bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protective immunity against Toxoplasma gondiiinduced by DNA immunization with the gene encoding a novel vaccine candidate: calcium-dependent protein kinase 3
Authors: Zhang Nian-Zhang , Huang Si-Yang , Zhou Dong-Hui , Chen Jia , Xu Ying , Tian Wei-Peng , Lu Jing , Zhu Xing-Quan
Published: November 2013

Background

Toxoplasma gondiican infect almost all warm-blood animals including human beings. The plant-like calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) harbored byT. gondiiare involved in gliding motility, cell invasion, egress and some other developmental processes, and so have been implicated as important virulence factors.

Methods

In the present study, we constructed a DNA vaccine expressingT. gondiiCDPK3 (TgCDPK3) and evaluated its protective efficacy againstT. gondiiinfection in Kunming mice. The gene sequence encoding TgCDPK3 was inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pVAX I, and mice were immunized with pVAX-CDPK3 intramuscularly.

Results

The results showed that mice immunized with pVAX-CDPK3 developed a high level of specific antibodies and a strong lymphoproliferative response. The significantly increased levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-12 (p70) and IL-23 and high ratio of IgG2a to IgG1 antibody titers indicated that a Th1 type response was elicited after immunization with pVAX-CDPK3. Furthermore, the percentage of CD4+ T cells in mice vaccinated with pVAX-CDPK3 was significantly increased. After lethal challenge with the tachyzoites of the virulentT. gondiiRH strain, the mice immunized with pVAX-CDPK3 prolonged the survival time from 10 days to 24 days (13.5 ± 4.89) compared to untreated mice or those received PBS or pVAX I which died within 7 days (P < 0.05). In chronic infection model (10 cysts of theT. gondiiPRU strain), the numbers of brain cysts of the mice immunized with pVAX-CDPK3 reduced significantly when compared with those in control groups (P < 0.05), and the rate of reduction could reach to about 50%.

Conclusions

TgCDPK3 can generate protective immunity against acute and chronicT. gondiiinfection in Kunming mice and is a promising vaccine candidate for further development of an effective vaccine againstT. gondii.
The basidiomycetous yeast Trichosporon may cause severe lung exacerbation in cystic fibrosis patients – clinical analysis of Trichosporonpositive patients in a Munich cohort
Authors: Kröner Carolin , Kappler Matthias , Grimmelt Ann-Christin , Laniado Gudrun , Würstl Benjamin , Griese Matthias
Published: November 2013

Background

The relevance ofTrichosporonspecies for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has not yet been extensively investigated.

Methods

The clinical course of CF patients withTrichosporon spp.in their respiratory secretions was analysed between 2003 and 2010 in the Munich CF center. All respiratory samples of 360 CF patients (0 – 52.4 years; mean FEV1 2010 81.4% pred) were investigated.

Results

In 8 patients (2.2%, 3 male, mean age 21.8 years)Trichosporonwas detected at least once. One patient carriedT. asahii.One patient carriedT. mycotoxinivoransand one patientT. inkinas determined by DNA sequencing. As potential risk factors forTrichosporoncolonization steroid treatment, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and CF associated diabetes were identified in 6, 5, and 2 patients respectively. For one patient, the observation period was not long enough to determine the clinical course. One patient had only a single positive specimen and exhibited a stable clinical course determined by change in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), body-mass-index (BMI), C-reactive protein (CRP) and immunoglobulin G (IgG). Of 6 patients with repeatedly positive specimen (mean detection period 4.5 years), 4 patients had a greater decline in FEV1 than expected, 2 of these a decline in BMI and 1 an increase in IgG above the reference range. 2 patients received antimycotic treatment: one patient with a tormenting dry cough subjectively improved under Amphotericin B inhalation; one patient with a severe exacerbation due toT. inkinwas treated with i.v. Amphotericin B, oral Voriconazole and Posaconazole which stabilized the clinical condition.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the potential association ofTrichosporon spp.with severe exacerbations in CF patients.
Risk factors for early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after non-coronary bypass surgery in Chinese population
Authors: Xu Tao , Bo Lulong , Wang Jiafeng , Zhao Zhenzhen , Xu Zhiyun , Deng Xiaoming , Zhu Wenzhong
Published: November 2013

Background

The present study was performed to investigate the incidence of early postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) after non-coronary bypass surgery and the potential risk factors in Chinese population.

Methods

We performed a prospective study in a teaching tertiary hospital from May 2012 to August 2012. One hundred and seventy-six adult patients undergoing non-coronary bypass surgery were recruited. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was evaluated before and 3 to 5 days after surgery. Patients with a MMSE score reduction of 2 was diagnosed with POCD.

Results

The general incidence of POCD was 33.0%, with no significant difference between the types of surgeries. In the univariate analysis, POCD associated factors included age, duration of surgery, anesthesia, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), cross-clamp and rewarming, and sevoflurane concentration. However, only age, cross-clamp duration and sevoflurane concentration were demonstrated to be independent risk factors for POCD.

Conclusion

Incidence of early POCD after non-coronary bypass surgery was relatively high in Chinese population. Advanced age, longer aortic cross-clamp duration and lower sevoflurane concentration was associated with a higher incidence of POCD.
Serological markers of Bornavirus infection found in horses in Iceland
Authors: Björnsdóttir Sigríður , Agustsdóttir Elfa , Blomström Anne-Lie , Öström Inga-Lena Örde , Berndtsson Louise Treiberg , Svansson Vilhjálmur , Wensman Jonas Johansson
Published: November 2013

Background

In a stable of eight horses in Northern Iceland, six horses presented with clinical signs, such as ataxia and reduced appetite, leading to euthanasia of one severely affected horse. Serological investigations revealed no evidence of active equine herpes virus type 1 infection, a common source of central nervous system disease in horses, nor equine arteritis virus and West Nile virus. Another neurotropic virus, Borna disease virus, was therefore included in the differential diagnosis list.

Findings

Serological investigations revealed antibodies against Borna disease virus in four of five horses with neurological signs in the affected stable. One horse without clinical signs was seronegative. Four clinically healthy horses in the stable that arrived and were sampled one year after the outbreak were found seronegative, whereas one of four investigated healthy horses in an unaffected stable was seropositive.

Conclusions

This report contains the first evidence of antibodies to Borna disease virus in Iceland. Whether Borna disease virus was the cause of the neurological signs could however not be confirmed by pathology or molecular detection of the virus. As Iceland has very restricted legislation regarding animal imports, the questions of how this virus has entered the country and to what extent markers of Bornavirus infection can be found in humans and animals in Iceland remain to be answered.
Efficient bioconversion of 2,3-butanediol into acetoin using Gluconobacter oxydans DSM 2003
Authors: Wang Xiuqing , Lv Min , Zhang Lijie , Li Kun , Gao Chao , Ma Cuiqing , Xu Ping
Published: November 2013

Background

2,3-Butanediol is a platform and fuel biochemical that can be efficiently produced from biomass. However, a value-added process for this chemical has not yet been developed. To expand the utilization of 2,3-butanediol produced from biomass, an improved derivative process of 2,3-butanediol is desirable.

Results

In this study, a Gluconobacter oxydans strain DSM 2003 was found to have the ability to transform 2,3-butanediol into acetoin, a high value feedstock that can be widely used in dairy and cosmetic products, and chemical synthesis. All three stereoisomers, meso-2,3-butanediol, (2R,3R)-2,3-butanediol, and (2S,3S)-2,3-butanediol, could be transformed into acetoin by the strain. After optimization of the bioconversion conditions, the optimum growth temperature for acetoin production by strain DSM 2003 was found to be 30°C and the medium pH was 6.0. With an initial 2,3-butanediol concentration of 40 g/L, acetoin at a high concentration of 89.2 g/L was obtained from 2,3-butanediol by fed-batch bioconversion with a high productivity (1.24 g/L · h) and high yield (0.912 mol/mol).

Conclusions

G. oxydans DSM 2003 is the first strain that can be used in the direct production of acetoin from 2,3-butanediol. The product concentration and yield of the novel process are both new records for acetoin production. The results demonstrate that the method developed in this study could provide a promising process for efficient acetoin production and industrially produced 2,3-butanediol utilization.
DNA methylation status of NKX2-5, GATA4 and HAND1in patients with tetralogy of fallot
Authors: Sheng Wei , Qian Yanyan , Wang Huijun , Ma Xiaojing , Zhang Ping , Diao Lianwei , An Quan , Chen Long , Ma Duan , Huang Guoying
Published: November 2013

Background

NKX2-5, GATA4 and HAND1 are essential for heart development, however, little is known regarding their epigenetic regulation in the pathogenesis of tetralogy of fallot (TOF).

Methods

Methylation levels were measured in three regions of NKX2-5 (M1: -1596 bp ~ -1374 bp, M2: -159 bp ~ 217 bp and M3: 1058 bp ~ 1524 bp), one region of GATA4 (M: -392 bp ~ 107 bp) and three regions of HAND1 (M1: -887 bp ~ -414 bp, M2: -436 bp ~ 2 bp and M3: 37 bp ~ 398 bp) using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. QRT-PCR was used to analyze NKX2-5 and HAND1 mRNA levels in the right ventricular myocardium of TOF patients.

Results

TOF patients had a significantly higher NKX2-5_M3 median methylation level than controls (41.65% vs. 22.18%; p = 0.0074; interquartile range [IQR]: 30.46%–53.35%, N = 30 and 20.07%–24.31%, N = 5; respectively). The HAND1_M1 median methylation level was also significantly higher in TOF patients than controls (30.05% vs. 17.54%; p = 0.0054; IQR: 20.77%–40.89%, N = 30 and IQR: 14.69%–20.64%; N = 6; respectively). The methylation statuses of NKX2-5_M1, NKX2-5_M2, GATA4_M, HAND1_M2 or HAND1_M3 were not significantly different in TOF patients compared to controls. The methylation values for NKX2-5_M3 were negatively correlated with mRNA levels (r = - 0.463, p = 0.010, N = 30) and there was a significant association between HAND1_M1 methylation status and mRNA levels (r = - 0.524, p = 0.003, N = 30) in TOF patients.

Conclusions

Aberrant methylation statuses of the NKX2-5 gene body and HAND1 promoter regions are associated with the regulation of gene transcription in TOF patients and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of TOF.
A comparative evaluation of PCR- based methods for species- specific determination of African animal trypanosomes in Ugandan cattle
Authors: Ahmed Heba A , Picozzi Kim , Welburn Susan C , MacLeod Ewan T
Published: November 2013

Background

In recent years, PCR has been become widely applied for the detection of trypanosomes overcoming many of the constraints of parasitological and serological techniques, being highly sensitive and specific for trypanosome detection. Individual species-specific multi-copy trypanosome DNA sequences can be targeted to identify parasites. Highly conserved ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are also useful for comparisons between closely related species. The internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) in particular are relatively small, show variability among related species and are flanked by highly conserved segments to which PCR primers can be designed. Individual variations in inter-species length makes the ITS region a useful marker for identification of multiple trypanosome species within a sample.

Methods

Six hundred blood samples from cattle collected in Uganda on FTA cards were screened using individual species-specific primers for Trypanosoma congolense, Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma vivax and compared to a modified (using eluate extracted using chelex) ITS-PCR reaction.

Results

The comparative analysis showed that the species-specific primer sets showed poor agreement with the ITS primer set. Using species-specific PCR for Trypanozoon, a prevalence of 10.5% was observed as compared to 0.2% using ITS PCR (Kappa = 0.03). For Trypanosoma congolense, the species-specific PCR reaction indicated a prevalence of 0% compared to 2.2% using ITS PCR (Kappa = 0). For T. vivax, species-specific PCR detected prevalence of 5.7% compared to 2.8% for ITS PCR (Kappa = 0.29).

Conclusions

When selecting PCR based tools to apply to epidemiological surveys for generation of prevalence data for animal trypanosomiasis, it is recommended that species-specific primers are used, being the most sensitive diagnostic tool for screening samples to identify members of Trypanozoon (T. b. brucei s.l). While ITS primers are useful for studying the prevalence of trypanosomes causing nagana (in this study the species-specific primers did not detect the presence of T. congolense) there were discrepancies between both the species-specific primers and ITS for the detection of T. vivax.
Phosphorylated fragile X mental retardation protein at serine 499, is reduced in cerebellar vermis and superior frontal cortex of subjects with autism: implications for fragile X mental retardation protein-metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 signaling
Authors: Rustan Øyvind G , Folsom Timothy D , Yousefi Mahtab K , Fatemi S Hossein
Published: November 2013

Lohith et al. (Mol Autism 4:15, 2013) recently identified increased metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) expression in the frontal cortex (FC) of subjects with fragile X syndrome. These results are consistent with postmortem findings in cerebellar vermis and FC of subjects with autism (Fatemi and Folsom, Mol Autism 2:6, 2011; Fatemi et al. Anat Rec 294:1635–1645, 2011), suggesting that increased mGluR5 signaling is common to multiple autism spectrum disorders. Increased mGluR5 signaling may be associated with reduced phosphorylation of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which could result in the inactivation of this protein. In the current study, we report on reduced expression of phosphorylated FMRP in cerebellar vermis of adults and children with autism and in FC of adults with autism.
Genome-wide binding of the basic helix-loop-helix myogenic inhibitor musculin has substantial overlap with MyoD: implications for buffering activity
Authors: MacQuarrie Kyle L , Yao Zizhen , Fong Abraham P , Tapscott Stephen J
Published: November 2013

Background

Musculin (MSC) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that inhibits myogenesis during normal development and contributes to the differentiation defect in rhabdomyosarcoma. As one of many transcription factors that impede myogenesis, its binding on a genome-wide scale relative to the widespread binding of the myogenic factor MyoD is unknown.

Methods

Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to high-throughput sequencing was performed for endogenous MSC in rhabdomyosarcoma cells and its binding was compared to that of MyoD in the same type of cells.

Results

MSC binds throughout the genome, in a pattern very similar to MyoD. Its binding overlaps strongly with regions enriched for acetylated histone H4, as well as regions that score high for DNase hypersensitivity in human myoblasts. In contrast to MyoD, MSC has a more relaxed binding sequence preference in the nucleotides that flank the core E-box motif.

Conclusions

The myogenic inhibitor MSC binds throughout the genome of rhabdomyosarcoma cells, in a pattern highly similar to that of MyoD, suggesting a broad role in buffering the activity of MyoD in development and rhabdomyosarcomas.
Genome-wide incorporation dynamics reveal distinct categories of turnover for the histone variant H3.3
Authors: Kraushaar Daniel C , Jin Wenfei , Maunakea Alika , Abraham Brian , Ha Misook , Zhao Keji
Published: October 2013

Background

Nucleosomes are present throughout the genome and must be dynamically regulated to accommodate binding of transcription factors and RNA polymerase machineries by various mechanisms. Despite the development of protocols and techniques that have enabled us to map nucleosome occupancy genome-wide, the dynamic properties of nucleosomes remain poorly understood, particularly in mammalian cells. The histone variant H3.3 is incorporated into chromatin independently of DNA replication and requires displacement of existing nucleosomes for its deposition. Here, we measure H3.3 turnover at high resolution in the mammalian genome in order to present a genome-wide characterization of replication-independent H3.3-nucleosome dynamics.

Results

We developed a system to study the DNA replication-independent turnover of nucleosomes containing the histone variant H3.3 in mammalian cells. By measuring the genome-wide incorporation of H3.3 at different time points following epitope-tagged H3.3 expression, we find three categories of H3.3-nucleosome turnover in vivo: rapid turnover, intermediate turnover and, specifically at telomeres, slow turnover. Our data indicate that H3.3-containing nucleosomes at enhancers and promoters undergo rapid turnover that is associated with active histone modification marks including H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9ac, H3K27ac and the histone variant H2A.Z. The rate of turnover is negatively correlated with H3K27me3 at regulatory regions and with H3K36me3 at gene bodies.

Conclusions

We have established a reliable approach to measure turnover rates of H3.3-containing nucleosomes on a genome-wide level in mammalian cells. Our results suggest that distinct mechanisms control the dynamics of H3.3 incorporation at functionally different genomic regions.
Analysis of expressed SNPs identifies variable extents of expression from the human inactive X chromosome
Authors: Cotton Allison M , Ge Bing , Light Nicholas , Adoue Veronique , Pastinen Tomi , Brown Carolyn J
Published: November 2013

Background

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) results in the silencing of most genes on one X chromosome, yielding mono-allelic expression in individual cells. However, random XCI results in expression of both alleles in most females. Allelic imbalances have been used genome-wide to detect mono-allelically expressed genes. Analysis of X-linked allelic imbalance in females with skewed XCI offers the opportunity to identify genes that escape XCI with bi-allelic expression in contrast to those with mono-allelic expression and which are therefore subject to XCI.

Results

We determine XCI status for 409 genes, all of which have at least five informative females in our dataset. The majority of genes are subject to XCI and genes that escape from XCI show a continuum of expression from the inactive X. Inactive X expression corresponds to differences in the level of histone modification detected by allelic imbalance after chromatin immunoprecipitation. Differences in XCI between populations and between cell lines derived from different tissues are observed.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that allelic imbalance can be used to determine an inactivation status for X-linked genes, even without completely non-random XCI. There is a range of expression from the inactive X. Genes escaping XCI, including those that do so in only a subset of females, cluster together, demonstrating that XCI and location on the X chromosome are related. In addition to revealing mechanisms involved in cis-gene regulation, determining which genes escape XCI can expand our understanding of the contributions of X-linked genes to sexual dimorphism.
President's Page
Authors: Liaw Alfred L.
Published: November 2013

SEG's mission, in part, is to inspire, connect, and propel the geophysicist and the application of geophysics. Therefore, SEG serves as the pipeline between its members and the transfer of geophysical ideas and technology. SEG has worked diligently to facilitate this process and prepare for its future. And as we all know, our young professionals are the future of SEG. So how has SEG supported their career goals?
Signals
Authors: Lawyer Lee
Published: November 2013

Signals are letters to the editor submitted by readers of The Leading Edge.
AVO case studies in two deep-water blocks off the east coast of India
Authors: Khatri N.K. , Sastry Yer , Mohan Shyam
Published: November 2013

This article consists of two case studies pertaining to Pliocene sediments in deep water in different blocks of the Mahanadi Basin off the east coast of India. Amplitude anomalies mapped on poststack data revealed the morphology. AVO analysis of prestack data led in both cases to interpretation that the anomalies were caused by soft layers having lower VP/VS than the VP/VS of the fluid line across the interface in intercept/gradient space. Corresponding intervals (based on the presence of high resistivity, low porosity, and low density) were interpreted to be gas-saturated sand. Drilling produced commercial quantities of gas, confirming that the low VP/VS has been caused by gas-saturated porous sands.
Signal recovery beyond conventional Nyquist: The sample rates used for seismic acquisition do not need to limit the maximum recoverable frequencies
Authors: Stark Tracy J.
Published: November 2013

The seismic industry's conventional wisdom teaches that the temporal and spatial sample rates used when collecting seismic data place a hard limit on the maximum recoverable frequencies. This conventional wisdom is wrong. The data-collection Nyquist frequencies (time and space) do not need to limit the maximum frequencies in the final migrated stack volumes. This is not to say that the sampling theorem is wrong but that we as an industry have not optimally applied it since the advent of digital data collection and processing. Normal Neidell and Daniel Wisecup have previously told us of “the errors of our ways,” but few have listened. What I present here is similar to Wisecup's method. The goal of this article is to provide simple examples that “even a geologist could explain to a teenager” as to why the sample rate does not necessarily limit the maximum recoverable frequency. It is directed at geophysics students (and their professors) so that they might have a new, enlightened “conventional wisdom” compared to us “seasoned” geophysicists. With this insight, they should demand more from their seismic data providers.
Integrated 3D reservoir interpretation and modeling: Lessons learned and proposed solutions
Authors: Singh V. , Yemez I. , Sotomayor J.
Published: November 2013

Generally, industry “lookbacks” continue to show the difficulty of achieving a production forecast within an uncertainty band (P90 and P10) for both “greenfield” projects with limited data and “brownfield” projects with abundant data. One main reason for industry underperformance is that the evaluation methods do not account for the “full range of subsurface uncertainties.”
Introduction to this special section: Offshore and onshore broadband seismology
Authors: Goodway Bill , Ronen Shuki
Published: November 2013

Broadband acquisition has revolutionized the ability to image and resolve significantly more detailed geology and accurately extract seismic petrophysical properties in both a temporal and spatial sense, through improved resolution and detectability, and processes such as full-waveform inversion. One might have thought that this new paradigm for spectral broadening had been achieved with innovation such as nonlinear preemphasized sweeps and denoising of decreasingly shallow tow cables with high-density receivers. However, these technologies focused on the highest spectral bands in order to mitigate the impact of the earth's attenuation or interference from near-surface noise. Consequently, the lowest to midrange bands were not considered and suffered at the expense of boosting high frequencies with an overly optimistic expectation of enhancing the band-limited signal/noise ratio (Figure 1).
Broadband and beyond with marine towed streamers
Authors: Vassallo Massimiliano , Eggenberger Kurt , van Manen Dirk-Jan , Özbek Ali , Watterson Peter
Published: November 2013

Key objectives of the surface seismic reflection method include high-resolution imaging of subsurface structures for the creation of accurate 3D geologic models and reliable inversion to reveal indicators of rock properties and lithofacies based on which static and dynamic models can be established. Achieving these objectives in an optimized manner requires bandwidth-enhanced data as input, not only in a temporal sense but also spatially. Whereas temporal bandwidth is an extensively discussed aspect of broadband seismic acquisition, the benefits of spatial bandwidth enhancement have not yet been widely documented because operational and technical constraints have, until recently, proved prohibitive to a solution. A new technology has now been introduced to the marketplace that is able to address both the temporal and spatial bandwidth constraints in a joint interpolation and deghosting method, enabling full 3D processing capabilities that go well beyond what is traditionally understood under broadband. The benefits of the new technology are manifold, including improved 4D analysis, effective seismic interference removal, and enhanced imaging and inversion. This article reviews some of the technologies in place that address the temporal bandwidth challenge of towed-marine seismic and then presents the new solution to the spatial bandwidth constraint originating from coarse crossline sampling and discusses what is possible beyond the traditional understanding of broadband.
The feasibility and value of low-frequency data collected using colocated 2-Hz and 10-Hz geophones
Authors: Chiu Stephen K. , Eick Peter , Howell Jack , Malloy Jeff
Published: November 2013

ConocoPhillips acquired a production 3D surface seismic survey in 2010. The survey size was about 410 square miles recorded by 10-Hz geophones with INOVA 364 vibrators that are capable of sweeping from 1 to 150 Hz. In addition, we carried out a field experiment recording a swath of 3D surface seismic data with colocated 2-Hz and 10-Hz geophones. The cost of acquiring the 2-Hz geophone data was negligible when compared with the cost of the entire 3D survey. Because the vibrators can produce energy down to 2 Hz, the use of the 2-Hz geophone is crucial in capturing this energy. To our knowledge, this was the first field experiment employing the 2-Hz geophones and vibrators that could transmit enough low-frequency signals into the ground. The questions we investigate in this field experiment are: (1) how much low-frequency signal can be recorded using 2-Hz geophones, (2) how much degradation of low-frequency signal results from the 10-Hz geophones when compared to the 2-Hz geophones, and (3) the possibility of using the colocated data sets to enhance the low-frequency signal of 10-Hz geophone data that include both experimental and production data. The analyses of the 10-Hz and 2-Hz geophone data in prestack and poststack domains concluded that 2-Hz geophone data clearly exhibited more low-frequency signal than the 10-Hz geophone data. The 2-Hz geophone stack had low-frequency signal down to 2 Hz, and a spiking deconvolution further extended the amplitude spectrum down to 1 Hz. In addition, we develop a novel technique to derive a deterministic match filter from the colocated data sets. The application of this filter on the 10-Hz geophone data recovers the low-frequency signal below 10 Hz.
Can land broadband seismic be as good as marine broadband?
Authors: Denis Michel , Brem Valérie , Pradalie Fabienne , Moinet Frederic , Retailleau Matthieu , Langlois Jeremy , Bai Bing , Taylor Roger , Chamberlain Vaughan , Frith Ian
Published: November 2013

The recent development of techniques to extend the bandwidth of marine towed-streamer surveys has significantly changed the marine seismic landscape. In fact, it has coined the new category of “broadband seismic,” now synonymous with the marine towed-streamer market. The bandwidth challenge for marine towed-streamer seismic is well documented and is related to mitigating, or completely removing, the interference pattern from the interaction of the upgoing primary wave and its surface reflection (i.e., its ghost) at the source and receiver side. The interference results in the ghost notches in the amplitude spectrum which bound the useful bandwidth of the data at the high and low ends of the spectrum.
Enhancing seismic data acquisition by optimization of source parameter detection in a field test: Introducing the amplitude spectrum of multishot stack method
Authors: Heidari Gh. , Aliemrani M. J. , Hoseini S. M.
Published: November 2013

In this article, an innovative method for determining optimal source parameters with consideration of other factors (especially environmental noise) is introduced. The various parameters that affect data quality are separately analyzed by the average amplitude spectrum of multishots (ASMS). Minimizing the impact of each factor detrimental to data quality is the advantage of this method. The disadvantage is acquiring the data over a broad area instead of a point.
2013 SEG Forum on Microseismic Technology
Authors: Heigl W. M. , Maxwell S. , Shemeta J. , Rosca A. , Zimmer U. , Thornton M.
Published: November 2013

A forum on microseismic technology took place on 22–24 January 2013 in Napa, California. It was the second of its kind; the first was held in April 2008 at Ucross, Wyoming, whose purpose was to bring together industry experts and capture the state of the art at the time. This year, the focus was on identifying and understanding the differences between data recorded at or near the earth's surface and data recorded in deep boreholes. To give the field the greatest possible impetus, attendants were selected based on their contribution potential with respect to the scope of the forum. From 160 applicants, a total of 74 attendees was selected, out of which 27 presented orally and eight presented posters. The forum's scope was addressed over two busy days with sessions on case studies, feasibility studies, processing, uncertainties, and the road ahead. Two lunchtime presentations addressed subjects of wide interest not covered in these sessions. No proceedings were planned in order to encourage the sharing of otherwise confidential information.
Reviews
Authors: Green William R. , Avakian Robert
Published: November 2013

Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, by S. Doughton, ISBN 978-1-57061-789-8, Sasquatch Books, 2013, 274 pp. US $23.95 (e-book available) Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, by S. Doughton, ISBN 978-1-57061-789-8, Sasquatch Books, 2013, 274 pp. US $23.95 (e-book available)
Sections/Associated Societies Focus
Authors: Mercado Gary
Published: November 2013

The Emirates Society of Geoscience is a voluntary organization dedicated to the spread of recent geosciences technology and education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Society's membership includes geophysicists, geologists, petrophysicists, and engineers involved in the petroleum industry and the UAE universities. Founded in 1987, about the time the petroleum industry was rapidly expanding in the UAE, the society has held monthly meetings that provide a speaker forum for emerging exploration and development geoscience advancements. Presentations often come from distinguished lecturer and distinguished instructor series sponsored by SEG. Other affiliated societies such as AAPG and EAGE also contribute distinguished lecturers.
Excessive reassurance-seeking
Authors: Osborne David W. S. , Williams Christopher J.
Published: November 2013

Different forms of excessive reassurance-seeking safety behaviours are explored, along with reasons why these unhelpful responses occur across a range of mental health disorders. This short update covers the rationale for reducing and stopping these behaviours and offers interventions to help people understand and overcome the unhelpful impact that excessive reassurance-seeking can have on them and others.
Management of the renal adverse effects of lithium
Authors: Gupta Sumeet , Kripalani Mukesh , Khastgir Udayan , Reilly Joe
Published: November 2013

Lithium is one of the most effective psychotropic drugs we have, but it is underused because of its low therapeutic index, the need for regular blood tests and perceptions about its adverse effects, including renal problems. The last include urinary concentration deficits and diabetes insipidus, chronic kidney disease (including renal failure), nephrotic syndrome, hypercalcaemia, hyperparathyroidism and distal tubular acidosis. This article reviews these adverse effects with special emphasis on their management.
Drug information update: agomelatine
Authors: Whiting Daniel , Cowen Philip J.
Published: November 2013

Agomelatine is a new antidepressant, licensed for the treatment of unipolar major depression, with a mode of action that combines activation of melatonin receptors with blockade of 5-HT2C receptors. Agomelatine is notable for its short duration of action in the body and modest side-effect burden; however, a number of theoretical and practical challenges have limited its adoption into mainstream treatment in the UK. Current meta-analyses show marginal clinical benefits of agomelatine relative to placebo and an association with occasional increases in liver transaminases. Theoretically it is not clear whether agomelatine does block brain 5-HT2C receptors in humans at therapeutic doses and the optimum daily timing of administration in depression has not been clearly established. However, agomelatine's novel mode of action justifies further study, perhaps with the eventual aim of matching its use in depression to patients with specific disturbances in circadian rhythm.
Effectiveness of a summer school in influencing medical students' attitudes towards psychiatry
Authors: Beattie Sharon , Lister Clare , Khan Julie May , Cornwall Peter L.
Published: November 2013

Aims and method

Summer schools are advocated as part of the national recruitment initiative despite little evidence of their impact. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a 3-day non-clinical initiative. Change in attitudes and career intention were measured by administering a questionnaire, which included the 30-item Attitudes Toward Psychiatry (ATP-30) survey, at the start and end of the event.

Results

Mean ATP-30 scores increased from 119 to 128, which represented a highly statistically significant change (t = 5.40, d.f. = 18, P < 0.001). A positive shift in intention to pursue psychiatry as a career was demonstrated.

Clinical implications

These results suggest well-planned summer schools can have a significant impact on students' attitudes. Despite high initial ATP-30 scores a positive shift in attitudes and career intentions was still seen. Further evaluation of the longitudinal impact is needed. Events such as this are important and likely produce a cumulative effect alongside other recruitment strategies.
Specialisation and marginalisation: how the assertive community treatment debate affects individuals with complex mental health needs
Authors: Rosen Alan , Killaspy Helen , Harvey Carol
Published: November 2013

The growth of specialism in a field can be considered a healthy response to emerging evidence, technology and skills, yet it risks creating unhelpful barriers to collaborative working and fragmented patient pathways. Mental health services in England have experienced this tension in recent years through the national implementation of local specialist community teams that aim to reduce the need for in-patient admission through a focus on crisis resolution, early intervention and assertive community treatment (ACT). In response to the results of studies assessing its effectiveness, there has been disinvestment in ACT. This risks marginalising people with severe and complex mental health problems by depriving them and their families of the intensive support they need for successful community living, as well as discouraging researchers from undertaking further high-quality studies that can inform the intelligent evolution of the ACT model within different contexts.
COUP-TFII Regulates Human Endometrial Stromal Genes Involved in Inflammation
Authors: Li Xilong , Large Michael J. , Creighton Chad J. , Lanz Rainer B. , Jeong Jae-Wook , Young Steven L. , Lessey Bruce A. , Palomino Wilder A. , Tsai Sophia Y. , DeMayo Francesco J.
Published: November 2013

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII; NR2F2) is an orphan nuclear receptor involved in cell-fate specification, organogenesis, angiogenesis, and metabolism. Ablation of COUP-TFII in the mouse uterus causes infertility due to defects in embryo attachment and impaired uterine stromal cell decidualization. Although the function of COUP-TFII in uterine decidualization has been described in mice, its role in the human uterus remains unknown. We observed that, as in mice, COUP-TFII is robustly expressed in the endometrial stroma of healthy women, and its expression is reduced in the ectopic lesions of women with endometriosis. To interrogate the role of COUP-TFII in human endometrial function, we used a small interfering RNA-mediated loss of function approach in primary human endometrial stromal cells. Attenuation of COUP-TFII expression did not completely block decidualization; rather it had a selective effect on gene expression. To better elucidate the role of COUP-TFII in endometrial stroma cell biology, the COUP-TFII transcriptome was defined by pairing microarray comparison with chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing. Gene ontology analysis demonstrates that COUP-TFII regulates a subset of genes in endometrial stroma cell decidualization such as those involved in cell adhesion, angiogenesis, and inflammation. Importantly this analysis shows that COUP-TFII plays a role in controlling the expression of inflammatory cytokines. The determination that COUP-TFII plays a role in inflammation may add insight into the role of COUP-TFII in embryo implantation and in endometrial diseases such as endometriosis.
From Proust in Palestine to Marilyn Monroe’s America
Authors: Watson Janell
Published: November 2013

In this interview, Jacqueline Rose discusses her engagements with psychoanalytic feminism and discusses its legacies in the United States and in Great Britain. She uses Lacan and Freud not only to read literature but also to discuss politics, especially the issues of anti-Semitism and anti-Islamism in Europe, apartheid in South Africa (through J. M. Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer), and Israel-Palestine relations. The organization Rose cofounded, Independent Jewish Voices, organizes public events in Great Britain to discuss these issues. Rose also talks about her career, teaching immigrant students, and her recent book on Proust. She reads Proust politically, situating him historically in relation to Freud and Dreyfus, and then takes him on a journey through Palestine by way of Jean Genet and Samuel Beckett as well as Middle Eastern writers like Elias Khoury or filmmakers like the Palestinian-Israeli Elia Suleiman. Her next book will be about Marilyn Monroe, Rosa Luxembourg, and Charlotte Salomon. Rose’s previously published monographs, to which she refers in the interview, include The Case of Peter Pan, or The Impossibility of Children’s Fiction; Sexuality in the Field of Vision; The Haunting of Sylvia Plath; Why War? Psychoanalysis, Politics, and the Return to Melanie Klein; On Not Being Able to Sleep: Psychoanalysis in the Modern World; The Question of Zion; The Last Resistance; and Proust among the Nations: From Dreyfus to the Middle East. With Juliet Mitchell, she edited and contributed to the influential collection of Lacan’s essays in English, titled Feminine Sexuality: Jacques Lacan and the École Freudienne.
Eco-sensibilities
Authors: Watson Janell
Published: November 2013

In this interview, Jane Bennett discusses her highly influential notion of vibrant matter, which is her term for the idea that the locus of agency is always a human/nonhuman assemblage. In other words, there is an impetus to action in humans and animals, but the impetuses of “things” also contribute. Long interested in environmental studies, Bennett has written on the Hegelian dialectic of faith and enlightenment in order to examine the relationship between nature and the state. In a related project, she defines a modern political enchantment in terms of an animate materialism that she traces in ancient atomism and in Gilles Deleuze. She associated enchantment with sensibility, hoping to encourage a different repertoire of sense encounters with the assemblages in which humans participate. Sensibility is the level at which Bennett undertakes political ecology, which she defines as the art of persuading people—at the levels of perception and sensibility as well as reason—that they are Earthlings. Her current project considers the possibility that a kind of materialism informs Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Bennett’s previous monographs include Unthinking Faith and Enlightenment: Nature and the State in a Post-Hegelian Era; Thoreau’s Nature: Ethics, Politics, and the Wild; The Enchantment of Modern Life: Attachments, Crossings, and Ethics; and Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things.
Of Narratives and States
Authors: Watson Janell
Published: November 2013

In this interview, Jacqueline Stevens discusses her career and her writings in the field of political theory. Her theories about birth, death, and the state guide her as she boldly challenges patriarchal appeals to genetics and heredity in the politics of immigration, wealth distribution, and family law. She challenges the democratic state to acknowledge and overcome its oligarchical and kleptocratic practices. Stevens proposes a number of concrete measures with the aim of achieving a more egalitarian and just society. Rather than concern itself with regulating marriage, the state should recognize parental contracts in order to assure that all children are well cared for. Inheritance should be abolished, with wealth reverting to the state, which would redistribute to ensure social services for everyone. Borders should be opened, and citizenship should be based not on birthplace or lineage but on residency.

In explaining her views, Stevens also discusses narrative, Michel Foucault’s political activism, and her work with the Deportation Research Clinic that she directs at Northwestern. She is currently working on a book about how conquistador narratives and chivalry romance novels informed the settlement of America in order to emphasize the role of fantasy and fiction in materializing these illogical things that have to do with our borders and our deportations. Her previous monographs include Reproducing the State (1999) and States without Nations: Citizenship for Mortals (2009).
Rational Probabilistic Incoherence
Authors: Caie Michael
Published: November 2013

Probabilism is the view that a rational agent's credences should always be probabilistically coherent. It has been argued that Probabilism follows, given the assumption that an epistemically rational agent ought to try to have credences that represent the world as accurately as possible. The key claim in this argument is that the goal of representing the world as accurately as possible is best served by having credences that are probabilistically coherent. This essay shows that this claim is false. In certain cases, the goal of having accurate credences is best served by being probabilistically incoherent. Assuming that an epistemically rational agent ought to try to have credences that are as accurate as possible, it follows that in certain cases a rational agent ought to have probabilistically incoherent credences.
Prepunishment and Explanatory Dependence: A New Argument for Incompatibilism About Foreknowledge and Freedom
Authors: Todd Patrick
Published: November 2013

The most promising way of responding to arguments for the incompatibility of divine foreknowledge and human freedom (in one way or another) invokes a claim about the order of explanation: God knew (or believed) that you would perform a given action because you would, in fact, perform it, and not the other way around. Once we see this result, many suppose, we'll see that divine foreknowledge ultimately poses no threat to human freedom. This essay argues that matters are not so simple, for such reasoning threatens also to reconcile divine prepunishment with human freedom. The question here is this: if you have already been ( justly) punished by God for doing something, how then could you avoid doing that thing? As we'll see, there is a strong argument that seems to show that you couldn't. However, this essay argues that if divine prepunishment rules out human freedom, then so does divine foreknowledge. The arguments are exactly parallel in certain crucial respects. At any rate, investigating the issues surrounding prepunishment can help to throw into relief the various different strategies of response to the foreknowledge argument and can bring out what their costs and commitments really are. In particular, investigating prepunishment can help to bring out the inadequacy of the “Ockhamist” reply to the argument, as well as the sense in which God's past beliefs need to depend on what we do, if we are plausibly to have a choice about those beliefs.
Structural Variation in Ag–Co Nanostructures Embedded in TiO2 Thin Films Fabricated by Pulsed Laser Deposition
Authors: Watanabe Anri , Ikemiya Katsura , Chikamatsu Akira , Hirose Yasushi , Hasegawa Tetsuya
Published: October 2013

We investigated the structural variation of Ag–Co nanostructures in AgxCo5(TiO2)95 nanocomposite films with varying pulsed laser deposition conditions. The shape, size, and distribution of the nanostructures were significantly affected by the Ag content (x) and the substrate temperature. Ag–Co nanomatch-like structures appeared only at a specific condition and changed from rod-like to spherical with increasing x. A broad peak owing to Ag local-surface plasmon resonance was observed in the absorption spectra, which systematically shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing x.
Effects of Federal Policy to Insure Young Adults: Evidence from the 2010 Affordable Care Act's Dependent-Coverage Mandate
Authors: Antwi Yaa Akosa , Moriya Asako S , Simon Kosali
Published: October 2013

Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we study the health insurance and labor market implications of the recent Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision that allows dependents to remain on parental policies until age 26. Our comparison of outcomes for young adults aged 19–25 with those who are older and younger, before and after the law, shows a high take-up of parental coverage, resulting in substantial reductions in uninsurance and other forms of coverage. We also find preliminary evidence of increased labor market flexibility in the form of reduced work hours. (JEL H51, I11, I18, J13, J22)
Death by Market Power: Reform, Competition, and Patient Outcomes in the National Health Service
Authors: Gaynor Martin , Moreno-Serra Rodrigo , Propper Carol
Published: November 2013

The effect of competition on the quality of health care remains a contested issue. Most empirical estimates rely on inference from nonexperimental data. In contrast, this paper exploits a procompetitive policy reform to provide estimates of the impact of competition on hospital outcomes. The English government introduced a policy in 2006 to promote competition between hospitals. Using this policy to implement a difference-in-differences research design, we estimate the impact of the introduction of competition on not only clinical outcomes but also productivity and expenditure. We find that the effect of competition is to save lives without raising costs. (JEL H51, I11, I18, L32, L33)