bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among in‐school adolescents in a rural district in southwest Nigeria
Authors: Fatiregun A.A. , Kumapayi T.E.
Published: January 2014

This study was conducted to assess the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among in‐school adolescents in a rural district in southwest Nigeria. A cross‐sectional survey involving 1713 adolescents from four private and three public secondary schools were selected using a stratified cluster sampling technique. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)‐9, with a maximum score of 27, was used to assess the presence (score ≥ 5) and severity (score ≥ 15) of the symptoms of depression. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify the correlates. The prevalence was 21.2%; 5.1% of the respondents had moderately severe to severe depression. Significant predictors included “not living with parents” (OR = 1.69; 95%CI, 1.14–2.38), not participating in sports (OR = 1.45; 95%CI; 1.11–1.92), a large number of siblings (OR = 1.69; 95%CI; 1.11–2.63), and a change in place of residence (OR = 1.46; 95%CI, 1.13–1.88). A need exists to plan and implement health education measures to reduce the burden of the disease.
Mutations in the D‐channel of cytochrome c oxidase causes leakage of the proton pump
Authors: Siegbahn Per E.M. , Blomberg Margareta R.A.
Published: January 2014

It has experimentally been found that certain mutations close to the entry point of the proton transfer channel in cytochrome c oxidase stop proton translocation but not the oxygen reduction chemistry. This effect is termed uncoupling. Since the mutations are 20 Å away from the catalytic center, this is very surprising. A new explanation for this phenomenon is suggested here, involving a local effect at the entry point of the proton channel, rather than the long range effects suggested earlier.
Functional characterization of WalRK: A two‐component signal transduction system from Bacillus anthracis
Authors: Dhiman Alisha , Bhatnagar Sonika , Kulshreshtha Parul , Bhatnagar Rakesh
Published: January 2014

Two‐component signal transduction systems (TCS), consisting of a sensor histidine protein kinase and its cognate response regulator, are an important mode of environmental sensing in bacteria. Additionally, they have been found to regulate virulence determinants in several pathogens. Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax and a bioterrorism agent, harbours 41 pairs of TCS. However, their role in its pathogenicity has remained largely unexplored. Here, we show that WalRK of B. anthracis forms a functional TCS which exhibits some species‐specific functions. Biochemical studies showed that domain variants of WalK, the histidine kinase, exhibit classical properties of autophosphorylation and phosphotransfer to its cognate response regulator WalR. Interestingly, these domain variants also show phosphatase activity towards phosphorylated WalR, thereby making WalK a bifunctional histidine kinase/phosphatase. An in silico regulon determination approach, using a consensus binding sequence from Bacillus subtilis, provided a list of 30 genes that could form a putative WalR regulon in B. anthracis. Further, electrophoretic mobility shift assay was used to show direct binding of purified WalR to the upstream regions of three putative regulon candidates, an S‐layer protein EA1, a cell division ABC transporter FtsE and a sporulation histidine kinase KinB3. Our work lends insight into the species‐specific functions and mode of action of B. anthracis WalRK.
Incandescent affect: Turning on the hot emotional system with bright light
Authors: Xu Alison Jing , Labroo Aparna A.
Published: January 2014

We propose that turning on the light can turn on the hot emotional system. Across six studies we show that ambient brightness makes people feel warmer, which increases the intensity of their affective response, including sensation seeking from spicy‐hot foods, perception of aggression and sexiness (“hotness”) in others, and generating more extreme affective reactions toward positive and negative words and drinks. We suggest that these effects arise because light underlies perception of heat, and perception of heat can trigger the hot emotional system. Thus, turning down the light, effortless and unassuming as it may seem, can reduce emotionality in everyday decisions, most of which take place under bright light.
Poverty, forest dependence and forest degradation links: evidence from Zagros, Iran
Authors: Soltani Arezoo , Angelsen Arild , Eid Tron
Published: January 2014

The article analyzes the links between poverty, forest use and dependence, and forest degradation by combining household and forest resource data from two sites in the Zagros Mountains, Iran: Ghamishale and Tange Tamoradi. At both sites, traditional forms of forest management are practised; in Ghamishale management is mainly family based, whereas in Tange Tamoradi it is village based. The poverty–forest dependence link is strongly influenced by population density, carrying capacity and institutions for forest management. In addition, the study revealed the tradeoff between equity and sustainable resource use as outputs of different institutional arrangements. We do not find any evidence that poor households or households with high forest dependence contribute more to forest degradation than others. The results therefore raise concerns about the potential consequences of policies globally that address forest degradation only through poverty alleviation and forest-dependence reduction.
MOVEMENT INTERSECTIONALITY
Authors: Roberts Dorothy , Jesudason Sujatha
Published: January 2014

Intersectional analysis need not focus solely on differences within or between identity-based groups. Using intersectionality for cross movement mobilization reveals that, contrary to criticism for being divisive, attention to intersecting identities has the potential to create solidarity and cohesion. In this article, we elaborate this argument with a case study of the intersection of race, gender, and disability in genetic technologies as well as in organizing to promote a social justice approach to the use of these technologies. We show how organizing based on an intersectional analysis can help forge alliances between reproductive justice, racial justice, women's rights, and disability rights activists to develop strategies to address reproductive genetic technologies. We use the work of Generations Ahead to illuminate how intersectionality applied at the movement-building level can identify genuine common ground, create authentic alliances, and more effectively advocate for shared policy priorities.
THE INTERSECTIONAL FIFTH BLACK WOMAN
Authors: Carbado Devon W. , Gulati Mitu
Published: January 2014

In 1989, Kimberlé Crenshaw published Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics, an article that drew explicitly on Black feminist criticism, and challenged three prevailing frameworks: 1) the male-centered nature of antiracist politics, which privileged the experiences of heterosexual Black men; 2) the White-centered nature of feminist theorizing, which privileged the experiences of heterosexual White women; and 3) the “single-axis”/sex or race-centered nature of antidiscrimination regimes, which privileged the experiences of heterosexual White women and Black men. Crenshaw demonstrated how people within the same social group (e.g., African Americans) are differentially vulnerable to discrimination as a result of other intersecting axes of disadvantage, such as gender, class, or sexual orientation.

This essay builds on that insight by articulating a performative conceptualization of race. It assumes that a judge is sympathetic to intersectionality and thus recognizes that Black women are often disadvantaged based on the intersection of their race and sex, among other social factors. This essay asks: How is that judge likely to respond to a case in which a firm promotes four Black women but not the fifth? The judge could conclude that there is no discrimination because the firm promoted four people (Black women) with the same intersectional identity as the fifth (a Black woman). We argue that this evidentiary backdrop should not preclude a finding of discrimination. It is plausible that our hypothetical firm utilized racially associated ways of being—performative criteria (self presentation, accent, demeanor, conformity, dress, and hair style)—to differentiate among and between the Black women. The firm might have drawn an intra-group, or intra-intersectional, line between the fifth Black women and the other four based on the view that the fifth Black woman is “too Black.” We describe the ease with which institutions can draw such lines and explain why doing so might constitute impermissible discrimination. Our aim is to broaden the conceptual terms upon which we frame both social categories and discrimination.
POST-INTERSECTIONALITY
Authors: Cho Sumi
Published: January 2014

Although intersectionality analysis originates in a critique of legal doctrine and its confining approach to subject formation, intersectionality has been adopted widely outside of legal scholarship—nationally and internationally—to explain how fields of power operate and interact to produce hierarchy for any limitless combination of identities. Yet, within law, some scholars have raised questions precisely about the capacity of intersectionality to grapple with subjects who occupy multiple social positions and those with “partially privileged” identities in particular. Thus, over roughly a decade, a critique took shape about the theoretical capacity and normative commitment of intersectionality theory to address particular subgroups.

This essay tells part of the curious story about how a race-sexuality critique of intersectionality emerged, what may have motivated it, and how it has facilitated an emerging progressive masculinities literature that is “post-intersectional,” i.e., positioned over and against intersectionality. Like other post-intersectionality approaches, multidimensionality theorists decidedly seek to ‘get beyond’ something, and that ‘something’ that underwrites the turn away from intersectionality appears not as substantive theoretical or analytical content, or as political strategy, but rather, as identity-driven and engendered.
Diagnostik sozialer Kompetenzen bei Kindern und Jugendlichen
Authors: Jurkowski Susanne , Hänze Martin
Published: January 2014

In der vorliegenden Studie wurde ein Fragebogen sozialer Kompetenzen für Kinder und Jugendliche (Selbsteinschätzung) entwickelt, welcher die Multidimensionalität sozialer Kompetenzen berücksichtigt. Der Fragebogen wurde anhand der Einschätzungen sozialer Kompetenzen durch die Lehrkraft und des sozialen Status durch die Mitschüler sowie weiterer Persönlichkeitseigenschaften, sozialer Erwünschtheit und kognitiver Fähigkeiten validiert. An der Untersuchung nahmen 684 Schüler im Alter von 12 bis 17 Jahren teil. Eine Kreuzvalidierung der Faktorenstruktur ergab sechs Skalen sozialer Kompetenzen, die gute bis zufriedenstellende Reliabilitätsindizes zeigten: soziale Orientierung, soziale Initiative, Selbstkontrolle, Emotionsregulation, Personenwahrnehmung und Selbstaufmerksamkeit. Die Selbsteinschätzung sozialer Kompetenzen korrelierte mit der Lehrereinschätzung sozialer Kompetenzen sowie der Mitschülereinschätzung des sozialen Status. Die verschiedenen Skalen sozialer Kompetenzen standen ebenso in Zusammenhang mit Referenzkonstrukten (Extraversion, Schüchternheit, soziales Engagement, aggressives Verhalten), während sie von kognitiven Fähigkeiten abgegrenzt werden konnten. Soziale Orientierung und Selbstkontrolle erwiesen sich als anfällig für die Tendenz zu sozial erwünschtem Antwortverhalten.
„Ich wünschte, ich wäre muskulöser”: Eine teststatistische Überprüfung der deutschsprachigen Fassung der Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS)
Authors: Waldorf Manuel , Cordes Martin , Vocks Silja , McCreary Don
Published: January 2014

Die Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) ist der am häufigsten verwendete Fragebogen zur Erfassung des Muskulositätsstrebens. Ziel der Studie war die psychometrische Überprüfung der deutschsprachigen Version der DMS. 601 Männer aus muskel- und kraftorientierten Sportarten wurden am Computer oder mit der Papierversion der DMS und mit weiteren Skalen befragt. Interne Konsistenz und Retest-Reliabilität der DMS liegen im sehr guten Bereich (>.88), ebenso die Korrelation mit einem Alternativtest (Male Body Attitudes Scale: .81). Muskulositäts- und Schlankheitsstreben lassen sich eindeutig differenzieren (Eating Disorder Inventory-2-DT: .11). Die durchgeführten Faktorenanalysen stützen die Einteilung in eine kognitive und eine korrelierte behaviorale Subskala. Es zeigten sich Zusammenhänge mit körperbezogenem Selbstwert und körperdysmorphen Sorgen. Die deutschsprachige DMS ist ein reliables und valides Instrument zur Erfassung des Muskulositätsstrebens in Forschung und klinischer Einzelfallanwendung.
Modular automated solid phase synthesis of dermatan sulfate oligosaccharides
Authors: Kandasamy Jeyakumar , Schuhmacher Frank , Hahm Heung Sik , Klein James C. , Seeberger Peter H.
Published: January 2014

Orthogonally protected d-galactosamine and l-iduronic acid building blocks and a photo-cleavable linker are instrumental for the automated synthesis of dermatan sulfate oligosaccharides.
p-Doped three-dimensional graphene nano-networks superior to platinum as a counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Ahn Hyo-Jin , Kim Ik-Hee , Yoon Jong-Chul , Kim Sun-I , Jang Ji-Hyun
Published: January 2014

A chemical vapor deposition-grown p-doped three-dimensional graphene nano-network-based DSSC exhibits 6% greater photoconversion efficiency than a Pt-based DSSC.
A K+-mediated G-quadruplex formation enhancement fluorescence polarization system based on quantum dots for detection of Hg2+ and biothiols
Authors: Zhang Juanni , Tian Jianniao , He Yanlong , Zhao Yanchun , Zhao Shulin
Published: January 2014

A fluorescence polarization homogenous system based on CdTe/CdS QDs that employed a K+-mediated G-quadruplex as an enhancer was identified for sensitive and selective detection of Hg2+ and biothiols in complex samples.
New lanthanide–CB[6] coordination compounds: relationships between the crystal structure and luminescent properties
Authors: da Silva Fausthon F. , de Oliveira Carlos A. F. , Falcão Eduardo H. L. , Chojnacki Jaroslaw , Neves Jorge L. , Alves S.
Published: January 2014

Four new isostructural complexes were obtained with Ln3+ and CB[6]. The compounds present interesting spectroscopic properties, not observed before in Ln–CB[n] compounds.
The rapid size- and shape-controlled continuous hydrothermal synthesis of metal sulphide nanomaterials
Authors: Dunne Peter W. , Starkey Chris L. , Gimeno-Fabra Miquel , Lester Edward H.
Published: January 2014

A continuous hydrothermal method has been applied to the synthesis of a wide range of metal sulphide nanomaterials with size and shape control.
Computational prediction and experimental confirmation of B-site doping in YBa2Fe3O8
Authors: Collins Christopher , Dyer Matthew S. , Demont Antoine , Chater Philip A. , Thomas Michael F. , Darling George R. , Claridge John B. , Rosseinsky Matthew J.
Published: January 2014

Computational screening of potential substitution species and sites in YBa2Fe3−xMxO8 predicted that Mn substitution at x = 1 should be possible. Experimental synthesis and characterization of Y1.175Ba1.825Fe2MnO8 confirms this prediction.
Room temperature direct detection of low frequency magnetic fields in the 100 pT/Hz0.5 range using large arrays of magnetic tunnel junctions
Authors: Paz E. , Serrano-Guisan S. , Ferreira R. , Freitas P. P.
Published: January 2014

We developed a highly sensitive magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) based magnetic field sensor device with a magnetic field sensitivity of 1.29 Ω/μT. For this, more than 1000 microstructured linear MgO based MTJ pillars were fabricated and connected in series. By current biasing the MTJ sensor device under small AC external magnetic fields (μ0HAC), a large AC output voltage proportional to μ0HAC is induced. Carrying out noise spectral density measurements at such conditions, we demonstrate that our MTJ sensor device is able to detect magnetic fields down to 115 pT/Hz0.5 at frequencies fAC < 200 Hz in an unshielded environment without amplification of the MTJ AC output voltage.
Charge transport mechanisms of graphene/semiconductor Schottky barriers: A theoretical and experimental study
Authors: Zhong Haijian , Xu Ke , Liu Zhenghui , Xu Gengzhao , Shi Lin , Fan Yingmin , Wang Jianfeng , Ren Guoqiang , Yang Hui
Published: January 2014

Graphene has been proposed as a material for semiconductor electronic and optoelectronic devices. Understanding the charge transport mechanisms of graphene/semiconductor Schottky barriers will be crucial for future applications. Here, we report a theoretical model to describe the transport mechanisms at the interface of graphene and semiconductors based on conventional semiconductor Schottky theory and a floating Fermi level of graphene. The contact barrier heights can be estimated through this model and be close to the values obtained from the experiments, which are lower than those of the metal/semiconductor contacts. A detailed analysis reveals that the barrier heights are as the function of the interface separations and dielectric constants, and are influenced by the interfacial states of semiconductors. Our calculations show how this behavior of lowering barrier heights arises from the Fermi level shift of graphene induced by the charge transfer owing to the unique linear electronic structure.
Optical phonon modes in Al1−xScxN
Authors: Deng Ruopeng , Jiang Kai , Gall Daniel
Published: January 2014

Optical phonons are measured to probe the origins of the reported anomalously high piezoelectric response in aluminum scandium nitride (Al1−xScxN). Epitaxial layers with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.16 deposited on sapphire(0001) exhibit a refractive index below the band gap, which increases from 2.03 for x = 0 to 2.16 for x = 0.16, corresponding to a dielectric constant ε∞ = 4.15 + 3.2x. Raman scattering shows that zone-center E2(H) and A1(TO) phonon modes shift to lower frequencies with increasing x, following linear relationships: ω(E2(H)) = 658–233x (cm−1) and ω(A1(TO)) = 612–159x (cm−1). Similarly, zone-center E1(TO) and A1(LO) phonon mode frequencies obtained from specular polarized infrared reflectance measurements red-shift to ω(E1(TO)) = 681–209x (cm−1) and ω(A1(LO)) = 868–306x (cm−1). The measured bond angle decreases linearly from 108.2° to 106.0°, while the length of the two metal-nitrogen bonds increase by 3.2% and 2.6%, as x increases from 0 to 0.16. This is associated with a 3%–8% increase in the Born effective charge and a simultaneous 6% decrease in the covalent metal-N bond strength, as determined from the measured vibrational frequencies described with a Valence-Coulomb-Force-Field model. The overall results indicate that bonding in Al-rich Al1−xScxN qualitatively follows the trends expected from mixing wurtzite AlN with metastable hexagonal ScN. However, extrapolation suggests non-linear composition dependencies in bond angle, length, and character for x ≥ 0.2, leading to a structural instability that may be responsible for the reported steep increase in the piezoelectric response.
Assessment of DNA damage in goat preantral follicles after vitrification of the ovarian cortex
Authors: Faustino Luciana R. , Carvalho Adeline A. , Silva Cleidson M. G. , Rossetto Rafael , Lopes Cláudio A. P. , van Tilburg Maurício F. , Carneiro Pedro B. M. , Báo Sônia N. , Moura Arlindo A. A. , Bordignon Vilceu , Figueiredo José R. , Rodrigues Ana Paula R.
Published: January 2014

Effective methods for gamete preservation should have low impact on DNA integrity. The present study investigated the effects of vitrification of goat ovarian tissues on the occurrence of DNA fragmentation and DNA double-stand breaks using the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP–digoxigenin nick end-labelling (TUNEL) assay and detection of phosphorylated histone H2AX (γH2AX), respectively. Goat ovaries were collected at a local abattoir and 12 tissue fragments were prepared from each ovarian pair. Tissue fragments were used as fresh control samples or were cultured in vitro, vitrified or vitrified and cultured. Vitrification was performed using the Ovarian Tissue Cryosystem. Fragments from all groups (control and treatments) were processed for histology, transmission electron microscopy, TUNEL assay and immunofluorescence. Compared with fresh control samples, a lower percentage of morphologically normal follicles was detected in the vitrification followed by culture treatment group (P < 0.05). Normal follicular ultrastructure was observed in all groups. Immunofluorescence revealed the presence of γH2AX foci in few oocytes and ovarian stromal cells. TUNEL-positive follicles were found in samples without significant differences among groups (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the vitrification protocol used in the present study did not increase DNA damage in preantral follicles enclosed in goat ovarian tissues.
Cdc42 GTPase dynamics control directional growth responses
Authors: Brand Alexandra C. , Morrison Emma , Milne Stephen , Gonia Sara , Gale Cheryl A. , Gow Neil A. R.
Published: January 2014

Significance

The growth of many cell types combines polarized elongation with directional responses to external cues. We have previously linked Ca
2+
influx with directional growth in fungi and show here that Ca
2+
influx can rescue phenotypes caused by genetic disruption of two Cdc42 GTPase plasma-membrane trafficking pathways that are required for polarity establishment, hence restoring directional polarization. Constitutive activation of Cdc42 reversed the direction of polarization, which was also enhanced by the provision of exogenous Ca
2+
. Our model proposes that Ca
2+
transport amplifies weak directional growth signals specified by activated Cdc42 by promoting Cdc42 trafficking to the plasma membrane, thereby enhancing its directional regulation of polarized growth.
Foveal analysis and peripheral selection during active visual sampling
Authors: Ludwig Casimir J. H. , Davies J. Rhys , Eckstein Miguel P.
Published: January 2014

Significance

Picking up visual information from our environment in a timely manner is the starting point of adaptive visual-motor behavior. Humans and other animals with foveated visual systems extract visual information through a cycle of brief fixations interspersed with gaze shifts. Object identification typically requires foveal analysis (limited to a small region of central vision). In addition, the next fixation location needs to be selected using peripheral vision. How does the brain coordinate these two tasks on the short time scale of individual fixations? We show that the uptake of information for foveal analysis and peripheral selection occurs in parallel and independently. These results provide important theoretical constraints on models of eye movement control in a variety of visual-motor domains.
Direct conversion of patient fibroblasts demonstrates non-cell autonomous toxicity of astrocytes to motor neurons in familial and sporadic ALS
Authors: Meyer Kathrin , Ferraiuolo Laura , Miranda Carlos J. , Likhite Shibi , McElroy Sohyun , Renusch Samantha , Ditsworth Dara , Lagier-Tourenne Clotilde , Smith Richard A. , Ravits John , Burghes Arthur H. , Shaw Pamela J. , Cleveland Don W. , Kolb Stephen J. , Kaspar Brian K.
Published: December 2013

Significance

Direct conversion is a recently established method to generate neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) from skin fibroblasts in a fast and efficient manner. In this study, we show that this method can be used to model neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Because the origin of ALS is mainly sporadic with unknown cause, methods to model the disease are urgently needed. The produced NPCs are differentiated into astrocytes, which are involved in motor neuron death in ALS. Strikingly, skin-derived astrocytes show similar toxicity toward motor neurons as astrocytes from autopsies of patients. This tool now allows studying ALS while the patient is still alive and can help in testing potential therapeutics for individual patients.
Electron flow in multiheme bacterial cytochromes is a balancing act between heme electronic interaction and redox potentials
Authors: Breuer Marian , Rosso Kevin M. , Blumberger Jochen
Published: January 2014

Significance

Certain bacteria use complex assemblies of multiheme proteins to shuttle electrons from the inside of the cell over distances exceeding 100 Å to extracellular substrates. Recently, the first crystal structure of a representative deca-heme protein was solved, but the mechanism of electron conduction remains difficult to probe experimentally. Here we provide detailed molecular-level insight into the kinetics and thermodynamics of charge conduction in this biological wire using high-performance computational tools. Our study reveals an evolutionary design principle of significance to an entire class of heme proteins involved in mediating electron flow between bacterial cells and their environment, a phenomenon both bearing great geochemical importance and opening up a multitude of potential biotechnological applications.
Conserved TCP domain of Sas-4/CPAP is essential for pericentriolar material tethering during centrosome biogenesis
Authors: Zheng Xiangdong , Gooi Li Ming , Wason Arpit , Gabriel Elke , Mehrjardi Narges Zare , Yang Qian , Zhang Xingrun , Debec Alain , Basiri Marcus L. , Avidor-Reiss Tomer , Pozniakovsky Andrei , Poser Ina , Šarić Tomo , Hyman Anthony A. , Li Haitao , Gopalakrishnan Jay
Published: January 2014

Significance

In centrosomes, pericentriolar material (PCM) serves as the principle site for microtubule nucleation and anchoring. In
Drosophila
, the centrosomal protein spindle assembly defective-4 (Sas-4) scaffolds cytoplasmic PCM protein complexes via its N terminus and tethers them to centrioles via an unknown mechanism. By determining the crystal structure of Sas-4‘s C-terminal T complex protein 10 (TCP) domain and functional studies in
Drosophila
, human cells, and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitors, we show that Sas-4 performs its tethering role via its TCP domain. Furthermore, point mutations within the TCP domain perturb PCM tethering while still allowing the protein to scaffold cytoplasmic PCM complexes. These studies provide insights into how Sas-4 proteins tether PCM complexes for the assembly of functional centrosomes.
Tunable nonequilibrium dynamics of field quenches in spin ice
Authors: Mostame Sarah , Castelnovo Claudio , Moessner Roderich , Sondhi Shivaji L.
Published: December 2013

Significance

Spin ices are a class of magnetic compounds exhibiting a unique ground state in the form of a so-called magnetic Coulomb liquid that has as its excitations emergent magnetic monopoles. It is through the motion of these monopoles that spin ices are dynamical; dynamical studies thus exhibit new behavior on account of the exotic magnetic phase and also provide experimental evidence of its unusual monopole excitations. We find that nonequilibrium dynamics is an ideal setting for achieving both goals—in particular, it brings together notions from different types of dynamical systems popular in other branches of the natural sciences, such as reaction-diffusion problems, dimer physics, and kinematically constrained dynamics. Such dynamics can be transparently understood theoretically and simply probed experimentally.
Quantitative divergence of the bacterial root microbiota in
Arabidopsis thaliana
relatives
Authors: Schlaeppi Klaus , Dombrowski Nina , Oter Ruben Garrido , Ver Loren van Themaat Emiel , Schulze-Lefert Paul
Published: December 2013

Significance

All plants carry distinctive bacterial communities on and inside organs such as roots and leaves, collectively called the plant microbiota. How this microbiota diversifies in related plant species is unknown. We investigated the diversity of the bacterial root microbiota in the Brassicaceae family, including three
Arabidopsis thaliana
ecotypes, its sister species
Arabidopsis halleri
and
Arabidopsis lyrata
, and
Cardamine hirsuta
. We show that differences in root microbiota profiles between these hosts are largely quantitative and that host phylogenetic distance alone cannot explain the observed microbiota diversification. Our work also reveals a largely conserved and taxonomically narrow root microbiota, which comprises stable community members belonging to the Actinomycetales, Burkholderiales, and Flavobacteriales.
Bodily maps of emotions
Authors: Nummenmaa Lauri , Glerean Enrico , Hari Riitta , Hietanen Jari K.
Published: December 2013

Significance

Emotions coordinate our behavior and physiological states during survival-salient events and pleasurable interactions. Even though we are often consciously aware of our current emotional state, such as anger or happiness, the mechanisms giving rise to these subjective sensations have remained unresolved. Here we used a topographical self-report tool to reveal that different emotional states are associated with topographically distinct and culturally universal bodily sensations; these sensations could underlie our conscious emotional experiences. Monitoring the topography of emotion-triggered bodily sensations brings forth a unique tool for emotion research and could even provide a biomarker for emotional disorders.
Improved saccharification and ethanol yield from field-grown transgenic poplar deficient in cinnamoyl-CoA reductase
Authors: Van Acker Rebecca , Leplé Jean-Charles , Aerts Dirk , Storme Véronique , Goeminne Geert , Ivens Bart , Légée Frédéric , Lapierre Catherine , Piens Kathleen , Van Montagu Marc C. E. , Santoro Nicholas , Foster Clifton E. , Ralph John , Soetaert Wim , Pilate Gilles , Boerjan Wout
Published: December 2013

Significance

In the transition from a fossil-based to a bio-based economy, bioethanol will be generated from the lignocellulosic biomass of second-generation biofuel crops, such as poplar. The lignin polymers in the plant cell walls represent the main factor determining the recalcitrance of biomass to enzymatic processing. We have grown genetically modified poplars, down-regulated for cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR), an enzyme in the lignin biosynthetic pathway, in field trials in Belgium and France. We show that wood samples derived from the transgenic trees are more easily processed into ethanol. However, strong down-regulation also affected biomass yield. In conclusion,
CCR
down-regulation may become a successful strategy to improve biomass processing if the yield penalty can be overcome.
Structural insights into gene repression by the orphan nuclear receptor SHP
Authors: Zhi Xiaoyong , Zhou X. Edward , He Yuanzheng , Zechner Christoph , Suino-Powell Kelly M. , Kliewer Steven A. , Melcher Karsten , Mangelsdorf David J. , Xu H. Eric
Published: December 2013

Significance

The orphan nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (SHP) serves as a central regulator of bile acid and cholesterol homeostasis via its transcriptional repression activity. Yet little is known about SHP structure and its mechanism of corepressor recruitment. In this paper, we present the crystal structure of SHP in complex with the transcriptional repressor E1A-like inhibitor of differentiation. Our structural and biochemical studies reveal an unexpected cofactor-binding site on SHP, representing a mode of binding that differs from the conventional understanding of how nuclear receptors recruit transcription cofactors. Disruption of this binding site affects SHP repressor function. Furthermore, the SHP crystal structure provides a rational template for drug design to treat metabolic diseases arising from bile acid and cholesterol imbalances.
Dbl3 drives Cdc42 signaling at the apical margin to regulate junction position and apical differentiation
Authors: Zihni Ceniz , Munro Peter M.G. , Elbediwy Ahmed , Keep Nicholas H. , Terry Stephen J. , Harris John , Balda Maria S. , Matter Karl
Published: December 2013

Epithelial cells develop morphologically characteristic apical domains that are bordered by tight junctions, the apical–lateral border. Cdc42 and its effector complex Par6–atypical protein kinase c (aPKC) regulate multiple steps during epithelial differentiation, but the mechanisms that mediate process-specific activation of Cdc42 to drive apical morphogenesis and activate the transition from junction formation to apical differentiation are poorly understood. Using a small interfering RNA screen, we identify Dbl3 as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that is recruited by ezrin to the apical membrane, that is enriched at a marginal zone apical to tight junctions, and that drives spatially restricted Cdc42 activation, promoting apical differentiation. Dbl3 depletion did not affect junction formation but did affect epithelial morphogenesis and brush border formation. Conversely, expression of active Dbl3 drove process-specific activation of the Par6–aPKC pathway, stimulating the transition from junction formation to apical differentiation and domain expansion, as well as the positioning of tight junctions. Thus, Dbl3 drives Cdc42 signaling at the apical margin to regulate morphogenesis, apical–lateral border positioning, and apical differentiation.
Adducin-1 is essential for mitotic spindle assembly through its interaction with myosin-X
Authors: Chan Po-Chao , Hsu Rosaline Y.C. , Liu Chih-Wei , Lai Chien-Chen , Chen Hong-Chen
Published: December 2013

Mitotic spindles are microtubule-based structures, but increasing evidence indicates that filamentous actin (F-actin) and F-actin–based motors are components of these structures. ADD1 (adducin-1) is an actin-binding protein that has been shown to play important roles in the stabilization of the membrane cortical cytoskeleton and cell–cell adhesions. In this study, we show that ADD1 associates with mitotic spindles and is crucial for proper spindle assembly and mitotic progression. Phosphorylation of ADD1 at Ser12 and Ser355 by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 enables ADD1 to bind to myosin-X (Myo10) and therefore to associate with mitotic spindles. ADD1 depletion resulted in distorted, elongated, and multipolar spindles, accompanied by aberrant chromosomal alignment. Remarkably, the mitotic defects caused by ADD1 depletion were rescued by reexpression of ADD1 but not of an ADD1 mutant defective in Myo10 binding. Together, our findings unveil a novel function for ADD1 in mitotic spindle assembly through its interaction with Myo10.
André Gide's
Paludes
: A Diary Novel?
Authors: Ferguson Sam
Published: January 2014

André Gide's
Paludes
(1895) has been rediscovered and reinvented by successive generations of readers. In the process an aspect of the text has been obscured that has relevance both to the original context of the work's publication and for modern readers: its problematic status as diary-writing. The abundant and unconventional paratext makes conflicting claims about the nature of the work, invoking both novelistic and diaristic codes. These indeterminacies continue into the main text, in the principal narrative's ambiguous status as a
journal intime
, and in its oppositions with other narrative instances (especially the narrator's own literary project, also entitled ‘Paludes’). The diary-writing in the text plays a central role in the philosophical problems confronted by the narrator.
Paludes
occupies a critical point of experimentation in the trajectory of published diary-writing in Gide's career (and, as such, in the history of the publication of diaries in France), exploring the possible relationship of the diary with the literary œuvre, and its capacity for addressing philosophical and aesthetic questions. The pertinence of this experimentation to the modern field of life-writing makes this a suitable moment for another rediscovery of this text.
Obscenity and the Politics of Authorship in Early Seventeenth-Century France: Guillaume Colletet and the
Parnasse des poetes satyriques
(1622)
Authors: Roberts Hugh
Published: January 2014

In 1635 the poet Guillaume Colletet (1598–1659) became a founding member of the Académie française. Yet only a dozen years before this he had been exiled as a result of the poems he signed in
Le Parnasse des poetes satyriques
(1622), the same collection that provoked the trial of Théophile de Viau in 1623–25. Focusing on Colletet's contributions to the collections of lewd poetry known as the
recueils satyriques
, I argue that he uses obscenity as a sign of poetic superiority, transcending such concerns as propriety, and as the means by which he could attempt to bolster his reputation. The poetry provokes an imagined censor who will confirm this superiority, and the figure who rose to the bait was the Jesuit François Garasse, in his
Doctrine curieuse des beaux esprits de ce temps, ou prétendus tels
(1623). Colletet's crime was sociolinguistic, because in using taboo words (especially
foutre
) he revealed that the rules of linguistic propriety that were supposed to underpin the social hierarchy were at best arbitrary. Colletet's reaction to his exile reveals his ongoing concern with his reputation, his denials of obscenity being part of an attempt to gain the status that he had previously sought from the appearance of
libertinage
.
On the stability of bow shocks generated by red supergiants: the case of IRC −10414
Authors: Meyer D. M.-A. , Gvaramadze V. V. , Langer N. , Mackey J. , Boumis P. , Mohamed S.
Published: January 2014

In this Letter, we explore the hypothesis that the smooth appearance of bow shocks around some red supergiants (RSGs) might be caused by the ionization of their winds by external sources of radiation. Our numerical simulations of the bow shock generated by IRC −10414 (the first-ever RSG with an optically detected bow shock) show that the ionization of the wind results in its acceleration by a factor of 2, which reduces the difference between the wind and space velocities of the star and makes the contact discontinuity of the bow shock stable for a range of stellar space velocities and mass-loss rates. Our best-fitting model reproduces the overall shape and surface brightness of the observed bow shock and suggests that the space velocity and mass-loss rate of IRC −10414 are ≈50  km s−1 and ≈10−6  M⊙ yr−1, respectively, and that the number density of the local interstellar medium is ≈3 cm−3. It also shows that the bow shock emission comes mainly from the shocked stellar wind. This naturally explains the enhanced nitrogen abundance in the line-emitting material, derived from the spectroscopy of the bow shock. We found that photoionized bow shocks are ≈15–50 times brighter in optical line emission than their neutral counterparts, from which we conclude that the bow shock of IRC −10414 must be photoionized.
On the progenitor of the Type IIP SN 2013ej in M74
Authors: Fraser Morgan , Maund Justyn R. , Smartt Stephen J. , Kotak Rubina , Lawrence Andy , Bruce Alastair , Valenti Stefano , Yuan Fang , Benetti Stefano , Chen Ting-Wan , Gal-Yam Avishay , Inserra Cosimo , Young David R.
Published: December 2013

We use natural seeing imaging of SN 2013ej in M74 to identify a progenitor candidate in archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) + Advanced Camera for Survey images. We find a source coincident with the supernova (SN) in the F814W filter within the total 75 mas (∼3 pc astrometric uncertainty; however, the position of the progenitor candidate in contemporaneous F435W and F555W filters is significantly offset. We conclude that the ‘progenitor candidate’ is in fact two physically unrelated sources; a blue source which is likely unrelated to the SN, and a red source which we suggest exploded as SN 2013ej. Deep images with the same instrument on board HST taken when the SN has faded (in approximately two year's time) will allow us to accurately characterize the unrelated neighbouring source and hence determine the intrinsic flux of the progenitor in three filters. We suggest that the F814W flux is dominated by the progenitor of SN 2013ej, and assuming a bolometric correction appropriate to an M-type supergiant, we estimate that the mass of the progenitor of SN 2013ej was between 8 and 15.5 M⊙.
Physical and Molecular Characterization of Millet Starches
Authors: Annor George Amponsah , Marcone Massimo , Bertoft Eric , Seetharaman Koushik
Published: January 2014

This study investigated the physical and molecular starch characteristics of four Canadian‐grown millet species: pearl, foxtail, proso, and finger millet. The millet starch granules ranged from about 2.5 to 24 μm in size and were mainly polygonal with a few spherical ones. Their amylose contents ranged from 28.6 to 33.9%, with finger and pearl millets having much more of long amylose chains than short amylose chains compared with foxtail and proso millets. Starches also differed in the molecular structure of their branched amylose, with finger and pearl millets having longer glucan chains between branch points. The enthalpy of gelatinization of starch granules ranged from 11.8 to 13.2 J/g, and the enthalpy of melting of the retrograded starches ranged from 2.2 to 5.9 J/g. The onset temperature of gelatinization (To) of the starches ranged from 62.8 to 70.6°C. Addition of iodine vapor to the granular starches showed significant (P < 0.05) differences in the ratio of the absorbance to scattering coefficient (K/S) values, indicating differences in the rigidity of the glucan chains present in the granules. Starches with short amylose chains exhibited higher K/S values. Iodine vapor addition resulted in altered X‐ray diffractogram peak intensities. The study suggested differences in the structure and granular architecture of the millet starches.
REVIEW: Hulled Wheats: A Review of Nutritional Properties and Processing Methods
Authors: Hammed Ademola Monsur , Simsek Senay
Published: January 2014

There is renewed interest in adopting hulled wheats (emmer, einkorn, and spelt) into our food system, because of their nutritional qualities and improved organoleptic properties. Current research findings have been concisely put together in this review to show the extent of the current and past work in this area and suggest additional research areas. Breeding programs for hulled wheats have received a great deal of attention, and their research findings have shown potential to generate genotypes with improved qualities. More work is required to investigate the changes in nutritional and structural composition of hulled wheats during and after processing and to develop suitable processing methods.
Increased Difficulties to Control Late Blight in Tunisia Are Caused by a Genetically DiversePhytophthora infestansPopulation Next to the Clonal Lineage NA-01
Authors: Harbaoui Kalthoum , Hamada Walid , Li Ying , Vleeshouwers Vivianne G. A. A. , van der Lee Theo
Published: January 2014

In Tunisia, late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans is a serious threat to potato and tomato. The Mediterranean weather conditions can be conducive to infection in all seasons and the host crops, tomato and potato, are grown year round. Potato is planted and harvested in two to four overlapping intervals from August to June and tomato is grown both in open fields and in greenhouses. The consequences of these agricultural practices and the massive import of seed potato on the genetic variation of P. infestans are largely unknown. We conducted a survey in which 165 P. infestans isolates, collected from five subregions in Tunisia between 2006 and 2008, on which we studied genotypic diversity through nuclear (simple-sequence repeat [SSR]) markers and combined this with a previous study on their mitochondrial haplotypes (mtDNA). The phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of a major clonal lineage (NA-01, A1 mating type, mitochondrial haplotype Ia). Isolates belonging to this clonal lineage were found in all regions and showed a relatively simple virulence pattern on a potato differential set carrying different Solanum demissum resistance genes. Apart from isolates belonging to this NA-01 clonal lineage, a group of isolates was found that showed a high genetic diversity, comprising both mating types and a more complex race structure that was found in the regions where late blight on potato was more difficult to control. The population on potato and tomato seems to be under different selection pressures. Isolates collected from tomato showed a low genetic diversity even though potato isolates collected simultaneously from the same location showed a high genetic diversity. Based on the SSR profile comparison, we could demonstrate that the four major clonal lineages found in the Netherlands and also in other European countries could not be found in Tunisia. Despite the massive import of potato seed from Europe, the P. infestans population in Tunisia was found to be clearly distinct.
Development of a Genomics-Based LAMP (Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification) Assay for Detection ofPseudomonas fuscovaginaefrom Rice
Authors: Ash Gavin J. , Lang Jillian M. , Triplett Lindsay R. , Stodart Benjamin J. , Verdier Valérie , Cruz Casiana Vera , Rott Philippe , Leach Jan E.
Published: January 2014

The vast amount of data available through next-generation sequencing technology is facilitating the design of diagnostic marker systems. This study reports the use of draft genome sequences from the bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas fuscovaginae, the cause of sheath brown rot of rice, to describe the genetic diversity within a worldwide collection of strains representing the species. Based on a comparative analysis with the draft sequences, primers for a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay were developed to identify P. fuscovaginae. The assay reported here reliably differentiated strains of P. fuscovaginae isolated from rice from a range of other bacteria that are commonly isolated from rice and other plants using a primer combination designated Pf8. The LAMP assay identified P. fuscovaginae purified DNA, live or heat-killed cells from pure cultures, and detected the bacterium in extracts or exudates from infected host plant material. The P. fuscovaginae LAMP assay is a suitable diagnostic tool for the glasshouse and laboratory and could be further developed for in-field surveys.