bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radiation hydrodynamics simulations of wide-angle outflows from super-critical accretion disks around black holes
Authors: Hashizume Katsuya , Ohsuga Ken , Kawashima Tomohisa , Tanaka Masaomi
Published: January 2015

By performing two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations with a large computational domain of 5000 times the Schwarzschild radius, we revealed that wide-angle outflow is launched via the radiation force from the super-critical accretion flows around black holes. The angular size of the outflow, where the radial velocity (vr) exceeds the escape velocity (vesc), increases with an increase of the distance from the black hole. As a result, the mass is blown away with speed of vr > vesc in all directions except for in the vicinity of the equatorial plane, θ = 0°–85°, where θ is the polar angle. The mass ejected from the outer boundary per unit time by the outflow is larger than the mass accretion rate onto the black hole, ∼ 150 LEdd/c2, where LEdd and c are the Eddington luminosity and the speed of light. The kinetic power of such wide-angle high-velocity outflow is comparable to the photon luminosity and is a few times larger than the Eddington luminosity. This corresponds to ∼ 1039–1040 erg s−1 for the stellar mass black holes. Our model is consistent with the observations of shock excited bubbles observed in some ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), supporting a hypothesis that ULXs are powered by the super-critical accretion onto stellar mass black holes.
Asynchronous Rate Chaos in Spiking Neuronal Circuits
Authors: Harish Omri , Hansel David
Published: January 2015

The brain exhibits temporally complex patterns of activity with features similar to those of chaotic systems. Theoretical studies over the last twenty years have described various computational advantages for such regimes in neuronal systems. Nevertheless, it still remains unclear whether chaos requires specific cellular properties or network architectures, or whether it is a generic property of neuronal circuits. We investigate the dynamics of networks of excitatory-inhibitory (EI) spiking neurons with random sparse connectivity operating in the regime of balance of excitation and inhibition. Combining Dynamical Mean-Field Theory with numerical simulations, we show that chaotic, asynchronous firing rate fluctuations emerge generically for sufficiently strong synapses. Two different mechanisms can lead to these chaotic fluctuations. One mechanism relies on slow I-I inhibition which gives rise to slow subthreshold voltage and rate fluctuations. The decorrelation time of these fluctuations is proportional to the time constant of the inhibition. The second mechanism relies on the recurrent E-I-E feedback loop. It requires slow excitation but the inhibition can be fast. In the corresponding dynamical regime all neurons exhibit rate fluctuations on the time scale of the excitation. Another feature of this regime is that the population-averaged firing rate is substantially smaller in the excitatory population than in the inhibitory population. This is not necessarily the case in the I-I mechanism. Finally, we discuss the neurophysiological and computational significance of our results.

Author Summary

Cortical circuits exhibit complex temporal patterns of spiking and are exquisitely sensitive to small perturbations in their ongoing activity. These features are all suggestive of an underlying chaotic dynamics. Theoretical works have indicated that a rich dynamical reservoir can endow neuronal circuits with remarkable computational capabilities. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying chaos in circuits of spiking neurons remain unknown. We combine analytical calculations and numerical simulations to investigate this fundamental issue. Our key result is that chaotic firing rate fluctuations on the time scales of the synaptic dynamics emerge generically from the network collective dynamics. Our results pave the way in the study of the physiological mechanisms and computational significance of chaotic states in neuronal networks.
Design and strain selection criteria for bacterial communication networks
Authors: Angione Claudio , Carapezza Giovanni , Costanza Jole , Lió Pietro , Nicosia Giuseppe
Published: January 2015

In this paper we discuss data and methodological challenges for building bacterial communication networks using two examples:Escherichia colias a flagellate bacterium and ofGeobacter sulfurreducensas a biofilm forming bacterium. We first highlight the link between the bacterial network communication design with respect to metabolic information processing design. The potentialities of designing routing network schemes described previously in literature and based on bacteria motility and genetic message exchanges will depend on the genes coding for the intracellular and intercellular signalling pathways. In bacteria, the “mobilome” is related to horizontal gene transfer. Bacteria trade off the acquisition of new genes which could improve their survival (and often their communication bandwidth), keeping their genome enough small to assure quick DNA replication and increase fast the biomass to speed up cell division. First, by using a multi-objective optimisation procedure, we search for the optimal trade off between energy production, which is a requirement for the motility, and the biomass growth, which is related to the overall survival and fitness of the bacterium. We use flux balance analysis of genome-scale biochemical network ofEscherichia colik-13 MG1655. Then, as a second case study we analyze the electric properties and biomass trade-off of the bacteriumGeobacter sulfurreducenswhich constructs an electric biofilm where electrons move across the nanowires. Here we discuss the potentialities of optimisation methodologies to design and select bacterial strains with desiderata properties. The optimisation methodologies establish also a relation between metabolism, network communication and computing. Moreover, we point to genetic design and synthetic biology as key areas to develop bacterial nano communication networks.
The Constitutional Imagination
Authors: Loughlin Martin
Published: January 2015

The constitutional imagination refers to the way we have been able to conceive the relationship between thought, text and action in the constitution of modern political authority. The lecture seeks to demonstrate how modern constitutional texts come to be invested with a ‘world‐making’ capacity. The argument is advanced first by explaining how social contract thinkers have been able to set the parameters of the constitutional imagination (thought), then by showing that constitutions are agonistic documents and their interpretative method is determined by a dialectic of ideology and utopia (text), and finally by examining the degree to which constitutions have been able to colonise the political domain, thereby converting constitutional aspiration into political reality (action). It concludes by suggesting that although we seem to be entering a constitutional age, this is an ambiguous achievement and whether the power of the constitutional imagination can still be sustained remains an open question.
The Law of the Land
Authors: Duxbury Neil
Published: January 2015

This article considers the status of foreign precedents in national courts. It examines possible reasons for courts referring to them and concludes that, absent some incorporating convention, judges cannot ever be said to have an obligation to refer to them. But it also shows that there is nothing unprincipled about national courts choosing to treat foreign precedents as persuasive authority, notwithstanding that there are some good reasons, especially in the context of constitutional adjudication, for cautioning against this. It is also suggested that no satisfactory argument can be adduced to support the proposition that a national court must never rely on foreign precedent as the sole reason for modifying the indigenous common law – though it seems very unlikely that judges would ever need (still less want) to rely on foreign precedent in this way.
What Can We Expect to Gain from Reforming the Insolvent Trading Remedy?
Authors: Williams Richard
Published: January 2015

This paper argues that reform of the wrongful trading remedy in section 214 of the Insolvency Act 1986 is unlikely to yield significant increases in civil recovery for creditors of insolvent companies. The paper argues that the widely held view that procedural restrictions in the provision have unduly limited the application of the remedy are without foundation and, likewise, that there is little evidence that current modest levels of litigation under the provision demonstrate underperformance in the sanction relative to the scale of the misconduct against which it is directed. The paper draws on a wide range of analytical and empirical evidence to argue that the scope for application of the sanction is inherently limited by factors independent of the particular rules within the statutory remedy.
Where There's a Will There's a Way: Marley v Rawlings and Another
Authors: Goodwin James , Granger Edward
Published: January 2015

In Marley v Rawlings and another, a unanimous Supreme Court has widened the scope of judicial power to rectify a will under section 20 of the Administration of Justice Act 1982. An intended will that falls foul of formality requirements may now have such defects resolved by rectification, and the meaning of ‘clerical error’ – one of the two possible bases for invoking the rectification doctrine – has been expanded. The Court's decision to resolve the issue by this method rather than by recourse to the doctrine of construction may prove to have implications for the extended scope of the latter. Moreover, the recent award of a third party costs order in this case is also likely to have a significant impact on the manner in which similar disputes are conducted in the future.
O'KeeffevIreland: The Liability of States for Failure to Provide an Effective System for the Detection and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse in Education
Authors: Gallen James
Published: January 2015

InO'KeeffevIreland, theGrandChamber of theEuropeanCourt ofHumanRights found thatIreland failed to protect the applicant from sexual abuse suffered as a child in anIrishNational School in 1973 and violated her rights under Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of theEuropeanConvention onHumanRights. This note argues that the decision is important in expanding theCourt's jurisprudence regarding positive obligations under Article 3 to child sexual abuse in a non‐state setting where there was no knowledge of a ‘real and immediate’ risk to the applicant. It also argues that the case raises concerns about theCourt's methodology for the historical application of the Convention and about the interaction of Article 3 positive obligations with vicarious liability in common law tort regimes.
Renal involvement in Chinese patients with Behcet's disease: a report of 16 cases
Authors: Zheng Wenjie , Li Guohua , Zhou Mengyu , Chen Limeng , Tian Xinping , Zhang Fengchun
Published: January 2015

Aim

To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of renal involvement in Behcet's disease (BD).

Methods

A retrospective analysis was carried out in BD patients complicated with renal damage who were hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June 1998 to July 2012.

Results

There were 16 BD patients with renal involvement, accounted for 2.6% of all the 618 hospitalized BD patients. The presentation of renal disease was chronic glomerulonephritis in six patients (including one with nephritic syndrome), renal tubular acidosis in one patient, renal artery stenosis in eight patients and renal vein thrombosis in one patient. Renal biopsy was performed in five patients, three of whom revealed to have minor glomerular lesions, mild mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and chronic tubular‐interstitial nephropathy, respectively. The other two patients underwent a second biopsy, the one with minor glomerular lesion in the first biopsy was transformed into grade III immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy on Lee's glomerular grading system 6 years later, and the other one who had IgA nephropathy of grade II in the first biopsy was progressed to grade IV 2 years later. Among the nine patients with renal vascular involvement, two underwent surgery, and several received anticoagulant therapy. During the follow‐up of 13 patients, the urine protein quantifications were reduced, and renal function remained relatively stable.

Conclusions

Renal damage is relatively uncommon in BD patients. There are various clinical presentations of renal involvement in BD. Routine screening with urinalysis, serum creatinine and imaging studies should be carried out for the early diagnosis of renal involvement in BD.
Relevance of lymphocyte subsets to B cell‐targeted therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Nakayamada Shingo , Iwata Shigeru , Tanaka Yoshiya
Published: January 2015

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations, and pathologically characterized by activation of autoreactive T cells and overproduction of autoantibodies by B cells. Although corticosteroids and immunosuppressants are widely used for the treatment, safer and more effective therapies are needed. B cells play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis ofSLEnot only by producing pathogenic autoantibodies but also by modulating immune responses via production of cytokines and chemokines. The potential efficacy of B‐cell depletion therapy has been reported inSLE. Treatment with rituximab, an anti‐CD20 antibody, results in reconstitution of B cells in the periphery, thereby inhibiting T cell activation and differentiation, which in turn leads to long‐term remission ofSLE. However, we have reportedSLErecurrence driven by B cell‐ or T cell‐memory activation after long‐term remission, demonstrating pathological heterogeneity inSLE. Ideally, differential targeting therapies should be considered according to relevant lymphocyte subsets. Therefore, evaluation of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets could be valuable for predicting the response to B cell‐targeted therapy. A better understanding of B cell pathology should contribute to the development of novel specific therapies forSLE.
Cognitive processing of currency: Euros and dollars
Authors: Macizo Pedro , Morales Luis
Published: January 2015

In the current study, we evaluated whether the processing of currency was determined by familiarity of people with banknotes. In Experiment 1, participants who used the Euro currency named sequences of Euro banknotes and Dollar banknotes blocked by category or mixed with exemplars of other categories. The participants showed an interference effect in the blocked context with Dollar banknotes but not with Euro banknotes. In Experiment 2, the interference effect was observed with Euro banknotes when participants were not familiar with the Euro currency. These results suggest that the semantic processing of banknotes depends on the participants' familiarity with currency.
Transesophageal Echocardiography for the Evaluation of Aorto‐Left Ventricular Tunnel in Adults, with Follow‐ups
Authors: Xia Hongmei , Jiang Yan , Xu Yali , Tang Jinliang , Gao Yunhua
Published: January 2015

Objective

This study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy of combined two‐dimensional (2D) and real time three‐dimensional (RT3D) transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) imaging with the anatomic findings during surgery in adults with aorto‐left ventricular tunnel (ALVT).

Background

ALVT has typically been reported in infants rather than in adults. TEE appears to be a promising method of recognizing the spatial relationship of intracardiac structures.

Methods

Patients underwent comprehensive 2D and RT3DTEE within 1 week preoperative and intraoperative. The TEE images were compared with the surgical findings.

Results

Nine patients diagnosed with ALVT using TEE were selected. The operations were successfully performed in 8 patients. The origin of the tunnels diagnosed by TEE was superior to the right coronary sinus (RCS) in 3 patients, superior to the commissure of the left coronary sinus (LCS) and the RCS in 3 patients, inferior to the junction of the LCS and noncoronary sinus (NCS) in 2 patients, and superior to the NCS in 1 patient. The surgical findings confirmed ALVT in 8 patients. The average diameter of the tunnel orifices in the LV or in the aorta measured by TEE versus surgery was 6.15 ± 3.21 mm versus 6.80 ± 3.91 mm (correlation displayed as r = 0.99, P < 0.0001). Seven (78%) patients had mild to severe aortic regurgitation, and 6 (67%) patients had mitral regurgitation.

Conclusions

A combination of 2D and RT3DTEE imaging modalities would be needed to optimally define the anatomy and functional consequences of ALVT in adults.
An Unusual Mass of Tricuspid Valve in an Adult Patient: Blood‐Filled Cyst
Authors: Kalçık Macit , Yesin Mahmut , Gürsoy Mustafa Ozan , Karakoyun Süleyman , Cerşit Sinan , Köksal Cengiz , İzgi Cemil , Özkan Mehmet
Published: January 2015

Blood‐filled cysts (BFC) within the heart are common findings at postmortem examinations of fetuses and infants. However, such cysts are very rare entities in adolescents and adults. We report here an adult case of BFC attached to the posterior leaflet of the tricuspid valve, demonstrating the importance of multimodal diagnostic imaging combining both echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging.
Novel Echocardiographic Indices as Predictors of Immediate Recurrence after Undersized Ring Annuloplasty for Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Hajsadeghi Shokoufeh , Samiee Niloufar , Hosseini Seyyed Saied , Hassanzadeh Morteza , Jafarian Kerman Scott Reza
Published: January 2015

Background and aim

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is among the most serious complications of myocardial infarction which doubles the late mortality; mainly treated by undersizing ring annuloplasty. To find some preoperative echocardiographic indices that predict immediate failure of mitral valve annuloplasty (MVA), we designed the present study with more focusing on some novel parameters.

Method

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) indices of consecutive patients referred with 3+ or 4+ IMR were registered 24 hours before surgery. Thirty days later, a second TTE was performed. According to the results, the patients were categorized as the “successful” group (with 1+ or less mitral regurgitation) and the “unsuccessful” group (with 2+ or higher MR). Preoperative TTE indices were compared among the two groups using suitable statistical tests.

Results

Of the total of 126 cases, 68 had successful and 58 had unsuccessful MVA. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (P = 0.007), left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV) (P = 0.044), and basal‐interpapillary muscle distance (IPMD) diastolic‐to‐systolic ratio (DSR) (P = 0.008). Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis demonstrated 37.5%, 3.85 cm3, and 1.25, as the best cutoff points for LVEF (P = 0.03, sensitivity: 81%, specificity: 69%), LVESV (P = 0.023, sensitivity: 83%, specificity: 57%), and basal‐IPMD DSR (P = 0.001, sensitivity: 100%, specificity: 95%), respectively.

Conclusion

Among all TTE indices, LVEF, LVESV, and basal‐IPMD DSR were helpful to differentiate between the successful and unsuccessful MVA results. We believe the basal‐IPMD DSR as a novel index could be targeted in the future studies.
The transradial approach during transcatheter structural heart disease interventions: a review
Authors: Allende Ricardo , Ribeiro Henrique B. , Puri Rishi , Urena Marina , Abdul‐Jawad Omar , del Trigo María , Veiga Gabriela , del Rosario Ortas Maria , Paradis Jean‐Michel , De Larochellière Robert , Rodés‐Cabau Josep
Published: January 2015

Aims

To review the safety and feasibility of a transradial (TR) approach during transcatheter structural or congenital heart disease interventions when utilized as either as a primary or secondary arterial access site.

Methods and Results

Studies and case reports published between 2002 and 2014 utilizing the TR access during transcatheter structural and congenital heart disease interventions during alcohol septal ablation (ASA), ventricular septal defect (VSD), renal denervation (RD), paravalvular leak (PVL) closure, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI, secondary access) and endovascular repair of aortic coarctation (ERAC, secondary access) were evaluated. Access‐site (femoral vs. TR) vascular and bleeding complications were assessed. Femoral access complications ranged from 0·16% to 40%, with an overall incidence of 2·2% (56/2521). There were 18 reports or studies specifically evaluating the utility of TR access in the context of transcatheter structural heart disease interventions (ASA: 3; VSD: 1; RD: 3; PVL closure: 1; TAVI: 7, ERAC: 3). The use of TR access either as primary or secondary access site was feasible and allowed the completion of the procedure in all cases. The overall incidence of access‐site complications following a TR approach was 0·5% (2/406 patients), with no major vascular or bleeding complications.

Conclusions

A TR approach during transcatheter structural heart disease interventions appears to be a safe, effective means of delivering high procedural success accompanied by lower bleeding complications compared with the transfemoral approach.
Social support and responsiveness in online patient communities: impact on service quality perceptions
Authors: Nambisan Priya , Gustafson David H. , Hawkins Robert , Pingree Suzanne
Published: January 2015

Background

Hospitals frequently evaluate their service quality based on the care and services provided to patients by their clinical and non‐clinical staff.1,2 However, such evaluations do not take into consideration the many interactions that patients have in online patient communities with the health‐care organization (HCO) as well as with peer patients. Patients' interactions in these online communities could impact their perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality.

Purposes

The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of social support and responsiveness that patients experience in an HCO's online community on patients' perceptions regarding the HCO's service quality.

Method

The study data are collected from CHESS, a health‐care programme (Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System) run by the Centre for Health Enhancement System Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Findings

Findings show that the social support and the responsiveness received from peer patients in the online patient communities will impact patients' perceptions regarding the service quality of the HCO even when the organizational members themselves do not participate in the online discussions.

Practice implications

The results indicate that interactions in such HCO‐provided online patient communities should not be ignored as they could translate into patients' perceptions regarding HCOs' service quality. Ways to improve responsiveness and social support in an HCO's online patient community are discussed.
Emergency scheduling of engineering rescue tasks in disaster relief operations and its application in China
Authors: Zheng Yu‐Jun , Ling Hai‐Feng , Xu Xin‐Li , Chen Sheng‐Yong
Published: January 2015

Disaster relief operations typically involve a large number of engineering rescue tasks, the efficient completion of which is vital to the success of the operations. The paper establishes a model of emergency scheduling of engineering rescue tasks in disaster relief operations, which involves multiple rescue teams and tasks, different and, perhaps fuzzy, processing times, as well as different importance weights of the tasks. We then propose a method based on biogeography‐based optimization, develop effective migration and mutation operators, and employ a multiobjective optimization approach for providing a set of candidate solutions for decision support. Computational experiments demonstrate that our approach exhibits competitive performance on a set of test problems. The proposed model and method have been successfully applied to the recent 2013 Dingxi earthquake that occurred in China.
The Gondwanan legacy in South American biogeography
Authors: Segovia Ricardo A. , Armesto Juan J.
Published: January 2015

The tropical conservatism hypothesis (TCH) suggests that phylogenetic niche conservatism (the tendency for traits to be maintained during diversification) should be the main driver of latitudinal diversity gradients. For example, the tropical–temperate diversity gradient for woody angiosperms should reflect the tropical, older origin of most clades, the constrained evolution of cold tolerance, and the fact that few clades were able to persist in temperate zones after the beginning of the global cooling in the Eocene. Evidence for this explanation has been discussed primarily from a Northern Hemisphere perspective. Recently, two studies have presented diversity and clade–age relationships in South American forests that are inconsistent with the TCH, with older woody families being more frequent at higher latitudes and higher elevations in the Andes. We argue that a broader framework considering the ancient history of the Southern Hemisphere flora and the recent history of the Andean flora can help explain these discordant patterns. Here, we provide an initial discussion of this new perspective, emphasizing the historical development of a unique and rich palaeoflora of Gondwanan ancestry at mid‐ to high latitudes of South America and Antarctica. We suggest that the idea of Austral niche conservatism (ANC) of a warm‐temperate Antarctic–South American biota should be explored further to improve our understanding of biogeographical patterns in the Southern Hemisphere.
Colonic motor abnormalities in slow transit constipation defined by high resolution, fibre‐optic manometry
Authors: Dinning P. G. , Wiklendt L. , Maslen L. , Patton V. , Lewis H. , Arkwright J. W. , Wattchow D. A. , Lubowski D. Z. , Costa M. , Bampton P. A.
Published: January 2015

Background

Slow transit constipation (STC) is associated with colonic motor abnormalities. The underlying cause(s) of the abnormalities remain poorly defined. In health, utilizing high resolution fiber‐optic manometry, we have described a distal colonic propagating motor pattern with a slow wave frequency of 2–6 cycles per minute (cpm). A high calorie meal caused a rapid and significant increase in this activity, suggesting the intrinsic slow wave activity could be mediated by extrinsic neural input. Utilizing the same protocol our aim was to characterize colonic meal response STC patients.

Methods

A fiber‐optic manometry catheter (72 sensors at 1 cm intervals) was colonoscopically placed with the tip clipped at the ascending or transverse colon, in 14 patients with scintigraphically confirmed STC. Manometric recordings were taken, for 2 h pre and post a 700 kCal meal. Data were compared to 12 healthy adults.

Key Results

Prior to and/or after the meal the cyclic propagating motor pattern was identified in 13 of 14 patients. However, the meal, did not increase the cyclic motor pattern (preprandial 7.4 ± 7.6 vs postprandial 8.3 ± 4.5 per/2 h), this is in contrast to the dramatic increase observed in health (8.3 ± 13.3 vs 59.1 ± 89.0 per/2 h; p < 0.001).

Conclusions & Inferences

In patients with STC a meal fails to induce the normal increase in the distal colonic cyclic propagating motor patterns. We propose that these data may indicate that the normal extrinsic parasympathetic inputs to the colon are attenuated in these patients.
Digestive, cognitive and hedonic responses to a meal
Authors: Malagelada C. , Accarino A. , Molne L. , Mendez S. , Campos E. , Gonzalez A. , Malagelada J. R. , Azpiroz F.
Published: January 2015

Background

Gut dysfunctions may be associated to digestive symptoms. We hypothesized that the gut can also originate pleasant sensations, and wished to demonstrate the hedonic component of the digestive response to a meal.

Methods

Healthy subjects (n = 42) were evaluated during basal fasting conditions and during experimentally induced fullness sensation (either by gastric distension or duodenal nutrient infusion). In each set of studies, a 240 mL test meal (12 kcal broth) and water, as inert control meal, were administered on separate days in a randomized, cross‐over design. Gastric accommodation, the cognitive response and the hedonic dimension (both by 10 score scales) were measured 9 min before and 60 min after the meal.

Key Results

In basal conditions, the test meal induced a significantly greater gastric relaxation than the control meal (166 ± 28 mL isotonic volume increase 67 ± 14 mL; p = 0.002). Both meals induced epigastric fullness (3.8 ± 0.7 score and 3.2 ± 0.8 score, respectively; p = 0.740), but contrary to the inert meal, with the active meal this conscious sensation had a pleasant dimension (digestive comfort increase by 1.3 ± 0.6 score with active meal vs −1.1 ± 0.6 decrease with inert meal; p = 0.015). Experimentally induced fullness was associated to a decrease in digestive well‐being or abdominal discomfort, which improved only after the active meal but not the inert meal.

Conclusions & Inferences

When appropriate conditions are met, the response to a meal includes a hedonic dimension involving pleasant sensation of digestive well‐being.
A continental view of pine‐associated ectomycorrhizal fungal spore banks: a quiescent functional guild with a strong biogeographic pattern
Authors: Glassman Sydney I. , Peay Kabir G. , Talbot Jennifer M. , Smith Dylan P. , Chung Judy A. , Taylor John W. , Vilgalys Rytas , Bruns Thomas D.
Published: January 2015

Ecologists have long acknowledged the importance of seed banks; yet, despite the fact that many plants rely on mycorrhizal fungi for survival and growth, the structure of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal spore banks remains poorly understood. The primary goal of this study was to assess the geographic structure in pine‐associated ECM fungal spore banks across the North American continent.

Soils were collected from 19 plots in forests across North America. Fresh soils were pyrosequenced for fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) amplicons. Adjacent soil cores were dried and bioassayed with pine seedlings, and colonized roots were pyrosequenced to detect resistant propagules of ECM fungi.

The results showed that ECM spore banks correlated strongly with biogeographic location, but not with the identity of congeneric plant hosts. Minimal community overlap was found between resident ECM fungi vs those in spore banks, and spore bank assemblages were relatively simple and dominated by Rhizopogon, Wilcoxina, Cenococcum, Thelephora, Tuber, Laccaria and Suillus.

Similar to plant seed banks, ECM fungal spore banks are, in general, depauperate, and represent a small and rare subset of the mature forest soil fungal community. Yet, they may be extremely important in fungal colonization after large‐scale disturbances such as clear cuts and forest fires.
Deep South Down Under
Authors: McKay Daniel
Published: January 2015

This article examines the fiction writing of two American authors, James A. Michener and John Oliver Killens, and asks how the American ‘occupation’ of Australia during the Second World War featured, or failed to feature, in their writings. The Second World War arguably remains the watershed moment in which American servicemen and Australians from all walks of life entered into a prolonged awareness of one another, courtesy of the presence of around a million enlisted Americans who passed through Australia on their way to the war against Imperial Japan. In his short story ‘The Jungle’, Michener structured international gender relations in ways that anticipated his novelSayonara(1954), allowing the reader to draw parallels between the American–Australian and American–Japanese social dynamic but also subordinating the wartime social history of Australia to American current affairs. For his part, Killens was likewise preoccupied with American social history, specifically the rights of enlisted African‐American servicemen. His novelAnd Then We Heard the Thunder(1963) deployed Australian characters in a race war fantasy that had hitherto imagined an alliance between African Americans and Japanese. In summary, Michener and Killens both subordinated Australian wartime history to American current affairs, albeit with different literary objectives in mind.
Cowboys and Vampires
Authors: Ladegaard Jakob
Published: January 2015

During half of the twentieth century, the socialist states in Eastern and Central Europe functioned as a political Other that helped shape collective identities in the USA. The collapse of the socialist regimes in the early 1990s opened up a new territory for economic, personal and imaginary investments. This territory was soon explored by a number of American novels: John Beckman's The Winter Zoo (2002), Dave Eggers's You Shall Know Our Velocity (2002), Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything Is Illuminated (2002), Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections (2001), William Gibson's Pattern Recognition (2003), Arthur Phillips's Prague (2002) and Gary Shteyngart's The Russian Debutante's Handbook (2002). This article argues that in these novels post‐communist Eastern Europe functions as a region off the symbolic map, a wilderness, often violent, replete with traces of an insistent past. The novels often view the American travellers’ encounters with this landscape through the codes of the American Gothic and Western genres. Thus, the novels frame their investigations of the legacy of authoritarianism, the possibility of cross‐cultural encounters and the consequences of globalisation in literary modes that ultimately refer back to an American cultural tradition and give rise to critical reflections on the formation of American identity after the Cold War.
Pimecrolimus in atopic dermatitis: Consensus on safety and the need to allow use in infants
Authors: Luger Thomas , Boguniewicz Mark , Carr Warner , Cork Michael , Deleuran Mette , Eichenfield Lawrence , Eigenmann Philippe , Fölster‐Holst Regina , Gelmetti Carlo , Gollnick Harald , Hamelmann Eckard , Hebert Adelaide A. , Muraro Antonella , Oranje Arnold P. , Paller Amy S. , Paul Carle , Puig Luis , Ring Johannes , Siegfried Elaine , Spergel Jonathan M. , Stingl Georg , Taieb Alain , Torrelo Antonio , Werfel Thomas , Wahn Ulrich
Published: January 2015

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a distressing dermatological disease, which is highly prevalent during infancy, can persist into later life and requires long‐term management with anti‐inflammatory compounds. The introduction of the topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs), tacrolimus and pimecrolimus, more than 10 yr ago was a major breakthrough for the topical anti‐inflammatory treatment of AD. Pimecrolimus 1% is approved for second‐line use in children (≥2 yr old) and adults with mild‐to‐moderate AD. The age restriction was emphasized in a boxed warning added by the FDA in January 2006, which also highlights the lack of long‐term safety data and the theoretical risk of skin malignancy and lymphoma. Since then, pimecrolimus has been extensively investigated in short‐ and long‐term studies including over 4000 infants (<2 yr old). These studies showed that pimecrolimus effectively treats AD in infants, with sustained improvement with long‐term intermittent use. Unlike topical corticosteroids, long‐term TCI use does not carry the risks of skin atrophy, impaired epidermal barrier function or enhanced percutaneous absorption, and so is suitable for AD treatment especially in sensitive skin areas. Most importantly, the studies of pimecrolimus in infants provided no evidence for systemic immunosuppression, and a comprehensive body of evidence from clinical studies, post‐marketing surveillance and epidemiological investigations does not support potential safety concerns. In conclusion, the authors consider that the labelling restrictions regarding the use of pimecrolimus in infants are no longer justified and recommend that the validity of the boxed warning for TCIs should be reconsidered.
A comparison of functional magnetic resonance imaging findings in children with and without a history of early exposure to general anesthesia
Authors: Taghon Thomas A. , Masunga Abigail N. , Small Robert H. , Kashou Nasser H.
Published: January 2015

Background

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used to evaluate the long‐term consequences of early exposure to neurotoxic agents. fMRI shows that different patterns of brain activation occur in ethanol‐exposed subjects performing a go/no‐go response inhibition task. Pharmacologically, ethanol and general anesthetics have similar receptor‐level activity in the brain. This study utilizes fMRI to examine brain activation patterns in children exposed to general anesthesia and surgery during early brain development.

Methods

After obtaining Nationwide Children's Hospital IRB approval, a surgical database was utilized to identify children aged 10–17 years with a history of at least 1 h of exposure to general anesthetics and surgery when they were between 0 and 24 months of age. Age‐ and gender‐matched children without anesthesia exposure were recruited as a control group. All subjects were scanned while being presented with a go/no‐go response inhibition task. Reaction time and accuracy data were acquired, and the blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent (BOLD) fMRI signal was measured as a biomarker for regional neuronal activity.

Results

There were no differences in terms of performance accuracy and response time. The analysis did not reveal any significant activation differences in the primary region of interest (prefrontal cortex and caudate nucleus); however, activation differences were seen in other structures, including the cerebellum, cingulate gyrus, and paracentral lobule.

Conclusions

Early anesthetic exposure and surgery did not affect accuracy, response time, or activation patterns in the primary region of interest during performance of the task. Intergroup differences in activation patterns in other areas of the brain were observed, and the significance of these findings is unknown. fMRI appears to be a useful tool in evaluating the long‐term effects of early exposure to general anesthesia.
Liver transplantation for neonatal hemochromatosis: Analysis of the UNOS database
Authors: Sheflin‐Findling Shari , Annunziato Rachel A. , Chu Jaime , Arvelakis Antonios , Mahon Danielle , Arnon Ronen
Published: January 2015

NH is the most common identifiable cause of ALF in the neonate. LT is the definitive treatment for neonates with NH who have failed medical therapy. Our aim was to determine the outcomes of LT in infants with NH. Patients (less than one yr of age) with NH who were listed for LT and patients who underwent LT between 1994 and 2013 were identified from the UNOS database for analysis. Risk factors for death and graft loss were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Thirty‐eight infants with NH with a total of 43 transplants were identified. One‐ and five‐yr patient and graft survival were 84.2%, 81.6%, 71.1%, and 68.4%, respectively. The outcomes for NH were not significantly different when compared to the same age‐matched recipients with other causes of ALF. There were no statistically significant risk factors identified for graft loss or death. Ninety infants with NH were listed for LT. Reasons for removal included transplanted (49%), death (27%), too sick to transplant (7%), and improved status (13%). LT for infants with NH has a high rate of graft loss and death; however, outcomes are comparable to the same age‐matched recipients with other causes of ALF.
Rebooting MOOC Research
Authors: Reich Justin
Published: January 2015

Improve assessment, data sharing, and experimental design
Targets of misconduct probe launch a legal counterattack
Authors: Servick Kelly
Published: January 2015

Heart researchers claim inquiry damaged their careers and derailed the sale of stem cell company.
Microbial Production of Aliphatic (
S
)-Epoxyalkanes by Using Rhodococcus sp. Strain ST-10 Styrene Monooxygenase Expressed in Organic-Solvent-Tolerant Kocuria rhizophila DC2201
Authors: Toda Hiroshi , Ohuchi Takuya , Imae Ryouta , Itoh Nobuya
Published: January 2015

We describe the development of biocatalysis for producing optically pure straight-chain (
S
)-epoxyalkanes using styrene monooxygenase of
Rhodococcus
sp. strain ST-10 (RhSMO). RhSMO was expressed in the organic solvent-tolerant microorganism
Kocuria rhizophila
DC2201, and the bioconversion reaction was performed in an organic solvent-water biphasic reaction system. The biocatalytic process enantioselectively converted linear terminal alkenes to their corresponding (
S
)-epoxyalkanes using glucose and molecular oxygen. When 1-heptene and 6-chloro-1-hexene were used as substrates (400 mM) under optimized conditions, 88.3 mM (
S
)-1,2-epoxyheptane and 246.5 mM (
S
)-1,2-epoxy-6-chlorohexane, respectively, accumulated in the organic phase with good enantiomeric excess (ee; 84.2 and 95.5%). The biocatalysis showed broad substrate specificity toward various aliphatic alkenes, including functionalized and unfunctionalized alkenes, with good to excellent ee. Here, we demonstrate that this biocatalytic system is environmentally friendly and useful for producing various enantiopure (
S
)-epoxyalkanes.
Non-O1/Non-O139 Vibrio cholerae Carrying Multiple Virulence Factors and V. cholerae O1 in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
Authors: Ceccarelli Daniela , Chen Arlene , Hasan Nur A. , Rashed Shah M. , Huq Anwar , Colwell Rita R.
Published: January 2015

Non-O1/non-O139
Vibrio cholerae
inhabits estuarine and coastal waters globally, but its clinical significance has not been sufficiently investigated, despite the fact that it has been associated with septicemia and gastroenteritis. The emergence of virulent non-O1/non-O139
V. cholerae
is consistent with the recognition of new pathogenic variants worldwide. Oyster, sediment, and water samples were collected during a vibrio surveillance program carried out from 2009 to 2012 in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
V. cholerae
O1 was detected by a direct fluorescent-antibody (DFA) assay but was not successfully cultured, whereas 395 isolates of non-O1/non-O139
V. cholerae
were confirmed by multiplex PCR and serology. Only a few of the non-O1/non-O139
V. cholerae
isolates were resistant to ampicillin and/or penicillin. Most of the isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics tested, and 77 to 90% carried the El Tor variant hemolysin gene
hlyA
ET
, the actin cross-linking repeats in toxin gene
rtxA
, the hemagglutinin protease gene
hap
, and the type 6 secretion system. About 19 to 21% of the isolates carried the neuraminidase-encoding gene
nanH
and/or the heat-stable toxin (NAG-ST), and only 5% contained a type 3 secretion system. None of the non-O1/non-O139
V. cholerae
isolates contained
Vibrio
pathogenicity island-associated genes. However,
ctxA
,
ace
, or
zot
was present in nine isolates. Fifty-five different genotypes showed up to 12 virulence factors, independent of the source of isolation, and represent the first report of both antibiotic susceptibility and virulence associated with non-O1/non-O139
V. cholerae
from the Chesapeake Bay. Since these results confirm the presence of potentially pathogenic non-O1/non-O139
V. cholerae
, monitoring for total
V. cholerae
, regardless of serotype, should be done within the context of public health.
Enhancing the Secretion Efficiency and Thermostability of a Bacillusderamificans Pullulanase Mutant (D437H/D503Y) by N-Terminal Domain Truncation
Authors: Duan Xuguo , Wu Jing
Published: January 2015

Pullulanase (EC 3.2.1.41), an important enzyme in the production of starch syrup, catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-1,6 glycosidic bonds in complex carbohydrates. A double mutant (DM; D437H/D503Y) form of
Bacillus
deramificans
pullulanase was recently constructed to enhance the thermostability and catalytic efficiency of the enzyme (X. Duan, J. Chen, and J. Wu, Appl Environ Microbiol 79:4072–4077, 2013,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00457-13
). In the present study, three N-terminally truncated variants of this DM that lack the CBM41 domain (DM-T1), the CBM41 and X25 domains (DM-T2), or the CBM41, X25, and X45 domains (DM-T3) were constructed. Upon expression, DM-T3 existed as inclusion bodies, while 72.8 and 74.8% of the total pullulanase activities of DM-T1 and DM-T2, respectively, were secreted into the medium. These activities are 2.8- and 2.9-fold that of the DM enzyme, respectively. The specific activities of DM-T1 and DM-T2 were 380.0 × 10
8
and 449.3 × 10
8
U · mol
−1
, respectively, which are 0.94- and 1.11-fold that of the DM enzyme. DM-T1 and DM-T2 retained 50% of their activity after incubation at 60°C for 203 and 160 h, respectively, which are 1.7- and 1.3-fold that of the DM enzyme. Kinetic studies showed that the

K
m

values of DM-T1 and DM-T2 were 1.5- and 2.7-fold higher and the
K
cat
/

K
m

values were 11 and 50% lower, respectively, than those of the DM enzyme. Furthermore, DM-T1 and DM-T2 produced
d
-glucose contents of 95.0 and 94.1%, respectively, in a starch saccharification reaction, which are essentially identical to that produced by the DM enzyme (95%). The enhanced secretion and improved thermostability of the truncation mutant enzymes make them more suitable than the DM enzyme for industrial processes.
Role of Tec1 in the Development, Architecture, and Integrity of Sexual Biofilms of Candida albicans
Authors: Daniels Karla J. , Srikantha Thyagarajan , Pujol Claude , Park Yang-Nim , Soll David R.
Published: January 2015

MTL
-homozygous (
a
/
a
or α/α) white cells form a complex sexual biofilm that exhibits the same architecture as that of
MTL
-heterozygous (
a
/α) pathogenic biofilms. However, the former is regulated by the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, while the latter is regulated by the Ras1/cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway. We previously demonstrated that in the formation of an
MTL
-homozygous, mature (48 h) sexual biofilm in RPMI 1640 medium, the MAP kinase pathway targets Tec1 rather than Cph1, the latter of which is the target of the same pathway, but for the opaque cell mating response. Here we continued our analysis of the role of Tec1 by comparing the effects of deleting
TEC1
on initial adhesion to silicone elastomer, high-resolution confocal microscopy assessments of the stages and cellular phenotypes during the 48 h of biofilm development, human white cell penetration, and biofilm fragility. We show that although Tec1 plays only a minor role in initial adhesion to the silicone elastomer, it does play a major role in the growth of the basal yeast cell polylayer, vertical extension of hyphae and matrix deposition in the upper portion of the biofilm, final biofilm thickness, penetrability of human white blood cells, and final biofilm integrity (i.e., resistance to fluid flow). These results provide a more detailed description of normal biofilm development and architecture and confirm the central role played by the transcription factor Tec1 in the biofilm model employed here.
Complete Genome Sequences of T4-Like Bacteriophages RB3, RB5, RB6, RB7, RB9, RB10, RB27, RB33, RB55, RB59, and RB68
Authors: Yaung Stephanie J. , Esvelt Kevin M. , Church George M.
Published: January 2015

T4-like bacteriophages have been explored for phage therapy and are model organisms for phage genomics and evolution. Here, we describe the sequencing of 11 T4-like phages. We found a high nucleotide similarity among the T4, RB55, and RB59; RB32 and RB33; and RB3, RB5, RB6, RB7, RB9, and RB10 phages.
Draft Genome Sequence of Nocardia seriolae ZJ0503, a Fish Pathogen Isolated from
Trachinotus ovatus
in China
Authors: Xia Liqun , Cai Jia , Wang Bei , Huang Yucong , Jian Jichang , Lu Yishan
Published: January 2015

Nocardia seriolae
is a pathogen that causes nocardiosis in marine and freshwater fish. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of
N. seriolae
strain ZJ0503, which was isolated from
Trachinotus ovatus
in Guangdong, China.