bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Possible Pedigree of Long Barrows and Chambered Cairns
Authors: Hemp W. J.
Published: February 2015

The case here presented is in a sense ‘special pleading’ and does not profess to give a complete explanation of the very complicated plans provided by the few long barrows and chambered cairns which have been excavated with any degree of care and completeness.

It may, in fact, be likened to an attempt to prove a single line of descent in a complicated pedigree; but, in my opinion the line is the principal one leading up to the common ancestor of a vast family of cousins of different degree.

One difficulty is the selection of a starting point in the family tree (to continue the metaphor); Mr O. G. S. Crawford would take the pedigree back to the house, a thesis it is much to be hoped that he will develop. I would, however, enter the caveat that in the particular case he cites the possibility of a reversal of the process of development should be considered. In a paper read to the Society of Antiquaries Mr Stuart Piggott suggested that an elongated chamber found by Mortimer under a round barrow at Kemp Howe was a house converted into a tomb. I would rather believe it to have been constructed for a burial chamber, and claim it as another link in the line of evolution from burial cave to barrow which I am trying to establish.
A Note on the Relative Chronology of the English Long Barrows
Authors: Piggott Stuart
Published: February 2015

The original draft of this paper was read at the First International Congress of Prehistoric Sciences in 1932, and a summary was printed in the ‘Proceedings of the Congress’ (p. 144). It has since been re-written and incorporates new evidence.

The English long barrows have not been dealt with as a whole since the classic paper of Dr Thurnam in 1868, but a series of regional studies, mainly the production of the archaeological department of the Ordnance Survey, have made the material available in convenient form. The publication of the Survey's complete map of British megaliths will enable many problems to be approached from the view point of distribution, but the southern English material, which is already published, raises one problem, at least, of first-class importance.
Notes on Excavations in England, the Irish Free State, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, during 1935
Authors: Clark J. G. D. , Leask H. G. , Evans E. E. , Childe V. Gordon , Grimes W. F.
Published: February 2015

The authors of these notes have to acknowledge the ready co-operation of the numerous excavators who have kindly contributed information concerning their work. The foregoing notes are designed to put members of the Prehistoric Society in possession of the main results of the summer's work, most of which will not be published in full for several months. Once again we would draw attention to the fact that notes on the publications of the year will be published in the Archaeological Journal by Mr and Mrs Hawkes.
The Earliest Settlement of the West Baltic Area in the Light of Recent Research
Authors: Clark J. G. D.
Published: February 2015

When the present writer published his Mesolithic Settlement of Northern Europe in 1936, much had already been established about the pre-neolithic occupation of the West Baltic area. Paradoxically it is for this very reason that recent advances in this field are of more than regional interest, for it is only by intensifying fundamental research in the most favourable territories, in conjunction with more extensive surveys, that we can gain the evidence needed for a real insight into the processes of prehistory. One reason for the pre-eminence of the area in mesolithic research is the scope it provides for co-operation between archaeologists and natural scientists. Team-work in quaternary research has made it possible to study the earliest cultures in their correct chronological and ecological setting, and it has also guided prehistorians to the sites most likely to yield the maximum range of cultural evidence.
A Henge Too Far? Reinterpreting the Neolithic Monument Complex at Milfield, Northumberland
Authors: Edwards Benjamin
Published: February 2015

This paper reinterprets the archaeological evidence from the Neolithic monument complex in the Milfield Basin, Northumberland; a palimpsest landscape of earlier Neolithic enclosures, later Neolithic henges and Early Bronze Age burial monuments. Recent interpretative accounts of the Early Neolithic use of this complex have stressed economic factors as the driving-forces behind enclosure construction, whilst the six major later Neolithic henges have been integrated into a scheme of ritual processions. These interpretations are critically evaluated and the sites are placed in their regional and national context in an attempt to provide a new framework for the use and development of the complex. It is concluded that, far from having simplistic economic functions, the earlier Neolithic enclosures could be unique to the area. Representing the formalisation of a community's attempts to ensure social reproduction in times of change, through the articulation of the difference between circular and linear monumental forms. The re-examination of the later Neolithic evidence raises interesting questions as to how far we can ‘read’ monument complexes, and critically evaluates the extent to which we can argue a unity of purpose for these enigmatic accumulations of the past. Importantly, the reinterpretation of the Neolithic activity in this area exposes how readily archaeologists export social models from other regions, such as Wessex, and attempt to fit very diverse evidence into their framework. This paper concludes that we must continue the definition of the British Neolithic on a more regional basis and accept that core-periphery models, even if not explicitly articulated, have no place in archaeological explanation.
What have Reconstructed Roundhouses Ever Done for Us..?
Authors: Townend Stephen
Published: February 2015

The reconstructed roundhouse is everywhere: on the television, in the literature, in the landscape. It has powerful currency in both the public and academic understandings of the vernacular architecture of later British prehistory, in particular for the Iron Age. However, because the focus of these reconstructions is normally on technologies and engineering principles on the one hand, or on the experience of their occupation on the other, the roundhouse reconstruction — even after more than 30 years research around them — in fact currently tells us remarkably little about the past and a great deal about who we understand ourselves to be. This paper will explore what insight roundhouse reconstructions currently do and do not give into later British prehistory and what they may be able to indicate if the act of building is taken as a theme over the technologies of their construction or the experience of their space.
Adorning the Living but Not the Dead: Understanding Ornaments in Britainc. 1400–1100 cal BC
Authors: Roberts Ben
Published: February 2015

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether the presence of gold and bronze ornaments in Britain during the centuriesc.1400-1100 cal BC constitutes an ‘ornament horizon’ and to analyse the roles that these objects played in prehistoric communities. To achieve this, a comprehensive ornament database was compiled and the evidence for ornament production, forms, distribution, modes of adornment, and depositional practices was analysed. This revealed the existence of an earlier bronze ornament tradition concentrated in the coastal areas and along the major rivers of southern and eastern England and a later gold ornament tradition throughout Britain. The ornaments were designed to adorn the neck, wrist, and fingers and, with the exception of a quantity of elaborate bronze pins, are not thought to relate to clothing. These were high visibility objects that would have been widely recognised by the networks of communities participating in the intensive movement of objects, people and practices that occurred throughout northwest Europe and beyond. The ornaments were probably worn for substantial periods of an individual's life before being separated from their wearers. Though the ornaments were circulated, repaired, and probably recycled, there does not appear to have been a substantial delay in their deposition. The excavation of the ornaments in diverse and frequently elaborate arrangements such as in ditches and in settlements, on hills and in rivers, and accompanying cremation burials or other metal objects implies localised reworkings of the more widespread practices of structured deposition.
Modeling and friction estimation for wheeled omnidirectional mobile robots
Authors: Conceicao Andre G. S. , Correia Mariane D. , Martinez Luciana
Published: February 2015

In this study, a model for wheeled mobile robots that includes a static friction model in the force balance at the robot's center of mass is presented. Additionally, a least-squares method to linearly combine functions is proposed to estimate the friction coefficients. The experimental and simulation results are discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in indoor environments for two floor types.
The Impact of Non-nominal Yaw Attitudes of GPS Satellites on Kinematic PPP Solutions and their Mitigation Strategies
Authors: Lou Yidong , Zheng Fu , Gu Shengfeng , Liu Yang
Published: February 2015

The yaw attitudes of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are critical to both satellite antenna phase centres and the phase wind-up corrections. However, the nominal yaw attitude of GPS satellites can barely be maintained during eclipse seasons. Thus, several yaw attitude models have been developed by the International GNSS Service Analysis Centres (IGS ACs) to avoid positioning degradation caused by non-nominal yaw attitudes. Based on the analysis of the strategy of each AC, the modelled yaw attitude is compared with the nominal one, and the residuals of Precise Point Positioning (PPP) are investigated to evaluate the influence of non-nominal attitudes with over one year of observable data collected from 15 IGS stations. The results suggest that non-nominal attitudes of BLOCK II/IIA satellites have the largest impact of about 20–30 cm, and their positioning accuracy can be improved by 20%−30% with the corresponding yaw attitude model. Similar results have also been demonstrated with BLOCK IIR and BLOCK IIF satellites. Furthermore, compared with the strategy of directly deleting the data for the eclipsing seasons, PPP with the yaw-attitude model achieves better results by about 30% when the satellite geometry is relatively poor.
Use of random forest to estimate population attributable fractions from a case-control study of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis infections
Authors: GU W. , VIEIRA A. R. , HOEKSTRA R. M. , GRIFFIN P. M. , COLE D.
Published: February 2015

To design effective food safety programmes we need to estimate how many sporadic foodborne illnesses are caused by specific food sources based on case-control studies. Logistic regression has substantive limitations for analysing structured questionnaire data with numerous exposures and missing values. We adapted random forest to analyse data of a case-control study of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis illness for source attribution. For estimation of summary population attributable fractions (PAFs) of exposures grouped into transmission routes, we devised a counterfactual estimator to predict reductions in illness associated with removing grouped exposures. For the purpose of comparison, we fitted the data using logistic regression models with stepwise forward and backward variable selection. Our results show that the forward and backward variable selection of logistic regression models were not consistent for parameter estimation, with different significant exposures identified. By contrast, the random forest model produced estimated PAFs of grouped exposures consistent in rank order with results obtained from outbreak data, with egg-related exposures having the highest estimated PAF (22·1%, 95% confidence interval 8·5–31·8). Random forest might be structurally more coherent and efficient than logistic regression models for attributing Salmonella illnesses to sources involving many causal pathways.
High prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) in the emergency department (ED) of a London hospital: should we be screening for HCV in ED attendees?
Authors: ORKIN C. , LEACH E. , FLANAGAN S. , WALLIS E. , RUF M. , FOSTER G. R. , TONG C. Y. W.
Published: February 2015

An unlinked anonymous study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in emergency department (ED) attendees at a London Hospital. Nine hundred and ninety-seven samples collected over a 12-day period were tested for HCV antibody (Ab) and reactive samples were further tested for HCV RNA. The HCV seroprevalence was 2·6% (26/997) with 1·2% (12/997) HCV RNA positive. A peak HCV RNA-positive prevalence of 4·8% (3/63) was found in males aged 35–44 years, this was compared to 0% (0/136) in males aged <35 years (P = 0·0614) and 1·4% (4/278) in males aged ⩾45 years (P = 0·2415). Assuming the cost for HCV Ab is £6 and HCV RNA is £40 per test, screening ED attendees aged 25–54 years would cost £360 per viraemic infection and identify 82% of those who were HCV RNA positive, yielding the most favourable cost/benefit ratio. HCV screening of ED attendees aged 25–54 years in this population could be an effective way of identifying patients and limit onward transmission.
2014 HES PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BEES AND SILKWORMS: MANDEVILLE, HUME, AND THE FRAMING OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
Authors: Schabas Margaret
Published: February 2015

Mandeville and Hume advance similar framings for their political economy, using emergentist and proto-sociological lines of analysis. They are less aligned with liberalism (political, economic, or metaphysical) than mercantilism, insofar as they favor balance-of-trade arguments and urbanization. They are both methodological holists, not individualists. It is the group, not individual agents, that figures at the core of their thought.
EUGENE MEYER AND THE GERMAN INFLUENCE ON THE ORIGIN OF US FEDERAL FINANCIAL RESCUES
Authors: Butkiewicz James
Published: February 2015

While federal financial rescues have become a common response to crises, the federal provision of finance was not one of the original powers of the federal government. One man, Eugene Meyer, is largely responsible for the origin of federal financial rescues, through both the War Finance Corporation and Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Meyer learned laissez-faire economics from William Graham Sumner at Yale. However, German economist Adolph Wagner’s state-socialism philosophy heavily influenced Meyer’s thinking, and Meyer developed an interventionist philosophy. Serving in key government positions, Meyer put his beliefs into practice. These channels of influence and the resulting policies are examined.
HAYEK THE APRIORIST?
Authors: Scheall Scott
Published: February 2015

The paper argues that Terence Hutchison’s (1981) argument that the young F. A. Hayek maintained a methodological position markedly similar to that of Ludwig von Mises fails to support the relevant conclusion. The first problem with Hutchison’s argument is that it is not clear exactly what conclusion he meant to establish. Mises (in)famously maintained a rather extreme methodological apriorism. However, the concept of a priori knowledge that emerges from Hayek’s epistemology as implied in his work on theoretical psychology is the opposite of Mises’s treatment of a priori knowledge. Thus, it cannot be maintained—if, indeed, Hutchison meant to establish—that Hayek was a Misesian apriorist during the years in question. What’s more, the paper shows that Hutchison’s argument does not support a weaker interpretation of the relevant conclusion. There are alternative interpretations of Hutchison’s evidence, more charitable and more consistent with Hayek’s epistemology, which undermine Hutchison’s conclusion.
The lived experience of volunteering in a palliative care biography service
Authors: Beasley Elizabeth , Brooker Joanne , Warren Narelle , Fletcher Jane , Boyle Christopher , Ventura Adriana , Burney Susan
Published: February 2015

Objective:

Many patients approaching death experience hopelessness, helplessness, and a depressed mood, and these factors can contribute to a difficult end-of-life (EoL) period. Biography services may assist patients in finding meaning and purpose at this time. The aim of our study was to investigate the lived experience of volunteers involved in a biography service in Melbourne, Australia, using a qualitative methodology.

Method:

The participants were 10 volunteers who had participated in a biography service within a private palliative care service. Each volunteer was interviewed separately using a study-specific semistructured interview guide. The transcripts of these interviews were then subjected to thematic analysis.

Results:

Analysis yielded the following themes: motivations for volunteering; dealing with death, dying, and existential issues; psychosocial benefits of volunteering; and benefits and challenges of working with patients and their families. Our results indicated that volunteering gave the volunteers a deeper appreciation of existential issues, and helped them to be more appreciative of their own lives and gain a deeper awareness of the struggles other people experience. They also suggested that volunteers felt that their involvement contributed to their own personal development, and was personally rewarding. Furthermore, the results highlighted that volunteers found that encounters with family members were sometimes challenging. While some were appreciative, others imposed time limits, became overly reliant on the volunteers, and were sometimes offended, hurt, and angered by what was included in the final biography.

Significance of Results:

It is hoped that the findings of the current study will provide direction for improvements in the biography services that will benefit patients, family members, and volunteers. In particular, our findings highlight the need to provide ongoing support for volunteers to assist them in handling the challenges of volunteering in a palliative care setting.
Development of a brief measure of generativity and ego-integrity for use in palliative care settings
Authors: Vuksanovic Dean , Dyck Murray , Green Heather
Published: February 2015

Objective:

Our aim was to develop and test a brief measure of generativity and ego-integrity that is suitable for use in palliative care settings.

Method:

Two measures of generativity and ego-integrity were modified and combined to create a new 11-item questionnaire, which was then administered to 143 adults. A principal-component analysis with oblique rotation was performed in order to identify underlying components that can best account for variation in the 11 questionnaire items.

Results:

The two-component solution was consistent with the items that, on conceptual grounds, were intended to comprise the two constructs assessed by the questionnaire.

Significance of Results:

Results suggest that the selected 11 items were good representatives of the larger scales from which they were selected, and they are expected to provide a useful means of measuring these concepts near the end of life.
Miniaturized bent slotted patch antenna over a reactive impedance surface substrate
Authors: Kumar Saurabh , Vishwakarma Dinesh Kumar
Published: February 2015

A reactive impedance surface (RIS) based miniaturized bent slotted patch antenna is proposed and investigated for S-band applications around 2.39 GHz. Bent slots in the patch reduce the patch antenna size by increasing current path on the patch. Further a RIS substrate with cross-shaped patch elements printed over a grounded dielectric is optimized and investigated for antenna miniaturization. The proposed bent slotted patch antenna over RIS substrate is 38.75% miniaturized with respect to traditional patch antenna at a fixed operating frequency. The proposed antenna reveals an overall volume of 0.280λ0 × 0.280λ0 × 0.036λ0on a low-cost FR4 substrate at 2.39 GHz for S-band applications. The proposed antenna is fabricated and measured for its return loss. The measured results are in good agreement with simulated one.
Brain ischemia downregulates the neuroprotective GDNF-Ret signaling by a calpain-dependent mechanism in cultured hippocampal neurons
Authors: Curcio M , Salazar I L , Inácio A R , Duarte E P , Canzoniero L M T , Duarte C B
Published: February 2015

The glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has an important role in neuronal survival through binding to the GFRα1 (GDNF family receptor alpha-1) receptor and activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase Ret. Transient brain ischemia alters the expression of the GDNF signaling machinery but whether the GDNF receptor proteins are also affected, and the functional consequences, have not been investigated. We found that excitotoxic stimulation of cultured hippocampal neurons leads to a calpain-dependent downregulation of the long isoform of Ret (Ret51), but no changes were observed for Ret9 or GFRα1 under the same conditions. Cleavage of Ret51 by calpains was selectively mediated by activation of the extrasynaptic pool of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and leads to the formation of a stable cleavage product. Calpain-mediated cleavage of Ret51 was also observed in hippocampal neurons subjected to transient oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD), a model of global brain ischemia, as well as in the ischemic region in the cerebral cortex of mice exposed to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. Although the reduction of Ret51 protein levels decreased the total GDNF-induced receptor activity (as determined by assessing total phospho-Ret51 protein levels) and their downstream signaling activity, the remaining receptors still showed an increase in phosphorylation after incubation of hippocampal neurons with GDNF. Furthermore, GDNF protected hippocampal neurons when present before, during or after OGD, and the effects under the latter conditions were more significant in neurons transfected with human Ret51. These results indicate that the loss of Ret51 in brain ischemia partially impairs the neuroprotective effects of GDNF.
The transcriptional repressor HDAC7 promotes apoptosis and c-Myc downregulation in particular types of leukemia and lymphoma
Authors: Barneda-Zahonero B , Collazo O , Azagra A , Fernández-Duran I , Serra-Musach J , Islam A B M M K , Vega-García N , Malatesta R , Camós M , Gómez A , Román-González L , Vidal A , López-Bigas N , Villanueva A , Esteller M , Parra M
Published: February 2015

The generation of B cells is a complex process requiring several cellular transitions, including cell commitment and differentiation. Proper transcriptional control to establish the genetic programs characteristic of each cellular stage is essential for the correct development of B lymphocytes. Deregulation of these particular transcriptional programs may result in a block in B-cell maturation, contributing to the development of hematological malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma. However, very little is currently known about the role of transcriptional repressors in normal and aberrant B lymphopoiesis. Here we report that histone deacetylase 7 (HDAC7) is underexpressed in pro-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pro-B-ALL) and Burkitt lymphoma. Ectopic expression of HDAC7 induces apoptosis, leads to the downregulation of c-Myc and inhibits the oncogenic potential of cells in vivo, in a xenograft model. Most significantly, we have observed low levels of HDAC7 expression in B-ALL patient samples, which is correlated with the increased levels of c-Myc. From a mechanistic angle, we show that ectopically expressed HDAC7 localizes to the nucleus and interacts with the transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor C (MEF2C) and the corepressors HDAC3 and SMRT. Accordingly, both the HDAC7–MEF2C interaction domain as well as its catalytic domain are involved in the reduced cell viability induced by HDAC7. We conclude that HDAC7 has a potent anti-oncogenic effect on specific B-cell malignancies, indicating that its deregulation may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease.
Albumin-induced apoptosis of tubular cells is modulated by BASP1
Authors: Sanchez-Niño M D , Fernandez-Fernandez B , Perez-Gomez M V , Poveda J , Sanz A B , Cannata-Ortiz P , Ruiz-Ortega M , Egido J , Selgas R , Ortiz A
Published: February 2015

Albuminuria promotes tubular injury and cell death, and is associated with faster progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating tubular cell death in response to albuminuria are not fully understood. Brain abundant signal protein 1 (BASP1) was recently shown to mediate glucose-induced apoptosis in tubular cells. We have studied the role of BASP1 in albumin-induced tubular cell death. BASP1 expression was studied in experimental puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephrotic syndrome in rats and in human nephrotic syndrome. The role of BASP1 in albumin-induced apoptosis was studied in cultured human HK2 proximal tubular epithelial cells. Puromycin aminonucleoside induced proteinuria and increased total kidney BASP1 mRNA and protein expression. Immunohistochemistry localized the increased BASP1 to tubular cells. BASP1 expression colocalized with deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining for apoptotic cells. Increased tubular BASP1 expression was observed in human proteinuric nephropathy by immunohistochemistry, providing evidence for potential clinical relevance. In cultured tubular cells, albumin induced apoptosis and increased BASP1 mRNA and protein expression at 6–48 h. Confocal microscopy localized the increased BASP1 expression in albumin-treated cells mainly to the perinuclear area. A peripheral location near the cell membrane was more conspicuous in albumin-treated apoptotic cells, where it colocalized with actin. Inhibition of BASP1 expression by a BASP1 siRNA protected from albumin-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, albumin-induced apoptosis in tubular cells is BASP1-dependent. This information may be used to design novel therapeutic approaches to slow CKD progression based on protection of tubular cells from the adverse consequences of albuminuria.
Differential roles of RIPK1 and RIPK3 in TNF-induced necroptosis and chemotherapeutic agent-induced cell death
Authors: Moriwaki K , Bertin J , Gough P J , Orlowski G M , Chan F KM
Published: February 2015

Apoptosis is a key mechanism for metazoans to eliminate unwanted cells. Resistance to apoptosis is a hallmark of many cancer cells and a major roadblock to traditional chemotherapy. Recent evidence indicates that inhibition of caspase-dependent apoptosis sensitizes many cancer cells to a form of non-apoptotic cell death termed necroptosis. This has led to widespread interest in exploring necroptosis as an alternative strategy for anti-cancer therapy. Here we show that in human colon cancer tissues, the expression of the essential necroptosis adaptors receptor interacting protein kinase (RIPK)1 and RIPK3 is significantly decreased compared with adjacent normal colon tissues. The expression of RIPK1 and RIPK3 was suppressed by hypoxia, but not by epigenetic DNA modification. To explore the role of necroptosis in chemotherapy-induced cell death, we used inhibitors of RIPK1 or RIPK3 kinase activity, and modulated their expression in colon cancer cell lines using short hairpin RNAs. We found that RIPK1 and RIPK3 were largely dispensable for classical chemotherapy-induced cell death. Caspase inhibitor and/or second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase mimetic, which sensitize cells to RIPK1- and RIPK3-dependent necroptosis downstream of tumor necrosis factor receptor-like death receptors, also did not alter the response of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. In contrast to the RIPKs, we found that cathepsins are partially responsible for doxorubicin or etoposide-induced cell death. Taken together, these results indicate that traditional chemotherapeutic agents are not efficient inducers of necroptosis and that more potent pathway-specific drugs are required to fully harness the power of necroptosis in anti-cancer therapy.
Mitochondrial Lon regulates apoptosis through the association with Hsp60–mtHsp70 complex
Authors: Kao T-Y , Chiu Y-C , Fang W-C , Cheng C-W , Kuo C-Y , Juan H-F , Wu S-H , Lee A Y-L
Published: February 2015

Human Lon protease is a mitochondrial matrix protein with several functions, including protein degradation, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) binding, and chaperone activity. Lon is currently emerging as an important regulator of mitochondria-contributed tumorigenesis due to its overexpression in cancer cells. To understand the mechanism of increased Lon in tumor cells, we studied the interactome to identify the chaperone Lon-associated proteins by proteomics approaches using the cells overexpressing Lon. In the present study, we designed a method connecting co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) to in-solution digestion for the shotgun mass spectrometry. We identified 76 proteins that were putative Lon-associated proteins that participated in mitochondrial chaperone system, cellular metabolism and energy, cell death and survival, and mtDNA stability. The association between Lon and NDUFS8 or Hsp60–mtHsp70 complex was confirmed by Co-IP and immunofluorescence co-localization assay. We then found that the protein stability/level of Hsp60–mtHsp70 complex depends on the level of Lon under oxidative stress. Most importantly, the ability of increased Lon-inhibited apoptosis is dependent on Hsp60 that binds p53 to inhibit apoptosis. These results suggest that the mechanism underlying cell survival regulated by Lon is mediated by the maintenance of the protein stability of Hsp60–mtHsp70 complex. This new knowledge of chaperone Lon interactome will allow us to better understand the cellular mechanism of Lon in mitochondrial function and of its overexpression in enhancing cell survival and tumorigenesis.
Selective Sirt2 inhibition by ligand-induced rearrangement of the active site
Authors: Rumpf Tobias , Schiedel Matthias , Karaman Berin , Roessler Claudia , North Brian J. , Lehotzky Attila , Oláh Judit , Ladwein Kathrin I. , Schmidtkunz Karin , Gajer Markus , Pannek Martin , Steegborn Clemens , Sinclair David A. , Gerhardt Stefan , Ovádi Judit , Schutkowski Mike , Sippl Wolfgang , Einsle Oliver , Jung Manfred
Published: February 2015

Sirtuins are a highly conserved class of NAD+-dependent lysine deacylases. The human isotype Sirt2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer, inflammation and neurodegeneration, which makes the modulation of Sirt2 activity a promising strategy for pharmaceutical intervention. A rational basis for the development of optimized Sirt2 inhibitors is lacking so far. Here we present high-resolution structures of human Sirt2 in complex with highly selective drug-like inhibitors that show a unique inhibitory mechanism. Potency and the unprecedented Sirt2 selectivity are based on a ligand-induced structural rearrangement of the active site unveiling a yet-unexploited binding pocket. Application of the most potent Sirtuin-rearranging ligand, termed SirReal2, leads to tubulin hyperacetylation in HeLa cells and induces destabilization of the checkpoint protein BubR1, consistent with Sirt2 inhibition in vivo. Our structural insights into this unique mechanism of selective sirtuin inhibition provide the basis for further inhibitor development and selective tools for sirtuin biology.
Climate change as an unexpected co-factor promoting coral eating seastar (Acanthaster planci) outbreaks
Authors: Uthicke S. , Logan M. , Liddy M. , Francis D. , Hardy N. , Lamare M.
Published: February 2015

Coral reefs face a crisis due to local and global anthropogenic stressors. A large proportion of the ~50% coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef has been attributed to outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns-seastar (COTS). A widely assumed cause of primary COTS outbreaks is increased larval survivorship due to higher food availability, linked with anthropogenic runoff . Our experiment using a range of algal food concentrations at three temperatures representing present day average and predicted future increases, demonstrated a strong influence of food concentration on development is modulated by temperature. A 2°C increase in temperature led to a 4.2–4.9 times (at Day 10) or 1.2–1.8 times (Day 17) increase in late development larvae. A model indicated that food was the main driver, but that temperature was an important modulator of development. For instance, at 5000 cells ml−1 food, a 2°C increase may shorten developmental time by 30% and may increase the probability of survival by 240%. The main contribution of temperature is to ‘push’ well-fed larvae faster to settlement. We conclude that warmer sea temperature is an important co-factor promoting COTS outbreaks.
Chromatin modifications and genomic contexts linked to dynamic DNA methylation patterns across human cell types
Authors: Yan Haidan , Zhang Dongwei , Liu Hongbo , Wei Yanjun , Lv Jie , Wang Fang , Zhang Chunlong , Wu Qiong , Su Jianzhong , Zhang Yan
Published: February 2015

DNA methylation is related closely to sequence contexts and chromatin modifications; however, their potential differences in different genomic regions across cell types remain largely unexplored. We used publicly available genome-scale DNA methylation and histone modification profiles to study their relationships among different genomic regions in human embryonic stem cells (H1), H1-derived neuronal progenitor cultured cells (NPC) and foetal fibroblasts (IMR90) using the Random forests classifier. Histone modifications achieved high accuracy in modelling DNA methylation patterns on a genome scale in the three cell types. The inclusion of sequence features helped improve accuracy only in non-promoter regions of IMR90. Furthermore, the top six feature combinations obtained by mean decrease Gini were important indicators of different DNA methylation patterns, suggesting that H3K4me2 and H3K4me3 are important indicators that are independent of genomic regions and cell types. H3K9me3 was IMR90-specific and exhibited a genomic region-specific correlation with DNA methylation. Variations of essential chromatin modification signals may effectively discriminate changes of DNA methylation between H1 and IMR90. Genes with different co-variations of epigenetic marks exhibited genomic region-specific biological relevance. This study provides an integrated strategy to identify systematically essential epigenetic and genetic elements of genomic region-specific and cell type-specific DNA methylation patterns.
Community structure of gut fungi during different developmental stages of the Chinese white pine beetle (Dendroctonus armandi)
Authors: Hu Xia , Li Ming , Chen Hui
Published: February 2015

The Chinese white pine beetle is arguably the most destructive forest insect in the Qinling Mountains in Northern China. Little is known about the structure of the fungal communities associated withDendroctonusarmandi, even though this wood-boring insect plays important roles in ecosystem and biological invasion processes that result in huge economic losses in pine forests. The aim of this study was to investigate the fungal community structure present in the galleries and guts ofD. armandiat different developmental stages using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Analysis of PCR-amplified 18S rRNA gene fragments of fungi from the guts ofD.armandirevealed fungal communities of low complexity that differed according to the developmental stage. Yeast of the genusCandidaand the filamentous fungiOphiostomapredominated inD. armandiand its galleries. In particular,Candidaaccounted for 56% of the fungal community in the pupal stage. Characterizing the evolution and content of the intestinal microbial community structure inD. armandimay facilitate the development of new pest control strategies.
Transcriptional response to petiole heat girdling in cassava
Authors: Zhang Yang , Ding Zehong , Ma Fangfang , Chauhan Raj Deepika , Allen Doug K. , Brutnell Thomas P. , Wang Wenquan , Peng Ming , Li Pinghua
Published: February 2015

To examine the interactions of starch and sugar metabolism on photosynthesis in cassava, a heat-girdling treatment was applied to petioles of cassava leaves at the end of the light cycle to inhibit starch remobilization during the night. The inhibition of starch remobilization caused significant starch accumulation at the beginning of the light cycle, inhibited photosynthesis and affected intracellular sugar levels. RNA-seq analysis of heat-treated and control plants revealed significantly decreased expression of genes related to photosynthesis, as well as N-metabolism and chlorophyll biosynthesis. However, expression of genes encoding TCA cycle enzymes and mitochondria electron transport components and flavonoid biosynthetic pathway enzymes were induced. These studies reveal a dynamic transcriptional response to perturbation of sink demand in a single leaf and provide useful information for understanding the regulations of cassava under sink or source limitation.
Inexpensive Antimony Nanocrystals and Their Composites with Red Phosphorus as High-Performance Anode Materials for Na-ion Batteries
Authors: Walter Marc , Erni Rolf , Kovalenko Maksym V.
Published: February 2015

Sodium-ion batteries increasingly become of immense research interest as a potential inexpensive alternative to Lithium-ion batteries. Development of high-energy-density negative electrodes (anodes) remains to be a great challenge, especially because of significant differences between lithium and sodium chemistries. Two Na-ion anode materials – antimony (Sb) and phosphorus (P) – have been recently shown to offer excellent cycling stability (Sb) and highest known Na-ion charge storage capacity (P). In this work we report on the synergistic Na-ion storage in a P/Sb/Cu-nanocomposite, produced by mixing inexpensive colloidal Sb nanocrystals with red P and with copper (Cu) nanowires. In comparison to electrodes composed of only phosphorus, such P/Sb/Cu-composite shows much greater cycling stability providing a capacity of above 1100 mAh g−1 after 50 charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 125 mA g−1. Furthermore, P/Sb/Cu-composite also exhibits excellent rate-capability, with capacity of more than 900 mAh g−1 at a high charge/discharge current density of 2000 mA g−1.
Tape Transfer Atomization Patterning of Liquid Alloys for Microfluidic Stretchable Wireless Power Transfer
Authors: Jeong Seung Hee , Hjort Klas , Wu Zhigang
Published: February 2015

Stretchable electronics offers unsurpassed mechanical compliance on complex or soft surfaces like the human skin and organs. To fully exploit this great advantage, an autonomous system with a self-powered energy source has been sought for. Here, we present a new technology to pattern liquid alloys on soft substrates, targeting at fabrication of a hybrid-integrated power source in microfluidic stretchable electronics. By atomized spraying of a liquid alloy onto a soft surface with a tape transferred adhesive mask, a universal fabrication process is provided for high quality patterns of liquid conductors in a meter scale. With the developed multilayer fabrication technique, a microfluidic stretchable wireless power transfer device with an integrated LED was demonstrated, which could survive cycling between 0% and 25% strain over 1,000 times.
Association between levonorgestrel emergency contraception and the risk of ectopic pregnancy: a multicenter case-control study
Authors: Zhang Jian , Li Cheng , Zhao Wei-Hong , Xi Xiaowei , Cao Shu-Jun , Ping Hua , Qin Guo-Juan , Cheng Linan , Huang He-Feng
Published: February 2015

Cases of ectopic pregnancy (EP) following levonorgestrel emergency contraception (LNG-EC) failure have been reported continuously, but whether there is an association between EP risk and LNG-EC is unclear. We concluded a case-control study to explore this association by recruiting 2,411 EP patients as case group and 2,416 women with intrauterine pregnancy and 2,419 non-pregnant women as control groups. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidential intervals (CIs) were calculated and adjusted for potential confounding factors. Previous use of LNG-EC was not correlated with the EP. Compared to women who did not use contraceptives, current use of LNG-EC reduced the risk for intrauterine pregnancy (Adjusted OR [AOR] = 0.20, 95%CI: 0.14–0.27), but did not increase the risk for EP (AOR2 = 1.04, 95%CI: 0.76–1.42). Furthermore, compared to women who did not have further act of intercourse, women with unprotected further act of intercourse were at a higher risk of EP (AOR1 = 2.35, 95%CI: 1.17–4.71) and women with repeated use of LNG-EC for further intercourse during the same cycle was also associated with a higher risk for EP (AOR1 = 3.08, 95%CI: 1.09–8.71; AOR2 = 2.49, 95%CI: 1.00–6.19). A better understanding of the risk of EP following LNG-EC failure can optimize LNG-EC use and thus reduce the risk of EP.
The Search for Functional Porous Carbons from Sustainable Precursors
Authors: White Robin J.
Published: February 2015

The design and development of carbon-based porous materials perhaps represents one of the most adaptable areas of materials science research. These materials are ubiquitous with the current energy and chemical production infrastructure and as will be highlighted in this book will be absolutely critical in technology development associated with green, sustainable energy/chemical provision (e.g. electricity generation and storage; the Methanol Economy, Biorefinery, etc.) and environmental science (e.g. purification/remediation, gas sorption, etc.). However, alongside these environmental and sustainable provision schemes, there will also be a concurrent need to produce and develop more sustainable porous carbon materials (e.g. microporous, mesoporous, carbon aerogels, etc.). This is particularly relevant when considering the whole life cycle of a product (i.e. from precursor “cradle” to “green” manufacturing and the product end-of-life “grave”). In this regard, carbon materials scientists can take their inspiration from nature and look to the products of natural photosynthetic carbon cycles (e.g. glucose, polysaccharides, lignocellulosics, etc.) as potential precursors in the synthesis of applicable porous carbon materials. If such synthetic strategies are coupled with simpler, lower-energy synthetic processes, then materials production (e.g. the separation media) can in turn contribute to the reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions or the use of toxic elements. These are crucial parameters to be considered in sustainable materials manufacturing. Furthermore, these materials must present useful, beneficial (and preferably tuneable) physicochemical and porous properties, which are least comparable and ideally better than carbon materials (e.g. carbon aerogels, activated carbons, etc.) synthesised via more energy-intensive and less-sustainable pathways. This introductory chapter introduces these concepts and provides the basis for the following book which will provide an introduction and discussion of the possible synthetic pathways to the production of applicable porous carbon materials from sustainable precursors and practices. Furthermore, throughout this book, the application of these exciting sustainable carbon-based materials in the increasingly important field of sustainable chemical and energy provision will be introduced and discussed.
Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC): History, State-of-the-Art and Chemistry
Authors: Marinovic Adam , Pileidis Filoklis D. , Titirici Maria-Magdalena
Published: February 2015

Hydrothermal carbonisation (denoted as HTC) represents a powerful material synthesis platform to convert biomass/biomass derivatives into sustainable carbonaceous and carbon materials. Using a variety of synthetic protocols, functional carbon materials can be synthesised presenting a wide range of morphologies, pore structures and electronic properties. Carbon-based materials synthesised via the HTC platform have already found a broad range of applications including as solid fuels through to electrode materials in fuel cells, batteries and supercapacitors, as water-purification media, CO2-capture materials, soil additives, and as support materials for a range of catalytic species. In this chapter, overview of the HTC process from its discovery until the present day will be provided, with the latest state-of-the-art work by the leading groups in the area specifically highlighted. The chapter will close with a brief introduction to the underlying chemistry behind the formation mechanisms of this exciting class of functional material.
Hydrothermal Carbon Materials for Heterogeneous Catalysis
Authors: Zhao Li , Xiao Pei-Wen , Han Bao-Hang
Published: February 2015

In this chapter, the development of heterogeneous catalysts based on the hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) platform will be introduced and discussed in the context of heteroatom doping (e.g. N and S), acid–base catalysis, briefly electrocatalysis, photocatalysis and traditional (e.g. hydrogenation, Knoevenagel, etc.) catalysis. Attention will also be paid to the variety of sustainable precursors that can be used to introduce the desired material functionality in the context of the intended catalytic application. The chapter intends to provide the reader with an introduction and overview of the flexibility of the HTC platform for catalyst synthesis including, as will be shown, a variety of innovative support materials, hybrids, and composites.
Investigation of the DNA target design parameters for effective hybridization-induced aggregation of particles for the sequence-specific detection of DNA
Authors: Strachan Briony C. , Sloane Hillary S. , Lee Jacob C. , Leslie Daniel C. , Landers James P.
Published: February 2015

An investigation into target DNA characteristics for the label-free detection of ssDNAviahybridization-induced aggregation (HIA).
Silver nanoplate-decorated copper wire for the on-site microextraction and detection of perchlorate using a portable Raman spectrometer
Authors: Zhu Sha , Zhang Xiaoli , Cui Jingcheng , Shi Yu-e , Jiang Xiaohong , Liu Zhen , Zhan Jinhua
Published: February 2015

Silver nanoplates were decorated on a copper wire for the on-site microextraction and detection of perchlorate using a portable Raman spectrometer.
Facile synthesis of porous bimetallic alloyed PdAg nanoflowers supported on reduced graphene oxide for simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid, dopamine, and uric acid
Authors: Chen Li-Xian , Zheng Jie-Ning , Wang Ai-Jun , Wu Lan-Ju , Chen Jian-Rong , Feng Jiu-Ju
Published: February 2015

A simple, in situ reduction method was developed for synthesis of PdAg NFs/rGO nanocomposite, which displayed improved electrocatalytic performances for simultaneous detection of AA, DA, and UA.
Slow-equilibration approximation in studying kinetics of protein adsorption on capillary walls
Authors: Cherney Leonid T. , Krylov Sergey N.
Published: February 2015

A slow-equilibration approximation and a new parameter-based approach to studying protein adsorption in capillary electrophoresis are developed.
Metabolomics method to comprehensively analyze amino acids in different domains
Authors: Gu Haiwei , Du Jianhai , Carnevale Neto Fausto , Carroll Patrick A. , Turner Sally J. , Chiorean E. Gabriela , Eisenman Robert N. , Raftery Daniel
Published: February 2015

To better define cellular physiological status, we designed a metabolomics method permitting comprehensive analysis of amino acids in different domains.
Deuterated carbohydrate probes as ‘label-free’ substrates for probing nutrient uptake in mycobacteria by nuclear reaction analysis
Authors: Lowery R. , Gibson M. I. , Thompson R. L. , Fullam E.
Published: February 2015

Deuterated sugars that are transported into mycobacteria can be detected using ion beam (nuclear reaction) analysis.