bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring the Learning Effectiveness of Serious Gaming for Training of Complex Manufacturing Tasks
Authors: Li Katie , Hall Mark , Bermell-Garcia Pablo , Alcock Jeffrey , Tiwari Ashutosh , González-Franco Mar
Published: November 2017

Background. Training new workers on complex manufacturing tasks has long been a challenge for high value manufacturing companies. Equipment downtime, costly instructors, and dangerous working environments are some of the impediments of hands-on training. To overcome these hurdles, a traditional manufacturing paper manual was transformed into a serious game through capturing and embedding expert knowledge.

Aim. This article investigates the learning effectiveness of learning via a serious game (Training Game) compared with the tradition learning method (Paper Manual) through a user study.

Method. Twenty employees took part in a randomised controlled trial. They were assigned to one of two conditions: Training Game (experimental condition), or Paper Manual (control condition). Participants spent a maximum of 30 minutes to study manufacturing instructions before completing two tests to evaluate the amount of learning achieved.

Results. The results show that the Training Game was more effective for learning procedural knowledge than the Paper Manual. Regarding factual knowledge, no significant difference was identified between the two conditions. In terms of motivation, increased engagement levels were reported in the Training Game condition.

Conclusions. This user study shows evidence that the serious TG being evaluated is an effective method for training procedural knowledge in a complex manufacturing scenario.
Creep crack simulations using continuum damage mechanics and extended finite element method
Authors: Pandey VB , Singh I V , Mishra BK , Ahmad S , Rao AV , Kumar Vikas
Published: November 2017

In the present work, elasto-plastic creep crack growth simulations are performed using continuum damage mechanics and extended finite element method. Liu–Murakami creep damage model and explicit time integration scheme are used to evaluate the creep strain and damage variable for various materials at different temperatures. Compact tension and C-shaped tension specimens are selected for the simulation of crack growth analysis. For damage evaluation, both local and nonlocal approaches are employed. The accuracy of the extended finite element method solutions is checked by comparing with experimental results and finite element solutions. These results show that the extended finite element method requires a much coarser mesh to effectively model crack propagation. It is also shown that mesh independent results can be achieved by using nonlocal implementation.
Stakeholder Risk and Trust Perceptions in the Diffusion of Green Manufacturing Technologies: Evidence From China
Authors: Zhou Yuan , Pan Meijuan , Zhou Dillon K. , Xue Lan
Published: November 2017

The Chinese government attempts to use market-oriented measures, such as energy performance contracts (EPCs) rather than mere policy mandates, to encourage manufacturers to voluntarily adopt green technologies. However, the low use rate of EPCs in existing diffusion projects calls for an in-depth examination. This article, therefore, aims to investigate the adoption risks that thwart key stakeholders, as well as the stakeholders' trust that may mitigate the aforementioned risks, through a case study of the national-level diffusion project. Using network analysis, this study identifies four critical risks that are associated to key stakeholders, that is, information asymmetry, funding support, payback period savings potential, and technical competences. Furthermore, it discloses the linkages between stakeholders' trust perceptions and the aforementioned risks. This outcome gives us new insights about what can be improved to better promote EPCs in diffusion projects on a national scale.
Psychometric Properties of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale in Spanish Children and Adolescents
Authors: Gavino Aurora , Nogueira Raquel , Pérez-Costillas Lucía , Godoy Antonio
Published: November 2017

The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) is one of the most used instruments to assess perfectionism. The FMPS assesses six dimensions: Concern over Mistakes (CM), Parental Expectations (EP), Parental Criticism (PC), Doubts about Actions (DA), Organization (OR), and Personal Standards (PS). CM, PE, PC, and DA are facets of a more general dimension considered Maladaptive Perfectionism. PS is frequently considered Adaptive Perfectionism. FMPS psychometric properties have been studied in adults but scarcely in children. We adapted the FMPS for Spanish children and adolescents and studied these properties in a sample of 1,648 Spanish young people (mean age = 13.36; SD = 2.28). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were used to test whether the FMPS dimensions found in adults are applicable to children. Results supported this hypothesis. The FMPS dimensional structure was invariant across gender and age. FMPS subscales showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α: .71-.92) and test–retest reliability (intraclass correlations: .70-.85). Moderate and high correlations with measures of dysfunctional beliefs, anxiety, and depression supported the validity of the FMPS scores. Results from regression equations showed that the relationship of perfectionism with anxiety and depression is mostly due to Maladaptive Perfectionism.
Delay-dependent stability analysis for discrete-time switched linear systems with parametric uncertainties
Authors: Baleghi Nasrollah Azam , Shafiei Mohammad Hossein
Published: November 2017

This paper studies the delay-dependent stability conditions for time-delay discrete-time switched systems. In the considered switched system, there are uncertain terms in each subsystem due to affine parametric uncertainties. Additionally, each subsystem has a time-varying state delay which adds more complexity to the stability analysis. Based on the Lyapunov functional approach, the sufficient conditions are extracted to determine the admissible upper bound of the time-varying delay for guaranteed stability. Furthermore, a class of switching signals is identified to guarantee the exponential stability of the uncertain time-delay switched system. The main advantage of the suggested switching signals is its independency to the uncertainties. Furthermore, these signals are only constrained by a determined average dwell time (may be chosen arbitrarily). Finally, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method and also the reduction of conservatism in finding the admissible upper bound of time-delay in comparison with other stability analysis approaches.
Routes to bursting oscillations in a modified van der Pol–Duffing oscillator with slow-varying periodic excitation
Authors: Xindong Ma , Shuqian Cao , Hulun Guo
Published: November 2017

The present study examines the dynamical behaviors and the mechanism of a modified van der Pol–Duffing circuit system with slow-varying periodic excitation. Based on the analysis of the equilibrium states, the stable equilibrium and limit cycle oscillation are found to switch as the parameter slowly varies. The periodic and bursting oscillations are observed as the parameter slowly varies within the different parameter regions, especially one type of Hopf-bifurcation-delay-induced bursting oscillation. These Hopf-bifurcation-delay-induced bursting patterns are studied in detail, thereby generating compound classifications, namely “delayed supHopf/fold cycle-subHopf/supHopf” bursting and “subHopf/supHopf” bursting via “delayed supHopf/ supHopf” hysteresis loop.
A novel adaptive controller featuring inversely fuzzified values with application to vibration control of magneto-rheological seat suspension system
Authors: Phu Do Xuan , Quoc Hung Nguyen , Choi Seung-Bok
Published: November 2017

This work presents a novel adaptive fuzzy controller based on the inversely fuzzified values associated with the H infinity technique and it is applied to vibration control of a vehicle seat suspension system installed with a magneto-rheological damper. In this work, the fuzzified values are embedded into the Riccati-like equation to achieve enhanced robustness of control function and the sliding surface function of sliding mode control is used for designing the main control function. The synthetic function of controller includes a model of online interval type 2 fuzzy neural network system and a fast calculation for clustering. The combination between the fuzzy model system and the proposed control algorithm can shorten the calculation time and improve control responses of the system in the presence of disturbances and uncertainties. After formulating the controller, the effectiveness is validated through both simulation and experiment. In computer simulation, three different road profiles of random bump, regular bump, and random step wave are adopted to emulate severe external disturbances. It is shown from the simulation that both displacement and acceleration of the driver are remarkably well controlled under three different road conditions. This advantage is also validated in the experimental work. It is demonstrated that vibration control performances under random step wave road are much better than the comparative adaptive fuzzy controller. It is identified from the results that the use of the inversely fuzzified values plays a major role to enhance the robustness and hence better control responses in the presence of the disturbances.
Post-Academic Writing: Human Writing for Human Readers
Authors: Badley Graham Francis
Published: November 2017

Academic writing is regularly criticized for its obscure and turgid prose, for its over-theoretical approach, and its reliance on jargon. In this essay, I suggest researchers and writers, especially qualitative inquirers, should move toward a more open and accessible style of “post-academic” writing. Put simply, post-academic writing is human writing for human readers and is at its best when it takes on a storytelling form. The essay features discussion of seven ways of becoming post-academic writers.
Spectral Analysis of Sequence Variability in Basic-Helix-loop-helix (bHLH) Protein Domains
Authors: Wang Zhi , Atchley William R.
Published: November 2017

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors is used as a paradigm to explore structural implications of periodicity patterns in amino acid sequence variability. A Boltzmann-Shannon entropy profile represents site-by-site amino acid variation in the bHLH domain. Spectral analysis of almost 200 bHLH sequences documents the periodic nature of the bHLH sequence variation. Spectral analyses provide strong evidence that the patterns of amino acid variation in large numbers of sequences conform to the classical a-helix three-dimensional structure periodicity of 3.6 amino acids per turn. Multivariate indices of amino acid physiochemical attributes derived from almost 500 amino acid attributes are used to provide information regarding the underlying causal components of the bHLH sequence variability. Five multivariate attribute indices are used that reflect patterns in i) polarity - hydrophobicity - accessibility, ii) propensity for secondary structures, iii) molecular volume, iv) codon composition and v) electrostatic charge. Multiple regression analyses of the entropy values as dependent variables and the factor score means and variances as independent variables are used to partition variation in entropy values into their underlying causal structural components.
3'UTR-located ALU Elements: Donors of Potetial miRNA Target Sites and Mediators of Network miRNA-based Regulatory Interactions
Authors: Daskalova Evelina , Baev Vesselin , Rusinov Ventsislav , Minkov Ivan
Published: November 2017

Recent research data reveal complex, network-based interactions between mobile elements and regulatory systems of eukaryotic cells. In this article, we focus on regulatory interactions between Alu elements and micro RNAs (miRNAs). Our results show that the majority of the Alu sequences inserted in 3'UTRs of analyzed human genes carry strong potential target sites for at least 53 different miRNAs. Thus, 3'UTR-located Alu elements may play the role of mobile regulatory modules that supply binding sites for miRNA regulation. Their abundance and ability to distribute a set of certain miRNA target sites may have an important role in establishment, extension, network organization, and, as we suppose – in the regulation and environment-dependent activation/inactivation of some elements of the miRNA regulatory system, as well as for a larger scale RNA-based regulatory interactions. The Alu-miRNA connection may be crucial especially for the primate/human evolution.
A New Effective Method for Estimating Missing Values in the Sequence Data Prior to Phylogenetic Analysis
Authors: Diallo Abdoulaye Baniré , Lapointe François-Joseph , Makarenkov Vladimir
Published: November 2017

In this article we address the problem of phylogenetic inference from nucleic acid data containing missing bases. We introduce a new effective approach, called “Probabilistic estimation of missing values” (PEMV), allowing one to estimate unknown nucleotides prior to computing the evolutionary distances between them. We show that the new method improves the accuracy of phylogenetic inference compared to the existing methods “Ignoring Missing Sites” (IMS), “Proportional Distribution of Missing and Ambiguous Bases” (PDMAB) included in the PAUP software [ 26 ]. The proposed strategy for estimating missing nucleotides is based on probabilistic formulae developed in the framework of the Jukes-Cantor [ 10 ] and Kimura 2-parameter [ 11 ] models. The relative performances of the new method were assessed through simulations carried out with the SeqGen program [ 20 ], for data generation, and the BioNJ method [ 7 ], for inferring phylogenies. We also compared the new method to the DNAML program [ 5 ] and “Matrix Representation using Parsimony” (MRP) [ 13 , 19 ] considering an example of 66 eutherian mammals originally analyzed in [ 17 ].
Estimating the Relative Order of Speciation or Coalescence Events on a Given Phylogeny
Authors: Gernhard Tanja , Ford Daniel , Vos Rutger , Steel Mike
Published: November 2017

The reconstruction of large phylogenetic trees from data that violates clocklike evolution (or as a supertree constructed from any m input trees) raises a difficult question for biologists–how can one assign relative dates to the vertices of the tree? In this paper we investigate this problem, as suming a uniform distribution on the order of the inner vertices of the tree (which includes, but is more general than, the popular Yule distribution on trees). We derive fast algorithms for computing the probability that (i) any given vertex in the tree was the j–th speciation event (for each j), and (ii) any one given vertex is earlier in the tree than a second given vertex. We show how the first algorithm can be used to calculate the expected length of any given interior edge in any given tree that has been generated under either a constant- rate speciation model, or the coalescent model.
Functionality and the Evolution of Marginal Stability in Proteins: Inferences from Lattice Simulations
Authors: Williams Paul D. , Pollock David D. , Goldstein Richard A.
Published: November 2017

It has been known for some time that many proteins are marginally stable. This has inspired several explanations. Having noted that the functionality of many enzymes is correlated with subunit motion, flexibility, or general disorder, some have suggested that marginally stable proteins should have an evolutionary advantage over proteins of differing stability. Others have suggested that stability and functionality are contradictory qualities, and that selection for both criteria results in marginally stable proteins, optimised to satisfy the competing design pressures. While these explanations are plausible, recent research simulating the evolution of model proteins has shown that selection for stability, ignoring any aspects of functionality, can result in marginally stable proteins because of the underlying makeup of protein sequence-space. We extend this research by simulating the evolution of proteins, using a computational protein model that equates functionality with binding and catalysis. In the model, marginal stability is not required for ligand-binding functionality and we observe no competing design pressures. The resulting proteins are marginally stable, again demonstrating that neutral evolution is sufficient for explaining marginal stability in observed proteins.
A Nuclear Ribosomal DNA Phylogeny of Acer Inferred with Maximum Likelihood, Splits Graphs, and Motif Analysis of 606 Sequences
Authors: Grimm Guido W. , Renner Susanne S. , Stamatakis Alexandros , Hemleben Vera
Published: November 2017

The multi-copy internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA is widely used to infer phylogenetic relationships among closely related taxa. Here we use maximum likelihood (ML) and splits graph analyses to extract phylogenetic information from ~ 600 mostly cloned ITS sequences, representing 81 species and subspecies of Acer, and both species of its sister Dipteronia. Additional analyses compared sequence motifs in Acer and several hundred Ana-cardiaceae, Burseraceae, Meliaceae, Rutaceae, and Sapindaceae ITS sequences in GenBank. We also assessed the effects of using smaller data sets of consensus sequences with ambiguity coding (accounting for within-species variation) instead of the full (partly redundant) original sequences. Neighbor-nets and bipartition networks were used to visualize conflict among character state patterns. Species clusters observed in the trees and networks largely agree with morphology-based classifications; of de Jong's (1994) 16 sections, nine are supported in neighbor-net and bipartition networks, and ten by sequence motifs and the ML tree; of his 19 series, 14 are supported in networks, motifs, and the ML tree. Most nodes had higher bootstrap support with matrices of 105 or 40 consensus sequences than with the original matrix. Within-taxon ITS divergence did not differ between diploid and polyploid Acer, and there was little evidence of differentiated parental ITS haplotypes, suggesting that concerted evolution in Acer acts rapidly.
Co-Evolutionary Rates of Functionally Related Yeast Genes
Authors: Mariño-Ramírez Leonardo , Bodenreider Olivier , Kantz Natalie , Jordan I. King
Published: November 2017

Evolutionary knowledge is often used to facilitate computational attempts at gene function prediction. One rich source of evolutionary information is the relative rates of gene sequence divergence, and in this report we explore the connection between gene evolutionary rates and function. We performed a genome-scale evaluation of the relationship between evolutionary rates and functional annotations for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Non-synonymous ( dN) and synonymous ( dS) substitution rates were calculated for 1,095 orthologous gene sets common to S. cerevisiae and six other closely related yeast species. Differences in evolutionary rates between pairs of genes (Δ dN & Δ dS) were then compared to their functional similarities ( sGO), which were measured using Gene Ontology (GO) annotations. Substantial and statistically significant correlations were found between Δ dN and sGO, whereas there is no apparent relationship between Δ dS and sGO. These results are consistent with a mode of action for natural selection that is based on similar rates of elimination of deleterious protein coding sequence variants for functionally related genes. The connection between gene evolutionary rates and function was stronger than seen for phylogenetic profiles, which have previously been employed to inform functional inference. The co-evolution of functionally related yeast genes points to the relevance of specific function for the efficacy of natural selection and underscores the utility of gene evolutionary rates for functional predictions.
Estimating Population Parameters using the Structured Serial Coalescent with Bayesian MCMC Inference when some Demes are Hidden
Authors: Ewing Greg , Rodrigo Allen
Published: November 2017

Using the structured serial coalescent with Bayesian MCMC and serial samples, we estimate population size when some demes are not sampled or are hidden, ie ghost demes. It is found that even with the presence of a ghost deme, accurate inference was possible if the parameters are estimated with the true model. However with an incorrect model, estimates were biased and can be positively misleading. We extend these results to the case where there are sequences from the ghost at the last time sample. This case can arise in HIV patients, when some tissue samples and viral sequences only become available after death. When some sequences from the ghost deme are available at the last sampling time, estimation bias is reduced and accurate estimation of parameters associated with the ghost deme is possible despite sampling bias. Migration rates for this case are also shown to be good estimates when migration values are low.
Using Minimum Bootstrap support for Splits to Construct Confidence Regions for Trees
Authors: Susko Edward
Published: November 2017

Many of the estimated topologies in phylogenetic studies are presented with the bootstrap support for each of the splits in the topology indicated. If phylogenetic estimation is unbiased, high bootstrap support for a split suggests that there is a good deal of certainty that the split actually is present in the tree and low bootstrap support suggests that one or more of the taxa on one side of the estimated split might in reality be located with taxa on the other side. In the latter case the follow-up questions about how many and which of the taxa could reasonably be incorrectly placed as well as where they might alternatively be placed are not addressed through the presented bootstrap support. We present here an algorithm that finds the set of all trees with minimum bootstrap support for their splits greater than some given value. The output is a ranked list of trees, ranked according to the minimum bootstrap supports for splits in the trees. The number of such trees and their topologies provides useful supplementary information in bootstrap analyses about the reasons for low bootstrap support for splits. We also present ways of quantifying low bootstrap support by considering the set of all topologies with minimum bootstrap greater than some quantity as providing a confidence region of topologies. Using a double bootstrap we are able to choose a cutoff so that the set of topologies with minimum bootstrap support for a split greater than that cutoff gives an approximate 95% confidence region. As with bootstrap support one advantage of the methods is that they are generally applicable to the wide variety of phylogenetic estimation methods.
Identification of Conflicting Selective Effects on Highly Expressed Genes
Authors: Higgs Paul G. , Hao Weilong , Golding G. Brian
Published: November 2017

Many different selective effects on DNA and proteins influence the frequency of codons and amino acids in coding sequences. Selection is often stronger on highly expressed genes. Hence, by comparing high- and low-expression genes it is possible to distinguish the factors that are selected by evolution. It has been proposed that highly expressed genes should (i) preferentially use codons matching abundant tRNAs (translational efficiency), (ii) preferentially use amino acids with low cost of synthesis, (iii) be under stronger selection to maintain the required amino acid content, and (iv) be selected for translational robustness. These effects act simultaneously and can be contradictory. We develop a model that combines these factors, and use Akaike's Information Criterion for model selection. We consider pairs of paralogues that arose by whole-genome duplication in Saccharmyces cerevisiae. A codon-based model is used that includes asymmetric effects due to selection on highly expressed genes. The largest effect is translational efficiency, which is found to strongly influence synonymous, but not non-synonymous rates. Minimization of the cost of amino acid synthesis is implicated. However, when a more general measure of selection for amino acid usage is used, the cost minimization effect becomes redundant. Small effects that we attribute to selection for translational robustness can be identified as an improvement in the model fit on top of the effects of translational efficiency and amino acid usage.
Identification of Novel Retroid Agents in Danio rerio, Oryzias latipes, Gasterosteus aculeatus and Tetraodon nigroviridis
Authors: Basta Holly A. , Buzak Alex J. , McClure Marcella A.
Published: November 2017

Retroid agents are genomes that encode a reverse transcriptase (RT) and replicate or transpose by way of an RNA intermediate. The Genome Parsing Suite (GPS) is software created to identify and characterize Retroid agents in any genome database (McClure et al. 2005). The detailed analysis of all Retroid agents found by the GPS in Danio rerio (zebrafish), Oryzias latipes (medaka), Gasterosteus aculeatus (stickleback) and Tetraodon nigroviridis (spotted green pufferfish) reveals extensive Retroid agent diversity in the compact genomes of all four fish. Novel Retroid agents were identified by the GPS software: the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in O. latipes, G aculeatus and T. nigroviridis and a potential TERT in D. rerio, a retrotransposon in D. rerio, and multiple lineages of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in D. rerio, O. latipes and G aculeatus.
Non-Molecular-Clock-Like Evolution following Viral Origins in Homo sapiens
Authors: Mok Wendy , Seto Kelly , Stone Jon
Published: November 2017

Researchers routinely adopt molecular clock assumptions in conducting sequence analyses to estimate dates for viral origins in humans. We used computational methods to examine the extent to which this practice can result in inaccurate ‘retrodiction.’ Failing to account for dynamic molecular evolution can affect greatly estimating index case dates, resulting in an overestimated age for the SARS-CoV-human infection, for instance.
Prediction of Protein-protein Interactions on the Basis of Evolutionary Conservation of Protein Functions
Authors: Kotelnikova Ekaterina , Kalinin Andrey , Yuryev Anton , Maslov Sergei
Published: November 2017

Motivation

Although a great deal of progress is being made in the development of fast and reliable experimental techniques to extract genome-wide networks of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, the sequencing of new genomes proceeds at an even faster rate. That is why there is a considerable need for reliable methods of in-silico prediction of protein interaction based solely on sequence similarity information and known interactions from well-studied organisms. This problem can be solved if a dependency exists between sequence similarity and the conservation of the proteins’ functions.

Results

In this paper, we introduce a novel probabilistic method for prediction of protein-protein interactions using a new empirical probabilistic formula describing the loss of interactions between homologous proteins during the course of evolution. This formula describes an evolutional process quite similar to the process of the Earth's population growth. In addition, our method favors predictions confirmed by several interacting pairs over predictions coming from a single interacting pair. Our approach is useful in working with “noisy” data such as those coming from high-throughput experiments. We have generated predictions for five “model” organisms: H. sapiens, D. melanogaster, C. elegans, A. thaliana, and S. cerevisiae and evaluated the quality of these predictions.
Why Should We Care about Molecular Coevolution?
Authors: Codoñer Francisco M. , Fares Mario A.
Published: November 2017

Non-independent evolution of amino acid sites has become a noticeable limitation of most methods aimed at identifying selective constraints at functionally important amino acid sites or protein regions. The need for a generalised framework to account for non-independence of amino acid sites has fuelled the design and development of new mathematical models and computational tools centred on resolving this problem. Molecular coevolution is one of the most active areas of research, with an increasing rate of new models and methods being developed everyday. Both parametric and non-parametric methods have been developed to account for correlated variability of amino acid sites. These methods have been utilised for detecting phylogenetic, functional and structural coevolution as well as to identify surfaces of amino acid sites involved in protein-protein interactions. Here we discuss and briefly describe these methods, and identify their advantages and limitations.
Traditional storytelling: an effective Indigenous research methodology and its implications for environmental research
Authors: Datta Ranjan
Published: November 2017

Using traditional Western research methods to explore Indigenous perspectives has often been felt by the Indigenous people themselves to be inappropriate and ineffective in gathering information and promoting discussion. On the contrary, using traditional storytelling as a research method links Indigenous worldviews, shaping the approach of the research; the theoretical and conceptual frameworks; and the epistemology, methodology, and ethics. The aims of this article are to (a) explore the essential elements and the value of traditional storytelling for culturally appropriate Indigenous research; (b) develop a model of a collaborative community and university research alliance, looking at how to address community concerns and gather data that will inform decision-making and help the community prepare for the future; (c) build up and strengthen research capacity among Indigenous communities in collaboration with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge-holders; and (d) discuss how to more fully engage Indigenous people in the research process. In two case studies with Indigenous and immigrant communities in Canada and Bangladesh that are grounded in the relational ways of participatory action research, the author found that traditional storytelling as a research method could lead to culturally appropriate research, build trust between participants and researcher, build a bridge between Western and Indigenous research, and deconstruct meanings of research. The article ends with a discussion of the implications of using traditional storytelling in empowering both research participants and researcher.
The Remarkable Mechanism of Prostaglandin E2 on Synaptic Plasticity
Authors: Akaneya Yukio
Published: November 2017

Prostanoids have a broad spectrum of biological activities in a variety of organs including the brain. However, their effects on synaptic plasticity in the brain, which have been recently revealed, are ambiguous in comparison to those in the other organs. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a prostanoid produced from arachidonic acid in the cellular membrane, and knowledge about its functions is increasing. Recently, a novel function of PGE2 in the brain has shed light on aspects of synaptic plasticity such as long-term potentiation (LTP). More recently, we have proposed a hypothesis for the mechanisms of this PGE2-related form of synaptic plasticity in the visual cortex. This involves the dynamics of two subtypes of PGE2 receptors that have opposing functions in intracellular signal transduction. Consequently, mechanisms that increase the level of cyclic AMP in the cytosol may explain for the mechanisms of LTP in the visual cortex. The current notion of bidirectional trafficking of PGE2 receptors under this hypothesis is reminiscent of the “silent synapse” mechanism of LTP on the trafficking of the AMPA receptors between the membrane and cytosol. Moreover, we propose the hypothesis that PGE2 acts as a “post-to-postsynaptic messenger” for the induction of LTP in the visual cortex. This review describes a complex mode of action of PGE2 receptors in synaptic plasticity in the brain.
Role of Fetal Stem Cells in Maternal Tissue Regeneration
Authors: Zhong Jiang F. , Weiner Leslie P.
Published: November 2017

Microchimerism refers to the status of harboring cells from another individual at low levels. It is well known that cells traffic bidirectionally between fetus and mother during pregnancy. This situation resembles a naturally occurring long lasting fetal stem cell transplantation. The fetus acts as the donor and the mother acts as the recipient. To study the role of microchimerism in tissue regeneration, we constructed a murine microchimerism model with wild type C57BL/6J female mice carrying progenies which expressed green fluorescent proteins (GFP). Our data indicated that skin injuries in the female mice during pregnancy increased microchimerism of GFP expressing cells from the GFP transgenic progenies. The GFP positive cells also appeared at the site of spinal cord where injury occurred during pregnancy. Our study suggests that the amount of fetal cells in maternal mice significantly increased if injuries occurred during pregnancy. Fetal stem cells appear to respond to maternal injury signals and may play a role in maternal tissue regeneration during pregnancy.
Enterobacterial Small Mobile Sequences Carry Open Reading Frames and are Found Intragenically–-Evolutionary Implications for Formation of New Peptides
Authors: Delihas Nicholas
Published: November 2017

Intergenic repeat units of 127-bp (RU-1) and 168-bp (RU-2), as well as a newly-found class of 103-bp (RU-3), represent small mobile sequences in enterobacterial genomes present in multiple intergenic regions. These repeat sequences display similarities to eukaryotic miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITE). The RU mobile elements have not been reported to encode amino acid sequences. An in silico approach was used to scan genomes for location of repeat units. RU sequences are found to have open reading frames, which are present in annotated gene loci whereby the RU amino acid sequence is maintained. Gene loci that display repeat units include those that encode large proteins which are part of super families that carry conserved domains and those that carry predicted motifs such as signal peptide sequences and transmembrane domains. A putative exported protein in Y. pestis and a phylogenetically conserved putative inner membrane protein in Salmonella species represent some of the more interesting constructs. We hypothesize that a major outcome of RU open reading frame fusions is the evolutionary emergence of new proteins.
Stochastic Spatio-Temporal Dynamic Model for Gene/Protein Interaction Network in Early Drosophila Development
Authors: Li Cheng-Wei , Chen Bor-Sen
Published: November 2017

In order to investigate the possible mechanisms for eve stripe formation of Drosophila embryo, a spatio-temporal gene/protein interaction network model is proposed to mimic dynamic behaviors of protein synthesis, protein decay, mRNA decay, protein diffusion, transcription regulations and autoregulation to analyze the interplay of genes and proteins at different compartments in early embryogenesis. In this study, we use the maximum likelihood (ML) method to identify the stochastic 3-D Embryo Space-Time (3-DEST) dynamic model for gene/protein interaction network via 3-D mRNA and protein expression data and then use the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) to prune the gene/protein interaction network. The identified gene/protein interaction network allows us not only to analyze the dynamic interplay of genes and proteins on the border of eve stripes but also to infer that eve stripes are established and maintained by network motifs built by the cooperation between transcription regulations and diffusion mechanisms in early embryogenesis. Literature reference with the wet experiments of gene mutations provides a clue for validating the identified network. The proposed spatio-temporal dynamic model can be extended to gene/protein network construction of different biological phenotypes, which depend on compartments, e.g. postnatal stem/progenitor cell differentiation.
NLRP3 polymorphisms and response to interferon-beta in multiple sclerosis patients
Authors: Malhotra Sunny , Sorosina Melissa , Río Jordi , Peroni Silvia , Midaglia Luciana , Villar Luisa M , Álvarez-Cermeño José C , Schroeder Ina , Esposito Federica , Clarelli Ferdinando , Zettl Uwe K , Lechner-Scott Jeannette , Spataro Nino , Navarro Arcadi , Comi Giancarlo , Montalban Xavier , Martinelli-Boneschi Filippo , Comabella Manuel
Published: November 2017

We aimed to investigate whether NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) polymorphisms are associated with the response to interferon-beta (IFNβ) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. A total of 14 NLRP3 polymorphisms were genotyped in a cohort of 665 relapsing-remitting MS patients recruited across 5 centers and classified into responders and non-responders according to clinical-radiological criteria after 1 year of IFNβ treatment. A meta-analysis failed to demonstrate significant associations between the response to IFNβ and NLRP3 polymorphisms. These findings do not support a role of polymorphisms located in the NLRP3 gene and the response to IFNβ in MS patients.
Serotonin: A mediator of the gut–brain axis in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Malinova Tsveta S , Dijkstra Christine D , de Vries Helga E
Published: November 2017

Background:

The significance of the gut microbiome for the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been established, although the underlying signaling mechanisms of this interaction have not been sufficiently explored.

Objectives:

We address this point and use serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT))—a microbial-modulated neurotransmitter (NT) as a showcase to demonstrate that NTs regulated by the gut microbiome are potent candidates for mediators of the gut–brain axis in demyelinating disorders.

Methods, Results, and Conclusion:

Our comprehensive overview of literature provides evidence that 5-HT levels in the gut are controlled by the microbiome, both via secretion and through regulation of metabolites. In addition, we demonstrate that the gut microbiome can influence the formation of the serotonergic system (SS) in the brain. We also show that SS alterations have been related to MS directly—altered expression of 5-HT transporters in central nervous system (CNS) and indirectly—beneficial effects of 5-HT modulating drugs on the course of the disease and higher prevalence of depression in patients with MS. Finally, we discuss briefly the role of other microbiome-modulated NTs such as γ-aminobutyric acid and dopamine in MS to highlight a new direction for future research aiming to relate microbiome-regulated NTs to demyelinating disorders.
The Brothers Karamazov, affective neuroscience, and reconsolidation of memories
Authors: Straus Nina P
Published: November 2017

Why do Dostoevskian bodies throb, sob, and grimace in ways that seem so far from the civilized protocols of, for example, Henry James’ exhibitions of emotions? How precisely does the concept of unconscious motivation serve interpretation when complicated by neuroscientific ideas of “the body as ground reference,” of “the neural self” as a “repeatedly reconstructed biological state” that records memories. This essay explores the implications of affective neuroscience research (Panksepp, Damasio, Solms) for interpreting Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, particularly those scenes in which the characters access memories and display physical symptoms which appear subcortical.
Staying active and focused? The effect of parliamentary performance on candidate renomination and promotion
Authors: Yildirim Tevfik Murat , Kocapınar Gülnur , Ecevit Yüksel Alper
Published: November 2017

A large body of literature has focused on potential causes and consequences of candidate nomination procedures. One of the received wisdoms in this literature is that loyalty to the party leadership in centralized systems and personal vote-earning attributes in decentralized systems rank in priority for representatives’ career prospects. However, the determinants of candidate nomination in countries with centralized nomination procedures have been significantly undertheorized, due in part to the implicit assumption that party loyalty outweighs any other factor in determining career decisions. We close this gap by analyzing nomination and promotion decisions in Turkey, a closed-list PR system with highly centralized nomination procedures. We argue that representatives’ parliamentary performance such as parliamentary activeness and issue concentration influence parties’ nomination and promotion decisions. Utilizing original data sets of biographies of 1100 MPs who served in parliament between 2002 and 2011, and over 18,000 parliamentary speeches and 1040 bill cosponsorships, we estimate empirical models that are explicitly derived from the underlying theoretical model and find evidence that party leaderships favour incumbents who make more speeches and who display higher issue concentration, while penalizing electorally safe incumbents who seek legislative influence through private members’ bills (PMBs). Results offer important implications for the study of intraparty politics and parliamentary behaviour in general, and candidate nomination in particular.
Live-streaming, games and politics of gender performance: The case of Nüzhubo in China
Authors: Zhang Ge , Hjorth Larissa
Published: November 2017

In the emerging scholarship on live-streaming sites, the role of gender has been relatively overlooked. This article aims to address this oversight by capturing the controversial rise of nüzhubo (Chinese for ‘female casters’) in the Chinese live-streaming platform, Douyu. Through ethnographic research on Douyu over 2 years, we have witnessed female performers who – motivated by both entrepreneurial spirit and creative agency – have embraced new forms of performative practices in, and around, video game commentary cultures. We begin with a brief contextualizing the gendered nature of media in the history of Chinese video sites and how theories around gender – especially gender performativity – might be adapted. While acknowledging the homogenizing effect of the term nüzhubo, we focus on two performers on Douyu – Hani9 and Nvliu – that are challenging conventional nüzhubo tropes. We argue for a situated notion of gender performativity that also engages with the platform-specific social, cultural and technical infrastructures – ‘platformativity’ to use Thomas Lamarre’s word.
To explore or race? Examining endurance athletes’ destination event choices
Authors: Aicher Thomas J , Newland Brianna L
Published: November 2017

Destinations often seek to attract big sporting events with the assumption these event participants will engage in additional tourism opportunities. Potential destination attributes were explored with endurance athletes—specifically runners, triathletes, and cyclists—to determine how their interests and intent to travel to destination races are piqued. Seven elements were examined using conjoint analysis: trip price, nightlife, typical group tours, unguided tours, destination location, shopping, and entertainment. Cluster analysis identified three segments: partiers, explores, and escapists. All groups were found to be highly price sensitive; however, differences between the groups were present.
Self-determination theory and motivational interviewing interventions for type 2 diabetes prevention and treatment: A systematic review
Authors: Phillips Amanda S , Guarnaccia Charles A
Published: November 2017

Treatment of those with obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes often yields initial health improvements, but gains erode over time. A systematic search of self-determination theory and motivational interviewing papers for the above populations was conducted, yielding 54 publications and 42 independent samples. Interventions to treat overweight and obesity ( n = 15), prediabetes ( n = 4), and type 2 diabetes ( n = 23) are summarized and evaluated using the Quality Rating Scale. While the results of these studies are mixed, the majority of the interventions resulted in health benefits. Suggestions for future research are discussed.
The corridor of uncertainty: Media, cricket and West Indian identity
Authors: Brunton Douglas-Wade
Published: November 2017

When C.L.R. James published Beyond a Boundary in 1963 – forever attaching the sport of cricket; its rituals, its rhythms and its customs to the construction of a West Indian identity – it was a time of great hope, the early dawn of the postcolonial era and concurrent with the rise of constructions of culture being framed as the sum of everyday lived experience. The cricket-playing Caribbean (the West Indies) was a different place and cricket was a different game. The intervening half century has seen the monetization of sport, the globalization of the media and, most significantly, paradigmatic shifts in the presentation of the sport of cricket in step with a continued decline in the fortunes of the West Indies cricket team. These shifts have had tremendous impact on the region as the West Indies, the geographical outliers in the cricket-playing world, have become further isolated as sub-par performances have lessened the team’s value in this age of commodification. In cricketing terms, the corridor of uncertainty in which West Indies cricket finds itself is indicative of the region’s inability to rise to the demands of globalization. Given the dominant assumption in postcolonial studies that in all the ex-colonies and dominions the imperial past strongly informs the present – through analysis of mediated sport in the region and the impact of the monetization of cricket on West Indian players and consequently on the regional team, this article seeks to bring to an end the conflation of cricket and West Indian identity and, further, questions the relevance of such an identity in the absence of a West Indian nation.