bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thomas Piketty, Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Translated by Arthur Goldhammer
Authors: Hansen Per H.
Published: October 2014

Rarely does a relatively unknown professor of economics publish a book that sells more than 200,000 copies in a few months. When critics accuse the same economist of being normative, political, of manipulating data, of misunderstanding basic economic theory, and of wanting to impoverish everyone, surely it must be because he is on to something. Other commentators, perhaps a bit prematurely, are claiming that his book is the economics book that will define twenty-first-century debate.
FMR1 CGG allele length in Israeli BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers and the general population display distinct distribution patterns
Authors: LAITMAN YAEL , RIES-LEVAVI LIAT , BERKENSDADT MICHAL , KORACH JACOB , PERRI TAMAR , PRAS ELON , FRIEDMAN EITAN
Published: October 2014

Premature ovarian failure and diminished ovarian reserve have been noted both in female BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers and in carriers of the Fragile X syndrome FMR1 gene CGG repeat size premutation. Based on the observation that BRCA mutation carriers do not harbour long CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene, it was hypothesized that BRCA-associated premature ovarian failure is mediated via FMR1. To test this notion, we evaluated the distribution of constitutional FMR1 genotypes in 188 BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation-positive Jewish Ashkenazi women and 15 708 female, mostly Ashkenazi controls in Israel. BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers displayed a unique distribution of FMR1 genotypes compared with controls (p = 0·018) with a prominence of the shorter CGG alleles (<26 repeats). There was no allele size distribution differences within BRCA carriers when comparing cancer free (n = 95) and breast cancer affected women (n = 93) (p = 0·43). In conclusion, BRCA mutation carriers exhibit a distinct CGG FMR1 repeat size pattern compared with the general population, but it is unlikely to account for the reported diminished ovarian reserve or act as a modifier breast cancer gene in BRCA mutation carriers.
The nose of the sperm whale: overviews of functional design, structural homologies and evolution
Authors: Huggenberger Stefan , André Michel , Oelschläger Helmut H. A.
Published: October 2014

The hypertrophic and much elongated epicranial (nasal) complex of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) is a unique device to increase directionality and source levels of echolocation clicks in aquatic environments. The size and shape of the nasal fat bodies as well as the peculiar organization of the air sac system in the nasal sound generator of sperm whales are in favour of this proposed specialized acoustic function. The morphology of the sperm whale nose, including a ‘connecting acoustic window’ in the case and an anterior ‘terminal acoustic window’ at the rostroventral edge of the junk, supports the ‘bent horn hypothesis’ of sound emission. In contrast to the laryngeal mechanism described for dolphins and porpoises, sperm whales may drive the initial pulse generation process with air pressurized by nasal muscles associated with the right nasal passage (right nasal passage muscle, maxillonasolabialis muscle). This can be interpreted as an adaptation to deep-diving and high hydrostatic pressures constraining pneumatic phonation. Comparison of nasal structures in sperm whales and other toothed whales reveals that the existing air sac system as well as the fat bodies and the musculature have the same topographical relations and thus may be homologous in all toothed whales (Odontoceti). This implies that the nasal sound generating system evolved only once during toothed whale evolution and, more specifically, that the unique hypertrophied nasal complex was a main driving force in the evolution of the sperm whale taxon.
Monitoring the effects of tourism on whale sharkRhincodon typusbehaviour in Mozambique
Authors: Haskell Peter J. , McGowan Andrew , Westling Anna , Méndez-Jiménez Adriana , Rohner Christoph A. , Collins Kym , Rosero-Caicedo Marcela , Salmond Jodi , Monadjem Ara , Marshall Andrea D. , Pierce Simon J.
Published: October 2014

The whale sharkRhincodon typusis a popular focal species in the marine tourism industry. We analysed 689 encounters with at least 142 individual sharks during 2008–2010 to assess their behaviour in the presence of swimmers at Tofo Beach, Mozambique. Sharks varied in size (estimated 3.0–9.5 m total length) and the majority (74%) were males. The sharks displayed avoidance behaviours during 64.7% of encounters. Encounter duration decreased significantly, from 12 minutes 37 s with undisturbed sharks to 8 minutes 25 s when sharks expressed avoidance behaviours, indicating that interactions with tourists affected the sharks’ short-term behaviour. However, during the 2.5-year study period we found no trend in the mean encounter duration, the overall expression of avoidance behaviour or the likelihood of an individual shark exhibiting avoidance behaviours. Potential effects of tourism may be mitigated by the non-breeding status and transient behaviour of sharks at this aggregation site.
A commentary on Kendler (2014)
Authors: Bebbington P. E.
Published: October 2014

Kendler argues for the reality of psychiatric diagnostic classes in terms of two realist theories of truth, coherence and correspondence. I would advocate an alternative interpretation of the truth status of diagnostic classifications that leads to different conclusions. This is based firstly on Karl Popper's ideas on the growth of knowledge, whereby hypotheses developed from theoretical conjectures are deliberately subjected to attempts at refutation (we refine our always provisional views of what is true by increasing our knowledge of what is false). My second source of argument is John Wing's view that diseases are theoretical constructs on which disease theories may be based and tested. Such theories relate variously to aetiology, pathology, treatment, course and outcome. Rejecting a disease theory does not force rejection of the disease construct it seeks to qualify. We adhere to disease constructs more strongly than to the disease theories based on them. However, if it becomes apparent that the information obtained by testing disease theories is incoherent, we may eventually jettison particular disease constructs, as has happened regularly in the history of medicine. The disease constructs used in psychiatry may be approaching this point.
A particular Reformed piety: John Knox and the posture at communion
Authors: Torrance Iain R.
Published: October 2014

2014 is the quincentenary of the birth of John Knox and the article is part of an attempt to contextualise him and assess his impact. In the autumn of 1552 Knox preached a ferocious sermon at Windsor in the presence of the young King Edward VI. The sermon threatened to derail the careful compromise of the Second Prayer Book of Edward VI and provoked a sharp reply from Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to the Privy Council. The so-called Black Rubric (arguably produced by Cranmer) which clarified the intention of the posture of the recipient at communion was added to the Second Prayer Book. Though Cranmer's withering response might have been taken to have demolished Knox's peculiar insistence that the Reformed communion should mirror the posture of the disciples at the Last Supper, the issue reappeared a generation later when James VI and I attempted to require recipients to kneel to receive communion in the Articles of Perth of 1618. The Knox–Cranmer dispute had a rerun in the conflicting pamphlets of David Calderwood and John Forbes of Corse. In theological terms, John Forbes has the better arguments, but by that stage aspects of a style and tone of Scottish worship had become customary and prevail to this day. It is those aspects of table fellowship which form Knox's continuing legacy.
Calvin's legacy for contemporary Reformed natural law
Authors: Herdt Jennifer A.
Published: October 2014

Recent scholarship has done much to uncover a continuous tradition of distinctively Reformed natural law reflection, according to which knowledge of the natural moral law, though not saving knowledge, is universally available to humanity in its fallen state and makes a stable secular order possible. A close look at Calvin's understanding of natural law, and in particular of conscience and natural human instincts, shows that Calvin himself did not expect the natural law to serve as a source of substantive action-guiding moral norms. First, Calvin held that conscience delivers information concerning the moral quality even of individual actions. But he also thought that we often blind ourselves to the deliverances of conscience. Second, he argued that our natural instincts predispose us to civic order and fair dealing insofar as these are necessary for the natural well-being or advantage of creatures such as ourselves. But he also carefully distinguished the good of advantage from the good of justice or virtue. The modern natural lawyers eroded Calvin's careful distinction between conscience as revealing our dutyas duty, and instinct as guiding us towards natural advantage. They also turned away from Calvin's insistence on the moral incapacity of unredeemed humanity. The modern natural lawyers saw their task as one of developing an empirical science of human nature to guide legislation and shape international law, bracketing questions of whether this nature was fallen and in need of redemption. When Scottish Presbyterian Reformed thinkers, such as Gershom Carmichael and John Witherspoon, tried in diverse ways to restore eroded Reformed commitments to the science of human nature, about which they were otherwise so enthusiastic, they were not particularly successful. A science which could derive moral norms from an examination of human instincts, and a conscience which could deliver universal moral knowledge, proved too attractive to decline simply because of the transcendence of God or the fallenness of humankind. Those who wished to preserve an account of natural law which remained faithful to a fully robust set of Reformed theological commitments could do so only by refusing to regard the natural law as a positive source of moral knowledge.
Finding words and word structure in artificial speech: the development of infants' sensitivity to morphosyntactic regularities
Authors: MARCHETTO ERIKA , BONATTI LUCA L.
Published: October 2014

To achieve language proficiency, infants must find the building blocks of speech and master the rules governing their legal combinations. However, these problems are linked: words are also built according to rules. Here, we explored early morphosyntactic sensitivity by testing when and how infants could find either words or within-word structure in artificial speech snippets embodying properties of morphological constructions. We show that 12-month-olds use statistical relationships between syllables to extract words from continuous streams, but find word-internal regularities only if the streams are segmented. Seven-month-olds fail both tasks. Thus, 12-month-olds infants possess the resources to analyze the internal composition of words if the speech contains segmentation information. However, 7-month-old infants may not possess them, although they can track several statistical relations. This developmental difference suggests that morphosyntactic sensitivity may require computational resources extending beyond the detection of simple statistics.
Swedish Ambulance Managers’ Descriptions of Crisis Support for Ambulance Staff After Potentially Traumatic Events
Authors: Hugelius Karin , Berg Sara , Westerberg Elin , Gifford Mervyn , Adolfsson Annsofie
Published: October 2014

Introduction

Ambulance staff face complex and sometimes stressful or potentially traumatic situations, not only in disasters but also in their routine daily work. The aim of this study was to survey ambulance managers’ descriptions of crisis support interventions for ambulance staff after potential traumatic events (PTEs).

Methods

Semistructured interviews with a qualitative descriptive design were conducted with six ambulance managers in a health care region in central Sweden. The data was analyzed using content analysis.

Result

Five categories were found in the result: (1) description of a PTE; (2) description and performance of crisis support interventions; (3) impact of working in potentially traumatic situations; (4) the ambulance managers’ role in crisis support interventions; and (5) the ambulance managers’ suggestions for improvement. Ambulance managers described crisis support interventions after a PTE as a single, mandatory group meeting with a structure reminiscent of debriefing. The ambulance managers also expressed doubts about the present structures for crisis support and mentioned an alternative approach which is more in line with present evidence-based recommendations.

Conclusion

The results indicated a need for increased understanding of the importance of the managers’ attitudes for ambulance staff; a need for further implementation of evidence-based recommendations for crisis support interventions was also highlighted.

HugeliusK, BergS, WesterbergE, GiffordM, AdolfssonA. Swedish ambulance managers’ descriptions of crisis support for ambulance staff after potentially traumatic events. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(6):1-4.
‘A Character to lose’: Richard Goodlad, the Rangpurdhing, and the priorities of the East India Company's early colonial administrators
Authors: LEES JAMES
Published: October 2014

This article examines the conduct of Richard Goodlad, the East India Company's collector in Rangpur, north Bengal, upon the outbreak of a peasant rebellion in his district during 1783. It uses his reaction to this event to illustrate the nature of the Company's district bureaucracy and its relationship with the central colonial authorities in Calcutta during the later eighteenth century.

The article considers the aims and limitations of the European officials who were sent out to administer Bengal's districts, detailing their priorities and practices within a weak and decentralised state structure. Ultimately it argues that the relationship between these local and central components of the colonial state was, prior to the Company's rise to subcontinental hegemony in the early nineteenth-century, profoundly shaped both by widespread military under-resourcing, and by the primacy of personal interest among its local officials.
HOW INFLATION AFFECTS MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: AN AGENT-BASED COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION
Authors: Ashraf Quamrul , Gershman Boris , Howitt Peter
Published: October 2014

We use an agent-based computational approach to show how inflation can worsen macroeconomic performance by disrupting the mechanism of exchange in a decentralized market economy. We find that, in our model economy, increasing the trend rate of inflation above 3% has a substantial deleterious effect, but lowering it below 3% has no significant macroeconomic consequences. Our finding remains qualitatively robust to changes in parameter values and to modifications to our model that partly address the Lucas critique. Finally, we contribute a novel explanation for why cross-country regressions may fail to detect a significant negative effect of trend inflation on output even when such an effect exists in reality.
DISCRIMINATING EVIDENCE: CLOSENESS AND DISTANCE IN NATURAL AND CIVIL HISTORIES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Authors: Ogborn Miles
Published: October 2014

Enlightenment ideas of the “the Great Map of Mankind” established relationships between historical and geographical distance which provided the problematic for eighteenth-century natural and civil histories. This raised issues of evidence for writing such histories that were particularly acute in the Caribbean, where natural history was—via the movement and transplantation of plants, animals and peoples—always a matter of “civil” history; and where the question of what (or who) was “civil” (or civilized) was addressed via discussions of the boundary between humanity and nature. It is shown that how these questions were asked provoked the use of an array of evidence that varied in its management of the relationships of proximity and distance: including travellers’ tales, eyewitness observations, classical authors and philosophical speculation. The epistemological disjunctures that this evidence brought with it meant that the questions that were opened up could not be closed down.
BETWEEN DISTANCE AND SYMPATHY: DR JOHN MOORE'S PHILOSOPHICAL TRAVEL WRITING
Authors: BREWER JOHN
Published: October 2014

Dr John Moore's four-volume account of his Grand Tour in the company of the Duke of Hamilton was one of the most successful European travel books of the late eighteenth century. Moore's text, I argue, is a philosophical travel narrative, an examination of manners, customs and characters, analogous to the philosophical histories of the Scottish Enlightenment. Intended as a critique of the superficial observations of much travel literature, it argues for a greater degree of closeness between the traveler and the native, one based on sympathetic conversation rather than observation, but accompanied by a more distanced analysis, based on conjectural history, of the hidden processes that explain manners and character. Difference should be understood through a combination of sympathy and analysis that makes travel and its accounting valuable.
WHAT CONSTITUTED HISTORICAL EVIDENCE OF THE NEW WORLD? CLOSENESS AND DISTANCE IN WILLIAM ROBERTSON AND FRANCISCO JAVIER CLAVIJERO
Authors: SEBASTIANI SILVIA
Published: October 2014

According to Gerbi's classical study, the “dispute of the New World” entered a new phase in the 1780s, one marked by voices coming from the Americas. New questions were then raised about the writing of history, its method, scope and proofs. This essay pursues a dual-track enquiry, confronting theHistory of America(1777) by the Presbyterian minister William Robertson, a leading figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, with theStoria antica del Messico(1780–81) by the Mexican exiled Jesuit Francisco Javier Clavijero. The two works, one written from the centre of the world's commercial expansion, the other from the Pontifical States, were engaged in a sophisticated dialogue, which yields two alternative, competing conceptions of history and of humankind. To Robertson's philosophical history, which developed from a long-distance perspective, characteristic of Enlightenment, Clavijero responded by reassessing the Jesuit and antiquarian tradition, based on closeness, local expertise and direct observation.
IN NOSTRIS EXTREMIS(TERROR AND FANATICISM IN THE WESTERN MIND)
Authors: BOURG JULIAN
Published: October 2014

The abolitionist John Brown. Freedom fighter? Terrorist? The choice is unsatisfying for any number of reasons, least of all for the anachronistic nomenclature and the moral obviousness of his cause. Of course Brown was right, we can easily say, to take up the fight against that “peculiar institution” of barbarous slavery. Insofar as the federal government stood in the way of historical progress, perhaps he also was justified in striking the arsenal at Harper's Ferry in 1859 as the first salvo of the American Civil War, demonstrating by his pitiful action that the Union would have to choose sides and fight. Yet no less clear today is the sheer difficulty of justifying such antistate violence. Since the 1970s and especially since September 11, 2001, with comparable moral obviousness, insurgent and terroristic violence have generally been condemned as threats to social stability and political coherence. The very liberal-democratic traditions that might otherwise superficially heroize someone like John Brown recoil at the disorder he personified. The truth of Brown's adventurism is clearly more complicated than the postcard version, and his crazed biblical prophetism, nasty 1856 murder spree in Kansas, and patronizing wish to play Moses to southern blacks must be read alongside successful efforts by the government and pro-slavery camp to brand him an incorrigible fanatic—a label that Brown himself and other abolitionists embraced as their own. What Brown represents, however, is an access point to the deep history of ideas about fanaticism and terrorism in the modern West, a history filled with paradoxes and ambiguities that nonetheless revolve around the basic fact—avoided with ease by contemporary pundits and prognosticators—that for the past several centuries we have met the enemy, and he is us.
A MAINLINE MOMENT: THE AMERICAN PROTESTANT ESTABLISHMENT REVISITED
Authors: SEHAT DAVID
Published: October 2014

William R. Hutchison had a complaint. Though he was a dean of American religious history and a gatekeeper of the field at Harvard, Hutchison could not shake the feeling that the discipline was going in the wrong direction. In 1989, when he wrote an introduction to his edited volume,Between the Times, his fellow religion scholars were busy examining trans-denominational movements like revivalism, smaller religious practices like voodoo in New York, and “dissenters and other outsiders” to the mainstream. But their efforts had ignored what Hutchison considered the most important subject of all, the Protestant denominations that had guided American life since the American Revolution.
Evidence That a Brief Meditation Exercise Can Reduce Prejudice Toward Homeless People
Authors: Parks Stefania , Birtel Michèle D. , Crisp Richard J.
Published: October 2014

Recent research has shown that integrating social and clinical psychological perspectives can be effective when designing prejudice-interventions, with psychotherapeutic techniques successful at tackling anxiety in intergroup contexts. This research tests whether a single, brief loving-kindness meditation intervention, without containing any reference to the intergroup context, could reduce prejudice. This exercise was selected for its proven positive effects on mental and physical health. We observed that participants who took part in two variations of this meditation exercise (one involving a stranger, the other a homeless person) reported reduced intergroup anxiety, as well as more positive explicit attitudes, and enhanced future contact intentions. We conclude that combining approaches in intergroup relations and psychotherapy could be beneficial to design new interventions to combat prejudice and discrimination.
A Review of Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Social Conformity
Authors: Schnuerch Robert , Gibbons Henning
Published: October 2014

In groups, individuals often adjust their behavior to the majority’s. Here, we provide a brief introduction into the research on social conformity and review the first, very recent investigations elucidating the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Multiple studies suggest that conformity is a behavioral adjustment based on reinforcement-learning mechanisms in posterior medial frontal cortex and ventral striatum. It has also been suggested that the detection of cognitive inconsistency and the modulation of basic encoding processes are involved. Together, recent findings provide valuable insight into the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying social conformity and clearly point up the need for further studies in this field.
Filamentous phages prevalent in Pseudoalteromonas spp. confer properties advantageous to host survival in Arctic sea ice
Authors: Yu Zi-Chao , Chen Xiu-Lan , Shen Qing-Tao , Zhao Dian-Li , Tang Bai-Lu , Su Hai-Nan , Wu Zhao-Yu , Qin Qi-Long , Xie Bin-Bin , Zhang Xi-Ying , Yu Yong , Zhou Bai-Cheng , Chen Bo , Zhang Yu-Zhong
Published: October 2014

Sea ice is one of the most frigid environments for marine microbes. In contrast to other ocean ecosystems, microbes in permanent sea ice are space confined and subject to many extreme conditions, which change on a seasonal basis. How these microbial communities are regulated to survive the extreme sea ice environment is largely unknown. Here, we show that filamentous phages regulate the host bacterial community to improve survival of the host in permanent Arctic sea ice. We isolated a filamentous phage, f327, from an Arctic sea ice Pseudoalteromonas strain, and we demonstrated that this type of phage is widely distributed in Arctic sea ice. Growth experiments and transcriptome analysis indicated that this phage decreases the host growth rate, cell density and tolerance to NaCl and H2O2, but enhances its motility and chemotaxis. Our results suggest that the presence of the filamentous phage may be beneficial for survival of the host community in sea ice in winter, which is characterized by polar night, nutrient deficiency and high salinity, and that the filamentous phage may help avoid over blooming of the host in sea ice in summer, which is characterized by polar day, rich nutrient availability, intense radiation and high concentration of H2O2. Thus, while they cannot kill the host cells by lysing them, filamentous phages confer properties advantageous to host survival in the Arctic sea ice environment. Our study provides a foremost insight into the ecological role of filamentous phages in the Arctic sea ice ecosystem.
Exponential rise of dynamical complexity in quantum computing through projections
Authors: Burgarth Daniel Klaus , Facchi Paolo , Giovannetti Vittorio , Nakazato Hiromichi , Pascazio Saverio , Yuasa Kazuya
Published: October 2014

The ability of quantum systems to host exponentially complex dynamics has the potential to revolutionize science and technology. Therefore, much effort has been devoted to developing of protocols for computation, communication and metrology, which exploit this scaling, despite formidable technical difficulties. Here we show that the mere frequent observation of a small part of a quantum system can turn its dynamics from a very simple one into an exponentially complex one, capable of universal quantum computation. After discussing examples, we go on to show that this effect is generally to be expected: almost any quantum dynamics becomes universal once ‘observed’ as outlined above. Conversely, we show that any complex quantum dynamics can be ‘purified’ into a simpler one in larger dimensions. We conclude by demonstrating that even local noise can lead to an exponentially complex dynamics.
Positive selection and compensatory adaptation interact to stabilize non-transmissible plasmids
Authors: Millan A. San , Peña-Miller R. , Toll-Riera M. , Halbert Z. V. , McLean A. R. , Cooper B. S. , MacLean R. C.
Published: October 2014

Plasmids are important drivers of bacterial evolution, but it is challenging to understand how plasmids persist over the long term because plasmid carriage is costly. Classical models predict that horizontal transfer is necessary for plasmid persistence, but recent work shows that almost half of plasmids are non-transmissible. Here we use a combination of mathematical modelling and experimental evolution to investigate how a costly, non-transmissible plasmid, pNUK73, can be maintained in populations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Compensatory adaptation increases plasmid stability by eliminating the cost of plasmid carriage. However, positive selection for plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance is required to maintain the plasmid by offsetting reductions in plasmid frequency due to segregational loss. Crucially, we show that compensatory adaptation and positive selection reinforce each other’s effects. Our study provides a new understanding of how plasmids persist in bacterial populations, and it helps to explain why resistance can be maintained after antibiotic use is stopped.
Collective Structural Changes in Vermiculite Clay Suspensions Induced by Cesium Ions
Authors: Motokawa Ryuhei , Endo Hitoshi , Yokoyama Shingo , Nishitsuji Shotaro , Kobayashi Tohru , Suzuki Shinichi , Yaita Tsuyoshi
Published: October 2014

Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, Cs radioisotopes have been dispersed over a wide area. Most of the Cs has remained on the surface of the soil because Cs+ is strongly adsorbed in the interlayer spaces of soil clays, particularly vermiculite. We have investigated the microscopic structure of an aqueous suspension of vermiculite clay over a wide length scale (1–1000 Å) by small-angle X-ray scattering. We determined the effect of the adsorption behavior of Cs+ on the structural changes in the clay. It was found that the abruption of the clay sheets was induced by the localization of Cs+ at the interlayer. This work provides important information for predicting the environmental fate of radioactive Cs in polluted areas and for developing methods to extract Cs from the soil and reduce radioactivity.
Enhanced catalytic performance of MnxOy–Na2WO4/SiO2 for the oxidative coupling of methane using an ordered mesoporous silica support
Authors: Yildiz M. , Aksu Y. , Simon U. , Kailasam K. , Goerke O. , Rosowski F. , Schomäcker R. , Thomas A. , Arndt S.
Published: October 2014

The oxidative coupling of methane is a highly promising reaction for its direct conversion.
N-doped graphene as an electron donor of iron catalysts for CO hydrogenation to light olefins
Authors: Chen Xiaoqi , Deng Dehui , Pan Xiulian , Hu Yongfeng , Bao Xinhe
Published: October 2014

N-doped graphene was used as an efficient electron donor of iron catalysts to enhance the selectivity of light olefins in CO hydrogenation.
Optimization of proton conductivity in graphene oxide by filling sulfate ions
Authors: Hatakeyama Kazuto , Razaul Karim Mohammad , Ogata Chikako , Tateishi Hikaru , Taniguchi Takaaki , Koinuma Michio , Hayami Shinya , Matsumoto Yasumichi
Published: October 2014

We found that the accommodation of sulfate ions in humidified graphene oxide (GO) walled channels results in an optimized proton conductivity, which is higher than the proton conductivity of all other forms of GO.
Molecular dynamics simulations reveal the assembly mechanism of polysaccharides in marine aerosols
Authors: Sun Lu , Li Xin , Hede Thomas , Tu Yaoquan , Leck Caroline , Ågren Hans
Published: October 2014

This figure represents the configuration of the marine gel after the polysaccharides undergo self-assembly. The calcium cations are blended inside the assembly and they act as ionic bridges.
Quantifying the dependence of dead lithium losses on the cycling period in lithium metal batteries
Authors: Aryanfar Asghar , Brooks Daniel J. , Colussi Agustín J. , Hoffmann Michael R.
Published: October 2014

We have developed a novel method to compute the irreversible loss of anode material in rechargeable lithium metal batteries.
Adsorption and reaction pathways of a chiral probe molecule, S-glycidol on a Pd(111) surface
Authors: Mahapatra Mausumi , Tysoe Wilfred T.
Published: October 2014

The chemistry ofS-glycidol is studied on a Pd(111) surface using temperature-programmed desorption and reflection–absorption infrared spectroscopy to explore its suitability as a chiral probe molecule and to follow its reaction pathway.
Enhanced photocatalytic activity of Pt/WO3photocatalyst combined with TiO2nanoparticles by polyelectrolyte-mediated electrostatic adsorption
Authors: Ohashi Tomomi , Sugimoto Takashi , Sako Kaori , Hayakawa Shinjiro , Katagiri Kiyofumi , Inumaru Kei
Published: October 2014

An electrostatic adsorption approach was used to realize a composite structure in which larger WO3crystalline particles were surrounded by TiO2nanoparticles. The Pt/WO3–TiO2composite photocatalyst showed a high activity under visible light irradiation (λ> 420 nm).
Fischer carbene complexes remain favourite targets, and vehicles for new discoveries
Authors: Raubenheimer H. G.
Published: October 2014

Fifty years after their introduction, Fischer-type carbene complexes still enthral synthetic and theoretical chemists interested in their preparation and characterization.
Speciation and structure of tin(ii) in hyper-alkaline aqueous solution
Authors: Bajnóczi Éva G. , Czeglédi Eszter , Kuzmann Ernő , Homonnay Zoltán , Bálint Szabolcs , Dombi György , Forgo Péter , Berkesi Ottó , Pálinkó István , Peintler Gábor , Sipos Pál , Persson Ingmar
Published: October 2014

In hyper-alkaline aqueous solutions, the three-legged stool-like [Sn(OH)3]− is the only hydroxido complex with a very short (2.078 Å) Sn–O distance.
Steric and electronic effects on arylthiolate coordination in the pseudotetrahedral complexes [(TpPh,Me)Ni–SAr] (TpPh,Me= hydrotris{3-phenyl-5-methyl-1-pyrazolyl}borate)
Authors: Deb Tapash , Anderson Caitlin M. , Chattopadhyay Swarup , Ma Huaibo , Young Victor G. , Jensen Michael P.
Published: October 2014

Arylthiolate substituents affect bonding and spectroscopy of nickel(ii) complexes [(TpPh,Me)Ni–SAr], including pyrazole arm dechelation (pictured).
Sulfide bornite thermoelectric material: a natural mineral with ultralow thermal conductivity
Authors: Qiu Pengfei , Zhang Tiansong , Qiu Yuting , Shi Xun , Chen Lidong
Published: October 2014

The natural mineral bornite that has ultralow thermal conductivity exhibits excellent thermoelectric performance and enhanced stability under large electric currents.
Evaluating different classes of porous materials for carbon capture
Authors: Huck Johanna M. , Lin Li-Chiang , Berger Adam H. , Shahrak Mahdi Niknam , Martin Richard L. , Bhown Abhoyjit S. , Haranczyk Maciej , Reuter Karsten , Smit Berend
Published: October 2014

We screen a wide selection of nano-porous materials with respect to CO2 capture from flue gas by employing the metric of parasitic energy designed to comprise the entire CCS process.
Dynamic transcription factor activity and networks during ErbB2 breast oncogenesis and targeted therapy
Authors: Weiss M. S. , Peñalver Bernabé B. , Shin S. , Asztalos S. , Dubbury S. J. , Mui M. D. , Bellis A. D. , Bluver D. , Tonetti D. A. , Saez-Rodriguez J. , Broadbelt L. J. , Jeruss J. S. , Shea L. D.
Published: October 2014

A novel experimental and computational approach for real time identification of transcription factors regulating cell fate throughout differentiation in 3D culture.
Synthesis of novel multi-cationic PEG-based ionic liquids
Authors: Cecchini Martina Maya , Bendjeriou Anissa , Mnasri Najib , Charnay Clarence , Angelis Francesco De , Lamaty Frédéric , Martinez Jean , Colacino Evelina
Published: October 2014

The syntheses of ten novel mono-, di- or tri-cationic poly(ethylene glycol)-based ionic liquids (ILPEGs), incorporating tetra-substituted ammonium cations, are described.
Base-switched annuloselectivity in the reactions of ethyl malonyl chloride and imines
Authors: Yang Zhanhui , Li Siqi , Zhang Zhong , Xu Jiaxi
Published: October 2014

The [2 + 2] and [2 + 2 + 2] annuloselectivity in the reactions of ethyl malonyl chloride with imines was controlled by different bases, providing a simple synthesis of β-lactam-3-carboxylates and 2,3-dihydro-1,3-oxazin-4-ones.
Synthesis of highly functionalized C60 fullerene derivatives and their applications in material and life sciences
Authors: Yan Weibo , Seifermann Stefan M. , Pierrat Philippe , Bräse Stefan
Published: October 2014

Highly functionalized fullerenes can be efficiently constructed by various techniques.
An efficient synthetic route to 1,3-bis(arylethynyl)isobenzofuran using alkoxybenzocyclobutenone as a reactive platform
Authors: Asahina Kenta , Matsuoka Suguru , Nakayama Ryosuke , Hamura Toshiyuki
Published: October 2014

An efficient synthetic method of 1,3-bis(arylethynyl)isobenzofurans is developed.
Nano-structuring polymer/fullerene composites through the interplay of conjugated polymer crystallization, block copolymer self-assembly and complementary hydrogen bonding interactions
Authors: Li Fei , Yager Kevin G. , Dawson Noel M. , Jiang Ying-Bing , Malloy Kevin J. , Qin Yang
Published: October 2014

Core–shell P3HT/fullerene composite nanofibers were obtained using supramolecular chemistry involving cooperative orthogonal non-covalent interactions.
Biomaterial–stem cell interactions and their impact on stem cell response
Authors: Schaap-Oziemlak Aneta M. , Kühn Philipp T. , van Kooten Theo G. , van Rijn Patrick
Published: October 2014

In this review, current research in the field of biomaterial properties for directing stem cells are discussed and placed in a critical perspective.
Effects of nanoscale silica sol foliar application on arsenic uptake, distribution and oxidative damage defense in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under arsenic stress
Authors: Liu Chuanping , Wei Lan , Zhang Shirong , Xu Xianghua , Li Fangbai
Published: October 2014

Nanoscale silica sol foliar application reduced arsenic toxicity and accumulation in rice by enhancing its antioxidant defense capacity.
Green silver nanoparticles: enhanced antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity with effects on DNA replication and cell cytotoxicity
Authors: Gupta Kuldeep , Barua Shaswat , Hazarika Shabiha Nudrat , Manhar Ajay Kumar , Nath Dhrubajyoti , Karak Niranjan , Namsa Nima D. , Mukhopadhyay Rupak , Chandra Kalia Vipin , Mandal Manabendra
Published: October 2014

Synthesis of green and biocompatible silver nanoparticles with high anti-microbial and anti-biofilm activities.
Reusable colloidal graphene oxide suspensions combined with dialysis bags for recovery of trace Y(iii) from aqueous solutions
Authors: Chen Weifan , Wang Linlin , Zhuo Mingpeng , Wang Yiping , Fu Sulei , Li Yongxiu , Wu Shilin
Published: October 2014

Schematic diagram of Y(iii) adsorption and desorption on graphene oxide nanosheets in colloidal suspensions loaded in a dialysis bag.
Ammonia selective catalytic reduction of NO over Fe/Cu-SSZ-13
Authors: Zhang Ranran , Li Yonghong , Zhen Tieli
Published: October 2014

Bimetallic catalyst Fe/Cu-SSZ-13 was synthesized by iron exchanged Cu-SSZ-13 based on a one-pot hydrothermal method. It has showed excellent deNOx performance compared with Cu-SSZ-13. The synergistic effects between Fe and Cu species have been investigated by a series of characterization methods.
Oxidation resistance of Mo(Si1−xAlx)2 nanocrystalline films and characterization of their oxide scales by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
Authors: Xu Jiang , Li ZhengYang , Munroe Paul , Xie Zong-Han
Published: October 2014

To explore the influence of Al alloying on the oxidation resistance of MoSi2, four Mo(Si1−xAlx)2 nanocrystalline films were fabricated on Ti–6A1–4V substrates and their cyclic oxidation behavior was characterized.
Construction of a fluorescence turn-on probe for highly discriminating detection of cysteine
Authors: Wang Feiyi , An Jiancai , Zhang Lili , Zhao Chunchang
Published: October 2014

We developed a cysteine specific probe by utilizing the remarkable difference in reactivity toward discriminating cysteine from homocysteine and glutathione. This probe was also successfully used for detection of Cys in living cells and monitoring cystathionine γ-lyase activityin vitro.
The application of chiroptical spectroscopy (circular dichroism) in quantifying binding events in lanthanide directed synthesis of chiral luminescent self-assembly structures
Authors: Kotova Oxana , Blasco Salvador , Twamley Brendan , O'Brien John , Peacock Robert D. , Kitchen Jonathan A. , Martínez-Calvo Miguel , Gunnlaugsson Thorfinnur
Published: October 2014

The binding of asymmetrical and optically pure tridentate ligands containing one carboxylic group and 2-naphthyl as an antenna to lanthanide ions was studied in CH3CN.
Long-lasting luminescent ZnGa2O4:Cr3+transparent glass-ceramics
Authors: Chenu Sébastien , Véron Emmanuel , Genevois Cécile , Garcia Alain , Matzen Guy , Allix Mathieu
Published: October 2014

Highly transparent ZnGa2O4glass-ceramic materials, showing red long-lasting luminescence arising from the entire sample volume, are reported.
Extracellular ATP, a danger signal, is recognized by DORN1 in Arabidopsis
Authors: Choi Jeongmin , Tanaka Kiwamu , Liang Yan , Cao Yangrong , Lee Sang Yeol , Stacey Gary
Published: October 2014

ATP, the universal energy currency of all organisms, is released into the extracellular matrix and serves as a signal among cells, where it is referred to as an extracellular ATP. Although a signalling role for extracellular ATP has been well studied in mammals over the last 40 years, investigations of such a role in plants are at an early stage. Recently, the first plant receptor for extracellular ATP, DOes not Respond to Nucleotides (DORN1), was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana by mutant screening. DORN1 encodes a legume-type lectin receptor kinase that is structurally distinct from the mammalian extracellular ATP receptors. In the present review, we highlight the genetic and biochemical evidence for the role of DORN1 in extracellular ATP signalling, placing this within the wider context of extracellular ATP signalling during plant stress responses.
NTBI unveiled by chelatable fluorescent beads
Authors: Sebastiani Giada , Pantopoulos Kostas
Published: October 2014

Non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) emerges in plasma of patients with systemic iron overload, but has also been documented in further pathological conditions. Quantification of NTBI can be useful for diagnosis and management of these disorders. However, currently available detection methods are tedious and often inaccurate, hampering wide applicability. In this issue of the Biochemical Journal, Ma et al. report the development of a novel assay for NTBI measurement, based on an iron-sensitive fluorescent probe that is linked to magnetic beads. The approach offers several advantages over existing technology and may bring NTBI assessment closer to the clinic.
Molekulare Ansatzpunkte für systemische Therapien adenoidzystischer Karzinome im Kopf-Hals-Bereich
Authors: Büchsenschütz K. , Veit J. , Schuler P. , Thierauf J. , Laban S. , Fahimi F. , Bankfalvi A. , Lang S. , Sauerwein W. , Hoffmann T.
Published: October 2014

Das adenoidzystische Karzinom (ACC) ist ein neurotroper Speicheldrüsentumor mit einer hohen hämatogenen Metastasierungstendenz. Die Therapie der Wahl ist bei lokal begrenztem Wachstum die vollständige chirurgische Resektion und in Abhängigkeit vom Resektionsstatus eine adjuvante Strahlentherapie. Aufgrund der verhältnismäßig hohen Rezidivrate mit eingeschränkter lokaler Interventionsmöglichkeit und der im weiteren langfristigen Krankheitsverlauf häufig vorzufindenden hämatogenen Fernmetas­tasen, wird man als Therapeut zwangsläufig mit der Frage nach einer adäquaten systemischen Therapie konfrontiert. Die Ansprechraten des Tumors sind bei einer Vielzahl der eingesetzten Chemotherapeutika als gering zu bezeichnen, anhaltende Komplettremissionen oder gar Heilungen sind äußerst selten. Neben der klassischen Chemotherapie kommen Immuntherapeutika und „Targetsubstanzen“ mit z. T. günstigem Nebenwirkungsprofil zum Einsatz, wobei aufgrund der geringen Patientenzahlen in den zur Verfügung stehenden Studien eine definitive Aussage zur Effektivität kaum gemacht werden kann. Hieraus ergibt sich die Notwendigkeit zu multizentrischen Studienbemühungen, die im prospektiven Design klare Handlungsempfehlungen zur Systemtherapie des Tumors erlauben. Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt eine Übersicht zu den subzellulären und genetischen Charakteristika des ACC, die einen Angriffspunkt für systemische Therapiebemühungen darstellen und teilweise in klinischen Studien bereits Berücksichtigung gefunden haben.
Differenzialdiagnostik der Hörstörungen
Authors: Schulze A. , Zahnert T.
Published: October 2014

Die Beeinträchtigung des Hörvermögens ist die weltweit häufigste Funktionseinschränkung eines Sinnesorgans. WHO-Schätzungen zufolge waren 2012 weltweit 360 Mio Menschen von Hörstörungen betroffen, 91% davon sind Erwachsene, 9% Kinder.

Hörstörungen können Folge lokal destruierender Prozesse (chronische Otitis media, Cholesteatom oder traumatisch bedingte Läsionen) oder systemischer Einflüsse wie infektiöse oder ototoxische Agenzien (Masern-, Mumpsviren, Meningokokkenmeningitis oder Medikamente und industrielle Substanzen) sein. Kongenitale Fehlbildungen, perinatale Komplikationen und genetisch bedingte Veränderungen können ebenso in Hördefiziten resultieren. Eine zunehmende ursächliche Bedeutung gewinnt die akute oder chronische übermäßig lange oder intensive Lärmbelastung, vor allem durch ein verändertes Freizeitverhalten in den Industrienationen.

Um die jeweils individuell optimale Hörrehabilitation anstreben zu können, ist eine spezifische Differenzialdiagnostik unerlässlich.
Quality-of-Life Outcomes following Thoracolumbar and Lumbar Fusion with and without the Use of Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2: Does Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Make a Difference?
Authors: Lubelski Daniel , Alvin Matthew D. , Torre-Healy Andrew , Abdullah Kalil G. , Nowacki Amy S. , Whitmore Robert G. , Steinmetz Michael P. , Benzel Edward C. , Mroz Thomas E.
Published: October 2014

Design

Retrospective study.

Objectives

(1) To investigate the quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes in the population undergoing lumbar spine surgery with versus without recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2); (2) to determine QOL outcomes for those patients who experience postoperative complications; and (3) to identify the effect of patient characteristics on postoperative QOL outcomes.

Methods

A retrospective review of QOL questionnaires, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Patient Disability Questionnaire (PDQ), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), and quality of life-year (QALY), was performed for all patients who underwent thoracolumbar and lumbar fusion surgery with versus without rhBMP-2 between March 2008 and September 2010. Individual preoperative and postoperative QOL data were compared for each patient. Demographic factors and complications were reviewed.

Results

We identified 266 patients, including 60 with and 206 without rhBMP-2. Questionnaires were completed an average of 10.3 ± 5 months after surgery. For all measures, average scores improved postoperatively compared with preoperatively. No differences in postoperative QOL outcomes were identified between the rhBMP-2 and the control cohorts. Median annual household income was positively associated with EQ-5D and QALY. Compared with those without, patients with postoperative complications had fewer QOL improvements.

Conclusions

There was no difference in QOL outcomes in the rhBMP-2 compared with the control group. Socioeconomic status and postoperative complications affected QOL outcomes following surgery. The QOL questionnaires provide the clinician with information regarding the patients’ self-perceived well-being and can be helpful in the selection of surgical candidates and for understanding the effectiveness of a given surgical procedure.
Risk Factor Analysis of Hinge Fusion Failure after Plate-Only Open-Door Laminoplasty
Authors: Lee Sungjoon , Chung Chun Kee , Kim Chi Heon
Published: October 2014

Study Design

Retrospective study.

Objectives

To analyze lamina hinge fusion failure after plate-only open-door laminoplasty.

Methods

Thirty-one patients who underwent plate-only open-door laminoplasty (110 levels) for cervical myelopathy and who had serial computed tomography (CT) scans at 6 and 12 months were analyzed. Risk factors for fusion failure at 12 months were analyzed, including age, sex, smoking, presence of diabetes mellitus and ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament, bone mineral density (T-score), preoperative cervical curvature, operated levels, presence of a ventral cortical bony continuity, and reflection angle of the lamina hinge. Clinical outcomes were assessed with neck pain score using visual analog scale, neck disability index, and Japanese Orthopedic Association score.

Results

Hinge fusion occurred in 84% (26/31) of patients at 12 months. A significant risk factor for fusion failure was the absence of a ventral cortical bony continuity at 6 months ( p < 0.01; 100 versus 48%). No lamina with ventral cortical bony continuity at 6 months showed depression at 12 months, but two lamina without continuity showed depression of 2.5 and 2.1 mm, respectively, at 12 months. Clinical outcomes were not different between patients with and without hinge fusion.

Conclusion

Absence of a ventral cortical bony continuity at 6 months is a risk factor for fusion failure at 12 months. However, bicortically defective laminae usually heal with minimal displacement, although it may take longer than 12 months.