβ is more responsive to changes in dietary CHO availability than the ‐α isoform. Diet‐induced obesity increases basal expression of ChREBPβ, which may increase the risk of developing hepatic steatosis, and fructose‐induced activation is independent of gluconeogenesis.
Social Networks and Religious Violence
Authors: Everton Sean F.
Published: November 2015

The causes of religious violence have attracted numerous explanations in the years since the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Towers. However, most forms of religious extremism do not result in violence (e.g., the Amish, Hasidim, Jains) and religious groups have not cornered the market on egregious violence. Nevertheless, religious violence does occur, and this paper examines the interplay of social networks and religious violence. It builds on Cass Sunstein's “law of group polarization,” which predicts that when like-minded people deliberate as an organized group, the general opinion shifts toward extreme versions of their common belief. It argues that internally dense religious groups that maintain few ties to the wider society are more likely to embrace extreme views and behavior than are those that are not as dense and/or remain tied to the wider society. The argument is then tested using social network analysis methodologies to examine the evolution of the Hamburg Cell, which played a critical role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It concludes with a series of policy recommendations that can limit but not eliminate religious extremism and violent behavior in the future.
What’s in a learning environment? Recognizing teachers’ roles in shaping a learning environment to support competency
Authors: O’Sullivan Patricia S.
Published: November 2015

None
Activation of muscarinic cholinoceptor ameliorates tumor necrosis factor‐α‐induced barrier dysfunction in intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Khan Md Rafiqul Islam , Uwada Junsuke , Yazawa Takashi , Islam Md Tariqul , Krug Susanne M. , Fromm Michael , Karaki Shin-ichiro , Suzuki Yuichi , Kuwahara Atsukazu , Yoshiki Hatsumi , Sada Kiyonao , Muramatsu Ikunobu , Anisuzzaman Abu Syed Md , Taniguchi Takanobu
Published: November 2015

Impaired intestinal barrier function is one of the critical issues in inflammatory bowel diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate muscarinic cholinoceptor (mAChR)‐mediated signaling for the amelioration of cytokine‐induced barrier dysfunction in intestinal epithelium. Rat colon challenged with TNF‐α and interferon γ reduced transepithelial electrical resistance (TER). This barrier injury was attenuated by muscarinic stimulation. In HT‐29/B6 intestinal epithelial cells, muscarinic stimulation suppressed TNF‐α‐induced activation of NF‐κB signaling and barrier disruption. Finally, muscarinic stimulation promoted the shedding of TNFR1, which would be a mechanism for the attenuation of TNF‐α/NF‐κB signaling and barrier disruption via mAChR.
Cognitive Linguistics and interactional discourse: time to enter into dialogue
Authors: ZIMA ELISABETH , BRÔNE GEERT
Published: November 2015

abstract

Usage-based theories hold that the sole resource for language users’ linguistic systems is language use (Barlow & Kemmer, 2000; Langacker, 1988; Tomasello, 1999, 2003). Researchers working in the usage-based paradigm, which is often equated with cognitive-functional linguistics (e.g., Ibbotson, 2013, Tomasello, 2003), seem to widely agree that the primary setting for language use is interaction, with spontaneous face-to-face interaction playing a primordial role (e.g., Bybee, 2010; Clark, 1996; Geeraerts & Cuyckens, 2007; Langacker, 2008; Oakley & Hougaard, 2008; Zlatev, 2014). It should, then, follow that usage-based models of language are not only compatible with evidence from communication research but also that they are intrinsically grounded in authentic, multi-party language use in all its diversity and complexities. This should be a logical consequence, as a usage-based understanding of language processing and human sense-making cannot be separated from the study of interaction. However, the overwhelming majority of the literature in Cognitive Linguistics (CL) does not deal with the analysis of dialogic data or with issues of interactional conceptualization. It is our firm belief that this is at odds with the interactional foundation of the usage-based hypothesis. Furthermore, we are convinced that an ‘interactional turn’ is not only essential to the credibility and further development of Cognitive Linguistics as a theory of language and cognition as such. Rather, CL-inspired perspectives on interactional language use may provide insights that other, non-cognitive approaches to discourse and interaction are bound to overlook. To that aim, this special issue brings together four contributions that involve the analysis of interactional discourse phenomena by drawing on tools and methods from the broad field of Cognitive Linguistics.
What you see is what you do: on the relationship between gaze and gesture in multimodal alignment
Authors: OBEN BERT , BRÔNE GEERT
Published: November 2015

abstract

Interactive language use inherently involves a process of coordination, which often leads to matching behaviour between interlocutors in different semiotic channels. We study this process of interactive alignment from a multimodal perspective: using data from head-mounted eye-trackers in a corpus of face-to-face conversations, we measure which effect gaze fixations by speakers (on their own gestures, condition 1) and fixations by interlocutors (on the gestures by those speakers, condition 2) have on subsequent gesture production by those interlocutors. The results show there is a significant effect of interlocutor gaze (condition 2), but not of speaker gaze (condition 1) on the amount of gestural alignment, with an interaction between the conditions.
Conversation, Construction Grammar, and cognition
Authors: FISCHER KERSTIN
Published: November 2015

abstract

Recent developments in grammatical theory seem to invite an integration of grammar and interaction; nevertheless, there are reservations on both sides. While some of these reservations can be traced to misconceptions, others are deeply rooted in the theoretical premises of each approach. The differences are, however, not very well understood; especially theoretical premises regarding the role of cognition in language use have been hindering a fruitful collaboration. Reinterpreting the results of Conversation Analysis (CA; cf. Sacks, Schegloff, & Jefferson, 1974; Sacks, 1992) in terms of Construction Grammar (Goldberg, 1995, 2006; Croft, 2001, Langacker, 2008) recasts the discursive practices identified in CA in terms of participants’ cognitive construals of the communicative situation, making the speaking subjects apparent in their strategies and conceptualizations of the interaction.
Increased fractional anisotropy in cerebellum in obsessive–compulsive disorder
Authors: Hartmann Tue , Vandborg Sanne , Rosenberg Raben , Sørensen Leif , Videbech Poul
Published: November 2015

Background

Previous morphology and diffusion-imaging studies have suggested that structural changes in white matter is an important part of the pathophysiology of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). However, different methodological approaches and the heterogeneity of patient samples question the validity of the findings.

Materials and methods

In total, 30 patients were matched for age and sex with 30 healthy controls. All participants underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging and T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery. Voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics were used to compare white matter volumes and diffusion tensor imaging between groups. These data were analysed correcting for the effects of multiple comparisons, age, sex, severity and duration of illness as nuisance covariates. White matter hyperintensities were manually identified.

Results

Increase in fractional anisotropy in cerebellum was the most prominent result. A decrease in fractional anisotrophy in patients comparable with previous studies was located in forceps minor. There were no differences in the white matter morphology or in the white matter hyperintensities between patients and healthy controls.

Conclusion

Decrease in fractional anisotrophy in forceps minor and increase in cerebellum were found, and they were not due to neither white matter hyperintensities nor morphology of the white matter. Cerebellar hyperconnectivity could be an important part of OCD pathophysiology.
Primaries and Candidates: Examining the Influence of Primary Electorates on Candidate Ideology
Authors: Nielson Lindsay , Visalvanich Neil
Published: November 2015

Primary elections in the United States have been under-studied in the political science literature. Using new data to estimate the ideal points of primary election candidates and constituents, we examine the link between the ideological leanings of primary electorates and the ideological orientation of US congressional candidates. We use district-level data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study and ideal point estimates for congressional primary election candidates to examine the role of primary electorate ideology in the selection of party nominees. We find that more extreme Republicans are more likely to win their party’s primary and that Republican and Democratic candidates are responsive to different electoral constituencies.
Host gut microorganisms’ cues mediate orientation behaviour in the larva of the parasitoidMallophora ruficauda
Authors: Groba H.F. , Castelo M.K.
Published: November 2015

The robber flyMallophora ruficaudais one of the most important apicultural pests in the Pampas region of Argentina. This species is a parasitoid of scarab beetle larvae. Females lay eggs away from the host, and the larvae perform active search behaviour towardCyclocephala signaticollisthird instar larvae, parasitoid's preferred host. This behaviour is mediated by host-related chemical cues produced in hosts’ fermentation chamber. Also,C. signaticollislarvae are attracted to fermentation chamber extracts. As scarab larvae have microbe-rich fermentation chamber, it has been suggested that microorganisms could be involved in the production of these semiochemicals. The aims of this work were first to ascertain the presence of microorganisms in the fermentation chamber ofC. signaticollislarvae and second to determine the role of microorganisms in the orientation response of parasitoid and host larvae. We found that microorganisms-freeC. signaticollislarvae showed deterioration in their development and did not produce the attractive semiochemicals. Therefore, we isolated fermentation chamber microorganisms of host larvae by means of different cultures media, and then, assayed different microorganisms’ stimuli by binary choice tests. We were able to isolate microorganisms and determine thatM. ruficaudalarvae are attracted to semiochemicals from protein degradation in the fermentation chamber. However,C. signaticollislarvae were not attracted to any semiochemicals associated with microorganisms’ activity in the fermentation chamber. Although we were unable to elucidate the exact role of gut microorganisms in host behaviour, we discuss their relevance in parasitoid host-seeking behaviour and host conspecific interaction inM. ruficauda–C. signaticollissystem.
Adaptive management of invasive pests in natural protected areas: the case of Matsucoccus feytaudi in Central Italy
Authors: Sciarretta A. , Marziali L. , Squarcini M. , Marianelli L. , Benassai D. , Logli F. , Roversi P.F.
Published: November 2015

Invasive species are a significant threat to affected ecosystems, having serious environmental, economic and social impacts. The maritime pine bast scale, Matsucoccus feytaudi Ducasse (Hemiptera: Matsucoccidae), causes serious damage to Pinus pinaster forests in SE France, Corsica and Italy where it has been introduced. This study illustrates the adaptive management plan implemented in the Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli Regional Natural Park in Tuscany, Italy, where M. feytaudi arrived in 2004, leading to the decay of local P. pinaster stands. The management programme, aimed at slowing the establishment and growth of M. feytaudi, was carried out in the main sector of the park, Tenuta di San Rossore, to retard the destruction of the P. pinaster coastal strip protecting the more internal woodland from sea salt and to allow replacement of P. pinaster trees with a more stable broad-leaved wood. The combined use of mass trapping and silvicultural interventions, applied in a targeted manner according to distribution maps of pest captures and damage, helped to delay forest destruction compared with a nearby unmanaged area of the park Tenuta di Tombolo. Although M. feytaudi continued to spread during the management period, the populations remained at low levels for 6 years, showing a marked increase in 2012. During this period, the P. pinaster stands were reduced from 320 to 249 ha. The final result of this ongoing gradual conversion process will be transformation of the P. pinaster forest into Holm oak woods and Mediterranean shrub land, while P. pinaster will survive as clusters or blocks of trees.
Challenges of using next generation sequencing in newborn screening
Authors: REINSTEIN EYAL
Published: November 2015

Whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing for clinical applications is now an integral part of medical genetics practice. The term newborn screening refers to public health programs designed to screen newborns for various treatable metabolic conditions, by measuring levels of circulating blood metabolites. The availability and significant decrease in sequencing costs has raised the question of whether metabolic newborn screening should be replaced by whole-genome or whole-exome sequencing. While newborn genome sequencing can potentially increase the number of disorders identified by newborn screening, the generalization of its practice raises a number of important ethical issues. This short article argues that there are medical, psychological, ethical and economic reasons why widespread dissemination of newborn screening is still premature.
Epiphloea belongs to Collemataceae (Lecanoromycetes, lichenized Ascomycota)
Authors: Schultz Matthias , Wedin Mats , Diel Henrike , Prieto Maria
Published: November 2015

The cyanolichen genus Epiphloea is currently included within the Heppiaceae (Lichinomycetes) based on ascus characteristics. The presumed presence of a prototunicate ascus has been used as support for this classification, despite the incongruence with other characters (e.g. spores). Here, we use a molecular phylogeny of the two markers mtSSU rDNA and Mcm7 to investigate the position of Epiphloea. In addition, we have re-investigated the ascus characteristics. Our results place the two species, Epiphloea byssina and E. terrena, within the Collemataceae, nested in Leptogium s. str. The ascus type in both species is shown to be Lecanoralean and similar to the ascus in other Collemataceae, with a strongly amyloid tube-like structure. This observation supports the placement within Lecanoromycetes and refutes the earlier suggested affinities with Heppiaceae and Lichinomycetes. The correct names for these species are Leptogium byssinum and Leptogium terrenum.
A new freshwaterPorina(Porinaceae,Ostropales) from Great Britain
Authors: Orange Alan
Published: November 2015

Porina rivalisOrange is described as new from rocks in streams in Great Britain. The involucrellum is yellow or orange within, but dark grey to purplish red at the surface; the ascospores are 3-septate, 13·0–18·5×4·0–5·5 μm.
Ultrastructure ofSarcocystis bertramisarcocysts from a naturally infected donkey (Equus asinus) from Egypt
Authors: DUBEY J. P. , VAN WILPE E. , VERMA S. K. , HILALI M.
Published: November 2015

There is considerable confusion concerningSarcocystisspecies in equids. Little is known ofSarcocystisinfections in donkeys (Equus asinus). Here we describe the structure ofSarcocystis bertrami-like from the donkey by light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nineteen sarcocysts from the tongue of a donkey from Egypt were studied both by LM and TEM. By LM, all sarcocysts had variably shaped and sized projections on the sarcocyst walls, giving it a thin-walled to thick-walled appearance, depending on individual sarcocyst and plane of section. By TEM, sarcocysts walls had villar protrusions (vp) of type 11. The sarcocyst wall had conical to slender vp, up to 6µm long and 1µm wide; the vp were folded over the sarcocyst wall. The total thickness of the sarcocyst wall with ground substance layer (gs) was 1–3µm. The vp had microtubules (mt) that originated deeper in the gs and continued up to the tip. The apical part of the vp had electron dense granules. The mt were configured into 3 types: a tuft of electron dense mt1 extending the entire length of the vp with a tuft of medium electron dense mt2 appearing in parallel, and fine mt3 present only in the villar tips. The gs was mainly smooth with few indistinct granules. All sarcocysts were mature and contained metrocytes and bradyzoites. Bradyzoites were approximately 11–15 × 2–3µm in size with typical organelles.
Characterization of the Neospora caninum NcROP40 and NcROP2Fam-1 rhoptry proteins during the tachyzoite lytic cycle
Authors: PASTOR-FERNÁNDEZ IVÁN , REGIDOR-CERRILLO JAVIER , JIMÉNEZ-RUIZ ELENA , ÁLVAREZ-GARCÍA GEMA , MARUGÁN-HERNÁNDEZ VIRGINIA , HEMPHILL ANDREW , ORTEGA-MORA LUIS M.
Published: November 2015

Virulence factors from the ROP2-family have been extensively studied in Toxoplasma gondii, but in the closely related Neospora caninum only NcROP2Fam-1 has been partially characterized to date. NcROP40 is a member of this family and was found to be more abundantly expressed in virulent isolates. Both NcROP2Fam-1 and NcROP40 were evaluated as vaccine candidates and exerted a synergistic effect in terms of protection against vertical transmission in mouse models, which suggests that they may be relevant for parasite pathogenicity. NcROP40 is localized in the rhoptry bulbs of tachyzoites and bradyzoites, but in contrast to NcROP2Fam-1, the protein does not associate with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane due to the lack of arginine-rich amphipathic helix in its sequence. Similarly to NcROP2Fam-1, NcROP40 mRNA levels are highly increased during tachyzoite egress and invasion. However, NcROP40 up-regulation does not appear to be linked to the mechanisms triggering egress. In contrast to NcROP2Fam-1, phosphorylation of NcROP40 was not observed during egress. Besides, NcROP40 secretion into the host cell was not successfully detected by immunofluorescence techniques. These findings indicate that NcROP40 and NcROP2Fam-1 carry out different functions, and highlight the need to elucidate the role of NcROP40 within the lytic cycle and to explain its relative abundance in tachyzoites.
Weapons of the Meek
Authors: GrzyMala-Busse Anna
Published: November 2015

How do churches influence public policy and why does their influence vary across similarly religious societies? Prevalent accounts focus on the mobilization of voter demand and coalitions with political parties that offer policy concessions in exchange for electoral support. This article argues, by contrast, that such strategies are both risky and costly, and it demonstrates instead the power of direct institutional access for writing legislation, vetting officials, and even running sectors of the state. Such institutional access is available only to churches with high moral authority: those perceived by the public as representing the common good and the national interest. Churches in Christian democracies have gained such moral authority by defending the nation against a foreign regime, state, or colonial power. In short, churches are most influential when they have the high moral authority to obtain direct institutional access—thus avoiding popular backlash against overt and partisan church politicking.
The fossilization of non-current English pronunciation in German EFL teaching
Authors: Booth John E.
Published: November 2015

The German termHandyis a neat and singular creation, referring to the ‘mobile phone’ (British English) or ‘cell phone’ (American English), in itself a unique and most useful invention – handy, indeed! What is even more remarkable is the pronunciation of this term: /hεndi:/. While the second vowel mirrors the pronunciation of word-final ‘i’ sounds in German (cf.Gabi, Salami, Müsli), the ‘a’ does not. Instead, it appears to reflect a socially generalized view of what a short ‘a’ in English is supposed to sound like. And this is not the front, near-open ‘ash’ vowel [æ], the ‘standard lexical set TRAP’, as defined by Wells (1982: 129), but rather a cardinal [ε], the ‘standard lexical set DRESS’ (128), as found in German in other English borrowings:JetlagorJet-Lag/jεtlεg/,Gag/gεg/,relaxen/relεksn/,scannen/skεnǝn/, etc.
A comparative study of connected speech features in Nigerian English & Received Pronunciation
Authors: Oladipupo Rotimi O.
Published: November 2015

Spoken Nigerian English (hereafter NigE) is said to differ significantly from Received Pronunciation (hereafter RP). Several studies (e.g. Adetugbo, 1977; 2004; Atoye, 1991; Udofot, 2004) conducted particularly from segmental and suprasegmental perspectives have established this. However, not so much has been done to verify this at the level of connected speech. Yet the features of connected speech contribute significantly to the marked difference between the native and non-native English accents and are capable of impairing intelligibility between speakers of both varieties (Allen, 1961: xiv; Laver, 1968: 156). Therefore, this study investigates two connected speech features (assimilation and elision) at morpheme and word boundaries, in order to provide explanations for how spoken educated NigE approximates to and deviates from RP.
‘They parked two buses’: a corpus study of a football expression
Authors: Wyatt Mark , Hadikin Glenn
Published: November 2015

The Liverpool football manager, Brendan Rodgers, was clearly upset. He had just seen the title chances of his vibrant attacking team, scorers of more league goals than any other team in England, suffer a major setback, with defeat against Chelsea: ‘They parked two buses, rather than one’, he lamented of the Chelsea tactics in a post-match interview: ‘from the first minute, they had 10 men behind the ball. We were the team trying to win, but we just couldn't make the breakthrough’ (Bevan, 2014). A few days later, after Chelsea had lost to Atlético Madrid in the second leg of a European Champions League semi-final, after playing very defensively in the first leg, this defeat was celebrated by vengeful rival fans on twitter, drawing on the same ‘park the bus’ metaphor, e.g. ‘when you park the bus, make sure it's not near any red lines’ (the humour of which derives from Atlético playing in red and white stripes, while yellow lines in the UK forbid parking, so the bus is penalized for being in the wrong place) or ‘Atlético parked 4 Ferraris and 2 Veyrons. TOO DAMN FAST. Chelsea bus cannot catch up with the speed bro!’, where the Chelsea bus is ridiculed for simply being too slow (Footballburp, 2014).
Walking the Line: The Legacy of Martin Wolff on EFL in China
Authors: Hartse Joel Heng
Published: November 2015

In August of 2012, Martin Wolff, an American English teacher and former lawyer who made a name for himself writing about issues related to English language education in China, passed away in Taizou, China at the age of 65 (see Lau, 2013, for a remembrance). Mr. Wolff's name will be familiar to readers of English Today and to any observers of EFL in China who follow English-language commentary on issues including Chinglish, native English speaking teachers in China, and the difficulty of creating an ideal environment for English learning in EFL contexts.
‘Scalping’ of albatross fledglings by introduced mice spreads rapidly at Marion Island
Authors: Dilley Ben J. , Schoombie Stefan , Schoombie Janine , Ryan Peter G.
Published: November 2015

House mice (Mus musculusL.) were introduced to sub-Antarctic Marion Island more than two centuries ago, and have been the only introduced mammal on the island since 1991 when feral cats were eradicated. The first mouse-injured wandering albatross (Diomedea exulansL.) chick was found in 2003 and since then attacks have continued at a low level affecting <1% of the population. In 2009, the first ‘scalpings’ were detected; sooty albatross (Phoebetria fuscaHilsenberg) fledglings were found with raw wounds on the nape. In 2015, mice attacked large chicks of all three albatross species that fledge in autumn: grey-headed (Thalassarche chrysostomaForster) (at least 102 wounded chicks; 4.6% of fledglings), sooty (n=45, 4.3%) and light-mantled albatross (P. palpebrataForster) (n=1, 4%). Filming at night confirmed that mice were responsible for wounds. Attacks started independently in small pockets all around the island’s 70 km coastline, separated by distances hundreds of times greater than mouse home ranges. The widespread nature of mouse attacks in 2015 on large, well-feathered chicks is alarming and highlights not only Marion Island as a priority island for mouse eradication but also that mice alone may significantly affect threatened seabird species.
Factors associated with the internal jugular venous approach for Melody™ Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve implantation
Authors: Zampi Jeffrey D. , Berman Darren P. , Bocks Martin L. , Yu Sunkyung , Zahn Evan M. , Lu Jimmy C. , Shaya Justin A. , Armstrong Aimee K.
Published: November 2015

Background

Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation is usually performed from a femoral venous – transfemoral – approach, but this may not be the optimal vascular access option in some patients. This study aimed to determine which group of patients might benefit from an internal jugular – transjugular – approach for transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation.

Methods

This multicentre retrospective study included all patients who underwent attempted transcatheter pulmonary valve placement in the right ventricular outflow tract between April 2010 and June 2012 at two large congenital heart centres. Patients were divided into two groups based on venous access site – transfemoral or transjugular. Patient characteristics, procedural outcomes, and complications were compared between groups.

Results

Of 81 patients meeting the inclusion criteria (median age 16.4 years), the transjugular approach was used in 14 patients (17%). The transjugular group was younger (median age 11.9 versus 17.3 years), had lower body surface area (mean 1.33 versus 1.61 m2), more often had moderate or greater tricuspid regurgitation (29% versus 7%), and had a higher ratio of right ventricle-to-systemic systolic pressure (mean 82.4 versus 64.7). Patients requiring a transjugular approach after an unsuccessful transfemoral approach had longer fluoroscopic times and procedure duration.

Conclusions

The transjugular approach for transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation is used infrequently but is more often used in younger and smaller patients. Technical limitations from a transfemoral approach may be anticipated if there is moderate or greater tricuspid regurgitation or higher right ventricular pressures. In these patients, a transjugular approach should be considered early.
Infective endocarditis: call for education of adults with CHD: review of the evidence
Authors: Hays Laura H.
Published: November 2015

Advanced surgical repair procedures have resulted in the increased survival rate to adulthood of patients with CHD. The resulting new chronic conditions population is greater than one million in the United States of America and >1.2 million in Europe. This review describes the risks and effects of infective endocarditis – a systemic infectious process with high morbidity and mortality – on this population and examines the evidence to determine whether greater patient education on recognition of symptoms and preventative measures is warranted. The literature search included the terms “infective endocarditis” and “adult congenital heart disease”. Search refinement, the addition of articles cited by included articles, as well as addition of supporting articles, resulted in utilisation of 24 articles. Infective endocarditis, defined by the modified Duke Criteria, occurs at a significantly higher rate in the CHD population due to congenitally or surgically altered cardiac anatomies and placement of prosthetic valves. This literature review returned no studies in the past five years assessing knowledge of the definition, recognition of symptoms, and preventative measures of infective endocarditis in the adult CHD population. Existing data are more than 15 years old and show significant knowledge deficits. Studies have consistently shown the need for improved CHD patient knowledge with regard to infective endocarditis, and there is no recent evidence that these knowledge deficits have decreased. It is important to address and decrease knowledge deficits in order to improve patient outcomes and decrease healthcare utilisation and costs.
Examining language switching in bilinguals: The role of preparation time
Authors: MOSCA MICHELA , CLAHSEN HARALD
Published: November 2015

Much research on language control in bilinguals has relied on the interpretation of the costs of switching between two languages. Of the two types of costs that are linked to language control, switching costs are assumed to be transient in nature and modulated by trial-specific manipulations (e.g., by preparation time), while mixing costs are supposed to be more stable and less affected by trial-specific manipulations. The present study investigated the effect of preparation time on switching and mixing costs, revealing that both types of costs can be influenced by trial-specific manipulations.
Steps towards understanding medieval urban communities as social practice
Authors: Müller Ulrich
Published: November 2015

The contribution by Axel Christophersen aims to present new perspectives for the archaeology of medieval and post-medieval towns. In enlisting ‘social-practice theory’, the author would like to view the town as a dynamic, ever-changing network of social and cultural practices which is registered in the archaeological data. This perspective on the town lies, therefore, somewhere between structure-centred and agent-centred approaches. As such, Axel Christophersen's contribution can be seen as more comprehensive. I assess the piece also as a programmatic contribution to the development of theory in the apparently long-term conflict between ‘processual and postprocessual archaeology’. It should be said in advance that he was successful in this. At the same time, however, his contribution makes it clear that it is not easy to transfer or apply current cultural-studies concepts to historical periods and the materiality of archaeological data.
Going against the flow. Reaction to Veronica Strang
Authors: Normark Johan
Published: November 2015

In her discussion article ‘Fluid consistencies. Material relationality in human engagements with water’, Veronica Strang argues that ‘water provides a useful focus for thinking aboutrelationshipsbetween things and persons and betweenmaterialproperties and meanings’ (Strang 2014, 133, emphasis added). Water permeates organic things and flows and connects in a multi-scalar way. Therefore her article emphasizes ‘how material and social processes combine to provide both fluidity and consistency at every level of human–non-human engagement’ (ibid., 133). Ontologically speaking, the emphasis on fluid relations and processes makes her arelationist, i.e. objects emerge from their internal or external relations (Harman 2009). I will summarize my reactions to her article in three major points.
Pulmonary toxicity following total body irradiation for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre (TOHCC) experience
Authors: Ujaimi R. K. , Isfahanian N. , Russa D. J. La , Samant R. , Bredeson C. , Genest P.
Published: November 2015

Purpose

To review the incidence of clinically significant pulmonary toxicity following total body irradiation (TBI) as a part of the conditioning regimen for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT) at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.

Methods

This is a retrospective review of ALL patients who received TBI in The Ottawa Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant Program (TOH-BMT) as part of their conditioning regimen from 1991 to 2011 inclusive. The patients were treated using a locally developed translating-couch irradiation technique. We have analysed all available data for the first 100 days following TBI to determine the incidence of radiation-induced pulmonary toxicities.

Results

Of the total 622 patients undergoing TBI during the specified period, 88 had ALL. Median age at BMT was 30 years and the conditioning regimens varied. A total of 74 (84%) patients received 12 Gy/6 F/BID of TBI. A total of 55 (63%) patients have died, 32 (36%) within the 1st year after BMT. In the 1st year, pulmonary events were reported for 24 (27%) patients, and the follow-up notes were unavailable for seven (8%). Pulmonary toxicities were reported as the cause of death for six patients, five (6%) within the 1st year. It is estimated that the total number of deaths in the 1st year possibly attributed to radiation-induced lung injury was four (4·5%). Eight (9%) patients had symptoms suggestive of non-lethal grade 2–3 radiation-induced pneumonitis.

Conclusions

TBI continues to be an important component of the conditioning regimen for ALL patients undergoing BMT, and the incidence of radiation-induced pulmonary injury, using our technique and lung dose, is comparable to the published literature.
A social systems approach to understanding the racial effect of the Section 44 counter-terror stop and search powers
Authors: Herron Rachel
Published: November 2015

In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) endorsed long-standing claims of the potentially discriminatory effect of the suspicionless stop and search powers within s.44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. This paper applies principles of social systems theory to propose an explanation for the empirically evidenced racial effect of the s.44 police powers. Through observations regarding communicative barriers apparent between the law-making and policing subsystems, the paper argues that each subsystem's understanding of the expectations of the other, pertaining to the nature and use of the s.44 powers, contributed to their deployment in a way that diminished the effectiveness of the safeguards intended to guard against their misuse. Mismatched subsystem expectations meant that the powers were implemented by the police without the statutory protections, the operational self-restraint, or the type of intelligence-led judgment expected by the legislature, giving rise to misuse of the powers and, in particular, their deployment in line with race-based profiles.
How far is too far? Theorising non-conviction-based asset forfeiture
Authors: Hendry Jennifer , King Colin
Published: November 2015

Non-conviction-based (NCB) asset forfeiture is a relatively recent addition to law enforcement's armoury in the fight against organised crime in the UK. It allows for criminal assets to be forfeited to the State even in the absence of criminal conviction, the stated objective being to undermine the profit incentive of criminal activity. Until now, NCB asset forfeiture has principally been critiqued from a criminological point of view, specifically concerning the Packer models and the civil/criminal dichotomy – aside from this, however, it remains rather underdeveloped theoretically. This paper addresses this lack of legal theoretical engagement with NCB asset forfeiture by providing an initial contribution from a systems-theoretical perspective. This contribution makes use of systems theory's unique insights to critique the perceived ‘failure of law’ that gave rise to the NCB approach, and challenges the legitimacy of that approach in terms of procedural rights.