bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Skin Progenitor Cells Contribute to Bleomycin‐Induced Skin Fibrosis
Authors: Liu Shangxi , Herault Yann , Pavlovic Guillaume , Leask Andrew
Published: November 2013

Objective

The origin of the cells that contribute to skin fibrosis is unclear. We undertook the present study to assess the contribution of Sox2‐expressing skin progenitor cells to bleomycin‐induced scleroderma.

Methods

Scleroderma was induced, by bleomycin administration, in wild‐type mice and in mice in which CCN2 was deleted from Sox2‐expressing cells. Lineage tracing analysis was performed to assess whether cells expressing Sox2 are recruited to fibrotic lesions in response to bleomycin‐induced scleroderma.

Results

In response to bleomycin, Sox2‐positive/α‐smooth muscle actin–positive cells were recruited to fibrotic tissue. CCN2–conditional knockout mice in which CCN2 was deleted from Sox2‐expressing cells exhibited resistance to bleomycin‐induced skin fibrosis. Collectively, these results indicate that CCN2 is required for the recruitment of progenitor cells and that CCN2‐expressing progenitor cells are essential for bleomycin‐induced skin fibrosis. Lineage tracing analysis using mice in which a tamoxifen‐dependent Cre recombinase was expressed under the control of the Sox2 promoter confirmed that progenitor cells were recruited to the fibrotic lesion in response to bleomycin, and that this did not occur in CCN2‐knockout mice. The ability of serum to induce α‐smooth muscle actin expression in skin progenitor cells required the presence of CCN2.

Conclusion

Sox2‐positive skin progenitor cells are required in order for bleomycin‐induced skin fibrosis to occur, and CCN2 is required for the recruitment of these cells to the fibrotic lesion. Targeting stem cell recruitment or CCN2 may therefore represent a useful therapeutic approach in combating fibrotic skin disease.
Effect of a face sheet tool on medical team provider identification and family satisfaction
Authors: Unaka Ndidi I. , White Christine M. , Sucharew Heidi J. , Yau Connie , Clark Stephanie L. , Brady Patrick W.
Published: November 2013

Resident duty hour restrictions may expose families to more trainees during hospitalization and hinder recognition of medical team members. This may negatively impact family satisfaction. Our study sought to determine the effects of a face sheet tool on families' identification and satisfaction rating of the medical team. One of 2 general pediatric units at a large academic center was assigned to intervention; the other served as the concurrent control. Families on the intervention unit were given a face sheet tool with medical team members' photos and role descriptions. Upon discharge, caregivers matched names, photos, and roles to providers they encountered, answered a 10‐question satisfaction survey, and answered an overall hospital experience satisfaction question. Caregivers encountered a median of 8 (range, 3–14) medical team members. Caregivers in the intervention group were more likely to correctly identify providers by name (median correct, 25% vs 11% for controls; P < 0.01) and provider roles (median correct, 50% vs 25%; P < 0.01). No significant difference was noted between groups for overall satisfaction. A face sheet tool helped caregivers identify their child's care providers' names and roles, although identification remained poor. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:186–188. © 2013 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Freestyle propeller flaps from the lower abdomen: A valuable reconstructive option for proximal thigh defects
Authors: Patel Ketan M. , Sosin Michael , Ramineni Praful S.
Published: November 2013

The concepts of freestyle flap design allows for flap creation from virtually every place in the body. Descriptions of named flaps based on their arterial origin are commonly described in the literature, allowing for predictable flap design. However, in certain cases, isolating a flap based on a Doppler signal and retrograde perforator dissection will allow for appropriate flap creation and wound coverage. We describe a 52‐year‐old female with a chronic open wound that failed wound care and local soft tissue rearrangement. This led to detection of a strong perforator signal in the lower lateral abdomen prompting the use of a freestyle propeller flap. The patient recovered without complication. Twelve‐month follow‐up demonstrated trunk and lower extremity mobility without impairment. We describe a successful and novel use of a rare, unnamed perforator from the lower, lateral abdomen by employing the freestyle propeller flap for coverage of a proximal thigh wound. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 34:233–236, 2014.
Patient and hospital factors associated with induction mortality in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Seif Alix E. , Fisher Brian T. , Li Yimei , Torp Kari , Rheam Douglas P. , Huang Yuan‐Shung V. , Harris Tracey , Shah Ami , Hall Matthew , Fieldston Evan S. , Kavcic Marko , Vujkovic Marijana , Bailey L. Charles , Kersun Leslie S. , Reilly Anne F. , Rheingold Susan R. , Walker Dana M. , Aplenc Richard
Published: November 2013

Background

Deaths during induction chemotherapy for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) account for one‐tenth of ALL‐associated mortality and half of ALL treatment‐related mortality. We sought to ascertain patient‐ and hospital‐level factors associated with induction mortality.

Procedure

We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of 8,516 children ages 0 to <19 years with newly diagnosed ALL admitted to freestanding US children's hospitals from 1999 to 2009 using the Pediatric Health Information System database. Induction mortality risk was modeled accounting for demographics, intensive care unit‐level interventions, and socioeconomic status (SES) using Cox regression. The association of ALL induction mortality with hospital‐level factors including volume, hospital‐wide mortality and payer mix was analyzed with multiple linear regression.

Results

ALL induction mortality was 1.12%. Race and patient‐level SES factors were not associated with induction mortality. Patients receiving both mechanical ventilation and vasoactive infusions experienced nearly 50% mortality (hazard ratio 122.30, 95% CI 66.56–224.80). Institutions in the highest induction mortality quartile contributed 27% of all patients but nearly half of all deaths (47 of 95). Hospital payer mix was associated with ALL induction mortality after adjustment for other hospital‐level factors (P = 0.046).

Conclusions

The overall risk of induction death is low but substantially increased in patients with cardio‐respiratory and other organ failures. Induction mortality varies up to three‐fold across hospitals and is correlated with hospital payer mix. Further work is needed to improve induction outcomes in hospitals with higher mortality. These data suggest an induction mortality rate of less than 1% may be an attainable national benchmark. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:846–852. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Animal attendance at M‐44 sodium cyanide ejector sites for coyotes
Authors: Shivik John A. , Mastro Lauren , Young Julie K.
Published: November 2013

Sodium cyanide (NaCN) ejectors for coyotes (Canis latrans), known as M‐44s, are used in many parts of the United States for lethally removing coyotes to protect livestock or other resources. Quantifying selectivity of current devices in killing target and non‐target species is important to users and provides a baseline for future development of more effective and selective techniques. We used motion‐activated cameras to monitor M‐44 locations for coyote and other species visitations to the sites. Because camera presence potentially influences coyote behavior, we first compared activation of M‐44s at paired sites where cameras were and were not present. Coyotes activated M‐44s sites with cameras (n = 17) similarly to sites without cameras (n = 19). During 832 site‐days of observation, coyotes visited M‐44 sites 29 times, and 18 other species visited 1,597 times. The mean visitation ratio for non‐coyotes to coyotes was 2.8:1 at the M‐44 locations monitored (n = 22). Non‐coyotes were much less likely to touch the devices with their noses or mouths than were coyotes (0.24:1). No non‐canid activated an M‐44, suggesting very high selectivity toward killing canid species. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Trapping and handling squirrels: Trap modification and handling restraint to minimize injuries and stress
Authors: Mantor Margaret , Krause Sara , Hart Lynette A.
Published: November 2013

Trapping and handling is stressful for wild animals and may result in injuries. Minimizing stress and injuries is important not only for the welfare of the animals, but to assure integrity of research using trapped wild animals. By recording injury rates associated with trapping and handling, it is possible to assess the welfare performance of trapping and handling methods. Although the International Organization for Standardization published a standardized scale for the type and severity of injuries caused by trapping and handling (ISO 1999), it does not provide guidelines for acceptable standards of animal welfare; that is left to the researchers themselves to determine. The purpose of this paper is to measure the level of injury to wild squirrels caused by trapping and handling using minimally disruptive methods. We report our injury rates from several studies conducted in California, USA, that used various trapping and handling methods and the refined procedures we have adopted. Our data set on multiple Sciuridae species provides values for comparison with other studies. We found that using a canvas cover for traps minimized stress and injuries in captured squirrels. We also found that using a cone handling bag minimized handling time and stress associated with handling and eliminated the need for chemical immobilants. Further, we found that covering the animals' eyes during handling appeared to reduce visible signs of stress. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.
Beyond the spectral standard model: emergence of Pati-Salam unification
Authors: Chamseddine Ali H. , Connes Alain , van Suijlekom Walter D.
Published: November 2013

Abstract

The assumption that space-time is a noncommutative space formed as a product of a continuous four dimensional manifold times a finite space predicts, almost uniquely, the Standard Model with all its fermions, gauge fields, Higgs field and their representations. A strong restriction on the noncommutative space results from the first order condition which came from the requirement that the Dirac operator is a differential operator of order one. Without this restriction, invariance under inner automorphisms requires the inner fluctuations of the Dirac operator to contain a quadratic piece expressed in terms of the linear part. We apply the classification of product noncommutative spaces without the first ordercondition and show that this leads immediately to a Pati-Salam SU(2)R× SU(2)L× SU(4) type model which unifies leptons and quarks in four colors. Besides the gauge fields, there are 16 fermions in the (2, 2, 4) representation, fundamental Higgs fields in the (2, 2, 1), (2, 1, 4) and (1, 1, 1 + 15) representations. Depending on the precise form of the initial Dirac operator there are additional Higgs fields which are either composite depending on the fundamental Higgs fields listed above, or are fundamental themselves. These additional Higgs fields break spontaneously the Pati-Salam symmetries at high energies to those of the Standard Model.
The seed dormancy defect of Arabidopsis mutants lacking the transcript elongation factor TFIIS is caused by reduced expression of the DOG1 gene
Authors: Mortensen Simon A. , Grasser Klaus D.
Published: November 2013

TFIIS is a transcript elongation factor that facilitates transcription by RNA polymerase II, as it assists the enzyme to bypass blocks to mRNA synthesis. Previously, we have reported that Arabidopsis plants lacking TFIIS exhibit reduced seed dormancy. Among the genes differentially expressed in tfIIs seeds, the DOG1 gene was identified that is a known QTL for seed dormancy. Here we have analysed plants that overexpress TFIIS in wild type background, or that harbour an additional copy of DOG1 in tfIIs mutant background. These experiments demonstrate that the down‐regulation of DOG1 expression causes the seed dormancy phenotype of tfIIs mutants.
The Siren Song of Physician Incentives: Avoiding the Rocks
Authors: McDeavitt James T.
Published: November 2013

As the United States attempts to reform its health care system, various incentive programs are playing an increasingly important role. In this review, the primary dynamics that drive the rise of incentives in health care management are discussed. Increasingly well‐designed studies on the impact of incentives on outcomes continue to yield variable and, at times, unexpected results. The incorporation of incentives into the overall process of organizational cultural change is an important tool but one with significant limitations.
Biogenic opal production changes during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition in the Bering Sea (IODP Expedition 323 Site U1343)
Authors: Kim Sunghan , Takahashi Kozo , Khim Boo-Keun , Kanematsu Yoshihiro , Asahi Hirofumi , Ravelo Ana Christina
Published: November 2013

Biogenic opal content and mass accumulation rate (MAR) at IODP Expedition 323 Site U1343 were found to fluctuate consistently, generally being high under warm conditions and low under cold conditions during the last 2.4 Ma. Continuous wavelet transform analysis of the normalized biogenic opal content indicates that export production in the Bering Sea varied predominantly at 41-ka periodicity before 1.25 Ma, and shifted to 100-ka periodicity at the onset of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT; 1.25–0.7 Ma). The 100-ka cycles dominated until the Holocene. Export production in the Bering Sea decreased markedly in the Bering Sea two times during the MPT: the first occurred at the beginning of the MPT (1.25 Ma) and the second in the middle of the MPT (0.9 Ma). These decreases coincided with both increases in the relative abundance of sea-ice diatoms and decreases in the warm-water diatom species Neodenticula seminae, indicating that reductions in export production in the Bering Sea during the MPT were associated with climate cooling. Decreases in export production in the Bering Sea during the MPT were most likely associated with the increased influence of polar/Arctic domains on the high-latitude North Pacific.
DHA suppressesPrevotella intermedialipopolysaccharide-induced production of proinflammatory mediators in murine macrophages
Authors: Choi Eun-Young , Jin Ji-Young , Choi Jeom-Il , Choi In Soon , Kim Sung-Jo
Published: November 2013

Several reports have indicated that dietary intake of DHA is associated with lower prevalence of periodontitis. In the present study, we investigated the effect of DHA on the production of proinflammatory mediators in murine macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) isolated fromPrevotellaintermedia, a pathogen implicated in inflammatory periodontal disease, and its mechanisms of action. LPS was isolated from lyophilisedP.intermediaATCC 25 611 cells using the standard hot-phenol–water protocol. Culture supernatants were collected and assayed for NO, IL-1β and IL-6. Real-time PCR analysis was carried out to detect the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), IL-1β, IL-6 and haeme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA. Immunoblot analysis was carried out to quantify the expression of iNOS and HO-1 protein and concentrations of signalling proteins. DNA-binding activities of NF-κB subunits were determined using an ELISA-based assay kit. DHA significantly attenuated the production of NO, IL-1β and IL-6 at both gene transcription and translation levels inP.intermediaLPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. DHA induced the expression of HO-1 in cells treated withP.intermediaLPS. Selective inhibition of HO-1 activity by tin protoporphyrin IX significantly mitigated the inhibitory effects of DHA on LPS-induced NO production. DHA significantly attenuated the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase induced by LPS. In addition, DHA suppressed the transcriptional activity of NF-κB by regulating the nuclear translocation and DNA-binding activity of NF-κB p50 subunit and inhibited the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1. Furtherin vivostudies are needed to better evaluate the potential of DHA in humans as a therapeutic agent to treat periodontal disease.
Gender Differences in Methods of Suicide Attempts and Prevalence of Previous Suicide Attempts
Authors: Kupferschmid Stephan , Gysin-Maillart Anja , Bühler Salome K. , Steffen Timur , Michel Konrad , Schimmelmann Benno G. , Reisch Thomas
Published: November 2013

Objective: Suicide attempts are important predictors of completed suicide. Adolescents admitted to the emergency room of a large university hospital in Bern after a suicide attempt during the years 2004–2010 were prospectively assessed for methods of suicide attempt. Method: Adolescents (N = 257; 66.5% female; age 14–21 years), presenting after a suicide attempt, were assessed with the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Parasuicide assessment tool. Results: Males more often used jumping from a high place (14% vs. 4.6% in females, p < .05) and less often intoxication (36% vs. 71.3%, p < .01). At least one previous suicide attempt was reported in 100 patients (44.4%; more females than males: Cramer-V = 0.21; p = .002). Of these, 35 adolescents did not present to this hospital or not at all for a previous suicide attempt. Conclusions: The present study is the first to examine methods of suicide attempts according to the ICD-10 X codes in this age group. Gender differences were observed. Because a relevant number of patients did not present to the same hospital or not at all for a previous suicide attempt, studies on pathways to care of adolescents after their first suicide attempt are important for early detection and intervention strategies.
Was wird aus Kindern und Jugendlichen mit psychischen Störungen?
Authors: Steinhausen Hans-Christoph
Published: November 2013

Die Erforschung der Langzeiteffekte von psychischen Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil der Entwicklungspsychopathologie. Nach einer kurzen Skizze der relevanten Begriffe, die in der Verlaufsforschung bedeutsam sind, werden in einem ersten Teil Ergebnisse zum Verlauf heterotyper (diagnostisch heterogener) klinischer Kohortenstudien dargestellt. Im umfangreicheren zweiten Teil werden die Befunde aus Langzeituntersuchungen an homotypen (homogenen) Diagnosegruppen zusammengefasst. Im Einzelnen werden Langzeitbefunde zum Verlauf und zur Prognose von ADHS, Angststörungen, Depression, Störungen des Sozialverhaltens, Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen, Schizophrenie und selektivem Mutismus referiert. Die Befunde stellen in erster Linie eine Bestätigung der Vulnerabilitätshypothese dar, welche in früh manifesten Störungen des Kindes- und Jugendalters häufig die Vorläufer von psychischen Störungen im Erwachsenenalter sieht. Die Diskussion fokussiert auf den Stellenwert früh beginnender Störungen im Rahmen der allgemeinen psychischen Morbidität sowie den noch nicht befriedigend erkennbaren Stellenwert von Interventionen.
What’s Recalled Depends on the Nature of the Recall Procedure
Authors: Newman Leonard S. , Sapolsky Maxwell S. , Tang Ying , Bakina Daria A.
Published: November 2013

According to the mnemic neglect model, people process non-threatening feedback more deeply than threatening feedback. Tests of the model rely on behavior recall as the primary dependent variable. Similar to other research programs in social psychology, little attention has been paid to determining the optimal recall procedure for testing the model and replicating its predicted findings. Four experiments reveal that the results of mnemic neglect studies are significantly affected by recall period length and how recalled behaviors are reported. A few basic principles (e.g., output interference, output primacy as an index of accessibility) can account for these findings. The lessons learned apply not just to mnemic neglect research, but to any investigation of social-cognitive processes utilizing free recall measures.
Metabolic reconstruction identifies strain‐specific regulation of virulence in Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Song Carl , Chiasson Melissa A , Nursimulu Nirvana , Hung Stacy S , Wasmuth James , Grigg Michael E , Parkinson John
Published: November 2013

Increasingly, metabolic potential is proving to be a critical determinant governing a pathogen's virulence as well as its capacity to expand its host range. To understand the potential contribution of metabolism to strain‐specific infectivity differences, we present a constraint‐based metabolic model of the opportunistic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Dominated by three clonal strains (Type I, II, and III demonstrating distinct virulence profiles), T. gondii exhibits a remarkably broad host range. Integrating functional genomic data, our model (which we term as iCS382) reveals that observed strain‐specific differences in growth rates are driven by altered capacities for energy production. We further predict strain‐specific differences in drug susceptibilities and validate one of these predictions in a drug‐based assay, with a Type I strain demonstrating resistance to inhibitors that are effective against a Type II strain. We propose that these observed differences reflect an evolutionary strategy that allows the parasite to extend its host range, as well as result in a subsequent partitioning into discrete strains that display altered virulence profiles across different hosts, different organs, and even cell types.
Neurologic Recovery after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion
Authors: Lehmann Charles L. , Buchowski Jacob M. , Stoker Geoffrey E. , Riew K. Daniel
Published: November 2013

Study Design

Retrospective review.

Objective

The objective of this study is to describe the natural history of neurologic recovery after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).

Methods

Patients between 18 and 80 years of age, diagnosed with cervical radiculopathy, who underwent single-level ACDF and were followed for a minimum of 2 years were identified from a single-center database. Sensory and motor deficits were documented and graded based on physical examination findings at preoperative and postoperative visits, and used to calculate deficit rates.

Results

One hundred eighteen patients were included in the study. Mean age was 46 ± 9.2 years and mean follow-up time was 3.8 ± 2.1 years. At the time of surgery, 66% had a sensory deficit. Recovery of sensory function was seen in 85% of patients within 1 year. At final follow-up, new sensory deficits had developed in 30% of patients, 60% of whom had adjacent-level sensory deficits. Patients with preoperative sensory deficits tended to be more likely to develop a new deficit postoperatively ( p = 0.05). At the time of surgery, 55% had a motor deficit. Recovery of motor function was seen in 95% of patients within 1 year, and 14% developed new postoperative motor deficits by final follow-up. Of those patients who developed a new motor deficit postoperatively, 76% did so at an adjacent level.

Conclusions

In our series, a high percentage of patients recovered neurologic function during the first year after ACDF. Adjacent-level and remote-level degeneration were large contributors to neurologic deficits that occurred in subsequent years.
Charge transfer interaction using quasiatomic minimal-basis orbitals in the effective fragment potential method
Authors: Xu Peng , Gordon Mark S.
Published: November 2013

The charge transfer (CT) interaction, the most time-consuming term in the general effective fragment potential method, is made much more computationally efficient. This is accomplished by the projection of the quasiatomic minimal-basis-set orbitals (QUAMBOs) as the atomic basis onto the self-consistent field virtual molecular orbital (MO) space to select a subspace of the full virtual space called the valence virtual space. The diagonalization of the Fock matrix in terms of QUAMBOs recovers the canonical occupied orbitals and, more importantly, gives rise to the valence virtual orbitals (VVOs). The CT energies obtained using VVOs are generally as accurate as those obtained with the full virtual space canonical MOs because the QUAMBOs span the valence part of the virtual space, which can generally be regarded as “chemically important.” The number of QUAMBOs is the same as the number of minimal-basis MOs of a molecule. Therefore, the number of VVOs is significantly smaller than the number of canonical virtual MOs, especially for large atomic basis sets. This leads to a dramatic decrease in the computational cost.
Solvent dependent branching between C-I and C-Br bond cleavage following 266 nm excitation of CH2BrI
Authors: Anderson Christopher P. , Spears Kenneth G. , Wilson Kaitlynn R. , Sension Roseanne J.
Published: November 2013

It is well known that ultraviolet photoexcitation of halomethanes results in halogen-carbon bond cleavage. Each halogen-carbon bond has a dominant ultraviolet (UV) absorption that promotes an electron from a nonbonding halogen orbital (nX) to a carbon-halogen antibonding orbital (σ*C-X). UV absorption into specific transitions in the gas phase results primarily in selective cleavage of the corresponding carbon-halogen bond. In the present work, broadband ultrafast UV-visible transient absorption studies of CH2BrI reveal a more complex photochemistry in solution. Transient absorption spectra are reported spanning the range from 275 nm to 750 nm and 300 fs to 3 ns following excitation of CH2BrI at 266 nm in acetonitrile, 2-butanol, and cyclohexane. Channels involving formation of CH2Br + I radical pairs, iso-CH2Br-I, and iso-CH2I-Br are identified. The solvent environment has a significant influence on the branching ratios, and on the formation and stability of iso-CH2Br-I. Both iso-CH2Br-I and iso-CH2I-Br are observed in cyclohexane with a ratio of ∼2.8:1. In acetonitrile this ratio is 7:1 or larger. The observation of formation of iso-CH2I-Br photoproduct as well as iso-CH2Br-I following 266 nm excitation is a novel result that suggests complexity in the dissociation mechanism. We also report a solvent and concentration dependent lifetime of iso-CH2Br-I. At low concentrations the lifetime is >4 ns in acetonitrile, 1.9 ns in 2-butanol and ∼1.4 ns in cyclohexane. These lifetimes decrease with higher initial concentrations of CH2BrI. The concentration dependence highlights the role that intermolecular interactions can play in the quenching of unstable isomers of dihalomethanes.
Extracted ion current density in close-coupling multi-antenna type radio frequency driven ion source: CC-MATIS
Authors: Oka Y. , Shoji T.
Published: November 2013

Positive ions are extracted by using a small extractor from the Close-Coupling Multi-Antenna Type radio frequency driven Ion Source. Two types of RF antenna are used. The maximum extracted ion current density reaches 0.106 A/cm2. The RF net power efficiency of the extracted ion current density under standard condition is 11.6 mA/cm2/kW. The efficiency corresponds to the level of previous beam experiments on elementary designs of multi-antenna sources, and also to the efficiency level of a plasma driven by a filament in the same chamber. The multi-antenna type RF plasma source is promising for all metal high density ion sources in a large volume chamber.
An early in-situ stress signature of the AlN-Si pre-growth interface for successful integration of nitrides with (111) Si
Authors: Chandrasekar Hareesh , Mohan Nagaboopathy , Bardhan Abheek , Bhat K. N. , Bhat Navakanta , Ravishankar N. , Raghavan Srinivasan
Published: November 2013

The integration of Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) grown group III-A nitride device stacks on Si (111) substrates is critically dependent on the quality of the first AlN buffer layer grown. A Si surface that is both oxide-free and smooth is a primary requirement for nucleating such layers. A single parameter, the AlN layer growth stress, is shown to be an early (within 50 nm), clear (<0.5 GPa versus >1 GPa), and fail-safe indicator of the pre-growth surface, and the AlN quality required for successful epitaxy. Grain coalescence model for stress generation is used to correlate growth stress, the AlN-Si interface, and crystal quality.
Fabrication of terahertz metamaterial with high refractive index using high-resolution electrohydrodynamic jet printing
Authors: Teguh Yudistira Hadi , Pradhipta Tenggara Ayodya , Dat Nguyen Vu , Teun Kim Teun , Dian Prasetyo Fariza , Choi Choon-gi , Choi Muhan , Byun Doyoung
Published: November 2013

Metamaterial is an engineered material whose electromagnetic properties can be determined by the unit structure. Lithography is one of main methods to fabricate metamaterials for fine patterning which has limitations in large-area fabrication. We present a direct fabrication method for metamaterial using the electrohydrodynamic jet printing. An electrical pulse was controlled to make drop-on-demand operation, through which flexible high refractive-index metamaterial could be fabricated in the form of I-shaped silver electrodes with 10-μm widths and 5-μm gaps on polyimide substrate. The peak value of the refractive index was 18.4 at a frequency of around 0.48 THz.
Delivering Local Plans: Recognising the Bounded Interests of Local Planners within Spatial Planning
Authors: Mace Alan
Published: November 2013

In England spatial planning has been critiqued as being part of a postpolitical project which seeks to suppress the contested nature of policy and determining applications. A key aspect of this critique is that consensus overrides territoriality as the interface between local, bounded politics is underplayed in favour of the relational nature of place. In this reading local planners may be seen as caught between their professional understanding of, and commitment to, relational space and the bounded nature of local politics that informs their political masters at the local level. However, drawing on experience of policy development in Islington, London, it is argued that planners can themselves employ a bounded discourse of place, independently of local political demands. The Coalition government's localism agenda extends the premise of spatial planning—promoting the local and/or place but giving primacy to accommodating externally driven change; this paper explores the implications for planning practice.
A Smarter Choice? Exploring the Behaviour Change Agenda for Environmentally Sustainable Mobility
Authors: Barr Stewart , Prillwitz Jan
Published: November 2013

This paper explores some of the limitations of individualistic approaches towards the study and promotion of environmentally sustainable practices within the context of efforts by states to tackle global climate change. Using the example of government attempts to promote sustainable mobility through behavioural shifts amongst citizens in the UK, the paper argues that an overreliance on individualistic approaches poses three major challenges through the ways in which: (1) mobility is intricately entwined with social practices and consumption settings; (2) practices of (un)sustainable mobility are related to the structure and organisation of physical environments; and (3) solutions for sustainable mobility are framed through narrow political lenses that fail to address the potential social transformations needed to tackle climate change. Accordingly, the paper argues that both researchers and policy makers need to revisit the assumptions made concerning the role of individuals and their relationship to underlying sociostructural and political challenges for reducing carbon emissions from transport.
Harnessing the Economic Potential of ‘Second-Tier’ European Cities: Lessons from Four Different State/Urban Systems
Authors: Evans Richard
Published: November 2013

In this paper I argue that ‘second-tier’ European cities warrant more attention because they could potentially help secure balanced development and territorial cohesion. I compare the asset bases of four such cities (Munich, Tampere, Timisoara, and Leeds) located within different state and urban systems and examine the scope for public policy to improve their growth trajectory. Each city has sufficient economic critical mass and institutional capacity to act as motors for their respective regions and to relieve pressure on capital city regions by attenuating the steady drift of investment and jobs to them and encouraging greater deconcentration of investment. The case studies suggest that general characteristics of effective urban policy making also apply to second-tier cities: continuity, compositional balance, comprehensive packages of measures, stakeholder participation in design, and delivery to reflect their particularities. However, better ways of handling relations between second-tier cities and other city regional authorities and interests are needed.
Coxiella burnetii
effector protein subverts clathrin-mediated vesicular trafficking for pathogen vacuole biogenesis
Authors: Larson Charles L. , Beare Paul A. , Howe Dale , Heinzen Robert A.
Published: November 2013

Significance

The vesicular trafficking pathways required for generation of the phagolysosome-like vacuole occupied by
Coxiella burnetii
are poorly defined, and no pathogen effectors of vesicular trafficking are known. Here, we reveal an important role for clathrin-mediated vesicular trafficking in
Coxiella
vacuole formation and identify a type 4B secretion system effector protein [
Coxiella
vacuolar protein A (CvpA)] that engages this pathway.
C
.
burnetii
CvpA traffics through the endocytic recycling compartment, and endocytic sorting motifs within CvpA bind the clathrin adaptor complex AP2. Mutation of
cvpA
, or depletion of AP2 or clathrin, significantly restricts
Coxiella
replication. Thus, our results reveal a effector–clathrin interaction that benefits pathogen replication.
Bacterial natural transformation by highly fragmented and damaged DNA
Authors: Overballe-Petersen Søren , Harms Klaus , Orlando Ludovic A. A. , Mayar J. Victor Moreno , Rasmussen Simon , Dahl Tais W. , Rosing Minik T. , Poole Anthony M. , Sicheritz-Ponten Thomas , Brunak Søren , Inselmann Sabrina , de Vries Johann , Wackernagel Wilfried , Pybus Oliver G. , Nielsen Rasmus , Johnsen Pål Jarle , Nielsen Kaare Magne , Willerslev Eske
Published: November 2013

Significance

Short and damaged DNA is ubiquitous in most environments and can survive more than half a million years. We show that naturally competent environmental bacteria can take up such degraded DNA and incorporate it into their genomes, including DNA from a 43,000-y-old woolly mammoth bone. The process occurs as part of cellular DNA replication and may resemble the earliest forms of horizontal gene transfer. Our findings suggest that natural genetic exchange of DNA from dead and even extinct organisms to contemporary bacteria can take place over hundreds of thousands of years. Hence damaged and degraded DNA may be a previous unrecognized driver of bacterial evolution with implications for evolutionary theory.
Using the Europarl corpus for cross-linguistic research
Authors: Cartoni Bruno , Zufferey Sandrine , Meyer Thomas
Published: November 2013

Europarl is a large multilingual corpus containing the minutes of the debates at the European Parliament. This article presents a method to extract different corpora from Europarl: monolingual and multilingual comparable corpora, as well as parallel corpora. Using state-of-the-art measures of homogeneity, we show that these corpora are very similar. In addition, we argue that they present many advantages for research in various fields of linguistics and translation studies, and we also discuss some of their limitations. We conclude by reviewing a number of previous studies that made use of these corpora, emphasizing in each case the possibilities offered by Europarl.
Close encounters of the third code
Authors: Loock Rudy
Published: November 2013

The aim of the article is to complement a quantitative study on existential constructions in French and English, both in translated and original texts and based on the exploitation of comparable corpora (Cappelle & Loock 2013). What this article shows is that such an overall quantitative approach should be complemented with a more qualitative approach, for two main reasons: (i) overall quantitative results provide only a general view on the differences between translated texts and original texts, hiding subtle but crucial variations; (ii) the use of comparable corpora does not provide any information on the strategies used by translators and on the translation process itself. The article also provides suggestions for implications in translators training and translation quality assessment.
Aligning mispronounced words to meaning
Authors: Roberts Adam Charles , Wetterlin Allison , Lahiri Aditi
Published: November 2013

Many models have been proposed to account for the role that the mental lexicon plays in the initial stages of speech perception. One fundamental disparity between these models is how speech is phonologically represented in the mental lexicon. Theories range from full specification and representation of all phonological information to sparse specification. We report on two perception experiments using context independent mispronunciations (i.e. mispronunciations not governed by phonological rules) to test the predictions of the two most divergent models. Models assuming full specification and storage of all phonological information (e.g. exemplar models) predict symmetric acceptance or rejection of mispronunciations that only differ from real words in place of articulation of the medial consonant (*temor-tenor, *inage-image). Models assuming that only contrasting phonological information is stored (as in FUL) predict asymmetric patterns of acceptance, i.e. mispronunciations with medial coronal consonants will be better tolerated (*temor) than mispronunciations with medial labial or velar consonants. Results of two experiments using lexical decision with semantic priming in British English reveal an asymmetry in the acceptance of mispronunciations for coronal vs. noncoronal consonants. Both reaction time latencies as well as N400 amplitudes exhibit asymmetries, supporting the notion of abstract asymmetric lexical representation.
The lexical representation of word stress in Russian
Authors: Molczanow Janina , Domahs Ulrike , Knaus Johannes , Wiese Richard
Published: November 2013

This paper explores the processing of metrical structure in Russian, a language with free lexical stress. According to the existing theoretical accounts, not all Russian stems are specified for accent in the lexicon. The present study employs event-related potentials (ERPs) to find evidence to support the underlying distinction into accented and unaccented stem types. The results of two EEG experiments using a stress violation paradigm reveal that Russian listeners are highly sensitive to changes of metrical structure and that prosodic manipulations may impede lexical retrieval. In the first experiment, in which the stimuli were not given prior to auditory presentation, metrical violations evoked a pronounced N400 effect for all stem types, and a late positivity for one of the stem types, indicating a difference in stress processing. In the second experiment in which the stimuli were visually introduced before auditory presentation, stress shifts to the second syllable induced late positive component (LPC) indicating an ease in the evaluation of the metrical form. Overall, the present findings partially support the division into lexically specified and unspecified Russian accent types. In addition, the results show a strong correlation between the patterning of ERP components and the direction of stress shift, suggesting a trochee to be the default foot type in Russian.
Recovery from anomia following Semantic Feature Analysis
Authors: Durand Edith , Ansaldo Ana Inès
Published: November 2013

Our previous work (Marcotte et al., 2012) reported neurofunctional changes associated with recovery from anomia following Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) in a group of participants with moderate to severe chronic anomia, providing evidence of therapy-induced neuroplasticity in chronic aphasia. The activation patterns observed concurrently with the recovery of naming suggest that SFA triggers the recruitment of an alternative pathway involving the left precentral gyrus and the left inferior parietal lobule, both of which are part of the Mirror Neuron System (MNS). SFA’s potential role in triggering the recruitment of the MNS is discussed, in line with Embodied Cognition Theory and other theoretical frameworks opening a window on aphasia therapy issues and the intricate links between motor and language processing.
ERPs and task effects in the auditory processing of gender agreement and semantics in French
Authors: Royle Phaedra , Drury John E. , Steinhauer Karsten
Published: November 2013

We investigated task effects on violation ERP responses to Noun-Adjective gender mismatches and lexical/conceptual semantic mismatches in a combined auditory/visual paradigm in French. Participants listened to sentences while viewing pictures of objects. This paradigm was designed to investigate language processing in special populations (e.g., children) who may not be able to read or to provide stable behavioural judgment data. Our main goal was to determine how ERP responses to our target violations might differ depending on whether participants performed a judgment task (Task) versus listening for comprehension (No-Task). Characterizing the influence of the presence versus absence of judgment tasks on violation ERP responses allows us to meaningfully interpret data obtained using this paradigm without a behavioural task and relate them to judgment-based paradigms in the ERP literature. We replicated previously observed ERP patterns for semantic and gender mismatches, and found that the task especially affected the later P600 component.
A dynamic network model of translatorial cognition and action
Authors: Risku Hanna , Windhager Florian , Apfelthaler Matthias
Published: November 2013

As an interdisciplinary research endeavor into the foundations of human and artificial intelligence, cognitive science has substantial contributions to offer to the field of translation studies. Like any other explanatory approach to socially embedded and organized behavior, cognitive science deals with hard-to-resolve dichotomies such as static versus dynamic approaches, lab- or field-based methods or the opposing views of individual and social explanations. To introduce current theoretical developments from cognitive science, we offer a conceptual framework that conceives these apparent dichotomies as complementary perspectives and helps us to cope with the nested and embedded nature of translatorial cognition and action. For this purpose, we specify a dynamic network analytical model which treats acts of individual cognition and (inter)action as being constitutively interwoven with their social, symbolic and material environments and combine all its elements into a coherent dynamic process perspective. In our outlook, we discuss this extended model’s potential to structure the ongoing theoretical debate on translation process research, as well as its ability to serve as a scaffold for defining and contextualizing empirical studies and thus guiding research into the complex dynamics of translation as a situated activity.
Phylo SI: a new genome-wide approach for prokaryotic phylogeny
Authors: Shifman Anton , Ninyo Noga , Gophna Uri , Snir Sagi
Published: November 2013

The evolutionary history of all life forms is usually represented as a vertical tree-like process. In prokaryotes, however, the vertical signal is partly obscured by the massive influence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT). The HGT creates widespread discordance between evolutionary histories of different genes as genomes become mosaics of gene histories. Thus, the Tree of Life (TOL) has been questioned as an appropriate representation of the evolution of prokaryotes. Nevertheless a common hypothesis is that prokaryotic evolution is primarily tree-like, and a routine effort is made to place new isolates in their appropriate location in the TOL. Moreover, it appears desirable to exploit non–tree-like evolutionary processes for the task of microbial classification. In this work, we present a novel technique that builds on the straightforward observation that gene order conservation (‘synteny’) decreases in time as a result of gene mobility. This is particularly true in prokaryotes, mainly due to HGT. Using a ‘synteny index’ (SI) that measures the average synteny between a pair of genomes, we developed the phylogenetic reconstruction tool ‘Phylo SI’. Phylo SI offers several attractive properties such as easy bootstrapping, high sensitivity in cases where phylogenetic signal is weak and computational efficiency. Phylo SI was tested both on simulated data and on two bacterial data sets and compared with two well-established phylogenetic methods. Phylo SI is particularly efficient on short evolutionary distances where synteny footprints remain detectable, whereas the nucleotide substitution signal is too weak for reliable sequence-based phylogenetic reconstruction. The method is publicly available at http://research.haifa.ac.il/ssagi/software/PhyloSI.zip.
Treatment failure in patients with chronic Blastocystis infection
Authors: Roberts Tamalee , Ellis John , Harkness John , Marriott Deborah , Stark Damien
Published: November 2013

This article reports long-term infection and treatment failure in 18 symptomatic individuals infected with Blastocystis spp. Patients were initially treated with either metronidazole, iodoquinol or triple combination therapy consisting of nitazoxanide, furazolidone and secnidazole. Following treatment, resolution of clinical symptoms did not occur and follow-up testing revealed ongoing infection with the same subtype. Patients then underwent secondary treatment with a variety of antimicrobial agents but remained symptomatic with Blastocystis spp. still present in faeces. Sequencing of the SSU rDNA was completed on all isolates and four subtypes were identified in this group: ST1, ST3, ST4 and ST5. This study highlights the lack of efficacy of several commonly used antimicrobial regimens in the treatment of Blastocystis and the chronic nature of some infections. It also demonstrates the need for further research into treatment options for Blastocystis infection.
Learned together, extinguished apart: reducing fear to complex stimuli
Authors: Jones Carolyn E. , Ringuet Stephanie , Monfils Marie-H.
Published: November 2013

Pairing a previously neutral conditioned stimulus (CS; e.g., a tone) to an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US; e.g., a footshock) leads to associative learning such that the tone alone comes to elicit a conditioned response (e.g., freezing). We have previously shown that an extinction session that occurs within the reconsolidation window attenuates fear responding and prevents the return of fear in pure tone Pavlovian fear conditioning. Here we sought to examine whether this effect also applies to a more complex fear memory. First, we show that after fear conditioning to the simultaneous presentation of a tone and a light (T+L) coterminating with a shock, the compound memory that ensues is more resistant to fear extinction than simple tone-shock pairings. Next, we demonstrate that the compound memory can be disrupted by interrupting the reconsolidation of the two individual components using a sequential retrieval+extinction paradigm, provided the stronger compound component is retrieved first. These findings provide insight into how compound memories are encoded, and could have important implications for PTSD treatment.