bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Acidity, Temperature and Emulsifier Concentration on the Distribution of Caffeic Acid in Stripped Corn and Olive Oil‐in‐Water Emulsions
Authors: Costa Marlene , Losada‐Barreiro Sonia , Paiva‐Martins Fátima , Bravo‐Díaz Carlos
Published: August 2013

We evaluated the effects of oil type, oil to water ratio, emulsifier concentration, acidity, and temperature on the distribution of caffeic acid, CA, in emulsions composed of stripped olive and corn oils, acidic water, and Tween 20. CA mainly distributes between the water and interfacial regions because it is sparingly soluble in oils, as demonstrated by auxiliary partitioning experiments in the absence of an emulsifier. The distributions of CA were determined in the intact emulsions from values of the partition constant between the water‐interfacial region, PWI, determined under different experimental conditions. At any given pH, CA is mostly located in the interfacial region of the emulsion, %CAI > 50 % at the lowest emulsifier volume fraction, ΦI = 0.005, and its percentage increasing upon increasing ΦI with %CAI > 90 % at ΦI = 0.04. At any given ΦI, %CAI decreases substantially with increasing pH because of the ionization of the CA. Our results indicate that the main parameters affecting the distribution of CA are ΦI and the acidity, while the nature of the oil, the oil to water ratio and temperature have only minor effects. Results should aid the understanding of how environmental conditions affect the distribution of phenolic acids in emulsions.
Margarine from Organogels of Plant Wax and Soybean Oil
Authors: Hwang Hong‐Sik , Singh Mukti , Bakota Erica L. , Winkler‐Moser Jill K. , Kim Sanghoon , Liu Sean X.
Published: August 2013

Organogels obtained from plant wax and soybean oil were tested for their suitability for incorporation into margarine. Sunflower wax, rice bran wax and candelilla wax were evaluated. Candelilla wax showed phase separation after making the emulsion with the formulation used in this study. Rice bran wax showed relatively good firmness with the organogel, but dramatically lowered firmness for a margarine sample. Sunflower wax showed the greatest firmness for organogel and the margarine samples among the three plant waxes tested in this study. Firmness of the margarine containing 2–6 % sunflower wax in soybean oil was similar to that of margarine containing 18–30 % hydrogenated soybean oil in soybean oil. The firmness of commercial spread could be achieved with about 2 % sunflower wax and that of commercial margarine could be achieved with about 10 % of sunflower wax in the margarine formulation. Dropping point, DSC and solid fat content of the new margarine containing 2–6 % sunflower wax showed a higher melting point than commercial margarine and spreads.
Learning of veterinary professionals in communities: a thesis report
Authors: De Groot Esther
Published: August 2013

Veterinary professionals can improve on how they continue learning through
critically reflective work behaviour in communities. In this way participation in
communities might support the transition to evidence-based practice.
Let Users Generate Your Video Ads? The Impact of Video Source and Quality on Consumers’ Perceptions and Intended Behaviors
Authors: Hautz Julia , Füller Johann , Hutter Katja , Thürridl Carina
Published: August 2013

The advent of social media has challenged companies as sole creators of marketing messages. Whether intentionally branded or subconsciously promoted, users become ambassadors for products and brands by producing and disseminating user-generated content (UGC). Whereas previous studies on UGC have mainly considered verbal peer recommendations or written reviews, our research focuses on user-generated videos (UGVs). In our 2 (source: user vs. agency) × 2 (technical quality: low vs. high) experimental study, we explore the impact of user-generated videos (UGVs) vs. agency-generated videos (AGVs) on spectators’ perceived source credibility and their intention to visit the tourist destination Tyrol in Austria, as promoted in the video. In addition, we explore the moderating role of video quality. In contrast to conventional wisdom, our results indicate that there is no general superiority of UGVs over AGVs. Rather, the influence of different video generators (user vs. agency) on spectators’ perception and intended behavior depends on the technical quality of the video. In the case of low technical quality, users as generators have a significantly stronger positive effect on source trustworthiness and expertise – and thereby on consumers’ intended behaviors – than AGVs. However, no impact from the generating source on trustworthiness has been found under the condition of highly technical quality. Concerning source expertise, videos generated by users are rated more highly than agency-generated videos under both low and high technical qualities, but the advantage is significantly lower under high technical quality. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of user-generated content overall and relativize the widely assumed general superiority of user-generated content over commercial, firm-generated content, at least in the case of videos.
Micromechanical Analysis of Heterogeneous Composites using Hybrid Trefftz FEM and Hybrid Fundamental Solution Based FEM
Authors: Cao C. Y. , Qin Q.-H. , Yu A. B.
Published: August 2013

In this paper, a new algorithm is developed based on the homogenization method integrating with the newly developed Hybrid Treffe FEM (HT-FEM) and Hybrid Fundamental Solution based FEM (HFS-FEM). The algorithm can be used to evaluate effective elastic properties of heterogeneous composites. The representative volume element (RVE) of fiber reinforced composites with periodic boundary conditions is introduced and used in our numerical analysis. The proposed algorithm is assessed through two numerical examples with different mesh density and element geometry and used to investigate the effect of fiber volume fraction, fiber shape and configuration on the effective properties of composites. It is found that the proposed algorithm is insensitive to element geometry and mesh density compared with the traditional FEM (e.g. ABAQUS). The numerical results indicate that the HT-FEM and HFS-FEM are promising in micromechanical modeling of heterogeneous materials containing inclusions of various shapes and distributions. They are potential to be used for future application in multiscale simulation.
Chain Length Effect on Surface Stress of Alkanethiolates Adsorbed onto AU(111) Surface: a van der Waals Density Functional Study
Authors: Shih Y.-C. , Chen C.-S. , Wu K.-C.
Published: August 2013

First-principles calculations were employed to investigate the adsorption-induced surface stress of self-assembled alkanethiolate monolayers on a Au(111) surface as a function of the alkyl chain length. A recently developed fully nonlocal van der Waals density functional was used to accurately account for the chain-chain interactions. We found that surface charge redistribution produces compressive surface stress, while chain-chain interactions produce tensile surface stress. The stress induced by surface charge redistribution is about one order of magnitude greater than that of chain-chain interactions. We observed that the chain-chain interactions play an important role in determining the molecular configuration during adsorptions, and also contribute significantly to the induced anisotropic tensile (positive) surface stress. As the chain length increases the tensile stress increases at a rate of ∼ 0.32 (∼ 0.18) N/m for the direction perpendicular (parallel) to the chain tilt direction.
Mental health care in China: review on the delivery and policy issues in 1949–2009 and the outlook for the next decade
Authors: Li Keqing , Sun Xiuli , Zhang Yong , Shi Guang , Kolstad Arnulf
Published: August 2013

Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, delivery models and policies on mental health care in China during the period of 1949–2009 were reviewed and characteristics of different stages of the mental health-care development were also analysed in this period. Recent studies demonstrate that mental health-care services in China are being transformed from large mental hospital-based pattern to community-based pattern in the past six decades. Combining the international experiences with current strategies and situations of Chinese health care, we provided the outlook for mental health-care services in the next decade in China. In addition, we proposed relevant policy recommendations that mainly focus on the equity and availability of mental health-care services with the purpose of promoting community-based health services.
Money, Reputation, and Incumbency in U.S. House Elections, or Why Marginals Have Become More Expensive
Authors: KIM HENRY A. , LEVECK BRAD L.
Published: August 2013

Since 1972, campaign spending by House incumbents has skyrocketed, particularly in those districts with marginal support for the incumbent's party. At the same time, parties in the House have become much more cohesive in the way they vote, producing more precise and informative party brands. We argue that these two phenomena are fundamentally linked. As parties have developed more precise reputations, incumbents in these districts must spend much more to attract voters in “marginal” districts, who would be willing to vote for a candidate with the particular incumbent's legislative record, but not the average member of his party. Increasingly precise party reputations provide voters with stronger priors that incumbents are just like the rest of their party, and incumbents in marginal districts must spend more to overcome these beliefs. We demonstrate this using a simple formal model and test it empirically using campaign-spending data from 1972 to 2008.
Can Strong Boards and Trading Their Own Firm’s Stock Help CEOs Make Better Decisions? Evidence from Acquisitions by Overconfident CEOs
Authors: Kolasinski Adam C. , Li Xu
Published: August 2013

Little evidence exists on whether boards help managers make better decisions. We provide evidence that strong and independent boards help overconfident chief executive officers (CEOs) avoid honest mistakes when they seek to acquire other companies. In addition, we find that once-overconfident CEOs make better acquisition decisions after they experience personal stock trading losses, providing evidence that a manager’s recent personal experience, and not just educational and early career experience, influences firm investment policy. Finally, we develop and validate a new CEO overconfidence measure that is easily constructed from machine-readable insider trading data, unlike previously used measures.
Small cell carcinoma of the head and neck: report of three cases
Authors: Matsuyama H , Yamazaki K , Tomita M , Takahashi S
Published: August 2013

Objective:

Small cell carcinoma of the head and neck is rare and has unique histopathological characteristics that make it difficult to diagnose and treat. In this report, the Japanese Lung Cancer Treatment Guidelines were adapted to treat three patients with small cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and outcomes evaluated.

Methods:

There was one case each of stage I small cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity, stage IV-B small cell carcinoma of the ethmoid sinus, and stage IV-A small cell carcinoma of the submandibular gland. All patients underwent chemoradiotherapy and achieved a partial response.

Results:

Only case one underwent surgery after chemoradiotherapy; 31 months after treatment, this patient had suffered no recurrence. Case two died three months after treatment due to bone marrow metastasis. Case three had experienced no progression after 12 months of follow up.

Conclusion:

In this small patient series, short-term results were equivalent to or better than usual treatment outcomes for small cell carcinoma of the lung.
Do Francophone and Islamic schooling communities participate differently? Disaggregating parents' political behaviour in Mali
Authors: Bleck Jaimie
Published: August 2013

Despite strong empirical evidence of the influence of religious brokers on political mobilisation in Africa, we know very little about the individual-level relationship between religious association and political behaviour. Drawing upon an emerging comparative literature on the effect of social service provision on political participation, this article asks whether Malian consumers of Islamic schooling are as likely to seize new democratic opportunities for electoral participation as their peers who send their children to public schools. Using an original survey of 1,000 citizens, exit polling and interviews, this analysis demonstrates that parents who enrol their children in madrasas are less likely than other respondents to report voting. Conversely, parents who send their children to public schools are more likely to participate in electoral politics.
Disorderly Dakar: The cultural politics of household waste in Senegal's capital city
Authors: Fredericks Rosalind
Published: August 2013

During the era of President Abdoulaye Wade, a household waste crisis periodically held the streets of Dakar in its noxious grip. This paper analyses the crisis in light of waste management's role as a fundamental urban public service, key employment sector, and visceral symbol of the city's management. It examines how the institutional landscape of waste management took centre stage in a power struggle within the state that centred on reconfiguring the labour of ordering the city. At the same time, it reveals how the waste-workers' union emerged as one of the most visible and savvy labour movements in contemporary Senegal. Through the creative disorder unleashed by intentional acts of dirtying, workers and residents alike forged new claims to the city. Conclusions are drawn for the wider implications of the disorderly city for the urban question in Dakar and the landscape of citizenship in Senegal's contemporary period.
Monitoring design for quantification of marine turtle nesting with limited effort: a test case in the Guadeloupe archipelago
Authors: Delcroix Eric , Bédel Sophie , Santelli Gilhem , Girondot Marc
Published: August 2013

The Guadeloupe archipelago hosts nesting of the threatened hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata, green Chelonia mydas and leatherback Dermochelys coriacea marine turtles. There is a need to monitor the nesting of these species but, with > 150 beaches in the archipelago, exhaustive monitoring is infeasible. Using a new monitoring design and a new statistical tool we have been able to monitor one-third of the beaches. Seasonality and level of nesting were described for the three species for 2 years on > 50 beaches. For each species beaches were categorized as A- or B-beaches, with high and low nest density, respectively. A-beaches were monitored on 6–7 days per month before and after the peak nesting period and on 7–15 days during the peak, and the B-beaches on 14–22 days during the peak. The monitoring design and statistical tool are described in detail as they could be applied to any migratory species. Hawksbill turtles at Trois Ilets beach have been monitored for 9 years and a positive trend in nesting has been detected.
Status, distribution and recommendations for monitoring of the Seychelles black parrotCoracopsis (nigra) barklyi
Authors: Reuleaux A. , Bunbury N. , Villard P. , Waltert M.
Published: August 2013

The Seychelles black parrotCoracopsis (nigra) barklyi, endemic to the Seychelles islands, is the only surviving parrot on the archipelago. Although originally classified as a subspecies of the lesser vasa parrotCoracopsis nigraevidence now indicates that the Seychelles population may be a distinct species, in which case its conservation status also requires reassessment. Here, we address the status of theC. (n.) barklyipopulation on the islands of its current and likely historical range, Praslin and Curieuse, assess the effect of habitat type on relative abundance, and identify the most appropriate point count duration for monitoring the population. We conducted point count distance sampling at 268 locations using habitat type as a covariate in the modelling of the detection function. Density on Praslin was estimated to be 0.14–0.24 individuals per ha, resulting in an estimate of a total of 520–900 individuals (95% confidence interval). The highest densities occurred in endemic palm and mixed forests. Habitats with a high proportion of palms were more likely to support parrots than habitats without palms. As no parrots were detected on Curieuse the number estimated on Praslin is the global wild population. The small size of this population necessitates its categorization as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Our main recommendation for the conservation ofC. (n.) barklyi, in addition to continued monitoring, is the preservation and expansion of the parrot's endemic palm forest habitat.
Demographic decline of the last surviving Moroccan dorcas gazellesGazella dorcas massaesylain M'Sabih Talaa Reserve, Morocco
Authors: Baamrane Moulay Abdeljalil Ait , Znari Mohammed , Loggers Chris , El Mercht Said , Naimi Mohamed
Published: August 2013

The formerly widespread but now Vulnerable dorcas gazelleGazella dorcashas declined markedly during the last 2 decades. The semi-captive population in M'Sabih Talaa Reserve, west-central Morocco, is genetically distinct and may be the last remnant of the Moroccan dorcas gazelleG. dorcas massaesyla. The last estimate of the size of this population was c. 200, in 1996. To assess the current population we used line-transect distance sampling to survey this population over five seasons from April 2008 to August 2009. The estimated population declined from 113 to 87 individuals from April to November 2008, increased to 111 in February 2009 (primarily because of recruitment), declined to 99 from February to April 2009, and to 95 by August 2009. These results indicate a decline of nearly 50% in < 15 years. The main conservation actions required for this subspecies are the suppression of poaching and feral dogs, the creation of other reserves to receive dorcas gazelles from M'Sabih Talaa (to avoid loss of the single population from a catastrophic event), and the implementation of a genetic management programme.
The Logic of Legitimacy: Ethics in Political Realism
Authors: Sigwart Hans-Jörg
Published: August 2013

The article examines the recent debate on a genuinely realist perspective in political philosophy and argues that the core idea of realism is a certain type of ethical theory. In spite of the notorious polemic against “moralism” in politics that is characteristic of realist thinkers since Machiavelli, political realism as put forth in the current debate is not to be understood as a strictly fact-oriented perspective on politics, but rather as a perspective that itself is founded on a theory of political ethics. This peculiarly realist theory of political ethics can be characterized by its focus on the theoretical importance of political application problems, by a genuine priority principle underlying its understanding of political ethics, by its distinctive understanding of the concept of legitimacy and, finally, by its claim that any form of ethics, as far as it is concerned with political questions, is necessarily ambivalent in character.
Almost Spanning Subgraphs of Random Graphs After Adversarial Edge Removal
Authors: BÖTTCHER JULIA , KOHAYAKAWA YOSHIHARU , TARAZ ANUSCH
Published: August 2013

Let Δ ≥ 2 be a fixed integer. We show that the random graph${\mathcal{G}_{n,p}}$with$p\gg (\log n/n)^{1/\Delta}$is robust with respect to the containment of almost spanning bipartite graphsHwith maximum degree Δ and sublinear bandwidth in the following sense: asymptotically almost surely, if an adversary deletes arbitrary edges from${\mathcal{G}_{n,p}}$in such a way that each vertex loses less than half of its neighbours, then the resulting graph still contains a copy of all suchH.
The Mongol Empire – the first ‘gunpowder empire’?
Authors: HAW STEPHEN G.
Published: August 2013

This article uses Chinese sources to argue that a range of gunpowder weapons was already in use in China during the late tenth and early eleventh centuries, earlier than previously thought. ‘True firearms’, that is cannon or guns firing solid projectiles, had quite probably been developed by at least as early as 1200ce.
Attachment style, social support and finding meaning among spouses of colorectal cancer patients: Gender differences
Authors: Hasson-Ohayon Ilanit , Goldzweig Gil , Sela-Oren Tal , Pizem Noam , Bar-Sela Gil , Wolf Ido
Published: August 2013

Objectives:

The current study explores the relationship between attachment styles, social support, gender and finding meaning in caregiving among spousal caregivers of colorectal cancer patients.

Methods:

Sixty caregivers (30 men and 30 women) were administered questionnaires assessing attachment styles, social support and finding meaning in caregiving, using a cross-sectional design.

Results:

For male caregivers avoidance attachment is associated with their finding meaning, whereas for female caregivers social support is associated with their finding meaning.

Significance of results:

Psychological interventions for caregivers should take into consideration gender differences and might benefit from addressing the process of finding meaning in caregiving.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia
Authors: Schirmbeck Frederike , Zink Mathias
Published: August 2013

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) are a common phenomenon in patients with schizophrenia and are associated with additional clinical and functional impairments. So far treatment approaches have been limited to mainly pharmacological interventions with restricted effectiveness. Because cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is considered treatment of first choice for patients with primary obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it seems compelling to consider it as a treatment option for comorbid OCS in schizophrenia. This research was conducted in order to investigate the theoretical and empirical basis for CBT in the treatment of comorbid OCS/OCD in schizophrenia. A comprehensive review and analysis of published literature was performed. Outcome measures from case-reports and a case-series showed favourable results with a significant reduction of symptom severity in 24/30 patients treated with CBT and exposure and response prevention (ERP) or ERP alone. CBT appears to offer a valuable opportunity to reduce symptom severity in this highly impaired group of patients. Based on these results and with a strong focus on tolerability concerns, suggestions for possible CBT approaches for the comorbid group are proposed. Further research within this field and systematic clinical evaluations are highly desirable.
Joint RF and large-signal stability optimization of MMIC power combining amplifiers
Authors: Ayllon Natanael , Collantes Juan-Mari , Anakabe Aitziber , Soubercaze-Pun Geoffroy , Forestier Stephane , Langrez Dominique
Published: August 2013

In this paper, authors report on an enhanced approach for the design of monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power combining amplifiers. Commonly used techniques for the stabilization of such circuits are empirical and too conservative. This leads very often to a non-desired degradation of the radio frequency (RF) performances that are inherent to the physical properties of such stabilization networks at the fundamental frequency of operation. The methodology proposed here is based on the use of large-signal optimization processes that combine RF and stability analyses from the early stages of the design. This approach results in an improvement of the RF performances while sufficient stability margins are preserved. The optimization procedure is explained on a Ku-band MMIC power amplifier for space-borne communications.
Adolescent Peer Choice and Cigarette Smoking: Evidence of Active Gene–Environment Correlation?
Authors: Wills Amanda G. , Carey Gregory
Published: August 2013

Both peer groups and genetics have been associated with adolescent smoking behavior. Recently, Loehlin (Loehlin, J. C. (2010). Is there an active gene–environment correlation in adolescent drinking behavior?Behavior Genetics, 40, 447–451) reported that twin differences in alcohol use were associated with differences in the number of common friends. Twins with more common friends were more similar in drinking, but only for dizygotic pairs. Using the same sample as Loehlin's (the National Merit twins), we replicated all of these findings for a composite cigarette smoking measure and for smoking initiation, but not persistence. The pattern of results is most consistent with homophily, or the tendency to associate with individuals that are like oneself. If peer influence occurs in the presence of homophily, then active genotype–environment correlation will be induced.
Concurrent inhibition of enzymatic activity and NF-Y-mediated transcription of Topoisomerase-IIα by bis-DemethoxyCurcumin in cancer cells
Authors: Belluti S , Basile V , Benatti P , Ferrari E , Marverti G , Imbriano C
Published: August 2013

Topoisomerases-IIα (TOP2A) enzyme is essential for cell viability due to its fundamental role in DNA metabolism and in chromatin organization during interphase and mitosis. TOP2A expression is finely regulated at the transcriptional level through the binding of the CCAAT-transcription factor NF-Y to its promoter. Overexpression and/or amplification of TOP2A have been observed in many types of cancers. For this reason, TOP2A is the target of the most widely successful drugs in cancer chemotherapy, such as TOP2A poisons, which stabilize TOP2A-DNA cleavage complexes and create DSBs, leading to chromosome damage and cell death. We previously reported that the Curcumin-derivative bis-DemethoxyCurcumin (bDMC) is an anti-proliferative agent that inhibits cell growth by concomitant G1/S and G2/M arrest. Here we showed that bDMC irreversibly induces DSBs in cancer cells, but not in normal cells, by targeting TOP2A activity and expression. TOP2A ablation by siRNA corroborates its contribution to apoptosis induced by bDMC. Short-term exposure to bDMC induces retention of TOP2A-DNA intermediates, while longer exposure inhibits TOP2A transcription by affecting expression and sub-cellular localization of NF-Y subunits. ChIP analysis highlighted reduced recruitment of NF-Y to TOP2A regulatory regions, concomitantly to histone deacetylation and decreased gene transcription. Our findings suggest that the dual activity of bDMC on TOP2A represents a novel therapeutic strategy to induce persistent apoptosis in cancer cells and identify NF-Y regulation as a promising approach in anti-cancer therapy.
A mechanism for epithelial–mesenchymal transition and anoikis resistance in breast cancer triggered by zinc channel ZIP6 and STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3)
Authors: Hogstrand Christer , Kille Peter , Ackland Margaret Leigh , Hiscox Stephen , Taylor Kathryn M.
Published: August 2013

Genes involved in normal developmental processes attract attention as mediators of tumour progression as they facilitate migration of tumour cells. EMT (epithelial–mesenchymal transition), an essential part of embryonic development, tissue remodelling and wound repair, is crucial for tumour metastasis. Previously, zinc transporter ZIP6 [SLC39A6; solute carrier family 39 (zinc transporter), member 6; also known as LIV-1) was linked to EMT in zebrafish gastrulation through a STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) mechanism, resulting in nuclear localization of transcription factor Snail. In the present study, we show that zinc transporter ZIP6 is transcriptionally induced by STAT3 and unprecedented among zinc transporters, and is activated by N-terminal cleavage which triggers ZIP6 plasma membrane location and zinc influx. This zinc influx inactivates GSK-3β (glycogen synthase kinase 3β), either indirectly or directly via Akt or GSK-3β respectively, resulting in activation of Snail, which remains in the nucleus and acts as a transcriptional repressor of E-cadherin (epithelial cadherin), CDH1, causing cell rounding and detachment. This was mirrored by ZIP6-transfected cells which underwent EMT, detached from monolayers and exhibited resistance to anoikis by their ability to continue proliferating even after detachment. Our results indicate a causative role for ZIP6 in cell motility and migration, providing ZIP6 as a new target for prediction of clinical cancer spread and also suggesting a ZIP6-dependent mechanism of tumour metastasis.
Articulating Novel Words: Children's Oromotor Skills Predict Nonword Repetition Abilities
Authors: Krishnan Saloni , Alcock Katherine J. , Mercure Evelyne , Leech Robert , Barker Edward , Karmiloff-Smith Annette , Dick Frederic
Published: August 2013

Purpose

Pronouncing a novel word for the first time requires the transformation of a newly encoded speech signal into a series of coordinated, exquisitely timed oromotor movements. Individual differences in children's ability to repeat novel nonwords are associated with vocabulary development and later literacy. Nonword repetition (NWR) is often used to test clinical populations. While phonological/auditory memory contributions to learning and pronouncing nonwords have been extensively studied, much less is known about the contribution of children's oromotor skills to this process.

Method

Two independent cohorts of children (7–13 years [
N
= 40] and 6.9–7.7 years [
N
= 37]) were tested on a battery of linguistic and nonlinguistic tests, including NWR and oromotor tasks.

Results

In both cohorts, individual differences in oromotor control were a significant contributor to NWR abilities; moreover, in an omnibus analysis including experimental and standardized tasks, oromotor control predicted the most unique variance in NWR.

Conclusion

Results indicate that nonlinguistic oromotor skills contribute to children's NWR ability and suggest that important aspects of language learning and consequent language deficits may be rooted in the ability to perform complex sensorimotor transformations.
Kinematic Parameters of Signed Verbs
Authors: Malaia Evie , Wilbur Ronnie B. , Milković Marina
Published: August 2013

Purpose

Sign language users recruit physical properties of visual motion to convey linguistic information. Research on American Sign Language (ASL) indicates that signers systematically use kinematic features (e.g., velocity, deceleration) of dominant hand motion for distinguishing specific semantic properties of verb classes in production (Malaia & Wilbur, 2012a) and process these distinctions as part of the phonological structure of these verb classes in comprehension (Malaia, Ranaweera, Wilbur, & Talavage, 2012). These studies are driven by the event visibility hypothesis by Wilbur (2003), who proposed that such use of kinematic features should be universal to sign language (SL) by the grammaticalization of physics and geometry for linguistic purposes. In a prior motion capture study, Malaia and Wilbur (2012a) lent support for the event visibility hypothesis in ASL, but there has not been quantitative data from other SLs to test the generalization to other languages.

Method

The authors investigated the kinematic parameters of predicates in Croatian Sign Language (
Hrvatskom Znakovnom Jeziku
[HZJ]).

Results

Kinematic features of verb signs were affected both by event structure of the predicate (semantics) and phrase position within the sentence (prosody).

Conclusion

The data demonstrate that kinematic features of motion in HZJ verb signs are recruited to convey morphological and prosodic information. This is the first crosslinguistic motion capture confirmation that specific kinematic properties of articulator motion are grammaticalized in other SLs to express linguistic features.
Understanding the molecular events underpinning cultivar differences in the physiological performance and heat tolerance of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)
Authors: Cottee Nicola S. , Wilson Iain W. , Tan Daniel K. Y. , Bange Michael P.
Published: August 2013

Diurnal or prolonged exposure to air temperatures above the thermal optimum for a plant can impair physiological performance and reduce crop yields. This study investigated the molecular response to heat stress of two high-yielding cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars with contrasting heat tolerance. Using global gene profiling, 575 of 21854 genes assayed were affected by heat stress, ~60% of which were induced. Genes encoding heat shock proteins, transcription factors and protein cleavage enzymes were induced, whereas genes encoding proteins associated with electron flow, photosynthesis, glycolysis, cell wall synthesis and secondary metabolism were generally repressed under heat stress. Cultivar differences for the expression profiles of a subset of heat-responsive genes analysed using quantitative PCR over a 7-h heat stress period were associated with expression level changes rather than the presence or absence of transcripts. Expression differences reflected previously determined differences for yield, photosynthesis, electron transport rate, quenching, membrane integrity and enzyme viability under growth cabinet and field-generated heat stress, and may explain cultivar differences in leaf-level heat tolerance. This study provides a platform for understanding the molecular changes associated with the physiological performance and heat tolerance of cotton cultivars that may aid breeding for improved performance in warm and hot field environments.
Community‐based efforts to prevent obesity: Australia‐wide survey of projects
Authors: Nichols Melanie S. , Reynolds Rebecca C. , Waters Elizabeth , Gill Timothy , King Lesley , Swinburn Boyd A. , Allender Steven
Published: August 2013

Issues addressed

Community‐based programs that affect healthy environments and policies have emerged as an effective response to high obesity levels in populations. Apart from limited individual reports, little is currently known about these programs, limiting the potential to provide effective support, to promote effective practice, prevent adverse outcomes and disseminate intervention results and experience. The aim of the present study was to identify the size and reach of current community‐based obesity prevention projects in Australia and to examine their characteristics, program features (e.g. intervention setting), capacity and approach to obesity prevention.

Methods

Detailed survey completed by representatives from community‐based obesity prevention initiatives in Australia.

Results

There was wide variation in funding, capacity and approach to obesity prevention among the 78 participating projects. Median annual funding was Au$94 900 (range Au$2500‐$4.46 million). The most common intervention settings were schools (39%). Forty per cent of programs focused on a population group of 50 000 people. A large proportion of respondents felt that they did not have sufficient resources or staff training to achieve project objectives.

Conclusion

Community‐based projects currently represent a very large investment by both government and non‐government sectors for the prevention of obesity. Existing projects are diverse in size and scope, and reach large segments of the population. Further work is needed to identify the full extent of existing community actions and to monitor their reach and future ‘scale up’ to ensure that future activities aim for effective integration into systems, policies and environments.

So what?

Community‐based programs make a substantial contribution to the prevention of obesity and promotion of healthy lifestyles in Australia. A risk of the current intervention landscape is that effective approaches may go unrecognised due to lack of effective evaluations or limitations in program design, duration or size. Policy makers and researchers must recognise the potential contribution of these initiatives, to both public health and knowledge generation, and provide support for strong evaluation and sustainable intervention designs.
Morphological stasis in an ongoing gastropod radiation from Lake Malawi
Authors: Van Bocxlaer Bert , Hunt Gene
Published: August 2013

Evolutionary processes leading to adaptive radiation regularly occur too fast to be accurately recorded in the fossil record but too slowly to be readily observed in living biota. The study of evolutionary radiations is thereby confronted with an epistemological gap between the timescales and approaches used by neontologists and paleontologists. Here we report on an ongoing radiation of extantBellamyaspecies (n= 4) from the African Rift Lake Malawi that provides an unusual opportunity to bridge this gap. The substantial molecular differentiation in this monophyleticBellamyaclade has arisen since Late Pleistocene megadroughts in the Malawi Basin caused by climate change. Morphological time-series analysis of a high-resolution, radiocarbon-dated sequence of 22 faunas spanning the Holocene documents stasis up to the middle Holocene in all traits studied (shell height, number of whorls, and two variables obtained from geometric morphometrics). Between deposition of the last fossil fauna (∼5 ka) and the present day, a drastic increase in morphological disparity was observed (3.7–5.8 times) associated with an increase in species diversity. Comparison of the rates of morphological evolution obtained from the paleontological time-series with phylogenetic rates indicates that the divergence in two traits could be reconstructed with the slow rates documented in the fossils, that one trait required a rate reduction (stabilizing selection), and the other faster rates (divergent selection). The combined paleontological and comparative approach taken here allows recognition that morphological stasis can be the dominant evolutionary pattern within species lineages, even in very young and radiating clades.
An Evaluation of Harvest Control Rules for Data-Poor Fisheries
Authors: Wiedenmann John , Wilberg Michael J. , Miller Thomas J.
Published: August 2013

For federally managed fisheries in the USA, National Standard 1 requires that an acceptable biological catch be set for all fisheries and that this catch avoid overfishing. Achieving this goal for data-poor stocks, for which stock assessments are not possible, is particularly challenging. A number of harvest control rules have very recently been developed to set sustainable catches in data-poor fisheries, but the ability of most of these rules to avoid overfishing has not been tested. We conducted a management strategy evaluation to assess several control rules proposed for data-poor situations. We examined three general life histories (“slow,” “medium,” and “fast”) and three exploitation histories (under-, fully, and overexploited) to identify control rules that balance the competing objectives of avoiding overfishing and maintaining high levels of harvest. Many of the control rules require information on species life history and relative abundance, so we explored a scenario in which unbiased knowledge was used in the control rule and one in which highly inflated estimates of stock biomass were used. Our analyses showed that no single control rule performed well across all scenarios, with those that performed well in the unbiased scenario performing poorly in the biased scenarios and vice versa. Only the most conservative data-poor control rules limited the probability of overfishing across most of the life history and exploitation scenarios explored, but these rules typically required very conservative catches under the unbiased scenarios.

Received June 22, 2012; accepted May 22, 2013
The local geometry of finite mixtures
Authors: Gassiat Elisabeth , van Handel Ramon
Published: August 2013

We establish that for

q
≥
1

q\ge 1

, the class of convex combinations of

q
q

translates of a smooth probability density has local doubling dimension proportional to

q
q

. The key difficulty in the proof is to control the local geometric structure of mixture classes. Our local geometry theorem yields a bound on the (bracketing) metric entropy of a class of normalized densities, from which a local entropy bound is deduced by a general slicing procedure.
Accelerating the modified Levenberg-Marquardt method for nonlinear equations
Authors: Fan Jinyan
Published: August 2013

In this paper we propose an accelerated version of the modified Levenberg-Marquardt method for nonlinear equations (see Jinyan Fan, Mathematics of Computation 81 (2012), no. 277, 447–466). The original version uses the addition of the LM step and the approximate LM step as the trial step at every iteration, and achieves the cubic convergence under the local error bound condition which is weaker than nonsingularity. The notable differences of the accelerated modified LM method from the modified LM method are that we introduce the line search for the approximate LM step and extend the LM parameter to more general cases. The convergence order of the new method is shown to be a continuous function with respect to the LM parameter. We compare it with both the LM method and the modified LM method; on the benchmark problems we observe competitive performance.
Membrane translocation of lumenal domains of membrane proteins powered by downstream transmembrane sequences
Authors: Yabuki Takaaki , Morimoto Fumiko , Kida Yuichiro , Sakaguchi Masao
Published: August 2013

Translocation of the N-terminus of a type I signal anchor (SA-I) sequence across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane can be arrested by tagging with a streptavidin-binding peptide tag (SBP tag) and trapping by streptavidin. In the present study, we first examine the affinity required for the translocation arrest. When the SBP tag is serially truncated, the ability for arrest gradually decreases. Surface plasmon resonance analysis shows that an interaction as strong as 10−8M or a smaller dissociation constant is required for trapping the topogenesis of a natural SA-I sequence. Such truncated tags, however, become effective by mutating the SA-I sequence, suggesting that the translocation motivation is considerably influenced by the properties of the SA-I sequence. In addition, we introduce the SBP tag into lumenal loops of a multispanning membrane protein, human erythrocyte band 3. Among the tagged loops between transmembrane 1 (TM1) and TM8, three loops are trapped by cytosolic streptavidin. These loops are followed by TM sequences possessing topogenic properties, like the SA-I sequence, and translocation of one loop is diminished by insertion of a proline into the following TM sequence. These findings suggest that the translocation of lumenal loops by SA-I–like TM sequences has a crucial role in topogenesis of multispanning membrane proteins.
Different polarisome components play distinct roles in Slt2p-regulated cortical ER inheritance inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Li Xia , Ferro-Novick Susan , Novick Peter
Published: August 2013

Ptc1p, a type 2C protein phosphatase, is required for a late step in cortical endoplasmic reticulum (cER) inheritance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In ptc1Δ cells, ER tubules migrate from the mother cell and contact the bud tip, yet fail to spread around the bud cortex. This defect results from the failure to inactivate a bud tip–associated pool of the cell wall integrity mitogen-activated protein kinase, Slt2p. Here we report that the polarisome complex affects cER inheritance through its effects on Slt2p, with different components playing distinct roles: Spa2p and Pea2p are required for Slt2p retention at the bud tip, whereas Bni1p, Bud6p, and Sph1p affect the level of Slt2p activation. Depolymerization of actin relieves the ptc1Δ cER inheritance defect, suggesting that in this mutant the ER becomes trapped on the cytoskeleton. Loss of Sec3p also blocks ER inheritance, and, as in ptc1Δ cells, this block is accompanied by activation of Slt2p and is reversed by depolymerization of actin. Our results point to a common mechanism for the regulation of ER inheritance in which Slt2p activity at the bud tip controls the association of the ER with the actin-based cytoskeleton.
Regulation of ER-phagy by a Ypt/Rab GTPase module
Authors: Lipatova Zhanna , Shah Ankur H. , Kim Jane J. , Mulholland Jonathan W. , Segev Nava
Published: August 2013

Accumulation of misfolded proteins on intracellular membranes has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. One cellular pathway that clears such aggregates is endoplasmic reticulum autophagy (ER-phagy), a selective autophagy pathway that delivers excess ER to the lysosome for degradation. Not much is known about the regulation of ER-phagy. The conserved Ypt/Rab GTPases regulate all membrane trafficking events in eukaryotic cells. We recently showed that a Ypt module, consisting of Ypt1 and autophagy-specific upstream activator and downstream effector, regulates the onset of selective autophagy in yeast. Here we show that this module acts at the ER. Autophagy-specific mutations in its components cause accumulation of excess membrane proteins on aberrant ER structures and induction of ER stress. This accumulation is due to a block in transport of these membranes to the lysosome, where they are normally cleared. These findings establish a role for an autophagy-specific Ypt1 module in the regulation of ER-phagy. Moreover, because Ypt1 is a known key regulator of ER-to-Golgi transport, these findings establish a second role for Ypt1 at the ER. We therefore propose that individual Ypt/Rabs, in the context of distinct modules, can coordinate alternative trafficking steps from one cellular compartment to different destinations.
Do Neighborhood Parks and Playgrounds Reduce Childhood Obesity?
Authors: Fan Maoyong , Jin Yanhong
Published: August 2013

Using the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health data, we find a statistically and economically significant effect of neighborhood parks and playgrounds on childhood obesity based on covariate matching estimators. The park/playground effect depends on gender, age, race, household income, neighborhood safety, and other neighborhood amenities. The results suggest that adding a neighborhood park/playground may reduce the obesity rate and make children more fit, but relevant interventions must consider socioeconomic status of the targeted children as well as other neighborhood amenities.
OncoSNP-SEQ: a statistical approach for the identification of somatic copy number alterations from next-generation sequencing of cancer genomes
Authors: Yau Christopher
Published: August 2013

Summary: Recent major cancer genome sequencing studies have used whole-genome sequencing to detect various types of genomic variation. However, a number of these studies have continued to rely on SNP array information to provide additional results for copy number and loss-of-heterozygosity estimation and assessing tumour purity. OncoSNP-SEQ is a statistical model-based approach for inferring copy number profiles directly from high-coverage whole genome sequencing data that is able to account for unknown tumour purity and ploidy.

Availability: MATLAB code is available at the following URL: https://sites.google.com/site/oncosnpseq/.

Contact: c.yau@imperial.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
nCal: an R package for non-linear calibration
Authors: Fong Youyi , Sebestyen Krisztian , Yu Xuesong , Gilbert Peter , Self Steve
Published: August 2013

Summary: Non-linear calibration is a widely used method for quantifying biomarkers wherein concentration-response curves estimated using samples of known concentrations are used to predict the biomarker concentrations in the samples of interest. The R package nCal fills an important gap in the open source, stand-alone software for performing non-linear calibration. For curve fitting, nCal provides a new implementation of a robust, Bayesian hierarchical five-parameter logistic model. nCal supports a simple graphical user interface that can be used by laboratory scientists, and contains functionality for importing data from the multiplex bead array assay instrumentation.

Availability: The R package ‘nCal’ is available from http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/nCal/ under GPL-2 or later.

Contact:  yfong@fhcrc.org

Supplementary information:  Supplementary information is available in the form of an R package vignette at the above repository and an FAQ at http://research.fhcrc.org/youyifong/en/resources/ncal.html.