bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nonepileptic seizures: an updated review
Authors: Perez David L. , LaFrance W. Curt
Published: March 2016

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are a functional neurological disorder/conversion disorder subtype, which are neurobehavioral conditions at the interface of neurology and psychiatry. Significant advancements over the past decade have been made in the diagnosis, management, and neurobiological understanding of PNES. This article reviews published PNES research focusing on semiologic features that distinguish PNES from epileptic seizures, consensus diagnostic criteria, the intersection of PNES and other comorbidities, neurobiological studies, evidence-based treatment interventions, and outcome studies. Epidemiology and healthcare utilization studies highlight a continued unmet medical need in the comprehensive care of PNES. Consensus guidelines for diagnostic certainty are based on clinical history, semiology of witnessed typical event(s), and EEG findings. While certain semiologic features may aid in the diagnosis of PNES, the gold standard remains capturing a typical event on video electroencephalography (EEG) showing the absence of epileptiform activity with history and semiology consistent with PNES. Medical-neurologic and psychiatric comorbidities are prevalent in PNES; these should be assessed in diagnostic evaluations and integrated into treatment interventions and prognostic considerations. Several studies, including a pilot, multicenter, randomized clinical trial, have now demonstrated that a cognitive behavioral therapy–informed psychotherapy is an efficacious treatment for PNES, and additional efforts are necessary to evaluate the utility of pharmacologic and other psychotherapy treatments. Neuroimaging studies, while requiring replication, suggest that PNES may occur in the context of alterations within and across sensorimotor, emotion regulation/processing, cognitive control, and multimodal integration brain systems. Future research could investigate similarities and differences between PNES and other somatic symptom disorders.
On the Older Parian Formation in Trinidad
Authors: Guppy R. Lechmere
Published: March 2016

In the Report on the Geology of Trinidad the Government geologists described a series of sandstones and shales extending across the island from east to west, and occupying an extent of about 97 square miles. The distribution of the formation, which has been named the “Older Parian,” is in the manner of an irregular band of from 1 to 4 miles in breadth, traversing the island in an easterly direction from the Gulf of Paria at Pointe à Pierre. This band terminates rather abruptly before reaching the east coast, but the formation reappears here and there near the south coast along a line parallel to the main band. The formation is only exposed for a short distance on the shores of the Gulf of Paria; but it has been found to cover a large area, and to be extensively developed on the continent of South America. The fossils found by the geologists in Trinidad seem to have been few, and for the most part indeterminable. They however obtained fossils from the same formation at Cumana, in Venezuela; and these remains led to the belief that the Older Parian was probably of Neocomian age. During a short visit to Pointe à Pierre I obtained several fossils, which have enabled me to make the observations detailed in the present paper.

The section given by the Government geologists of the Older Parian deposits at Pointe à Pierre is taken on the south side of the point, which I have not had an opportunity of examining carefully. The geologists do not seem to be able to give much attention to that portion of the deposits which is exposed on the north side of the point, and I hope that the present paper, in so far at least as it relates to the fossils, may in some measure supply the deficiency.
On Didymodon, a New Genus of Minute Artiodactyle Mammalia, from the Eocene of Vaucluse
Authors: Blake Charles Carter
Published: March 2016

Since the original foundation of the genus Dichobune by Cuvier, and the critical observations made thereon by Owen, the national collection has continued to receive new accessions, indicating the existence of a certain range of variation in the molars of that genus.

The specimen (No. 30673) in the British Museum collection, is figured in Plate II., by Mr. Mackie. It consists of the three molars of the right side of a species of small quadruped closely resembling Dichobune. The length of the fractured ramus containing these teeth, of which the inner aspect is exposed to the observer, measures 27mm.; its greatest vertical depth between the penultimate and last molar being 11mm.

The last molar (m 3) measures 7mm. in length, and 4 in breadth. Its form is quadricuspid; the two outward cusps being least eroded; from the ectoposterior cusp is developed a slight basal talon, extending towards the entoposterior cusp, which is the smallest of the four, pyramidal, and acuminate; the entoanterior cusp is larger, and is tipped with a small exposed ring of enamel; the ectoanterior cusp is much worn; there is no trace of the distinct hinder lobe of Xiphodon, which lobe in the Dichobune (sp. ?) from Hordwell, marked 29714 in the British Museum, exhibits a well-marked bicuspid division, having the effect of rendering the ultimate molar in that specimen virtually hexacuspid, to a greater extent than in the Dichobune ovina.
Geology of Castleton, Derbyshire
Authors: Taylor John
Published: March 2016

Now that the “season” is fast approaching for field-work, a few remarks concerning the geology of the above locality will doubtless be acceptable to many of our readers. Such of them who may have broken ground on it will remember with pleasure its beautiful scenery and the peculiar charms which attract the naturalist to it. That it is interesting in more respects than a merely geological one, is shown by the botanists who wander there in search of rare and beautiful plants, and the antiquarian who finds in its old keep and other more ancient relics subjects for thought. Above all “Moultrassie Hall” and “Peveril Castle” hold an honoured place in our literature enshrined by the genius of Scott. The flora of the locality is particularly interesting, especially that of the lower class. Maidenhair, spleenwort, and rue-leaved spleenwort grow upon almost every wall; and the cystopteris in several species is also common, whilst the adder's-tongue and the little moonwort are exceedingly plentiful in the richer pastures. The number of mosses is exceedingly great. The beautiful Bryum dendroides and others abound in the moister spots of the Cave Dale. In fact, the botanical character of the vegetation hereabout is so peculiar to the three formations which are found as to form a geological map to the underlying rocks, coloured by nature herself! The limestone clothed with its short and beautiful carpet of green; the black shales of the Yoredale rocks covered by their stunted and brown vegetation; and the millstone-grit in the glowing summer-time quite purple with the flowers of the heather.
Notes on a New Mass of Meteoric Iron from the Cordillera of Copiapo, Chile
Authors: Bollaert Wm.
Published: March 2016

This was found by a muleteer, in June, 1858, when passing the Cordillera from Catamarca to Copiapo, and brought by him to the latter city. He took it to be a rodado, or piece of silver-ore that had been broken from a vein and rounded by being washed with stones, say in the bed of a river; but on its being examined by Dr. David Garcia (a pupil of Domeyko), at Copiapo, he pronounced it to be a mass of meteoric iron,

Dr. D. Garcia is the manager of the “Transito“ maquina or silver amalgamating works, and has this specimen in his possession.
On a Fossil Elephant from Texas (E. Texianus)
Authors: Blake Charles Carter
Published: March 2016

The existence of a fossil species of true elephant distinct from Elephas primigenius in America has been only of late years brought under the notice of palæontologists. I have slightly alluded to the subject in the ‘Geologist,’ Vol. IV. p. 470. For many years remains of true Elephant have been found with those of Mastodon at various spots within the New World.

Cuvier (‘Ossements Fossiles,’ ed. 1834, vol. ii. p. 145) mentions only one species of American elephant, the remains of which had been discovered in Kentucky, Carolina, Ohio, Mexico, Louisiana, Virginia, and Maryland.

De Blainville (‘Ostéographie,’ Eléphans, p. 157: Atlas, pl. x.) alludes to a tooth of fossil elephant from Texas, which is apparently referable to Elephas primigenius. He also mentions other remains from Mexico, Mississippi, Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and Behring's Straits.
Deep Sinking for Coal in the Wyre Forest Coal-Field
Authors: Roberts George E.
Published: March 2016

Some other memoranda which I find among my papers relating to this work (for a section of which, with particulars of shaft-sinking, see “Geologist” of last month) may not be unacceptable to your coal-mining readers.

The spot where the shaft was sunk was 476 feet above the level of the Severn Valley Railway at Eymoor, and about 510 feet above the ordinary height of the River Severn, from which it was distant about two miles. The coal seam met with and worked at the depth of 176 yards, has in other parts of the coal-field a thickness of four feet. The colliers regard it as a Flying Reed (red?) coal. Two of the thin coal-seams afterwards sunk through were entirely made up of the remains of Sigillariæ; the coal, in consequence, was “long grained” and slaty. These Sigillarian coals have a considerable range through the Wyre Forest field, and in common with most of the other seams, crop out along the western border. At the Baginswood pits, in the north-west corner of the coal·field, the upper coal, two feet four inches in thickness, worked by hand-draw, being only ten yards from surface, is a most interesting seam, made up entirely of compressed Sigillariæ.
On the Distribution of Mastodon in South America
Authors: Blake Charles Carter
Published: March 2016

One of the greatest and most significant laws which modern palæontology has unfolded to us, is that principle by which it is definitively ascertained that, as a general rule, the animals of the Post-Pliocene, and indeed all the later Tertiary ages, were restricted to the same great geographical provinces as their representatives in the existing fauna. Amongst the Pliocene Mammalia of South America, we find the same preponderance of the Edentata, the same family of prehensile-tailed Monkeys, and the same typical Llamas and Vicuñas, as we find in the present pampas of La Plata, forests of Brazil, or elevations of the Andes.

But we also find animals which, from all our previous pre-conceived associations, we had considered peculiar to the old world. The Elephants, of which one species (E. Africanus) now exists in Africa, a second (E. Indicus) in India, and a third (E. Sumatranus) in Sumatra and Ceylon, apart from the extensive and widely-distributed evidences which we find of their fossil remains in Europe, India, China, and Australia, extended their geographical province in the later Tertiary age over the whole of North America. The species of elephant which we find in Siberia (E. primigenius) has also been found over the whole of the space lately marked on our maps as the United States. South of the 30th degree of N. Iatitude it however gives place to a totally different species of true Elephant (Elephas Texianus, Owen, E. Columbi? Falconer), the molars of which, by their less degree of complexity, were more adapted to triturate the soft succulent herbage of Texas and Mexico. Besides these true Elephants, there existed in North America many individuals of the genus Mastodon, to which the present communication more particularly alludes.
On New Brachiopoda, and on the Development of the Loop in Terebratella
Authors: Moore Charles
Published: March 2016

Shell inequivalve; punctuate, rather rugose, front deep, rounded; attached by a considerable portion of the ventral valve; beak slightly incurved; deltidium small and depressed. The ventral valve is flattened on its under side. Its interior is surrounded by an elevated, slightly granulated margin. Under the deltidium are seen two raised oval processes, separated by a longitudinal septum, which occupies the greater length of the shell. The exterior of the dorsal valve is rugose and flattened. The interior possesses a narrow, thin, punctuated margin, immediately succeeding which is a ridge of single granulations, which are stronger towards the frontal margin, gradually disappearing as the ridge passes upwards. Springing from the centre of this granulated ridge is a septum, slightly tapering from its base, on either side strongly serrated, between which is a central longitudinal groove. The septum occupies nearly the whole height allowed by the cavity of the shell, and divides it to nearly three-fourths of its length. From the top of the septum there are thrown off two extremely delicate lamellæ, forming a loop which curves downwards towards the front of the shell, where they bifurcate, and are then again united to the shell at its inner sides. Above the septum and attached lamellæ a band occurs, forming a bridge over the visceral cavity. This is united to the granulated ridge, which thus completely surrounds the inner portion of the valve.
A Christmas Lecture on “Coal”
Authors: Salter J. W.
Published: March 2016

In our last lecture stress was laid on the fact that coal-beds, unlike mineral veins, are stratified—not injected, or filling cracks in the earth as metals do. And when we use the term stratified, we mean that the materials we are considering—coal, ironstone, sandstone, clay, shale—were all deposited sheet over sheet, layer over layer, principally by the agency of water.

In scarcely any other way, except by water, can we conceive of materials being spread abroad over vast surfaces, in that even and regular manner which we call “stratified.” As a rule, the matters ejected from the mouths of fiery volcanos are only rudely heaped up, and unless they fall into the sea, do not undergo this smoothing, spreading-out process. The sand of the soa-shore however, and the pebbles on its margin, and the mud of its great depths, are truly “stratified;” and if a fertile plain, or a marshy district were submerged in the waters, the materials on that surface would be soon covered over by the ooze and sand and shingle, and would then be said to be “interstratified” with them. In this way coal-beds occur among beds of sandstone and other rocks.

It is seldom that any coal-field contains more than twenty-five or thirty workable seams: and perhaps these altogether do not amount to above eighty or one hundred feet at the utmost, while in South Wales the coal strata are twelve thousand feet thick. The mass, you see, is rock.
On the Marine Shells of the South Wales Coal-Basin
Authors: Bevan G. P.
Published: March 2016

Until of late years, the South Wales coal-field was considered to be very barren in fossils, and those few which were known were all thought to be of land or fresh-water origin. During my endeavours to work out the geology of this district for the last four years, I have, however, discovered sufficient to redeem it from such a reproach, and to prove that not only are there fossils, but that these are even in great numbers and variety.

The basin, which occupies portions of Monmouthshire, Glamorganshire, Breconshire, and Carmarthenshire, may be separated into two great divisions, both geologically and chemically. The first is the division into upper and lower coal-measures, separated by a thick mass of Pennant sandstone, or grit, while the chemical is the division into bituminous and anthracitic coals. The upper measures are principally found in Glamorgan and Carmarthenshires, the only coal-seam of that series in Monmouthshire, being known as the Mynyddswlyn vein. Westward of the Taff, however, which is the boundary between the two countries, the upper measures appear more frequently, and in more regular sequence; while, in Carmarthenshire, we obtain a complete section of these beds down to the Pennant rock, in the neighbourhoods of Llanelly, Penllergare, and Lloughor. The middle, or Pennant rock series attains its greatest development at Swansea, where it is 3,000 feet in thickness, and presents several important beds of coal; but in the eastern portion of this field they are very much thinner, and contain little or no workable coal. The summits of the hills which bound the parallel valleys on the north crop, are nearly all capped with this grit, which adds much to the peculiar configuration of the country, and gives a certain identity of outline to its general features.
The Oyster Conglomerate Bed at Bromley, in Kent
Authors: Gibb George D.
Published: March 2016

There are many localities around London which possess features of interest to the geologist, that can be reached and examined on a single day. Such a one is the pretty little town of Bromley, in Kent, with a population of 4,000 souls, at a distance of ten miles from London Bridge, and now within easy reach by the Mid Kent Railway, only just opened. A mile to the north-east of Bromley is Sunderidge Park, in which is to be seen a section of the well-known oyster-conglomerato rock, in a large pit which, together with the accompanying shingle, has been quarried for various purposes for many years. This spot is noticed by Dr. Mantell in his charming volumes, as one of the most interesting localities he was acquainted with. At and around Bromley is an area of some extent, formed by the Lower London Tertiaries; a small patch of chalk, however, crops out to the east of the town, in which are some ancient quarries. One of these possesses some interest from being underground, and containing, as I was informed, several intricate windings.

The London clay, with the underlying plastic or Woolwich clays, and Tnanet sands, constitute the lower division of the Eocene strata of the Tertiary group of rocks. The London clay extends over several counties of England, constituting a large part of the soil of Essex, nearly the whole of Middlesex, and portions of Berkshire, Surrey, and Kent.
On the Geology of tie Beaufort and Ebbw Vale District of the South Wales Coal-field
Authors: Bevan George Phillips
Published: March 2016

With the exception of the very able memoirs drawn out by Sir H. de la Beehe, in the “Geological Survey,” Vol. I, and the sections of the same survey, as compiled by Mr. David Williams, no coal-field has been so little described or worked out as that of the South Wales basin. Although the work of a master geologist, yet the very nature of these memoirs, describing the general arrangements of the rocks in the southwest of England, altogether precludes any attempt at minute geology, which, indeed, should mostly be supplied by local workers. Other coal-fields have been ably and intimately described, but this particular field only in very general terms. Why it should be so I know not, unless it is that only of late years its vast resources have been opened up, and that its many romantic vallies, teeming with beauty above and brimful of coal and mine beneath, have been made accessible either to the tourist or the mining adventurer. Every year, however, sees new railways opened in Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire; and I have little doubt but that the completion of that magnificent work, the Crumlin viaduct, has done more than anything else to attract persons to that part of South Wales, either from a love of the beautiful, or the scientific interest attached to it. For the study of practical geology in its several aspects, this coal-field possesses many advantages, particularly in physical geology and the peculiar manner in which sections are obtained, owing to the nature of the ground.
General Considerations on the Formation of Ore-Veins
Authors: Salmon H. C.
Published: March 2016

Texture of Ore-Veins.—The varying texture of ore-veins referred to towards the end of Prof. Cotta's memoir may not be intelligible without a short explanation. We find that the two extreme textures of veins may be classed as (1) a compact texture, and (2) a banded or layer-like texture, both of these of course having many varieties, and passing into each other. The first is often characterized by a breccia-texture, that is by containing fragmenta—often very numerous—of the neighbouring rock. The figure below shows an extreme case of this breccia-vein; and also the peculiar manner in which these fragments are usually surrounded by some crystallized mineral, marked by the axes of the crystals all radiating as if from a centre.
The Common Fossils of the British Rocks
Authors: Mackie S. J.
Published: March 2016

Obscure as are the animal remains of these old Lingula-flags, the traces of vegetation are yet more difficult to make out and to describe. Easier, too, are they to describe than to figure; for, mere shallow impressions and stains as they are upon the cleaved rock, it is easier to see their remote resemblances to some known forms than to convey an idea of them by the finest lines that the graver will cut upon the wood. And then how unsatisfactory to spend days in elaborating the representation of a mere fragment, the very characters of which we are in doubt about.

We shall shortly present our readers, however, with figures of the most illustrative specimens we can obtain of those sea-weeds of the primeval shores, the Cruziana semiplicata, the Chondrites (?) acutangulus, and Chondrites (?) informis.
On the Anthracite-Coal of South Wales
Authors: Bevan J. P.
Published: March 2016

There is probably no mineral, of all the many that contribute to England's commercial greatness, which is so varied in kind, chemical composition, and appearance, as coal; and an interesting volume might be written on the different forms under which it is extracted from the earth, under the names of brown-coal, oulm, cannel-coal, bituminous coal, anthracite, and the like. Next to the bituminous coals of Great Britain, the most important are the anthracites or stone-coals; and of these I propose to give a short sketch, especially as relates to their development in the coal-basin of South Wales. Of their importance commercially there can be no doubt: for, on referring to the “Mining Records” published during last year, I find that 960,500 tons were raised in this basin alone, for the purpose of supplying 18 blast-furnaces in the counties of Brecon, Glamorgan, and Caermarthen.
On the Structures Produced by the Currents Present During the Deposition of Stratified Rocks
Authors: Sorby H. C.
Published: March 2016

It is now several years since I first became convinced that a diligent study of the various structures produced by the action of the currents present during the formation of stratified rocks would lead to the knowledge of many very valuable and remarkable facts in connexion with physical geology aud ancient physical geography. Since then I have never willingly lost any opportunity of determining the direction and character of the currents present during the deposition of rocks of every age, and of accumulating information on every kind of subject that could throw light upon the inquiry. I must now have, in my note-books, not less than twenty thousand recorded observations, many of which I have not been able to make use of hitherto, for want of sufficient points of comparison; and, although I am most willing to admit that the subject is quite in its infancy, and that I am a mere student of nature, ready to modify my own opinions or to adopt others which would explain the facts in a more satisfactory manner, yet some of the facts are so definite and distinct, and I have verified them in so many localities, over sufficiently extensive districts, as to warrant the formation of definite conclusions. We all protest against theories without facts; but to accumulate a great number of facts without attempting such explanations as would unite them into a complete and consistent whole would be not less unphilosophical.
On The Geology of the Stonesfield Slate and its Associate Formations
Authors: Horton William S.
Published: March 2016

There are, perhaps, few spots richer in the “time-hallowed memories of the past” than the old town of Woodstock, near Oxford. In its immediate neighbourhood once stood a royal palace, where, as the readers of Scott will doubtless remember, many of the scenes in one of his novels are laid. The site of this ancient fabric is now occupied by the more stately pile of Blenheim, the princely residence of the Duke of Marlborough. In the park there is a spring still termed, in allusion to the legend more or less familiar to all students of English history, Rosamond's well. At the distance of a few miles only, memorials of our Celtic ancestors exist in the form of tumuli, embowered among the venerable oaks of Wychwood Forest. It is not, however, our present intention to linger amid the many historical associations of Woodstock, deeply fraught with interest as they are, but proceeding at once to our object, we invite our readers to accompany us in a geological ramble to the village of Stonesfield, situated in its vicinity, at a distance of between three and four miles. By far the most agreeable portion of our road traverses the picturesque slopes and luxuriantly wooded glades of Blenheim Park: leaving these behind, we soon arrive within sight of our destination.
Remarks on the Distribution of the Brachiopoda
Authors: Suess E.
Published: March 2016

In his address to the Geological Society of London, Prof. Phillips has stated that “very slight and trifling, if not mischievous, is that minute industry which, unguided by philosophical reflections, busies itself only with differentials of specimens and abandons the true integration of species, the work of the real naturalist” and from so just an assertion who could dissent; for although it may be necessary to study the characters by which species may be distinguished, still, if an undue importance is given to certain features, or that these are arbitrarily restricted within preconceived limits, and that the more important questions in connection with the distribution and zoological characters of the class in general are overlooked, then, as Professor Phillips so justly observes, but very little good and much harm may be the result of the minute industry of some would-be palæontologists.
On the Occurrence of “Sand-Pipes” in the Magnesian Limestone of Durham
Authors: Kirkby J. W.
Published: March 2016

During the past year my attention has been directed to some ourious tube-like cavities in the magnesian limestone near Sunderland, which I believe to be perfectly analogous to the sand- and gravel-pipes of the chalk districts of the south of England and France. And as our knowledge of such pipes has hitherto been almost confined to their occurrence in the chalk, I deem it advisable to describe these in the magnesian limestone; not that they add much to what we already know, or that they afford grounds for a new theory of the origin of sand-pipes, but because it is well that the occurrence of such as are found in other calcareous rocks than chalk should be recorded, and especially when in rocks which differ from the latter in general structure and greater hardness.
Development and validation of a photographic food atlas for portion size assessment in the southern plains of Nepal
Authors: Harris-Fry Helen , Paudel Puskar , Karn Manorama , Mishra Nisha , Thakur Juhi , Paudel Vikas , Harrisson Tom , Shrestha Bhim , Manandhar Dharma S , Costello Anthony , Cortina-Borja Mario , Saville Naomi
Published: March 2016

Objective

To develop and validate a photographic food atlas of common foods for dietary assessment in southern Nepal.

Design

We created a life-sized photographic atlas of forty locally prepared foods. Between March and June 2014, data collectors weighed portion sizes that respondents consumed during one mealtime and then a different data collector revisited the household the next day to record respondents’ estimations of their previous day’s intakes using the atlas. Validity was assessed by percentage error, Cohen’s weighted kappa (κw) and Bland–Altman limits of agreement.

Setting

Dhanusha and Mahottari districts in southern Nepal.

Subjects

A random sample of ninety-five adults in forty-eight rural households with a pregnant woman.

Results

Overall, respondents underestimated their intakes (mean error =−4·5 %). Rice anddal(spiced lentil soup) intakes were underestimated (−14·1 % and −34·5 %, respectively), but vegetable curry intake was overestimated (+20·8 %). Rice and vegetable curry portion size images were significantly reliably selected (Cohen’sκw(se): rice=0·391 (0·105); vegetable curry=0·430 (0·139)), whereasdalimages were not. Energy intake over one mealtime was under-reported by an average of 569 kJ (136 kcal; 4·5 % error) using recall compared with the weighing method.

Conclusions

The photographic atlas is a useful tool for field estimation of dietary intake. Average errors were low, and there was ‘modest’ agreement between weighed and recalled portion size image selection of rice and vegetable curry food items. Error in energy estimation was low but with wide limits of agreement, suggesting that there is scope for future work to reduce error further.
Rethinking the Political / -Science- / Fiction Nexus: Global Policy Making and the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots
Authors: Carpenter Charli
Published: March 2016

A burgeoning literature in IR asserts there is a relationship between pop cultural artifacts and global policy processes, but this relationship is rarely explored using observational data. To fill this gap, I provide an evidence-based exploration of the relationship between science-fiction narratives and global public policy in an important emerging political arena: norm-building efforts around the prohibition of fully autonomous weapons. Drawing on in-depth interviews with advocacy elites, and participant-observation at key campaign events, I explore and expand on constitutive theories about the impact of science fiction on “real-world” politics.
A Minilateral Solution for Global Climate Change? On Bargaining Efficiency, Club Benefits, and International Legitimacy
Authors: Falkner Robert
Published: March 2016

Gridlock in the multilateral climate negotiations has created growing scholarly and practical interest in the use of minilateral forums. A large variety of climate club proposals have been developed in recent years, which promise more effective bargaining among the main climate powers, better incentives to encourage mitigation efforts and discourage free-riding, and new ways to align international power asymmetries with the interests of the global climate regime. I investigate the three dominant rationales that underpin minilateralist proposals. I offer a critical review of their potential as well as their limitations in promoting global climate action. I argue that minilateralism is unlikely to overcome the structural barriers to a comprehensive and ambitious international climate agreement. However, climate clubs can enhance political dialogue in the context of multilateral negotiations and can provide a more conducive environment for great power bargaining. They can create club benefits that strengthen mitigation strategies and help reduce the dangers of free-riding for so-called coalitions of the willing. And they can help re-legitimate the global climate regime against the background of profound power shifts that have slowed down progress in the multilateral negotiations.
A Bowman–Birk inhibitor induces apoptosis in human breast adenocarcinoma through mitochondrial impairment and oxidative damage following proteasome 20S inhibition
Authors: Mehdad A , Xavier Reis G , Souza AA , Barbosa JARG , Ventura MM , de Freitas SM
Published: March 2016

Proteasome inhibitors are emerging as a new class of chemopreventive agents and have gained huge importance as potential pharmacological tools in breast cancer treatment. Improved understanding of the role played by proteases and their specific inhibitors in humans offers novel and challenging opportunities for preventive and therapeutic intervention. In this study, we demonstrated that the Bowman–Birk protease inhibitor from Vigna unguiculata seeds, named black-eyed pea trypsin/chymotrypsin Inhibitor (BTCI), potently suppresses human breast adenocarcinoma cell viability by inhibiting the activity of proteasome 20S. BTCI induced a negative growth effect against a panel of breast cancer cells, with a concomitant cytostatic effect at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and an increase in apoptosis, as observed by an augmented number of cells at the sub-G1 phase and annexin V-fluorescin isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) staining. In contrast, BTCI exhibited no cytotoxic effect on normal mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, the increased levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential in cells treated with BTCI indicated mitochondrial damage as a crucial cellular event responsible for the apoptotic process. The higher activity of caspase in tumoral cells treated with BTCI in comparison with untreated cells suggests that BTCI induces apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner. BTCI affected NF-kB target gene expression in both non invasive and invasive breast cancer cell lines, with the effect highly pronounced in the invasive cells. An increased expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in both cell lines was also observed. Taken together, these results suggest that BTCI promotes apoptosis through ROS-induced mitochondrial damage following proteasome inhibition. These findings highlight the pharmacological potential and benefit of BTCI in breast cancer treatment.
Cytotoxic L-amino-acid oxidases from Amanita phalloides and Clitocybe geotropa induce caspase-dependent apoptosis
Authors: Pišlar A , Sabotič J , Šlenc J , Brzin J , Kos J
Published: March 2016

L-amino-acid oxidases (LAO) purified from fungi induce cell death in various mammalian cells including human tumor cell lines. The mechanism, however, remains poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to define a precise mechanism of cell death induced in Jurkat and MCF7 cancer cell lines by ApLAO and CgLAO, LAOs isolated from Amanita phalloides and Clitocybe geotropa, respectively. Cell death induced by both LAOs is shown to be concentration- and time-dependent, with higher toxic effects in Jurkat cells. LAO activity is required for the cytotoxicity. Detailed study on Jurkat cells further demonstrated that ApLAO and CgLAO both induce the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, accompanied by a time-dependent depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane through the generation of reactive oxygen species. Treatment with the LAOs resulted in an increased ratio of the expression of proapoptotic Bax to that of antiapoptotic Bcl-2, subsequently leading to the activation of caspase-9 and -3. However, the pancaspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK, did not completely abolish the cell death induced by either ApLAO or CgLAO, suggesting an alternative pathway for LAO-induced apoptosis. Indeed, caspase-8 activity in ApLAO- and CgLAO-treated cells was increased. Further, Fas/FasL (Fas ligand) antagonist caused a slight reduction in toxin-induced cell death, supporting the involvement of ApLAO and CgLAO in death-receptor-mediated apoptosis. These results thus provide new evidence that ApLAO and CgLAO induce apoptosis in Jurkat cells via both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, although the significantly higher increase of caspase-9 over caspase-8 activity suggests that it is the intrinsic pathway that is the predominant mode of ApLAO- and CgLAO-induced apoptosis.
Active temporal multiplexing of indistinguishable heralded single photons
Authors: Xiong C. , Zhang X. , Liu Z. , Collins M. J. , Mahendra A. , Helt L. G. , Steel M. J. , Choi D. -Y. , Chae C. J. , Leong P. H. W. , Eggleton B. J.
Published: March 2016

It is a fundamental challenge in quantum optics to deterministically generate indistinguishable single photons through non-deterministic nonlinear optical processes, due to the intrinsic coupling of single- and multi-photon-generation probabilities in these processes. Actively multiplexing photons generated in many temporal modes can decouple these probabilities, but key issues are to minimize resource requirements to allow scalability, and to ensure indistinguishability of the generated photons. Here we demonstrate the multiplexing of photons from four temporal modes solely using fibre-integrated optics and off-the-shelf electronic components. We show a 100% enhancement to the single-photon output probability without introducing additional multi-photon noise. Photon indistinguishability is confirmed by a fourfold Hong–Ou–Mandel quantum interference with a 91±16% visibility after subtracting multi-photon noise due to high pump power. Our demonstration paves the way for scalable multiplexing of many non-deterministic photon sources to a single near-deterministic source, which will be of benefit to future quantum photonic technologies.
Nonlinear optomechanical measurement of mechanical motion
Authors: Brawley G. A. , Vanner M. R. , Larsen P. E. , Schmid S. , Boisen A. , Bowen W. P.
Published: March 2016

Precision measurement of nonlinear observables is an important goal in all facets of quantum optics. This allows measurement-based non-classical state preparation, which has been applied to great success in various physical systems, and provides a route for quantum information processing with otherwise linear interactions. In cavity optomechanics much progress has been made using linear interactions and measurement, but observation of nonlinear mechanical degrees-of-freedom remains outstanding. Here we report the observation of displacement-squared thermal motion of a micro-mechanical resonator by exploiting the intrinsic nonlinearity of the radiation-pressure interaction. Using this measurement we generate bimodal mechanical states of motion with separations and feature sizes well below 100 pm. Future improvements to this approach will allow the preparation of quantum superposition states, which can be used to experimentally explore collapse models of the wavefunction and the potential for mechanical-resonator-based quantum information and metrology applications.
Coagulation induced by C3aR-dependent NETosis drives protumorigenic neutrophils during small intestinal tumorigenesis
Authors: Guglietta Silvia , Chiavelli Andrea , Zagato Elena , Krieg Carsten , Gandini Sara , Ravenda Paola Simona , Bazolli Barbara , Lu Bao , Penna Giuseppe , Rescigno Maria
Published: March 2016

Excessive activation of blood coagulation and neutrophil accumulation have been described in several human cancers. However, whether hypercoagulation and neutrophilia are linked and involved in cancer development is currently unknown. Here we show that spontaneous intestinal tumorigenesis correlates with the accumulation of low-density neutrophils with a pro-tumorigenic N2 phenotype and unprompted neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) formation. We find that increased circulating lipopolysaccharide induces upregulation of complement C3a receptor on neutrophils and activation of the complement cascade. This leads to NETosis, induction of coagulation and N2 polarization, which prompts tumorigenesis, showing a novel link between coagulation, neutrophilia and complement activation. Finally, in a cohort of patients with small but not large intestinal cancer, we find a correlation between neutrophilia and hypercoagulation. This study provides a mechanistic explanation for the tumour-promoting effects of hypercoagulation, which could be used as a new biomarker or as a therapeutic target.
Controllable positive exchange bias via redox-driven oxygen migration
Authors: Gilbert Dustin A. , Olamit Justin , Dumas Randy K. , Kirby B. J. , Grutter Alexander J. , Maranville Brian B. , Arenholz Elke , Borchers Julie A. , Liu Kai
Published: March 2016

Ionic transport in metal/oxide heterostructures offers a highly effective means to tailor material properties via modification of the interfacial characteristics. However, direct observation of ionic motion under buried interfaces and demonstration of its correlation with physical properties has been challenging. Using the strong oxygen affinity of gadolinium, we design a model system of GdxFe1−x/NiCoO bilayer films, where the oxygen migration is observed and manifested in a controlled positive exchange bias over a relatively small cooling field range. The exchange bias characteristics are shown to be the result of an interfacial layer of elemental nickel and cobalt, a few nanometres in thickness, whose moments are larger than expected from uncompensated NiCoO moments. This interface layer is attributed to a redox-driven oxygen migration from NiCoO to the gadolinium, during growth or soon after. These results demonstrate an effective path to tailoring the interfacial characteristics and interlayer exchange coupling in metal/oxide heterostructures.
Range wide molecular data and niche modeling revealed the Pleistocene history of a global invader (Halyomorpha halys)
Authors: Zhu Geng-Ping , Ye Zhen , Du Juan , Zhang Dan-Li , Zhen Ya-hui , Zheng Chen-guang , Zhao Li , Li Min , Bu Wen-Jun
Published: March 2016

Invasive species’ Pleistocene history contains much information on its present population structure, dispersability and adaptability. In this study, the Pleistocene history of a global invasive pest (Brown Marmorated Stink Bug BMSB, Halyomorpha halys) was unveiled using the coupled approach of phylogeography and ecological niche modelling. Rangewide molecular data suggests that the Taiwan and other native populations had diverged in mid-Pleistocene. In mainland China, the native BMSB did not experience population contraction and divergence during last glacial, but persisted in interconnected populations. Combined Bayesian Skyline Plot (BSP) and niche modelling revealed a rapid expansion occurred during the transition of Last Inter Glacial (LIG) to Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). High genetic diversity and multi-reticular haplotypes network exist in the original sources populations of BMSB invasion in northern China. They were speculated to be colonized from the central China, with many derived haplotypes evolved to adapt the novel environment. The ENM future prediction suggest that BMSB may expand northward to higher latitudes in the US and Europe, because of its high invasive ability, together with the available suitable climate space there.
The miR-20-Rest-Wnt signaling axis regulates neural progenitor cell differentiation
Authors: Cui Yi , Han Jin , Xiao Zhifeng , Chen Tong , Wang Bin , Chen Bing , Liu Sumei , Han Sufang , Fang Yongxiang , Wei Jianshu , Wang Xiujie , Ma Xu , Dai Jianwu
Published: March 2016

Increasing evidence suggests that three dimensional (3-D) cell cultures are an improvement over traditional two dimensional (2-D) cell cultures. Current researches have extensively focused on the study of utilizing biomaterial-based 3-D culture systems to study and direct stem-cell fate both in vitro and in vivo. Here in our study, we screened the differential expression patterns of miRNAs between 2-D cultured and 3-D cultured NPCs using microarray analysis. Among these differentially expressed miRNAs, miR-20 was found to increase during differentiation of NPCs. Specifically, the facilitative effect on neural differentiation of miR-20 is mediated, at least in part by directly target the Rest gene, which is essential for preventing neural differentiation and maintaining NPCs self-renewal. Furthermore, the expression of miR-20 was decreased when the WNT pathway was inhibited by knock down of β-catenin or by exogenous Dkk protein, whereas it increased when the WNT pathway was activated by exogenous Wnt3a protein. Overall, miR-20, Rest and Wnt signaling are suggested to be involved in a regulatory circuit that can modulate the neural differention of NPCs. This novel regulatory circuit provides additional insight into how microRNAs interact with signaling molecules during neural differentiation of NPCs, allowing for fine-tuning of intricate cellular processes.
Metabolic phenotyping for monitoring ovarian cancer patients
Authors: Ke Chaofu , Li Ang , Hou Yan , Sun Meng , Yang Kai , Cheng Jinlong , Wang Jingtao , Ge Tingting , Zhang Fan , Li Qiang , Li Junnan , Wu Ying , Lou Ge , Li Kang
Published: March 2016

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most deadly of the gynecological cancers. New approaches and better tools for monitoring treatment efficacy and disease progression of EOC are required. In this study, metabolomics using rapid resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was applied to a systematic investigation of metabolic changes in response to advanced EOC, surgery and recurrence. The results revealed considerable metabolic differences between groups. Moreover, 37, 30, and 26 metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers for primary, surgical and recurrent EOC, respectively. Primary EOC was characterized by abnormal lipid metabolism and energy disorders. Oxidative stress and surgical efficacy were clear in the post-operative EOC patients. Recurrent EOC patients showed increased amino acid and lipid metabolism compared with primary EOC patients. After cytoreductive surgery, eight metabolites (e.g. l-kynurenine, retinol, hydroxyphenyllactic acid, 2-octenoic acid) corrected towards levels of the control group, and four (e.g. hydroxyphenyllactic acid, 2-octenoic acid) went back again to primary EOC levels after disease relapse. In conclusion, this study delineated metabolic changes in response to advanced EOC, surgery and recurrence, and identified biomarkers that could facilitate both understanding and monitoring of EOC development and progression.
In vivo dynamics of active edema and lethal factors during anthrax
Authors: Rougeaux Clémence , Becher François , Ezan Eric , Tournier Jean-Nicolas , Goossens Pierre L.
Published: March 2016

Lethal and edema toxins are critical virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis. However, little is known about their in vivo dynamics of production during anthrax. In this study, we unraveled for the first time the in vivo kinetics of production of the toxin components EF (edema factor) and LF (lethal factor) during cutaneous infection with a wild-type toxinogenic encapsulated strain in immuno-competent mice. We stratified the asynchronous infection process into defined stages through bioluminescence imaging (BLI), while exploiting sensitive quantitative methods by measuring the enzymatic activity of LF and EF. LF was produced in high amounts, while EF amounts steadily increased during the infectious process. This led to high LF/EF ratios throughout the infection, with variations between 50 to a few thousands. In the bloodstream, the early detection of active LF and EF despite the absence of bacteria suggests that they may exert long distance effects. Infection with a strain deficient in the protective antigen toxin component enabled to address its role in the diffusion of LF and EF within the host. Our data provide a picture of the in vivo complexity of the infectious process.
Generalized energy failure criterion
Authors: Qu R. T. , Zhang Z. J. , Zhang P. , Liu Z. Q. , Zhang Z. F.
Published: March 2016

Discovering a generalized criterion that can predict the mechanical failure of various different structural materials is one of ultimate goals for scientists in both material and mechanics communities. Since the first study on the failure criterion of materials by Galileo, about three centuries have passed. Now we eventually find the “generalized energy criterion”, as presented here, which appears to be one universal law for various different kinds of materials. The validity of the energy criterion for quantitatively predicting the failure is experimentally confirmed using a metallic glass. The generalized energy criterion reveals the competition and interaction between shear and cleavage, the two fundamental inherent failure mechanisms, and thus provides new physical insights into the failure prediction of materials and structural components.