bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimization of slow cooling cryopreservation for human pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Miyazaki Takamichi , Nakatsuji Norio , Suemori Hirofumi
Published: November 2013

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the potential for unlimited expansion and differentiation into cell types of all three germ layers. Cryopreservation is a key process for successful application of hPSCs. However, the current conventional method leads to poor recovery of hPSCs after thawing. Here, we demonstrate a highly efficient recovery method for hPSC cryopreservation by slow freezing and single‐cell dissociation. After confirming hPSC survivability after freeze‐thawing, we found that hPSCs that were freeze‐thawed as colonies showed markedly decreased survival, whereas freeze‐thawed single hPSCs retained the majority of their viability. These observations indicated that hPSCs should be cryopreserved as single cells. Freeze‐thawed single hPSCs efficiently adhered and survived in the absence of a ROCK inhibitor by optimization of the seeding density. The high recovery rate enabled conventional colony passaging for subculture within 3 days post‐thawing. The improved method was also adapted to a xeno‐free culture system. Moreover, the cell recovery postcryopreservation was highly supported by coating culture surfaces with human laminin‐521 that promotes adhesion of dissociated single hPSCs. This simplified but highly efficient cryopreservation method allows easy handling of cells and bulk storage of high‐quality hPSCs. genesis 52:49–55, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Group 8 Transition Metal Complexes of the Tripodal Triphosphino Ligands PhSi(CH2PR2)3 (R = Ph, iPr)
Authors: Neumeyer Felix , Lipschutz Michael I. , Tilley T. Don
Published: November 2013

A series of group 8 transition metal complexes of new tridentate phosphine ligands with Fe, Ru, and Os were prepared. The new complexes were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography.
An Approach to the Carbon Backbone of Bielschowskysin, Part 1: Photocyclization Strategy
Authors: Himmelbauer Martin , Farcet Jean‐Baptiste , Gagnepain Julien , Mulzer Johann
Published: November 2013

Several macrocyclization reaction attempts of highly advanced precursors toward a total synthesis of marine diterpene bielschowskysin are disclosed. Biomimetic [2+2]‐photocyclization reactions were applied to construct the cyclobutane core in these intermediates, which could be accessed along scalable high‐yielding reaction sequences from cheap enantiopure starting‐materials.
The Effects of Outsourcing and Devolvement on the Strategic Position of HR Departments
Authors: Reichel Astrid , Lazarova Mila
Published: November 2013

This article critically examines how outsourcing and devolvement of HR activities influence the strategic position of HR departments. Past research has offered conflicting predictions about their impact, ranging from a very positive move of HR departments to powerful strategic positions to a rather negative move toward marginality as their tasks are being taken over by either external providers or line managers. In an effort to resolve existing inconsistencies in the literature, we base our propositions on the strategic contingency theory of subunit power (Hickson, Hinings, Lee, Schneck, & Pennings, 1971). Our results suggest that the strategic position of HR departments is negatively influenced by devolvement to line management and positively influenced by outsourcing of noncore HR tasks. No significant effect of outsourcing core HR activities was found. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evolutionarily dynamic roles of a PUF RNA‐binding protein in the somatic development of Caenorhabditis briggsae
Authors: Liu Qinwen , Haag Eric S.
Published: November 2013

Gene duplication and divergence has emerged as an important aspect of developmental evolution. The genomes of Caenorhabditis nematodes encode an ancient family of PUF RNA‐binding proteins. Most have been implicated in germline development, and are often redundant with paralogs of the same sub‐family. An exception is Cbr‐puf‐2 (one of three Caenorhabditis briggsae PUF‐2 sub‐family paralogs), which is required for development past the second larval stage. Here, we provide a detailed functional characterization of Cbr‐puf‐2. The larval arrest of Cbr‐puf‐2 mutant animals is caused by inefficient breakdown of bacterial food, which leads to starvation. Cbr‐puf‐2 is required for the normal grinding cycle of the muscular terminal bulb during early larval stages, and is transiently expressed in this tissue. In addition, rescue of larval arrest reveals that Cbr‐puf‐2 also promotes normal vulval development. It is expressed in the anchor cell (which induces vulval fate) and vulval muscles, but not in the vulva precursor cells (VPCs) themselves. This contrasts with the VPC‐autonomous repression of vulval development described for the Caenorhabditis elegans homologs fbf‐1/2. These different roles for PUF proteins occur even as the vulva and pharynx maintain highly conserved anatomies across Caenorhabditis, indicating pervasive developmental system drift (DSD). Because Cbr‐PUF‐2 shares RNA‐binding specificity with its paralogs and with C. elegans FBF, we suggest that functional novelty of RNA‐binding proteins evolves through changes in the site of their expression, perhaps in concert with cis‐regulatory evolution in target mRNAs. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 322B: 129–141, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Novel 5‐Acetyl‐3‐aryl‐2‐thioxo‐dihydropyrimidine‐4,6(1H,5H)‐diones: One Pot Three‐Component Synthesis, Characterization and Antibacterial Activity
Authors: Saeed Aamer , Abbas Naeem , Ashraf Zaman , Bolte Michael
Published: November 2013

A series of new 5‐substituted thiobarbituric acid derivatives 5‐acetyl‐3‐aryl‐2‐thioxo‐dihydropyrimidine‐4,6(1H,5H)‐diones (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) were synthesized by one pot cyclocondensation of 1‐aroyl‐3‐arylthioureas with malonic acid in the presence of acetic anhydride. These compounds exist in equilibrium with their enolic tautomeric forms 5‐(1‐hydroxy ethylidene)‐3‐aryl‐2‐thioxo‐dihydropyrimidine‐4,6‐(1H,5H)‐diones. The structures were confirmed by spectroscopic data, elemental analyses and in case of the 2d by single crystal X‐ray diffraction data. A plausible mechanism for the formation of products is also proposed. Compounds (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) were evaluated for their preliminary antibacterial activity against a representative panel of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria using levofloxacin as the reference drug and were found to exhibit promising activity. The tested compounds displayed different levels of inhibitory effects on bacterial strains. Compound 2b showed the maximum efficacy against pathogenic bacteria and was identified as the lead molecule for further structural modifications.
INTERNATIONAL CRISES AND DEVELOPING ECONOMIES: LINKAGES AND RECENT EXPERIENCES
Authors: Amann Edmund , Lawson David
Published: November 2013

This article provides the theoretical and empirical context to the papers contained in this special issue. We provide background on the recent developed country financial crisis and perspective via a review of prior shocks and crises. The paper then considers the transmission mechanisms through which economic crises can affect economies and individuals in the developing world. The linkages centre on trade, capital flows and remittances. This section also critically surveys the literature concerning the macroeconomic and microeconomic impact of such crises on developing countries. Finally, we review the papers that comprise the special issue, before providing some policy conclusions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FINANCIAL CRISIS IN ASIA: ITS GENESIS, SEVERITY AND IMPACT ON POVERTY AND HUNGER
Authors: Imai Katsushi S. , Gaiha Raghav , Thapa Ganesh , Annim Samuel Kobina
Published: November 2013

Building on the recent literature on finance, growth and hunger, we have examined the experience of Asian countries over the period 1960–2010 by dynamic and static panel data models. We have found evidence favouring a positive role of finance—defined as private credit by banks—on growth of GDP and agricultural value added. Private credit as well as loans from the World Bank significantly reduces undernourishment, whereas remittances and loans from microfinance institutions appear to have a negative impact on poverty. Our empirical evidence shows that growth performance was significantly lower during the recent global financial crisis than non‐crisis periods, although the severity is much smaller during the recent financial crisis than Asian financial crisis. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Helping Identify the Most Efficient Chinese Companies Using the Risk‐Weighted Alpha Index Method
Authors: Agarwal Nipun
Published: November 2013

The proposed method can help identify the most efficient Chinese companies using the risk‐weighted alpha index by identifying stocks providing increasing returns with lower volatility than existing stock indexation methods.
Epigenetic regulation of ANKRD18B in lung cancer
Authors: Liu Wen‐Bin , Han Fei , Jiang Xiao , Yin Li , Chen Hong‐Qiang , Li Yong‐Hong , Liu Yong , Cao Jia , Liu Jin‐Yi
Published: November 2013

The identification of the key genetic and epigenetic changes underlying lung carcinogenesis would aid effective early diagnosis and targeted therapies for lung cancer. In this study, we screened a novel hypermethylated gene ankyrin repeat domain 18B (ANKRD18B), to determine whether it is regulated by DNA methylation and clarify its biological and clinical implications in lung cancer. Methylation status and expression level were analyzed by methylation‐specific PCR, bisulfite genomic sequencing, and quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). We detected ANKRD18B hypermethylation in 52 of 98 (53.1%) primary lung cancer tissues and in nine of 10 (90%) cell lines, whereas no methylation was seen in 10 normal lung tissue samples. ANKRD18B methylation was more frequently observed in patients with poor differentiation (P < 0.05). Notably, 62 pairs of samples from patients whose tumor tissue showed hypermethylation of ANKRD18B exhibited the same aberrant methylation in 72.7% and 69.7% of their corresponding plasma and sputum samples, respectively; whereas no hypermethylation of ANKRD18B was detected in the sputum and plasma from patients whose tumor sample lacked this alteration. In addition, ANKRD18B mRNA expression was significantly decreased or silenced in lung cancer tissues and cell lines associated with hypermethylation of the ANKRD18B region. Demethylation agent 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine significantly increased ANKRD18B mRNA expression in lung cancer cell lines. Furthermore, overexpression of ANKRD18B suppressed lung cancer cell growth. These results suggest that the expression of ANKRD18B is regulated by CpG island hypermethylation in lung cancer. Our findings confirm the importance of the identification of new markers of epigenetic dysregulation in cancer. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Chinese herbs Scutellaria baicalensis and Fritillaria cirrhosa target NFκB to inhibit proliferation of ovarian and endometrial cancer cells
Authors: Kavandi Leyla , Lee Laura R. , Bokhari Amber A. , Pirog John E. , Jiang Yongping , Ahmad Kashif A. , Syed Viqar
Published: November 2013

The herbs Scutellaria baicalensis (SB) and Fritillaria cirrhosa (FC) are widely used in Chinese medicine to treat several aliments and as an adjuvant to chemotherapy of lung cancer. No information is available regarding the two herbs' influence on ovarian and endometrial cancer. To fill this data gap we compared cell growth responses to SB and FC in ovarian and endometrial cancer cell lines. Dose‐dependent cell growth inhibition was observed following higher doses in all cell lines while lower doses stimulated growth in only endometrial cell lines. Higher doses of SB and FC significantly decreased cell growth on soft agar and decreased the invasive potential of cancer cells. Treatment of cells with both herbs resulted in activation of caspase‐3, G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest, downregulation of cyclins D1 and D3 and induction of p27. Both herbs decreased NFκB DNA binding, reduced expression of phosphorylated IκBα, abrogated NFκB activation, and downregulated NFκB‐regulated metastasis‐promoting proteins in cancer cells. Furthermore, knockdown of NFκB attenuated SB‐ and FC‐induced cell growth inhibition. These results suggest that inhibition of NFκB activation may be an important mechanism for growth suppression by SB and FC. Data indicate that these herbs may represent a new source of agents for NFκB inhibition in cancer therapy. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Polypeptide/Multiwalled carbon nanotube hybrid complexes stabilized through noncovalent bonding interactions
Authors: Lin Yung‐Chih , Kuo Shiao‐Wei
Published: November 2013

In this study, we used click chemistry to synthesize new linear polypeptide‐g‐pyrene polymers from a mono‐azido‐functionalized pyrene derivative (N3‐Py) and several poly(γ‐propargyl‐l‐glutamate) (PPLG) oligomers. Incorporating the pyrene units as side chains enhanced the α‐helical conformations of these PPLG oligomers in the solid state, as determined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy; it also increased the temperature stability of the α‐helical secondary structures of the grafted PPLG oligomers, relative to those of the pure PPLG species, as revealed through temperature‐dependent FTIR spectroscopic analyses. In addition, the thermal properties of the PPLG‐g‐Py polypeptides (e.g., glass transition temperatures increased by ca. 100 °C) were superior to those of pure PPLG oligomers. Mixing the PPLG‐g‐Py oligomers with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in dimethylformamide led to the formation of highly dispersible PPLG‐g‐Py/MWCNT organic/inorganic hybrid complex materials. Fluorescence emission spectra revealed significant π–π stacking between the PPLG‐g‐Py oligomers and the MWCNTs in these complexes. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 321–329
Loss‐tolerant authentication with digital signatures
Authors: Lv Xixiang , Mu Yi , Li Hui
Published: November 2013

Consider a signed file that cannot be verified because of some fraction loss or noise, which might not affect the business of users. It would be desirable for the verifier to locate the damaged fractions so that the authenticity of other components of the file can be ensured. Thereafter, the verifier can decide whether or not to accept it. To address this issue, in this paper, we present a loss‐tolerant authentication scheme, which allows the verifier to locate the damaged elements in the signed file stream. Our idea is to allow the signed file to be fragmented, and each fragment is appended a short authentication tag, which enables the verifier to find the modified fragments in the signed file and verify the signature even if some fragments are lost. The proposed scheme adopts a combination of Reed–Solomon error correction and erasure codes, aiming to allow verifiers to locate the modified fractions and thereafter reconstruct the signature when sufficient original fractions of the file are obtained. Our scheme offers many potential applications such as loss‐tolerant transmission and storage. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of landscape characteristics on retention of expandable radiocollars on young ungulates
Authors: Grovenburg Troy W. , Klaver Robert W. , Jacques Christopher N. , Brinkman Todd J. , Swanson Christopher C. , DePerno Christopher S. , Monteith Kevin L. , Sievers Jaret D. , Bleich Vernon C. , Kie John G. , Jenks Jonathan A.
Published: November 2013

One tool used for wildlife management is the deployment of radiocollars to gain knowledge of animal populations. Understanding the influence of individual factors (e.g., species, collar characteristics) and landscape characteristics (e.g., forested cover, shrubs, and fencing) on retention of expandable radiocollars for ungulates is important for obtaining empirical data on factors influencing ecology of young‐of‐the‐year ungulates. During 2001–2009, we captured and radiocollared 198 white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns, 142 pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) fawns, and 73 mule deer (O. hemionus) fawns in South Dakota, Minnesota, and California, USA. We documented 72 (36.4%), 8 (5.6%), and 7 (9.6%) premature (<270 days post‐capture) collar losses among white‐tailed deer, pronghorn, and mule deer, respectively. Probability of a collar being retained for 270 days was 0.36 (SE = 0.05, 95% CI = 0.27–0.47), 0.91 (SE = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.82–0.96), and 0.87 (SE = 0.05, 95% CI = 0.73–0.94) for white‐tailed deer, pronghorn, and mule deer fawns, respectively. Agricultural fencing, which varied among study areas and thus species, seemed to influence collar retention; fencing density was 69% lower in areas where fawns retained collars ( = 1.00 km/km2, SE = 0.1, n = 75) compared with areas where fawns shed collars ( = 3.24 km/km2, SE = 0.1, n = 56) prior to 270 days. Researchers of fawns should consider that radiocollars can be shed prematurely when estimating desired sample size to yield a suitable strength of inference about some natural process of interest. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
Monitoring whooping crane abundance using aerial surveys: Influences on detectability
Authors: Strobel Bradley N. , Butler Matthew J.
Published: November 2013

The whooping crane (Grus americana), an endangered species, has been counted on its winter grounds in Texas, USA, since 1950 using fixed‐wing aircraft. Many shortcomings of the traditional survey technique have been identified, calling into question its efficacy, defensibility, repeatability, and usefulness into the future. To improve and standardize monitoring effort, we began investigating new survey techniques. Here we focus on efficacy of line transect‐based distance sampling during aerial surveys. We conducted a preliminary test of distance sampling during winter 2010–2011 while flying the traditional survey, which indicated that detectability within 500 m of transects was 0.558 (SE = 0.031). We then used an experimental decoy survey to evaluate impacts of observer experience, sun position, distance from transect, and group size on detectability. Our results indicated decoy detectability increased with group size and exhibited a quadratic relationship with distance likely due to pontoons on the aircraft. We found that detectability was 2.704 times greater when the sun was overhead and 3.912 times greater when the sun was at the observer's back than when it was in the observer's eyes. We found that an inexperienced observer misclassified non‐target objects more often than an experienced observer. During the decoy experiment we used marks on the struts to categorize distances into intervals, but we found that observers misclassified distances 46.7% of the time (95% CI = 37.0–56.6%). Also, we found that detectability of individuals within detected groups was affected by group size and distance from transect. We discuss how these results inform design and implementation of future whooping crane monitoring efforts. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Regulatory variation: an emerging vantage point for cancer biology
Authors: Li Luolan , Lorzadeh Alireza , Hirst Martin
Published: November 2013

Transcriptional regulation involves complex and interdependent interactions of noncoding and coding regions of the genome with proteins that interact and modify them. Genetic variation/mutation in coding and noncoding regions of the genome can drive aberrant transcription and disease. In spite of accounting for nearly 98% of the genome comparatively little is known about the contribution of noncoding DNA elements to disease. Genome‐wide association studies of complex human diseases including cancer have revealed enrichment for variants in the noncoding genome. A striking finding of recent cancer genome re‐sequencing efforts has been the previously underappreciated frequency of mutations in epigenetic modifiers across a wide range of cancer types. Taken together these results point to the importance of dysregulation in transcriptional regulatory control in genesis of cancer. Powered by recent technological advancements in functional genomic profiling, exploration of normal and transformed regulatory networks will provide novel insight into the initiation and progression of cancer and open new windows to future prognostic and diagnostic tools. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2014, 6:37–59. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1250

This article is categorized under:

Biological Mechanisms > Regulatory Biology
C1‐continuous FEM for Kirchhoff plates and large deformation
Authors: Rückert Jens , Meyer Arnd
Published: November 2013

In this article we present a theory for large deformation of plates. Herein we combine aspects of the common 3D‐theory for large deformation with the Kirchhoff hypothesis for reducing the dimension from 3D to 2D. Even though the Kirchhoff assumption was developed for small strain and linear material laws, we want to investigate the deformation of thin plates made of isotropic non‐linear material as a numerical experiment. Finally a heavily deformed shell without any change in thickness arises. This way of modeling leads to a two‐dimensional strain tensor essentially depending on the first two fundamental forms of the deformed mid surface. Minimizing the resulting deformation energy one ends up with a non‐linear equation system defining the unknown displacement vector U. The aim of this article is to apply the incremental Newton technique with a conformal, C1‐continuous finite element discretization. For this the computation of the second derivative of the energy functional is the key difficulty and the most time consuming part of the algorithm. We demonstrate the practicability and fast convergence.
FRENCH CROSSINGS IV: VAGARIES OF PASSION AND POWER IN ENLIGHTENMENT PARIS
Authors: Jones Colin
Published: November 2013

This paper examines female libertinism in eighteenth-century France, highlighting the hybrid identity of actress, courtesan and prostitute of female performers at the Paris Opéra. The main focus is on the celebrated singer, Sophie Arnould. She and others like her achieved celebrity by moving seamlessly between these three facets of their identity. Their celebrity also allowed them to circulate within the highest social circles. Feminists of the 1790s such as Olympe de Gouges and Théroigne de Méricourt had pre-Revolutionary careers that were very similar to those of Arnould. It is suggested that understanding this kind of individual in Ancien Régime France can help us to identify a neglected libertine strand within Enlightenment culture, that merged into proto-feminism in the French Revolution. The paper offers a new approach to some of the origins of modern French feminism.
SAFETY FIRST: THE SECURITY OF BRITONS IN INDIA, 1946–1947
Authors: Talbot Ian
Published: November 2013

A month into his viceroyalty, Lord Mountbatten took time out from sounding Indian political opinion about independence to discuss the future security of British residents with his provincial governors. By this stage, the concerns stemmed from fears of a general breakdown in law and order and Hindu–Muslim conflict rather than nationalist assault. Detailed plans were developed for a sea-borne evacuation. In the event, the only Britons who were evacuated were those airlifted from Srinagar in November 1947 as they were in the path of an invasion of the disputed Kashmir territory by Pakhtun tribesmen from Pakistan. Despite numerous articles on the British departure from India and the aftermath of Partition, little has been written about either the airlift or the broader strategic planning for European evacuation. The paper will focus on this neglected corner of the history of the transfer of power. It argues that while anti-British sentiment declined from a peak around the time of the Indian National Army trials, of 1945–6, the memories of the wartime chaotic flight from Burma and Malaya and the irreparable damage this had done to British prestige in Asia coloured the safety first approach adopted in 1947.
PREVENTION OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURES WITH WEAK FOREWARNING SIGNALS
Authors: Kwon H. Dharma
Published: November 2013

We consider the problem of a firm facing failures with weak forewarning signals. In the base model that we study, the firm watches for signals of a random arrival of a disruptive innovation and continuously updates the posterior probability that a disruptive innovation has already happened. A disruptive innovation is marked by a rapid increase in the growth rate of the market for a new technology, and it is followed by a random arrival of catastrophic failure of the firm. The firm can invest capital to adopt the innovation to prevent failure. The optimal policy is to adopt it when the posterior probability exceeds an optimally chosen threshold. We investigate the probability of failure under the optimal policy when the cost of failure is large and the arrival rate of disruptive innovation is low. The probability of failure is close to one if the arrival rate is extremely low while it is close to zero if the arrival rate is moderate. We also consider an extension of the base model to incorporate recurrence of disruptive innovation; when the arrival rate is moderate, the optimal threshold and the failure probability can be significantly larger than those of the base model.
Overview: A Closer Look At The ‘Remarkable Decade’
Authors: Archibald Zosia
Published: November 2013

A wealth of data, providing both nuanced understanding and occasionally ‘white noise’

Last year I referred to the ‘remarkable decade’ of archaeological investigation, the decade following the turn of the millennium, when Greece as a nation, and the city of Athens and Attica at large, prepared for the 2004 Olympic Games; when cities and countryside benefited in a variety of ways from the cumulative cultural investment of European Union, philanthropic and commercial funding to expand the scope of the country's heritage. New sites were investigated and new museums opened their doors, with a host of conservators and designers deployed to support them. That was before the economic downturn of 2008 and the consequent contraction of fieldwork, of professional and technical staff, and of research services in general.

The fruits of the ‘remarkable decade’ are nevertheless continuing to appear in books and journals. Robert Pitt provided the first glimpse of these developments in his report on Athens and Attica (AR 57 [2010–2011] 31–48), drawing on the first fascicule of volumes 56–59 [2001–2004] of ADelt, to which archaeologists are required to report their work in the year in which it took place. ADelt is a necessarily cumbersome and slow publication, whose future is uncertain, as Cathy Morgan explained in her introduction to AG 2009–2010 (AR 56 [2009–2010] 1). The complexity of the process of collating, editing, and publishing archaeological work, of all periods, in a single book seems even less viable today as government budgets have become tightly constrained.
Thessaly (Prehistoric to Roman)
Authors: Stamatopoulou Maria
Published: November 2013

In this year's report I will focus on the presentation of the proceedings of AEThSE 3 which were distributed in spring 2013. The publication contains many very interesting articles on Thessaly that demonstrate the vitality and variety of the archaeological work (fieldwork, research and archival studies) conducted in the region, often under difficult circumstances. Although it has often been pointed out (during the conferences) that these meetings have become almost unmanageable, due to the very large number of participants (the volume on Thessaly is over 700 pages long), their importance is obvious. The regularity of the meetings and their prompt publication have increased our essential evidence for the region, but also enable scholars to draw comparisons and discern links among sites and between classes of material, and to illustrate the diachronic importance of key sites in the Thessalian landscape, thus adding greatly to our understanding of the region synchronically and diachronically.

As a number of articles from this volume were the focus of last year's report (for example: Roman Demetrias: Triantaphylopoulou [2012]; Kastro/Palaia Volou: Skafida [2012]; Phthiotic Thebes/Nea Anchialos: Dina [2012]; Tempe: Sdrolia [2012b]; Toufexis et al. [2012b]; fortification walls of Late Roman Larisa: Kontogiannopoulou [2012]; Kazanaki: Stantzouris and Panagiotis [2012]), I will concentrate here on new sites/material for reasons of brevity.
Synchronic variation in the expression of French negation: A Distributed Morphology approach
Authors: MEISNER CHARLOTTE , POMINO NATASCHA
Published: November 2013

This article discussesne-variation in French sentential negation based on the phonologically transcribed corpus T-zéro (cf. Meisner, in preparation) which allows a new interpretation of the facts. In the last decades, sociolinguistic and stylistic approaches to linguistic variation in French (cf. Armstrong, 2001) have shown that extra-linguistic factors, such as the speaker's age, sex, social background or geographic origin as well as the communication situation may have considerable influence on variablene-omission. However, in contrast to most sociolinguistic studies dedicated to this phenomenon (cf. Ashby, 1976, 1981, 2001; Armstrong and Smith, 2002; Coveney, 2002) we will focus on the linguistic factors influencingne-variation, since their importance is empirically evident but not yet fully exploited on a theoretical level.

One leading assumption with respect tone-variation in literature is that the particleneis most frequently retained in combination with a proper name or a full DP and is commonly omitted when combined with clitic subjects. However, there are many exceptions to this rule which, as we argue, can be better explained by considering the phonological form of the involved subject.Ne-realisation is treated here as an inner-grammatical phenomenon that is triggered by context sensitivity with regard to the element to its left, i.e. usually the grammatical subject, and not as a consequence of ‘code-switching’ between two grammars nor as a sociolinguistic variable characterising certain groups of speakers in the Labovian sense (cf. Labov, 1972), since we seek to describe general variational tendencies, present in nearly all speakers of contemporary European French. Our analysis, which is implemented in a Distributed Morphology framework (Halle & Marantz, 1994), is compatible, however, with stylistic approaches tone-variation, such as audience design (cf. Bell, 1984, 2001).
Novel agents in development for the treatment of depression
Authors: Grady Meghan M. , Stahl Stephen M.
Published: November 2013

There are several investigational drugs in development for the treatment of depression. Some of the novel antidepressants in development target monoaminergic neurotransmission in accordance with the “monoamine hypothesis of depression.” However, the current conceptualization of antidepressant actions is that it is the downstream effects on protein synthesis and neuroplasticity that account for therapeutic efficacy, rather than the immediate effects on synaptic monoamine levels. Thus, a number of novel agents in development directly target components of this “neuroplasticity hypothesis of depression,” including hypothetically overactive glutamatergic neurotransmission and dysfunctional hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis functioning.
Beyond consent and coercion: using republican political theory to understand international hierarchies
Authors: Lanoszka Alexander
Published: November 2013

In categorizing international hierarchies, theorists often emphasize some balance between levels of consent and coercion. I show that emphasis on these terms is conceptually problematic. Borrowing insights from republican political theory, I argue that we can better distinguish hierarchies on the basis of whether they feature domination. Under domination the subordinate’s freedom of choice is contingent upon the predilections of the superordinate state, which can assert its supremacy whenever and possibly, however, it may please. Moreover, subordinate states cannot unilaterally and peacefully withdraw from the hierarchy. By contrast, in hierarchies of non-domination the superordinate state enjoys the ‘powers of attorney’ with which it might be permitted to practice coercion in order to advance an agreed-upon goal. The contract underpinning this type of hierarchy also allows for the unilateral and peaceful termination by the subordinate, either through withdrawal or expiry. I demonstrate the applicability of this conceptual framework by examining Soviet and American relations with Central-Eastern and Western Europe, respectively, during the Cold War.
How the scope of a demand conveys resolve
Authors: Trager Robert F.
Published: November 2013

How does the scope of costless threats convey information about resolve to adversaries? Analysis of a model similar to Fearon demonstrates that higher demands increase perceptions of a state’s resolve to fight for more favorable outcomes when bargaining is such that both sides share in the benefits of avoiding conflict, in contrast to the ultimatum game, and making a credible high demand does not lead to a favorable outcome with certainty. Interestingly, compromise offers will be made even though they increase an adversary’s perception that the compromising state would be willing to make an even greater concession. In contrast to many other signaling mechanisms described in the literature, signaling of this sort does not depend on risking war and often reduces the probability of conflict.
Metacognitive monitoring and learning gain in foundation chemistry
Authors: Mathabathe Kgadi C. , Potgieter Marietjie
Published: November 2013

The ability to make realistic judgements of one's performance is a demonstration of the possession of strong metacognitive skills. In this study we investigate the relationship between accuracy of self-evaluation as an expression of metacognitive skill, and learning gain in stoichiometry. The context is an academic development programme at a South African University offered for under-prepared students enrolled for science and engineering. These students generally exhibit unrealistically high levels of confidence in performance and this could potentially place them at risk by negatively affecting decisions regarding time management and self-regulation. We investigated whether overconfidence before instruction is corrected upon exposure to teaching. A three-tier stoichiometry test was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data before and after instruction. Findings indicate that the majority of the students were overconfident in the evaluation of their performance in both the pre- and posttests. Overconfidence was not a debilitating disposition when demonstrated in the pretest provided that it was corrected during teaching and learning. The most vulnerable students were those that judged their performance or lack thereof realistically in the pretest but became overconfident during the teaching and learning of stoichiometry. Our results suggest that under-prepared students are slow in developing accurate metacognitive monitoring skills within a classroom environment that did not include instruction focused on the development of such skills. We recommend a proactive and constructive response by educators which may reduce the incidence of failure and preserve the positive contribution of confidence, albeit excessively positive.
Adsorption and chromatographic separation of rare earths with EDTA- and DTPA-functionalized chitosan biopolymers
Authors: Roosen Joris , Binnemans Koen
Published: November 2013

Dysprosium is enriched in comparison with neodymium at low pH values on EDTA- and DTPA-functionalized chitosan. The observed differences in selectivity are used to separate mixtures of rare earths by column chromatography.
Hybrid procedure including subtransmission systems and substations for reliability assessment
Authors: Martínez‐Lacañina Pedro J. , de la Villa‐Jaén Antonio , Martínez‐Ramos José L.
Published: November 2013

A new procedure focused on reliability analysis of subtransmission systems supported by the state enumeration technique is presented. This new methodology is conducted in three stages. First, a classical state enumeration reliability assessment is performed for the branch‐node model of a subtransmission system, assuming that substations are perfectly reliable. Second, a detailed model of the subtransmission system is considered and the reliability of each substation is assessed by considering them in a ‘one‐by‐one’ process, supposing perfect operation for the branch‐node model. Finally, the reliability indices calculated in the first and second stages are analytically combined to obtain the reliability indices for the subtransmission system (system reliability indices) and for the load nodes of the distribution system (load‐node reliability indices). Test results show that the proposed methodology is suitable for both planning studies and 24 h‐ahead security assessment.
Polarized Raman scattering analysis of Cu2ZnSnSe4 and Cu2ZnGeSe4 single crystals
Authors: Guc M. , Levcenko S. , Izquierdo-Roca V. , Fontané X. , Arushanov E. , Pérez-Rodríguez A.
Published: November 2013

The polarized Raman spectra of the Cu2ZnSnSe4 and Cu2ZnGeSe4 single crystals were measured for various in-plane rotation angles on the basal (1 1 2) crystal facet. The position of up to 15 (for Cu2ZnSnSe4) and 16 (for Cu2ZnGeSe4) Raman peaks was determined in the spectral region 50–300 cm−1. From the analysis of the experimental dependence of the intensity of the Raman peaks with the rotation angle, a symmetry assignment for most of the detected modes and an estimation of numerical values of Raman tensor elements were derived. The kesterite type structure of Cu2ZnSnSe4 and Cu2ZnGeSe4 single crystals was established by the quantity of the observed nonpolar A and polar B (TO+LO) symmetry modes.
Kinetics of lamellar formation on sparsely stripped patterns
Authors: Xie Nan , Li Weihua , Zhang Hongdong , Qiu Feng , Shi An-Chang
Published: November 2013

Chemical epitaxy based on the self-assembly of block copolymers is viewed as a promising technique to achieve ordered patterns on a large scale. Herein, we study the kinetics of lamellar formation of block copolymers under the direction of sparsely stripped patterns using cell dynamics simulations of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory. First, a scaling law is unveiled with the ordering time of lamellae, tp, with respect to the multiples between the periods of lamellae and stripe patterns, which is consistent with the power law evolution of the correlation length existing in the bulk phase of lamellae. Second, the tolerative windows of perfect order, with deviation from integer multiples, are also estimated from the aspect of kinetics. The results of the ordering time and tolerative windows are of great interest for relevant experiments or applications. Finally, a two-stage evolution is explored during the pattern formation of chemical epitaxy by probing into the evolution of defects, which is of fundamental interest for us to understand the coarsening kinetics of block copolymers under the direction of chemical patterns.
Particle-In-Cell simulation of laser photodetachment in capacitively coupled radio frequency oxygen discharges
Authors: Teichmann T. , Küllig C. , Dittmann K. , Matyash K. , Schneider R. , Meichsner J.
Published: November 2013

Particle-In-Cell simulations with Monte Carlo collision of capacitively coupled radio frequency oxygen discharges are used to study the appearance and characteristics of two experimentally observed electronegative modes, the high electronegative mode for low peak-to-peak voltage, and the low electronegative mode for high peak-to-peak voltage. For the high electronegative mode, the simulated laser photodetachment signal agrees very well with the experiment. The simulation identifies the dominant transport processes for high electronegativities: electrons flow fast out of the perturbed region, where the laser pulse generates laser detachment of negative ions. Negative ions are not streaming inward, but are produced within this region by dissociative attachment after the laser pulse.
High frequency local vibrational modes of oxygen doped CdSe
Authors: Cheng Wei , Liu Lei , Yu Peter Y.
Published: November 2013

Motivated by controversies over the identification of high frequency local vibrational modes (LMV) in CdSe doped with oxygen [G. Chen, J. S. Bhosale, I. Miotkowski, and A. K. Ramdas, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 195502 (2008)], we have studied the LVM of complexes involving interstitial and substitutional O2, H2, and H2O molecules in CdSe by first-principle calculations. We found that our theoretical results can account for, both quantitative and qualitatively, the unusual LVM reported by the Purdue group in oxygen doped CdSe.
Chromatic instabilities in cesium-doped tungsten bronze nanoparticles
Authors: Adachi Kenji , Ota Yosuke , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Okada Mika , Oshimura Nobumitsu , Tofuku Atsushi
Published: November 2013

Nanoparticles of alkali-doped tungsten bronzes are an excellent near-infrared shielding material, but exhibit slight chromatic instabilities typically upon applications of strong ultra-violet light or heating in humid environment, which acts detrimentally to long-life commercial applications. Origin of the chromatic instabilities in cesium-doped tungsten bronze has been investigated, and it has been found that the coloration and bleaching processes comprised electronic exchanges which accelerate or depress the polaron excitation and the localized surface plasmon resonance. Coloration on UV illumination is evidenced by electron diffraction as due to the formation of HxWO3, which is considered to take place in the surface Cs-deficient WO3 region via the double charge injection mechanism. On the other hand, bleaching on heating in air and in humid environment is shown to accompany the extraction of Cs and electrons from Cs0.33WO3 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis and is concluded to be an oxidation of Cs0.33WO3 on the particle surface.
Detection of significant differences between absorption spectra of neutral helium and low temperature photoionized helium plasmas
Authors: Bartnik A. , Wachulak P. , Fiedorowicz H. , Fok T. , Jarocki R. , Szczurek M.
Published: November 2013

In this work, spectral investigations of photoionized He plasmas were performed. The photoionized plasmas were created by irradiation of helium stream, with intense pulses from laser-plasma extreme ultraviolet (EUV) source. The EUV source was based on a double-stream Xe/Ne gas-puff target irradiated with 10 ns/10 J Nd:YAG laser pulses. The most intense emission from the source spanned a relatively narrow spectral region below 20 nm, however, spectrally integrated intensity at longer wavelengths was also significant. The EUV radiation was focused onto a gas stream, injected into a vacuum chamber synchronously with the EUV pulse. The long-wavelength part of the EUV radiation was used for backlighting of the photoionized plasmas to obtain absorption spectra. Both emission and absorption spectra in the EUV range were investigated. Significant differences between absorption spectra acquired for neutral helium and low temperature photoionized plasmas were demonstrated for the first time. Strong increase of intensities and spectral widths of absorption lines, together with a red shift of the K-edge, was shown.
Reintroducing domesticated wild mice to sociality induces adaptive transgenerational effects on MUP expression
Authors: Nelson Adam C. , Cauceglia Joseph W. , Merkley Seth D. , Youngson Neil A. , Oler Andrew J. , Nelson Randy J. , Cairns Bradley R. , Whitelaw Emma , Potts Wayne K.
Published: November 2013

Significance

When wild-derived laboratory mice are reintroduced to socially competitive populations, they quickly adapt by producing attractive sons that otherwise have no fitness advantages, consistent with the sexy sons model of sexual selection. These attractive sons inherit up-regulated expression of several pheromones belonging to the major urinary protein (MUP) family. Up-regulation is controlled by maternal social experience, and is associated with epigenetic modifications of MUP promoters that could enhance transcription. Inheritance of up-regulated MUPs is likely adaptive because females have odor preferences for male scent marks with higher MUP concentration. These results represent one of only a few cases where parental social experience adaptively modifies progeny phenotype.
Reporter islets in the eye reveal the plasticity of the endocrine pancreas
Authors: Ilegems Erwin , Dicker Andrea , Speier Stephan , Sharma Aarti , Bahow Alan , Edlund Patrick Karlsson , Leibiger Ingo B. , Berggren Per-Olof
Published: November 2013

Significance

An adaptive plasticity of the insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells, located in the islets of Langerhans, is essential for maintaining proper blood glucose homeostasis under various functional demands. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of beta cell mass and function is critically dependent on an in vivo monitoring system that can continuously report on the functional status of the islets. Because direct inspection of these islets is obstructed due to the fact that they are deeply embedded and scattered within the pancreas, we propose the use of “reporter islets” transplanted into the anterior chamber of the eye, serving as optically accessible indicators of islet plasticity in the pancreas and as a tool to individually assess effectiveness of specific treatment regimens.
Organic chemistry of balms used in the preparation of pharaonic meat mummies
Authors: Clark Katherine A. , Ikram Salima , Evershed Richard P.
Published: November 2013

Significance

This unique research on the chemical composition of organic balms of food mummies completes the trilogy of mummy types known from Ancient Egypt, complementing previous investigations of human and animal mummies. Our findings show that the Ancient Egyptians prepared the food offerings they made to their dead using preservation techniques at least as exotic as those used in embalming human and animal mummies. The discovery of the preciousPistaciaresin on a beef rib mummy is especially noteworthy because the use of this substance is rare even in human mummies.
RNA-sequencing from single nuclei
Authors: Grindberg Rashel V. , Yee-Greenbaum Joyclyn L. , McConnell Michael J. , Novotny Mark , O’Shaughnessy Andy L. , Lambert Georgina M. , Araúzo-Bravo Marcos J. , Lee Jun , Fishman Max , Robbins Gillian E. , Lin Xiaoying , Venepally Pratap , Badger Jonathan H. , Galbraith David W. , Gage Fred H. , Lasken Roger S.
Published: November 2013

Significance

One of the central goals of developmental biology and medicine is to ascertain the relationships between the genotype and phenotype of cells. Single-cell transcriptome analysis represents a powerful strategy to reach this goal. We advance these strategies to single nuclei from neural progenitor cells and dentate gyrus tissue, from which it is very difficult to recover intact cells. This provides a unique means to carry out RNA sequencing from individual neurons that avoids requiring isolation of single-cell suspensions, eliminating potential changes in gene expression due to enzymatic-cell dissociation methods. This method will be useful for analysis of processes occurring in the nucleus and for gene-expression studies of highly interconnected cells such as neurons.
Aspects of dissipation for compressible fluids and kinetic theory
Authors: Liu Tai-Ping
Published: November 2013

There are several types of dissipation—the viscosity and heat conductivity, the nonlinearity and the coupling of distinct characteristics—that can occur in the system of conservation laws. In addition to these corresponding types of dissipation, there are other consequences of the H-theorem and the boundary dissipative effects for the kinetic theory. We discuss these issues and raise questions.