bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of Silicone Surfactant Along with Hydrocarbon Surfactants to Textile Washing for the Removal of Different Complex Stains
Authors: Pukale Dipak D. , Bansode Archana S. , Pinjari Dipak V. , Kulkarni Rahul R. , Sayed Usha
Published: November 2016

The present work reports the application of trisiloxane polyether silicone surfactant to remove various stains along with a range of hydrocarbon (organic) surfactants to investigate whether silicone surfactants offer synergism or antagonism during the cotton fabric cleaning process. Cotton fabric was soiled with red wine, turmeric, permanent marker, acrylic paint, and coffee and washed with the original fabric in aqueous solutions of individual surfactant and blend of surfactants by applying the conventional shaking washing method. The detergency and soil redeposition were determined from the alteration in the surface reflectance of prepared stained fabrics and the original fabric after washing. Surfactants used for the washing were trisiloxane polyether silicone surfactant (AG‐Platinum), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, lauryl alcohol ethoxylate (LA‐10), and nonylphenol ethoxylate (NP‐10) and their blends. In comparison with individual hydrocarbon surfactants, blends of surfactants (with different hydrocarbon to silicone surfactant ratios) dislodged stains (accumulated on the fabric as a result of staining) effectively at shorter time and at lower bath ratio because of superior surface properties. With increasing concentration of surfactant, detergency increased and reached a maximum at the critical micelle concentration (CMC). Silicone surfactant reduced the CMCs of the surfactant blends and provided better detergency at lower concentration. From this study, it was found that silicone surfactant could be successfully introduced into laundry detergent formulations.
Wozu räumliche Nähe in der urbanen Wissensökonomie? Eine geostatistische Analyse Wiener Forschungscluster
Authors: Musil Robert , Eder Jakob
Published: November 2016

Urbanization and the knowledge economy are two concepts which are interlinked and therefore agglomerations are nowadays often considered as the centres of innovation. However, the importance of local buzz, in other words the spontaneous exchange of actors, and the existence of a tacit knowledge, was questioned in more recent empirical studies. There are indications that the access to global pipelines might be more important. Based on the analysis of 1,363 research facilities in Vienna (using spatial-statistical methods), the spatial patterns of Vienna’s research sector (considering five sub-sectors) are determined and pronounced concentrations are found. In addition, expert interviews show that the relevance of local and/or international cooperation as well as the reasons which lead to “knowledge clusters” cannot be generalized. Spatial proximity is sometimes caused by historical locations and has different meanings for different research sectors. Hence, spatial proximity should not necessarily be seen as contradictory to the increasing importance of global pipelines, which is observed in recent studies. On the one hand, spatial proximity reduces risks, which are side effects of international cooperation. On the other hand, it is actually inevitable in some research sectors. This leads to the following conclusions: First, the innovation research should take sector specific tendencies for concentrations more into account. Second, urban policy makers are advised to consider in detail the specific needs of the actors in question. In doing so, it is more likely, that research and development policies will succeed.
Lebensqualität und Dorfentwicklung. Eine Fallstudie aus Niedersachsen
Authors: Harteisen Ulrich , Eigner-Thiel Swantje
Published: November 2016

In the context of demographic change there is currently an intensive discussion about how the quality of life can be maintained in villages with a shrinking population. In this paper, a spatial perspective is linked to the psychological concept of quality of life. The results of the qualitative empirical study in which 43 villagers in four Lower Saxony villages were asked how they themselves assess their quality of life in the village and where they see a need for action, their own opportunities for creativity and need for support are juxtaposed with existing and new approaches to village development. The result clearly shows that the village inhabitants attach great importance to social contacts in the village and that these, on the one hand, contribute directly to their own satisfaction with life, and on the other, also importantly constitute a basis for jointly shaping community matters and establishing good quality of life in the village. Based on these results, the authors recommend integrating social questions of village development more emphatically into village renewal plans, as well as further developing new support services. Overall, the research results emphasize the importance of the village community as a stimulus in civil society that deserves more attention as an important endogenous potential within village development.
Planungskultur als Sinnsystem. Eine Untersuchung am Beispiel kooperativer Stadtgrünentwicklung in Düsseldorf
Authors: Sondermann Martin
Published: November 2016

How is the normative ideal of cooperative urban planning working in practice? Taking the case of green urban development in Düsseldorf (Germany) the analysis is focused on the cooperation between civil society and political-administrative actors. Thereby planning practice is qualitatively analysed from a cultural perspective. The empirical observations are theorised based on a Grounded Theory approach leading to a model of planning culture. It is shown how a ‘culture of cooperation’ has emerged in Düsseldorf’s green urban development, including a living tradition of cooperation and shared orientations of the actors. This culture is observable in the institutional scopes of actions and the adaptation of organisational structures and procedures. The theoretical output of this research illustrates an understanding of planning which emphasises the specific forms of negotiating spatial development on the local level. Ultimately local planning cultures are described as context-specific systems of meaning, which have emerged over time through processes of communication, learning and rapprochement between the actors involved. These systems of meaning guide planning-related actions and manifest in the ways spaces are socially produced.
Scholars and Sultans in the Early Modern Ottoman Empire
Authors: Atçıl Abdurrahman
Published: November 2016

During the early Ottoman period (1300–1453), scholars in the empire carefully kept their distance from the ruling class. This changed with the capture of Constantinople. From 1453 onwards, the Ottoman government co-opted large groups of scholars, usually over a thousand at a time, and employed them in a hierarchical bureaucracy to fulfill educational, legal and administrative tasks. Abdurrahman Atçıl explores the factors that brought about this gradual transformation of scholars into scholar-bureaucrats, including the deliberate legal, bureaucratic and architectural actions of the Ottoman sultans and their representatives, scholars' own participation in shaping the rules governing their status and careers, and domestic and international events beyond the control of either group.
Reasonableness and Fairness
Authors: McMahon Christopher
Published: November 2016

We all know, or think we know, what it means to say that something is 'reasonable' or 'fair', but what exactly are these concepts and how have they evolved and changed over the course of history? In this book, Christopher McMahon explores reasonableness, fairness, and justice as central concepts of the morality of reciprocal concern. He argues that the basis of this morality evolves as history unfolds, so that forms of interaction that might have been morally acceptable in the past are judged unacceptable today. The first part of his study examines the notions of reasonableness and fairness as they are employed in ordinary practical thought, and the second part develops a constructivist theory to explain why and how this part of morality can undergo historical development without arriving at any final form. His book will interest scholars of ethics, political theory, and the history of ideas.
Fertility, Agricultural Labor Supply, and Production: Instrumental Variable Evidence from Uganda
Authors: Van Campenhout Bjorn
Published: November 2016

Human fertility can affect agricultural production through its effect on supply of agricultural labor. Using the fact that in traditional, patriarchal societies, sons are generally preferred to daughters, we isolate exogenous variation in the number of children born to a mother and relate it to the agricultural labor supply and production in Uganda, which has a dominant agricultural sector and high fertility. We find that fertility has a sizable negative effect on household labor allocation to subsistence agriculture. Households with lower fertility devote significantly more time to land preparation and weeding; larger households grow less matooke and sweet potatoes. We find no significant effect on agricultural productivity in terms of yield per land area.
EDITORIAL
Authors: Gilmore Linda
Published: November 2016

Welcome to this special issue on developmental disabilities. We have a range of interesting and stimulating articles for you that span early primary to post-school education. Some of the articles address generic issues that are potentially relevant for children with any type of developmental disability, two focus specifically on Autism Spectrum Disorder and one is relevant to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The Political and Economic History of Vineyard Planting Rights in Europe: From Montesquieu to the European Union
Authors: Meloni Giulia , Swinnen Johan
Published: November 2016

In 2008, the European Union (EU) voted to liberalize its system of planting rights, which has strictly regulated vine plantings in the EU. However, after an intense lobbying campaign, the liberalization of the planting rights system was overturned in 2013, and new regulations could create an even more restrictive system. European wine associations have complained about the detrimental effects of the new regulations. There is a precedent in history. In 1726, the French political philosopher and landowner Montesquieu complained to the French king about the prohibition on planting new vines. Montesquieu was not successful in his demands to remove the system of planting rights. Old and recent history suggests that political forces against liberalization of planting rights are very strong. Only the French Revolution in 1789 led to a fundamental liberalization of planting rights. The “liberal period” of the nineteenth century was sustained by the combination of the French Revolution's liberal ideology, the thirst of Napoleon's armies for wine, and diseases that wiped out most of the French vineyards.

That said, in the past and the present, enforcement of planting rights is a major problem. In fact, despite the official restrictions, Montesquieu managed to plant his vines, allowing him to become a successful wine producer and merchant, to travel, and to spend time thinking, discussing, and ultimately writing up his ideas that influenced much of the Western world's constitutions. (JEL Classifications: K23, L51, N43, N54, Q18)
ON THE REAL-VALUED GENERAL SOLUTIONS OF THE D’ALEMBERT EQUATION WITH INVOLUTION
Authors: CHUNG JAEYOUNG , CHOI CHANG-KWON , CHUNG SOON-YEONG
Published: November 2016

We find all real-valued general solutions$f:S\rightarrow \mathbb{R}$of the d’Alembert functional equation with involution$$\begin{eqnarray}\displaystyle f(x+y)+f(x+\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}y)=2f(x)f(y) & & \displaystyle \nonumber\end{eqnarray}$$for all$x,y\in S$, where$S$is a commutative semigroup and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}~:~S\rightarrow S$is an involution. Also, we find the Lebesgue measurable solutions$f:\mathbb{R}^{n}\rightarrow \mathbb{R}$of the above functional equation, where$\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}:\mathbb{R}^{n}\rightarrow \mathbb{R}^{n}$is a Lebesgue measurable involution. As a direct consequence, we obtain the Lebesgue measurable solutions$f:\mathbb{R}^{n}\rightarrow \mathbb{R}$of the classical d’Alembert functional equation$$\begin{eqnarray}\displaystyle f(x+y)+f(x-y)=2f(x)f(y) & & \displaystyle \nonumber\end{eqnarray}$$for all$x,y\in \mathbb{R}^{n}$. We also exhibit the locally bounded solutions$f:\mathbb{R}^{n}\rightarrow \mathbb{R}$of the above equations.
Broad-scale suppression of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), associated with Bt cotton crops in Northern New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Baker G.H. , Tann C.R.
Published: November 2016

The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, is a major pest of many agricultural crops in several countries, including Australia. Transgenic cotton, expressing a single Bt toxin, was first used in the 1990s to control H. armigera and other lepidopteran pests. Landscape scale or greater pest suppression has been reported in some countries using this technology. However, a long-term, broad-scale pheromone trapping program for H. armigera in a mixed cropping region in eastern Australia caught more moths during the deployment of single Bt toxin cotton (Ingard®) (1996–2004) than in previous years. This response can be attributed, at least in part, to (1) a precautionary cap (30% of total cotton grown, by area) being applied to Ingard® to restrict the development of Bt resistance in the pest, and (2) during the Ingard® era, cotton production greatly increased (as did that of another host plant, sorghum) and H. armigera (in particular the 3rd and older generations) responded in concert with this increase in host plant availability. However, with the replacement of Ingard® with Bollgard II® cotton (containing two different Bt toxins) in 2005, and recovery of the cotton industry from prevailing drought, H. armigera failed to track increased host-plant supply and moth numbers decreased. Greater toxicity of the two gene product, introduction of no cap on Bt cotton proportion, and an increase in natural enemy abundance are suggested as the most likely mechanisms responsible for the suppression observed.
The geometry, distribution and development of sand bodies in the Miocene-age Frimmersdorf Seam (Garzweiler open-cast mine), Lower Rhine Basin, Germany: implications for seam exploitation
Authors: PRINZ LINDA , McCANN TOM , SCHÄFER ANDREAS , ASMUS SVEN , LOKAY PETER
Published: November 2016

The Cenozoic-age Lower Rhine Basin is located in the NW part of the European Cenozoic Rift System. In Miocene times, a combination of warm climatic conditions and basin subsidence resulted in the deposition of up to 100m of lignite (i.e. Main Seam of the Ville Formation). The Main Seam can be subdivided into the Morken, Frimmersdorf and Garzweiler seams, separated by two intercalated transgressive sand units, namely the Frimmersdorf and Neurath sands, deposited in a shallow-marine, tide-dominated environment. The lignite seams of the Ville Formation are currently worked by RWE Power AG, in the Garzweiler II open-cast mine. In the Frimmersdorf Seam (between the Frimmersdorf Sand and the Neurath Sand), the presence of small-scale sand bodies, together with their variable dimensions, affects the industrial exploitation of the seam. Moreover, their irregular distribution complicates their precise and early recognition. Indeed, so-called barren lignite (≥ 17% of sand) and completely clean units can occur within a few metres of each other. Initial classification of these highly variable sand bodies suggests a variety of both pre- and post-depositional causal mechanisms, providing evidence of an extremely complex depositional and post-depositional system. Syn-depositional sand bodies were deposited in a swamp area that was located in the fluvial-dominated sub-environment of an extended tidal estuary. The post-depositional formation of sand bodies is related to the intrusion of fluidized sands from the underlying Frimmersdorf Sand. These sand injectites within the Frimmersdorf Seam are considered to be linked to seismic activity within the Lower Rhine Basin.
Great States
Authors: Brook Timothy
Published: November 2016

“Great State” has gone missing from the vocabulary of state formations in Asia. Though widely used across Inner and East Asia over the past millennium, the term means nothing to most scholars today. It is not flagged, rarely noted, and never theorized. Recent thinking about inter-polity relations in Inner and East Asia has led me to regard the Great State as a distinctive type of political formation that should have a place in our conceptual toolkit if we scholars of Asia are to participate in writing the global history of empire. Given its near ubiquity, the virtual absence of a discourse on the Great State, ancient or modern, Asian or otherwise, may be more than just a curiosity, and it is worth wondering why.
The remarkable Dr Robertson
Authors: HAMMARTON TANSY C.
Published: November 2016

Muriel Robertson (1883–1973) was a pioneering protozoologist who made a staggering number of important contributions to the fields of parasitology, bacteriology and immunology during her career, which spanned nearly 60 years. These contributions were all the more remarkable given the scientific and social times in which she worked. While Muriel is perhaps best known for her work on the life cycle and transmission of the African trypanosome,Trypanosoma brucei, which she carried out in Uganda at the height of a major Sleeping Sickness epidemic, her work on the Clostridia during the First and Second World Wars made significant contributions to the understanding of anaerobes and to the development of anti-toxoid vaccines, and her work on the immunology ofTrichomonas foetusinfections in cattle, carried out in collaboration with the veterinarian W. R. Kerr, resulted in changes in farming practices that very quickly eradicated trichomoniasis from cattle herds in Northern Ireland. The significance of her work was recognized with the award of Fellow of the Royal Society in 1947 and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Glasgow, where she had earlier studied, in 1948.
Psychological interventions to reduce suicidality in high-risk patients with major depression: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Celano C. M. , Beale E. E. , Mastromauro C. A. , Stewart J. G. , Millstein R. A. , Auerbach R. P. , Bedoya C. A. , Huffman J. C.
Published: November 2016

Background

Positive psychological constructs have been associated with reduced suicidal ideation, and interventions to cultivate positive feelings have the potential to reduce suicide risk. This study compares the efficacy of a 6-week, telephone-based positive psychology (PP) intervention against a cognition-focused (CF) control intervention among patients recently hospitalized for depression and suicidal ideation or behavior.

Method

A total of 65 adults with a current major depressive episode reporting suicidal ideation or a recent suicide attempt were enrolled from participating in-patient psychiatric units. Prior to discharge, participants were randomized to the PP (n = 32) or CF (n = 33) intervention. In both interventions, participants received a treatment manual, performed weekly PP (e.g. gratitude letter) or CF (e.g. recalling daily events) exercises, and completed weekly one-on-one telephone sessions over 6 weeks. Between-group differences in hopelessness (primary outcome), depression, suicidality and positive psychological constructs at 6 and 12 weeks were tested using mixed-effects models accounting for intensity of post-hospitalization psychiatric treatment.

Results

Compared with PP, the CF intervention was associated with significantly greater improvements in hopelessness at 6 weeks (β = −3.15, 95% confidence interval −6.18 to −0.12, effect size = −0.84, p = 0.04), but not 12 weeks. Similarly, the CF intervention led to greater improvements in depression, suicidal ideation, optimism and gratitude at 6 and 12 weeks.

Conclusions

Contrary to our hypothesis, the CF intervention was superior to PP in improving hopelessness, other suicide risk factors and positive psychological constructs during a key post-discharge period among suicidal patients with depression. Further study of this CF intervention is warranted in populations at high suicide risk.
COLLECTIVE OBLIGATIONS, GROUP PLANS AND INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS
Authors: Tamminga Allard , Duijf Hein
Published: November 2016

If group members aim to fulfil a collective obligation, they must act in such a way that the composition of their individual actions amounts to a group action that fulfils the collective obligation. We study a strong sense of joint action in which the members of a group design and then publicly adopt a group plan that coordinates the individual actions of the group members. We characterize the conditions under which a group plan successfully coordinates the group members’ individual actions, and study how the public adoption of a plan changes the context in which individual agents make a decision about what to do.
Pure exact structures and the pure derived category of a scheme
Authors: ESTRADA SERGIO , GILLESPIE JAMES , ODABAŞI SINEM
Published: November 2016

Let$\mathcal{C}$be closed symmetric monoidal Grothendieck category. We define the pure derived category with respect to the monoidal structure via a relative injective model category structure on the categoryC($\mathcal{C}$) of unbounded chain complexes in$\mathcal{C}$. We use λ-Purity techniques to get this. As application we define the stalkwise pure derived category of the category of quasi–coherent sheaves on a quasi-separated scheme. We also give a different approach by using the category of flat quasi–coherent sheaves.
Interpretation and Enactment: The Yerushalmi Story of Elisha ben Abuyah and the Book of Ruth
Authors: Steinmetz Devora
Published: November 2016

The aggadah about Elisha ben Abuyah and R. Meir in Y. Ḥagigah 2:1 (77b–c) includes a striking interpretation and enactment of a verse from the book of Ruth. In the climactic scene, R. Meir spreads his garment over his master's burning grave, performing the deed that Ruth requests of Boaz on the threshing floor, and offers a bold interpretation of Ruth 3:13, Boaz's reply to that request. The combined interpretation and enactment of this dramatic scene in the Ruth story at the climactic moment of the aggadah suggests that one might look for a more extensive engagement of the rabbinic narrative with the biblical story. This article explores ways in which the aggadah might be read in relation to the book of Ruth and argues that such a reading highlights core themes of the aggadah and helps disclose the theological and moral stance of this rabbinic narrative.
Introduction: “A Crime Against Humanity”: Slavery and The Boundaries of Legality, Past and Present
Authors: Gross Ariela
Published: November 2016

Nowhere in legal history has the nexus between past and present received more attention in recent years than in the study of slavery. The memory of slavery has become a field of study in itself, and competing histories of slavery have animated contemporary legal and political debates. Today, new histories of capitalism have further illuminated the central role of slavery and the slave trade in building the modern Atlantic world. Across Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, new memorials, museums, and commemorations of slavery and abolition have brought new kinds of public engagement to the slave past. In the era of Black Lives Matter, understanding the connections between that past and the present day has never seemed more important, and historians are struggling with the question of how to engage the present in a historically nuanced way. One kind of engagement between past and present, among historians, lawyers, and activists, has been to draw connections between slavery in the past and in the present.
Women in Opposition: The Sociopolitical Implications of Loro Female Face-neck Jars of Middle Horizon South Coastal Peru
Authors: Spivak Deborah
Published: November 2016

The production and use of Loro ceramics in the Middle Horizon (c. ad 650–1000) south coast of Peru persisted during a period of cultural conflict as the highland Wari empire annexed this region. Primarily residing in the Las Trancas valley, just beyond the locus of Wari control, the Loro developed tight ethnic bonds and seem to have maintained autonomy for the duration of the empire's presence. Loro ceramics embody the culture's development of a local identity, particularly evident in face-neck jars, one-handled vessels consisting of a modelled human head atop a globular body. With standardized facial features, a range of reductive motifs and a tendency toward female representation, Loro face-neck jars contrast markedly with similar Wari vessels depicting individuals dressed in elite male costume and bearing symbols of Wari state religion. A significant percentage of Loro face-neck jars are sexed or gendered female, an unusual occurrence in Andean visual culture. This article frames these objects within Andean constructs of gender complementarity, arguing that Loro female face-neck jars visually declared their gendered opposition to Wari, protecting their autonomy through the implicit acquiescence and complementarity of femininity.
Waveguide T-junctions with resonant coupling between sections of different dimensions
Authors: Berdnik Sergey L. , Katrich Victor A. , Nesterenko Mikhail V. , Penkin Yuriy M.
Published: November 2016

Electromagnetic characteristics of the E-plane T-junction for two rectangular waveguides using resonant coupling between the waveguide sections were studied by mathematical modeling. The problem of coupling between infinite and semi-infinite rectangular waveguides through a resonant slot in the end-wall of the semi-infinite waveguide in the presence of resonant monopole is solved in a strict electrodynamic formulation. The monopole with variable surface impedance is placed parallel to the narrow walls at an arbitrary position inside the infinite waveguide. The problem is solved analytically by the generalized method of induced electro-magneto-motive forces. Impedance vibrator inclusions with variable electro-physical parameters have been analyzed as control elements for waveguide junctions. To this purpose energy characteristics of the junction in the single-mode regime of the both waveguides, and also in multi-mode regime of the semi-infinite waveguide is investigated. The results may be useful for development of variety antennas and waveguide devices, which involves waveguide junctions.
Hubris and Humility Effect and the Domain-Masculine Intelligence Type in Two Countries: Colombia and the UK
Authors: Storek Josephine , Furnham Adrian
Published: November 2016

Spanish-speaking Colombian (n = 50) and English-speaking British (N = 52) adults completed a self-assessed intelligence measure that yielded a score on domain-masculine intelligence (DMIQ), a composite of mathematical/logical and spatial intelligences. They also completed a Sex Role inventory in order to establish their masculinity and femininity. Males in both countries gave significantly higher self-estimates (Colombia: Males 110.36, Females 100.75, d = .94; England: Males 114.37, Females 105.75, d = .86; both p < .01) than females but sex role was note related to DMIQ. However there was a positive relationship between masculinity and DMIQ (r = .45, r = .39, p < .01), but only for males. Cultural issues in self-assessed intelligence and limitations, particularly sample size of this exploratory study are considered.
Impaired Error Processing and Semantic Processing During	Multitasking
Authors: Weißbecker-Klaus Xenija , Ullsperger Peter , Freude Gabriele , Schapkin Sergei A.
Published: November 2016

Abstract. Neuronal mechanisms of error processing under multitasking and their impact on the processing of a concurrent task were examined. Twenty-one younger and twenty older healthy adults performed a visual-motor flanker task or an auditory-vocal semantic task or both tasks simultaneously. During task performance the electroencephalogram (EEG) was continuously recorded. The event-related potential (ERP) was derived from the EEG, and ERP components associated with error processing (Ne and Pe) and semantic processing (N400) were analyzed. Older participants responded more slowly than younger ones in the flanker task regardless of the multitasking condition, while accuracy was equal in both groups. In the flanker task, multitasking led to an increase of error rates, a reduction of reaction times, and a disappearance of post-error slowing (PES). Error detection (Ne) was delayed and error awareness (Pe) attenuated in the single flanker task relative to the multitasking condition. In the semantic task, multitasking led to an increase of reaction times and a delay of the N400 in particular when an error in the flanker task occurred. First, these results indicate that multitasking impaired error processing, in particular conscious error perception (Pe) and abolished post-error adjustments of performance (PES) which may have resulted in a more risky response tendency in the flanker task. Second, multitasking impaired semantic processing, in particular after an error in the concurrent flanker task. Hence, multitasking compromised error processing and error prevention in one of the tasks, and semantic processing in the other task. Consequently, multitasking should be avoided at workplaces with error-prone job assignments or where poor understanding of communication may have serious consequences.
EPA Head Calls Climate Change Biggest Threat to U.S. Progress
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: November 2016

McCarthy says that despite anxiety at the agency about the election results, she is confident in EPA’s work and that efforts to control climate change will continue.
Inbreeding depression by environment interactions in a free-living mammal population
Authors: Pemberton J M , Ellis P E , Pilkington J G , Bérénos C
Published: November 2016

Experimental studies often find that inbreeding depression is more severe in harsh environments, but the few studies of in situ wild populations available to date rarely find strong support for this effect. We investigated evidence for inbreeding depression by environment interactions in nine traits in the individually monitored Soay sheep population of St Kilda, using genomic inbreeding coefficients based on 37 037 single-nucleotide polymorphism loci, and population density as an axis of environmental variation. All traits showed variation with population density and all traits showed some evidence for depression because of either an individual’s own inbreeding or maternal inbreeding. However, only six traits showed evidence for an interaction in the expected direction, and only two interactions were statistically significant. We identify three possible reasons why wild population studies may generally fail to find strong support for interactions between inbreeding depression and environmental variation compared with experimental studies. First, for species with biparental inbreeding only, the amount of observed inbreeding in natural populations is generally low compared with that used in experimental studies. Second, it is possible that experimental studies sometimes actually impose higher levels of stress than organisms experience in the wild. Third, some purging of the deleterious recessive alleles that underpin interaction effects may occur in the wild.
Deep phenotyping unveils hidden traits and genetic relations in subtle mutants
Authors: San-Miguel Adriana , Kurshan Peri T. , Crane Matthew M. , Zhao Yuehui , McGrath Patrick T. , Shen Kang , Lu Hang
Published: November 2016

Discovering mechanistic insights from phenotypic information is critical for the understanding of biological processes. For model organisms, unlike in cell culture, this is currently bottlenecked by the non-quantitative nature and perceptive biases of human observations, and the limited number of reporters that can be simultaneously incorporated in live animals. An additional challenge is that isogenic populations exhibit significant phenotypic heterogeneity. These difficulties limit genetic approaches to many biological questions. To overcome these bottlenecks, we developed tools to extract complex phenotypic traits from images of fluorescently labelled subcellular landmarks, using C. elegans synapses as a test case. By population-wide comparisons, we identified subtle but relevant differences inaccessible to subjective conceptualization. Furthermore, the models generated testable hypotheses of how individual alleles relate to known mechanisms or belong to new pathways. We show that our model not only recapitulates current knowledge in synaptic patterning but also identifies novel alleles overlooked by traditional methods.
Unlocking sperm chromatin at fertilization requires a dedicated egg thioredoxin in Drosophila
Authors: Tirmarche Samantha , Kimura Shuhei , Dubruille Raphaëlle , Horard Béatrice , Loppin Benjamin
Published: November 2016

In most animals, the extreme compaction of sperm DNA is achieved after the massive replacement of histones with sperm nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs), such as protamines. In some species, the ultracompact sperm chromatin is stabilized by a network of disulfide bonds connecting cysteine residues present in SNBPs. Studies in mammals have established that the reduction of these disulfide crosslinks at fertilization is required for sperm nuclear decondensation and the formation of the male pronucleus. Here, we show that the Drosophila maternal thioredoxin Deadhead (DHD) is specifically required to unlock sperm chromatin at fertilization. In dhd mutant eggs, the sperm nucleus fails to decondense and the replacement of SNBPs with maternally-provided histones is severely delayed, thus preventing the participation of paternal chromosomes in embryo development. We demonstrate that DHD localizes to the sperm nucleus to reduce its disulfide targets and is then rapidly degraded after fertilization.
All-gas-phase synthesis of UiO-66 through modulated atomic layer deposition
Authors: Lausund Kristian Blindheim , Nilsen Ola
Published: November 2016

Thin films of stable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) such as UiO-66 have enormous application potential, for instance in microelectronics. However, all-gas-phase deposition techniques are currently not available for such MOFs. We here report on thin-film deposition of the thermally and chemically stable UiO-66 in an all-gas-phase process by the aid of atomic layer deposition (ALD). Sequential reactions of ZrCl4 and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid produce amorphous organic–inorganic hybrid films that are subsequently crystallized to the UiO-66 structure by treatment in acetic acid vapour. We also introduce a new approach to control the stoichiometry between metal clusters and organic linkers by modulation of the ALD growth with additional acetic acid pulses. An all-gas-phase synthesis technique for UiO-66 could enable implementations in microelectronics that are not compatible with solvothermal synthesis. Since this technique is ALD-based, it could also give enhanced thickness control and the possibility to coat irregular substrates with high aspect ratios.
A Meta-analysis of MBL2 Polymorphisms and Tuberculosis Risk
Authors: Areeshi Mohammed Y. , Mandal Raju K. , Akhter Naseem , Dar Sajad A. , Jawed Arshad , Wahid Mohd , Mahto Harishankar , Panda Aditya K. , Lohani Mohtashim , Haque Shafiul
Published: November 2016

MBL2 gene encodes mannose-binding lectin, is a member of innate immune system. Earlier studies revealed that MBL2 gene variants, rs1800451, rs1800450, rs5030737, rs7096206, rs11003125 and rs7095891 are associated with impaired serum level and susceptibility to TB, but their results are inconsistent. A meta-analysis was performed by including 22 studies (7095 TB-patients and 7662 controls) and data were analyzed with respect to associations between alleles, genotypes and minor allele carriers to evaluate the potential association between MBL2 polymorphisms and TB risk. Statistically significant results were found only for the homozygous variant genotype (CC vs. AA: p = 0.045; OR = 0.834, 95% CI = 0.699 to 0.996) of rs1800451 and showed reduced risk of TB in overall population. However, other genetic models of rs1800450, rs5030737, rs7096206, rs11003125, rs7095891 and combined rs1800450, rs1800451, rs5030737 polymorphisms of MBL2 gene did not reveal any association with TB risk. Stratified analysis by ethnicity showed decreased risk of TB in African population for rs1800450 and rs1800451. Whereas, no association was observed between other MBL2 polymorphisms and TB risk in all the evaluated ethnic populations. In conclusion, MBL2 rs1800450 and rs1800451 polymorphisms play a protective role in TB infection and reinforce their critical significance as a potential genetic marker for TB resistance.
Characterization of the Annonaceous acetogenin, annonacinone, a natural product inhibitor of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1
Authors: Pautus Stéphane , Alami Mouad , Adam Fréderic , Bernadat Guillaume , Lawrence Daniel A. , De Carvalho Allan , Ferry Gilles , Rupin Alain , Hamze Abdallah , Champy Pierre , Bonneau Natacha , Gloanec Philippe , Peglion Jean-Louis , Brion Jean-Daniel , Bianchini Elsa P. , Borgel Delphine
Published: November 2016

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the main inhibitor of the tissue type and urokinase type plasminogen activators. High levels of PAI-1 are correlated with an increased risk of thrombotic events and several other pathologies. Despite several compounds within vitroactivity being developed, none of them are currently in clinical use. In this study, we evaluated a novel PAI-1 inhibitor, annonacinone, a natural product from the Annonaceous acetogenins group. Annonacinone was identified in a chromogenic screening assay and was more potent than tiplaxtinin. Annonacinone showed high potencyex vivoon thromboelastography and was able to potentiate the thrombolytic effect of tPAin vivoin a murine model. SDS-PAGE showed that annonacinone inhibited formation of PAI-1/tPA complex via enhancement of the substrate pathway. Mutagenesis and molecular dynamics allowed us to identify annonacinone binding site close to helix D and E andβ-sheets 2A.
Soil organic carbon accumulation during post-agricultural succession in a karst area, southwest China
Authors: Yang Liqiong , Luo Pan , Wen Li , Li Dejun
Published: November 2016

This study was aimed to investigate the direction and magnitude of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and the underlying mechanisms following agricultural abandonment in a subtropical karst area, southwest China. Two post-agriculture succession sequences including grassland (~10 years), shrubland (~29 years), secondary forest (~59 years) and primary forest with cropland as reference were selected. SOC and other soil physicochemical variables in the soil depth of 0–15 cm (representing the average soil depth of the slope in the studied area) were measured. SOC content in the grassland was not significantly elevated relative to the cropland (42.0 ± 7.3 Mg C ha−1). SOC content in the shrubland reached the level of the primary forest. On average, SOC content for the forest was 92.6 ± 4.2 Mg C ha−1, representing an increase of 120.4 ± 10.0% or 50.6 ± 4.2 Mg ha−1 relative to the cropland. Following agricultural abandonment, SOC recovered to the primary forest level in about 40 years with a rate of 1.38 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Exchangeable Ca and Mg were found to be the strongest predictors of SOC dynamics. Our results suggest that SOC content may recover rapidly following agricultural abandonment in the karst region of southwest China.
Exact research on the theory of the blackbody thermal radiation
Authors: Yang Xin , Wei Bing
Published: November 2016

After studying the normalized Planck equation in depth, a brand-new type of spectrum curves of blackbody thermal radiation is given. Two important parameters of the new type curves, namely relative width RWη and symmetric factor RSFη, are defined. The paper points out that the experimental verification of the parameters has three significant applications: (1) Giving a method to measure temperature by detecting the radiation wavelength. (2) Determining the blackbody grade. (3) The temperature obtained from the law of the blackbody thermal radiation can be used as a criterion.
Alignment-free Transcriptomic and Metatranscriptomic Comparison Using Sequencing Signatures with Variable Length Markov Chains
Authors: Liao Weinan , Ren Jie , Wang Kun , Wang Shun , Zeng Feng , Wang Ying , Sun Fengzhu
Published: November 2016

The comparison between microbial sequencing data is critical to understand the dynamics of microbial communities. The alignment-based tools analyzing metagenomic datasets require reference sequences and read alignments. The available alignment-free dissimilarity approaches model the background sequences with Fixed Order Markov Chain (FOMC) yielding promising results for the comparison of microbial communities. However, in FOMC, the number of parameters grows exponentially with the increase of the order of Markov Chain (MC). Under a fixed high order of MC, the parameters might not be accurately estimated owing to the limitation of sequencing depth. In our study, we investigate an alternative to FOMC to model background sequences with the data-driven Variable Length Markov Chain (VLMC) in metatranscriptomic data. The VLMC originally designed for long sequences was extended to apply to high-throughput sequencing reads and the strategies to estimate the corresponding parameters were developed. The flexible number of parameters in VLMC avoids estimating the vast number of parameters of high-order MC under limited sequencing depth. Different from the manual selection in FOMC, VLMC determines the MC order adaptively. Several beta diversity measures based on VLMC were applied to compare the bacterial RNA-Seq and metatranscriptomic datasets. Experiments show that VLMC outperforms FOMC to model the background sequences in transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic samples. A software pipeline is available at https://d2vlmc.codeplex.com.
Why one-size-fits-all vaso-modulatory interventions fail to control glioma invasion: in silico insights
Authors: Alfonso J. C. L. , Köhn-Luque A. , Stylianopoulos T. , Feuerhake F. , Deutsch A. , Hatzikirou H.
Published: November 2016

Gliomas are highly invasive brain tumours characterised by poor prognosis and limited response to therapy. There is an ongoing debate on the therapeutic potential of vaso-modulatory interventions against glioma invasion. Prominent vasculature-targeting therapies involve tumour blood vessel deterioration and normalisation. The former aims at tumour infarction and nutrient deprivation induced by blood vessel occlusion/collapse. In contrast, the therapeutic intention of normalising the abnormal tumour vasculature is to improve the efficacy of conventional treatment modalities. Although these strategies have shown therapeutic potential, it remains unclear why they both often fail to control glioma growth. To shed some light on this issue, we propose a mathematical model based on the migration/proliferation dichotomy of glioma cells in order to investigate why vaso-modulatory interventions have shown limited success in terms of tumour clearance. We found the existence of a critical cell proliferation/diffusion ratio that separates glioma responses to vaso-modulatory interventions into two distinct regimes. While for tumours, belonging to one regime, vascular modulations reduce the front speed and increase the infiltration width, for those in the other regime, the invasion speed increases and infiltration width decreases. We discuss how these in silico findings can be used to guide individualised vaso-modulatory approaches to improve treatment success rates.
The stable microbiome of inter and sub-tidal anemone species under increasing pCO2
Authors: Muller Erinn M. , Fine Maoz , Ritchie Kim B.
Published: November 2016

Increasing levels of pCO2 within the oceans will select for resistant organisms such as anemones, which may thrive under ocean acidification conditions. However, increasing pCO2 may alter the bacterial community of marine organisms, significantly affecting the health status of the host. A pH gradient associated with a natural volcanic vent system within Levante Bay, Vulcano Island, Italy, was used to test the effects of ocean acidification on the bacterial community of two anemone species in situ, Anemonia viridis and Actinia equina using 16 S rDNA pyrosequencing. Results showed the bacterial community of the two anemone species differed significantly from each other primarily because of differences in the Gammaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria abundances. The bacterial communities did not differ within species among sites with decreasing pH except for A. viridis at the vent site (pH = 6.05). In addition to low pH, the vent site contains trace metals and sulfide that may have influenced the bacteria community of A. viridis. The stability of the bacterial community from pH 8.1 to pH 7.4, coupled with previous experiments showing the lack of, or beneficial changes within anemones living under low pH conditions indicates that A. viridis and A. equina will be winners under future ocean acidification scenarios.
Hot electron induced non-saturation current behavior at high electric field in InAlN/GaN heterostructures with ultrathin barrier
Authors: Guo Lei , Yang Xuelin , Hu Anqi , Feng Zhihong , Lv Yuanjie , Zhang Jie , Cheng Jianpeng , Tang Ning , Wang Xinqiang , Ge Weikun , Shen Bo
Published: November 2016

The high-field transport characteristics of nearly lattice-matched InAlN/GaN heterostructures with different barrier thickness were investigated. It is found that the current in the InAlN/GaN heterostructures with ultrathin barrier shows unsaturated behaviors (or secondary rising) at high voltage, which is different from that of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. This phenomenon is more obvious if the barrier thickness is thinner and the channel width is narrower. The experimental results demonstrate that it is the increasing carrier density excited from the more defect states by the hot electrons with larger electron saturation velocity that results in the unsaturated current behaviors in InAlN/GaN heterostructures. Our results pave a way for further optimizing InAlN barrier design and improving the reliability of InAlN/GaN HEMTs.
Accuracy of pulse interval timing in ambulatory blood pressure measurement
Authors: Kane Sarah A. , Blake James R. , McArdle Frank J. , Langley Philip , Sims Andrew J.
Published: November 2016

Blood pressure (BP) monitors rely on pulse detection. Some blood pressure monitors use pulse timings to analyse pulse interval variability for arrhythmia screening, but this assumes that the pulse interval timings detected from BP cuffs are accurate compared with RR intervals derived from ECG. In this study we compared the accuracy of pulse intervals detected using an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) with single lead ECG. Twenty participants wore an ABPM for three hours and a data logger which synchronously measured cuff pressure and ECG. RR intervals were compared with corresponding intervals derived from the cuff pressure tracings using three different pulse landmarks. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess differences between ECG and cuff pressure timings and to investigate the effect of potential covariates. In addition, the maximum number of successive oscillometric beats detectable in a measurement was assessed. From 243 BP measurements, the landmark at the foot of the oscillometric pulse was found to be associated with fewest covariates and had a random error of 9.5 ms. 99% of the cuff pressure recordings had more than 10 successive detectable oscillometric beats. RR intervals can be accurately estimated using an ABPM.