bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Note: Proton microbeam formation with continuously variable kinetic energy using a compact system for three-dimensional proton beam writing
Authors: Ohkubo T. , Ishii Y.
Published: March 2015

A compact focused gaseous ion beam system has been developed to form proton microbeams of a few hundreds of keV with a penetration depth of micrometer range in 3-dimensional proton beam writing. Proton microbeams with kinetic energies of 100-140 keV were experimentally formed on the same point at a constant ratio of the kinetic energy of the object side to that of the image side. The experimental results indicate that the beam diameters were measured to be almost constant at approximately 6 μm at the same point with the kinetic energy range. These characteristics of the system were experimentally and numerically demonstrated to be maintained as long as the ratio was constant.
Breeding habitat selection in an obligate beach bird: a test of the food resource hypothesis
Authors: Cuttriss Anna , Maguire Grainne S. , Ehmke Glenn , Weston Michael A.
Published: March 2015

The food resource hypothesis of breeding habitat selection in beach-nesting birds suggests that birds breed at sites with more prey to meet the increased energetic requirements associated with breeding. We compare prey resources using pitfall traps and core samples at breeding sites and absence sites of the eastern population of hooded plover, Thinornis rubricollis rubricollis, which, in this part of its range, is a threatened obligate beach bird. Breeding sites had higher abundances, equivalent species richness, and different assemblages of invertebrate prey compared with absence sites. Assemblages at breeding sites were characterised by more isopods, and fewer beetles of the family Phycosecidae. Breeding habitat selection by plovers appears to be associated with selection for sites with more food, and any process that degrades food resources at a site (e.g. kelp harvesting or marine pollution events) may reduce the likelihood of occupancy of that site by breeding birds.
Influence of boat anchoring on Pinna nobilis: a field experiment using mimic units
Authors: Vázquez-Luis Maite , Borg Joseph A. , Morell Carlos , Banach-Esteve Gàlia , Deudero Salud
Published: March 2015

Anchoring by recreational boats causes several different effects on marine habitats and species. The influence of boat anchoring on the Mediterranean endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis was assessed experimentally in the field by deploying non-biological mimic units of the bivalve around the islands of Mallorca and Malta. In each of these two localities, two study areas having different levels of boat anchoring activities, namely, ‘control’ (no anchoring allowed) and ‘affected’ (anchoring allowed), were used for the field experiment. A significant number of P. nobilis mimic bivalves were affected by boat anchoring; the influence was three times higher at anchoring sites than in control areas. Boat anchoring also had an adverse effect on Posidonia oceanica meadows, with seagrass cover, shoot density and global density being lower in the anchoring areas. Moreover, lower values of natural P. nobilis density and size classes were recorded from the anchoring areas.
Activation of P2X7 receptors decreases the proliferation of murine luteal cells
Authors: Wang Jing , Liu Shuangmei , Nie Yijun , Wu Bing , Wu Qin , Song Miaomiao , Tang Min , Xiao Li , Xu Ping , Tan Ximin , Zhang Luyin , Li Gang , Liang Shangdong , Zhang Chunping
Published: March 2015

Extracellular ATP regulates cellular function in an autocrine or paracrine manner through activating purinergic signalling. Studies have shown that purinergic receptors were expressed in mammalian ovaries and they have been proposed as an intra-ovarian regulatory mechanism. P2X7 was expressed in porcine ovarian theca cells and murine and human ovarian surface epithelium and is involved in ATP-induced apoptotic cell death. However, the role of P2X7 in corpus luteum is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ATP signalling in murine luteal cells and the possible mechanism(s) involved. We found that P2X7 was highly expressed in murine small luteal cells. The agonists of P2X7, ATP and BzATP, inhibited the proliferation of luteal cells. P2X7 antagonist BBG reversed the inhibition induced by ATP and BzATP. Further studies showed that ATP and BzATP inhibited the expression of cell cycle regulators cyclinD2 and cyclinE2. ATP and BzATP also inhibited the p38–mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway. These results reveal that P2X7 receptor activation is involved in corpus luteum formation and function.
Glucocorticoid receptor interacts with PNRC2 in a ligand-dependent manner to recruit UPF1 for rapid mRNA degradation
Authors: Cho Hana , Park Ok Hyun , Park Joori , Ryu Incheol , Kim Jeonghan , Ko Jesang , Kim Yoon Ki
Published: March 2015

Significance

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily and functions as a transcription factor. GR regulates various physiological processes, including cell proliferation, energy homeostasis, and inflammation. In this study, we provide molecular evidence for the role of GR in the regulation of mRNA stability, which we term GR-mediated mRNA decay (GMD). Efficient GMD requires a ligand, a GR loaded onto target mRNA, upstream frameshift 1 (UPF1), and proline-rich nuclear receptor coregulatory protein 2. GMD functions in the chemotaxis of human monocytes by targeting
chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2
mRNA. Thus, we unravel a previously unappreciated role of GR, which is traditionally considered a transcription factor, in posttranscriptional regulation.
Toward a mineral physics reference model for the Moon’s core
Authors: Antonangeli Daniele , Morard Guillaume , Schmerr Nicholas C. , Komabayashi Tetsuya , Krisch Michael , Fiquet Guillaume , Fei Yingwei
Published: March 2015

Significance

Iron is the main constituent of terrestrial planetary cores, taking on a hexagonal closed packed structure under the conditions of Earth’s inner core, and a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure at the more moderate pressures of smaller bodies, such as the Moon, Mercury, or Mars. Here we present sound velocity and density measurements of fcc iron at pressures and temperatures characteristic of small planetary interiors. The results indicate that the seismic velocities currently proposed for the Moon’s inner core are well below those of fcc iron or plausible iron alloys. Our dataset provides strong constraints to seismic models of the lunar core and cores of small telluric planets, and allows us to build a direct compositional and velocity model of the Moon’s core.
Genetic and biochemical investigations of the role of MamP in redox control of iron biomineralization inMagnetospirillum magneticum
Authors: Jones Stephanie R. , Wilson Tiffany D. , Brown Margaret E. , Rahn-Lee Lilah , Yu Yi , Fredriksen Laura L. , Ozyamak Ertan , Komeili Arash , Chang Michelle C. Y.
Published: March 2015

Significance

Biomineralization is an important and widespread phenomenon by which living systems produce solid materials from soluble metal ions and has key implications with regard to environmental and health processes. In this work, we report studies of redox and structural components that control mineralization events in the production of iron nanoparticles in directional-sensing bacteria.
Field experiment evidence of substantive, attributional, and behavioral persuasion by members of Congress in online town halls
Authors: Minozzi William , Neblo Michael A. , Esterling Kevin M. , Lazer David M. J.
Published: March 2015

Significance

Persuasion is at the core of leadership, especially in a democracy, yet there is remarkably little evidence that direct appeals from leaders causally affect the attitudes and behaviors of their followers. The available evidence is either observational and indirect or based on laboratory experiments that simulate selected features of interactions with leaders. We fill this void with two randomized controlled field experiments in which 12 US representatives and a senator each met with samples of their constituents in online town halls. We find evidence of substantial persuasion effects on specific policy issues, attributions of trust and approval, and ultimately the decision to vote for the leader.
Submarine groundwater discharge as a major source of nutrients to the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Rodellas Valentí , Garcia-Orellana Jordi , Masqué Pere , Feldman Mor , Weinstein Yishai
Published: March 2015

Significance

The Mediterranean Sea (MS) is one of the most oligotrophic seas in the world, and external inputs of nutrients are especially relevant to sustaining primary productivity in this basin. Here we evaluate the role of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) as a source of nutrients to the entire MS, a pathway that has been largely overlooked. This study demonstrates that SGD is a volumetrically important process in the MS, is of a larger magnitude than riverine discharge, and also represents a major source of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphorous, and silica to the MS.
AIM2 and NLRC4 inflammasomes contribute with ASC to acute brain injury independently of NLRP3
Authors: Denes Adam , Coutts Graham , Lénárt Nikolett , Cruickshank Sheena M. , Pelegrin Pablo , Skinner Joanne , Rothwell Nancy , Allan Stuart M. , Brough David
Published: March 2015

Significance

Cerebral ischemia (CI; stroke, brain injury, vascular dementia, neonatal hypoxia, and many other conditions) affects people at all stages of life. Of the many diseases associated with CI, stroke alone causes up to 10% of deaths worldwide and is a leading cause of disability; yet treatment options are extremely limited, so this represents an area of massive unmet clinical need. Inflammation involving the cytokine interleukin-1 is a major contributor to cell death in the ischemic brain. Inflammation can be regulated by large protein complexes called inflammasomes. Here we show that the NLRC4 (NLR family, CARD domain containing 4) and AIM2 (absent in melanoma 2) inflammasomes, but not the NLRP3 (NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome, contribute to inflammation and injury in an ischemic brain and are thus potential therapeutic targets for these devastating diseases.
Early Roman military fortifications and the origin of Trieste, Italy
Authors: Bernardini Federico , Vinci Giacomo , Horvat Jana , De Min Angelo , Forte Emanuele , Furlani Stefano , Lenaz Davide , Pipan Michele , Zhao Wenke , Sgambati Alessandro , Potleca Michele , Micheli Roberto , Fragiacomo Andrea , Tuniz Claudio
Published: March 2015

Significance

Archaeological evidence from the Trieste area (Italy), revealed by airborne remote sensing and geophysical surveys, provides one of the earliest examples of Roman military fortifications. They are the only ones identified in Italy so far. Their origin is most likely related to the first year of the second Roman war against the Histri in 178 B.C., reported by Livy, but the sites were in use, perhaps not continuously, at least until the mid first century B.C. The main identified San Rocco military camp is the best candidate for the site of the first Trieste.
Folliculin-interacting proteins Fnip1 and Fnip2 play critical roles in kidney tumor suppression in cooperation with Flcn
Authors: Hasumi Hisashi , Baba Masaya , Hasumi Yukiko , Lang Martin , Huang Ying , Oh HyoungBin F. , Matsuo Masayuki , Merino Maria J. , Yao Masahiro , Ito Yusuke , Furuya Mitsuko , Iribe Yasuhiro , Kodama Tatsuhiko , Southon Eileen , Tessarollo Lino , Nagashima Kunio , Haines Diana C. , Linehan W. Marston , Schmidt Laura S.
Published: March 2015

Significance

The role of
FLCN
as a tumor suppressor in kidney cancer has been well documented, whereas the functional roles of folliculin (FLCN)-interacting proteins 1 and 2 (FNIP1 and FNIP2) in kidney are unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that double inactivation of
Fnip1
and
Fnip2
leads to enlarged polycystic kidneys or kidney cancer, which mimics the phenotypes seen in
Flcn
-deficient kidneys and underscores the significance of Fnip1 and Fnip2 in kidney tumor suppression. Moreover, we found that
Fnip1/Fnip2
mRNA ratios differ among organs, which may reflect tissue-specific roles for each
Fnip
. Our findings define Fnip1 and Fnip2 as critical components of the Flcn complex that are essential for its tumor suppressive function and will aid in the development of novel therapeutics for kidney cancer.
Arrhythmogenesis in a catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia mutation that depresses ryanodine receptor function
Authors: Zhao Yan-Ting , Valdivia Carmen R. , Gurrola Georgina B. , Powers Patricia P. , Willis B. Cicero , Moss Richard L. , Jalife José , Valdivia Héctor H.
Published: March 2015

Significance

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is an arrhythmogenic syndrome characterized by life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias triggered by physical exercise or emotional stress. Although patients with CPVT have no abnormalities in cardiac structure, they present ventricular fibrillation or sudden death as the first symptom. Most CPVT cases are linked to mutations in cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2), an intracellular Ca
2+
channel that provides the majority of Ca
2+
that enables heart contraction. The current mechanism for CPVT arrhythmogenesis requires RyR2 affected by gain-of-function mutations. However, loss-of-function mutations of RyR2 have also been found in CPVT patients. We generated an animal model of CPVT that harbors a loss-of-function mutation that was originally described in humans and elucidated novel mechanisms by which hypoactive RyR2 channels trigger malignant arrhythmias.
Cooperation and tensions in multiethnic corporate societies using Teotihuacan, Central Mexico, as a case study
Authors: Manzanilla Linda R.
Published: March 2015

Significance

Teotihuacan was born as a complex multiethnic settlement that originally accommodated populations displaced by volcanic eruptions that devastated the southern Basin of Mexico. Soon, the city became an inclusive society where people from other regions of Mesoamerica could work mainly as qualified craftspeople (particularly garment makers and lapidary specialists), as well as builders, musicians, and military personnel. This society capitalized on the knowledge, technical expertise, and experience that foreigners brought to the city. Each neighborhood competed with the others in displaying the finest crafts, the rarest raw materials, and the most diverse sumptuary goods. This competition gave rise to a highly complex society, but one with inherent contradictions.
Theories of ethnicity and the dynamics of ethnic change in multiethnic societies
Authors: Blanton Richard E.
Published: March 2015

I modify Fredrik Barth’s approach, which sees ethnic group building as a signaling system, to place it within a framework that draws from collective action and costly signaling theories. From these perspectives, ethnic signaling, although representing a costly penalty to group members, is one effective form of communication that facilitates collective management of resources. I then identify three contexts in which the benefits of ethnic group building are likely to outweigh its signaling costs: in politically chaotic refuge and periphery zones; in the context of long-distance specialist trading groups; and within the territorial scope of failed states. I point to selected data from the Mughal and Aztec polities to illustrate how a combination of effective public goods management, in highly collective states, and the growth of highly integrated commercial economies will render ethnic group building superfluous.
Reprogramming of Sertoli cells to fetal-like Leydig cells by
Wt1
ablation
Authors: Zhang Lianjun , Chen Min , Wen Qing , Li Yaqiong , Wang Yaqing , Wang Yanbo , Qin Yan , Cui Xiuhong , Yang Lin , Huff Vicki , Gao Fei
Published: March 2015

Significance

Genetic control of the differentiation between Sertoli cells and granulosa cells has been reported previously. However, the relationship between Sertoli cells and Leydig cells in the testis has not yet been definitively determined. In the present study, we demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that these two cell types can be mutually reprogrammed and that Wilms’ Tumor Gene 1 (
Wt1
) plays a critical role in this process. This study provides a novel concept for cell fate determination in testis development that will improve our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of gonad development.
Activation of the factor XII-driven contact system in Alzheimer’s disease patient and mouse model plasma
Authors: Zamolodchikov Daria , Chen Zu-Lin , Conti Brooke A. , Renné Thomas , Strickland Sidney
Published: March 2015

Significance

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a growing public health problem, in part because there are no effective therapies. Major roadblocks to the treatment of AD are the lack of adequate diagnostic tools and the absence of viable therapeutic targets. It is now clear that AD is characterized by inflammation. Our results indicate that AD patients and mouse models have increased activation of a set of proteins known as the contact activation system in their circulation. We also demonstrate that the AD-related peptide Aβ can initiate activation of this system in the circulation of animal models. Because the contact activation system contributes to inflammation, our results suggest new pathogenic mechanisms, diagnostic tests, and therapeutic targets for AD.
Ribosome–SRP–FtsY cotranslational targeting complex in the closed state
Authors: von Loeffelholz Ottilie , Jiang Qiyang , Ariosa Aileen , Karuppasamy Manikandan , Huard Karine , Berger Imre , Shan Shu-ou , Schaffitzel Christiane
Published: March 2015

Significance

The universally conserved signal recognition particle (SRP) and its receptor (FtsY) deliver ∼30% of the proteome to the proper cellular membrane. To ensure proper timing and fidelity of targeting, SRP and FtsY adopt multiple conformations in a GTP-dependent manner. We solved the cryo-EM structure of the SRP–FtsY complex with a GTP analogue in the presence of a ribosome translating a signal sequence (the closed state) at 5.7 Å resolution. We describe the structural basis of ribosome and signal sequence binding by the SRP M domain. We demonstrate that in the closed state the SRP–FtsY GTPase domains are moving away from the ribosomal tunnel exit, allowing for translocon–ribosome interactions to accomplish cotranslational targeting.
Fast sensory–motor reactions in echolocating bats to sudden changes during the final buzz and prey intercept
Authors: Geberl Cornelia , Brinkløv Signe , Wiegrebe Lutz , Surlykke Annemarie
Published: March 2015

Significance

Echolocating bats and toothed whales emit a terminal buzz right before capture. The high call rate (≥180 Hz) and short duration should preclude informed reactions, leaving the ubiquitous buzz an enigma. By removing prey from bats right before capture, we showed that the buzz is not inflexible but adaptable and that bats react on a very fast time scale to sudden changes in perceptual feedback. Acoustic and behavioral reactions differed, indicating separate central control of echolocation and capture movements, as well as importance of somatosensory feedback. These results in a naturally behaving animal relying on multimodal integration of actively controlled senses are significant for a central problem in neurobiology: fast decision making.
Diversity of regulatory mechanisms of photosynthetic carbon metabolism in plants and algae
Authors: Tamoi Masahiro , Shigeoka Shigeru
Published: March 2015

To clarify the regulatory mechanisms of the Calvin cycle in algae, we analyzed the molecular properties of the enzymes involved in this cycle. We demonstrated that these enzymes were not regulated by redox modulation through the ferredoxin/thioredoxin system under light/dark conditions and were not sensitive to treatments with hydrogen peroxide in vitro, unlike the chloroplastic thiol-modulated enzymes of plants. On the other hand, we found that cyanobacteria possessed a unique enzyme involved in the Calvin cycle. The CP12 protein played an important role in regulating carbon metabolism in the Calvin cycle in cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae. This review described the regulatory mechanisms of the Calvin cycle in algae and also the effects of alterations to photosynthetic carbon metabolism on plant productivity, carbon partitioning, and the carbon/nitrogen balance using transgenic plants expressing algal genes.
Voltage-dependent gating and gating charge measurements in the Kv1.2 potassium channel
Authors: Ishida Itzel G. , Rangel-Yescas Gisela E. , Carrasco-Zanini Julia , Islas León D.
Published: March 2015

Much has been learned about the voltage sensors of ion channels since the x-ray structure of the mammalian voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.2 was published in 2005. High resolution structural data of a Kv channel enabled the structural interpretation of numerous electrophysiological findings collected in various ion channels, most notably Shaker, and permitted the development of meticulous computational simulations of the activation mechanism. The fundamental premise for the structural interpretation of functional measurements from Shaker is that this channel and Kv1.2 have the same characteristics, such that correlation of data from both channels would be a trivial task. We tested these assumptions by measuring Kv1.2 voltage-dependent gating and charge per channel. We found that the Kv1.2 gating charge is near 10 elementary charges (eo), ∼25% less than the well-established 13–14 eo in Shaker. Next, we neutralized positive residues in the Kv1.2 S4 transmembrane segment to investigate the cause of the reduction of the gating charge and found that, whereas replacing R1 with glutamine decreased voltage sensitivity to ∼50% of the wild-type channel value, mutation of the subsequent arginines had a much smaller effect. These data are in marked contrast to the effects of charge neutralization in Shaker, where removal of the first four basic residues reduces the gating charge by roughly the same amount. In light of these differences, we propose that the voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) of Kv1.2 and Shaker might undergo the same physical movement, but the septum that separates the aqueous crevices in the VSD of Kv1.2 might be thicker than Shaker’s, accounting for the smaller Kv1.2 gating charge.
Experimental demonstration of binary shaped pupil mask coronagraphs for telescopes with obscured pupils
Authors: Haze Kanae , Enya Keigo , Abe Lyu , Takahashi Aoi , Kotani Takayuki , Yamamuro Tomoyasu
Published: March 2015

We present the fabrication and experimental demonstration of three free-standing binary shaped pupil mask coronagraphs, which are applicable for telescopes with partially obscured pupils. Three masks, designed to be complementary (labeled Mask-A, Mask-B, and Mask-C), were formed in 5  μm thick nickel. The design of Mask-A is based on a one-dimensional barcode mask. The design principle of Mask-B is similar, but has a smaller inner working angle and a lower contrast than Mask-A. Mask-C is based on a concentric ring mask and provides the widest dark region and a symmetric point spread function. Mask-A and Mask-C were both designed to produce a flexibly tailored dark region (i.e., non-uniform contrast). The contrast was evaluated using a light source comprising a broadband super-luminescent light-emitting diode with a center wavelength of 650 nm, and the measurements were carried out in a large vacuum chamber. Active wavefront control was not applied in this work. The coronagraphic images obtained by experiment were mostly consistent with the designs. The contrast of Mask-A within the ranges 3.3–8 λ/D and 8–12 λ/D was ∼ 10−4–10−7 and ∼ 10−7, respectively, where λ is the wavelength and D is the pupil diameter. The contrast of Mask-B was ∼ 10−4 and that of Mask-C over an extended field of view (5–25 λ/D) was ∼ 10−5–10−6. The effect of tilting the masks was investigated, and found to be irrelevant at the ∼ 10−7 contrast level. Therefore the masks can be tilted to avoid ghosting. These high-contrast free-standing masks have the potential to enable coronagraphic imaging over a wide wavelength range using both ground-based and space-borne general-purpose telescopes with pupil structures not specifically designed for coronagraphy.
Electric light, particularly at night, disrupts human circadian rhythmicity: is that a problem?
Authors: Stevens Richard G. , Zhu Yong
Published: March 2015

Over the past 3 billion years, an endogenous circadian rhythmicity has developed in almost all life forms in which daily oscillations in physiology occur. This allows for anticipation of sunrise and sunset. This physiological rhythmicity is kept at precisely 24 h by the daily cycle of sunlight and dark. However, since the introduction of electric lighting, there has been inadequate light during the day inside buildings for a robust resetting of the human endogenous circadian rhythmicity, and too much light at night for a true dark to be detected; this results in circadian disruption and alters sleep/wake cycle, core body temperature, hormone regulation and release, and patterns of gene expression throughout the body. The question is the extent to which circadian disruption compromises human health, and can account for a portion of the modern pandemics of breast and prostate cancers, obesity, diabetes and depression. As societies modernize (i.e. electrify) these conditions increase in prevalence. There are a number of promising leads on putative mechanisms, and epidemiological findings supporting an aetiologic role for electric lighting in disease causation. These include melatonin suppression, circadian gene expression, and connection of circadian rhythmicity to metabolism in part affected by haem iron intake and distribution.
Tuning the white light spectrum of light emitting diode lamps to reduce attraction of nocturnal arthropods
Authors: Longcore Travis , Aldern Hannah L. , Eggers John F. , Flores Steve , Franco Lesly , Hirshfield-Yamanishi Eric , Petrinec Laina N. , Yan Wilson A. , Barroso André M.
Published: March 2015

Artificial lighting allows humans to be active at night, but has many unintended consequences, including interference with ecological processes, disruption of circadian rhythms and increased exposure to insect vectors of diseases. Although ultraviolet and blue light are usually most attractive to arthropods, degree of attraction varies among orders. With a focus on future indoor lighting applications, we manipulated the spectrum of white lamps to investigate the influence of spectral composition on number of arthropods attracted. We compared numbers of arthropods captured at three customizable light-emitting diode (LED) lamps (3510, 2704 and 2728 K), two commercial LED lamps (2700 K), two commercial compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs; 2700 K) and a control. We configured the three custom LEDs to minimize invertebrate attraction based on published attraction curves for honeybees and moths. Lamps were placed with pan traps at an urban and two rural study sites in Los Angeles, California. For all invertebrate orders combined, our custom LED configurations were less attractive than the commercial LED lamps or CFLs of similar colour temperatures. Thus, adjusting spectral composition of white light to minimize attracting nocturnal arthropods is feasible; not all lights with the same colour temperature are equally attractive to arthropods.
Microbial diversity and community respiration in freshwater sediments influenced by artificial light at night
Authors: Hölker Franz , Wurzbacher Christian , Weißenborn Carsten , Monaghan Michael T. , Holzhauer Stephanie I. J. , Premke Katrin
Published: March 2015

An increasing proportion of the Earth's surface is illuminated at night. In aquatic ecosystems, artificial light at night (ALAN) may influence microbial communities living in the sediments. These communities are highly diverse and play an important role in the global carbon cycle. We combined field and laboratory experiments using sediments from an agricultural drainage system to examine how ALAN affects communities and alters carbon mineralization. Two identical light infrastructures were installed parallel to a drainage ditch before the start of the experiment. DNA metabarcoding indicated that both sediment communities were similar. After one was lit for five months (July–December 2012) we observed an increase in photoautotroph abundance (diatoms,
Cyanobacteria
) in ALAN-exposed sediments. In laboratory incubations mimicking summer and winter (six weeks each), communities in sediments that were exposed to ALAN for 1 year (July 2012–June 2013) showed less overall seasonal change compared with ALAN-naive sediments. Nocturnal community respiration was reduced in ALAN-exposed sediments. In long-term exposed summer-sediments, we observed a shift from negative to positive net ecosystem production. Our results indicate ALAN may alter sediment microbial communities over time, with implications for ecosystem-level functions. It may thus have the potential to transform inland waters to nocturnal carbon sinks.
Isolation of Bordetella species from unusual infection sites
Authors: Almuzara Marisa , Barberis Claudia , Traglia Germán , Sly Gabriela , Procopio Adriana , Vilches Viviana , Ramirez Maria Soledad , Famiglietti Angela , Vay Carlos
Published: March 2015

Introduction:

Bordetella hinzii has been isolated mainly from respiratory specimens and from blood of immunocompromised patients, and Bordetella trematum from ear infections or leg, arm and ankle wounds and from diabetic foot ulcers. Bordetella holmesii is instead associated with bactaeremia in young adults, mostly with underlying conditions. Only three septic arthritis cases due to this species have been described in the literature.

Case presentation:

Herein we describe four cases of infections due to Bordetella species that have been recovered from unusual infection sites: two cases of B. hinzii infections, one recovered from the urine of a patient with chronic prostatitis and the other from a liver cyst in an immunocompetent patient; one B. trematum case from a bone biopsy of a patient with chronic osteomyelitis of the hip; and one B. holmesii case isolated from the joint fluid of an immunocompetent patient with diagnosed septic arthritis. The organisms were identified using standard biochemical tests, by API 20 NE version 6.0, by automated system VITEK 2, by mass spectrometry using the Bruker Daltonics MicroFlex LT spectrometer with MALDI Biotyper 3.1, and by PCR amplification of 16S rRNA.

Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the VITEK 2 system, except for B. holmesii, for which the epsilometric method (Etest technique; bioMérieux) was used.

Conclusion:

We highlight the importance of isolating Bordetella species from severe infections and unusual sites, and also of combining both phenotypic and genotypic methods for definitive identification.
Cholinergic manipulations bidirectionally regulate object memory destabilization
Authors: Stiver Mikaela L. , Jacklin Derek L. , Mitchnick Krista A. , Vicic Nevena , Carlin Justine , O'Hara Matthew , Winters Boyer D.
Published: March 2015

Consolidated memories can become destabilized and open to modification upon retrieval. Destabilization is most reliably prompted when novel information is present during memory reactivation. We hypothesized that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) plays an important role in novelty-induced memory destabilization because of its established involvement in new learning. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of cholinergic manipulations in rats using an object recognition paradigm that requires reactivation novelty to destabilize object memories. The muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine, systemically or infused directly into the perirhinal cortex, blocked this novelty-induced memory destabilization. Conversely, systemic oxotremorine or carbachol, muscarinic receptor agonists, administered systemically or intraperirhinally, respectively, mimicked the destabilizing effect of novel information during reactivation. These bidirectional effects suggest a crucial influence of ACh on memory destabilization and the updating functions of reconsolidation. This is a hitherto unappreciated mnemonic role for ACh with implications for its potential involvement in cognitive flexibility and the dynamic process of long-term memory storage.
Operational properties of fluctuation X-ray scattering data
Authors: Malmerberg Erik , Kerfeld Cheryl A. , Zwart Petrus H.
Published: March 2015

X-ray scattering images collected on timescales shorter than rotation diffusion times using a (partially) coherent beam result in a significant increase in information content in the scattered data. These measurements, named fluctuation X-ray scattering (FXS), are typically performed on an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) and can provide fundamental insights into the structure of biological molecules, engineered nanoparticles or energy-related mesoscopic materials beyond what can be obtained with standard X-ray scattering techniques. In order to understand, use and validate experimental FXS data, the availability of basic data characteristics and operational properties is essential, but has been absent up to this point. In this communication, an intuitive view of the nature of FXS data and their properties is provided, the effect of FXS data on the derived structural models is highlighted, and generalizations of the Guinier and Porod laws that can ultimately be used to plan experiments and assess the quality of experimental data are presented.
Three isotypic polymeric complexes with rare earth cations, but-2-enoate anions and 4,4′-(ethane-1,2-diyl)dipyridine and 4,4′-(ethene-1,2-diyl)dipyridine bridging ligands
Authors: Atria Ana María , Garland Maria Teresa , Baggio Ricardo
Published: March 2015

Three isotypic rare earth complexes,catena-poly[[aquabis(but-2-enoato-κ2O,O′)yttrium(III)]-bis(μ-but-2-enoato)-κ3O,O′:O;κ3O:O,O′-[aquabis(but-2-enoato-κ2O,O′)yttrium(III)]-μ-4,4′-(ethane-1,2-diyl)dipyridine-κ2N:N′], [Y2(C4H5O2)6(C12H12N2)(H2O)2], the gadolinium(III) analogue, [Gd2(C4H5O2)6(C12H12N2)(H2O)2], and the gadolinium(III) analogue with a 4,4′-(ethene-1,2-diyl)dipyridine bridging ligand, [Gd2(C4H5O2)6(C12H10N2)(H2O)2], are one-dimensional coordination polymers made up of centrosymmetric dinuclear [M(but-2-enoato)3(H2O)]2units (M= rare earth), further bridged by centrosymmetric 4,4′-(ethane-1,2-diyl)dipyridine or 4,4′-(ethene-1,2-diyl)dipyridine spacers into sets of chains parallel to the [20\overline{1}] direction. There are intra-chain and inter-chain hydrogen bonds in the structures, the former providing cohesion of the linear arrays and the latter promoting the formation of broad planes parallel to (010).
The “New World” and international pâtisserie competition
Authors: Wood Yvonne Irene , Sturny Arno , Neill Lindsay , Brown Alan , Aprea Renny
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the New Zealand Junior Pastry Team negotiated the rigours of international competition at the 2013 Junior Pastry World Cup in Rimini, Italy and how what was learnt from this experience holds relevance to creative hospitality practice and business application.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses an inductive qualitative enquiry to illuminate the narratives and subjective experiences of the competition team. Structured and semi-structured interview data responses were themed using an open coding system. This data were critically evaluated against both competition data, participant experience and relevant academic literature.

Findings

– This paper shows how the team’s desire to highlight its national identity through food in the competition resulted in problematic experiences that were compounded by a tyranny of distance. However, these challenges were overcome through the creative dynamic the team developed and the networking benefits which the competition provided. These experiences added value not only to the team competitors but also the culinary and pastry practitioners in New Zealand’s hospitality community.

Originality/value

– The research offers unique insights into how a representative pastry team from the “New World” negotiated international competition set in and heavily influenced by the “Old World” of culinary tradition. The paper’s findings could be of use to other novice competition teams. The work also links the importance of international culinary competition to wider constructs of hospitality, such as business advantage in commercial hospitality.
A web survey analysis of subjective well-being
Authors: Guzi Martin , de Pedraza García Pablo
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of work conditions and job characteristics with respect to three subjective well-being (SWB) indicators: life satisfaction, job satisfaction and satisfaction with work-life balance. From a methodological point of view, the paper shows how social sciences can benefit from the use of voluntary web survey data.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper makes use of a large sample of individual data obtained from voluntary web surveys collected as part of the WageIndicator project. The sample includes extensive information on the quality of working conditions together with different well-being indicators. The propensity score adjustment weights are used to improve the sample performance.

Findings

– The results shed light on the importance of certain job characteristics not only in determining job satisfaction, but also in other SWB domains. The findings support the theory of spillover perspectives, according to which satisfaction in one domain affects other domains.

Research limitations/implications

– As a voluntary web-survey, WageIndicator is affected by selection bias. The validity of the sample can be improved by weighting, but this adjustment should be made and tested on a country-by-country basis.

Originality/value

– The paper provides analysis of the quality of a web survey not commonly used in happiness research. The subsequent presentation of the effects of working conditions on several satisfaction domains represents a contribution to the literature.
Health and well-being in the great recession
Authors: Askitas Nikolaos , Zimmermann Klaus F.
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the authors can use internet search data in order to capture the impact of the 2008 Financial and Economic Crisis on well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors look at the G8 countries with a special focus on USA and Germany and investigate whether internet searches reflect the “malaise” caused by the crisis. The authors focus on searches that contain the word “symptoms” and are thought to proxy self-diagnosis and those that contain “side effects” and are thought to proxy treatment.

Findings

– The authors find that “malaise” searches spike in a fashion coincident with the crisis and its contagion timeline across the G8 countries. The authors show that results based on search recover previously known stylized facts from the economics of health, well-being and the business cycle.

Research limitations/implications

– Internet penetration is high across the G8 countries. The authors nonetheless cannot get a good handle on the part of the population, which is not online. Moreover the authors cannot get a good grip on all confounding factors. More research would be necessary with access to search microdata.

Originality/value

– The authors propose global proxies for diagnosis and treatment based on the “search buzz” for symptoms and side effects. The authors can thus capture trends on a global scale. This approach will become increasingly important.
Self-interest or the greater good
Authors: Marshall Donna , Ambrose Eamonn , McIvor Ronan , Lamming Richard
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of the influence of political goals and behaviour on the outsourcing decision process and outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research used an exploratory longitudinal case-based approach. Eight outsourcing projects in three telecommunications companies were analysed from the initial decision to the outcome of the case.

Findings

– The authors show how political goals and behaviours influence the outsourcing decision process and inductively develop four political goals: personal reputation, attainment, elimination and control. The authors also identify three dynamic outsourcing paths: the personal reputation path, which leads to successful outcomes; the short-term attain and eliminate path leading to unsuccessful outcomes; and the destabilised path, which leads to mixed outcomes. All of these can be tested in other empirical settings.

Research limitations/implications

– The implications for outsourcing literature are that political intentions influence the decision process and outcomes. For theorists, the authors provide an understanding of how political and rational goals and behaviour interact to impact outsourcing outcomes: with political and rational goals and behaviour complementary in some instances. The limitations are that with a small sample the findings are generalisable to theoretical propositions rather than to a population.

Practical implications

– The implications for managers are the ability to identify and manage political goals that influence outsourcing decision process and outcomes.

Originality/value

– For the first time, the authors uncover the political goals that impact the outsourcing decision process and outcomes. The authors add to the outsourcing literature, transaction cost theory and resource-based theory by defining and understanding the political goals that complement these theories.
Who wins in a complex buyer-supplier relationship? A social exchange theory based dyadic study
Authors: Tanskanen Kari
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– In complex buyer-supplier relationships (BSRs), contracts are always incomplete and many of the exchanges non-contractual. Because they occur over a long period of time and include unspecified obligations, non-contractual exchanges might be asymmetrical. The purpose of this paper is to examine BSRs with the aim of identifying the mechanisms that lead to asymmetry in exchanges.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author conducts an analysis, based on social exchange theory (SET), of six buyer-supplier dyads using the main SET constructs. From this multiple-case analysis the author develops a set of propositions explaining the exchange asymmetry in complex buyer-supplier relations.

Findings

– The results indicate that self-awareness of the determinants of attractiveness, use of power-balancing mechanisms, and primacy can explain the exchange asymmetry in BSRs.

Research limitations/implications

– The analysis is limited on the explanations for exchange asymmetry that are based on SET.

Practical implications

– The study highlights the importance of firms using the power-balancing mechanism in order to gain value from supply chain partners. The results show that firms can use attractiveness strategically to influence supply chain partners, but the author also observe that firms generally are not well aware of the determinants of their attractiveness in BSRs, which ignorance may pose a major obstacle to using attractiveness strategically.

Originality/value

– The paper provides the first systematic and comprehensive insight to social exchange mechanism in complex BSR. In this paper the author makes a major effort to clarify the basic assumptions and scope of the useful concepts and theoretical constructs of SET, and through a multiple-case study the author form a piece of substantive theory of SET in BSRs.
Centralised grocery supply chain planning: improved exception management
Authors: Alftan Annika , Kaipia Riikka , Loikkanen Lauri , Spens Karen
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an operations model for retail replenishment collaboration and identifies its expected benefits and limitations for the members of a grocery supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study is conducted on a development project between a grocery wholesaler and two grocery product suppliers. Data are collected through semi-structured interviews with key respondents from four different companies.

Findings

– Despite advances in collaborative practices in grocery supply chains, retail store replenishment management faces challenges. In particular, demand exceptions management is a challenge in the grocery industry. A replenishment model called Collaborative Buyer-Managed Forecasting (CBMF) creates a proactive planning approach and a platform for close collaboration in the supply chain. The centralised forecasting transforms retailer sales data into a plan which serves the whole supply chain by creating one-order forecast. The CBMF model facilitates efficient demand management, improves demand responsiveness and promotes better availability of products in retail stores.

Research limitations/implications

– CBMF provides a replenishment planning model for the whole supply chain. It is tested to a limited extent in one supply chain.

Practical implications

– The study provides managers with a better understanding of the benefits of centralised forecasting and closer replenishment collaboration, especially during periods of exceptional demand.

Originality/value

– A new approach for managing demand in grocery supply chains with centralised forecasting is provided.
On the relationship between purchasing integration and purchasing decision-making speed
Authors: Kaufmann Lutz , Gaeckler Julia
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– First, this study expands knowledge on the strategic decision process dimension decision-making speed by analyzing decision-making speed and two possible antecedents in a purchasing context. Second, it takes an additional step toward clarifying the relationship between strategic and lateral integration. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential mediating effect of lateral purchasing integration on the relationship between strategic purchasing integration and purchasing decision-making speed.

Design/methodology/approach

– This research analyzes survey data of 152 firms from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland using covariance-based structural equation modeling.

Findings

– The results of the structural equation model provide strong support for the hypothesized relationships. Strategic purchasing integration drives lateral purchasing integration, which in turn positively influences purchasing decision-making speed.

Research limitations/implications

– This study focusses solely on internal types of integration. A logical next step would be to further enrich the model by including external dimensions, such as supplier or customer integration.

Practical implications

– This study should help managers gain a better understanding of the relationship between strategic and lateral purchasing integration, highlighting their positive impact on decision-making speed. Decision-making speed is particularly important for companies operating in volatile markets and time-constrained business environments.

Originality/value

– This study offers new insights into the theoretical and empirical connection between intra-organizational purchasing integration, unpacked as strategic purchasing integration and lateral purchasing integration, and purchasing decision-making speed. Furthermore, it offers insights into decision-making speed in a purchasing context.