bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Proactive Police Units: A Case Study of Retrospective Benefit-Cost Analysis with Nonexperimental Data
Authors: Goldstein Rebecca
Published: November 2017

In recent decades, advocates for police reform on the political left and right have proposed numerous changes to how street-level policing operates. One such proposed reform, which has been adopted in jurisdictions nationwide, is “proactive policing,” that is, policing strategies based on the notion that by proactively regulating minor offenses, the police can reduce both serious crime and fear of crime in the community. Yet, as with many proposed police reforms, researchers have not undertaken a through benefit-cost analysis of proactive policing. This article lays out strategies for estimating the impacts of proactive policing, including direct, indirect, and distributional impacts. First, I describe quasi-experimental approaches, which entail partnerships between researchers and police departments and would be particularly useful when a municipality is considering a move to proactive policing in the first instance, expansion of small-scale proactive policing to a larger area, or the introduction of particular new tactics. Second, I describe nonexperimental retrospective approaches, including conventional regression analysis, which can also allow researchers to estimate the effects of proactive policing. I discuss potential threats to validity for both strategies. I close by describing the data that researchers wishing to engage in benefit-cost analysis of proactive policing would need in order to do so.
Closing the Gap: The Need for Inclusive Benefit-cost Analysis in Policing
Authors: Fackler Ryan , Henrichson Christian , Jànszky Elizabeth , Neusteter S. Rebecca
Published: November 2017

This article first catalogs the curious lack of benefit-cost analysis (BCA) in policing, given the increasing use of BCA in other areas of criminal justice. Policing has historically been viewed through a benefit-only lens, focusing almost exclusively on the welfare gains associated with the incapacitation of dangerous offenders and the deterrence of future criminal activity. The benefit-only perspective fails to take into account the significant costs of enforcement. Most saliently, the benefit-only perspective limits the discussion of the costs to policing. We argue that BCA of policing should not be limited to the financial perspective of any municipality, but must include the full nonbudgetary social costs and benefits felt by all those who feel the impact of policing. Social costs should include all direct and indirect costs borne by members of society who are impacted by policing practices in addition to costs that appear in police department budgets.
Introduction: What Difference Did the Coleman Report Make?
Authors: Kantor Harvey , Lowe Robert
Published: November 2017

The Coleman Report

For this History of Education Quarterly Policy Forum, we look at the historical significance of the 1966 Coleman Report from several different perspectives. The four main essays published here originated as presentations for a session on “Legacies of the Coleman Report in US Thought and Culture” at the History of Education Society annual meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, in November 2016. Presenters for that session— Zoë Burkholder, Victoria Cain, Leah Gordon, and Ethan Hutt—went on to participate in an HES-sponsored session entitled “Currents in Egalitarian Thought in the 1960s and 1970s: The Coleman Report in American Politics, Media, and Social Science” at the Organization of American Historians meeting in New Orleans in April 2017. Thinking that their reflections on the reception and influence of the Coleman Report in different contexts would be of broad interest to HEQ readers, we asked members of the panel to comment on each other's papers and revise them for this Forum. We then invited Harvey Kantor of the University of Utah and Robert Lowe of Marquette University to write an introduction summarizing the origins and findings of the Coleman Report, along with their own assessment of what the presenters’ essays teach us about its long-term significance. What follows are Kantor and Lowe's Introduction, “What Difference Did the Coleman Report Make?,” together with substantive essays by Zoë Burkholder of Montclair State University, Victoria Cain of Northeastern University, Leah Gordon of Amherst College, and Ethan Hutt of the University of Maryland.
Path instabilities of oblate spheroids
Authors: Zhou W. , Chrust M. , Dušek J.
Published: November 2017

In the present paper, we investigate the path instabilities and the transition scenario for oblate homogeneous spheroids falling (or ascending) freely in a quiescent and unconfined Newtonian fluid under the action of gravity, buoyancy and hydrodynamic forces. The problem depends on three independent external parameters: the aspect ratio $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=d/a$, where $d$ is the diameter and $a$ the length of the axisymmetry axis of the spheroid; the non-dimensionalized mass $m^{\ast }=m/(\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}d^{3})$, $m$ being the mass of the spheroid and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}$ the fluid density; and the Galileo number, defined as $G=\sqrt{(m^{\ast }-V^{\ast })gd^{3}}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$. In the definition of the Galileo number, $V^{\ast }=V/d^{3}$ is the non-dimensionalized volume, $g$ the gravitational acceleration and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ is the kinematic viscosity. Asymptotic solutions (regimes) are investigated in seven $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=\text{const}.$ parameter planes going from $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=10$ (very flat spheroid) to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=1.1$ (an almost spherical shape), for $m^{\ast }$ going from 0 to 5 and Galileo numbers up to 300 (i.e. Reynolds numbers roughly up to 500). The obtained results provide a link between the known scenario of a homogeneous disk and that, well known, of a sphere. The scenario of the flat spheroid of aspect ratio 10 has many common features with that of an infinitely thin disk, but the finite thickness brings about significant quantitative differences. At the opposite side of the investigated aspect ratio interval, the dynamics of the spheroid of aspect ratio 1.1 is found very close to that of a perfect sphere except for small density ratios (smaller than approximately 0.5). Very light spheroids of aspect ratio 1.1 move along vertical zig-zagging trajectories. At intermediate aspect ratios, the strong subcritical effects and the characteristic zig-zagging and fluttering motion, typical for flat bodies, progressively disappear. The tumbling regime remains remarkably stable and is shown to be present down to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D712}=2$. An interesting result consists in the evidence of the first two bifurcations typical for the sphere scenario (leading to steady oblique and oblique oscillating trajectories) present both for very flat and thick spheroids but absent at intermediate aspect ratios. The results pertaining to spheroids might be more useful in practical applications than those obtained for too idealized thin disks and perfect spheres.
Suitability of multiple Mediterranean oak species as a food resource forReticulitermes grasseiClément (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Authors: Cárdenas A.M. , Gallardo P. , Toledo D.
Published: November 2017

The subterranean termiteReticulitermes grasseiClément causes lesions in the trunk ofQuercus suberL. by constructing feeding galleries, but no information is available regarding otherQuercusspecies from the Mediterranean region. This work aimed to study the suitability of the other main oak species of Mediterranean forests as a food resource forR. grassei. Two experiments, choice and non-choice feeding, were conducted lasting for 15, 30, and 45 days each. In the non-choice experiment, termites were offered one of the following food types:Quercus suber,Quercus ilexL.,Quercus fagineaLam, cork orPinus pineaL., which was considered the control. The choice feeding experiment used all the same food types listed above, supplied simultaneously in the same container. Food selection was examined by analysing the relationships over time between surviving termites and food consumption. The results indicated thatR. grasseicould be considered a generalist species, as it consumed the cork and wood of all oak species, as well as displaying a clear preference for soft wood (pine). Correlation analysis indicated that consumption was not dependent on wood density. Survival ofR. grasseiwas influenced by the time of exposure to different oak species, but a high survival rate was maintained over time in the pine treatment (upper 70% in the three experiments). Given these results, it can be concluded that all the oak species are a suitable food source forR. grassei.
Enabling Ivan Karamazov: responding to Mark Murphy's God's Own Ethics: Norms of Divine Agency and the Argument from Evil
Authors: IRWIN KRISTEN
Published: November 2017

God's Own Ethics introduces a number of philosophical subfields into conversation with philosophy of religion and metaethics in an attempt to discern the ethics of God. While its conception of the divine being is itself controversial, I here take issue with the claim that the divine being described in God's Own Ethics would be one worthy of worship and allegiance. Specifically, I argue that a God lacking in moral perfection of the sort familiar to humans is either unrecognizable as God, or is open to the ‘Ivan Karamazov’ objection that such a God deserves neither worship nor allegiance.
Précis of God's Own Ethics
Authors: MURPHY MARK C.
Published: November 2017

In God's Own Ethics: Norms of Divine Agency and the Argument from Evil, I consider what norms of action we should take to regulate God's agency. I also consider what inferences we should draw about the success of the argument from evil when we consider how an all-powerful, all-knowing agent would be motivated, given the ascription of those norms of action to God. This article is a précis of the main arguments of that book.
Replies to Wielenberg, Irwin, and Draper
Authors: MURPHY MARK C.
Published: November 2017

In this symposium on God's Own Ethics, Erik Wielenberg, Kristen Irwin, and Paul Draper raise important criticisms of the arguments of that book. I respond to these criticisms.
Public discourses on multilingualism in the UK: Triangulating a corpus study with a sociolinguistic attitude survey
Authors: Jaworska Sylvia , Themistocleous Christiana
Published: November 2017

This article investigates public discourses of multilingualism in Britain. In contrast to previous research focusing on specific languages or varieties of language, we examine multilingualism as a metalinguistic construct and are interested in what is frequently said about multilingualism, and how it is said. More specifically, we explore the extent to which media discourses are consonant or diverge from the attitudes of lay people. Media discourses are investigated using a corpus-assisted discourse-study approach to the analysis of large-press corpora. Results from the corpus study are then incorporated in an attitude survey distributed to 200 participants living in a large superdiverse town in Britain. Our study shows that while positive media discourses are mostly shared by the general public, some of the negative themes, especially those relating to immigration, are either reinforced or challenged. The article demonstrates the usefulness of triangulating corpus-linguistic methods with a survey to provide a more comprehensive understanding of public discourses about language matters, and offers some implications for promoting multilingualism in society. (Multilingualism, metalanguage, corpus-assisted discourse study (CADS), attitude survey, triangulation)
Interstitial Collaboration: Education Reform in the Jim Crow South
Authors: Malczewski Joan
Published: November 2017

The Board of Trustees of the Negro Rural School Fund convened in the office of the president of the United States on December 14, 1911. The mission of the fund was to assist Southern black schools, supplying black supervising teachers to rural areas.1President William Howard Taft presided over the meeting, which included members from banking, industry, philanthropy, higher education, and the clergy, demonstrating the importance of associated action in policy and political development in the early twentieth century.2These elite reformers hoped to guide policymaking in education reform, and their work was just one part of a far-reaching agenda for education in the Jim Crow South, based on the premise that public schooling was important to a strong national state.3Yet, it was difficult for elite actors to implement national policy goals in state and local areas, particularly for education. Local control was an important characteristic of American schooling, and Southern education reform was a particularly complicated terrain, dominated by rural areas committed to states’ rights, local control, and the racial state.4While the fund's trustees hoped to direct efforts from their lofty White House venue, foundation efficacy required extensive collaboration with organizations and actors across the South. This work, referred to here asinterstitial collaboration, included a set of initiatives tailored to state and local regions, supported by cooperative relationships between governmental and nongovernmental organizational entities and with citizens across the political spectrum.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV): seroprevalence and HEV RNA detection in subjects attending a sexually transmitted infection clinic in Brussels, Belgium
Authors: DAUBY N. , SUIN V. , JACQUES M. , ABADY M. , VAN DEN WIJNGAERT S. , DELFORGE M. , DE WIT S. , LIBOIS A.
Published: November 2017

Men who have sex with men (MSM) have an increased incidence of pathogens transmitted by the oro-fecal route. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging cause of acute hepatitis and fecal shedding is observed during primary infection. We investigated whether MSM are at increased risk of HEV infection. Subjects who attended a sexually transmitted infection clinic in Brussels and had an HIV test performed between 1 June 2014 and 15 January 2016 were identified. A total of 576 samples were retrospectively screened for both total HEV IgG and HEV RNA. Samples positive for IgG were tested for IgM. MSM proportion was 31·1% (179/576). Overall HEV IgG prevalence was 9·03% (52/576) and was identical in MSM and heterosexual subjects. Among the IgG positive samples, 2/52 (3·84%) samples (both women) were positive for anti-HEV IgM. No sample was positive for HEV RNA. Age over 35 was the only risk factor significantly associated with HEV seropositivity (OR 2·07; 95% CI 1·16–3·67). In conclusion, MSM were not found to have an increased prevalence of HEV as previously reported in other European countries suggesting distinct dynamics of HEV infection in this group across Europe and increased age was associated with a higher risk of seropositivity.
Population productivity and late breeding habitat selection by the threatened Little Bustard: the importance of grassland management
Authors: FARIA NUNO , MORALES MANUEL B.
Published: November 2017

We investigated population productivity and habitat selection of the Little BustardTetrax tetraxin the late breeding period, in grassland-dominated landscapes of south-west Iberia. Specifically, our goals were to investigate how these parameters are influenced by the management of (1) grazing and (2) hay production. We conducted bird counts from 22 June to 4 July (2012 to 2016) using low speed 4x4 car surveys. The relationship between the density of the species, population productivity and farm management (grazing and haying) was evaluated using Generalized Linear Mixed Models and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Male and female densities were significantly higher in short vegetation compared to all other types of vegetation considered, but population productivity was similar in short and medium vegetation. Hay stubbles were found to be unattractive for the species. The availability of suitable habitats depends on the timing of grazing, notably of seasonal (spring) grazing. Species density was higher in fields ungrazed during winter and with moderate to high stocking rates in spring (around 0.8 LU/ha or higher), depending, at least for males and females, on each year’s weather characteristics. We conclude that low to moderate stocking rates during winter and spring are essential to ensure successful breeding and thus population persistence. Current levels of haying in our study area are detrimental for the species’ conservation.
Fruit and vegetable intake among participants in a District of Columbia farmers’ market incentive programme
Authors: Pellegrino Sara , Bost Anna , McGonigle Meghan , Rosen Lillie , Peterson-Kosecki Amelia , Colon-Ramos Uriyoan , Robien Kim
Published: November 2017

Objective

Limited research is available on whether participation in healthy food incentive programmes is associated with higher fruit and vegetable intake. The objective of the present study was to determine fruit and vegetable intake among participants in the Produce Plus Program, a farmers’ market-based healthy food incentive programme in Washington, DC, and identify demographic and behavioural factors associated with higher fruit and vegetable intake.

Design

Using a cross-sectional survey, programme participants were interviewed at markets across DC between June and September 2015. Questions included the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) fruit and vegetable module. Fruit and vegetable intake among 2013 DC BRFSS participants reporting annual household incomes of ≤$US 35 000 was calculated for context.

Setting

Washington, DC, USA.

Subjects

Participants (n 288) in the Produce Plus Program.

Results

On average, participants reported consuming both fruits (interquartile range: 1·0–3·0) and vegetables (interquartile range: 1·3–3·5) two times/d. Participants who reported eating home-cooked meals ≥3 times/week also reported higher median fruit (2·0 v. 0·8) and vegetable (2·3 v. 1·3) intake compared with those eating home-cooked meals less frequently. No statistically significant differences in reported median fruit or vegetable intake were observed over the course of the farmers’ market (June v. August/September) season.

Conclusions

Produce Plus Program participants reported higher median fruit and vegetable intake compared with DC BRFSS respondents with similar incomes, but still below recommended levels. More frequent home-cooked meals were associated with higher fruit and vegetable intake. Thus, efforts to increase home cooking may represent an opportunity to increase fruit and vegetable intake among healthy food incentive participants.
Rapid colonization of artificial endolithic uninhabited habitats
Authors: Cockell Charles S. , Hecht Luke , Landenmark Hanna , Payler Samuel J. , Snape Matthew
Published: November 2017

To test the rate at which a lifeless but habitable environment (uninhabited habitat) can be colonized, artificial endolithic habitats were constructed in the laboratory and exposed to the natural environment. They were composed of sterile stacked sintered glass discs (stacks) containing CHNOPS elements, liquid water, energy and a carbon source, making them habitable for aerobic respiring organisms and phototrophs. One set of stacks was exposed fully to atmospheric conditions and one set was covered from direct overhead atmospheric input and precipitation. The process of colonization was heterogeneous across the stacks. After 3 months, all uninhabited habitats were colonized at all depths in both fully exposed and covered stacks. However, uninhabited habitable conditions persisted in covered stacks after 1 month, demonstrating the importance of the hydrological cycle in the connection between inhabited habitats and uninhabited habitats. Low porosity rocks were found to retard the extent of colonization compared with higher porosity rocks. Examination of genomic DNA demonstrated that the habitats were colonized by a community dominated byProteobacteria. Covered stacks had a higher abundance of fungal sequences among eukaryotic colonizers. These data demonstrate the tight coupling between the appearance of habitable conditions and life and the reasons for the rarity of uninhabited habitats on the present-day Earth. On other planetary bodies, such as Mars, with more inclement atmospheres and less vigorous hydrological cycles or a lack of life, uninhabited habitats could persist for longer with consequences for the interpretation of data sent back by planetary science missions.
Effects of bisphenol A treatment during pregnancy on kidney development in mice: a stereological and histopathological study
Authors: Nuñez P. , Fernandez T. , García-Arévalo M. , Alonso-Magdalena P. , Nadal A. , Perillan C. , Arguelles J.
Published: November 2017

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastics that resembles oestrogen in organisms. Developmental exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as BPA, increases the susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases. Animal studies have reported a nephron deficit in offspring exposed to maternal diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the prenatal BPA exposure effects on nephrogenesis in a mouse model that was predisposed to T2DM. This study quantitatively evaluated the renal structural changes using stereology and histomorphometry methods. The OF1 pregnant mice were treated with a vehicle or BPA (10 or 100 μg/kg/day) during days 9–16 of gestation (early nephrogenesis). The 30-day-old offspring were sacrificed, and tissue samples were collected and prepared for histopathological and stereology studies. Glomerular abnormalities and reduced glomerular formation were observed in the BPA offspring. The kidneys of the BPA10 and BPA100 female offspring had a significantly lower glomerular number and density than those of the CONTROL female offspring. The glomerular histomorphometry revealed a significant difference between the female and male CONTROL offspring for the analysed glomerular parameters that disappeared in the BPA10 and BPA100 offspring. In addition, the kidney histopathological examination showed typical male cuboidal epithelial cells of the Bowman capsule in the female BPA offspring. Exposure to environmentally relevant doses of BPA during embryonic development altered nephrogenesis. These structural changes could be associated with an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases later in life.
Lower cognitive control network connectivity in stroke participants with depressive features
Authors: Egorova Natalia , Cumming Toby , Shirbin Chris , Veldsman Michele , Werden Emilio , Brodtmann Amy
Published: November 2017

Around one-third of people develop depression following ischaemic stroke, yet the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Post-stroke depression has been linked to frontal infarcts, mainly lesions in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). But depression is a network disorder that cannot be fully characterised through lesion-symptom mapping. Researchers of depression in non-stroke populations have successfully tapped into the cognitive control network (CCN) using the bilateral DLPFC as a seed, and found that CCN resting-state connectivity is reduced in even mildly depressed subjects, compared to healthy controls. Hence, we aimed to investigate the association between post-stroke depressive features and the CCN resting-state connectivity in a stroke population. We analysed DLPFC resting-state connectivity in 64 stroke participants, 20 of whom showed depressive features assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at 3 months after stroke. We directly compared groups showing symptoms of depression with those who did not, and performed a regression with PHQ-9 scores in all participants, controlling for age, gender, lesion volume and stroke severity. Post-stroke depression was associated with lower connectivity between the left DLPFC and the right supramarginal gyrus (SMG) in both group and regression analyses. Neither the seed nor the results overlapped with stroke lesions. These findings confirm an important role of the left DLPFC in post-stroke depression, but now show that large-scale network disruptions following stroke associated with depressive features occur without lesions in the DLPFC.
Airway surface liquid pH is not acidic in children with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Schultz André , Puvvadi Ramaa , Borisov Sergey M. , Shaw Nicole C. , Klimant Ingo , Berry Luke J. , Montgomery Samuel T. , Nguyen Thien , Kreda Silvia M. , Kicic Anthony , Noble Peter B. , Button Brian , Stick Stephen M.
Published: November 2017

Modulation of airway surface liquid (ASL) pH has been proposed as a therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF). However, evidence that ASL pH is reduced in CF is limited and conflicting. The technical challenges associated with measuring ASL pH in vivo have precluded accurate measurements in humans. In order to address this deficiency, ASL pH was measured in vivo in children using a novel luminescent technology integrated with fibre-optic probes. Here we show that ASL pH in children with CF is similar to that of children without CF. Findings were supported by highly controlled direct pH measurements in primary human airway epithelial cell culture models, which also suggest that the potential ASL pH gradient produced by defective apical ion transport is balanced out by paracellular shunting of acid/base. Thus, reduced baseline ASL pH is unlikely to be an important pathobiological factor in early CF lung disease.
Human sperm steer with second harmonics of the flagellar beat
Authors: Saggiorato Guglielmo , Alvarez Luis , Jikeli Jan F. , Kaupp U. Benjamin , Gompper Gerhard , Elgeti Jens
Published: November 2017

Sperm are propelled by bending waves traveling along their flagellum. For steering in gradients of sensory cues, sperm adjust the flagellar waveform. Symmetric and asymmetric waveforms result in straight and curved swimming paths, respectively. Two mechanisms causing spatially asymmetric waveforms have been proposed: an average flagellar curvature and buckling. We image flagella of human sperm tethered with the head to a surface. The waveform is characterized by a fundamental beat frequency and its second harmonic. The superposition of harmonics breaks the beat symmetry temporally rather than spatially. As a result, sperm rotate around the tethering point. The rotation velocity is determined by the second-harmonic amplitude and phase. Stimulation with the female sex hormone progesterone enhances the second-harmonic contribution and, thereby, modulates sperm rotation. Higher beat frequency components exist in other flagellated cells; therefore, this steering mechanism might be widespread and could inspire the design of synthetic microswimmers.
Giant thermal expansion and α-precipitation pathways in Ti-alloys
Authors: Bönisch Matthias , Panigrahi Ajit , Stoica Mihai , Calin Mariana , Ahrens Eike , Zehetbauer Michael , Skrotzki Werner , Eckert Jürgen
Published: November 2017

Ti-alloys represent the principal structural materials in both aerospace development and metallic biomaterials. Key to optimizing their mechanical and functional behaviour is in-depth know-how of their phases and the complex interplay of diffusive vs. displacive phase transformations to permit the tailoring of intricate microstructures across a wide spectrum of configurations. Here, we report on structural changes and phase transformations of Ti–Nb alloys during heating by in situ synchrotron diffraction. These materials exhibit anisotropic thermal expansion yielding some of the largest linear expansion coefficients (+ 163.9×10−6 to −95.1×10−6 °C−1) ever reported. Moreover, we describe two pathways leading to the precipitation of the α-phase mediated by diffusion-based orthorhombic structures, α″lean and α″iso. Via coupling the lattice parameters to composition both phases evolve into α through rejection of Nb. These findings have the potential to promote new microstructural design approaches for Ti–Nb alloys and β-stabilized Ti-alloys in general.
Environmental sensing by mature B cells is controlled by the transcription factors PU.1 and SpiB
Authors: Willis Simon N. , Tellier Julie , Liao Yang , Trezise Stephanie , Light Amanda , O’Donnell Kristy , Garrett-Sinha Lee Ann , Shi Wei , Tarlinton David M. , Nutt Stephen L.
Published: November 2017

Humoral immunity requires B cells to respond to multiple stimuli, including antigen, membrane and soluble ligands, and microbial products. Ets family transcription factors regulate many aspects of haematopoiesis, although their functions in humoral immunity are difficult to decipher as a result of redundancy between the family members. Here we show that mice lacking both PU.1 and SpiB in mature B cells do not generate germinal centers and high-affinity antibody after protein immunization. PU.1 and SpiB double-deficient B cells have a survival defect after engagement of CD40 or Toll-like receptors (TLR), despite paradoxically enhanced plasma cell differentiation. PU.1 and SpiB regulate the expression of many components of the B cell receptor signaling pathway and the receptors for CD40L, BAFF and TLR ligands. Thus, PU.1 and SpiB enable B cells to appropriately respond to environmental cues.
A glimpse of gluons through deeply virtual compton scattering on the proton
Authors: Defurne M. , Jiménez-Argüello A. Martí , Ahmed Z. , Albataineh H. , Allada K. , Aniol K. A. , Bellini V. , Benali M. , Boeglin W. , Bertin P. , Brossard M. , Camsonne A. , Canan M. , Chandavar S. , Chen C. , Chen J.-P. , de Jager C. W. , de Leo R. , Desnault C. , Deur A. , El Fassi L. , Ent R. , Flay D. , Friend M. , Fuchey E. , Frullani S. , Garibaldi F. , Gaskell D. , Giusa A. , Glamazdin O. , Golge S. , Gomez J. , Hansen O. , Higinbotham D. , Holmstrom T. , Horn T. , Huang J. , Huang M. , Hyde C. E. , Iqbal S. , Itard F. , Kang H. , Kelleher A. , Keppel C. , Koirala S. , Korover I. , LeRose J. J. , Lindgren R. , Long E. , Magne M. , Mammei J. , Margaziotis D. J. , Markowitz P. , Mazouz M. , Meddi F. , Meekins D. , Michaels R. , Mihovilovic M. , Camacho C. Muñoz , Nadel-Turonski P. , Nuruzzaman N. , Paremuzyan R. , Puckett A. , Punjabi V. , Qiang Y. , Rakhman A. , Rashad M. N. H. , Riordan S. , Roche J. , Russo G. , Sabatié F. , Saenboonruang K. , Saha A. , Sawatzky B. , Selvy L. , Shahinyan A. , Sirca S. , Solvignon P. , Sperduto M. L. , Subedi R. , Sulkosky V. , Sutera C. , Tobias W. A. , Urciuoli G. M. , Wang D. , Wojtsekhowski B. , Yao H. , Ye Z. , Zhan X. , Zhang J. , Zhao B. , Zhao Z. , Zheng X. , Zhu P.
Published: November 2017

The internal structure of nucleons (protons and neutrons) remains one of the greatest outstanding problems in modern nuclear physics. By scattering high-energy electrons off a proton we are able to resolve its fundamental constituents and probe their momenta and positions. Here we investigate the dynamics of quarks and gluons inside nucleons using deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS)—a highly virtual photon scatters off the proton, which subsequently radiates a photon. DVCS interferes with the Bethe-Heitler (BH) process, where the photon is emitted by the electron rather than the proton. We report herein the full determination of the BH-DVCS interference by exploiting the distinct energy dependences of the DVCS and BH amplitudes. In the regime where the scattering is expected to occur off a single quark, measurements show an intriguing sensitivity to gluons, the carriers of the strong interaction.
Bacteremic and non-bacteremic pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter baumannii in ICUs of South China: A Clinical and Microbiological Study
Authors: Tan Yunfang , Zhou Kai , Tang Xiang , Kudinha Timothy , Wang Luxia , Guo Zhenghui , Akova Murat , Zhuo Chao
Published: November 2017

Acinetobacter baumannii has been a dreadful problem for ICU physicians for a long time. Bacteremic pneumonia (BP) caused by this organism has a higher mortality compared to other organisms. Between 2012 and 2015, 86 BP and 89 non-bacteremic pneumonia (NBP) patients from five ICUs were enrolled into the study. The 7-day and 14-day mortality rates were higher in BP patients than in NBP patients (P < 0.001). Procalcitonin elevation, high APACHEII score and recent surgery, were independently associated with BP episodes. Acute respiratory distress syndrome, coma, high APACHEII score and procalcitonin elevation, were independently associated with mortality in the BP group. Extensively drug-resistant isolates were detected in 34.9% of BP and 25.8% of NBP isolates. PFGE identified 12 and 9 genotypes in the BP and NBP isolates, respectively, with 6 genotypes shared by both groups. ST195 was the most prevalent type (40%), followed by ST457 (18.9%). The pandemic clonal complex 92 was predominant, accounting for 94.3% of the strains. For all studied periods, mortality remained higher in the BP than the NBP group. Disease severity was the main risk factor for high mortality in the BP group, and other factors related to mortality were infection, and not treatment or microbiology-related.
Molecular speciation and transformation of soil legacy phosphorus with and without long-term phosphorus fertilization: Insights from bulk and microprobe spectroscopy
Authors: Liu Jin , Yang Jianjun , Cade-Menun Barbara J. , Hu Yongfeng , Li Jumei , Peng Chang , Ma Yibing
Published: November 2017

Soil legacy phosphorus (P) represents a substantial secondary P resource to postpone the global P crisis. To fully utilize this P reserve, the transformation of legacy P speciation in a black soil with and without P fertilization for 27 years was investigated by chemical fractionation, molecular-level bulk (P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge, XANES; solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance) and microprobe (µ-X-ray fluorescence and µ-XANES) spectroscopy. Results from both fractionation and P bulk-XANES concordantly indicated that Ca2-P [Ca(H2PO4)2] acts as a reserve of labile P in response to soils with or without P fertilization. Cropping for 27 years depleted hydroxyapatite while enriched iron-bound P in soils irrespective of P application. Similar accumulation of soil organic P (Po), probably due to root residue inputs, occurred in both soils with and without P fertilization; the accumulated Po was present as orthophosphate diesters in soils with P fertilization more than in soils without P fertilization, suggesting that the release of labile Po was triggered by soil P deficits. These results provide vital information for agronomically and environmentally sustainable P management by demonstrating the potential crop availability of legacy soil P, which could reduce future P fertilization.
A transcriptomic study of myogenic differentiation under the overexpression of PPARγ by RNA-Seq
Authors: He Kan , Wu Guoying , Li Wen-Xing , Guan Daogang , Lv Wenwen , Gong Mengting , Ye Shoudong , Lu Aiping
Published: November 2017

To study the cellular and molecular function of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in skeletal muscle differentiation, we have generated inducible gain-of-function to overexpress PPARγ in C2C12 myoblasts. In order to identify PPARγ targets, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to evaluate and quantify the transcriptomes and expression patterns during myogenic differentiation under the overexpression of PPARγ. The formation of myotubes and the expression of muscle-specific myogenic genes such as MyoD and MyoG may be inhibited by PPARγ overexpression. Multiple genes and pathways were significantly involved in this process, including 11 genes such as Fndc9 and Slc14a1 with fundamental change of regulation modes, 9 genes of which were validated by the data of qRT-PCR. Our studies demonstrate that PPARγ would play critical roles on myoblasts differentiation, mediating crosstalk among several pathways and transcription factors. Our data is available in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database with the accession number as GSE99399.
Climate induced human demographic and cultural change in northern Europe during the mid-Holocene
Authors: Warden L. , Moros M. , Neumann T. , Shennan S. , Timpson A. , Manning K. , Sollai M. , Wacker L. , Perner K. , Häusler K. , Leipe T. , Zillén L. , Kotilainen A. , Jansen E. , Schneider R. R. , Oeberst R. , Arz H. , Sinninghe Damsté J. S.
Published: November 2017

The transition from hunter-gatherer-fisher groups to agrarian societies is arguably the most significant change in human prehistory. In the European plain there is evidence for fully developed agrarian societies by 7,500 cal. yr BP, yet a well-established agrarian society does not appear in the north until 6,000 cal. yr BP for unknown reasons. Here we show a sudden increase in summer temperature at 6,000 cal. yr BP in northern Europe using a well-dated, high resolution record of sea surface temperature (SST) from the Baltic Sea. This temperature rise resulted in hypoxic conditions across the entire Baltic sea as revealed by multiple sedimentary records and supported by marine ecosystem modeling. Comparison with summed probability distributions of radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites indicate that this temperature rise coincided with both the introduction of farming, and a dramatic population increase. The evidence supports the hypothesis that the boundary of farming rapidly extended north at 6,000 cal. yr BP because terrestrial conditions in a previously marginal region improved.
Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of PKM2 protein expression in cirrhotic hepatocellular carcinoma and non-cirrhotic hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Liu Yan , Wu Hao , Mei Ying , Ding Xiong , Yang Xiaoli , Li Changping , Deng Mingming , Gong Jianping
Published: November 2017

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), a key protein in glucose and lipid metabolism, has been reported to be related to carcinogenesis in various malignancies. However, its roles in hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhotic liver (CL) and hepatocellular carcinoma with non-cirrhoticliver (NCL) haves not been investigated. In our study western bloting, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate the clinical significance of PKM2 protein expression in CL and NCL. The results revealed that PKM2 protein expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in their adjacent non-tumour tissues. The high expression rates of PKM2 were more frequently noted in CL (45. 6%) than in NCL (31. 9%) tissues. High PKM2 expression in CL and NCL tissues was significantly associated with vascular invasion (P = 0.002 and P = 0.004, respectively) and intrahepatic metastasis (P < 0.001 and P = 0.019, respectively). Importantly, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that the disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were lower in CL with high PKM2 expression than in NCL with high PKM2 expression (P = 0.003 and P = 0.003, respectively). Overall, high PKM2 expression was more frequently found in CL than in NCL, and PKM2 overexpression was associated with poor survival rates in patients with CL and NCL.
Rab5 is critical for SNAP23 regulated granule-granule fusion during compound exocytosis
Authors: Klein Ofir , Roded Amit , Zur Neta , Azouz Nurit P. , Pasternak Olga , Hirschberg Koret , Hammel Ilan , Roche Paul A. , Yatsu Ayaka , Fukuda Mitsunori , Galli Stephen J. , Sagi-Eisenberg Ronit
Published: November 2017

Compound exocytosis is considered the most massive mode of exocytosis, during which the membranes of secretory granules (SGs) fuse with each other to form a channel through which the entire contents of their granules is released. The underlying mechanisms of compound exocytosis remain largely unresolved. Here we show that the small GTPase Rab5, a known regulator of endocytosis, is pivotal for compound exocytosis in mast cells. Silencing of Rab5 shifts receptor-triggered secretion from a compound to a full exocytosis mode, in which SGs individually fuse with the plasma membrane. Moreover, we show that Rab5 is essential for FcεRI-triggered association of the SNARE protein SNAP23 with the SGs. Direct evidence is provided for SNAP23 involvement in homotypic SG fusion that occurs in the activated cells. Finally, we show that this fusion event is prevented by inhibition of the IKKβ2 kinase, however, neither a phosphorylation-deficient nor a phosphomimetic mutant of SNAP23 can mediate homotypic SG fusion in triggered cells. Taken together our findings identify Rab5 as a heretofore-unrecognized regulator of compound exocytosis that is essential for SNAP23-mediated granule-granule fusion. Our results also implicate phosphorylation cycles in controlling SNAP23 SNARE function in homotypic SG fusion.
Efficient multiparty quantum key agreement with collective detection
Authors: Huang Wei , Su Qi , Liu Bin , He Yuan-Hang , Fan Fan , Xu Bing-Jie
Published: November 2017

As a burgeoning branch of quantum cryptography, quantum key agreement is a kind of key establishing processes where the security and fairness of the established common key should be guaranteed simultaneously. However, the difficulty on designing a qualified quantum key agreement protocol increases significantly with the increase of the number of the involved participants. Thus far, only few of the existing multiparty quantum key agreement (MQKA) protocols can really achieve security and fairness. Nevertheless, these qualified MQKA protocols are either too inefficient or too impractical. In this paper, an MQKA protocol is proposed with single photons in travelling mode. Since only one eavesdropping detection is needed in the proposed protocol, the qubit efficiency and measurement efficiency of it are higher than those of the existing ones in theory. Compared with the protocols which make use of the entangled states or multi-particle measurements, the proposed protocol is more feasible with the current technologies. Security and fairness analysis shows that the proposed protocol is not only immune to the attacks from external eavesdroppers, but also free from the attacks from internal betrayers.
Hearing with exceptionally thin tympana: Ear morphology and tympanal membrane vibrations in eneopterine crickets
Authors: Schneider Erik S. , Römer Heinrich , Robillard Tony , Schmidt Arne K. D.
Published: November 2017

The receiver sensory system plays a crucial role in the evolution of new communication signals in insects. Among acoustic communicating crickets, the tribe Lebinthini (Eneopterinae) has evolved a unique communication system in that males produce exceptionally high-frequency calls and females respond with vibratory signals to guide males towards them. In this study, we describe nine species of Eneopterinae in which the sound receiving structures have undergone considerable morphological changes. We revealed that the anterior tympanal membrane (ATM) of the ear was extremely thin, as little as 0.35 µm thick, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the thinnest tympanal membrane found in crickets thus far. Measurements of tympanum vibrations obtained fromLebinthus bitaeniatusdemonstrated a strong sensitivity towards higher frequencies. The finding also coincides with the neuronal tuning of ascending neurons and the behavioural response of the Lebinthini. The morphologically specialized ATM and its mechanical sensitivity for high frequencies, therefore, may have driven the sensory exploitation of an anti-predator behaviour that led to the evolution of a new communication system known for this group of crickets. The hypothetical phylogenetic origin of the investigated tympanal ears is discussed.
Bayesian Networks Analysis of Malocclusion Data
Authors: Scutari Marco , Auconi Pietro , Caldarelli Guido , Franchi Lorenzo
Published: November 2017

In this paper we use Bayesian networks to determine and visualise the interactions among various Class III malocclusion maxillofacial features during growth and treatment. We start from a sample of 143 patients characterised through a series of a maximum of 21 different craniofacial features. We estimate a network model from these data and we test its consistency by verifying some commonly accepted hypotheses on the evolution of these disharmonies by means of Bayesian statistics. We show that untreated subjects develop different Class III craniofacial growth patterns as compared to patients submitted to orthodontic treatment with rapid maxillary expansion and facemask therapy. Among treated patients the CoA segment (the maxillary length) and the ANB angle (the antero-posterior relation of the maxilla to the mandible) seem to be the skeletal subspaces that receive the main effect of the treatment.
Reduced hepatitis B and D viral entry using clinically applied drugs as novel inhibitors of the bile acid transporter NTCP
Authors: Donkers Joanne M. , Zehnder Benno , van Westen Gerard J. P. , Kwakkenbos Mark J. , IJzerman Adriaan P. , Oude Elferink Ronald P. J. , Beuers Ulrich , Urban Stephan , van de Graaf Stan F. J.
Published: November 2017

The sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP, SLC10A1) is the main hepatic transporter of conjugated bile acids, and the entry receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV). Myrcludex B, a synthetic peptide mimicking the NTCP-binding domain of HBV, effectively blocks HBV and HDV infection. In addition, Myrcludex B inhibits NTCP-mediated bile acid uptake, suggesting that also other NTCP inhibitors could potentially be a novel treatment of HBV/HDV infection. This study aims to identify clinically-applied compounds intervening with NTCP-mediated bile acid transport and HBV/HDV infection. 1280 FDA/EMA-approved drugs were screened to identify compounds that reduce uptake of taurocholic acid and lower Myrcludex B-binding in U2OS cells stably expressing human NTCP. HBV/HDV viral entry inhibition was studied in HepaRG cells. The four most potent inhibitors of human NTCP were rosiglitazone (IC50 5.1 µM), zafirlukast (IC50 6.5 µM), TRIAC (IC50 6.9 µM), and sulfasalazine (IC50 9.6 µM). Chicago sky blue 6B (IC50 7.1 µM) inhibited both NTCP and ASBT, a distinct though related bile acid transporter. Rosiglitazone, zafirlukast, TRIAC, sulfasalazine, and chicago sky blue 6B reduced HBV/HDV infection in HepaRG cells in a dose-dependent manner. Five out of 1280 clinically approved drugs were identified that inhibit NTCP-mediated bile acid uptake and HBV/HDV infection in vitro.
Minimally Invasive Hemostatic Materials: Tackling a Dilemma of Fluidity and Adhesion by Photopolymerization in situ
Authors: Zhang Yun , Song Dandan , Huang Hong , Liang Zhiling , Liu Houhe , Huang Yugang , Zhong Cheng , Ye Guodong
Published: November 2017

Hemostasis in vivo is a key to success in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). However, solid hemostatic materials cannot pass through the sheath tube of the MIS apparatus, while liquid ones are restricted by their low adhesion, which leads to them peeling off of tissue. To tackle the dilemma of fluidity and adhesion, a formulation containing a multifunctional sucrose allyl ether (SAE) monomer and an alpha-hydroxyketone liquid photoinitiator (HMPP) was applied as a lead hemostatic material for MIS. Real-time infrared results showed that SAE initiated by HMPP can rapidly polymerize into a transparent crosslinking membrane. Quantum chemistry showed that this occurs via a free radical addition reaction mechanism. Thermodynamic properties, such as reaction driving force and enthalpy change, were similar to those for a corresponding small molecular analogue, allyl methyl ether (AME), but the addition rate was lower than that for AME. The CC50 values of SAE and HMPP were also obtained by cell experiments. A hemostasis experiment in vivo was performed by comparing the formulation with chitosan and a traditional Chinese medicine (Yunnan Baiyao powder). The result showed that the formulation had a competitive advantage for use in MIS.