bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wheat leaf lipids during heat stress: I. High day and night temperatures result in major lipid alterations
Authors: Narayanan Sruthi , Tamura Pamela J. , Roth Mary R. , Prasad P.V. Vara , Welti Ruth
Published: October 2015

Understanding how wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants under high temperature (HT) regulate lipid composition is critical to developing climate‐resilient varieties. We measured 165 glycerolipids and sterol derivatives under optimum and high day and night temperatures in wheat leaves using electrospray ionization‐tandem mass spectrometry. Levels of polar lipid fatty acyl chain unsaturation were lower in both heat‐tolerant genotype Ventnor and susceptible genotype Karl 92 under HT, compared with optimum temperature. The lower unsaturation was predominantly because of lower levels of 18:3 acyl chains and higher levels of 18:1 and 16:0 acyl chains. Levels of 18:3‐containing triacylglycerols increased threefold/more under HT, consistent with their possible role in sequestering fatty acids during membrane lipid remodelling. Phospholipids containing odd‐numbered or oxidized acyl chains accumulated in leaves under HT. Sterol glycosides (SG) and 16:0‐acylated sterol glycosides (ASG) were higher under HT than optimum temperatures. Ventnor had lower amounts of phospholipids with oxidized acyl chains under HT and higher amounts of SG and 16:0‐ASG than Karl 92. Taken together, the data demonstrate that wheat leaf lipid composition is altered by HT, in which some lipids are particularly responsive to HT, and that two wheat genotypes, chosen for their differing physiological responses to HT, differ in lipid profile under HT.
Effective intra‐S checkpoint responses to UVC in primary human melanocytes and melanoma cell lines
Authors: Cordeiro‐Stone Marila , McNulty John J. , Sproul Christopher D. , Chastain Paul D. , Gibbs‐Flournoy Eugene , Zhou Yingchun , Carson Craig , Rao Shangbang , Mitchell David L. , Simpson Dennis A. , Thomas Nancy E. , Ibrahim Joseph G. , Kaufmann William K.
Published: October 2015

The objective of this study was to assess potential functional attenuation or inactivation of the intra‐S checkpoint during melanoma development. Proliferating cultures of skin melanocytes, fibroblasts, and melanoma cell lines were exposed to increasing fluences of UVC and intra‐S checkpoint responses were quantified. Melanocytes displayed stereotypic intra‐S checkpoint responses to UVC qualitatively and quantitatively equivalent to those previously demonstrated in skin fibroblasts. In comparison with fibroblasts, primary melanocytes displayed reduced UVC‐induced inhibition of DNA strand growth and enhanced degradation of p21Waf1 after UVC, suggestive of enhanced bypass of UVC‐induced DNA photoproducts. All nine melanoma cell lines examined, including those with activating mutations in BRAF or NRAS oncogenes, also displayed proficiency in activation of the intra‐S checkpoint in response to UVC irradiation. The results indicate that bypass of oncogene‐induced senescence during melanoma development was not associated with inactivation of the intra‐S checkpoint response to UVC‐induced DNA replication stress.
Non‐specificity of ethylene inhibitors: ‘double‐edged’ tools to find out new targets involved in the root morphogenetic programme
Authors: Le Deunff E. , Lecourt J.
Published: October 2015

In the last decade, genetic and pharmacological approaches have been used to explore ethylene biosynthesis and perception in order to study the role of ethylene and ethylene/auxin interaction in root architecture development. However, recent findings with pharmacological approaches highlight the non‐specificity of commonly used inhibitors. This suggests that caution is required for interpreting these studies and that the use of pharmacological agents is a ‘double‐edged’ tool. On one hand, non‐specific effects make interpretation difficult unless other experiments, such as with different mutants or with multiple diversely acting chemicals, are conducted. On the other hand, the non‐specificity of inhibitors opens up the possibility of uncovering some ligands or modulators of new receptors such as plant glutamate‐like receptors and importance of some metabolic hubs in carbon and nitrogen metabolism such as the pyridoxal phosphate biosynthesis involved in the regulation of the root morphogenetic programme. Identification of such targets is a critical issue to improve the efficiency of absorption of macronutrients in relation to root the morphogenetic programme.
In Search of Fiscal Interactions: A Spatial Analysis ofChinese Provincial Infrastructure Spending
Authors: Zheng Xinye , Song Feng , Yu Yihua , Song Shunfeng
Published: October 2015

Using a dataset for 31Chinese provinces from 1998 to 2006, this paper provides a spatial Durbin panel analysis to test for fiscal interactions amongChina's provinces in their public spending on infrastructure. We find significant positive interactions acrossChinese provincial governments. Further analysis attempting to distinguish between the possible sources of such fiscal interactions reveals evidence of expenditure competition instead of yardstick competition.
Information and Communications Technology, Agricultural Profitability and Child Labor in Rural Peru
Authors: Beuermann Diether W.
Published: October 2015

We estimate the impact of access to information and communications technology on agricultural profitability and child labor among isolated rural villages in Peru. We exploit the timing of an intervention that provided at least one public (satellite) payphone to villages that did not previously have communications services. Using a village‐level panel, we show that agricultural profitability increased by 19.7%. Moreover, this positive income effect translated into an increase in the likelihood of children being dedicated only to school and a reduction in the likelihood of child labor equivalent to 17 and 16 percentage points respectively.
North–South Trade Liberalization and Economic Welfare
Authors: Gilbert John , Beladi Hamid , Oladi Reza
Published: October 2015

We consider a general equilibrium model of a developing economy (the South) that opens to trade with a developed economy (the North). The southern economy is characterized by open urban unemployment and rural–urban migration, a competitive agricultural sector and a monopolistically competitive manufacturing sector. Hence, there is potential for both inter‐ and intra‐industry trade to arise on liberalization, in addition to distortionary effects of duality. Southern comparative advantage in agriculture may arise from the labor market distortion and the basis for intra‐industry trade is love for variety. We characterize various configurations of the trade pattern, and the resulting welfare consequences of opening to trade in this context. We illustrate a new mechanism under which in some circumstances it may be possible for trade liberalization to lower economic welfare in the South.
Little Divergence: Evidence from Cotton Textiles inJapan andChina 1868–1930
Authors: Dong Baomin , Gong Jiong , Peng Kaixiang , Zhao Zhongxiu
Published: October 2015

This paper looks at the role of textile exports inJapan andChina's economic development in the period of 1868–1930 as a major explanation for the “LittleDivergence” between the two countries in the context of the “GreatDivergence” betweenEurope andAsia. Because of textiles' large weighting in proto‐industrialization gross domestic product (GDP), we postulate thatChina's initial 20‐year lag in textilesvis‐à‐vis Japan turns out to be fatal for its industry and that it eventually ordains totally different development patterns for the textile industry in the two countries, which ultimately led to different growth patterns for the overall economy. Although both countries saw rapid growth of textile exports, the nature of those exports and the entailed position of each country in the industry value chain of trade were quite different. We then useGranger causality tests to show that in one case (Japan) it is in support of the export‐led‐growth hypothesis (ELG) while in another (China) it is not. Our study then also explains whyJapan's industrial revolution took place much earlier thanChina's.
Domestic R&D, Foreign Direct Investment and Welfare
Authors: Yang Yibai
Published: October 2015

This paper provides a new rationale to examine the two‐way relationship between domestic research and development (R&D) and foreign direct investment (FDI), as well as their impacts on domestic welfare. Our analysis is based on the strategic interaction in cost‐reducing investment decisions between domestic firms and a foreign firm, which is different from the common factors that are discussed in the literature such as spillovers and technology sourcing. Our results are as follows. We show that domestic R&D investment may either increase or decrease the foreign firm's FDI incentives. Further, depending on the marginal cost of domestic firms, domestic R&D incentives can always increase regardless of the effects of domestic R&D investment on the foreign firm's FDI decision. Finally, we find that domestic welfare improves under domestic cost reduction if the slope of the marginal cost of domestic R&D investment is sufficiently small.
The Interactive Effects of Impulsivity and Negative Emotions on Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self‐injury: A Latent Growth Curve Analysis
Authors: You Jianing , Deng Baoping , Lin Min‐Pei , Leung Freedom
Published: October 2015

This study employed latent growth curve analysis to evaluate the interactive effects of two specific facets of impulsivity (i.e., negative urgency [NU] and premeditation [PRE]) and negative emotions (NE) on the developmental trajectory of nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) among 3,453 (57% females) Chinese community adolescents. Participants completed questionnaires assessing NSSI, NU, PRE, and NE (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) at three waves of time. The initial levels of NE and NU significantly predicted the initial level of NSSI. Changes in NE and NU significantly predicted change in NSSI. Moreover, the initial levels of NU and PRE significantly moderated the relationship between the initial levels of NE and NSSI, such that among individuals with higher NU or less PRE, the three NE were associated with a higher level of NSSI. Additionally, among individuals with a faster increase in NU, depression and anxiety were associated with a faster increase in NSSI. These findings suggest that adolescents with trait impulsivity, especially in the form of NU, are more vulnerable to the engagement in NSSI.
I Can Stomach That! Fearlessness About Death Predicts Attenuated Facial Electromyography Activity in Response to Death‐Related Images
Authors: Velkoff Elizabeth A. , Forrest Lauren N. , Dodd Dorian R. , Smith April R.
Published: October 2015

Objective measures of suicide risk can convey life‐saving information to clinicians, but few such measures exist. This study examined an objective measure of fearlessness about death (FAD), testing whether FAD relates to self‐reported and physiological aversion to death. Females (n = 87) reported FAD and disgust sensitivity, and facial electromyography was used to measure physiological facial responses consistent with disgust while viewing death‐related images. FAD predicted attenuated expression of physiological death aversion, even when controlling for self‐reported death‐related disgust sensitivity. Diminished physiological aversion to death‐related stimuli holds promise as an objective measure of FAD and suicide risk.
When the « Others » Come to School: A Marginalization Framework in Multicultural Education
Authors: Pérez Izaguirre Elizabeth
Published: October 2015

This article focuses on the relationship between the «Self» and the «Other» in Western education systems. Differences between the «Self» and the «Other», built on the race/ethnicity category, are taken as a point of departure in order to analyze inequalities in multicultural environments from an interdisciplinary perspective. Three main types of research are introduced in this paper, which include some current debates and controversies in the study and management of the “Other.” First of these is the current “Culture of Poverty” approach, which introduces important issues regarding institutional and teaching practice related to the management of diversity in educational environments. Second are studies that center on poverty and marginalization, taking into account racial/ethnic and social class segregation. Both categories have been used in much current research, combined with the concept of “cultural capital” introduced by Bourdieu, in order to analyze the unequal functioning of education systems. The article concludes with some studies that focus on the imaginary of the “Other” as the racially/ethnically different and the boundaries and contact zones that are constructed in order to justify and delimit differences among diverse racial groups.
Genocide as Contentious Politics
Authors: Luft Aliza
Published: October 2015

Despite a recent turn towards the study of political violence within the field of contentious politics, scholars have yet to focus their lens on genocide. This is puzzling, as the field of collective action and social movements was originally developed in reaction to fascism (Nazism in particular), while research on collective action and research on genocide has long shown parallel findings and shared insights. This paper reviews the history of this scholarly convergence and divergence, and suggests that recent findings of research on genocide can be improved by the consideration of concepts from social movements and collective action. It then details three theories of the micro‐mechanisms that mobilize individuals for contention – framing, diffusion, and networks – and specifies how they refine existing explanations of civilian participation in genocide. In the conclusion, I suggest that a contentious politics approach to genocide would consider it one form of collective action among others, analyzable within the existing framework of collective action and social movement theory.
American Indian health disparities: psychosocial influences
Authors: Warne Donald , Lajimodiere Denise
Published: October 2015

The American Indian (AI) population suffers from significant health disparities. Death rates from diabetes, cancer, infant mortality, and other causes are higher among AIs. Numerous psychosocial influences, including a history of genocide and boarding school experiences, have led to unresolved historical trauma and its associated poor health outcomes. Adverse childhood experiences are also a strong predictor of risk for numerous chronic and behavioral health conditions. Food programs for impoverished populations historically have led to high rates of formula feeding of infants and intake of high‐calorie, low nutritional value foods. Adverse adulthood experiences, including poverty, racism, and substance abuse, lead to depression, anxiety, and poor health outcomes. These social circumstances can have an impact on the quality of parenting skills for the next generation, leading to continued intergenerational health disparities. Additional research into the psychosocial influences and social determinants of health is needed to ensure improved policy and program development.
Six Questions for the Resource Model of Control (and Some Answers)
Authors: Inzlicht Michael , Berkman Elliot
Published: October 2015

The resource model of self‐control casts self‐control as a capacity that relies on some limited resource that exhausts with use. The model captured our imagination and brought much‐needed attention on an important yet neglected psychological construct. Despite its success, basic issues with the model remain. Here, we ask six questions: (i) Does self‐control really wane over time? (ii) Is ego depletion a form of mental fatigue? (iii) What is the resource that is depleted by ego depletion? (iv) How can changes in motivation, perception, and expectations replenish an exhausted resource? (v) Has the revised resource model unwittingly become a model about motivation? (vi) Do self‐control exercises increase self‐control? By providing some answers to these questions – including conducting a meta‐analysis of the self‐control training literature – we highlight how the resource model needs to be revised if not supplanted altogether.
Agentic and Communal Social Motives
Authors: Locke Kenneth D.
Published: October 2015

People chart and navigate their social lives along two cardinal axes – agency and communion. The motives to approach communion (e.g., enhance closeness and cooperation), approach agency (e.g., gain status and control), avoid communion (e.g., limit vulnerabilities and obligations), and avoid agency (e.g., limit resentments and rivalries) can each be adaptive, depending on the person and situation. After reviewing common implicit and explicit measures of agentic and communal motives, I describe how these motives together shape (and are shaped by) diverse phenomena, such as individuals' involvements in mating and parenting and, concurrently, their testosterone and oxytocin levels. I also detail how normative models of development and maturation depict a shifting dynamic between communal and agentic motives over the lifespan: In childhood, secure attachments provide foundations for developing agency; in adulthood, the challenge becomes yoking agency (one's accumulated mental, physical, and social resources) to communal aims (nurturing others and prosocial endeavors).
Microsphaeropsis arundinis skin and soft tissue infection in renal transplant recipients: three case reports and a review of the literature
Authors: Crawford S.J. , Chen S.C.‐A. , Halliday C. , Rangan G.K. , Gottlieb T. , Reid A.B.
Published: October 2015

Microsphaeropsis arundinis, a dematiaceous mold, is emerging as a cause of skin and soft tissue infection in immunocompromised hosts. Diagnosis is challenging because of the difficulty in identifying Microsphaeropsis species morphologically and few data are available to guide optimal management. We report 3 renal transplant recipients with M. arundinis soft tissue infection, where the etiological agent was diagnosed using DNA sequencing, and who were successfully treated with prolonged courses of extended‐spectrum triazole antifungal agents.
Cronobacter sakazakii bacteremia in a heart transplant patient with polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Tamigniau A. , Vanhaecke J. , Saegeman V.
Published: October 2015

Infections with Cronobacter sakazakii are mainly described among neonates and infants, with contaminated powdered infant formulas most often incriminated as the cause. We describe here a case of C. sakazakii bacteremia secondary to a suspected cyst infection in a heart‐and‐kidney transplant patient with polycystic kidney disease.
Hepatitis E virus: seroprevalence and frequency of viral RNA detection among US blood donors
Authors: Stramer Susan L. , Moritz Erin D. , Foster Gregory A. , Ong Edgar , Linnen Jeffrey M. , Hogema Boris M. , Mak Matthew , Chia Chee Poh , Dodd Roger Y.
Published: October 2015

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a nonenveloped emerging virus of increasing worldwide interest. Antibody prevalence, RNA frequencies, and transfusion transmissions have been reported. We investigated the HEV RNA and antibody frequencies in US blood donors.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Individual‐donation HEV RNA testing was performed on 18,829 donations from six US geographic regions using a CE‐marked nucleic acid test (95% limit of detection, 7.9 IU/mL). Repeat‐reactive donations were confirmed by in‐house, real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR; 10.3 IU/mL). Total HEV seroprevalence in a randomly selected subset of donations (n = 4499) was assessed by a direct, double‐antigen sandwich assay; reactives were further tested for immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM. As part of the total antibody confirmatory algorithm, the cutoff was adjusted.

RESULTS

Two donations tested confirmed‐positive for RNA (PCR not quantifiable, IgM/IgG positive; and 14 IU/mL, antibody negative) for a frequency of 1 in 9500 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1:2850‐1:56,180) and 99.96% specificity (95% CI, 99.92%‐99.98%); both donors were from the Midwest United States. Antibody prevalence was 9.5% (95% CI, 8.7‐10.5) before the cutoff adjustment and 7.7% (95% CI, 7.0%‐8.5%) after adjustment; 0.58% (95% CI, 0.39%‐0.85%) were IgM positive.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed comparatively low rates and low viral loads of HEV RNA in US blood donors indicating the need for individual‐donation testing if screening is implemented. Antibody prevalence rates were comparable to those reported by one US study using a different assay, but lower than those reported in another study using yet a third assay. We did not answer the question of whether US blood donation screening is warranted. Selective strategies involving providing HEV‐negative blood to severely immunosuppressed patients at risk of developing hepatitis may be considered.
Chewing‐induced hypertension in afferent baroreflex failure: a sympathetic response?
Authors: Fuente Mora Cristina , Norcliffe‐Kaufmann Lucy , Palma Jose‐Alberto , Kaufmann Horacio
Published: October 2015

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Our goal was to understand the autonomic responses to eating in patients with congenital afferent baroreflex failure, by documenting changes in blood pressure and heart rate with chewing, swallowing and stomach distension.

What is the main finding and its importance?

Patients born with lesions in the afferent baroreceptor pathways have an exaggerated pressor response to food intake. This appears to be a sympathetically mediated response, triggered by chewing, that occurs independently of swallowing or distension of the stomach. The chewing‐induced pressor response may be useful as a counter‐manoeuvre to prevent orthostatic hypotension in these patients.

Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a rare genetic disease with extremely labile blood pressure resulting from baroreflex deafferentation. Patients have marked surges in sympathetic activity, frequently surrounding meals. We conducted an observational study to document the autonomic responses to eating in patients with FD and to determine whether sympathetic activation was caused by chewing, swallowing or stomach distension. Blood pressure and R–R intervals were measured continuously while chewing gum (n = 15), eating (n = 20) and distending the stomach by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube feeding (n = 9). Responses were compared with those of normal control subjects (n = 10) and of patients with efferent autonomic failure (n = 10) who have chronically impaired sympathetic outflow. In patients with FD, eating was associated with a marked but transient pressor response (P < 0.0001) and additional signs of sympathetic activation, including tachycardia, diaphoresis and flushing of the skin. Chewing gum evoked a similar increase in blood pressure that was higher in patients with FD than in control subjects (P = 0.0001), but was absent in patients with autonomic failure. In patients with FD, distending the stomach by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube feeding failed to elicit a pressor response. The results provide indirect evidence that chewing triggers sympathetic activation. The increase in blood pressure is exaggerated in patients with FD as a result of blunted afferent baroreceptor signalling. The chewing pressor response may be useful as a counter‐manoeuvre to raise blood pressure and prevent symptomatic orthostatic hypotension in patients with FD.
Diabetes and ageing‐induced vascular inflammation
Authors: Assar Mariam El , Angulo Javier , Rodríguez‐Mañas Leocadio
Published: October 2015

Diabetes and the ageing process independently increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Since incidence of diabetes increases as people get older, the diabetic older adults represent the largest population of diabetic subjects. This group of patients would potentially be threatened by the development of CVD related to both ageing and diabetes. The relationship between CVD, ageing and diabetes is explained by the negative impact of these conditions on vascular function. Functional and clinical evidence supports the role of vascular inflammation induced by the ageing process and by diabetes in vascular impairment and CVD. Inflammatory mechanisms in both aged and diabetic vasculature include pro‐inflammatory cytokines, vascular hyperactivation of nuclear factor‐кB, increased expression of cyclooxygenase and inducible nitric oxide synthase, imbalanced expression of pro/anti‐inflammatory microRNAs, and dysfunctional stress‐response systems (sirtuins, Nrf2). In contrast, there are scarce data regarding the interaction of these mechanisms when ageing and diabetes co‐exist and its impact on vascular function. Older diabetic animals and humans display higher vascular impairment and CVD risk than those either aged or diabetic, suggesting that chronic low‐grade inflammation in ageing creates a vascular environment favouring the mechanisms of vascular damage driven by diabetes. Further research is needed to determine the specific inflammatory mechanisms responsible for exacerbated vascular impairment in older diabetic subjects in order to design effective therapeutic interventions to minimize the impact of vascular inflammation. This would help to prevent or delay CVD and the specific clinical manifestations (cognitive decline, frailty and disability) promoted by diabetes‐induced vascular impairment in the elderly.

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Retinal vascular imaging in early life: insights into processes and risk of cardiovascular disease
Authors: Li Ling‐Jun , Ikram Mohammad Kamran , Wong Tien Yin
Published: October 2015

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. In recent years, studies have shown that the origins of CVD may be traced to vascular and metabolic processes in early life. Retinal vascular imaging is a new technology that allows detailed non‐invasive in vivo assessment and monitoring of the microvasculature. In this systematic review, we described the application of retinal vascular imaging in children and adolescents, and we examined the use of retinal vascular imaging in understanding CVD risk in early life. We reviewed all publications with quantitative retinal vascular assessment in two databases: PubMed and Scopus. Early life CVD risk factors were classified into four groups: birth risk factors, environmental risk factors, systemic risk factors and conditions linked to future CVD development. Retinal vascular changes were associated with lower birth weight, shorter gestational age, low‐fibre and high‐sugar diet, lesser physical activity, parental hypertension history, childhood hypertension, childhood overweight/obesity, childhood depression/anxiety and childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus. In summary, there is increasing evidence supporting the view that structural changes in the retinal microvasculature are associated with CVD risk factors in early life. Thus, the retina is a useful site for pre‐clinical assessment of microvascular processes that may underlie the future development of CVD in adulthood.

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The impact of age on cerebral perfusion, oxygenation and metabolism during exercise in humans
Authors: Braz Igor D. , Fisher James P.
Published: October 2015

Age is one of the most important risk factors for dementia and stroke. Examination of the cerebral circulatory responses to acute exercise in the elderly may help to pinpoint the mechanisms by which exercise training can reduce the risk of brain diseases, inform the optimization of exercise training programmes and assist with the identification of age‐related alterations in cerebral vascular function. During low‐to‐moderate intensity dynamic exercise, enhanced neuronal activity is accompanied by cerebral perfusion increases of ∼10–30%. Beyond ∼60–70% maximal oxygen uptake, cerebral metabolism remains elevated but perfusion in the anterior portion of the circulation returns towards baseline, substantively because of a hyperventilation‐mediated reduction in the partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide () and cerebral vasoconstriction. Cerebral perfusion is lower in older individuals, both at rest and during incremental dynamic exercise. Nevertheless, the increase in the estimated cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen and the arterial–internal jugular venous differences for glucose and lactate are similar in young and older individuals exercising at the same relative exercise intensities. Correction for the age‐related reduction in during exercise by the provision of supplementary CO2 is suggested to remove ∼50% of the difference in cerebral perfusion between young and older individuals. A multitude of candidates could account for the remaining difference, including cerebral atrophy, and enhanced vasoconstrictor and blunted vasodilatory pathways. In summary, age‐related reductions in cerebral perfusion during exercise are partly associated with a lower in exercising older individuals; nevertheless the cerebral extraction of glucose, lactate and oxygen appear to be preserved.

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Fabrication of nanodamascene metallic single electron transistors with atomic layer deposition of tunnel barrier
Authors: Karbasian Golnaz , Orlov Alexei O. , Snider Gregory L.
Published: October 2015

The fabrication is reported of nanodamascene metallic single electron transistors that take advantage of unique properties of chemical mechanical polishing and atomic layer deposition. Chemical mechanical polishing provides a path for tuning the dimensions of tunnel junctions by adjusting the polish time, surpassing the limits imposed by electron beam lithography and lift-off, while atomic layer deposition provides precise control over the thickness of the tunnel barrier and significantly increases the choices for barrier materials. Single-electron transistor operation of a prototype device was successfully demonstrated at T < 1 K.
Expression of the DAL80 gene, whose product is homologous to the GATA factors and is a negative regulator of multiple nitrogen catabolic genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression.
Authors: Cunningham T S , Cooper T G
Published: October 2015

We have cloned the negative regulatory gene (DAL80) of the allantoin catabolic pathway, characterized its structure, and determined the physiological conditions that control DAL80 expression and its influence on the expression of nitrogen catabolic genes. Disruption of the DAL80 gene demonstrated that it regulates multiple nitrogen catabolic pathways. Inducer-independent expression was observed for the allantoin pathway genes DAL7 and DUR1,2, as well as the UGA1 gene required for gamma-aminobutyrate catabolism in the disruption mutant. DAL80 transcription was itself highly sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR), and its promoter contained 12 sequences homologous to the NCR-sensitive UASNTR. The deduced DAL80 protein structure contains zinc finger and coiled-coil motifs. The DAL80 zinc finger motif possessed high homology to the transcriptional activator proteins required for expression of NCR-sensitive genes in fungi and the yeast GLN3 gene product required for functioning of the NCR-sensitive DAL UASNTR. It was also homologous to the three GATAA-binding proteins reported to be transcriptional activators in avian and mammalian tissues. The latter correlations raise the possibility that both positive and negative regulators of allantoin pathway transcription may bind to similar sequences.
Phylogenetic footprinting reveals a nuclear protein which binds to silencer sequences in the human gamma and epsilon globin genes.
Authors: Gumucio D L , Heilstedt-Williamson H , Gray T A , Tarlé S A , Shelton D A , Tagle D A , Slightom J L , Goodman M , Collins F S
Published: October 2015

Tissue- and developmental stage-specific expression of the human beta-like globin genes is regulated by a combination of ubiquitous and erythroid-restricted trans factors that bind to cis elements near each of the five active genes. Additional interactions of these cis and trans factors with sequences located in the far 5' end of the cluster occur by as yet obscure mechanisms. Because of the complexity of this regulatory puzzle, precise identification of the determinants that control hemoglobin switching has proven difficult. Phylogenetic footprinting is an evolutionary approach to this problem which is based on the supposition that the basic mechanisms of switching are conserved throughout mammalian phylogeny. Alignment of the 5' flanking regions of the gamma genes of several species allows the identification of footprints of 100% conserved sequence. We have now tested oligomers spanning 13 such phylogenetic footprints and find that 12 are bound by nuclear proteins. One conserved element located at -1086 from the gamma genes exhibits repressor activity in transient transfection studies. The protein that binds this element, CSBP-1 (conserved sequence-binding protein 1), also binds at three sites within a silencer element upstream from the epsilon globin gene. Further analysis reveals that the CSBP-1 binding activity is identical to that of a recently cloned zinc finger protein that has been shown to act as a repressor in other systems. The binding of CSPB-1 to silencer sequences in the epsilon and gamma globin genes may be important in the stage-specific silencing of these genes.
P25 gene regulation in Bombyx mori silk gland: two promoter-binding factors have distinct tissue and developmental specificities.
Authors: Durand B , Drevet J , Couble P
Published: October 2015

The gene encoding the silk protein P25 is expressed in the posterior silk gland of Bombyx mori with strict territorial and developmental specificities. The cis-acting regulatory elements previously located within the 441-bp 5' proximal sequence of the gene were examined for protein-binding capacities. We identified two factors, BMFA and SGFB, that lead to prominent band shifts and the target sites for which are included in a region homologous to the fibroin gene enhancer sequence. Analysis of the tissue-specific incidence of both factors showed that BMFA is ubiquitous, whereas SGFB is restricted to the silk gland cells. However, SGFB was found in both posterior and middle silk gland cells and therefore likely directs organ-specific, but not territory-specific, expression. Developmental studies throughout the fourth larval molt, at which the P25 gene status changes from derepressed to repressed, revealed that BMFA is reversibly modified at the transition from intermolt to molt. Indeed, the preexisting BMFA is replaced by a structurally related factor, BMFA', during the 2 h following head capsule apolysis. The exact temporal coincidence of this conversion with the onset of gene repression suggests that BMFA' is involved in transcription inactivation and likely results from a transduction process initiated by the hormonal change at molting.
Xerophthalmia and vitamin A deficiency in an autistic child with a restricted diet
Authors: Chiu Mimi , Watson Stephanie
Published: October 2015

We report the ocular and systemic manifestations of vitamin A deficiency in a child with a complicated medical history including autism and a restricted diet, living in a developed country. This child had significant vitamin A deficiency despite being under long-term medical care, yet the diagnosis was not considered until he had an ophthalmology review for visual deterioration.
Fluoroquinolone-induced serious, persistent, multisymptom adverse effects
Authors: Golomb Beatrice Alexandra , Koslik Hayley Jean , Redd Alan J
Published: October 2015

We present a case series of four previously healthy, employed adults without significant prior medical history in each of whom symptoms developed while on fluoroquinolones (FQs), with progression that continued following discontinuation evolving to a severe, disabling multisymptom profile variably involving tendinopathy, muscle weakness, peripheral neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction, sleep disorder, cognitive dysfunction and psychiatric disturbance. Physicians and patients should be alert to the potential for FQ-induced severe disabling multisymptom pathology that may persist and progress following FQ use. Known induction by FQs of delayed mitochondrial toxicity provides a compatible mechanism, with symptom profiles (and documented mechanisms of FQ toxicity) compatible with the hypothesis of an exposure-induced mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy.
Evaluation on the effect of gadolinium-doping for niobium on the morphology and ionic conductivity of garnet-like Li5La3Nb2O12
Authors: Pinzaru Dana , Thangadurai Venkataraman
Published: October 2015

There is a great interest in gaining a deeper understanding of the lithium ion conductivity of Li-stuffed garnets that result from the substitution at either the La or M sites in Li5La3M2O12 (M = Nb, Ta), since these materials can be used as potential electrolytes in all solid-state batteries. Here, we investigate the effect of replacing Nb5+ with Gd3+ and stuffing two Li+ per Gd3+ in Li5La3Nb2O12 on the structure and ionic conductivity of the new family of garnet-type compounds with the nominal formula Li5+2xLa3Nb2−xGdxO12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.45). The samples were prepared via conventional solid-state synthesis in air at elevated temperatures. Powder X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the formation of the garnet-type structure for Li5+2xLa3Nb2−xGdxO12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.45). Elemental mapping obtained using energy dispersive X-ray analysis showed no evidence of a secondary phase being formed in Li5+2xLa3Nb2−xGdxO12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.45). Archimedes’ density measurements confirmed that the density of the samples with x ≤ 0.25 is not improved. The porosity of the samples with x ≥ 0.3 was found to be in the 8%–16% range. Among the samples investigated in this work, the x = 0.45 member of Li5+2xLa3Nb2−xGdxO12 showed the highest ionic conductivity of 1.91 × 10−5 S cm−1 at room temperature, which is an order of magnitude higher than that of the parent compound Li5La3Nb2O12. The activation energy of this material was calculated to be 0.38 eV at 25–225 °C and 0.28 eV at 225–325 °C. The change in the activation energy at the high temperature regime can be explained using the Li site occupation model in the garnet-type structure.
Molecular modeling and docking calculations of 4-acyloxy-biphenyl-4′-N-butylcarbamates as potential inhibitors of human butyrylcholinesterase
Authors: Shen Yu-Fang , Chen Gan-Hong , Lin Shu-Hsien , Lin Gialih
Published: October 2015

The kinetic studies and drug designs of butyrylcholinesterase play an important role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics. In this research, automated docking studies were performed to provide useful insights into butyrylcholinesterase inhibition binding modes with designed 4-acyloxy-biphenyl-4′-N-butylcarbamates (compounds 1–8). Moreover, several significant linear correlations between experimental and calculated docking results are observed. Among compounds 1–7, compound 3, which exhibits the strongest hydrophobicity and has four carbonyl hydrogen bindings, shows the highest binding affinity (Ki = 1.4 μmol/L) with a binding energy of −7.99 kcal/mol. The observed linear correlation of experimental and calculated inhibition constants (Ki) indicates that the molecular docking results are reliable. Moreover, a good linear correlation is observed between calculated binding energies and experimental pKi. The experimental Hansch hydrophobicity constants (π values) are also correlated with the docked binding energy. This study reveals important correlations between butyrylcholinesterase experimental and docking results that contribute to the kinetic based identification of antagonists for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, these docked models provide important insights into a potential series of 4,4′-biphenol-based inhibitors of butyrylcholinesterase.
Interannual variations in rates of larval growth and development of jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) in the East China Sea: implications for juvenile survival
Authors: Takahashi Motomitsu , Sassa Chiyuki , Nishiuchi Kou , Tsukamoto Youichi
Published: October 2015

Interannual variability in somatic growth rate during the larval stage and age at the onset of metamorphosis as a proxy for the development rate of jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) were examined in relation to habitat conditions during 2005 to 2010 in the shelf break region of the East China Sea (ECS). Habitat conditions were assessed in the February to March and the April surveys, which corresponded with the early hatching period in the spawning grounds and the main sampling period in the larval nursery grounds, respectively. Relationships between the growth and development rates and juvenile abundances in the near-bottom layer in May to June during the six consecutive survey years were explored. Annual mean growth rates during the late larval stage of pelagic juveniles were faster in years with higher concentrations of Paracalanidae and Oncaeidae copepodites as the main food item for larval T. japonicus in April following the surge of chlorophyll a concentrations. Juvenile abundance in the near-bottom layer was better related to the annual mean growth rate during the late larval stage than to the growth rate during the early larval stage and the development rate. These results suggest that preferred prey conditions due to higher phytoplankton productivity enhance the growth rate during the later larval stage and hence survival during the habitat transition from the surface to the near-bottom layer for T. japonicus in the ECS.
Digital Filter Designs for Recursive Frequency Analysis
Authors: Kennedy Hugh L.
Published: October 2015

Digital filters for recursively computing the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and estimating the frequency spectrum of sampled signals are examined, with an emphasis on magnitude-response and numerical stability. In this tutorial-style treatment, existing recursive techniques are reviewed, explained and compared within a coherent framework; some fresh insights are provided and new enhancements/modifications are proposed. It is shown that the replacement of resonators by (non-recursive) modulators in sliding DFT (SDFT) analyzers with either a finite impulse response (FIR), or an infinite impulse response (IIR), does improve performance somewhat; however, stability is not guaranteed as the cancellation of marginally stable poles by zeros is still involved. The FIR deadbeat observer is shown to be more reliable than the SDFT methods, an IIR variant is presented, and ways of fine-tuning its response are discussed. A novel technique for stabilizing IIR SDFT analyzers with a fading memory, so that all poles are inside the unit circle, is also derived. Slepian and sum-of-cosine windows are adapted to improve the frequency responses for the various FIR and IIR DFT methods.
Compact Dual-Band Bandpass Waveguide Filter with H-Plane Inserts
Authors: Stefanovski Snežana , Potrebić Milka , Tošić Dejan , Stamenković Zoran
Published: October 2015

A novel compact dual-band bandpass waveguide filter is presented in this paper. H-plane metal inserts with complementary split-ring resonators are implemented as resonating elements in the standard (WR-90) rectangular waveguide. Design starts from the models of the waveguide resonators with two resonant frequencies (9[Formula: see text]GHz and 11[Formula: see text]GHz) using a single flat or folded metal insert. Further, folded inserts are used for the second-order dual-band filter design. The equivalent circuits are proposed for the considered waveguide resonators and filter. A good agreement of the amplitude responses obtained for three-dimensional electromagnetic models and microwave circuits is achieved. Finally, compact dual-band bandpass waveguide filter is proposed as a novel solution using miniaturized inverters for both central frequencies. Compact filter model is further modified in order to obtain solution customized for easier fabrication. For the compact filter model, amplitude response is experimentally verified. The required filter response is preserved, as verified by a good agreement of the results obtained for the original dual-band filter and for the compact filter solutions.
CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES TO ASIAN FOOD SECURITY
Authors: TENG PAUL P. S. , OLIVEROS JURISE A. P.
Published: October 2015

Food security is a complex phenomenon made up of multiple dimensions — food availability, physical access to food, economic access to food, food utilization — each of which has a stability dimension which underpins it. This review provides details on these dimensions and links them to two published indices which provide assessments of the state of food security in a country. The paper further provides analyses of the main supply and demand factors in the food security equation. Food security faces natural and anthropogenic threats such as loss of productive land and water, climate change and declining crop productivity, all of which are potentially amenable to solutions provided by science and technology. Demographic and accompanying diet changes further exacerbate the demands made on the natural resource base for food production. Finally, possible responses to the challenges confronting a secured food future are discussed from technological, policy and system level perspectives.
FARMING OF VEGETABLES IN SPACE-LIMITED ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: HE JIE
Published: October 2015

Vegetables that contain most of the essential components of human nutrition are perishable and cannot be stocked. To secure vegetable supply in space limited cities such as Singapore, there are different farming methods to produce vegetables. These include low-cost urban community gardening and innovative rooftop and vertical farms integrated with various technologies such as hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics. However, for large-scale vegetable production in space-limited Singapore, we need to develop farming systems that not only increase productivity many-fold per unit of land but also produce all types of vegetable, all year-round for today and the future. This could be resolved through integrated vertical aeroponic farming system. Manipulation of root-zone (RZ) environments such as cooling the RZ, modifying mineral nutrients and introducing elevated RZ CO2 using aeroponics can further boost crop productivity beyond what can be achieved from more efficient use of land area. We could also adopt energy saving light emitting diodes (LEDs) for vertical aeroponic farming system to promote uniform growth and to improve the utilisation of limited space via shortening the growth cycle, thus improving vegetable production in a cost-effective manner.
Pounding Between Superstructure Segments in Multi-Supported Elevated Bridge with Three-Span Continuous Deck Under 3D Non-Uniform Earthquake Excitation
Authors: Jankowski Robert
Published: October 2015

Reports after severe ground motions show that the earthquake-induced structural pounding may lead to significant damage in elevated bridges. The aim of this paper is to analyze pounding between superstructure segments of a highway elevated bridge with three-span continuous deck under 3D non-uniform earthquake excitation, which is induced by spatial seismic effects related to the propagation of seismic wave. The conditional stochastic approach has been applied to generate the earthquake records for different support locations along the structure. The analysis has been conducted with the help of FEM taking into account the influence of rotation of superstructure segments due to corner collisions. The detailed non-linear strain-rate-dependent model has been applied to simulate the behavior of bearings under earthquake excitation. The results of the study confirm that pounding has considerable influence on the behavior of the analyzed bridge and may lead to the substantial increase in the structural response. They show that the structural response depends much on the gap size between adjacent superstructure segments. Moreover, the results clearly indicate that the incorporation of the non-uniform earthquake excitation may lead to considerable changes in the structural behavior. The application of the method of conditional stochastic modeling for generation of earthquake records has also been proved to be useful for practical purposes of modeling the spatial seismic effects for long multi-supported elevated bridges.