bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Segregation and Mistrust
Authors: Uslaner Eric M.
Published: November 2012

Generalized trust – faith in people you do not know who are likely to be different from you – is a value that leads to many positive outcomes for a society. Yet some scholars now argue that trust is lower when we are surrounded by people who are different from us. Eric M. Uslaner challenges this view and argues that residential segregation, rather than diversity, leads to lower levels of trust. Integrated and diverse neighborhoods will lead to higher levels of trust, but only if people also have diverse social networks. Professor Uslaner examines the theoretical and measurement differences between segregation and diversity and summarizes results on how integrated neighborhoods with diverse social networks increase trust in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia. He also shows how different immigration and integration policies toward minorities shape both social ties and trust.
Earth Materials
Authors: Klein Cornelis , Philpotts Anthony R.
Published: November 2012

The fundamental concepts of mineralogy and petrology are explained in this highly illustrated, full-color textbook to create a concise overview for students studying Earth materials. The relationship between minerals and rocks and how they relate to the broader Earth, materials and environmental sciences is interwoven throughout. Beautiful photos of specimens and Crystal-Maker's 3-D illustrations allow students to easily visualize minerals, rocks and crystal structures. Review questions at the end of chapters allow students to check their understanding. The importance of Earth materials to human cultural development and the hazards they pose to humans are discussed in later chapters. This ambitious, wide-ranging book is written by two world-renowned textbook authors each with over 40 years of teaching experience, who bring that experience to clearly convey the important topics.
Bartolomé de las Casas
Authors: Clayton Lawrence A.
Published: November 2012

The Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas (1485–1566) was a prominent chronicler of the early Spanish conquest of the Americas, a noted protector of the American Indians and arguably the most significant figure in the early Spanish Empire after Christopher Columbus. Following an epiphany in 1514, Las Casas fought the Spanish control of the Indies for the rest of his life, writing vividly about the brutality of the Spanish conquistadors. Once a settler and exploiter of the American Indians, he became their defender, breaking ground for the modern human rights movement. Las Casas brought his understanding of Christian scripture to the forefront in his defense of the Indians, challenging the premise that the Indians of the New World were any less civilized or capable of practising Christianity than Europeans. Bartolomé de las Casas: A Biography is the first major English-language and scholarly biography of Las Casas' life in a generation.
The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3
Authors: Spratt Mary , Pulverness Alan , Williams Melanie
Published: November 2012

This is the updated version of 'the' teacher training course for teachers and trainee teachers preparing for the Cambridge ESOL Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT). It includes everything you need to prepare for the test. The second edition contains three brand new model TKT practice tests, new tips for preparing for the TKT, an additional unit on approaches to language teaching tested in the TKT, completely rewritten tasks in every unit, and revised ELT terms and concepts matching the latest Cambridge ESOL TKT Glossary. This best-selling course has been written in collaboration with Cambridge ESOL by a team of experienced TKT writers. It provides a comprehensive and reliable package for TKT candidates, as well as for teachers preparing for other initial teacher training qualifications and those on in-service training programmes. This course is also available in an online version. Select 'TKT Online' from the menu on the left for further information.
Thinking through the Body
Authors: Shusterman Richard
Published: November 2012

This book provides a richly rewarding vision of the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of somaesthetics. Composed of fourteen wide-ranging but finely integrated essays by Richard Shusterman, the originator of the field, Thinking through the Body explains the philosophical foundations of somaesthetics and applies its insights to central issues in ethics, education, cultural politics, consciousness studies, sexuality and the arts. Integrating Western philosophy, cognitive science and somatic methodologies with classical Asian theories of body, mind and action, these essays probe the nature of somatic existence and the role of body consciousness in knowledge, memory and behavior. Deploying somaesthetic perspectives to analyze key aesthetic concepts (such as style and the sublime), he offers detailed studies of embodiment in drama, dance, architecture and photography. The volume also includes somaesthetic exercises for the classroom and explores the ars erotica as an art of living.
On Some of the More Important Diseases of the Army
Authors: Davy John
Published: November 2012

Born in Cornwall, John Davy (1790–1868) physiologist and anatomist, and the younger brother of the distinguished chemist Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829), was one of the most prolific medical experts of his day. After taking a medical degree from Edinburgh in 1814 he became an army surgeon. He later became a hospital inspector and spent time living in overseas territories including India, Sri Lanka, and Barbados. First published in 1862, Davy's book discusses the prominence of fever, dysentery, cholera, liver disease, pneumonia, and other diseases common to the army, estimating that 45% of deaths in the British army serving abroad were caused by disease rather than by conflict. Davy also records his observations on putrefaction of bodies, particularly the vital organs, emphasising the need to determine the normal condition of human organs so that abnormal, diseased organs can be easily identified.
Melodies and Memories
Authors: Melba Nellie
Published: November 2012

Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931) was one of the most famous sopranos of her time. Born in Australia, Melba began her training in Melbourne but moved to Europe in 1882 to start her career. She found success in Brussels as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto and was soon well known throughout the continent's opera houses. She debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1893. Her repertoire extended over twenty-five roles, and she was regarded as unmatched in ten of these, continuing to perform throughout her life, in concert recitals as well as in opera, to great acclaim, and becoming one of the earliest modern 'celebrities'. In this autobiography, published in 1925, Melba describes her childhood and her journey from the 'great Australian Bush' to the bright lights of the European and American stage, while also giving a colourful, first-hand account of the world of opera.
The Life of Charles Dickens
Authors: Forster John
Published: November 2012

John Forster (1812–76), an exact contemporary of Charles Dickens, was one of his closest friends, and acted for him (as for many other authors) as advisor, editor, proofreader, agent and marketing manager: according to Thackeray, 'whenever anyone is in a scrape we all fly to him for refuge. He is omniscient and works miracles.' Forster was Dickens' literary executor, and was left the manuscripts of many of the novels, which he in turn left (along with the rest of his magnificent library) to the South Kensington Museum (later the Victoria and Albert Museum). He was ideally placed to write a biography of Dickens, having known him since the 1830s, and having been involved in deeply private matters such as Dickens' separation from his wife. This three-volume account was first published between 1872 and 1874; the version of Volume 3 reissued here is the first edition.
Memoir of the Life and Episcopate of George Augustus Selwyn, D.D.
Authors: Tucker H. W.
Published: November 2012

This two-volume biography of George Augustus Selwyn (1809–78), the first Anglican bishop of New Zealand, after whom Selwyn College, Cambridge, was later named, was published in 1879. Selwyn was ordained in 1834 and served as curate at Windsor while tutoring at Eton; in 1840, when New Zealand was declared an independent British colony, he was chosen as first bishop of the newly established diocese. The declared aim was to develop an Anglican organisation for the growing European settlement, while resisting too much state control, and by 1857 Selwyn had drafted a constitution for the Church of New Zealand which led eventually to disestablishment. A staunch defender of indigenous rights, he travelled widely throughout New Zealand and the Pacific islands, and subsequently played a leading role in the first Lambeth Conference. In Volume 1, his former chaplain, H. W. Tucker, describes Selwyn's early life, ordination and first decade in New Zealand.
Testimonies
Authors: Harris J. Rendel , Burch Vacher
Published: November 2012

In this two-volume work, J. Rendel Harris (1852–1941) fundamentally shaped Biblical scholarship in the twentieth century, arguing for the existence of a 'first known treatise on Christian theology', antedating the New Testament. A palaeographer, Harris examined recurring textual corruptions of Old Testament passages in early Christian writers and surmised an underlying collection, which he called the 'Testimony Book'. The book, Harris believed, collected Biblical testimonia - passages prophesying Christ - in order to prove the legitimacy of the new Christian faith. These arguments against Judaic theology marked, in Harris's opinion, the beginnings of the Christian written tradition. Volume 2 (1920) seeks to demonstrate how the New Testament relied upon the 'Testimony Book', by examining Galatians, Hebrews and other letters and gospels. 'The starting point of the modern study of the use of the Old Testament in the New', this is a work of enduring importance to religion scholars.
The Power of American Governors
Authors: Kousser Thad , Phillips Justin H.
Published: November 2012

With limited authority over state lawmaking, but ultimate responsibility for the performance of government, how effective are governors in moving their programs through the legislature? This book advances a new theory about what makes chief executives most successful and explores this theory through original data. Thad Kousser and Justin H. Phillips argue that negotiations over the budget, on the one hand, and policy bills on the other are driven by fundamentally different dynamics. They capture these dynamics in models informed by interviews with gubernatorial advisors, cabinet members, press secretaries and governors themselves. Through a series of novel empirical analyses and rich case studies, the authors demonstrate that governors can be powerful actors in the lawmaking process, but that what they're bargaining over – the budget or policy – shapes both how they play the game and how often they can win it.
Representation and Inequality in Late Nineteenth-Century America
Authors: Argersinger Peter H.
Published: November 2012

This book demonstrates that apportionment, although long overlooked by scholars, dominated state politics in late nineteenth-century America, setting the boundaries not only for legislative districts but for the nature of representative democracy. The book examines the fierce struggles over apportionment in the Midwest, where a distinctive constitutional and electoral context shaped their course with momentous consequences. As the major parties alternated in effectively disenfranchising their opponents through gerrymanders, growing tensions challenged established patterns of political behaviour and precipitated intense and even dangerous disputes. Unprecedented judicial intervention overturned gerrymanders in stunning decisions that electrified the public but intensified rather than resolved political conflict and uncertainty. Ultimately, America's political ideal of representative democracy was frustrated by its own political institutions, including the courts, because their decisions against gerrymandering in the 1890s helped parties and legislatures entrench the practice as a basic and profoundly undemocratic feature of American politics in the twentieth century.
The English Utilitarians
Authors: Stephen Leslie
Published: November 2012

Leslie Stephen (1832–1904), author, literary critic, social commentator and the first editor of the Dictionary of National Biography, published his two-volume History of English Thought in the Eighteenth Century (also reissued in this series) in 1876. This led him to further investigation and study of utilitarianism, whose proponents believed that human action should be guided by the principle of ensuring the happiness of the greatest number of people. While working on many other projects, especially the Dictionary, and haunted by domestic tragedy in the sudden death of his second wife in 1895, Stephen struggled for two decades with this undertaking, calling it the 'utilitarian bog': the long-awaited three-volume work was finally published in 1900. Volume 3 examines John Stuart Mill (1806–73), the son of James Mill, philosopher, economist and a proponent of utilitarianism who was influential in the development of political liberalism.
A Narrative of Some Passages in the History of Eenoolooapik
Authors: M'Donald Alexander
Published: November 2012

Published in 1841, this is the story of Eenoolooapik, a young Inuit who guided whaling captain William Penny to the mouth of Cumberland Sound - a whale-rich body of water - 250 years after it was first explored and named by John Davis. Probably the first Inuk for whom a biography was published during his lifetime, 'Eenoo' drew a map which led Penny to the whaling area. His geographical knowledge therefore resulted in a burgeoning industry that provided seasonal employment to the Inuit and dramatically changed their lives. Alexander M'Donald (1817–48) describes Eenoolooapik's life and environment, a visit to Scotland with Penny (where he endeared himself to the people he met), and the difficulties he encountered in making the transition from life in the Arctic to nineteenth-century Britain. M'Donald himself later worked as an assistant surgeon on H.M.S. Terror in Sir John Franklin's last expedition: his eventual fate is not known.
North America
Authors: Trollope Anthony
Published: November 2012

Anthony Trollope (1815–82) was a prolific English Victorian writer, famous for work such as the 'Chronicles of Barsetshire', and his satirical masterpiece The Way We Live Now. He wrote forty-seven novels as well as several travel books and numerous short stories. After a poor and unhappy childhood, he spent much of his life working for the General Post Office, travelling extensively to carry out postal surveys and writing in his spare time. He became a senior civil servant in the organisation and was responsible for the introduction of pillar boxes to Britain. Published in 1862, this two-volume work is Trollope's first-hand account of North American culture during the American Civil War. Volume 2 focuses on Washington and the South. Trollope also describes several key American institutions, including the government and the legal system, and considers the causes of the war.
Journal of a Voyage to the Northern Whale-Fishery
Authors: Scoresby William
Published: November 2012

William Scoresby junior (1789–1857), explorer, scientist, and later Church of England clergyman, first travelled to the Arctic when he was just ten years old. The son of Arctic whaler and navigator William Scoresby of Whitby, he spent nearly every summer for twenty years at a Greenland whale fishery. He made significant discoveries in Arctic geography, meteorology, oceanography, and magnetism, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1824. First published in 1823, this book recounts Scoresby's voyage to Greenland in the summer of 1822 aboard the Baffin, a whaler of his own design. On this journey, his penultimate voyage to the north, he charted a large section of the coast of Greenland. His narrative also includes descriptions of scientific observations and geographical discoveries made during the voyage, and the appendices includes lists of rock specimens, plants and animal life, and notes on meteorological and other data.
Journal of a Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Authors: Parry William Edward
Published: November 2012

William Edward Parry (1790–1855) spent the early part of his naval career protecting the whale fisheries of Spitzbergen. He was later appointed to several Arctic expeditions, including three in search of the North-West Passage. This 1821 publication, reissued here in the unchanged second edition from the same year, describes the first of these voyages. Although unsuccessful, it provided valuable scientific data and experience that shaped subsequent expeditions. Noted for his care for his men, and his ability to quickly find solutions to difficult problems, Parry realised during this expedition the importance of keeping his explorers occupied during the winter, and started a newspaper and a theatre group. This first expedition established that, contrary to John Ross's 1819 account (also reissued in this series), a westward route through Lancaster Sound did in fact exist. It also began to map the many islands in the region.
Life with the Esquimaux
Authors: Hall Charles Francis
Published: November 2012

In 1860, Charles Francis Hall (1821–71), the American polar explorer, embarked on the first of two voyages to the Canadian Arctic region aimed at investigating the fate of Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of 1847. During his time in the Arctic, Hall lived amongst the Inuit community, learning their language and embracing their everyday life. First published in 1864, Hall's recollections remain of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists and geographers. His eye-witness accounts of the indigenous people's dwellings, interpersonal relationships, hunting pursuits, birth and death rites, methods of transport, and survival strategies in severe weather conditions provide an insight into Inuit culture in the nineteenth century. Volume 1 describes Hall's journey north, arrival at Holsteinborg, the Danish administrative centre in Greenland, and onward voyage to Baffin Island, where his search for traces of Franklin, and his experience of Inuit life, began.
Arctic Explorations
Authors: Kane Elisha Kent
Published: November 2012

Elisha Kent Kane (1820–57) was a medical officer in the United States Navy, best known for the so-called 'Grinnell voyages' to the Arctic in search of Sir John Franklin's expedition. Originally published in 1856, this two-volume work documents his second expedition, between 1853 and 1855, during which his ship became ice-bound, and he and his men survived by adopting Inuit survival skills, such as hunting, sledge-driving and hut-building. In Volume 1, Kane recounts the dangers posed by icebergs, glaciers and fluctuating tides, which led to his ship's entrapment, and records his impressions of the Inuit whom he later relied on for survival. Along with extensive illustrations of the animals, terrain and people encountered on his mission, and a useful glossary of Arctic terms, Kane's writings reveal his own controversial personality as well as his relationship with the Inuit and his admiration for their skills.
With Nansen in the North
Authors: Johansen Hjalmar
Published: November 2012

Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen (1867–1913) was a Norwegian Polar explorer. He accompanied Nansen on the Fram Expedition of 1893–6 and took part in a number of explorations of the Svalbard archipelago. He later participated in Roald Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole in 1910–12, although he was written out of the official history following a bitter dispute with Amundsen. Johansen's account of Nansen's Fram Expedition appeared in Norwegian in 1898, and this English translation was published the following year. It describes Nansen's attempt to drift north in a deliberately ice-bound ship and then ski to the North Pole, and reveals the dangers and challenges faced by the crew during their three-year journey. Although they did not reach the Pole, they set a new furthest-north record that stood for several years. Nansen's own account of the expedition, Farthest North, is also available as part of the Cambridge Library Collection.
Age Effects on Adjustments of Performance Monitoring to Task Difficulty
Authors: Schreiber Melanie , Endrass Tanja , Weigand Anne , Kathmann Norbert
Published: November 2012

Performance monitoring which is a core component of the executive functions has been found to be altered in older adults. Specifically, older adults showed smaller amplitudes of the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN) but increased amplitudes of the correct-related negativity (Nc/CRN), and a lack of adjustment to stimulus-response compatibility. The present study used a visual size discrimination task with two difficulty levels to further examine age-related alterations of the adaptation to actual task demands. Older adults showed a cautious response strategy with slower but more accurate responses than younger adults. Both age groups showed post-error slowing. Misperception of errors in the difficult condition was larger in older adults. In contrast to older adults, Ne/ERN amplitudes decreased and Nc/CRN amplitudes increased from the easy to the difficult condition in younger adults. This may indicate that adjustment to task difficulty was reduced in the older age group. It is concluded that conscious perception of errors and adaptation of the automatic performance monitoring to changing task demands are affected by age.
The Sensitivity of Physiological Measures to Phobic and Nonphobic Fear Intensity
Authors: Aue Tatjana , Hoeppli Marie-Eve , Piguet Camille
Published: November 2012

We investigated whether amygdala activation, autonomic responses, respiratory responses, and facial muscle activity (measured over the brow and cheek [fear grin] regions) are all sensitive to phobic versus nonphobic fear and, more importantly, whether effects in these variables vary as a function of both phobic and nonphobic fear intensity. Spider-phobic and comparably low spider-fearful control participants imagined encountering different animals and rated their subjective fear while their central and peripheral nervous system activity was measured. All measures included in our study were sensitive to variations in subjective fear, but were related to different ranges and positions on the subjective fear level continuum. Left amygdala activation, heart rate, and facial muscle activity over the cheek region captured fear intensity variations even within narrowly described regions on the fear level continuum (here within extremely low levels of fear and within considerable phobic fear). Skin conductance and facial muscle activity over the brow region did not capture fear intensity variations within low levels of fear: skin conductance mirrored only extreme levels of fear, and activity over the brow region distinguished phobic from nonphobic fear but also low-to-moderate and high phobic fear. Finally, respiratory measures distinguished phobic from nonphobic fear with no further differentiation within phobic and nonphobic fear. We conclude that a careful consideration of the measures to be used in an investigation and the population to be examined can be critical in order to obtain significant results.
A meeting of the waters: Interdisciplinary challenges and opportunities in tidal rivers
Authors: Ensign Scott H. , Noe Gregory B. , Hupp Cliff R. , Fagherazzi Sergio
Published: November 2012

At the interface of estuarine tides and freshwater rivers lie wetland and aquatic ecosystems, which experience dramatic effects of sea level rise. There, nontidal channels and riparian floodplains are transforming into tidal ecosystems, and tidal freshwater ecosystems are receiving increasing salinity. These river‐floodplain systems have both fluvial characteristics, including meandering channels and expansive floodplain forests, and estuarine characteristics, including tides and intertidal wetlands [see Barendregt et al., 2009; Conner et al., 2007, and references therein]. Because tidal rivers lie at the disciplinary divide between fluvial and estuarine science, a knowledge gap has developed in scientists' understanding of the geomorphic and biogeochemical response of these environments to sea level rise, climate change, and anthropogenically driven variations in watershed exports.
New technique for surface exposure dating
Authors: Balcerak Ernie
Published: November 2012

A new technique that allows researchers to determine the amount of time a rock sample has been exposed to daylight could find many applications in geology and archaeology. The new method, pioneered by Sohbati et al., is based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) bleaching profiles. OSL is the light emitted on illumination due to the release of stored energy accumulated in crystalline materials through the action of ionizing radiation from natural radioactivity. In solid rock, the latent luminescence has accumulated in response to the amount of natural ionizing radiation absorbed since rock formation. Exposure to daylight removes the acquired latent luminescence in a so‐called bleaching or resetting process. In a rock surface continuously exposed to daylight, this resetting will penetrate deeper into the surface with time (the rock “bleaches”); the longer the rock is exposed, the deeper this bleaching penetrates into the surface. Therefore, measuring the extent of bleaching in a sample can provide a measure of how long the sample has been exposed to daylight.
Elevated pore pressure and anomalously low stress in regions of low frequency earthquakes along the Nankai Trough subduction megathrust
Authors: Kitajima Hiroko , Saffer Demian M.
Published: November 2012

Recent seismic reflection and ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) studies reveal broad regions of low seismic velocity along the Nankai subduction plate boundary megathrust offshore SW Japan. These low velocity zones (LVZ's) extend ∼55 km landward from the trench, corresponding to depths of >∼10 km below sea floor. Here, we estimate the in‐situ pore pressure and stress state within these LVZ's by combining P‐wave velocities obtained from the geophysical surveys with new well‐constrained empirical relations between P‐wave velocity, porosity, and effective mean stress defined by laboratory deformation tests on drill core samples of the incoming oceanic sediment. We document excess pore pressures of 17–87 MPa that extend ∼55 km into the subduction zone, indicating that trapped pore fluids support ∼45–91% of the overburden stress along the base of the upper plate and surrounding major fault zones. The resulting effective stresses in the LVZ are limited to ∼1/3 of the values expected for non‐overpressured conditions. These low effective stresses should lead to a mechanically weak and predominantly aseismic plate boundary. The region of lowest effective stress coincides with precisely located very low frequency earthquakes, providing the first quantitative evidence linking these anomalous slip events to low stress and high pore pressure.
Using the Mass Media to Promote Health
Authors: Maryon-Davis Alan
Published: November 2012

The mass media, by communicating with people in large numbers, can have a huge impact on the public's knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes and behaviours, not only as individuals but also as families, communities and wider society. The power and reach of the mass media can influence all aspects of people's lives, including health and well-being, and can be harnessed to promote health by informing, motivating and empowering people to change behaviour and by providing a platform for advocating healthier policies and civic action. This article considers some of the basic principles and approaches of using the mass media to promote health. It looks at the changing media landscape including the advent of social networking tools and signposts readers to practical advice on how to get involved and develop their skills.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells have a cytokine-producing capacity to enhance ICOS ligand-mediated IL-10 production during T-cell priming
Authors: Ogata Makoto , Ito Tomoki , Shimamoto Keiko , Nakanishi Takahisa , Satsutani Naoko , Miyamoto Rie , Nomura Shosaku
Published: November 2012

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have the potential to prime CD4+ T-cells to differentiate into IL-10-producing T regulatory cells through preferential expression of inducible co-stimulatory ligand (ICOS-L). Although pDCs produce cytokines such as type-I IFNs, TNF-α, or IL-6 accompanying up-regulation of ICOS-L expression during activation in response to toll-like receptor (TLR)-ligands or IL-3, the roles of the pDC-derived cytokines in T-cell priming remain largely elusive. Therefore, we investigated the functional involvement of these cytokines in generating IL-10-producing T regulatory cells. We found that either IFN-α or IL-6 enhanced the pDC- or ICOS-L-driven generation of IL-10-producing T-cells from naive CD4+ T-cells and their regulatory functions. However, IFN-α stimulation in the absence of ICOS-L showed only a marginal tendency to increase the T-cell production of IL-10 and thus pDC-derived type-I IFNs in response to CpG could function together with ICOS-L. In addition, IL-6 functioned to generate IL-10-producing T-cells only on T-cell priming by pDCs activated by IL-3 or under IL-4-mediated Th2 conditions. Thus, type-I IFNs and IL-6 act as supplementary factors for the ICOS-L-dependent IL-10-producing T-cell differentiation in pDCs activated along the TLR-dependent and IL-3-dependent pathways, respectively. We also showed that pDC-derived TNF-α induced ICOS-L expression on pDCs in an autocrine manner and that IL-6 promoted ICOS expression on T-cells, contributing to the ICOS/ICOS-L-mediated T-cell response. Our results suggest that the ICOS-L-mediated tolerogenic pDC function in adaptive immunity is backed up by the elaborate cytokine-producing ability of pDCs.
Comamonas jiangduensis sp. nov., a biosurfactant-producing bacterium isolated from agricultural soil
Authors: Sun Li-Na , Zhang Jun , Chen Qing , He Jian , Li Qin-Fen , Li Shun-Peng
Published: November 2012

A novel biosurfactant-producing strain, designated YW1T, was isolated from agricultural soil. Its taxonomic position was investigated using a polyphasic approach. The cells were short rods, Gram-negative, non-sporulating and motile. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain YW1T was a member of the genus

Comamonas

, and showed highest sequence similarities to

Comamonas aquatica

LMG 2370T (98.5 %),

Comamonas kerstersii

LMG 3475T (97.7 %) and

Comamonas terrigena

LMG 1253T (97.7 %). Furthermore, DNA–DNA hybridization experiments against these three strains gave results that were clearly lower than 70 % DNA–DNA similarity, and consequently confirmed that this new strain does not belong to a previously described species of the genus

Comamonas

. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The major fatty acids (>5 %) were C16 : 0 (30.1 %), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω6c and/or C16 : 1ω7c; 25.4 %), summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c; 15.3 %), C17 : 0 cyclo (7.4 %) and C14 : 0 (5.8 %). The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, unknown phospholipids and unknown lipids. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, DNA–DNA hybridization, whole-cell fatty acid composition as well as biochemical characteristics, strain YW1T was clearly distinguishable from all species of the genus

Comamonas

with validly published names and should be classified as a representative of a novel species of the genus

Comamonas

, for which the name Comamonas jiangduensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YW1T ( = CCTCC AB 2012033T = KACC 16697T).
Acrocarpospora phusangensis sp. nov., isolated from a temperate peat swamp forest soil
Authors: Niemhom Nantawan , Suriyachadkun Chanwit , Tamura Tomohiko , Thawai Chitti
Published: November 2012

A novel actinomycete, strain PS33-18T, that formed club-shaped and spherical structures borne on the tip of the aerial mycelia was isolated from a temperate peat swamp forest soil in Phu-Sang National Park, Phayao Province, Thailand. The isolate contained glutamic acid, alanine and meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The whole-cell sugars of strain PS33-18T were glucose, madurose, mannose, rhamnose and ribose. The characteristic phospholipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, hydroxy-phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannosides and ninhydrin-positive phosphoglycolipids. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H4). The major cellular fatty acids were C17 : 1ω8c, iso-C16 : 0 and C16 : 0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain PS33-18T was 71.0 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain PS33-18T should be classified in the genus

Acrocarpospora

. The level of similarity between this strain and the closely related species

Acrocarpospora macrocephala

NBRC 16266T was 98.3 %,

Acrocarpospora pleiomorpha

NBRC 16267T was 97.9 %,

Acrocarpospora corrugata

NBRC 13972T was 97.6 %,

Herbidospora sakaeratensis

NBRC 102641T was 97.6 % and

Planotetraspora kaengkrachanensis

NBRC 104272T was 97.3 %. DNA–DNA hybridization results and physiological and biochemical properties indicated that strain PS33-18T could be distinguished readily from its closest phylogenetic relatives. On the basis of these phenotypic and genotypic data, this strain represents a novel species, for which the name Acrocarpospora phusangensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is PS33-18T ( = BCC 46906T = NBRC 108782T).
Salinisphaera japonica sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from the surface of a deep-sea fish, Malacocottus gibber, and emended description of the genus

Salinisphaera
Authors: Shimane Yasuhiro , Tsuruwaka Yusuke , Miyazaki Masayuki , Mori Kozue , Minegishi Hiroaki , Echigo Akinobu , Ohta Yukari , Maruyama Tadashi , Grant William D. , Hatada Yuji
Published: November 2012

A moderately halophilic, slightly acidophilic, aerobic bacterium, designated strain YTM-1T, was isolated from the body surface of Malacocottus gibber. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, short rods or cocci, approximately 0.9–1.1 µm long and 1.0–1.8 µm wide. Strain YTM-1T was able to grow with 1–30 % NaCl (optimum, 7.5–10 %, w/v), at 4–30 °C (optimum, 20–25 °C) and at pH 3.8–9.5 (optimum, pH 5.0–5.5). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities showed that strain YTM-1T belonged to the genus

Salinisphaera

with low similarity values to the type strains of recognized species of this genus (<94.8–94.4 %). The polar lipids of strain YTM-1T consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, three unknown phospholipids and one unknown lipid. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-8. The major fatty acids were C19 : 0ω8c cyclo, C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 1ω5c and C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content of strain YTM-1T was 67.3 mol%. These phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic data indicated that strain YTM-1T represents a novel species of the genus

Salinisphaera

, for which the name Salinisphaera japonica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YTM-1T ( = JCM 18087T = CECT 8012T). An emended description of the genus Salinisphaera is also proposed.
Constitutive nuclear lamina–genome interactions are highly conserved and associated with A/T-rich sequence
Authors: Meuleman Wouter , Peric-Hupkes Daan , Kind Jop , Beaudry Jean-Bernard , Pagie Ludo , Kellis Manolis , Reinders Marcel , Wessels Lodewyk , van Steensel Bas
Published: November 2012

In metazoans, the nuclear lamina is thought to play an important role in the spatial organization of interphase chromosomes, by providing anchoring sites for large genomic segments named lamina-associated domains (LADs). Some of these LADs are cell-type specific, while many others appear constitutively associated with the lamina. Constitutive LADs (cLADs) may contribute to a basal chromosome architecture. By comparison of mouse and human lamina interaction maps, we find that the sizes and genomic positions of cLADs are strongly conserved. Moreover, cLADs are depleted of synteny breakpoints, pointing to evolutionary selective pressure to keep cLADs intact. Paradoxically, the overall sequence conservation is low for cLADs. Instead, cLADs are universally characterized by long stretches of DNA of high A/T content. Cell-type specific LADs also tend to adhere to this “A/T rule” in embryonic stem cells, but not in differentiated cells. This suggests that the A/T rule represents a default positioning mechanism that is locally overruled during lineage commitment. Analysis of paralogs suggests that during evolution changes in A/T content have driven the relocation of genes to and from the nuclear lamina, in tight association with changes in expression level. Taken together, these results reveal that the spatial organization of mammalian genomes is highly conserved and tightly linked to local nucleotide composition.
Stabilization of the promoter nucleosomes in nucleosome-free regions by the yeast Cyc8–Tup1 corepressor
Authors: Chen Kaifu , Wilson Marenda A. , Hirsch Calley , Watson Anjanette , Liang Shoudan , Lu Yue , Li Wei , Dent Sharon Y.R.
Published: November 2012

The yeast Cyc8 (also known as Ssn6)–Tup1 complex regulates gene expression through a variety of mechanisms, including positioning of nucleosomes over promoters of some target genes to limit accessibility to the transcription machinery. To further define the functions of Cyc8–Tup1 in gene regulation and chromatin remodeling, we performed genome-wide profiling of changes in nucleosome organization and gene expression that occur upon loss of CYC8 or TUP1 and observed extensive nucleosome alterations in both promoters and gene bodies of derepressed genes. Our improved nucleosome profiling and analysis approaches revealed low-occupancy promoter nucleosomes (P nucleosomes) at locations previously defined as nucleosome-free regions. In the absence of CYC8 or TUP1, this P nucleosome is frequently lost, whereas nucleosomes are gained at −1 and +1 positions, accompanying up-regulation of downstream genes. Our analysis of public ChIP-seq data revealed that Cyc8 and Tup1 preferentially bind TATA-containing promoters, which are also enriched in genes derepressed upon loss of CYC8 or TUP1. These results suggest that stabilization of the P nucleosome on TATA-containing promoters may be a central feature of the repressive chromatin architecture created by the Cyc8–Tup1 corepressor, and that releasing the P nucleosome contributes to gene activation.
Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases Enable Efficient Plant Genome Engineering
Authors: Zhang Yong , Zhang Feng , Li Xiaohong , Baller Joshua A. , Qi Yiping , Starker Colby G. , Bogdanove Adam J. , Voytas Daniel F.
Published: November 2012

The ability to precisely engineer plant genomes offers much potential for advancing basic and applied plant biology. Here, we describe methods for the targeted modification of plant genomes using transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs). Methods were optimized using tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) protoplasts and TALENs targeting the acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene. Optimal TALEN scaffolds were identified using a protoplast-based single-strand annealing assay in which TALEN cleavage creates a functional yellow fluorescent protein gene, enabling quantification of TALEN activity by flow cytometry. Single-strand annealing activity data for TALENs with different scaffolds correlated highly with their activity at endogenous targets, as measured by high-throughput DNA sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products encompassing the TALEN recognition sites. TALENs introduced targeted mutations in ALS in 30% of transformed cells, and the frequencies of targeted gene insertion approximated 14%. These efficiencies made it possible to recover genome modifications without selection or enrichment regimes: 32% of tobacco calli generated from protoplasts transformed with TALEN-encoding constructs had TALEN-induced mutations in ALS, and of 16 calli characterized in detail, all had mutations in one allele each of the duplicate ALS genes (SurA and SurB). In calli derived from cells treated with a TALEN and a 322-bp donor molecule differing by 6 bp from the ALS coding sequence, 4% showed evidence of targeted gene replacement. The optimized reagents implemented in plant protoplasts should be useful for targeted modification of cells from diverse plant species and using a variety of means for reagent delivery.
The McGrath® Series 5 videolaryngoscope vs the Macintosh laryngoscope: a randomised, controlled trial in patients with a simulated difficult airway
Authors: Taylor A. M. , Peck M. , Launcelott S. , Hung O. R. , Law J. A. , MacQuarrie K. , McKeen D. , George R. B. , Ngan J.
Published: November 2012

We compared the McGrath® Series 5 videolaryngoscope with the Macintosh laryngoscope in a simulated difficult airway, using manual in‐line stabilisation in 88 anaesthestised patients of ASA physical status 1‐2. The primary outcome was laryngoscopic view. Secondary outcomes included rates of successful tracheal intubation and complications. A Cormack and Lehane grade‐1 or ‐2 view was found in all patients when using the McGrath compared with 45 (51%, p < 0.0001) using the Macintosh laryngoscopes. The mean (SD) percentage of glottic opening was 82 (23)% using the McGrath compared with 13 (23)% using the Macintosh (p < 0.0001). In 66 out of 88 patients (75%), the McGrath improved the glottic view by one to three grades compared with the Macintosh (p < 0.001). Intubation of the trachea was successful in all patients using the McGrath, while the Macintosh was successful in 26 (59%, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the complication rates between the devices.
Labor Pain Management Other Than Neuraxial: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go Next?
Authors: Rooks Judith P.
Published: November 2012

Analgesia and coping with labor pain can prevent suffering during childbirth. Nonpharmacologic methods help women manage labor pain. Strong evidence is available for the efficacy of continuous one‐to‐one support from a woman trained to provide nonmedical care during labor, immersion in warm water during first‐stage labor, and sterile water injected intracutaneously or subcutaneously at locations near a woman's lumbosacral spine to reduce back‐labor pain. Sterile water injections also reduce the incidence of cesarean deliveries. Nitrous oxide labor analgesia is not potent, but helps women relax, gives them a sense of control, and reduces and distracts their perception of pain. It is inexpensive; can be administered and discontinued safely, simply, and quickly; has no adverse effects on the normal physiology and progress of labor; and does not require intensive monitoring or co‐interventions. Parenteral opioids provide mild‐to‐moderate labor pain relief, but cause side effects. Although observational studies have found associations between maternal use of opioids and neonatal complications, little higher level evidence is available except that meperidine is associated with low Apgar scores. Patient‐controlled intravenous administration of remifentanil provides better analgesia and satisfaction than other opioids, but can cause severe side effects; continuous monitoring of arterial oxygen saturation, anesthesia supervision, one‐to‐one nursing, and availability of oxygen are recommended. The demand for inexpensive, simple, safe but effective labor pain management for women will undoubtedly increase in places that lack wide access to it now. (BIRTH 39:4 December 2012)
The importance of being earnest: our experience of involving service users with complex needs in staff recruitment
Authors: Hurtado Barbara , Timmins Steven , Seward Cheryl
Published: November 2012

Accessible summary

People with learning disabilities should be able to choose the staff who work with them. It is important that staff are chosen fairly and in a way that abides by the law. This article explains how we supported the people who use our services to help us employ an assistant psychologist.

We found that:

People with learning disabilities and other problems, like poor mental health, can also take part in choosing staff.

It is important to change how we do things so that it is easier for people with learning disabilities to take part.

Together we learnt that it is important to give people with learning disabilities time, so that they can do things at their own pace.

The staff and people with learning disabilities who participated in the interviews truly appreciated the experience.

This article describes our experience of involving people with learning disabilities and additional needs, such as behaviour that can be challenging or mental health conditions, in the recruitment of staff. A significant amount of support, as well as additional time and adaptations to the interviewing and scrutinising processes were necessary in order to ensure that service users could contribute meaningfully. However, the process was not only really valuable for users and staff alike but also, in our view, efficient in choosing a robust applicant.
Cause‐specific mortality in a Chinese chrysotile textile worker cohort
Authors: Wang Xiaorong , Lin Sihao , Yu Ignatius , Qiu Hong , Lan Yajia , Yano Eiji
Published: November 2012

Chrysotile asbestos has continued to be mined and used in China, but its health effects on exposed workers have not been well documented. This study was conducted to give a complete picture about cause‐specific mortality in Chinese asbestos workers. A cohort of 586 males and 279 females from a chrysotile textile factory were prospectively followed for 37 years. Their vital status was identified, and the date and underlying cause of death were verified from death registry. Cause‐specific standardized mortality ratios by gender were computed with nationwide gender‐ and cause‐specific mortality rates as reference. Male workers were 11 years older, and had 6 years longer exposure duration than females; 79% in males and 1% in females smoked. In males, the mortality rate of all cancers doubled; both larynx and lung cancer were four‐fold, and mesothelioma was 33‐fold. In females, there was slightly excess mortality from lung cancer and all cancers, and significant increase in mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. Other significantly increased mortality was seen from cancers of thymus, small intestine and penis in males, and cancers of bone and bladder in females. In addition to asbestosis, mortality from pulmonary heart disease was significantly elevated in both genders. The data confirmed significantly excess mortality from mesothelioma in either gender, lung and larynx cancers in males, and ovarian cancer in females. A gender difference in mortality from lung cancer and all cancers could be mainly due to the discrepancies in age, exposure duration and smoking between the male and female workers.